Category Archives: Nutrition

Mar 27 2014
Leave a comment
Fitness, Motivation, Nutrition

Every Morning…

This is my morning routine:

1. Meditate – Been away from it for a while. I’ve been missing the benefit of working on my ability to control my thoughts. I swear like every 15 seconds I’m off thinking about something else. I gently bring myself back. It’s amazing how difficult sunriseit is to hold one frickin thought at a time. Ugh. I have to start from the beginning. But that’s cool. I’ll work my way up from 8 minutes and to add 1 minute per week. Once the time is up I then hold the vision of my goals in my mind. I see myself living them.

2. Stretch it out – Joint mobility is critical to maintaining healthy movement patterns. I need better range of motion in my hips and shoulders so I work on it everyday.

3. Green Superfood – My daily dose of nature’s most nourishing, cleansing and potent superfoods. This antioxidant rich and carotenoid filled supplement is what I need for a healthy immune function and probiotic balance. Stir it up in 8 0z of water, chase it with 16 0z of water and I’m good! www.Amazinggrass.com

4. 50 Push-ups – I knock out 50 quick push-ups to get the blood flowing. And not fake, half-way push-ups either. Full-range. All the way down. All the way up. 100 coming soon!

5. Chase it with another 16 oz of water. That’s 40 0z of water in 30 minutes. More than some people are drinking ALL DAY. Give you kidneys a break and get your water intake up.

Make it a Great Morning!

Coach Parker

Jul 17 2013
Leave a comment
Motivation, Nutrition, Weight Loss

Fitness Failure: Deal With It

xmenJust because you think you’re gonna be successful doesn’t mean you’re actually going to be successful. That’s a trap. Pretending that you don’t have a problem staying consistent with your fitness workouts is a waste of time. Acting like Doritos and donuts are not your favorite foods is silly. You’re better off facing the fact that it’s likely you may fail and then come up with a strategy for minimizing the failure, working around it, or just simply surviving the failure. Life is about mistakes. If you want to win you got to know how to lose.

I’m usually a pretty positive minded guy. However, I’m a realist, first and foremost. We all have to face reality. Frankly, the idea that you can do whatever you “put your mind to” is bullshit – most of the time. They say that most people think they are above average. Most people feel that they’re smarter than most people. Think about that. That’s mathematically impossible.

If we’re so smart, why do we keep kicking ourselves when we fail to lose weight, get in shape, or keep the extra pounds off? We tell ourselves that if we can do anything we put our minds to then clearly we are either not focused or not working hard enough. We all want to succeed but are we all willing to put in the work to be successful?

Start by having a fitness failure plan. What are you going to do in the event of the failure? What’s your recovery plan? And how will you avoid this setback in the future?

Now don’t get it twisted. I’m not suggesting that you get all comfy with the idea of failing to meet your fitness goals. But if you’re comfortable with losing and failing then you’re a lost cause anyway. Losing weight, getting stronger, faster, and more athletic is a grind. It’s not a short-term process. It’s perseverance, focus, and determination. Author Jim Collins says “good is the enemy of great.” Don’t be satisfied with short-term gains. Keep pushing toward your goal.

Remember: Your fitness plan is less important than your fitness CONTINGENCY PLAN.

I’ll see you out there.

Jul 12 2013
Leave a comment
Coaching, Nutrition, Weight Loss

4th of July Diet Comeback

If you’re like me, you probably lost your mind and ate too much over the 4th of July holiday. It’s even worse when holidays fall in the middle of the week because we can’t decide which long weekend to celebrate so we end up hitting ba133857_600ckyard BBQs all week long. We ate hotdogs, cheeseburgers, old-fashioned ice cream, pie, fish tacos, custard, Italian ice, triple berry bread pudding, tequila lime bars, iced lattes,…ugh. It wasn’t all bad but I’m not going anywhere near a scale for a minute. I feel bloated, sluggish, and off.

Holidays are festive and these things happen. OK, so our diet drove off a cliff. Now what?

Everyone is different but I can’t wait to get back on track as soon as possible. Back to the lab! I’m doing an Intermittent Fast to make a comeback. This program has worked for me in the past. My goals for the next two weeks are to flush my digestive system, shed a few pounds, get control of my hunger, and restore nutritional balance.

16 Hour Intermittent Fasting*

  • 7am – 2 cups of water, Omega-3s
  • 8am – 4 cups of water, 1 serving of Green SuperFood, 1 cup green tea
  • 11am – 1 cup of green tea
  • 12pm – workout (lift or sprints)
  • 1st meal at 1pm (clean, whole foods, lots of vegetables, and fruits)
  • 2nd meal at 4:30pm (protein shake)
  • 3rd meal by 8:30pm (clean, whole foods, lots of vegetables, and fruits)

*Based on Precision Nutrition’s IF program

Whatever you do to get back on track, just know that it’s ok if you’re not perfect. No one is. Food is meant to be enjoyed. And on the occasion when we overindulge we can always make a dietary comeback. So don’t be so hard on yourself. Get back up and dust yourself off. Holler if you need help.

I’ll see you out there!

May 03 2013
Leave a comment
Nutrition, Weight Loss

Fat and Sick

Fat kidsAccording to a 2001 report in Newsweek, six million kids in America were overweight. Ten years later that number has now easily surpassed twenty million. Teens are now one third of all new diagnoses of diabetes. We’re getting fatter and sicker. Increases in weight have caused a skyrocketing of chronic diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, lipid disorders, cardiovascular disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and kidney disease. Weight-related disorders also include orthopedic problems, depression, sleep apnea, infertility, and low sex drive.

The drug manufacturers have a pill for everything with more potential side effects than benefits; none of which address the source of the problem. We are eating ourselves to death and lying out on the couch watching TV waiting for the coroner. We’re fat! We will die early or live a life of misery. Those are the options: DEAD or DYING.  That SUCKS. We must get serious about maintaining a healthy weight and adopting a healthy lifestyle. The choice is yours.

Mar 07 2013
Leave a comment
Nutrition, Weight Loss

5 Rules For REAL Fat Loss

It’s not rocket science, so we’re going to keep it very simple. As with everything in life, simple is better. Simple works.

  1. Eat REAL foods. Processed foods are killing us.
    Photo: Associated Press

    Photo: Associated Press

    Eat whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, wild-caught seafood and locally raised meats, and dairy products such as unsweetened yogurt, eggs, and cheese. NO refined grains, refined sugars, no deep fried foods, and NO FAST FOOD.

  2. Lift REAL weights. Building muscle improves your mood, shrinks belt sizes, and helps you burn fat all day long. More lean muscle means your body will need more fuel to support the new muscle. Your main source of fuel is stored fat. Therefore, more muscle = more fat burned. A University of Alabama study finds that you lose more belly fat lifting heavy weights than by doing cardio alone, which takes us to Rule #3.
  3. Kick the cardio machine addiction. Full disclosure: I hate tread mills, and, for the life of me, I cannot understand how people stay on those things for hours and hours… well, unless you’re training for a marathon, and it’s below zero outside in the middle of an ice storm. Bottom line:  If you’re trying to drop 20 lbs, improve your nutrition habits and lift weights. Cardio should be a distant third priority for simple fat loss.
  4. Stay positive, and keep up the good work. Training because you hate your body is a recipe for failure.
    Photo: Getty Images

    Photo: Getty Images

    We all want to look better, but that alone cannot be your reason for working out. Train because you like the feeling of being strong enough to kick someone’s butt. Train because it can help extend your life, and you’ll have more fun living it. Hell, train because you’ll have better sex. Whatever your motivation, keep it positive.

  5. Be patient. “Rome wasn’t built in a day”… blah, blah, blah. Fact is, you didn’t get fat in a day either. It took weeks, months, or even years, and achieving your goal for losing 30 lbs won’t happen overnight. Lock in on your target, and get to work. Be patient, and be consistent — forming new habits take time. I promise that it will get easier.

Now go do this…