On today’s episode, Debbie talks with triathlete and coach Mark Allen about his approach to heart rate training. Many will know Mark as one of the premier American triathletes of all time, and he is now a coach to high-level triathletes and runs his own coaching business at http://www.markallencoaching.com/. He is partner in another business to promote mental health, stress management and fitness on all levels called Fit Soul, Fit Body (http://www.fitsoul-fitbody.com/) Finally, he is also co-author of the book The Art of Competition with Nick Borelli.

Mark talks about the importance both of heart rate training, and in making certain that you are going slow enough to build aerobic strength. Aerobic strength is what allows you to endure, and a good aerobic base is essential for being able to stay strong throughout a long race, and throughout the season.

Both Mark and Debbie recognize that trying to focus on aerobic strength, and making sure that your heart rate will stay low throughout a training session can be frustrating. We are naturally focused on going harder and faster, and it will take a change in our mindset to spend our time on lower-intensity, aerobic work instead. However, though it may cause some irritation when we are force ourselves to go slower so that we can build aerobic strength, the rewards are well worth it, as we can stay strong through a race or throughout the season.

Heart rate training and aerobic exercise also train the body to burn fat instead of calories from carbohydrates. This means that an athlete can tap into a far larger source of energy, and as Debbie points out, can free them from the need to be constantly providing the body with more nutrients throughout a race. Aerobic strength is one of the keys to becoming a fat burning machine.

Heart rate training is also a key aspect of Debbie’s WHOLESTIC coaching program. Download the app from iTunes.

In this week's episode of Fit Fat Fast Jon and Debbie learn that when life hands you lemons, you talk about Adrenal Fatigue.  A failed interview attempt on Jon's part leads to a really great conversation about a very unsexy, but very important, part of Metabolic Efficiency.  In this episode Jon and Debbie answer listener questions in the studio, talking about why Bulletproof Coffee is NOT addicting (but why you may think it is), how Jon fuels training, how to handle high-intensity workouts when you’re fat adapted and how heart rate spikes affect MAF training.

Then, after scrapping an interview with technical difficulty Jon and Debbie get back on the phone (this time Debbie is on the beach in Kona) and they talk personally about the dark hole of adrenal fatigue.

Today Debbie has Scott Olsen as her guest. Scott previously worked at Debbie’s studio in Bellevue, and is now building his own fitness and training business in San Diego. His work is based around the practice of “bracing.” This is more than simply building core muscle, but finding ways to connect that strength to both upper and lower body as well.

Using his approach, a person “roots” themselves by imagining themselves pressing down into the earth. As Debbie points out, there are similarities between the process of finding your center as she discussed with Halley Bock a couple of weeks ago and finding your center physically so you can use that strength in your training. Bracing emphasizes engaging your glutes and the psoas muscle, which is deep down inside your pelvis.

Scott’s has quick pointers regarding how to use bracing in triathlon training. Bracing will improve your form in every sport, and the focus on breathing properly is always going to be important. He points out that we are often braced properly for sprinting and short distances, but with longer distances we start to get sloppy, which can lead to both injury and extra, unnecessary effort.

Scott can be contacted through http://beyondthemuscle.com/.

Debbie and Jon welcome Dr. Paul Jaminet, co-author of The Perfect Health Diet on to talk about macro-nutrient ratios, proper amounts of protein, safe starches and essential foods.  We just start scratching the surface on what has become (for Jon anyway) such an important road-map of nutrition.

Most important, we talk about optimal amounts of daily carbohydrate needs and it might be higher than you think!  For sure it’s an information filled conversation.  Also, Jon and Debbie talk about racing and training in hot weather and we go deep on a very important topic: If you’re borderline Metabolic Syndrome, are you really finding health at the finish line of races, or are you doing more harm than good.  Enjoy!

This week Debbie talks with her old friend Brock Armstrong. Brock has been away from podcasting for a while, with his new job at Bulletproof Executive. He’s happy to be back, and eager to share his knowledge about diet, and the Bulletproof diet in particular.

Listeners are particularly interested in the concept of sugar detox, and so Debbie wanted to know what Brock and Bulletproof’s approach to that was. Obviously, the Bulletproof diet is focussed on making more healthy choices about our nutrition, but as Brock says, it is less about making absolute rules about what you can and can’t eat, and more about making sure you know what the costs of your choices will be.

Brock points to an example of one of his clients who had successfully removed sugar from her diet, but Christmas came and she went back to the sweets without even having cravings. He points out that if sugar hadn’t been “forbidden” it would have been easier to eat a little bit and then get back to a sugar-free approach to eating. Instead, a rule-based approach means that people can go “off the wagon,” and then have to go through the detox process again.

In addition, Debbie and Brock decide that instead of “detox,” it should be called a sugar “reset” instead. This is a more accurate term for removing sugar from your diet, and the term “detox” has been associated with so many dietary changes that it has lost its meaning. As far as sugar goes, what people want to do is stop eating it, and stop craving it. In other words, reset their relationship to it. 

In the end, what is important is not necessarily to eat less, just to make sure that you are eating the right things. Making good choices about what you eat is a far more important step that you can take.   

Today on FFF, Debbie and Jon dive into the world of blood glucose meters, Jon talks about ones he likes and, more important, we discuss why someone who does not have diabetes might need/want to check their blood sugar.  There are a few specific reasons why you might want to and a slew of reasons why it might not be necessary.

We also go over how Jon fueled a Half-Ironman on only 400 supplemental calories and then we answer several listener questions including why not to take up metabolic efficiency during the racing season, how do you know you’re in fat burning mode, do kids need metabolic efficiency and why you should stay the hell away from fried, starchy foods.

This week Debbie talks with her friend Halley Bock about how to make real change and become a better version of yourself in 2016. Whether your goal is to perform better in a race, lose weight or stick to a 21 day sugar detox, if you keep doing the same thing, you can only expect things to stay the same.  It is time to take an alternative direction in how we set goals and how to create action plan to improve ourselves… change your mind set by working from the inside out.

Both Debbie and Halley have five suggestions to work from the inside out, instead of the other way around as in most weight loss or detox programs:

Debbie’s Suggestions

Look at the WHOLESTIC method to improved fat loss, health and performance

Halley’s suggestions: 

Disconnecting so we can connect to ourselves instead

What Debbie and Halley both agree on is that fitness is a mental and emotional journey as well as a physical one.

This week we have a broadcast of Mark Allen's podcast Real People of his interview with chef Leo Di Canio.

"Just about every triathlete, every athlete, wants to improve, to have breakthrough moments that alter their lives forever. I had many of those during my career racing triathlons with most coming at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. But many of you probably look at me as having some sort of gifted toolshed of athletic talent that few have. Okay, I do have skinny ankles and a big heart! That served me well. But what if you are NOT a thoroughbred yet still want to have those incredible experiences that say "I Did It”! 

In this episode of Real People I talk with someone who did all of that and more. His name is Leo Di Canio. He’s the Iron Chef for MarkAllenCoaching.com and an athlete that I've coached for a number of years now. He recounts an incredible 3-year climb up the fitness ladder going from zero training and no experience in triathlons to testing the waters in a sprint race where he finished dead last to just recently winning the Iron distance in the Clydesdale division at the HITS Championships in December 2015! 

Leo shares some valuable insights into how he went from just trying to be a finisher to changing his mindset, his training, and his strategy to become a champion in his division. His journey is nothing shy of incredible and a story I know everyone can relate to. Put on the headphones. You are in for a real treat!"

Today, Debbie talks to Melissa Mantak about coaching and improving your swimming for triathlon. She has been working in triathlon as an athlete and coach for two decades and has been coaching full-time since 2000.

The topic today is swimming, and improving your stroke. As Debbie points out, the swim portion of the triathlon can be frustrating for people who came from running or cycling before they started on triathlon. However, as Melissa points out, even Olympians like Michael Phelps need to work on their stroke, so whatever level you are at, never feel nervous about trying to improve.

Melissa also brings up the fact that while your stroke rate is important, it is equally important that you speed up after you’ve improved your form. It is important that your speed comes in conjunction with using good form. In fact, she recommends working on your stroke at the beginning of your swim workout, so that you’ve already made your improvements before you start trying to swim faster.  

Melissa is a certified USAT coach, former coach of the USAT national development program and also a former ITU World Cup Champion. She is currently an entrepreneur and owner of the Empowered Athlete, LLC.  She also wrote the chapter on moving from sprint to Ironman in USAT’s book The Women’s Guide to Triathlon.

On today’s episode of Fit Fat Fast, we talk about the Adrenal System as we go over Debbie’s adrenal screening. We talk about adrenal testing, how and why stress plays a role and we discuss the negative impacts of adrenal fatigue on metabolism. We also talk about when NOT to use Bullet Proof Coffee, what to eat before a 70.3, why persistence is key with getting started on metabolic efficiency, how long it takes to see the benefits of ME on Maffetone training, and why tortillas may not be bad (or why they may be!).

We also talk about the role of the hooch in fat adaptation and why someone who wants the most benefit of metabolic efficiency may want to avoid the bottle. Lots of stuff in today’s show! Enjoy!