Client Spotlight: Clay Harris

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• Nutrition,
• Nutrition,
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Clay first started coming to Empower in July of 2010.  His lone goal was to lose weight.  Since then he’s come in once per week for an hour workout with Paul and then twice on his own to do the same workout.  After a few months he also began running on his own, starting the “Couch-to-5k” program.

Clay is a computer whiz and super-imposed two pictures of himself sans ~90 pounds

The results have been pretty amazing.  In a year and a few months  Clay has lost over 120 pounds!  He’s lost about nine inches off his chest, 13 inches off his waist, and 10 inches off his hips.  He has worked up to jogging three miles straight and will be in his first 5K race in the next few weeks.  During our initial assessment Clay held a plank for 45 seconds and he recently doubled that effort.  He can bench press 225 lbs, power clean 185 lbs, push press 185 lbs, dead lift 325 lbs, and squat 225 lbs.  Here’s a video of his 225 lb bench press:

And my personal favorite, his 1000# sled pull:

We asked Clay a few questions and here are his responses:

Empower Personal Training (EPT): Have you noticed increased endurance?

Clay Harris (CH): Definitely, the stairs don’t scare me now.  (Editors note: Empower is in a seven story building with 150 stairs)

EPT: Core strength?

CH: I feel much stronger.

EPT: Anything else?

CH: My guns are stronger and bigger.

EPT: Less stressed?

CH: Time at Empower is my no-stress time.  I don’t think about anything else when I’m there.  It’s great.

EPT: More confident?

CH: Sure, though my wife would like me to stop flexing in the mirror.  Also, I’ve disliked the feeling of being judged when going to the gym.  At Empower, it’s like going to hang out with your friends for an hour and working out.  I wouldn’t go anywhere else.

It has been a blast working with Clay and seeing his drastic results.  We will continue to work towards his goals of losing weight and flexing his guns in the mirror so look for another update in the next few months!

Paul Piracci, BS CSCS

Paul brings a background of athletics and education to the Empower team. He believes that wellness should be viewed as a blended lifestyle that balances nutrition, a healthy mind, and fitness which incorporates fun recreational activities. For more information about Empower Personal Training please call (919) 401-8024.

One Woman, 21 Days and the Quest for Weight Loss

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Ok so I thought about giving starting with a sales pitch on the detox, but I thought it’s best to be completely honest and share my first hand experience. So here goes –

This summer I was getting anxious about losing “the baby weight” and I felt like I just needed a jump start to get things moving – I was feeling bloated, sluggish, out of shape, and I seemed to have a lot of muscular aches and pains after my daughter was born in February.  Our registered dietitian Cara kept reassuring me that this cleanse would reset my nutrient balance and I would feel great as a result.  But let’s face it – I really wanted to get the last little bit of pregnancy weight off so I was up for anything.  Plus I just witnessed my close friend go through the cleanse and lose an astonishing 11 pounds in 21 days. As a general rule, I do not believe in rapid weight loss as a means to an end because I feel like ultimately we just put the weight (plus more) right back on when we change our diet so needless to say I was a bit cynical that I could make any noticeable change in 21 days.

 I decided to try the cleanse because I felt like I just needed to break some habits that I developed during pregnancy and the post partum phase. I honestly did not expect the results I received.  To be honest I have a love/hate relationship with the whole experience. The first week is vegan which I thought would be no problem for me because we did a Vegan Challenge Week in early summer, and I did really well with that.  But the first few days were HELL and I mean HELL for me. I was angry and felt really deprived and like food was my main focus. I was really ready to give up but several of our trainers namely Michael and Tom and my husband Kelly encouraged me to stick it out until at least the weekend under the guise that “you can do anything for 7 days.” Also Cara was there every step of the way to support me. Plus she did a deep dive to figure out what was so hard for me and allowed me some “cheats” that made my life a lot easier.  For example, I realized that the ritual of getting up and having breakfast and drinking my coffee was a very grounding time of the day for me. And without that routine I was feeling really out of whack. Cara didn’t allow me to bring back my coffee, (plus I was just starting to get over the caffeine withdrawal headaches), but she did allow me some green tea. Plus she helped me find a way to adhere to the guidelines of the cleanse, but still have the morning ritual.  

 Once I made it through the first week it got A LOT easier because the second week you can add fish/chicken.  In all honesty it is plenty of food, and I was never hungry during the entire process.   I did get a little frustrated because I thought the weight should just melt right off of me. You think I would know by now that I’m not that kind of girl where weight just disappears.  But somewhere around 1 ½ weeks I started to feel really good – I mean REALLY good. The bloating, sluggishness, achiness was virtually gone. I felt like my system was running very efficiently and working well.  I consider myself a realist (some might say a cynic), but please know that I am not just blowing smoke. I was actually very surprised with how great I felt. 

 We have had clients lose 10+ pounds on this thing in 3 weeks and then go on to lose more.  I didn’t lose that much but the cleanse got the ball rolling for me, and I am down a total of about 8 pounds and still trending down at about 6 weeks post-cleanse.  That rate of weight loss is a lot more realistic for me because my body likes to hold onto every single calorie that goes in my mouth. I also feel like I broke some habits and kind of hit the reset button on eating healthy. I had slipped into eating a lot of carb-y, starch-y snacks, but the cleanse helped me get really clear on noshing on fruits and veggies and making desserts/chips, etc really be an occasional treat.

 So this was just my experience. Some people loved it from the get go and they hit the ground running.  

 One more thing – I didn’t like the shakes at first, but now I pretty much have one/day. They are very nutrient dense and they help me make sure I am getting all the micronutrients that are found in “green” foods that I don’t get enough of on a daily basis.

 Now for the sales pitch part – It’s the perfect time of year to try the cleanse – school is back in session, you’re back to your routine and there’s just enough time to fit it in before the holidays have us all crazy-town.  For only $349 you get all your supplements, one 60 minute and three- 30 minute nutrition counseling sessions and unlimited email support from Cara.  For more information on the cleanse visit our website http://www.becomepowerful.com/21DayDetox/.  If you are not sure if the cleanse is for you then start with a FREE 20 minute phone consultation with Cara. Call the studio at (919) 401-8024 or visit http://www.becomepowerful.com/services/nutrition-counseling/nutrition-offer/.  You don’t have to be an Empower client to take advantage of the 21 Day Detox. In fact you don’t even have to live in Durham. Cara is happy to meet with you via phone and ship your supplements directly to you.

One Man and Paleo (Day 3)

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All right, Day 3 has come and gone and I’m feeling pretty in the grove with the diet. I will add though that yesterday was the first day I had any specific cravings; I really wanted some bread. But didn’t give in and had a good day of eating. I added a few things from Day 1 and Day 2, I had a bit more handfuls of nuts. I carried around a bag of raw mixed veggies to nosh on when I needed it and I had about two dozen small shrimp for dinner.

One little tidbit I’ve used to help things taste good is that in a pinch if I need a quick meal I through some beef or chicken (about 6-8 oz) in a bowl along with a whole avocado and about half a cup to a full cup of good fresh salsa. Heat up for about two minutes and you get a nice fast tasty meal.

All in all so far I feel pretty good. I’ve noticed a decided lack of feeling bloated (I’m pretty certain this comes from ditching the processed carbs.) Energy seems to be okay, though I felt a little more tired at night then I do normally. Probably just need an adjustment in calories. A few more fruits and veggies should probably help.

Remember, a nutrition bar or whey shake is still processed! All natural, all real. Pick it. Kill it. Eat it.

See you tomorrow.

Mike Babbitt, M.F.A, M.A., CSCS

Master Trainer

Mike is a Master Level trainer at Empower Personal Training. He has a unique approach to fitness that combines his scientific foundation of research and applied exercise physiology with his artistic experience as a professional stage actor. For more information about Empower Personal Training please call (919) 401-8024

Unrealistic Expectations

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• Personal,
• Psychology of Exercise and Nutrition,
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It’s a common trap people fall into. We go to the movies or watch television and see the beautiful celebrities on the screen and strive to have that same look. Who wouldn’t want to look like Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) from Fight Club or a Victoria Secret model?

Tyler Durden

Miranda Kerr

But it’s important to remember the circumstances of these people’s lives. Your job may be an accountant, a programmer, a mother, or anything else. You probably dedicate 40-60 hours per week on your job alone, not to mention finding time to exercise, cook, clean your house, do laundry, pay the bills, etc. During your two weeks off (maybe) per year you’re probably busy trying to rest and relax.

Their job is to look good.

Brad Pitt has made 21 movies since Fight Club came out in 1999. That’s just over two movies per year, and assuming filming takes two months (max) he can dedicate the rest of his time to eating pristine foods, exercising as much as he needs, and sleeping. And don’t think I’m trying to take anything away from him. I believe these people are extremely disciplined and focused towards their goals. I once read that Christian Bale had to starve himself for over four months prior to filming a movie. His eating consisted of a cup of coffee and either one apple or one can of tuna each day. Now that’s dedication.

But think of how he must have felt during that period. The point is that these people are putting themselves through extreme circumstances in order to obtain a certain look for the camera. It’s their job.

Christian Bale

Paul Piracci, BS CSCS

Paul brings a background of athletics and education to the Empower team. He believes that wellness should be viewed as a blended lifestyle that balances nutrition, a healthy mind, and fitness which incorporates fun recreational activities. For more information about Empower Personal Training please call (919) 401-8024.

Two Interesting Nutrition Reads

• Nutrition,
• Nutrition
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Check out this article: Link

It doesn’t seem like long ago when all the dieting craze centered around eating a low-fat diet. From a caloric standpoint it makes sense as fat has nine calories per gram while protein and carbohydrates only have four. People would munch on fat-free snacks like knock-off brand Lucky Charms marshmallows and Snack Wells cookies (“They’re fat-free so they must be good for me!”).

Thankfully common knowledge seems to be changing its tone lately to include fat in diets due to its unique health benefits and effects. The above article does a great job explaining which oils are better than others to consume as well as the background rationale.

Here’s one on fresh meat versus processed meat: Link

A quote from the article “Countless scientific studies have concluded that eating red meat is bad for you. But in those studies, researchers routinely fail to differentiate between processed junk meat versus free-range, grass-fed organic beef which isn’t processed with chemicals. And in doing so, they cast a dark shadow of doubt over all red meat when the reality is that there is a huge difference in the health impacts of fresh meat versus processed factory-made meat.”

It seems obvious to distinguish between eating a few Ball Park hot dogs versus a lean steak from a happy and locally grown cow but I suspect many of us believe that meat is meat, regardless of the source. The author concludes that just because someone follows a vegan diet doesn’t necessarily mean they are healthier than a meat-eater. Our nutritionist warned us about this before our vegan challenge week (link to the blog recap) and cautioned us to stay away from “junk vegan” foods such as white, refined grains, popcorn, chips, and cookies.

Fortunately most of the staff seemed to stay away from that stuff and stuck with healthier whole grains, vegetables, and fruit. Look for us to try a Paleolithic diet (Wikipedia page link) challenge in September where we’ll only eat free-range, grass-fed organic meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and roots.

Paul Piracci, BS CSCS

Paul brings a background of athletics and education to the Empower team. He believes that wellness should be viewed as a blended lifestyle that balances nutrition, a healthy mind, and fitness which incorporates fun recreational activities. For more information about Empower Personal Training please call (919) 401-8024.