Why the title, "Intuitive Fitness?"

This blog post applies to anyone who is still reading my blogs, I will be creating my own website and I believe I will be slapping this name to it, "Intuitive Fitness."

To justify my title is simply because I feel, from my perspective, this is most applicable to our life-styles in health and fitness. It ties strongly to our bodies psychological and physiological aspects.

"Intuition"

My theory: Most methods, principles, and practices we espoused to in our life are usually based on intuition.

Intuition - "knowledge or belief obtained neither by reason nor by perception"

Intuition -  "The reliability of one's intuition depends greatly on past knowledge and occurrences in a specific area" - Some random Wikipedia quote. (I like it)

My logic and reasoning may be so simple and even laughable, but begs for some form of contemplation.

• You eat what is palatable for you. 
• Palatable - agreeable or satisfying to the taste
•  You eat to be satiated for you.
• Satiation - to satisfy a appetite or desire; to satisfy to excess
• You eat to live for you.
• All food is energy and it comes in multiple forms. 
  

So basically you simply eat and act based off of your intuition with a mixture of rationale in some cases, meaning; your trying to lose weight, your trying to be healthy, your trying to gain muscle, or your trying to prepare for a athletic event.
   
Why Intuitive Fitness?

A Hypothetical Example: Me

Before I begin this example, think about intuition and how it applies to you. If intuition is making decisions based on experience with a lack of rationale; you may begin to understand the why, what, where, and when you employ specific lifestyles, methods, and/or practices. Sometimes we just have never thought of why we do things.

James Christensen (me) has a dire need for ice creams and extreme tastes that pleasure his mouth. Sounds gross doesn't it? He wants to fulfill his palatable and satiation needs. He also really has a need to feel satiated. Often times, more than others, he has a huge appetite.

A close friend proposes the idea that he employs a vegan diet because James wants to feel and eat healthier. While at the same time, James want's to employ some weight training and aerobic activity because he want's to "tone up" and lose fat. His friend told him he cannot have any processed foods, must be low-sodium, and no animal products to be a vegan. He also shouldn't be eating any ice-cream or candy.

(Understand his friend is a little extreme)

James begins his new found diet and because he is passionate about change he adheres to this dietary method to the best of his ability. Because he cannot have ice-cream or other things he craves he will eventually run into psychological and physiological obstacles. He also was losing strength and his exercises sucked. He would eventually fail his diet and turn to his vices (ice cream and reeses) and binge for his palatbility and satiation needs simply because the vegan diet is not for him and he was not reaching his goals.

Does this mean the vegan diet is a failed practice or method to maintain a healthy life-style? Absolutely not. This is not a vegan bashing blog post; I just simply used an example of something
I (James Christensen) could not and would not do.

Problem is James was probably doing this diet and not adhering to fundamentals of the bodies needs. He was probably limiting sodium to a low level so is energy sucked. He was lacking essential micro-nutrients such as: iron or calcium. He did not have a high intake of protein to maintain or gain muscle. In conclusion he was not being a smart vegan.

Here's the point thou. He can make the vegan diet work if he would just do these things:

• Consume foods with the essential micro/macro nutrients he was in need of.
• Supplementation - he may just have to if he's going to maintain a well-rounded diet.
• Adhere to energy balance based on his goals. 
• It's easy to under-eat if all you eat it veggies and fruit. He needs to be sure he gets more caloric-dense foods in such as nuts and soy.

Most of our life-styles or behaviors (whatever you want to call it) we revert back to because of our intuition.

You can almost draw a parallel of intuition to instinct. James Christensen goes after ice-cream because it is his instinctive comfort food. He knows it will always be satiating and palatable to the taste. He does not need to rationalize that any further. It makes him happy! This is a problem and he needs a plan to control it. He needs a plan so he can know when that ice cream is appropriate for his goals.

Everything I just described are all factors and/or variables that people face in their pursuit of their goals in fitness/nutrition. They need to learn the ability to intuitively eat along with their goals.

What is intuitive eating? The ability to eat what you want and need that will be conducive to your aesthetic/fitness goals. It is a ability that one day through consistent practice you can become a master at. I believe men/woman like: Martin Berkhan, JC Deen, Roger Law, Alan Aragon, Lyle Mcdonald, Leigh Peele, and many others have mastered this ability or are still perfecting it.

Don't you at one point in time want to eat what you want and exercise how you want so it will be conducive to your goals? This is what I am about to share and promote with those I respect and learned from; it's possible. It is possible to make fitness compliment your life and not be your life.

Why Intuitive Fitness?
  
No true behavior change can take place without consulting the needs and wants of a individual. You must get deep and discover what they want. You must create the goals in mind. You must feed that intuition that's a part of their character.

Soon enough you can employ the practices and methods that are conducive to their goals and wants. Be it Cross Fit, South Beach Diet, Ketogenic Diet, Lean Gains, Paleo, Fast-Food diet, etc. Whatever you want to call it.

A template for a healthy lifestyle (mentally, physically, emotionally) only works when it aligns with that person's needs and wants. 


All diets/exercises work as long as the fundamentals are obeyed in the context of the individuals goals. Find what you want and perform intuitively.




 

Fat-Loss Is More Than a Physical Change

I had a friend who texted me when they slipped on goals and how guilty they felt; my heart went out to her! I knew exactly how they felt and I just know the cycle and the thoughts and I wanted to help in every way I could. These are some thoughts I compiled for her; and I posted this to my blog with some modifications but, I think these are good things to hear:

I was thinking about her while walking on the treadmill and getting into situations where life comes and goes: if festivities are bound to happen and or you have insane cravings

TIP #1

Create a buffer or eat to defend against overfeeding

• Humans are wired funny; we find our favorite treat and we take a few bites and it is so yummy, pleasing, makes you feel happy. EVEN IF WE ARE FULL we will be sure to stuff down that food regardless if we ate enough food that day.
• Suggestions: Eat lighter throughout the day leading to the festivity. Just a salad, lean meats, plenty of fibrous veggies. Before the festivity; DON'T neglect food volume, meaning eat plenty of veggies with some fat for taste and a piece of protein. SAVE THE CAKES, LIQUID TREATS for the end, you will not eat as much!
  

TIP #2

In addition, dieting doesn't help; your body hates it.

• Your body possesses hormones that will cause you to crave sweets or things of that nature because it knows your trying to withhold food intake or it's sending warning signals that your beginning to use your own stores (BODY FAT). There's obviously many reasons why the body does what it does but in the context of what I speak of (dieting) this applies. This is why the cake won't stand a chance. Body will conquer mind because it means SURVIVAL.
• When you starve, deprive, or whatever you want to call it; hormones shoot up and down to regulate the bodies systems.
• Your body is constantly trying to balance itself.
• http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/calorie-partitioning-part-2.html
• Lyle McDonald gives a great table of reference of what happens in the body during Over-feeding and Under-feeding
• For example: Why do we get sick? You get sick because your body turned on it's defense systems to fight the imbalance and you feel the need to rest for recovery. Your body, believe it or not does the same with dieting. Things down regulate to keep it alive and if it didn't, we would die. Understand you won't die from dieting or something horrible will happen; it just can suck sometimes.
• Dieting fights and HITS the psychological part of our human nature more than we can comprehend; I promise. 

What's the answer against all these barriers for that ultimate goal?

Is it just simply; tough it out and go big or go home? Self-Mastery/temperance over the body?

Three Simple Steps

1. The W's

• Why? When? How? Who? What? Where?
• This applies to everything. Who will be giving you food? Where will the best food be (parties, outings, etc.)? What is causing me to overeat? Why am I doing this? Why do I care about my appearance? Why do I allow others to shoot me down or judge me for my goals? How will I stay firm to my goals and remove the fear? When is the time I will exercise that is most conducive to making it work? When is the next festivity or obstacle? Plan, Plan, PLAN!
• Your changing the appearance of your body; it just doesn't happen, takes work.

2. Resolve Conflicts

•  If your in the middle of a crisis (i.e. death in family, Stress, finances, etc) your wondering what you should do. I guess we should put a hold on all of these goals, right? Let me ask a you a question; why would you stop pursuing your goals? You knew life would continue and this would be hard, why stop now? Why would we halt on doing something that is changing or benefiting us? If anything these practices are keeping you sane, healthy, and reducing stress.
• We eat A LOT of food during the times when we get stressed or depressed. Why do we do that? I don't have a super physiological answer but more so a answer from anecdotal experience. When our body goes into a "stressful" state; it's preparing for something. Fear, sadness, or anxiety get's the body into a "flight or fight" response. What happens when we get into this "survival mode?" The body screams eat more food! It's preparing for something so it want's all the energy it can get so it can get ready for the season of starvation or situation to survive. The body without your say is constantly FIGHTING TO LIVE! 
  
• Food suppresses these feelings we have psychologically for a short time period . I know life comes and goes; we get upset or de-motivated; than we all of sudden decide to destroy our value! Why? Stop hating yourself for the mishaps in not being a perfect soul in dieting/fitness. Get over it and Get busy! Go release that tension and stress!
• Sitting around and over-consuming on food is KILLING YOU. I know this may sound harsh but seriously it's the worst thing you can do; regardless of weight loss/muscle gaining goals. Just MOVE, EAT NUTRITIOUS FOODS, SCREAM/VENT. Keeping it all inside is just deteriorating you, literally.
• Sure, you may have to fly somewhere or got other things to do; that's fine. Also it's fine to self reflect and take a look at things in a bigger light/picture. There is also no reason why you can't self reflect while lifting, running/walking, and creating a meal to uplift your spirits and not hate yourself. Keep your value fresh and renewed. Your body can be the cure for heart break, depression, anger, etc.
• One last thing; an example of my own. I'd rather not get super personal but my mind/heart is screaming out of passion to help anyone and everyone with these paradigms or fears. My mother died when I was 15 due to suicide. Most heart-breaking thing ever. I had to make a choice; I could of wallowed in self-pity for the rest of my life OR I could choose to conquer life and become what my mother wanted me to become. It was a Decision. You have the control. You give it up when you just sit and eat yourself into a hole of depression. Don't do it. See a professional or consult a family member, stop trying to be a super human.
• I talk like this because I HAVE BEEN THERE and so have many others I have encountered in my life. We need to utilize the preventative abilities we possess against Psychological/Physiological/Spiritual Sicknesses. We do this through action, temperance, and education.
  

3. True Practices must be in place

• Deficit
• Life has been proven to be prolonged when we are in a deficit or have consumed less food than what we need. It cleans the system and keeps the body from excess storage. A deficit must be in place for weight loss to occur.
  
• Rehabilitation/Recovery
• Resting/Stretching/Mobilization all improve your ability to function and to prevent future movement issues and help prevent the body from hurting itself. Get your sleep. Stretch properly. Mobilize many different movements of the body -> I use a foam roller to smooth (massage) out my muscles from being over-intensified from heavy weights. Treat your body to the recovery and movement it needs. We sit too much and don't give our body full-range of motion.
  
• Activity
• Again, we sit to much and don't jump around enough and get that body circulating. Your body stiffens up and things start to slowly get messed up. For instance we have heard or possess these problems. "I have a bad back." "I can't move like that it hurts this." "I was doing this and this occured." many, many issues. I will say some are genetic, accidental, and etc. OF COURSE life happens. I do know; these things can be fixed or improved by simply getting active and just move to get things done!
  
• Macro/Micro Nutrient Timing
• Probably the most important true practices to adhere to. 
• Protein needs (depending on goals) should be met daily to maintain lean-body-mass and to benefit you in so many ways and to keep you satiated.
• Cycling periods of Over and Under-feeding is vital and should become your life-style.
• There is a time and place to over-feed and under-feed. Stop gorging yourself; there is no need for it all the time.
• A treat is a treat -> TREAT IT LIKE A TREAT
• Why are you hungry all the time? Because your lacking proper nutrient consumption/timing
• There is a time to refeed with a large load of carbohydrates. This can be due to glycogen depletion, prolonged dieting, leptin needs to be reset.
• Additionally you may just need a diet-break; stop dieting and eat normal (Maintenance) for a week or two.
• You need to supply ample amount of protein and carbohydrates pre-workout so we can yield the results we want. Than eat good post-workout meals to refill/rebuild your body.
• We need goals to regulate how much we consume and when. (FAT LOSS/MUSCLE BUILDING/MUSCLE RETENTION/ENDURANCE)
• Combine the right foods together: Plenty of Veggies, large amount of protein; and a piece of fruit so you DON'T GET SO HUNGRY
• If you just eat a donut and some milk, no wonder why you eat 5 more donuts, it is not filling and neither does it possess all the nutrients you need!
• Better yet; EAT THAT DONUT with some fruit/veggies/and some protein!
• It's not the DONUT that is bad; it's the 5-6 DONUTS that are bad!

Food is Energy!

http://byuhealth100.blogspot.com/2011/05/food-is-energy.html
-> This is a blog for my "Intro to Public Health" class.

          We had to use stickers that said, "This is Public Health" and label it to something that's public health to us. I wanted to do a picture of me lifting and have the sticker somewhere but I didn't think it would deliver as strong as a message as this picture (notice the Lucky Charms and Panda Express Sauce). Anyways this link will take you to my post. Quite controversial to many people who are all about "healthy eating." Why do you suppose I put it that way? Because healthy eating all depends on context.

           The conversations I have day to day with health are very.....minimal. I really wish I could talk about it more than I do. I am a huge proponent of "good health" and again you may ask me, what is this "good health" that you speak of.

          I set my status on Facebook the other day to this:

Good health is: "A state of complete physical, mental, and    social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity"

         Without throwing out my own say as to what "good health" was, I used this definition (I thought it was very through). Pretty lofty health goal I would say. 

          Context was a word I mentioned earlier. People in this world have been gifted with preferences, appetites, opinions, you name it! We all advocate something that makes us feel great or secure. Once we have our "ah-ha" moments and discover new things to advocate or love; we want everyone to enjoy it also! We are interesting creatures who digest and regurgitate information repeatedly by what we say, do, and even by appearance. One individual is a vegan, another is a meat-lover. Another advocates to eat only foods that can be gathered or hunted for; another believes and loves food delivery. Some of us just do these things or a mixture because we just don't think about it when in fact others obsess about it.

          Hypothetical situation: you order a "meaty" pizza. Good friend comes over and they begins to tell you how their doctor has advised them to quit eating greasy/fatty foods because their cholesterol levels are too high and so is their blood pressure. Door bell rings; you go and retrieve that hot-n-ready meat loaded pizza and it's warm to the touch and smells as if it were baked fresh. You sit down and sink your teeth into the soft doughy pizza and allow the hot melted cheese on your tongue in combination with the salty meat excite your taste buds (are you grossed out or are you hungry now?). Your friend than exclaims, "You should really consider what your eating too; that's really fatty..." Now things just got awkward and the context of this situation needs to be taken into consideration...

          A little science for everyone; did you know your body loves fats and needs fats? Did you know that fats are what makes up part of the cells of your body? Did you know both saturated/unsaturated fats are good for you? Did you know having body fat keeps you warm? Did you know that fats provide energy? Did you know that fat simply makes you happy? 

          Can you see that all these questions I just imposed weren't to make you think I'm treating you like a fool or to even correct you? These statements are actually intended for you to question them and to think logically for just one second. Your right, these answers or "facts" I gave you all deserve....what? Let's say it together people, CONTEXT. A person with "bad cholesterol" or "high-blood pressure" may not need that pizza. Why is that? Perhaps they sit around all day and they have no idea how to cut back on their caloric value so what do they do? They wipe out all fast-food options than in their mind they slap a label on fast-foods which reads, "UNHEALTHY.... BAD FOR HEART....EVIL...FATTY...GROSS." Now this person has created an alienation from fast-food within their minds because they have proposed a hypothesis: "Fast-food is causing me to have bad-health and by removing it completely from my life, I will be healthy again." I have no idea what or how they contrived the thought but it worked out to something like this. 

          Now this person loses weight, resets all things that were amiss with their body, become more active, and WALLA; "I'm not fat and unhealthy anymore!" Than for some reason the hypothesis becomes validated true in their minds in which they jump to believing a law has been discovered and MUST be adhered to: Fast-food makes you fat and it should be done away with. That simple huh?

         Context people. Your no longer "fat" or "unhealthy" you "over-zealous" McDonald's hater because you began to incorporate more whole foods into your diet which in fact brings more satiety and less calorie consumption. As you advanced on your adventure to prove fast-food is "evil" you became super-active and passionate over daily activity and you even began to count calories! In combination with all these "great things" you even began taking a daily-vitamin and incorporated EFA's and other great micro/macro nutrients that your body needed. Now that you have arrived at your goal; you strictly shop for only "organic foods" and NEVER EVER touch fast-food. You are a advocate of whole-foods and do everything in your power to stop this "fast-food epidemic" simply because a hypothesis without context was validated "true" in your mind. Well done by the way, now look at all your friends, family, and acquaintances behind you that you just steam rolled over.

   -->Notice my emphasis with quotation marks in this last paragraph? I use these quotation marks to prove my point of "Context." Forget if it wasn't "grammatically correct" it's my blog and I make my own laws! I defy proper grammar in my blog. This is my Contextual World.

         So what's my point??? The point is this: Must I say more?

• Just because you discover something great and wonderful for you it may not be for everyone. Sorry to break it to ya. Do share your passion thou with kindness, tactfulness, and not like some fanatic preaching the only way to enter the Halls of Valhalla is by some magical fat-free cake!

•  Calorie Tracking, Over-feeding/Under-feeding, Weight Training, Endurance Training, Incline/Decline, WHATEVER -> all has Context

•  All food be it; fast, slow, hot, cold, spicy, clean, dirty, etc. will in fact be converted into some form of energy in your body or can cause some form of double-dragon.

  

  Context of Lighting on my status: I look ok....

  
  
  

   

  

  Context of Lighting in this picture: I look even better