Every year I write a birthday blog and this year has been the strangest to date. On Jan 1st, I began preparing for a Men’s Physique contest. The last time I entered a contest was eight years ago as proof of concept while writing my book, Get Fit Lean and Keep Your Day Job: A Transformation Guide for Any Body. Some personal life events around the end of last year motivated me to compete again. Inspiring others to be their best selves is my greatest satisfaction. I try to lead by example. I registered to compete in a natural show scheduled for the end of March. My nutrition plan was perfect, my training was intense, and I was ready. The contest was then cancelled a week before I was to go on stage (the above picture is today, me at 55, no gym, no special dieting, no spray on tan).
Although disappointed, I figured, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I also like a challenge. I decided then, I’d maintain my stage ready physique until the next contest was allowed. (As of today, that show is scheduled for Sept 12th) Soon after the March contest was canceled, as everyone knows, things went from bad to worse. All the gyms closed and remain closed. Fortunately, I’m in technology so I’m able to work from home.
Without a gym, my challenge became how to continue to train hard and stay in top physical condition. First of all, I don’t believe in excuses. You can have results or you can have excuses, but not both. I ruptured a disk in college, I tore part of a tricep off the bone ten years later, and both of my rotator cuffs are severely torn. More recently, I tweaked a knee running on city streets soon after my local track closed down due to stay-at-home measures. Throw in the temptation to overeat out of boredom, while stuck at home all day, and I had a long list of potential excuses.
But then I considered all the people with real problems. Millions had lost their jobs, lost loved ones, and lost their lives due to the coronavirus pandemic. I was grateful to be amongst the lucky. I was able to work from home and was in good health. I choose to make no excuses and instead make results.
Fortunately, at home I already had a weight lifting bench and a set of dumbbells going up to 50 lbs. Not nearly as heavy as I’d use in a gym, but I adapted my training. More reps, more sets, and more volume. I also have a spin bike so can get my cardio in, even if I can’t run on the street. I got creative. I used the frame for a hanging chair to fashion a pull-down machine. I bought a heavy-duty pully, some plastic-coated steel cable, and ordered different attachments online for my home back and triceps cable machine. I also bought a length of plumbing pipe with T fittings and using carabiners created a barbell system that I can use for straight bar curls and squats. I no longer needed a gym. All of these projects I documented in videos you can find on my YouTube channel, if you’re interested in doing any of these things yourself!
Now, the most important aspect of staying in top condition is eating right. If you don’t get your nutrition right, nothing else matters. Stuck at home, I’d be tempted to overeat and/or indulge in comfort foods. I follow a low-carb, moderate-protein, high-fat nutrition plan. For anyone who’s not read my Keto blogs, here’s a refresher.
Why You Should Follow a Keto Nutrition Plan (Also Known as Low-carb, High-fat):
If you overeat carbohydrates, you spike your blood glucose. The long-term problem is repeatedly spiking your blood glucose leads to inflammation, high insulin levels (known as “hyperinsulinemia”), and eventually insulin resistance. These are the root causes of most, if not all, of the top killers of modern humans, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and other cognitive disorders, type 2 diabetes, and obesity related disorders often referred to as metabolic syndrome. New research is also revealing links between hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance and cancer.
The short-term problem with overeating carbs is that spiking your blood glucose dumps insulin, which signals your body to store the blood glucose, not burned in real time, as fat. This obviously, leads to weight gain.
Even though I am an active weight-lifter, I eat moderate protein. Overeating protein is unnecessary, even if your goal is building lean muscle mass through resistance training. Most of the bodybuilding crowd overeats protein as they associate protein with muscle building. Whatever your goal, our bodies can only utilize about 15 – 25 grams at one time. Overeating protein is a waste and can cause short term effects like bad breath, dehydration, joint pain, and headaches.
The truth about fat is that saturated fat and cholesterol are not bad for us. Demonized by mainstream medicine for decades, saturated fat and dietary cholesterol are in fact essential for good health. Mainstream medicine’s dogma is a result of questionable science, shady business interests, and corrupt politics. There is no evidence-based science supporting the mythical links between consumption of saturated fat or dietary cholesterol, and heart disease or the other top killers of modern humans. In fact, the most recent and most reliable research has showed exactly the opposite.
Here’s the plan:
1. Do:
Exercise: Find a way to do cardio exercise (bike, run, walk, whatever is available and do-able). Get your heart rate up and sweat. Find a way to do resistance training. Use free weights if you have them. If you don’t have any and can’t get to a gym, use an improvised machine, TRX straps, and/or your own body weight in order to put a load on your muscles. For best results, train to failure.
Eat Right: The most important part of the plan is nutrition. Track your macronutrients and your calories. Using a calorie counting app, like MyFitnessPal, makes tracking easy. My recommended macro percentages are 10/20/70 – carbs/protein/fat. After entering your personal data, the app will calculate how may total calories you should eat in order to hit your weight goal. Anyone who claims calories don’t matter doesn’t understand E = mc2
If you don’t believe Energy and Mass are equivalent, please bypass me and instead submit your paper to the Nobel Committee for Physics in Sweden.
Eat healthy fats like whole free-range organic eggs, grass fed organic beef, wild caught cold water fish like salmon, organic pasture raised dark meat chicken, avocados, grass fed organic butter, coconut oil, olive oil, nuts and seeds. You do not have to eat red meat or any other meat. You can execute perfect Keto as a vegetarian. Some form of animal fat like whole eggs will do just fine.
Eat plenty of green vegetables like asparagus and broccoli. It’s hard to overeat green leafy veggies like spinach, kale, and collard greens. Eat a small amount of low glycemic fruits like strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Apples and oranges are great but one serving might be half of your carbs for the day.
2. Don’t:
Don’t eat sugar. Sugar is not food, sugar is poison. Sugar has zero nutritional value. It only has an energy value. Consuming sugar repeatedly will elevate your blood glucose, cause hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance, and lead to a noninfectious disease diagnosis.
Don’t eat processed grains like bread, pasta, and cereal. Don’t eat processed anything. If it comes in a box, a can, or is shrink wrapped, it’s not food. Read labels and if there is a single ingredient that you can’t pronounce or never heard of, it’s not food. Real whole intact foods have a shelf life.
Avoid eating carb-heavy root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and yams. If you do choose these, eat small quantities, as it will likely be your total allotment of carbs for the day.
Sample meal plan:
Breakfast – Coffee with 1 tbs MCT oil. Whole egg and kale (or spinach) scramble cooked in butter, garnished with avocado slices (I like to add some hot sauce for additional flavor)
Snack 1 – One orange or berries
Lunch – Baked chicken thigh and a green veggie. If unable to get to the grocery store because of COVID-19, some canned tuna or salmon mixed with mayo and cherry tomatoes
Snack 2 – Almonds or sunflower seeds
Dinner – Grilled steak or other meat and a green veggie (broccoli, spinach, kale, etc) or salad made primarily of dark leafy greens
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest, maintaining good health is now more important than ever. Good nutrition will strengthen your immune system. One of the best defenses against the virus is a strong immune system. Regular exercise is not only great for our physical health, it improves our emotional health. Exercise can help you deal with anxiety and stress.
You too can get results. You can achieve and maintain your health and fitness goals. You can be your best self!
Yours in Health and Fitness,
JD Griffin
Author and Certified Nutrition Coach
Although disappointed, I figured, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I also like a challenge. I decided then, I’d maintain my stage ready physique until the next contest was allowed. (As of today, that show is scheduled for Sept 12th) Soon after the March contest was canceled, as everyone knows, things went from bad to worse. All the gyms closed and remain closed. Fortunately, I’m in technology so I’m able to work from home.
Without a gym, my challenge became how to continue to train hard and stay in top physical condition. First of all, I don’t believe in excuses. You can have results or you can have excuses, but not both. I ruptured a disk in college, I tore part of a tricep off the bone ten years later, and both of my rotator cuffs are severely torn. More recently, I tweaked a knee running on city streets soon after my local track closed down due to stay-at-home measures. Throw in the temptation to overeat out of boredom, while stuck at home all day, and I had a long list of potential excuses.
But then I considered all the people with real problems. Millions had lost their jobs, lost loved ones, and lost their lives due to the coronavirus pandemic. I was grateful to be amongst the lucky. I was able to work from home and was in good health. I choose to make no excuses and instead make results.
Fortunately, at home I already had a weight lifting bench and a set of dumbbells going up to 50 lbs. Not nearly as heavy as I’d use in a gym, but I adapted my training. More reps, more sets, and more volume. I also have a spin bike so can get my cardio in, even if I can’t run on the street. I got creative. I used the frame for a hanging chair to fashion a pull-down machine. I bought a heavy-duty pully, some plastic-coated steel cable, and ordered different attachments online for my home back and triceps cable machine. I also bought a length of plumbing pipe with T fittings and using carabiners created a barbell system that I can use for straight bar curls and squats. I no longer needed a gym. All of these projects I documented in videos you can find on my YouTube channel, if you’re interested in doing any of these things yourself!
Now, the most important aspect of staying in top condition is eating right. If you don’t get your nutrition right, nothing else matters. Stuck at home, I’d be tempted to overeat and/or indulge in comfort foods. I follow a low-carb, moderate-protein, high-fat nutrition plan. For anyone who’s not read my Keto blogs, here’s a refresher.
Why You Should Follow a Keto Nutrition Plan (Also Known as Low-carb, High-fat):
If you overeat carbohydrates, you spike your blood glucose. The long-term problem is repeatedly spiking your blood glucose leads to inflammation, high insulin levels (known as “hyperinsulinemia”), and eventually insulin resistance. These are the root causes of most, if not all, of the top killers of modern humans, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and other cognitive disorders, type 2 diabetes, and obesity related disorders often referred to as metabolic syndrome. New research is also revealing links between hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance and cancer.
The short-term problem with overeating carbs is that spiking your blood glucose dumps insulin, which signals your body to store the blood glucose, not burned in real time, as fat. This obviously, leads to weight gain.
Even though I am an active weight-lifter, I eat moderate protein. Overeating protein is unnecessary, even if your goal is building lean muscle mass through resistance training. Most of the bodybuilding crowd overeats protein as they associate protein with muscle building. Whatever your goal, our bodies can only utilize about 15 – 25 grams at one time. Overeating protein is a waste and can cause short term effects like bad breath, dehydration, joint pain, and headaches.
The truth about fat is that saturated fat and cholesterol are not bad for us. Demonized by mainstream medicine for decades, saturated fat and dietary cholesterol are in fact essential for good health. Mainstream medicine’s dogma is a result of questionable science, shady business interests, and corrupt politics. There is no evidence-based science supporting the mythical links between consumption of saturated fat or dietary cholesterol, and heart disease or the other top killers of modern humans. In fact, the most recent and most reliable research has showed exactly the opposite.
Here’s the plan:
1. Do:
Exercise: Find a way to do cardio exercise (bike, run, walk, whatever is available and do-able). Get your heart rate up and sweat. Find a way to do resistance training. Use free weights if you have them. If you don’t have any and can’t get to a gym, use an improvised machine, TRX straps, and/or your own body weight in order to put a load on your muscles. For best results, train to failure.
Eat Right: The most important part of the plan is nutrition. Track your macronutrients and your calories. Using a calorie counting app, like MyFitnessPal, makes tracking easy. My recommended macro percentages are 10/20/70 – carbs/protein/fat. After entering your personal data, the app will calculate how may total calories you should eat in order to hit your weight goal. Anyone who claims calories don’t matter doesn’t understand E = mc2
If you don’t believe Energy and Mass are equivalent, please bypass me and instead submit your paper to the Nobel Committee for Physics in Sweden.
Eat healthy fats like whole free-range organic eggs, grass fed organic beef, wild caught cold water fish like salmon, organic pasture raised dark meat chicken, avocados, grass fed organic butter, coconut oil, olive oil, nuts and seeds. You do not have to eat red meat or any other meat. You can execute perfect Keto as a vegetarian. Some form of animal fat like whole eggs will do just fine.
Eat plenty of green vegetables like asparagus and broccoli. It’s hard to overeat green leafy veggies like spinach, kale, and collard greens. Eat a small amount of low glycemic fruits like strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Apples and oranges are great but one serving might be half of your carbs for the day.
2. Don’t:
Don’t eat sugar. Sugar is not food, sugar is poison. Sugar has zero nutritional value. It only has an energy value. Consuming sugar repeatedly will elevate your blood glucose, cause hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance, and lead to a noninfectious disease diagnosis.
Don’t eat processed grains like bread, pasta, and cereal. Don’t eat processed anything. If it comes in a box, a can, or is shrink wrapped, it’s not food. Read labels and if there is a single ingredient that you can’t pronounce or never heard of, it’s not food. Real whole intact foods have a shelf life.
Avoid eating carb-heavy root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and yams. If you do choose these, eat small quantities, as it will likely be your total allotment of carbs for the day.
Sample meal plan:
Breakfast – Coffee with 1 tbs MCT oil. Whole egg and kale (or spinach) scramble cooked in butter, garnished with avocado slices (I like to add some hot sauce for additional flavor)
Snack 1 – One orange or berries
Lunch – Baked chicken thigh and a green veggie. If unable to get to the grocery store because of COVID-19, some canned tuna or salmon mixed with mayo and cherry tomatoes
Snack 2 – Almonds or sunflower seeds
Dinner – Grilled steak or other meat and a green veggie (broccoli, spinach, kale, etc) or salad made primarily of dark leafy greens
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest, maintaining good health is now more important than ever. Good nutrition will strengthen your immune system. One of the best defenses against the virus is a strong immune system. Regular exercise is not only great for our physical health, it improves our emotional health. Exercise can help you deal with anxiety and stress.
You too can get results. You can achieve and maintain your health and fitness goals. You can be your best self!
Yours in Health and Fitness,
JD Griffin
Author and Certified Nutrition Coach
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