Bryan Parady's Blog, page 5

Fuel Your Body

You don’t expect your car to get you to work if you throw water in the gas tank, so why do we think we can get in good shape and kill it in the gym or on the treadmill if we are eating grease and empty calories?

In reality getting to the gym and or getting out and running or cycling is the easy part.  If it was just about that I think a lot more people would be fit. But it’s not about that.  So why are those parts easier?  Because when you get back home you are done  with your workout. You can rest and not think about your workout until tomorrow.

With food, if you are truly eating how you should, there are a lot of hours in the day that you have to be thinking about food.  As I write this I’m glancing at the clock to see how long I have before I have to eat again.

Food has a physical and mental pull that we have to overcome. Our society has taught us to eat for taste, to eat what satisfies us, to drink endless empty calories. We are extremely overfed, yet highly undernourished.

Our bodies are designed to intake certain nutrients, certain proteins, carbs, and healthy fats, and that is what propels us and gives us energy.

You need to be eating clean, enough with the fast food, enough with soda, with diet drinks, with diets in general.  Diets don’t work, they are a very temporary solution to a long term problem.

So if you are frustrated because you aren’t seeing results after being at the gym, maybe it’s time to change the way you think about food.

I’d love to answer any questions you have on food, or if you want to talk one on one email me at: directorb.blog@gmail.com

To Supplement or Not To Supplement?

I get asked a lot what supplements I take.  And my answer is always the same.  “None really”.  There are some people who swear by supplements.  Some who feel they have to take a ton of powders and pills to get the most out of their workouts.

While I don’t think all supplements are bad, I don’t think they are really necessary.  I think we can all probably benefit from a few, but overall, there are just a lot of supplements that aren’t needed.

For me I take a post-workout shake and it includes, a protein blend, I love Jim Stoppani’s blend “Gym”, it is a blend of egg, casein, and whey protein.  Straight whey protein isn’t really helpful.  Our bodies can’t process that amount of protein all at once, which is why the blend is so much better, because the casein is slowly digested after the initial spike of whey.  I also put a scoop of BCAA’s or Amino Acids, in it.  And lastly I put dextrose in the shake as well, it goes straight to the muscles after a workout.

That’s it.  I don’t do any other supplements.  Again, I’m not saying don’t do supplements, if something works for you, then go for it, but just know you don’t have to have them.

 

Toned or Bulked?

So you want to get in shape, but how?  Do you just want to be skinny? Do you want to be toned, bulked?  While all fitness is great, all fitness will not take you to the same end.

For me personally I bulk, a lot.  I know how I want my body to be and I workout and eat appropriately for that.

If you’ve never calculated how many calories you should be eating, then you definitely need to do so.  Myfitnesspal is a great free app for you to plug in all your personal details and it will tell you how many calories you should be eating a day for whatever your goal is.

Now how you get those calories is another story.  Right now my diet consists of 4,700 calories a day.  It’s a lot, an insane amount actually.  And sure I could down a back of oreos and hit my goal every day, but it’s not going to give me any results.  Eating 4,700 clean calories a day is almost sickening.  I look forward to the 2 hours straight in the afternoon I have where I don’t have to eat anything.

If you are trying to lose weight, tone, or shred, then again calculate your calories and then get those calories from a clean source.  No soda, no fast food, no sugars or sweets.  You want whole food, food that is whole grain, whole in nutrients.

Food is the biggest part of any kind of fitness.  Now it’s not everything.  You’ve got to workout. If you are trying to lose weight, you definitely need at least 3 days of cardio.  And 2 days of weights. (light weights with high repetitions).

If you are bulking, keep your repetitions low, around 6 reps, but do 5 sets, and really push yourself.  No easy weights, you should be panting and sweating by the end of your workout.

If you are shredding or toning, focus on higher reps 12-15 with a little bit lighter weight.  Still enough to challenge you but not so much that you can’t hit your rep count every set.

Regardless of your goals, you can reach them.  It will take work and tweaking your plan from time to time.  But you’ve got this.

How to You Train?

How do you train?  Do you train at home?  At the gym?  On the track?  On your bike?  We all have our own ways of training. But when it comes to our diet and food do we carry that same training mentality into our eating?  Because we should be viewing it as no different.

Our eating should be viewed as training that continues every single day.  I am constantly thinking about food, not in sense of I’m hungry, but, what should I be eating, what do I still need to eat to get to my calorie count.  What are good decisions I need to make?

Approach your diet with the same intensity as you do the gym, or the treadmill or whatever your workout preference is.

Prep your meals and your snacks.  I can’t emphasize this enough.  We all have busy work schedules.  I am on the go constantly with my job, my hours change day to day so having a set schedule for when I eat is impossible, but I still work around it, and know “I need to eat these things by noon, these by 2, etc..”  The first thing I do when I get home from work is prep my smoothies, snacks, and lunch for the next day, and I make sure I get to bed early enough to wake up early to eat what I need to for breakfast.

Take your diet by the horns and kick butt. You’ve got this.

You Get Out What You Put In

What is your goal?  What are you trying to achieve?  Is it bulking?  Shredding?  Weight loss?  Building up to a marathon?

We all have different goals.  But how do we get to those goals?  I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase you get out what you put in.  Nowhere is this more true than with fitness.  If you want to make a lot of progress  you will have to put in a lot of work.  Now before that turns you off to fitness, rest assured it’s good work.  It’s work that makes you feel good about yourself.

Have you ever went on a run, or worked out and afterwards wished you hadn’t?  Of course not because you feel like you’ve accomplished something, you know you’ve put in the work and gotten something out of it.

That is the mindset you need to build upon.  With every workout tell yourself you are getting stronger.  Don’t be afraid to talk to yourself before and during your workouts.  Keep yourself motivated, keep yourself strong, keep your mind set on what you’ve accomplished.  Fitness is gained one day and one step at a time, not all at once.  You’ve got this.

Your Body Will Catch Up

Your body can change a lot.  I mean a lot.  For the worse or for the better.  Did you know that even your bones change?  Yep.  Our bones actually renew every 10 years or so and depending on our lifestyle they change accordingly.  So someone who runs a lot, their leg bones may renew stronger and bigger, to compensate for the workout they get.

Same with weight lifting. Your body can always catch up.  It has the ability to morph into something quite different, to grow stronger, leaner, tougher, to heal itself.  The body is capable of far more than we give it credit for.

So if you think you aren’t able to do something, think again.  There are people with missing limbs who do things that I can’t even do.  Your body is capable of anything if you dedicate yourself to the task.  The crazy part?  You have the ability to change it into what you want it to be.  You have that power.  Use it wisely.

Why Workout?

Why workout?  In life you need clear goals, clear plans, and you definitely need to know your why.  Maybe you’ve heard of your why before.  Your why keeps you going when you feel like giving up.  It’s something to hold onto when it feels like everything is falling apart around you.

So why do you want to work out?  And really think about it.  If it’s to be in better shape, why do you want to be in good shape?  What would it allow you to do, or who would it allow you to be that you are not now?

Maybe it’s because of health reasons.  But what health reasons?  Do you want to be free of pain?  Be able to keep up with your kids?  Be around to see your grandkids?  Why are those important to you.

Maybe you want to build confidence.  Why?  Why do you feel you need more confidence, what do you think it would help you accomplish?

See, coming up with a reason, is more than just saying “to look better” or to “feel better”, yes those statements may be true, but it goes deeper than that.

Sit down at your computer, your tablet, or with your journal, And really take some time to figure out why you want to get fit.  List all the reasons, then list all the reasons why those things are important to you.  For everything you write down keep asking why until you can’t ask why anymore.  Once you are done, type or write it out and post it where you can see it everyday.  Your why is super important.  Don’t skip over it.

 

Make This Weekend Count

So the weekend is yet again upon us.  I can’t even describe how much I enjoy the weekends, maybe not for the typical reasons but nonetheless I love them.  I love getting up early on the weekends and not having to rush or get out of the house, but being able to read, focus on some goals, dream a little, sip some coffee and watch the sky get brighter.

It’s a time to catch up on some things that maybe got neglected during the week.  It’s time to maybe get some groceries that you’ve been meaning to get, time to prep some meals, fill the tupperware and the fridge up.

Time to sit down and calculate what you should be eating day to day, and making sure you have it in the house.  Time to get to the gym and hit your new pr.

Whatever your goals are this weekend, take some time for you.  Whether it’s going and doing something you haven’t done in a long time that you love, or spending time with friends or family, Rest some, plan a lot, and make this weekend count.

If you have any questions on setting up meal plans, calories, or making gym schedules, you can comment below or I’d love to connect with you one on one.  You can email me at: directorb.blog@gmail.com

Find A Fitness Routine

Finding a routine is a must if you are trying to get fit.  Getting to the gym one day here and one day there isn’t bad but it’s not going to bring lasting change.  What works for you?  Is it easier to get up before work and go to the gym?  Is it easier right after work?  At night?  Find what works best for you, then stick to that time period.  Next decide how many days a week.  I suggest a minimum of 3 but 4 or 5 is better.

They don’t have to be the same days every week, but if they can be the same days that will help you stick to the routine.  Keep your gym bag in the car that way you don’t have an excuse. Set an alarm either in the morning or at the office if you are going after work.  Set it enough in advance for you to have time to get ready and get mentally prepared.

Keep a journal of your workout days.  Write down what days you’ve worked out and for how long. Write down what got you motivated to get there, what kept you going. These things will help to keep you going.

By developing a routine, you are in essence setting yourself up for success for the days when you are going to struggle and the days you don’t feel like it. Routine can help you get through those days.

Eating for Life Not The Moment

It’s easy to grab food on the go junk from a gas station, soda from a drive-thru.  People’s lives are extremely busy and it’s hard to plan and cook healthy food.  It’s convenient to get something on the go.  But it’s the farthest thing from being convenient for our bodies.  When we grab fast food or “fake” food from a convenience store, we are not feeding our bodies, we are in reality robbing our bodies.

We are robbing our bodies of health and fitness.  We are robbing our bodies of what they need to grow strong.  To grow fit.

Empty calories that come from “convenient” food, are simply that, they are empty.

You should be prepping meals, preparing food when you do have time, so that when you don’t have time you are prepared and don’t have to turn to poor choices.  Go to the store and buy healthy food, healthy snacks, things not filled with empty calories and sugar.

It’s possible to eat clean, it just takes a little more work and a little more planning.