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Carbohydrates are always a hot topic. There are a lot of misconceptions but there is a lot of truth behind what you hear. Before I start this topic, I want to share my standpoint. As with all of my content, carbs need to be individualized. With that being said, I personally believe in a moderate approach for most people. I don’t believe people with average energy expenditures (fast paced, normal lifestyles) need an extremely high carbohydrate diet. Furthermore, I don’t believe in completely removing or demonizing this particular macronutrient. With most controversial topics (religion, politics) you only hear one side. I want to pose both sides of the carb battle and talk about why individualization is the answer.
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I don’t know about you but for me one of the most frustrating things is lack of progress. There is no worse feeling than expending effort and not being able to see the full fruit of your labor. Plateaus come in all shapes and sizes. Weight loss, strength levels, physique, and/or other various forms of measurements can be extremely frustrating when you feel stagnant. Consistent progress is the key to creating a sustainable habit. If you are see progress you will be able to push through the adversity of behavior modification. If you aren’t seeing progress, it can be extremely frustrating and diminish will power. Today, I want to share with you a couple of my favorite plateau breakers to use when results slow down. These are simple and practical things you can implement to help move the needle without creating restrictive and stressful situations.
Back at it again with the calories! I know I talk a lot about calories in my content and sometimes I get backlash from it. I’ve gotten both positive and negative remarks regarding caloric intake content. I’ve gotten “ hey, counting calories is a small snapshot into a complex issue”. Before diving into the tips, I want to address my perspective on the calorie issue.
First off, I understand that losing weight is a complex issue. There are many factors involved and many considerations that need to be taken into account. Individualization is extremely important when you are looking at embarking on a fitness journey. However, I’ve found that usually the Spark System (simple, sustainable, and enjoyable) when approaching a fitness goal helps in many ways. Just because something is simple doesn’t mean it’s easy. Often times the best behavior modification advice is actually very very simple. However, for most people behavior modification is very difficult. Why is that? I’m sure there is a very scientific psychological response to that question. Instead of taking the scientific approach, I want to get really practical with this blog. During today’s blog, I want to attack fat loss from both sides. I want to provide you with some tools to overcome the difficulty of a fat loss transformation as well as provide you with some ways to simplify the process. Education is only half the battle (arguably the easier half). Once you know what to do, you still need to overcome the difficulties of behavior modification (which is why most people fail).
The topic of health is so incredibly dense. There are so many factors and angles involved when tackling a seemly simple issue. In regards to fat loss, there are a ton of processes that happen inside the body. Furthermore, just because you are losing fat doesn’t necessarily mean you are optimizing internal bodily systems (there is so much more to health than physical appearance). For the sake of simplicity and quite frankly rabbit hole material, I want to propose a fat loss “cheat sheet”. This sheet is science and experience based. The simplicity of this 'sheet' isn’t meant to demean or downgrade the difficulty of fat loss. Simplifying fat loss will actually help you focus on controllable variables and ultimately see better results. It can be extremely easy to lose focus and motivation when the process becomes extremely complex or overwhelming. Without further ado let's jump into it! This blog is going to revolve around how to make dieting easier. For the record, I hate the word diet. I prefer ‘nutritional lifestyle change’ just because it sets our mindset up for success right off the bat. However, diet is a term that everyone can identify with. Just know that when I use the term diet, I really mean nutrition that you can adhere to for the rest of your life.
Oh boy. I’m about to open a can of worms with this one. First off, before I begin I need to preface with some baseline information. I am not a doctor or a registered dietitian. I have not read had extensive reasearch and training in the area of sugar intake. I am certified through Precision Nutrition and I have spent the last 10 years in the wellness space. This blog’s information comes from several PubMed studies as well as my own personal and professional perspective. My whole goal with Spark is to provide simple, result based information to you in hopes of creating a sustainable and enjoyable approach to reaching wellness goals.
Today’s blog is going to be centered on individualizing the subjects of nutrition and exercise. We miss out on effect results if we do not have a component of individualization in our exercise and/or nutrition plan. I believe the fitness community has lots of positive and inspiring qualities. However, I also believe that there are detrimental aspects that need to be addressed. Cookie cutter programs being one of these. The truth is what works for me might not work for you exactly. The most effective coaches and trainers understand this truth. I believe in structuring nutrition/exercise plans around principles and science. With science there still needs to be components of individualization if we are to reap the most effective and sustainable results. Here are some practical ways to individualize nutrition and exercise to help best fit your lifestyle. NutritionI listened to an audiobook a couple of summers ago and have continued re-listening to it every year because it's so powerful to me. The book's title is called "The One Thing". A fitness influencer I have been following over the last couple years suggested reading it so I gave it a shot. Little did I know the impact this book would have on my perspective in life (not just in the gym).
Periodization is used all the time in the world of exercise training. Periodization is a systematic way to segment your training in order to gain effective adaptation and bypass injury/fatigue. However, most of us don't realize that there is a thing called "nutritional periodization". At its core, it seeks to segment nutrition in a similar fashion aiming to bypass metabolic damage, hormone damage, and other physiological/mental issues.
It's been a while since I've posted a blog but I just HAD to share this nutrition system with you. At least for me, I seem to become a lot more consistent when I have a game-plan in place. Now, this game-plan can't contain too much structure/regulations or it becomes an unsustainable chore. It has to allow for life to happen. If you can develop a plan that adheres to life's variables then you will develop positive momentum as you move along your fitness journey. If you always feel "on track" you will become a lot more consistent.
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AuthorEric Stark Archives
February 2021
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