Review: The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance

I've been meaning to write more and thought this might be a good way to get back into it.

I read Tom Brady's new book about a month ago, and I really wanted to write a review because it was something I found very interesting.  It was interesting because it pulled the curtains behind Tom Brady and what has made him successful on and off the field.  It showed me how dedicated Tom is to his craft and will do pretty much anything to be the best.  Now some of the methods that Tom incorporates into his workout routine may just work for Tom because he is the best Quarterback of all time and not because they are the most best scientific proven methods of all time.  But placebo effect is real, even for all-star celebrity athletes like Tom Brady, and it could even be more than  Placebo effect and Tom is way ahead of the science.  Let me explain. 

The number one thing Tom talks about giving him the edge to keep playing at the highest level possible is Pliability training.  Basically pliability training is thinking of a board.  If it's really stiff and tight and something hits the board it will break (injury) if the board is very pliable and something hits it the board will not break.  This does make sense but I think you can achieve a pliable board or athlete through flexibility training and functional training.  I don't think there are any studies showing pliability training giving you an increase athletic performance or prolonging your career.  But then again no one talks about pliability training so maybe Tom is ahead of the curve and is something that will be fully validated with scientific evidence soon.  It's not enough to say Tom is over 40 years old and is still the best Quarterback in the game.  That sample size is 1 which is ridiculously small.  If Tom never met the Guru trainer Alex who has taught him these methods there is a good chance he would still be the same athlete he is today. 

Tom Brady's work ethic is ridiculously thorough and is something that separates him for all other athletes.  The best athletes have the most talent and the hardest, smartest work ethic.  And Tom Brady is the role model of that.  Will pliability training come out to the next big thing?  Only time will tell but regardless Tom Brady has fully committed himself to be the master of his craft.  I highly recommend his book as an entertaining read, but take his methods with a grain of salt because they might not work for everyone.  When trying new workouts, nutrition, etc. I would always look at what the science says and try and go by that.  The more scientific evidence something works the better. 

Eat Purely

I wanted to share with everyone this amazing APP named Eat Purely.

You will have zero excuses not to give this a try since first time users will get $20 off their first meal using the promo code.

If you are use to ordering your dinner out because of a number of different reasons or want to start eating healthier but don't want to cook.  You have to try this app.  This will be the easiest healthy meal you ever had.

All of the meals are low in calories, sugar, carbohydrates, and fat.  If you don't like the meal don't worry the first one is practically free.

I just wanted to share this great amazing APP with everyone out there trying to kick start a healthy eating lifestyle.  This could either help you get back on track, keep you on track, or at least get you thinking about eating healthy again.

Check out their website eatpurely.com 

Top 5 Reasons "Non-Fat" is the Biggest Scam Ever!

Every week my department head at the club I work at emails us educational articles to send to clients so I thought it would be a good idea to share them on my blog.  This particular article I found very interesting because food companies will alter foods to make them appear healthier by adding chemicals and sugars, the last thing you needs is more chemicals and sugars.  I just hope that you become aware so you don't get tricked into buying something "healthier" when it really isn't better after all.  Enjoy :)

Top Five Reasons “Non-Fat” Is The Biggest Scam Ever

 

By Poliquin Group™ Editorial Staff

 

Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past five years, you know that eating some fat is good for your health. You may even know that including fat in your diet can help you lose body fat and stay lean.

 

This sensible approach to including fat in your diet is easily forgotten when you hang out with friends who shun fat, or you’re flooded with food labels that proclaim “fat-free” every time you go to the grocery store.

 

Then there are the annoyingly persistent USDA low-fat guidelines and claims that saturated fat will kill you, making it easy to get sucked into the belief that “fat-free” equals “healthy.”

 

Here’s the big fat truth: “Non-fat” is the biggest scam ever. If you want to be healthy, lean, and enjoy food, avoid foods labeled fat-free like the plague. Here are five reasons why.

 

#1: Non-fat foods are junk food in disguise. They are generally jam-packed with sugar and artificial chemicals.

Fat is pretty darn delicious and it provides texture and flavor to food. When you remove it, you generally get pretty blah food. Food manufacturers have tackled this problem by replacing the fat with large amounts of sugar, salt, and artificial sweeteners and flavors to make them taste good.

 

Diets high in added sugar are bad news because they lead to a large blood sugar spike, which causes the body to release a large amount of insulin. Studies show that the more insulin your body releases in response to sugar or carbs, the less success you’ll have losing body fat when you reduce calories.

In addition, having frequent insulin spikes causes the cells in your body to become resistant to the insulin, which increases your diabetes and disease risk. It also leads to fat gain and makes it harder to put on muscle.

 

Bottom Line: When you see the label “fat-free” or “low-fat” on the label, that’s a huge warning sign to avoid it. Pick the normal fat version if possible (such as when choosing yogurt or dairy), or look for an alternative food altogether (if it’s a processed food that only exists in the reduced-fat universe).

 

#2: Non-fat doesn’t help you lose fat and it might make you fat.
Research into how our brains and bodies respond to fat and the lack thereof shows that choosing non-fat foods doesn’t lead to fat loss, and for some people, it makes them gain fat.

 

First, studies show that compared to foods high in fat, those that are high in sugar but low in fat have been found to activate regions in the brain associated with pleasure and reward. When we eat this foods, we tend to be driven to seek out whatever made us feel good, which in this case is non-fat, sugar-filled food (this is the same part of the brain that is activated by drugs such as cocaine).

 

Therefore, scientists recommend avoiding reduced fat foods in which sugar is added to provide taste in favor of foods containing fat but are lower in sugar.

 

Second, diets low in fat don’t provide the body with the building blocks it needs for balanced hormone function, which is necessary for optimal body composition. For example, fat is used to manufacture the androgen hormones that are involved in fat burning, the mobilization of energy stores, and muscle building.

 

Finally, studies of the effect of low-fat diets on fat loss tend to be disappointing. For example, the large Women’s Health Initiative Trial found that women on a low-fat diet lost zero weight by the end of the study.

 

One thing that does seem to work for fat loss is to reduce insulin response to meals—something that researchers note is most effectively done by reducing high-carb foods and replacing them with protein, fat, and low-carb plants.

 

The bottom line: Fat-free eating is unlikely to make you lean and it puts you at risk of gaining fat by a number of mechanisms, including reduced hormonal balance.

 

#3: The non-fat label provides a health halo that leads people to eat more calories.
The non-fat label is just one of many useless buzzwords that food marketers use to make us think we’re eating healthy. We equate non-fat with lacking calories.

 

The result is that the non-fat label makes us believe that we’re consuming fewer calories than we actually are. In fact, studies show people eat as much as 35 percent more when eating a food with a “healthy” label than when they think the food is unhealthy.

 

Bottom Line: When you choose foods that you know are low in fat, you may be more likely to overeat because you think that it’s low in calories. Avoid this by being aware of how much you’re eating and avoid all packaged non-fat foods in favor of whole protein, fat, and plants.

 

#4: The non-fat mindset leads to less meal satisfaction and more hunger.
Studies show that the non-fat “mindset” actually affects the release of hunger hormones so that we feel less satisfaction after a meal and get hungry sooner. A non-fat mindset is one in which you believe that you are eating something “healthy” that won’t make you gain fat.  

 

For example, a recent study had two groups of people drink the same high-fat milkshake. Researchers told one group the shake was “indulgent” and high in calories and fat. The other group was told it was “sensible” and low in calories and fat.

 

Amazingly, the group that believed they were indulging had a much steeper drop in ghrelin, the hormone that makes you hungry, whereas the subjects who though they were being sensible had a flat ghrelin response and were still hungry after the milkshake.

 

Researchers caution that low-fat and fat-free eating casts a health halo that leads us to experience more frequent hunger and eat more calories in the long run, which will obviously lead to fat gain.   

 

The bottom line: Avoid the non-fat mindset in favor of a truly sensible diet that is delicious and balanced around whole food sources of fat, protein, fruits, and vegetables. Go ahead and enjoy “indulgent” foods every so often because you’ll feel more satisfied and have less hunger than if you’re constantly getting sucked in by the non-fat mindset.

 

#5:  Non-fat foods deprive you of vital fat-soluble nutrients that are essential for a peppy metabolism and peak health.

Fats in the right ratio are needed for strong bones, healthy cells, a strong immune system, and lovely skin and eyes. That’s because fats are involved in calcium metabolism, and they provide the fat-soluble vitamins A, K2, and D in a bioavailable form that the body can easily use to produce tissue, bone, and muscle.

 

In addition, saturated fats are anti-microbial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal and have been found to decrease infection rates by killing bacteria such as harmful candida yeast.

 

Finally, the omega-3 fats that are found in fish promote cellular health because fat composes the outside lipid layer of every cell in you body. Healthy cells let the body efficiently use energy by allowing the cells to bind with insulin easily so that glucose can be burned.

 

The bottom line: Don’t be conned by the non-fat label. Fat-free eating eliminates the best part about food—that it’s delicious and provides what your body needs for optimal health and leanness.

How to Grill the Best Chicken

It's almost summer here in the midwest and that can only mean one thing....GRILLING SEASON!  In order to be successful outside the gym, I really think you should know how to cook.  If I can cook than anyone can, having my sweet mother make most of my meals growing up I really never learnt how to cook anything.  As the meals from mom stop coming, I had to learn how to cook because eating out at fast food or restaurants for most of your meals is not a healthy lifestyle.  So if you want to make the best grilled chicken and you don't know how to cook you should read on!

Step 1:  Go to the grocery store and buy your boneless chicken breasts.  I prefer the bigger breasts because you get more protein etc., but if you want to make chicken strips those can be really tasty too.  (I have another recipe from my brother where you make healthy buffalo chicken strips I will have to post it)

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Step 2: Marinade! This is the fun part.  If you really want to get this baby tasty then I would suggest at least 2-4 hours prior to making the chicken to marinade to let the flavors set in.  What I do is get a big ziplock bag and I put in my spices.  I love 5 fiery pepper.  I will use about 2-3 tablespoons depending on how many breast I am making.  Next you can add about a teaspoon of salt.  You can add whatever else you want to the mix.  I usually add a dab of chili powder as well.  Next add the chicken to the bag after washing the chicken.  Put a little bit of water in the bag to let the chicken soak up the seasoning.  Flip the bag around multiple times to spread around the seasoning evenly.  Put it in your refrigerator and let it soak for a couple hours like I said above. 

Step 3: Heat up that grill!!!! I use a gas grill but if you use coals make sure they are spread out evenly.  Make sure to let your grill to heat up to at least 400 degree F.  After the grill is heated up spray down the grill so the chicken doesn't stick with PAM (this seems like common sense but I have forgotten myself plenty of times and its a mess).  Next put the chicken on the grill DIAGONALLY.  After about 3 minutes don't flip the chicken but turn it so it is facing the other diagonal direction.  (MAKE SURE NOT TO USE FORK TO TURN IT WILL TAKE OUT THE JUICES!)  After the chicken has grilled for about seven minutes flip to the other side.  Repeat above step.  Now it is important that your chicken has cooked to its proper temperature so if you are grilling a big chicken breast make sure to give it some time.  If you really aren't sure give it a tiny slice in the center to check.  

Step 4: Grill some vegetables on the stove inside or on the grill and your ready to chow!

How do I get "ABS"?

That is the number one thing I hear from clients when they come to me.  "I want to get rid of the fat in my mid-section."  To address this question I first have to address a couple different myths about FAT.  First myth is that you need to burn fat first to gain the muscle* Fat and muscle are two separate components to the human body.  If you lose all your fat you will look like a stick.  Just by losing fat from doing cardio for 60 minutes a day, will gain you LITTLE muscle.  You don't need to lose the fat first to start putting on muscle.  It's actually quite the opposite.  You need to gain muscle to help speed up your metabolism to lose the fat.  Losing just fat alone will actually slow down your metabolism, and you will end up gaining back the fat, which is what you worked so hard to lose in the first place.  So please if you are trying to lose weight, don't just do cardio to burn the fat first, that couldn't be more wrong.  Second myth is that you can transform your fat into muscle.  This isn’t transformers.  That would be really nice if you could do that but it is not true.  Gaining muscle comes from increasing your muscle cells not by transforming fat.

Back to ABS ABS ABS.  Your body doesn't simply take fat away from the area where there is the most fat.  It takes away fat throughout your entire body.  So in order to get those dream ABS and lose the middle section it is going to take A LOT of hard work.  This hard work consist of years of dieting with healthy high nutrient dense foods, and lots of exercise both lifting and cardio.  It is going to take time to get your total body fat percentage down in order to start seeing abs.  Ideally a male will see ABS around 8-12 percent body fat or lower, and a female from 12-18 percent or lower.  So next time you want to know how you get ABS and a "trainer" makes you do a thousand silly abdominal exercises PLEASE stop!  This is a waste of time.  Unless your body fat percentage is low you are not going to see anything.  You might even have the strongest abs on the planet, but if you eat like crap it doesn't matter how many sit-ups you do a day.  TO RECAP: the best way to get ABS is to eat healthy, lift weights, do high-intensity cardio (sprints) and low-intensity cardio (walking) and if you want to throw some ab exercises after your workout it won’t hurt.  All of the above will lower your total body fat percentage.  Make sure to measure you body fat percentage and see if it is decreasing every month by half to 1 percent.  This is a slow process so be patients and the only real way to see results is by HARD WORK.  

Photo taken by: http://www.definitivephysique.co.uk/2012/03/04/the-abs-solution-ii/

My Favorite Smoothie

If you don't make smoothies already you should!  It is a quick way to get your nutrients and it taste delicious as well.  For me I have to have at least one smoothie a day.  There are millions of different variations you can try but this article is going to feature my favorite.

My blender of choice the NINJA!


First one cup of frozen berries from costco. Full of anti-oxidants! Make sure to get Organic.  



Second one tablespoon of natural peanut butter for your healthy fats.

Third 8-10 ounces of water depends on how thick you want it! 

Fourth one level scoop or two of matrix protein powder! All natural 24 grams of protein per scoop!  If you are lactose intolerant try Nectar protein it is made with pure isolates.  

This is what the finish product looks like...This is not the best picture..It looks and taste much much better in real life!  And if you don't want a nice smoothie mustache use a couple straws ;).

Let me know what you think! 

My Favorite Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  You hear this repeatedly.  Whether it's watching the news, Dr. Oz, or in school.  The problem is what is the next step.  It isn't enough to know simply breakfast is the most important, but you also need to know what to eat.  Now there are many different views on what you should have for breakfast.  Some suggest meat and nuts, by Charles Poliquin, some suggest a high-fiber cereal, but I suggest a more traditional breakfast with a healthy twist.

My breakfast usually consists of two large whole eggs scrambled.  If you weigh less than me (195 lbs) or depending on your fat intake for the rest of the day I would use one egg or none at all.  The other portion of eggs is going to be egg beaters or egg whites.  (egg beaters are just dyed yellow they are actually egg whites)  I love cheese.  So I add a low fat 40 calorie a slice piece of colby jack cheese.  I usually add two slices.  I always have chicken sausage mixed into my omelet.  The kind I get is from Costco and has spinach inside it.  I sometimes add additional spinach as well.  I always have coffee in the morning as well with my breakfast.  For fruit I will have a banana or blue berries.  As for carbohydrates, I like to keep it low because I KNOW I will be getting more carbs throughout my day to balance it out.  The key to good nutrition is BALANCE*.  But if I was going to be burning a lot of calories from a hard workout that day I could throw in some whole-grain pancakes or toast.  Please let me know what is your favorite breakfast.  I love hearing what others eat.  And remember always plan your meals based on what you ate last.  If your last meal was really high in fat then try to make your next meal low in fat and etc.  It's about macronutrient distribution as well as calories!  Oh and fruits and vegetables for fiber and anti-oxidants, of course!

This is without the chicken**