Revolutionizing Fitness for Busy People

The worst thing about the 80s? Besides scary hair, the 80s had the low-fat diet craze. Whenever you see a box of cookies that boldly fats “0 grams of fat!” or read “a naturally fat-free food” on a box of candy, you are seeing the vestiges of this very wrong-minded mentality.

In reality, fats are great for you. Fats keep your skin soft, your hair glossy, your belly full, your joints comfortable, and even boost your immune system. The most important kinds are Essential Fatty Acids(EFA’s), fats your body cannot produce on its own. These are Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids.

Despite what you may have heard, saturated fat is also important. Saturated fats help the body absorb calcium. They also help the body retain Omega 3 fatty acids.

The only fat you should avoid at all costs is trans fat. This fat mad-made and leads to heart disease. You will find it in things such as processed potato chips, snacks, and baked goods, as well as fast foods. A way to check if a product has trans fat is to read the ingredients list. Trans fat is always labeled as “partially-hydrogenated oil.” Drop anything with this ingredient, even if the box says “0 grams of trans fat.” This just sneaky marketing that exploits an FDA loophole for food labeling.

Also, fats are high in calories, so there’s no need to eat a bag of cashews. With fats, the important thing is a balance. Here are some of the best fats you can eat.

Avocados. Get your guacamole on! Avocados contain lots of monounsaturated fats. They are one of the healthiest fruits you can eat. Avocado tastes great in sandwiches, salads, and on top of scrambled eggs. You can even make it into a vegan chocolate pudding!

Coconut Oil and Coconut Meat. For vegans, coconut is an important source of saturated fat. For everyone else, the fat in coconuts is a specific kind of saturated fat that is metabolized as energy. It’s especially good for athletes, and coconut is antibacterial and antifungal. Add coconut oil to stir-fries, meat dishes, and smoothies. Coconut meat (often dried, but stick with unsweetened) tastes great as a topping for yogurt, oatmeal, and savory dishes.

Almonds. These nuts rock: they have protein, lower your risk of heart disease, and improve cholesterol. They also contain lots of monounsaturated fats. Sprinkle chopped almonds on top of yogurt and oat bran, or add slivered almonds to salads. Or, buy a jar of almond butter and spread it on apples and whole grain bread.

Flax Seed. Flax is rich in heart-healthy lignans and omega 3s. Just be sure to choose ground flaxseed, as it digests better. Flax seed is great sprinkled on yogurt and oat meal, or added into smoothies and baked goods.

Dark Meat. You’ve heard people say you should only stick with white meat because it’s leaner. In truth, higher-fat chicken and turkey thighs contain more vitamins and minerals. They also makes you feel full faster, which prevents overeating. Just as with white meat though, consider avoiding the skin, and always grilled and roasted over fried.

Olive Oil. Those sexy Italians have used olive oil for years. It’s great for your skin and your heart, and is a powerhouse of monounsaturated fats. Drizzle extra virgin olive on cooked veggies or savory dishes. However, don’t cook it at too high of a heat, or the nutrients will degrade.

Low Fat or Whole Yogurt and Kefir. Egads! Dairy that isn’t fat free? Sometimes, a little fat is a good thing—you need saturated fats in your diet, and fat keeps you full. Just watch your portions. With yogurt and kefir, you also get a healthy dose of probiotics. Plus, it tastes way better.

Salmon. Along with other fish such as mackerel, herring, and sardines, salmon is rich in Omega 3s, as well as protein. Choose wild salmon over farmed. Salmon is tasty with a little butter or olive oil and salt and pepper, but it tastes smashing with an Asian-themed ginger or citrus sauce. Smoked salmon and cream cheese is also a great accompaniment to morning toast. If you are a vegetarian or hate fish, consider a fish oil supplement to get those awesome EFAs.

Macadamia Nuts. You might have heard these nuts getting based for being super high in fat. In reality, macadamia nuts are super high in Omega 3s, the best kind of fat for your body. These taste great with yogurt and fruit, especially tropical fruits.

Walnuts. These nuts also contain lots of Omega 3s. Add them to baked dishes like banana bread for extra crunch and satiety.

Grass-Fed and Pastured Butter. Pastured butter (from grass-fed cows) has a high CLA content. This fatty acid has been linked with heart health and decreases in belly fat. In moderation, a little butter with your veggies or on your toast is a great addition to a healthy diet. Even better, opt for cultured butter, which has digestive benefits.

In conclusion, eat your yummy, good-for-you fats. Your hair and nails will be strong and shiny and your heart will thank you.

Ann Olson is a health and fitness writer for Money Crashers Personal Finance, where she talks about ways to lose weight and stay fit, all within a tight budget.

In my teens, the biggest weight I ever considered touching was an eight-pound dumbbell. Instead, I did Tae Bo or crunches for hours, hoping to make myself super toned and thin. My hardcore exercise lifestyle, paired with a near-starvation eating regimen, made me thin – but at the same time, I had become “skinny fat,” a term used to describe thin people with a high body fat percentage. I was also extremely miserable and tired.

Now in my mid-twenties, I do cardio twice a week – and even then, I only do 20 minutes max. Yet I’m in the best shape of my life, feel great, and boast just 20% body fat, which is considered to be an athletic body fat level for a female.

So what happened here? Well here’s my secret: Strength training.

Why Strength Training Matters (If You Want to Tone Up)
For years, I thought cardio was the key to toning up. I figured that if I burned more calories, I would lose more body fat – a common weight loss myth. Boy, was I wrong.

It was a couple of years ago when a bodybuilder opened my eyes and taught me that sticking to cardio alone (combined with eating a low-calorie diet) decreased my lean body mass, as well as my total body fat, resulting in that dreaded “skinny fat” look.

To help me tone up, she recommended weightlifting to help rebuild my lost lean body mass. At first, I worried I would quickly turn into Chyna, but she reassured me that women only have a fraction of the testosterone as men, so women can’t physically get “bodybuilder big” – at least, not without illicit drugs.

The Benefits of Strength Training
After picking up the weights and keeping at it for several months, my body began changing in unexpected ways. I looked slimmer, but I didn’t become skinny-fat. Instead, I noticed my body fat was rapidly disappearing, I felt stronger, and I had some actual definition in my torso, legs, and back. Regularly lifting weights also resulted in a longer calorie burn compared to cardio.

But the biggest difference was in my self-esteem. Once weightlifting became a habit, I felt more motivated, happy, and confident, and this confidence translated to other areas of my life. After all, I thought, if I can lift 150 pounds in the gym, I can do anything if I just push myself hard enough.

It turns out these benefits aren’t just something I imagined up. According to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, breast cancer survivors who picked up the iron had a 12% improvement in body image and satisfaction. Based on the questionnaire they took, many of them reported feeling “more proud of their bodies” and “more emotionally empowered.” Some of them also felt more comfortable being intimate. Those are good reasons to get buff.

Should You Lift Weights?
If you’re suffering from poor self-esteem, want to reshape your body, or just need a way to boost your confidence, I highly recommend weightlifting. No, as a woman, you won’t necessarily become big and buff like a bodybuilder, but you will become toned and strong, as well as unbelievably confident. Remember, it’s extremely difficult to gain the hugely muscular build of a bodybuilder unless you take illicit drugs and lift really heavy weights for many years.

Final Thoughts
So how do you get started? If you’re in college, you can start weightlifting by checking out your school gym, if there is one available. You may also be able to get a student discount off local gym fees.

Otherwise, go cheap by checking out privately owned or 24-hour gyms, which run less than $40 per month on average. If you’re a beginner, stick with a beginner’s home workout plan to start.

Every year I try to take on a different physical challenge. The last 2 years it was the LA Marathon, before that a triathlon and The Mt Whitney Hiking Crew before that several bike rides. I’m often asked “what am I training for this year?” My answer each time

Mid Way view on Mt Baldy

this past year has included some variation of the following” “life, getting faster, stronger and being able to handstands.”  I’m so used to taking on a run or bike challenge that it didn’t occur to me that this year’s challenge was going to be Mt. Whitney.  At the time I was asked if I wanted to go I thought-its just a hike-no problem! I also felt like it was one of those rare life opportunities. Usually I am the one having to rally the troops to do some crazy workout or training regimen. It’s nice for a change to just go along for the ride-or so I thought. I really did think all I had to do was basically show up ready to hike, the guys I was going with were relatively hard-core and experienced campers and hikers so I was in good hands.

As Friday afternoon rolled around I was dreading even more the idea of having to wake up at the butt crack of dawn on the one day I could sleep in, not to mention it was earlier than I woke up all week. I had committed to hiking Mt Baldy and was not going to flake.  So I did a little grocery shopping, packed my bag and hiked Mt Baldy, all 12 miles and 10,000+ feet of elevation.

Here are the highlights:

5:15 AM – alarm goes off and I think, my friends back east probably think I’m insane–waking up this early on Saturday morning, to drive 90 miles to hike a mountain.

7:45 AM-waiting for the rest of the crew to show up and I feel a little nauseous. It occurs to me that this must be what David meant by “needing to adjust to the altitude.” It passed but reminded me that I needed to get my butt in gear and take this hike training more seriously.

8 AM – 1 PM We hiked. I was the straggler for a good part of it-and was cool with that. I took a fair amount of breaks, was traumatized by the white haired man hiking in what appeared to be underwear at one point (he put some shorts on later), had a few moments of  ”I’m insane, all these people are insane. We are just climbing a mountain and pushing our limits. WHY?” When I got to the top I was reminded of why. As I sat there eating my packed snacks which included a cheese stick, apple and graham crackers, I thought, “The feeling of undertaking and accomplishing a physical challenge is incredible. It’s something that I hope most people will get to experience regularly.”

Part of the Mt Whitney Hiking Crew

1:30-4:15 – We descended. Amazing how much faster it is to go down. The main thought going through my head: “I barely made Mt Baldy-how I am going to hike Mt Whitney?” Aside for a little blister on my left toe, I actually felt pretty awesome. My Kswiss Conejo held up pretty well on the hike!

5 PM Driving back to Santa Monica we listened to some Ted Talks. My favorite being Susan Cain’s. The power of introverts. I was excited to go into introversion mode to write and catch up on some reading, and thinking. I was so exhausted I couldn’t even think much-but I was reminded how much I love the feeling of totally body exhaustion brought on from an awesome workout. I showered, ate, tried to watch a show and passed out by 8:30 PM.

7:38 AM (Sunday) I am shocked to see what time it is and that I’ve been asleep almost 12 hours. I dragged my butt out of bed as I thought of all the things I wanted to do-including some “artist”time as I like to call it to do some writing.

As an entrepreneur and fitness enthusiast I’ve learned lots of things over the years. One of the biggest things I’ve learned about myself is that I always need to carve out some time to read, think, write and do my own workouts where I can just get lost in my own head. This past weekend I was reminded of how important that is to me and how I need to always make time for it.

As Jamie Oliver shared with me a few weeks ago, we can do a lot by beginning to educate people to make better choices. However, to quote a line from an article in Bloomberg last week, “Now the trickier side of the equation: children, whose food world is shaped at home, at school and by the commercial media.” The last few months we’ve had interns visiting us from Belgium, France and Kansas. It’s fascinating to hear their perceptions and observations about food in Los Angeles vs. what they are accustomed to. Jonathan, our newest O2 MAX team member had a fun story I wanted to share about Bento Boxes! Who would’ve though?

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Growing up my mother used to always tell me, “Jonathan your eyes are bigger than your stomach.” As a child, I would grab an extra meatloaf slice or two, thinking that I could handle a mound of food because I was a growing boy. Come my teen years all that extra food did help me grow, but not always vertically.   Now when I look back at my teenage years, I’m always amazed I wasn’t larger. A burger with fries and a soft drink, no try a double cheeseburger, super sized with coke and fries. How about a foot long for lunch, this option was not even on the table, it was always a foot long and another 6-inch sandwich. In my mind, it was only a few more dollars for so much more tasty food.

Fast food restaurants have always been the center of the blame game for our obesity epidemic. The hottest trend now is to thumb one’s noise at fast food portion sizes. In fact, Mayor Bloomberg of New York is fighting to band all sugary soft drinks that are more than 16 fluid ounces. Furthermore, in response to such documentaries like “Super Size Me,” some of the major burger chains have stopped selling their super size package. Those who blame these institutions for fatting up America are too quick to point fingers. No one is force-feeding us this food, and we all know a burger and fries diet is deadly. What has happened in America is that we lost control of our portion sizes.

Just ask Sean your normal teenager from the Midwest. While talking to him about his favorite food, a certain delight came over him while explaining his favorite burger joint, “At this place you can order a ½ pound of fries for around 2 bucks.” It was not clear from that comment if it was the fries, portion, or amount of money it cost to purchase them that filled him with such splendor. In any case, all three are related, and each is a root cause to large portion sizes.

Portion sizes start when we are young and the notion of size continues through adulthood. As a fitness professional and role model, I try to share with teens how to control how much they eat is as important as what they eat. This can be done through: eating 6 small meals a day, measuring out your food, serving soup or a salad before each meal, eating on smaller plates, and showing them how much food to take of each food item (half the plate vegetables, quarter of the plate protein, and the other quarter a complex carbohydrate). An inventive way my mom taught food allotment was by using bento boxes during family dinners, these Japanese plates portion the food out for you. Simple ideas like these make life more manageable and enjoyable. In the end, we are in control of what goes into our mouth, as well as how much we choose to consume.