In the past 7 years I've worked in a variety of settings applying health, fitness, & performance based training programs. I'm often asked if a popular or trending fitness program is "good" or "bad". I've never been able, or felt compelled to give a straight simple answer...not because I dodge or work around questions like a shifty politician, or because I don't know, but because there really isn't one in most of the occasions I've been confronted with. This is because the answer all depends on what your individual goals are. Once I can get a better understanding of what someone is trying to get out of their time spent training, and their lifestyle, I can then say X-program is good for that, or Y-program is a waste of your time. Not everyone has a coach or trainer at their disposal, so if you're not sure, and in no position to consult someone who can help you, then use the good'ole scientific method, and be guided by the wise words of Bruce Lee:

"Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own."

- Bruce Lee

Most gyms will offer free trial sessions, and low-cost entry level memberships for you to try-out a training program. If your goal is weight loss, then you've got some pretty clear, quantifiable, and identifiable variables to analyze that training program's effect on your goal. You can read yourself stupid Googling about what training program to do to reach your goals and get nowhere with the confusion. My point is that sometimes you just need to try, execute, and absorb what works for you after trying. After experimenting and observing what works & what doesn't for you, you'll have so much experience and proficiency that you'll be empowered by your process, and even compelled to add something uniquely your own!

Breakfast is such an underrated meal; it is by far the most important meal of the day. If you’re looking to lose weight, enhance your performance, or just eat healthier you have to focus on what you put into your body. Your metabolism is still turned on while you’re sleeping, metabolic processes are still running. This means you are still breaking down tissue & using ATP (cellular energy) even when you are doing NOTHING. When you wake up, eating breakfast within an hour is ideal - you need to replenish what your body has used overnight. You have been fasting for around 8 hours, don’t skimp at breakfast. A well balanced breakfast between 400-600 calories is perfect, unless you’re planning to workout first thing in the morning, then you would want to eat a little lighter. There are a million reasons why breakfast is the most important meal but here are a few to take home…

• A carbohydrate & protein rich breakfast will help curb cravings later in the day & help keep your body energized throughout the day so you won’t feel the need to snack on whatever is in sight
• Breakfast will replenish glycogen stores your body depleted over night, so you don’t start to break down lean body mass for fuel
• It’s a perfect time to load up on essential nutrients your body needs - calcium, iron, vitamin B, & fiber
• It’s been shown to help people stay focused & make healthier choices throughout the day; not only when it comes to food but exercise & in the work environment as well
• You will be able to work out harder when your body is fueled properly as opposed to “running on fumes”
• If you train early, it’s better to get a low calorie (150-200) carb-rich “pre-workout snack” when you wake up & follow your workout with a larger well balanced breakfast to refuel
• If you train later in the day it is more important to get a hearty breakfast to fuel your morning & a “pre-workout snack” is important 30-90 minutes before your work out
• Focus on what works for you. Busy?...Prep at night so you can take it to go. Don’t love cooking?... Hearty cereal & a banana. Not hungry first thing?...Liquid breakfast - make a smoothie full of fruit, veggies, & a little protein

As you can see I could go on and on about how important breakfast is but hopefully this illustrates the point. If you think about it, breakfast means “break the fast”, you have been fasting for 8 hours & we all know that is not a great thing to put your body through. It has been shown that people who don’t skip breakfast weigh less, make healthier choices, & have more energy throughout the day. Do yourself a favor & start the day out right so the rest of your choices throughout the day follow.

Jimmy Fallon's "Thank You Notes" are hilarious. These short, subtle and randomly thought-up thank you notes are like mini Seinfeld episodes, and bound to strike a chord with any sense of humor. Here are a few I've gathered where he's referenced fitness/nutrition etc. Have any creative ones of your own? Add'em in the comments below!

1. "Thank you, gym, for being exactly like my grandpa—always there for me, even though I only visit you twice a year."
2. "Thank you, gym that I go to. On the plus side, your treadmills have TVs on them. On the down side, your TVs have treadmills on them."
3. "Thank you, brisk, rejuvenating, five mile run I had this morning… in my dream, right before I woke up and got a bear claw at Starbucks."
4. “Thank you, protein bars. I know you are just a candy bar. You know you are just a candy bar. But I’m glad we can share a delicious chocolaty lie together.”
5. "Thank you, fitness tracking devices, for letting me know exactly how long I sat on the couch today"
6. "Thank you, first week in January, for being the one week of the year when there are people at my gym who are fatter than I am.”
7. "Thank you, living on campus, for a gym membership that's included with my full-time student status and is walking distance from my room!"

As dedicated and passionate as we are about training, some of the day by day, session after session, and gym to gym quirks you can encounter are hilarious given the right perspective. Any funny, quirky, or annoyingly humorous "Thank You Notes" about training out there? Channel Jimmy Fallon and drop them here!

Making the individual commitment to get to workout is difficult. You can find 20 other things that require less effort, less time, and might be more enjoyable. None of those things will have the same kind of lasting pay-offs as spending an hour with 10 other people dedicated to the same effort - GETTING BETTER. Being able to share that experience with friends, partners, and fellow-members at your gym is special and should be taken advantage of at a gym that provides that opportunity. The benefits of a sense of camaraderie with those you train with at the gym go beyond good company, and should be highly sought after and quickly embraced when discovered or cultivated, here's why:

• Motivation - A partner will push you harder than you might push yourself
• Competition - A competitive personality needs to set their sights somewhere...a group can provide that atmosphere
• Dedication - The trust & bonds created while training together bring you back for that support & encouragement
• Accountability - The impact you have in a group makes you a valuable link in that chain, you will feel accountable to them
• Support - The continual practice of overcoming challenges together creates a unique bond amongst a group you train with

It's tough to find and qualify camaraderie in a gym, because it's something that is cultivated, experienced, and described in different ways depending on the gym, members, coaches, location, and time. But, one thing is for sure, you will know it when it's there because it will provide you with the benefits listed above, and when embraced it will have you reaching and setting goals you probably never would have, if you were alone.

Many of us are aware that post workout refueling is important to optimize recovery but understanding   when, how much, & what you should put into your body post- workout will allow you to take smarter action towards refueling & recovering. Let’s start with why it’s even important to worry about recovery & why getting it right could change the results of your workout drastically.

WHY TO RECOVER:

When you complete a high intensity strength or metabolic workout you’re depleting your glycogen stores (usable source of energy for the muscle), &  using all your stored fuel. Carbohydrates are the main source of fuel during these anaerobic workouts & if you don’t have an adequate supply you’re body is going to start breaking down protein (muscle)…BAD! That is extremely counterproductive no matter what your goals are - weight loss or mass building. Muscle burns fat...so we need muscle! That is why pre workout fueling is important. Refueling post workout allows us to replenish those used up glycogen stores so our body doesn’t catabolize, or breakdown the muscle that we worked so hard to build up. The window doesn’t close at 30 minutes post workout, but you DO want to try to fuel your body within 30-60 minutes post workout.

HOW TO RECOVER:

First let’s get this out of the way - carbs are not the enemy here...it's just the opposite. Post workout is the only time “bad” carbs are ok to eat. We need to get the nutrients into the cells as quickly as possible so the simple/high-glycemic index carbs are your friend. These carbohydrates are quickly digested & signal an insulin spike in our blood which facilitates rapid absorption of nutrients into your cells. A good general rule to follow is 0.25-0.4 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight (target body weight). FYI fruit is not the best type of carbohydrate to have post workout since it is made up of fructose which needs to be converted by the liver to glucose, its takes a little long to digest & absorb. Don’t forget to hydrate either! Your body is made up of mostly water; common sense should tell you you need to drink it, a lot of it. Weigh yourself before your workout & then again after, for every pound lost you should be consuming 20-24 ounces of fluids.

WHEN TO RECOVER:

Protein is clearly important, we know protein builds muscle, aids in recovery, & is what everyone thinks is the end all be all of post workout refueling. To be honest immediately following your workout you want to focus on carbs & replenishing the glycogen stores. Protein should be second on your list (but definitely on it), getting a high protein meal a few hours post workout is what you really want to focus on making sure you accomplish. Within that 30-60 minute window aiming for 0.15-0.25 grams of protein per pound of body weight (target body weight) is ideal. Protein in liquid form is great because it will be digested & be absorbed quickest in your digestive tract, so a protein shake is easy & effective.

You cannot perform optimally without adequate nutrition. You will not have the energy level, your body will not recover fast enough, & you won’t ultimately see the results you want unless you realize how important it is to fuel your body properly pre workout, post workout, & really the rest of the day. My favorite post workout quick & easy snack is low fat chocolate milk or a quick simple protein shake. Trust me you need to make it a priority to refuel properly, it will make a world of difference in your training!