I had a interesting conversation yesterday, a friend of mine who is a bit older told me he has been training hard (or at least his definition of hard) and was drinking what he described as a protein shake about twice a day. Nothing weird so for until he later went on to tell me that when his doctor completed his blood work and the results came back and he was actually pre-diabetic.

Now I am not sure what brand of so called protein he was using but he was also mixing it with skim milk – which for if you don’t know is just normal milk with some fat taken out leaving it with a higher sugar content.

As far as the protein well you must check the label and you want to find the brand with the highest protein content per 100g ideally around 85% plus. Cheaper brands and weight gain powders are usually around 50 – 75% protein with the rest being sugar all you are actually getting is a slightly higher protein milkshake which is not ideal if you are trying to drop bodyfat and increase lean muscle mass.

My advice is maybe avoid the protein shake all together use BCAA’s. If you must have a shake ensure that you can tolerate dairy then go for a WPI or WPC with at least 85% protein and mix it with water, coconut water.

I also recommend getting your doctor to run some blood tests, but I will go into that in more detail another time.

Food can be a very topical debate there is so many conflicting opinions about what we should and shouldn’t be eating and no food has divided opinions in recent times more than wheat.

Did you know that 2 slices of whole wheat bread spike your blood sugar more than 2 table spoons of sugar?

Wheat is a staple food for most people, for crying out loud it is referenced in the bible – with Jesus breaking bread with his disciples. Wheat or flour has changed a lot over the last 2 and bit thousand years but have humans changed enough in that time to be able to digest it?

The book answers all of these questions and more – we can look and isolate many factors in why people today are fatter and sicker than every before and we are told that we should eat 7 – 12 serves of healthy whole grains a day – but as you read this book you will discover that this is one of the worst things you can be eating.

Is the answer going gluten free? yes, but not by replacing wheat products with their gluten free counterparts. There is a whole chapter discussing how gluten free foods, while they are gluten and wheat free they still spike blood sugars into dangerous territory as well as increase cholesterol, reduce bone density cause inflammation and a whole host of other negative effects.

The book is easy to read, thought provoking and well researched – I had heard a lot the points raised in the book before but now I have the studies and literature to back up those points.

Put down your toast, ditch your cereal, say arrivederci to your pasta and pizza if you want to banish your Wheat Belly.

I rate this book 4.5 out of 5.

Enjoy – ps your kids should watch this too.

-Anthony

Here is a video with some of the most commonly asked questions, in his workshops and seminars. I hope you take the time to watch it and believe me you will learn heaps.

-Anthony

Elevation Performance has moved and will now operate from Fit’n’Fast South Yarra.

To celebrate the new move we are offering you the chance to test us out – come in for a complimentary 1hr training session or BioSignature consult. Both valued at $80. To take us up on this offer simply email mail@elevationperformance.com.au with your details and we will be in touch to arrange a suitable time.

I have been feeling ordinary for probably the last 2 years. I am not sick – my blood work is all clear but I am feeling flat and lethargic. I exercise 4 – 6 times per week and my motivation fluctuates. I know how it feels to feel great and bounce up out of bed ready to jump into anything that life will throw me – but that has gone and seems a distant memory. I have tried heaps of things to try and regain that feeling – I suspected my adrenal glands where tired so I gave up coffee for a month and didn’t really feel better, made significant changes to my diet but that didn’t seem to work either. Tested my digestion and that seems ok. So I decided to try a detox / cleanse to see if this will help me. I want to focus on 2 main areas – the first is to give my digestive system and break and chance to recover and rebuild. The second reason is to detoxify my liver – the liver is an extremely important organ and I think mine may be a bit slugglish.

I must also say that I really want to drop some body fat – I have been training hard and have increased size and a lot of strength too since Christmas but I am now the heaviest I have ever been which isn’t ideal because I am tried to increase my running (interval based) but I am struggling with the extra weight. ( I now understand now why AFL footballers can’t pack on too much muscle over the preseason!!)

My problem areas are: my upper legs and my mid section. Thanks to my Biosignature qualification I know that the hormones I need to target.  My Goal = Single Digit bodyfat and currently 21.9% and I weigh 88.8kgs

I will be using Medical foods and some Liver support supplements as well as eating 1 green vegetable per day.

My supplements are set out for the morning are set out:

1 Serve of Fibre (15g – Primal Fiber)

I then jump in the shower then I have my first meal of the day:

Estrogenomics Px Vanilla (2 Scoops in Water) + 10 BCAA + P1P2 Balance (for Liver detox)

Followed by 2tbs of L-Glutamine in water

I then went to the gym Today’s work out was Back / Pulling Exercises I also threw in 4 sets of Squats and 3 sets of Front squats.

Returning from the gym 12pm I have another   Estrogenomics Px Vanilla (2 Scoops in Water) + 10 BCAA’s + P1P2 Balance

About 2pmI am a little bit annoyed at myself I was suppose to of already prepared my broccoli but  I need to take off for work so I have a Phyto Px (Mixture of vital greens and reds)

I trained a couple of clients and now I am feeling a dull headache nothing major I wolf down another shake this time it a Inflam Px Mango OMG that is not a good flavour – actually that was hard work getting that one down.

Trained another client then headed home. It hard to explain I am not starving but I really really want to eat. I jump out of my car and I can smell food yum. I jump in the lift yep someone one level 1 is cooking up a storm. I finally reach my apartment great I can finally eat – woohoo tonights dinner Broccoli : ) I also had a second serve of Phyto Px.

I demolish my broccoli and just before I go to bed I have another shake this time Estrogenomics Px Chocolate (2 Scoops in Water) + 10 BCAA and some Zinc and Magnesium.

My first day wasn’t too bad I did get a dull headache but it I was able to cope and it faded once I consumed another shake.

You are what you eat – you need to exercise – and you need to sleep.

Enjoy the video and email me if you wish to find out more about Metabolic Typing or wish to be tested – it is actually really easy.

Here are some simple rule to help you achieve this.

Eating Rules

1. 5 – 7 meals per day
2. Eat at least one portion of Protein @ each meal
3. Ditch ALL GRAINS
4. The only carbs you eat should come from above  ground vegetables
5. Don’t be scared of FAT – good fats actually help you lose fat!

Training Rules

1. Exercise a minimum of 3 times per week
2. Strength training (lifting weights) and Interval Cardio are the most effective forms of exercise for losing fat
3. Use exercises that give you the most bang for you buck – Compound exercises with free weights
4. Train with intensity and intent – don’t fluff around
5. Research shows that slow steady state cardio actually makes you fatter – so why would you do it?

Sleeping Rules

1. Get as close to 8 hours as you can
2. Get to bed before 10:30pm
3. Don’t watch TV in bed
4. Don’t drink coffee after 3pm
5. You should not have to get up through the night – even to go to the toilet! If you do wake up there maybe a blood sugar issue

There is a fast 15 tips that will see you well on the way to shifting the extra you… You may also want to get a personalised training and nutrition plan or even check out BioSignature.

-Anthony

There are a number of reasons for this:

I am guaranteed that the beef, lamb, chicken and everything I buy from them is 100% hormone and chemical free – it seems logical to me that these animals should be raised the healthiest and most ethical way possible.

I also want to know what the farmers have been feeding these animals I choose to steer well clear of “Corn fed” beef. Cows aren’t supposed to eat f@$#ing corn they are suppose to eat grass. Corn is used to fatten them up and not thing else and god knows what else they use.

I am pleased that these companies are taking note and the people are starting to be heard – we don’t want our beef loaded up with hormones nor our chickens etc. I don’t want barn laid cage eggs either.

We need to realise that we are what we eat – what you eat becomes you!! If you eat sick unhealthy animals – what are you going to be? Too many people are sick and unhealthy!

Anthony

Our food today is fortified with many vitamins and minerals (usually because today’s foods are so deficient of any vitamins and minerals). Without getting off the track too much they are usually fortified with synthetic vitamins and minerals – which is debatable whether your body can absorb or utilise these properly. Vitamin D is added to milk, bread and other processed foods – but chances are you are not getting enough of it.

For 20 years plus we have been told to avoid the sun – slip slop and slap. We are pretty much scared to get out in the sun for fear of skin cancer. Many of the articles and research on this area come from the northern hemisphere – not Australia.  The problem in Australia is the lack of ozone layer. The burn time in Australia is around 8 – 10 minutes where in countries where they have an ozone layer the burn factor is about 15 – 30 minutes.  So in Australia we do need to be more careful of over exposure of the sun.  But is slopping on sun screen the answer?

The problem with sunscreen is the fact that they are packed full of toxic dangerous chemicals –. Octyl methoxycinnamate, Octocrylene, Avobenzone, Homosalate and Oxybenzone – many of these disrupt hormonal activity. These chemicals also only block out UVB rays – UVB rays are known as the good form that helps your skin produce Vitamin D while letting UVA rays the bad form through. UVA rays penetrate the skin more deeply causing free radical damage and sun burn.

We need healthy exposure to the sun – that is not sun bathing for hours but like anything we do we need to build it up gradually.  You may start out with just a few minutes a day and slowly build from there – at the point you skin turns the lightest shade of pink (if your Caucasian) it’s time to get out of the sun.

Supplementing Vitamin D helps to protect you and you can also wear appropriate clothing cotton has a SPF of around 15. Nutrition is also super important Omega 3’s and fresh vegetables add nutrients that will aid in protection. Lastly you can also buy a quality sunscreen product – check out the ingredients and avoid products that are laden with chemicals or that contain vitamin A. Learn more about safe sun screens at http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/best-beach-sport-sunscreens/

So get out in the sun – for a little bit. If you are going to be outside for a longer period of time make sure you wear a cap and cover up appropriately and or use a safe sun screen that will protect you against the UVA rays and don’t block the UVB rays.

–          Anthony