3 Veggies That Fight Abdominal Fat

A unique way that a few specific vegetables can actually stimulate the burning of abdominal fat...

I bet you didn't know that there is a specific class of vegetables that contain very specific phyto-nutrients that actually help to fight against stubborn belly fat.

Let me explain what these unique vegetables are and why they help to burn stomach fat...

Chemicals that force your body to hold onto belly fat

Something you may have never heard about is that certain chemicals in our food supply and our environment, such as pesticides, herbicides, and certain petro-chemicals from air and water pollution, household cleaners, cosmetics, can react with your body and make your body store excess abdominal fat!

These chemicals are know as xeno-estrogens.

Xenoestrogens are chemicals that you are exposed to (and are hard to avoid in the modern world) that have an estrogenic effect in your body. Excess exposure to these can cause hormone balance disruptions for both men and women. So these can wreak havoc in the body.

These estrogenic chemicals that we are exposed to on a daily basis can stimulate your body to store belly fat, along with many other problems (including cancer risks in the long term).

So here is where these specific type of vegetables come in handy...

Using cruciferous vegetables will help fight against stomach fat!

What the heck is a cruciferous vegetable i hear you ask?

They are vegetables that contain very specific and unique phyto-nutrients such as indole-3-carbinol (I3C) that help to fight against these estrogenic compounds...

BROCCOLI

CAULIFLOWER

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

CABBAGE

Are some common veggies that you can eat every day. And this will fight against these belly fat stimulating estrogenic chemicals, this is just 1 more step in helping you to win the battle against abdominal fat!

So give it a go... Add these veggies to your weekly eating plan and see what happens! What have you got to lose?? (besides belly fat)...

5 cups a day, keeps the FAT away!!

GREEN TEA CAN HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT
Green Tea stimulates a process in the body which generates energy by increasing its basal metabolic rate helping you burn calories & fat more efficiently, which accelerates weight loss.

This natural weight-loss stimulant is a great slimming solution, it's rich in powerful Antioxidants called Catechins that are responsible for a myriad of other health benefits - promotes heart health, aids digestion and regulates blood sugar and body temperature.

It raises the metabolic rate and speeds up fat oxidation, thus helping people lose weight.

Drink it daily to boost your metabolism.

Research has shown that five cups a day is the magic number for fat loss.

• Increases Metabolism & Accelerates Weight Loss
• Increases Body’s Ability To Burn Fat & Calories
• Helps Suppress Your Appetite
• Rehydrates The Body
• Absorbs & Blocks Bad LDL Cholesterol
• Raises Good HDL Cholesterol
• Prevents Cardiovascular Disease
• Reduces Risk Of Strokes & Heart Attack
• Strengthens Your Immune System
• Eliminates Free Radicals & Detoxify’s The Body
• Blocks Bad & Increases Good Bacteria In The Intestines
• Helps Stabilise Blood Pressure
• Rich in Vitamin E Slowing The Aging Process
• Protects From Tooth Decay Inhibits Growth Of Plaque
• Prevents Food Poisoning Inhibits Growth Of Bacteria
• Lowers Blood Sugar Levels
• Helps to Stabilise Diabetes
• Helps To Stop Abnormal Blood Clots Forming
• Rich in Antioxidants Beneficial To Your Skin
• Theanine In Green Tea Is A Natural De-Stressor
• Prevents & Treats Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Prevents Alzheimer’s Disease - Green Tea Inhibits 3 Enzymes Linked To The Development Of Alzheimer’s.
• Green Tea Helps You Exercise Longer - Exercise is important to lose weight, it burns calories, increases your energy & builds muscle which boosts your metabolism even higher. The Catechin Polyphenols in Green Tea stimulate the use of fatty acids by the liver & muscle cells, reducing the rate carbohydrates are used & allows more endurance & longer exercise times.

The Ant Philosophy

This is an amazing Four-Part Philosophy for success!

I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy.

Here is the first part: Ants never quit. Thats a good philosophy. If

they're headed somewhere and you try to stop them, they'll look for another way.

They'll climb over, they'll climb under, they'll climb around. They keep looking for

another way. What a great philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you're supposed to go.

Second, ants think winter all summer. Thats an important perspective. You cant

be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering their winter food in the

middle of the summer.

The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think summer all winter.

That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, "This wont last long - we'll

soon be out of here." And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they'll

dive back down, but then they come out the first warm day. They cant wait to get out.

And here's the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during

the summer to prepare for the winter? All he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy,

the "all-you-possibly-can" philosophy.

Wow! what a great philosophy to have - the ant philosophy.

Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can.

I credit Jim Rohn for this philosophy, although he is no longer on this planet, his teachings are still moving people, an he is still a great mentor for many.

SQUARE ONE FITNESS CLIENT LOSES 10kg IN 6 MONTHS!

I would like to introduce you to one of my clients at Square One Fitness who is an absolute success story.

Errol Lim is a Director and Physiotherapist for BJC Health in Sydney.

6 Months ago, Errol set himself a target weight of 74kg. At the time he weighed 84kg.

Errol has managed to stay focused on his goal and he has succeeded in getting to his target weight in the target timeframe.

I thought It would be great to let Square One Fitness Clients in on the mindset of Errol, and what he did to get to his goal weight.

So I have asked Errol if he can share some insight on how he did it.

So here it is… Enjoy. J

JAI: Hi Errol, firstly congratulations on your great success in reaching your target weight of 74kg and losing a total of 10kg!

It is a great accomplishment, and you must feel fantastic for it!

I would like to know what were the main contributing factors to you achieving your goal? Im sure there are a number of contributing factors such as your consistent training with Square One Fitness, eating well, your mindset, and other things. Can you tell myself and the other Square One Fitness clients and friends a bit about what got you over the line?

You also mentioned how your sleeping patterns were a big contributor?

ERROL:Hi Jai,

Thank you so much for your support through the past 6 months.

You are right when you say there have been many contributing factors to achieving my goal.

The first thing was having the mindset to change and then setting a goal. Voicing my goal to my friends and family then made me accountable.

The next step was to get a team around me whom I could trust and I knew was going to help me achieve my targets.

Eating well whilst working with a dietitian has been the biggest challenge. The unfamiliarity of certain foods was the initial block but now what I eat has become habitual and I like it - amazing!

The fitness training though tough 6 months ago has been what I look forward to each week. Stepping it up to two training sessions a week has been easy with the outcomes being tremendous. I have really enjoyed being pushed and have learnt alot about how hard my body can perform safely. For this, I am very grateful.

Apart from everything I have mentioned, I attribute having the mindset as the most important. In order to achieve this, I needed to feel somewhat healthy. The defining point was the decision to sleep early each night when my kids went to sleep allowing me to get a solid 7 to 8 hours each night. This meant waking up fresh with a clear mind to start my day. As you know, I was struggling with numerous viruses over the past 2.5 years since my son was born mainly due to a lack of sleep. When this stopped, I felt confident to be able to handle the changes I needed to make. Sleep - who would have thought this was so important. We all know what we need to do, we just don't listen to our bodies often enough.

JAI: Thanks Errol. I really appreciate and respect your dedication to improving your health and well being. And I am very happy that you have been able to achieve your goals.

Errol's great success has come from setting specific goals. There was a goal weight, and a goal date. This is very important in your goal setting.

So the key thing I recommend for a weight loss program is work out what weight you want to be, and when you want to be at that weight.

Be sure that you are SMART about your goals.

Follow the SMART Model when setting goals for a higher chance of success!

S - SPECIFIC

M - MEASURABLE

A - ATTAINABLE

R - REALISTIC

T - TIMEFRAME

Make sure your goals fit in with this model. Your goals need to be specific – that is, state exactly what you want to achieve.

They need to be measurable – how will you know you’ve achieved your goal? What will be your evidence?

Your goals need to be attainable – Achievable by you and something you along can control and influence.

They need to be realistic – within reach yet still a stretch, with an incremental plan for getting there.

Your goals need to have a timeframe – when will you achieve this goal by and how will you celebrate?

There’s one more letter that needs to be added, and without it all of this is just talk…

A – ACTION

We must, must, must, must be prepared to take action. If we don’t take action we are simply filling time with an interesting philosophical exercise.

Nothing beats action.

Personal Trainer Misconceptions

Regardless of your training level a Personal Trainer can be your fitness program's most valuable asset and ally. Don't let the common misconceptions about Personal Trainers stand in the way of achieving your goals.

Misconceptions:

Trainers are for athletes

A trainer can provide a great benefit for any person interested in fitness, regardless of your fitness level, athletic ability or age. Exercising correctly and with a plan is what many lack and what a trainer can provide. By selecting the right trainer you will be able to achieve the type of result you desire.

Trainers are expensive

This is one of the most common misconceptions about personal trainers. Although like any other service there is a wide range of prices, finding a trainer in your price range should not be difficult. In fact a session with a Personal Trainer is a great, relatively inexpensive, gift for anyone who is into fitness.

Trainers are for weightlifters and bodybuilders

Just as strength training is just one aspect of physical fitness, strength training is just one area of expertise for trainers. Personal trainers can assist in cardiorespiratory fitness, flexibility and nutrition.

Trainers are only useful for "general" training

Working with a trainer can benefit not only overall fitness, but also can be geared toward a specific sport or activity. Whether you are an up and coming youth athlete, or an adult looking to obtain a competitive edge in your game - tennis, skiing, golf or whatever - personal training can be your "secret weapon".

Personal Training requires a major commitment to be useful

While the benefit from personal training increases with each session, even a single session can make a great difference to someone who doesn't work with a trainer regularly. The only commitment that is necessary is to yourself and to your fitness goals.

NUTRITION NEWS

Protein-rich brekkie prevents wasted calories later
In the movie Pulp Fiction, Samuel L Jackson’s character interrupts a couple of ‘associates’ as they tuck into some early morning Big Kahuna Burgers, and sardonically declares ‘Hamburgers! The cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast.’

While the nutritional benefits of a Big Kahuna may be negligible, research from the University of Missouri has found that a protein-rich healthy breakfast does increase satiety and reduce hunger. Functional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) also showed that higher protein meals reduced brain signals which control food motivation and reward-driven eating behaviour.

Heather Leidy, assistant professor in the MU Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, said ‘Everyone knows that eating breakfast is important, but many people still don't make it a priority. This research provides additional evidence that breakfast is a valuable strategy to control appetite and regulate food intake.’

A subject group of teenagers – a group most likely to forego breakfast – was studied for a three-week period, during which they either continued skipping breakfast, consumed 500-calorie breakfast meals of cereal and milk (containing normal levels of protein) or high protein meals of Belgium waffles, syrup and yoghurt. Appetite and satiety questionnaires were filled in at the conclusion of each week. Directly prior to lunch, functional MRI scans were used to identify brain activation responses.

Both breakfast meals resulted in greater feelings of fullness and reduced hunger compared with those who skipped breakfast. The functional MRI results showed reduced brain activity in regions controlling food motivation and reward in those who ate breakfast. Those who consumed the higher protein breakfast exhibited even greater positive changes in these areas.

Leidy said, ‘Incorporating a healthy breakfast containing protein-rich foods can be a simple strategy for people to stay satisfied longer, and therefore, be less prone to snacking. People reach for convenient snack foods to satisfy their hunger between meals, but these foods are almost always high in sugar and fat and add a substantial amount of calories to the diet. These findings suggest that a protein-rich breakfast might be an effective strategy to improve appetite control and prevent overeating in young people.’

Source: Obesity

Kerry's Veggie Patties

Thanks to my great friend Kerry, I have an amazing recipe to share with you.

About 500g sweet potato, pealed chopped and boiled until tender. Mash and set aside to cool down.

Mash 400g can of chickpeas, cut one brown onion into very small pieces and mix with chickpeas and sweet potato. Add half cup chopped coriander leaves and 2 tablespoons of plain flour and two tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan cheese.

Once all mixed up, make into about 10 patties.

Line an oven tray with baking paper and spray patties with olive oil and bake for about 20-30 minutes on 180 degrees.

Delicious!!! :)

Try it out and let me know how it goes!

Jai.