Are there really any secrets to shedding unwanted body fat, getting fit, and improving your health? Some fitness gurus may not like to hear me say this but the answer is no. This isn’t to say there aren’t strategies that a knowledgeable and experienced coach can provide you, but real bona-fide secrets, nah not really.

It all comes down to finding out what works best for your body and then doing it consistently enough to see the results you want. Everyone’s looking for the magic bullet, that quick-fix to make things easy.

Let me ask you something, how many worthwhile goals or objectives have you ever achieved without sacrifice, focused effort, and discipline? I’ll bet if you’re honest with yourself you won’t be able to name much.

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A couple weeks back I wrote a post on the fallacy of thinking you can out exercise a bad diet. I wanted to continue that conversation today as this is no doubt an important lesson to learn if you want to lose weight.

I’ve been on record before stating that I’m a big believer in a moderation mindset. The 80/20 rule applies to most things in your life. It’s not about being perfect but doing the things that lead you closer to your goals the majority of the time.

You’ll find opinions and beliefs that go to one far side to the left or right on just about any subject. Diet and nutrition is certainly no exception. I tend to avoid the senseless debate that occurs on the fringes for the most part. To each his own is fine by me.

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Every now and then I see some funny and light hearted blog posts or columns come out on the subject of fitness and working out. I love this kind of stuff as we need to loosen up and not be so serious all the time about working out.

Sure, it’s hard work and comes with its fare share of discomfort. But that’s all part of the deal with triggering your body to change. Heck, if it was always easy your body wouldn’t have any reason to adapt.

That’s actually a golden nugget piece of advice if you picked it up. Not seeing results with your workouts? More than likely it’s because you’re not giving your body a reason to adapt. Going through the same old “three sets of ten” and watching CNN while you ride the recumbent bike ain’t going to cut it.

But I digress. The reason for this post was to share this awesome piece I picked up by James Fell, a certified strength and conditioning fellow out of Calgary Canada. I cracked up when I first read it. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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I was reading through the news feeds this morning and saw a story about BMI (body mass index) for Hollywood stars and celebrities. It reminded me just how misleading BMI assessments can be.

The practice of using body mass index as a way to determine a healthy body weight has been around for years. Originally used by the US military to determine eligibility for service, physicians and health professionals have adopted this protocol for their own evaluations. Some insurance companies still use this outdated measurement when determining cost of coverage. I’m surprised you don’t hear more outcry against the practice of using BMI measurments because it can most definitely be misleading.

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A friend of mine forwarded me a recent press release from CBS News that had the following headline. “Eating Lots Of Chocolate Helps People Stay Thin, Study Finds.� Are you kidding me? I couldn’t believe it was true until I read it with my own eyes.

This is exactly the kind of misleading information that keeps people stuck in a body they’re not happy with. Now before we get into the study let’s just accept the fact that you can find conflicting reports on just about anything related to health, fitness, and wellness.

One study says coffee is bad for you, the next one says it’s healthy, and the list goes on. The thing that bothers me the most is that some people will read this story from CBS News and use it as a way to justify their habit of indulging with chocolate.

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With all my years as a fitness professional and coach one of the biggest misconceptions I see some people clinging onto is the idea that exercise can make up for poor diet choices.

The reality is with the exception of about 5-10% of the population blessed with an ultra-fast metabolism, trying to use workouts to make up for that slice of cheesecake isn’t going to cut it.

Granted, I’m all about moderation and don’t go around preaching to people that they should NEVER eat outside of a Primal Blueprint diet.

In the big picture of things the occasional “break� from your supportive nutrition diet isn’t going to move the scale that far one way or the other anyways. It comes down to what you’re doing the majority of the time.

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Quite frequently I come across useful tips and little known facts on health, fitness, and nutrition. Some I pick up during research and others are forwarded by friends and colleagues.

I thought it would be a good idea to start a series where I shared the inside scoop on this stuff. Quick little bits of info that you may not have known. Hope you pick up a thing or two and enjoy reading the posts.

Of course with any natural remedy, alternative treatments, etc, some will work for people and not others. I won’t be telling you to throw away your meds and go eat tree bark or anything like that, but I’ve got to do the disclaimer thing you know.  Be smart and for heaven’s sake always consult with your physician when needed. Ok, that’s out of the way.

If you come across anything you’d like me to share or review by all means please forward my way. I always love hearing from readers. Alright, without further ado here are the “did you know?” tidbits for part one.

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As a parent how would you feel if you packed your son or daughter’s lunch only to find the school had searched through it and determined it wasn’t healthy enough and sent you a bill for the cafeteria food they served your child instead…even if they didn’t touch a bite of it?

You’d be furious I’m sure. Not only is the school in essence telling you that you’re not fit to care for the health of your own children, but if you won’t get in line with their standards, they’ll do it for you.

Think this could never happen? Think again…it’s happening right now!

I was shocked by a story this week where a preschool girl in North Carolina had her sack lunch searched by school officials who determined the turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips, and apple juice did not meet the US Department of Agriculture guidelines.

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Dr Oz, one of America’s favorite health experts, recently took to the airwaves to reveal a nutrition plan he claimed could help reverse a sluggish metabolism in a mere seven days.

I was curious to see what he included in his “Metabolism Makeover� as I’ve been a fan of Dr. Oz’s ever since reading his book “You On A Diet.�

The first principal Dr. Oz teaches in his plan is to “eat slimming super-foods.� For maximum benefits to your metabolism he recommends eating unprocessed all-natural foods. Someone give me a “halleluiah� as finally someone is teaching the truth rather than gimmicks!

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The United States Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday its new rules for school lunches which go into effect July 1rst, and be phased in over a three year period.

This move is being applauded by many individuals as a way to counter youth obesity in this country. Look, I’m ALL about tackling poor nutrition with school lunches and working to resolve this serious problem we have with rising obesity rates (now at about 17% of US children).

But are these new rules really going to do much of anything?

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