Diet and Exercise Tips I Learned from Shaun T

This past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to do a LIVE workout with Shaun T - creator of Insanity (currently the #1 Infomercial), Hip Hop Abs, Rockin Body, etc. I've done all of his workouts and he has truly changed my body as well as the way I approach fitness.

Of course, me being me, I had to secure myself a spot on the very front row where Shaun T could literally fling his sweat on me.  If you've ever done Insanity, you know that the warm up alone is no joke.  It's no different in a live workout. Very soon into the warm up, I knew that I was going to be hard pressed to keep up the pace, but yet, I had to.  Shaun T was literally looking  me in the eye! Shaun T's advise to us before the workout

I've often wondered what it would be like to workout LIVE with celebrity trainers like Shaun T, Tony Horton and Chalene Johnson.  Would the live experience push me harder?  Well folks, the answer is YES!! 

The workout was amazing - and just like in the Insanity videos, the whole room literally collapsed onto the floor in a mind-numbing, body aching, very sweaty mess of a heap of humanity.  We all LOVED it!! 

So after the workout, we had a Q&A session, and Shaun is just as real as can be. He's sweet, humble, funny and just a real guy.  The question I asked is one I seem to be getting a lot from my own clients.

I asked, "What do you say to people who tell you they are doing Insanity or TurboFire, etc, and swear that they are 'eating right' but not losing weight? I mean, there is just no way you could do Insanity, by the book, and eat 'right' and not lose weight!"

Shaun T said that first of all, people tend to go into a new workout program "cold turkey". They say they are going to start this program and, at the same time, completely change how they are eating - cutting out all the "bad" stuff, limiting their calories, etc.  Gung Ho!  Right?  They may stick to it for a couple of weeks, then they burn out.  The first time they "fall off the wagon", they determine they are a complete failure and throw in the towel. OR, they may resolve to "dig deeper" and cut back their calories even more or add in extra workouts to make up for the damage they did.

Shaun recommends that you take a gentler approach.  He says, "If what you are eating makes you miserable, you're not going to stick to it." Instead of depriving yourself of everything you enjoy eating, incorporate some of those things into your new healthier eating plan, but in moderation. If you like peanut M&Ms (as Shaun T does!), allow yourself one small single serving bag each week. Like pizza? Have one meal with 1-2 slices. 

According to Shaun T, if your diet is 80% focused on eating healthy foods, you can allow yourself 20% of your indulgent foods.  I don't know about you, but I like this and it makes total sense.  One serving of M&Ms over the course of a week's time is not going to set you back.  It's just not.  It takes 3500 extra calories to add an extra 1 pound to your body. A 250 calorie bag of M&Ms is not going to do it.

Another mistake Shaun T said people make is eating too few calories.  They get all gung ho on their new regime and severely limit their calorie intake.  Doing this ON TOP of starting a new workout program, is a double whammy to your system.  Number one, if you're not giving your body enough fuel, or the right kind of fuel, it will NOT be able to perform the workout program effectively - it won't be able to workout hard enough, long enough, etc. In addition, your body has a protective mechanism - so if it thinks you are starving it, it will do everything it can to hold on to its fat!

Don't make the mistake of thinking less is best.  Follow the recommended calorie guidelines that come with your workout programs, or use an online tool, like www.myfitnesspal.com, to help you determine how much you should be eating.  Listen to the experts!!! 

If you have weight to lose, and you're not losing it, and you're doing a program like Insanity or TurboFire or P90X, there is no problem with the program folks.  The problem lies in something you are doing, or not doing.  Be honest with yourself, and if you  need an objective opinion, that's what I'm here for!  You can email me at drbaska@yahoo.com or contact me at www.debsfitgroove.com.

As for my LIVE workout with Shaun T - the last part of our workout was abs. As you may know, Shaun T doesn't go for crunches and sit ups - what he does is far worse!  And, he decides to plop his fine, sweaty self, down on the floor next to ME to finish it off.  So now, I can say that I've been on the floor with Shaun T, moaning and groaning, our sweaty bodies just barely touching...but I can also tell you, I was so focused on getting through what I was doing without crying, that I really didn't get to truly appreciate the moment!  Oh well...there's always the Bahamas!!!