10 Tips To Help You Shred Off Blubber

Instead of the classic article/feature style I usually bestow upon you I figured that since 99% of my readers are probably inflicted with ADD it’s perhaps best if I switch to a bullet point format every now and then so your feeble minds can keep up.

Today I’ll be dishing out 10 tips for the average fitness rookie in terms of nutrition that can help you actively be on your way to torch off your body’s stored fat reserves. Keep in mind this is all supplemented by an active lifestyle which includes regular physical training at least three times a week for no less than 30 minutes per session. Here goes…

1. Organic Vs. Factory Produce

Yes they maybe a bit heavier on your wallet but not all foods are created equal. Mass produced meat, dairy and even veggies/fruits often undergo processes which aim to cut down on the time it takes for them to reach levels at which they’re ready for sale. This usually means cutting corners as well as the liberal tampering with genetics in order to produce more faster. Organic foods often contain substantially higher amounts of healthy micronutrients, more vitamins, and more goodness. Organic meat means that the bovines from which it was produced were probably grass-fed, had space to walk around and exercise their muscles - resulting in better meat that actually contains up to 70% more Omega-3 fatty acids. As long as you can pay the rent, feed the cat and still have enough change to go to the movies on weekends, your switch to organic bought food won’t be as financially detrimental as you think. Sources for organic foods in Cairo include Gourmet, Makar Farms and interestingly enough, Army outlets (they produce veggies/fruits/dairy/meats all of which is organically grown!)

2. Go For the Complex Carbs

I’ve discussed before the benefit of complex carbs over simple ones. Simple carbs trigger a spike in your insulin hormone, which is the main hormone responsible for regulating fat storage in the body. Get your insulin levels peaking beyond a certain point, and BAM, all those lovely carbs you’re gorging on were just instructed by your body to be transformed into fat for storage. Complex carbs on the other hand are excellent pre-workout food choices due to their ability to deliver energy in a sustainable manner throughout your workout and not leading to a spike in insulin and in so, avoiding the crash! Complex Carbs include sweet potatoes, potatoes, whole grains (bread/rice/pasta), legumes, oatmeals and a wide variety of vegetables. Drop the croissant and munch on that sweet potato buddy!

3. Egg it Up

Various research studies have proven that the consumption of eggs in your breakfast meal lowers your overall caloric intake throughout the day. And they’re goddamn right at it too! Eggs are one of the most complete-protein foods out there, meaning they contain all the essential amino acids required by the body for the building of muscle tissue as well as promoting satiation and curbing hunger. You can have it boiled, scrambled, sunny side up or benedit - just skip the butter!

4. Gorge On Blubber (the good kind!)

It may seem counterproductive at first, but it’s vital for you to understand that not all fat is created equal. There is good fat and bad fat just like there are good carbs and bad carbs. Good fats are usually monounsaturated and are commonly not stored in the body but used for energy instead. Those can be found in damn near every fish in the sea (think salmon!), avocados, extra virgin olive oil, peanut butter and nuts among other sources. So long as you keep your overall fat intake under 30% of your overall caloric intake (unless you’re a powerlifter), ingesting good fats as an integral part of your diet can actually help you burn off stored fat.

5. The Only Way to Go is Pro

Pro for Protein. As discussed up there with the eggs bit, protein is one macronutrient that promotes satiation, meaning that it curbs hunger and makes you - and your filthy brain - feeling fuller for longer. Ingesting a high protein diet (think 40% of overall intake) puts your body in a hypertrophy mode (muscle building) which in turns burns fat for energy. The increased consumption of protein has been directly linked with the increase in specific hormones that actively control hunger levels. Just make sure you’re ingesting quality protein from varied sources which include poultry, beef (although not as often), fish, legumes, nuts and dairy. Avoid the canned stuff, it’s low quality over-salted mass produced shit. And no, hot dogs are not proper protein. Neither are nuggets. 

6. Green Doesn’t Always Stand for the Environment

Vegetables ought to be a much bigger part of your life. You know how many ingredients go into my average salad? 17. That doesn’t even count the protein or spices/condiments I add on there. There is certainly no shortage of diversity of vegetables in Egypt. We’re blessed with the fact that in 2014, street vendors are still ferrying off the produce from local farms as opposed to trucks unloading it into supermarkets from mass production plantations. Make sure a large percentage of your carbohydrate intake comes from vegetables to reap the benefit of complex carbs, fibers, minerals and vitamins. A salad ought to resemble a painting, an explosion of color and a celebration of life, and then drizzle some balsamic vinegar on that bitch!

7. Going Nuts Doesn’t Always Mean You’re Going Crazy

Nuts are notable high in fat. But it’s good fat! That being said, that doesn’t mean you’re free to consume a kilogram of almonds undeterred. They’re still quite high in calories but they do make exceptionally good snacks/meal additives and can help curb off hunger just as much as protein can. Think a handful (dozen) mixed nuts with a side of fruit/dairy as a midday snack between meals or a dozen nuts sprinkled atop your salad for some added protein. Try and go for the raw unsalted variety which you can purchase at nuts stores (I buy mine from مقلة صلاح الدين  on Merghani st. next to Seif Pharmacy for instance and they carry raw unsalted almonds, raw unsalted cashews, unsalted roasted peanuts and unsalted roast walnuts among other things)

8. Drop The Sweets

Seems like the obvious thing to do but don’t be thinking generic candy here. Your fancy ass latte from Starbucks which you slam against your face before work can be easily adding 200-400 calories to your day and you’re not even aware of it. For some reason, most of us don’t consider liquids as containing calories, perhaps because we drink water - which has zero calories - so we assume that applies to anything else that’s not a solid. On that note, milk is not a goddamn beverage it’s a fucking meal item. Easy on that shit son.

9. Turn Your Insides Into a Swimming Pool

I ain’t talking about that eight cups of water a day shit. I’m talking three to five liters of water every day. Despite you feeling otherwise, you’re mostly water. Water that can walk and talk. So sort of like a reverse thing from what Jesus did, except not at all the same, but I digress. My point being, you ought to be drinking water every hour on the hour as long as you’re awake. Yes, that will mean a trip to the little girls’ room every 30 minutes or so, but your kidneys, brain, digestion, immunity and muscle repair functions will be eternally grateful. Consuming water 30 minutes before your meals can also facilitate digestion and lessen your overall caloric intake. Always leave your home with a nice 1.5 liters bottle at hand and whenever you’re out, skip the Pepsi and go for some H2O.

10. Spice! Spice baby!

Spice your damn food! Don’t be a flavorless fool! Look ma’ I made rhymes! I’m not talking about your pathetic salt and pepper shakers either. I’m talking chili powder, ginger powder, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, oregano, thyme, black seeds, crushed mint, mustard seeds, mixed spices and anything else you want to thrown on there. Spices that actively regulate your hormones, help increase your body’s ability to blast belly fat as well as make something as inedible as tuna become delicious!

Bonus Tip: An Apple A Day...

The old adage didn’t come out of thin air you know, apples are really a superfood, as they contain chemicals known as polyphenols which have been found to boost muscle strength, endurance, and even fat loss, especially around the abdominal region. But apples alone can get a bit boring, fruits ought to be as much a part of your diet as vegetables and protein are. Grapefruit, banana, strawberries, pears, grapes, cantaloupe, kiwis, dates and many more (although not all at once you bad boy you!) can provide your body with a steady stream of fibers, minerals, vitamins and a healthy sugar rush!

I hope this has been somewhat helpful for you, if anything to give you some basic pointers about what you should be doing and what you should be avoiding. Bonne chance!

Office Fitness: Healthy Tips for Corporate Slaves (Part 1)

Do you toil in a desk job for a living? Do you punch in your timestamp at 9 AM on the dot and not a moment sooner lest your boss dock off a couple of days from your pay? Are you expected to perform at optimal levels day in, day out from 9 to 5 (and sometimes even later) every day of the year? Are you and the office chair spending so much time together your ass has effectively been molded to fill the entire space?

If you answered yes to any or all of the above, then this post, dear fellow corporate slave, is most definitely for you.

Fitness and leading a healthy lifestyle in general is always a bit of a hurdle to those of us who lead the corporate life. Many of us end up with a “choose this or the other” type of option and often follow the money trail at the expense of their fitness, believing they’ll make enough money in a couple of years to quit while they’re ahead and get right back on track. Only suddenly you’re 36 and your shirts’ buttons aren’t as cooperative as they used to be back in the day and your belt holes are only getting wider and you’re still working the same job.

Image Source/Photodisc/Getty Images

It’s not a matter of selecting being fit and poor or being unfit and bringing home the greens, thinking like that only highlights the fact that you’re not really 100% committed to the concept of being fit. If you think of it as a choice or an option then that means you’re probably not that into it in the first place. Fitness or leading a healthy lifestyle isn’t a phase or passing trend, it’s a lifelong commitment and it requires dedication.

Your two main assault weapons as a corporate whore who wants to make sure they stay on top of their fitness game will be Planning and Discipline. There’s no shortcut when it comes to it. It’s all in or none at all. The trickiest part for those of us at corporate usually stems from nutrition and how hard it is to stay faithful to the course with temptation, office kitchen snacks, co workers’ birthdays and many other factors influencing us.

The biggest challenge for those who wish to stay fit and still maintain their corporate benefits usually stems from believing they don’t have the time or energy to plan things out or make arrangements and it honestly revolves around how lazy you are. If you want it bad enough, you’ll make it happen. No, you don’t have to order McDonald’s or Pizza Hut with the rest of the office gang just because it’s more convenient. No, you don’t have to starve yourself at the office all day subsiding on oxygen and prayer till you make it home so you’re not tempted to gorge on junk food at your desk then cry it out by the paper shredder later that afternoon. What your tie or skirt wearing ass needs to do is shake your brand name wallet and invest in some microwave air/liquid tight tupperware containers.

Yes sirs and madams, that does indeed mean planning ahead and preparing your day’s meals or even your week’s ahead of time. The process is fairly simple, some things can be made in bulk and stored in airtight containers in the fridge to be taken out and heated in the microwave for consumption throughout the week while some others need to be made fresh (salads, sandwiches, etc.) on the same day to be edible. I personally dedicate one of my weekend days, usually Friday to do my entire week’s grocery shopping in the early mornings before all the moms and pops are invading the aisles with their mismanaged carts. Getting all your week’s groceries also means you need to plan ahead what you’ll be eating that week and that’s completely dependent on your fitness plan, your exercise style, current goals and of course, your picky ass pallet.

So now you’ve settled on what you’re having throughout the week, you’ve gotten your meats, fish, carbs, dairy, fats and beverages in bulk and are now back in the kitchen - sans a hefty sum of cash - and a fuckton of ingredients. Now what?

Now you get to the real fun part. As mentioned earlier, investing in some quality tupperware is essential for the success, sustainability and ease of this plan. The whole point is that you want to get a routine going for you so that the process becomes easy and without surprises. If you’re planning to have chicken breasts or white fish fillets for lunch throughout the week, start grilling/roasting/steaming those en masse and once done store in their respective containers. If you’re roasting/steaming vegetables or sweet potatoes get on that as well and store accordingly. Many of your snacks will comprise of raw fruits, nuts and yogurt for instance so that will require little to no preparation on your part past packing them in your food bag in the morning.

Which brings me to my next point, packaging. Obviously this means waking up a tid bit earlier - or if you’re a real bed hugger, preparing it the night before - so you can section off your day’s meals in your tag alone tupperware containers before you head out to work. I assume you’re smart enough to eat breakfast before you leave the home so realistically you’ll only need to be packing two to four meals (snack #1, lunch, snack# 2 and dinner if you’re staying late at the office that day). As mentioned items such as salads and sandwiches need to be made fresh hence the waking up a tidbit earlier part so you can get on that. A good mixed green salad or sandwich shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes total in terms of preparation and packaging once you get the hang of it.

Alright, that seems fairly simple in regards to nutrition, no? On to the second half of the equation, to get your ass shaking!

If the saying that “Abs are 20% in the gym and 80% in the kitchen” is true, that still means those 20% are essential motherfuckers as far as you’re concerned. When it comes to the 9-5 life, the concept of working out is summed up to one simple premise; choosing the right time. I for one decided long ago that the whole hit the gym after work simply was not for me. I had no energy, no motivation and certainly no capacity to withstand the hordes of other people in a now packed gym so I hit the weights before work around 6 AM. Naturally that choice simply isn’t for anyone and everyone. Some people genuinely can’t wake up that early, while some others don’t mind working out after their work day at all. It’s completely up to you. An added bonus for early risers however is the unmatched pleasure of a gym you do not have to share with others!

Image Source/SimplyShredded.com

So yes choosing the right time is essential, but more important, choosing a time you can consistently work out during is all the more important. Remember, we’re trying to instigate a routine at play here. Routine means order, order means focus, focus means results.

Having a good well thought out long term plan is essential for your overall fitness goals. Good nutrition only compliments a good exercise plan. Make sure you have a plan that addresses your goals and has milestones and check marks so you can always review your progress and tweak as necessary as you go along.

If you think this is anywhere near over, just hang in there and stay tuned for Part 2 about the Office fitness!