“I have to say since starting Lean Online in January I feel great. Not just because of weight loss (20 lbs) but how to eat right and not diet. If I slip one day (or two) I don’t feel guilty.”
– RoseAnn P., Pleasanton, CA
Next Lean Online series starts May 30.
Raw
: Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower (all dipped in hummus), cherry tomatoes, celery (dipped in almond butter), cucumbers & jicama.
Roasted: B-sprouts (w/bacon and granny smith apples), butternut squash, asparagus and the first three above.
Stir Fried: Anything but onions and peppers 🙂
Want to win some free groceries at New Leaf Markets Pleasanton?
During the month of March, bring in a friend to check out Club TVT, Tri Valley Trainer’s Small Group Training program. First week is always free, with no obligation to join. But if they do sign up for a one or three-month membership, you get a $25 gift certificate for New Leaf (I know, it’s a small bag but if you fill it up with some yummy produce, the gift certificate goes a lot further!)
Click on Picture for a Sneak Preview of Lean Online!
This chart gives an accurate representation of the aesthetics of various body fat levels.
Body fat is a much more useful data point for health than Body Mass Index (BMI), which is simply a height/weight ratio. More muscle on your frame is good, but it weighs nearly double what fat does, primarily because of the difference in water weight (around 15% for fat, around 70% for muscle).
Why is that important? Well, if your doctor or insurance company puts you in a high-risk category for a higher than normal BMI, it might be because you’re athletic and just carry more muscle than most people your height. My BMI is in the “overweight” category, while my body fat is around 12%. Contest ready male bodybuilders show as morbidly obese on BMI charts.
So is a low body fat percentage critical to achieving and maintaining good health and fitness? It’s an important component, even if your aerobic threshold (stamina) and strength-to-body weight ratio is still high.
Why? Well the fact is that as we get older, the cumulative wear-and tear on our lower body joints is accelerated by any excess weight. You could be on the edge of an injury and be unaware because of your current fitness capacity. Maybe you have great endurance and are very strong, but if your joints are heavily loaded, especially if lower body range of motion is reduced. Tight hamstrings and pelvic muscles are common for muscular, stoutly built people who don’t specifically practice a regular flexibility program.
The bottom line? BMI is only meaningful if you also have a higher body fat percentage. And while low body fat is not essential to overall health if you are well conditioned and at a moderate BF%, you’ll do your joints a favor and minimize injury risk if you are also lean and flexible.
Learn more about how to get and stay in great shape? Contact Dan at Tri Valley Trainer
Local Musicians
: I have a 1500sf fitness training studio near Valley and Stanley Blvd in Pleasanton (between Downtown Pleasanton and Livermore) that is available for use for rehearsal on weeknights (Tue – Fri) after 7pm and Sat/Sun afternoons.
There are tons of outlets, lots of open space, rubber floors and you can get nice and loud 
since the nearest residential area is about 1/4 mile away.
There is also a six channel PA already set up and ten each speakers positioned in three corners of the room.
$30 for the evening/afternoon.
Must be mature, responsible and reliable! That includes leaving the place as clean and untouched as you found it. This is my place of business. Please have a reference I know (the responsible, working musician in the area who passed this on to you).
Please e-mail me at Dan@TriValleyTrainer.com if you meet the criteria and are interested.
Thanks.
(As a trainer, my workday follows the client’s schedule demands. I’m up and to bed early than most, as you can see. Quantities are expressed in terms of a closed fist size portion, which relates to the individual’s frame size. Also please note that I have a very physical job, work out intensely 3-4 days/week and have hands the size of a middle school kid.)
4:45am – A glass of water or tea
5:00am – 12 oz of V8 (regular V8, Purple Power or Healthy Greens; or a little of each), a hard boiled egg and a banana while preparing a large decaf whole milk latte to drink at work
7:30am – Tea (herbal, green, white or fruit; occasionally Good Earth Sweet and Spicy or flavored black)
7:45am – 1F(ist) Raisin Bran topped with roasted, unsalted mixed nuts or sunflower seeds; or sometimes slow cook oatmeal made with whole milk instead of water, raisins, half a pat of butter, pinch of salt, about a teaspoon of brown sugar, a dash of cinnamon and a few drops of vanilla extract, topped with mixed nuts (best oatmeal EVER)
10:15am – Tea
11:00am – Water, raw carrots, broccoli and cauliflower dipped in hummus (1-1.5F) with a small handful of sunflower seeds (shelled, roasted, unsalted)
12:30pm – Water or tea, then within a half hour or so a medium Jamba Juice Kaleribbean Breeze (sub in 2% milk sub out mango juice, add whey) OR my own smoothie. Here’s the finished product (yummy!)
3:45pm – Small apple (1F) and sliced cheddar cheese (about a cheese stick’s worth)
5:30pm – Crockpot (dark meat) chicken with fire roasted crushed tomatoes, salsa and spinach OR veggie soup with chicken apple sausage OR a small salad with tuna or steak OR a stir fry with shrimp OR al la carte roasted veggies and a protein. Volume for dinner is the smallest meal of the day (about 1-1.5F). If I have a less active day and the previous meals and snacks slide out to later in the day, I might skip dinner altogether. If I do that and get hungry before bed, I have tea. If I’m still hungry after that, I have a latte or a little bit of veg juice and either a few bites of plain whole Greek yogurt or a tangerine and a small handful of nuts or seeds.
In bed by 8:45 – 9:15pm most weeknights
Overall, my goals are as follows:
Please feel free to forward questions to me and happy clean eating!
Learn more about how to get and stay in great shape? Contact Dan at Tri Valley Trainer
Here’s a typical snack/meal (I rarely distinguish since most of my meals are small and modular) I can eat in the car, at the computer, or even while I’m working with a client: Broccoli and cauliflower, a hard boiled egg, a small V8 juice, a tangerine and roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds.
Here’s another: Applewood smoked almonds and English peas from the Farmer’s market with baby carrots.
Still another: Deviled eggs made with Trader Joe’s Tomato Basil Hummus (instead of mayo) mustard and a tiny bit of honey paired with an old, often forgotten standby, ants on a log (made with almond butter).
This is my favorite smoothie: Whole milk, Whole fat plain Greek yogurt, frozen spinach or kale (more of this than any of the fruit), frozen bananas (I break them into pieces ziplock baggie them and throw them into the freezer when they start getting ripe), frozen blackberries and frozen mangoes.
Two favorite made-to-order juices from New Leaf Markets (Whole Foods and most juice places make something similar) are “Sweet Greens” and “The Works”. For protein I’ll either get a decaf whole milk latte or eat an Rx Bar.
As a rule, cut veggies combined with any protein source is going to make a terrific snack that is portable and requires no preparation. I’ve also grilled chicken breasts and beef patties, kept them in the fridge and simply put them in a baggie, sliding it out of the top of the baggie as I eat it to minimize the mess. Put that with an apple or a banana, and you’re covered for a few hours.
Eating on the run is very rarely a gourmet experience, but it can be easy and cheap. Most of all, it will keep you eating clean, no matter how busy your schedule is.
Learn more about how to get and stay in great shape? Contact Dan at Tri Valley Trainer
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