BFC » Motivation

Grog vs. Steve

BFC — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:14:24 +0000

In our first issue of Versus, we’re going to look at “a day in the life” of the traditional hunter-gatherer vs. today’s businessman. See if you notice any differences.

Grog wakes up on the floor of his damp cave as the sun comes up. The rumbling in his tummy reminds him of his recent unsuccessful hunts. Actually he got something in his last hunt but had to give it up to a hungry lion so he wouldn’t eat him. Grog grabs his spear and heads out into the day. His first stop is to get a drink from the nearby stream and pick some berries growing on it’s banks. Then it’s off to hunt. He travels several miles before he spots a big herd of elk. Feeling hopeful he sneaks close. Lying still and quiet behind a rock he waits for them to graze closer. After an hour of waiting tense and still he quickly jumps up and skillfully tosses his spear at the closest animal. GOT IT!! As the rest scatter, he quickly begins the process of dressing his kill so he can carry it home. This time he’s successful in getting it home but his work is far from done. Now he has to gather some firewood and get it going to cook his meat. As the sun sets he finally has his meat roasting. Grog’s thankful that tonight he’ll go to bed with a full belly and be ready for tomorrow’s work.

Steve wakes up to the ERR/ERR/ERR of his alarm. Every time it goes off he’s reminded of the fact that he hates that sound. The rumbling in his tummy is the indigestion from last night’s lasagna. He pops a couple of Tums then brushes his teeth. After getting ready for the day he grabs a cup of coffee as he rushes out the door. During his hour long commute he hums along to an oldies station, at least when he’s not yelling at other drivers. When he gets to the office it’s time to sit at his computer and work, work, work. The only time he gets out of his chair is about midmorning when he decides to check out the break room. DONUTS!! Somebody brought donuts! After scarffing down a couple he grabs a cup of coffee and heads back to his desk. Steve works right through lunch and by 2:00 is starving. It’s time for him to hunt. He travels down the hall to the vending machine and skillfully inserts quarters to get a Dr. Pepper and a Snickers bar. Armed with energy boosting sugar, Steve finishes out the day. As he punches out to head home, he wonders what he’ll have for dinner- hopefully not leftover lasagna.

The types of foods we eat and the levels of activity we engage in have changed dramatically over the last couple thousand years. We’ve traded working in the fields for desk jobs and eating real foods like meat, fruits and vegetables for man-made chemical concoctions. And we wonder why our health is deteriorating and America is one of the fattest countries around. What’s the take away?

Don’t be the guy that hunts at the vending machine.

Get moving at Better Functional Conditioning.

Our bootcamps and exercise programs have helped countless individuals lose weight and get the body they’ve been looking for. Combine exercise with our Fool Proof Fat Loss Eating Plan, and see your results skyrocket!

Yours In Health,

Dr. Chris

About the Author: Dr. Chris owns and operates Biles Family Chiropractic in Waxahachie, TX with his wife Dr. Laura Biles. In his fun time, Dr. Chris operates BFC- Better Functional Conditioning, which is a premier training program comprised of bootcamps and group training that helps individuals realize their fitness potential. BFC is not a weight loss program but people lose weight like crazy. It’s not diet program but people learn how food affects them. BFC is a lifestyle for fitness.

Nutrition Tips…Part 3

BFC — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:04:13 +0000

And…we’re back. Sorry for the 2 week delay in the FMM (Friday Morning Motivation). I’ll try not to let it happen again. Let’s pick up where we left off, shall we? In the previous two FMM episodes, we covered Carbs and Protein. Check them out if you want to refresh your memory. Today we’ll cover Fat.

Say it loud and say it proud, “FAT IS GOOD- FAT IS MY FRIEND!”

Learn and apply this mantra and it will go well with you. Continue down the lite, light, fat-free, low calorie, no calorie grocery isle and suffer the consequences.

Fats serve many purposes in your diet and your body: they not only provide thermal insulation and a source of energy, but also are involved in important functions, providing for example the materials for components of cell membranes and the myelin sheaths that electrically insulate nerve fibers. They also help us absorb vitamins A, E, D and K. While it is nearly impossible to remove fat completely from the diet, it would be unhealthy to do so. Some fatty acids are essential nutrients, meaning that they can’t be produced in the body from other compounds and need to be consumed in small amounts.

Here’s the deal. Fat has been vilified by the food and weight loss industries and it’s just not right. Furthermore, it’s very likely that the lack of good fat in your diet that is keeping you overweight. The misplaced distrust of dietary fat may very well boil down to a couple of factors- the fact that it’s called fat (and nobody wants to be fat) and that fat has more calories per gram than carbohydrates and proteins.

Let’s deal with those two things. First and foremost, dietary fat does not make you fat. Fats have little or no impact on insulin levels (insulin is a fat storage hormone) and, therefore, promote the burning of dietary and stored fat for energy. As for fats being high in calories, I say, “Good for them! ” You need calories.

Feeling sluggish? Get some good calories from fat.

Overweight? Eating good fats will help.

Want some flavor? Oh Baby! Good fats deliver!

The truth of the matter is that if no fat, low fat or lite foods were the ticket to skinny, how come Americans are still getting fatter and fatter? Maybe it’s because we’ve crucified the wrong food. Insulin responds to carbohydrate intake. For more on our country’s weight problem and the foods that have seemingly contributed, check out this excellent post by Stephan Guyenet, PhD who writes Whole Health Source-

U.S Weight, Lifestyle and Diet Trends, 1970-2007

It seems our increased appetite for sugars and grains is keeping the pounds around our midsections. So if you’re looking to cut the fat from this area, then don’t cut it out of your diet.

Good fats to check out and enjoy include- avocados, olive oil, coconut milk, coconut oil, nuts, seeds, and of course fats from animal sources like salmon and beef.

So get ‘em in there, enjoy ‘em and get that weight off!

Yours In Health,

Dr. Chris

Nutrition Tips…Part 2

BFC — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:45:24 +0000

Last week we talked about Carbohydrates, the fuel of the body. We learned how to match our intake to support our activity (or non-activity) and effortlessly lose or maintain weight. If you missed it go here first.

I'll take mine medium, please!

Today is all about Protein. Actually, every day for me is about protein. Early on in our marriage, Laura exclaimed to me one day, “You don’t have to have meat at every meal!” She was wrong. I do. And you do too.

Protein is an important component of every cell in the body.

Hair and nails are mostly made of protein.

Your body uses protein to build and repair tissues.

You also use protein to make enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals.

Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood.

Protein helps keep you full (satiated) for longer periods.

If we again relate carbohydrates to fuel or electricity, you can think of proteins as the studs or 2×4s of a house. A house needs structure to it in order for you to live there. Proteins form this type of framework or structure for your body.

What kind of protein should you eat?

“Anything that has a face or a momma.” -Bob Harper from the Biggest Loser

Eat me!

Soy or pea protein? Nope.

The reason that animal protein is more ideally suited for consumption is because it considered a complete protein. A complete protein is one that contains all of the 9 essential amino acids, the building blocks of protein, your body needs. Essential amino acids are amino acids that your body can’t make on it’s own. Most vegetable protein is considered incomplete because it lacks one or more of the essential amino acids.

How much should you eat?

The amount of protein you need varies with your goals and activity levels. You should try to get anywhere between 0.6 and 1.0 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Individuals performing exercises that damage muscles (ie. bodybuilding, Crossfit, strength training and the like) should use the 1.0 gram baseline in order to repair and gain strength.

For a 175# male it would look like this:

0.6 x 175 = 105 grams of protein per day

1.0 x 175 = 175 grams of protein per day

This may sound like a lot of protein but in all honesty most of the people that I work with in training are underfed in regards to protein. Women especially tend to go pretty light, salad anyone?

If you’re skimping on protein along with some form of strength training and are wondering why all the cardio isn’t “toning” you up, you are sadly disillusioned. You’re trying to use up all the “energy” in the house and not giving it any structure. And as the legendary Mark Rippetoe says, “There is no such thing as firming or toning. There is only stronger or weaker.”

Stay Strong My Friends,

Dr. Chris

Nutrition Tips For Daytime Desk-Jockeys, Nighttime Couch-Surfers and Elite Athletes

BFC — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:46:04 +0000

Your food doesn’t know. It doesn’t know that you’re trying to lose weight. Trying to get healthy. Trying to increase your performance.

Really it doesn’t. It is what it is.

Broken down into the three macronutrients, your food is either a Carbohydrate, Protein, or a Fat. Each of these three macronutrients has a different function in your body. You need them all (except maybe the carbs but we can debate that another time). We’ll take the next three Fridays to delve into the waters of nutrition. I’ll cover one macronutrient a week so we can all get a handle on what we’re eating and why.

Carbohydrates are used for energy. That’s it. They help fuel different systems of the body such as your muscles, your brain and other organs. Let me ask you a question. When you fill up your car at the Stop-N-Go, how many of you keep holding down the handle and fill it till gas is overflowing? I didn’t think so. Besides the fact that gas pump handles have some magical “stop pumping gas when the tank is full” technology, that would just be a dumb thing to do, right? Yet many of us fill up our carbohydrate reserves to the brim and then some. That extra 20, 30, 40 pounds you’re holding onto is your body’s elaborate storage system so that all the extra fuel you’re eating doesn’t “spill out on the sidewalk.” Hmm…maybe we should develop some of that technology for the fork?!

When you eat the right type of carbohydrates in the right amount they can be helpful to your body.

Can you name all the carbs here?

Right type- Fruits and vegetables tend to break down slower in your digestive system giving you energy over longer periods. These carbs are also packed with many vitamins and minerals that your body needs. Carbs like breads and sugars, besides having little to no nutritive value, send your blood sugar skyrocketing and then plummeting in a short time period. Afternoon sugar cravings, anyone? Solve this problem with fruits and veggies.

Right amount- Our bodies have a certain amount of energy that we need to fuel during a day. This demand is based largely by the amount of activity we engage in. If you’re training for a marathon or working out for hours at a time, you need more fuel than someone who is only trading daytime desk-jockeying for nighttime couch-surfing. Tailor your carb intake to your fueling needs and you can easily maintain a set weight. Drop below that level and you can effortlessly lose pounds.

Magic numbers- Just so I don’t leave you hanging on this one, here are some general guidelines for carbohydrate fueling that I like from Mark’s Daily Apple:

-If you are at ideal body composition now, 100-150 grams of carbohydrate per day is adequate.

-If you are looking to lose body fat, keeping carbs under 80 grams per day will help immensely in lowering insulin and taking fat out of storage.

-If you are training hard for long periods of time, you should add more carbs (about 100 grams extra per day for every hour of training).

And that’s all I have to say about that. Check back next week when I cover my favorite food group MEAT!

Peace, Love, & EATING (less carbs),

Dr. Chris

Loyalty

BFC — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:23:45 +0000

Loyalty (loy·al·ty)- The state or quality of being loyal; faithfulness to commitments or obligations.

Yesterday was pretty tough. We lost a beautiful, faithful member of our family. I know this is a pretty heavy way to start off what is typically a motivational post but please hang with me.

Laura and I picked out our little Bailey from the pound and were instantly smitten with her. As she grew from a playful pup to a sometimes cantankerous dog, so did our love for her. That love was repaid to us by her fierce loyalty and protectiveness. Wary of strangers, she was a great companion to Laura on many training runs at the park. I knew I could count on her to keep my girl safe.

I know it’s been said that we can learn a lot from animals- unconditional love, loyalty, being in the moment, living life without a care. I think that out of those, the loyalty aspect is pretty interesting. If you look at the definition again, it states that loyalty is faithfulness to commitments or obligations. Dogs really have no obligation to us. They haven’t made any commitments they need to keep. So what is their loyalty all about? I think it’s all about love. I think their love for their people makes them loyal and protective and it’s that love that endears them to us. Dogs want to do and please because of that love.

My question for you today is- To what are you loyal? Take a look. Are you faithful to habits that are building you up or tearing you down? Are you gung-ho on your exercise program for all of a week at a stretch? Are you starting that “diet” again for the 50th time? If that’s the case, I’d suggest you change your game plan. Start with love. You’re going to need to love yourself before you’ll be able to keep your obligation. You’re going to have to decide that you are worth it in order to remain faithful to any commitment you make. Your loyalty to you begins with love.

I know it will take me a bit to get used to the fact that my Bailey is gone. Each time I come home, I subconsciously look for her as I drive up to the garage. I expect my loyal, loving dog to be there. To come running out from behind the shed or to just be sitting under a tree keeping a watchful eye on a squirrel. I wish it were so.

I’ll miss you Bailey.

Your Body Is Amazing!

BFC — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:25:44 +0000

You might want to stand back a bit.

No, I’m not hitting on you. I’m happily married, thanks though. I’m sure you can see by the pic that I’m quite a catch!

Really though your body IS amazing! Have you thought about the awesome things it can do?

Here are a few:

In the course of a lifetime, the heart will have pumped enough blood to fill 13 supertankers.

If the 300,000,000 tiny air sacs (alveoli) could be laid out flat, they would cover a home swimming pool.

When you breathe, air passes through your nose at roughly 4 mph and we breathe about 400 gallons of air every hour.

Tongue prints are as unique as fingerprints.

The average human will shed about 40 pounds of skin in a lifetime.

The strong contraction of your heart creates enough pressure to squirt blood up to 30 feet!

Your nose makes about a cup of snot each day.

The air released from a sneeze can exceed 100 mph!

Wow! That’s some pretty cool stuff that your body can do without you even thinking about it! Know what else your body can do?

Get In Shape!

That’s right. You can get into stellar physical shape. It’s really not that difficult to do. It just requires a long obedience in the same direction. In other words- keep doing something every day to get in better shape. After a month of effort, you won’t believe your results!

Want faster results?

Join BFC Bootcamp. We put the FUN back in Functional Fitness!

A little unsure about it? Come check us out at our FREE Saturday workout tomorrow!

Peace, Love & Fitness,

Dr. Chris

About the Author: Dr. Chris owns and operates Biles Family Chiropractic in Waxahachie, TX with his wife Dr. Laura Biles. In his fun time, Dr. Chris operates BFC- Better Functional Conditioning, which is a premier training program comprised of bootcamps and group training that helps individuals realize their fitness potential. BFC is not a weight loss program but people do lose weight. It’s not diet program but people learn how food affects them. BFC is a lifestyle for amazing fitness.

But And

BFC — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:08:36 +0000

Double unders are hard BUT Amy is working on them AND she's getting better!

I want to lose weight BUT I don’t want to give up my fav foods AND I’m totally not gonna sweat for it.

I want to eat healthy BUT my family won’t eat it AND I’m not going to fix two meals for dinner.

I want to go to bootcamp BUT what if they all laugh at me while I’m coughing up a lung AND I really don’t have anything to wear anyway.

Don’t let your BUT AND get in the way of achieving your goals.

Peace, Love & Fitness,

Coach Chris

Rest For Success

BFC — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:08:48 +0000

Allison and Kate "rest" with the 85# Brutus on them.

Towards the end of many of our workouts, I’m fond of saying, “Here’s where the magic happens!” As if we had to get to that point to reap the benefits of the day. But it’s really a lie. Don’t get me wrong- we needed to do the 5^th round of the 5 RFT or the last 3 minutes of the 25 min AMRAP (I know, I know we need a key for these acronyms). We had to finish strong. But that’s not truly where the magic happens.

The magic happens when it’s over and done. It’s the time spent not working out that your body adapts and benefits from the stimulus you just put it through. The magic is especially potent at night. It’s called rest and you should be getting it. If not, you may be cheating yourself from some wonderful benefits.

Here are a couple of those benefits:

Repair- Rest time is when we repair muscles and heal from damage that occurs during our workouts. Paired with a high-ish protein dinner, 8 to 9 hours of sleep will effectively give your body adequate recovery to be ready for your next challenge.
Balance- Hormonal balance is critical in the body. Especially when it comes to fat loss. Studies have shown that not getting enough sleep can upset the balance of two important hormones called ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin increases your desire for food whereas leptin is a natural appetite suppressant. When you short side your sack time, ghrelin levels rise giving you those food cravings. Crazy huh?

If you’re working out hard, you need to protect your rest and recovery time. It’s a vital part of any athletic endeavor you undertake. Whether you’re trying to lose weight or improve performance, your most effective training tool might just be your bed.

Peace, Love & Rest,

Coach Resting in AZ Chris

About the Author: Dr. Chris owns and operates Biles Family Chiropractic in Waxahachie, TX with his wife Dr. Laura Biles. In his fun time, Dr. Chris operates BFC- Better Functional Conditioning, which is a premier training program comprised of bootcamps and group training that helps individuals realize their fitness potential. BFC is not a weight loss program but people do lose weight. It’s not diet program but people learn how food affects them. BFC is a lifestyle for fitness.

Have You Hugged Your Foam Roller Today?

BFC — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:11:47 +0000

Love me some foam roller!

If not, what are you waiting for? An invitation?

If you’re like me you’ve probably got some junk that’s slowing you down. The “junk” that I’m referring to today is not excess weight, but rather tight, inflexible muscles. These knots, spasms and areas of tightness can limit your ability to lift more, jump higher and run faster. And I know you want those things otherwise you wouldn’t care about this blog.

So what should you do? Well, first of all if you don’t have a roller, you should get one. There are many places that sell rollers- Target, Walmart, and Sports Authority have them. We even sell them at our office. We carry the OPTP Axis rollers because they are more durable and in my opinion work better due to their increased density.

If you already have one- Great! Get on it. Really. Go now.

The thing is, the foam roller isn’t going to help you when it’s propped up against the wall in your bedroom. You have to use it.

How?

Roll on the muscle. That’s it. Find a sore, tense muscle that you can get on and roll, baby, roll!

Simple. Easy. Effective. I love it!

Here are a few tips to enhance your rolling experience:

Roll slow- The muscles that are tight and in spasm need time to relax. By rolling slowly you’ll get a better release of the muscle and connective tissue.

Stop- Holding tension on the most tender knots and nodules will help them melt away quicker than trying to steamroll them over and over. 20 to 30 seconds should do the trick on all but the most stubborn areas.

Hit it all- Got a knee problem? Then you need to work everything around it- quads, IT band, calf, groin. By hitting every muscle group around the injury, you’ll stimulate more blood flow to the area and in effect have a quicker recovery time.

Play music- Seriously? Yep. Play some music to help you dissociate from the pain that this SMR (self myofascial release) is putting you through. Think of it like your own personal massage time. You’ll likely enjoy it more and spend more time at it if you make a big deal of it. Over time you’ll find the sore spots will be less sore and you might enjoy the time you spend rolling your troubles away.

Want more detailed instructions- go here. Now where is my foam roller?

Peace,

Coach “On A Roll” Chris

About the Author: Dr. Chris owns and operates Biles Family Chiropractic in Waxahachie, TX with his wife Dr. Laura Biles. In his fun time, Dr. Chris operates BFC- Better Functional Conditioning, which is a premier training program comprised of bootcamps and group training that helps individuals realize their fitness potential. BFC is not a weight loss program but people do lose weight. It’s not diet program but people learn how food affects them. BFC is a lifestyle for fitness.

I Gotta Get Some Of Those!

BFC — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:27:08 +0000

I could totally rock those pants!

As a chiropractor and a fitness coach, I am often asked about a variety of “exercise tools” and “products” that pop up out there. These products generally offer you big return for little effort. Weight loss without sweating. A trim waist without dieting. A “magic” solution to what ails you.

Guess what?

TNSTAAFL

That’s right, you heard me.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Period.

You can’t just shake a weight or strap on a pair of wobbly shoes or fit flops or whatever the flavor of the marketing day is and get fit. Sorry. It doesn’t happen like that.

You can’t just take a pill to shrink the gut you keep stuffing with Cheetos. Uh-uh.

Anything that I’ve gained in life that has been worthwhile has come at a price. In the fitness arena that means- discomfort, pain, sweat, blood, and sometimes tears (real men do cry). In spades.

I’m not mad at you for looking for an easy way out. That’s just human nature.

But next time you’re faced with a decision between Frito’s and a fat blocker vs. carrots, walking vs. wobbling, a gimmick vs. a real deal- pick the real deal. In it I bet you’ll find the real you.

Much love,

Coach “keeping it real” Chris

Don’t forget about our FREE SATURDAY WORKOUT tomorrow. It’ll definitely be the REAL DEAL!

I’ll take weight loss for 100, Alex.