Portion size

Summer is here, and so is the desire to have that "beach" body ready. Some of us want to lose weight to feel better. Others want to drop a few pounds to show off, and some will do whatever it takes to get that infamous 6-pack.

There is nothing wrong with shedding a few pounds if you have a few pounds to shed. For many, dropping 5 to 15 pounds can be a huge jump in overall health. The question is, how are you losing the weight.

Although I am in the supplement business, and I make a living by selling fat burners, I do not see that as the answer. Many people opt for them, and if you eat well and workout hard, you will see added results.

For me, health is always the main concern. So by cutting your calories, eating proper foods, and increasing activity, you are losing the weight, AND increasing your overall health. That is a double benefit.

What I do see as a common error though is portion size. I see many people eating all the right foods and working out the proper way, but why no weightloss? PORTION SIZE!!! I can tell you that portion size is my common error, and although I know better, I often prepare myself too much.

Eating properly portioned meals and snacks will help rev your metabolism. It will allow your body to use what is being given as energy without excess being stored to fat cells. It also prevents dips in energy levels throughout the day.

So, what is proper portion size? We can talk all day about ounces and fist sizes etc... but for me the easiest way is this. For lunch and supper eat a normal sized plate divided into 3... 1/3 lean protein, 1/3 complex carbs and fibre, and the last 1/3 essential fats.
Example, for breakfast you can have an omlette 2 egg whites 1 whole egg, some fresh fruit and a slice of multigrain toast with a tab of butter.

For your snacks, enjoy either a fruit or vegetable, some fresh almonds or yogurt.

I guarantee if you keep proper portion size, you will start to lose that excess weight and you will FOR SURE feel better!

Have a wonderful healthy day!

Staying Healthy

I know I am in the mood to blog, but I am not 100% sure what I want to blog about, so this will be a random blog about things to do to stay healthy.

Lets start off by how we define health? To me health means being free of illness and disease. It means being mentally and physically well. It means not having issues with your health in general, and most important about feeling good.

I believe that I am healthy. I have no illness or disease. I have lots of energy. I am in a good space mentally and I am very happy with how I feel and look. I am far from perfect. I have things to work on, but they are in progress.

So, what do I do to get and stay healthy? There are a number of things that can help. I cannot say for fact that they will help you, but I guarantee they have worked for me. I can only tell you about my experiences and hopefully they help others as well.

So, what is it that I do? Nothing special really. Stuff that we should all be doing. Here are some of the basics;

- I try and sleep at least 8 hours a night. If I cannot get at least 7 hours a night, I try and nap during the day.

- I try and drink water regularly so as to keep myself fully hydrated at all times. This helps prevent excessive hunger, helps prevent dips in energy, and helps prevent headaches.

- I eat as many fruits and vegetables of all colors as possible. Especially berries! I personally try and get organic produce, but that is not always an option financially, but 95% of my fruits and veggies are organic.

- The only grains I eat are whole grains and sprouted grains. Buckwheat, spelt, barley and lentils are a foundation to my diet. I also enjoy limited amounts of almonds, peanuts, walnuts, raisins and cashews.

- I eat a wide variety of fresh fish, and limited amounts of lean protein such as chicken breasts, turkey breasts and extra lean lamb.

- I no longer use a microwave... its been a few months now.

- I have replaced coffee for organic green and/or white tea.

- I exercise regularly. Sometimes I weight train (about 3 - 4 times per week) and the other times I work on cardio (minimum 4 times per week).

- I try and laugh! I watch funny clips on YouTube, I watch shows and movies that make me laugh, and I read funny articles. Laughter is the best medicine.

I hope that a few of these can find their way into your regular routine, and I hope it helps keep you healthy or improve your health.

Please follow me on twitter @trainwithoz or contact me via my website www.mytraineroz.com.

Why is smoking still legal?

OK, without being mean, I understand that governments are a little slow with change and progression, and they love their tax dollars, but COME ON!!! Do they not realize that cigarettes KILL!!!

Here is government mentality: Tobacco companies pay very high taxes. The smoker who buys packs of cigarettes also pays high taxes on the cigarettes. So the government is literally making money hand over fist.

What about health care? Obama has tried to implement new health care in the US and I am not sure what went down with that. As a Canadian, we have socialized health care, which is slightly flawed, but really not that bad. What is the cost that smokers are putting on health care?

I do not have concrete stats, nor do I need them. Smoking directly and indirectly kills thousands per year. How many cancers could have been avoided? How many patients are hospitalized due to severe breathing issues? How many burn victims due to fires started by cigarettes? Heart disease and stroke? Do I need to go on?

The government is looking at today, without any vision towards the future. Make smoking illegal, lose some revenue now, and save BILLIONS in health care in the next 50 years.

Yes, I understand people will still smoke, and I understand that cigarettes will be treated and praised like marijuana etc... But for the most part, banning it will lead to benefits. It would take years to get regulations in place, but somebody has to take that first step.

I will commend local governments that have banned smoking in public places and there are even a few places that hand tiockets to smokers who smoke in a car while children are present, but is that enough?

I would love your feedback and opinions.