Prayer

Prayer

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

On the Phone with Jillian

I have heard it said that we have a drought of those to look up to. I definetly disagree! We have war heroes coming home all the time. They are definitely worthy. We have people like Michael Jordan reminding us that we must continue to improve no matter how great we are. People like Rich Froning, who even at the top of our sport, remind us to keep improving and keeping our eyes on our higher calling. We have people like Barack Obama and Suze Orman that remind us that being born into humble surroundings does not mean that we will continue to live such a life forever.

Recently I had the pleasure of speaking to one such person who, from afar, has greatly influenced my life. Born into a decently priveleged family, once her family dynamic changed as a teenager she began emotionally eating. At her mother's urges she began into martial arts and developed a philosophy of doing things with intention. Around 20, while working out at a gym someone asked if she was a trainer and because she thought it was easy money she ran with it, eventually owning her own sports medicine facility. Then wanting to expand her horizons she became an agent in Hollywood but when office politics took over, she retreated to her first love, personal training. As a personal trainer, she became known across America as "TV's Toughest Trainer." That should've been your biggest hint that I am talking about Jillian Michaels.

A couple years ago heartburn had turned into chest pains, angina, and a heart condition for me. I was told to alter my diet (give up caffeine), my lifestyle (stop working 3rd shift), and/ or lose over 50 lbs. Being a fan of the Biggest Loser, i adopted many of Jillian's hilosophies, even worked out to Ripped in 30. There is a lot of baggage that comes with losing a significant amount of weight. I lost over 70 lbs. Her latest book Unlimited has been a godsend. Her method of crosstraining and time effective training is what I base my own style of training on. Recently, I had the weekend from hell. On a Saturday morning, within 30 mins of leaving work I was suspended. I later found out that a supervisor (a family member)  had filed a report saying that I abused an elderly patient and I would find out the results of the investigation in a few days. Basically meaning I had no chance to defend myself. Fine, I knew I would grow. 11pm that night I was woken up to news that my father was found dead. I was devastated. My way of dealing with things has always been to withdraw and move on , more or less to distract myself. The next day I was scheduled to take the personal trainer test. In hindsight I probably should not have taken it, but there was not enough notice to cancel it. Naturally, I failed it. I was distraught and unconsolable. Unsure how to process any of it, I wrote in the Jillian's weekly podcast. I figured that writing the email would be therapuetic. Little did I know that the next afternoon I would be in the car talking with a woman who had such a great influence on me!

It was so obvious I was a real fanboy calling. I even told her that I always imagined that if I got the chance to talk to her I would be asking questions about bulking or protein shakes or the dread ab question. Anyone who follows her knows that she is annoyed that everyone asks her how to get abs like hers, but she always maintains that abs are made in the kitchen! If you want better abs then lower your body fat percent! She reminded me about what a toxic environment the job was. And that my subconscious was already working on getting out of there. Its true. It was full of drama. Too much family in one spot. I preferred 3rd shift because I did not have to talk with anyone, but somehow the drama still reached me. Steve Jobs once said in a commencement speech that if you wake up too many mornings dreading work that you need to find another way to spend your time. This was the push necessary to propel myself into the fitness industry. We spent the bulk of our conversation talking about my father. Our relationship was not where I wanted it to be. I still do not know how but she picked out that the guilt of our relationship weighed heavily on my heart. She has many catchphrases that have helped me stayed motivated but none as powerful as when she said "Matt, guilt  is a worthless emotion." Suddenly, "unless you puke, faint, or die keep going" had less of an impact! My father was on my mind. Its wrong to say that he was my road block, but I was trying to move past the moment. Whereas many people dwell on the past, I seemed to be dwelling on the future. I was trying to force myself past the grieving process. I told you I dealt best by distracting myself. It was obvious I did not know how to grieve. Its been nearly 3 weeks and I still do not know how to process it all. She told me to quit worrying about the right thing to do (the complete opposite of how I have lived the rest of my entire life) and to move on at my own pace. I have done what I can not to draw in, she encouraged me noting that my reaching out to her was a great sign that I was not going to just crawl into the fetus position and let life pass me by. Oddly enough, the personal trainer test is what we seemed to spend the last amount of time on. Which is funny to me, that's what I would have thought we'd spend most talking about. She told me that which everyone else around me was trying to tell me, "there's no way you would know what degree the hip flexors are push forward during an abdominal curl up." Its true, and though the cost is a concern (a huge concern) the test is easy to take again. She didn't say to, but the fact that she had not heard of the NCSF made me want to reeevaluate where my certification was coming from.

The phone call lasted only about 30 minutes and I do not feel like I am communicating its significance here, but it made a lasting impression on me in a way that I feel very few people around here could have. So, if you thought I posted about ehr before, apologies in advance!

Food Fight: Whopper vs Big Mac

With all of the hustle and bustle of the holidays, there is always focus of the "Holiday Eating." But, Holiday Eating doesn't just apply to the 4 plates at the family dinner, or "dominating the buffet," rushing from work to the mall to finish your gift shopping and hitting the drive thru on the way to Grandma's house. It is with this last part that got me wondering, which is the better burger? The Ground Chuck King? the Burger Bizarre? The Sir of the Sandwich? The Chief Cheeseburger? The Grand Duke of the Grill? The Crown Prince of the Cow? Let's look at the Big Mac and the Whopper with Cheese.

Promotions are constantly changing with these two, in fact currectly Burger King offers a second Whopper for only $.55 and earlier this year McDonald's offered it ofr $1 and one time and free at another. Since the price is rarely a constant, price will not be concerned here. While they are similar in size, the Whopper has a larger circumference while the Big MAC is well, bigger (or taller rather.) The Big MAC has more bread, while the Whopper has more diverse vegetable (making it appear larger than it actually is.) The Big MAC uses a "secret sauce" that tastes similar to Thousand Island salad dressing. The Whopper has two sauces, mayonaisse and ketchup. To skip either one would take off 100 calories, or substituting mustard would make it even less.

Judging by the side of the box, the Big MAC comes out magnificently! It has only 540 calories compared witht he Whopper with Cheese at 770. Slightly less carbs (45g) than the Whopper with Cheese (which has 52g.) It has significantly less fat too! 19g less fat! and 6g less saturated fat. Both have 3g of fiber and 2 g of transfat, unfortunately.  However the Whopper with Cheese has 33g of protein compared to 25g with the Big MAC.


It will be up to individual taste, but based on the side of the box, the Big MAC is definitely the big Boss of Beef. The Bishop of Burgers. The Baron of the Buns. The Hamburger Honcho. You get the point.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Tuna: Water or Oil?

This latest blog post is in response to a question I have recieved a few times. We all know the benefits of tuna, and sadly, most people will buy it canned and not fresh. But with little to no price difference, which is better? Tuna in water or oil?

Ask 50 different people and you will get 2 different answers and 50 different reasons why. I, myself, prefer the tuna in water, and here is why. Water means no additives. Our water supply (whcih the tuna is in regardless) has enough additives in it already without adding chemicals (which the fish and farming industry calls "conventional") found in vegetable oil to the mix. Some will tell you that the oil keeps it moist, and that the water dries it out. Think for a minute how little sense that makes. However, even if it did make sense, most people add either tuna or mayo to thier tuna, eliminating any dry factor that might have been.

I have found that tuna actually loses some of the nutrients when its packaged in oil. In protein (the reason most people pack on the tuna consumption), the Kroger brand actually has 3g less protein per serving. While there were 5.5 fat grams in the oil tuna, compared to just .5g to the tuna in water. There was only a 10 calorie difference, showing that the calories lost in fat went towards the protein. Or, that energy went towards rebuilding and recovery rather than the energy brought forth by carbs (which both had zero per serving) and fats.


Food is like everything else in life. It should have a purpose and consumed intentionally. Tuna is no different. We should do what we can to eliminate additives, the oil is no exception.