Still, there are general rules that apply when it comes to eating clean foods. Here are some myths and facts when it comes to clean eating:

Can I lose weight eating only clean foods?
That depends on the following factor: How many calories are you eating? You can eat only clean foods but when you eat too many calories you will gain weight. Nevertheless, eating clean foods will provide nutrients that are beneficial on a cellular level. And if your cells aren’t starved for nutrients, you body will stop asking for more food.

Clean foods can provide nutrients that conventional, processed foods can’t?
Absolutely true; if your clean food is  unprocessed, whole and organic. When it comes to your metabolism, nothing will work without enzymes. Enzymes direct all the chemical reactions in your body, which are contribute to your daily energy and metabolic function. Those enzymes are found in raw, uncooked, unprocessed foods.

Are powders (protein, green or energy) clean foods?
There are many individuals who think they are eating clean foods. But is protein powder, green powder or energy powder clean food?
For protein powders, you need to take a look further and see where the whey is coming from. From what kind of milk was it produced? The same is true for protein powder made from eggs or brown rice. Are the hens free-range and fed with greens? Is the rice grown in a pesticide-free, organic environment? It gets really complicated, so be careful; powders are not necessarily a shortcut to eating cleaner.

Can eating clean foods keep me young?
That is a big topic. In short, yes. Clean fats, for example,  are  important in maintaining youth. If you are eating clean fats–ones that are not chemically altered, and come from natural sources, such as olive oil, sunflower oil, nuts, seeds, wild caught fish from uncontaminated lakes or ocean, then the fats from those foods can do their work. You need clean fats, essential fatty acids (Omega-3, Omega-6,), for your hormone production, to maintain your artery health as well as  to help you to reduce the chance of heart diseases and DNA damages. Fats that are chemically altered, such as margarine, does not provide this benefit but rather do the opposite.

To determine which foods are truly clean,  my advice is that it is best to think about foods that are grown and raised in your local environment. Also clean foods are preservative- and additive-free. In its natural state, a clean food has not been chemically altered or processed to make it last longer, look or smell better.

Taking your environment and your location into account is best way to begin to build your own list of clean foods are. Every region and environment offers its own set of clean foods that are highly beneficial for your body to stay energetic, trim and disease free for a long time.

Stay focused,

Stefan

P.S.:The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard Have you seen 20-minute viral video The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard? Yes, this makes you think and act.

P.S.S: Win, Win, and win. Tell me your secret three questions and win either one personal training session or one nutrition consultation. What do you need to do? Tell me your three secret questions by clicking on this link (The winner is announced March 25th)…  My top 3 questions revealed!

Stefan Aschan is a leading expert on lifestyle, health and fitness who has helped more than 30,000 people get fit through advice on nutrition, fitness and lifestyle changes. For your free “How to live 100 years in perfect health” report and the must read “updates and solution” newsletter on how to have 10 times more success, stay on top of your goals, and accomplish the change of body and appearance,” click this link.

However, when you eat white bread, which is stripped of its nutrients such as fiber, minerals and vitamins, you are not taking in essential ingredients that help your body run its metabolic system efficiently.  Conversely, quality calories, from foods like oatmeal, that are not processed, and are not taxing to your system, help you to maintain your metabolism and to then lose excess weight. 

What prompted me to share an e-mail with you today was a question I recently received in my mailbox from Vikki, who has lost 20 pounds since starting the program January 2010.

# # #

Vikki wrote:

“Hi Stefan,

As if this is a “real” problem…

The last few days I have not been able to eat 1,200 calories a day.  I’m more around 1,000 or less.  I am using an online logging system (www.MyFoodDiary.com) to keep myself accountable (it’s actually pretty good).  It “tells” me that I am not eating enough calories for a good weight loss.

Is this true?  If I’m not hungry, I’m not hungry.  I am not going to force myself to eat those last 200-300 calories — or should I?

Also, the days I exercise, it is telling me I have that many more calories to eat.  But I don’t follow that, and stick to the 1,200 calories. 

Your thoughts?”

# # #

I believe strongly in listening to your body while you are going through a weight loss program. When your objective is to lose weight, and you are starting from a point that is higher than 35% body fat, you have excess energy stored in your body, otherwise known as fat tissue.

In a natural environment, where there are no diners, restaurants, food delivery services, frozen foods or foods that last for years in cans, food was not always abundant and so readily available. Some days there was more food available and some days there was less.

In a weight loss program, this “natural stone age” occurrence can help you in your weight loss program and it is referred to as the “Zick Zack” approach. For example, if your “personal BMR” (every individuals BMR is different depending on age, height, pounds and activity) is 1.200 per day and you have days when you eat less and you are not hungry, then don’t eat. After all, unlike body builders who have to maintain their body mass, your goal is not gain weight but to lose it.

When you are on a program such as The Austrian Advantage program that teaches you the most beneficial foods to eat, and you eat less than your BMR, you will get in great shape, as your body receives the nutrients required for your metabolism to function efficiently.

Problems arise when you eat foods that are taxing to your system and don’t feed you on a cellular level. Your cells then do not receive the energy that they require and so your body will then demand even more energy – more food!

Stay focused and remember, “You CAN do it”.

Stefan

P.S.: Win, Win, and win. Tell me your secret three questions and win either one personal training session or one nutrition consultation. What do you need to do? Tell me your three secret questions by clicking on this link …  My top 3 questions revealed!

P.S.S.: Sign up for your FREE weight loss updates and solutions newsletters. Click here … www.stefanaschan.com

Do you need Botox? Surgery? Liposuction? A skilled dermatologist? Or are there other strategies that you can do right now to make you Look Younger Naturally?

Science is uncovering the molecular mechanisms behind living longer and looking younger and these discoveries have received lots of media exposure in the last couple of years. And as research techniques advance, more discoveries will be made every day. But that’s the future. What about now?

What are your top three questions that you like to have answered to Look Younger Naturally? Please take a moment and click the link below to share your questions, perhaps that secret question you haven’t been able to ask anyone. Until now.

My top 3 questions revealed!

All participants will enter to win one free session in Personal Training or Nutritional Consultation. The winner will be drawn by March 25th 2010.

Stay focused,

Stefan

To sign up for your FREE weigh loss updates and solutions please go to www.stefanaschan.com.

80 percent of all individuals who lose weight gained the pounds lost and even a little more within 3 to 5 years, according to a study from Oxford University published in the International Journal of Obesity.

It might be as high as 95 percent according to research by the National Weigh Control Registry.

And if you compare this number to the relapse rate for drug, alcohol and tobacco dependency, the numbers have been reported in the range of 50 to 90 percent.

Clearly, we don’t have a weight gain and loss issue but rather a “stick-to-it-tiveness” issue. A new body cannot just be bought. It takes work, time and commitment. Here are your top 6 factors to increase your commitment to lose weight and keep it off:

Goal: Have a goal. Write it down. Post it somewhere as a reminder. Pursue it until you have accomplished it. When you have met your goal, adjust your sights to a new goal to keep you going. Yes, weight loss might be one goal but to stay active in no matter what your age might be another. Think never-ending improvements.

Accountability: Exercise can be really boring. You need to build in some accountability to your program. Hire a trainer (show up or pay!) to help you vary your program; to help keep you focused or even to check in every four weeks for your check up and measurements. Don’t cancel these appointments.

Cheating: Feel like skipping a workout? Make yourself do at least 10 to 15 minutes. Even stretches. Most likely you will continue once you have started. And remember something is better then nothing.

Challenge: Yes, the best progress is made when your program is challenging. Yet, not every program has to be that way. Many times individuals start too fast, too hard and/or too soon. Give yourself some leeway to build up to higher intensity levels.

Lifestyle: One of the biggest differences between the US and Europe is that individuals in Europe see activity as a lifestyle. Going for a walk, going hiking, skiing, ice-skating or snowboarding is something that is just done without thinking about working out. Activity becomes a way to enjoy spending time outside and relaxing. If you hate to go to the gym, find the outdoor activity that you like to do. (However, strength training needs to be implemented indoors, whether you do it at home or at a gym.

Disappointment: In every disappointment there is a lesson to be learned. Manage your disappointment. You might have gained one or two lbs. Admit it and look into why it happened. What have you not done? Back on track and stay focused.

Support: Get on a program that gives you regular support. And this can be even just with newsletters that keep you motivated and on track. www.theaustrianadvantage.com will be a great solution to get started, to do something different but as well receive the support and motivation to keep going.

Stay focused!

Stefan

Stefan Aschan is a leading expert on lifestyle, health and fitness who has helped more than 30,000 people get fit through advice on nutrition, fitness and lifestyle changes. For your free “How to live 100 years in perfect health” report and the must read “updates and solution” newsletter on how to have 10 times more success, stay on top of your goals, and accomplish the change of body and appearance,” click this link.

This might be you. You are priding yourself on going running every single day. You love it. Yet, you meet me and you ask me how you can lose weight. That has happened so many times that I want to share with you the basics of what I explain to those individuals like you.

First, any kind of activity is important. Not just to burn calories but also to keep your systems in the best possible conditions. Those systems are your immune system, digestive system, cardiovascular system, skeletal system, muscular system, central nervous system and six more (we have 12 different systems in our body).

When your goal is quick weight loss you need more than just cardio vascular training. A build-up of lean muscle tissue is important as well. This can be done with your own body weight, with light resistance and high repetitions or high resistance and low repetitions. Each approach has a different outcome. And your training approach will vary depending on the “Body for Life” you’re striving for. Yet, the point is to do resistance training to build and maintain your lean muscle tissue.

Prevent long-term injuries. Unfortunately, when executing the same movement over and over again, you are creating wear and tear on your joints and ligaments. Hip pain, knee pain, and lower back pain are common issues among runners. There are more then just forward movements. Implement back movements, side movements and cross step movements. All those different movement patterns accomplish various muscle recruitment patterns, thus changing the wear and tear on your joints and ligaments. The slogan for you to take away is ”mix it to fix it”.

Eating whatever you want will not cut it either. Great, you are exercising. That doesn’t give you the excuse to eat whatever you want. In fact it’s even more important now to pay attention to what you are eating. Exercise uses your antioxidant, mineral and vitamin levels. Why? Exercise creates stress on your system and your antioxidant levels. Studies have shown that vitamin C, E, CQ10, Alpa Lipoic Acid and Glutathione are diminishing after intense levels of exercise. Proper food covers the basics. For prevention of diseases and anti-aging vitamin, mineral and sometimes enzyme supplementation will do the trick.

If you belong to the cardio Queens and Kings, implement changes in your program. Work on the bike with resistance. Use the incline on the treadmill. Run the hills in the park. Just change your program as mention above.

Stay focused.

Stefan

P.S.: A personal program for your body type and goals will bring you success. Need help? Click this link to check out your personal options.

Stefan Aschan is a leading expert on lifestyle, health and fitness who has helped more than 30,000 people get fit through advice on nutrition, fitness and lifestyle changes. For your free “How to live 100 years in perfect health” report and the must read “updates and solution” newsletter on how to have 10 times more success, stay on top of your goals, and accomplish the change of body and appearance,” click this link.

Tip one:
Create an iPod top-5 favorite song list. Move to it until the last note has ended. After two weeks add on 2 more songs, after 4 weeks add on another 2, until you end up at 35 songs. Have fun with the songs. It will be your choice to keep it going.

Tip two:
Yesterday I went to an event to sign up for tryouts for various sports events. The result? I’m planning to tryout rugby, water-polo, ice hockey, touch football and here it comes….a dance class! Why not? Somewhere along the line I will have a good laugh. What does this mean to you? Just try something new and fun!

Tip three:
Get 5 friends together. Put each of you in charge in leading one exercise per day. If at a loss, there are so many ways to find workout ideas and programs on the Internet. Your benefit? Accountability!!! And yes, you better show up with your program.

Tip four:
Choose 12 exercises. Each exercise targets a different muscle group such as chest, back, shoulder, biceps, triceps, quadriceps, hamstring, calves, and abdominal. Then perform each exercise for 1 minute and move on to the next. Repeat 1x, then 2x, then 3 times. Interested in getting help with the exercises for best results? Respond with an e-mail and I create a program for you (delivered via a movie file).

Tip five:
Take the starchy carbohydrates out of your diet and focus on the fibrous carbohydrates for two weeks. Which is which? Starchy carbohydrates are rice, pasta, potatoes, cereals and bread and fibrous carbohydrates are arugula, mesculin salad, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, and …. there are plenty more. And yes, do NOT skip raw fats from olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds.

Tip six:
Fresh air living. Of course I need to give you some Alpine advice on how we do it in the Alps. One of the reasons that the old stay young is because they are active in one form or the other outdoors every single day. Far from a task, getting outdoors for exercise becomes a joy, and fosters appreciation for the environment we live in. And if you hate the gym, this is definitely for you! Get out from the indoors and get to the outdoors 30 to 40 minutes a day.

Stay focused and EXPECT results.

Stefan

Stefan Aschan is a leading expert on lifestyle, health and fitness who has helped more than 30,000 people get fit through advice on nutrition, fitness and lifestyle changes. For your free “How to live 100 years in perfect health” report and the must read “updates and solution” newsletter on how to have 10 times more success, stay on top of your goals, and accomplish the change of body and appearance,” visit  http://www.theaustrianadvantage.com/e-book1001.htm

What is the right body fat percentage to see six pack abs?

In my career, I have seen some men with a body fat percentage as high as 10 percent where a six pack was shown, but others not.

Women generally have a higher body fat percentage than men. Hence women can see abs at a body fat percentage of about 13 percent. Yet some areas still have stubborn body fat showing in areas such as the thighs and butt.

And this is the difficulty to pin point what the ideal body fat percentage is. Each individual has a different genetic makeup. Two people with the same percentage of body fat can look completely different.

Here are some guidelines that should help you if you want to accomplish a lean body and begin to show evidence of six-pack abs:

BODY-FAT PERCENTAGE CATEGORIES MEN
Classification men %fat
essential fat 2 - 4 %
Athletes 6 - 13 %
Fitness 14 - 17 %
Acceptable 18 - 24 %
Obese 25 % - higher

BODY-FAT PERCENTAGE CATEGORIES WOMEN
Classification women %fat
essential fat 10 - 12 %
Athletes 14 - 20 %
Fitness 21 - 24 %
Acceptable 25 - 31 %
Obese 32 % - higher

If you can achieve the body fat percentages of athletes then you will see your abs Per the above charts, for men this is between 3% and 13% and for women between 9% and 18%.

Bear in mind that these represent very lean bodies. This goal can work for some, but doesn’t have to work for everyone.

Some individuals want to stay defined, toned and in-shape. However, minimally, the “fitness” range of body fat percentage should be your target. Whether your goal is, within the “fitness” range or beyond, it needs to work for you.

In any weight loss program or body transformation program, aging does play a role as your metabolism starts to slow down. It doesn’t mean you have to gain fat tissue. Take the necessary steps to avoid this gain that brings more pain. Measure yourself to better track where you are heading, and to continually assess which strategies are working for you and which are not.

Stay focused.

Stefan

P.S.: Congratulations Vikki!!! Another success on the Mental Detox program! She just lost 9 lbs by implementing the strategies in 14 days. Only 14 days. What did she do? Check it out…

P.S.S.: Sign up for your FREE weight loss solutions and updates at www.stefanaschan.com

Stefan Aschan is a leading expert on lifestyle, health and fitness who has helped more than 30,000 people get fit through advice on nutrition, fitness and lifestyle changes. For your free “How to live 100 years in perfect health” report and the must read “updates and solution” newsletter on how to have 10 times more success, stay on top of your goals, and accomplish the change of body and appearance,” visit http://www.theaustrianadvantage.com/e-book1001.htm

One pound, the second pound and suddenly twenty pounds have been gained. How did it happen? From one day to the next?

Individuals have various acceptance levels as to how much weight gain is too much weight gain. In my practice, I have seen individuals gain twenty pounds and still twitter happily down the street, while others who gained just five pounds sink into a deep depression.

But in the first place, what is the key to avoiding weight gain and letting yourself go altogether?

Be inspired by others. Find examples of individuals who impress you. The person who is always in the first row of aerobics class who has a fantastic body might be one. Or the mother of four children, divorced, who works full time, and still manages to go to boot camp and is full of energy and thin as a rail. The person who goes day in and day out religiously to his/her workout and never misses it. Or is it the person with a disability such as a lost arm, leg, or perhaps even two lost limbs and still manages to stay in shape?

I have met them. Those people are around us. They keep me going as well. They give energy instead of taking energy. When you meet them you will think they have it all. This kind of energy is contagious and will fire you up.  Embrace that energy.  Use it!

Weight gain certainly can occur more easily due to challenging emotional or health related events. But to give in and give up, and not to get back to being the best you can possibly be, is unacceptable.

Have a role model in your head that you can look up to. It can be anyone.  The only criterion is that that this person works for you.

Many times I am asked, “How do I motivate people?” This is simple. I really don’t. Rather, I tell examples of what others have accomplished who were in similar situations as theirs. And I lead by example. I am a trainer, nutrition, weight loss, motivation and lifestyle coach.  I need, want and love to lead by example.

If you have recently gained weight, or are falling off the wagon again, or just don’t want to get back into the swing of things, think again… who can you look up to who can bring back your motivation to start you going again? Share it with us. Leave you inspiration in the comments below.

Stay focused.

Stefan

P.S. The Mental Detox program is an important step in your process to learn about your most beneficial foods. Check this out…

P.P.S. Two new individuals will be accepted in the Strength 123 program. Registration will be closing on January 19th 2010.

Sure, all of them can help and support. Yet, those are all external cover-ups. Real youth in older age starts internally, on the cellular level.

One of the most accessible ways to slow down the ageing process can be stress management. Managing your stress is the magic, as psychiatrists at the University of California found out. The study found that the hormonal levels between younger and older individuals are drastically different, although both of them lived in similar circumstances. Many of those studied found themselves more stressed due to  age related factors and situations.

The result? The body reacts as a basic organism, releasing more stress hormones, which disturbs the normal hormonal levels in the body. Accelerated aging is the result.

There are some simple steps to live your life feeling less pressure, more ease and relaxation: play sports, workout consistently, get sufficient sleep, enjoy regular social contact and work to moderate your expectations–not too high and not to low, either.

Make 2010 your weight loss and age loss year. Learn strategies that you can do right now by yourself with an European twist at www.theaustrianadvantage.com

Stay tuned and stay focused.

Stefan

P.S.: I am exited to announce that we are accepting 3 individuals into the easy and simple weight loss 12-week program. Registration opens today and closes January 15th 2010. Check it out.

P.S.S.: Meet us at the “Adidas store event”, on the corner of Houston and Broadway in NYC, on January 10th 2010. Come by and win one of our three prizes – Strength123 DVD, Strength 123 Desktop Calendar, or one Personal Training Session.

P.S.S.S.:Sign up for your FREE weigh loss solutions at www.stefanaschan.com

Are you interested yet? Here’s more: The ingredient proved effective in treating wrinkles, slowing down aging process on a cellular level, reversing cataracts (a cloudy or opaque covering that grows over the lens of the eye), preventing stroke, preventing heart disease, controlling diabetes, enhancing memory and even curing incurable mushroom poisonings! The treatment, or should I say ingredient, is Lipoic Acid.

What is Lipoic Acid and what does it do?

Before I launch into what Lipoic Acid is, (and what it does for you), you should understand what free radicals are and what they do in your body.

Free radicals are created through biological oxidation (energy production), in which one oxygen molecule moves to the next. Sometimes in this process, one electron escapes. This unpaired  electron  (they exist in pairs) is called a free radical. Free radicals are in your body everywhere and are kept in balance through antioxidants.

If those radicals are not trapped or neutralized by an antioxidant, they can cause damage to cells that create premature aging, diseases such as heart diseases and stroke. Antioxidants such as Lipoic Acid trap this free electron and weaken its damaging effects, protecting cells from cell damage. The free radicals fast- forward the aging process and if you are concerned about slowing down your aging process, this is one part of the puzzle to know about.

Lipoic Acid is synthesized by the body and is present in small amounts in potatoes, spinach and red meat. For most of us, eating this ingredient is not enough. So, supplementation would do the trick.

A bonus: This supplement is incredibly versatile. Here’s why: Each cell has a  fatty barrier in its membrane, (which prevents the water- soluble components outside from mixing with the water-soluble components inside). Lipoic acid is able to enter both the fatty and the water portion of the cell to protect the cell from potentially damaging free radicals

In addition, it can recycle other antioxidants. Lipoic acid is the only ingredient that can recycle other antioxidants to restore their original (noncharged) form. The bonus is that by taking lipoic acid, you can simply increase the other antioxidants in your body.

Energy production cannot exist without this pathway. Lipoic acid helps to break down sugar for ATP production, which feeds cells with fuel. Without ATP, we wouldn’t be able to move because of no energy would be produced to complete the job. Think of ATP as the wood for the fire to keep you alive. If you don’t feed the fire, you will die off.

Lipoic acid can restore itself, which no other antioxidant can do. It’s the  only antioxidant that has this feature.

Back home in Europe, we used it to prevent diabetes. Little did I know that it would take some years for it to be “discovered” in the US.  After extensive researched, one benefit after the other was discovered. If you would like to read about it in detail, pick up the book “The Antioxidant Miracle” by Lester Packer , PH.D.

Finally some fun and interesting updates:

1) Visit us at the Adidas Store event on January 10th 2010. Come by and receive your FREE Stretching program and body measurements.

2) The “Easy and Simple Weight Loss Program” will open on January 10th 2010 as well. We have only 3 spots open again. Stay tuned. www.easyandsimpleweightloss.com

3) The chapters for my upcoming book “The Alpine Advantage: 7 Keys to Weight Loss and Age Loss” are almost completed. I am very excited to do additional research in my home country this coming holiday season. Hence, the office will be closed from December 24th 2009 till January 6th 2010.

4) The weight loss competition. How interesting it was to receive responses from clients and customers regarding this competition. Such as “ I am not in the mood.” “I am not interested.” “I am not sure.” “I will never win this competition….” And on and on. Come on…why give up if you haven’t even tried? Give it a chance:  You know I will be taking your measurements in January anyhow.

So stay focused and don’t break your leg. That’s my plan, at least!

Happy New Year.

Stefan

P.s.: Access your 27-day FREE weigth loss program at www.TheAustrianAdvantage.com

P.s.s.: Sign up for your Free Weight Loss updates and solutions at www.stefanaschan.com