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One Big Tall Tale of Mainstream Nutrition

Tall Tale: Low-Carb /Slow-Carb diets are dangerous and bad for you.

Slow-carb and low-carb diets are totally criticized by (uneducated) nutritionists and the media. As a slow-carb enthusiast myself, I am constantly being challenged by friends and family as to whether or not my way of eating is healthy. They consider me an extremist or some sort of obsessed health nut. I assure you, I’m not.

Truth is, low-carb or slow-carb eating is not extreme or obsessive at all. It is merely a basic, clean, and conscious way of eating. In fact, it’s the same way primitive humans ate. Evolutionary speaking, humans are designed to eat a low-carb, high-fat, and high-protein diet. Yes, it’s true. Unfortunately, the opposite is usually recommended: high-carb and low-fat. That combo is no good. In fact, this carb craze is the reason for obesity and other western world health epidemics.

If evolution is not enough to convince you, let’s turn to science. Science has consistently shown that low-carb/slow-carb diets have the potential to cure most of the Western world’s major health concerns and reduce fat.

Low-carb/slow-carb diets have been shown to…

  • Reduce body fat way more than calorie restricted diets (you know, the ones that never work out anyways). Low-carb eaters can eat as much as they want of low-carb foods and still cut fat. No restriction? Sounds good to me.
  • Decrease blood pressure significantly
  • Decrease blood sugar levels and alleviate symptoms of diabetes
  • Increase good cholesterol (HDL)
  • Decrease triglycerides (way more than a low-fat diet!)

What’s more, low-carb/slow-carb lifestyles are easier to stick to because they don’t involve calorie restriction. Plus, they provide adequate and substantial nutrients. It’s a scientific fact that low-carb or slow-carb diets have the greatest potential to ward off common health concerns, promote fat loss, and reverse metabolic disease.

So, the low-fat, high-carb dogma that is circulating around is complete nonsense. It’s not fat that’s going to make you fat. Science has shown that high carb diets are the diets that promote fat gain. Sugar is the fat-inducing culprit. Not fat. So, if you really want to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, low-carb or slow-carb is the way to go.

If you want to boost your fat loss and fitness goals you must pair your Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym workouts with a balanced, clean, and effective diet. Low-carb or slow-carb will not only promote fat loss. Being high in protein, it will also boost your workout performance at Pivotal fitness Greenville gym. Yet another reason to cut the carbs, up the fat, and up the protein!

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A Simple, Stimulating Circuit Challenge

‘Tis the season for feasting, indulging, and carbohydrate overload. If you’re already feeling the sluggish aftermath of excess carbohydrate consumption, it might be time to surrender the sweets and sweat out the accumulating impurities.

Yes, put down your gingerbread cookies, peppermint truffles, fruitcake or whatever your seasonal weakness is and get yourself to the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym immediately. It’s time to get down with a simple, yet stimulating circuit routine, inspired by Krissy Mae Cags, creator of BAMFit and a Rise Above Fitness trainer.

This circuit will be super effective if you keep up the pace. Remain active and really push yourself during your time at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville athletic club.

Okay, here we go. Are you ready? Yeah, you are!

Circuit Challenge:

  • 5 V-Ups
  • 10 Push ups
  • 15 Box Jumps
  • 20 Weighted Walking Lunges
  • 25 Kettlebell swings
  • 400M Run

Circuit Training

Running through this circuit routine once would be far too easy. That’s why you’ll challenge yourself to run through it 5 times! I said it would be simple. I never said it would be easy!

If you want to realize results, you have to challenge yourself. What’s more, if you’re going to indulge heavily in holiday pleasures, you must be willing to train hard – to put in lots of gym time and lots of sweat.

Don’t let this holiday season break your fitness routine and hinder your goals. Stick to structure. Create a Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym routine. Commit to clean eating 6 days a week and reserve one day per week for indulgences. I can’t emphasize this enough: Restriction is not healthy. Restriction will definitely result in a massive splurge at some point. That’s why it’s more effective to strategically incorporate your splurges so they don’t get in the way of your fitness intentions. Remember: Moderation in all things.

Enjoy your circuit training workout at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym. Most importantly, enjoy a happy, health-conscious holiday season!

Photo Credit: By Krissy Mae Cags via Instagram

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2 Protein-Packed December Indulgences to Feel Good About

Happy December all you Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym enthusiasts and heath nuts! Holy moly does time fly! 2012 is coming to a close. How it closes is up to you. Will it close on a note of health and wellness? That’s the hope!

The months of November and December are tricky months to navigate. Stress soars. Craziness increases. Diets plummet. Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym sessions fade into distant memories. It’s easy to lose your cool and fall victim to the holiday stress and its accompanying not-so-healthy temptations. Don’t fall into the trap. Stick to structure. Start 2013 off right!

So, the Thanksgiving Day feast recently hit. It probably hit harder for some. Post Turkey Day, the detox, damage control stage starts to kick in. Healthy, clean eating resumes for awhile. The gym is hit hard to sweat out all that turkey and its tryptophan inducing lethargy. Then, December hits – the month of candy canes, gingerbread men, fruitcake, excess, and indulgences. Uh oh.

Yes, December definitely has potential to put a dent in your diet. It’s so tempting to indulge in those traditional holiday treats. I mean everyone else is doing it. So, why not? Well, you know why. Like I said, we want to end 2012 feeling healthy and empowered. Not sluggish and stuffed.

Yet, rather than distance yourself from all temptation, why not create new satisfying and health-conscious indulgences? Do those even exist? Why, yes. They do.

Here are some protein-packed treats you can put back post-workout created by FitMenCook.com.

Sweet Potato & Oat Protein Cupcakes with Creamy Cinnamon Protein Icing

**Protein-Packed Cupcakes by FitMenCook via Instagram :: Whip these babies up for holiday party. Treat your friends to clean eating.**

Um…yes please. These protein packed delights are only 210 calories a piece. Not too bad, eh? They are made using Team Betancourt Big Blend French Vanilla Protein and they are good.

Icing Ingredients

8 oz. Fat Free cream cheese
2 scoops Big Blend protein
2 cups fat free cool whip
2 heaping tbsp cinnamon
1.5 tbsp coconut oil

Batter Ingredients

1 scoop Team Betancourt Big Blend French Vanilla Protein
1/3 cup oat flour
1/4 cup amaranth flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 packets raw Stevia
170 g sweet potato
1/3 cup Almond
1 egg & 1 egg white

Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. (Macros for 1 cupcake of the 6: 18 g protein, 17g carbs, 7.5g fat).

Brown Rice Flour & Almond Flour Banana Spiced Protein Pancakes

**Protein-Packed Cupcakes by FitMenCook via Instagram**

Here’s how to make muscle building pancakes! These pancakes, rich in complex carbs and healthy fats, are a wonderful post-workout indulgence! Bring on the batter and the lean bulking.

Batter Ingredients

1 scoop Team Betancourt Big Blend French Vanilla Protein
1 egg, & 1 egg white
1/4 cup Brown Rice Flour
1/4 cup Almond flour
1/3 cup Almond Milk (unsweetened)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 ripe banana
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 packet Stevia (optional)

(1) First, mix all DRY ingredients in a bowl, including protein powder, brown rice flour, almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda/powder, and Stevia. (2) Mash 1 ripe banana in a bowl. (3) Add in all wet ingredients to the batter and mix, including eggs, banana, and Almond Milk using a hand blender. (4) To ensure each pancake is the same size, use a measuring cup to dip batter out. Use a 1/4 measuring cup. (5) Set a small skillet on medium-low heat, lightly sprayed with organic olive oil and slowly add batter. (6) Let it cook. When the sides of the pancake look hard/firm, use a wide spatula to scoop the pancake up and flip it over. Each pancake usually takes about 3 minutes to cook. Be careful not to over or under cook!

Next, add your fruit topping of choice. Suggestion: Use Sugar Free Maple Syrup and fresh, seasonal fruits. (Approx. Pancake batter macros: 42g protein, 56g carbs, 22g fat).

There you have it! Two easy and scrumptious sweets to satisfy those cravings and support your workouts and fitness goals at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym. Enjoy!

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3 Awesome Health & Fitness Resources

Maybe your self-transformation progress feels like it has reached a standstill. Maybe you need an extra push to motivate and move you upward to finally achieve your fitness goals and create your best you. Maybe what you are doing right now is not enough. Maybe you need to rework your focus – to place your energies on a new exercise routine or a new meal plan. Maybe you just desire some new information – a fresh perspective on fitness, health, and healing.

The following 3 resources have helped to transform my life, fitness, overall health, and perspective. They steered me in the right direction, effectively and quickly enhanced my progress, and supported (and continue to support) my health.

The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss

Get thinner, bigger, faster, and stronger! Learn the ins and outs of the slow-carb lifestyle in this comprehensive book. Also, read up on how to improve sexual prowess, how to slim down, how to build 30 pounds of muscle in 30 days, and how to eat whatever you want in excess one day per week and still loose weight. That’s not all. You’ll gain additional weight loss and strength enhancement tips and tricks.

This book is accessible, informative, and self-supporting. You will gain plenty of tested tools to create your best you, including various exercises to perform while working it at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym.

Not sure you want to plunge into this massive text. Enjoy the first chapter FREE. I bet you’ll become convinced of its incredible value.

The Slow-Carb Cookbook (Online)

Enjoy lots of healthy, creative, and easy to whip up slow-carb eats in this handy-dandy online cookbook. These slow-carb meals will definitely enhance weight-loss and promote the buildup of muscle. Eat a slow-carb diet for 20 days, and you’ll surely realize inches lost, pounds lost, and definition gained. This diet will definitely support your workouts at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym by boosting your energy and creating a leaner, lighter, and stronger you. 

Eat-Taste-Heal: An Ayurvedic Cookbook for Modern Living

Learn about the healing science of Ayurveda – the most ancient system of healthy living and medicine. Create harmony within by eating foods appropriate for your mind and body and by involving yourself in healthy lifestyle practices, such as yoga and meditation. Learn to eat right for your unique make-up and design. Learn to personalize your health and healing and cater to your own specific needs. Completely restore and transform your health! Plus, experiment with new, healthy recipes and foods!

Use of these 3 resources will definitely complement what you’re already achieving at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville athletic club and may even get you to where you want to be faster and more effectively. So, add these fitness gems to your list of things to read and implement!

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Welcome October with a Full Body Fitness Challenge

It’s a new month. With the dawning of a new month, it’s a good idea to create some new fitness goals and, also, to spice up your Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym routine with some innovative workouts.

Let’s start with the first. List at least 5 fitness goals for the month. Maybe it’s to get to the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym more often. Maybe it’s to concentrate on a particular area of the body, be it the abs, arms, etc. Maybe it’s to try something new; perhaps a Yoga, Pilates, or cycling class – something unexplored and fresh. Whatever it is, write it down. Post it to your fridge. Make the list visible. Make the goals accessible and achievable. No one expects you to gain 30 lbs. of muscle in 30 days. Although, this is supposedly possible according to fitness expert Tim Ferriss. Let’s aim at something more reasonable.

Now that your list is complete, let’s explore a quick workout you can churn out during your time at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym. This routine, entitled The Special K Routine, is inspired by Krissy Cags, personal trainer at Rise Above Fitness and Creator of BAMfit. Do each of the following exercises for 25 reps, then run through it 5 times. Ready, set, work it.

Exercise 1: Sit-up to Bridge. Move from a full sit-up to a full bridge. Lift the hips all the way to the sky and engage the gluts with a tight squeeze. This movement targets the booty and the tummy, so you’re killing two birds – butts and guts – with one stone.

Exercise 2: Dive Bombers. Begin with your hands and feet on the floor and your hips raised, so your body resembles an inverted V. Lower your shoulders, then glide your chest forward. Send your chest in between your hands and then up toward the ceiling. Then, reverse it. Bring your hips back toward the ceiling. That’s one. 24 to go. Ouch.

Exercise 3: 180 Squat Jumps. Simply do a squat jump, but up the ante with a 180-degree turn each time you jump. Hey now! Keep your chest open and your core engaged. Be sure to get low on each squat. Don’t cheat yourself.

Exercise 4: Superman to Hollow. This is a bit tricky. Start like superman (on your stomach), with your legs and arms lifted off the floor. Engage your core, then roll over to your back without letting your limbs touch the ground into a hollow position. On your back, in the hollow position, your arms and legs are still lifted and you have a space (hence hollow) between your lower back and the ground. Hold for two seconds after each roll. This exercise is no joke.

BOOM. There’s a quick, intense, full body challenge for you to master at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym. It will surely murder your muscles…in a good way.

*All photos courtesy of Krissy Cags.

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5 Killer Ways to Create Six Pack Abs

Most conventional core exercises (i.e. the plain-Jane crunch) will only take your abs so far. Plus, they usually require a lot of work/reps; yet, they yield little in terms of desired, quick results. So, you have to get strategic. Here’s a cocktail of abdominal awesomeness to sprinkle into your Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym routine. Fitness guru and author of the 4-Hour Body, Tim Ferriss, inspired the following…

  1. The Cat Vomit Exercise
    Come again? Yes, that’s right. Cat vomits. Drop down on all fours. Then, proceed to chuck up a hairball like a frenzied feline. Sure, it’s not glamorous. But it is effective. Most core exercises focus on the superficial muscles of the stomach – the rectus abdominis. The deepest muscles of the stomach, the transverse abdominis, don’t get any treatment. Give ‘em some love with cat vomiting. Perform one set (10 reps) of cat vomits 3 times per week to generate a flatter, stronger midsection.
  2. Plank Pose Exercises
    After a sweaty workout at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym, grab a yoga mat and proceed to hammer out some energizing plank poses. First, hold Front Plank (plank on your forearms) for 30 seconds. Next, hold Side Plank (still on a forearm) for 30 seconds on each side. Just perform one set per workout. No need to get crazy! For the overachieving go-getters: Boost the intensity and come off the forearms onto the hands. Still hold 30 seconds to the front and on each side. Work it!
  3. The Myotatic (Swiss or Bosu Ball) Crunch
    At the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym, we’ve got plenty of exercise balls to myotatic crunch on. This crunch targets more muscles of the stomach because each time you perform the crunch, you pass the zero degree or neutral mark. Doing regular crunches on the ground hinders the full extent of the crunch because you cannot pass the zero degree mark.
  4. The Slow Carb Lifestyle
    Exercise is but one piece of the 6-pack puzzle. The other piece? Diet. If you are looking to create a flatter, more defined stomach, consider experimenting with a slow carb lifestyle. Simply described, a slow carb diet consists of eating ONLY meat, beans, and greens six days per week. Beans become the main source of carbohydrates. All other carbs are thrown out the window, including fruits, grains, bread, processed foods, etc. Anything with added or natural sugar is out! Protein + greens + legumes = Abdominal POWER. You may be wondering what happens on day seven. Food bliss. Eat whatever you want and as much as you want. Enjoy a much-needed cheat day. We can’t be perfect eaters all the time! Fuel up on your carbs of choice and come the next day, get back on the slow carb bandwagon. For questions on the slow carb kick, consult the Pivotal Fitness Greenville health center for nutritional tips and tricks!
  5. The Hip Flexor Stretch
    Correct the ever-so-common pelvic tilt. Carry out hip flexor stretches once per day for a total of 30 seconds on each side. This stretch is nice to do post treadmill run to stretch it out.

Don’t rely on those traditional crunches to get your core real results. With less movement and more strategy, you’ll gain increased abdominal strength and definition. Hit up the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym and get your abs in killer condition.

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Coping with Anxiety About Joining a Gym

Would you like to join a gym like our Greenville sports club — but you’re inexplicably nervous about it?

It’s completely normal to feel a little anxiety about starting a new activity that may be outside of your comfort zone. Gyms come with a lot of stigmas about the kind of atmosphere they offer and the kind of people who use them. But don’t worry, we’re not one of those pretentious fitness clubs with only model-sized people working out like graceful athletes. We have classes and activities for every preference and skill level, plus a staff that can walk you through getting started and answer any questions you have until you feel perfectly at ease at our Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym.

Here are a few of the most common concerns we hear from new and prospective members, as well as ways you can get past the intimidation:

  1. I need to look thin to go to the gym. A lot of people get the idea that everyone else at the gym will be in perfect shape and they’ll stand out. But fear not — even the sveltest athletes had to get started at some point. Our gym boasts every shape and size. No one is here to judge you. Our staff and members welcome and celebrate anyone who’s just starting out. Joining for the first time means you’re committed to a healthier lifestyle, and it’s one that every member shares and enjoys — so you all have something in common right from the start, no matter what level someone else is at right now. And remember, in a matter of time you will get to your best body, too!
  1. I’m not going to know anyone there. It is great when you have a buddy for the gym. But if you don’t have a friend, family member or co-worker who’s willing to sign up with you, don’t worry. You can easily make friends at the gym who shared the same workout schedule as you. The more you come, the more you’ll chat with new people and recognize some of the same faces. One great way to build your gym community is by joining weekly classes. It’s one of the most social aspects of Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym, and we have a wide variety!
  1. I won’t know how to work the equipment. When you walk into a gym for the first time, there might be a lot of machinery that isn’t familiar to you. But that’s no reason to turn around and walk back out. When you’re exploring our space and thinking about membership, it’s a great idea to ask someone on our friendly team to escort you. You can talk about the types of exercise you’d like to do and what your fitness goals are — and then your guide will introduce you to some of the equipment that fits. Over time, a personal trainer can teach you how to work out expertly and use the machines in the correct way to achieve those goals. Sooner than you might think, you’ll start to feel like an old pro.

Next week, we’ll offer a few more easy tips about how to come in and get started.

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Spring Cleaning for Fitness

It’s the time of year for flipping mattresses, cleaning out closets and dusting in all those hard-to-reach places. But on top of sorting through old receipts and finally making some donations to Goodwill, what about spring cleaning that you can do for your fitness and health? Pivotal Fitness Greenville sports club is emphasizing a spring-cleaning routine that can help you spruce up your workout. Try these steps:

  1. First of all, what you want to do is be honest with yourself about your fitness goals. Are you working out as much as you’d like, and are you getting a well-rounded health outcome from the activities you’re choosing? Now’s the time to figure out the little gray areas you’re missing out on – like drinking more water each day, taking extra vitamins or coming to the gym three times per week instead of two. Reevaluate any muscle mass or weight loss goals so that these are fresh in your mind and can help motivate you for the new season.
  2. Next, make a list of your weaknesses and strengths. This should be an honest assessment about how you can improve. Do you usually skip your warm up? Do you sometimes cut those reps in half? By admitting places where you cut corners and can stop shirking off, you can come back to the gym with a clean conscious and renewed commitment to excel.
  3. Of course, it’s not all about beating yourself up! You come to our Greenville gym, after all, to feel good about yourself. You can always boost your confidence by taking the time to appraise and appreciate your strengths. If you’re a yoga pro, you may want to take an extra class or move up to a harder level in order to celebrate how far you’ve come since you got started.
  4. Lastly, what can you do to make your gym visit even more enjoyable? Maybe this is a great time to spoil yourself with some special sneakers. Maybe you should hit up your friends for some new tune suggestions for your iPod. A colorful, flattering outfit for the gym can help you feel powerful and positive-minded. Maybe it’s time you enrolled in some classes to meet new people and become more involved in a fun, social way. Spring cleaning is a great excuse to make some of these choices and get the most from your visits to the gym!
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The Pressure Test

Whenever you start a new exercise routine, there’s a lot of pressure to excel. You want to start seeing results right away. And you want to show your family and friends that you’re making strides with your new fitness resolution. But there are several downsides to pushing yourself too hard when you’re setting out on a new health endeavor. For example, if you set goals that are too high, your disappointment about not meeting them can ruin the experience and cause you to lose motivation. You can also work way too hard and put your well-being in jeopardy.

The important thing to remember is that just getting started is impressive – it’s further than a lot of people get who wish they could be in better shape but then don’t do anything about it. After that, simply sticking with the program is your primary focus.

Rather than set big goals in terms of minutes, reps or pounds, you can agree to one extremely appropriate mission: try your best. This isn’t an excuse to do the minimal amount of work, but it can help you stay on task over time.

Here’s how it works, with the example of push-ups (let’s say you’ve never done a push-up in your life, but it’s something you want to succeed at in 2012).

  1. Figure out the proper posture and positioning so that you know how to do it right and get the most from each of the muscles you’re using. A Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym personal trainer can help you achieve this.
  2. Start by doing one push-up. That’s right, just one. Easy enough?
  3. Got a grip on the correct way to do one solid push-up? Great, that means it’s time to try five in a row. It won’t be easy at first, but eventually it will seem like a piece of cake. There’s no time limit on how long it might take you to master – set your own pace. The only agenda is to complete five.
  4. Only when you find it easy to go through five push-ups in a row should you move to ten. Suddenly you’re doing twice as much. This may take awhile to get used to, but there’s no hurry. Keep trying to do ten push-ups in a row over a matter of days until you feel like it’s easy to do ten.
  5. Move on to 15 or 20 push-ups.

See the pattern here? All that’s asked of you is that you meet and challenge your own limits while striving to continuously improve. As long as you stay honest and dedicated, you’re already on the path to achieving your fitness goals. This is the same for other workout methods as well. You can start by running five minutes on the treadmill and then gradually work your way up to 30. Start small, stay focused and never pressure yourself to do more than you, personally, are capable of doing.

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Elliptical vs. Treadmill

At Pivotal Fitness Greenville sports club, we’re often consulted about what’s the better workout: treadmill or elliptical. Sometimes new members are trying to choose their preferred equipment to get started at the gym while others want to add an item to their home so that they can continue their fitness routine that they’ve developed here.

The first thing that’s important to know is that there is no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on your fitness goals as well as your health. For example, if you’re training for a marathon on flat pavement or sidewalks, you may be better off training on a treadmill that can simulate those conditions for you. And if you have hip, knee or other joint weaknesses, you may not want to put extra strain on them by using the treadmill. Although the elliptical replicates walking up the stairs, it also supports those motions and puts less pressure on your muscles and tendons. You can also use a treadmill with an incline feature to replicate the additional challenge of striving uphill.

Some people also argue that the treadmill requires more energy on behalf of the user, because the elliptical actually helps you lift your legs and bring them back down again thanks to the motorized movements. Meanwhile, walking forward on the treadmill requires more of your own power and strength despite the fact that the machine also scrolls forward with you. The flip side to this argument is that the elliptical provides more of a full-body workout and engages more muscles throughout your legs as well as your upper body. So in the same amount of time, you might be able to work out more of your muscle groups even if it is less strenuous on some of them than the treadmill would be.

But how are people actually spending their money? In terms of gym equipment purchases intended for the home, most people prefer treadmills over ellipticals by an almost 40% margin, as of 2009. That being said, from 2007-2011, elliptical sales have been growing strongly every year and might one day catch up to the more traditional treadmill.

In the end it really comes down to your preference. The best way to figure out what will work best for you is to come by our Greenville gym and try out these machines – and many more – to determine which equipment and what routine feel most comfortable to you and will help you accomplish your weight and health goals.

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