Tuesday, March 31, 2009

North Vancouver Personal Trainer Gives You 2 Exercise and Diet Tips to Live By

If you want to get lean and stay lean for life, these 2 exercise and diet tips below ultimately sum up what all of us need to do to accomplish this.

Keep it simple because… simple works!

TOP 2 EXERCISE TIPS













1. Invest in a Whole Body Workout
This means doing a five-exercise circuit (designed to work your upper body, lower body, and core) at least three times per week with a day of rest between workouts. A good whole body circuit that I like to use in my North Vancouver Boot Camp is alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for each a double-leg (e.g. squat), push (e.g. push-up), single-leg (e.g. lunge), pull (e.g. row), and core (e.g. plank) exercise. Perform up to 4 rounds without rest for a killer 20-minute total body workout.
Check out this post for a great whole body workout that you can do at home: http://tyronpiteau.blogspot.com/2009/03/for-bride-to-be-bridal-fitness-workout.html

2. Harness the Power of Intervals
Interval training is scientifically proven to burn more body fat than ordinary exercise and elevates metabolism for up to 36 hours following your workout (researchers stopped measuring at that time so essentially it could be longer). Perform cardio intervals on non-strength training days three times per week. Selecting your cardio exercise of choice, alternate between 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest and repeat this 30 second interval eight times for four total minutes followed by a one-minute rest. Repeat for up to 20 total minutes. This routine works best on a stationary bike or for body weight cardio exercise that you can do at home like running in place, jumping jacks or burpees (a favourite of clients).

TOP 2 DIET TIPS













1. Eat Early and Often
Eat immediately upon waking and then every two to four hours to put yourself in fat burning and muscle feeding mode. By continuously fueling your furnace, and eating some protein (meat, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts, etc.) at every feeding, you’ll also keep your metabolism revved up throughout the day and prevent overeating.

2. Think Fiber First When Consuming Carbs
Eat an unlimited amount of fibrous, cruciferous green veggies to fill your belly both during and between meals. For optimal fat-burning, try to limit other carbohydrate consumption (bread, potatoes, rice, pasta) to within 1-3 hours post-workout when your body best tolerates starches and sugars.

Live by these 2 training and nutrition rules CONSISTENTLY and you will have a body that'll please you. Remember: it doesn't have to be hard so keep it simple.

Resurrect your body back to life!

Tyron

PS. Visit the link below to get your FREE 1-week trial and experience some of the best workouts in North Vancouver.

http://www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com

PPS. Please forward this blog post to anybody that you know who can benefit from it! Tweet This

Monday, March 30, 2009

How Fasting WILL Help You Lose Fat

A colleague of mine in Ontario has an interesting concept when it comes to losing fat and he calls it Eat Stop Eat, which is basically intermittent fasting through the week.

He wrote a short article that I want to share with you to show you the MANY benefits of fasting and how it WILL help you lose fat particularly if you have hit a fat loss plateau.

See his post below.

It is a common misconception that the goal of a great diet program
is only to help you lose weight. This is wrong the way to view dieting. A great diet program should make sure the weight you lose is all fat, and this is the goal of Eat Stop Eat.

I spend my mornings catching up on my reading. This usually
involves a nice hot cup of coffee and a desk full of research
papers.

Lately, I've found that there is more and more research
being published that supports the science behind the Eat Stop
Eat lifestyle.

Just the other day I came across a very interesting
study in Acta Physiologica Scandinavia - The journal of the
Scandinavian physiological society. In this study the effects of a
3-day fast on human metabolism was examined.

The authors found the typical benefits that are associated with
fasting:

No decrease in Energy Expenditure - metabolic rate DID
NOT slow down

A decrease in RQ - indicating an increase in fat burning

Increased blood flow - some very impressive numbers, (I challenge
any "Nitric Oxide" supplement to show this kind of data!!)

Decreased blood insulin levels - Considered to be one of the
major health benefits of fasting

Increased glucagon levels - more reliance on body fat as a fuel
source

Increased Growth Hormone levels - If you have read Eat Stop Eat
then you know that I think this is one of the major keys behind the
benefits of fasting

Increased noradrenaline - More fat burning hormones

No increase in cortisol - No reason to think that muscle is being
broken down

One of the major things that caught my eye in this paper was a
great graph showing the change in fuel sources that were fueling
metabolism.

The first thing I noticed in this graph was that the amount of
calories being burned during a fasting day and a non-fasting day
are roughly the same (about 2000 Kcals), however during fasting a
lot more of these calories are coming from fat. And, since the
subjects were not eating any fat while fasting, this fat must have
been body fat.

Another interesting finding was that the majority of this fat was
stomach fat.

While I do not recommend fasting for 3 days straight (I prefer
24 hours, going from dinner one night to dinner the next night), this study does add evidence to the idea that fasting can be an effective method of reducing calorie intake and increasing fat burning without negatively effect metabolic rate, or muscle
mass.

After thoroughly reviewing this study I'm more convinced then ever that the Eat Stop Eat lifestyle is the easiest way to lose weight, and to make sure that the weight you lose is all fat.

Brad

Remember, if you want to learn more about Eat Stop Eat, you can
check it out here ==>Eat Stop Eat

Reference:
Gjedsted J, Gormsen LC, Nielsen S, et al. Effects of a 3-day fast
on regional lipid and glucose metabolism in human skeletal muscle
and adipose tissue. Acta Physiol 2007, 191, 205-216.

PS. Start with 1 day per week. Have dinner and then don't eat again until dinner the next night. This is what I do. Throughout the day drink water, tea, and have a piece or two of fruit if you need it. I also have a greens drink twice during the day. Tweet This

Monday, March 16, 2009

Stay Lean When Travelling With These 10 Travel Fitness Tips

If you struggle with your weight, you have probably found the most difficult times to be when traveling or on vacation. You may be like most people in that you let your health and fitness regress when on the road. It's too easy to tell yourself "ah what the heck, I’ve been really good, now it’s time to let loose!” I know as a personal trainer and boot camp instructor in North Vancouver how many other fitness enthusiasts out there battle the dangers that travel can pose to one’s midsection.

As you can agree with me, it can be upsetting to bring back vacation memories in the form of unwanted fat storage in trouble spot areas that makes you feel sluggish, bloated, and unattractive.

Today I am going to share my top 10 travel fitness tips to help you maintain your overall health, performance, and body composition when away from the structure of home:

1.) Commit to Performing Short 10-20 Minute Maintenance Workouts First Thing In The Morning Each Week

Don't let time be an excuse. You can squeeze in at least 10-20 minutes before you start your day. Trust me on this - this brief workout first thing in the morning will set the tone for the rest of your day. Besides being your energy pill to attack the day with vigor, this workout can serve as some damage control if you to decide to indulge in some foods that deviate from your nutrition plan. But they key is to do it first thing in the morning because I personally guarantee you that’s the only time you can count on getting it done when enjoying the sights and sounds of vacation.

2.) Use Body Weight and Resistance Band Exercises That You Can Do Anywhere

All you’ll need is your body and one resistance band to get the job done. During maintenance weeks for my boot camp clients, I highly recommend they do something whether its the Rapid Fat Loss Cardio Program they receive when they sign up. Another possibility is to use mostly bodyweight-based exercises with the exception of some resistance band exercises to get that pulling component in since it is often very difficult to access body weight rows and pull-ups when on the road.

Bodyweight-based exercises allow for some much needed rest and de-loading for the muscles and joints.

3.) Build Your Own Vacation Workouts for Fun

Let’s face it- working out with intensity can get old real fast! So, if you are wanting to be fit and look and feel good for the long run, you better find a way to mix things up as often as possible with your workouts to keep yourself motivated.

Being on vacation can allow for this as you can typically access a host of unique training locations and equipment! Maybe hit the beach and alternate between intervals of sprints and body weight strength exercises so that you can burn fat and get some Vitamin D in at the same time. Or hit up the local park and do a playground style workout using benches, monkey bars, etc. Let your mind wander and most importantly have fun deviating from the typical structure of your at home workouts!

4.) Bring Portable Fat-Burning Snacks

This may very well be the most important tip of all. At home, we all choose the foods that are most convenient, affordable, and accessible, which is why meal planning and preparation is so critical to being lean year round and why I emphasis it in my Rapid Fat Loss Nutrition System. This becomes especially important when traveling because the food choices can often be even worse for your body and being unfamiliar with your surroundings means you can’t always lean on the trusty fallback options that you can at home.

Here's a list of go-to lean traveler foods that you may want to use to maintain your fitness:

- Mixed raw nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans, walnuts, etc.)
- String cheese
- Protein Powder and/or Amino Acids
- Organic Deli Meat (unsweetened, low in salt)
- Fruit and Raw Veggies

Use these fat-burning, muscle-building foods to stay full and leave less room for all of the other junk food options that surround us all on a daily basis.

5.) Perform 30-60 Minutes of Daily Activity

Don't let a vacation turn you into a sloth. Rather, be the lean traveler who looks to be active whenever possible when on vacation to keep your body in check.

Look to walk as much as possible, sign up for local trips and excursions, and engage in some recreational sports with your travel buddies. Almost all of us naturally increase our caloric intake on vacation, so it is critical to intentionally maintain or increase our activity levels to offset the potential weigh gaining hazards that come with travel eating.

6.) Perform Daily Corrective Stretching and Self-Massage

I know this one may be a bit of a stretch, pun intended however we do tend to pay less attention to the small details that keep our bodies safe and pain-free year round when on the road. To keep your muscles, and thus your joints, healthy, it is critical to still do some daily flexibility work and foam rolling.

Keep it simple. Bring either a half foam roll, a tennis ball, and/or a rolling pin in your suitcase for all of your self-massage needs. Try to get in at least 5-10 minutes of some combination of rolling and stretching first thing in the morning and before bed for best results, however try to aim for at least once per day.

7.) Don’t Worry About Being Perfect All of the Time

My boot campers train with me for 4 weeks at a time with short 1 week transition periods throughout the year. In total, they are in full boot camp mode for 41 out of the 52 weeks each year.

What I try to instill in my campers is working hard and eating clean and healthy during those 41 weeks that we are together to allow for the desired flexibility during the 11 weeks that we are not. In other words, my clients move to maintenance mode during off weeks allotting themselves to eating a little more outside of the eating plan, performing a few short maintenance workouts each week, and focusing more on improving flexibility and tissue quality.

Bottom line, perfection most of the year allows for the desired flexibility at the times when you want it the most!

8.) Plan Your Reward Meals in Advance

Let’s not forget that you don’t need to be perfect and eat like you're training for the Olympics when on vacation. After all, the occasional indulgences are a part of living the good life we were designed to enjoy - especially those treats that are unique to certain travel hot spots. But, it is key to at least plan and prepare for them. In other words, I have found most people can allot themselves 4 free meals per week (or 10% of their weekly meals) and still maintain their results.

A free meal, cheat meal, or as some call it a reward meal, is basically a meal that deviates from ideal nutritional guidelines, but in moderation. This means that you eat the same healthy foods that you typically eat plus any other foods you may desire until you are satisfied, but not stuffed!

By planning out your 4 free meals in advance and eating well at all other non-free meals you will best put yourself in a position to maintain your frame.

9.) Limit Alcohol and Empty Liquid Calories

This may be one of the hardest tip to sell because of how indispensable alcohol can be for some people who want to have a good time and wind down while traveling. The reality is alcohol not only stops fat burning in its tracks, but it actually promotes fat storage. Alcohol also lowers inhibitions and opens the door to host of junk food cravings that will further set you back.

Plus, many alcoholic drinks contain high calorie sugary mixes that further tip the proverbial scale in the wrong direction so to speak. Consuming 2-3 alcoholic beverages per day could easily result in an extra 500 calories per day that would in theory result in at least one pound of fat gained in a week’s time just from booze alone. Not something you want, especially after working so hard to get it off!

In general, limit, if not eliminate, empty liquid calories since they provide no nutritional value. Rather, enjoy whole foods that actually give your body some nutrients and fill you up. If you must, try to limit alcohol consumption to 1 drink at most per day and at best 1-2 drinks (or ideally less) per week while on the road.

10.) Bring Your Supplements

Not to beat a dead horse here, but again, just because you are away from home doesn’t mean that you should abandon all of those healthy habits you have worked so hard to establish.

Take your daily multi-vitamin and fish oil supplements with you so that I can keep taking them every morning religiously. You may also want to bring protein powder and/or amino acid formulas so that you always have access to some high quality protein every 2-4 hours to best keep all of your hard earned lean muscle mass. This is especially important when traveling to any locations around the world that do not have as much animal protein (which contains essential amino acids) in their diets.

These 10 travel fitness tips will without a doubt allow you to “travel light” so that you can come back from your trip with souvenirs other than blubber and cellulite ;)

Resurrect your body back to life!

Tyron Tweet This

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Omega-3s vs. Body Fat


When talking with clients about nutrition, no matter what their goals or desires are (weight loss, weight gain, general conditioning, etc.) I ALWAYS recommend they take an omega-3/fish oil supplement.

The response I usually get goes something like this, "Ahhh fish oil, are you serious?"

Absolutely! Out of the 4 essential supplements I recommend, this is number 1!

What people don't understand is that omega-3 fatty acids, apart from the benefits listed below, play a part in fat loss. Yup you read that right. A fat that helps you lose fat! Sounds backwards I know, but hear me out.

Just a few benefits to these oh-so-important oils:

-Decrease systemic inflammation (thus possibly warding of heart disease, asthma, arthritis, macular degeneration, and a host of other diseases or maladies).

-Increase utilization of fat stores from the adipocytes.

-Increase serotonin levels (the happy neurotransmitter). Therefore, fish oils will decrease incidence of depression, anxiety, panic attack, and reduce carbohydrate cravings.

-Fish oils will improve your cardiovascular risk profile by lowering VLDL, triglycerides, homocysteine, fibrinogen, and increasing HDL levels. Combining fish oils with plant sterols will improve lipid levels even more than either alone.

-Fish oils can also decrease blood pressure by several mechanisms. These include increases in the vasodilatory compound, nitric oxide, reducing vascular inflammation, blocking the constrictive elements in the vascular wall such as the calcium channels reducing blood viscosity, and inhibiting a blood vessel constrictor (thromboxane). Lipoprotein (a) is another CVD predictor that can be lowered by fish oils (a 19% reduction was seen with natural, stable fish oils and just 4% with a highly purified fish oil).

-Fish oils are a great stress fighter. Supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids inhibits the adrenal activation of steroids, aldosterone, epinephrine, and norepinephrine (catecholamines) elicited by a mental stress, apparently through effects exerted at the level of the central nervous system. Therefore, for the same amount of stress, one will produce fewer stress hormones if consuming fish oils on a regular basis.

-Decrease muscle soreness.

-Decrease incidence of tendonitis.

-The possible destruction of existing cancer cells, in addition to possibly thwarting metastasis.

-Fish oils turn on the lipolytic genes (fat burning genes).

-Fish oils turn off the lipogenic genes (fat storage genes).

Omega-3s, like those found in EFA Icon, burn body fat in 3 different ways. First off, they allow the body to burn fat in situations where fat burning is turned off, such as after a high-carb meal or after high-intensity exercise (where the body preferentially burns glycogen). Note: although high-intensity exercise leads to a decrease in fat burning WHILE exercising, it does lead to more fat loss AFTER training as your body relies more of fat calories for energy than sugar, which is the key.

Secondly, high amounts of omega-3s increase insulin sensitivity. If your body is sensitive to insulin, less insulin is produced after a meal, which means less fat is stored. Similarly, if the body is sensitive to insulin, and the hormone is properly managed, more stored fat is released and incinerated each day.

Thirdly, omega-3s increase the heat of your cellular "furnaces", which are otherwise known as the mitochondria and the peroxisomes. Omega-3s make these organelles burn more and more energy, thus turning you into a fat-burning machine.

There's also evidence that omega-3s might also increase the amount of leptin produced by the body (high leptin means decreased hunger and an increased metabolic rate).

So don't put it off another day.

Check out EFA Icon by clicking the link below.
http://tinyurl.com/b3ta6n

Don't make it harder on your body to burn fat, let fish go to work for you!

Resurrect your body back to life!

Tyron

www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com

PS. Next boot camp starts Monday March 16, get your FREE week at:
www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com Tweet This

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

For The Bride To Be - Bridal Fitness Workout

This program is specifically designed for the bride-to-be who’s looking to get in the best shape for the day she says “I Do!” Not only will this program do wonders to your midsection but it will also build a pair of sculpted arms and shoulders, the perfect physical accessories for your strapless or sleeveless dream wedding dress.

You will perform 3 total body workouts per week alternating between Workout A and Workout B and taking at least 1 day of rest between workouts (e.g. perform on either Monday, Wednesday, and Friday OR Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday). The beauty behind these whole body workouts is that they use total body exercises that work your arms, legs, and abs at the same time. The result? Maximum fat loss and lean muscle growth so that you lose inches in AND add definition to all of the right places. Plus in the comfort of your home you'll be able to perform the bonus cardio interval training workout using body weight cardio exercises. Time to resurrect your body for the big day!

The Official Bridal Fitness Workout

Workout A

- 5-Minute Warm-up: Perform 10 total reps in a slow, controlled tempo for each exercise in the exact order listed in the prescribed circuit

- 50-10 Interval Five Exercise Total Body Circuit- 20 Minutes: You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for each exercise in the following five-exercise circuit. Perform this 5-minute circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body fat burning workout.

Exercise
1 DB Curl + Squat to Press
2 Single-Leg Hip Extension Hold + DB Chest Press Combo
3 DB Swings
4 Single-Leg Wall Sit + DB Curl to Press Combo
5 DB Push-up Rows

Note - Be sure to use a pair of sturdy and stable hex dumbbells that don’t roll when placed on the floor. Most females work best with dumbbells ranging from 8-15 lbs. Be sure to start light and work your way up from there while maintaining perfect form and technique.

- BONUS - Cardio Interval Training Finisher- 4 Minutes: You will alternate between 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest by performing the body weight cardio exercise listed below. You will repeat this 30-second set up to 8x for 4 total minutes.

Body Weight Cardio Exercise: Stationary Running

For a complete video demo of all of these exercises, please click the link below (or copy and paste it into your browser):



The Official Bridal Fitness Workout

Workout B

- 5-Minute Warm-up: Perform 10 total reps in a slow, controlled tempo for each exercise in the exact order listed in the prescribed circuit

- 50-10 Interval Five Exercise Total Body Circuit- 20 Minutes: You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for each exercise in the following five-exercise circuit. Perform this 5-minute circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body fat burning workout.

Exercise
1 1-Arm DB Sumo Deadlift + Curl to Press
2 DB Squat Thrust + Push-up
3 DB Alternating Lunges + Curl to Press
4 DB Alternating Single-Leg RDL + Row
5 DB T-Push-ups

Note - Be sure to use a pair of sturdy and stable hex dumbbells that don’t roll when placed on the floor. Most females work best with dumbbells ranging from 8-15 lbs. Be sure to start light and work your way up from there while maintaining perfect form and technique.

- BONUS - Cardio Interval Training Finisher- 4 Minutes: You will alternate between 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest by performing the body weight cardio exercise listed below. You will repeat this 30-second set up to 8x for 4 total minutes.

Body Weight Cardio Exercise: Ice Skater Jumps

For a complete video demo of all of these exercises, please click the link below (or copy and paste it into your browser):



Tyron

http://www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com

PS. Just a reminder that our next boot camp starts March 16 so sign-up for your FREE trial at www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com Tweet This