Food Becomes Your Cells The best, healthiest, and strongest version of you depends on 3 factors: How well you MOVE, EAT, and LIVE! We often get the movement thing going. We get out there and log hours and hours in the gym. We think by punishing ourselves we can feel better about the donut we ate from krispy kreme this morning. It's all about calories. Calories, Calories, Calories! Where has that game gotten us? Truly take a look at the Calorie craze. We have more colorful packages and boxed goods that promise low fat, low calorie, and "gluten" free "food" and yet people can't seem to change their bodies in their favor. They don't feel like they are getting anywhere. They aren't losing the fat, building the muscle, feeling energetic, FEELING VITAL! Here's the truth. It's more than calories. It always has been. Read http://lifefittransform.blogspot.com/2013/05/losing-fat-and-building-muscle.html to learn more. The way your body is right now is a product of genetics, how your neuro-muscular system is trained, what hormonal environment you possess in your body, what nutrients you possess or are devoid of, your emotional state, and the the thoughts you possess about yourself. You simply have to pay attention to how you feel in response to the things you DO! Whether it is in response to what emotion you are feeling, what food you put in your mouth, what liquids you infuse into your system, what you are breathing in, what you are breathing out, and how you are moving....Just pay attention to how you FEEL after doing them! What do you notice?!?! You'll be surprised by your answers. I invite you to try this as you go about your week. If you feel stressed, sub-par, and not yourself, reconsider your actions!

You Are What You Eat...Literally. Just like the title of this email, simply everything you put in to your body becomes a part of you. It infuses into your cells and becomes a very intimate part of who you are and how you function. So if you aren't fueling yourself with whole foods, you are doing yourself the biggest disservice. You are becoming something un-whole. If there are nutrients that you are devoid of, there are crucial processes that don't occur in your body. And if these processes don't occur, the functionality of your body is diminished. So, you simply have to make a choice about how you wan to FEEL everyday. Sit down and really ask yourself that question. If what you are putting into your body doesn't serve you, re-think your actions! More importantly, be aware of what you put into your body and figure out whether or not it serves you. Confused on what foods to eat? I'll lay out some options for you to experiment with!

What Do You Eat? So what the heck do you eat? Well I'm going to give you guys some healthy options to choose from whenever you create your meals. I'm going to break it down into the big food groups: Proteins, Fats, Carbohydrates, Veggies. PROTEINS- (Go local and organic as much as possible on these)- Grass-Fed beef, Ground buffalo/bison, Atlantic Salmon, Tilapia, Trout, Pasture-raised eggs, Duck Eggs, Turkey, Pork, Raw Goat's Milk, Raw cheese. FATS-Avocados, Almonds, Cashews, Brazil Nuts, Flax seed, Chia Seeds, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, Grass-fed butter CARBOHYDRATES-Brown Rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, lentils, black beans, pinto beans, sprouted bread, Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Bananas, Apples, Watermelon,  (other fruits) VEGETABLES (Go local and organic as much as possible)-Go for as much color as possible! The wider the variety of color, the more vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and phytonutrients that you receive! Beets, Squash, broccoli, swiss chard, spinach, tomatoes, onions, garlic, red cabbage, kale, celery, zucchini, radish.

But How Much Do I Eat?! Those of you who know me, I usually craft meal plans that consist of measuring out how much you eat according to grams, cups, and oz of particular foods to meet your nutrient needs. However, I invite you to take a simpler approach. Especially in the beginning of your lifestyle change, the last thing you need is complexity! This is an approach that I have adopted and used from Dr. John Berardi, and it takes into account your body type. Here are some images below to depict the body type that you most likely possess. Each body type metabolizes and utilizes foods differently. So depending which body type and sex that you are , you can make appropriate decisions of how much of a certain nutrient you need to take in.

A Closer Look at Body Types I types: If you fall under this category you metabolize food very fast, you tolerate carbs well, and you have high energy. You have a hard time gaining weight V types: If you are here, your body is designed to be a powerful, athletic machine. Excess calories generally go into lean mass versus storage. You can gain muscle and lose fat easily. O types: Your metabolism is a little slower, you are carb sensitive, and excess calories are likely to be stored as fat. How do you portion out your meals for each body type? I'm glad you asked! This is a simple way to do it. This is based on 3-4 meals on non-workout days and 4-5 meals on workout days. If you are an I type Male: I type Female: V type Male: : V type Female: O type Male : O type Female:

There you have it folks!!! Incorporate this into your daily living and note how you feel! Stay tuned for next time where we talk about addressing nutrient deficiencies! Much Love,                      Sumair

Be Like Chinese Bamboo-Transform Your Life!

I came across an interesting parallel to growing and transforming your body. It came from a seemingly unexpected source. However, upon examining it, I began to realize that all processes are the same at their most fundamental root. So here goes.

Transforming your body is much like the growth of Chinese Bamboo. Once the seed has been sown, all the growth begins to occur underground. A complex root system is reaching upward and outward and is setting a strong foundation. After much time has elapsed (months to years), the bamboo shoots up to 25 meters!

Just like the bamboo's transformation starts with planting it's seed, YOU must do the same. AKA start by making the commitment to yourself, and BE-lieve in your grandest vision for yourself. Then water and feed that seed by cultivating lifestyle habits that serve the grandest vision you have for your body. This happens PROGRESSIVELY! Don't go about changing our life all at once.

When all the necessary changes happen internally, what you present externally to the world, will be the best version of yourself.

It doesn't happen over night folks. When in doubt, remember Chinese Bamboo.

Much love,
              Sumair