Clear Objectives

Today I did my first long distance triathlon race in a long time. It was a half-Ironman distance which corresponds to 1,9k swimming + 90k cycling +21k running.

It was a tough course with a three-loop bike course full of climbs and fast descents. A course not suited for my skills, but I still wanted to do it to regain some tri-racing experience and to test a few things before my full Ironman race.

In short, in terms of time performance, it was a disaster.
I was really physically suffering the whole day!

Due to the suffering, during the race, I was starting to doubt my approach to the preparation of the Ironman race. Actually, I was starting to consider what some of my friends tell me: that I should prepare the race with a more specific and structured training plan, and that I should cut other activities like free-climbing that are hurting my triathlon performance.

As a matter of fact, specific and structured training is what I prepare for athletes looking for top racing performance. But this is not what I am doing for myself.

Is it ok for me not to follow what I do when coaching others?
It all depends on what is the final objective.

This is where having Clear Objectives, from the beginning of any SuperFit Project (or any Life Project!) become so important: To plan how to approach any situation and how to measure the success of anything you intend to do, you have first to consider what is Your guiding objective.

And my guiding objective for this comeback to being active in sports, through the preparation of the Ironman, is this:

"To be able to complete the Ironman triathlon in Klagenfurt on July 3rd, 2011 with the best time possible, having always fun and without putting my health at risk"

Thus, based on these Clear Objectives, what happened today in my training race was not a disaster at all:

I was not fast, but I still finished the race
I learned a lot from the experience
I really enjoyed the beauty of the lake and the view from the surrounding hills

I am not injured and I had lots of fun
I drank lots of beer and ate great food, too! ;)

In other words, following My Clear Objectives, I will keep training and having fun as I am doing now. I will also keep drinking red wine and beer. And I will not eliminate my mountaineering or free-climbing activities even if they make me slower. I love them too much to sacrifice them just to improve my race time performance.

Having Clear Objectives is key to dissolve any doubts during decision making. After all, it does not matter what others think, but what You really think and want.

By the way, here is a short video compilation of the last training I have done. You will see that is not only triathlon, but for sure it is respecting my Clear Objectives: It has been extremely Fun!!!

(I am using a helmet camera during the bike, so be ready for jumpy video again!)

Superfit Project: Training for Fun (link youtube)

The Switch (Part 1)

Let’s now (really) move to the practical side on how to make The Switch to awaken the Perfect Fat Burning Machine that is your body.

From the previous post you know that it is key to:

Keep your blood sugar levels stable all day long to maintain your insulin level under control, so it does not interfere with the natural fat burning mechanisms in your body

There is an additional point which is also critical to burn stored fat:

Create a caloric deficit: Ingest a little bit less calories than what you are burning, so you consume your stored fat reserves for energy.

But this point is really easy to do if you follow the principle of keeping the blood sugar levels stable. No need to count calories or become crazy about portions sizes. Just follow your appetite levels and never eat to the point that you feel “full”. Obviously, eating until you feel like you are about to explode is a complete “no-go” (although I confess I do it every once in a while!...what is life without pleasure, right?)

Ok, let’s get into business. Here are the practical tips for you to follow:

Avoid (or eliminate) sugar, sweets, desserts, white bread, white pasta, white rice

All these create a sudden peak in the blood sugar levels if eaten alone. Thus, if you really have to eat them (i.e. during social events, traveling, etc) try to limit as much as possible the quantities consumed and combine them with: protein, fats, and/or fiber. All these three elements slow down the digestion and in so doing, they slow down also the entrance of sugar in the blood (reducing the risk of creating the sudden peak).

It is better if you cut sugar completely out from your diet. But pasta, rice, bread and desserts are so ingrained in our diet habits, that it could represent a severe sacrifice to cut them out completely. And sacrifices do not take you to real success in the long term.

If you really want to make a sustainable lifestyle change, then it has to be doing something that you enjoy. Or at least something that you learn to enjoy. No sacrifices!

Thus, when eating pasta, rice or bread, try to eat the whole wheat version and make sure that you do not eat them alone. Instead, use fats to accompany them: extra virgin olive oil, sauces, or butter. Do not worry about the calories in fat, just reduce your pasta or rice portion, and cover it with oil/fat! In this way you will feel your hunger satisfied for much longer, and you will end up eating less total calories in the day (this is true if you really follow your appetite levels and avoid eating just for distraction or out of habit).

Besides fats, if you use fiber by adding vegetables and add also protein to your plate (chicken, beef, turkey, eggs, cheese, etc), you will obtain a further reduction in the speed with which sugar enters the bloodstream.  Thus, you will avoid the start of the Vicious Insulin Cycle generated by the blood sugar peak.

Finally, if you really want to go for a pasta or rice dish, make sure you are eating the whole wheat version. Although it has a different taste (it is an acquired taste), it provides much more nutrients and fiber.

Therefore, to summarize this point, avoid or eliminate completely sugars and white bread, pasta and rice. But if you eat them, make it a small portion, use the whole wheat version and add fats, protein and vegetables for fiber and healthy nutrients.

No carbs at all for dinner

This might sound extreme, but if you do it, you will exploit the full power of one of the best hormones in your body for natural fat burning: The Growth Hormone (GH).

This is a very potent hormone that is released when you go into deep sleep at night, and it is fundamental to repair your body cells, reduce inflammation, and avoid premature aging. It does all that while also burning lots of stored fat.

GH is such a powerful hormone that some professional athletes or bodybuilders tend to use the synthetic version as doping to lose fat and recover faster from strenuous training.

Of course, you do not need to dope to get results (me neither, by the way!), so just make sure that you do not eat carbs at night, because when there is insulin in your blood, GH production is reduced drastically. No insulin equals lots of natural GH for you!

In practical terms, for dinner you can try to have a large portion of protein of your choice with lots of vegetables. You can also add some nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, etc) to add extra good fat, some protein, and lots of other minerals and nutrients.

If you want to be really strict to get faster results avoid also alcohol at night.

Sometimes I drink red wine because I like it, and because I do not care about losing fat now. However, if you want to get faster results, avoid alcohol until you reach your desired results.

Have several small meals during the day

It is much better to eat 5 or 6 small meals during the day, than 2 or 3 large ones. If you avoid peaks in your blood sugar levels and have several small meals during the day, you will end up eating less calories in total during the day, and without feeling any sense of hunger or food deprivation (no sacrifices! remember?).

By reducing your meals sizes and keeping them constant throughout the day, your blood sugar levels are much more stable and your energy and concentration levels remain high.

Additionally, with smaller portions per meal, your stomach tends to reduce its size (after all, it is an elastic bag!) and you end up needing less and less food to feel satisfied after a meal.

In practical terms, have three meals where you eat protein and vegetables and add two or three snacks where you eat fruits and nuts. Plain yogurt is also a good option for a snack. 

For breakfast, avoid sugary cereals, donuts, and any kind of refined carbs or sweets. Chose from plain yogurt (no added sugar), nuts, cheese, ham, eggs, or natural cereals like oatmeal or whole grain (no added sugar!!! Did I say that before?!).

Ok, before I bore you to death, let me finish the post here for now. But I will continue with the practical tips in future posts.

In the meantime, start putting these tips into practice from today.

It takes time to build lifetime habits, but once you get the hang of this, you will notice an incredible difference in energy levels. And in your waistline, too!

It is easy!

Trust me on this.

Or better yet, don't trust me.

Try these changes yourself for at least a month.

You'll notice The Switch.

In Parts 2 and 3 of this post, I will give you further tips on how to reduce your hunger and speed up your metabolism so you can make The Switch to becoming a Perfect Fat Burning Machine even faster!

Stay tuned!

Understanding The Vicious Cycle

My first flight was delayed one hour. 

I lost the connection with the second flight as a result.

So I just got four “free and unplanned hours” in the airport now. 

What to do?

Write a new blog post, of course!

Many of you have written to tell me that you are really curious about what to do to awaken the Perfect Fat Burning Machine you have in your body. Thus, this time, I will not go into all the theory before giving you the practical advice. I’ll do exactly the opposite. I’ll give you immediately the secret to melting body fat with no effort, so you can start melting it already from today.

Here is the secret.

Ready?

KEEP YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS STABLE ALL DAY LONG.

That’s it.

That’s the secret.

No joke!

If you are able to do it, you will be naturally using a lot of your stored body fat as energy all day long. And as result, you will reduce your clothes sizes pretty dramatically in a short period of time.

(Start saving  some money now, so you can buy the new wardrobe!)

Well, if that is the only thing to do, you might be asking, why not everybody has a “lean machine”? Sounds simple and easy to do, right?

Reality is that it is simple and easy, but we have many habits in our modern diets which takes us very far away from this principle. Actually, with our diet habits, most of us go through constant “roller coasters” in our blood sugar levels during the day.

Are you constantly hungry? Actually starving?

Do you have very low energy levels, or even risk falling asleep over your job desk after lunch?

Are you always looking for something sweet to munch?

All these are examples of constant “peak and valleys” in your blood sugar levels. When you are in a peak, you feel energized and concentrated. But that high peak lasts very shortly. And almost immediately after you are feeling hungry and falling asleep (yes, that’s the valley! ).

What happens is that our brain needs sugar to work properly, but it needs it in a certain amount. Not too much, and not too little. So when there is too much sugar in your blood, your brain does not like it. So it “asks” the pancreas to produce a good amount of insulin to immediately carry and store that sugar in your muscle cells and into your liver, and in that way, the blood sugar levels are immediately reduced to a safe level.

The problem is that the pancreas tends to produce too much insulin, and so the blood sugar levels are reduced drastically. And you feel your energy levels in “reserve mode” almost immediately (the valley!). You almost start falling asleep and you desperately look for something sweet to calm your hunger.

This Vicious Cycle, not only keeps you in a energy roller coaster, it also tends to make you ingest a lot of extra calories because you are constantly starving. And extra calories mean also extra fat!

However, the worst thing when this cycle is happening (when insulin is high in your body) is that your capacity to burn fat as energy is completely shut down.

Let me say that again:

WHEN YOUR BODY IS PRODUCING TOO MUCH INSULIN, YOU STOP BURNING FAT AS ENERGY.

Not only that, if your muscle cells and liver are already “full” with sugar (glycogen is the right name of sugar when it is stored in the body) the excess sugar is converted into fat. Thus, if you eat too much sugars or carbs you not only stop your natural fat burning mechanism, you are most likely also increasing your body fat storages, too.

A complete mess, if you want to lose fat!

But this happens every day to most of the people I know.

And this same people tend to think that losing fat easily is just for “athletes” or genetically gifted human beings.

The truth is that the whole problem is in their diet habits, not in their genes or physical activity levels. They are living in a constant Vicious Cycle of excessive insulin production.

Again, it is a Vicious Cycle that is “hidden” in our modern diet habits!

-          Sweets (or excessive carbs),

-          Peak in blood sugar levels,

-          Excessive production of insulin,

-          Shut down of fat burning mechanisms,

-          Highly probable increase in fat storage,

-          Low blood sugar levels,

-          …sweets again!

-          …and so on!

Keep in mind that when this cycle is always present in peoples’ bodies, it creates also health problems.

The first stage is “insulin resistance”, which means that your body is constantly producing an excessive amount of insulin because the normal quantities do not produce the desired effects anymore.

The second stage is Diabetes (type II).  Your blood sugar regulation system goes havoc, breaks down completely, and you become diabetic.

Most of the apparently “healthy” people are actually “insulin resistant” to a certain degree, and that is why it is sometimes very difficult to lose extra weight (but it is not impossible!!! Especially when the right things are done).

OK. You are right!

That was theory and not practical advice.

I got carried away! Sorry!

But the thing is that I needed to at least explain to you the Vicious Insulin Cycle, so you could better understand the logic of the future practical advice. And in this way you are better equipped to apply it on your own.

I promise that in the next blog post I will list several actions you can do to keep your blood sugar levels stable to avoid the Vicious Insulin Cycle. And therefore, to keep your Perfect Fat Burning Machine working at its maximum power all day long.

(Quick preview of next blog: avoid sweets, desserts, sugar and excessive carbs. Replace them with fruits and vegetables. Eat lots of protein and good fats too!)

Next time I’ll give you a list of tools to help you switch from the Vicious Insulin Cycle to the Virtuous Fat Burning Cycle.

Get ready to do The Switch and to be amazed by the results!

The Perfect Fat Burning Machine

What if there was a machine that could make you burn fat all day long?

What if such a machine could make you fit into your old jeans again or develop “six-pack” abs in no time?

How much would you be willing to pay for it?

Really! Think about it.

How much?

What if you could get it for free?

What if the only condition to get it for free was to promise that you would make it work properly?

What if the only thing you needed to do to make it work properly was to read and follow its instructions?

Would you do it?

Seriously!

Would you be willing to do it?

What if the instructions were only a few and very simple to follow?

What if those few instructions would require changes in your paradigms?

Would you follow these new paradigms?

Would you be Open to The Change?

Do you think you would at least test The Change for a short period of time?

Well, if you answered YES, you can have access to this Perfect Fat Burning Machine. Actually, it has already been given to you a long time ago.

You were born with it!

YOUR BODY is the Perfect Fat Burning Machine

(in reality, it is also perfect for a million other things)

When you were born, you were given The Perfect Machine.

It can burn fat all day long and make you lose extra pounds and build muscle at the same time.

It was designed for that.

It only carries extra fat because it can be used as energy when food is not available. But most of us are lucky enough to be surrounded by food all the time. Thus, for us (the lucky few), too much body fat is not only unnecessary, it is very unhealthy!

So, if you want to lose the unnecessary extra weight to:

- go faster in races, or

- to fit into your old jeans again, or

- to be leaner for the next summer season, or

- more importantly, to be healthier and reduce your heart risks...

...Follow my next blog posts!

I’ll be mainly focusing on nutrition from now on, as I think this is key in becoming Superfit. Even if you are not exercising, if you eat the right things and at the right time, you can become very lean and healthy.

I’ll try to transfer in writing the simple principles I am following to lean down to become Superfit again. These principles are applicable also to you, and to everybody else.

All our Perfect Machines are almost identical.

We only drive them in a slightly different manner!

So let’s now try to drive them differently.

To make them more efficient, lighter, and faster.

And also better looking! ;)

Ancient Wisdom

Sometimes things don’t go as expected.

Sometimes you cannot go as fast as you would like to.

Sometimes you feel low.

This is all part of The Process.

Accept it!

Long and short.

Fast and slow.

Highs and lows.

They are just your interpretations.

Let go of them.

Things are much clearer (and easier) that way.

Their impact is much more beneficial.

And it lasts for much longer.

Forever!

Lao-Tzu, the mystic philosopher of ancient China, expressed this concept much better already 2,500 years ago:

“Tao Te Ching”

(The Way of Virtue/ Power)

Chapter 2

When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.

Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other.

Therefore the Master
acts without doing anything
and teaches without saying anything.
Things arise and he lets them come;
things disappear and he lets them go.
He has but doesn't possess,
acts but doesn't expect.
When his work is done, he forgets it.

That is why it lasts forever.

Hope you apply this Ancient Wisdom to your training.

And to everything else.

A little insight into my world

Yeap! It’s been a little bit more than a month since I started training again. As they say: "Time Flyes!". 

It really does.

Especially when you are having fun.

I was planning to post a bit about how my training is going.
But I did not want to bore you to death with all the details.

I am sure you do not want to know exactly how many kilometers I have run (many!) or how many laps (thousands!) I have swum.

That means nothing without putting it into the context of each individual's life.

So, instead of giving you useless numbers, I'll tell you that my training is starting to produce results.
My body is waking up.
It is moving again.

And the feeling is just great.
  
Since I don't think I can express with words how good I am feeling
(more than physically, mentally and emotionally), I thought I could share a few images in a short video I created.

These are a few highlights of some recent fun...
I mean, training!

The music comes from the soundtrack of the movie "127 hours".

Turn the volume up!
It has to be loud!
(that is how I hear it in my head in those moments)

One thing: the video is jumpy (to say the least), as I did the filming myself during the training.

Please, don't puke!

A little insight into my world (youtube link)

Only 15 minutes!...or the missing Intensity Factor (part 3)

OK, time to be concrete and cover the actual workouts you can do if you have only 15 minutes a day. Check the first two articles (Part 1, Part 2) if you want to know why such a short amount of time can be enough.

To recap them:

Stimulate your body through training.

Make it work hard to adapt to the stress.

If you train for short periods of time, train intensely!

Feel your muscles burning and hear your heart pumping!

Then relax and do your normal life during the day 

(while your body recovers and grows stronger).

Train frequently, though.

Enjoy every single step of the journey.

Nice and Easy!

So, let’s move now on to the practical part.

How many different workouts can you do to make this happen?

The answer is: Millions!

You can perform as many different workouts as you want, if you follow these principles:

- Use complex movements that utilize/train several muscles at the same time (EPOC is greater this way)

- Train your whole body if possible (upper and lower body, push and pull muscles)

- Keep moving until you are really gasping for air

- Resist the temptation to rest for too long in between exercises or repetitions (come on! it only lasts for a few minutes and remember: you won’t die!)

So, while I encourage you to be very creative and make your own workouts, let me just give you a few examples of what you could do.

*******

Workout 1 (bodyweight only, at home or when travelling)

5 minutes warm-up

- 2 minutes easy jog in place

- 1 minute jogging with high knees

- 1 minute jogging with heels touching butt

- 1 minute jumping jacks

(after this warm-up you should be already breathing uncomfortably)

7 minutes workout

- 10 squats 

-  5 push-ups (women can do this supported on their knees instead of on their feet)

-  3 pull-ups (if you have a pull-up bar at home/ hotel) or 10 mountain climbers

Repeat this cycle until you complete the 7 minutes (stop whenever the 7 minutes are over and keep track of how many cycles you were able to do in that time – next time you should aim for more!!!)

Take short breaks if you need them, but always keep the sensation of gasping for air and burning muscles. In other words, REST! BUT NOT TOO MUCH!!!

3 minutes cool-down

- 3 minutes of easy jog in place to gradually catch your breath

If you have extra time, do some light stretching after you have finished to relax the muscles and to breathe more deeply (5 extra minutes maximum).

*******

Workout 2 (run outside)

5 minutes warm-up

- 2 minutes easy jog

- 1 minute jogging with high knees

- 1 minute jogging with heel touching butt

- 1 minute running faster

(after this warm-up you should be already breathing uncomfortably)

7 minutes workout

- 20 seconds run (fast! come on!!!)

- 10 seconds walk

Repeat this cycle 6 times (until you complete 3 minutes)

Walk slowly for 1 minute to recover a bit

Repeat the cycle 6 more times (until you complete other 3 minutes...hang in there! almost over!)

3 minutes cool-down

- 3 minutes of walking 

If you have extra time, do some light stretching after you have finished to relax the muscles and to breathe more deeply (5 extra minutes maximum).

This particular kind of workout can be used with any kind of aerobic or endurance sport. I use variations of this one also in swimming and cycling for my Ironman training. You can try this also in the elliptical machine, rower machine or stationary bike in the gym. Just remember to do short busts of intense and fast exercise for 20 seconds, and then add 10 seconds of recovery.

*******

As said before, you can create many different workouts. If you like to use weights, you can make circuit training workouts to train the whole body and cardiovascular system in minutes. Other options are to work at home using many different variations of callisthenics or gymnastics moves. 

Also, try to alternate workouts, so you work your muscles in a slightly different way everytime. 


If you are interested in knowing more routines, just drop me a line and I will send you a few links with other examples.

Some final notes.

Since I do not want you to be walking like a robot after the first workouts, let me just give you a general advice on how to start with this.

Your body will need some time to learn the moves and to adapt to the stress. So approach this gradually. 


If you have not been active until now (no, chatting on Facebook does not count as exercise!), take at least one month to do only 3-5 minutes of the actual workout (instead of 7). Do it only 3 times a week, and more importantly, do not push too hard (yet!).

Test your body!
Take it for the ride, but listen to it!

For this first month, when in doubt, do less, never more!!!

Some pain in the muscles is good. Means you have stimulated your body. But too much pain means you overdid it, and you will need extra time to recover. So listen to what your body is telling you, and if you need an extra day for recovery, take it!

Hint: if you are not able to get up from your bed the day after you have done the workout, you might have done a bit too much!!!

So rest and recover when needed. And don't over do it.

However, the best recovery is not necessarily to lie on the couch to watch the TV. It is much better if you stimulate the blood flow in your body (and your mind!) with a nice, brisk walk outside. The relaxing and energizing movement of a walk will help you recover much faster. And it is a great way to clear your mind of any stress you might have cumulated during the day. 

Try it! 

Go out and try it!

(I know you'll be happier afterwards!)

Since I am not coaching you directly, and I am not able to explain every little detail here, let me know if you have doubts or questions. Just drop me a line here and I will try to clarify things for you. 


Attention to details in training, as in life, is key to obtaining the best results.


OK, that's it!
You finally have the theory and examples on how to put it into practice.

Zero excuses now!

So go out and do it!

Move!

Don’t think it through too much.

Only 15 minutes! 

Come on!

Move!

I can assure you that the first step is going to be hard. 

But I am certain you can do it!

Once you break the initial inertia, you will be on your way.

And then, only the sky is the limit!