Shhh... Dont' Tell!

Don't tell my wife that I stole her new birthday present for a bit. I just couldn't resist! Grown up parallettes! Thought I would give you a peek into my frequented workout space... THE BACKYARD! Time to perfect my handstands and L-sits.

While you're here check out my latest project The Balanced Body Online Coaching Program. More details coming soon but I thought I would give an inside peek.

Check it out HERE! 

Enjoy your Thursday!

bj

How to: Eating Mindfully

In my short post, Mindful Eating, we ventured into what it means to be a mindful eater. Awareness is the key to sustainable change, but what are the appropriate questions to ask to be a mindful eater?

STEP 1 -LISTENING AND ASKING APPROPRIATE QUESTIONS -

-Am I hungry?
-Is it food that my body is truly asking for?
-What sounds best?
-How would I feel after eating this?
-How much do I 'need'?
-Do I need more? Less?

These are very basic questions that can at least start the process. They will allow you to fine tune your feedback and prune as you move along.

Now, what about food? What about macro

It's Getting Real In The Whole Foods Parking Lot

I got a good laugh out of this and wanted to share...

 

-enjoy

Not By Force

It wasn't too long ago that I was competing as a natural bodybuilder, following very few of the principles I now teach. I think it took that process and some wise people to help me realize what I was doing wasn't healthy or working. Here is a look into my lifestyle then.

-I ate low fat, low sugar, sugar free and very high protein
-I worked out to excess tension and beyond my limits
-I obsessed 24/7 as to whether I was dropping fat or building muscle
-I ate every 2-3 hours to 'keep my metabolism up'
-I often trained 7 days a week for 60-90 minutes a pop
-I took synthetic supplements (creatine, glutamine and others) possibly to the detriment of my body
-What was best for me was often determined by what I saw or read, never through testing
-I rarely hung out with friends (and I was in college) burning some meaningful relationships in the process.

In short, I slept, ate, slept, worked out, ate, slept, ate.... seriously. Looking back it was no way to live. On the plus side, it got me where I am

BigBangTX!

You may have heard me talking about the BigBangTX conference for a while now... and it's getting close! I am both excited and honored to be presenting (pitching) what we are doing with our local food co-op now and what we plan and hope to do in the very near future. If you haven't gotten your ticket DO IT! Last I heard, they will no longer be selling them after tomorrow (Friday June 9). If you can't make the conference, no worries, all presenters will be broadcast LIVE! I will be presenting in the NOURISH track highlighting the demand we are creating for more local, sustainable food. Check out this video where Robert Egger with the DC Central Kitchen.

NOURISH TRACK IS ANNOUNCED

Hope you all can tune in!

bj

NEW SITE!

In the next week or so I will be launching my brand new website here @ brian-speaks.com. The look and feel might change, but I hope to bring even more quality content your way.  No need to change much on your end, but please be sure to go sign up for my newsletter list, get your free gifts and pass it on to a friend that might benefit.

Thank you so much for you continued readership and I look forward to more great things in the very near future.

Brian

Movement For Fatloss

There are a number of ways I move for increased fatloss. Remember, no one method is best, but specificity is the key to faster results. Let's review from earlier posts and define a few terms.

Specificity - the quality of being specific rather than general.

This one is pretty obvious. If I want to be a better 400m sprinter do you think it would serve me better to.

A) run 5 miles, 3X/week
B) run 400m as often as it tests well

If you chose A, please contact me. Sadly this

Feedback For Fatloss. Do you listen?

It almost seems like I need a slap in the face to effectively change my behavior every time I do something my body doesn't like. Case in point, I'm making this KILLER breakfast shake (I have the recipe if you'd like it) and I had to give it a taste upon mixing. It was SO freaking good that I couldn't put it down. I kid you not, I had the worst brain freeze I have ever experienced. Lesson learned, right? Nope. Once the crippling brain freeze was over I continued to devour the shake, obviously too fast again... brain freeze, slightly milder. It dissipated and... I learned my lesson. I put it down and called truce. 

But what about other times when it wasn't so obvious? Why does it need to be so apparent for me to learn my lesson? Must it

In Defense of 'BAD' Food

We have all heard of the term "let's just call a spade, a spade". 

Why do we have such a hard time adopting this mentality when it comes to food? 

Why must we defend bad food so adamantly? 

You're only defending it for yourself.

Just own it an move on. 

If it makes you better, maybe you need it.

I am not the food police, and honestly the choice is yours.

If you must defend it, my judgment wouldn't matter anyway.

I am here to inform and educate those who are willing to listen.

If you are not ready to change, please get out of the way.

You are only clogging it up those of us who want to be better.

Just please,

If you are looking for feedback as to why-

You feel horrible

You're injured all the time

You're fat and out of shape

The conversation will most likely turn to

BAD food. 

-peace

What's Wrong With P90X?

Some late night reading and stumbling back and forth on the internet when I came across a NY Times piece recently published about Beachbody's P90X featuring Tony Horton. I couldn't resist my thoughts.

P90X'd

Obviously this campaign has been going on for quite some time (since '02), with great success (over $400 million in yearly revenue) and plenty of capital to keep it going. People are talking about it, yes including me. I have clients and friends ask ALL the time whether or not it's 'worthy'. My brother even gave it a trial, against my wishes :) If we look at RESULTS FIRST, we see some positives. They have helped people realize it's up to them to take

To Greener Pastures

For those looking to make some 'green' changes-

HOW TO EAT GREEN!

-Enjoy

A Matter Of Focus

I don't care about calories.
I focus on REAL food.
With a REAL food focus,
calories do not matter.

I don't focus on muscles?  
Muscles refer to isolation.
Isolation is for bodybuilders.
I'm no longer a bodybuilder.
The body doesn't move in isolation.
The body moves in movements.
I focus on movements.

I don't focus on sets, reps, weight and time?
I focus on what I can do based on the Elements of Effort.
By focusing on eliminating E/E these things naturally progress .

I don't focus on being 'healthy'
but rather the attributes of what I think health is.
They truly are not the same.

It's really just a matter of focus.

Results First- Milk Alternatives

We are picking up our Results First series on milk alternatives... because it's very hot topic. There are so many different choices out there and knowing which is best for our health get's tricky. How do we get through the label claims, ingredient lists, taste and more? In the end don't we just want a good clean product that provides us with all we are looking for?

For starters, I have personally tried nearly every dairy alternative out there. At about age 9, I found out that I couldn't handle cow milk. I would leave class everyday after lunch with horrible stomach pains with an unclear reason as to why. Being that lactose intolerance wasn't as quick to diagnose back then, it took a while before we really figured it out. I later learned it was the quality of the milk that made the difference in my digestion. I can consume raw, whole milk without my body responding poorly. I still have to be careful with amount, but it doesn't usually take much anyhow. In the between time I tried soy, almond, oat, rice, coconut, goat and any other form of 'milk' out there. I was particularly attracted to almond and soy because they tasted good without losing the consistency I missed from cow milk. Before I was into 'real' food, I would eat anything that had a healthy claim to it without much question. I thought that places like Whole Foods and Central Market would do the work for me, giving me the best products that could be found. Unfortunately I was wrong, and it wasn't necessarily their fault. It turns out the natural foods industry is big business and in order to make their products profitable certain measures where taken to reduce costs. The problem is most of these 'costs' are not immediately picked up on and can make us worse. In some cases, without prior background in food biochemistry or labeling, it's hard to decipher what certain ingredients truly are or aren't! Many of these costs are things that are detrimental over time. A few exposures are not necessarily the problem (like many things), but over the course of months/years they can be. So what are the facts? In a world where no food is perfect we have to choose the best of the bunch. Below is a list of potential negatives associated with non-dairy milks and some options for better.

Soy - Let's first start with food quality. Being that 99.9% of soy in this country is most likely genetically modified (GMO) and is among the highest sprayed, pesticide laden of all crops, I might not need to go on any further. But for those that would like more, I will. Soy in milk form is NOT a food, it's a food product. The process of the milk and bean is

What are quality sources?

I teach and do my best to live by a 'quality first' approach to life. This is a food list I provide my clients at The Movement Dallas and I thought it might benefit some of you. It's by no means exclusive and/or extensive. There are others that can be added, but these are the best that I have found for me. It's not meant to serve as a dogmatic list to always follow, but if you're looks for the highest quality it's a great resource to have handy. Remember, better in any direction and not perfection.

High quality Food sources

Fats and oils:

Organic Virgin coconut oil  (http://www.tropicaltraditions.com)

Organic Olive oil

Organic Butter

Organic Raw Almond butter or any other Raw organic nut butter

Organic Flax oil or ground flaxseed

Organic Coconut Cream

Organic Palm Oil

Lard – from pastured pork

Organic Avocado

Dairy:

Organic pastured eggs – (if not pastured, organically fed)

Organic raw cheeses

Organic whole milk, raw if possible (if you need for cooking, Organic Valley is preferred over Horizon)

Organic whole plain yogurts (add your own sweetners and fruit)

Non-Dairy Milk substitutes:

Homemade almond milk

Organic coconut milk

Organic coconut Cream

Meats, Poultry, Turkey, Pork, and Fish:

When looking for animal protein sources always choose:

1) Certified Organic, free-range or grass fed

2) Organic

3) Locally farmed free range.

4) Conventional hormone free

5) Conventional (choose lowest fat source – if you are uncertain of a meats status always choose the lowest fat source as fat stores toxins). 

All seafood should be wild caught.  Stay away from farm raised fish of any kind. Eating fresh cilantro with your fish will naturally chelate (to remove from the bloodstream) the mercury.

ANYTIME YOU CAN”T FIND ANY OF THE SUGGESTED PRODUCTS ASK YOUR BUTCHER OR STORE MANAGER THEY WILL HELP YOU WITH WHATEVER YOUR NEEDS

Grains and legumes:

All grains should be sprouted. For hot cereals, beans, and rices let soak in filtered water the night before. The next morning drain the soaking water and add fresh water place on the stove and cook. The sprouting process breaks down amino acid protein bonds to promote digestibility of the entire grain.  You can find bread, English muffins, tortilla and cereals that are already sprouted. Such as:

Ezekiel 4:9 Organic sprouted whole grain bread

Ezekiel 4:9 Organic sprouted cinnamon raisin bread

Ezekiel 4:9 Organic sprouted tortilla

Ezekiel 4:9 Organic sprouted English muffin

Ezekiel 4:9 Organic sprouted burger bun and hot dog bun

Genesis 1:29 Sprouted grain and seed bread

Organic brown rice tortilla

Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted cereal in original, vanilla, and cinnamon raisin.

Bobs Red mill Gluten free rolled Oats

Organic rolled Oats

Cream of Buckwheat

Organic Buckwheat grouts

Brown rice cereal

Organic corn grits-polenta

Organic long grain and short grain Brown Rice

Organic Brown Basmati Rice

Organic Wild rice

Organic Jasmine Brown rice

Produce:

All fruits and vegetables are best local/organic. Organic foods are produced according to certain production standards, meaning they are grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge, and that they were processed without ionizing radiation or food additives.  Choose organic or local, fresh or frozen.

Nuts and seeds:

Nuts and Seeds should always be fresh, raw, and organic only.  Stay away from roasted, salted canned nuts.  The same rule applies to all nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter, cashew, walnut to name a few).  Make sure they are fresh, raw and organic only.

Seasonings, sauces and condiments:

Fresh herbs, spices and Celtic sea salt are the best choices.  Be aware of MSG and added natural flavors and spices that add “flavor” to most sauces and condiments.  Annie’s makes great mustard, and Muir Glen makes great ketchup. Your best bet is a homemade dressing (3 parts olive to 1 part any vinegar and you can add fresh herbs lemon, garlic, pepper, sea salt). try mountain rose herbs for amazing spices

Sweeteners from a natural source.  Carob, local honey raw and uncooked, Organic Grade B maple syrup, un-sulfured molasses, rapadura (unrefined sugar), and stevia.  Artificial sweetners can damage the nervous system and should be avoided.

Baking ingredients:

Pamelas Baking and Pancake mix

Mary Janes Farm Organic Gluten free budget mix (www.maryjanesfarm.org)

Arrowhead mill:  Organic yellow corn mill, Brown rice flour, buckwheat flour and more.

Coconut Flour (www.tropicaltraditions.com)

Aluminum free baking soda

Aluminum free baking powder

Organic Cocoa

Food bars:

It is best to choose live foods over food bars but, if you are going to do it make sure they are organic RAW food bars.  There are different brands that can be found at whole foods.  Raw Organic food bar is a brand that has a variety of flavors also, Pure, and Nutiva flax bars are some great brands. I also occasionally go for Lara or Nectar raw bars.

Fluids:

Choose water!  Well, spring or purified by reverse osmosis (or local mineral water like Crazy Water)….no tap!  Tea is fine, just make sure it is from an organic tealeaf and you brew it yourself. Most bottled teas have added sugars and hidden flavors in them.  Coffee is best organic and if possible fair trade. Decaffeinated coffee needs to be swiss water decaf (no chemicals are used to remove the caffeine). Remember to use Stevia or honey to sweeten your tea.  Raw milk or cream can be a great addition to coffee or tea as well as coconut milk or cream

Supplementation

Here at The Movement we have been blessed and gifted with literally the highest quality nutritional supplements we could find. All NutriHarmony products are real foods, which simply means there are no synthetic byproducts, fillers or hidden ingredients. (www.nutriharmony.com)

It's NOT a lack of

The reason you're not where you want to be -

Is not a lack of superfoods
Is not a lack of exercise
Is not a lack of relaxation
Is not a lack of knowledge
Is not a lack of probiotics
Is not a lack of gym equipment
Is not a lack of dieting
Is not a lack of core strength
Is not a lack of omega 3's
Is not a lack of excuses
Is not a lack of healthy foods...
AND ON AND ON.....

OR

I could be wrong and it might be ALL of these things, I don't know (but YOU do...or do YOU?)

it IS a lack of LISTENING TO YOUR BODY-

People pay me to help them become more aware of their own biofeedback-
I cannot do it for them-
They have to be willing to do it for themselves-
But I can help them learn FASTER-
And I can help them become more EFFICIENT and EFFECTIVE-

The answer is ALWAYS there-
ARE YOU LISTENING?

To learn more about biofeedback training and how you can be better everyday, email me @ brian@themovementdallas.com

peace-

It's ALL Movement

I love how there is so much debate over which type of movement is 'best'. Is there a holy grail? No. Are there things that can get you to specific goals faster? Yes.

My specific movement goals (right now)
-become a better indoor climber (move up to certain level routes)
-become better at the single arm handstand (hold for 5 seconds)

It doesn't have to be boring. These two movement goals are fun for me and will help me reach my aesthetic goals as well. It might not get me there as fast as doing more 'fat' burning exercise, but it's sustainable because it excites me.  What excites you movement wise?

A little video of my workout preparing me for single arm handstands-

Your program shouldn't look like mine because our goals are different. Make sure it's fun and specific and you'll get there faster and maintain it longer.

enjoy-

Essentials to Health and Fat Loss

This was taken from a website that I like to visit occasionally for practical life information (zen habits). It is a VERY simplistic approach to achieving optimal health and weight loss. Just a reminder that it doesn't need to be difficult.
Enjoy!

The 7 Essential Rules To Optimum Health & Weight Loss

Eat real food, move naturally, live healthily.

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Chris Lopez of Fit and Busy Dad.

We live in an information overloaded society. There has not been a moment in history when information has been this available, right at our fingertips. By typing one simple phrase, we now get hundreds, thousands, sometimes even millions of answers to our most desired questions. And now it seems, because of the abundance of information available to us, that a lot of us are confused.
No more confusing has been our struggle with living excessively. As a result, many of us are in debt, have too much stuff and are overweight.
There are too many questions on how to exercise, how to eat, or how to live healthily - cardio or weights? How much protein? Does fat make me fat? Will situps give me abs? Am I going to get big, bulky muscles?
I don’t profess to know the answer to EVERY question out there, but I do know that all things being equal, the simplest answer is most likely the right one (Ockham’s Razor). That holds true in life as much as it does in weight loss, exercise and general health.
So in saying that, I have devised a list of The 7 Essential Rules to Optimal Health.
You may read these rules and be turned off that I’m insulting your intelligence. But let’s face it, now more than ever, do we need to get back to the basics in order to save our waning, unhealthy & obese society.
We’ve veered off the path of “simple” and have really made things more complicated than they are.

1. Eat REAL Food.
For a busy population who doesn’t have time to count calories or how many grams of protein or how much sodium or saturated fat, this is your answer to health and weight loss.
Anything that Mother Nature put on this earth in it’s simplest form is real food - unpackaged, unprocessed, unpreserved fruits, vegetables, legumes, naturally raised meat & fish. Steak from a cow that has been allowed to eat from a pasture, not an all-beef hot dog. Water, not soda. Apples, not apple fritters.
Here’s the truth … if you eat nutritious real food then your body feels nourished and doesn’t feel the need to consume more. If you eat the common processed food products of today with empty calories and little to any nutrition value, then your body needs to 1) work harder to digest and assimilate what you’ve eaten thus using energy 2) still feel hungry because what you’ve eaten provides no nourishment and 3) throw your systems out of whack because your body has no idea what you just ate.

2. Live Life Actively.
Our society was the healthiest when there were no such things as treadmills, ellipticals and Pec Decks. We used the gym to support our activities (like what athletes do). We rode our bikes, skied, surfed, played pick-up basketball and walked everywhere.
Now, we go to the gym. We run on treadmills like rats in a cage, partake in bodybuilding programs that give us bulky, unuseable muscles and create imbalance & injury, and do aerobic classes that give us little to no benefit with the way we look.
As our society transitioned from an active culture to a gym-going culture, obesity, heart disease and diabetes slowly started to increase. Coincidence? Maybe. But staying active and trying new things - playing a sport, going for a hike, being active with family, playing frisbee with the dog- never killed anyone.
Ask yourself these questions…When was the last time you got excited to go to the gym (to actually workout, not to see the hot aerobics instructor or personal trainer)? And what about when you knew that the weekend was just around the corner and you were going to the beach to play some volleyball? Or out to the golf course with your buddies to play 18 holes?
Live actively and use the gym to support your efforts.

3. Get outside.
This goes hand-in-hand with the point above.
True that some of us live in a climate that isn’t always condusive to outdoorsy things. Hogwash.
Unless it is 110 degrees in the shade or sub-Arctic temperatures outside, there are always options for us to be active outdoors - even if it’s just for a walk after dinner. Our bodies crave the outdoors and being with nature. It’s hard-wired into our systems. Being outdoors gives us a feeling of freedom and calm that no gym, mall or office building could ever provide for us.

4. Constantly strive to improve in order to see change.
If you are doing the same thing, day in and day out (lifting the same weights, running the same distance for the same time, etc) without any change or improvement, then nothing is going to happen to your body.
Your body wants to stay the same, and it is only when you decide to venture outside of your comfort zone that you will actually see any improvement - and that rule holds true with life as much as it does with exercise. Set goals, break records and constantly strive to get better. If you ran 5km in 30-minutes yesterday, then the next time out, aim for 29-minutes. If you did 10 push-ups yesterday, then aim for 11 the next time you attempt them.
Force yourself out of what’s comfortable and you will change - both in body and in mind.

5. Get some sleep.
Often the “missing link” to everyone’s weight loss quest is their lack of quality sleep. Healthy adults require 7-9 hours of uninterrupted, good quality sleep EVERY night.
Sleep helps regulate your hormones. It kills off bad bacteria that has accumulated in your gut throughout the day and it’s the primary time for your body to repair its tissues - especially your muscles. Don’t get enough of it and your immune response will suffer (your ability to fight off disease & sickness), you gain belly fat (because of the higher amounts of the hormone cortisol) and you’ll experience lows in energy.

6. Practice Active Recovery .
This is the Yang to intense exercise’s Ying and is probably the most overlooked rule. You were not designed to “go hard” 100% of the time.
Regardless of what you may believe, exercise, with all it’s benefits to your body and health, is still stress. Any response that produces an adrenalin rush will also produce a stress response in your body. Because of this, we must balance our intense exercise activities with calming, stress management exercises. Traditional yoga, tai chi, qi gong or some form of deep breathing or meditation are the most common examples of ways to handle stress.
Try to incorporate at least one of these activities into your weekly (if not daily) practice. Only a few minutes of deep breathing or mediation is all you need to regain balance move on with your day without anxiety or nervousness.

7. Use Natural Movements.
There are 5 natural movements - Squatting, Lunging (which includes walking & running), Pushing, Pulling & Rotation. If you want to save time, increase results and live healthy, then all your exercises should incorporate at least one, if not more, of these movements.
Is there a need to stand in front of a mirror holding dumbbells and lifting them up to the side while standing on a ball? No. Is there a need to sit on a machine, strapped in and squeeze your thighs together or push them out? No. These movements are unnatural. They force you to break your body up into individual parts, when in truth, your body operates as a network of nerves, bones and muscles to move you and the objects you lift or carry from Point A to Point B.
Exercise naturally, move naturally, be healthy.

So Now What?
Use the above rules as a checklist and try to incorporate and adhere to one rule per week, introducing a new rule each time you have mastered one.
Try not to get overwhelmed. This isn’t a “shotgun” approach. We’ve gotten away from the basics of health and it will take time to get back. Just keep at it and be consistent and you’ll get there.
By just living with these 7 rules in mind, you’re sure to become a healthier, happier and more fulfilling life.

For those interested in REAL food, movement etc please click here. I would highly recommend reading through our blog as well...
Here's to great health!

What about Grass Fed?

Most of us have been taught that all meat is the same – that a log of beef at the discount shopping club is the same as ground beef that has no hormones or antibiotics. This is simply not true! Let me take you on a little journey through the world of beef production today. The truth may shock you.
Let’s start with the fact that cows naturally eat grass. They have been doing so for thousands of years. However, most cows today are fed a corn-based diet. Even if cows eat grass at the beginning, these days they are almost always finished (at least the last 60-120 days) on grains, plus other remnants that are allowed in their feed such as cardboard, newspaper, and sawdust. The purpose of this feed is to fatten them up, which renders

-Know Thy Egg-

There is way too much confusion these days when it comes to food production and labeling. If you read my last post on Marketing The Market, you know what I mean. Honestly, most of us do not have a clue what’s in our food, let alone where it actually came from.  This is a vast difference from even 30 to 40 years ago. Many of us have grown up taking nutrition for granted and letting the “powers that be” dictate what, when, and how much we should eat.  Unfortunately these “powers” don’t always have your best interest at heart and are really looking to fatten their back pockets.  This is where the spread of misleading information begins.  With so many products now labeled “organic”, “natural”, “free-range”, “raw”, and “pure,” we need to educate ourselves to know what it all means.  These labels can often be the byproduct of good and effective marketing.  In this article, I would like to specifically explore the labeling of eggs and why they can be so different, specifically from a nutritional standpoint. The egg is one of Mother Nature’s finest foods.  One egg supplies anywhere from 50-80 calories with
 
3-5grams of fat and 4-6 grams of protein.  With that being said, not all eggs are created equal.  It all starts with how the hen, which produces the egg, is raised.  For most conventionally/commercially-raised hens, it starts with a tight cramped

Sustainable Fitness

 In my last post, Health vs. Fitness, I talked about the differences between the two. The take home is you can have a health body without being fit and a fit body without being healthy, but we want and need both! Today I want to talk briefly about sustainable fitness and what it means to me. Again, let's start with a definition-

Sustainable -  the potential for long-term maintenance of well being.

Fitness - Physiological headroom. The distance between the least you can do, and the most you can do. (re-worded from Arthur DeVany)

So if we put those together here is what it looks like-

Sustainable Fitness - The potential for long-term physiological headroom OR the ability to keep the most you can do as high as possible for as long as possible and far greater than the least you can do.


The below graph represents what sustainable