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Fat loss and fitness secrets: Manifest the coach in all of us

To accomplish anything worth accomplishing, you have got to have the right attitude

Back in college, I recall doing an internship at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Seattle headquarters and my mentor would often mention her coach. This coach, of course we’re not talking about luxury brands here (but that’s alright too), was delivering professional services to help with motivation and overall career success.

attitude

The many different faces of coaching

When I used to think about coaches, I would think about the middle age guy who had a son on the baseball team and was the person who took us through drills and practice. Now I realize that coaching is so much more than that. We have the opportunity to coach other people in all aspects of life.

You're about to get coached

You’re about to get coached

The practice of self-coaching and taking action today

Unhappiness and disappointment seems to have a way of creeping into our bodies… if we let it. At some point, maybe you realize that thinking about your problems isn’t worth the time when you could be doing something. You could be steaming some broccoli and even that is small step towards wellness.

Coach others by unlocking the power and confidence that resides within us all

It’s not about telling you what to do…  it is about bringing new perspective and making people excited about their potential. I realized that when you are coaching yourself, then you will be able to coach others. You will be able to coach upwards, to your clients, to your peers, and to your subordinates by listening and reflecting a side of this person that they have yet to realize.

beauty

 

What a gift it is to somebody when they feel that motivation deep inside, that they have the opportunity to make action, and that their new perspectives are the catalyst for success in any particular realm.

Your presence can be a gift to others

I acknowledge my own challenges. If I want to be accepted by others, then I should practice unconditional acceptance of others. To coach others, coach myself. To love others, to love myself. And so on…

The best coaches know themselves well. Their self-awareness is practiced, their philosophies tested, and they put in the work.

All great coaches started somewhere. If you want other people to be able to feel like they can be their best selves, then take a moment each day to coach yourself to be your best self.

start

Power of the Mind
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Healthy Body Image at Seattle’s Orangetheory Fitness in Capitol Hill

The body image mindset

This is believing that your body was never meant to look like anyone but you. My body is my vessel and my food is my fuel. It is knowing that today you will never get back.

Focus on the core to get stronger everywhere else

Focus on the core to get stronger everywhere else

Coaching body image

How can you not feel proud of yourself after completing a HIIT workout at OTF… it is one of the best feelings. I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment which is accompanied by the process of physical recovery post-workout. If you consume some protein then, you will do good for the body.

Orangetheory Fitness vs. Orangetheory Weight Loss

I am sure OTF has the widest appeal of HIIT training currently in Seattle. That’s why you will see so many more of them coming up throughout Washington. I love being the Head Trainer at Capitol Hill OTF in Seattle.

Our workouts have the potential to boost bone density, promote healthy blood sugar, support muscle tone, reduce fat cell size, and make you feel great at any age. Fitness is a key element of longevity and anti-aging. Being part of a healthy community is proven to improve quality of life at any stage of life.

Open invitation

You are invited to experience what we have going on at OTF in Seattle – Capitol Hill.

Orangetheory Fitness Seattle Orangetheory Seattle
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5 Insights from Holistic Health for FAT LOSS

Want to burn more fat?

The goal seems simple yet our bodies respond in curious ways. Lets look at body composition.

Runners, explosiveness/strength vs endurance/distance

Differences in body comp, maybe its okay to be heavier than runway model standard or ultra endurance runner (r)

Think about body composition for a moment. You may notice an individual who is exceptionally lean no matter what they are wearing. Their body composition would indicate low levels of body fat.

How do we burn more body fat?

Focus on the gut

I think fat gets way too much attention, probably because you can see it. We can’t kill the fat cells, but we can make them smaller. The fat cells must receive hormonal signals in order to begin the burn of energy from fat cells. In other words, it’s the fat cells themselves that burn the fat, yet it’s the internal system that must first produce the signal.

Once you have a certain amount of fat cells, they can only shrink in size -- never disappear.

Once you have a certain amount of fat cells, they can only shrink in size — never disappear.

To signal fat cells to burn fat, the most common way is to workout. High intensity exercise can be short and still burn a ton of fat. The HIIT workout (example: Orangetheory) will burn fat mostly due to the hormonal release post-workout. These are the signalers that tell the fat cells to use energy and therefore get smaller.

The gut is complicated

Take a moment to think about all of the organs in your torso. There is much life within my human digestive system, it’s like totally ecological. There are so many billions of non-human life inside my body, it’s a biotic fiesta in my stomach. I like to celebrate with my gut and with my friends.

TBT may'n, back at LP Athletics trying to have healthy gut micro-flora

TBT may’n, back at LP Athletics focusing on strength and having healthy gut micro-flora

Aside from the fact that the digestive system is the biggest key to human immunity, the gut is ground zero for so many metabolic processes. The nutrients we consume from food contain catalysts for physiological, biological, and hormonal elements that life would be impossible without it. Therefore pure fat loss is impossible without nutrients.

Nutrients are the most valuable

Don’t leave it to scientists to discover everything, but it’s pretty amazing the advances in nutrient science with the last few decades. It’s unlikely we’ll understand everything about nutrition, but we can go on these ideas:

  • Nutrients come in many forms, for example: 
    • vitamins, minerals, water
    • dietary fats, carbohydrates, proteins
    • antioxidants, phytonutrients, fiber
  • Doing it right

    Doing it right

    • enzymes, pre-biotics, pro-biotics
    • curcumin, gingerols, dietary nitrates
    • etc
  • The goal is to improve symbiosis within the gut and surrounding organ systems between human cells and colonies of bacteria
    • Lactobacillus acidophilus is a commonly mentioned pro-biotic in our guts
  • A calorie is probably still a calorie, but most of us don’t really appreciate the depth at which food impacts our metabolic lives  24/7 including how fast the cells age!
    • Anti-aging strategies always involve exercise and nutrition
  • You can’t beat real food and herbal sources
    • Fresh, green food provides many catalysts for fat loss, and also for systemic health
    • High quality herbal extracts have benefited human health for thousands of years
  • It’s less about what you don’t eat, than what you do eat
    • Even if you restrict calories, you may be restricting nutrients as well
    • A low calorie poor diet is still a poor diet — dieters may become nutrient deficient if their food is not nutrient-dense.
    • The nutrients contain catalysts — cellular processes – sending signals to fat cells
    • Give your body a reason to burn fat, for example: antioxidants

You always knew it was about the gut anyway

If you’ve ever had a gut feeling, you may have experienced a range of feelings, emotions, and experiences from within the gut; Some pleasant, some anxious, others perhaps made you feel compelled to action.

Listen to the gut. Focus on nutrients. Simplify your life by consuming fresh vegetables.

And if you have a sweet tooth like me, you could be eating berries almost every day of the year. Blueberries are loaded in antioxidants. Give your body a reason to burn fat. Nutrients. Antioxidants. A reason.

You'll be excited about this when your eating window is only 8 hours long

YEEEE!!

Good luck my readership. May you eat mindfully and enjoy your existence inside and out.

and Digestion Immunity Nutrition Orangetheory Fitness Seattle Orangetheory Seattle
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How to leverage Orangetheory’s instant bio-feedback technology for Rapid Fat Loss

Heart rate technology

Hello fitness minded fellow. Let me say that advancements in cardiovascular research have led to a surge in demand for tech in fitness. Just look at how many people come to Orangetheory Fitness in Capitol Hill Seattle to workout.

Behind the scenes heart rate training at first ever Master Class in Seattle

Behind the scenes heart rate training at first ever Master Class in Seattle

Sprint towards fat loss

You should progress towards higher intensity throughout a healthy period in your exercise regimen. In general, exercise specialists measure intensity by heart rate thanks to the cardiovascular and muscular demands of high intensity training.

Go heavier with resistance

When you are aiming for fat loss, increasing the intensity of your workout by using heavier dumbbells will accelerate fat loss. As you progress in strength, even if it is five pounds at a time, the excess energy will be eliminated from your body and lean replaces fat.

Orangetheory is enjoyable for me, I workout here often in addition to teaching classes

Orangetheory is enjoyable for me, I workout here often in addition to teaching classes

If you are in Seattle,

Whether you have been coming to OTF Seattle for a while or are thinking about trying out the hottest workout in Seattle, come talk to me about your fitness plan. For fat loss, health, conditioning & well-being you can’t beat this.

We’re all looking forward to the opening of Orangetheory Fitness in Lower Queen Anne as well. So are our members.

Orangetheory Fitness Seattle Orangetheory Seattle Physical Fitness by Dre
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What do you Eat before and After the Workout?

Brandon, Orangetheory group fitness coach, was sitting next to me

And then we asked. . .

Nutrition strategies revealed!

Nutrition strategies revealed!

Is it best to eat before or after the workout?

Lets just go over the perspectives for a moment.

Option 1: Exercise on mostly empty stomach before workout, with carb feeding within zero to sixty minutes of high intensity exercise

The idea is that you will burn significant body fat during the workout since, “there is nothing else in the system, so the fat burns off!”

Post-workout nutrition strategies such as this can support the preservation of lean muscle mass by feeding on dense carbohydrate sources immediately and within the hours of a workout. Thus burning more fat in a shorter time.

Option 2: Fuel the workout! Consume from a variety of food sources including carbohydrates before the workout

With the second option, the exerciser purposely consumes carbs 1-2 hours pre-workout with the goal of making fitness progression. By Powerrring through an intense training session (which itself can be addictive), the post-workout release of testosterone and many natural healthy hormones for both sexes activate Fat Burning potential.

A sandwich I once ate ate Marlene's in Tacoma before my workout at the nearby athletic club which I worked at

A sandwich I once ate at Marlene’s in Tacoma before my workout at the nearby athletic club which I worked at

Regular cycles of intense workouts will naturally promote healthy glucose management and is key in the activation of the hormone adiponectin — a powerful fat burning catalyst which fat cells themselves release!  This effect occurs more frequently and with better results by having the habit of eating nutrient dense foods and exercising vigorously for sixty minutes up to four times per week.

Eat post-workout in addition to pre-workout so that you may achieve full recovery sooner. Perhaps give somebody a massage or even yourself.

Everybody is different

It seems that Option 1 will burn fat more rapidly, but may hinder performance… so then it comes down to goals at this time in your training history.

Personally I do what I can to enjoy the workout and that means eating a rich energy source before my workout. Fresh vegetable juice (including some root) is my all-time favorite pre-workout. I also go for smoothies if I need something easy to digest.

Do something good for you

By reading this and considering nutrition choices you are on the right track. I hope this has made you think more about the benefits of timing nutrition. Every moment you take to be mind-ful about nutrition will take you greater places in health, longevity and of course fat loss.

Eat on people!

Nutrition, Immunity, and Digestion