Welcome to the ChiSpree Wellness Encyclopedia!

This encyclopedia was developed to assist you in understanding what wellness is, to provide information on a variety of holistic methods and services that can contribute to a person’s well-being.

While many non-medical wellness based approaches have been shown to be very helpful in preventing and reversing some medical conditions, the information in this encyclopedia is not intended to take the place of any medical treatment. It is always a good idea to consult with your physician prior to beginning any new wellness routines. If you believe you have a medical condition of any kind, please seek help from a qualified medical professional as soon as possible to be treated.

We will try to help you go beyond the mere absence of disease and expand your personal well-being as far and high as you would like to take it. Explore the encyclopedia, try new services, and find Your Way to Wellness!

If you have any suggestions for helpful articles, please contact us!

Thank you,

ChiSpree Team

Did you know that when you feel hungry, you might actually be THIRSTY!

According to one study, 37% of Americans’ thirst mechanism is so weak, they consistently mistake thirst for hunger.

What if each time you felt like going for your favorite snack, you reached for a glass of water instead?

Consider this – drinking more water is a key factor in burning more fat!

1.  Drinking pure, clean water is a very effective natural appetite suppressant.

2.  Low water intake (dehydration) will increase fat deposits.

3.  Hydration (increased water intake) will reduce fat deposits

Most importantly, lack of proper hydration leads to less fat being converted into usable energy.  More usable energy means more movement, more oxygen and greater vitality.

If you aren’t drinking enough water, kidney function will decrease and the liver will have work overtime.  One of your liver’s primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy.  When the liver has extra work to do it can’t metabolize as much fat, so more fat is stored.

Once your body is sufficiently hydrated to metabolize stored fat, water then helps you eliminate the acid waste and toxins that accumulate along with fat deposits.  Staying hydrated is extremely important to ensure that toxins are eliminated through sweat, urine and bowel movements.

How much to water to drink?  A good rule of thumb is to drink “1/2 your weight in ounces”.

Say you weigh 130 lbs.  Your goal is to drink 65 ounces, or approximately 2 quarts per day minimum.  More if you workout, live in a hot/dry environment, spend time in the sun or have excess fat to flush out.

If you are chronically dehydrated, you’ll be urinating a lot at first.  That’s OK.  You are flushing out toxins and getting your kidneys and bladder back to their natural, healthy state.

When you’re hydrating with clean, anti-oxidant rich, micro-clustered alkaline water, you can say good-bye to constipation and that draggy, sluggish feeling for good!

Water makes up more of our bodies than any other component. Staying hydrated is a mandatory foundation to health. Contact the Author, or browse our Merchant Directory to find local holistic merchants in your area.

Author: Suzanne Finder – Thrive Water Systems of San Diego, CA

The best treatment for fluid retention is to drink plenty of fresh, purified water.

When the body doesn’t get enough water, it goes into survival mode and retains as much as possible.  The stored water shows up as swollen feet, legs and hands.

Diuretics are a temporary solution at best.  They will release stored fluids, but essential nutrients get flushed out, too.  The body, still in threat mode, will replace the lost fluids and you’ll be back where you started!

Only by giving your body plenty of water (not juice, soft drinks or coffee) can it return to a healthy balance.  From there excess water will be released naturally.

Teach yourself to drink water throughout the day, especially when you aren’t thirsty.  Start gradually.  Your goal is to reset your “thirst-o-meter”.

How much water you should drink depends on your weight.  The rule of thumb is to drink “1/2 your weight in ounces”.

Say you weigh 130 lbs.  Your goal is to drink 65 ounces, or approximately 2 quarts per day at minimum.  More if you workout, live in a hot/dry environment or spend time in the sun.

If you are chronically dehydrated, you will be urinating a lot at first.  That’s OK.  You are flushing out toxins and getting your kidneys and bladder back to their natural, healthy state.

Water makes up more of our bodies than any other component. Staying hydrated is a mandatory foundation to health. Contact the Author, or browse our Merchant Directory to find local holistic merchants in your area.

Author: Suzanne Finder – Thrive Water Systems of San Diego, CA

Diet is what we eat!

“Diet” really doesn’t refer to a new trend or something you have to buy to lose 10 lbs, the real definition of the word diet is simply what we eat and what makes up our nutritional needs outside of water, the most vital part of our body’s nourishment. Nutrition refers to the essential nutrients the foods we eat provide to our body. Humans all over the world eat a huge variety of foods and we can certainly be considered omnivores, meaning we are able to healthfully eat both plants and animals. Humans developed as a hunter gatherer species and native people all over the world have diets that range from almost entirely animal fat to exclusively vegetarian and everything you could imagine in between. The main consideration for a healthy diet is to consider what our bodies are actually designed to eat by nature, which is actually just natural foods. If we look at what has kept people healthy throughout history, we will see what we should be eating to remain healthy now.

Whole Foods vs. Processed Foods:

You will know processed foods when you see them. These are the ones in packages with lots of advertising, look nothing like the natural foods that may or may not even be in them, have lists a mile long of things that almost nobody can read, contain artificial ingredients like taste enhancers, preservatives, and other chemicals. To make a long story short, many of the things that are in processed foods aren’t actually food at all and don’t do us any good. Our bodies are not equipped to process many of these things and many of them are toxic to us. The fact is that by eating these products, we are essentially allowing our bodies to be used as test dummies for all this artificial stuff that isn’t really food that scientists are coming up with in laboratories. Most of these processed foods are also very low in nutrients and high in calories, so they provide very little actual benefit for our bodies in terms of health.

Whole foods are also pretty easy to identify. These are the ones that have very minimal packaging, very few ingredients, probably all of which you can read and are familiar with, and come in their natural form. These foods are usually situated along the outside of the grocery and likely need to be refrigerated to prevent them from spoiling. Whole foods like fruits, vegetables, seeds, whole grains, and beans, as well as natural meats, eggs, and dairy products all fall into this category. These foods that are purchased in their natural form have the full amount of nutrients in them and you will get the most nutritional value for the number of calories you are eating. Processed foods have only been around for a short amount of time and in that time the increase in all lifestyle related diseases has increased exponentially. We are the living proof that our ancestors were healthy because the survived to have children. Humans all over the world continuing to eat a diet of whole foods free of processed foods show extremely low evidence of lifestyle related diseases, so if we know what keeps us healthy and what doesn’t, why not choose the healthy stuff?

Organic and Free Range vs. Conventional

The next step in healthy eating is moving to organic and free range foods and staying away from mass produced conventional foods that are often produced in unnatural ways. To be considered organic, foods must be grown without using synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, irradiation, industrial solvents, chemical food additives, and cannot be genetically modified. These regulations also apply to animal foods like meats, eggs, and dairy. Many organic foods taste better, have higher nutritional content, and are thought to be safer to eat than foods containing many chemical additives. The term free range refers to animals and generally means that the animals are able to walk and move freely outdoors in order to eat their natural diet and get exercise. Just like humans, if animals do not eat their own natural diet and do not get adequate exercise, they become unhealthy. Eating unhealthy animals is only likely to contribute to the deterioration of our own health.

Many studies on organic and free range vs. conventional food are inconclusive of effects on health, but the fact remains that all of these technologies are very new and that people have been becoming more and more sick since food began being produced in non-organic ways. By choosing to eat foods that we are unsure of the effects of, we are essentially allowing our bodies to be used in a very large experiment and we will likely only see the effects after a long period of time. Just think, up until not long ago, many medications with horrible side effects, terrible chemicals, and even tobacco were considered safe and even good for your health. Only time can tell the true effects of some things. Since we know that organic and free range foods have been safe to eat for all of human history and that our bodies remain healthy when eating them, why not choose what we know works to keep us healthy?

Macronutrients and Micronutrients

What we really gain from food is the nutritional value. This is made up of the three macronutrients, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, and micronutrients, which are vitamins and minerals. Macronutrients provide us with calories that we need to fuel our body as well as the needed building blocks to repair our body’s tissues. Micronutrients play important roles in all of the intricate chemical processes of our body. These are required in very small amounts and some our body stores for use when necessary and some need to be consumed regularly in order to have adequate amounts. We need both macronutrients and to stay healthy, so it is important to eat a diet that is mixed and balanced.

Healthy Eating Tips:

• Drink plenty of water and be sure you are well hydrated, especially before meals

• Read and understand nutrition labels and food claims

• Make vegetables and fruits the bulk of your diet to ensure micronutrient needs are met

• Eat a colorful diet, fruits and vegetables of different colors contain different nutrients

• Include protein in every meal, it helps us feel satisfied

• Focus on what you should eat and you will naturally avoid other foods

• Plan ahead to have healthy food available and only eat when you are hungry

• Eat 4-5 SMALL meals per day rather than less frequent large meals

• Use spices in your food, they contain valuable micronutrients

• Eat local and in season fruits and vegetables to get the most nutrients for your dollar

• Leave skins on fruits and vegetables when possible, they contain healthy fiber

• Eat fish often, it contains very healthy cholesterol lowering fats

• Avoid sugary foods, they are digested quickly and easily processed into body fat

• Dont skip meals, it causes our metabolism to drop and can bring energy levels down

• Just eat real organic and free range foods, not processed food like products

In today’s world of global connectivity, shared culture, and the ability to transport food worldwide, we have more food options than ever before. No matter what type of diet you choose, be sure to select foods that are processed as little as possible and organic if available. Along with a fitness routine, a healthy diet is a key foundation to overall health and can be part of the cure to many common lifestyle related ailments and weight management issues. Choose wisely and stay healthy!

Work with your health care provider and browse our Merchant Directory of other options to include the assistance of a Nutrition expert, Personal Trainer, Holistic Health Services, Lifestyle Coach, or to find Healthy Food options.

Sources: Michael Pollan In Defense of Food, Mayo Clinic

Author: Tony Montijo, BS Kinesiology, CPT, CES

Fats are not your enemy.

Fats are an essential part of our nutrition, but choosing the right fats in the right amounts can make the difference in our health. Fats make up the wall of every cell in our body, help our body absorb and transport certain vitamins, and are also our body’s method of storing a substantial amount of energy. Fats are our most dense source of calories at 9 calories per gram and many fat containing foods, such as processed foods, can also lack in nutrition, which is a recipe for poor health and excess body fat. Not all fats are created equal, there are many different types:

Saturated fats: Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and are mostly found in animal foods like meats and dairy products, but are also found in some plant foods such as palm oil and coconut oil. Poultry and fish generally contain less saturated fat than red meat, which can make them a more balanced nutrition source. Some studies indicate that people who’s diets are low in saturated fat have low incidence of high cholesterol and high blood pressure. It is recommended to consume less than 10% of total calories form saturated fat. Eating saturated fats from wild fish and free range animals has been shown to have less negative effect on health than eating conventional meats.

Trans fats: Trans fats are a processed food that does not exist in nature. These fats are made from plant sources and are processed to make the fats solid at room temperature, which makes them last longer and gives food crispy and crunchy textures. Trans fats are found primarily in processed foods such as chips, crackers, margarine, cookies, frozen foods, and many other snack foods and processed foods. Trans fats are not something our body ever encountered in nature and consumption of trans fats is highly associated with high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and other lifestyle related diseases. The recommended amount of trans fat is less than 1% of calories, or for example, less than 2 grams if you eat a 2000 calorie diet. Be aware that legally, foods that contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving are able to be listed as having “0 grams trans fat per serving”. This means that you may be consuming hidden trans fats. Choose whole foods to avoid trans fats completely.

Unsaturated fats: Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and are mostly oils from plants. Eating these fats in favor of saturated fats coming from conventional meat has been shown to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Included in unsaturated fats are “Omega-3 fatty acids”, which are known to both lower “bad” cholesterol, and raise “good” cholesterol simultaneously. Foods high in Omega-3 are fish and shellfish as well as flax seed, flax seed oil, and walnuts. Free range meats and eggs also generally have higher amounts of Omega-3 than conventional meats and eggs.

Fat Nutrition Tips:

• Avoid processed foods to avoid unhealthy trans fats

• Choose free-range and organic animal foods to ensure the healthiest fat sources possible

• Fats are the highest calorie nutrient, so be aware of your intake to avoid weight gain

• Fat is a important nutrient, avoid low and no fat diets

• Consume approximately 20-35% or your daily calories from fat

Browse our Merchant Directory to include the assistance of a Nutrition expert, Personal Trainer, Holistic Health Services, Lifestyle Coach, or to find Healthy Food options.

Sources: Michael Pollan In Defense of Food, WebMD

Author: Tony Montijo, BS Kinesiology, CPT, CES

Take control of what you can to get the most out of life!

There are many factors that contribute to some of the most common medical conditions including genetics and lifestyle. We of course do not have control over our genetics, but the lifestyle choices we make can play a big role in determining our health future. Lifestyle includes among other things, our choices in nutrition, fitness, stress management, our environment, smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, and illegal drug use.

Diseases Commonly Considered “lifestyle related” Can Include:

• Asthma – Chronic inflammation, spasms, and obstruction of airways

• Some cancers – among other issues, cells grow uncontrollably and invade the body

• Chronic liver disease – The liver is responsible for detoxification and protein synthesis

• Lung Disease or COPD – Destruction of lung tissue that can cause other conditions

• Type 2 Diabetes – The body’s inability to properly digest carbohydrates

• Heart disease – blockages of the arteries supplying blood to the heart

• High blood pressure - a resistance to blood flow through the body as the heart pumps

• High cholesterol – cholesterol builds in arteries causing blockages to blood flow

• Kidney disease – damage to the kidneys eventually causing the inability to urinate

• Osteoporosis – weakening of bones that can lead to fractures

• Stroke – Blockage to blood flow to the brain that can cause brain damage

• Depression – a continued mood of sadness, hopelessness and anxiety

• Obesity - being overweight to the point that it is likely to cause other health issues

Some experts use the terms “lifestyle disease” and “disease of civilization” interchangeably as these diseases appear to increase in frequency as countries become more industrialized and people live longer. Many of these diseases occur primarily in older people, but many also have been documented  from childhood onward. Historically, and in parts of the world where people are active throughout their lives, consume little to no alcohol, tobacco, or drugs, and rely on a primarily plant based diet of whole foods, eat very little meat and dairy products, processed foods, sugary foods, or vegetable oils, even in old age, very little evidence of so called “lifestyle diseases” exist.

Our lifestyle choices play a huge role in our health. Even if you are healthy now, taking the steps to continue to improve your health can dramatically improve your likelihood of staying healthy. And likewise, if you already have health conditions, doing your best to develop a healthy lifestyle can often improve and sometimes even completely reverse some medical conditions. If you have further questions about lifestyle related diseases and how they may relate to you, please speak with your doctor. Work with your doctor to make a plan and involve other professionals to help you along the way. The key is taking things one step at a time and setting manageable goals to take you all the way there. There is no “right way” to reach your own wellness peak, keep an open mind and try something new.

Explore our Merchant Directory to find the right match for you.

Sources: Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food, Wikipedia

Author: Tony Montijo, BS Kinesiology, CPT, CES

What is a calorie exactly?

Calories are a measurement of energy. Technically speaking, 1 kilocalorie, or kcal, or Cal is the amount of energy required to heat one gram of water by 1 degree celcius. Not very helpful for your health or weight management? We didn’t really think so ether. Lets try an analogy, just imagine a calorie as a drop of race car fuel and you as the race car. The more calories you have per fill-up, the more energy you have to power your body. Our bodies are burning calories all the time, when we are sleeping, sitting, driving to work, exercising, we are burning some calories no matter what we do. Our bodies require a certain amount of calories just to maintain our tissues and organs even if we were to lay in bed all day and not move at all. This minimum number of calories is called our Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR. In addition to this, all of the movement we do during the day increases the amount of energy and calories that we will need to maintain our bodyweight. The more you move, the more you burn.

Unlike the race car, we are actually able to overfill our tank. If we consistently consume more calories than we are burning, we will gain body fat. Body fat was essential to our human ancestors who sometimes went long periods of time with no food at all, and is simply stored energy that is there waiting for us to use. All we need to do is chose to burn more calories that we consume, and we will burn this stored energy and use up our bodyfat. Sounds pretty good right? This is the only secret to weight management!

Most weight loss products and plans on the market work on this one principal and are likely reducing total calories in one way or another. Avoid diets that exclude or emphasize certain food groups. For example a “low carb”, or “zero fat”, “cabbage soup diet” or “high protein”. Our bodies need all of these things in order to stay healthy, and when working to burn body fat, it is important to maintain a balanced diet.

Calorie Density and Nutrient Density

Two considerations for reducing calories in a heathy way are calorie density and nutrient density. Calorie density means how many calories for a given amount, like calories per gram for example, that is often listed on the nutrition label. Nutrient density is like the nutritional “bang for your buck”. A good analogy for this is the old joke/riddle “What weighs more, a lb. of bricks, or a lb. of feathers?” Of course they weight the same. Just like one calorie coming from a cake is equal to one calorie coming from fish. Thus, there are no fattening foods! Just foods with more or less calories, and more or less nutrition per serving. Lets compare a low-nutrient 300 calorie bag of chips to Popeye’s favorite high nutrient food, spinach. You could eat almost 43 cups of spinach for the same 300 calories!  It’s all about getting the most nutrition for the calories you eat. Fats contain 9 calories per gram, protein and carbohydrates both contain 4 calories per gram, and alcohol contains 7 calories per gram. It’s not necessary to count calories in order to burn body fat, just to choose foods that are less processed and more nutritious and you will automatically be cutting calories.

Processed foods generally have much of the healthy micronutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fiber removed in the processing that is often done to increase shelf life, increase profit for the manufacturer, or to make a food look, taste, or smell different than it does naturally. High nutrient foods are those that are unprocessed and have their full, natural nutritional value. These foods are often more filling and satisfying too. To reduce calories, choose whole foods that you enjoy eating that are in their natural form such as whole plant foods like fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grains, and natural animal products.

To increase how many calories our body burns, we can simply increase our movement and work on physical fitness. Choose activities that you really enjoy doing to help you burn more calories. Just be sure to increase your activity in a safe way to avoid injuries.

Tips to Reduce Calories:

• If you are thirsty, drink water, it has zero calories.

• Read and understand nutrition labels and food claims.

• Stay well hydrated to avoid cravings.

• Focus on having fruits and vegetables as the main part of your meal.

• Get a good nights sleep, low energy can cause increased hunger.

• Choose whole foods, not packaged processed foods.

• Use a smaller plate.

• Measure your food rather than just pouring away or snacking from the package.

• Choose a salad instead of fries, potato salad, or another high calorie side.

• Eat slowly so you can feel your fullness and wait to have seconds.

• Eat small amounts of food often to stay satisfied and avoid being overly hungry.

• Leave the cheese off.

• Skip deserts! Try substitutions like greek yogurt and frozen berries instead of ice cream.

• Plan what you are going to eat and stick with it.

• When eating out, leave some food on the plate to take home for later.

• Come up with your own ideas!

Tops to Increase Calorie Burning:

• Take walks on breaks or after work.

• Get simple exercise equipment like a ball to use for exercise while you watch TV.

• Use your weekends to be extra active doing something you enjoy.

• Take the stairs whenever you can.

• Clean up around the house or in the yard.

• Change your workouts often to avoid plateaus and boredom.

• Short on time? Split up your exercise into 2 or 3 sessions, the calorie burn is the same.

• Drink cold water and listen to music to make exercise feel easier.

• Include resistance training in your workout to increase your burn after a workout.

• Include your favorite cardio exercise to burn instant calories.

• Stretching burns calories, helps improve workouts, and can reduce injuries.

• Try something new!

Tried everything? If you’re ready for assistance with calorie balance, browse our Merchant Directory to seek the help of a nutrition, fitness, or weight management expert.

Author: Tony Montijo, BS Kinesiology, CPT, CES

Weight management is simply maintaining a healthy body weight BMI, and body fat.

So, what is a healthy body weight and how can I get there? While not the most accurate, probably the easiest method of determining a healthy body weight for your height is using BMI, or Body Mass Index. This is a general indication of what is a healthy weight for your height.

Category                                                        BMI range

Very severely underweight                          less than 15

Severely underweight                                   from 15.0 to 16.0

Underweight                                                  from 16.0 to 18.5

Normal (healthy weight)                             from 18.5 to 25

Overweight                                                     from 25 to 30

Obese Class I (Moderately)                         from 30 to 35

Obese Class II & III (Severely)                     from 35 to 40+

What determines our body weight, body composition, and where we hold body fat rely on many factors. The two main ones are our genetics, and our calorie balance. We of course don’t have control over our genetics, but we definitely have control over our calorie balance and fitness routines. Body composition is what our body is made up of and commonly refers to how much of our body weight is made up of body fat and how much is made up of everything else. While BMI is only comparing our weight to our height, a body fat measurement that personal trainers commonly do, actually directly measures the proportion of our body that is fat vs. other tissues like muscle, bone, internal organs, etc. This can be measured in a variety of ways and is generally a more accurate indication of health. Some athletes for example may have a high BMI and body weight compared to their height due to muscle mass, but have a very low percentage of body fat that is contributing to their weight. Maintaining a healthy weight and body fat percentage can help reduce the risk of the most common lifestyle related diseases such as heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

How to Lose Weight

There is actually only one secret to weight loss. That’s right, all of those websites, ads, pills, and infomercials claiming to have the best new secret are probably all selling the same secret, or maybe just junk. Here’s the secret: To lose weight, all you have to do is consistently consume fewer calories than you burn. Tada! That’s it! The opposite is true too. If over time you eat more calories than you are burning, you will gain weight.

In order to lose weight most effectively, we should increase our calorie burning by working on fitness in a safe and effective way, and also reduce our calorie intake through proper nutrition changes. There are many approaches to losing weight and many reasons people have trouble along the way. In essence, it’s all about our choices. The best thing to do is to recognize what individual choices and behaviors brought your weight to where it is now and begin working on them one step at a time. There is no right way other than a healthy way that works for you.

Remember:

• Weight management is all about calorie balance.

• It’s a lifestyle change not a temporary diet.

• To keep the weight off, you will need to keep up exactly what you did to lose it.

• Genetics determine where our body stores fat, doing crunches will not reduce belly fat.

• If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

• Keep stress low to avoid emotional eating.

• Be sure to consider beverages, including alcoholic beverages, as calorie sources.

• Stay well hydrated to avoid cravings.

• Make changes in a comfortable way so that you will be able to stick with them.

• Build up your fitness gradually to avoid injuries and fatigue.

• Focus on eating whole foods rather than processed foods, they are usually lower calorie and more satisfying.

• Setbacks are normal and weight loss takes time, consistency is the key to success.

• If you hit a plateau, get creative to continue to adapt your routines.

• Just keep going!

For assistance with maintaining a healthy weight, browse our Merchant Directory to connect with one of our weight management specialists.

Author: Tony Montijo, BS Kinesiology, CPT, CES

Special thanks to bmi-club.com

Be SMART, set goals!

Goals are one of the most important aspects to getting all the way to where you want to be with your Health, Fitness, and overall Wellbeing. Whether you want to run a marathon, be “beach ready”, be more relaxed; whatever it is, setting goals will help you get there. It can sometimes be discouraging to think about how far we have to go to get to where we want to be, but remembering that everything in life happens in small steps can help. Setting SMART goals will help to keep things in perspective and keep on the right track.

SMART stands for:

• S – Specific
• M – Measurable
• A – Attainable
• R – Relevant
• T – Time Oriented

Rather than saying for example, “I want to lose weight”, start thinking about the specifics: “I will walk for 30 minutes 3 days this week after work.” Ask yourself these questions: Is the goal specific enough? Can I keep track of wether I am achieving the goal or not?  Is the goal realistic for me? Will this goal put me on the path toward the end result I want? Have I set a specific timeframe to achieve the goal?

Another example: rather than, “I want to be more relaxed”, Think of the specific things you could do to help yourself be more relaxed: “I will take at least 30 minutes every day to read”, or “I will do yoga 3 days per week for at least 30 minutes.” Try out your own.

Some Tools to be Successful:

• Make a chart for yourself to track your goals.

• Re-assess your goals often to see if they are effective or may need to be modified.

• Work to identify barriers that need to be addressed to help you be successful.

• Start from where you are and work your way to where you want to be one step at a time.

• Be honest and stay accountable to yourself.

• Keep a positive attitude, some setbacks are normal, just keep going!

• Set up healthy rewards for yourself along the way for achieving larger goals.

Whatever it is that you want to achieve, SMART Goals can help get you there!

Browse our Merchant Directory to incorporate the assistance of a lifestyle coach or personal trainer to help you get all the way there.

Author: Tony Montijo, BS Kinesiology, CPT, CES

Stuck in a rut with no progress?

Plateau is a phenomenon of the human body’s adaptation process. A plateau is a period where the body is matched with it’s current conditions and no major changes are seen. No change in body weight or body fat, no changes in muscle mass, no changes in performance. When there are no changes at all, this means the body has fully adapted to the person’s current lifestyle routines and  is actually in equilibrium, a state of balance. Our bodies naturally attempt to adapt to whatever circumstances and demands are put on them and reach this balanced state. For example if we begin a new resistance exercise routine that’s challenging and requires more strength than we currently have, our body will adapt by building more muscle. If we begin to change our eating habits in order to lose weight and reduce our calorie intake, our body will adapt to this too by beginning to burn body fat. Once the progress stops, our body has reached an equilibrium with our current routine.

Whatever it is that you are working to achieve as far as changes to your body go, is of course ultimately limited by our genetics, but we can always alter our routine in some way to continue to work toward the progress we are wanting. When the progress stops, this is actually a positive sign that your body has fully adapted to your current routines and is ready for something new and different to adapt to. Weight loss plateaus occur when the calories you are eating match the calories you are burning, hence no weight loss. To continue to see progress, it will likely be necessary to either increase activity in order to burn more calories, or further reduce calorie intake. For muscle building or other performance improvements, when we no longer see progress it is again a sign that the body has fully adapted to all of your past training and it may be necessary to make changes to your program to continue to see further results.

Tips to Avoid Plateau:

• Expect plateaus to happen (because they will) and proactively adjust your routines

• Find your motivation to challenge yourself and keep going!

• Imagine your success to stay positive

• Keep food and exercise logs to keep track and make necessary adjustments

• Be aware of creeping changes in routines. Eating more than you think? Not working as hard at exercise?

• Making changes can be challenging, push through, it will get easier just like past changes did

• Try something new, a new exercise, a new food, shake things up!

• Adjust workout routines often, try new equipment, different number of sets or reps

Can’t bust the plateau? Try searching our Merchant Directory for a professional personal trainer, nutrition specialist, or fitness service.

Author: Tony Montijo, BS Kinesiology, CPT, CES