Birth Control and Weight Loss
Birth control has been a hot topic when it comes to women’s health, hormone balance, and, specifically, weight management. Whether you love your form of birth control, are unsure which [...]
Efficiency is really one of my favorite words.
From my food, workouts, the way I shop, the way I LIVE (no, for real, I’m selling my house and moving into an apt for the sake of efficiency), efficiency is KEY.
But it hasn’t always been this way when it came to working out. I thought I had to do at LEAST 60 minutes of hardcore exercise every day to “see results”.
But I know this is a pretty common way of thinking when it comes to working out and, specifically, weight loss. That long, sweaty workouts, every day, is the #1 way to get results.
So I got an expert on board. I called up Atlanta-based celebrity trainer, Brad Kolowich, Jr who just so happened to have recently released the book, Fitter Faster: The Smart Way to Get in Shape in Just Minutes a Day, with Dr. Robert Davis. We talk quick workouts, beer, and shocking….a lot of nutrition.
BK: Hi Guys, I’m Brad Kolowich Jr. I’m an Atlanta based personal trainer, Specialist in Fitness Nutrition, fitness studio owner, and recent author of my very first book titled Fitter Faster along with my co-author Dr. Robert Davis. I’m excited to share more with you!
BK: Both of my parents have been involved in the fitness industry. My father was a personal trainer for some time as well as a P.E. teacher for many years, just retiring from P.E. at the age of 63. My mother is currently a nurse and former aerobics instructor.
Thinking back, I feel like fitness has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. From the years of 2003 on, I began working with a tennis program out of Athens Georgia while finishing my college degree. Not only did I teach tennis to the athletes, we also incorporated the strength and conditioning component into the program.
My tennis based strength and conditioning continued off and on for years up until 2008, which was when I really began to incorporate in the one-on-one and small group personal training component into my teachings. I eventually opened my very own personal training studio on April 1st, 2012 in West Midtown, Atlanta.
(and if you guys wanna learn more about Brad and his studio in ATL – pop over here)
Awesome! Dr. Davis approached me with the idea of the book back in 2015. I knew this was an opportunity I could not refuse. Dr. Davis’ vision of Fitter Faster is to help eliminate the many barriers of exercise that many people have, including lack of time, lack of interest, lack of knowledge, and lack of motivation, to name a few.
We sought to eliminate those barriers by designing an effective exercise plan that can be done in as little as 15 minutes a day.
Also, Dr. Davis provides the reader proven research studies in helping to eliminate all those common barriers to exercise. In Fitter Faster, we provide detailed exercise plans for those of all fitness levels, including Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.
Typically, in guiding a client nutritionally, I will get a great idea as to what the client may be consuming on a day to day basis and look for trends.
For those that are not already doing so, I’ll recommend a healthier approach such as incorporating more organic veggies, organic nuts and seeds, organic meats, and additional healthy fats such as grass fed organic butter and organic extra virgin coconut oil.
For most folks, by simply eliminating processed foods (man created foods) from their daily eating and really listening to their body in terms of portions, I believe that most will see tremendous losses in terms of body fat levels without the need to ever track calories!
This approach really works, assuming that the discipline is there to stay true to the whole food approach. A topic for a totally different blog post is the addition of a high carb/cheat meal/day in which I am a believer as well!
If a particular client is just simply not going to give up their old (and not so healthy) eating habits or they may be a fitness stage competitor, I may then suggest a closer look and ensure a daily caloric deficit.
You have to understand that this caloric deficit does not mean that you have to give up the foods you love, but may simply mean increasing your activity level to allow for the daily caloric deficit.
But, I have to say again, assuming one is truly staying true to a whole food diet including lots of veggies, healthy fats, and quality protein sources, the account of your caloric intake approach may never be necessary to achieve a wonderful and healthy body.
That ice cold beer at 5:01 pm on a Friday afternoon! Truly though, I would say the very first meal of the day and/or your post workout meal.
In both of the above scenarios, your body is in a state of depletion. So, at that time, it’s really looking for quality nutrients and will quickly absorb pretty much anything you consume.
I would suggest at a minimum consuming a protein source, followed by the addition of healthy fats and carbohydrate sources. The addition of healthy fat and/or carbohydrate sources will depend based on your specific health and fitness goals.
SO many tasty and super healthy delicious meal options out there although I would say a perfect meal may be a salad with mixed greens and various other veggies, topped with pecans, an olive oil based dressing, and a few poached eggs or another organic meat source of your choice.
I am a HUGE believer of balance in all areas of life, so with that said, I believe there is nothing wrong with having some booze! In some cases, in particular, weight loss instances, I may suggest limiting intake and/or moving alcohol to a certain day of the week such as a “high carb” or “cheat day,” although allowing yourself a little booze makes for great conversation as well as a little love for the heart!
Life doesn’t get much better than good food, tasty drinks, and great time spent with those we enjoy the most. If we can combine all of the above simultaneously, that’s about as good as it gets.
If you want more info on our book, Fitter Faster, you can head over to FitterFasterPlan.com
And for more on myself, as well as my studio, you can find me at BradKolowichJr.com or on IG at @bradkolowichjr.
