Love Notes by Jari Love

Want A Bikini Body? Stay Away From These Foods

by Jari Love

I know, I know, anyone can wear a bikini. Technically we all have a bikini body, but do you look and feel good in your bikini? It’s all about confidence when it comes to wearing a bikini. But the fitness industry starts to focus on getting a bikini body usually in April to give you time to slim down to boost your confidence in wearing that cute bikini. So you’ve done the work to look good in that bikini, but then July 4th comes around and you feel and look bloated, what do you do? This article I found was quite helpful in getting that bikini body, and keeping it for the summer.

Whether you’re prepared to show your rockin’ body on a boat or create a ‘buddy system’ with a pal to tell each other to suck in (guilty!), some foods are better to beat bloating.

Who better to ask real questions for real advice from a fitness model and a registered dietitian? Celebrity fitness personality and CEO of Cause Fitness Rachel Elizabeth Murray, and registered dietitian Mary Purdy share their expertise on maintaining a flat tummy in a bikini.

Why am I bloated?!

Mary Purdy, MS, RD: There is never truly one specific cause. It’s going to vary from individual to individual. For many, it is related to some kind of food sensitivity/intolerance/allergy. If someone tends to rush through a meal and not chew, very often that compromises digestive function and can lead to bloating.

Rachel Elizabeth Murray, Fitness Guru: Bloating is usually a digestive issue, but can be caused by many different things such as dehydration, over-hydration, carb-intake and timing, diet, portion size, lifestyle, etc. Which are the evil foods that make me bloat?

Purdy: It is totally individual. For many, it is dairy or wheat; that is what I find most common. 

Murray: To avoid bloating, try to avoid things

HELP! I am bloated and am boating tomorrow! What foods/supplements may help? Purdy: Herbs and spices can help: ginger, mint, cinnamon, fennel seeds. Taking a digestive enzyme or some bitters in water can also help.

Murray: Avoid anything processed! Load up on lean proteins and diuretic veggies (Ex: White fish with lemon and asparagus with a spinach/celery/cucumber salad). Drink 3-4L of fresh, filtered water. You can get dandelion root supplements at natural health food stores to help get rid of excess water weight.

I’m thirsty! What should I sip on? And, yes, I mean alcohol.

Purdy: Not beer! Beer is likely a bigger bloat culprit because it is carbonated and contains wheat which is a trigger for bloating in some people.

Murray: If you’re just trying to have fun with friends and look your best while doing it, I’d say stick with the clear (NOT flavored) liquors like vodka or tequila. If you must have a mixer, go sugar-free. You’re pretty safe with soda water but note that it is carbonated.

What foods should I be stocked up on for a slim stomach?

Purdy: Keep it simple – focus on REAL food: vegetables, fruit, plant based high fiber proteins like beans and lentils, nuts and seeds for health fats, and herbs and spices, and small amounts of whole grains.

Murray: Stick to lean protein, greens over grains, and tiny portions of healthy fats (almonds, olive/coconut oils, avocado). Protein has a higher ‘thermic effect’ (takes more energy to digest) and anything with high nutrient density will give you more ‘bang’ for your calorie ‘buck’ in terms of health, flat tummy, energy, beauty and wellness!

Go after that Bikini Body!  Via komonews.com

Jari Love – original creator of  Get RIPPED! DVD series and group exercise classes. The hot-selling and critically acclaimed Get RIPPED! series enables individuals of any fitness level to burn up to three times more calories than the traditional weight-training program, and has received rave reviews from fitness critics throughout North America since the first title debuted in late 2005.

Sweet and Tangy Grilled Chicken

If you’re looking to lose weight, many times you run into the boredom of eating plain foods and end up getting really bored. This chicken recipe is healthy and anything but plain.

Serve this delicious grilled chicken at your next barbecue or for dinner tonight. The honey-mustard glaze has a wonderful tangy flavor. Remember to add healthy side dishes for a summer meal that will satisfy without weighing you down.

Servings: 6

Here’s what you need:

• 4 Tablespoons honey
• 4 Tablespoons spicy mustard
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat your grill. If using coals, heat until the coals turn gray and there are no longer strong flames, 35-45 minutes.
2. Combine honey, mustard, lemon peel, soy sauce and garlic. Mix well. Reserve a few tablespoons of the sauce. Add chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for 40 minutes.
3. Cook the chicken 5 to 6 minutes per side. Brush with the reserved sauce, and continue cooking for an additional 3 to 4 minutes per side, until chicken registers 170 degrees F on a meat thermometer.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals 183 calories, 2g fat, 13g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, and 28g protein.

Food Lie #6: It’s not just genes: What it’s like to work out like a Victoria’s Secret model

by Jari Love

Food lie #6 says that being thin is all about your genetics. This couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s not the “skinny gene” that gets passed down from one generation to another, it’s the lifestyles that support being the “ideal” weight. If your parents tend to be overweight or obese, your chances of being overweight or obese are also high. But not from the genetics, but from the lifestyle that is modeled for you. Speaking of models, read this article from a fitness blogger and re-evaluate your perception of the models.

Fitness blogger Poppy Cross found out first-hand what it takes to look like a Victoria’s Secret model.

Victoria’s Secret models don’t break a sweat as they glide down the catwalk – and it’s hard to imagine they’d ever need to. Didn’t they just drop from the sky, all slender and sleek with a whisper of a waist and divinely sculpted thighs?

Not quite. The truth is that looking like an “Angel” (the brand’s upper echelon contract models) takes serious slog. Behind the lace is a “military mind and athlete’s performance”, says one blogger who has laid the truth bare.

After four months on the same “relentless and intense” exercise regime followed by the models, London-based fitness blogger and journalist Poppy Cross wrote about her experience in The Mail on Sunday.

The 29-year-old said nothing could have prepared her for the mental and physical challenge that lay in store.

“There’s a reason the VS models are known as athletes,” Cross told Stuff. “They have to have lean muscle as opposed to the regular rake-thin catwalk model. It’s about sexiness not skinniness.”

From lifting weights and running to boxing, ballet and pilates, all manner of methods are employed to get those rock-hard abs, she says.

Adriana Lima’s workout routine includes HIIT training, boxing the bag, yoga and capoeira – a type of martial art. Photo: Victoria's Secret/Instagram

“VS models all have different routines. Three months pre-show, they all increase their workout intensity. Adriana Lima admits she trains twice a day in the run-up – favouring boxing and jumping rope,” says Cross.

On her blog, Cross quotes Victoria’s Secret creative director, Sophia Neophitou-Apostolou, saying: “It’s really like being an Olympian – they have to be in peak condition.”

And as Cross learnt for herself, looking like a past or present Angel, such as Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Adriana Lima, Gisele Bundchen, Helena Christensen or Miranda Kerr, is no stroll through a meadow.

SO WHAT’S INVOLVED?

Genetics do play a role, says Cross. “Victoria’s Secret requires all its Angels to be 5-foot 9-inches tall and have 24-inch waists.”

But that’s just the beginning. To be a Victoria’s Secret model, you also need 18 per cent body fat or lower, says Cross.

At 5ft 9in with a 26-inch waist, Cross already had the fundamentals when starting the programme, but at 22.2 per cent body fat, she had a way to go before reaching Victoria’s Secret standards.

She was told by personal trainer Dan Roberts, who works with the models, that she needed glutes “as solid as concrete”, sharply-defined obliques, muscles in her skinny arms “to get the Gisele-esque lines” and more definition in her thighs.

Before starting the programme Poppy Cross was already very slim, but afterwards gained more lean muscle. 

That meant a lot of weight training, including dead-lifts, weighted lunges, tricep dips and press-ups. After one month she was physically and mentally exhausted, but by month three she was deadlifting 72kg.

One of the brand’s most famous angels, Alessandra Ambrosio, has said “you put all your mind, all your everything” into the role.

She tries to work out at least once a day, alternating between a lot of weights and then no weights at all. She throws in some ballet, and is a huge fan of pilates, spin classes and yoga. She also spends time running after her two kids and playing with them in the pool.

WHAT ABOUT DIET?

Foodwise, Cross was put on a calorie-restricted high-fat, high-protein, low-carb diet, which meant chicken, fish or beef with almost every meal. Sugar was out, including fruit. Vegetables were allowed initially, but on the pre-catwalk diet, it was all proteins and fats, she wrote in The Mail on Sunday. “Extreme low-carb diets push the body into a state called ketosis, which means that it primarily burns fat for energy.”

Her diet, devised by nutritionist Dr Charles Passler who also works with the models, ensured she had the nutrients required to be healthy.

By the end of the programme, Cross got down to 17 per cent body fat. Because she’d garnered so much lean muscle, she didn’t lose weight, but dropped at least a dress size and shrunk her waist.

In her blog, she says even her cholesterol levels came down marginally. Coupled with her lower glucose levels, that meant a healthier metabolic profile.

SO THE UPSHOT?

At the end of her challenge, Cross felt “healthier, fitter and firmer, which is a positive result”.

She’s also learnt how much time and effort is needed to build lean muscle. “Anyone who thinks that the VS models rely solely on starvation and genetics is wrong,” says Cross in her blog.

So then, given the hard graft, should any of us look on in envy when the Angels strut their stuff, or rather count ourselves lucky as we scoff our chips and dip?

“If you want to make it your career then you could train like them! It’s actually a privilege to look after your body on that scale and feel so physically fit,” she told Stuff.

In her blog, she says the hours and dedication required to be VS catwalk-ready would be impossible to maintain if you have a job, family or want an enriching social life (ie. where you can eat whatever arrives on your dinner plate).

Cross says even Adriana Lima claims to only do strict diets before a show – “after the show, I become normal again” – whatever “normal” may constitute for the likes of a super-being like Lima. Via stuff.co.nz

Jari Love – original creator of  Get RIPPED! DVD series and group exercise classes. The hot-selling and critically acclaimed Get RIPPED! series enables individuals of any fitness level to burn up to three times more calories than the traditional weight-training program, and has received rave reviews from fitness critics throughout North America since the first title debuted in late 2005.

Be Careful with These Fruits...

by Jari Love

Are the cookies, cake, or candy that is sitting somewhere in the kitchen or in your office break room tempting you? Are you trying desperately to fit back into your old pants, but craving something sweet? You’ve decided to skip the “treats”, but what do you reach for? A bit of fruit would be a good choice, but there are good choices and bad choices where fruits are concerned.

Realistically, there are no truly "bad" fruits. However, there are some fruits that have higher sugar content than others and should not be eaten in any substantial quantities. There are also ways that fruit can be prepared that can make them actually "fattening".

As an example, a fruit that is very high in sugar is the mango while a fruit very low in sugar is the raspberry. There are fruits in the "mid-range" where sugar content is concerned, such as the peach or the blueberry, and those "fairly" high such as the kiwi or the pineapple.

Eating these delicious sweets will not do your diet much harm if consumed in "moderation". That would mean one or two servings of any fruit during any given day. So, it would be safe to say that a banana at breakfast, and a cup of blueberries stirred into plain yogurt as a snack or dessert would be ideal. Any more than that and you are upping your carbohydrate intake and potentially sabotaging the diet.

Which fruits, then, are actually "bad"? As stated, it is the way that fruits are handled or processed that can make them bad for you. As an example, dried fruit is the same as saying "concentrated sugar" because of the processing of the fresh fruit. The simplest example is grape versus raisins or dried versus fresh dates. Either way, you are increasing the sugar and caloric intake by many times over. The same can be said of packaged fruit and fruit juices that are often sweetened and dramatically higher in calories and carbohydrates than fresh options.

Fruit itself is nutrient and fiber dense and good for you. Go with two to three servings of fresh fruit, at the most, every day and you won't have any trouble.

Belly Bloat Solutions

by Jari Love

Looking to trim down to get fit and have that flat belly? Sometimes it’s “easier said than done.” It may not be the extra weight around the midsection that is preventing you from enjoying a trim and toned tummy!

There are foods, eating habits, and other issues that can lead to a bit of bloat, and all of the crunches and abdominal exercises in the world won't overcome them. So, if you want to get that flat stomach for the upcoming beach weather or just so you can feel more comfortable in your everyday clothing, follow our belly bloat solutions:

• Too much fiber too fast - If you have just started a diet in order to shed some weight, you may have added too much fiber, too quickly. As an example, if you switched from white to whole grain bread and rice, added a few cups of fresh raw vegetables, and a serving of lentils or beans to each day's food - well, you are definitely going to be bloated until your digestive tract adjusts. Slow it down on the fiber, add it slowly, drink lots of water, and get plenty of exercise. In as little as two or three weeks you should be able to go "full fiber" without any troubles.

• Swallowing air – Have you been using a straw to drink water or beverages, talking while eating, chewing gum, or consuming soda and carbonated beverages? Any of these behaviors can allow you to swallow gas and trap air in your belly! This has to make its way through the entire system, and along the trip, it is going to cause belly bloat.

• Forbidden foods - Do you have lactose intolerance? Perhaps you get a bit of bloat when you eat foods containing gluten? Many people with unexplained bloating are witnessing the results of intolerance. Issues like celiac disease cause irritation and an inability for the intestines to absorb nutrients, and this leads to bloating.

There are other issues that might give you an undesirable "pooch" in the upper or lower abdominal area. Fortunately, you can often begin to address this by making changes such as those above, drinking plenty of water, and getting at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. These behaviors ensure that your digestive system is functioning properly and that your entire abdominal area remains as flat as possible.

Big Muscles Burn Big Calories

by Jari Love

Why do muscle builders eat so many calories? Some people believe that a person who wants to build up a lot of muscle has to maintain a much higher body weight. To a degree that is true, but there is also something about being very muscular that you may not know. What is it? The more well-developed muscle your body has, the more calories you burn every day! A body builder workouts ends up burning through a lot more calories because of the muscles and the exercise.

If you’re looking to boost the way your body burns up calories, it is best to consider building up your muscles too. One of the simplest ways to do this is through "interval" and "cross" training. However, you can take things one step farther and target the largest muscle groups in order to get maximum results and calorie burning.

This should be great news to those who are looking to develop a very attractive bottom or butt because the gluteus maximus, and surrounding muscles of the legs are considered the "biggest" muscles of the body. Doing exercises and training that target these areas is a surefire way of toning and lifting even a saggy bottom, but also a way of gaining maximum calorie burn throughout every day.

The exercises that will generate the best results will include lunges, squats, deadlifts, kneeling kickbacks, bridges and of course some cardio workouts each day. Around thirty minutes of brisk cardio is great for the entire body!

Developing a circuit of exercises targeting the glutes will definitely yield results; however, they will not be "overnight" and require about four weeks for true definition to be developed. Adhering to proper form is key in any exercise routine, and particularly with something like squats and lunges. This is because you are aiming to develop the right muscles but also trying to protect joints during each routine. Choose your favorite type of squat and lunge - or blend a few such as plie squats and side lunges or split squats and weight lunges - and do that half of an hour of cardio and you will soon burn up major calories and get the best bottom of your life.

Five Things Slowing Your Weight Loss

by Jari Love

Some of the most common experiences to those looking to lose weight are exercising, dieting and resisting temptation to eat whatever you want. And then there is this less than pleasant moment: You step on the scale and see that your weight has not changed, or (gasp!) has gone up since the week before.

However, before you throw in the towel and insist that you just won't ever lose that weight, stop and consider ways you may be sabotaging your diet:

• Exercising, but NOT really exercising - Some people try to chalk up those two daily walks with the dog as exercise. Some think that household chores are a good stand in for the four-mile walk, and some just don't exercise on a consistent basis. Any of these mistakes can slow your weight loss efforts. Instead, make a point of doing at least 30 minutes of rigorous cardio exercise (brisk walking, jogging, cycling, etc.) every single day.

• Not sleeping enough - No matter what people say or think, you really do need eight hours of sleep at night. When you do not get enough sleep, it boosts the stress and strain on the body (since sleep is the body's chance to refresh and restore). This creates cortisol, which is a hormone that is associated with weight gain, and which is often a byproduct of inadequate sleep.

• Not enough water - Your body has a long list of reasons that it might retain water. One way to overcome most of these reasons (apart from exercising each day) is to drink a lot of water. The old adage is that the "more you put in, the more you release" and someone who attentively consumes eight glasses of water each day is going to shed just as much fluid - if not more.

• Those healthy snacks are not so great - That handful (or two or three) of trail mix each day could be a real saboteur. Dried fruit is good, nuts are great, but combined into a tempting treat they pack serious calories. A single cup of typical trail mix can have 500 calories and more than 15 grams of fat. Granola bars, whole grain muffins, smoothies...these can all be part of your weight problems.

Do any of these sound familiar? If so, you may be struggling to lose weight because of them. Making small changes of this kind can instantly boost your weight loss results and help get you back on track!

Foods to Avoid When Bloating is a Concern

by Jari Love

There are foods that can cause gas and bloating. For example, dried beans are notorious for this because they break down so slowly and can interact with the natural bacteria in our intestines to create tremendous amounts of gas and bloating. This is too bad because they are so incredibly healthy for us to consume on a regular basis. The same can be said of lentils and the cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, and cabbage.

Then there are foods that cause us to “bloat” for other reasons. For some of them, it is actually due to a very harmful bodily reaction or response. Though we may want to avoid bloat in order to keep our stomachs lean and trim, it is also good to know how to avoid bloating in order to remain optimally healthy too.

Consider these foods and how they lead to bloating:

• Dairy and gluten - Undiagnosed food allergies, intolerance, and diseases are a common cause for bloating. Someone with lactose intolerance is going to experience bloating as a common problem whenever they eat dairy products of almost any kind. The good news is that lactose free versions of many foods are available. The same can be said of gluten, and anyone with a diagnosis of gluten intolerance or celiac disease must not consume foods with this protein.

• Sugar substitutes - Whether it is "fake" sugar in your morning coffee, sugarless gum, or diet soda, the use of any artificial sweetener can easily be the biggest cause of your bloating issues. This is due to the sugar alcohols used, but many people are just sensitive to the chemical concoctions known as "artificial sweeteners" and may experience rather extreme reactions that can range from cramps and bloating to diarrhea and worse.

• Fiber - We all need and benefit from fiber. It helps us to feel fuller longer, which is good for weight loss or maintenance, and it keeps the digestive system running optimally because it absorbs water and creates bulk that is extremely healthy. However, it can also take a very long time to digest, interacting with healthy bacteria and creating a lot of gas. This leads to bloat as well as other issues.

Naturally there are other foods that can cause bloating (think beer, soda, high carbohydrate foods), but the three groups above are the guiltiest of them all. Reducing or eliminating them from your diet is often the best solution.

Gluten Free...Good or Not?

by Jari Love

There is a lot of discussion regarding "gluten free". It is important to understand it clearly in order to make the right decisions about "going gluten free". If you are someone with intolerance to the protein known as gluten, there are far more "pros" than "cons" in pursuing a truly gluten free diet.

Does this mean that those without any sort of gluten-related issues should not go gluten free? Let's answer that by looking at the reasons that gluten is such a commonly discussed topic.

One in Every One Hundred and Thirty-Three

It is estimated that 1 in every 133 people are intolerant to gluten. What this means is that they are not technically "allergic" to it, but that their bodies are not recognizing it once they ingest it. For some, it causes digestive upset in the same way that lactose might disrupt the digestion of someone who has lactose intolerance. There is bloating, gassiness, and even extreme problems like diarrhea. For others, there are no signs at all, but damage is done all the same.

Gluten intolerance can manifest in the form of a chronic disease known as celiac disease or celiac sprue. There are millions of people with this autoimmune disorder, and many may not even realize they have it. The symptoms can remain "hidden" because they could be limited strictly to scarring or irritation in the small intestine. This leads to mal-absorption and that can lead to a lot of trouble. It can also lead to a long list of associated symptoms such as IBS, chronic digestive problems, weight gain or loss, and so on. Over the long term, untreated gluten intolerance and celiac disease can lead to many health issues.

So, when diagnosed with any type of gluten related digestive concern, the only way to maintain health is to eliminate it from the diet altogether. This will result in immediate improvements in overall health, and many people are more energized, clearer in their thinking, and even gain or lose weight because their body is finally getting nutrients delivered properly.

However, there is a "downside" to gluten free living, and it has to do with the elimination of the most common grains and all of the nutrients and dietary fiber they deliver. The truly gluten free lifestyle contains no wheat, rye, barley or other grains. This can make it challenging to get adequate fiber, and eating "substitutes" such as pre-made gluten free breads or baked goods can be even worse than a steady diet of junk food. This is because they are often loaded with sugar, fat, and "fillers".

To go gluten free because you have to is good, but it is not a smart way of losing weight or dieting if you do not need to remove gluten simply because nutrients and fiber may be difficult to replace.

How NOT to Lose Weight

by Jari Love

So much of what we do (or do not do) is "in the mind". It is entirely possible to sabotage our best efforts right from the start. Take dieting...we might schedule ourselves to begin a diet on Monday morning and by Monday afternoon we truly believe that if we cannot have that cake/cookie/candy/pizza/etc. we are going to lose our minds.

It is a trick of the mind that makes the "forbidden" things the most desirable things.

This tells us that our minds can be one of the biggest hurtles that we have when weight loss is concerned. Just consider these things that we can "convince ourselves" of:

I just ate, so I can't exercise

I am too tired now, I'll get up and exercise in the morning

I have to lose all of this weight within the next few weeks

I ate one cookie I might as well forget about it and eat the whole bag

I am so upset about work today that I am going to eat my body weight in ice cream when I get home

Yes, these things, and many more like them, race through the minds of millions of dieters every single day. They are just a few of the reasons or ways that people don't lose weight and yet they are all "of the mind".

Emotional eating, procrastination, and lack of concern about consequences are all saboteurs to our diets. However, simply knowing that you might be your own worst enemy is a very good tactic for success.

When you decide that you are truly going to commit to a diet it is helpful to know in advance that you may find yourself struggling with many of the challenges we listed above. If you accept these things as fact, it then becomes possible to develop methods for overcoming them.

Let's review those thoughts, and consider how to handle them if they arise:

I just ate, so I can't exercise - Call a friend or choose an exercise buddy who won't let you get away with this.

I am too tired now, I'll get up and exercise in the morning - You will feel worse for not going, so give yourself a moment and then head out the door.

I have to lose all of this weight within the next few weeks - This is unrealistic and not a feasible way to set goals - calculate one to three pounds per week and then choose your "deadline".

I ate one cookie I might as well forget about it and eat the whole bag - One cookie is easy to recover from, a train wreck is not. It was a mistake, move on!

I am so upset about work today that I am going to eat my body weight in ice cream when I get home - Emotional eating leads to worse emotional stress. Take a hot bath, a long walk, or keep a single "emergency" chocolate on hand for such moments.

There will be many reasons NOT to lose weight, don't allow yourself to be one of them!