First, let me say, this recipe has no added sugar and no added fat! It’s also really easy to make, taking about 15 minutes to whip together.

These brownies are packed with antioxidants and fiber. They have potassium and iron, vitamin E and omega 3 fatty acids (the healthy fats).

The recipe makes about 12 servings, each giving about 175 calories of energy and a giant mouthful of flavor.

You will need a food processor.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of raw walnuts

16 pitted dates (I get the the medjool dates)

1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder (or, better yet, raw cacao powder)

1/4 cup raw cacao nibs (optional, the brownies taste great without but these add a powerful antioxidant blast)

METHOD:

Put all ingredients into the food processor in the order listed. Mix them together then press the mix firmly into a tray, cover and refrigerate for about an hour.

Cut into 12 equal pieces and enjoy with a nice cup of tea or coffee (I love rooibos tea as a caffein-free alternative).

You can keep them refrigerated for a week or so (they usually don’t last any longer than that in our house). I hope you like them as much as I do.

Warm Up

Before you begin the workout, do a warm-up. For this you can walk, jog, and skip. Also make sure to stretch.

For these exercises you are going to want to have a gym mat or something similar.

You are going to want to have a set number of each exercise you want to do per set. 12 would be a good number to start off with, but if you can’t do 12 then start at a number that you know you can reach.

Push Ups

The first exercise is push-ups. If these are hard for you, you can start with your knees on the ground and eventually get to the point when you are in normal push-up position.

Squats

After you have done your push-ups you are going to move onto squats. Do these with your arms straight up at either side of your head.

Superman for the Lower Back and Butt

Once you have completed the squats you are going to lay stomach down on your mat to do opposite arm/leg raises. This is going to really work out your lower back. You are going to raise the opposite arm with the opposite leg at the same time and switch back and forth.

Planks – Unreal for Great Abs

The forth exercise you are going to do will include different variations of the plank. You will begin with the basic plank, which is in push-up position with your forearms on the ground. Hold this for an allotted amount of time. Next you will do obliques in which you will hold yourself up on the side with one arm for an allotted amount of time and then do the same on the other side.

Bridges for Your Best Butt

Finally, you will lie on the mat with out back down. Have your knees bent, feet on the floor and hip-width apart and your arms by your side and lift your butt up.

Cool Down and Stretch

Once you are done with the workout make sure you cool down and stretch.

Strong, fit and toned

Fat activism began in the 1960′s in the USA with the launch of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA ) to fight against fat discrimination. It’s a controversial issue, especially as greater numbers than ever are joining the ranks of the overweight and obese while at the same time, the health risks are more broadly understood and disseminated.

Obesity isn’t something people are born with like the color of their skin or the length of their legs. It’s something that can be changed. Some argue that for this reason, “fat activism” is unnecessary. Why protect the rights of people who are actively creating a state of potential ill health for themselves?

It’s true that obesity is considered a risk factor for cardiac disease and type 2 diabetes. It’s also true, however, that obese and overweight people can successfully engage in physical activity with the end goal of improving their overall health and in this they share the same benefits as anybody else. In fact, being sedentary is a far greater enemy to health and well-being than simply being fat.

We are reminded constantly via the media how bad it is to be fat. Celebrities are demonized when they put on a few pounds, children are sent to weight loss camp when they get too heavy, low calorie (and nutritionally poor) foods and drinks are pushed at us from every supermarket shelf, women obsess about getting “bikini-ready” in time for summer, savvy marketers turned “weight loss gurus” make millions with the next quick fix for fat. Is it possible we’ve lost the plot?

The sane and simple solution for anyone, fat or skinny, is to start on the road to better health by increasing physical activity. With more emphasis on feeling better and getting healthier rather than trying to look like a bikini model or a Men’s Health cover boy, sticking with your exercise commitment is very doable.

Working with a professional fitness trainer increases the likelihood of success by ensuring you are doing the right activities at the right level of intensity (NOT the way it’s done on shows like the Biggest Loser) and progressing at the right time to the next level. The issue of accountability comes into play as well and for this, a competent trainer can be a godsend.

It’s amazing how much a human body can change with the right prescription of exercise and a few tweaks in the diet. We see this on a routine basis.

What’s so bad about The Biggest Loser?

As a fitness trainer with many years in the industry truly helping people get fit and into shape, shows like The Biggest Loser really irk me. I dislike the way the trainers work out their clients and how they disregard good form in place of thrashing their victims (sorry, clients) to do things they are not physically capable of doing properly. They make getting fit look like something painful and masochistic – who wants to go to the gym after witnessing someone having to run on a treadmill until she throws up in a bucket provided by her bully of a coach?

These shows take an approach to fitness much like crash diets do with nutrition – the idea of “crash fitness” is ridiculous which is probably why it makes for such entertaining TV. The big question is, do they actually inspire people to get active?

Real inspiration to get fit

A recent study published in the American Journal of Health Behavior (2013; 37 [1], 96-103) proved that people who watch The Biggest Loser are actually turned off exercise. Contrast that with a survey of local governments in the UK that found sports participation surged during the 2012 Olympic Games.

It turns out that when people imagine themselves being active they prefer the idea of being fluid, powerful and graceful in their movements (think Olympic athletes) as opposed to being red-faced, out-of-breath, awkward and having to be yelled at by a bully in front of a live audience (think Biggest Loser contestant).

The general consensus in a forum for personal trainers on the subject of The Biggest Loser was one of extreme distaste towards these kinds of reality shows. Michael Schmid had this to say, “…the physical training is abusive and at least borders on negligent. Contestants vomiting, passing out, being taken away in ambulances? How long would your gym be in business if those were common occurrences there? Not very long I’d bet.”

How can you use The Biggest Loser to your advantage?

• Stay away from The Biggest Loser for starters – that system of training is not workable nor is it real and now we know it’s not particularly inspirational either.
• Get yourself a book that has a system for getting active and fit with a step-by-step approach – you could try Fit Lean Healthy, 8 Simple Steps.
• Even better would be to hire a proper trainer who has a track record for helping people achieve their fitness goals and who understands and teaches correct exercise form so your workouts are both safe AND effective.

Here’s some pretty awesome scientific information on the value of exercise, not just for maintaining a healthier body but also a healthier mind.

Depression is apparently on the rise (if you believe the media and associated  pharmaceutical marketing campaigns) and the go-to treatment is ordinarily to medicate using drugs like Bupropian, Citalopram or Duloxetine – drugs that have serious side-effects including anxiety, shaking, severe headaches, seizures, severe skin reactions, jaundice, high fevers, blood pressure fluctuations, cardiac arrhythmia, and even sudden death.

In scientific studies conducted between 1999 and 2009 comparing groups of people who regularly exercise with those who were medicated using the current medication procedures, the effectiveness of exercise in overcoming depressive symptoms was found to be as effective as medication.

That’s a big statement.

What’s more, people who continue to exercise regularly have lower rates of depressive relapse in the future than people using medication.

Beat the blues with exercise

How Much Exercise Kills Depression?

Even modest levels of exercise are beneficial. Three sessions per week of 30 to 45 minutes per session is sufficient (according to these studies) to reduce depression and 90 minutes a week is sufficient to reduce the risk of relapse.

Most of the studies focused on aerobic exercise (running, walking, swimming, dancing, skipping, anything that will raise the heart rate and can be done for an extended period of time) up to 30 or 45 minutes at a time. Several also found evidence that resistance training (using free weights, machines, body weight, bands and so on) is also beneficial.

So, if you’re feeling down, save yourself some money and a lot of life-threatening side-effects and start exercising – it’s way healthier than putting artificial and potentially dangerous chemicals into your body.

Join a gym, hire a good trainer, take some exercise classes, start taking the dog or your kids for walks. Whatever it takes to get you moving and active for at least 90 minutes a week (that’s about as long as most people spend watching TV in one night).

References:

Blumenthal JA, Babyak MA, Moore KA, Craighead WE, Herman S, Khatri P, et al. Effects of exercise training on older patients with major depression. Ach. Intern Med. 1999;159(19):2349-56.

Drum AL, Trivedi MH, Kampert JB, Clark GC, Chambliss HO. Exercise treatment for depression: efficacy and dose response. Am J Prev Med. 2005:28(1):1-8.

Mead GE, Morely W, Campbell P, Greig CA, McMurdo M, Lawler DA. Exercise for depression. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009(3):CD004366.

Here is Robin’s recent success after Rudi did some highly specific massage and showed her some easy-to-do back stretches. Her lower back and hips were locked up making even walking very painful. Flying from Sydney to Los Angeles didn’t help matters. Within a very short time she was pain free and able to move easily.

Robin is Back Pain-free Within Two Days

“I was suffering extreme pain in my lower back and hip area, the pain had been present for about a week and had been exacerbated by the flight from Sydney to Los Angeles. Pain killers and muscle relaxants were not helping and neither did the $100 trip to the acupuncturist.

“Rudi Marashlian gave me about two 20 minute sessions of myofascial treatments (massage technique targeting the tissue covering the muscles) and I was pain free within 2 days.

“Thank you Rudi.”

Robin enjoying a mountain hike

What about adding a teenager, a couple of almost middle-aged folk and a sixty-six year-old lady?

We did over the holidays as our family from Australia visited us in L.A. Not shy of a good feed, especially when my mum is the chef, we managed to keep excess pounds at bay by staying active. Here are a few pictures with commentary for you to enjoy. If they help inspire the impulse to get out and move (no matter how old you are), then mission accomplished!

Nothing beats a challenging hike. We went to Switzer Falls where it's always delightful. James, who is 10 lead the way.

Rollerblading - great for your butt and legs. Excellent for sight-seeing. Highly recommended.

How about bowling? The older folk won the day at this event but everyone had a ball.

Did you know horses work out too? Core strength is essential when you have to carry people around on your back.

Here's Dad at nearly 70. Adding some push-ups to a hike. Here's a man who's been exercising religiously all his life. Way to go!

Now add a 10 year-old to your push-up... who said it had to be boring?

Best wishes for 2013 and may you enjoy a healthy, active body all year. No matter how old (or young) you are.

Here’s a scary fact (and one that corresponds with the growing number of fat people) – since the 1970′s portion sizes in America have increased by an average of two to five times (Young 2006)! The average daily energy intake of a U.S. citizen has increased from 1,803 calories in 1977-78 to 2,374 calories in 2003-2006 (Duffy et al. 2001). That’s a rise of nearly 32%.

Part of the problem is that we are in the habit of viewing large portions as ideal, and not only in fast food restaurants.

Here are a few strategies to help you strip down your portion sizes and simultaneously reduce your daily calorie intake without having to resort to crazy crash diets or depriving yourself in any way.

Less Is More

Try changing out your plates, bowls and glasses for smaller ones. You could even go so far as using a salad plate for your main course. A 2012 Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior study found that when participants were given a large-sized bowl, they served themselves 77% more pasta than when they were given a smaller bowl (Van Kleef, Shimizu & Wansink 2012).

Check out The Portion Plate website for great visuals on proper serving sizes for grains,meats, vegetables and fruits.

Fiber Is a Dieter’s Best Friend

A study in the journal Appetite found that volunteers felt fuller after consuming high-fiber bread than they did when they ate the same number of calories from low-fiber white bread (Keogh et al. 2011). Fiber-rich foods slow down digestion and help control blood sugar making it less likely you’ll feel like overeating during or after a meal. Try for lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains. Go raw whenever you can.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

A Cornell university study found that people eat fewer calories when they leave extra food off the table. They found that when study subjects had to serve themselves from dishes on the kitchen counter or on the stove they ate an average of 20% fewer calories (Payne et al. 2010). A good idea would be to put a portion of food onto plates then put the extra food away so once you’ve eaten what’s on your plate you don’t add more “just because it’s there”.

Eat Your Greens!

Serving yourself a large portion of leafy greens before you eat your main course can help fill you up so you’re less likely to want to overeat your main course. Having the dressing served on the side is a good idea, this way you can control how much goes on your leafy greens (a little goes a long way). This tip is my own and comes from testing on myself and a few of my clients who swear by it.

For an amazingly delicious and easy-to-make kale salad salad, click here. It’ll fulfill the fiber-rich tip and you can’t get greener than kale.

These tips might come in very handy during the Holidays when there is more food being “pushed” than at any other time of the year. My advice is to enjoy your food by eating the food you deserve – real, whole and good – you’ll feel better and your waist will thank you come January 1st.

Here’s a dish that is as good for you as it looks and tastes. One you can pig out on to your heart’s content and never feel guilty.

Tracey’s Terrific Kale Salad

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch of fresh, organic kale. Remove the stems then clean  and slice

1/3 cup of dried cranberries

1/3 cup of toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds or toasted pine nuts

2 organic Roma tomatoes cut into wedges

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

1/8 cup good olive oil

1/8 cup organic cider vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

Put the salad ingredients into a salad bowl. Put the dressing ingredients into a bottle and shake vigorously to blend.  Add the dressing to the salad at least a hour before serving (this is one salad that gets better the longer you leave the dressing on it) then toss to combine everything.

Serve it up and watch as everyone happily gobbles it up then asks for the recipe (send them to our website to save yourself the trouble of writing it down).

How many people do you know who engage in a favorite sport? Most people do it to have fun, some do it to stay in shape and a few are really serious about their sport. Just because you’re not a pro athlete doesn’t mean you don’t take your sport seriously. Go down to your local tennis courts on a Sunday morning and you’ll see what I mean – some serious game playing going on.

We’ve come across all manner of sports in our line of work – skeet shooting, motocross, skiing, golfing, extreme frisbee, racquet ball, long-distance motorcycle racing, bodybuilding, basketball, volleyball, hockey, just to name a few. We’ve also come across a myriad of ages of people wanting to excel in their chosen sport, anywhere from age 14 to 75.

Why Hire  a Pro Fitness Coach for Sport?

You might be wondering why someone who is regularly engaged in a sport would bother hiring a professional fitness coach, seeing as they’re already active and probably fit. The answer is simple – adding a strong general strength and conditioning base to their sport makes it easier to continue to participate well for longer (both on the day and over the years). Including sport-specific training drills into general fitness training can substantially enhance your performance.

Here’s what David Potts, 54 year-old long-distance off-road motorcycle racer has to say:

” I had a great race at the 2012 Parker 250 this January and I can easily contribute my success to my improved fitness.

“I first raced the Parker 250 in 2010 and our main competitor, Dana Reed, was there again in 2012. In 2010 Dana actually beat me by a few minutes but this year I finished 15 minutes ahead of him in 80 miles of racing.

“This race is a team race so I was only on the bike for 80 miles but I know I could have ridden the entire race (240 miles) if I needed to. Back in 2010 I struggled just to complete 80 miles.”

Sandee Ferman, after only a few weeks on a fitness program had this to say about her golfing performance:

“I noticed when I played golf on Monday that I didn’t get tired after 9 holes like I usually did. In fact I didn’t really get tired at all during the entire 18 holes.”

Stan Gale, in his 50′s and an avid motocross rider, can outride men in their 20′s and stay on the track for longer than just about anyone. He’s been working out and improving his general strength and fitness every week for several years and it’s been paying dividends – he continues to enjoy a sport that’s rougher than most on the body.

So, What’s the Good News?

The good news is this – if you’re getting older, you can still play the sports you love with as much energy and skill as ever, you just have to prime your body for it. How? By having a really good regular general fitness regimen. A good foundation to keep you injury-free and in peak condition for the things you enjoy most in your life.

If you’ve got a sport you used to enjoy or one you’d like to continue to enjoy well into the future, fire us an email. We might have something to help you stay in the game (and even excel beyond your past performance).

Age is no object where we come from.