Healthy Food CAN be Cheaper than Fast Food

healthy vs junk food

One of the most prominent arguments for the cause of the obesity epidemic in the United States is the supposed higher cost of healthy food items…and I can tell you as a personal trainer and nutrition coach that I hear this excuse all the time from people; however, the reality is that most “healthy” wholesome food items are extremely affordable and can even cost less than fast foods if you plan ahead, shop smartly, and prepare your own meals for the day. Just take a look at the example comparison picture above.

What many people don’t realize is that fast foods are only cheaper than healthy foods on a per calorie basis. Healthy/wholesome food items are actually cheaper per edible gram and per average portion than fast food items. An edible gram is used by the USDA for measuring the amount of a food item that falls into one of the major food groups (vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, and protein foods). Processed fast foods typically have a much lower edible portion that falls into one of the five major food groups, which is why the nutritional value is always much lower. Processed foods also lack nutrients like fiber and phytochemicals which are responsible for the release of hormones that give you the feeling of fullness and prevent you from overeating…another costly issue. The majority of Americans consume a diet that not only fails to meet the USDA’s recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, but is also an average of 1,100 calories more than their daily caloric needs. The bottom line…fast foods give you more calories for less money; however, most Americans eat way more calories than they require and still don’t meet their bodies nutritional needs.

A hypothetical example: you swing through a drive-thru or stop at a gas station to pick up a popular breakfast item like a doughnut. A glazed doughnut has roughly 240 calories and costs $1.20 and you would probably eat two donuts to feel satisfied. Did you know that a large banana has 5 grams of fiber to fill you up, is only 120 calories, and costs around $0.50/pound for 3-4 bananas, or approximately $.25 each? So if you substitute a large sweet banana for two donuts, you cut the calories to one-third, save money ($2.15 in this example), and receive tons of beneficial nutrients!

Furthermore, overeating calorie dense foods results in obesity and health complications which means costly medical bills. By eating nutritious foods and staying healthy, you’ll save money now from not overeating and in the future by preventing unnecessary medical expenses.

There are affordable healthy food options if you look for them, shop smart, and prepare your food ahead of time. Get the whole family involved so you can buy in bulk. Buy fruits and vegetables that are in season, on sale, and not already prepared…same goes for your proteins. Some of my personal favorites can be found year round and cost less than $0.50 per serving (1 cup). They include beans, rice, oats, apples, potatoes, bananas, and carrots. For optimal nutritional benefits, be sure to eat 4-5  servings of fresh fruits and vegetables per day and 3-4 servings of whole grains.

Keep up with all my latest NO B.S. FITNESS blogs and post any comments/questions you have on the blog forum or on my Facebook business page wall Facebook.com/checkfitness for a discussion.

 

Start Hitting the Weights Ladies!

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Want to look good in a bikini? Then start hitting the weights ladies! Above is Stephanie Check competing in her very first NPC Bikini competition. Here she is roughly 105 lbs and trust me…she didn’t get there by doing a bunch of cardiovascular training. She was hitting the weights HARD and HEAVY throughout her entire prep and never did she get big or “bulky” muscles.

One of the most common exercise myths that I come across regularly is that women should avoid lifting “heavy” weights so they don’t get “bulky” muscles. In reality, it’s physiologically impossible for a woman to build large bulky muscles no matter how hard she hits the weights at the gym.

Of course there are certain weight lifting manners and techniques that are more conducive to “bulking up”; however, it all comes down to sex hormones. Men are able to put on bulky muscle mass for one reason only – the male sex hormone- testosterone. Testosterone promotes protein synthesis and increases red blood cell production, which has an anabolic effect on muscle mass and bone density. Women produce very little testosterone and primarily produce the female sex hormone, estrogen. Unfortunately, estrogen is responsible for many unwanted effects on the body such as higher body fat, increased cortisol levels, and fluid retention, as well as decreased muscle mass and bone density; however, by lifting weights women can combat all of these negative side effects that they experience from estrogen.

Weight lifting places stress on your skeletal muscle, tendons, ligaments and bones. Over time, your muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones adapt to this stress to better handle it in the future. One way the body adapts to the stress caused by lifting weights is by reducing estrogen levels and increasing testosterone levels – this is true for both men and women. This does not mean that women will produce testosterone and build big muscles like a man. This simply means that women will experience a small reduction of estrogen and a small increase of testosterone, which results in an increase in: bone density, red blood cell production and metabolism, as well as a decrease in body fat and fluid retention.

Women who lift weights also have a reduced risk for developing heart disease and osteoporosis, which are the top two afflictions women suffer from in the United States today. Every woman can benefit from the health advantages received from regularly engaging in weight training. Just 45-60 minutes of weight training two days per week will greatly increase your physical fitness and decrease your risk for many diseases and disorders.

So to all the females out there who workout regularly…don’t be afraid to lift “heavy” weights for your ability! It’s not going to make you “bulky” and muscular! If it were that easy to get big and muscular I’d be an IFBB Pro Bodybuilder!

Ft. Myers Mobile Personal Trainer

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Hello! My name is Justin Check, owner/operator of Check Total Health and NSCA certified personal trainer & nutrition coach with over 8 years of experience. Check Total Health is the premier Ft. Myers mobile personal trainer service in SWFL. What separates me from others? Passion, professionalism, and experience!

Look no further- busy moms, workaholics, and sufferers of “gymtimidation!” My Ft. Myers mobile personal trainer and nutrition coaching service makes getting your workouts done easy and extremely convenient. At home, at the park, or even at your job! You can get or stay fit without the hassles that come with going to a gym. I bring it all to you with plenty of variety. Customized workouts designed around your health needs, schedule, and fitness goals. I also give free nutrition coaching and offer meal planning to make sure you get the results you’re looking for! For more information or to learn more about me, visit www.check-yourself.com, or feel free to contact me directly at justin@check-yourself.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

 

 

Carbohydrates!

Probably the trickiest macronutrient in my opinion to get a hold on for conditioning. Too many carbohydrates in your daily diet can easily contribute to fat cells, but too little carbohydrates in your diet will make you feel like ripping someone’s head off and limit your muscle building capability! I know people who have to eat less than 150g carbs/day to not put on fat and then there’s people like me who can eat up to 500g carbs/day without contributing to fat cells. It all comes down to your current conditioning, body type, and how much daily physical activity you get.

Carbohydrates are your fuel. Your body is genetically programmed to recognize carbohydrates as its main source of energy. Carbs are stored throughout the body, primarily in your liver, blood, and skeletal muscle. During exercise, we burn stored carbs in our muscle tissue which are then replaced by either stored carbs in your liver or “free” carbs floating in the blood.

Here’s where it gets tricky. If your blood sugar (carb) levels get too high and your muscle and liver carb capacities are fulfilled, where do you think those blood sugars get sent? Right to fat cells! So your carbohydrate needs will depend on your carbohydrate capacity (amount your body can store in the liver and skeletal muscle) and how much daily physical activity you do. There’s 2 ways to increase your carb needs and they both go hand and hand:

1. Increase your total capacity– one of the major benefits and adaptations that takes place from regularly engaging in resistance training is your body naturally increases it’s macronutrient capacities, primarily carbohydrates. The more you workout, the more your body will adapt to better handle that stress which means increasing it’s fuel (carbs) capacity.

2. Increase your total workload– Most of the time during exercise our bodies will tap into various fuel sources. You’ve probably heard that working out at a lower intensity will allow your body to use stored calories (fat) for fuel and working out at a higher intensity will burn more carbohydrates for fuel….and there is some truth to that; however, your body is never just burning carbohydrates or just burning fat for fuel. Rather, it’s more complex than that and usually a combination of the two depending on the intensity and type of exercise you’re doing. The bottom line is the best way to increase your carb capacity and workload is to do a combination of higher intensity training (such as cross training or vigorous cardio) and lower intensity training (such as resistance training or low/slow cardio). Both have their benefits for increasing your carb capacity and should be done regularly, but the combo will depend on your fitness goals. It’s pretty simple…the more you workout, the more carbohydrates you can eat.

The next tricky part with carbs is the amount, timing, and type. I could spend days writing about these topics, so I’m going to try to keep it simple.

Amount– we discussed above how your carb capacity is determined and how to increase it. In general, I suggest an active person to make at least 40% of their total calories carbohydrates (the USDA recommends 45-65%) . Carbohydrates have 4 calories/gram, so if you’re on a 2,000 calorie diet then you would start off eating roughly 200g carbs/day and then adjust up or down according to your weight goals/fluctuations, energy levels, and activity level.

Timing- there’s two times of the day when carbohydrates are crucial, even if you’re on a low-carb diet. Your first meal after you’ve slept and fasted for hopefully 6-8 hours and then immediately post-workout. Everyone should consume carbohydrates during these times as your carb stores are depleted during these times. As your physical activity decreases, so should your carbohydrate intake. I workout in the morning, so I have a first meal of complex and simple carbohydrates and then a meal with simple carbs right after my workout. Then for the rest of the day I start reducing and switching to more complex carbohydrates until dinner where I have very little (mainly vegetable sources of carbs).

Type- as to keep it simple we’ll just say there’s primarily two types of carbohydrates- simple and complex, even though with all the food items available today most are a combo of the two. Simple carbs (such as sugary beverages, cereals, breads, white rice, white potatos, etc…) will digest and absorb into your blood stream more quickly as opposed to complex carbs (fibrous carbs, brown rice, whole oats, sweet potatoes, etc…) which will digest and release into the blood stream more slowly. So, if you’re in a fasted or depleted state (like right when you wake up or right after vigorous exercise) it would make more sense to ingest simple carbs during that time to get your stores back up quickly and spare your muscle tissue from potential atrophy. Complex carbs should be utilized to keep a steady digestion of carbs into the blood stream to minimize insulin spikes when your liver and muscle capacities are already high.

Everyone’s needs and body is different, so trial and error is the only way to figure out your carbohydrate needs; however, I always recommend starting off with 40% carbohydrates of your total calories/day and adjusting accordingly. Keep the simple carbs for only post-workout and some at breakfast and then stick with more complex carbohydrates as you become less active.

Feel free to post any questions/comments on my website or FB business page for a discussion. NO B.S. FITNESS!

Keep the Supplements Simple

showpicThe supplement industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. There number one target…naive, overweight Americans looking for quick fix solutions to getting to a healthy weight. Well I’m here to tell you that 90% of the supplements on the market today are for the most part a waste of money. Take a look at my physique competition picture.  I’m going to tell you exactly what supplements I was taking throughout my 5 1/2 month prep period to get to that conditioning.

1. Isolate Whey Protein Powder– Utilized primarily as my post-workout protein source (45g-50g). Isolate whey protein is simply whey (milk) protein where everything has been removed except the amino acids (proteins). No carbohydrates and no fats, just pure protein. Most isolate protein powders are hydrolized, which makes them extremely easy to digest and absorbed very quickly…which is good after a hard workout of resistance training.

2. BCAA’s– Utilized primarily intra-workout or post-workout depending on if I was having a slower digesting protein source after my workout like a lean meat. BCAA’s are found in all complete protein sources, so if you’re eating plenty of protein most of the time they’re not even necessary. When your macronutrient capacities and demands are very high they can be beneficial during or immediately after a long, hard bout of exercise.

3. Digestive Enzymes– When you’re eating as many calories as I was you want to maximize macronutrient breakdown and digestion. Digestive enzymes help to do this if you take them consistently. I would take 1-2 capsules every other meal. I will caution you that I’ve heard they can cause some people gas, but I did not experience this.

4. Omega Fatty Acids- Omega fatty acids are crucial for numerous reasons (muscle growth, joint health, hormone production, protein transports…among others). When you’re eating extremely clean and controlling every gram of fat you intake, you have to supplement in some healthy fats to your diet. I use an omega supplement that has a variety of different omega-3 and 6 fatty acids.

5. Creatine Monohydrate- This one I have mixed feeling about whether it’s necessary for physique conditioning purposes. Creatine is a form of energy stored in muscle tissue that’s used primarily during quick, power type movements when oxygen supplies are limited and glycogen breakdown takes to long to yield energy for the movement. Unless you’re a power lifter or someone doing very high-intensity type movements frequently for your workouts I wouldn’t suggest creatine to clients. It also tends to make you feel bloated and hold more water.

6. Pre-Workout Drinks- Pre-workout drinks aren’t for everybody, but I definitely get better pumps and more energy when I drink them before I workout. Most pre-workout drinks are combinations of stimulants, vaso-dilators, nitric oxide boosters, and creatine. The more efficiently your heart can pump fresh oxygenated blood to your hard working muscles, the less fatigued you’ll get and the harder/longer you can workout. All the above mentioned ingredients help with this.

That’s it! KISS-keep it simple stupid! Keep the supplements limited. If you’re eating a well balanced diet and exercising regularly you don’t need a bunch of costly supplements. And please don’t waste your money on “fat burners.” All fat burners are just stimulants and/or thermogenics that increase your heart rate and body temperature which slightly increases your metabolism. Exercising and eating properly portioned meals every 2-3 hours will keep your metabolism rocking!

 

Please feel free to post any questions or comments on my website or FB business page wall for a discussion! NO B.S. FITNESS!

My Top 5 Tips for Weight Management

Justin Check, Fitness Expert

It can be very confusing for someone to manage their weight with all the fad diets, weight loss gimmicks, and nutrition misinformation out there. So I’m going to tell you my top 5 recommendations that you should always follow that will make weight management easier. No tricks or miracle supplements here…just lifestyle habits that yield permanent results!

 

 

“I want to lose weight by eating nothing but moon pies, which have significantly less gravity than earthier foods such as fruits and vegetables.”Jarod KintzI Want

Tip #1

Portion Control– Our bodies require only so many calories and macronutrients at any given time. Everything from gender, activity level, exercise history, muscle mass, and genetic predispositions (just to name a few) dictate one’s daily caloric needs. The easiest way to properly portion your meals is to divide your total needed daily calories evenly across all your meals.

For example, if you need to consume less than 1,500 calories/day to lose weight and you eat 5 meals per day then each of your meals should be no more than 300 calories each. This will not only ensure that you stay under your target calories for the day, but also that your body is burning each meal for fuel and not sending excess calories to fat cells.

Tip # 2

Use MyFitness Pal- The bottom line for losing weight is burning more calories than you consume each day. In order to do this you must keep a food log to track how many calories you’re consuming. There’s a great weight loss tool that I recommend to all my clients called MyFitnessPal. Not only does it roughly calculate your daily calorie needs for you, but it also has an electronic food database with over 2,000,000 food items that you can search and log in your daily diary. By recording everything you eat and drink, you can make sure you stay under your allotted calories for the day and start losing the weight!

Tip #3

Follow the MyPlate Guide-MyPlate was designed by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) to help average Americans manage their weight. The MyPlate nutritional guide helps you to properly balance your calories, make better food choices and develop healthier eating habits. It’s very easy to follow and ensures that you eat a well-balanced diet that satisfies the USDA’s recommendations.

Tip #4

Drink Plenty of Water- The quickest way to add unwanted calories to your daily intake is by drinking sugary, carbonated beverages. Ditch the sodas and all other flavored beverages and replace them with plain water. A general rule of thumb is to drink at least 8 large glasses of water per day, but I recommend at least 1 gallon per day.

Tip #5

Get Plenty of Physical Activity- Exercise not only burns immediate calories, but increases your overall metabolism and caloric needs for the rest of the day. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention) recommends that American adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity every week and 2 or more days of strength training every week. My recommendation is to workout more days/week than not, so a minimum of 4 days/week for at least 60 minutes each.

Forget the fads and one trick fixes. The only way to truly manage your weight is to religiously practice healthy lifestyle habits like the ones mentioned above. You’ll see permanent results, feel good, and know that you’ve earned it!

Feel free to post any questions or comments you have on my Facebook business page: www.facebook.com/checkfitness and be sure to check back frequently for my latest blog articles on NO B.S. FITNESS.