Michael Rapson - Fitness & Nutrition Coach

10/31/2021

10/28/2021

Nutrition is the key factor in reducing body fat. Meaning, cutting enough calories with high nutrient lower calorie foods so that you don’t feel like your are hungry because you are still eating enough to keep satiated.

However, this isn’t the whole picture. The body has an incredible ability to slow metabolism if it doesn’t think it’s getting enough resources.

The trick with this is to be able burn more calories than consumed so the body must tap into its fat stores for the extra energy it needs, while also believing that it is still getting enough nutrients to maintain bodily functions.

Too drastic of a change in calorie deficit can cause metabolism to slow down. So the better option is to reduce in small increments.

Healthy weight loss shouldn’t exceed more than two pounds per week. And the average exists around 0.5-1 lbs per week.

If you decide that you want to lose weight, then a calorie reduction of 250-500 calories per day should be ideal.

There are a few ways to do this. First is exercise that burns 250-500 extra calories per day without changing calorie consumption. 2nd is eating 250-500 calories less per day without changing exercise levels. 3rd is doing a combination of exercise and food reduction.

The route is up to you. Note though, that by doing things that raise your metabolism (ie. Resistance training, exercise) will make the process of getting leaner more optimal. And depending on how your body works, sometimes eating less isn’t the way. Sometimes eating more will help boost metabolism..

Experiment with different protocols and see what works best for you.

There are many ways to achieve fat loss, but the timeline presented here gives you a rough idea for how long it should take. Also note, often times it’s not going to be a linear scale going down. There will be fluctuations up and down as time proceeds. Be patient with yourself, stay the course, and results will come.

Have questions? Please ask.

12/07/2020

Getting into a routine or starting one can be a challenge. When setting up a routine, keep it simple and easy to follow.

Since the whole shutdown happened, my routine was made up as I went. And I neglected myself in the process.

I decided this has to end. (Making a decision is the first step, next step is follow through).

Today I started back taking care of me. You might be thinking, “you’re a coach, you should have this down!” Yes, I do help people with fitness and nutrition, but I am also normal. Okay, maybe a little abnormal, and who isn’t?

So stepping up my fitness to lose the fat I gained has climbed it’s way back up the priority list.

I don’t usually set goals for myself. I find goals stressful and I usually set them too high because I expect a lot from myself. Instead, I set guidelines. Things I’m willing to do and things I’m not. This takes the stress out of not meeting a certain expectation (goal), and puts things into a priority list and guidelines I can easily follow.

One guideline when I start back up for workouts is to not make it too hard. Basic compounds movements that includes leg dominant, hip dominant, pulls, pushes, and core stabilization is where I start. Essentially sticking with foundational movements.

Today’s workout for example;

1a) Step downs from bench (focusing on keeping total control of the movement while maintaining balance and concentration on the working leg)

1b) 3 Point Row (core stabilization is also focused)

2a) Hip thrusts with sand bag
2b) Single arm lat pull down w/ band

3a) Incline dumbbell press
3b) High Row w/ band

4a) Overhead press w/ band (focusing on core engagement to not let back arch and full lockout in overhead with a focus on shoulder blade stability)

4b) Dead bugs (core stabilization)

All are done in 3 sets at 10 reps with no rest. (Ie. 1a and 1b 3x10, then 2a and 2b, etc)

The focus of the workout is to keep heart rate elevated at a slightly uncomfortable level while the muscles still get enough resistance to elicit adequate stress. This workout has both aerobic and anaerobic qualities, but not so hard that it isn’t enjoyable.

Starting routines off easier and working up to a higher level over time allows your body to adapt and you don’t feel like you got hit by truck during or after your workout.

The real trick with healthy living is to be patient with yourself. There are set backs and there are glorifying wins. It’s an ever learning process, and adaptations occur throughout your lifetime. And if fitness wasn’t high on your priority list for some time, you can change that. You are in control. It’s up to you to decide what you want, set guidelines for yourself, and go for it!

09/22/2020

The first thing to understanding how to lose fat is knowing how the body actually burns calories! This is called metabolism; the chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life. This is profoundly important.

The largest percentage of your total metabolism (60-70%) is your RMR or BMR. This is the number of calories your body burns at rest.

The next part of your metabolism is the Thermal effect of food. This is basically the energy it takes to process food above your RMR. It accounts for about 10-20% of your metabolism.

Lastly, the balance of your body’s calories comes from activity, 20-30%. I hope you can see now the importance of each and the detriment of a fat loss program that does not consider each aspect of your metabolism.

Here is a summary:

Metabolism=

60-70% Resting Metabolic Rate
20-30% Activity Induced
10% Diet induced

Most trainers, weight loss programs and every other idea under the sun will immediately lead you to believe that if you eat only the calories to match or even go under your RMR will definitely cause you to lose weight (only egg whites and broccoli too) by using all your other calories to create the massive deficit. This is WRONG.

While you do need a gap it should be from a combination of all 3 areas of metabolism. If you eat too little calories for any length of time, you will actually SLOW your metabolic processes and fail in the long run. Most people call those plateaus. It’s really called a failed plan.

Learning how to eat is the first step. Next, is using exercise to create muscle to increase your RMR. Do both together, and it's a win-win.

* Need a plan that actually works? Until 9/30/20 you can get nutrition coaching for only $37/month!!! Message me now to get started!

07/13/2020

Simple Tasty chicken with a bit of a kick:

Ingredients:

Chicken, *Sea Salt, *Pepper, *Paprika, *Crushed red pepper. *(season to desired taste)

Bake or cook on stove top.

I use boneless chicken breasts cut into 1” thick strips and cook in a frying pan. By doing this, they will take less time to cook, saving you time and energy costs. Great warm and cold. Cook a little extra and store in a container in the fridge, so if you want a quick snack you’ll have something easy and satisfying as a quick go to.

03/16/2020

With everything shutting down, that doesn't mean you can't still work on your health and fitness goals at home.

Tips:

1. Eat slowly - This will help to recognize fullness cues, and in turn help you to eat less. Because food may be limited, it could help you to ration food out for longer.

2. Eat to 80% full or satisfied. Usually the hunger cue on a scale of 1-10, will be at around a 2 to signal satisfied.

3. Only eat when you are absolutely hungry. Try not to let boredom set in and in turn go for food to keep you occupied. We can go a lot longer without food than we think. On a scale of 1-10, eat at around a 7 or 8. Hunger comes in waves, and usually it's most strong at the 4 or 5 hour mark. If you can make it past that, the hunger cues will go down. Again, when you eat, eat until satisfied but not stuffed.

4. Keep exercising. Exercise will help to boost the immune system if it's not too strenuous. You can do things like squats, lunges, push-ups. single arm rows with a weighted duffel bag, overhead presses with household items, hip thrusts, and ab exercises like bird dogs, planks/side planks, dead bugs, etc., and full body exercises like burpees, turkish get ups, etc.

4. Proteins and veggies will help keep you fuller for longer. Plus, they will help keep your nutrients high for recovery and immune response.

5. Any time meals could include proteins, veggies, and fats when you aren't working hard or needing that extra energy. If you need carbs, put them around your high energy tasks like your workouts and cut back on the fats while still including proteins and veggies.

If you need help with anything or have questions, please reach out to me. I am more than happy to help.

01/28/2020

Put a plant based eater and meat based eater in the same room and have them talk about nutrition, you'll get a heated debate.

"Meat causes cancer!"

"If you're vegan you won't get enough B12!"

"If you eat that and this....and blah blah blah."

Which is truly better?

Well, it depends....

One thing for certain is that whole foods are better for you than processed.

Read to find out more. Great article.

Some vegans believe meat causes cancer and destroys the planet. But meat-eaters often argue that giving up animal foods leads to nutritional deficiencies. Both sides say their approach is healthier. What does science say? And how can you best help clients, no matter what their dietary preferences? K...

01/09/2020

"I need someone to slap the bad food out of my hand when I go to eat it!"

This is something I hear A LOT.

A friend sent me a video of a jacked trainer following his client to a donut place and then the trainer kicking the newly purchased donuts out of his clients hands and proceeded to yell at him. The trainer did it because he cared. But I don't think this is a great solution for the long term.

Because....

We should all take responsibility for our own actions. We won't have that extra person with us 100% of the time to tell us what to eat and what not to eat to lead to goals.

However, 100% of the time we are with ourselves.

There a few questions I ask myself when I am going to purchase something or making a decision on something.

1. Is this something I want or something I need? (This will determine the value you place on it)

2. Is this bringing me closer or taking me away from who I want to become or see myself as? (Self beliefs and values are key here.)

3. Do I need more education on this to make more informed decisions? (Education is great, and applied education is better.)

There are many more questions I ask myself as I go along, but these first 3 are important. Especially, number one.

I am huge on being self reliant. After all, every choice has a bad or good consequence. It's the decision you make that determines this.

Though, all great things are not achieved alone. This is why I seek out more education constantly, and learn from others as much as possible.

So if you don't have that person in your life who will slap that food out of your hand, then you are going to have to do it yourself. Because that you is saying that particular food is not of the highest value to you.

And if you need and want the help for more education on what and how to take control, I have a solution for you. All you have to do is take that next step and ask me.

01/04/2020

I've been asking the question the last few days "What's your New Years resolution?"

The response?

"I'm not making one."

A lot of people have caught on that making a resolution that you are unwilling to stick with, doesn't work. So instead of making one, they opt out of it all together as to not disappoint themselves.

The problem?

By opting out, they aren't really setting any expectations either. So by doing the same things that they are doing, it's expected the same results.

So what if you did make a resolution?

Do you have a plan in place to achieve it?

I'll let you in on a not so secret secret.

What we want to have is awesome, and we try to get there too fast. Meaning we try to do too many things at once.

Do yourself a favor. Break down that goal into small sections where you work on one thing at a time and build upon the last.

Doing this may take longer, but you are more likely to reach your goal and make it sustainable.

And often, going slow is the fastest way to get there.