Lacking sleep and feeling sluggish, extra hungry or especially moody go hand in hand, but why? There are four hormones that get sent out of balance when we skimp on sleep that disrupt our ability to regulate our appetite and mood: Cortisol. Known as the stress hormone, cortisol rises with lack of sleep and other stressors. High levels of cortisol prompt fat storage, mood swings and for some people, mindless snacking (or full blown binge-fests). Ghrelin. This hunger hormone te

Making good choices that don’t derail the hard work you put in or set you into binge-mode isn’t as challenging as a lot of people persuade themselves it to be. Here are 6 things I do to stay on top of my food game when dining out: 1) Stick with unsweetened beverages and/or water. Occasionally I’ll add a green juice to my meal, but I’m typically just drinking a few glasses of water and enjoying conversation and the main course. 2) If complimentary bread or chips and salsa are

I've long left the term and mindset of 'cheat meals', after years of being around old-school fitness competitor style programming and good intentions growing sour with my own results. Frankly, you'll drive yourself mad, at least eventually, embracing the mentality of certain foods being 'bad', and beating yourself up to whatever degree for "cheating". Instead, I believe with anything, its important to recognize where you're at, where you want to be, and what it really takes t

Summertime gatherings, social outings, lazy days, and balancing a healthy lifestyle and swimsuit baring body can blend together with ease when you stay mindful about picking and choosing where to indulge, when to refrain and remembering to stay active. Feeling great in our own skin starts and sticks with the basics – so keeping them in check (like fueling our bodies with more good stuff than bad stuff, and not becoming sedentary) is an absolute must. Always eat breakfast, and

Running isn’t my heart’s first desire when I’m getting in a sweat session, but I’ve decided to re-incorporate it into my weekly routine at just 20-30 minutes, repeating over 2-3 non-consecutive days for sake of increasing my conditioning (which ebbs and flows throughout each year depending on what my focus or goals might be; hence why you don’t see me looking lean as a bean 24/7/365). This isn’t replacing my 3-4 weekly workouts, but added to the days in between. I’m not a tre

The cat's out of the bag! What an incredible way to kick this year off! Glory to God. I was shocked to see my mug (and calves) on 3 of the Nationwide IMPACT Magazines that released today! What an honor to be able to represent AdvoCare and all of the champions in this company that I get to do life with! What this company has been to and for Tyler, me, and hundreds of our loved ones, is beyond words, and if there ever comes a time you want to chat about what it can be for you i

The tail end of each year typically means abundant temptation to over do it with fun foods and beverages for sake of the season. Enjoying the foods you love is never inherently a bad thing, but how often we enjoy them tends to be where things go wrong. Incorporate over-indulgences with lack of exercise or activity over a month or more of time, and you’ve set yourself up for the status-quo 5-10lbs of holiday weight gain, which is actually quite easy to avoid. Let’s hammer out

Being your best, and having a physique you're truly confident in won't require rocket science, but it will require something that for many people, is even more complex. It's going to take the right mindset. Afterall, if you can master your own mind, you can master your own body. If you haven't already, read Why You're Not Seeing the Results You Want, Part One. Anyone can set a goal and have the tools and resources necessary to reach it, but taking longterm action and seeing i

We covered some very foundational, but pertinent, points in "PART 1" (regarding health and fitness goal setting), so as long as you’ve earnestly addressed those, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of one of the most common stumbling blocks people encounter on the road to results. People. We’ve all had (or, have) those people who somehow linger in our life (or possibly just our Facebook) who criticize and cast doubt at every chance they get. These people are either in dire need

Visible results are why we decide to put in the effort it takes to bring them about, so how do we deal with the hard truth that achieving them takes more time than we may want? The plea I read and hear asked so often is, "Why am I not seeing results, yet?". Moving forward to the results we're after requires more than just effort, it requires a plan, diligence and consistency. Here are five very fundamental things to consider before jumping the mindset gun of "(XYZ) is just no