Really?  Let’s begin by defining a carbohydrate!  A carbohydrate is all foods digested as sugars!!  And that also means FRUIT and VEGETABLES!!

Carbohydrates are the fuel in your tank.  We NEED them… yet… We need the SMART CARBS! those that are high in fibre!  Sugars are not all created equal!! let’s take a peak!

Here’s where carbohydrates all goes haywire!!

Many people are caught in the diet confusion about the fear of fat, which leads to gross over-consumption of carbohydrates and the carbohydrate crash cycle in the body.  In fact, we are told to eat 50 to 65% of our daily calories as carbohydrates, consuming over 350g of carbohydrates every day!  Ok, if you’re an elite athlete, you may be able to get away with that, but the average person only need approx 150g of carbohydrates a day!

The problem is that many carbs, especially the highly refined grains (whites) lead to rapid spike in the blood sugar levels.  As blood sugar spikes, insulin is rapidly released to quickly stabilize the sugar in our bloodstream and push the sugar into our cells.. the result:  FAT STORAGE!!!

What we often fail to recognize is the important of macrobalance in our diet.  In other words, we need protein and fats to correctly balance to energize muscles while avoiding energy crashes, food cravings and excess storage of fat!

When our foods are balanced and in the right portions, we stimulate the muscle which in turn will go directly to the FAT BURNING process we are all looking for!

It’s a science… We’ve have found the BEST nutraceutical to help put it all together.  Fast, easy and affordable!  And not only are we offering the products, we have developed the support system you need to make it work in your life… FOR LIFE!

Our Spring Rejuvenation Weight Loss Challenge is here and we don’t want you to miss out!  Clean out your closets, this is going to be a wild ride!  90 days of daily support, fitness videos, coaching pieces, questions answered.  It’s all here and it’s FREE!!! All you need are the products and we’ve got the easy way to get those delivered directly to you!

I invite you to www.myprecision.com to take a peak what’s happening, at how we are doing it!  Be Ready to AMAZE yourself!

Metabolism and weight loss

It may be tempting to blame your metabolism for weight gain. But because metabolism is a natural process, your body generally balances it to meet your individual needs. That’s why if you try so-called starvation diets, your body compensates by slowing down these bodily processes and conserving calories for survival. Only in rare cases do you get excessive weight gain from a medical problem that slows metabolism, such as Cushing’s syndrome or having an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).

Unfortunately, weight gain is most commonly the result of eating more calories than you burn. To lose weight, then, you need to create an energy deficit by eating fewer calories, increasing the number of calories you burn through physical activity, or both.

Where is my metabolism?  How do I rev up my energy?  How does it all work?   Let’s take a moment to discuss the process of metabolism..

Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. During this complex biochemical process, calories in food and beverages are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function. Even when you’re at rest, your body needs energy for all its “hidden” functions, such as breathing, circulating blood, adjusting hormone levels, and growing and repairing cells.

The number of calories your body uses to carry out these basic functions is known as your basal metabolic rate — what you might call metabolism. Several factors determine your individual basal metabolic rate:

• Your body size and composition. The bodies of people who are larger or have more muscle burn more calories, even at rest.
• Your sex. Men usually have less body fat and more muscle than do women of the same age and weight, burning more calories.
• Your age. As you get older, the amount of muscle tends to decrease and fat accounts for more of your weight, slowing down calorie burning.

Energy needs for your body’s basic functions stay fairly consistent and aren’t easily changed. Your basal metabolic rate accounts for about 60 to 75 percent of the calories you burn every day.

In addition to your basal metabolic rate, two other factors determine how many calories your body burns each day:

• Food processing (thermogenesis). Digesting, absorbing, transporting and storing the food you consume also takes calories. This accounts for about 10 percent of the calories used each day. For the most part, your body’s energy requirement to process food stays relatively steady and isn’t easily changed.
• Physical activity. Physical activity and exercise — such as playing tennis, walking to the store, chasing after the dog and any other movement — account for the rest of the calories your body burns up each day. Physical activity is by far the most variable of the factors that determine how many calories you burn each day.

Does that mean starving myself?

Of course not!  It means that the foods that we eat, in the right balance and portions throughout your day will make the difference between weight plateaus, weight gain and weight loss.

It’s a science and we’ve nailed it!  I invite you to contact me maryse@myoprecision.com to learn more on how we can boost your metabolism to help you look and feel your best this summer!  But you’ve got to act now, our program begins April 15^th…

Have you noticed that in the last 3 years, there is a huge pre-biotic/pro-biotic campaign?  It’s added to our foods, our doctors are talking about it, you can find them in all health foods stores and pharmacies… But what do they really do? Why do we really need them?  Is it just another fad?

Our guts are a virtual playground to between 400 and 500 varieties of bacteria.  They all work in tandem or synergistically to help us break down food, keep intestinal walls healthy and functioning properly.  Healthy guts also mean healthy immune systems.  Having both pre and probiotics in our bodies is not only beneficial….but essential for good digestion, healthy metabolism and strong immune systems.

So what do they do?

Prebiotics:

Assist the absorption of bone-building minerals like calcium and magnesium due to the way they are digested but more importantly they work to “feed” for these beneficial probiotic bacteria, enhancing their activity.”

Prebiotics can be found in natural foods like berries, whole grains, dairy products, leafy greens, honey, bananas, garlic and legumes.  They can also be added to products found in supplement form such as meal replacement shakes.

Probiotics:

Increase the number of helpful bacteria, and inhibiting harmful bacteria, which helps strengthen the body’s immune response.”

Now a days, probiotics can be found in many different types of food.  Yogurt, miso, cereals, nutritional bars, milk (fermented and unfermented) and meal replacement drinks to name but a few.

So back to our question?  Is it just another fad? Of course not, our bodies have been using pre/probiotics from our foods since the beginning of time.  With nutraceuticals on the forefront of the nutitional industry, we now see and hear more information and we clamor for a healthier lifestyle.

Do we need to take probiotics?

In my opinion, the answer is yes.  There was a time when all we ate were whole, natural foods.  Our livestock was raised on real grains and grasses.  It’s just the case anymore.  We have lifestyles and eating habits that are not always probiotic friendly.  We live with antibiotics, which kills all bacteria in our gut,  more and more, we hear and see our friends and family members who suffer from some gut issue or another.  Stomach acids will kill most of the probiotics found in foods.  It is important to find a probiotic that contains enough healthy bacteria, as well as a delivery system that enable the good bacteria to survive harsh stomach acids and reach your gut alive, intact and viable.

We’ve been doing our research!  We’ve found it!  The probiotic with the BEST delivery system designed today.The Qivana Core System.    I invite you http://www.qivana.com/index.php?p_resource=qore-probiotic to take a look at what we’ve found!

You can always contact me for more information, this is one product you won’t want to omit from your life.  Feel energized, feel healthy, boost your immunse system!  It’s easy!

I’ll let you in on a secret….  Coaching is not about having things done FOR you, it’s about learning to do them yourself.  Those AHA moments only happen when you’ve experienced the learning curve on your own!

I’ve coached many women into a healthy lifestyle, it’s not always easy.  Some of us have mounted barriers with every excuse on why it just can’t be done… My job as a coach is to break down every one of those barriers, one step at a time…  Coaching is about giving you the tools to break free, to jump out of that comfortable box and explore the possibilities.

I have worked with coaches who have done those very things for me, and like you, I also had strong barriers.  And because I’m strong minded, because I know all the tactics.. these poor coaches earned every penny.. until one day….

My coach looked at me, a little exhausted with me…  and I knew then… I was loosing.  I had let it become a battle of wills, only, she wasn’t fighting!  She was there to help me, and I wasn’t letting her… why?  Because I was comfortable in my box… that was my AHA moment!!!  I finally got it!!  Her coaching was all about me!  And I wouldn’t let her!!

After that moment, it was all smooth sailing…  learning the tactics from a different perspective, applying the concepts willingly, without struggle.  I learned to trust, to try and the results?  SUCCESS …

Being coached is all about investing in yourself, and that means taking the time to trust in yourself, in your abilities and in your life.

What would it mean to you to have a coach in your life everyday?  Think the investment is too much?  Think again… I invite you to our Power Circle, staring April 15^th… Spring Rejuvenation … challenge yourself to feel great this summer!  Contact me for more info!  I’d love to hear from  you!!!  maryse@myoprecision.com

I’ll let you on the best secret… we always hear about it, but somehow, we tend to discount it…

It’s about doing BOTH!!!  But wait!! There are tactics to this…

Here’s how the connection works:

As we exercise, we burn calories.  We all KNOW this for sure… but why oh why doesn’t the body fat disappear??? If you eat less calories than you actually burn in a day, it should work right?  Well, yes it does… for a time.. until the body begins to fight back… it will actually stop the process if it isn’t fed the right components to sustain it… Yes, we have to fuel to burn!!!!

Fueling to exercise is a science.  It’s what will rev up your metabolism so that it will actually burn body fat!  Here’s the thing, this is important…  Body Fat Is The Number One Go To Fuel For Your Muscles …. If and only if the muscles are healthy and strong… in other words, it needs PROTEIN!!!  Yes everyone!!  Protein!!!  But that’s not all it needs…. In order to have energy to actually get up and go, it needs SUGAR… yay!! It needs sugar!!! Ummm.. the right kind of sugar!!!  We’re talking about fruit and vegetables here, not the pasta or breads!!!  Wait!! It also needs more, it needs FAT!!!  What?  Fats???  Yes, it needs fats, but again, the right kind of fats!!  It needs Essential Fatty Acids to balance the plate, to help eliminate unwanted fats, to keep your skin and hair looking great!!!

We’re talking about eating those components in a manageable, scientific way.  Eating to exercise, exercising for weight loss.. it’s a science!

What would it mean to you to have a coach by your side every day?  Teaching you the proper science so you can apply it to your lifestyle?  What would it mean to you to actually start seeing the results you’ve been looking for?

I invite you to contact me maryse@myoprecision.com you won’t want to miss this!  It’s all about you!

Did you know that really, in a weight loss environment, you don’t really need to use the gym?  Did you know that a full workout can happen with strength using your own body weight?

The hardest workouts I do for myself, are those when no equipment is put out.  It takes a certain mindset to move the body in form without a piece of equipment to guide the move.  And it’s not about the crunches!!!  Have you ever tried to do a series of pushups, or lunges, or squats, … you have?  Great!  Have you ever tried to put them in a non stop circuit?  Now there’s a challenge!  You can lift your metabolism, burn fat by building lean muscle mass.. and … NO GYM FEES!  NO WAITING!

That’s why I’ve designed a series of fitness videos that ask for NO equipment, except maybe a towel!  And it’s all within our Power Circles!

What would it mean to you to have a video sent to you every week?  A progressive program where you can become strong from the inside out, on your own time, no additional costs of equipment?  It’s all here for you!  Contact me for all the info.. you’ll love what you get!!  maryse@myoprecision.com

The truth is that cardio does burn body fat, but the body gets used to the work and then, well.. it just doesn’t need to burn so many calories to get the work done.  So it will slow down.  As your heart gets fitter and stronger, the calorie burn lessens.

Here’s the one thing can change things up!  Push Weights!!!  If you want to lose body fat, it is essential to build muscle mass… Why?  Because muscles burn fat on a 24 hour basis.  Body fat is the number one fuel muscles need to stay healthy and strong, to work for you, to keep the metabolism heating on high, melting down that unwanted body fat!

When doing cardio work, the calorie burn diminishes as the body relaxes.  When muscles are worked hard, the calorie burn stays high while it builds and repairs.  And that means using body fat as fuel.  We are bio-engineered to lose the body fat!  The body doesn’t have to learn this, it just does it on it’s own if we work it correctly.

My suggestion to anyone in a weight loss environment is this:

• Strenght Training 3 times a week
• Cardio Training 3 times a week

Easy stuff!  Less than 1 hour a day to see results!!!  Think of it as your alone time, your YOU time, no kids, no work, no partner… just YOU and ONLY you!

Here’s the secret to becoming healthy in a very short time!  It’s not about making the decision, we do that every other week!  It’s not about getting into a program, we’ve done that.. it’s not even about throwing everything out in the fridge!!!

It’s about making room in our life first!!!!  For example, if you’re busy with children in your life, those children will not go away because you’ve decided to go to the gym!  If you’re dealing with an overstuffed fridge because you have hollow legged teens living in the house, that junk food will not disappear!  If you travel in your career, those restaurants won’t disappear either!!!

So how do we make those changes happen… here’s the secret:

The number one task…  start making space for yourself.  Don’t even think of going to the gym yet, don’t even think of changing your eating habits until you’ve made the necessary space in your life…

If it’s kids:  start by getting a sitter for one hour, twice a week… and use that time for yourself.. Yes, for yourself!  No laundry, no groceries… you time!  Go for coffee with a friend, go for a walk, go to Chapters to get a new book!  Just get out of the house, just for you!!!  Or, call a friend!

If it’s teens! That’s a no brainer!!!  No fighting required here, choose your battles and hollow legs will ALWAYS win!!!  Just plan meals that you enjoy and let them fend for themselves if they are not going along…in other words, don’t change your diet yet, don’t go all Vegan yet!!  Just sit back with your meal, don’t fight… just enjoy the foods you enjoy, without dealing with the pizza!

If it’s travel… well, that’s a harder one for sure!  Here’s how one client did this… She took one hour of her busy travel day, just one hour off (yes, you’re allowed an hour off just like everybody else at the office)… and just left the premises, the conference, the meeting and went for a little alone time… she window shopped, had a coffee,  read a chapter of her newly acquired novel… anything but work people!!!!

When those habits are ingrained, and that will take approx. 3 weeks, then you can begin to take that time to make some changes.  Until that work is done, the changes cannot possibly be tenable…

It’s all about the perspective!  I have to agree that it’s a tedious task… Most of us start and just forget about it as we go along… why?  Well, it’s tiresome!!! And it’s accountability!! And well… ugh!!!

Ok,, let’s take a good look at this… First of all, tracking is not the same as journaling.

Journaling = the planning stage

Tracking = what I actually did

There are different schools of thought on this one, and we can argue it until the cows come home.  For the purpose of today, let’s just agree that it’s how it works!

• When keeping a journal, you want to write out the plan.  In other words, what you will be having as fuel for the day.  Getting your foods ready for your day is key to making this happen..  It’s a vision of what you want to happen today…
• Tracking is where it all happens…  everytime you eat, it should be checked off in the journal.  You don’t need to have 2 books for goodness sakes!  Now that would be tedious!!!!  If you don’t have what’s on the menu, just don’t check it off!!  At the bottom of the page, a quick note on what you did have is key.

The exercise is not one that should be punitive by any means.  Rather, it should be a tool so that you can take notice of  your patterns.  For example, if you have planned and brought lunch every day of the week, but have only stuck to it once, it may be that bringing your lunch just doesn’t work for you!!!  Taking notice of what works will help you make the changes so that other aspects work.  If it means that you eat out with friends at lunch, ok, so be it, we all know that won’t change!  Taking notice of what you have eaten or plan to eat for the rest of the day will help you make better choices whether you are eating out or not!  It’s certainly isn’t a licence to have poutine!  But the simple pleasure of going out shouldn’t have to change because you have a goal!!!  The tactic of ignoring those pleasures will only serve to make you fall back and give up!!!

Here’s my suggestion.. Use your journal to plan, use the same journal to track.. take notice of what works, what doesn’t work… make the changes and you begin to see the pattern…

Life is about the good things!  A good life is about choosing well for yourself!  Live your Life!

Menu planning is great to use for the budget, for time savers.  Only if you stick with it!  The truth about menu planning is that most of us have a life, and that means changes as the week goes on!  Activities for the children, last minute plans with friends… life happens, let’s face it!!

I’m sharing my secret on how this works for me!

I work with my tools:

• Grocery list
• Agenda
• Cook Books

The first task is easy!  I love that time!  I take 30 minutes of alone time and hide away to plan the week!  This is easy stuff for me now, my boys have left the nest!  I have done this for years, when they were small right to the moment they left!  My alone time was a blessed peaceful no-guilt time.. I was working for the family right?

When looking at the agenda of activities, I plan only dinners!  And at that, only 4 dinners out of 7!  Why? Well, because life happens of course!!!

Writing out my grocery list is done effectively as I look thru my cookbooks (I love cook books!)…, I go through the fridge and cupboards as I go along!!  Great time to clean out dated products!

After the dinners are planned, I continue my grocery list with the usual family breakfast staples, lunch stuff… typically, those don’t change much!  Children don’t like surprises in their lunches, as there are no other options for them!  They want and need some control over their foods, it lessens the battles… as long as you have kept it to healthy choices, don’t worry if they want the same thing over and over again… make it easy on yourself!!!  Same thing goes for breakfast, why fight!?  Why go through the time battle?

Then off I go to the grocery store.  If I had to tag the children along, I’d do it AFTER they had eaten!!!  I kept to my list!  If I had a battle on my hands with the children, I’d leave everything there, come home, get a sitter and go on my own!! NEVER give in, you would lose the battle FOREVER!!!

When I get home!!!  I always, always, always, prepare my fridge and my week!  I precut the veggies, wash the fruit, precut the meats (for example, stir fry one night)…  if the recipe called for it, I’d do the marinade and freeze the meats with it, letting it thaw during the day and just cooking up at dinner!

The SETBACK??

The foods would disappear faster than I could replenish!  Because all of the foods are ready to eat, it was an easy fast grab for them too!!!  LOVED THAT!!!

Planning your menus work!  Preparing your fridge is what makes it work!!!  Think of it as your alone space!  If they are in the kitchen, they have to help!  Trust me on this one, I’d put them on dishes duty!  They soon learned to leave me my space!!!!

How do you prepare your week?