Josh Bowen: 10 Rules for Fitness Success

I want to tell you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. You’re probably thinking I’m Jack Nicholson in the A Few Good Men. No, I’m just JB and I have to tell you truth, the cold hard facts. Nutrition will always stand in your way from being a success or a failure in your fitness journey. It is the rule, science backed, and JB approved. You CANNOT out exercise your diet. So, why do people overeat and make bad nutritional decisions? Well planning and preparation are everything and those that do not plan, fail. It is that simple.

You must plan your meals ahead of time to be a success. Eating habits play a huge role as well. Habits are powerful behavioral patterns that allow us to perform many of our daily tasks without conscious effort. Translation, sometimes what we think we are eating is actually good for us! That’s scary! Social pressure from our inner circle can influence the way we approach our diet on a daily.

Last and most important people overeat for emotional escape. There is a strong correlation between “comfort foods” and making humans feel good. Refined sugar, sodium, high saturated fat filled food causes our brain to release serotonin. This causes our bodies to relax and feel good. This becomes a behavior and not a physiological need for food. After a stressful day, people tend to throw the rule book out the window and eat whatever makes them feel better. Not good.

So with that said here are The Rules, that if followed can produce some great results.

The Rules

Rule #1

Preparation
Prepare all meals in advance regardless of location. Coolers, bags, Tupperware etc. Must prepare for success and not prepare to fail. Most important rule. If this is absolutely out of the question refer back to this article for strategies for eating on the go http://eepurl.com/bc_ACD or this on what to eat out http://eepurl.com/8AjIn

Rule #2

Breakfast- Must be the largest meal of the day. Breakfast literally means to break the fast. When our bodies sleep we utilize glycogen from our liver stores to keep our blood glucose levels normal. When we wake up our body requires glucose to revitalize our body and allow our brain to function at a high capacity. Also, eating breakfast prevents overeating the rest of the day. This will get our metabolism moving for the rest of the day.

Rule #3

Choose a Cut Off Time- This is more behavioral than physiological. Start by setting a cut off time for when you will stop eating. At first, start with 8 pm and progressively move it up til you are eating dinner at 6 pm and not eating again to the next morning (if you workout late at night, adjust the time because you need post workout nutrition). This discourages late night cravings which can destroy our diets. This will get clients in the habit of cutting off their eating habits at a certain time for maximum weight loss. Dinner must be 1/3 smaller than breakfast for optimum weight loss.

Rule #4

Drink Water- water plays a part in most physiological aspects of our body, from anabolism to washing waste out our body. YOU MUST drink water and lots of it. 10 glasses a day will not cut it. Shoot for a gallon every day. The more water you ingest the less your body retains. View this article for more on water http://joshjbbowen.com/2012/12/31/the-old-gallon-jug/

Rule #5

Squat- Simply put DO IT!!! Squatting is primal movement pattern we have been doing since we learned to walk. It involves virtually every muscle in your body and quite frankly is a must for anyone. Read more about it here http://eepurl.com/–1Lz

Rule #6

Eat Fiber- Fiber’s most important property is it helps regulate blood sugar levels. Also helping the body in ridding certain waste. 30-40 grams.

Soluble- dissolves in water. Oats, legumes (beans, peas and soy beans) apples, bananas, berries, barley

Insoluble- whole wheat bran, nuts, seeds, skin of fruits and veggies.

Rule #7

Stress: Manage it!- Stress can be a huge culprit in preventing weight loss and eventually leading to weight gain. We either do not eat or over indulge because of our stress levels. Worse, our bodies release a hormone called cortisol that cannibalizes our muscle tissue as well as slowing our metabolism. Learn more about your hormones and how they impact your body fat loss and retention here http://eepurl.com/7YX6b

Rule #8

Limit Alcohol Consumption- People are more likely to eat 20% more calories while drinking alcohol. Alcohol is a toxin to the human body that must be eradicated before any other nutrient. Thus slowing down the breakdown of fat and carbohydrates, slowing the metabolism. Limiting this even 50% will have amazing turn around effects.

Rule #9

Limit Refined Sugar- sugar increases the rate the pancreas releases insulin, thus causing an imbalance. If it is not required by the body it is put into storage. Devoid of 90% of its vitamins and minerals contributing to an ineffective metabolism and poor recovery and weight control. Also inhibits the release of growth hormones depressing the immune system. Increase ingestion will increase inflammation of joints requiring more time for recovery.

Rule #10

Work out 3-4 days per week. Preferably mostly resistance/strength training based programming with concentration on whole body lifts (squats, deadlifts, lunges, pushups, presses). More muscle, less body fat. The equation is simple, backed with proper nutrition and you have a recipe for success.

The combination of all 10 of these guidelines would make a dramatic difference in who you are and who you want to be. The question is the execution. You’ve got it!