Five Ways for Louisiana to Lose Fat

Louisiana (and Baton Rouge) You're the Second Fattest Population in the US, and the Least Healthy in the Entire Country.

We smoke too much, drink too much, and we eat food that packs on fat. Go to any restaurant in Baton Rouge, and you'll find some of the best local food anywhere in the country. But what do they do? They deep fry everything. To top it all off, your typical Baton Rouge resident loves to wash it down with some Natural Light brand beer (and a few cigarettes).

We're Supposed to Be the "Sportsman's Paradise," But Our Biggest "Sport" Seems to Be Eating Crap.

Now I'm not saying that you can't enjoy some "junk food" once in a while, but in Louisiana it seems that "junk food" is considered normal. We love to eat, which is a good thing, but it should be real food.

The Crazy Thing is That People in Louisiana Have Everything They Need to Look Great, and Lose the Fat.

We've got people who love to hunt and fish, tons of sunlight (which helps you make Vitamin D), and clean water. In fact, Baton Rouge has some of the cleanest water in the entire country. So what the heck is going on?

Here's What Needs to Be Done.

1. Ditch the Deep Fried Foods. We have an amazing variety of local food, and it blows my mind when it gets tossed into a fryer. You can't even taste it anymore - it turns into a bready oily flavorless mess. Red Fish is way better when it doesn't taste like bread.

 

2. Stop Binge Drinking. It's great when people get outside or tailgate at an LSU game. But believe it or not, you can enjoy a drink or two without tossing back an entire case of Natural Light. The refined carbohydrates like those found in beer, spike your insulin levels causing you to store fat. Even if you under-eat that day, your fat storage hormones are running high. Wine and hard liquor (not mixed drinks) are a better choice, but once again, if you drink too much, you'll destroy your hormone levels and your immune system.

 

3. Stop Smoking. When you consume nicotine on a regular basis, not only do you ruin your body's ability to heal itself, but you actually increase another potent fat storage hormone. You see, nicotine is a stimulant and it's great at increasing cortisol levels. Cortisol is a "fight-or-flight" stress hormone, and when it's high, so is your blood sugar. High blood sugar leads to insulin resistance and eventually fat storage.

 

4. Go Outdoors On Foot. During Duck and Deer season, you'll see tons of trucks around Baton Rouge carrying motorboats, fan boats, four-wheelers etc. Now obviously it's not always easy to get to your favorite hunting or fishing spot on foot, but don't make it a luxury cruise. You could actually go fishing in a Pirouge or Canoe. I've got a friend from Kinder who actually goes Wood Duck hunting on foot. He gets plenty of exercise and food - the way our ancestors did since the beginning of time.

 

5. Exercise With Intensity. Both the Baton Rouge and Zachary gyms that I train at, are filled with people who think that watching TV on a treadmill is exercise. They'll sit there for hours walking their rear end off and wondering why they don't lose any fat. I like to think of a treadmill as a "hamster wheel." Heck, the Hamster gets to have a water bottle too.  Intense resistance training and sprint intervals are the missing components of most people's workouts.  If you want to look like this hamster, just keep running on your "hamster wheel."

If we're going to be the "Sportsman's Paradise," we should look like it. Have something to say? Leave a comment and let me know what you're thinking.