Fitness Together

Drum roll please.....

The eighth and final reason you may not be losing weight, even if you're exercising and eating healthy. 
Today we will look at how medications can stop you from losing weight.
 
This can often be a frustrating topic for many.  You decided you need to improve your health, so you
start exercising, changing your eating habits and try to be disciplined.  Only to see months go by with
no results.  In this series you’ve learned multiple factors and today we’ll cover one of the big ones we
work on with our clients and their physician.

Let’s start by breaking down the types of medications that can contribute to weight gain and then we’ll
look more specifically at a couple categories.

Prescription drugs used to treat mood disorders, seizures, migraines, diabetes and even high blood
pressure can cause weight gain or prohibit weight loss.   In addition, some steroids, hormone replacement
therapy, and oral contraceptives can also cause unwanted pounds to creep up on you.

A common one for many of our female clients is the effects of medications on your estrogen levels.  The
most obvious case revolves around treating menopause where estrogen levels drop.  If we utilize
prescription drugs to raise levels of estrogen it can often cause greater fat storing.  Estrogen is a key
player in the fat storage business.

A good way to offset this is with the right balanced nutrition like we teach in our EAT! Nutrition program.  
Not just eating healthy, but making sure you are eating the right balance of the macronutrients: protein,
carbohydrates and fats.  Combine supportive nutrition with resistance training to build and maintain muscle
and you have a lot better chance maintaining testosterone levels that also plummet when estrogen levels
drop.

If you take control of the natural approach to controlling your body’s hormonal environment, then you can
work with your physician as your partner in addressing menopause while working on fat loss.
 
Remember from previous post in this series, we are always trying to create hormonal balance that creates
an environment conducive to fat loss.  If there is a secret to fast fat loss, this is it.
The second most common medication affecting fat loss is antidepressants.  The exact relationship between
antidepressants and weight gain isn't clear, but weight gain is a reported side effect of nearly all
antidepressants.

It's not possible to predict who's most likely to gain weight from taking antidepressants. However, recent
research has shown that people who gain weight within about the first week of starting antidepressant
treatment are more likely to have significant weight gain from the medication over an extended period of
time.

It's important to note that the physiological changes created by antidepressants may not be the main
contributor to weight gain.  There are many factors that can work together to contribute to weight gain
during antidepressant therapy. Some people actually can lose weight as part of their depression. In other
cases, an improved appetite associated with improved mood may result in increased weight. Overeating as a
result of depression also can cause weight gain. In addition, some medical conditions that mimic depression,
such as underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), may cause weight gain.

It’s important to note there are many researchers who believe that an imbalance in serotonin levels may
influence mood in a way that leads to depression. 

Serotonin is just one of a host of neurotransmitters secreted by the brain that regulate mood, attention,
and energy levels. Ongoing stress can deplete our serotonin reserves, leading to intense food cravings,
particularly for the refined carbohydrates that when eaten mimic the sense of well-being created by
serotonin. Persistent low serotonin levels lead to plummeting energy levels, bouts of depression, and
compulsive eating - all leading to weight gain.

Not surprisingly, experts also say some of the same strategies for eating healthy and getting enough
exercise that help us lose weight under normal circumstances, can also help us while using antidepressants.

The bottom line here is that not only can healthy eating and exercise help control your weight gain, they
can also improve your depression, which in turn may help you to cut down on your medication - and ultimately
make weight loss easier. 

Medications that treat migraine headaches are also medications that affect neurotransmitters. Similarly
changes to these neurotransmitters can cause energy, mood and appetite changes potentially resulting in
weight gain.

The fourth category of medications affecting weight loss is High blood pressure medications. 
Beta-blockers can cause shortness of breath and fatigue, making it difficult for patients taking them to
exercise. Calcium channel blockers taken for high blood pressure can cause you to retain water.

The exact cause of weight gain associated with some beta blockers isn't clearly understood. But it may be
due to a lower metabolic rate and reduced physical activity. In addition, if you switch from a diuretic to
a beta blocker, you may gain a few pounds of weight that the diuretic kept off.

The last category we’ll cover is corticosteroids.  Corticosteroids most often use to reduce inflammations are
known to stimulate appetite while reducing the body's ability to absorb glucose, which can promote fat deposits
in the midsection.

If you are struggling to lose weight and feel like you are doing everything else right, then it may be time
to discuss your medications with your physician.

What you need to know is that certain types of medications can cause weight gain. But in almost every case,
the doctor will be able to switch you to another medication that has the same desirable effects but which will
not cause weight gain and may even help you to shed a few pounds.

Not all drugs have the same side effects for all people.  You have to work with your doctor to find the
medication that's right for you.

Express your goals to your physician, so you can work together as a team to improve your overall health, not
only by addressing your current medical needs, but by taking a proactive long term approach by losing weight
and improving your fitness.

Thank you for allowing me to guide you through the health and fitness maze.

In good health,

Pete Piranio BS, CSCS
owner/Fitness Consultant
Fitness Together
Brookfield: 262.780.6350
Delafield: 262.646.5444
Wauwatosa: 414.453.9800

www.FitnessTogether.net

P.S. If you need help putting together a complete program to achieve your fitness goals and want a support
system to implement a customized plan, come see us for a complimentary introductory session and consultation.
Learn more here.

Or If you would like more information prior to scheduling a consultation, We’ve put together
a special DVD and package of information containing everything you need to make an informed decision about
the Fitness Together services.  We can mail this package out to you immediately.  All you have to do is go
here. 

Sources:
Deshmukh, Rashmi and Kathleen Franco. "Managing Weight Gain as a Side Effect of Antidepressant Therapy."
Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine 70:7 (2003): 614-23. 27 Feb. 2009 <http://www.ccjm.org/content/70/7/614.full.pdf+html>.

Fenton, Wayne S. and Mark R. Chavez. "Medication-Induced Weight Gain and Dyslipidemia in Patients With Schizophrenia."
American Journal of Psychiatry 163 (2006): 1697-704. 27 Feb. 2009 <http://focus.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/reprint/6/2/246>.

"Prescription Drugs That Cause Weight Gain." Johns Hopkins Health Alert. Jun. 2008. Johns Hopkins Medicine. 27 Feb. 2009
<http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/alerts/prescription_drugs/JohnsHopkinsPrescriptionsDrugsHealthAlert_656-1.html>.

Have you checked out the Fitness Together Transformation Competition recently?  If not you might have missed, Michael has offically broken the 300 mark!  Read all the details here!

Alright, we are back in action after some vacation days, travel and the joy of
catching up after time off.  I hope you’ve been putting into practice the last
6 strategies I’ve shared in this series.   You’ve gained valuable knowledge to
get you moving, eating, and thinking different.   All to get you feeling great!

In part 7 of our series we are going to learn how digestive imbalances can stop
you from losing fat.  So let’s dive right into the fun…

This topic is one of the most overlooked components of an effective fat loss
plan.  You don’t see it talked about a lot in the media, magazines or the
majority of the guru’s weight loss books.   If you do see it talked about it’s
usually to the extreme and with impractical concepts that most people can’t
implement. 

First, I’m going to apologize if I get a little technical, but it’s important for
you to know these factors or you can be working very hard, not get results and
possibly continue being very frustrated with another failed attempt.
 
If you want to lose fat you need to have your physiological systems working
properly.  You learned in the prior posts of this series how a successful fat
loss plan involves creating an ideal hormonal environment.  You learned how this
is done through exercise and nutrition combined.  Now we’ll look at optimizing
your digestive system, an important system in the body that allows the proper
assimilation nutrients. 

My goal is to help you see how this is all connected.  It’s not starving yourself,
eating foods you don’t like and exercise methods that only cause you to hate
exercise.  It’s an intelligent and balanced approach that takes your body’s
physiology into consideration.  Not gimmicks.

In working with hundreds of clients over the years, one of the more uncomfortable
questions to ask a client whose progress is slow is: how regular are you?   In
other words, I’m trying to identify how healthy is their digestive system.  I
usually get a puzzled look because it’s not usually at the forefront of someone’s
mind when it comes to reasons people don’t lose weight.

The fact is there is no way you can lose fat and use fat as fuel if you are not
regular, if you’re only defecating every couple of days.  It’s a clear sign of an
unhealthy digestive system and in many cases an imbalance in their digestive
system due to a buildup of metabolic waste and toxins.

This buildup of waste and toxins can come from improper diet.  Typically diets
high in sugar, processed foods and foods containing high levels of toxins.  
Other contributors can be nicotine, caffeine or exposure to poor environmental
conditions.  Today we’ll focus on how food can contribute to a healthy or
unhealthy digestive system.   

Let me quickly touch on an example of a poor digestive system symptom that many
women will be able to identify with.  A lot of times we are doing a great job
with workouts and changing the overall shape of a female client’s body, but the
client starts to express some frustrations with the dreaded “pouch” they can’t get
rid of.  It doesn’t appear to be a lot of excess body fat, but none the less
they’re frustrated with not being able to flatten out their stomach a little more. 
I came across this time and time again over my career, which caused me to do some
research and find out what’s going on.   What I found is many people can commonly
have yeast imbalances.   I’ll keep the focus narrow on the most common situation.

Yeast called Candida Albican is normally in your system, but can grow out of
control if there is a change in the physiological environment.  For example, a
suppressed immune system, sickness or improper nutrition can cause Candida to
become infectious.
 
Nutritional causes for a disrupted digestive system can be too much sugar or
processed foods, which increases Candida, which creates inflammation in digestive
system.  This inflammation can contribute to the “pouch” belly and more importantly
disrupt the normal function of the digestive system.

An inflammation in digestive system will inhibit the proper assimilate of nutrients. 
It’s one thing to eat good foods, but it’s another to actually assimilate them.  
In order to get benefits of your training, exercise and changed eating habits you
need to assimilate nutrients.   If your body doesn’t assimilate good nutrients,
your workouts will feel harder and your recovery from your workouts will be slower. 
All resulting in slower results!

It’s critical to get this.  You can be eating healthy, but if your digestive system
is overburdened by years of improper eating you are going to be seriously
handicapped. So what do we do?  I would strongly recommend you start with a
cleansing process.  A simple step you can take to ensure a properly functioning
digestive system.    I’m not saying you need to go on some crazy colon cleansing
diet with supplementation or some other unrealistic method.  Keep it simple and keep
it real.  Otherwise you’ll never implement and therefore never get the benefit.

My suggestion is to give your digestive system a rest and reset for 4 weeks by not
eating red meat, limiting sugars, alcohol and add lots of fiber, lots of veggies and
water.  Essentially we are talking about a natural cleanse.  No craziness.

There you have it, the seventh reason you may not be losing weight regardless of how
many hours you’re exercising or how many “points” you’ve eaten.

Thank you for allowing me to guide you through the health and fitness maze.

In Good Health,

Pete Piranio BS, CSCS
Owner/Fitness Consultant
Fitness Together
Brookfield 262-780-6350
Delafield 262-646-5444
Wauwatosa 414-453-9800
Woodbury, MN 651-436-8137
www.fitnesstogether.net

P.S. If you would like to learn more about our services you can schedule a complimentary
introductory session and consultation or request our DVD and information guide at our
website: http://www.fitnesstogether.net

P.P.S.  If you want to see the results of putting all of the principles outlined in this
series in action, make sure to check out our Fitness Together Transformation Challenge
contestants and their results. See how one of our contestant’s has lost 83 pounds in
last four months (and we’re not done yet!):  http://michaellong-ftc.blogspot.com/

In part five of our series we will now touch on how the wrong cardio can stop you from losing fat.
 
I know this might get some people fired up, but that’s alright.  After all, this is the Hype-free,
Fad free zone, so you need to know the truth.  Sometimes the truth that challenges traditional
thinking gets push back, but my jobs to get you results.

If you want to lose fat, cardiovascular exercise is part of what we call the FT Essentials:
resistance training, moderate aerobic exercise, supportive nutrition and accountability/support
system.  Think of it like a four legged chair.  If one legs missing the chair falls over.  Hopefully
without you in it!

Cardiovascular exercise doesn’t mean you have to run or be on a treadmill.  It means we have to
elevate your respiration and heart rate.  There are endless ways to do this.  Your body doesn’t
know the difference between chopping firewood and going for a run.

The key is many people have a misconception that more is better and that aerobic exercise is the
key to losing fat.  I’m here to tell you it’s not.

Oh boy, I can imagine the remarks going on in some people’s heads now!   But stick with me, today
may be the day you end your fat loss frustration and the painful, long and boring cardio forever.
Part of the reason for this myth and misconception is what people see on the cardio equipment
dashboard.  You will often see a chart explaining the “Fat Burning Zone”.  It gives you the
impression that if you stay within a certain heart rate zone you will burn fat, but if you’re out
of this zone you won’t.  

Often it’s explained that you have to stay within an aerobic state to use more fat for energy.  
You will have some inexperienced trainers explain that you should maintain a conversational pace to
stay within this zone.  This means you should be able to hold a conversation while doing aerobic
exercise.

I debunk this entire misrepresentation in another blog I wrote on May 12th called the Fat Burning Zone,
so I won’t go into length about it here.

The reality is that you do use more fat for energy in this aerobic state described on the cardio
machines, but I’m not concerned with how much fat you use for energy during a given amount of time. 
It doesn’t mean it’s the most effective to lose overall fat and get you to your long range goals. 
I’m also not concerned just about the amount of calories you burn during this time.  Although the
method I will suggest in a moment can equal the same amount of calories burned in a shorter period
of time.

Most importantly, I’m interested in the hormonal responses I can create from exercise to send the
right signals to the body to release fat for fuel.  Here’s the kicker.  I’m more interested in what
happens to your body after you’re DONE with a cardio workout, then while you’re working out. 

If you would do high-intensity cardio or what we often call interval training.  It’s the most
effective way to release and burn fat for fuel because it’s the post exercise responses created by
this method.  Interval training stimulates the central nervous system to release growth hormone.  
If you read my previous blog posts in the series I wrote about hormonal responses and the effects on
fat release for energy you now know how important creating the right hormonal environment is to losing
fat. Specifically, interval training will stimulate adrenalin and noradrenalin.  It drives the good
guys to go to the cells to open them up and use fat as fuel.   If you want to not only burn fat during
exercise,but throughout the day, you will want to do interval training.   In addition, you will have
raised your metabolic rate for a longer period after you’re done exercising.  The good news is interval
training is often done in half the time, so it’s a double win for the busy person.

If you're still skeptical, see the results our Fitness Together Transformation contestants are getting
and specifically listen to Michael Long explain how he was surprise how 25 minutes of cardio has helped
him lose over 60 pounds: www.FitnessTogether.net 

I do want to say, I’m not bashing regular lower intensity cardiovascular exercise because you can’t do
interval training every day.  It has its place in your overall exercise plan.  In fact, I don’t
recommend doing interval training more than 3 times per week.  Therefore, two other times per week you
can do low intensity cardiovascular exercise, but you don’t need to do more than 30 minutes if you apply
a balanced approach to your overall fitness and nutrition plan like we do with the FT Essentials.  This
balanced approach is not only physiologically more beneficial to achieving your goals, but psychologically
more stimulating.

From an exercise prescription standpoint, know that high intensity cardio is always going to be better
than lower intensity steady state cardio.  Also know that you have to progressively build up to interval
training.  You don’t want to just jump into a program that is too intense for your ability level or you
won’t enjoy yourself.   When working with our clients we always use progress exercise prescription
principles.  It allows the client to work at their ability level and often exceed what they thought they
ever could do because we progressively increase the challenge as their fitness level increases.  Our
comprehensive health and fitness assessments allow us to specifically target heart rates to the client
ensuring a perfect cardiovascular prescription and intensity. 

Please do not think because it’s often call high intensity interval training that you cannot do it unless
you’re in great shape.  High intensity is relative to the individual and why appropriate exercise
prescriptions are important. 

You can read a previous blog I wrote to get more details on what interval training is and additional
recommendations. It was written on March 20th and call Chuch Saves The Day.

Thank you for allowing me to guide you through the health and fitness maze.

In good health,

Pete Piranio BS, CSCS
Owner/Fitness Consultant
Fitness Together
Brookfield: 262.780.6350
Delafield: 262.646.5444
Wauwatosa: 414.453.9800
Woodbury,MN: 651.436.8137
www.FitnessTogether.net

P.S. If you would like to learn more about our services you can schedule a complimentary introductory session
and consultation or request our DVD and information guide at our website:  www.FitnessTogether.net

Today we will be continuing our discussion on why you may be eating healthy
and exercising, but still not losing weight. 

There is nothing worse than seeing the frustration on someones face that
feels like they are doing everything right, but just can't shed the weight. 
I've consulted with hundreds of clients and this always hits you right in the
heart.

The hardest part for us is knowing that we have a psychological battle on our
hands with a client in this situation.  We also know that the clock starts
ticking to win this battle before they consider us another failed attempt.

The fact is everyone (except for rare instances) can achieve a healthy
weight if they are committed to it. You have to truly commit to making
changes in your life.  Sometimes the changes you have to make don't always
fit into the exercise and nutrition category alone, as you have been learning
in this series. Today, we will discuss hormonal imbalances as one more example.

Before we dive into hormonal balances I want to discuss a very important
point that is a critical piece to the fitness and fat loss puzzle. It's
critical because without understanding this point, you may never get a chance
to put all the pieces to the puzzle together.

You have to accept that making health, fitness and weight loss changes may not
come easy.  You have to accept that it's a process and the process may have
many ups and downs. The right methods and approach will make it easier, but
there is no silver bullet.

If you read one of our Fitness Together Transformation contestant's blog
entries on May 16th, you will see a perfect example of how easy it is to get
frustrated, lose focus and potentially derail yourself for good. I'm happy to
say Jason Fritz stayed mentally tough long enough to start seeing terrific
results. These results have fueled his fire ever since and now he's on a roll.
Unfortunately, some people give up before they experience success. Read Jason's
May 16th post here: http://jasonfritz-ftc.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html

If you can understand it is a process and for many, this process is not
"quick and easy", you are much more likely to stick with it.  You are much more
likely to put all the pieces together.  You are much more likely to get the 8
Reasons in this series right.

If you have gained the knowledge to put together the right fitness and weight
loss plan, you must trust your plan and avoid the gimmick temptations.  This
is what we asked our Fitness Together Transformation contestants to do and
they are getting terrific results (http://www.fitnesstogether.net). I'm sure
contestant Michael Long was skeptical when he discovered he was only going to
do 20-25 minutes of cardio, but after losing 60 plus pounds lost later I'm
sure he's not. 

We live in America and culturally we want everything fast, so let me reassure
you can still have ups and downs in the process and achieve quick results. 
Jason Fritz had a few mental ups and downs, but he also lost 20 pounds in less
than three months. Heck, there are a lot of people that would be very happy!

Here is another example, a month and a half ago I had a phone conversation with
a client that was frustrated because she was not losing weight, but felt like
she was doing everything right.  Understandably, she wanted to vent some
frustrations and I was going to be on the receiving end.  She had stated that
our web site said we never fail and she obviously felt like we did.  I responded
by stating we never do. We will never give up until we are successful with the
client. We weren't giving up on her either. The question was she going to give
up?  Was she going to commit to making the necessary changes?  Was she going
to accept responsibility or blame someone or something else?

We know our methods are scientifically based and proven to be successful and
we have hundreds case studies to prove it.  In each and every one of our success
stories we were able to help the client not only learn what has to be done, but
commit and take responsibility for making the changes necessary.  Sometimes
these changes were easy and results came quickly and other times it's tough
like the aforementioned example.

I am happy to report that this client did accept responsibility, made the
recommended changes and has since lost 30 pounds!

The moral of this story is there are reasons for your struggles.  It's very
rare that someone is genetically "stuck" with being obese.  Very rare!  I don't
care what you read in a magazine or see on TV.  You just have to be willing to
stick with it long enough to get all the pieces working together and to find
what's missing in your fat loss formula.

Let's look at hormonal imbalances as one possible problem in the fat loss equation:

I've been writing a lot about this in the other posts for good reason.  Many
of the exercise and nutrition strategies and techniques I've previously
discussed are to create the right hormonal response to release fat for fuel. 
You can have one hormonal imbalance and do a lot of work for nothing.  Even one 
imbalance can be the missing piece to the puzzle.

Over the years I discovered hormonal imbalances to be one of the biggest reasons
people were not losing fat, even if they truly were doing just about everything
else right.  I've found that if people are hitting a plateau we just need to dig
a little deeper to find out why, rather than, make drastic changes.

I've seen people drastically cut calories or start excessively exercising when
they are stuck on this plateau, when really they needed to find the real culprit.

The best way to make sure your hormones are not the culprit is to see a medical
specialist.  We typically recommend our clients see a physician for testing of
hormonal imbalances and metabolic diseases if every other possibility has been
exhausted.  They can either discuss this with their physician or see a few of our
recommended physicians who specialize in this area.

The four key areas to ensure are normal are:
1. Thyroid levels
2. Insulin
3. Cortisol
4. Testosterone and Estrogen

In the previous post in this series we have discussed how Thyroid levels
significantly affect your metabolic rate and caloric expenditure.  We also discussed
the importance of stabilizing insulin to optimize the release of fat as fuel. 
Insulin resistance can have a dramatic impact on your ability to lose fat because
the body continues to secrete higher and higher levels if the cells are not
accepting insulin. This ultimately creates an environment that will increase
calories store as fat.

In earlier posts we discussed how cortisol levels can be increased with stress
and poor sleep because the body perceives the lack of sleep as stress. You can also
have high cortisol levels even if you get adequate sleep and handle stress properly.

Lastly, low levels of testosterone in men and low levels of estrogen in women will
increase a person's fat storing.  Women can often experience weight gain when
entering menopause because of drops in estrogen.

Understanding that any imbalance in these hormones can make fat loss very difficult
even with the best exercise and nutrition plan can save you a lot of frustration. 
We work with our clients to create an optimal hormonal environment with an exercise
and nutrition plan first, but if progress is at a standstill we often work with
medical professionals to find if this is the missing pieces.  If you have the right
exercise and nutrition plan that will naturally create the right hormonal balance for
fat loss and have hit a plateau you may want to do the same.

Thank you for allowing me to guide you through the health and fitness maze.

In good health,

Pete Piranio BS, CSCS
Owner/Fitness Consultant
Fitness Together
www.FitnessTogether.net
Brookfield: 262.780.6350
Delafield: 262.646.5444
Wauwatosa: 414-453-9800
Woodbury,MN: 651-436-8137

P.S. If you would like to learn more about our services you can schedule a complimentary
introductory session and consultation or request our DVD and information guide at our
website:  www.FitnessTogether.net

Last week we started looking at the 8 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight,even when you seem to be
doing everything right.   Number one was Don’t Fall for Gimmicks.  This one might have seemed
obvious, but it’s the effects on your psychology.   It’s falling for gimmicks or at the very least,
having gimmicks question your current method that derails your efforts.  Jumping from one thing to
another and never sticking to anything.

The second one we covered was the lack of sleep and how your body perceives it as stress and the
physiological impact this has on your ability to lose fat.  We also discussed how it will impact
your workout recovery and the long term affects this has.

Today, we are going to look at affects Chronic Stress has on your ability to lose fat. We
touched on this a little bit when discussing sleep, but today we are going to dive deeper into
stress and its physiological effects.

I want to start by sharing a story about my first
discovery of how stress triggers physiological changes in the body.   Some people think stress
is strictly psychological or behavioral and don’t respect its ability to change your physiology. 
I think it’s pretty common knowledge that stress is not good for your health, but unless you
experience the physiological impact you can often under estimate the importance of controlling
stress.  I know I did.

My experience with stresses impact on physiology was back when I was in my final days of college. 
I was living in Waukesha, but my internship was in Oshkosh.  It didn’t make sense to move for
three months.   My internship start at 6:00am each day, which meant a 3 or 3:30am wake up when
you have an hour and a half drive.   This wouldn’t have been a big deal, but it was an unpaid
internship.  I still wanted this internship because I knew what I would learn was much more a
valuable then getting paid, but it also meant I had to work a 4 to 5 hour night job to pay the
bills.

I’m one that once a focus on a particular goal I can get in zone and as Nike says: “Just Do it.” 
Unfortunately, it had consequences I didn’t expect. I was sleeping four hours every night for
three months.   Even though my mind wasn’t tired, I was willing to do what it took.  My body
decided it was time to chill out.  I started having stomach and digestive problems.  These issues
just went away once I return to decent sleep patterns and allowed my body to rest. 

To put this in perspective, I was probably in the best physical shape of my life.  I had just
come off my senior year of college football and had really been applying everything I was learning
in my exercise physiology studies. If stress can have that kind of effect on a 21 year old body
in top physical shape, what kind of effect is it having on the many baby boomers struggling to
lose weight?

Let’s look at the specifics and see.

First, as I mentioned last week, the body doesn’t know the difference between psychological and
physical stress.  Each one will trigger the release of Cortisol, which will decrease your ability
to release fat as energy.

The second impact stress has is making it harder to stay on a good nutrition plan.   A major
contributor is the altering of Serotonin levels in the brain, which is the “feel good” hormone. 
An increase in Serotonin occurs when additional stress is present.  Serotonin has a direct think
to food cravings.

Let’s think about a typical pattern that can occur for many people.  You come home from a stressful
day at work.  What type of food do we go after when we are stress?  Is it a chicken ***, brown
rice and a salad?  Not likely.

Serotonin kicks in and we typically grab for sugar, salty or fatty foods.
 
What we have to realize is that stress is the one that called for this.  We’ve created an
environment to where you are more apt to eat the foods that don’t support our goals. We have strong
chemicals produced by stress in our body creating this response.

You could be trying to be good with your nutrition and working out consistently, but you don’t
always think to evaluate your stress and the role it has on losing fat or fitness goals.  You could
have everything on track, but stress will sabotage all your other efforts.

How do we minimize these food cravings?

First, the obvious is to work on stress management.  For the purposes of this article we won’t
cover this today.  Instead, let’s look specifically at what we can do to address the food cravings.

One of the keys is to eat every three to four with small supportive meals/snacks. This means a
balance meal of lean proteins, fibrous carbohydrates (fruits and veggies) and starchy carbohydrates
(wheat breads, brown rice, sweet potatoes, etc).  These smaller and more frequent meals not only
stabilize insulin, control hunger, improve your metabolism, but they also control cravings and
serotonin levels.  This can be a whole other topic in itself. 

Another affect stress has is on your Adrenal glands.  Your adrenal glands end up working overtime
producing Cortisol, which sends a whole series of signals to your body inhibiting the recovery and
building of muscle.  Muscle is a critical component to increasing your body’s metabolism.  A
decrease in muscle that occurs as we age is one of the contributors to a decrease metabolism and
calorie demand as we get older. 

Your Adrenal glands also produce Adrenalin.   Most people are familiar with Adrenalin and the surge
of energy that takes place in an emergency/stressful situation.  It’s also produced naturally
throughout the day and one of its responsibility is going to a fat cell and opening it up to release
it for fuel.

The Adrenal gland also produces Adrenalin’s sister call Noradrenalin which gets to the fat cell
systemically through nerve endings.
 
Without getting to technical, just know that your Adrenal gland produces not only the “bad guy”
Cortisol, but the good guys Adrenalin and Noradrenalin.  We want the body to release Adrenalin and
Noradrenalin, so we can get to the fat cell and release it for fuel.  Without these two, “burning
fat” won’t happen.

When you get into stressful situations for long periods of time, these Adrenal glands get overworked
and no longer produce Adrenalin and Noradrenalin like they should and you start to lose acceptance
of these hormones at the cell receptor site.  Your body almost becomes resistant.

This is all a series of events that has a major impact on your ability to lose fat.  It not only
affects your eating patterns, but creating a physiological environment not conducive to fat loss.

As you can see stress is by far one of the most overlooked components to losing fat that most don’t
take into consideration.   If you feel you have the exercise and nutrition plan down, but just can’t
get the results you want, I would highly recommend you look at your sleep and stress levels. If stress
is currently part of your life, you need a plan to make improvements in this area just like you need
an exercise and nutrition plan.

Next week we’ll look at the fourth reason you may not being losing fat.

Until then, thank you for allowing me to guide you through the health and fitness maze.

In Good Health
Pete Piranio BS, CSCS
Owner/Fitness Consultant
Fitness Together
Brookfield 262-780-6350
Delafield 262-646-5444
Wauwatosa 414-453-9800
Woodbury, MN 651-436-8137
http://www.fitnesstogether.net

P.S. Don't forget to check in and vote for our Fitness Together Transformation Competition contestants
here: http://www.mycommunitynow.com.

P.P.S.  If you need help putting together a complete program to achieve your fitness goals and want a
support system to implement the plan, come see us for a complimentary introductory session and consultation. 
Learn more here.

Over the 13 years I’ve been helping people transform their lives through health and fitness; I’ve come across a few challenging clients.   It would be untruthful to say every client we’ve worked with has got results effortlessly.   You see, that’s the point.  Anything in life that has a large enough impact to improve the quality your life won’t come easy.

If you’ve seen our website (www.fitnesstogether.net) you’ll see our current theme (and picture):  We Are Not a Gimmick.    I felt this was something very important to communicate to the community and our clients because at some point a person looking for real lasting change has to stop looking for the easy way – the gimmick!  Everything is “quick and easy” - right?  Well not exactly.

When you stop looking for the easy way, you stop falling prey to the infomercial and hype advertising pandering to your weaknesses.   You also stop veering of course from doing it the right way.  You stop jumping from diet to diet and exercise program to exercise program.  You actually stick to a plan and give it enough time to work.

To get the results you want, you have to change your habits and beliefs.  You have to change the way you move, the way you eat and the way you think.   Yes, I know this seems a little vague, but when you get right down to it.  This is what it takes.  I also know it sounds like a lot of work, but that’s only because most people have the following problems:

1. They don’t have the knowledge to put together a workable plan of action in this area of their life.

2. They don’t know how to implement a complete health, fitness and nutrition program that address all key areas required to getting lasting results.

3. They have too much misinformation and therefore are utilizing ineffective technologies and methods.

4. They don’t have a support system, accountability or coaching to help them follow through on the plan.

It can be easier than you think when you have the right system.  Not “quick and easy”.  Not in the next 24 hours.  But sure is fun to see the smile on a client’s face, when they put it all together.   This is when everything really begins to happen.

What does this have to do with 8 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight?

You just got number 1:  Don’t Fall for Gimmicks.  It takes a real plan, effort and persistence.

Let me leave you today with number two.  One that may not be so obvious to some:  Sleep.
A lot of studies have shown that the lack of sleep is one of the other biggest contributors to America’s weight problem.  If you are not getting at least 7 hours of good sleep, you can be significantly hindering your fat loss goals (and/or fitness goals).

Why? There are two reasons:

1.  Lack of sleep reduces your body’s ability to recover from your workouts and make the physiological adaptations resistance training and aerobic workout is meant to create.  A slowed recovery can also affect your motivation because staying with an exercise program becomes more difficult if you’re tired going into each workout.

2. Your body perceives the lack of sleep as stress.  When your body is stressed it releases a hormone called cortisol, which Cortisol counteracts insulin by increasing gluconeogenesis and promotes breakdown of lipids and proteins, and mobilization of extrahepatic amino acids and ketone bodies.  Longs story short, this leads to increased circulating glucose concentrations (in the blood) by increasing gluconeogenesis. This increases blood sugar inhibits your body’s ability to release and use fat as energy.

Next week we’ll look at the remaining six.  If you’ve been following a good plan, been consistent and persistent and you’re still not getting results.  You’ll want to tune back in to some of these not so obvious reasons you may be struggling:

3. Diet Imbalances
4. Chronic Stress
5. Hormonal Imbalances
6. Digestive Imbalances
7. The Wrong Type of Cardio
8. Prescription Medications

Until then, thank you for allowing me to guide you through the health and fitness maze.

In Good Health

Pete Piranio BS, CSCS
Owner/Fitnss Consultant
Fitness Together
Brookfield 262-780-6350
Delafield 262-646-5444
Wauwatosa 414-453-9800
Woodbury, MN 651-436-8137
http://www.fitnesstogether.net

P.S. Don't forget to check in and vote for our Fitness Together Transformation Competition contestants here: http://www.mycommunitynow.com.

Over the 13 years I’ve been helping people transform their lives through health and fitness; I’ve come across a few challenging clients.   It would be untruthful to say every client we’ve worked with has got results effortlessly.   You see, that’s the point.  Anything in life that has a large enough impact to improve the quality your life won’t come easy.

If you’ve seen our website (www.fitnesstogether.net) you’ll see our current theme (and picture):  We Are Not a Gimmick.    I felt this was something very important to communicate to the community and our clients because at some point a person looking for real lasting change has to stop looking for the easy way – the gimmick!  Everything is “quick and easy” - right?  Well not exactly.

When you stop looking for the easy way, you stop falling prey to the infomercial and hype advertising pandering to your weaknesses.   You also stop veering of course from doing it the right way.  You stop jumping from diet to diet and exercise program to exercise program.  You actually stick to a plan and give it enough time to work.

To get the results you want, you have to change your habits and beliefs.  You have to change the way you move, the way you eat and the way you think.   Yes, I know this seems a little vague, but when you get right down to it.  This is what it takes.  I also know it sounds like a lot of work, but that’s only because most people have the following problems:

1. They don’t have the knowledge to put together a workable plan of action in this area of their life.

2. They don’t know how to implement a complete health, fitness and nutrition program that address all key areas required to getting lasting results.

3. They have too much misinformation and therefore are utilizing ineffective technologies and methods.

4. They don’t have a support system, accountability or coaching to help them follow through on the plan.

It can be easier than you think when you have the right system.  Not “quick and easy”.  Not in the next 24 hours.  But sure is fun to see the smile on a client’s face, when they put it all together.   This is when everything really begins to happen.

What does this have to do with 8 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight?

You just got number 1:  Don’t Fall for Gimmicks.  It takes a real plan, effort and persistence.

Let me leave you today with number two.  One that may not be so obvious to some:  Sleep.
A lot of studies have shown that the lack of sleep is one of the other biggest contributors to America’s weight problem.  If you are not getting at least 7 hours of good sleep, you can be significantly hindering your fat loss goals (and/or fitness goals).

Why? There are two reasons:

1.  Lack of sleep reduces your body’s ability to recover from your workouts and make the physiological adaptations resistance training and aerobic workout is meant to create.  A slowed recovery can also affect your motivation because staying with an exercise program becomes more difficult if you’re tired going into each workout.

2. Your body perceives the lack of sleep as stress.  When your body is stressed it releases a hormone called cortisol, which Cortisol counteracts insulin by increasing gluconeogenesis and promotes breakdown of lipids and proteins, and mobilization of extrahepatic amino acids and ketone bodies.  Longs story short, this leads to increased circulating glucose concentrations (in the blood) by increasing gluconeogenesis. This increases blood sugar inhibits your body’s ability to release and use fat as energy.

Next week we’ll look at the remaining six.  If you’ve been following a good plan, been consistent and persistent and you’re still not getting results.  You’ll want to tune back in to some of these not so obvious reasons you may be struggling:

3. Chronic Stress
4. Diet Imbalances
5. Hormonal Imbalances
6. Digestive Imbalances
7. The Wrong Type of Cardio
8. Prescription Medications

Until then, thank you for allowing me to guide you through the health and fitness maze.

In Good Health

Pete Piranio BS, CSCS
Owner/Fitnss Consultant
Fitness Together
Brookfield 262-780-6350
Delafield 262-646-5444
Wauwatosa 414-453-9800
Woodbury, MN 651-436-8137
http://www.fitnesstogether.net

P.S. Don't forget to check in and vote for our Fitness Together Transformation Competition contestants here: http://www.mycommunitynow.com.

I’m writing this in my car while I am on a family road trip to Pennsylvania visiting family over Easter weekend. Don’t worry I’m not driving :) . My two sons Peyton (3yr) and Preston (6yr) are asleep, so I got a little extra time and it’s pretty quite.

This got me thinking about why some people who follow Fitness Together’s program get rapid results, while a few others get results at a slower pace?

When my staff and I usually discuss a client getting rapid results, I always like to probe my staff with ‘why’? We know the answer. It’s always, “They’re doing what we tell them to do. They’re following the plan.”

So what makes the difference? Why do some follow the program from day one and others need coaching to get the “switch to flip”.

Over the years of working with hundreds of people on their health, fitness and fat loss goals one thing has shown through as the critical reason why some people succeed and some people don't (or at least at a slower pace).

It's simply this...

A compelling reason why.

You see, over the past few months I have been watching a friend busting his butt, following the program I gave him, getting all his workouts in, tightening up his diet and staying focused on his goals. This is the same guy who came to me for help three months ago, but only three and half months ago would tease me all the time for eating healthy wherever we were.

What created the change for him all of a sudden?

He found a reason why for the moment. In his words:

"To look darn good on one of the most memorable days of my life - my Wedding day. I also wanted to be proud of my body while standing on the beaches of Mexico and have a fabulous honeymoon in the sun..."

For him that simple 'reason why' has driven him to train when he was tired...

To eat right when temptation was whispering in his ear, to ignore his friends harassments (just as I’ve done for years) and to stick with the plan I gave him and stay the course.

When doing initial consultations with our clients we ask them 'why' they wanted to work with us and why they want to achieve the goals discussed in the consultation.

Most would say they simply wanted to get in better shape.

How motivating is that?

Can you REALLY picture 'getting in better shape?'

I can't...

You need a compelling vision to get you through those tempting moments when that cheeseburger is sitting there in front of you, you NEED that compelling vision to get you to exercise when you are tired and don't feel like it.

His wedding day is a mere 3 months away and his 3 months of hard work has already paid off. He is seeing the difference already and he is excited for how his commitment will change his body and mind. I can see it in his eyes. He’s got the health and fitness bug that can only be understood and caught if you get started.

His reason why has fueled his workouts for the last three months and as soon as he has reached that goal I recommended he switch his focus to yet another compelling ‘reason why.’ Otherwise, he may lose his drive for staying committed. Eventually, his new body, mind and energy will be his main ‘reason why.’ He won’t want to lose it and return back to his previous condition. This often becomes what I call the “lifestyle reason why.”

Your 'reason why' should motivate you and drive you...

I encourage you to schedule and Introductory Session and Consultation  and we’ll help you find your reason why and give you a plan to get there. If you’re already a client and need to reset your reason why to get to the next phase of your fitness journey see one of our Fitness Consultants for a Goal Review Session and we’ll help you gain that extra leverage to skyrocket your results.


Pete Piranio BS, CSCS
Owner/Fitness Consultant
Fitness Together
Brookfield 262-780-6350
Delafield 262-646-5444
Wauwatosa 414-453-9800
Woodbury, MN 651-436-8137
www.FitnessTogether.net
 
P.S. Don’t forget to check in on our Fitness Together Transformation Competition contestants here: www.mycommunitynow.com. Over time you will see the aforementioned concept and other proven techniques we use to get results quickly.

First, I want to thank all everyone who took part in the quick survey last week.  We've got the results and we are lining up the topics to get you the answers to your most pressing health, fitness and weight loss questions. 

In fact, a big one almost everyone wanted to know more about is metabolism. 

So here it is:
What can you do to boost your metabolism and burn fat to lose weight?

Your metabolism is in basic terms how many calories you burn each day. We all know that kids have faster metabolic rates than adults. This is the metabolism you wish you had.

While it is inevitable that your metabolism decreases with age, it doesn't mean that you are subject to gaining weight with each passing year.
It's even possible that your metabolism might decrease 30% over your life, but really, is that any reason to become overweight?

Not at all.

Not when you can increase your metabolism with a couple of simple, proven techniques listed below...
Here are 8 metabolic boosters and the truth about whether each is effective for fat loss.

1) Strength training

Claim: Boosts metabolism up to 10% after a training program

Absolutely True!

In fact, despite what many people think, more intense exercise is better for your metabolism because it requires more energy and nutrients during and after for recovery.

Working out more intensely may seem intimidating to some, but "intense" doesn't mean you kill yourself.  Intense to a trained fitness professional means the degree of physiological impact and change the body under goes using a specific exercise method.  It doesn't necessarily mean how difficult you feel it is.

The fact is that resistance training is considered more intense because it has a greater physiological impact, than say moderate cardiovascular exercise.

Resistance training provides a metabolic boost for 24-48 hours after a workout.  In addition, a slight increase in muscle will also provide an increase in metabolism by 30-50 calories for every pound of muscle.

I know what some of the females are saying right now. But Pete I don't want to "bulk" up.  I am not talking about bulking up.  I am simply talking about replacing the muscle you lost as you got older.  You can't have toned arms or a higher metabolism without muscle.

In one study, women achieved a greater metabolic boost from using 8 repetitions per set rather than traditional high-rep (12 reps) sets. 

The takeaway here is to not just rely on cardiovascular exercise but to also make sure your resistance training is intense enough to get results.  Please remember, intensity is relative to the individual.  In upcoming articles I will give some guidance on how to measure intensity.

Bottom line, this is number one on the list for a reason.

2) Eating Breakfast

Claim: Beneficial to boosting metabolism because it stops your "fasting."

True? Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't.

Your metabolism won't go into "starvation mode" without breakfast, but it is associated with highly successful weight loss.

So make it a habit to consume some protein, fiber, & fruit (& even veggies if you can fit them in) at breakfast time. This will keep your appetite and blood sugar in check till your next meal or snack.

3) Green Tea

Claim: Burns an extra 80 calories per day

True? Not exactly.

Research has shown Green Tea to burn 80 calories per day in young men on the very first day of supplementation, but will this affect last once your body gets used to the supplement? I doubt it.

Green Tea is great for everyone because of the health benefits, but not for fat loss.  The only way you will lose fat with Green Tea is if you replace a 300+ calorie Frappuccino with an unsweetened Green Tea.
Otherwise, don't rely on it to boost your metabolism.

4) Fat Burners

Claim: Boost your metabolism in a huge way!

Fat burners are basically super doses of caffeine pills and other stimulants with a few other unknown ingredients thrown in. You'll have problems sleeping, potentially have stomach issues, but that doesn't mean it will significantly boost metabolism or burn fat.

5) Ice Cold Water with Lemon Juice Squeezed into it

Claim: The body will burn calories warming up the water and the lemon juice also burns more fat.

Truth? Nice in theory, but doesn't work in the real world. I don't know anyone who is losing fat with ice cold water. If it sounds too good to be true - then it absolutely is!

6) Eating 5 - 6 small meals per day

Claim: Boosts metabolism, helps control blood sugar and can help control cholesterol.

Absolutely true!

Simple and very effective! Try and split your meals up into smaller meals that can be consumed over the course of the day. This might be part of the breakfast magic.

7) Protein

Claim: Burns more calories (uses more calories in the process of digestion than carbohydrates or fat).

True!

Protein also helps control your appetite with longer lasting satiety and that's where the real benefit comes in - it helps you prevent overeating.

8) Cardio Based Interval training

Claim: Interval training causes a greater increase in post-exercise metabolism than regular cardio.

Absolutely!

Along with strength training and eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day interval training is a must for significant fat burning.

A recent study from Australia found that a shorter interval program led to more weight loss than a twice-as-long aerobic training program.

This confirms the original interval training study from as far back as 1994 that showed greater results from a shorter interval program when compared to a traditional cardio program.

Bottom line, intervals work and they work big time!

The conclusion is that hard work, the right kind of exercise (resistance training and interval training) and supportive nutrition burn more calories. The magic pills, potions and myths don't work.

This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. My advice? Add strength, intervals, and mini-meals, to your weight loss plan and you'll be leaner thanks to your faster metabolism. 

This is a simplified explanation of the system we use here at Fitness Together.  We combine 45 minutes of resistance training with 20-25 minutes of interval training with the EAT! Nutrition Program to help you implement a common sense approach to maximizing your metabolism through nutrition. 

If you're a client, the key is consistency and sticking to the plan with frequent workouts and EAT! coaching sessions.  It's nice to know all the right pieces are there.

If you're not a client and need a plan and support system go here to request a complimentary session and consultation or you can contact us at your most convenient location.

Hi

Here we are close to the end of February already. The FT team and I just want to say "THANK YOU!" for your interest in Fitness Together and being part of the extended family! 

Fitness Together created many new client success stories in 2008 we'll be featuring some of them on our web site throughout the year.  We also grew by leaps and bounds and we have our clients and community to thank for this.

This last year was a blast, and we're gearing up  for an even bigger 2009.  Yes, we realize the economy has been the "big elephant in the room", but the way I see it many people complain, others get to work…

I believe you focus on the things you have control over.  Don’t worry yourself to death over stuff you have no control over. It’s pointless.

There are certainly people struggling right now, but nothing good happens by sticking your head under a pillow or complaining. The future favors the bold and those who maintain the right mind set.

This is why it makes our job this year even more important than ever.

Helping you get the right exercise and nutrition is critical. Taking charge of your health and controlling stress through exercise gives you the edge.  A strong mind, strong body and improved self confidence are not just luxuries, they are all characteristics of people living the life many envy.

We have a great year planned to help you do exactly that, whether you become a client or not.

This year I am truly more excited than ever about the new and improve FT you'll be seeing happen right before your eyes.  I'm not talking about small items either. 

I'm talking about BIG improvements that will directly impact your results and make 2009 your best year ever!

The best part is these improvements were our client’s ideas.  Yes, earlier this year some of our clients and over 1100 FT clients around the country took a survey and we listened.

Stay tuned, you'll be seeing a few FT of the enhancements coming in March!

Well, now I need your help. 

In preparation for setting our 2009 topics for our blog, new resources coming soon, Mental Muscle Monday and Pete's Points e-newsletters, we'd like to invite you to take a brief survey to give us your feedback on what you'd like us to cover in the year ahead:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=gYnEwr4DkRW1vLMocEOijw_3d_3d

We've collected all requests that have come in over the year, as well as what we've heard people tell us informally in e-mails and in person. We have some of these topics listed on the survey.

Give us your vote, and help us ensure we're giving YOU what you want:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=gYnEwr4DkRW1vLMocEOijw_3d_3d

We're going to shut this survey down in just a week, so please take a moment and get over to give us your feedback pronto!

In good health,

Pete Piranio BS, CSCS
Owner/Fitness Consultant
Fitness Together

P.S. If you are not receiving the any of the e-newsletters above and would like to, you can go to our web site and subscribe:

www.FitnessTogether.net

P.P.S. We've listed out all the suggestions and requests we've received and given you a 'rating scale' to vote. In addition to that, you'll find some blank boxes where you can 'write it' anything we've missed that you'd like covered, plus suggestions you have on how we can continue to improve our level of service to you. Please take a moment and give us your feedback at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=gYnEwr4DkRW1vLMocEOijw_3d_3d