Below is a list of various things that have changed my life for the better (not counting the birth of my children, meeting my wife, blah blah blah). Not all are fitness related, but each has impacted my life in a positive way, and maybe yours too. So here they are in no particular order.
ATM Cards: These things are freakin' great. ATM Cards make paying for anything a snap and you don’t even have to show ID, just know your PIN. Who goes in the gas station to pay anymore – just use the ATM at the pump. There’s nothing worse than being at the grocery store and having the person at the front use 300 coupons and then they whip out their check book. Then the checker has to verify ID and write down the drivers license number and yadda yadda. Don’t’ be a jerk – just use your ATM card, the little plastic miracle.
Weight Training: Duh – you knew this one right?
Tivo: Commercial? What’s that? I only have so much free time, and I have no time for commercials (sorry Jeff). Tivo lets me watch a 60 minute show in 42 minutes (give or take) and skip the commercials. Plus I can watch them whenever I want. I have been a Tivo user for years, and I now even have one in the garage for when I do my interval training. For me there is no TV without Tivo. To sum up: I love Tivo.
HDTV / Plasma TV: In case you didn’t know, I have two amazing kids. Prior to having children my wife and I would go to the movies almost weekly- those days are over. When you have kids you have to make sacrifices, and that is fine, I knew that going in. Being the tech geek I am, I hooked up a 7.1 surround sound system with a plasma HDTV. It sounds great and looks freakin' amazing. I did not spend a fortune either, Costco has great HDTV’s and home theater systems for not too much. So instead of going to the movies every week they now come to me.
Fish Oil: For years I have advocated using flax oil as a source for EFAs. The more research I read tells me as good as flax oil is, fish oils are even better. This stuff is truly amazing. The benefits of fish oil supplementation include: aids in fat loss, decreases inflammation, normalizes blood triglycerides and cholesterol, lowers blood pressure and can reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death by as much as 50% and an increased consumption of fish oils helps reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer. That’s just the short list. I have been somewhat reluctant to recommend fish oil capsules due to horrific fish burps that can occur, but Costco has highly concentrated enteric coated fish oil capsules that do not give fish burps. Everyone should take it - Great stuff.
Deadlift: The Deadlift is the king off all movements and is a third on the Holy Trinity: Deadlift, Squat and Bench Press. It is a hip dominant lower body movement that actually uses most of body if performed correctly. It is easier to list which body parts it doesn’t affect then those that it does. On top of that it is a metabolic ass-kicker. Because of the fact that it utilizes so much muscle mass your metabolism is fired up with every rep. The deadlift and its variants are staples in both mine and my clients' training programs.
Broccoli: I used to tolerate broccoli, but of late I have been consuming it every day. It is probably the best single vegetable around (nutritionally speaking). Because of its impressive nutritional profile that includes beta carotene, vitamin C, calcium, fiber, and phytochemicals, specifically indoles and aromatic isothiocynates, broccoli may be responsible for boosting certain enzymes that help to detoxify the body. These enzymes help to prevent cancer, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and high blood pressure. Plus that it has anti-estrogen properties. My favorite means of reparation is simple: Spread florets on a cookie sheet, spray lightly with olive oil Pam, then dust lightly with garlic powder, salt, pepper and anything else you can think of (like Mrs. Dash). Then stick it in the oven on high until the edges are brown or slightly black. Allow to cool and then seal in a large zip lock bag in the refrigerator. I use them in my eggs in the morning and add them to my salads as well.
Metabolic Drive: This is a protein powder that used to be called “Low Carb Grow”. It’s comprised of whey and micellar casein which is an undenatured form of casein found in raw milk. It is low carb and actually tastes great. My current favorite flavor is Banana Crème. I use it when I am on the go or do not have time to prepare a real meal (which is my preference). It is not watery at all and keeps me satisfied for hours. FYI- I make no money off this stuff, I just use it and recommend it to my clients.
Carb Modification: As most of you know I am an advocate for a lower carb lifestyle (not no-carb). The fat loss aspects of these type of eating should be reason enough to switch but every day more and more research points to the overwhelming health benefits of carb modification. The blood panel work from those on reduced carb is nothing less than astounding. Will it work for everyone? – of course not. But I have personally seen some amazing transformations that accompany this nutritional plan. And it’s not like the old days of just meat and cheese. Chefs like George Stella and others have created truly outstanding meals from fresh foods that are not only low carb but absolutely delicious and exceptionally healthy. If you tried this type of eating and it did not work for you, chances are you did not give it a chance.
Interval Training: The newest research is telling us something that progressive trainers have known for some time: interval training is superior to steady state cardio when it comes to fat loss. Steady state cardio has its place, but for fat loss interval training is king. Literally twice the fat loss in half the time. Plus steady state cardio is boring as hell.
Joshua Carter
The Body Transformation Expert
Carter Fitness
http://carterfitness.com/
818-337-6175
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