Ending the Fat Kid Death March

It probably started last Wednesday. Maybe it was that huge meal you cooked for your family, or maybe it was the extra 5-6 eggnogs you kicked back on Christmas Eve. Either way, with all the festivities of this holiday season you are probably thinking to yourself, "when was the last time I ate a vegetable?" or "what was the last night that I didn't finish off a bottle of wine?" Well it was a fun week, but the Fat Kid Death March stops now.

FKDMs are specific to a kind of person that I train in abundance. They usually eat well and know what they should be doing, they just fall off the wagon every now and then. Eating ice cream every day is not their lifestyle, they just picked up a bad habit in the short term. The FKDM is not pleasant any more, but now they have a little sugar addiction or maybe are a little "luscious" with the holiday spirits. If this describes you, I recommend two options based on two archetypes I've seen and coached.

The Reboot

Stop it. Now. Get all the cookies out of your house; give away all your wine and beer. Stock up on vegetables and chicken breast and eat nothing but fiber and protein for a few days. This is not a fast, or a cleanse, or a diet. It's a reboot so that you can get back into all your good habits, ASAP. This method is for those people that were living a healthy lifestyle with lots of healthy habits for a while and just like to get started hard with lots of dicipline. This is what I do, but I must warn you, it's only for a few days. By the end of the week you should be back to carbs at breakfast and post-workout and lots of healthy fats.

Do One Thing

For those new to healthy living, or for those whom the FKDM has become more convenience than chore, I recommned waking up every morning and resolving to just "Do One Thing." Throw away your Christmas cookies and your good for the day. Turn down that glass of wine tomorrow. Eat a salad for dinner the next day. Just make sure that you think about accumlating these healthy habits and make them a part of your every day plan. Don't go out and buy more cookies and wine because you ate a salad today. You have to chip away at the things you don't need and accumalte the habits you do need every damn day.

Pull-Ups for Anyone

Coach Stevo's Actual Iron Gym (note the athletic tape replacement grips).I have coached dozens of men how to bang out pull-ups and even a handful of dedicated women. A single, unassisted, USMC-style pull-up is a very high benchmark of physical fitness for the ladies, but it is completely attainable. In fact, if you have a BMI of less than 25 and no serious shoulder injuries, follow my advice and you will do your first pull-up in under 2 weeks.

1. Buy an Iron Gym. Do not skip this step. The damn thing costs $20 and mine has held up (with mild modifications) for over 20,000 reps. Seriously, this is bang-for-your-buck.

2. Install it in a doorframe that you walk by frequently.

3. When you walk by the door, jump up on the bar to the top position of the pull-up and bend your knees.

4. Lower yourself down as slowly as possible until your arms are locked out.

5. Repeat steps 3-4 every time you walk by the door!

I'll bet that before you can say "Latissimus Dorsi" you will be able to walk by that door and do steps 3 and 4 in reverse. Simply put, every person who has asked me how to do their first pull-up and followed these five steps has succeeded. Every person who asked and did not follow these steps, failed.

Coach Stevo Merchandise and Gift Certificates!

Just in time for the holidays! Treat your friends, family, or even yourself to Coach Stevo merchandise and gift certificates. Coach Stevo kettlebell logos and slogans are available on everything from t-shirts, to blankets, booty shorts. I recommend the Zipper Hoody. It's high quality from American Apparel. I wear one to work almost every day and it has held up very well. Nothing but quality for my clients and fans!

Here is the store, and be sure to look at the details for all the items as they usually have stuff on the back.

And in more Holiday news, I am doing gift certificates as well. These can be in any amount and look fantastic. Shoot me an email if you would like to procure some for your friends who need a little more awesome in their life.

Protein and You

First, a little science. Protein is one of the three macronutrients, along with fats and carbohydrates, that comprise the foods we eat. A gram of protein is about 4 net calories, and is most often associated with meats, dairy products like yogurt and cheese and, to a lesser extent, nuts, legumes and beans. Proteins are made of long chains of amino acids, molecules that our bodies do not manufacture easily or store in great abundance. In fact, there are 8 amino acids, the “essential amino acids,” that we must consume regularly in order to function. Foods that have all of these essential amino acids are said to have “complete proteins.” Examples of complete proteins are meats, fish, poultry, milk products, and soy beans. Plants, legumes, and wheat are incomplete proteins, but can be combined in the diet to cover all the essential amino acids.

    But why is all this important? Because proteins are the Legos of the human body. 75% of the dry-weight of our bodies is protein, including everything from our hair to our muscles. And since our bodies cannot keep a lot of these Legos around, we have to keep a steady stream of complete protein foods coming in through our diets, especially if we are working hard in the gym. How much? Sedentary individuals can get by with .36 grams per pound of body weight, this is the number that the USDA recommends (and a lot of vegetarians shoot for), but athletic individuals are going to churn through a lot more protein than that with our intense strength and conditioning workouts. The number I recommend my clients shoot for is 1g of complete protein per pound of body weight. So for example, a 120lb woman training with me would eat 120g of protein. And that’s true whether she is trying to lose fat or gain muscle. Adequate protein in the diet is necessary for every athletic goal from basic health to looking good in that bikini.

    Eating that much protein can seem like a daunting task but it is easy when you start the habit and plan ahead. Here are my quick tips:

• Consume lean, complete protein with every meal or snack. Eggs or egg whites for breakfast, chicken with lunch, yogurt for a snack, lean sirloin for dinner, and a little cottage cheese before bed? That sounds delicious!
• Aim for a handful. A handful of protein rich foods will contain roughly 20-30g for women and 40-60g for men (men have bigger hands).
• Enjoy variety. Our bodies like a variety of nutrient sources, so try lots of different protein rich foods. Meats like buffalo and ostrich are rich in iron and low in saturated fat and cook just like beef. Even soybeans make great snacks!
• Sneak it in. Add chicken or salmon to your salads and add yogurt to your fruit. Instead of reaching for chips or pretzels when you want something salty, try beef jerky.
• If you eat a plant based diet, pay special attention to varying your intake of grains and legumes in order to get a complete protein profile regularly. Staying plant-based makes nutrition harder, but there are vegan athletes, even vegan bodybuilders who manage to consume 1g/lb in protein every day.
• If you have trouble preparing food and eating as often as you’d like, do not be afraid of supplementing your diet with protein-based shakes. While whole, unprocessed foods are more rich in micronutrients and fiber, the occasional shake or protein bar after a hard workout will help you recover for the next one. However, be sure to read the labels carefully. Many protein bars have just as much sugar as a Snickers and barely any more protein! Look for shakes and bars that contain the highest ratio possible of protein-to-carbohydrates, or better yet, make your own!



No Sunrise Tomorrow

Coach Stevo's Sunrise is canceled tomorrow, December 1st.