Ate-y Twent-y

A few months ago, I told a client about the 80/20 rule and for some reason, he mixed it up and thought it meant he should eat 80% carbs and 20% protein. Yikes. He wasn't liking me much, little did I know, when at about the 3 week point (he was trying to drop some weight for beach season) I was confused as to why he was gaining weight despite intense cardio and a program geared towards getting him lean. After I questioned him about his diet regime, I laughed so hard. "Are you nuts?" I mean, I'm all for carbs (screw you, Atkins people. Your diet is a cardiac arrest waiting to happen) but Hayzeus, he was eating half a loaf of bread a day and that was just for breakfast. He was a big boy, needless to say.

What I learned : Try not to confuse your clients (or people in general) by throwing too many numbers at them. That's why they hire a Personal Trainer. They want me to calculate their BMI, Target Heart Rate, Max Heart Rate and then yell at them until the hour is up. I totally get that - you want to go on autopilot and just do what your told. Show up, tune out, and try not to cry when I tell you about that extra set of plyometrics we're gonna do today, just for fun. Jump squats and jump lunges with a medicine ball make me squeal with joy....you not so much. I get that.

All you need to make sure to tune in for is this:

Ideal Carb/Protein/Fat ratio - 40/30/30 **This is approximate and can vary depending on your goals.** YES you need fat. NO you can't eat McDonalds. Next time we'll discuss the different types of fats and why you need the good ones .

NOT the same as:

80/20 Rule - Simply put, if you follow the clean eating lifestyle, exercise and work hard 80% of the time, it's OK to relax a bit the other 20% - reserve that time for birthdays, holidays, vacations, PMS or whatever. (Weekends? PWS?)You've earned it.

Remember - Don't jump all over yourself if you mess up! We all do. You don't deserve to be berated and kicked when your down. Chaulk it up to human nature and resolve to do better. Or tell me about it so I can make you do 5 more minutes of plank/pushup :D That'll fix ya.

Ok class, so let's reiterate that - Ignore me for 80% of the time and the other 20%, spend plotting a way to "accidentally'' kick me in the face. Nooooo. The answer is pay attention. That was a test.