LEAN COUTURE

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[Hugh Jackman, getting jacked on a cup of joe]

I drink coffee. I love coffee. And I love a good walk.

The most powerful yet legal fat-burning cocktail I’ve ever experienced is:

1. Day-fasting
2. A cup of coffee (I prefer Americano — espresso and hot water)
3. A nice long walk.

Of course, you can do a high-intensity workout like CrossFit or some form of high-intensity interval training in place of the nice long walk. And I sometimes do. But there’s just something inherently good (physically and mentally) about a nice long walk.

In any case, about this cocktail:

Intermittent fasting releases catecholamines that are lipotrophic (fat breakdown), facilitating fat metabolism. And coffee enhances fat metabolism during physical activity (but not so much during inactivity). 

Whether my goal is to burn fat or not, I enjoy walking because it’s inherently a human function, and because it is anti-inflammatory. Inflammation has been associated with poor joint health, accelerated aging, insulin resistance, leptin resistance at the hypothalamus level, and of course heart disease.

While chronic high-intensity exercise may increase inflammation, a nice long walk has been shown to decrease it. 

Of course, we burn more calories (better to help weight loss or prevent weight gain) when we exercise more intensely, but if frequency and intensity outpace recovery, then we’re not doing any favor to our underlying health and may even inhibit fat loss. A walk is easy on the body, while still burning decent calories.

And taken with coffee, much of the energy for walking comes from metabolized fat. Good for looking good.

Skip a meal. Drink some coffee. Take a walk. And look good.

[Picture from the Sartorialist.]

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Getting cut is not about exercise as much as it is about diet — specifically eating better and eating less. It’s that simple.

Look around in the gym. People bust their asses year after year, but not all of them are lean and cut. Sometimes it’s genetics, but often it’s because of how they eat. It’s that simple.

There could be many reasons for not being lean, but a guaranteed way of obliterating definition and muscular tone is eating too much crappy food. It’s that simple.

Eat more fresh vegetables and more fresh fruits in place of food that’s been processed, packaged, or boxed. And, be like the French and other nations that don’t suffer an obesity crisis, and stop snacking. It’s that simple.

Anyone who tells you that overweight is more complicated than that — like it’s a result of metabolic dysfunction, energy regulatory impairment, thyroid problems, etc. — is trying to confuse you or trying to make themselves appear more knowledgeable.

They might be correct, but it’s often nothing that can’t be resolved by eating better and eating less. It’s that simple.

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There’s something cool about simplicity. Take the guy in this picture from the Sartorialist blog.

The simplicity of a plain white t-shirt and a pair of khakis can make a sonorous statement.

I’ve decided this same simplicity is the platform for this blog.

Believe me, the topic on which this blog is based — looking physically good — was not born out of simplicity. It is a long road.

Let Me Gloat

Years ago, I started out wanting nice arms and ripped abs.

Eventually I earned a degree in exercise science. Then for the next 2 decades I earned a living in the fitness industry — through which time I’ve successfully worked with hundreds of private clients in the area of weight loss, muscle building, physique competitions, amateur and professional sports, and general health.

I also have trained for numerous personal goals — fat loss, competitive sports, bodybuilding competitions, powerlifting meets, and Olympic-style weightlifting meets.

And I’ve subscribed to a shit-load of scientific journals (most of which, I’ll admit, have put me into a coma). I still read many. I’ve also read countless blogs, but recently I’ve reduced them to just a couple dozens that I enjoy. It was time I simplify.

Full Circle

Formal education took my career into the area of athletic performance. But in the end, I’ve always known that most people I work with fundamentally enjoy a lean, well-defined body.

These days I’m back to being all about building this much coveted body — you know, nice arms and ripped abs. 

A Topic I know Well

With my rich, professional experience, I believe I know how to build a great-looking body.

But I am reminded of a pretty cool tale:

A man trying to fix his broken boiler has failed at the task for many months. Eventually he gives up and calls in an expert. An engineer arrives and gives one gentle tap on the side of the broiler, and the damn thing roars to life. The engineer gives the man a bill and the man argues that his bill should be smaller, on the account that the engineer took only a moment for a simple tap. The engineer patiently explains that the man is not paying for the time it took to tap the broiler, but for the years of experience involved in knowing that all you need is a gentle tap.

Getting a lean, well-defined body requires the same gentle tap. Contrary to what the magazines, books, and internet would tell us, getting a hot body should not be so complicated.

As long as you put in the work, the process should be as simple as a gentle tap. 

And Style?

Well, I love clothes, especially those with statement and panache. Worn with attitude they enhance the look of their owners. Perhaps fashion takes the obsession out of body, and put the joy into possessing a nice one. It’s very well for this reason that i love clothes.

So, this being my blog, you’ll find lots of posts about trendy clothes, too — especially if they’re on great bodies.

Just as earning a head-turning body should not be so confusing, fashion should neither be so complicated. If it looks good, or merely different from the mundane, then I’ll share it on this blog.

Simple enough.