How To Support Your Body When Fighting A Cold

Nov 15,2015 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

The weather made quite a sudden shift here in San Diego recently, from very hot to quite chilly in what seemed to be a day or two. As the temperature dropped, my wife and I noticed our six month old got a very mild case of the sniffles. Fortunately, with the help of the immunizing power of breast milk the little guy got better in two or three days. Whatever he caught, however, traveled to my wife and then to me. In today’s blog I would like to share with you my strategy for kicking a cold and what exercises I did while I was fighting the bug. Both my wife and I recovered quickly, in fact, I can’t say I was sick, just that I was fighting something off, which both of us did in under a week. I did have one day with a mild body ache, which is always my most obvious symptom when I get sick, which fortunately is rare.

Articles Weight loss & Nutrition

Heal Your Gut

Aug 6,2015 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

Good health depends upon good digestion, and the ill effects of poor digestion can show up in dozens of ways across your whole body. While many people are told that they have a defective digestion, or a disease of some kind, the truth is they are usually eating the wrong foods. In fact, the majority of people today are eating the wrong foods but some people can tolerate it without such obvious symptoms as others. This doesn’t mean that low quality foods aren’t equally as detrimental to anyone, just that the symptoms appear later in life and in different ways. If you have a goal of weight loss, ensuring your gut health is optimal is the very first place to start. When it comes to healing your gut it’s important to remember to eat the right foods, take the right supplements and participate in proper detoxification.

Weight loss & Nutrition

The Truth About Weight Loss

Apr 23,2015 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

In today’s video I am talking about the calorie myth when it comes to weight loss and maintenance. Based upon misguided science, the idea that weight loss is a matter of simply calories in vs. calories out has been perpetuated by many experts for a very long time. This isn’t the case at all and finally, after decades of hard work, the efforts of many great minds have paid off. It is now almost mainstream knowledge that dietary fat isn’t responsible for weight gain or heart disease. Fats, which are the biggest villain in the doctrine of the calorie counter, are actually vitally important to our health. Dietary fat supports cell function and brain function. The REAL culprit is (drumroll)… well, you’ll just have to watch the video to find out!

I came upon this controversial philosophy over a decade ago, while studying the works of Paul Chek, Weston Price, Michael Pollan and Robb Wolf. I immediately saw the correlation with my overall concept in maintaining health; do what is in sync with your unique biology. If you follow this concept in terms of movement, diet, relaxation and recovery then you will always be the most healthy person you can be. I don’t think it takes a great mind to understand that those drinks are the color of nuclear waste and are sold behind the counter of most “health clubs” have nothing to do with health. It doesn’t matter if it has the words zero calorie or a list of amino acids plastered all over it, the truth is, someone is trying to sell you snake oil. Real, whole food are the only way to get your nutrition and it should be specific to your unique needs.

Don’t mess around with your health, it is not only what keeps you alive but also what gives you quality of life. When you are trying to do what is right for your health, listen to your gut and be aware of anything mass produced with fancy advertising. The more they have to advertise a product, the worse it is for you. This may come as good news to the percentage of people that have fallen victim to the starvation method of weight loss. The understanding that it is not so much how much you eat, but what you eat that causes you to gain weight is essential to meeting your health goals.

Weight loss & Nutrition

Eating Paleo and Kettlebell Training

Feb 25,2015 / By Peter Hirsh / 2 Comments

Eating Paleo and Kettlebell Training:

Many of my clients come to me for kettlebell training and often resist talking about their diet at first. However, most know on some level that these changes must happen one at a time in order to ensure long term success. Diet is a very important aspect of health and I often encourage people to follow the paleo diet. The paleo diet focuses on doing what is in sync with human biology and only eating the foods that are ancient to man. Kettlebell training is also a paleo way of exercising, it is ancient in your biology and works with nature. Eating paleo often helps people see an improvement in their sleep, energy and overall health when eating this way. By eating only foods that are in sync with your biology and eliminating all processed foods you will help reshape your body with minimal effort.

I have been featured on many different paleo blogs including Paleo Mom and Whole9 as well as Paleo Magazine. Many people see that I support this way of eating and ask me how I get enough carbs while eating paleo and kettlebell training. First, it’s important to remember that what works for you may not be the same as what works for someone else. I encourage you to take a metabolic typing test to help you find out the ratio of fats, carbohydrates and protein your unique body requires. Listen closely to your body, if you know you need more carbs or more protein than make sure to adjust your diet accordingly. While paleo eating may lend itself well to the “polar” metabolic type, the equatorial types need more carbs to maintain normal energy.

Despite some beliefs, it’s possible to still get enough carbohydrates in your diet through only whole foods and avoiding agricultural foods such as grain and legumes. Both grains and legumes aren’t considered paleo but root vegetables are. Sweet potatoes and squash are two excellent foods to include in your diet for increased carbohydrates. If you end up training extra hard and need a little booster, a bowl of rice probably isn’t going to cause you any setbacks either. In general I recommend trying to avoid grains. However, if you do choose to eat some grains, sprouted are a better alternative. Grains and legumes contain anti nutrients that can cause damage to your body whereas sprouted grain minimizes the anti nutrient factor. Sprouted grains are also gluten free and are therefore even less likely to cause digestive distress.

When kettlebell training or participating in any challenging physical activity it’s extremely important consume enough high quality fats and protein. When minimizing sugar in your diet and eating paleo your body learns to get it’s energy from fat rather than sugar. My post workout meals always include a good amount of high quality protein and fat. As I mentioned before, what works for me may not be exactly what your individual body needs so make sure to listen to what it’s telling you.

Thank you for reading,
Peter Hirsh

Weight loss & Nutrition

Basic Weight Loss Tips

Oct 29,2014 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

Basic Weight loss Tips:

Maintaining a healthy diet, and therefore a healthy body weight, is all about preparation. It doesn’t hurt to have a few recipes that look tasty already picked out before you go to the grocery store so you know what to buy. Many paleo recipes follow the kind of traditional diet that I encourage. However, some of them don’t. Try to stick to the meat and veggie paleo dishes and avoid the paleo versions of cookies or breads.

The Grocery Store

Step one: The grocery store. Avoid anything with a list of ingredients. Instead buy only whole organic foods whenever possible. I will talk more about organic foods and organic certifications in the future to help you separate fact from fiction.

Always remember that we are as different on the inside as we are on the outside, the foods that will make you thrive might make another person sick. There is no cookie cutter fix for health or weight management. You will have to become a great listener to the signals your body is sending and learn the foods that work well for your unique biology and avoid the ones that don’t. As you remove the standard American diet (SAD) and replace it with healthy whole foods, it will be easier and easier to stay tuned in to what does and doesn’t work for you. Your body will become finely tuned and when anything disagreeable enters it, you will recognize the signals right away. This is a sign of excellent health.

What to buy:

Meat - I highly recommend pasture raised meats as opposed to commercial feedlot meat. Buy a cheaper cut of pastured meat and learn to cook something tasty with it instead of buying an expensive cut of feedlot meat and just throwing it on the grill.

Eggs - If you can, get free range eggs. There is a big difference in the nutrients of free range chicken eggs compared to confined commercial feedlot chicken eggs. Eat the whole egg and avoid the egg white substitutes.

Vegetables - Pick up lots of different colors; leafy greens, tomatoes, peppers, beets, squash and either white or sweet potatoes in moderation.

Rice - In moderation, depending upon activity levels. Brown rice has more anti nutrients than white rice but white rice is higher glycemic. Both should be limited.

Fruit - Pick up only enough fruit to allow one to two pieces a day, no more.

Herbs and spices - Stock up! I won’t let my kitchen run out of fresh garlic, basil, mint and rosemary and I always have sea salt, cumin, turmeric, paprika, fennel, oregano, chinese five spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder and cayenne pepper. Herbs and spices are the key to making your whole foods taste amazing, they also have a whole host of health benefits. Make sure to avoid the herbs that have been cold-pasteurized using radiation - buying organic will prevent this.

Dairy - Only high quality organic dairy. Some people will have intolerances to any dairy and should avoid it completely. The majority of my dairy is unpasteurized (raw) and it’s all organic.

Nuts and seeds - Go for raw, organic nuts and seeds and consume in moderation. Also check to make sure they haven’t been cold-pasteurized using radiation.

What to avoid:

Avoid the following foods, they will likely cause you severe inflammation and weight gain, in addition to a whole host of potential health problems.

Anything in a brightly colored package
Anything with a list of more than three or four ingredients
Fortified foods
Processed foods
Frozen dinners
Breads, pasta and other grain
Liquid vegetable oils and hydrogenated spreadable vegetable oils.
Commercial dairy
Salad dressings and other condiments
Protein and meal replacement supplements
Energy drinks, soda and juice
GMO (genetically modified) foods

Your next step is following some simple recipes and learning how to use your herbs and spices. I recommend buying an entire chicken instead of cuts of chicken. See our roasted chicken recipe for a quick and easy way to make a whole chicken. You can even cook the remaining carcass of your chicken into a very healthy stock. I will often make a weekly ration of rice for my active days and use the chicken broth to cook the rice with.

Cooking once and having food for a few days is a great way to save time and money. Roasting big cuts of meat and veggies can help keep you in your healthy habits throughout the week. It’s also a good idea to plan your week’s food out before going to the grocery store. Make sure you aren’t going to run out of food on Thursday and eat restaurant food until you can grocery shop again on Sunday!

Weight loss & Nutrition

The Nutritional Benefits of Garlic

Sep 25,2014 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

When it comes to reshaping your body, your diet is everything. Not only will consuming the right types of foods diminish unwanted body fat, but avoiding certain foods can prevent you from gaining weight. The right diet will also provide you with the energy to strength train at your best, contributing even further to your overall shape. Often, I see people eating foods that keep them up at night or diminish the quality of their sleep and their workouts suffer as a result. It is my belief that we need to get back into the kitchen as individuals and take the power back into our own hands. One of the most important steps in learning how to cook food that you and your family will actually want to eat is use of herbs and spices. I highly encourage you to stock up on all of the basics, and learn how to use them by following simple recipes and taking your time to practice.

Today, I am going to talk about the nutritional benefits of garlic, the most common herb used today. You will soon find out that not only do most herbs and spices add great flavor to your foods, but they also have wonderful health benefits, especially when consumed in their natural state.

Here are some wonderful health benefits of our favorite herb garlic.

Strengthens immune system; I eat whole garlic almost everyday to avoid getting sick.
Treats Hypothyroid; as garlic is a natural source of iodine.
Benefits your cardiovascular system by lowering your LDL levels and arterial plaque.
Can fight fungal and bacterial infections both orally and topically.
High in Vitamin B6; excellent for your immune system and new cell growth.
Has been linked to the prevention and even treatment of various cancers.

Many people avoid cooking because it can be a hassle. Often when we do cook these days, it means “heating up” something purchased from a store with a list of ingredients. This is opposed to making a meal from scratch using only whole ingredients. You cannot ensure that you will get the benefit your body needs from meals unless you prepare them yourself.

Here is a quick and easy way to peel garlic:

Take an entire bulb of garlic and crush it between the heel of your palm and the counter to break apart all of the cloves, remove any excess peel. Drop the cloves into a small to medium sized pot and put the lid on, squeeze the lid down on each side with your hands as you vigorously shake the pot for fifteen to twenty five seconds. When you remove the lid, you will find your garlic has been peeled for you! You can pull the cloves out one by one and ensure no peel got stuck to the individual cloves. Now this wonderful health food is ready to be cooked in one of many different ways, or maybe even eaten raw in hummus or salad dressing.

Learning how to cook is taking your health into your own hands and garlic is one of the best ways to get started enjoying healthy food!

Thank you for reading, watching and being a part of the Kettlebell Movement community!

Sincerely,

Peter Hirsh

For more on nutritional information Click Here

Weight loss & Nutrition

Fat is Not The Enemy

Jul 18,2014 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

For over over sixty years people have been told by “experts” that if they want to lose weight they should eat less food. This is quite strange advice, considering that it is very unusual for someone to over eat themselves into obesity. It’s also highly likely that they are eating the wrong kinds of foods, even in moderate proportions, and are gaining a lot of weight. Other factors like meal timing, sleep quality and lifestyle also play a big part in health. I am here to tell you today that fat is not the enemy!

What are you eating?

The cause of this misinformation is primarily a result of highly unscrupulous food, supplement, and chemical companies doing their own testing for safety and efficacy instead of an unbiased third party. Our concept of food has now become distorted to the point where the vast majority of what is sold in grocery stores is toxic non food that should be labeled as such. Instead, we find foods with corn, soy, refined grains, trans fats, processed vegetable oils, chemicals and other such atrocities being labeled with the words “lean” or “healthy”.

As a diversionary tactic, people have been told to count their calories and avoid fat, as it contains twice as many calories as protein or carbohydrates. This advice is very concerning because dietary fat from healthy sources boosts your metabolism and suppresses the insulin (fat storage hormone) response to starchy foods. It is also an essential macronutrient for overall health.

Calories aren’t the problem.

We know calories aren’t the problem, it is the quality of the food you eat not the quantity that is the issue. This means, don’t lower your fat calorie intake for health or weight loss. We also know high quality dietary fat has absolutely nothing to do with coronary heart disease as misleading science once told us. If you want to keep your arteries healthy, avoid added sugars, trans fats and chemicals in your food and eat as much high quality fats from healthy sources as is right for your unique biology. Do this and watch your health increase and your waistline decrease!

Fat is Not The Enemy

Thanks for reading, for more diet tips check out our nutrition blog!

Weight loss & Nutrition

Nutrition - Quality VS. Quantity

May 23,2014 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

If your goal is weight loss health in general, my philosophy on eating is one that focuses on the quality of your food instead of the quantity. The days of counting your calories are over, I will teach you to eat the foods that are in sync with your biology and change your body and your health faster than anything you’ve ever tried before.

Over the last decade, I have heard some pretty crazy ideas about how to eat for optimum health. Due to many factors, human beings currently find themselves eating food that is completely unknown to their biology. Remember, in order to achieve health, do the things that are the most in sync with your biology. Most people try to solve their lack of balance with more imbalances. Below are some examples of what people do trying to achieve health today.

Calorie counting. People don’t gain weight because of excessive energy consumption, they gain weight because they eat foods that cause inflammation and cause the body to store fat. Remove the non-foods from your diet, eat as much real whole foods as you want and watch the pounds melt away without any plateau. Eating less food only causes you to intake less nutrients, not a great idea if you’ve been eating foods with low nutrition density, especially if you’re starting a new workout routine!

Consuming health club non-foods and supplements. Tragically, most health clubs have taken to hawking the lowest quality non-foods and labeling them as healthy. Whether it is the day-glow neon energy drinks, the powdered protein and chemical cocktails, the bars, shots, pills or capsules, the overwhelming majority of this high priced junk will cause more problems than it will solve. If a health club truly cared about your diet they would partner with local farms and encourage people to vote with their dollar for wholesome, local food production.

Quality VS. Quantity

Low-fat diets. Not only is fat from high quality sources vital to your health, it will stimulate your metabolism and lower the glycemic response to carbohydrates. The body’s fat storage hormone, insulin, has a diminished response to any sugary food when it is combined with a high quality dietary fat. Dietary fat won’t make you fat, its the sugars, flour and non foods that do that!

Cleanses used for weight loss. There are dozens of different cleanses out there and by the time I write this, there will probably be another. Cleanses are like personal trainers, some of them can be great and others will just hurt you, so I’m not going to differentiate between them all. The common mistake I see is people using a cleanse as a tool for weight loss. Some cleanses can be performed safely by people who enjoy both a high level of health and good body awareness. Attempting to do a cleanse when your body is already malnourished from eating non-foods isn’t a good idea. It appeals to the extremist personality that bounces up and down in weight as they move from one unsustainable diet to another. Remember, health is about sustainable balance.

If you consume foods that are in sync with your unique biology, and avoid the consumption of all of the modern day non-foods you will never have to count a calorie again.

Here is a list of some foods I will go out of my way to avoid:

Commercial grain, commercially sourced meats and dairy, hydrogenated oils, anything genetically modified (corn, soy, canola), added sugars, chemical sweeteners, nitrates, anything I can’t pronounce, city tap water, I’m not even a big fan of the “paleo alternatives” like coconut or almond flour either.

Let’s take a moment to look at commercial grain, and why I put that first to avoid as there are so many reasons! First of all most grain is very low in nutrients, causing cellular starvation when used as a staple food source. Second, many grains are genetically modified, and therefore untested in any way for safety (independent studies have had alarming results). Third, most grains contains gluten, a highly inflammatory food. Finally, starchy grains elevate your blood sugar causing an insulin response and leading to the storage of body fat.

The truth is, our commercial food supply is such a disaster. I can’t even begin to go into all of the various reasons to avoid certain foods. Instead of looking at all of the dysfunction, let’s take a look at what you should eat. Remember, the ratios and exact types of foods that are the best for you will be unique to you because your biology isn’t identical to everyone else’s!

High quality vegetables and fruit
High quality meats of a wide variety
Clean water

You do not need to eat lean cuts of meat as a way of avoiding weight gain or enhancing your overall health. There is no evidence that high quality dietary fat causes weight gain or clogs your arteries. It’s the processed non-foods that do that. High quality dietary fat is nutrient dense, aids in the absorption of other nutrients and will actually help you become lean!

Category : Weight loss & Nutrition

Eating Paleo and Kettlebell Training:

Basic Weight loss Tips:

The Grocery Store

What to buy:

What to avoid:

What are you eating?

Calories aren’t the problem.

Quality VS. Quantity

Here is a list of some foods I will go out of my way to avoid: