Eat ONE handful of this before meals to accelerate fat loss

This is such a powerful little tip that most people overlook it, or don't take it seriously.  But I've had clients in the past that got great results from implementing even such a simple trick like this into their daily routine...

Here it is:

About 20 minutes before both your lunch and dinner, grab ONE handful of any type of healthy nuts, such as raw almonds, pecans, walnuts, macadamias, etc.  Just ONE handful! There's 2 powerful things this accomplishes:

1. What this does is that the healthy fats, fiber, and protein in the nuts sends a signal to your brain that basically reduces your appetite because it sensed the nutrients thereby taking the "edge off" so you're not extremely hungry when you start your actual meal. 

This means you automatically will eat less calories in your lunch or dinner because your brain has had 20 minutes to adjust appetite accordingly.

2.  The other thing that this little trick accomplishes is that the fiber, protein, and healthy fats in the handful of nuts goes to your stomach 20 minutes before the meal and therefore slows down the absorption of any carbohydrates that you might eat with your lunch or dinner.  This helps to slow and control your blood sugar response from the meal and also the insulin response. 

This is a 2nd reason that this trick controls your appetite by avoiding "hormonal hunger" caused by insulin.  What I mean by this is that if you do this trick before your lunch, you'll have a lower insulin response and therefore be less likely to "need" a mid-day snack, because you won't be subject to hormonal hunger attacks.

Now if you want yet another trick that you can try in your daily routine to accelerate fat loss, my friend and Nutritionist Josh Bezoni shows you a rather obscure, but powerful fat-burning meal that you can use TWICE a day, and only takes 60 seconds to make...

==> Eat THIS twice a day for accelerated fat loss (takes only 60 seconds to make)

Enjoy!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

These foods and herbs protect your hormones (can even improve sex!)

I keep seeing study after study showing some shocking hormonal declines in both men and women in recent decades.  The testosterone level decline in men is even affecting men as early as their 20's and 30's, with even worse effects on men 40+.

This article will also be helpful for women too, so don't think this is solely a "manly" article about T levels.

A couple of the reasons for the suffering T levels in men and just general hormonal imbalances in women are increasing estrogenic chemicals that we're exposed to from not only pesticides in our food supply (that's one major reason I choose to eat organic about 90% of the time), but also chemicals in water pollution, and even harmful estrogenic chemicals hiding in your lotions and shampoos (this is why I choose natural shampoo instead of chemical-based shampoos).

If that's not bad enough, some studies even link air pollution with excess abdominal fat, which is just yet more proof that the further we degrade our environment, the effects on our health are very real.

And here's another shocking thing that is killing testosterone levels (and sperm count) in men of all ages... yes, carrying a cell phone in your pocket too many hours a day can decrease testosterone levels and sperm count.  That article explains why.  Not fun!  That's why I NEVER carry a cell phone in my pocket.  I keep it off my body at all times and just on a table.

We're not done yet with the chemicals lurking out there that are out to get you... this article shows you a chemical found in paper receipts that you grab with your fingers that harms your hormones and lowers T levels.

But even though it seems that the entire world is trying to crush our testosterone levels from every angle, there are things you can do to protect yourself and foods, herbs, and spices you can eat that help boost T levels...

Hormone-balancing tip #1:

We NEED to eat enough fat!

Getting adequate healthy saturated fats from grass-fed dairy, coconut oil, whole eggs, and pasture-raised meats is one very important aspect in raising those all important T levels in men and balancing hormones in women too!  People that are afraid of eating fats will end up with hormonal imbalances, including low-T in men.  Remember as I explain in this article that dairy fat can be VERY good for you if you choose the right type.

Other healthy fats like avocados (I eat 1 avocado daily, half at breakfast and half at dinner), nuts, chia seeds, and a good quality olive oil can also help naturally boost T levels in men, as well as balance hormones in women.

Hormone-balancing tip #2:

Teas and spices...

Certain teas like organic chamomile tea and organic green tea have been shown to fight against xenoestrogens and thereby help to protect your T levels!

And even certain spices such as turmeric and ginger have been found to have properties that help to fight xenoestrogens and preserve your hormone balance.

Hormone-balancing tip #3:

Certain veggies...

Cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts) are particularly potent at fighting against xenoestrogens as I explain in this article.

Plus, I bet you didn't know this one...

This article shows a surprising veggie that can even help boost a man's testosterone levels.

 

Hormone-balancing tip #4:

Manage stress better. 

If you let stress get to you daily, this can eventually lead to adrenal fatigue, and once you get adrenal fatigue, T levels can suffer as well.  Manage stress properly by getting 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep per night, not letting daily stresses bother you, taking 2 minute breaks each hour at work for deep breathing and relaxation, and even trying things like meditation and yoga to help reduce stress.

Hormone-balancing tip #5: 

Get enough sunshine! 

Keeping your blood vitamin D levels above 50 ng/ml (most people are in the 20's or 30's) is shown to significantly boost T levels in men.  A side benefit is maintaining high Vitamin D3 levels also helps protect you from cancer, as well as keeps your bones strong.  Note that you can't produce vitamin D in your skin if you're wearing sunscreen.  Plus, most chemical-based sunscreens contain harmful estrogenic chemicals anyway, so I personally stay away from them fully.

Here's an important article and study showing how higher vitamin D levels can make you equivalent to 5 years younger, including some exact recommendations to optimize and protect yourself.

Hormone-balancing tip #6:

This is an herbal mixture that I personally use daily to help boost and protect my Testosterone levels... All 5 of these herbal ingredients have been shown to have T-boosting effects that are powerful.

I hope you enjoyed all of these hormone-protecting tips!

PS -- if you liked today's article, please fwd this email on to any of your friends, family, or co-workers that would enjoy it.

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

Gluten-Free, low-carb, Paleo Italian Focaccia bread (amazing!)

A few weeks ago, I was having dinner at my good friend Kelley Herring's house... and you might know that Kelley is famous for her amazingly healthy desserts.  But I had no idea she also had an incredible recipe for Italian focaccia bread that can be whipped up in only 10 minutes!

It smelled amazing, but I still had my doubts.  I mean, come on... just how good could a wheat-free, grain-free, gluten-free, low-carb Italian bread really taste?

So I dipped a piece of Kelley's healthy gluten-free, low-carb Italian Focaccia bread into some fresh extra-virgin olive oil with garlic and spices and I was hooked instantly... I felt like I was at a 5-star Italian restaurant dipping fresh baked Italian bread in olive oil! 

And this combination of Kelley's healthy Italian bread dipped in olive oil went PERFECT combined with a great glass of red wine (btw, did you know that one glass of red wine a day is shown to improve your good bugs in your gut, and reduce the bad bugs).

Italian Bread is probably the ONE thing that I miss eating on a mostly Paleolithic grain-free diet (although I do have my cheat days here and there) ... and if you've given up wheat-based bread (or grains, in general), then you know you're doing a great thing for your health as we've shown in dozens of articles in this newsletter...

As a quick recap, some of the benefits of reducing or eliminating grains in your diet are:

• Reduce systemic inflammation
• Maintaining lower and controlled blood sugar (which slows aging and boosts fat loss)
• Healing digestive issues
• Preventing damage to the intestinal wall that can be caused by gluten and lectins
• Reducing bloat
• Strengthening your immune system
• Create a leaner, healthier body

But what about the cravings? You know, those times when nothing but a hot, crusty piece of bread slathered in golden butter or dipped in olive oil will do?

Well, this is why I got so excited about Kelley's herbed focaccia bread with all of its chewy, crusty, rustic goodness - dipped in a garlic-spiked olive oil!

Kelley just recently adapted this recipe from her Better Breads manual

This delicious focaccia bread recipe only took Kelley 10 minutes to whip up and then about 40 minutes in the oven.

The focaccia emerged from the oven crowned with a chewy, golden crust and the perfect texture for sopping up the garlicky olive oil dipping sauce and her incredible hearty Bolognese sauce that she made us for dinner, which was served on top of spaghetti squash instead of pasta.

Not only will this recipe satisfy your craving for bread - but also provide you with key nutrients that stoke your metabolism and help to burn stubborn fat, including:

•    Protein -  This is the power nutrient that kicks up your body's production of glucagon- a key hormone for fat-burning. And this Italian-inspired bread has a more protein than standard wheat-based bread.

•    Medium Chain Triglyerides (MCTs) - Found in coconut, these amazing fatty acids are burned by the liver for energy - not stored as fat. Studies show that eating a diet rich in MCTs can boost metabolism, improve blood sugar balance, benefit heart disease risks and even protect against fatty liver.

•    Fiber - Part of the fat-burning "trifecta" of nutrients (which also includes protein and healthy fats), fiber is an essential part of a healthy, lean-body diet. Fiber helps to stabilize blood sugar, improve your digestion, facilitate detoxification and reduce hunger.

If all this doesn't send you running to the kitchen, get this:

This recipe is also a great source of powerful antioxidants (thanks to the herbs!). These powerful molecules supercharge your body's ability to fend off the free radicals that contribute to physical aging and degenerative disease.

So, let's get right to the actual recipe... here's Kelley's super-simple, fat-burning recipe that's sure to make your house smell like Little Italy and put a smile on your face...

Paleo Herb & Sun-Dried Tomato Focaccia Bread Recipe
(low-carb, gluten-free, high fiber and healthy fats)

Servings: 12
Active Mixing Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

•    5 pasture-raised eggs (or organic, omega-3 eggs)
•    1 pack Let's Do Organic Creamed Coconut (key ingredient; *details below about this)
•    ¼ cup organic virgin coconut oil, melted (or extra virgin olive oil)
•    ½ Tbsp. dried organic basil (an Italian herb blend and/or rosemary would be delicious too)
•    2 tsp. organic garlic powder (to taste)
•    ¼ cup organic Parmesan cheese, divided
•    5 organic sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, sliced (try Mediterranean Organic)
•    ½ tsp. Sea Salt
•    ¾ tsp. baking soda

* For the "Let's Do Organic Creamed Coconut", this may not be in every grocery store, but I found it in Whole Foods and also ThriveMarket.com online, or you can get it at the amazon link above.  This is VERY different than just coconut cream or milk, as this contains the fiber from coconuts too, which is key to making this recipe come out properly.

Preparation

1.    Soften creamed coconut by placing packet in a bowl of warm water. Work with your hands to create a pourable consistency. 
2.    Preheat oven to 300 F and lightly grease a 9" round cake pan (preferably stoneware).
3.    Add eggs, melted coconut oil, creamed coconut, sea salt and baking soda to a blender. Blend until very smooth (no lumps!).
4.    Pour batter into a medium mixing bowl and fold in herbs and parm cheese (if using).
5.    Pour into greased pan. Top with sliced sun-dried tomatoes and a little extra parm cheese, if using.
6.    Transfer to oven and bake 40-45 minutes until golden brown and firm.
7.    Serve with a dipping oil made with high quality organic extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic and herbs, to taste.

Nutrition Information Per Serving:
192 calories, 18 grams healthy fats, 6 grams carbohydrate (mostly fiber), 3 grams protein

This is a perfect bread for diabetics since there's no blood sugar impact hardly at all, and also just good for anyone looking to control blood sugar and cravings for the fat loss and appetite control effects.

I made a batch of this Focaccia bread this past week myself and it came out PERFECT!  I also added about 10 fresh basil leaves to the blender when the ingredients were blending together, so that added some extra basily goodness to the flavor in our final loaf.

If you want more incredible gluten-free, low-carb, grain-free recipes from Kelley, make sure to grab her Better Breads manual today (currently on sale) ...Every single recipe in the manual is Paleo, gluten-free, and low-carb, so it's great for both fat loss or diabetics.

Bon appetit!

PS -- if you liked today's gluten-free low-carb bread recipe, please feel free to copy this page url and email it to any of your friends, family, or co-workers that would enjoy it!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

This exercise reduces your "bellyfat hormone"

Everything comes down to hormonal balance... you don't get fat because you simply eat too much on your own... you eat too much because hormonal imbalances CAUSE you to eat too much.  It's called "hormonal hunger" and it's quite different than ACTUAL hunger.

Exercise plays a HUGE role in balancing your hormones too!  My post yesterday showed you my amazingly fun workout routines I've been using in recent weeks, and these are also strategic in optimizing hormones.

FYI -- There are no "bad" hormones per se.  Every hormone has an important purpose in your body.  Even hormones like insulin and cortisol have good purposes too, but only become "bad" when they're out of balance.

When hormones get unbalanced, bad things can indeed happen in your body...

There's one particular hormone that's particularly responsible for adding unwanted fat around your bellybutton. I'm referring to cortisol.

Your body releases cortisol when you're under stress. It’s part of the whole “fight or flight” response. It worked great for our paleolithic ancestors when they were being chased by a lion. But it isn't so great for us now...

You see, many of us are walking around with high cortisol levels all the time. It happens thanks to everyday stressors, like a fight with your spouse or feeling overwhelmed at work.

Even certain forms of exercise like jogging can raise your cortisol to sky-high levels. (This is why I advocate shorter, more intense workouts rather than long duration things like jogging)

And these increased cortisol levels could be making you store more fat.

The kind of fat you’re most likely to store from elevated cortisol is called visceral fat — the dangerous belly fat that’s linked to diabetes, high blood pressure and higher heart disease deaths.

So what can you do about it?

Well, it’s almost impossible to totally erase stress from our lives. But there are a few simple steps you can take to lower your stress, decrease your cortisol, and accelerate the reduction of your abdominal fat stores:


1. Get 7-9 hours of sleep every night

Normally, cortisol concentrations rapidly decline in the evening. But one study showed that people who had undergone 6 days of sleep deprivation had approximately 6-fold slower cortisol reduction versus subjects who were fully rested. In cases of chronic sleep loss, this is likely to promote the development of insulin resistance, a risk factor for obesity and diabetes.


2. Practice quiet time or meditation daily

A new study published in the journal Health Psychology shows an association between increased mindfulness and decreased levels of cortisol. The study involved 57 people who were taught mindful breathing, observation skills, and cultivation of "positive" mental states like compassion. They found an association between increases in mindfulness and decreases in cortisol levels in the saliva.


3. Keep a "gratitude journal"

A study published in Integrative Physiological & Behavioral Science looked at 45 adults who were taught to cultivate appreciation and other positive emotions. There was a 23% reduction in cortisol in the group who developed their "gratitude" habits. An easy way to cultivate your own feelings of gratitude is to keep a simple journal on your bedside table, and jot down 3-5 things you are grateful for in your day before you go to bed.

4. Research points to a certain kind of exercise as perhaps the most powerful solution...

By using this method, you can get the same powerful fat-blasting effects of vigorous cardio exercise AND reduce your cortisol levels at the same time.

And THAT can help you lose stubborn flab and bellyfat… and keep it off! 

Forget about the boring monotony of jogging, running on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike.  Do this instead:

=> Exercise method PROVEN to reduce cortisol & reduce belly fat (equally effective for BOTH men and women)


I've been incorporating this style of exercise into my routines this year and I love it.  It will never be the only form of exercise I do, but it's just one tool to help improve my results from other exercise techniques too!

Enjoy the results!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

Fun workouts to get you lean and mean!

I'll tell you in today's newsletter about the fun workout schedule I've been doing lately, and maybe it will give you some possible new ideas.  My personal plan might not be something you're interested in doing, but perhaps it gives you some ideas you can apply to your own schedule.  Just remember, although you should challenge yourself with your workouts, you should also choose things that are fun or enjoyable most of the time too.

I've been feeling amazing lately, and have been incorporating some really good variety in my workouts, while still progressing on many of the exercises.

Even though I was swamped with work last week and worked many long days, I managed to fit in a good workout every weekday.  Personally, I've come to the conclusion that I like to get at least some form of exercise 5-6 days a week, and I don't feel 100% without getting exercise at the end of each work day. 

Some people prefer mornings for their workouts, but I tend to prefer late afternoon or early evening as a good way to unwind after each work day.  And then my post-workout meal is a nice big dinner as a recovery meal!

As an example, here was my workout schedule last week, which I had a blast with...

Monday:

10 minutes of wind sprints on soccer field; 
20 minutes of "sprint swimming" in the pool.

For the 10 minutes of running sprints, these were ALL-OUT wind sprints at our local soccer field (probably about 5-6 sprints of 100 yards each at all-out intensity).  Remember that wind sprints are one of the BEST exercises for growth hormone release (aka, the youth hormone) in your body!

After that, I came back to our local outdoor pool and did about 20 minutes of swimming sprints. To clarify, "swimming sprints" are not running in a pool... what I mean by this is all-out intensity on normal swimming strokes... basically, swimming as fast as I possibly can across the pool, and then resting.

I call this "muscle swimming" and I do it in similar fashion to the running sprints, in that it's an all-out intensity swimming sprint and then 20-30 seconds of rest when I reach the other side of the pool.  Once I catch my breath, I do the next all-out swimming sprint.  I also try to get a good amount of muscular power into each swimming stroke, as opposed to just the typical casual swimming stroke.

This style of "sprint swimming" has a lot more benefits to your cardiovascular and muscular systems because you're challenging your body harder and in a variable fashion, and allowing it to rest in between exertions.  You train your heart rate in a MUCH wider range, thereby making it a lot stronger than just steady pace swimming at the same heart rate the whole time.  It's the exact same concept as jogging vs sprinting, and why I always talk about why sprinting is so much more beneficial to the body than jogging.

Sprint swimming has a higher metabolism-boosting effect in the hours after your workout than steady pace swimming does.


Tuesday:

45 minutes of weight training strength lifts

This was my designated weight lifting day.  Because I'm active with outdoor activities in the summer, I've been doing only 1 day per week of actual heavy weight training in order to maintain good strength and lean muscle mass, maxed out bone density, and the metabolism-boosting benefits that weight training gives. 

I focused this workout mostly on deadlifts, bench presses, pullups, and rows to maintain my strength levels on all of the major strength lifts. 


Wednesday:

90 minute hike after work.

On this day, my girlfriend and I did an awesome 90 minute hike up and down a nearby mountain.  I love hiking mostly for the stress-relief benefits of just being out in nature.  It's very relaxing to me and helps clear my mind after a busy day.  Also, I think hiking is actually a significantly better workout than jogging or walking.  The reason is that hiking naturally has ups and downs making it more of an interval training workout rather than just a steady-pace jog.  In addition, hiking has a very variable surface of rocks, roots, and dirt that strengthens your stabilizer muscles in your ankles, feet, and knees better than just walking on asphalt.

Don't get me wrong, I think walking is great too, particularly for the benefit of just getting outside, stress relief, and as a very calm form of exercise.  Sometimes I do 15 minute walks outside as a great way to start my day in the morning. 

But if you're lucky enough to have good hiking trails somewhere in a reasonable distance of where you live, try to take advantage of those, as I feel the benefits of hiking far outweigh any possible benefits of jogging on pavement (which has the negative of repetitive use injuries and pounding your joints).


Thursday:

60 minute mountain bike ride after work.

Like hiking, not everybody has this available if you live in a very flat area, but if you do, it's such an amazing workout while also having a blast at the same time!

Mountain biking can be a super challenging form of interval training, depending on the ups and downs of the trails.  In some areas, long climbs to start the ride make it a very challenging workout in the first half of the ride while enjoying all downhill on the 2nd half of the ride.

Mountain biking also gives me more variety in my workouts since I'm doing sprinting, swimming, or lifting on other days of the week.  So it challenges your muscles and your heart in different ways than other exercises, making you stronger in many different aspects.


Friday:

10 minutes of high intensity kettlebell training; 
10 minutes of wind sprints; 
Light cool-down swimming in pool.

I LOVE these killer kettlebell workouts and I think they are one of the most effective forms of exercise to chisel your body lean, while also giving crazy cardiovascular benefits!

On this day, I really blasted the kettlebells hard (I've trained with kettlebells in my house for over 8 years now, and I love them!), and I kept the KB workout short and sweet finishing my whole body in 10 minutes.  I followed that up with 10 minutes of sprints at the local soccer field again, and then just did a light cool-down swim in the neighborhood pool after that.


The weekly workout design:

As you can see, I challenged my body with some form of exercise during each weekday this week, and because of the variety of forms and types of exercise, I didn't need full rest days in between workouts. 

The swimming doesn't affect the lifting performance the next day, and the lifting doesn't affect the hiking the next day, and the hiking doesn't affect the biking the next day.


Another powerful form of exercise I'm incorporating:

I never used to do this type of exercise my whole life, but in the last year, I've been convinced of it's benefits... And it works your body in a TOTALLY different way than lifting, sprinting, swimming, biking, or hiking. 

Yes, what I'm referring to here is yoga!  Most men avoid yoga thinking it's not "manly" in some way, but earlier this year, I finally gave it a shot, and I think it has some incredible benefits for BOTH men and women.  After all, you've probably heard that some of the toughest pro athletes these days incorporate yoga into their routines to help balance and improve their bodies.   I took about 6 weeks off recently from including yoga in my routine, but I'm adding it back starting next week as one of my days per week.

I've been researching types of yoga, and you HAVE to try this type below:

Unique type of yoga that reduces cortisol levels and belly fat (yes, for BOTH men and women)


You don't have to incorporate all of these types of exercises described in this email to get the body you want...Try different things for yourself and see what you get the best results with.  Today's email just simply showed you examples of what I'm doing to keep variety into my routines, keep exercise enjoyable and fun, and challenge myself.

I hope you're pumped and ready to get your best body yet this fall!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer