#wellness

Combat Food Cravings, Part 1: Determine Your Triggers

jasonmachowsky

4 min

Combat Food Cravings, Part 1: Determine Your Triggers

Berry Delicious, Berry Tempting? Photo Courtesy of dusky, FreeDigitalPhotos.net *Download a complimentary copy of the Death of the Diet Indulgence Journal here to determine your triggers and start fighting food cravings today. Want to discuss your triggers further? Comment below.* You’re minding your own business at work, watching TV, being stressed out, or lounging around after dinner and BAM you find yourself craving something sweet. Or salty. The craving may general, o

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What does Wellness and Saving for Retirement Have in Common?

jasonmachowsky

4 min

What does Wellness and Saving for Retirement Have in Common?

Image: Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net With the age of pensions and Social Security on the way out (or so we’re told), there has been a large push from parents, employers and others to “sacrifice a little today, for a better tomorrow”. Whether it be IRA’s, 401K’s or 403B’s, the idea is to consistently save a small percentage of your income and invest it, so over time that short-term savings becomes a long-term nest egg. And to boot, the government will give you some ta

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jasonmachowsky

2 min

Research Roundup – Jan. 30 2013

Research Roundup! Study #1: Too Little Sleep Spurs Appetite-Boosting Hormones Process worked differently in men, women. Sources: MedLine Plus Jason’s Thoughts: Lack of sleep impacts many aspects of healthy living, including appetite. Sleep is when your body repairs itself, converts thoughts to long term memory and more. If you’re getting less than 6 hours of sleep, you could make a healthy habit change by focusing on getting even 30 or 60 extra minutes of sleep a night. Se

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jasonmachowsky

2 min

Bridging the Attitude-Behavior Gap

We know what to do, but do we choose to do it? Photo: marin & freedigitalphotos.net If knowledge were all it took for people to be healthy and fit, then nearly 70% of America wouldn’t be overweight or obese and I would be out of a job (or at least working much less). But as we’ve all learned, knowing what to do doesn’t automatically translate into doing it. Everyone needs to find their own motivation and desire to take consistent action on their knowledge, while learning from

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jasonmachowsky

2 min

Research Roundup – Jan. 7 2013

Research Roundup! I’m excited to start the new, Research Roundup series on the blog. For those that don’t know, I love learning and figuring out how research can be applied to everyday life. Every post will include links to a couple recent research articles and my thoughts on them. Feel free to chime in with your own thoughts too – did I mention I love learning? Study #1 (via AND Knowledge Center Daily News): Your Smartphone Might Help You Lose Weight: “Personalized feedbac

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jasonmachowsky

2 min

Movie Review: Lbs.

“Monday came. Alright, Monday came and I started. And I’m going to go back and I’m going to tell everybody that Monday came and I’m getting it done. How many times, it might be 1,000. But on 1,001 I started.” -Neil Perota Yesterday I watched a movie that struck a strong chord within me: Lbs., directed by Matthew Bonifacio and starring Carmine Famiglietti. Maybe it’s because I saw a little bit of myself played out in the main character. Granted I was neve

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jasonmachowsky

6 min

Squatting: Ideal vs. Reality

From the gyms of America to the streets of India, proper squatting technique is a hallmark of effective powerlifting and functionality. The squat pattern is needed for many day-to-day patterns, such as picking things up off the ground and getting down to and up from a chair. Yet the vast majority of people in America squat improperly, placing excessive strain on the knees and lower back. Or they don’t squat at all and place even more load on the back (see photo below). And

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Thanksgiving: Food…and Habits for Thought

jasonmachowsky

3 min

Thanksgiving: Food…and Habits for Thought

Avoid Being Stuffed, Like the Bird. From: Microsoft Images Why does giving thanks have to lead to food comas and indigestion? While Thanksgiving dates back to a group of European settlers and Native Americans feasting over a plentiful harvest at Plymouth in 1621, most harvesting performed these days involves a bit less manual labor. Rather, we’re driving over to the local supermarket and filling our carts with turkeys, pumpkin pie and the ingredients for mashed potatoes and

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The Wheat Belly Diet: A Relatively Independent Perspective

jasonmachowsky

3 min

The Wheat Belly Diet: A Relatively Independent Perspective

America: For Amber Waves of Grain? Photo by: -Marcus- at FreeDigitalPhotos.net First, my best wishes go out to all who have been affected by Hurricane Sandy. May we all take the results in stride and take solace in the friends and family we have. With the development of a hyper-connected culture (internet, Twitter, FB, etc.), new ideas can spread like wildfire. Last week I learned about two of these ideas: Gangam style and the Wheat Belly Diet, both of which landed over the

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Destination Thailand: A Healthy Honeymoon? (Part 1)

jasonmachowsky

5 min

Destination Thailand: A Healthy Honeymoon? (Part 1)

Kayaking in Railay Bay Howdy everyone, I just returned from beautiful (and sometimes rainy) Thailand! Two weeks of amazing fun with the woman that I love, and am now married to! We spent one week trekking around, exploring a friendly, welcoming country full of history and nature (including monkeys and elephants). The other week was spent relaxing (and climbing, kayaking, etc.) on the confines of a pristine beach surrounded by natural limestone cliffs. Needless to say, I wa

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jasonmachowsky

4 min

How Do You Deal with Game Changers?

Getting Married: A Game Changer? Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net I’m getting married on Sunday, yay! I’ll be away for the next few weeks (will be back end of Sept.) but wanted to leave you with a post that’s relevant to my current situation and applicable to us all during many other times in life. Are you prepared for game changers? Imagine you’ve started eating healthier (soup and salads a few days per week at lunch, cooking healthy dinners at home, preparing snacks on Sunday

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jasonmachowsky

7 min

Who Should Eat a Gluten-Free Diet?

Whole Wheat: Friend or Foe? Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net *Warning: A long post, but please stick with me here and let me know what you think. Gluten-free foods have become all the rage the past five years, from quinoa pasta to rice-based crackers. Many people swear by eating gluten-free: more focus, weight loss, greater energy, you name it. But do you really need to give up gluten entirely? Understanding the causes of and differences (or lack thereof) between gluten intole

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Inside the Trainer’s Brain: My Training Philosophy

jasonmachowsky

4 min

Inside the Trainer’s Brain: My Training Philosophy

The Brain Behind the Blog I want to provide you with a look into what’s going on in my brain (scary!) when I’m creating training programs for my clients. Because if you can learn and understand the basic tenets of creating effective workouts and exercise routines, the more empowered you will be to stay active, healthy and most importantly, injury-free! This post is focused on my general training philosophy, not necessarily specific exercises. While this post is a bit more

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jasonmachowsky

3 min

Weight Loss Drugs: Help or Hype?

A Pill a Day? Or Eat Better and Exercise? Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net With the recent FDA approval of two new weight-loss drugs, Qsymia and Belviq, I wanted to briefly discuss the potential benefits and risks of the existing FDA-approved weight loss medications (yes, by prescription) which are: Qsymia Belviq Xenical (Orlistat) and its smaller-dosed, over-the-counter (OTC) equivalent: Alli. Yep, until about two months ago, the only other weight-loss drug on the market was app

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Want to Lose Weight? Eat Better, Not Less

jasonmachowsky

2 min

Want to Lose Weight? Eat Better, Not Less

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net It is entirely possible to eat all day and lose weight. The key is what you choose to eat. When you eat, your body’s goal is to get all of the necessary nutrients (carbs, fat, protein, vitamins, minerals and water) into your system regardless of the number of calories you consume. Of course you must eat a minimum number of calories to keep your body functioning properly, but the calories themselves are just one variable. The other important fact

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jasonmachowsky

3 min

Can Diet Sodas Lead to Weight Gain?

A Refreshing Can of Weight Gain? Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net A recent review of the research surrounding diet beverage consumption shows that the more you drink, the greater your potential changes for gaining weight. In theory, diet beverage consumption should lead to weight loss if it replaces a higher-calorie drink. Swapping one can of Coke for one can of Diet Coke each day with no other changes should lead to a ten pound weight loss per year. Unfortunately, other things

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The Smallest of Actions Means More than the Greatest of Intents

jasonmachowsky

2 min

The Smallest of Actions Means More than the Greatest of Intents

Even Small Steps Lead You Toward Your Destination Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net Most of us want to live a little bit better. Be a little stronger. Look a little better. Feel a little more in control. We can talk about how we need to go to the gym more eat less “junk food”…while sitting around and eating chips. Our logical minds know we should do something better…but somehow we still don’t do anything about it. Why? Keeping the status quo is easier, because that requires

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Sedentary Jobs: Why They Suck and How to Deal With Them

jasonmachowsky

2 min

Sedentary Jobs: Why They Suck and How to Deal With Them

Burning Calories? Not So Much. Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net Many of us are spending more and more time at work these days, getting in early or staying late to deal with increasing demands. As a result, we’re eating more meals away from home, which can often lead to non-ideal nutrition decisions, especially if we go many hours between meals. Paired with an increasing rate of sedentary jobs (a.k.a. jobs where we do little more than sit on our butts and type all day),

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Replace Social Eating with Social Activity Once a Week: Small Change, Big Results

jasonmachowsky

3 min

Replace Social Eating with Social Activity Once a Week: Small Change, Big Results

Dancing…Fun For the Whole Family! Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net For many of us, spending time with friends or family means food. Hey, we’ve gotta eat, right? So why not do it with others? In fact, a relationship-building book was written about it, “Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi. But what are we usually eating when we socialize with others? Salads and green smoothies? Or buffet-style pot lucks with a few glasses of wine or beer? Or a three course dinner at a restaura

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Thoughts on Meal Frequency, Calorie Restriction & Weight Loss

jasonmachowsky

6 min

Thoughts on Meal Frequency, Calorie Restriction & Weight Loss

Is this from all day, or just dinner? Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net America sure likes its dinner. While other countries view lunch as the biggest meal of the day and dinner as a “don’t go to bed hungry” snack, our busy schedules don’t give us a chance to breathe or eat until 6, 7, 8 PM. And then the feast is on! I’ve talked to a number of people whose daily eating habits sound like riding a roller coaster: Wake up not very hungry – Maybe a piece of toast and some coffee

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