Article By: Johnny Fontana

Many diets emphasize “calorie control” as a means of keeping those “pounds of fat” to a minimum.  But people often forget that all calories are not created equal. We may place label them under the same big blanket category, but the difference between a good calorie and a bad calorie can be tremendous. While some calories are amazing for you, others can infiltrate your boy and do as much damage as toxic chemicals — often because some of them are (or at least should be considered) toxic chemicals.

When you break it down, food manufacturers are smart and lazy. They have created certain formulas for chemicals that have an almost universal purpose in food. This is why you can grab processed foods from each aisle of your grocery store and see the same ingredients. From cake mix to cheese, frozen dinners to fruit drinks, I bet that a handful of identical ingredients will pop up in just about every food.

These most pervasive of ingredients are usually the ones that are the most highly processed. They serve a specific purpose and our bodies become conditioned to certain flavors or tastes. The major downside is that most of the highly processed ingredients have been linked to major health issues. On top of that, they are in just about every prepackaged food you can find.

Here is the list of what ingredients to avoid. Don’t be surprised if the grocery store suddenly gets cut into a fraction of the size after you cut out these out.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)- As with any political campaign, there are two sides to the HFCS story. And like a political campaign, there is big money in HFCS.  Because it’s a big-time money saver, food manufacturing companies like to use it in just about every food they make — and have a high interest in keeping it around.  They dump millions into fighting the negative campaign people like me have tried to launch against HFCS. Don’t listen to them.

High fructose corn syrup is an insulin destroyer that messes with your head and has been linked to many health issues. Without getting too crazy into details, you want your body to be insulin-sensitive in order to live a healthy and fit life. People who develop diabetes are insulin-resistant, which is mostly caused by constantly high insulin levels. HFCS sends insulin through the roof.  The more you eat it, the more insulin-resistant you become.  Not good. It also suppresses the amino acid that triggers your brain to tell your body that you’re full. And that is part of the reason the food companies throw it in everything — it makes you eat more and more.

Nitrate & Nitrite- As a result of our nation’s obsession with meat, our diets feature heavy consumption of sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, two chemicals used to preserve meats. The catch here is that nitrates themselves are no big deal and aren’t terrible for your body. However, once you heat it up, the chemical reaction changes them to nitrosamines which, are a big time cancer-causer. Considering you likely heat up your meat before you eat it, you are allowing this process to take place each time you eat meat. The easy fix is to buy nitrate-free meat.

Hydrogenated Oils- Hydrogenated oils are used mostly in solid foods. Since regular oils are liquid, food companies pass the oil through a heating process, adding some hydrogen molecules to the oil. This allows the oil to harden a bit. Processed foods where oil needs to be added but are meant to be solid will likely have some type of hydrogenated oil. This stuff helps you gain weight, slows down your metabolism and is great for making you susceptible to more diseases. Sounds like a winner to me.

Enriched Wheat Flour- Ah, the word enriched. Sounds so great, like it will be adding some benefits to your life. The food companies want to make you think that as well. They say, “Hey, we added some great nutrients to the wheat flour,” when in fact they took out the vast majority of the good ones and put back a few, just okay ones. Typically, about 11 of the essential vitamins and minerals are taken out and 4 chemicals are put back in. They still call it wheat flour, make whole wheat bread out of it, and the majority of the country goes on thinking they are buying a good loaf of bread. You need to find whole grain wheat bread, which still has its 11 vitamins and minerals intact.

Artificial sweeteners- I think the majority of the country knows about the negatives of artificial sweeteners, but just doesn’t understand either what classifies an artificial sweetener or how bad they actually are. The big issue here is that these things are pretty much completely lab-created. Aspartame, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame potassium and saccharin are all sugar substitute chemicals that are commonly used. Splenda, Equal, Sweet and Low, etc., are all artificial sweeteners and just about any “diet” food product has artificial sweeteners in them. The major health concern with all of these sweeteners is not a huge deal… just cancer!

Reading nutritional labels to see what the ingredients are is the absolute best way to cut these out of your diet. They aren’t good for you and aren’t meant for your  body (which is why the earth didn’t create them). It might take some getting used to, especially cutting out HFCS, but once you do, your body with thank you. Without changing the total amount of food you eat each day, simply cutting these out will have you shedding pounds and feeling much healthier. Give it a try for a week to see how easy it actually is.

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Article By: Johnny Fontana

Why Stretch?

For years, the standard operating procedure has been, “If a muscle hurts, stretch it out.” The thought wins out, no matter what type of muscular issue you are having.  We seem to have a handful of stretches that have remained the “go-to’s” — the toe touch, butterfly, standing quad stretch, etc.  But people rarely question the ultimate impact of these stretches or how they affect the actual muscles in question.

Does It Work?

For those of you who are pretty physically active (hopefully everyone), there is no doubt you feel some discomfort in your muscles on a relatively regular basis. You might be tight, feel a knot or just have a different kind of discomfort going on. Have you ever stopped to think about what exactly is going on with that muscle?

The truth is, there are a number of issues that you could be having within the area of the body that is bothering you. Sure, often times you are just tight, in which case a little stretching will do the trick. But when you start to run into some consistent pain or tightness, it is time to think beyond your typical static stretch.

Whats Fascia?

Did you ever wonder what holds all of the muscles, bones, ligaments and tendons together? They can’t just be free floating around your body or muscles would start to look like frayed strings on a violinist’s bow. The glue that holds it all together is called muscle fascia. Yet despite its importance, muscle fascia has remains relatively unknown to the public at large.

Muscle fascia wraps around the structural organs, holding everything in place. In essence, it’s our bodies’ natural answer to Saran Wrap. If you were to look at a cadaver’s body with the skin taken off, it would look nothing like what you have seen in an anatomy textbook. In those books, you see very definitive attachment points and sections where the pec turns into the deltoid or where the bicep turns into the forearm. On a cadaver, every muscle runs right into the next because of the outside layer of fascia.

While fascia is extremely helpful in keeping everything together, if you mess with it, it will strike back. Repetitive movements that are not anatomically correct (i.e. the way are supposed to move) will cause issues with fascia and muscle. Scar tissue will develop in certain areas in order to help strengthen the weakened area. This is where you develop knots in your muscles, which become annoying and painful. This will further limit your movement and develop into an even larger problem.

Anatomy of a Stretch

Now think, if you have areas in your body which have scar tissue buildup — which you do — do you really think a regular old static stretch will help? Try tugging on a rubber band a few times, stretching it to its edge. As you go, the rubber band will loosen and be capable of moving further each time. Now tie a knot in that rubber band and start tugging on it. The knot will just get tighter and tighter, becoming harder to untie. This is exactly what happens to your body when scar tissue develops. Only instead of shrinking like the knot in the rubber band, it will just continue to grow.

Static stretching is not the cure to your pain in this situation. It actually could make the problem even worse. What you need to do is what’s called myofascial release. I am assuming that many of you guys have at least seen a foam roller. The foam roll is the most popular tool used when looking to do a self myofascial release. Although there are many other things that can be done, a foam roll is one of the easiest tools to get your hands on.

The Fix

Performing myofascial release will help break up the scar tissue and bring blood to the affected area. The blood will bring nutrients and help heal up the inflamed spot you are working on. Areas that are more inflamed tend to need more work and can take weeks and more extreme measures (beyond a foam roll) to heal.

In either case, it is smart to do both stretching and myofascial work on your muscles, especially in areas that receive a lot of stress. I don’t expect you to be able to spot areas that are just tight as opposed to areas with fascial issues (scar tissue build up). So below I have included some good foam roll exercises that help out areas that typically receive a lot of fascia issues.

Foam Roll IT Band

Foam Roll Calves

Foam Roll Quads

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Benefits:

As a next progression from the stability ball chest press , the 1 arm chest press allows you to get your core even more involved. By not having a dumbbell in both hands, your body is forced to engage the core so that you don’t fall off the ball.

How To:

1) Sit on a stability ball with one dumbbell in hand
2) Roll forward until only the shoulders are on the ball
3) Start with the dumbbell just outside of your chest and palm forward
4) Press one arm straight up

**TRAINERS TIPS** Keep hips high at all times, keep core engaged

Article By: Johnny Fontana

Never before has so much emphasis been placed on our country’s weight and overall health. At the same time, we are now more overweight and less healthy than ever before. Over 30% of the population is considered obese, a number that has doubled in the last 30 years. A decent amount of our country’s youth is expected to die before their parents, due to health issues developed from being overweight. It is obvious that we are facing a major crisis and to think that it’s all because of food is tragic.

I truly believe that one of the biggest issues with our diet is the lack of fiber content. Our ancestors were getting upwards of 100 grams of fiber in their diet each day, while we on average get just over 10.

Lack of fiber can be directly correlated with many health-related diseases and issues that can develop over time. Fiber does so many wonderful things for the body, but we are set up for trouble when we only get a third of what is recommended (30g) each day.

Why So Good?

Fiber

Beans are one of the most densely packed, fibrous foods on the planet. One cup will give you between 11 to 17g of fiber. The fiber in turn works as a major health booster and illness fighter. High-fiber diets put you at less risk for a heart attack or colon cancer. The fiber also helps to regulate blood-sugar levels and ensures you are more insulin-sensitive (a good thing).

Protein

But beans don’t just boast a high amount of fiber. They also offer a hefty serving of protein as well. A cup of beans will usually get you around 15g of protein. Between the fiber and the protein in each serving, your blood and nutrient flow will be working in optimal conditions.

Micronutrients

Along with the quality macronutrient benefits from the fiber and protein, the micro nutrients in beans are also stellar. Beans have about half the folate, tryptophan and manganese that is recommended of each daily. You also will find nearly 200% the daily value (DV) of a compound called molybdenum. Although there aren’t necessarily any major health benefits to molybdenum, having a deficiency can lead to health issues, and few food are as rich in molybdenum as beans. You will also find about 20% the DV of iron in a cup of beans, which is crucial, especially for females.

Pack A Punch

For just over 200 calories, beans are surely worth more than their weight. 15 grams of fiber, 15 grams of protein, no sugar and only 1 gram of fat sounds pretty good to me.

How To Eat?

You can either cook beans on your own or buy some canned beans. Cooking them is a bit of a pain and if you are anything like me (ADD) you will forget that you are cooking them and screw them up. I like to buy canned beans but usually strain them to get rid of the high amounts of sodium that is typical in canned beans. As a general rule of thumb, the blacker the bean, the sweeter the juice (darker the better).

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Article By: Johnny Fontana

In just about any gym throughout the country you constantly see both guys and girls working the same muscle groups. Of course these muscles are usually upper body muscles and are most noticeable while wearing a bathing suit. The unfortunate thing is that most of these muscles are also the least functional to the human body. Sure calves, biceps and abs look great, but how much do we actually need them?

The muscles that are most ignored are usually the ones that the body demands use from every single day. By over-developing the beach muscle and ignoring the functional ones we begin to develop an asymmetrical body. Certain muscles get too tight and others get too weak, which will eventually lead to a body that is out of whack. An out-of-whack body leads to injuries, pains and aesthetic issues.

Having worked with hundreds of people to develop functional and aesthetically pleasing bodies, I have seen first-hand the types of muscles that consistently get ignored. Even worse, I have watched thousands of meathead guys and girls do millions of curls and calf raises, but have probably seen less than a hundred ever perform a glute bridge. It’s frustrating whenever all the 20-pound dumbells are taken because some guy is doing a few hundred curls.  But because I’m a nice guy, instead of getting angry, I’m going to inform you of the top 5 most ignored muscle groups.

5. Glutes (butt)- Sure I see plenty of people doing some variation of a squat, leg press or lunge, but that does not mean they are properly working your glutes. Even worse is when I see people on all fours kicking their legs up in the air. Really! The majority of people are quad- (thigh)- dominant and rarely use their glutes the way they should.

Tips For Fix- Think about squeezing your glutes in just about every single exercise. If you are squatting, you should lead the motion with your hips and keep sitting back in your butt and heels. If it is a lunge, you should be squeezing the glute of the back leg throughout the entire rep.

Exercises For Fix- Glute bridges are fantastic here as well as some type of back extension.

4. Hamstrings- Our hamstring are usually far underdeveloped compared to the quad. A good way to see this is by watching people who have great hamstring flexibility, but will shriek with pain during a quad stretch. Most people do at least a 2:1 quad-to-hamstring ratio when exercising the legs. Part of the problem is people only do hamstring curl machines and do not know of other exercise options.

Tips For Fix- Work the hamstrings through a full range of motion when exercising and start to spend more or equal time on hamstrings when compared to quads.

Exercises For Fix- Stay away from the leg curl machines if you can. Start to perform Romanian Deal Lifts (RDL’s) with both legs and single legs. Glute bridges are also great for this muscle group.

3. Transverse Abdominus TVA- These are some of the the deepest and most important muscles when you are talking about the core. As awkward as it may sound, if you want to locate your TVA’s think of the muscles you squeeze when you are holding in pee. They protect the spine and pelvis and all movement should begin from them. The problem is that we are such an ab-focused culture that people only think about squeezing their abs. This is why you can see people with six-pack abs but terrible stability and balance. They don’t necessarily have control over their spine and hips, but just know how to look good with a shirt off.

Tips For Fix- The hardest thing to do is learn how to feel your TVA being activated. Like I stated earlier, feeling the muscles being used while holding your pee is a start. After that, it is important to learn to activate the TVA when you want/need to.

Exercises For Fix- Believe it or not, kegels can help you to strengthen your TVA. Aside from that, planks, glute bridges and any type of core exercises that involve more movement than a crunch can be effective at developing your TVA. Again, it is important to know how to activate them, otherwise these exercises won’t help much.

2. Scapula- Technically this is not a muscle, but it controls muscles that are extremely important. Many muscles that are in your back, shoulders, neck and even chest attach to or originate in the scapula. I have worked with and seen so many people that have shoulder injuries or pain. The natural reaction is to look straight to the shoulder as the cause of the pain. In many cases the shoulder falls victim to the scapula. Having hyper-mobile or weak scapula will leave you subject to shoulder pain. The majority of people do not look to activate and utilize the muscles in charge of their scapula when working out.

Tips For Fix- Always endeavor to have good posture when you are performing exercises. Lock the scapula back and down when performing any type of upper body exercise. This will teach the scapula to lock in to place and protect the shoulders.

Exercises For Fix- I love simple movements such as Y’s and T’s because you can learn to activate your scapula correctly. You should feel the pinching in middle of your back at the bottom of your scapula when performing these exercises. If your traps and shoulders are tense and up in your ears, chances are that you aren’t utilizing your scapula correctly. The scapula are similar to the TVA in that you have to learn the feel for them.

1. Glute Medius- While this is a tiny muscle that pretty much has no direct aesthetic appeal, it is extremely important. At the top outside edge of your butt is where you can locate these little guys. We as humans have evolved to operate against the way we were created to operate. Do you think that sitting for the majority of our day was ever in the plans for humans? Our hips are probably the most important part of the body, yet one of the most ignored. So many back, shoulder and knee issues originate because there is a problem with the hips. One big issue is that our glute mediuses are very weak. This causes your pelvis (hips) to tilt forward and put strain on some muscles, while making others weak from being underutilized. This causes us to become very tight in the hip flexors and very weak in the hip extenders (glute medius).

Tips For Fix- Start doing exercises at the start of your workout to activate the glute medius. Once you begin to feel your glute medius working, you will be able to use them during the workout. Plus, the body does a much better job of using muscles that are already “turned on” as opposed to waking up others.

Exercises For Fix- My favorite exercises for the glute medius are different variations of mini band walks. You will feel these in the glute medius right away and I can promise they will burn.

I know that these are not your “sexy” muscles, which is why they most frequently get ignored. But if I told you that they can help your sexy muscles look even more sexy, how would you feel about that? It is extremely important to get these muscles working if you hope to stay healthy and moving correctly. The good thing is that most of them can be worked on in a few minutes at the start of your workout or utilized while doing your typical exercises.

Most of the exercises above are considered “prehab” exercises in a Shadow Fit workout. They are designed to keep you from getting injured and also get the smaller muscle groups ready to support the bigger muscle groups during exercise. To get some more help, click on this link and sign up for a free Shadow Fit workout after filling out the questionnaire.

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I encourage any questions or comments, please:

Leave a response at the bottom of the article,

E-mail me personally at jfontana@shadowfit.com

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Benefits:

If your looking to get your heart rate up, build lean muscle and work on your upper back, than the high pull is the right move for you. This exercise is great for both men and women because it can either be utilized as a weight loss exercise or a muscle gain exercise. It involves using your entire body and your type II (fast twitch) muscle fibers, which are the hardest and strongest in the body.

How To:

1) Start with a bend in the hips and slight bend in the knees
2) The barbell should be just above your knees on your thighs
3) Starting with the hips, explosively drive upwards
4) The barbell should go in an upward pattern close to your body
5) Elbows shoot up straight to the side, barbell should finish just under your chin

Article By: Johnny Fontana

With spring comes the start of the season for many fruits and vegetables. The spring and summer months seem to be the time of year when most tropical fruits are eaten. Pineapple is one of the most popular, bursting with both tropical flavor and smell. Not only does it taste great, but underneath that tough shell is a fruit loaded with nutrients.

Pineapples have been credited with keeping your immune system strong, giving you energy and aiding in digestion. Since the spring and summer months are also our most active, who has time to be achy, sick or tired? Get on some daily pineapple and you’ll be on your way to enjoying your spring and summer like never before.

Why So Good?

Energy

Pineapples are packed with trace minerals which are essential to human vitality. One such mineral is manganese, of which pineapples hold over 100% of the daily value. Manganese is great for energy production because it fights off free radicals that can harm the mitochondria. Mitochondria are known by scientists as “cellular power plants” because they generate ATP, which is a main source for energy. It also contains a B vitamin called thiamin, which is another energy aid. Eat a little pineapple in the morning and you will be storing up energy for the rest of the day.

Get Some Bro

An enzyme-rich compound called bromelain is a major source of pineapples’ extensive health benefits. Actually, enzymes found in bromelain have been extracted and used as dietary supplements. It is great for preventing inflammation, which can lead to a host of health issues.

Bromelain is found most abundantly in the core and stem of a pineapple. This compound is a great digestive aid and is regularly recommended to people with digestion issues. Plus it gives you an excuse to put down some Pina Coladas the next time you’re sitting poolside.

How To Eat?

I don’t think I have to tell you how to eat pineapple. Fresh or frozen are both great choices, and because of its energy- producing value, I recommend eating it in the morning.

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Benefits:

The stability ball chest press is a way to take the typical bench press to the next level. By performing the exercise on a stability ball you are involving certain aspects of your body that wouldn’t typically be involved in a chest press. The core is getting more work than normal because it must be activated in order to maintain your balance on the ball. You will also be getting work in your glutes by raising your hips so that your body makes a flat line from knees to shoulders. When you feel like you are ready to progress from regular bench press, try this exercise.

How To:

1) Sit on stability ball and roll forward so that only shoulder blades are on the ball

Article By: Johnny Fontana

I remember watching “Popeye the Sailor” at my grandfather’s house when I was a little kid.  Even though I was born decades after the show originally launched, I still grew up watching the show.

I think we all know that Popeye is famous for slamming down a can of spinach in order to win his girl Olive back, but did you ever think of the cultural impact this image made?  In a day and age where cartoon characters are more likely to be seen chomping down a fast-food hamburger or drinking a soda, we have lost track of the importance of someone like Popeye. As Popeye began to fade off the television screen, whole foods began to fade off of our nation’s dinner plates. It is funny (actually it’s kind of depressing) that this sailor who lived in a garbage can may have literally been holding one of the keys to health. Popeye may have depended on spinach to provide him with super strength, but it also boasts a whole host of other health benefits as well.

Why So Good?

Power Packed

Last month the first spinach season of the year began, marking a time when it is most widely abundant and tastiest. Words like antioxidants and phytonutrients are tossed around quite often these days by people who hope to sound like they know something about nutrition. But when talking about spinach, it is hard to avoid using those terms — spinach boasts at least 13 different flavonoids, packed with antioxidant and anticancer benefits.

Cancer Fighting

The anticancer benefits of spinach have gotten a ton of attention by researchers. Neoxanthin is a carotenoid that has been linked to fighting prostate cancer. Neoxanthin has shown to prevent cancer cells from reproducing and in some cases even cause cancer cells to self-destuct. Spinach is also very rich in kaempferol, which has been linked to preventing ovarian cancer.

Get Your Vitamins

Of all the vitamins we talk about, vitamin K may get the least amount of recognition. The fact that vitamin K helps build and maintain strong bones should not ignored. One cup of spinach holds about 180% the daily recommended amount of vitamin K.

What Else?

The lutein in spinach is fantastic for eye sight, iron (35% DV) is fantastic for women and vitamin E is very beneficial to the brain. You will also find some Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, folate and manganese in spinach. And at only 7 calories per serving, spinach is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet.

How To Eat?

Go O

Some may be resistant to try spinach after the E. coli scare that happened a few years ago.  People should not worry, however, because that e. coli outbreak was most likely the result of animal waste.  Purchase organic spinach to be safe, as those who grow spinach by conventional means do not do a great job of protecting their crop. You should still wash the leaves even if you buy it bagged, like you would with salads.

Cook It Up

Other than that, you can boil, sauté or eat spinach raw. It proves as a great side to an entree or can be the base for a dinner salad. I personally love a spinach salad with some strawberries. I doubt the creators of Popeye really understood what they were doing by putting a can of spinach in his hands, but they couldn’t have picked a better of a food.

Otherwise, use real butter and ghee just as you’d use the butter you find in most grocery stores.

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Article By: Johnny Fontana

A friend recently sent me a message asking whether she should eat more fat or more carbohydrates. This really sparked my attention, making me realize that a lot of people have the same question. It is not necessary to follow one of the high-fat or high-carb diets, you just need to pay attention to what type of food (carb, fat, protein) your eating. The fact that she is thinking about this is a major step in the right direction.

No one has ever become overweight from eating too much protein, but those who have taken fancy to consuming high amounts of carbs or fat have. If you adopt a diet high in both carbs and fat chances are that you will have weight issues. I highly recommend to pick one of the two and have that lead your daily food consumption. Although I carry a heavy bias towards a high-fat & high-protein diet, you might be a carb junkie. I’ll explain the differences in the two in the following paragraphs.

Benefits of Fat

If you have been following my posts for a while, it is probably obvious that I am a big fan of fats. I would love it if we would start calling them lipids so people would get over this stigma that fats make you fat, but that likely won’t happen soon. Good fats provide a wide variety of benefits that carbs can’t even attempt to compete with. From a beauty standpoint, they are great for hair, skin and nails. Fats help increase cell production, especially in the brain. They also are very beneficial for your heart and other organs (believe it or not). Your joints will also thank you because fats tend to act as an anti-inflammatory. If you eat the healthy fats (avocado, animals, nuts & good oils) you will see a tremendous amount of health benefits from them.

Negatives of Fat

The one major downfall of fat is that it is high in calories. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories, as opposed to 4 for both protein and carbs. Other than that, the good fats are pretty flawless.

Benefits of Carbs

The one major benefit of carbohydrates is the fiber count found in them. The majority of fiber that the typical American consumes comes from carbohydrates. They also are our bodies first and main source for energy. Glycogen stores are used by our muscles, especially in physical activity.

The vast majority of fruits and vegetables consist mostly of carbs. The good news here is that most fruits and vegetables are low in calories, so the majority of the carbs in them come from fiber.

Negatives of Carbs

It is a lot harder to tell the difference between a good carb and a bad carb, as compared to a good fat vs. bad fat. Is bread good for you? Are potatoes good for you? How about rice? Most people aren’t prepared to answer these questions and have a hard time deciphering which carbs will be helping them as opposed to hurting. For the most part you have great carbs that are low calories, high fiber (fruits & veggies) than you have bads that are high calorie, low fiber. Carbs are also typically high in sugar, which leads to insulin and blood sugar spikes. If you are looking to lose weight, those spikes are your worst enemy. Bacteria in your stomach loves sugar, this can actually lead to inflammation.

My Recommendation

I suggest that you stick with a high-fat and high-protein diet. I am a believer that unless you are a cardio endurance athlete your daily intake of carbs doesn’t need to be higher than 40%. There’s really no great health benefits to most carbohydrates aside from the fiber, which you can get from proteins and fats. One of the only real cases you can make for carbs is the fact that they provide us with energy. The activity levels of most Americans isn’t high enough to require “carb loading”

Stick with the fat, it will keep you lean.

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