By Jamie Duvnjak, NASM Certified Personal Trainer & Health Coach

Since 2011, I’ve helped clients transform their bodies.  They’ve managed to shed fat, firm up and get their diets in check.  The lifestyle I’ve seen to be most effective is a low-sugar one.  Once my clients reduce sugary foods and artificial sweeteners, the numbers on their scales drop.   

I have clients go without alcohol for 30 days.  After that period, they come back to me and it’s noticeable they’ve shed pounds.  Their pants feel looser and they have more energy.  Other clients refrain from diet soda and they look leaner within just a few days.  One lady on Weight Watchers was completely discouraged.  She said each week she’d weigh in and the number on the scale wouldn’t budge.  I asked her what she’d been eating throughout the day.  She said raisins, oatmeal, pineapple and watermelon. This was just for breakfast.  Sugar, sugar and more sugar!  I told her to stick to berries in the morning, consume more protein and healthy fats.  Three weeks later, I trained her.  She lost those last stubborn pounds and felt so much healthier by changing her diet.

If you eat a diet high in sugar and don’t burn it off right away, it’s going to get stored as fat.  In addition, too much sugar in the diet can lead to diabetes, heart disease, stroke and many other dis-eases.  Artificial sugar is no better.  It triggers the body to release insulin, because it senses it needs to break down sugar.  When there is no sugar to break down, it still has insulin circulating through the body.  Too much insulin can cause weight gain and fat storage if it’s not burned off with exercise.  Check out this article for more information:  https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/261179.php

I’m not saying to eliminate all carbohydrates.  Just be sensible and eat everything in moderation.  Berries are your best choice when it comes to fruit.  They are light on the stomach and will give you the energy you need to get through a work out.  Complex carbohydrates in the form of sweet potatoes at lunchtime are a good choice.  For dinner, I recommend just protein, a variety of veggies and healthy fat such as avocado or extra virgin olive oil.  

What can you do to boost your metabolism, burn off excess sugars/carbohydrates and get lean?  Strength train!  During an initial consultation, clients come to me, grab their stomachs and ask what they can do to get a flat belly again.  I ask them what they eat and what they do in terms of exercise.  The pattern has been the same.  Lots of fruit, wine and walking.  A little bit of fruit and wine is healthy, but too much is not.  Walking is always beneficial, but it needs to be coupled with strength training at least 2-3 times a week.  This can be in the form of TRX suspension training, kettlebells, free weights, machines, your own body weight, stability balls and much more!  When clients work with me, we train each body part and it’s always filled with variety.  When they are consistently training, eating less sugar and more protein, their body fat drops and their muscle percentage goes up.  Just for proof, I track these numbers using my gym’s comprehensive InBody testing machine. 
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If you’re interested in looking and feeling your best, I’m offering one free consultation to new clients.  Let me know if you need training, nutrition advice and food planning.  Get in shape and STAY in shape all year around!

I look forward to connecting with you,

Jamie 

WRITTEN BY JAMIE DUVNJAK, NASM CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER & HEALTH COACH

Do you know what your Dosha type is?  If not, that's okay.  Prior to my health coaching schooling, back in 2011, I wasn't aware what mine was either.  In Ayurvedic medicine, each one of us can have either a dominant or unique mix of mind and body principles/doshas.  These doshas (Vata, Pitta and Kapha) determine our specific physical and mental characteristics. 

If you’re interested in learning more, take this short quiz to determine what your dosha is: https://lifespa.com/ayurvedic-health-quizzes/body-type-quiz/

Once you figure it out, you can read which exercises and foods are beneficial for your body.  For example, I'm a Pitta type.  I have a medium frame, dislike extreme heat, do well with moderate forms of exercise and need to choose cooling foods over spicy and salty flavors. 
 
Here are exercise suggestions based on your results:

Vata:  Walking, strength training which focuses on balancing exercises
Pitta:  Swimming, skiing, yoga and pilates
Kapha: Jogging, aerobics, HIIT classes (high intensity interval training), Zumba and plyometrics

Nutrition suggestions to maintain balance in the body:

Vata:  Naturally sweet foods such as root vegetables, in-season fruits, organic eggs, ghee, olive oil, nuts, seeds and lean meats    
Pitta: Cooling foods such as salads, steamed vegetables, in-season fruits and coconut oil
Kapha: Lighter fruits such as apples and pears, beans, steamed vegetables and lots of nourishing spices that help with digestion/metabolism.  Think pungent, bitter and astringent foods.  Sweet, sour and salty should be reduced or avoided.  

If you’re a combination body type, you’re lucky!  You’ll have more variety of exercises and foods to enjoy.  Search online to gather a complete list of everything according to your type.  I’m interested to learn what you discovered.  

If you're in need of personal training/healthy coaching, feel free to contact me.  I'm happy to work with you in person, phone or Skype!

​Have a great week,

Jamie

BY JAMIE DUVNJAK, CERTIFIED HEALTH COACH & NASM PERSONAL TRAINER

I’ve always had a love for peanut butter.  Just the smell of it creates an overwhelming feeling of happiness within.  I’d eliminated it for several years after reading it’s not a beneficial food for my B+ blood type.  It reappeared about 3 years ago when I started dating my current husband.  The craving for it came back in full force.  It’s a must-have staple in his diet, which also became mine again until last month.  

My skin had been blemish-free for most of my life, but after reintroducing peanut butter a few years ago, I’d noticed multiple ones simultaneously popping up and never healing.  One day back in January, I counted 15 just on my forehead.  As a health coach, I knew all about the food-body connection, but was in denial.  I didn’t want to admit that tasty stuff was most likely the cause of my adult acne. 

On March 14, I rolled out of bed and had another look in the mirror.  Both my forehead and hairline were covered in zits and that little voice inside told me to stop eating it immediately. 

Numerous online articles discuss how peanut butter is one of the main trigger foods for adult acne.  It causes an inflammatory effect in the body.  I already knew this, but didn’t want to believe it had that effect on MY body.  I told myself I would omit it for the time being just to test it.  Sure enough, all of those nasty blemishes disappeared in less than a week!  It’s more than a month later and I haven’t had a breakout.  For the first time in a few years, I also didn’t get menstrual cramps or breast tenderness before my most recent period. 

Since nut butters are a nice spread and keep you satisfied for several hours, I’ve opted for cashew butter.  It doesn’t produce that same inflammatory response.  I bought a jar at Target which is basically sodium-free and tastes great!  I’m not depriving myself of the rich, delicious creaminess each morning. I spread it on my gluten-free waffle and savor each bite!  If you want to read more about the effects of peanut butter, here is a good article:  http://www.clearskinforever.net/peanut-butter-acne/

Do you have foods that create an inflammatory response or any other reaction in your body?  I’d love to hear your story!  Please feel free to share this with others you feel may benefit. 

Have a great rest of your week!

Jamie