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How I Track My Body Progress 2020-11

The post How I Track My Body Progress 2020-11 appeared first on Stephane Andre.

Follow this method on how I track my body progress with a low budget. Each month photos, measurements, and body fat(%) show me where I am in my evolution to reach my Golden Ratio. I take my results in the morning with my stomach empty or a glass of water. I calculate my body fat ( %) with the 1 site skinfold measurement (fat caliper) and I use the caliper’s chart.

Low budget tools for your body progress

I have been using these tools for years and they’re good indicators to see your progress. It’s easy to use and quick. No need to go to a special place to get the results, you can do it at home. (Body tape measure/skinfold caliper/body fat measurement chart picture)

My current state

Height : 175 cm (5 ft 8.8 in)

Weight : 86.3 kg (190.25 lbs)

Body fat(%) : 10.5 %

Waist : 91 cm (35.82 in)

Chest : 100 cm (39.37 in)

Arms : 34.5 cm (13.58 in)

Forearms : 29.5 cm (11.61 in)

Shoulders : 121 cm (47.63 in)

Hips : 97.5 cm (38.38 in)

Thighs : 60.5 cm (23.81 in)

Calves : 40.5 cm (15.94 in)

Neck : 39 cm (15.35 in)

My Goals (Golden Ratio)

Height : 175 cm (5 ft 8.8 in)

Weight : 80 kg (176.37)

Body fat(%) : 8 %

Waist : 75.07 cm (29.55 in)

Chest : 107.25 cm (42.22 in)

Arms : 39.93 cm (15.72 in)

Forearms : 31.63 cm (12.45 in)

Shoulders : 121.47 cm (47.82 in)

Hips : 91.16 cm (35.88 in)

Thighs : 61 cm (24.01 in)

Calves : 39.61 cm (15.59 in)

Neck : 39.68 cm (15.62 in)

And you? Do you track your body’s progress? Have you defined your new goal? If you need help calculating your weight to be in shape, click here.

Subscribe to my newsletter and share this article if you think it can help someone you know. Thank you.

-Steph

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How To Find Your Healthy Body Fat

The post How To Find Your Healthy Body Fat appeared first on Stephane Andre.

Each new year and each spring, some people decide to lose weight. They can find lots of advice, but what does losing weight mean? Is it to lose body fat? Is it to lose weight on the scales? Or something else?

Have you noticed that you can find two people of the same height and weight but with different bodies? For example, one is fat and the other athletic. This distinct body shape is due to the fact that a person has more fat than muscle and the other has more muscle than fat.

Fat is an essential part of your body to survive and create several types of hormones. There is a misunderstanding about this and many people think that fat is bad. 3 fast fat loss facts can help you use fat in your favor. But in a consumer society, eating more than you need is a sport and it makes people fat. There is a range of body fat percentages ranging from lean to above average. Of course, genetics, bone structure, gender, and level of exercise also influence it.

Body fat percentage for women

20-40 years old:

Low fat: under 21 percent

Healthy: 21-33 percent

Overweight: 33-39 percent

Obese: Over 39 percent

41-60 years old:

Low fat: under 23 percent

Healthy: 23-35 percent

Overweight: 35-40 percent

Obese: over 40 percent

61-79 years old:

Low fat: under 24 percent

Healthy: 24-36 percent

Overweight: 36-42 percent

Obese: over 42 percent

Body fat percentage for men

20-40 years old:

Low fat: under 8 percent

Healthy: 8-19 percent

Overweight: 19-25 percent

Obese: over 25 percent

41-60 years old:

Low fat: under 11 percent

Healthy: 11-22 percent

Overweight: 22-27 percent

Obese: over 27 percent

61-79 years old:

Low fat: under 13 percent

Healthy: 13-25 percent

Overweight: 25-30 percent

Obese: over 30 percent

Having several measurement tools allows you to have the most precise data possible. A bathroom scale is not enough to get in shape. You must have something else to know about your muscle/fat ratio.

Tracking your progress is great for seeing your progress and keeping you motivated. I use low budget tools to do this, so if you want more details read how I track my body progress 2020-04.

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-Steph

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How I Track My Body Progress 2020-03

The post How I Track My Body Progress 2020-03 appeared first on Stephane Andre.

Follow this method on how I track my body progress with a low budget. Each month photos, measurements and body fat(%) show me where I am in my evolution to reach my Golden Ratio. I take my results in the morning with my stomach empty or a glass of water. I calculate my body fat ( %) with the 1 site skinfold measurement (fat caliper) and I use the caliper’s chart.

Low budget tools for your body progress

I have been using these tools for years and they’re good indicators to see your progress. It’s easy to use and quick. No need to go to a special place to get the results, you can do it at home.

My current state

Height : 175 cm (5 ft 8.8 in)

Weight : 83.6 kg (184.30 lbs)

Body fat(%) : 10.5 %

Waist : 90 cm (35.43 in)

Chest : 98 cm (38.58 in)

Arms : 34 cm (13.38 in)

Forearms : 29 cm (11.41 in)

Shoulders : 120 cm (47.24 in)

Hips : 97.5 cm (38.38 in)

Thighs : 61 cm (24.01 in)

Calves : 40 cm (15.74 in)

Neck : 39 cm (15.35 in)

My Goals (Golden Ratio)

Height : 175 cm (5 ft 8.8 in)

Weight : 80 kg (176.37)

Body fat(%) : 8 %

Waist : 75.07 cm (29.55 in)

Chest : 107.25 cm (42.22 in)

Arms : 39.93 cm (15.72 in)

Forearms : 31.63 cm (12.45 in)

Shoulders : 121.47 cm (47.82 in)

Hips : 91.16 cm (35.88 in)

Thighs : 61 cm (24.01 in)

Calves : 39.61 cm (15.59 in)

Neck : 39.68 cm (15.62 in)

And you? Do you track your body’s progress? Have you defined your new goal? If you need help calculating your weight to be in shape, click here.

Subscribe to my newsletter and share this article if you think it can help someone you know. Thank you.

-Steph

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Never underestimate the influences of sleep on training

The post Never underestimate the influences of sleep on training appeared first on Stephane Andre.

Sleep quality is as important as the quality of food for an active and healthy life. When you don’t sleep well, it influences your training. It also affects the course of a day in different areas.

Many factors cause people to sleep less and over time they can develop into bad habits. We live in a consumer society that is becoming more and more competitive. Sometimes you have to stay up late for different reasons. It can be for your work, to fix something in your house or to see what’s new on the Internet / social media. Either way, you have chosen to assign more importance to these tasks than your hours of sleep.

Side effects of sleep less

Here is a list of the consequences of sleep deprivation:

Low energy

It’s impossible to be 100% in your training with low energy. Once you’re full of energy, you can do more repetitions and progress. You can even lift more weight and set a new record. But if you don’t have all the energy, maintaining performance from the last time should be the best plot. This is unfortunately not the case.

Bad mood

Bad sleep, bad mood, bad day. You’re more irritable and more nervous because your body hasn’t created enough serotonin. A training session can help you improve your mood. It influences your brain to give the order to produce endorphins. But if you don’t train, you’ll keep your bad mood.

Be lazy

When you wake up and don’t get enough sleep, you feel tired and unmotivated. You want to save the little energy you have, so you do the least during the day. A workout makes you consume a lot of energy, but if you don’t have enough, you’ll skip it.

Loss of focus

When you’re tired, it’s difficult to stay focused for a long time. Sometimes when I train and I’m a little tired, I decrease the intensity of my workout. I can feel the difference when I have good energy because I get enough sleep. In each set, I try to do 1-2 extra repetitions. But once I don’t sleep well, I do the least.

This means that the quality of your training to gain muscle or lose fat also depends on your sleep.

Weak metabolism

Sleeping less decreases your metabolism and leptin. Leptin is a hormone that controls your appetite. In this case, you are more hungry than usual and the desire to eat unhealthy foods increases. This can destroy your diet and training as you need to eat a healthy diet to get results.

Poor recovery

The best time to recover is at night. Your cells, bones, muscles and more can only be 100% repaired when you’re inactive. When you do strength training or weight training, your muscles grow during this time. You also relieve muscle tension and pain while you sleep.

This plan influences you to sleep well

Here some advice to have increase the time and the quality of your sleep:

The training influences you to have a better quality of sleep. But be careful not to have your session before your sleep. Your body will be too active to sleep.

Select a time to go to your bed. This time allows you to lie on your bed and prepare to relax before sleeping. Usually, you warm up before your workout, this is the same principle here.

Set an alarm 30 minutes before going to bed. During these minutes, you turn off all of your electronic devices (phone, laptop, computer, etc.). Electronics use blue lights that disrupt your biological clock. When the sun goes down, your body knows that you’ll sleep soon and will slow down your body’s activities. Checking your emails or social media prevents you from falling asleep.

Organize your bedroom so that it’s dark and quiet. Create and keep the best possible environment for sleeping.

Doing a meditation session can be a great help when you’re in your bedroom. It makes your mind and body ready for sleep. Use a meditation book if you want more information, don’t use your phone. Remember, the blue lights!

Sleep influences your health and your training progress. Then you have to take care of it in the same way that you take care of your food. Good sleep creates a good day, so enjoy your sleep.

Share this article if you think it can help someone you know. Thank you.

-Steph

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How These 9 Bodyweight Exercises Can Help You

The post How These 9 Bodyweight Exercises Can Help You appeared first on Stephane Andre.

Bodyweight exercises are great for doing it anywhere, anytime. It can be in a park or in a room. Today, the coronavirus is spreading and many countries are in quarantine. Only essential businesses are open such as supermarkets, pharmacies, and others.

That means you cannot go to the gym, so you have to train at home. But at home, you don’t have the same equipment as in the gym (unless you build a home gym).

The good thing about bodyweight exercises is that you’re using compound exercises. This means that your body is working on several muscle groups at the same time. Usually, when you’re in a gym, you use isolation exercises to work a specific muscle. The combination of it and circuit training helps you burn more calories. You can even burn more calories than with regular cardio.

Bodyweight exercises routine for beginner

A warm-up is good for preparing your mindset, body, heart, muscles, and joints to avoid injuries. It can be mountain climbers, push-ups, stationary bike, arm circles or others. Generally, five to ten minutes is enough for a warm-up.

Here are the exercises:

30 Jumping jacks.

15 Second Plank

15 Second Side Plank (each side)

10 Push-ups

10 Curls (each arm with a fulled bag/backpack)

10 Dips

10 Bent Over Row (each arm with a fulled bag/backpack)

20 Bodyweight squats

20 Walking Lunges (10 each leg)

Use circuit training to do this program. This means that once you start it, you move on to the next exercise without rest. When you finished all the exercises, you rest for a minute. Repeat it two, three, four times or more, but don’t stop in the middle. Finish everything.

Do this program two or three times a week with a recovery day between your training days.

During your workout, you will burn calories but you will not build muscle. Your body needs several hours to repair your muscles after training. And it’s in this repair process, where you’re still burning calories, that you gain new muscles. The best time to recover is at night, so sleeping well is essential.

Do this program for a month and don’t worry if doing the first circuit is difficult. The goal is to progress with each session. Track your workouts and try to do better than the last time. It’s the best way to see your progress.

Share this article if you think it can help someone you know. Thank you.

-Steph

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How I Track My Body Progress 2020-04

The post How I Track My Body Progress 2020-04 appeared first on Stephane Andre.

Follow this method on how I track my body progress with a low budget. Each month photos, measurements and body fat(%) show me where I am in my evolution to reach my Golden Ratio. I take my results in the morning with my stomach empty or a glass of water. I calculate my body fat ( %) with the 1 site skinfold measurement (fat caliper) and I use the caliper’s chart.

Low budget tools for your body progress

I have been using these tools for years and they’re good indicators to see your progress. It’s easy to use and quick. No need to go to a special place to get the results, you can do it at home. (Body tape measure/skinfold caliper/body fat measurement chart picture)

My current state

Height : 175 cm (5 ft 8.8 in)

Weight : 83.9 kg (184.96 lbs)

Body fat(%) : 10.5 %

Waist : 90 cm (35.43 in)

Chest : 98 cm (38.58 in)

Arms : 34 cm (13.38 in)

Forearms : 29 cm (11.41 in)

Shoulders : 117 cm (46.06 in)

Hips : 96 cm (37.79 in)

Thighs : 61 cm (24.01 in)

Calves : 41 cm (16.14 in)

Neck : 39 cm (15.35 in)

My Goals (Golden Ratio)

Height : 175 cm (5 ft 8.8 in)

Weight : 80 kg (176.37)

Body fat(%) : 8 %

Waist : 75.07 cm (29.55 in)

Chest : 107.25 cm (42.22 in)

Arms : 39.93 cm (15.72 in)

Forearms : 31.63 cm (12.45 in)

Shoulders : 121.47 cm (47.82 in)

Hips : 91.16 cm (35.88 in)

Thighs : 61 cm (24.01 in)

Calves : 39.61 cm (15.59 in)

Neck : 39.68 cm (15.62 in)

And you? Do you track your body’s progress? Have you defined your new goal? If you need help calculating your weight to be in shape, click here.

Subscribe to my newsletter and share this article if you think it can help someone you know. Thank you.

-Steph

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The worries of choosing a specific place to lose fat

The post The worries of choosing a specific place to lose fat appeared first on Stephane Andre.

There are many articles or books that offer workouts to help you lose fat in a specific place on your body. It may be to erase the fat only from your arm, back or thigh. Or even to get a better definition of your abs.

When you train a distinct muscle, it boosts your blood flow and the conversion of your body fat into energy (lipolysis). But the result is not impressive. Are blood flow and lipolysis in subcutaneous adipose tissue influenced by contractions in adjacent muscles in humans? is a study that gives you more details

Imagine, you’re doing an exercise to train your biceps. It’ll burn calories, strengthen your bicep muscles, and help you lose fat. But it won’t make you lose fat in your biceps. Read this study subcutaneous fat alterations resulting from an upper-body resistance training program.

Your body chooses where to lose fat

Your body doesn’t make you lose fat in a specific place, it’s a whole-body process. It’s your body that chooses the area, not you. The best way to allow your body to lose fat is to have a calorie deficit with exercise and diet. This creates a framework for reducing your body fat stores.

You can do millions of crunches and not have your abs in high definition. Once you have the framework, it’ll reduce your body fat and your abs will appear. The effect of abdominal exercise on abdominal fat is a study about it.

If you want to lose fat to have a better shape and have your muscles more visible, there is only one solution. The environment, manage to create an adequate environment to help your body. Diet, exercise and a calorie deficit are part of the fat loss. Fat loss is a whole-body process, you don’t choose a specific place. So, Keep this environment, work, be patient and you will see the results.

Share this article if you think it can help someone you know. Thank you.

-Steph

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The Shocking Story Of Metabolic Damage

The post The Shocking Story Of Metabolic Damage appeared first on Stephane Andre.

When you decide to take care of your body weight, you may hear something scary, metabolic damage. Many people say that you can have metabolic damage because of your diet. The reason is you burn fewer calories than you suppose to do based on your weight and activity levels. It looks like a calorie deficit that lasts too long and damages your metabolism for weeks or even years.

The first time I heard of metabolic damage was when I had trouble gaining muscle. I followed my training program and my diet, but I stalled. I talked about this problem with a gym member and his answer was: “You have metabolic damage. You have to change everything, you f * cked up”. This guy stressed me out, it was crazy.

This theory of metabolic damage is a lie. Some people fail to lose weight or gain weight and create excuses. The problem is that people talk about it so much that it seems like a scientific theory, but it’s a fake theory.

Unmasked metabolic damage

Go further. Several studies show that you may have a decrease in metabolism due to a long period of a low-calorie diet. This decline is around 5 to 15%. Changes in energy expenditure resulting from altered body weight is a study that shows it.

And to have a metabolism reduction of more than 10%, there are two things to do. First of all, you have to reduce your body weight by about 10%. Second, you need a low-calorie diet with little protein and no workout. Unfortunately, the second fact is a huge mistake.

You know what? We’re lucky. The body is so amazing that when you have a drop in your metabolic rate, you can reverse it. It’s simple, increase your calories with a high protein diet and follow a training program. Read this study to find out more, effects of resistance vs. aerobic training combined with an 800 calorie liquid diet on lean body mass and resting metabolic rate.

Metabolic damage is not the right term. It’s a decrease in your metabolism rate instead of damage. The word damage means you are destroying your metabolism, but it’s not. You can restore it with good nutrition. I’m sure a marketing department has created this term to scare people and make more sales. But it’s a fake theory and now that you know it, you can have results.

Share this article if you think it can help someone you know. Thank you.

-Steph

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Doubts You Need To Clarify About Cheat Meals

In most diets, there is the concept of cheat meals. The purpose of cheat meals is to decrease envy and psychological stress. Imagine, you’re dieting and you have to go to a special event (birthday, etc.). Do you think you can eat the number of calories required by your diet? No, you’ll eat more calories.

Be careful because there are good and bad ways to handle cheat meals. The right way is to eat a few more calories a few days a month. Because you do it a few days a month, you’ll always have results.

The wrong way is to eat a cheat meal with a huge amount of calories, especially with dietary fats. It’s important to know that they contain chemicals that are like body fat. So, your body burns a small number of calories to produce energy to transform dietary fats into body fat.

Fat in cheat meals

Go further. Carbohydrates and proteins contain chemicals different from body fat. This means that your body must burn a good amount of calories to produce energy to turn them into body fat. Dietary protein, weight loss, and weight maintenance is a study that shows it.

In comparison, meals high in fat lead to the fastest and most significant fat gains. The result is a meal rich in carbohydrates or protein is a great choice to stay on track. This study, fat and carbohydrate overfeeding in humans: different effects on energy storage gives more details.

I noticed that there is a misunderstanding about a cheat meal. Some people do a cheat day instead. The problem is that they can eat 3,410 calories at the end of the day. This cheat day can destroy a week of progress.

Here is another fascinating fact, alcohol. When you go on a diet, you avoid it, but once the cheat meal is there, you drink. During this, you expect that you will be able to eat and drink the things that you cannot. Unfortunately, this is a bad idea. Alcohol stimulates the way your body converts the food you eat into body fat ( dietary fat, protein, etc.). Here’s what’s fascinating. Alcohol doesn’t make you fatter by itself, but it influences your body to produce more fat from what you eat.

Cheat meals help you reduce the pressure of dieting. Sometimes you want to eat something that you used to eat and you miss its taste. Use cheat meals in moderation to continue to have results. Don’t succumb to the temptations of those around you. You’re the one and only person who can transform your body, no one else will. Take care of your body.

Share this article if you think it can help someone you know. Thank you.

-Steph

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3 Underrated Weight Loss Obstacles

There are many obstacles in the weight loss process and unfortunately, many people do it. This is one of the reasons why many people fail in their diet. This is the estimate of calories consumed. People underestimate foods and at the end of the day, they have eaten too many calories. You can find someone who claims to eat 1,200 calories a day and in fact, it’s 3,000 calories. Unexplained disturbance in body weight regulation is a good study that shows.

Second

Another reason why people fail is the food you buy. This is something I didn’t know until I wrote an article about it. I was so surprised and angry at the same time because you have to find out for yourself. Nobody told me about it and it’s the same for most people. You can eat more than expected with prepackaged and prepared foods. Why? Because FDA inspection allows food manufacturers to under-report calories by 20%.

Here is the extract of CFR – Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 (Information is current as of April 1, 2019):

A food with a label declaration of calories, total sugars, added sugars (when the only source of sugars in the food is added sugars), total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, or sodium shall be deemed to be misbranded under section 403(a) of the act if the nutrient content of the composite is greater than 20 percent in excess of the value for that nutrient declared on the label. Provided, That no regulatory action will be based on a determination of a nutrient value that falls above this level by a factor less than the variability generally recognized for the analytical method used in that food at the level involved.

FDA means the Food and Drug Administration. It’s s a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Check the equal of this department in your country to find out what percentage they allow. This is good information to know.

Third

There is something else about the food label. Do you think that at home you have the same cup as that used to make the label? No. Imagine, you want to eat oats. So, on the label of the oat can, one cup is 81 grams, which means 307 calories. In your kitchen, you take the first cup you see, this cup is 100 grams, it means 379 calories. 307 calories on the label, 379 in your kitchen, then you eat 72 more calories.

It’s the same thing when you follow a recipe. You always have problems because you don’t have the tools described in. So you do with what you have, it’s normal.

It’s time to have a summary of 3 underrated weight loss obstacles:

People underestimate the quantity of food they eat

FDA inspection allows food manufacturers to under-report calories by 20%

When cooking, your cooking tools are usually larger than those used to make label foods or recipes.

I’m not asking you to correct all these errors with scientific precision. The first step is to be aware of it. Then little by little on a daily basis, you’ll find solutions in your own way and you’ll gain experience. Be consistent and the results will come.

Share this article if you think it can help someone you know. Thank you.

-Steph

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How Much Do You Know About Change Body Weight

Do you know the two main facts that help you change your body weight? Yes? No? Ok, the answers are the amount of food you eat (calories you eat) and your physical activity (calories you burn). People have a hard time losing weight or gaining weight. You can find a ton of different types of diets and each claim to be the best. What is the best? How to choose? Before making your comparison, there is a principle that each diet follows. It’s the number of calories you eat and the number of calories you burn in the same period.

As you know, calories are energy for your body. But each food has its own amount of calories. For example, avocado has 180 calories per half and a single large egg has 72 calories. Ooh, I forgot, a 12-ounce (33cl) soda can contains between 125 and 180 calories. This is why you have recipes with the total amount of calories to stay on track.

Let’s break this principle down:

You gain weight when you eat more calories than you burn

You lose weight when you eat fewer calories than you burn

You maintain your weight when you eat the same amount of calories as you burn.

Use body fat to change weight

Now let’s talk about body fat. When I speak with people who want to change their bodies, body fat is the devil. Why? Who is teaching this to people? Please put this person in jail.

Your body needs your body fat and here is the reason. When your body doesn’t have access to energy from food, your body fat is your emergency energy. Your body converts your body fat into energy to survive until the next meal. At each meal, your body uses parts of your food to build up a stock of body fat. When you miss a meal and are hungry, why don’t you lose consciousness? This is because your body fat helps you to survive.

Your body fat is your ally and learning how it works will help you reach your goal. if you’re overweight, it means you have a huge stock of body fat. If you are skinny, it means you have low stock of body fat. So with this principle, you know the number of calories you need to eat and burn to change your body.

The advice I give to people who want to change their body weight is to work with a professional to have a diet plan. It can be a nutritionist or a personal trainer, whatever. By using this diet, you’ll learn to control the number of calories and the basics of nutrition.

When you feel comfortable, you can control your food yourself. There are great phone apps that help you like MyFitnesspal, Lost it, Nutritionix Track and more. Learn and execute to have your best body.

Share this article if you think it can help someone you know. Thank you.

-Steph

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Bad Fitness Advice And How You Can Stay Away

You know that exercising several days a week is great for the body, but there is a lot of bad fitness advice. On the Internet, you have a ton of information on how to get in shape. Magazines, personal trainers, influencers and celebrities. Everyone (including me) has a few tips to help you get a better body. This is a good thing because, in the technological age, gatekeepers have less power. This means that people have access to more information.

Unfortunately, there is a downside. People have to educate themselves more than ever to avoid bad education and scams.

For example, I and Steve had a conversation on Facebook. People have a bad education with that. Since the case of the US presidential election, Facebook has been bad. Think about it, you’re using an app/software for free. You can communicate with your friends, family and even create business relationships. My question is: “How do you learn to use Facebook? Did you take a course?” The majority of the answer is “no because it’s free”. This means that if you’re using Facebook in a bad way, how do you know if you don’t have access to a professional / teacher?

It’s the same with the fitness industry. You can get free information and you can do exercise in a good way or in a bad way. When you make a mistake with Facebook, it’s not the same as making a mistake with your body. If you have an injury due to exercise, recovery may take at least 6 months.

Stay away from bad fitness advice for long-term play

Fitness is a long-term game and with social media, people like instant gratification. Getting in shape is a lifelong commitment. Many people use steroids to get results faster but shorten their lifespan. o not compare yourself to someone who uses steroids because it hurts your mindset. People who use steroids live in a different world, believe me. You can find videos on the bad effects of steroids on YouTube for more details.

And you know, fake people make more noise than real people, which is why you see them the most on the media. Fake people must have the money as fast as possible before others find the lie.

There are scams in every industry and the best way to avoid them the most is to educate yourself. Education allows you to have bulletproof clothing to protect your mindset and body.

When you learn a new subject, vocabulary is necessary to improve your knowledge. I wrote two articles to help you learn the definition of the most used words in fitness. It’s what words to know in the fitness (part 1) and what words to know in the fitness (part 2). Let’s get back to basics to avoid bad fitness advice.

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-Steph

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5 things to improve your self-control and willpower

Once you’ve decided to have a better body, you need to improve your self-control and willpower. Willpower and self-control allow you to succeed and maintain it over the long term. Each year, many people set new goals for a better lifestyle, like my friend Steve. In the first few months, anyone can see Steve with fire in his eyes to achieve his goals. And something changes, Steve has less motivation. Steve begins to return to his old habits because his new ones come up against many obstacles. His friends don’t like his new routine and they told him so. Now Steve has emotional issues. His new routine is to eat healthier, exercise several days a week, sleep earlier and party less. But it seems that his environment (or the world) is against these changes. So Steve can’t trust those around him to help him, he has to help himself. Why did Steve lose his motivation? Steve has a weak mindset. It’s not his fault, no one taught him that. He must improve his self-control and his willpower to increase his mental toughness. There are some easy-to-use tips. Whatever your obstacles, add them to your daily activities to change your lifestyle.

More sleep

Do you notice the difference when you sleep 8 hours and 4 hours? It’s crazy when you sleep for 4 hours, you don’t want to do anything all day. You have no energy, you can’t stay focused, you’re nervous. The only thing you want is to sleep. But, when you sleep for 8 hours, you can do whatever you want in high quality. The quality of your sleep is as important as the quality of your food. When Steve slept for 4 hours, he is awful all day.

More sex

Having regular sex allows you to have less depression, stress, and anxiety. And it also boosts your happiness, your mood, and your resilience. Sex is the most powerful thing to keep your willpower at the highest level. Then I encourage you to read books on sex and play with sex toys to learn your own sexuality. Sex is taboo, but all marketers use it to make you buy something, it’s weird. Don’t hesitate to learn for yourself how to have healthy sex. How can Steve have healthy and safe sex? When does he learn from pornographic films or books written by sexologists?

Exercise regularly

The benefits of a workout program are that it allows you to decrease your craving for food and drugs. It also helps you be more resistant to depression and stress. And it’s not over, it optimizes your brain function too. Anyone can see the change in mood when Steve hasn’t been training for several weeks because he has a lot to do at work. He has a lot of stress and little energy.

Less time with tech

Watching a screen for too long and a lot of times a day disrupts your melatonin production and your mindset. Melatonin is a hormone and it controls your sleep/wake phase. Sometimes it seems like Steve is looking at his cell phone every minute. And when it’s not his cell phone, it’s his laptop. The problem is that the bad effects are heavy. Sleep disturbances, depression, and mental health issues. Mobile phone use and stress, sleep disturbances, and symptoms of depression is an interesting study.

Less media

I’m sure you have already noticed. When you see media, you find a huge amount of bad news. The world seems to be hell and it’s not. Also, the worst part is that the media uses scare tactics to trick you into buying more. Reducing your daily dose of bad news reduces your stress level. There is a friend of Steve who knows all the daily news. He follows the best-known media and shares their information. I can’t stay with this guy because it’s depressing. I avoid him to protect my mindset and my happiness.

Share this article if you think it can help someone you know. Thank you.

-Steph

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How I Track My Body Progress 2020-03

Follow this method on how I track my body progress with a low budget. Each month photos, measurements and body fat(%) show me where I am in my evolution to reach my Golden Ratio. I take my results in the morning with my stomach empty or a glass of water. I calculate my body fat ( %) with the 1 site skinfold measurement (fat caliper) and I use the caliper’s chart.

My current state

Height : 175 cm (5 ft 8.8 in)

Weight : 81.6 kg (179.89 lbs)

Body fat(%) : 10.5 %

Waist : 87.5 cm (34.44 in)

Chest : 97.5 cm (38.38 in)

Arms : 33.5 cm (13.18 in)

Forearms : 29 cm (11.41 in)

Shoulders : 117 cm (46.06 in)

Hips : 95 cm (37.40 in)

Thighs : 60 cm (23.62 in)

Calves : 40.5 cm (15.94 in)

Neck : 38 cm (14.96 in)

My Goals (Golden Ratio)

Height : 175 cm (5 ft 8.8 in)

Weight : 80 kg (176.37)

Body fat(%) : 8 %

Waist : 75.07 cm (29.55 in)

Chest : 107.25 cm (42.22 in)

Arms : 39.93 cm (15.72 in)

Forearms : 31.63 cm (12.45 in)

Shoulders : 121.47 cm (47.82 in)

Hips : 91.16 cm (35.88 in)

Thighs : 61 cm (24.01 in)

Calves : 39.61 cm (15.59 in)

Neck : 39.68 cm (15.62 in)

And you? Do you track your body progress? Have you defined your new goal? If you need help calculating your weight to be in shape, click here.

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-Steph

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How to protect your willpower from self-sabotage

There are many people who fail to have and keep a new version of their body. Here are some tips to protect your willpower from self-sabotage.

In the fitness industry, you can find a lot of information on exercise and diet. This information helps people lose fat and gain muscle. But the majority of people have no results or have short-term results. This is because of exercise and diet help you have external results, I mean visible results. I call it “outside job”.

Do you know why people fail? Inside job, the mindset. Discipline and motivation are the keys to achieving results. Steve started a lot of workout programs with diet plans and after a few months, he stopped. Imagine you have the best workout program and diet plan in the world. If you don’t have the discipline and motivation, it can’t help you.

This is why it’s important to improve your inside and outside job to win. The first obstacle to achieving the goals is the lack of willpower. Because of this, many people like Steve feel guilty about failing. The inside job has a part of biological (the desire for food) and mental (self-control). Finding out why you are losing control can help you have the skills to protect your willpower from self-sabotage.

Say no, say yes

Saying “no” or saying “yes” is the answer to building and controlling your willpower. For example, Steve has to study for an exam and his friends invite him to go to a bar. If Steve wants results, Steve says “no”. In another case, Steve wants to lose 5 kg (11 lbs) and his friends invite him to eat fast food every day. If Steve says “yes”, it’s a lack of willpower.

Wherever you go, there is someone who will offer you something that will stop your progress. This may or may not be unintentional. It’s hard to reprogram yourself and at first, it’s overwhelming. You have to learn to say “no” a lot of time to avoid distractions and stay on track. Unfortunately, few people help you reach your goals, they are rare. So don’t hesitate to say “no” to protect your will from self-sabotage.

The trap of feeling good

Willpower struggles every day because of the trap of feeling good. The consumer society wants you to feel good every time you consume something, no matter what it is. So you have to make the decision not to consume everything and it’s like having a conflict between good and evil.

Let’s talk about the biological part of this struggle. For example, Steve decided to lose weight, and then his brain promised a reward. When Steve sees cookies, his body begins to create and send dopamine to his brain. Dopamine is a feel-good’s chemical. At this point Steve wants these cookies, it’s an obsession. Then Steve’s brain goes to a second phase. His brain expects a spike in insulin and energy, so it begins to lower blood sugar levels. In this second phase, Steve’s obsession with these cookies increases. Now Steve is aware of the opportunity to score a reward. This reward isn’t a reward for losing weight, it’s a reward for eating sweet foods.

Let’s be clear, your body is not creating this powerful chemical to make you happy every time. Its function is to encourage you to act and stay focused to achieve your goal. And also when your body releases dopamine, it creates another stress hormone. This stress hormone makes you anxious and obsessed with reaching your goal right now.

Your brain has a job to set a goal and the pleasure associated with that goal, even if it’s risky. Your brain doesn’t know the difference between short-term and long-term results.

As I say before the consumer society wants you to feel good every time you consume something. Here are some examples:

Netflix uses machine learning to show you the videos you might like. Machine learning is an artificial intelligence that learns and improves by itself. Based on the videos you’ve watched before, Netflix customized a list of videos for you. This is why you and Steve (or your friends) don’t have the same list of videos.

Food scientists create and test hundreds of types of products to find the special taste. This incredible taste that makes you want to eat more. Sometimes Steve opens a bag of cookies and thinks, “I’ll eat one or two cookies.” After five minutes, the bag of cookies is empty. Do you know that?

Retailers build their stores to make you have a special experience. They organize the aisles and shelves in a particular way. They give you free samples. They use scents in the air and pieces of calm music to create a good ambiance. This is why when Steve goes to a supermarket, even if he has a list, he buys things that are not on the list.

As you can see, when you go out of your house, there is always something that says “here is a reward” to your brain. Now it is easier to understand the struggle of an average person. Being an overweight procrastinator addicted to junk food, entertainment, and social media is easy.

Unfortunately, there are many unhealthy rewards. You have to protect yourself every day. This is a tip, once you see that you want something that doesn’t improve your lifestyle, take a deep breath.

My conclusion is that to be successful, you must learn to choose more healthy rewards every day. The more healthy rewards you choose, the more you improve your lifestyle. For better self-control, deep breaths help slow your heart rate and relax your muscles. It also helps to relax your mind and improve your ability to learn, focus, and memorize. It looks very simple but it allows you to relax your mind and body to protect your willpower from self-sabotage.

Share this article if you think it can help someone you know. Thank you.

-Steph

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3 Fast Fat Loss Facts

You can find a tone of advice for losing fat on the Internet or elsewhere. And I’m sure you’ve tried some without success. These 3 fast fat loss facts will help you reach your goal this time. People see body fat like something awful and useless. Body fat is crucial to survival because it’s an organ that helps to create different hormones. When you see thousands of years ago, it was the element that kept our ancient ancestors alive.

Our ancient ancestors often traveled for several days without food. They went through a lot of starvation moments. They kill an animal, eat it, and their bodies store excess fat to have the energy to survive until the next animal.

This genetic programming is still within us, but our behavior has changed. Now we have non-stop access to food. And some companies are adding chemicals to make food “addictive”. This is why the number of overweight people is increasing.

You can’t reprogram your genetic, but you can lose the excess fat to have a healthy body fat percentage. It’s difficult and easy at the same time. The best way to reach your goal is to understand three facts about the fat loss process. This information facilitates your progress.

These three facts are:

Energy balance

Macronutrient balance

Change your food consumption according to your body’s reactions

Fact 1: Energy balance

Eating more energy than you burn will make you gain weight. Eating less energy than you burn will make you lose weight. This principle explains the relationship between fat storage and fat burning. With it, you have the basics to find your energy balance and create your diet plan to reach your goal.

When you eat, your body goes into the postprandial state. It’s when your body digests food. Postprandial is two words: Post means “after” and prandial means “having to do with a meal”. It’s also called the “fed” state.

During the postprandial state, your body uses part of the energy from food to increase its fat store. ” Fat-storing mode ” is the name of this process.

After the postprandial state (digesting) and stock fat, your body goes into the postabsorptive state. Postabsorptive means “after absorption”. It is also called the “fasted” state. In this state, your body uses its fat stock for energy.

Your body switches between fed states (digestion) and fasted state (after absorption) several times in the day. Your body stores small amounts of fat from meals, after, burn small amounts after food energy run out. Now you know how your body stores fat, fat loss is easier.

Fact 2: Macronutrient balance

This is the way your body turns the food you eat into protein, carbohydrates and dietary fat. When your goal is to lose fat and gain muscle, energy and macronutrient balances are important.

Protein

Many studies show that a high protein diet is better than a low protein diet. Here’s the effect of eating more protein:

Better mood

Improves bones

Craving less

Burn more calories

Build more muscle

Lose fat faster

The amount of protein you eat increases when you exercise because your body wants more. Besides, when you have a calorie deficit to lose fat, you need to adjust your amount of protein to keep your muscles. The protein is also useful for sedentary people. With age, they lose a lot of muscle when they don’t eat enough protein.

Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates or carbs have four main forms. Here is the list:

Monosaccharides

Disaccharides

Oligosaccharides

Polysaccharides

Monosaccharides, start with the simplest. Mono means “one” and “saccharide” means “sugar”, so “a sugar”. They have a simple system. There are three monosaccharides: fructose, galactose, and glucose. Read What words to know in fitness (Part2) to have the definitions of these words.

Disaccharides mean “two sugars”. You can find them in nature as lactose, maltose, and sucrose. Read What words to know in fitness (Part2) to have the definitions of these words.

Oligosaccharides are fragments that contain many monosaccharides linked like a chain structure. Oligos mean “a few”, so “few sugars”. You can find some oligosaccharides in fiber plants. And you can also find them in vegetables in the form of fructooligosaccharides. Fructooligosaccharides contain a small chain of fructose molecules

Polysaccharides are a long chain of monosaccharides (10 or more of these sugars). You often eat polysaccharides in the form of starch and cellulose. Starch is the energy store of plants and cellulose is a natural fiber found in many plants. Your body converts starches into glucose. But, the cellulose passes intact into your digestive system. Your body converts all these types of carbs into glucose. Except those that are not digested.

Dietary Fat

You need to eat enough to stay healthy, but you don’t need to have a high-fat diet. Here are two types:

Triglycerides

Cholesterol

Triglycerides are the main body fat in humans. You can find them in different food like nuts, seeds, meat, etc.

They have two forms: solid (saturated) or liquid (unsaturated). Your body uses them to create hormones, absorb vitamins, keep your hair and skin healthy and more.

For instance eggs, dairy or meat have solid fats (saturated) and liquid fats are liquid oils.

Cholesterol is a waxy thing found in every cell in your body. Your body uses it to create hormones, vitamin D, and to digest your food.

Decades ago, scientists thought that food containing cholesterol was bad. They thought cholesterol increased the risk of heart disease. But new studies have shown something different. For example, eggs have been more and less acquitted. Read this one, egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease. Proteins, carbohydrates and dietary fats are the main macronutrients in your body. I hope this fact has helped you to better understand how your body works. Fat loss or/and muscle gain are on your way.

Fact 3: Change your food consumption according to your body’s reactions

Change the number of calories and macros you eat often for these two reasons:

The results of the formulas to calculate your macros and calories are indicators. Your body may need a little more or less than the result of the calculation to start the process.

The great skill of your body is adaptation. Something that worked before can’t work overtime.

For point A, your metabolism may be slower or faster than expected by the formulas. You can have many spontaneous activities that you think of such as making a phone call and walking. Or your hobbies/work can burn more energy than you think. Usually, you underestimate your energy expenditure, so don’t hesitate to adjust often.

For point B, your body can react to stop your weight loss and slow your metabolism in case of calorie deficit. This is the first reason why weight loss programs stop working.

Same thing in the case of a surplus of calories. Your body can react to stop weight gain and speed up your metabolism. This is the first reason why weight gain programs stop working.

It’s a lot of information but doesn’t worry. The good news is that you don’t have to do it all when you start losing weight. The simplest way is food consumption. Change your macros and calories based on your body’s reactions. If you want to lose fat and can’t, try moving more or eating less. If you want to gain weight and you can’t, try to eat more. Don’t hesitate to change your food quantities to continue the fat loss process.

Share this article if you think it can help someone you know. Thank you.

-Steph

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5 common weight loss questions

Here are 5 common weight loss questions to helps you lose weight and keep a nice shape for good. In addition, I wrote another article of the same type which could help you. It’s 5 weight loss confusions.

Question 1 – Are there people who never lose weight when they train?

Let’s start this list of common weight loss questions with this one. It sounds simple, but the first reason people have the curse of not losing weight is that they eat too much. Researches show that the majority of people have a poor estimate of calories. So, they eat more calories than they think. Click here for the study

There is also another thing. The truth is that food manufacturers can under-report calories by 20% and pass FDA testing. You can imagine how unscrupulous they use it. Do you think your low-calorie cookies are low in calories like they said? Click here for the study.

Many people start cooking their meals for the day at home when they know the FDA-approved 20% of calories. The problem is that many people don’t measure ingredients well.

For example, your meal is oatmeal, peanut butter, blueberries, and yogurt. You measure a cup of oatmeal, a tablespoon of peanut butter, half a cup of blueberries and half a cup of yogurt. The truth is that you’re eating a few hundred calories more than you think.

Break it down:

You take a cup of oatmeal, it’s 100 grams, then 379 calories. On the label of the oatmeal box, a “normal” cup weighs 81 grams, then 307 calories. When you do the math, you eat 72 calories more than you think.

Another case, peanut butter. You use a tablespoon, that’s 21 grams and then 123 calories. On your diet app on your smartphone, a “normal” tablespoon represents 16 grams, then 94 calories. After calculation, you eat 29 more calories.

Question 2 – Is eating little food the best advice for losing weight

You hear or read the thesis that eating several small meals during the day helps you lose weight. The fact is that when you eat, your metabolic rate goes up because your body is digesting food. This means that your metabolism has a high rate all day since you eat every few hours.

Here is a nice study with two groups. One ate three meals a day and another ate three meals and three snacks a day. After eight weeks with the same calorie deficit, there is no difference in losing muscle, fat or weight. Read the study here.

This research focuses on energy expenditure in 24 hours. The result is that there are no different effects on eating habits. Go to the study here.

A study made by the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research shows that there is no difference between gnawing and gobbling. This research compares metabolic effects when people eat 1 to 17 meals a day. Check the study here.

Let’s see the part on appetite control.

This research from the University of Kansas focuses on hormones and satiety. It shows the effects of the number of meals per day and the amount of protein consumed on appetite. The study is here.

The University of Missouri has conducted research showing something interesting. After 12 weeks of dieting to lose weight, adding the amount of protein helps to better control the appetite. But the number of meals per day (three or six meals) has no effect. Read the study here.

On the other hand, some scientists show that it’s possible to have less appetite with only three meals a day. And adding the number of meals increases the feeling of satiety and facilitates the continuation of their diet. Go to the study.

The conclusion of all of these scientific studies is to use the diet that works best for you. Whether it’s eating two or six meals a day, the most important thing is to stick to the diet and reach your goal.

Question 3 – Is it crucial to do exercises to lose weight?

When you eat small meals during the day, it’s possible to create a calorie deficit without a workout program. You can lose a lot of weight but that way you will also lose muscle. Read study details.

Weight loss is good, but if you lose your strength, it’s not. The great method for exercising when you have a calorie deficit is resistance training, which is a form of exercise that improves muscle strength and endurance.

Question 4 – Is it possible to drink and eat anything you want to cheat meals?

“Cheat meal” is a term used in many schemes. That means it’s a meal where you can eat more to meet your cravings. It also reduces your psychological stress because you control yourself.

Unfortunately, many people find it difficult to manage “cheat meals”. It’s because they do it too often during the week, check the long term for a second. When you eat a little too much a few days a month, your results will not decrease. But if you eat too many times a week, your results will be bad and will prevent you from losing weight.

Some people have a “cheat day” and that is a mistake. If you eat everything you see for a day, you can add thousands of unnecessary calories. It can wipe out your weight loss progress from the whole last week.

There is a special bad cheat meal, the high-fat meal. This study, Fat, and carbohydrate overfeeding in humans: different effects on energy storage, shows that a high-fat meal makes you gain more fat than a high-carbohydrate.

Question 5 – Does calories in and calories out science work?

It is one of those common weight loss questions that has confused people. Because you can hear different things like:

“Calorie counting doesn’t work,” the overweight MD says in his latest bestselling book.

“It’s a relic of our ignorant dietary past,” the pretty woman who has been skinny her entire life tells Oprah.

“It’s time we moved on and realized dieting is all about food quality, not calories,” the former triathlete turned guru says on his blockbuster blog.

It’s crazy because to have your body functional, how much you eat is essential, not what you eat. There are several examples like:

Mark Haub, Kansas State University, lost 27 pounds in 10 weeks. He ate Oreos, Doritos, Hostess cupcakes and whey protein. Read the article here.

Kai Sedgwich, a fitness enthusiast, had an excellent shape in one month. He ate McDonald’s every day and did his workout routine. Go to the article here.

Let’s be clear, I don’t like Mark and Kai’s methods. I’m not telling you to use them, but their methods show that you can lose fat and gain muscle when you eat a lot of junk food.

All these examples are there to explain to you that the principle of weight gain and loss is the energy balance. Energy intake is the calories you have eaten and energy output is the calories you have burned. The result of both is your energy balance.

Foods have different amounts of calories. For instance, nuts have 6.5 calories per gram and celery has 0.15 calories per gram.

When you calculate the calories that you eat in a day and you change the total amounts, you can see three effects:

You eat fewer calories than you burn and you lose weight.

You eat the same amount of calories as you burn and the result is that you maintain your weight.

You eat more calories than you burn and the result is that you gain weight.

You need to have a regular amount of energy to live, that’s why your body uses the first law of thermodynamics. Here is what the law says, a system cannot create or destroy energy, it can only change the form of energy. This law works for any physical energy system and also for human metabolism.

When you eat food:

Your muscles use a part of this energy as mechanical energy (movement).

Your digestive system uses another part of this energy for chemical energy (body fat).

Your organs use a portion of this energy for thermal energy (heat).

This evidence shows how the calories you eat and burn change your body weight. You must so regulate your intake to reach your goal.

Now you have the answers to these 5 common weight loss questions, I wish you to reach your goal.

Share this article if you think it can help someone you know. Thank you.

-Steph

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