Adam Friedman
Nutrition and Fitness Expert
Are You Open to Being Coached?
The most successful people have advisors, coaches, or mentors. There is a level of trust, accountability, and motivation created by these relationships that is invaluable with this kind of support. Those are some of the main qualities that Advanced Athletics provides in order to assist you in achieving your goals in fitness & nutrition. That’s what our program is all about. Our coaches are there to assist you in re-discovering what you already know; that you have unlimited potential.
If you’re ready to take on better fitness & nutrition in order to have more energy, less body fat, and be more fit, now is the time to meet with an Advanced Athletics Nutrition Coach. Our coaches are available to consult with you either by phone or in person to support you in accomplishing your goals. The Nutrition Coach deals with the "how": how you can move on from where you are and make a change. It’s action-oriented, and goal-driven.
Our coaches will help you to understand and build the foundation for success. Unless you know the steps to succeed, it can often lead to repeated trial and error, and discouragement. "It is not enough to do your best; you must know what to do, and THEN do your best." –W. Edwards Deming
In order for coaching to work, it is important to communicate honestly at all times with your coach and with yourself. Otherwise, integrity is lost, and can create the perception of a broken system. Coaching success is based on a 50/50 contribution. Being open to receiving coaching and following through with your commitment is a choice that’s available to you right now.
To learn more about Advanced Athletics Nutrition Consulting Packages, click here >>
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Culinary Corner
by head chef Valerie Cogswell
Sweet Stuffed Baked Fruit: A Healthy Way to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth
At this time of year, the temperature drops and the leaves turn colors… One of my favorite things to do right about now is curl up on the couch with some comfort food. Healthy comfort food that is! The newest recipe to make the collection is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth without causing you to loosen your belt. Our Sweet Stuffed Baked Fruit is easy to make and will be the perfect way to finish off your meal. Fresh, juicy fruit is stuffed with a mouth watering combination of crunchy walnuts, sugar, oats and cinnamon and then baked until it’s warm and golden. We’ve even included a bonus recipe with instructions on how to turn this delicious desert into a simple, balanced meal. Login to check out the Sweet Stuffed Baked Fruit recipe in your Recipe Tab today >>
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Having Your Cake and Eating It Too written by Mark Macdonald, Creator and CEO of Venice Nutrition
Thanksgiving to the New Year seems to be the Scariest time for most people who are Health Conscious. Most people view these 6 weeks as the inevitable time they Gain Weight and becomes the classic downfall to their program. I am here to tell you that you Can Have Your Cake and Eat it Too… it all comes back to Understanding the Body and Educating yourself on the proper adjustments before and after you have an “Off Plan” meal and realizing that a few additional days of extra enjoyment has a very minor effect on your waistline in the grand scheme of things.
Let me use my recent Thanksgiving Meal as an example. First, you should know that I love Thanksgiving and I love to eat! When dinner was served I ate everything on the table: Turkey, Stuffing, Bread, Butter, Broccoli Casserole, Pumpkin Bread, Vanilla Ice Cream and of course Whip Cream! Needless to say this was a meal that spiked my blood sugar levels and I enjoyed every moment...
In the past I would feel guilty before I ate the meal, while I ate it and after I was finished, thinking that I was sabotaging myself. I thought I needed to be 100% compliant 100% of the time. Even when I was knee deep in it, that mentality just never seemed realistic so I decided to focus on the body's physiology, and uncover some secrets that would minimize storing fat from big meals. Now these Secrets should be used for all “Off Meals”, not just during Holiday time.
Let’s start with the most important secret, Eating Consistently Before The Meal. Too many times people don't eat anything all day in preparation for their feast of an "Off Meal". This becomes a nightmare for your metabolism. What ends up happening is you burn lean tissue mass all day long while you are skipping meals. Your muscle mass is responsible for a fast metabolism, so if you burn muscle mass you slow down your metabolism causing you to store more body-fat. Additionally you will be eating with low blood sugar, this in turn maximizes your appetite. The end result is a very high blood sugar spike alongside an Increase in fat storage. This metabolic swing can be avoided simply: just eat balanced meals right up until the “Off Plan” Meal. Doing this will keep your body stable and burn energy more efficiently through the day. It will also prevent you from severely overeating at the “Off Plan” meal.
The second secret to surviving these kinds of meals is to Eat a Meal of Just Protein and Fat 4 hours after the “Off Plan” Meal. Eating food causes the digestive system to work, and an active digestive system typically means an active metabolism. Most people after an “Off Plan” meal, will not eat for the rest of the evening. This causes the body to flip right over into a storage state, something that carries over to the next day - and they'll have no appetite upon waking. There is an easy solution to this. Even 4 hours after an “Off Meal” the body's blood sugar may still be high, so by having a ½ Meal of just Protein and Fat (No Carbohydrates), you'll allow stimulation of the digestive tract and will increase your body's metabolic rate, helping digest your initial “Off Plan” meal. In this second meal, you want to avoid carbohydrates since your blood sugar is still high and carbohydrates are the biggest component in causing elevated blood sugar. You will notice that this second meal will cause your appetite to increase later in the evening and this way you'll wake up the next morning hungry. These are very good signs that your body has used the extra energy available to it.
The last Secret is to Accept That “Off Plan” Meals are Good for you! There are 365 days in a year, if you are consistent 85% of the time you are doing Fantastic. “Off Plan” meals are a great way to indulge in your favorite foods, enjoy Social Gatherings, and most important give yourself a Vacation from your regimen. There are even studies showing that an “Off Plan” meal can be helpful in breaking through Plateaus, due to the way they tend to shake up the body's metabolism.
There you have it, the Three Secrets to fully Enjoying your Holiday meals as well as any Future “Off Plan” meals. It's important to remember that the Key to Achieving your Permanent Nutrition and Fitness Goals is your day to day consistency. “Off Plan” meals, if used in moderation, are excellent for maintaining a realistic and balanced approach to your program. By embracing these ideas, you can now let go of the worry about Weight Gain during the Holidays. Implement these three secrets and you can Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!
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You Asked | We Answered
Q:How Can I Enjoy Holiday Desserts without feeling like I’ve over-eaten?
A:The Holidays are meant to be enjoyed! For many, this definitely means indulging in some delicious desserts. If you wish to have a high carb and high fat dessert like a baked pie, our recommendation is to go light on the main course. An example of this would be: turkey breast and some veggies. This meal is high in protein and very low in carbs and fat. Please remember you can indulge in both and then get back on track starting with your next meal, Mark’s article above addresses that issue. Another option is to have a lighter dessert like Sweet Stuffed Baked Fruit.