5 Foods that Will turn your Daily Commute Into a Fat Burning Furnace.

I'm a trainer in San Pedro but I live and go to college at Loyola Marymount University so my week is a series of 30 min 22 mile commutes to and fro these two places. I do this commute sometimes twice a day so I'm puttin in at least 5 hrs a week in the car... bummer. Anyway, I'm always looking to make this mundane journey work to my advantage and one of the things I do is stock it with food that allows me to recover from my workouts, promote fat-loss, and just keep me at optimal health.

One of the recurring themes I see with my athletes/clients when we hit a brick wall or a plateau with our progress is the concept of busyness. Now gym time well spent is good and all but its the time you spend and habits you adopt out of the gym that makes all the difference.

If someone is not getting the results their after this is the conversation I have.


me:Did you eat breakfast?"

athlete: "No"

me: "Why not?"

athlete: "I was running out the door, didn't have time"

Then I'll ask this one

me: "Ok when was the last time you ate?"



athlete: "I haven't" or "six hours ago"

Time for the come-to-Jesus talk...

Ok, I know you're busy; kids, jobs, wives, husbands, bills, soccer practice, recitals, etc. but being busy just isn't an excuse. There are too many things you can do to make being busy work to your advantage.
First of all busy is good. Busy = Activity = calories burned, pounds lost, etc.

Being busy means you don't have to sit on the couch trying to ignore the Ben & Jerry's in the fridge.



So if you find yourself with no time to prepare a healthy meal take this list to turn your car into a fat incinerator.


Broccoli, Carrots (preferably raw)-(kept in fridge taken with you before you walk out the door.) I buy the packaged broccoli florets and sliced carrot combo. Its in a pretty small bag and already cut up so i can just munch on them while I drive. I hate eating veggies at meals but if there just sittin there in the passenger seat in traffic I got nothing else better to do than eat em. They take a lot of room in you stomach and vegtables like broccoli are a bona fide super food packed with fiber and do-goodins and you can eat as much as your gums can take.
(disclaimer: broccoli = breath like a grassy knoll , keep mouthwash handy)
You can also bring any pre-cut veggie with you I just happen to prefer Broccoli.

Low fat String cheese- Also keep in fridge grab 3-4 strings before you walk out with the broccoli. Sorry to make you go to the fridge in such a hurry but c'mon theres no prep time! Its like a buffet, Grab and GO. Grab and GO. Low fat string cheese is virtually protein on a stick. 6 grams a protein a pop thats great so gobble at any time. Note: protein is where a lot of people get it wrong. Dont neglect to eat protein its the raw material for muscle.

Keep These foods in a bag in the backseat within reaching distance

Almonds- I go to Trader Joe's and get the dry roasted unsalted variety. Almonds are another super food loaded with essential fatty acids and will curb your appetite. These are super healthy but calorie dense so don't go nuts.. bad joke. I sometimes get raw almonds because they taste just ok meang I won't overeat.

Beef Jerky: Loaded with muscle-building protein and are the perfect food to sit handy in your car as it will not spoil. Hell, if you dont eat it it will probably outlast the next ice age.

Protein Shakes/Powder- I keep a tub of powder in my trunk with plastic cups and utensils to mix it with. You can also get shkes in a can that can sit in your backseat RTD (ready to drink)

Fruit?- If you keep tabs on the food you can put some apples and oranges in the car handy for you to eat but fruit doesnt like to stay edible for long in the car. After a couple days they start to age and resemble Rodney Rangerfield.

*the trick here is to have foods you can tolerate but don't love. You wanna capitalize on the desire to eat out of boredom not because it tastes great, otherwise you run the risk of overeating.

So there you have it. A small list of foods that if you keep handy and actually eat on your commutes you will find yourself eating out less, saving money, losing weight, and performing better at work, home, and in the gym. I.E You just got better at everything. Win. Win.
done and done.

Go to Failure

Failure and Rejection… the two scariest words in the English language. For most people at least, these two words are avoided like the plague. Even as I write this I’m apprehensive and fear that this article will suck.
Ah self-doubt, It’s like a disease, a ball and chain. Its enough to make you crazy. I am in a constant crusade to plow through this inclination to submit to fear of failure. Isn’t it amazing how you can get all the encouragement in the world, but a single insult, or naysayer can crumble morale?

In my personal quest for success, I have learned that, failure is crucial and When encountered it should be embraced as a catalyst for self-knowledge and personal growth.

When it comes to training we are encouraged to go to failure in order to reap the benefits we seek. Going to failure is necessary to trigger an adaptive response and altar body composition.
The mind adapts much the same way. Repeated stimulus triggers neurons to fire in our brains causing this fight or flight response. In the case of doing what one fears, repeated acts of courage over time weakens the stimulus (doing something we fear) like public speaking. Your body cannot keep reacting to the same thing the same way so it adapts in an effort to reach homeostasis. The repeated act no longer fires neurons, thus no more sweaty palms, no more butterflies, no more weak knees, no more fear.
Rejection, defeat, and failure are conditioning for the will, mind, and spirit.

“Every perceived failure lies the seed of an equal or greater benefit”-N. Hill

When you lose, appreciate it. You have been given a gift. You have been given adversity, a story to tell. This hardship, if you overcome it, puts you among the greats. Can you tell me about anyone who has succeeded at everything they do without fail. Nope! The ones who come close, who had everything going for them, talent, money and resources usually throw it away because they’ve done nothing to get it. Remember high school? How many star athletes with zero work ethic have we seen recede into oblivion after graduation?
When things are hard for you, you gain appreciation, humility, wisdom, character, self-reliance and a wealth of other virtues. Not to mention happiness that is unreliant on circumstance, but is intrinsic.

For most of my childhood I was short, overweight, timid as all hell, and had little athletic ability. I didn’t know what it was like to have a girl like me. You may say “boo hoo!” but for a 12 year old boy this kind of thing is all important.I was the nice guy they had pass notes to their crush at recess. Yah… i was “That Guy”! It sucked about as much as my grades, catching ability, and free throw (I played an awful lot of sports for someone who really shouldn't). I was miserable at the time, my self-esteem sucked, and I saw myself becoming self-loathing and lazy.
Unfortunately, this is the state most people enter when they have similar situations growing up and they never get out. For some reason i just couldn't settle. Thank God i didn't.

I am so grateful now I grew up the way I did. I ‘m so glad things weren't easy for me. As a sad little chubby kid I went to the gym and came out confident, fit, and hard-working. I learned so much about myself and life from the obstacles i forced myself to climb. Although my original goals in the gym were at first very superficial, i didn't realize what i’d gain. Discipline and an attitude that just wont accept defeat. I know there's always hope and i hold so much power over my life if i am just willing to use it.