BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE THROUGH DIET & EXERCISE

We read books about leadership, network, and attend expensive seminars to improve ourselves professionally.  One of the hidden secrets about success and becoming more effective is to simply have a good diet and exercise program.  The benefits are immense.  If you feel better as a result of good diet and exercise, you'll get more done, have more confidence and have a whole lot more energy.


Although, I'm not a doctor or dietician of any kind, I feel like an expert after a lifetime of focusing on this topic.  I've read a lot of books and tried just about every diet it seems.  After all that, I've come up with some rules that work for me and may work for you as well.


Here are some basic suggestions:


THE DIET

Eat 2-3 protein shakes per day (low carb)
Eat 100-200 calories every 3 hours
Eat a small baked potato or 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal in the morning (helps with sugar addiction withdrawal the next day)
Avoid all refined starches including white bread and pasta
Do not consume any fruit juice or dried fruits and eat fruit sparingly (sugar!)
Avoid all sweets and added sugar except for fresh fruits, which should be consumed sparingly (grapefuit, oranges, strawberries, mellons and green apples (have the least sugar)
Be moderate with oil but don't be afraid of it
Olive oil is best
Consume raw nuts up to 1 ounce per day
Consume generous portions of green vegetables
Focus more on proteins and other low carb foods (meat, eggs, vegetables)
If you splurge, lean toward proteins and fats and stay away from simple carbohydrates
Indulgence in simple carbohydrates can send some individuals into a sugar addicted pattern
Do not add salt or sugar to anything
Eat food with less than 200 mg of sodium per 100 calories
Eat less than a total of 1000 mg per day of sodium
Read a book called "Eat To Live" and "The Sugar Addicts Total 
Recovery Program"
Get audio versions so you can listen repeatedly until you get it all in
Hold back on carbs after 3 PM (front-load the day starting with oatmeal)
Carbohydrates in the diet store as fat
Dietary fat is not as prone to storage so don't be so afraid of it
No processed food -- EVER!
If it comes in a box, don't buy it
Eat whole, natural foods
Be accountable by keeping a food journal and emailing to a friend
 

THE EXERCISE 






Exercise 5-6 days per week, moderate to high intensity, 60 min or more 
Employ both cardiovascular and strength workouts 
Do things you enjoy (cycling, weight lifting, walking, etc.) 
Change it up often so you don't get bored 
Try DVD exercise programs such as P90X, Insanity and RevAbs 
Make a home gym or get a personal trainer
 
Notice how the list for "diet" is 80% longer than that of "exercise". In my opinion, the formula for better health follows the 80-20 rule. That is, good health requires 80% diet and 20% exercise.





THE MENU  


The truth is, I eat all day long with most days being about the same. Here is a typical menu for me: 


  5 AM Protein shake (on the way to exercise)
  7 AM Plain oatmeal (1/3 cup before adding water), several egg whites and a couple yolks
  9 AM Protein shake  
12 PM Chicken, fresh broccoli with eggs and ranch dressing 
  3 PM Protein shake 
  6 PM Chicken, fish (or steak once a week), vegetables or green salad 
  9 PM Green drink (I will post the recipe later)  




THE SPLURGE LIST



Yes, there are occasions where I want a little more. This is splurging to me but it still does not break any of the above diet rules. Here is a list of "splurge foods" that enable me to maintain stable blood sugar levels and will not cause me weight gain (believe it or not):Steak   




Hamburger, no catchup and no bun 
Chicken with skin, not fried or breaded  
Broccoli or other vegetables prepared with butter  
Eggs fried in olive oil  
Mayonnaise (I mix mayo and mustard for a dipping sauce)  
Almonds 
For more on this concept, try the information found in a book I read called "The Schwartzbein Principle".