How can I get a six pack?

As a Personal Trainer I get asked this question a lot but it is the Nutritionist in me that answers this question but I always start with a question…why do you want to see your “abs”? What is it going to do for you? For me your goals should be about getting stronger, moving better, improving your posture, improving your blood work results year on year etc - to me these are signs that you are improving. 

I know many people who linger over the idea of having a six pack and they let that bring them down when summer after summer their six pack is no where to be seen. Change your focus.

To see your “abs” you need to be dedicated, you need to know how many calories you are eating and ensure you are expending a surplus amount of calories. The problem can be once you have achieve your “abs” maintaining them is hard and it can become a “mind fuck” all about how to keep them when life can get in the way. 

The only way to clearly see your “abs” is to remove the layer of insulation that is hiding them. We all have “abs” we just can’t see them. No amount of ab crunches are going to make that layer of insulation disappear below are some steps to get you on track to your goals no matter what your goal is…

How to see your “abs”:

1. Calorie Deficit - 

The only way to lose that insulation is to maintain a calorie deficit aka use more calories than you are consuming. To do this you need to know how many calories you as an individual should be consuming? Once you know how many calories you should be consuming to maintain your current weight, slice 15% off and that is where you should live until you have reached your ideal body fat level so that your “abs” are visible. 

Do you know how to figure how many calories you should be eating daily to maintain a 15% deficit? Caloire intake is based on your weight, height, active levels, gender and age. 

HABIT: Stick to your calorie deficit.

2. Protein goal -

Protein should be what you plan your meals around. Protein needs energy (calories) to break it down before we utilize it in the body so it actually helps to burn calories - this is known as the thermogenic effect.  Muscle in the body unlike fat need energy to move us from A to B. Protein helps to maintain muscle, the more muscle you have the more calories you expend. Do you know how many grams of protein you should be consuming on a daily basis? It is based on your weight and activity levels. 

HABIT: Hit your daily protein goal.

3. 10,000 steps a day - ditch your car.

If you want to get leaner going to the gym 3 times a week will not cut it. If you drive to work, take the elevator to your office floor, order uber eats for lunch, drive home and sit on the sofa for the night and think that hitting the gym for 3 hours a week will balance out all your inactivity I am afraid you are wring. There are 168 hours in the week 3 hours training/168 hours in the week = 1/56 of your week. If you are only activity moving for 1/56 of your week how can you expect to see your body getting leaner. Daily movement is key to burning calories and that layer of insulation. 

HABIT: Track your daily steps on your phone or fit bit.

4. Sleep 8 hours a night -

This is where rest and recovery come into play. The better the quality and the length of your sleep (up to about 8 hours) the better you will function, the better decisions you will make and the more chance you have of doing all 7 things on this list. 

HABIT: Plan back form your wake up time when you need to go to sleep so that you get 8 hours of sleep.

5. Cook, food shopping, meal prep, know where your next meal is coming from etc -

You need to know what you are eating, you need to spend the time food shopping, preparing food, cooking food and planning how your are going to reach your daily protein and caloire goal.

HABIT: Plan for the following day what is going to be on your menu.

6. Limit alcohol intake - 

Alcohol is high in calories and can lead to poor food choices while drinking while effecting your chances of making good food choices the following day and impacting the chances of you training and moving the following day. 

HABIT: Plan alcohol free days into your schedule

7. Lift weights 2-3 times a week -

Ensure you are maintaining muscle mass. 

HABIT: Book 2-3 appointments into your schedule for resistance training/strength training.

GUT HEALTH & FIBRE

MISSION: The why behind why YOU should eat your fruit and veggies.

Think of the human digestive system like a ring donut - there is a hole running through the middle of both of them. Essentially, from the mouth to the anus is an opening to the outside world, it is exposed to the outside world. Most of the body’s immune system is found in the gut for this reason, to protect you from the outside world. 

How does your body protect itself from the outside world? With your:

STOMACH ACID - This is designed to kill off harmful bacteria that you may have ingested. Problems can occur if your stomach acid levels are compromised. (this will be another email in itself). Your GUT LINING produces a mucous called MUCIN. Mucin is like a snotty slime that adheres to the gut lining preventing microbes and your immune cells from coming in contact with eachother and becoming enemies which would create inflammation and a string of symptoms in your gut (bloating, cramping, gas, constipation, diarrhoea etc.). To produce this mucin your gut bacteria if fed the right food will produce SCFA - Short Chain Fatty Acids e.g. lactate, butyrate, acetate and propionate, these “ates” are the energy currency of the gut lining? allowing the gut lining to produce its snot-like slime mucin to protect your gut lining. 

To ensure your gut bacteria can produce mucin you need to be consuming FERMENTABLE FIBRES.

Fermentable fibres include:

MushroomsGarlicOnionLettuces OatsFruitsVegetables 

If your diet is high in refined sugars and alcohol and low in fermentable fibres your gut lining will struggle to produce mucin,  leaving your gut lining exposed to invading pathogens. The more refined sugars you consume the more you feed the dis-ease-promoting bacteria in your gut which can crowd out your healthful bacteria. By limiting your refined sugar intake you will starve these dis-ease-promoting bacteria, reducing their number and improving your gut health. 

Use food as a medicine, to help heal your body. To do so you need to be eating that food at least 5/7 days a week.

SUMMARY:

Eat foods that contain fibreEat these fibre rich foods at least 5/7 days a weekI will be following up with emails on stomach acid and the links between your gut health and cardiovascular disease. If you are looking for more help with your digestive system or to improve your overall health let me know I will send you on my Food, Movement and Lifestyle questionnaire and we can see what steps you need to make to improve your health and welling.

Brittle Fingernails

Brittle and soft fingernails. If your fingernails are brittle, bend back, chip and break easily it can be a sign that your digestive system is not functional optimally or that you are not providing your body with enough minerals, protein or essential fatty acids aka you are not consuming enough nutrient dense food. 

To make your nails stronger you will need to improve your food choices and support your digestive system. 

To increase the amount of nutrients you are consuming look to eat real unprocessed foods. Processed food have generally been stripped of there nutrients to help extend the shelf life of the “food”. Foods to include: vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds...spinach, onions, pumpkin seeds, black-eyed beans, green peas, lentils, oatmeal, brown rice, broccoli, meat, eggs, fruit, sesame seeds, asparagus, quinoa, beans, garlic... you get the idea. Eat real food.  

Digestive function:Why is HCL so important for Digestion?

Brittle nails is a sign that the body is suffering from malabsorption (if the above foods are being eaten) and that your stomach acid (HCl) is not present in high enough amounts to assimilate and absorb the foods you are consuming. 

What is HCI? 

It is Hydrochloric Acid also known as stomach acid. This acid is found in your stomach, if by some means this acid escaped from your stomach and landed on your hand, it would burn straight through your skin and muscle to your bone. That is how corrosive it is.

What does HCI do in the body?

1. HCL plays a role in defence, due to its high acidity it kills of bacteria and viruses that should not go any further than the stomach.

2. Activates enzymes (pepsin) to start the breakdown of protein and it breaks apart minerals from protein for mineral absorption.

3. Stimulates the intestines to contractions and relax forcing food through the intestines and eventually out of the body (peristalsis).

4. In the small intestine the presence of HCL coming from the food (chyme) stimulates the release of pancreatic juices. If HCL is low digestion is hampered further on down the system.

If your stomach is not producing enough stomach acid, you run the risk of:

1. Mineral deficiencies

2. Protein deficiencies

3. Bacteria/viruses passing along the digestive system

4. Lack of contracts in the intestines leading to constipation

5. Not enough pancreatic juices being released which will hamper the amount of nutrients absorbed in the small intestines - which could lead to deficiencies again.

How to increase HCI:

1. Prepare and cook your own foods.

2. Eat bitter foods prior to eating a meal.

3. Chew your food

4. Eat in a relaxed state.

5. Eat zinc containing foods.

6. Email me (info@juliepiperroche.com) to learn how to test if you have low HCl

7. Digestive enzyme supplement.

Gut bacteria - Microbiome

How to improve the health of your gut bacteria:

1. Eat fermented foods: Fermented foods contain probiotic bacteria that helps to promote friendly bacteria in the gut. Examples include: pickles (fruits, vegetables, meat and eggs), kefir (dairy or coconut based) sauerkraut, miso, chutneys, kimchi, kombucha, and tempeh. Yogurt contains approximately 2 strains of bacteria with 10 billion active bacteria per portion. Whereas kefir contains up to 32 different strains of bacteria with 30 billion active bacteria per portion. 

2. Eat foods high in fibre. 

3. Reduce sugar.

4. Eat good quality fats - omega 3.

5. Eat foods rich in prebiotics - onions (cooked or raw), garlic, leeks, asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes and dandelion greens.

6. Drink filtered water.

benefits from foods fermented with lactic acid bacteria e.g. yogurt, sauerkraut and kefir:

• Lactic acid bacteria have a slightly lower pH which can lower the pH of the intestinal tract making the environment more hospitable to friendly bacteria and less hospitable for unfriendly bacteria. 

• The bioavailability of food - making foods easier to absorb. Enhancing the absorption of minerals e.g. calcium, magnesium zinc, iron and copper. 

• Lactic acid bacteria can synthesise B vitamins even when they are not in the diet e.g. folic acid, B1, B2, B3 and B12. 

Probiotics: The strains of friendly bacteria. 

Probiotics are the foods that contain beneficial bacteria. These strains of bacteria are crucial in maintaining health and balance within the intestines. Probiotics are transient, they are not like a seed that takes root, they stay awhile and benefit the intestines while they are there. They are then passed out of the human body. This is why it is so important to consume foods that contain probiotics daily. 

Prebiotics: What feeds friendly bacteria. 

Prebiotics are the indigestible (by humans) plant fibres that probiotics (strains of bacteria) feed upon - it is a beneficial bacteria food source. There are different forms of indigestible plant fibres, some include:

• FOS - fructooligosaccharides

• GOS - Galactooligosaccharides

• Oligosaccharides 

• Inulin 

Sources of these indigestible plant fibres include:

• Bananas

• Onions (raw or cooked)

• Garlic

• Leeks 

• Chicory root

• Asparagus

• Jerusalem artichokes 

• Oats

• Seaweed

Calories

Do you know how many calories you should be eating to maintain your current weight?

Do you know how many calories you should be eating to lose a lbs a week?

A lbs = 3,500 calories so to lose a lbs you reduce your weekly calories by  3,500 calories either by restricting what you are eating or by expending those calories via movement.

I am not all about counting calories but if you are struggling to figure out how to lose weight, calories are a great starting point.

Start off by tracking what calories you are eating in a week. 

Bowel Movements

HOW MANY BOWEL MOVEMENTS ARE YOU HAVING A DAY?

Ideally you should be having 2 to 3 bowel movements a day. Yes 2 to 3 bowel movements a day.

Your first bowel movement should be within 30 minutes of waking and before your first cup of coffee. (Coffee stimulates the emergency exit mechanism of the colon - this should be avoided). This means that your bowels are functionally optimally. 

Your stool per day should be the length from your wrist to your elbow. The stool should not sink but it should not float either. It should not be think and hard. 

Transit time should be between 18-24 hours. If it is much faster then this you may not be absorbing the nutrients in the food you are eating as they are passing through your digestive system too quickly. If your transit time is longer than 24 hours, it can lead to hardening of the stool which will be harder to pass, there can be an increase in the toxins being produced by microbes. Which could increase your risk of bowel cancer. 

CAUSES OF CONSTIPATION

1. A diet low in fibre, usually a diet that is high in junk food is low in fibre.

2. Eating a diet high in refined foods, as these foods are low in fibre.

3. Stress, can shut down your digestive system, leaving you constipated.

4. An imbalance in your gut flora - known as dysbiosis.

5. Hypothyroid conditions.

6. Low HCL (stomach acid) which can hamper digestion and absorption of nutrients. 

7. Dehydration - lack of fluids to bulk the stool and allow easy passage of waste.

8. Irritable bowel syndrome can hamper bowel movements.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF CONSTIPATION:

1. One or less bowel movements a day.

2. Bloating.

3. Abdominal pain.

4. Stool is small in size.

5. Stool is hard and not continuous - breaks into pieces.

6. Stool is difficult to pass.

7. Decreased appetite with prolonged absence of bowel movements.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONSTIPATION:

FOOD:

Avoid or severely restrict your intake of junk food - processed, refined foods and fried food, theses void of nutrients and contain no fibre, they can place pressure on your liver as they do not provide nutrients that support the body and contain toxins or rancid fats that the liver and body need to work on removing from the body. 

FOODS TO AVOID:

1. Simple white carbohydrates

2. Alcohol

3. Stimulants - coffee, tea, energy drinks and fizzy drinks.

4. Sugar

5. Artificial sweeteners 

6. Trans-fats

FOODS TO EAT:

1. 6-8 cups of water - all dependent on the colour of your urine - refer to hydration.

2. Help with digestion and consume lemon or apple cider vinegar in water before meals.

3. Eat protein with each meal - refer to protein goal.

4. Increase your fibre intake to 25-40g daily - refer to fibre goal. Oats, apples, brown rice, banana, prunes, figs, papaya, berries, sauerkraut, ground seeds (avoid if you have diverticulosis) dark leafy greens, beans etc.

5. Eat your greens.  Green  foods contain chlorophyll which promotes peristalsis (movement of food known as chyme through your gut).

SUPPLEMENTS:

1. Essential Fatty Acids: omega 3 to help lubricate the bowels.

2. Probiotics - to populate the gut.

3. To aid peristalsis your gut needs calcium and magnesium to aid in the contraction/relaxation of the gut, helping the chyme move through the intestines. 

4. B complex - a deficiency is B9 folate has been linked to constipation.

LIFESTYLE HABITS:

1. Move your body to get your bowels moving. 

2. Reduce stress - stress is a state of mind that has the power to shut down your digestive system - Refer to stress.

3. Use a toilet stool (squattie pottie) it helps to improve the angle of your colon making it easier the poop….

4. Consider a detoxification cleanse, this will help to turn your digestive work towards elimination.

Periods

HOW TO REGULATE YOUR PERIODS:

Two options below.

• Option 1: May be slower acting and less expensive.

• Option 2: Faster acting but more expensive. 

OPTION 1: seeds

Seed cycling is a great way to regulate hormones and get rid of irritating systems related to your menses. Start taking the seeds on day 1 of your cycle and after 1 month on this protocol you should see the maximum benefit the seed cycling will provide. If you are mid-month and starting this protocol you will find the benefits only outlined under that individual ‘phase’ section.

Typically when women find benefits to their menstrual symptoms, using this seed cycling protocol, they will continue using this for 2-3 months and then can follow up using 1x every 3 months for maintenance.

Phase One: Omega-3 - Follicular Phase (provides the precursors for oestrogen and helps balance your hormones).

Days 1- 28:

1. 1 Tbsp ground flax seeds

2. 1 Tbsp ground pumpkin seeds

This phase of the protocol is great for reducing heavy periods, reducing or eliminating clots, and eliminating acne.

Phase Two: Omega-6 - Luteal Phase (provides the precursors for progesterone and helps balance and clear excess hormones).

Days 15+ (or day after ovulation) - until your period starts:

1. 1 Tbsp ground sesame seeds (better to buy whole and then grind versus buying already ground seeds)

2. 1 Tbsp ground sunflower seeds.

This phase of the protocol is great for stopping spotting between cycles, PMS (irritability, depression), breast tenderness, clotting, quick and heavy flow on the first 2 days. Remember this phase by thinking second half = two S’s (sunflower/sesame).

General rules for eating seeds:

• It is best to buy whole seeds and then grind using a coffee or seed grinder to get them to a powdery consistency. You can grind up 1-2 weeks worth at a time, just keep in the freezer once it’s ground.

• Seeds can be added to any food or drink, just heat the food up BEFORE adding the seeds so you don’t destroy some of the oils.

• A great way to take this every morning is by consuming 2/4 heaped tablespoons full of the seed mix (pumpkin/flax/sesame/sunflower) in a smoothie.

OPTION 2: Option 2 - Fish oil and Evening primrose oil:

Day 1-14 (First day of period until Ovulation)

Day 15 - (Period arrives)

Supplements: Duration: 2 - 3 months. 

Day 1-14 - Period starts.

• Take an Omega 3 with 1500mg EPA  and > 250mg DHA daily.

Day 15 - Ovulation takes place.

• Take Omega-3 with 1500mg EPA  and > 250mg DHA daily.  

• Take Omega-6 - Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) 2,000mg daily until your hit day one again.

• Continue until your next period arrives e.g. if it arrives on Day 21 start back at Day 1.

Try this and see if it helps to extend/regulate your cycle. Day 1 is always the first day of your period. Once your period arrives start back to Day 1.