Tag: lean body

We hope this has been a help in your day to day life if not, there are the few more reasons we can explore!

Reason 9. You are not Getting Enough Sleep

Sleep is a vital for everyone to live a healthy life but did you know that a lack of sleep can actually make you feel hungrier than normal? The two reasons behind this are; cortisol and insulin!

When we do not get enough sleep our cortisol levels increase. Cortisol is the hormone associated with the flight-or-fight response, preparing the body to either fight or run. Unfortunately, the body isn’t always smart and it responds to any sort of stress this way; and lack of sleep is a BIG form of stress. To help combat increased cortisol levels the body attempts to self-medicate by craving carbohydrates (sugar). This increases insulin in the blood, which in turn decreases cortisol levels. However, this can become a vicious cycle because insulin is also affected by lack of sleep!

If you are not getting enough sleep each night your body becomes less sensitive to insulin.  Which means that your body becomes less effective in transporting the carbs you eat to your cells so your body has to pump out more insulin to help. However, insulin also regulates our feeling of satiety (feeling full), when levels are high we continue to feel hungry which can cause us to overeat.

How to Change This Habit:

The easiest way to help combat this is to get yourself on a sleep schedule and stick to it! Figure out what time you need to go to bed in order to get a full 8 hours of sleep and make yourself go to bed. This does not mean climb into bed and turn the TV on or pull out your favorite book. When your ‘bedtime’ hits, turn out the lights and put the remote or book away and get to snoozing!

Reason 10. You are Skipping the Veggies

The majority of people do not get the recommended amount of vegetables every day. Vegetables contain important vitamins and minerals required for overall health. Dark leafy greens in particular are rich in vitamin K, which helps to regulates insulin levels. Vitamin K can also increase insulin sensitivity, which makes it easier for your body to utilize sugar from your bloodstream. If you are utilizing the sugar you are eating more efficiently than you will not require more through extra food and this will help you STOP those cravings!

Veggies are some of the rich in fiber and fiber helps slow the digestion of the foods we eat. This in turn helps us feel fuller longer and slows the digestion of sugars so we process it properly, rather than turning it into fat.

How to Change This Habit:

Include more dark green leafy greens in your diet; spinach, kale, brussel sprouts, broccoli. As well as other delicious fiber-rich veggies like carrots, celery, and sweet potato.

11. You’re Not Eating Enough Protein

Lean proteins – chicken, turkey, fish, eggs – Can help combat hunger pangs. Protein takes longer to digest, which means you feel fuller longer and are less likely to reach for that next snack. Protein has also been found in recent studies to have appetitive suppressing effects by prompting the release of hormones that encourage the feeling of being full. Along with helping keep hunger away protein also requires more energy to breakdown than carbohydrates or fat, meaning it burns more calories to digest. Protein also has a positive effect on your metabolism by promoting the growth and regeneration of muscle after working out, muscles burn more calories at rest than adipose tissues (fat).

How to Change This Habit:

Aim to consume about 0.8-1.0 gram of protein per pound of body weight. This means that a 150 person should aim to eat between 100-150g of protein per day (this equates to about 400-600 calories from protein sources each day).

Ideally, protein should be of the lean variety; chicken, eggs, turkey, fish. However, it is really easy to sneak more protein into your diet through vegetarian options – chia seeds and greek yogurt in your smoothie, quinoa in your salad, nut butter in your oatmeal, make hummus from chickpeas and dip veggies. Aim to have a source of protein in every meal and snack.

Reason 12. You’re Bored

Feeling hungry can be as simple as being bored. Studies have shown that boredom actually diminishes our ability to make good and healthy food choices, and we consume more fattening foods than we would normally. Boredom is also the most common reason people give when asked about their emotions prior to consuming food. In other words, boredom turns us into emotional eaters.

How to Change This Habit:

When you are about to eat or snack be conscious of why you are doing so. Ask yourself ‘why am I reaching for this snack’ and be truthful with your answer. If it is because you have nothing else to do then find yourself a task to distract yourself – go for a walk, fold the laundry that has been sitting in the hamper for 2 days, go sit outside and enjoy the day – these distractions should help the feelings of hunger subside. Another tip, first drink a glass of water and wait a few minutes. If you are still feeling hungry in 10-15 minutes then allow yourself to eat.

Thanks for reading!

Click here if you missed part one and here if you missed part two!

In part one, we discussed how to increase GH and testosterone levels. Today we discuss the benefits of interval training.

SST athletes follow an interval-training program geared according to their sport needs, but the happy by-product is also a large amount of fat loss.

Please don’t forget to check out our 21 DAY FAT LOSS CHALLENGE

Some quick notes on anaerobic training:

• A person burns more calories than with aerobic training.
• Metabolism remains elevated post anaerobic-workout unlike after a long cardio-based workout. This means that your metabolism is increased, dependent upon the intensity of your workout for up to 24 hours. Therefore, you are burning more calories even in your sleep!
• I compare anaerobic training (non-rthymical) to the stock market. You put your money in and watch it grow! If you perform your intervals your metabolism will be elevated for the day. Whereas cardio is somewhat like working 24/7. Sure you’ll make some gains at the beginning but those gains will soon peter out.
• Interval training will burn 75 more calories post-workout for the next 5 hours, and, don’t forget about the number of calories burned while performing these intervals. This equals at least 1 lb of fat lost in 10 weeks ONLY from the additional caloric expenditure at REST!! Yes, lose body fat while resting! How cool is that!

On the SST interval program each individual is given their personal dietary guidelines and a supplement protocol suited to their particular needs. I will go into more detail regarding each body type.

What did we learn at the conclusion of this 8-week Fit and Lean course? We proved that if people are provided muscle-building workouts and individualized nutrition protocols that are updated on an ongoing, as needed, basis the results are boundless. The 24 workouts these ladies performed were unique and were changed every day. We don’t repeat the same workout day after day. This challenges the body and keeps it interesting and fun. Doesn’t this sounds a of lot better than riding a bike watching TV day in and day out while actually increasing ratio of body fat to muscle due to the breakdown of muscle tissue.

At SST we have tested and trained thousands of athletes and many weekend warriors. Our research led us to define 4 different body types. Body types were determined by the individual’s body fat make up. Part of the Biosignature protocol is to measure 12 skin-fold sites with calipers. Each site is directly related to a hormone in the body. I will get into more detail regarding hormones in an upcoming article.

The four body types are:

1. The apple
2. The pear
3. The banana
4. SST Skinny Fat Guy

In part 3 we will discuss THE APPLE!