Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Sleep it Off For Fat Loss

Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Sleep it Off For Fat Loss


Having trouble losing fat?  Well first make sure you are:
1. in a caloric deficit
2. eating the right food choices
3. doing both strength and cardio weekly (5 hours a week of activity is the goal)
4. watching your sugar intake to either at breakfast or before and after workout
5. no more than 1 to 2 drinks weekly
6. sleep at least 8 hours each night

Now if you can say yes I am doing all 5 and you are still stuck (which 90% of you wouldnt be) most of you will say no on number 6.  And even if you said yes to the last one the next question would be, what quality of sleep are you getting?

At Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers we deal with people of all backgrounds and any issue and what we have found most often is people in general do not sleep enough or sleep poorly.  Why is this important?  Well when you sleep well you a) produce more growth hormone which allows your body to lose more fat b) recover from exercise and daily stresses c) calm your central nervous system.  All these things equal greater and easier fat loss.

If you don't sleep that often or sleep badly your appetite will be artificially bigger than normal, will gain body fat, and you will constantly crave sugar and starches.  This is because the body's sympathetic nervous system is always aroused in that fight or flight mode and it needs a quick energy source, sugar, to keep the alarm system up and running some Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers see alot!
When people start sleeping better they usually lose more fat and weight right away.  Also make sure you take zinc and magnesium on an empty stomach before bed (about 30 minutes out) your sleep quality will dramatically increase.  Look for a supplement called ZMA.

Studies have shown when you are stressed your body is rapidly depleted of Zinc, hence why you get sick when you sleep badly or are very stressed. Zinc is actually much more important for immune system function than Vitamin C.
There you have it, make sure you are sleeping AND make sure the sleep quality is high and watch the fat start to fall off!

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Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Organic Foods for Fat loss?

Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Organic Foods for Fat loss?


This is an interesting topic we get asked often at Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers.  Before I get into it, no I am not an organic farmer or have any vested interest in organic produce other than the benefits it provides and the problems it can cure.
So yes there are the "haters" of organic foods.  Trust me,  I was one for a very long time!  I hated the price, I hated the lack of serving sizes and I saw no value in regular produce vs. the organic brand.  But that is often the lack of education, you mock what you don't understand.  And we criticize to justify for our lack of understanding or action.

So now whats my take?  Well, in order to get better, you should never stop learning.  And thank God I did!  Since converting to totally organic (and my grocery bill only went up $50 a month!) I have less joint pain, bodyfat and mood swings.

Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Tip! So what caused this?  Firstly, when you eat regular-chemical laden produce you get a host of bad items.   Chemicals, hormones, pesticides, cancer-causing agents and toxins.  Why is this really that bad?  Well besides the obvious, lets focus specifically on fat loss.   Toxins bind to molecules in your body, the easiest is fat.   SO, guess what happens when someone is motivated and starts out on an exercise program?  Well for years they have made less that perfect choices with diet and stress.  So there GI tract can't absorb foods properly, they probably suffer from "leaky gut syndrome" and have TONS of toxins.  They start working hard, see a little weightloss and then plateau.  They then work harder, eat less and possibly see some results (if at all) before plateauing for good.  They then give up or do something drastic to get the body they want which isn't maintainable.

Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Tip! When someone switches over to 100% organic and includes a juicing regimen they start to drastically detoxify their systems, RELEASING stored toxins that are bound to bodyfat,  which also helps release stored body fat.
Does this really work?  Check out our success stories to find out!  You will see our two recent participants who have adopted this approach losing rapid amounts of fat, inches of their waist and increasing muscle tone.  They are getting results at the 4 week mark that most people would hope to achieve in 90 days (or at all!)
Pay close attention to their measurements.  Yes they have lost some weight BUT the have lost massive amounts of bodyfat and again inches off their waists.  Bodyweight isnt everything, bodyfat is.  To put in perspective, it is about average to lose 2 to 3% bodyfat a month.  These have both average around 5 to 7% a month!  Ben actually lost close to 10% his first month, and Ashley is down 10% in 2 months!
The take home message is nutrition is everything.  When you eat regular produce you are guaranteed to get toxins and chemicals.  But choosing organic, while not fool proof 100% chemical and toxin free, you give yourself a MUCH larger chance of actually getting the nutrients you need, keeping your toxins low, and getting the nutrients you need.

Again, look at our results, very hard to argue and would put them against any other "fitness professionals" in the area.
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Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Summer Nutrition Tips

Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers:  Summer Nutrition Tips

Well it is that time again.  Time to break out the skinny jeans, two piece and speedo!  The question is are you ready or do you wish for another few months of winter to get ready?
Here are some simple tips you can use that will help make some quick fixes to your beach body.
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers:  Summer Nutrition Tip 1
In order to lose fat you have to be in a calorie deficit plain and simple.  That is the only way it works.  EVEN IF you eat perfect food choices, you eat too many calories you won't lose fat.
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Summer Nutrition Tip 2
Now that you are eating few enough calories to be in a fat burning state you need to be eating the right types of foods.  By eating the right types of food you can keep your metabolism high and in a fat burning state WHILE getting to eat more.  One of the worst things about having lower calorie intakes is the hunger.  If you eat the right types of foods (tons of veggies, little fruit and lean proteins) you get to eat more!
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers:  Summer Nutrition Tip 3
Ditch any calorie containing beverage.  No soda, alcohol, kool aid, etc.  This is any easy one to get hung up on.  We often discount calories from liquids and they can easily catch up with you.  Stick to water, green tea, crystal light, etc.
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Summer Nutrition Tip 4
Go all organic!! Don't know how many times I have to beat this horse.  Again, non organic foods carry toxins and bind to fat cells.  Get ride of the toxin, get ride of the fat cell.  Pretty simple.  No fat burner and no amount of exercise can get ride of toxins or the fat bound to them.
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Summer Nutrition Tip 5
Cut out starches.  They are very high in calories, easy to over eat on, and most people do no respond well to starches as they have been shown to affect insulin sensitivity and increase cortisol (your bell fat!)
There you have it, start here with an hour of activity a day and you will be ready for beach season!
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Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: How to Hire a Trainer?

Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers
What do I look for when hiring a personal trainer?  This is a really common question.  What to look for, what certifications are good, do I need a trainer with a degree, etc.  Like all industries you have some great trainers, then you have some not so great trainers.   But unlike most industries you could have someone with a degree, multiple certifications and years of experience calling themselves a trainer and you could have someone who just took an online course got "certified" and they are now on the same level from the untrained eye.  Not so fast!
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Step 1 on hiring a trainer.
Look for a degree in Exercise Science, Kinesiology, Anatomy & Physiology, Athletic Training etc.  These are all degrees related to human performance.  But don't stop there!  I remember when I first graduated college, I was already certified as a trainer, had an exercise degree, played college football, was an Olympic Athlete and still really had no idea how to train someone or structure an exercise program!
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Step 2 on hiring a trainer.
Look for certifications.  This can be tricky as there are over 300 but look for these acronyms;  CSCS, NSCA, NASM, ACE, RTS, MAT.  Again there are countless others but these are some of the most credible.
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Step 3 on hiring a trainer.
Once you have found someone you feel is credible through education and certifications, interview him or her.  How does their program begin?  Do they do assessments, measurements, or screenings?  Did they interview you on your goals, medications, medical background, injury history and nutrition?  Do they do on-going measurements to review your progress?  If you feel pain during an exercise does he/she know what is happening, what is causing you pain and how to change the exercise to your level?  These are all things any trainer should do and know.  Most will not however which is unfortunate.
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Step 4 on hiring a trainer.
What are some things you should expect from your trainer?  He/she should never be late, on a cell phone, should keep some kind of notes or records during your session.  Your trainer should communicate with you about your SESSION and goals not what they did last night, who they are dating, etc.
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Step 5 on hiring a trainer.
How much does a trainer cost? It varies based on location, affiliations, education and certifications.  A baseline competent trainer charges around $40 to $60.  Very good trainers will charge more $80 to $100.  Trainers who charge more get better results, have more experience, and are very professional.  Now this is typically the case, you will have frauds trying to charge a ton and some great trainers charging very little but honestly this is very very rare.  Great trainers charge more for a reason: they work with specific clientele, they can do things other trainers cannot, they can get you to your goal, they are true fitness professionals.
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: summary
When looking for a trainer look for education, certs, years of experience and ask to look at success stories of other clients that have similar goals to you.   Ask for your consultation and interview the trainer, look at his/her assessments and establish a training schedule.  Your trainer should be able to give you some idea of how long your program will take to see some progress.  If none of these things happen, RUN!
If you have questions or are ready to start your training, contact Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers today for your free consult and experience all the things great trainers do with their clients.
To your success!

Matt Terry, BS Kinesiology, CSCS, ACSM, NASM

Matt Morando, NASM CES, NASM PES

Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: How Bad is Alcohol for me Really??

Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: How Bad is Alcohol for me Really??


Besides that fact that you could end up like the guy in the pic on the right, the answer is usually the same, "terrible!"  But perhaps a little education on why that's our answer.  A majority of clients come to Lean Physiques for results and they want them yesterday! And those results are usually fat loss.   Educating and accountability are what helps us get them there quickly.   Understanding what alcohol really does to your body in terms of aesthetics should help you understand why you should avoid it.  Keep in mind we are focusing on a fat loss perspective...
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers:  Reason Why Alcohol is terrible for fat loss #1
It stops it for up to 12 to 16 hours.  Yes this is true and has been documented most recently by Dr. Mauro Pasquale MD.   In a nutshell, once alcohol enters your body, your body must stop processing all other nutrients (fat, protein, carbs, etc) until the alcohol has been metabolized.  This can last for the 12 to 16 hour window, delaying breakdown of what you have just eaten.  So if you are like most people and you happen to eat items you probably shouldn't be plus drinking alcohol you have some serious problems.   Now imagine if you had a drink daily for a week, you wouldn't be able to metabolize stored fat till day 9!  See our lecture on it here.
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Reason Why Alcohol is terrible for fat loss #2
You don't sleep properly.  When you sleep normally you release growth hormone which feeds on body fat.  This also helps your body to recover and restore Cortisol levels (belly fat hormone) to a normal level.   But when you drink your sleep patterns are disrupted and you never actually enter deep REM sleep.  Now you don' t release growth hormone, Cortisol remains high and to top it all off you will now crave sugar!  That's right another awesome side effect of not sleeping is your body is further stressed and the Sympathetic nervous system is aroused and it needs a fast acting energy source, sugar.  So when you don't sleep your appetite will be artificially higher and you will crave carbs.  Congrats on that lifestyle choice.
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Reason Why Alcohol is terrible for fat loss # 3
As we mentioned in number 2 it affects hormones.  Another huge hormone that becomes suppressed with alcohol consumption is testosterone.  With this lower your body loses muscle mass, gains fat easier and has a hard time recovering from exercise and daily stress.  Not good unless you wanted those man boobs,  knock yourself out.
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Reason Why Alcohol is terrible for fat loss #4
Well if you made it this far on this list we either did a horrible job educating you or you may be an alcoholic.  As if the others were not bad enough that last reason is alcohol is sugar.  And like any other sugar it halts fat loss in its tracts.  With the extra glucose floating around in the blood stream Insulin has to react, when it comes out the fat loss party is over as Insulin is a storage hormone.  Since you are not going to exercise and burn off that glucose, Insulin is going to park it in a fat cell for later use.  Whoops...
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers:  Alcohol is terrible for fat loss summary
Now we are human and understand you will probably have a drink again.  The best one, and this may sound funny, is to drink the strongest one you can find because you won't be able to drink that much!  Funny but true.  Look for wine first, clear liquors second and beer unfortunately should be a distant third.  Or go back to those college days and just pound a few shots really quickly as soon as you enter said establishment and get it over early!
So yes we realize there are health benefits for drinking, but there are many more negatives associated with it.  And remember this is from a fat loss standpoint, not general health.  Exercise has far more health benefits that drinking ever will.
Need help with your fat loss, contact Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers today!
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Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: What is the deal with Caffeine?

Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: What is the deal with Caffeine? 

"So what is the deal with caffeine?  I hear many different uses and terms but not sure what any of them mean."
Well lets look at what it is, does and what its used for.  Now keep in mind this is a 30,000 foot view of what the most widely abused drug in the world does and what its used for!

Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Caffeine both a Vaosconstrictor AND a Vasodilator
So a little education.  Caffeine is both a Vasoconstrictor and a Vasodilator.  Great but what does that mean?  Well it acts as a Vasoconstrictor (constricts blood vessels) to the muscles in the head and neck only, which is why it is so helpful for headaches.  When you get a headache is typically a rush of blood to brain blood vessels causing them to swell and that pressure against your skull is the "ache", caffeine can help control this by shrinking the vessels back down.  And as a migraine suffer it does work!  The strange paradox is too much caffeine can actually caused "rebound" headaches but as long as you keep your dosage normal you should be fine.
Now it is also a Vasodialator (expands blood vessels) but this is to the rest of the body.  Caffeine has three metabolites (by-products) one of which is Theobromine which when broken down by the liver causes a dilation or opening effect of blood vessels to a majority of the body.  This is where it would come into play pre-workout as it can help with the "pump" or delivery of blood flow to the muscles.  This is also why you see it in so many NO (nitrous oxide) pre workout supplements, but more on those later.
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Caffeine as a fat burner?
Well it is the most common ingredient in all fat burners.  The reason for this besides increasing your body temperature, is it also curbs your appetite.  Yes caffeine is an appetite suppressant and a powerful one at that.  But the main reasons to take this prior to your workouts:  increases endurance, delays fatigue, helps with nutrient delivery via vasodilation and can increase your metabolic rate (metabolism).
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers:  Is too much Caffeine bad for me?
Well like most things, yes.  Too much caffeine has actually been shown to cause headaches and  it will burn out your Adrenal Glands which will cause a disruption in your other hormonal functions mainly Cortisol which increases belly fat (in very brief nutshell!)  So yes sorry, all those energy drinks you pound to keep you jazzed up contribute to that fat in front.
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers:  So when should I take it, and how much?
Well ideally (and we know this isnt always possible) take it really only before your workout.  One of the reasons people need so much caffeine is like most stimulants, the more you take it the more you need.  And the reason you need more is your Adrenal Glands (helps to regulate your body's energy levels) becomes immune to certain dosages and the caffeine begins to lose its affect.  And again the other problem with this is your Adrenal Glands basically become over-used and tired and stop really helping your body regulate energy levels which is why chronic caffeine users feel like they cannot function until they have had their coffee!  So keep it to one to two cups a day max.  Also if you do need a boost throw in some green tea instead, too many benefits to list here today but  it is a natural fat burner and has much less caffeine.
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Should I stop drinking Coffee?  Please No!
No we are not saying that.  One to two cups a day will not kill you or damage your Adrenals that badly.  The stress you face daily is a much larger culprit to thank for Adrenal problems.  Coffee actually helps your liver force to detox and since the average American will face over 500 chemicals a day it needs to detox as much as possible,  so do not cut out coffee.  BUT make sure it is organic coffee.  Coffee beans are one of the most touched by man and heavily sprayed with chemical products on the market,  YOU WANT YOUR COFFEE TO BE ORGANIC!!
Lean Physiques Overland Park Personal Trainers: Caffeine summary
Again the very brief goal here is to understand Caffeine a little more before we start moving on to other subjects.  This is essential as we have alot of questions to get to and many of them revolve around pre-workout products, fat burners, etc and to understand what we will be talking about in the future you need to grasp this concept first.
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