5 fat loss nutrition tips

Chris Shah, Founder Terra Nova Fitness

“What tips can help my fat loss?”

Ask yourself this question everyday if it’s your goal.

Remember the questions you ask yourself determine what your movie looks like.

5 fat-loss nutrition tips

    1.       Eat breakfast every day!

   2.      Limit starchy carbs (bread, pasta)

   3.      Drink water with each meal

   4.      Include lean protein with each meal

   5.      Include a veggie serving with every meal

"What am I doing to make my movie look like fat loss"

“What is possible?”

Where's Your Motivation?

Ami Hodge

Fitness Coach,

Terra Nova Fitness

The mantra taught to novice surfers around here is "90% of surfing is just showing up". I think that can apply to just about any task in life, especially our workouts.

It doesn’t matter whether you're running a 10K or just heading to the gym for an hour, we all have those moments where we weigh the options of staying in a nice relaxing bed or burning off those calories from last night's dinner.

We know there are proven benefits to working out and we know we usually feel better afterwards,  so here are some things to keep in mind in order to stay on track:

Keep Your Eye On The Prize

Some may need to slim down for an upcoming reunion or wedding.  Others may have health issues that they would like to improve. Athletes might need to improve their performance. No matter what the goal we all want to see results. So, whenever you find yourself blowing off a workout, you need to keep your eye on the prize. Picture yourself looking hot in that size 8 dress or bringing that blood pressure down 10 points or finishing a half marathon in less than 2 hours. 

Each time you skip a workout, you’re just going to set yourself back that much further.

That said, lapses happen (or rather, life happens). For whatever reason, sometimes out of our control, we get sidetracked from our routines. Kids get sick, the boss wants overtime, the house is flooded. The important thing to remember is not to be hard on yourself if you do find yourself behind in your workout routine. Even if you just weren't motivated to do it for a few days.

Build A Support Team

Having friends or family members remind you of your goals can be much more effective than any trainer's words of advice. These are people that know your strengths and weaknesses. They may even be able to predict when a lapse is going to happen and be there to boost you along when times get tough.

Create A Contract

Create a contract with someone you trust, such as a relative or fitness coach.  Whoever you choose to help you stay focused should be enthusiastic about seeing your goals through. Have them promise to check in on you once in awhile and maybe even offer you a reward when you have completed a certain number of goals.

Be Accountable To Yourself

If you are uncomfortable having others involved in something so personal as fitness goals, that's ok. Just as we can be our own worst critics, we can also be our own biggest fans. There's nothing weird about being accountable to yourself. Put your goals in writing and promise yourself something special if that goal is achieved.  

Whatever method you choose, make sure it's one that will keep you on the right track to showing up for those workouts! 

“Motivation is what gets you started.  Habit is what keeps you going.”

Find Your Blue Dolphin

Chris Shah

Founder, Fitness Coach

I'm so tired of the pink unicorn.

I wish I didn't have to ride the pink unicorn.  Is that damn pink unicorn still in my backyard? 

The unicorn is the thing you don't want.  Feeling fat, lazy, no energy, not able to fit into that hot black dress.

Our brains are focus-seeking missiles.  Whatever we focus on, whether it’s "don't want" or "wants", that’s what we end up getting.  It's time to focus on the Blue Dolphin.   

I would love to swim with the Blue Dolphin.  I want to take a picture with the Blue Dolphin. How can I swim with the Blue Dolphin? The “Blue Dolphin” represents the things we want:  Fitting into that sexy black dress, being disciplined, eating great and working out.

Could it be this simple?  You bet your ass!

Many of us are unknowingly living out the scripts and stories we tell ourselves every day.  Our focus determines the emotions we feel.  The emotions we feel help determine the actions we take. It's time to become aware of the script and the story you're telling yourself and rewrite it. 

It's time to live out a different story of your “Blue Dolphin”!

Dedicated to your success,

Chris Shah

Do This To Speed Up Fat-Loss

Very easy strategies you can immediately implement

Chris Shah

Founder, Fitness Coach

For fat loss we want to ideally limit spikes in sugar/glucose levels. The following are 4 very easy to use strategies to optimize fat loss and to lower big jumps in blood sugar levels that make it hard to lose fat.

1. Include healthy fats FIRST in your meal. This can be a small amount of avocado or a few Brazilian nuts. This early appetizer can blunt the coming glucose response from the main attraction meal.
2. Replace the sugar in coffee with CINNAMON.   There is ample evidence that suggests cinnamon can reduce the glycemic (sugar spike) of a meal up to 29%.
   
3.  SLOW DOWN how long it takes to eat a meal. Taking longer to eat a meal slows down the resulting spike in glucose. If you sprint your spike is high. If you jog it, it’s a nice and steady level. 
4. 
   
   
5. DRINK more WATER with each meal. This has similar effect as number three. Drinking water in between chews slows down digestion and the resulting high spikes.
6. 
   
   

Dedicated to your success,

Chris Shah

Eat This Way And Become Happier

Chris Shah

Founder, Fitness Coach

“Dr. Michael Gershon, of Columbia University, has called the gut the “Second Brain”.

“Ninety- five (95) percent of the body’s serotonin (happy chemical) is produced by the gut nerve cells. “ - Dr. Michael Gershon

If eating healthy for fat loss was not a great enough motivation to eat healthy then what about your happiness? Whatever you choose to believe in, I think we can all agree the meaning of life is to be HAPPY!

When your stomach is upset or out of balance so goes your head and happy serotonin levels.

After reading this article ask yourself two questions before you eat something.

Will this food dim the light on my best self or make my best self-shine brighter?

What are some things that decrease your Serotonin levels and bang your Second Brain against a stress wall?

• Inflammation triggering foods like gluten (white bread)
• Processed foods , ( anything in food wrapper)
• Tran’s fat (chips, donuts, fast food etc.)
• High sugar diet
• GMO foods ( genetically modified foods)
• Bad bacteria in your gut ( from Splenda , artificial sweeteners)
• Excessive Alcohol consumption 

Sounds like a SAD diet (standard American diet)

How do I increase my “Second Brain's” Serotonin levels?

• Eat slowly released carbohydrates from whole, unprocessed plant foods
• Nuts, seeds
• Lean protein
• Salmon (omega- 3)
• Increase good bacteria in your gut ( Unsweetened plain yogurt, pro) 

When you eat things that may immediately spike your Dopamine Short-term (pleasure) levels you are dimming the light on your best self-long-term (Serotonin).

It’s time to protect and add armor to your second brain.

This empowers you to more readily SELF GENERATE HAPPY EMOTIONS. Depending on immediate external stimulus (junk food) to temporary generate dopamine is NOT SUSTAINABLE. You can build a nice Serotonin reservoir to access your best happy self.

This can be you too. This is one of the paths to sustainable happiness and weight loss. I hope you take the steps towards building your Serotonin reservoir.

Dedicated to your success,

Chris Shah

References: The 4-hour body, Timothy Ferriss. The Ultra mind Solution, Mark Hyman, MD

Stepping out of my "Downward Spiral"

IDENTITY ORIENTED – “I know I should make dinner tonight!”

I have a big confession to make.  This may be the first time I’ve told anyone…

I’m not always good at organizing my time.  There I said it.  Like many of you, I’m always on the go, always making sure the kids are where they need to be, making sure I am where I need to be!  Where my time management seems to suffer the most is at mealtime.   If I don’t have something already prepped and ready to heat up after a busy day of work and after school activities, my family and I are often scrambling to pull something together. 

Feeling defeated, I’ll resign myself to fixing the “emergency” stash of frozen lasagna or we’ll just go out to dinner often spending twice or triple what we’d probably spend at the grocery store if we had made a proper plan. 

NO MORE EXCUSES!

Inspired by Chris’ motivational video series on “consistent fitness success”, I’ve decided to stop the “downward spiral” of consistently coming up with excuses.   I will be consistent with planning healthy homemade meals for my family and me.

“Motivation is what gets you started.  Habit is what keeps you going.”  ~Jim Ryun (American track athlete and last American to hold the world record in the mile run)

PROCESS ORIENTED – “I will have dinner on the table tonight!”

I am now taking the steps to “cultivate” a process oriented mindset.  Rather than try and gather a meal together at the last minute, often spending limited time and/or money, I will carve out time I know I have available to plan, shop and prepare our meals for the week.

For many of you, this may seem like an easy challenge especially if you’ve been implementing a plan like this for a while.  But just like starting a new fitness routine or changing an eating habit, I am facing something that I always “wished” or thought I “should” achieve.   If I can dial in meal planning so that it becomes routine, I know that I have successfully made a positive lifestyle change.  This will not only benefit me but the ones I care about, too! 

ON YOUR MARK, GET SET…

Go!  The time to start is NOW.  I’ve already cleared out a time this weekend to do my shopping and prepping.  I’ve also chosen some recipes to make and have begun my shopping list so I won’t be overwhelmed with what I need on shopping day.   

I’ll follow up in a couple weeks to show you my progress.  I’ll share how I went about making a plan of action and what I did to implement it.  I expect it may not always go smoothly but I’m determined to stick to my plan so that eventually, my weekly meal planning becomes a habit!   

Ami Hodge
TNF Fitness Coach