Posts tagged as:

lose weight

Top 5 Nutrition Books

by Rob on April 29, 2012

Have you ever been into the nutrition section of the bookstore? There are hundreds of books on different diets and eating plans. All claiming that their way of eating is THE way of eating. How can they all be right? And how do you know which one to choose?

Nutrition is an area of science where you can prove opposing theories because the variable is the human body, and every body is different. So what I eat to keep me happy and healthy is going to be a little different than what you eat; and what you eat will be slightly different than what your neighbor eats.

The best thing to do is experiment with many different ways of eating and see what works best for you based on your body and health goals. Below is a list of some of my favorite nutrition books. As you read through them, notice: What things are the same? What things are different?

1. The Energy Balance Diet by Joshua Rosenthal – Balance is the goal when it comes to nutrition. This book will help you find that balance and relax so you can find a way of eating that works for you.

2. Nourishing Wisdom by Marc David – Connection with your own body wisdom is essential to finding a way of eating that is right for you. Marc will give you tips on how to get there.

3. Thrive and Thrive Fitness by Brendan Brazier – Brendan is a committed high raw vegan triathlete. If he doesn’t know how to combine vegan nutrition and exercise, who does?

4. Self Healing Cookbook by Kristina Turner – Best book I have read on incorporating grains and whole foods in an intuitive and simple way.

5. Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink – So much of the time we eat while doing several other things. No wonder we end up eating more than we need and feeling unsatisfied. The tools in this book will really help.

Post by:

Christy Meyers

Certified Holistic Health Counselor

To get further support with incorporating these tips into your life and reaching your health goals,
email Christy at info@howtochow.com, or visit www.HowToChow.com and How to Chow on Facebook.

{ 0 comments }

5 Secrets to Successful Resolutions

by Rob on December 8, 2011

Happy Holidays! It’s that magical time of year when there seems to be a party every day of the week and an endless amount of baked goods at the work place. This doesn’t help us if our goal is to make it through the holidays without gaining unwanted weight. If you’re like the rest of us, you’ve gained a couple pounds and veered off your fitness path and into uncharted territory. Here’re 5 secrets to help you stick to your fitness resolutions.

1. Don’t Rush into Anything – It’s really important to ease into a routine that is doable. We get so ambitious after the New Year that we tend to jump into an old routine we remember or try to fill every free moment with some kind of exercise. I’m just as guilty as anyone when it comes to overloading my schedule and burning out. The trick is learning from that and not making the same mistake. Decide how many times a week is not going to be an overload and start there. If after a few weeks you’re ready to take on more workouts, go for it.

2. Set Goals – Give yourself markers and deadlines. Whether your fitness goals are to lose a few pounds or gain some muscle mass or increase your stamina on the tennis court, you should have a clear vision of how to measure the success of that goal. You can take pictures of yourself, weigh in every week or do body circumference measurements. Which takes us in to the next point:

3. Make a Plan and Write it Down – Create a calender with all the workouts that you plan to do that month. All the workouts should be in accordance with your goals. For example, if you want to lose weight, your schedule should be predominantly cardio workouts, inter-spliced with toning circuit training routines. If you are not seeing results, don’t give up, just make the changes necessary to your workouts so you optimize your time working out.

4. Find a Friend to Join You – Sometimes getting started on something new is scary. It seems like everyone or at least most of the people that you know have some kind of New Year’s Resolution that has to do with fitness. It’s not going to be hard to find a friend or someone that works in your office, a co-worker, who’d be more than happy to partner up with you and get in shape in 2012.

5. Don’t be Fooled by the Quick Fix – Make the lifestyle change that will last the rest of your life, not the next couple weeks. Don’t even bother with these starve-yourself-diets or pills that are guaranteed to burn more calories. Who are we that we can’t be accountable for our actions? If I eat junk food and sit on the couch all day, do I deserve to have 6 pack abs and athletic legs? Don’t fool yourself into thinking a pill or some cayenne pepper and lemon juice is going to solve all your problems. Make a choice to live a healthy life style and then start introducing the right choices into your life one at a time. Soon you’ll realize there’s no more room for the things that aren’t healthy for you.

{ 0 comments }

Blog 9: Should I Run a Marathon With Open Sky Fitness?

by Rob on February 16, 2010

Check out Adams Pecs!

Week 5 is now finished, time is really flying, except when it comes to holding my body in PLANK position, then time seems to slow down and at some points during today’s workout, I was convinced it had stopped all together.

The work outs are definitely getting harder, and we’re focusing more on strength now then cardio. I’m still at 161 pounds, which seems to be a skinny as my body will go, so I guess my dream of getting down to my Bar Mitzvah weight is out the window.

The diet has become second nature for me…I whip up quinoa and protein shakes and salads in minutes, and always make 2 of everything for Katie to have too! She’s absolutely loving the diet and says I can never go back to bringing Oreo’s into the house ever again. Them is fightin’ words. But I obliged…hmrumph!

Blog 14: Jeff Lost 21 Pounds on the Sky Fit Challenge!

by Rob on November 5, 2009

Before The Sky Fit Challenge

Well, it’s the end of October and I’m basically done with the Sky Fit Challenge. What a journey it has been. No really, it has been a trek. I’ve had highs and lows, days when I feel great and days when I think there’s no way I can do this. There were weeks that took me out of town and derailed me but when I returned to L.A. I jumped right back into it. Rob made me do some sets where I called him very bad names and Christy put things into my diet that were tough to swallow (pun intended). However, let me say this, down over 20 pounds, seeing abs for the first time and just feeling great was so worth it. I owe the Sky Fit Challenge more than words can describe. During these 3 months I booked jobs on TV shows, worked around the world, made good money and slept better than ever! Christy made it possible that I was never really hungry (ate up to 5 meals a day) and with Rob’s workouts I was getting a great cardio and muscle routine at the same time. It never hurts to hear people tell you that you look great and notice you’ve lost weight. Honestly, it made me feel so much better about myself. A confidence grew over these last few months and the insecurities slowly started to go away.

The real push I will make for what Rob and Christy do and for the Sky Fit Challenge specifically is that it’s not hard to do this! There’s no Master cleanse where you starve yourself for 2 weeks, no boot-camp where someone is yelling in your ear and wont let you up until you finish 75 push ups, no stupid diet that just wont stick or workout that is made for olympians and no surgery that can have complications. Rob and Christy work with you, one on one and they design the plan for you! They listen. Each month is a step by step process and after a while it just becomes a part of your life. Foods start to taste better and workouts become something you look forward to.

Christy’s philosophy is to add healthy organic foods into your life, not take away everything you love. She gets you off the addiction of sugar filled foods and helps you make smart choices through the day. Caffeine, white sugar and white flour are all highly addictive drugs and the food media will do anything to keep you eating them. Working with Christy helps you break that cycle. She doesn’t use the word “diet.” Christy believes no “one” plan works for everyone, so she learns about you and your lifestyle and creates a plan that’s right for you.

Rob has been in and around gym’s for most of his life. Not only has he taken the classes and certifications that make him a highly knowledgeable Personal Trainer but his years of experience in the gym makes him great at what he does. What makes Rob’s training so unique is the way he thinks outside the box. The exercises are complex, fun and keep your heart rate up. He likes working outside, running stairs (oh those stairs), and creating different workouts that are diverse and work the whole body. Nothing about his workout sessions are boring. He pays attention, learns your body and gets you the results you’re looking for.

Okay, enough of those two. Their the best. Period. As for me? For the rest of my life I will have to fight off the love handles, going to Chili’s and sucking down their awesome blossom or eating to many cookies. Hell, things could be a lot worse. But, this week for the first time ever in my life, I don’t have to say maybe tomorrow I’ll get in shape or tomorrow I wont eat as much. My parents can’t say, “It’s in your genes, you’ll always be big.” I’m not quite as cute and cuddly anymore or whatever someone calls the fluffier people out there. Casting Directors can’t look at me and say to themselves, “he should loose a few.” That swim teacher when I was in middle school, that douche bag of a soccer coach, my sophomore college acting teacher they can all kiss my ass cause today I feel like Brando. Surely not as talented but maybe I could stand next to him, shirts off, in a 1953 casting call and feel proud. Some of you might here this and thinks it’s ridiculous but their my dreams and they mean the world to me.
Thanks for reading. More to come.

Brando At His Best

Meacham At His Best

{ 0 comments }

Blog 2: Week Two and 3 Pounds Down!!!

by Rob on July 28, 2009

The first week is in the books. How do I feel? What did I learn? Did my body change? So many questions!! It’s hard for me to say, I feel like a lot of things. First off, I do feel great and am excited for more. I worked out 3 days with Rob as well as 3 other days of cardio at his request. Friday was my day off. We worked outside in the morning at this beautiful park on 6th between Fairfax and LaBrea. I like the morning cause it’s not to hot yet but you still get a good sweat on.

Of the 3 days with Rob, the first was the toughest. Not because it was any harder than the other 2 days but because it was the first and my body was shocked to say the least. After Tuesday’s cardio, I was ready for workouts number two and three and by the end of the week I felt soar but really good! Friday was a much needed day off. I went away on business over the weekend but kept up with my cardio by running on the hotels treadmill. I’m actually a big fan of the treadmill, I can put on an action film and run forever. And when I say forever, I mean about 5 miles. I’m a work in progress. I say action film cause I’m an emotional guy and let me tell you running and crying is tough, same goes with laughing.

Something else I liked that Rob does is an active warmup. Instead of “stretching” we actively warmed the body up. Sit ups, squats, Jumping Jacks, etc. Really gets the body ready for what’s ahead. Their is also a set of long stairs at the park and without giving his workout away…he uses the stairs.
Skaters

So, I’m really pumped. I think I can do this. My main goal is to stay focused and consistent. Try not to miss a day with Rob and stick to the plan Christy and I have worked out with food.

As for the food, what a week! I’m no longer eating red meat, cut down my cookie intake, portion controlling and not eating past 8pm. You would think that’s a lot of change but it really doesn’t fell like it. They’re simple steps. Christy refuses to call it a diet. Instead she says were just adding foods into my daily routine. I like that. Doesn’t make me feel like I’m giving up to much, just enjoying healthier foods. PS- cutting out red meat was my choice. Read the book Skinny Bastard or Fast Food Nation and you’ll see why I stopped.

For my complete food blog go to www.howtochow.com

{ 0 comments }

Jeff Meacham: Sky Fit Challenger 1

by Jeff on July 21, 2009

Jeff Headshot 5 Hi. My name is Jeff Meacham and I’ll be taking the Sky Fit Challenge for the next 3 months and want to share my journey with you. Basically, it goes like this. I’m in decent shape, I work out, play sports but I also eat a lot and don’t stay consistent with my workout. So, that means the love handles don’t go away and that layer of fat doesn’t leave. So, what happens when I take my buddy the personal trainer (Rob Dionne) and my wife the Holistic Health Counselor (Christy Meyers) and have them put me on a 3 month plan? Listen, I’m not one to go crazy like Arnold in the 70′s and eat a full cow & protein shakes all day. I also don’t want to work out so hard that I throw up after the workout and can’t lift the cell phone to my ear for 3 hours. So what does it take? Portion control? No late night eating? Making sure I don’t cheat my workouts? etc, etc. Maybe? Or maybe it’s more than that. I don’t know, so that’s what I’m going to learn from these two pretty people and then share it with you.

Okay, so that’s my intro to what is going to happen. Here is more about me. I’m from the east coast but have lived in LA for 2 1/2 years. I, like so many in LA, am an actor and hoping to make it big. I’ve been married to a wicked awesome lady for 1 year but we have been together since 2002. I grew up in Connecticut and Florida, splitting time between my parents. School in FL, summers ad vacations in New England. I love movies, sports, my crazy family and having to shave my chest hair down cause I have Irish blood that gives you a hairy body and a thinning head. I went to college at SUNY Purchase and have a BFA in Acting. I just turned 30, enough said.

Day one was Monday July 20th. I started the day at 8am (waking up early is also a problem of mine) had a piece of Organic Spelt bread w/ hummus from the Hollywood Farmers Market and sliced cucumber. At 10am I did my first workout with Rob that consisted of Chest & Back workouts with abs & legs being a constant through the next 3 months. Rob works outside using bands, balls, stairs and a super cool homemade pull up bar. It was warm out but growing up on the humid east coast I did okay. By the end of the hour, my abs were soar, I was sweating up a storm and ready for more food and a cold shower. At 11:45 I made myself a post workout shake using Rice Day One Body Dream’s Chocolate Rice Drink, one scoop of Whey Protein Power (Biochem Raw Foods & Whey Vanilla flavor), berries and Vitality SuperGreen. For more info on that green drink or foods I’m eating go to Christy’s website www.howtochow.com. But no worries, as we go along, I’ll have more info for you on these products. Lunch was at 2:45. Salad with Chicken (the Chicken came from the Chicken guy at the Hollywood Farmers Mkt. It is unbelievable!). Dinner was at 7pm, we had Fish (on sale at Whole Foods) with roasted Sweet Potatoes and broccoli. Day one in the books. Feeling good, little soar.

Couple more things for you to know about me and this whole experiment. I love cookies, those are my nemesis and I will not give them up. So, I will help you and me by finding the best cookies in town that are not filled with sugar and processed junk. I know a lot of people work during the week and don’t have time for cooking all day. No worries, I’m going to search for all the best lunch & dinner places in LA with good , healthy, organic food cause Christy wont have it any other way. I’m not a wealthy person (at least not yet) so I will help you and me buy finding what is good for you but wont break the bank. As for the workouts, I have so much to learn from Rob and will share my new knowledge with you. As the weeks move along I will give you pics of my bodies progress and tell you what worked for me and what didn’t. Join in, read along and hopefully I can be proof that a little more effort and guidance from 2 people who have already changed so many lives can really make a difference for me.

Click here to read all of Jeff’s blog posts

{ 0 comments }

How Will Exercise Help Me Lose Weight Faster?

by Rob on January 26, 2009

In the last post I already covered how the concept of calorie counting works in regards to losing weight. Now lets say for example, you have just figured out that your body burns 2500 calories a day to maintain your weight and you’ve decided to consume 2000 calories a day to shed a couple pounds.

If you incorporate some form of 20 minute cardio or circuit type training into your daily routine, you could burn an extra 200 to 500 calories. Which will leave you with two options: 1. Loss weight even quicker or 2. Eat 200 to 500 calories extra a day. Either way you’re still losing weight.

The one thing all people who have lost weight and kept it off have in common is consistency. You must be consistent with diet as well as your exercise regiment. It’s a lifestyle change. You have to be dedicated to your new way of life or things will never change. And the amazing thing is, things will change.

I had a client once who for the first two months of training didn’t lose a pound. We were circuit training 3 times a week and he was doing cardio on his own 2-3 times a week. And still holding the same weight. We had discussed diet and calorie intake and he had assured me that he was eating properly. Nothing but chicken and veggies. Fruits and nuts as snacks. But still the weight was staying on. I told him he was not in control of his diet somehow and that he should finally consider keeping a food journal. With skepticism he agreed. I was excited to see what the result would be. Was he sneaking food and not telling me about it? I’d soon find out. A week went by and he had tallied his weekly intake. To my surprise he was eating exactly what he said he’d been eating, BUT twice as much as he should have. He had been consuming over 3000 calories a day. The only reason he wasn’t gaining weight was because of our workouts. No joke, the following week he lost ten pounds. He dropped his daily caloric intake to 2000 calories consistently for the next 9 months and lost a total of 60 pounds. Sometimes things just are that simple.

If carrying a food journal is not your thing, there are some free websites that allow you to type in your meals and it will calculate you caloric intake. They will as well factor in calories burned during work outs. Try this Food Journal Website. This is just one site. There are many other free sites to choose from. You should search around and find which one you are most compatible with. If you own the iphone this one is a free application.

{ 0 comments }

Getting Started…

by Rob on January 11, 2009

Getting started is without a doubt the most important step to achieving any goal. Step one is defining your goal. Do you want to just loose a few pounds? Tone up for the summer? Live a healthy life style? All of these are legitimate goals. Most of us want all of these things to some degree, so let’s say your goal is to lose weight as well as tone up.

So now that we’ve got the goal in mind lets get started. First you have to get a sense of what you are putting in your body on a day to day basis. Best way to do that is to keep a food journal. Write down everything you consume. From all major meals to a few carrots as a snack. You will need to find your high risk time frames, when you are temped to eat unhealthy. This will give you a tremendous advantage in the long run. You will notice almost immediately how much more conscious you are of what you are eating just by writing it down. So keep track. I will discuss in an upcoming blog what to do next with you diet.

Next is Cardio. Most people say they don’t really enjoy cardio. They think it’s this boring and they just don’t have the patience to sit on a machine for 45 minutes to an hour. The solution to that problem is… keep moving. If you can only stand to do 10 minute on the treadmill then do that. But then move directly to the bike. If that becomes tedious then move on the the olyptical after 10 minutes. Next thing you know you’ve just done a 30 minute workout and burned 500 calories. Congratulations! Another great way to do your cardio and have a good time is take classes. Most gyms offer a plethera of classes from cardio kick boxing to step, boot camp to yoga, etc. At some gyms it seems almost comical how may classes they offer. Personally I like going to all different classes to keep my body guessing.

Now the last piece of the puzzle: Weight Training. This is the part that I think scares people the most. Not knowing what to do in the gym is nothing to be ashamed of. I can’t think of one personal that I know that didn’t have someone teaching them how to work out the first time they went to the gym. It not something some people are just born with. They have to learn the right and the wrong ways just like everyone else. So be patient with your weight training. Don’t try to lift heavy just because the guy on the bench next to you is pushing up 275lb. Take your time to progress. Follow my blog and I’ll lead you in a safe and effective way to get the results you want.

{ 0 comments }