For most people Valentine’s Day is an excuse to get together with their hubby and eat some chocolate and sugary desserts. Hey, that sounds good to me too, but why not mix it up a bit and be more creative. Mix it up with this V-Day fun workout you can do in the comfort of your home with your significant other.
Today I am going to demo the concept of partner training. Partner training is essentially a workout that involves performing joint exercises with at least one other person or more. There are a ton of benefits to partner training, including:
1.) Social Support and Accountability
2.) No Equipment Needed
3.) Provides a Ton of Variety
4.) Breeds Competition and Drives Better Results
5.) It’s FUN!
Partner training definitely spices things up in a group training setting like my boot camp. You are simply pushed to the limit to make your body change and break out of a frustrating training rut. The competitive juices start flowing in times like these, great for camaraderie and pushing beyond your regular comfort zone.
But, being that it’s Valetine's Day, let’s make today’s partner training workout a little more intimate if you will.
So grab your luv-ah and try this bad boy out!
The Valentine’s Day Workout for Couples - Tabata Style Partner Training
This 20-minute total body partner workout will consist of all body weight-based exercises. For each exercise at each outlined station below you will alternate between 20 s of work and 10 s of rest. You will repeat this 30-second sequence eight times for four total minutes followed by a one-minute rest and transition before moving on to the next station listed:
Station#1 - Partner Push-up-Row Combo
Partner Push-ups: Hold your partner’s feet from a standing position as they do as many push-ups as they can, then switch roles
Partner Rows: Hold your partner’s hands from a standing position as they do as many body weight rows as they can, then switch roles
Station #2- Partner Resisted Stationary Lunges- Static or Dynamic
Partner Lunges: Drop into a deep lunge position and hold as your partner applies downward force on your shoulders for you to fight against, then switch roles (can also be done with manual resistance in full range of motion reps)
Station #3- Partner Resisted Plank Circuit
Partner Pillars: Get into a plank position and hold as your partner applies downward force with hands on your ribcage, then switch roles (alternate between front and L/R Side Planks)
Station #4- Partner Resisted Squats- Static or Dynamic
Partner Squats: Drop into a deep squat position and hold as your partner applies downward force on your shoulders for you to fight against, then switch roles (can also be done with manual resistance in full range or motion reps)
Now go ask someone to be your valentine and crank it to this V-Day workout! Will this be a ritual you and your hubby do year after year?… might just be the thing that puts the spark back in your relationship ;)
Helping you resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron
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Monday, February 9, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
How To Get Rid Of A Flabby, Weak Stomach...
*If you haven't signed up for The Maker's Body Fitness Newsletter and want to receive your FREE Rapid Fat Loss Starter Kit including workout and nutrition e-books, add your name and primary email to the box directly to your right ==>>
The Anti-Crunch Six-Pack Abs Blueprint:
Step#1 - Lose the fat that is covering your abs so that you can see them
A.) Eat to lose fat and elevate metabolism
- Drink at least 2-4 cups of water immediately upon waking and then drink at least 1-2 cups of water every 2 hours you are awake. Drink 1-2 cups of water for every 15 minutes of vigorous activity.
- Eat immediately upon waking and then every 2-4 hours after that for a total of 5-7 feedings per day (i.e. 3 meals, 2 snacks (half the size of your meals and workout nutrition))
- Focus on a wide range of organic lean proteins, natural fats, and fruit and veggies
Sample One-Day Menu:
Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs, Greens, and Turkey Sausage or Bacon
Mid-Morning Snack - Mixed Nuts and Fruit/Veggie of Choice
Lunch - Chicken, Salmon, or Shrimp Caesar Salad
Mid-Afternoon Snack - Cheese and Fruit/Veggie of Choice
Dinner - Turkey or Beef Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash
Pre-Bed Snack - Protein and Flax Shake
- Take a daily multi-vitamin for your gender, an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement, a probiotic (good bacteria) supplements, and a vitamin D3 supplement.
- Use The Carb Reduction Blueprint: Use the following step by step process in the exact order listed to breakthrough any plateaus in your six-pack abs quest.
Step#1 - Replace all white carbs with 100% whole grain carbs and all refined sugars with natural sugars
Step#2 - Limit all whole grain starch and natural sugar consumption to within 1-2 hours post-workout or immediately upon waking for breakfast
Step#3 - Replace all starches and sugars with fruits and veggies
Step#4 - Replace all fruits with green veggies
Step#5 - Use strategic carb and calorie cycling to take your body to the next level (This is beyond the scope of this article but the success you can achieve from this strategy is powerful)
B.) Train to lose fat and elevate metabolism
- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday - Perform Total Body Circuit Strength Training
Sample Total Body Circuit Strength Workout - 20 Minutes (not including five minute warm-up and cool-down)
50-10 Interval Five Exercise Total Body Circuit - You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 s 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 workout:
1 Hip Extensions
2 Push-up Variation
3 Single-Leg Wall Sit
4 Body Weight Rows
5 Upper Body Twist Variation
- Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday - Perform Cardio Interval Training
Sample Cardio Interval Training Workout - 20 Minutes (not including five minute warm-up and cool-down)
30-30’s - You will alternate between 30 seconds of maximum effort and 30 seconds of active recovery. You will perform this 1-minute round up to 20x for 20 total minutes. You can perform this workout on your cardio machine of choice (airdyne or spin bike, running, etc.) or by alternating between the following body weight cardio exercises for the ultimate in-home workout:
1 Stationary Running
2 Jumping Jacks Variation
Step#2 - Train your abs based on their true function: STABILIZATION
Below is a core workout that would appear in my boot camp. It involves no crunches or sit-ups by using all pillar stabilization exercises. Once you master these moves and follow everything else I previously listed above, you will have a sweet pair of rock hard abs to show for it… just wait and see!
The Power to the Pillar Workout - Tabata Style
This 20-minute total body core workout focuses entirely on pillar stabilization. The pillar collectively consists of your shoulders, hips, and core. It is your body’s powerhouse, foundational to all movement.
For each exercise below you will alternate between 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. You will repeat this 30-second sequence eight times for four total minutes followed by a one minute rest and transition before moving on to the next exercise listed.
For maximum benefits, you must seek to maintain a tight pillar position during all movements by actively pulling your navel to your spine, engaging your glutes, and maintaining a straight line from the heels through the shoulders. The following coaching cues work really well:
"suck in your gut"
"tuck your butt under"
"round your lower back"
"give yourself a wedgie"
"be flat like a diving board.”
Exercise#1 - Front Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)
Exercise#2 - Left Side Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)
Exercise#3 - Right Side Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)
Exercise#4 - Back Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)
For a complete video demo of this workout, please see below:
Today is the dawn of a new age in core training and it is my sincere hope that you take this powerful information and run with it.
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron
http://www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com
PS. Send your comments below and let me know what you think. Different than what you normally do in the gym? Surprised crunches and sit-ups aren't the best? Let me know by clicking the comments link directly below. Tweet This
The Anti-Crunch Six-Pack Abs Blueprint:
Step#1 - Lose the fat that is covering your abs so that you can see them
A.) Eat to lose fat and elevate metabolism
- Drink at least 2-4 cups of water immediately upon waking and then drink at least 1-2 cups of water every 2 hours you are awake. Drink 1-2 cups of water for every 15 minutes of vigorous activity.
- Eat immediately upon waking and then every 2-4 hours after that for a total of 5-7 feedings per day (i.e. 3 meals, 2 snacks (half the size of your meals and workout nutrition))
- Focus on a wide range of organic lean proteins, natural fats, and fruit and veggies
Sample One-Day Menu:
Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs, Greens, and Turkey Sausage or Bacon
Mid-Morning Snack - Mixed Nuts and Fruit/Veggie of Choice
Lunch - Chicken, Salmon, or Shrimp Caesar Salad
Mid-Afternoon Snack - Cheese and Fruit/Veggie of Choice
Dinner - Turkey or Beef Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash
Pre-Bed Snack - Protein and Flax Shake
- Take a daily multi-vitamin for your gender, an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement, a probiotic (good bacteria) supplements, and a vitamin D3 supplement.
- Use The Carb Reduction Blueprint: Use the following step by step process in the exact order listed to breakthrough any plateaus in your six-pack abs quest.
Step#1 - Replace all white carbs with 100% whole grain carbs and all refined sugars with natural sugars
Step#2 - Limit all whole grain starch and natural sugar consumption to within 1-2 hours post-workout or immediately upon waking for breakfast
Step#3 - Replace all starches and sugars with fruits and veggies
Step#4 - Replace all fruits with green veggies
Step#5 - Use strategic carb and calorie cycling to take your body to the next level (This is beyond the scope of this article but the success you can achieve from this strategy is powerful)
B.) Train to lose fat and elevate metabolism
- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday - Perform Total Body Circuit Strength Training
Sample Total Body Circuit Strength Workout - 20 Minutes (not including five minute warm-up and cool-down)
50-10 Interval Five Exercise Total Body Circuit - You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 s 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 workout:
1 Hip Extensions
2 Push-up Variation
3 Single-Leg Wall Sit
4 Body Weight Rows
5 Upper Body Twist Variation
- Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday - Perform Cardio Interval Training
Sample Cardio Interval Training Workout - 20 Minutes (not including five minute warm-up and cool-down)
30-30’s - You will alternate between 30 seconds of maximum effort and 30 seconds of active recovery. You will perform this 1-minute round up to 20x for 20 total minutes. You can perform this workout on your cardio machine of choice (airdyne or spin bike, running, etc.) or by alternating between the following body weight cardio exercises for the ultimate in-home workout:
1 Stationary Running
2 Jumping Jacks Variation
Step#2 - Train your abs based on their true function: STABILIZATION
Below is a core workout that would appear in my boot camp. It involves no crunches or sit-ups by using all pillar stabilization exercises. Once you master these moves and follow everything else I previously listed above, you will have a sweet pair of rock hard abs to show for it… just wait and see!
The Power to the Pillar Workout - Tabata Style
This 20-minute total body core workout focuses entirely on pillar stabilization. The pillar collectively consists of your shoulders, hips, and core. It is your body’s powerhouse, foundational to all movement.
For each exercise below you will alternate between 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. You will repeat this 30-second sequence eight times for four total minutes followed by a one minute rest and transition before moving on to the next exercise listed.
For maximum benefits, you must seek to maintain a tight pillar position during all movements by actively pulling your navel to your spine, engaging your glutes, and maintaining a straight line from the heels through the shoulders. The following coaching cues work really well:
"suck in your gut"
"tuck your butt under"
"round your lower back"
"give yourself a wedgie"
"be flat like a diving board.”
Exercise#1 - Front Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)
Exercise#2 - Left Side Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)
Exercise#3 - Right Side Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)
Exercise#4 - Back Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)
For a complete video demo of this workout, please see below:
Today is the dawn of a new age in core training and it is my sincere hope that you take this powerful information and run with it.
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron
http://www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com
PS. Send your comments below and let me know what you think. Different than what you normally do in the gym? Surprised crunches and sit-ups aren't the best? Let me know by clicking the comments link directly below. Tweet This
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Get 6-Pack Abs Without Doing A Single Crunch or Sit-up!
OK lets face it - most if not all people want a flat, lean midsection. But for the majority no amount of crunches or sit-ups seems to get the job done. Have you ever heard this or asked this yourself?
“I do hundreds of crunches and sit-ups a day and I still have a flabby midsection. What gives?”
Well, before I reveal your six-pack abs blueprint, let’s first debunk some very important myths about how to get six-pack abs:
Myth#1 - Weight loss is the key to seeing your abs
WRONG!
The key to seeing your abs is fat loss, not weight loss. Seems like semantics but hear me out. Your body consists of fat mass and lean body mass (water, muscle, bone, organs, etc.). You want to minimize your fat mass and maximize your lean body mass to build a roaring metabolism: one that eats away at your fat stores and builds muscle like clockwork. By improving body composition you will put yourself in the best position to obtained that oh so desired six-pack.
So if you lose 17 lbs on the scale at the expense of losing some lean muscle mass in the process you will end up slowing your metabolism, decreasing performance, and losing that good looking muscle tone. But if you lose 17 lbs on the scale and you manage to keep or gain lean muscle mass you will increase performance, see more visible definition throughout your body, and lose primarily body fat.
The scale can be misleading as there are a number of variables to account for that lead to frequent fluctuations such as hydration levels, sodium intake, and for women the menstrual cycle. If you are going to keep a scale at home DO NOT get on it everyday, every other day or even every week. It is such an anchor, particularly for women. Get off the scale and get over the numbers. The true goal is fat loss, not weight loss. Focus on clothing size reduction, digital before and after pictures, and of course the mirror for the most accurate progress tracking. Don't get me wrong the scale has its place and is important but it should not be the thing you put all your faith in.
Myth#2 - Do lots of abs work to preferentially burn off stomach fat
WRONG!
Spot reduction doesn’t work. You can’t just work the muscles of a certain area of your body and expect to have the fat in that region go away. Think about it: almost everyone does crunches but proportionately very few people perform total body workouts. So, with all of these crunches, we’d expect to see nothing but people with flat tummies and fat depots everywhere else on their body (arms, legs, etc.). But think of how many people you know and see on a regular basis whom have more than a few inches to lose in their midsection. See what I mean - spot reduction doesn’t work!
The thing is, your body loses fat in a genetically pre-determined way when there is the appropriate caloric deficit AND hormonal environment created by proper eating and training. So your best approach would be: burn as many calories during your workouts as possible by engaging your whole body each and every training session (not just your abs) so you charge up your metabolism and continue burning an elevated amount of calories AFTER your workout. Compound, multi-joint movements like squats, push-ups, lunges, etc. (or better yet, total body exercises like squat to presses) burn a lot more calories than isolation movements like crunches and sit-ups. So be sure to focus on these movements first and then if you have time, you can do some extra core work.
Myth#3 - Crunches and Sit-ups are the best exercises for your abs
WRONG!
The scientific term for your six-pack muscles are your rectus abdominis. For years now, we have been conditioned to think that the best way to work your rectus abdominis is by doing endless crunches and sit-ups since these trunk flexion exercises make the muscles you want to see in the mirror “burn.” However, the true function of the rectus abdominis is to prevent hyperextension (excessive back bending of the spine), not to flex forward over and over again. Anytime you brace your abs (think slight crunch before you get punched in the gut) and pull your navel into your spine you effectively stabilize your spine into a safe, neutral position. And the moment you relax your abs and lose that braced abs position, your back will begin to hyperextend putting you at greater risk for injury.
To create the best looking and strong midsection focus on stabilization exercises in all three planes of movement (saggital - front to back, frontal - side to side, and transverse - rotational) by using pillar exercise variations (also know as planks). Besides training the true “anti-extension” function of your rectus abdominis or "six-pack" ab muscles, these bridging/stabilization exercises also activate the key transverse abdominus muscle, or your deep abdominal stabilizer, that wraps around your spine and supports your internal organs. Wanting to reduce back pain? Then strengthen these inner ab muscles as its key to optimal posture and performance in addition to injury prevention. Just another benefit to performing pillars over primitive crunches and sit-ups that often cause unwanted neck and back pain.
Myth#4 - Do lots of long-duration cardio to burn the fat covering your abs
WRONG!
Both scientific research and real world case studies show that aerobic training for fat loss alone doesn’t work. Total body resistance training is the true foundation of any solid fat loss plan. In addition, interval training, where you alternate between bouts of maximum effort and active recovery, is scientifically proven to burn more fat AFTER the workout than ordinary exercise. However why not perform both resistance interval training and cardio interval training to combine the best of both worlds? More on this to come!
Stay tuned for my next post where I continue where I left off and reveal The Anti-Crunch Six-Pack Abs Blueprint. The step-by-step process to take to get that tight, lean midsection you desire.
Until next time…
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron
http://www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com
PS. Get your FREE 1-week trial to boot camp by emailing ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp@gmail.com.
Tweet This
“I do hundreds of crunches and sit-ups a day and I still have a flabby midsection. What gives?”
Well, before I reveal your six-pack abs blueprint, let’s first debunk some very important myths about how to get six-pack abs:
Myth#1 - Weight loss is the key to seeing your abs
WRONG!
The key to seeing your abs is fat loss, not weight loss. Seems like semantics but hear me out. Your body consists of fat mass and lean body mass (water, muscle, bone, organs, etc.). You want to minimize your fat mass and maximize your lean body mass to build a roaring metabolism: one that eats away at your fat stores and builds muscle like clockwork. By improving body composition you will put yourself in the best position to obtained that oh so desired six-pack.
So if you lose 17 lbs on the scale at the expense of losing some lean muscle mass in the process you will end up slowing your metabolism, decreasing performance, and losing that good looking muscle tone. But if you lose 17 lbs on the scale and you manage to keep or gain lean muscle mass you will increase performance, see more visible definition throughout your body, and lose primarily body fat.
The scale can be misleading as there are a number of variables to account for that lead to frequent fluctuations such as hydration levels, sodium intake, and for women the menstrual cycle. If you are going to keep a scale at home DO NOT get on it everyday, every other day or even every week. It is such an anchor, particularly for women. Get off the scale and get over the numbers. The true goal is fat loss, not weight loss. Focus on clothing size reduction, digital before and after pictures, and of course the mirror for the most accurate progress tracking. Don't get me wrong the scale has its place and is important but it should not be the thing you put all your faith in.
Myth#2 - Do lots of abs work to preferentially burn off stomach fat
WRONG!
Spot reduction doesn’t work. You can’t just work the muscles of a certain area of your body and expect to have the fat in that region go away. Think about it: almost everyone does crunches but proportionately very few people perform total body workouts. So, with all of these crunches, we’d expect to see nothing but people with flat tummies and fat depots everywhere else on their body (arms, legs, etc.). But think of how many people you know and see on a regular basis whom have more than a few inches to lose in their midsection. See what I mean - spot reduction doesn’t work!
The thing is, your body loses fat in a genetically pre-determined way when there is the appropriate caloric deficit AND hormonal environment created by proper eating and training. So your best approach would be: burn as many calories during your workouts as possible by engaging your whole body each and every training session (not just your abs) so you charge up your metabolism and continue burning an elevated amount of calories AFTER your workout. Compound, multi-joint movements like squats, push-ups, lunges, etc. (or better yet, total body exercises like squat to presses) burn a lot more calories than isolation movements like crunches and sit-ups. So be sure to focus on these movements first and then if you have time, you can do some extra core work.
Myth#3 - Crunches and Sit-ups are the best exercises for your abs
WRONG!
The scientific term for your six-pack muscles are your rectus abdominis. For years now, we have been conditioned to think that the best way to work your rectus abdominis is by doing endless crunches and sit-ups since these trunk flexion exercises make the muscles you want to see in the mirror “burn.” However, the true function of the rectus abdominis is to prevent hyperextension (excessive back bending of the spine), not to flex forward over and over again. Anytime you brace your abs (think slight crunch before you get punched in the gut) and pull your navel into your spine you effectively stabilize your spine into a safe, neutral position. And the moment you relax your abs and lose that braced abs position, your back will begin to hyperextend putting you at greater risk for injury.
To create the best looking and strong midsection focus on stabilization exercises in all three planes of movement (saggital - front to back, frontal - side to side, and transverse - rotational) by using pillar exercise variations (also know as planks). Besides training the true “anti-extension” function of your rectus abdominis or "six-pack" ab muscles, these bridging/stabilization exercises also activate the key transverse abdominus muscle, or your deep abdominal stabilizer, that wraps around your spine and supports your internal organs. Wanting to reduce back pain? Then strengthen these inner ab muscles as its key to optimal posture and performance in addition to injury prevention. Just another benefit to performing pillars over primitive crunches and sit-ups that often cause unwanted neck and back pain.
Myth#4 - Do lots of long-duration cardio to burn the fat covering your abs
WRONG!
Both scientific research and real world case studies show that aerobic training for fat loss alone doesn’t work. Total body resistance training is the true foundation of any solid fat loss plan. In addition, interval training, where you alternate between bouts of maximum effort and active recovery, is scientifically proven to burn more fat AFTER the workout than ordinary exercise. However why not perform both resistance interval training and cardio interval training to combine the best of both worlds? More on this to come!
Stay tuned for my next post where I continue where I left off and reveal The Anti-Crunch Six-Pack Abs Blueprint. The step-by-step process to take to get that tight, lean midsection you desire.
Until next time…
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron
http://www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com
PS. Get your FREE 1-week trial to boot camp by emailing ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp@gmail.com.
Tweet This
Friday, January 30, 2009
How To Get Abs Without Doing Any Crunches!
Get your FREE 21st Century 6-pack Abs Training Report by clicking the link below.
http://www.MakersBody.com/WarpSpeedFatLoss.html
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron
PS. Next boot camp starts February 9th. I hope to see you there. If you haven't been out before come out for an entire week FREE and give it a try to see if you like it...we know you will :)
To get started, click www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com Tweet This
The 6 Minute Super Bowl Half-time Workout!
For all you football fans, it's a big game coming up on Sunday!
So, just in case the halftime show isn't the best, or you overdid it with the junk food, I put together a 6 minute fat burning workout using only one piece of equipment, a jump rope.
Note: if you don't have a jump rope substitute it for jumping jacks.
Check out the video below to get a detailed description of this workout:
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron Tweet This
So, just in case the halftime show isn't the best, or you overdid it with the junk food, I put together a 6 minute fat burning workout using only one piece of equipment, a jump rope.
Note: if you don't have a jump rope substitute it for jumping jacks.
Check out the video below to get a detailed description of this workout:
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron Tweet This
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Vancouver Personal Trainer Shares Healthier Super Bowl Recipes To Cut Thousands of Calories Come Kickoff!
With Super Bowl Sunday just around the corner, the time is now to start getting your goodies together for the game. However, why not make a couple tweaks to some of your favorite party food recipes to make them healthier and more figure-friendly come kickoff?
Use the following list of both approved food choices and/or healthier substitutes for typical party foods. This list will help to satisfy your taste buds while saving at least hundreds if not thousands of calories in the process. You may even like them that much that you continue using them for parties and social gatherings over the course of the year, you may very well prevent 5-10 lbs of fat gain… easily!
Section I - Appetizers
• Sandwiches (preferably bun-less, only use whole grain bun option if absolutely needed)
• Thin Crust Whole Grain Pizza
• Fruit Salad (throw low carb whipped cream and dash of stevia on top as desired)
• Super Salad Bowl (use unlimited veggies and meats, dip dressing on the side or use low calorie substitutes)
• Sweet Potato Fries
• Tuna or Chicken Salad
• Nut Butter on Celery Sticks
• Mixed Nuts (no sugar, unroasted, low in salt)
• Cheese, Eggs, and Meat Tray
• Caprese Salad
• Raw Veggies (use dip sparingly)
• Grilled/Sauteed Veggies (use extra virgin olive or coconut oil)
• Figure-Friendly Nachos (see “accessories” below for ingredients: tortillas, cheese, salsa, and guac)
• Buffalo Chicken Bites (skinless, no breading, use low calorie buffalo sauce sparingly)
• Pasta Salad (use whole grain pasta and go easy on the dressings, choosing marinara based sauces over creamier versions)
Section II - Accessories
• Natural Whole Grain Tortillas
• Natural Baked Chips
• Natural Cheetohs
• Lipton Green Teas (or other low calorie/carb beverages, sweeten with stevia if you like)
• Water
• Natural Salsa
• Guacamole
• Salad Dressings: Vinegars of choice (apple cider, red wine, balsamic, etc.)
• Other Low Calorie Condiments of Choice: mustard, hot sauce, horseradish, etc.
Section III - Main Courses
• Lettuce Burgers (use extra lean sirloin or bison, preferably bun-less only using whole grain bun option if absolutely needed)
• Rotisserie Chicken (choose “plain” and remove skin and dab off any grease as needed with paper towel)
• Extra Lean Kosher Hot Dogs (preferably bun-less, only use whole grain bun option if absolutely needed)
• Chili (preferably bean-less, only use if absolutely needed and feel free to swap extra lean turkey for the beef version to cut down fat intake)
• Pizza (see “appetizers” above or use whole grain/thin crust options from restaurants or frozen food isles)
Section IV - Desserts
• Prograde Cravers (100% organic chocolate snacks bars) Check them out HERE.
• Larabars
• Garden of Life or Living Fuel bars
• Cocoa Via Bars or Packs
• Low Carb Cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory
• Protein Cookies (swap in protein powder for flour)
BONUS - To Save Thousands of Calories on Super Bowl Sunday Use These Top 10 Tips
1.) Go the Naked Sandwich Approach: Replace all buns or breading for sandwiches with a lettuce wrap alternative to cut calories, stabilize blood sugar, and boost fiber and micronutrient intake.
2.) Hydrate: Drink at least two to four cups of water before eating AND one to two cups every 15-30 minutes after you start eating to fill your stomach and prevent overeating that can be triggers by dehydration.
3.) Do Away With Empty Liquid Calories: Minimize or eliminate all fruit juices, regular sodas, and alcohol. Opt for water, tea, or low calorie/carb beverages in moderation to leave more room for whole food choices that have more nutritional value and better fill you up.
4.) No more fasting before a feast as it will turn your body into a famished fat-storing machine the next time you eat. The resulting low blood sugar levels that come from not eating for four hours or more will cause you to crave junk foods high in both fat and refined sugars.
5.) Out with the White and in with the Brown (Or Better Yet... Green!): Be sure to use the whole grain alternatives for any starch you serve at your party (e.g. chips, tortillas, breads, rice, pasta). Whole grains have more vitamins and minerals and are high in fiber which means they won’t have as negative of an impact on your blood sugar compared to its white counterparts. However, if you want to be a nutritional boy or girl scout, go one step further by replacing all brown with green in the form of green veggies.
6.) Focus on eating lean proteins and fruits and veggies FIRST! Use these in unlimited amounts as needed to fill you up and best prevent the typical party “killshot” of high carb and high fat meals (e.g. thick crust pizza with extra full-fat cheese).
7.) Important Tip: never eat directly out of the bag or community bowl but use smaller plates to put your food on while limiting yourself to a pre-set plate total (e.g. four plate maximum during a three-hour football game).
8.) Replace Gold With Green: Go for guacamole over cheese for your salads and chips. Guacamole is high in heart healthy monounsaturated fats and it also has a ton of fiber that will help fill you up fast and prevent overeating. Though cheese is a true super food in moderation (hard cheeses that is), it can be easy to overeat especially when mixed with refined carb sources like white chips and pizza.
9.) Replace Flour with Protein Powder: As strange as it may sound protein powder makes a great cooking or baking substitute for flour (e.g. protein cookies). By adding protein and reducing carb intake you will boost metabolism.
10.) 20 Chews: Eat slowly and chew your food a certain number of times before you swallow to allow your brain enough time to get the “I’m full” signal (e.g. 20 pre-swallow chews).
Resurrect Your Body Back To Life!
Tyron
http://ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com Tweet This
Use the following list of both approved food choices and/or healthier substitutes for typical party foods. This list will help to satisfy your taste buds while saving at least hundreds if not thousands of calories in the process. You may even like them that much that you continue using them for parties and social gatherings over the course of the year, you may very well prevent 5-10 lbs of fat gain… easily!
Section I - Appetizers
• Sandwiches (preferably bun-less, only use whole grain bun option if absolutely needed)
• Thin Crust Whole Grain Pizza
• Fruit Salad (throw low carb whipped cream and dash of stevia on top as desired)
• Super Salad Bowl (use unlimited veggies and meats, dip dressing on the side or use low calorie substitutes)
• Sweet Potato Fries
• Tuna or Chicken Salad
• Nut Butter on Celery Sticks
• Mixed Nuts (no sugar, unroasted, low in salt)
• Cheese, Eggs, and Meat Tray
• Caprese Salad
• Raw Veggies (use dip sparingly)
• Grilled/Sauteed Veggies (use extra virgin olive or coconut oil)
• Figure-Friendly Nachos (see “accessories” below for ingredients: tortillas, cheese, salsa, and guac)
• Buffalo Chicken Bites (skinless, no breading, use low calorie buffalo sauce sparingly)
• Pasta Salad (use whole grain pasta and go easy on the dressings, choosing marinara based sauces over creamier versions)
Section II - Accessories
• Natural Whole Grain Tortillas
• Natural Baked Chips
• Natural Cheetohs
• Lipton Green Teas (or other low calorie/carb beverages, sweeten with stevia if you like)
• Water
• Natural Salsa
• Guacamole
• Salad Dressings: Vinegars of choice (apple cider, red wine, balsamic, etc.)
• Other Low Calorie Condiments of Choice: mustard, hot sauce, horseradish, etc.
Section III - Main Courses
• Lettuce Burgers (use extra lean sirloin or bison, preferably bun-less only using whole grain bun option if absolutely needed)
• Rotisserie Chicken (choose “plain” and remove skin and dab off any grease as needed with paper towel)
• Extra Lean Kosher Hot Dogs (preferably bun-less, only use whole grain bun option if absolutely needed)
• Chili (preferably bean-less, only use if absolutely needed and feel free to swap extra lean turkey for the beef version to cut down fat intake)
• Pizza (see “appetizers” above or use whole grain/thin crust options from restaurants or frozen food isles)
Section IV - Desserts
• Prograde Cravers (100% organic chocolate snacks bars) Check them out HERE.
• Larabars
• Garden of Life or Living Fuel bars
• Cocoa Via Bars or Packs
• Low Carb Cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory
• Protein Cookies (swap in protein powder for flour)
BONUS - To Save Thousands of Calories on Super Bowl Sunday Use These Top 10 Tips
1.) Go the Naked Sandwich Approach: Replace all buns or breading for sandwiches with a lettuce wrap alternative to cut calories, stabilize blood sugar, and boost fiber and micronutrient intake.
2.) Hydrate: Drink at least two to four cups of water before eating AND one to two cups every 15-30 minutes after you start eating to fill your stomach and prevent overeating that can be triggers by dehydration.
3.) Do Away With Empty Liquid Calories: Minimize or eliminate all fruit juices, regular sodas, and alcohol. Opt for water, tea, or low calorie/carb beverages in moderation to leave more room for whole food choices that have more nutritional value and better fill you up.
4.) No more fasting before a feast as it will turn your body into a famished fat-storing machine the next time you eat. The resulting low blood sugar levels that come from not eating for four hours or more will cause you to crave junk foods high in both fat and refined sugars.
5.) Out with the White and in with the Brown (Or Better Yet... Green!): Be sure to use the whole grain alternatives for any starch you serve at your party (e.g. chips, tortillas, breads, rice, pasta). Whole grains have more vitamins and minerals and are high in fiber which means they won’t have as negative of an impact on your blood sugar compared to its white counterparts. However, if you want to be a nutritional boy or girl scout, go one step further by replacing all brown with green in the form of green veggies.
6.) Focus on eating lean proteins and fruits and veggies FIRST! Use these in unlimited amounts as needed to fill you up and best prevent the typical party “killshot” of high carb and high fat meals (e.g. thick crust pizza with extra full-fat cheese).
7.) Important Tip: never eat directly out of the bag or community bowl but use smaller plates to put your food on while limiting yourself to a pre-set plate total (e.g. four plate maximum during a three-hour football game).
8.) Replace Gold With Green: Go for guacamole over cheese for your salads and chips. Guacamole is high in heart healthy monounsaturated fats and it also has a ton of fiber that will help fill you up fast and prevent overeating. Though cheese is a true super food in moderation (hard cheeses that is), it can be easy to overeat especially when mixed with refined carb sources like white chips and pizza.
9.) Replace Flour with Protein Powder: As strange as it may sound protein powder makes a great cooking or baking substitute for flour (e.g. protein cookies). By adding protein and reducing carb intake you will boost metabolism.
10.) 20 Chews: Eat slowly and chew your food a certain number of times before you swallow to allow your brain enough time to get the “I’m full” signal (e.g. 20 pre-swallow chews).
Resurrect Your Body Back To Life!
Tyron
http://ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com Tweet This
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Is Going To Bed Too Late Making You Fat?
Guest blog post by my friend Vreni Gurd, CHEK Level 3
Is going to bed too late making you fat?
Many of our hormones are intimately related to circadian rhythms, and their function gets thrown off when we completely ignore the fact that night follows day, and day follows night. During the longer days of summer, mammals are hardwired to find sustenance to store as fat, to help them last the shorter days of winter where they will be either hibernating or eating less due to lack of food availability.
In humans, this hardwiring shows up as a desire for carbohydrates. By choosing to stay up with the lights on, watching TV or doing computer work late at night long after the sun has gone down, our hormonal system is fooled into believing that it is still day, resulting in increased cortisol and insulin levels, which makes you want to snack, and most likely on carbohydrates. In today's wealthy countries, winter does not mean a lack of food availability, so late night snacking is often the result.
Even if you do not snack, staying up late regularly causes cortisol to release a nightly dose of sugar into the bloodstream for energy, insulin then rises to store that sugar as fat. Constantly high levels of insulin are an important factor in developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. And if you are insulin resistant, smelling a pastry will make you fat! Therefore, fat storage is largely controlled by the amount of light you are exposed to and the insulin resistance it causes. (note: protein types will often sleep better with a small protein snack before bed.)
Going to bed by 10pm lowers your night-time cortisol and insulin levels, and raises your melatonin levels, which prevents this whole cycle from developing. Now that it is fall, try to go to bed 15 minutes earlier every week if possible. In the winter most of us need about 9.5 hours of sleep.
For those of you in the Vancouver area, I will be presenting a two-hour nutrition seminar on Tuesday Jan. 27th from 7 to 9pm. For more information and how to register, reply to this email and I will forward you the poster and registration information. Hope to see you there!
Please do keep the comments coming on my blog at http://blog.wellnesstips.ca/blog/index.php/. If you want to search for other posts by title or by topic, go to www.wellnesstips.ca.
Related tips
Melatonin, our rest and repair hormone
Light pollution messes with our hormones
Chek, Paul; How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy! Chek Institute, San Diego, CA, 2004.
Chek, Paul; Oliver, Clifford, Remsen, Julie; Optimum Health and Fitness Through Practical Nutrition and Lifestyle Coaching Chek Institute, San Diego, CA, 2002.
Formby and Wiley; Lights Out! Sugar, Sleep and Survival Pocket Books, New York, NY, 2000
Smolensky and Lamberg; The Body Clock Guide to Better Health Holt and Company, New York, NY, 2001.
Copyright 2006 Vreni Gurd
To subscribe go to www.wellnesstips.ca
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron
www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com
PS. My next boot camp starts up February 9th so claim your FREE 1-week trial and starting losing the weight and body fat you've gained by staying up so late! Tweet This
Is going to bed too late making you fat?
Many of our hormones are intimately related to circadian rhythms, and their function gets thrown off when we completely ignore the fact that night follows day, and day follows night. During the longer days of summer, mammals are hardwired to find sustenance to store as fat, to help them last the shorter days of winter where they will be either hibernating or eating less due to lack of food availability.
In humans, this hardwiring shows up as a desire for carbohydrates. By choosing to stay up with the lights on, watching TV or doing computer work late at night long after the sun has gone down, our hormonal system is fooled into believing that it is still day, resulting in increased cortisol and insulin levels, which makes you want to snack, and most likely on carbohydrates. In today's wealthy countries, winter does not mean a lack of food availability, so late night snacking is often the result.
Even if you do not snack, staying up late regularly causes cortisol to release a nightly dose of sugar into the bloodstream for energy, insulin then rises to store that sugar as fat. Constantly high levels of insulin are an important factor in developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. And if you are insulin resistant, smelling a pastry will make you fat! Therefore, fat storage is largely controlled by the amount of light you are exposed to and the insulin resistance it causes. (note: protein types will often sleep better with a small protein snack before bed.)
Going to bed by 10pm lowers your night-time cortisol and insulin levels, and raises your melatonin levels, which prevents this whole cycle from developing. Now that it is fall, try to go to bed 15 minutes earlier every week if possible. In the winter most of us need about 9.5 hours of sleep.
For those of you in the Vancouver area, I will be presenting a two-hour nutrition seminar on Tuesday Jan. 27th from 7 to 9pm. For more information and how to register, reply to this email and I will forward you the poster and registration information. Hope to see you there!
Please do keep the comments coming on my blog at http://blog.wellnesstips.ca/blog/index.php/. If you want to search for other posts by title or by topic, go to www.wellnesstips.ca.
Related tips
Melatonin, our rest and repair hormone
Light pollution messes with our hormones
Chek, Paul; How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy! Chek Institute, San Diego, CA, 2004.
Chek, Paul; Oliver, Clifford, Remsen, Julie; Optimum Health and Fitness Through Practical Nutrition and Lifestyle Coaching Chek Institute, San Diego, CA, 2002.
Formby and Wiley; Lights Out! Sugar, Sleep and Survival Pocket Books, New York, NY, 2000
Smolensky and Lamberg; The Body Clock Guide to Better Health Holt and Company, New York, NY, 2001.
Copyright 2006 Vreni Gurd
To subscribe go to www.wellnesstips.ca
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron
www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com
PS. My next boot camp starts up February 9th so claim your FREE 1-week trial and starting losing the weight and body fat you've gained by staying up so late! Tweet This
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Vancouver Personal Trainer Reveals the Best Lower Body Exercise Ever!
As a fitness trainer, it's common to be asked, "What exercises are best for ______” fill in the blank. The most common area of course is the stomach but right behind it are the hips and thighs (specifically from my boot campers).
Today I’m going to give you the inside scoop on one of the best lower body exercise. Get ready for results! I call it the "Bulgarian Split Squat". Want to thunder-thigh proof your body? Master this!
One of the great things about this exercise is you cover a number of muscle groups at ONCE and thus don't need to worry about individual body part training. I am a strong believer in total body training, meaning that we train the upper body, lower body, and core during every single workout.
By training the whole body at once we maximally stimulate lean muscle gain and metabolism and promote total body fat burning in order to effectively eliminate the body fat not only throughout the body but also in those stubborn fat spots. If you want to get any noticeable results (the key is noticeable as you will get stronger and better conditioned but most if not all people want to see change), a diet high in lean protein, fiber, and green veggies and low in unnatural fats and refined sugars and starches is critical.
It is also important to know that you lose fat in a genetically predetermined way. You can do all the crunches you want but without total body training, proper eating habits, and enough time to get to those stubborn fat areas you will never get rid of your gut, jiggly arms, or the junk in the trunk.
Moving onto the main event: one of the world’s greatest lower body exercise. You may want to choose single leg exercises in lieu of their double leg counterparts for a lot of reasons. For people with back issues, single leg exercises allow them to safely perform lower body exercises without putting their lower lumbar spine in jeopardy of hyper flexion or excessive rounding that can cause back spasms in the short run and herniated discs in the long run. Furthermore, I feel there’s often such a strength and/or flexibility imbalance between one leg and the other for most people that it’s critical to address one leg at a time to really shore up the weak links from the start.
Case in point. One of my clients has been having good success with his exercise program, has lost about 10 pounds thus far, and has nearly completely gotten rid of his hip/groin pain that he's had for YEARS. However, I did notice just last week that he displayed a muscle strength discrepancy between his left and right legs while doing single-leg squats, but wasn't evident while doing double-leg squats. So make sure you incorporate single-leg movements and not just double-leg exercises.
Now for the Bulgarian Split Squat. So basically we’re going to elevate the back foot on a chair, bench, box, or any other sturdy foot support, usually about 12-18 inches high. You’ll put your front leg well in front of you in order to make sure that your front knee and ankle are lined up. In general, exaggerate how far you put your front leg forward so that the front knee is almost slightly behind the ankle as this really helps reduce sheer force on the knees. Initiate the exercise by loading the front heel and dropping your hips as low as you can in a pain-free range of motion while staying really tall up top with a proud chest and shoulders down and back. Finish the rep by explosively driving through your front heel to return to the top of the movement. You can start with body weight only in search of front thigh parallel to the floor or lower depth and then progress by adding speed of movement or by adding dumbbells. You can even incorporate some very cool combination movements with this lower body exercise like adding a curl to press at the top of the movement or even by raising dumbbells overhead to really challenge your core and single-leg balance and stability.
See the video below for a complete demo of all of the different variations of the Bulgarian split squat:
This exercise really helps strengthen your vastus medialis muscle, that inner quad muscle that looks like a teardrop, that’s heavily responsible for tracking your patella and keeping your knee caps in line. So if you have a history of overtraining or patella-femoral issues this exercise is phenomenal for keeping your knees as bulletproof as possible.
Also, what’s great about it too is that it provides a very good stretch for the hip flexor of your back leg, an area that is often very tight, especially for those who sit for extended periods of time. Any exercise that allows you to simultaneously stretch and strengthen your body is a goldmine. No more wasting your time with the adductor "squeeze" machine, it's time to crank it with one of the world’s best lower body exercise today!
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron
http://www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com
PS. Get a FREE 1-week trial to boot camp today by emailing ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp@gmail.com. Tweet This
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Vancouver Personal Trainer Shows A Workout To Help You Lose Fat Fast!
Check out the workout of the day for my Vancouver Boot Camp Resurrect Your Body Boot Camp below:
Your body will be supercharged to burn an elevated amount of fat for HOURS AFTER you finish ;)
crank it!
Tyron
http://www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com Tweet This
Your body will be supercharged to burn an elevated amount of fat for HOURS AFTER you finish ;)
crank it!
Tyron
http://www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com Tweet This
Monday, January 12, 2009
Vancouver Personal Trainer Reveals 4 Safe Shovelling Tips To Save Your Back
We’ve just come through one of the biggest snowfalls of Vancouver history. If you are like most people you probably don't like shovelling and you probably like it even less if you hurt yourself in the process. I can just imagine the number of people so far that have tweaked their backs in their zealous attempts to keep a clear driveway. Be prepared the next time you're covered in snow.
So, without further adieu, here are my top four safe shovelling tips for the next snowfall:
1.) Perform a Proper 5-Minute Warm-up Before Shovelling
As is common before intense exercise, many people fail to properly warm-up and get their bodies ready for the rigors of shovelling snow. Let’s face it, when the snow is wet, it's real work moving it around. And if your body is tight and cold then you will dramatically increase your chances of short or long-term injury.
Below is a great shovelling specific five-minute warm-up to get your body ready to rock. There is a special emphasis on opening up the hips and chest to save your back and shoulders, the two most commonly injured areas of broken down shovelers:
Perform each exercise in the following warm-up circuit at a slow, controlled tempo for 50 seconds with a 10 second rest and transition between exercises. Do this warm-up indoors to better increase core temperature and total body blood flow:
Exercise#1- Stationary High Knee Run
Exercise#2- Jumping Claps (modified jumping jacks with arms moving across chest level, palms facing)
Exercise#3- Alternating Reverse Lunge, Overhead Reach, and Twist
Exercise#4- Alternating Lateral Lunge with Opposite Hand to Toe Touch
Exercise#5- Prisoner Squats (hands behind head with finger interlocked)
2.) Split Your Stance When Shoveling
Amongst avid shovelers, back pain is probably the biggest complaint. A sore or tight back usually stems from restriction at the hips (see the warm-up above to best remedy this). There is a greater risk of lower back injury when using a parallel stance as there's a greater likelihood of excessive flexion of the lumbar spine that often leads to back spasms in the short run and herniated discs in the long run. However, by simply switching to a split stance while shovelling, where one leg is forward and the other leg is back, will not only significantly lessen this hyper flexion while bending over, but will also help actively stretch those tight hips at the same time. To create an even balance in the muscles that are worked, do an even number of shovel strokes with both legs forward by alternating every 10 reps or so.
3.) Point Your Toes In Same Direction of Shovelling
This is a continuation of the last tip. Even when you split your stance, you can still be susceptible to injury when tossing snow behind you. So, to further prevent injury, be sure to always shovel snow in the direction that your toes point to minimize excessive spinal rotation that can literally wrench your back.
4.) Shovel EQUALLY to BOTH Sides
This is a further continuation on the last two tips and one I am guilty of. A mistake people make is always shovelling to their strong sides causing further strength and flexibility imbalances that can put your body at greater risk for injury. So in the split stance position with your toes pointing in the same direction, be sure to do an equal amount of shovel tosses to your left AND right. Do 10 shovel tosses to your left with your left leg forward and then do 10 shovel tosses to your right with your right leg forward. Repeat until your driveway or sidewalk is crystal clear.
The aforementioned tips will go a long way in keeping your body as bulletproof as possible during the next blizzard. Seriously, it’s not cool getting hurt while shovelling. It’s a sign of an even bigger problem: being overweight and/or highly de-conditioned. So feel confident about picking up your shovel, getting some exercises and stay injury-free in the process.
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron
http://www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com Tweet This
So, without further adieu, here are my top four safe shovelling tips for the next snowfall:
1.) Perform a Proper 5-Minute Warm-up Before Shovelling
As is common before intense exercise, many people fail to properly warm-up and get their bodies ready for the rigors of shovelling snow. Let’s face it, when the snow is wet, it's real work moving it around. And if your body is tight and cold then you will dramatically increase your chances of short or long-term injury.
Below is a great shovelling specific five-minute warm-up to get your body ready to rock. There is a special emphasis on opening up the hips and chest to save your back and shoulders, the two most commonly injured areas of broken down shovelers:
Perform each exercise in the following warm-up circuit at a slow, controlled tempo for 50 seconds with a 10 second rest and transition between exercises. Do this warm-up indoors to better increase core temperature and total body blood flow:
Exercise#1- Stationary High Knee Run
Exercise#2- Jumping Claps (modified jumping jacks with arms moving across chest level, palms facing)
Exercise#3- Alternating Reverse Lunge, Overhead Reach, and Twist
Exercise#4- Alternating Lateral Lunge with Opposite Hand to Toe Touch
Exercise#5- Prisoner Squats (hands behind head with finger interlocked)
2.) Split Your Stance When Shoveling
Amongst avid shovelers, back pain is probably the biggest complaint. A sore or tight back usually stems from restriction at the hips (see the warm-up above to best remedy this). There is a greater risk of lower back injury when using a parallel stance as there's a greater likelihood of excessive flexion of the lumbar spine that often leads to back spasms in the short run and herniated discs in the long run. However, by simply switching to a split stance while shovelling, where one leg is forward and the other leg is back, will not only significantly lessen this hyper flexion while bending over, but will also help actively stretch those tight hips at the same time. To create an even balance in the muscles that are worked, do an even number of shovel strokes with both legs forward by alternating every 10 reps or so.
3.) Point Your Toes In Same Direction of Shovelling
This is a continuation of the last tip. Even when you split your stance, you can still be susceptible to injury when tossing snow behind you. So, to further prevent injury, be sure to always shovel snow in the direction that your toes point to minimize excessive spinal rotation that can literally wrench your back.
4.) Shovel EQUALLY to BOTH Sides
This is a further continuation on the last two tips and one I am guilty of. A mistake people make is always shovelling to their strong sides causing further strength and flexibility imbalances that can put your body at greater risk for injury. So in the split stance position with your toes pointing in the same direction, be sure to do an equal amount of shovel tosses to your left AND right. Do 10 shovel tosses to your left with your left leg forward and then do 10 shovel tosses to your right with your right leg forward. Repeat until your driveway or sidewalk is crystal clear.
The aforementioned tips will go a long way in keeping your body as bulletproof as possible during the next blizzard. Seriously, it’s not cool getting hurt while shovelling. It’s a sign of an even bigger problem: being overweight and/or highly de-conditioned. So feel confident about picking up your shovel, getting some exercises and stay injury-free in the process.
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron
http://www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com Tweet This
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Turning Resolutions into Results Continued...
Step Two - The What and When: What do you want to accomplish and when do you want to accomplish it by?
Last day we figured out the "Why": you want to look better and maximize your sexy! (that's motivating isn't it?) Now from this we need to establish what objective goal(s) need to be met so this resolution goes from fantasy to real world results.
There are three major ways you can track “look better” progress and these are ones I use with my clients, in order of importance from least to most important:
1.) Scale Weight: Although the least important of the three, albeit it does give us a number that’s worth tracking. Though body fat percentage through skinfold measurements (what I use with my clients) would be a much better method of tracking progress, it is not possible to do it by yourself and other forms of body fat measuring such as DEXA scans, althought not expensive, do have a cost associated with them. The key is to taking your initial weight before you start and then not weighing more than every 2 weeks. However you may find it better with tracking your weight every month. There are simply too many variables for controlling your body weight and the natural fluctuations based on diet (and for women, their menstrual cycle), means the less frequently you do this the better. If the scale is just too de-motivating for you in general, then just skip this one altogether if you must, because the next two markers are far more important.
2.) Dress/Pant Size: Simple but profound. Would it be safe to say that if you are dropping dress and/or pant sizes that you will be looking better, right? Want to know a good motivator? Select one dress or one pair of pants that you really want to get and keep it out in view and once a week or once every two weeks try it on, as this is the goal in mind. I encourage my clients to assess how they are fitting in their clothes and whether they are feeling looser and their bodies are feeling tighter. If you are following the right program it is not atypical to lose a dress and/or pant size every month (until you get to your ideal dimensions). Check out what results others are getting at http://www.makersbody.citymax.com/testimonials.html. It's powerful to literally be able to feel yourself comfortably get into clothes that use almost rip when you put on!
3.) Digital Pictures: As much as people don't like this, pictures don’t lie, that’s the bottom line. If you want to look better, what better way is there to assess this than pictures? I cannot begin to tell you how important this is. Taking a before picture is essentially you telling the whole world that you are ready to change and that you are ready to do whatever it takes to make those changes. What you may want to do is take pictures wearing exactly what you want to look your best in. What a powerful motivator! Maybe it’s taking pictures of you in the dress or pair of pants that you are using to track your dress or pant size. Or maybe it’s a sleeveless shirt and tank top that you want to wear during the summer. And if you want to see your abs and a flat stomach, then you best believe that you need to take pictures of your stomach to track how much more definition you get. Take a front, side, and rear view picture and be sure to note the exact conditions in which the picture was taken (lighting, distance from camera, time of day/week, etc.) to be as accurate as possible in your assessment. I assuming most clients don't like the picture part (from their slight complaining) however once their body transforms into what they desire, they'll be sure glad those pictures were taken. Your before pictures will become your trophy and they are an absolute must if you really are serious about getting results that count. You may want to take new pictures either bi-weekly or monthly until you reach your goal(s).
Step Three - Planning and Preparing for Roadblocks: What are the big obstacles that will prevent you from having the success you desire? What’s contributed most to past failures?
We've discovered what you want to accomplish and why, now it’s time to plan and prepare for any obstacles that might get in your way of getting the job done based on your own personal schedule.
In general, the number one thing that most people will say is, "I'm just too busy and tired and don’t have enough time to workout or make meals." Does that sound like you? If you're honest with yourself you'll agree that there is always hidden time throughout the day and week that can be freed up if you re-prioritize. Again, think back to why you wanted to do this in the first place and then examine what’s most important to you. What I like to tell clients is make your workouts and your meal times just like work appointments. Either you make the appointment or you don’t. And if you want to keep your job (or get your dream body) then you better make that appointment.
Another big obstacle is alcohol. Sorry it had to be brought up. People like to drink and unfortunately alcohol is about as detrimental to burning fat as it gets. Again, what’s more important to you, looking your best or having that extra beer or glass of wine? The choice is yours. Of course I'm not saying you have to avoid alcohol altogether but it would be a good idea until you achieve your goal(s). Remember, once you achieve your goal(s), alcohol can be added back in with moderation. Low to zero alcohol consumption is needed if you want to look your best year round and that’s a fact.
Lastly, many people deal with boredom eating or emotional eating. Boredom eating means just that, eating to fill up dead time when you have nothing better to do. The best way to deal with this is, you guessed it, to do something! Find an active hobby to keep your mind off of eating when boredom strikes and you can beat this trend. Emotional eating describes the use of food to cope with stress or to reward for accomplishment. Food is not unlike drugs or alcohol in this regard, it can be very addictive. There is no quick fix for emotional eating other than avoiding trigger situations (bars, parties, etc.) and trigger foods (starches, sugars, fast food, etc.) in the short term to break bad habits.
At the end of the day, whether your roadblocks are very individual or if they fall in line with the general roadblocks clients encounter on a regular basis, the key is to be honest about them and to plan and prepare for them. And that’s where social support and accountability come into play. Clients that have the most success have undergone their transformation with the support of other friends or family members. Support is so crucial, as it's too easy to rationalize a food or drink to yourself. Also, most of the poor food and drinking choices that sabotage one’s progress occur on the weekend, when most people hang out with their friend and family. If they (your support team) are committed with you and your goal to get fit and look better, you can put yourself in a much better position to realize the success you desire and deserve. The last thing anybody needs is sabotage or peer pressure from those closest to you, so get them on board and get them on board early.
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron
PPS- Grab a FREE 1-week trial to Resurrect Your Body Boot Camp and turn those resolutions into real world results...that last!
http://www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com Tweet This
Last day we figured out the "Why": you want to look better and maximize your sexy! (that's motivating isn't it?) Now from this we need to establish what objective goal(s) need to be met so this resolution goes from fantasy to real world results.
There are three major ways you can track “look better” progress and these are ones I use with my clients, in order of importance from least to most important:
1.) Scale Weight: Although the least important of the three, albeit it does give us a number that’s worth tracking. Though body fat percentage through skinfold measurements (what I use with my clients) would be a much better method of tracking progress, it is not possible to do it by yourself and other forms of body fat measuring such as DEXA scans, althought not expensive, do have a cost associated with them. The key is to taking your initial weight before you start and then not weighing more than every 2 weeks. However you may find it better with tracking your weight every month. There are simply too many variables for controlling your body weight and the natural fluctuations based on diet (and for women, their menstrual cycle), means the less frequently you do this the better. If the scale is just too de-motivating for you in general, then just skip this one altogether if you must, because the next two markers are far more important.
2.) Dress/Pant Size: Simple but profound. Would it be safe to say that if you are dropping dress and/or pant sizes that you will be looking better, right? Want to know a good motivator? Select one dress or one pair of pants that you really want to get and keep it out in view and once a week or once every two weeks try it on, as this is the goal in mind. I encourage my clients to assess how they are fitting in their clothes and whether they are feeling looser and their bodies are feeling tighter. If you are following the right program it is not atypical to lose a dress and/or pant size every month (until you get to your ideal dimensions). Check out what results others are getting at http://www.makersbody.citymax.com/testimonials.html. It's powerful to literally be able to feel yourself comfortably get into clothes that use almost rip when you put on!
3.) Digital Pictures: As much as people don't like this, pictures don’t lie, that’s the bottom line. If you want to look better, what better way is there to assess this than pictures? I cannot begin to tell you how important this is. Taking a before picture is essentially you telling the whole world that you are ready to change and that you are ready to do whatever it takes to make those changes. What you may want to do is take pictures wearing exactly what you want to look your best in. What a powerful motivator! Maybe it’s taking pictures of you in the dress or pair of pants that you are using to track your dress or pant size. Or maybe it’s a sleeveless shirt and tank top that you want to wear during the summer. And if you want to see your abs and a flat stomach, then you best believe that you need to take pictures of your stomach to track how much more definition you get. Take a front, side, and rear view picture and be sure to note the exact conditions in which the picture was taken (lighting, distance from camera, time of day/week, etc.) to be as accurate as possible in your assessment. I assuming most clients don't like the picture part (from their slight complaining) however once their body transforms into what they desire, they'll be sure glad those pictures were taken. Your before pictures will become your trophy and they are an absolute must if you really are serious about getting results that count. You may want to take new pictures either bi-weekly or monthly until you reach your goal(s).
Step Three - Planning and Preparing for Roadblocks: What are the big obstacles that will prevent you from having the success you desire? What’s contributed most to past failures?
We've discovered what you want to accomplish and why, now it’s time to plan and prepare for any obstacles that might get in your way of getting the job done based on your own personal schedule.
In general, the number one thing that most people will say is, "I'm just too busy and tired and don’t have enough time to workout or make meals." Does that sound like you? If you're honest with yourself you'll agree that there is always hidden time throughout the day and week that can be freed up if you re-prioritize. Again, think back to why you wanted to do this in the first place and then examine what’s most important to you. What I like to tell clients is make your workouts and your meal times just like work appointments. Either you make the appointment or you don’t. And if you want to keep your job (or get your dream body) then you better make that appointment.
Another big obstacle is alcohol. Sorry it had to be brought up. People like to drink and unfortunately alcohol is about as detrimental to burning fat as it gets. Again, what’s more important to you, looking your best or having that extra beer or glass of wine? The choice is yours. Of course I'm not saying you have to avoid alcohol altogether but it would be a good idea until you achieve your goal(s). Remember, once you achieve your goal(s), alcohol can be added back in with moderation. Low to zero alcohol consumption is needed if you want to look your best year round and that’s a fact.
Lastly, many people deal with boredom eating or emotional eating. Boredom eating means just that, eating to fill up dead time when you have nothing better to do. The best way to deal with this is, you guessed it, to do something! Find an active hobby to keep your mind off of eating when boredom strikes and you can beat this trend. Emotional eating describes the use of food to cope with stress or to reward for accomplishment. Food is not unlike drugs or alcohol in this regard, it can be very addictive. There is no quick fix for emotional eating other than avoiding trigger situations (bars, parties, etc.) and trigger foods (starches, sugars, fast food, etc.) in the short term to break bad habits.
At the end of the day, whether your roadblocks are very individual or if they fall in line with the general roadblocks clients encounter on a regular basis, the key is to be honest about them and to plan and prepare for them. And that’s where social support and accountability come into play. Clients that have the most success have undergone their transformation with the support of other friends or family members. Support is so crucial, as it's too easy to rationalize a food or drink to yourself. Also, most of the poor food and drinking choices that sabotage one’s progress occur on the weekend, when most people hang out with their friend and family. If they (your support team) are committed with you and your goal to get fit and look better, you can put yourself in a much better position to realize the success you desire and deserve. The last thing anybody needs is sabotage or peer pressure from those closest to you, so get them on board and get them on board early.
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron
PPS- Grab a FREE 1-week trial to Resurrect Your Body Boot Camp and turn those resolutions into real world results...that last!
http://www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com Tweet This
Monday, January 5, 2009
Resolutions into Results - The Fitness How-to
Over the last several years of running my personal training and boot camp businesses, I have helped people markedly improve their overall health, performance, and body composition. I know what it takes to help people lose ugly, unwanted body fat FAST and keep it off! My integrated rapid fat loss training and nutrition system is part of what has helped these clients, however its not the only thing. So lets delve into something powerful; something that must be set in place before you can even start to think about following a fitness program.
What do you think is the real secret behind a fitness enthusiast's success? Well, if your answer is a sound training and nutrition system, then your answer is wrong. Of course it is necessary and of importance, BUT unfortunately it’s meaningless if someone is unwilling to start it AND stick to it, right? The key is sticking to it.
So, it appears one of the most important components of changing your body is finding the motivation to achieve your goals, and that’s the main focus of this article today. I am going to literally walk you through a three step goal setting process. This is key to weight loss success and I go through it with clients and its part of my initial consultation process with clients.
Before I get into this goal setting process, I just want to mention something. I know a lot of people think goal setting is just a cheesy, useless thing. The bottom line is that the most successful people out there, and I mean not just weight loss success, I am talking business, lifestyle, etc., are shamelessly goal driven. They know exactly why they want to do something and harness that super motivation to figure out what and by when they want to go about accomplishing that. Furthermore, they plan and prepare for every possible roadblock they will encounter in their path to success. This is what I want to teach you how to do today, so let’s get to it!
Step One - The Why: Why do you want to do this?
This is where it’s time to get real. In an average initial consult I do, when I ask why they have contacted me today, here is the typical blanket response that I first hear:
“Well, I just want to get healthy and lose weight I guess.”
In the long run that won't do it. It's a good thing to want to lose weight and be healthy, I mean who doesn’t, but really WHY do they want to do this? I mean, what is it that’s going to keep them committed every week to workout and stick with it (this is an area where people really miss it) or take a couple of hours on Sunday to plan and prepare their meals for the upcoming week? It sure isn’t “being healthy” because for some reason this just isn’t a very powerful motivator for most people (though it should be).
Ultimately everybody, including YOU, wants to look better. You know it’s true and frankly that’s okay because the desire to improve one’s appearance is a powerful motivator.
So, after a little digging, I find out the real reason why they want to do this; I find their past or pain and then establish their current and future ambitions. Some people want to be able to mow the lawn in the summer with their shirt off and not feel self-conscious. Others want to get back into their favorite pair of pants that they haven’t been able to get one leg into for the last five years. Then there are those who want to look and feel more attractive to ignite some passion back into their relationships and/or put forth their best image at work. And of course, preparing for big events that have built in deadlines is an excellent one. Wanting to get as lean and tight as possible to rock that dream bathing suit in Argentina, or get off the plane in Texas when visiting family you haven’t seen in two years to blow them away with your new body, or being a classic beauty in your wedding dress on the big day, it all works! This is the stuff that gets people jacked up and ready to commit to making some real changes. How do I know? Well, this is what I do with my own clients and I know I know from past experience if I want a client to see their goals reached, its got to be more than just "I want to lose weight and be healthy".
So, the first thing you have to figure out is your personal WHY. To make this even simpler for you, just answer this question: what are your physical dreams? Once you establish this, everything else is much easier.
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron
http://www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com
PS- Stay tuned for steps II and III later in the week...
PPS- Grab a FREE 1-week trial to Resurrect Your Body Boot Camp and turn those resolutions into real results...that last! Tweet This
What do you think is the real secret behind a fitness enthusiast's success? Well, if your answer is a sound training and nutrition system, then your answer is wrong. Of course it is necessary and of importance, BUT unfortunately it’s meaningless if someone is unwilling to start it AND stick to it, right? The key is sticking to it.
So, it appears one of the most important components of changing your body is finding the motivation to achieve your goals, and that’s the main focus of this article today. I am going to literally walk you through a three step goal setting process. This is key to weight loss success and I go through it with clients and its part of my initial consultation process with clients.
Before I get into this goal setting process, I just want to mention something. I know a lot of people think goal setting is just a cheesy, useless thing. The bottom line is that the most successful people out there, and I mean not just weight loss success, I am talking business, lifestyle, etc., are shamelessly goal driven. They know exactly why they want to do something and harness that super motivation to figure out what and by when they want to go about accomplishing that. Furthermore, they plan and prepare for every possible roadblock they will encounter in their path to success. This is what I want to teach you how to do today, so let’s get to it!
Step One - The Why: Why do you want to do this?
This is where it’s time to get real. In an average initial consult I do, when I ask why they have contacted me today, here is the typical blanket response that I first hear:
“Well, I just want to get healthy and lose weight I guess.”
In the long run that won't do it. It's a good thing to want to lose weight and be healthy, I mean who doesn’t, but really WHY do they want to do this? I mean, what is it that’s going to keep them committed every week to workout and stick with it (this is an area where people really miss it) or take a couple of hours on Sunday to plan and prepare their meals for the upcoming week? It sure isn’t “being healthy” because for some reason this just isn’t a very powerful motivator for most people (though it should be).
Ultimately everybody, including YOU, wants to look better. You know it’s true and frankly that’s okay because the desire to improve one’s appearance is a powerful motivator.
So, after a little digging, I find out the real reason why they want to do this; I find their past or pain and then establish their current and future ambitions. Some people want to be able to mow the lawn in the summer with their shirt off and not feel self-conscious. Others want to get back into their favorite pair of pants that they haven’t been able to get one leg into for the last five years. Then there are those who want to look and feel more attractive to ignite some passion back into their relationships and/or put forth their best image at work. And of course, preparing for big events that have built in deadlines is an excellent one. Wanting to get as lean and tight as possible to rock that dream bathing suit in Argentina, or get off the plane in Texas when visiting family you haven’t seen in two years to blow them away with your new body, or being a classic beauty in your wedding dress on the big day, it all works! This is the stuff that gets people jacked up and ready to commit to making some real changes. How do I know? Well, this is what I do with my own clients and I know I know from past experience if I want a client to see their goals reached, its got to be more than just "I want to lose weight and be healthy".
So, the first thing you have to figure out is your personal WHY. To make this even simpler for you, just answer this question: what are your physical dreams? Once you establish this, everything else is much easier.
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron
http://www.ResurrectYourBodyBootCamp.com
PS- Stay tuned for steps II and III later in the week...
PPS- Grab a FREE 1-week trial to Resurrect Your Body Boot Camp and turn those resolutions into real results...that last! Tweet This
Monday, December 15, 2008
Still Struggling with Christmas Gift Ideas? Maybe these will help
I know in the past I've struggled with what to get friends, family members, clients, etc, and to be honest it would even stress me out!
That really shouldn't be as I wouldn't want someone to stress about getting me a gift. I'd much prefer them to not to get me something than be stressed out.
So no stress. Deal? Good.
If you still have a few gifts to get but can't think of what to get, consider these as a great choice.
Personal Training Packages
The Total Personal Training Transformation Package – $345 value all for ONLY $100
1. 1-hour fitness and body fat assessment ($70 value)
2. 1-hour nutrition consultation ($70 value)
3. Unlimited nutrition follow up ($100 value)
4. 1 exercise program ($35 value)
5. 1 one-on-one personal training session ($70 value)
Total value at $345 for ONLY $100
Click BUY NOW to purchase your gift. Input $100 in the "Unit Price" box.
Rapid Results Personal Training Package – $195 value all for ONLY $70
1. 1-hour fitness and body fat assessment ($70 value)
2. 1-hour nutrition consultation ($70 value)
3. 1 exercise program ($35 value)
4. The 16-Week Rapid Fat Loss Cardio Program E-Book + BONUS Audio Interval Training MP3 Soundtrack ($20 value)
Total value at $195 for ONLY $70
Click BUY NOW to purchase your gift. Input $70 in the "Unit Price" box.
Boot Camp Packages
The Total Boot Camp Transformation Package – $415 value all for ONLY $100
1. 2 weeks (6 total sessions) to boot camp ($90 value)
2. 1-hour nutrition consultation ($70 value)
3. Unlimited nutrition follow up ($100 value)
4. 30-minute fitness assessment ($35 value)
5. Grocery Store Trip ($100)
6. The 16-Week Rapid Fat Loss Cardio Program E-Book + BONUS Audio Interval Training MP3 Soundtrack ($20 value)
Total value at $415 for ONLY $100
Click BUY NOW to purchase your gift. Input $100 in the "Unit Price" box.
Rapid Results Boot Camp Package – $180 value all for ONLY $50
1. 2 weeks (6 total sessions) to boot camp ($90 value)
2. 1-hour nutrition consultation ($70 value)
3. The 16-Week Rapid Fat Loss Cardio Program E-Book + BONUS Audio Interval Training MP3 Soundtrack ($20 value)
Total value at $180 for ONLY $50
Click BUY NOW to purchase your gift. Input $50 in the "Unit Price" box.
Resurrect your body!
Tyron
www.MakersBody.com
http://www.LookBetterNakedBootCamp.ca Tweet This
That really shouldn't be as I wouldn't want someone to stress about getting me a gift. I'd much prefer them to not to get me something than be stressed out.
So no stress. Deal? Good.
If you still have a few gifts to get but can't think of what to get, consider these as a great choice.
Personal Training Packages
The Total Personal Training Transformation Package – $345 value all for ONLY $100
1. 1-hour fitness and body fat assessment ($70 value)
2. 1-hour nutrition consultation ($70 value)
3. Unlimited nutrition follow up ($100 value)
4. 1 exercise program ($35 value)
5. 1 one-on-one personal training session ($70 value)
Total value at $345 for ONLY $100
Click BUY NOW to purchase your gift. Input $100 in the "Unit Price" box.
Rapid Results Personal Training Package – $195 value all for ONLY $70
1. 1-hour fitness and body fat assessment ($70 value)
2. 1-hour nutrition consultation ($70 value)
3. 1 exercise program ($35 value)
4. The 16-Week Rapid Fat Loss Cardio Program E-Book + BONUS Audio Interval Training MP3 Soundtrack ($20 value)
Total value at $195 for ONLY $70
Click BUY NOW to purchase your gift. Input $70 in the "Unit Price" box.
Boot Camp Packages
The Total Boot Camp Transformation Package – $415 value all for ONLY $100
1. 2 weeks (6 total sessions) to boot camp ($90 value)
2. 1-hour nutrition consultation ($70 value)
3. Unlimited nutrition follow up ($100 value)
4. 30-minute fitness assessment ($35 value)
5. Grocery Store Trip ($100)
6. The 16-Week Rapid Fat Loss Cardio Program E-Book + BONUS Audio Interval Training MP3 Soundtrack ($20 value)
Total value at $415 for ONLY $100
Click BUY NOW to purchase your gift. Input $100 in the "Unit Price" box.
Rapid Results Boot Camp Package – $180 value all for ONLY $50
1. 2 weeks (6 total sessions) to boot camp ($90 value)
2. 1-hour nutrition consultation ($70 value)
3. The 16-Week Rapid Fat Loss Cardio Program E-Book + BONUS Audio Interval Training MP3 Soundtrack ($20 value)
Total value at $180 for ONLY $50
Click BUY NOW to purchase your gift. Input $50 in the "Unit Price" box.
Resurrect your body!
Tyron
www.MakersBody.com
http://www.LookBetterNakedBootCamp.ca Tweet This
What Does the Future Hold for Fitness in 2009?
Being as it's part way through December it would be a good time for the annual fitness year in review. Unfortunately, the fitness industry as a whole has not fully accomplished it's objective of producing significant results on a broad scale to effectively reverse the obesity epidemic that is plaguing our society.
More specifically, the sobering fact that Canadian and American adults keep getting fatter, more lethargic, and less healthy has mirrored the unabated deterioration in the health and fitness of our youth population. However, all is not lost as 2009 is a new year and will be host to several growing fitness trends that will provide the long-term answers to solve this ever-growing problem:
Fitness Trend #1 - Fitness Boot Camps Will Rise
As everyone knows in the world there is a recession going on however it doesn't have to affect you or your health and physical fitness. However, with every problem emerges a solution; fitness boot camps are just that. Boot camps are probably the hottest thing in the fitness game right now. Boot camps are the ultimate win-win for trainers and clients. Fitness trainers get to better leverage their time and maximize profits by working with an unlimited number of clients per hour. Fitness clients are able to better access personal training services in a unique and dynamic team environment that provides great social support and accountability.
If losing weight is a goal of your in 2009, do yourself a favor by joining a local fitness boot camp. The results you'd get will amaze you not to mention the fun you'll have!
Fitness Trend #2 - Interval Training Destroys Aerobic Training For Improved Fat Loss And Fitness 100% Of The Time
High-Intensity Interval Training is rapidly gaining popularity as the best form of improving both fitness and fat loss. In 2009 you will definitely see less people doing marathons and more people doing sprints to lose weight. However, don't get me wrong, steady-pace cardio has its place and is incorporated in my clients programs for rapid fat loss, however its not first on the list and it shouldn't be on yours.
Essentially, aerobic or endurance training is going at a slow, low intensity pace for a long period of time (typically 30-60 minutes). In other words, endurance training focuses on the total volume of exercise, not quality. Think about what typically happens in the New Year, people with their New Year's resolutions foolishly running for hours pounding the pavement or treadmill to get rid of that winter blubber. Sadly, this results in minimal fat loss and potentially a lot of overtraining injuries (e.g. ______-itis).
With interval training, the focus is on the intensity of exercise (quality). Intervals consist of alternating between shorts bouts of all out high-intensity effort and active recovery periods of low-intensity effort for a much quicker and focused amount of time (typically 10-20 minutes of intervals works best). This approach is scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat and lead to faster improvements in fitness than the aerobic alternative.
Two landmark scientific studies come to mind here:
The Tabata study compared the effects of four minutes of high-intensity interval training with 45-60 minutes of low to moderate intensity cardio. The interval training group burned just as much fat as the endurance group and also had greater improvement in both anaerobic (think sprinters) and aerobic (think distance runners) fitness… in only four minutes!
The Gibala study compared the effects of 20 minutes of interval training (30 second sprint followed by four minutes of rest) with 90-120 minutes of endurance training in the “heart rate zone.” The conclusions of the study were that both methods of training lead to the same improvements in oxygen utilization (or aerobic fitness). 2.5 hours per week for the interval group vs. 10.5 hours per week for the aerobic group. In other words, intervals accomplished what endurance training did from a fitness standpoint in only a fifth of the time!
Jump on the interval training bandwagon now, as its time. Do yourself and your body a favor in 2009 and start sprinting (on a bike or treadmill) to look better naked.
Fitness Trend #3 - Lean Protein And Fiber Are The Carbohydrate Addict’s Answer For Improved Health, Performance, and Body Composition
Typically people are carb addicts. We simply can’t get enough starches and sugars in our diet, and we have the bulging midsections to prove it. A misconception in the diet world is that eliminating starches and sugars from your diet automatically means low carb. Better said, eliminating grains (even whole grains) and refined sugars still allows for consumption of the other carbohydrates: fruits and veggies. These nutrient-dense carbs are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber and create more stable blood sugar levels to keep your body burning fat all day long (that's one of the secret keys to maintaining weight loss).
Clients of mine that have lost the most fat have followed my guidelines of unlimited veggies all day long. In other words, eat lots of veggie carbs, and very little of the other stuff if you want to see your abs!
The overwhelming scientific literature proving the fat burning benefits of a diet high in lean protein and fiber is finally catching the eye of mainstream consumers. Protein is the most important component of each and every meal or snack you consume. It builds and maintains muscle, allows your body to preferentially burn fat, increases metabolism through the thermic effect of feeding, and fills you up. Fiber (ideally obtained from fruits and vegetables, specifically green vegetables) helps slow digestion for a more steady supply of nutrients and sustained energy, it prevents overeating at each meal, and it helps keep you more full between meals. Thus by combining protein and fiber every two to four hours, you provide your body with the optimal one-two belly fat burning punch for a leaner, more toned and attractive you.
Without a doubt, people will be consuming more protein and fruits and veggies next year, and their bodies will reap the rewards of this. Let it be you!
Well, those are some of the fitness trends for 2009. I hope the information in this article gives you the push you need to be the trendsetter for your own body and the bodies of those whom you care most about in the New Year!
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron
http://www.MakersBody.com
http://www.LookBetterNakedBootCamp.ca Tweet This
More specifically, the sobering fact that Canadian and American adults keep getting fatter, more lethargic, and less healthy has mirrored the unabated deterioration in the health and fitness of our youth population. However, all is not lost as 2009 is a new year and will be host to several growing fitness trends that will provide the long-term answers to solve this ever-growing problem:
Fitness Trend #1 - Fitness Boot Camps Will Rise
As everyone knows in the world there is a recession going on however it doesn't have to affect you or your health and physical fitness. However, with every problem emerges a solution; fitness boot camps are just that. Boot camps are probably the hottest thing in the fitness game right now. Boot camps are the ultimate win-win for trainers and clients. Fitness trainers get to better leverage their time and maximize profits by working with an unlimited number of clients per hour. Fitness clients are able to better access personal training services in a unique and dynamic team environment that provides great social support and accountability.
If losing weight is a goal of your in 2009, do yourself a favor by joining a local fitness boot camp. The results you'd get will amaze you not to mention the fun you'll have!
Fitness Trend #2 - Interval Training Destroys Aerobic Training For Improved Fat Loss And Fitness 100% Of The Time
High-Intensity Interval Training is rapidly gaining popularity as the best form of improving both fitness and fat loss. In 2009 you will definitely see less people doing marathons and more people doing sprints to lose weight. However, don't get me wrong, steady-pace cardio has its place and is incorporated in my clients programs for rapid fat loss, however its not first on the list and it shouldn't be on yours.
Essentially, aerobic or endurance training is going at a slow, low intensity pace for a long period of time (typically 30-60 minutes). In other words, endurance training focuses on the total volume of exercise, not quality. Think about what typically happens in the New Year, people with their New Year's resolutions foolishly running for hours pounding the pavement or treadmill to get rid of that winter blubber. Sadly, this results in minimal fat loss and potentially a lot of overtraining injuries (e.g. ______-itis).
With interval training, the focus is on the intensity of exercise (quality). Intervals consist of alternating between shorts bouts of all out high-intensity effort and active recovery periods of low-intensity effort for a much quicker and focused amount of time (typically 10-20 minutes of intervals works best). This approach is scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat and lead to faster improvements in fitness than the aerobic alternative.
Two landmark scientific studies come to mind here:
The Tabata study compared the effects of four minutes of high-intensity interval training with 45-60 minutes of low to moderate intensity cardio. The interval training group burned just as much fat as the endurance group and also had greater improvement in both anaerobic (think sprinters) and aerobic (think distance runners) fitness… in only four minutes!
The Gibala study compared the effects of 20 minutes of interval training (30 second sprint followed by four minutes of rest) with 90-120 minutes of endurance training in the “heart rate zone.” The conclusions of the study were that both methods of training lead to the same improvements in oxygen utilization (or aerobic fitness). 2.5 hours per week for the interval group vs. 10.5 hours per week for the aerobic group. In other words, intervals accomplished what endurance training did from a fitness standpoint in only a fifth of the time!
Jump on the interval training bandwagon now, as its time. Do yourself and your body a favor in 2009 and start sprinting (on a bike or treadmill) to look better naked.
Fitness Trend #3 - Lean Protein And Fiber Are The Carbohydrate Addict’s Answer For Improved Health, Performance, and Body Composition
Typically people are carb addicts. We simply can’t get enough starches and sugars in our diet, and we have the bulging midsections to prove it. A misconception in the diet world is that eliminating starches and sugars from your diet automatically means low carb. Better said, eliminating grains (even whole grains) and refined sugars still allows for consumption of the other carbohydrates: fruits and veggies. These nutrient-dense carbs are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber and create more stable blood sugar levels to keep your body burning fat all day long (that's one of the secret keys to maintaining weight loss).
Clients of mine that have lost the most fat have followed my guidelines of unlimited veggies all day long. In other words, eat lots of veggie carbs, and very little of the other stuff if you want to see your abs!
The overwhelming scientific literature proving the fat burning benefits of a diet high in lean protein and fiber is finally catching the eye of mainstream consumers. Protein is the most important component of each and every meal or snack you consume. It builds and maintains muscle, allows your body to preferentially burn fat, increases metabolism through the thermic effect of feeding, and fills you up. Fiber (ideally obtained from fruits and vegetables, specifically green vegetables) helps slow digestion for a more steady supply of nutrients and sustained energy, it prevents overeating at each meal, and it helps keep you more full between meals. Thus by combining protein and fiber every two to four hours, you provide your body with the optimal one-two belly fat burning punch for a leaner, more toned and attractive you.
Without a doubt, people will be consuming more protein and fruits and veggies next year, and their bodies will reap the rewards of this. Let it be you!
Well, those are some of the fitness trends for 2009. I hope the information in this article gives you the push you need to be the trendsetter for your own body and the bodies of those whom you care most about in the New Year!
Resurrect your body back to life!
Tyron
http://www.MakersBody.com
http://www.LookBetterNakedBootCamp.ca Tweet This
Monday, December 8, 2008
The Final 5 Last Minute Fitness Gifts for the Holidays!
6.) Supplements that Work: Protein Powders, Fish Oil, Multi-Vitamin
I have a number of people lose pounds and pounds of fat. In my journey, I have found three supplements to be key in the optimal fat loss program: protein powders, fish oil, and multi-vitamin supplements.
Protein powders provide great liquid workout nutrition and a convenient meat alternative for on-the-go snacking. For a protein powder, look for a brand low in sugar and carbohydrates and one containing whey (fast absorbing proteins). Click for a Great Protein Powder
Fish oil, or more appropriately entitled an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement, is critical to providing key omega 3’s to maximize overall health, performance, and body composition.
Supreme Fish Oil
A multi-vitamin provides keys vitamins and minerals that are tough to obtain unless your diet is near picture perfect. The way I look at it is, take it as insurance to cover your bases. Be sure to choose a multi-vitamin supplement that is made from whole foods rather than synthetic materials, in addition to being made specifically for your gender.
Women's Multi
Men's Multi
Kids Multi
7.) Sport-Specific Gift
This one’s pretty basic: if you want to give a great gift to an athlete then get them something unique that compliments their sport, whether it be fitness equipment, apparel, or both.
8.) Fitness Book or Subscription to Fitness Magazine
Everybody need bedtime or bathroom reading baby! If you have just read a good fitness book that you know a friend or family member would benefit from, hook them up with their own copy. You might want to go one step further and get them a magazine subscriptions.
9.) Wireless MP3 Headset
This one’s a bit pricey, but man is it worth the unparalleled listening pleasure and convenience. It’s this simple: drag and drop your workout MP3’s onto the headset using a USB cable and then press play and rock out while you workout. There are no annoying wires to deal with and the headphones are comfortably, yet firmly locked on your head so they never fall off and you never miss a beat.
Check out the KOSS Stereophones' Tugo Wireless MP3 Player by clicking KOSS MP3 Player.
10.) A Gift Card to a Fitness Boot Camp or Personal Training
Boot camps provide a fun and exciting team environment that guarantee the same results than one-on-one personal training for only a fourth of the cost… it’s a total no-brainer.
In regards to a boot camp, look for one with tons of social proof (client testimonials, especially in the form of pictures and video) to make sure they have a solid reputation and a bunch of raving fans of people just like you. Plus, any good boot camp worth its weight offers free trials and money-back guarantees to all newcomers because they are so confident their program works that you’ll more than likely continue after a test-drive, This way there is typically no risk on your part… besides getting you butt kicked, in a good way ;)
So join a fitness boot camp with at least one other friend or family member or buy a boot camp gift card to give to your loved ones. As a boot camp instructor myself, its true with group training that clients will generally get better results and stick with it longer when they embark on a fitness journey with others as they have accountability and social support.
And if you live in the local Vancouver/North Vancouver/West Vancouver area, come work with us for some of the best group training in Vancouver by visiting www.LookBetterNakedBootCamp.ca.
However if you think a fitness boot camp might not be the thing you need then maybe a gift certificate to a personal training is. Where you can get the personal attention you may need to reach your goals.
If you live in the Vancouver/North Vancouver/West Vancouver area, come out for some of the best personal training in Vancouver by visiting www.MakersBody.com.
We’ll change your life and have you looking better naked this New Year, guaranteed ;)
Look your best for the holidays!
Tyron
www.MakersBody.com
www.LookBetterNakedBootCamp.ca Tweet This
I have a number of people lose pounds and pounds of fat. In my journey, I have found three supplements to be key in the optimal fat loss program: protein powders, fish oil, and multi-vitamin supplements.
Protein powders provide great liquid workout nutrition and a convenient meat alternative for on-the-go snacking. For a protein powder, look for a brand low in sugar and carbohydrates and one containing whey (fast absorbing proteins). Click for a Great Protein Powder
Fish oil, or more appropriately entitled an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement, is critical to providing key omega 3’s to maximize overall health, performance, and body composition.
Supreme Fish Oil
A multi-vitamin provides keys vitamins and minerals that are tough to obtain unless your diet is near picture perfect. The way I look at it is, take it as insurance to cover your bases. Be sure to choose a multi-vitamin supplement that is made from whole foods rather than synthetic materials, in addition to being made specifically for your gender.
Women's Multi
Men's Multi
Kids Multi
7.) Sport-Specific Gift
This one’s pretty basic: if you want to give a great gift to an athlete then get them something unique that compliments their sport, whether it be fitness equipment, apparel, or both.
8.) Fitness Book or Subscription to Fitness Magazine
Everybody need bedtime or bathroom reading baby! If you have just read a good fitness book that you know a friend or family member would benefit from, hook them up with their own copy. You might want to go one step further and get them a magazine subscriptions.
9.) Wireless MP3 Headset
This one’s a bit pricey, but man is it worth the unparalleled listening pleasure and convenience. It’s this simple: drag and drop your workout MP3’s onto the headset using a USB cable and then press play and rock out while you workout. There are no annoying wires to deal with and the headphones are comfortably, yet firmly locked on your head so they never fall off and you never miss a beat.
Check out the KOSS Stereophones' Tugo Wireless MP3 Player by clicking KOSS MP3 Player.
10.) A Gift Card to a Fitness Boot Camp or Personal Training
Boot camps provide a fun and exciting team environment that guarantee the same results than one-on-one personal training for only a fourth of the cost… it’s a total no-brainer.
In regards to a boot camp, look for one with tons of social proof (client testimonials, especially in the form of pictures and video) to make sure they have a solid reputation and a bunch of raving fans of people just like you. Plus, any good boot camp worth its weight offers free trials and money-back guarantees to all newcomers because they are so confident their program works that you’ll more than likely continue after a test-drive, This way there is typically no risk on your part… besides getting you butt kicked, in a good way ;)
So join a fitness boot camp with at least one other friend or family member or buy a boot camp gift card to give to your loved ones. As a boot camp instructor myself, its true with group training that clients will generally get better results and stick with it longer when they embark on a fitness journey with others as they have accountability and social support.
And if you live in the local Vancouver/North Vancouver/West Vancouver area, come work with us for some of the best group training in Vancouver by visiting www.LookBetterNakedBootCamp.ca.
However if you think a fitness boot camp might not be the thing you need then maybe a gift certificate to a personal training is. Where you can get the personal attention you may need to reach your goals.
If you live in the Vancouver/North Vancouver/West Vancouver area, come out for some of the best personal training in Vancouver by visiting www.MakersBody.com.
We’ll change your life and have you looking better naked this New Year, guaranteed ;)
Look your best for the holidays!
Tyron
www.MakersBody.com
www.LookBetterNakedBootCamp.ca Tweet This
Holiday Fitness Gift Ideas for 2008!
If you're in a bind and don't know what to get your friends or family for the holidays, then why not get them a fitness gift. While you're at it, why not put some fitness gifts on your own holiday wish list. After all, who doesn’t want to look or perform better? Here is a good place to start with my list of 10 of the best last minute fitness gifts for 2008:
1.) A Foam Roller
Do you spend a good part of your day nailed to a desk? If you're like most people you probably do. And when you actually do have time to workout, all you usually can fit in is the workout itself, am I right? Really, with people's busy schedule most don't have time for daily stretching.
Well that’s where a foam roller comes in. It’s a phenomenal corrective self-massage tool that will dramatically bolster injury prevention and improve performance. It’s ideal to use for at least five minutes pre-workout to loosen up tight muscles and help release sore spots and post-workout to promote healing of the small micro-tears in your muscles that result from high-intensity training to jumpstart the recovery process. Plus, a foam roller both kneads out and lengthens your muscle and connective tissues thus alleviating, if not eliminating, nagging aches and pains in your back, knees, hips, shoulders, and elbows. Think of it like ironing your muscles.
If you’re going to get a foam roller, get a decent one. The cheaper options tend to wear down into a limp noodle for larger individuals after a couple of months.
2.) Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are one of the most simple, convenient, and affordable equipment options in the fitness industry. They supply total portability for amazing workouts that can be done anywhere and unlike dumbbells they're not heavy. If you are a busy professional who does a lot of traveling, bands are the perfect lightweight training tool to take your workouts with you on the road as they can fit in the smallest of bags without a problem. If you are a busy Mom looking to workout in the comfort of your own home, bands can make this happen too. Bands provide the perfect compliment to your body weight circuit training workouts for added variety, allow for multiple levels of resistance with practically zero transition and set-up time, are easy on the joints, and are fun to use!
3.) A Gift Card to a Sporting Goods Store For Fitness Equipment and Apparel
You can’t beat a good sporting goods store to provide the best fitness equipment and apparel on the market today. Its always a safe was to go with a gift card here because everybody has their own preferences, particularly when it comes to clothing sizes and styles.
4.) A Gift Card to Premium, Organic Grocery Stores
Want to help a friend or family member get good, healthy organic food? Why not give a week’s worth of groceries to a 100% organic grocer to a friend or loved one. After all, everybody’s got to eat, but how many of us actually eat the right stuff to support our fitness goals?
The key is to go in with a budget in mind (e.g. spend $50 bucks on protein, $20 on fruits and veggies, and $10 on miscellaneous items) only buying what you need.
5.) A Gift Card to a Massage Therapist
Particularly during the holidays, people are more stressed and busy then at other times of the year so a good way to help a friend or family member eases the tension is provide them a gift card to a good massage therapist. This is one of those can’t go wrong gifts, unless you know someone who doesn’t like to be touched. We all enjoy a little pampering on occasion, and though the foam roller I mentioned above can do wonders for the majority of your body in helping alleviate pain and tension, why not give them a gift that offers the two in one.
I didn't want to overload you with too much today so I'll send you the final 5 gift ideas tomorrow!
Look your best for the holidays!
Tyron
www.MakersBody.com
www.LookBetterNakedBootCamp.ca Tweet This
1.) A Foam Roller
Do you spend a good part of your day nailed to a desk? If you're like most people you probably do. And when you actually do have time to workout, all you usually can fit in is the workout itself, am I right? Really, with people's busy schedule most don't have time for daily stretching.
Well that’s where a foam roller comes in. It’s a phenomenal corrective self-massage tool that will dramatically bolster injury prevention and improve performance. It’s ideal to use for at least five minutes pre-workout to loosen up tight muscles and help release sore spots and post-workout to promote healing of the small micro-tears in your muscles that result from high-intensity training to jumpstart the recovery process. Plus, a foam roller both kneads out and lengthens your muscle and connective tissues thus alleviating, if not eliminating, nagging aches and pains in your back, knees, hips, shoulders, and elbows. Think of it like ironing your muscles.
If you’re going to get a foam roller, get a decent one. The cheaper options tend to wear down into a limp noodle for larger individuals after a couple of months.
2.) Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are one of the most simple, convenient, and affordable equipment options in the fitness industry. They supply total portability for amazing workouts that can be done anywhere and unlike dumbbells they're not heavy. If you are a busy professional who does a lot of traveling, bands are the perfect lightweight training tool to take your workouts with you on the road as they can fit in the smallest of bags without a problem. If you are a busy Mom looking to workout in the comfort of your own home, bands can make this happen too. Bands provide the perfect compliment to your body weight circuit training workouts for added variety, allow for multiple levels of resistance with practically zero transition and set-up time, are easy on the joints, and are fun to use!
3.) A Gift Card to a Sporting Goods Store For Fitness Equipment and Apparel
You can’t beat a good sporting goods store to provide the best fitness equipment and apparel on the market today. Its always a safe was to go with a gift card here because everybody has their own preferences, particularly when it comes to clothing sizes and styles.
4.) A Gift Card to Premium, Organic Grocery Stores
Want to help a friend or family member get good, healthy organic food? Why not give a week’s worth of groceries to a 100% organic grocer to a friend or loved one. After all, everybody’s got to eat, but how many of us actually eat the right stuff to support our fitness goals?
The key is to go in with a budget in mind (e.g. spend $50 bucks on protein, $20 on fruits and veggies, and $10 on miscellaneous items) only buying what you need.
5.) A Gift Card to a Massage Therapist
Particularly during the holidays, people are more stressed and busy then at other times of the year so a good way to help a friend or family member eases the tension is provide them a gift card to a good massage therapist. This is one of those can’t go wrong gifts, unless you know someone who doesn’t like to be touched. We all enjoy a little pampering on occasion, and though the foam roller I mentioned above can do wonders for the majority of your body in helping alleviate pain and tension, why not give them a gift that offers the two in one.
I didn't want to overload you with too much today so I'll send you the final 5 gift ideas tomorrow!
Look your best for the holidays!
Tyron
www.MakersBody.com
www.LookBetterNakedBootCamp.ca Tweet This
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Want To Save Your Waistline This Holiday Season? Try These Top 13 Diet Strategies
When it comes to making it easier on yourself this holiday season and preventing yourself from overdoing it, there are a bunch of handy damage control diet strategies that you should employ. By using the 13 tips below, you will allow yourself to stay social as well being able to indulge, in moderation of course, without putting on the 5-10 pound holiday weight and splitting your pants before the New Year:
1.) Perform High-Intensity Activity Before and/or After a Big Meal or Holiday Feast
This isn't a diet strategy I know, but honestly without recommending some form of activity I'm making it harder on you to keep fat-free this holiday season. Your body is most receptive to higher calorie and/or carbohydrate meals within 30 minutes before and within three hours following high-intensity activity. In an ideal situation, you would want to workout out before AND after a big meal, but if you can only do one, that will suffice. When it comes to time, honestly it is less important when you do it and more important that you do it. Your best options will be 20 minutes of circuit resistance training or cardio interval training. Even a 20-30 plus minute walk a few hours afterwards can serve as a bit of damage control. So whatever you do, try getting in some form of exercise before and/or after a big meal...your body will thank you.
2.) Do NOT Fast in Preparation for a Big Meal or Holiday Feast
I know this is practice by hundreds of people, but don't do it. Fasting in preparation for a free meal will not only lead to overeating, but worse: overeating foods that are extremely high in sugar, fat, or both! Your body is a survival mechanism. If it hasn’t had food in a while it anticipates a famine state. This means that the next time that you eat, your body will use as much of the incoming food as possible to store as body fat (survival energy) in anticipation that it won’t see food again for another long period of time. Do yourself and your body a favor by eating every two to four hours as you normally should to prevent yourself from becoming a ravenous, fat-storing beast this holiday season!
3.) Do NOT Gorge Yourself
I agree that can be hard at Christmas especially with Cheesecake and Pumpkin Pie lying around (I've let the cat out of the bag), but eat until the point of satisfaction, not discomfort. Keep in mind: binge eating is not the habit of lean individuals. Listen to your body and make sure to enjoy the foods you are craving in moderation and only eat when you are hungry.
4.) Eat a High-Fiber, Protein-Rich Meal An Hour Before a Holiday Event
This is a beauty! A meal high in fiber and protein before a big holiday meal will help prevent overeating by making you feel more full which in turn means less calories consumed during the ensuing feast. Give this strategy a try: drink a protein shake with added fiber and healthy fats (e.g. 2-4 Tbsp. flax meal) and 1 liter of water before such a meal to help keep you feeling nice and full upon arrival. This will save you from eating the entire dinner platter and save your midsection from a fluffier existence!
5.) Eat Leans Proteins and Fruits and Vegetables FIRST
Just because it’s a holiday meal doesn’t mean you can’t eat any nutritious food. As I tell all my clients when we go over The Rapid Fat Loss Nutrition Habits, never skip on veggies. Make sure to load up on healthier food choices first and try to eat as much lean meat, fish, and fruits and veggies as possible at the start of each holiday event. This is a great trick you can use as it'll leave less room for the unhealthier, higher calorie treats. At least this way you know your body is getting in some good nutrition and you are not putting yourself at excessive risk for sickness and/or other health concerns.
6.) Drink, Drink, Drink Water!
Want to fill yourself up and limit the amount of higher calorie foods you each this holiday season, drink your water. Water competes for space in your stomach and truly helps decrease appetite. Try this strategy: for every plate you eat, try to drink at least 1-2 glasses of water. After that second plate, when you have 1 full liter of water in your stomach, I bet you might just throw in the towel!
7.) Do NOT Eat Again Until Hungry Following a Large Meal
I'm going to break the rules a little here as I told you to eat every 2-4 hours, but there is one exception to this. If you eat a large meal, it is important not to eat again until you are hungry and/or no longer full. Most people aren't used to eating such a big meal and thus it will take more time to digest all that food. The worst thing you can do is put more food into an already full stomach, unless your goal is to do the stop, drop, and roll drill. In this case, resume your normal eating plan following a big holiday meal ONLY when you are hungry again.
8.) Immediately Resume Your Normal Eating Schedule at the Next Meal
Can't change the past. What’s done is done. Don't hold yourself in guilt as really its the holiday and its good to enjoy some treats, but now it is time to get back to your regular eating plan. Remember weekly caloric intake is far more important than daily caloric intake. For example, let’s say that you need 3,000 calories per day to maintain your current body weight. Well, all that you need to do is make sure the average daily caloric intake each week is 3,000 calories per day. This means that you can fluctuate your daily caloric intake and yield the same results as if you ate that same amount each day. So if you have one day of big eating where you eat 9,000 calories (just an example, not a recommendation), but you only eat 2,000 calories per day the rest of the week, you will still end up at the same caloric balance. This is only an example, I am not recommending that you eat in such an extreme manner, rather I am suggesting that you do not have to obsess about being perfect. Because really none of us are. As I mentioned above, I'm going to be enjoying some Cheesecake and Pumpkin Pie so definitely enjoy some indulging, but do so in moderation at your various holiday festivities knowing that the week in review trumps a day in review, even when you are particularly naughty on any given day.
9.) Never Eat Junk Food for Breakfast or Before Bed
As a good rule of thumb don't eat a highly refined carbohydrate meal first thing in the morning or a big meal right before bed. For one, a highly refined carbo meal will make your blood sugar levels spike resulting in greater junk food cravings and hunger throughout the day. And two, eating a big meal before bed will result in a bunch of unused energy that will be stored as body fat and it may very well affect your sleep! Check out my recent post on sleep at
http://tyronpiteau.blogspot.com/2008/11/is-lack-of-sleep-killing-you.html.
10.) Control your Portions
Whatever you feel like eating when it comes to unhealthy food, cut the portion in half. Half of the portions equal half the calories!
11.) Avoid Empty Liquid Calories and Alcohol
One can easily consume over 1,000 calories per day from liquid calories alone. This means that in one week, you will gain 2 lbs of body fat from just fluids! Opt for regular solid food calories versus empty liquid calories (e.g. juices and soft drinks), for at least the food will fill you up and provide some nutrition where as liquid calories, particularly alcohol, have no such effect. Rather, sugary and/or alcoholic drinks tend to make you hungrier in general and often hungrier for junk food in particular. Furthermore, your body cannot burn fat until the alcohol is processed out of your body in addition to the fact that alcohol consumption actually lowers leptin levels thus defeating one of the main purposes of this flexible eating (decreased leptin levels increase hunger and decreases your body’s use of fat for fuel). Thus over-consumption of alcohol can prevent the fat burning process from resuming until several days later and/or even cause unwanted fat gain and thus set you back as little as a few days to as long as a full week!
12.) Use Lower Calorie/Carbohydrate Substitutes Whenever Possible
Instead of using sugar, opt for zero calorie alternatives like stevia. They can deliver a similar taste without all of the extra sugar and calories. You can even try substituting yeast with protein powder when you bake. The extra protein and reduced carbohydrates will result in a slimmer you while still providing some great tasting treats! Your goal should be to find the minimal amount of calories that can provide the same great taste that makes the holiday treats enjoyable rather than simply overdoing it because you can!
13.) Avoid Eating Meals that are High in Both Fat and Carbohydrates
The absolute worst thing that you can do is to eat a meal that is high in both fat and carbs. The high amount of carbs will lead to a rapid increase in blood sugar levels and thus large increases in the potent fat-storing hormone Insulin. The high amount of fat will lead to a large increase in free fatty acids in your bloodstream. Since Insulin is already present in large amounts, in addition to there being a large amount of free fatty acids now available in your blood, the stage is set for all those free fatty acids to be gobbled up and stored by your fat cells. This is the equivalent of becoming the next Goodyear blimp, so it is imperative to use caution at your holiday meals when it comes to combining fat (particularly saturated and trans fats) and carbs (particularly starches and refined sugars). In general, it is best to choose one over the other. But since most people crave carbs at their free meals, it is essential to keep the fat low at this meal. Want pasta? Instead of alfredo sauce, opt for marinara sauce with whole grain pasta. Want pizza? Make your own pizza with whole grain crust and fat-free cheese. Want mashed potatoes? Well then be sure to skip the gravy and go easy on the butter. These small changes can literally save you hundreds, even thousands of calories, and more importantly will prevent your holiday feasts from creating the optimal fat-storing environment that will set you back from achieving your health and fitness goals.
Look your best!
Tyron
http://www.MakersBody.com
http://www.LookBetterNakedBootCamp.ca Tweet This
1.) Perform High-Intensity Activity Before and/or After a Big Meal or Holiday Feast
This isn't a diet strategy I know, but honestly without recommending some form of activity I'm making it harder on you to keep fat-free this holiday season. Your body is most receptive to higher calorie and/or carbohydrate meals within 30 minutes before and within three hours following high-intensity activity. In an ideal situation, you would want to workout out before AND after a big meal, but if you can only do one, that will suffice. When it comes to time, honestly it is less important when you do it and more important that you do it. Your best options will be 20 minutes of circuit resistance training or cardio interval training. Even a 20-30 plus minute walk a few hours afterwards can serve as a bit of damage control. So whatever you do, try getting in some form of exercise before and/or after a big meal...your body will thank you.
2.) Do NOT Fast in Preparation for a Big Meal or Holiday Feast
I know this is practice by hundreds of people, but don't do it. Fasting in preparation for a free meal will not only lead to overeating, but worse: overeating foods that are extremely high in sugar, fat, or both! Your body is a survival mechanism. If it hasn’t had food in a while it anticipates a famine state. This means that the next time that you eat, your body will use as much of the incoming food as possible to store as body fat (survival energy) in anticipation that it won’t see food again for another long period of time. Do yourself and your body a favor by eating every two to four hours as you normally should to prevent yourself from becoming a ravenous, fat-storing beast this holiday season!
3.) Do NOT Gorge Yourself
I agree that can be hard at Christmas especially with Cheesecake and Pumpkin Pie lying around (I've let the cat out of the bag), but eat until the point of satisfaction, not discomfort. Keep in mind: binge eating is not the habit of lean individuals. Listen to your body and make sure to enjoy the foods you are craving in moderation and only eat when you are hungry.
4.) Eat a High-Fiber, Protein-Rich Meal An Hour Before a Holiday Event
This is a beauty! A meal high in fiber and protein before a big holiday meal will help prevent overeating by making you feel more full which in turn means less calories consumed during the ensuing feast. Give this strategy a try: drink a protein shake with added fiber and healthy fats (e.g. 2-4 Tbsp. flax meal) and 1 liter of water before such a meal to help keep you feeling nice and full upon arrival. This will save you from eating the entire dinner platter and save your midsection from a fluffier existence!
5.) Eat Leans Proteins and Fruits and Vegetables FIRST
Just because it’s a holiday meal doesn’t mean you can’t eat any nutritious food. As I tell all my clients when we go over The Rapid Fat Loss Nutrition Habits, never skip on veggies. Make sure to load up on healthier food choices first and try to eat as much lean meat, fish, and fruits and veggies as possible at the start of each holiday event. This is a great trick you can use as it'll leave less room for the unhealthier, higher calorie treats. At least this way you know your body is getting in some good nutrition and you are not putting yourself at excessive risk for sickness and/or other health concerns.
6.) Drink, Drink, Drink Water!
Want to fill yourself up and limit the amount of higher calorie foods you each this holiday season, drink your water. Water competes for space in your stomach and truly helps decrease appetite. Try this strategy: for every plate you eat, try to drink at least 1-2 glasses of water. After that second plate, when you have 1 full liter of water in your stomach, I bet you might just throw in the towel!
7.) Do NOT Eat Again Until Hungry Following a Large Meal
I'm going to break the rules a little here as I told you to eat every 2-4 hours, but there is one exception to this. If you eat a large meal, it is important not to eat again until you are hungry and/or no longer full. Most people aren't used to eating such a big meal and thus it will take more time to digest all that food. The worst thing you can do is put more food into an already full stomach, unless your goal is to do the stop, drop, and roll drill. In this case, resume your normal eating plan following a big holiday meal ONLY when you are hungry again.
8.) Immediately Resume Your Normal Eating Schedule at the Next Meal
Can't change the past. What’s done is done. Don't hold yourself in guilt as really its the holiday and its good to enjoy some treats, but now it is time to get back to your regular eating plan. Remember weekly caloric intake is far more important than daily caloric intake. For example, let’s say that you need 3,000 calories per day to maintain your current body weight. Well, all that you need to do is make sure the average daily caloric intake each week is 3,000 calories per day. This means that you can fluctuate your daily caloric intake and yield the same results as if you ate that same amount each day. So if you have one day of big eating where you eat 9,000 calories (just an example, not a recommendation), but you only eat 2,000 calories per day the rest of the week, you will still end up at the same caloric balance. This is only an example, I am not recommending that you eat in such an extreme manner, rather I am suggesting that you do not have to obsess about being perfect. Because really none of us are. As I mentioned above, I'm going to be enjoying some Cheesecake and Pumpkin Pie so definitely enjoy some indulging, but do so in moderation at your various holiday festivities knowing that the week in review trumps a day in review, even when you are particularly naughty on any given day.
9.) Never Eat Junk Food for Breakfast or Before Bed
As a good rule of thumb don't eat a highly refined carbohydrate meal first thing in the morning or a big meal right before bed. For one, a highly refined carbo meal will make your blood sugar levels spike resulting in greater junk food cravings and hunger throughout the day. And two, eating a big meal before bed will result in a bunch of unused energy that will be stored as body fat and it may very well affect your sleep! Check out my recent post on sleep at
http://tyronpiteau.blogspot.com/2008/11/is-lack-of-sleep-killing-you.html.
10.) Control your Portions
Whatever you feel like eating when it comes to unhealthy food, cut the portion in half. Half of the portions equal half the calories!
11.) Avoid Empty Liquid Calories and Alcohol
One can easily consume over 1,000 calories per day from liquid calories alone. This means that in one week, you will gain 2 lbs of body fat from just fluids! Opt for regular solid food calories versus empty liquid calories (e.g. juices and soft drinks), for at least the food will fill you up and provide some nutrition where as liquid calories, particularly alcohol, have no such effect. Rather, sugary and/or alcoholic drinks tend to make you hungrier in general and often hungrier for junk food in particular. Furthermore, your body cannot burn fat until the alcohol is processed out of your body in addition to the fact that alcohol consumption actually lowers leptin levels thus defeating one of the main purposes of this flexible eating (decreased leptin levels increase hunger and decreases your body’s use of fat for fuel). Thus over-consumption of alcohol can prevent the fat burning process from resuming until several days later and/or even cause unwanted fat gain and thus set you back as little as a few days to as long as a full week!
12.) Use Lower Calorie/Carbohydrate Substitutes Whenever Possible
Instead of using sugar, opt for zero calorie alternatives like stevia. They can deliver a similar taste without all of the extra sugar and calories. You can even try substituting yeast with protein powder when you bake. The extra protein and reduced carbohydrates will result in a slimmer you while still providing some great tasting treats! Your goal should be to find the minimal amount of calories that can provide the same great taste that makes the holiday treats enjoyable rather than simply overdoing it because you can!
13.) Avoid Eating Meals that are High in Both Fat and Carbohydrates
The absolute worst thing that you can do is to eat a meal that is high in both fat and carbs. The high amount of carbs will lead to a rapid increase in blood sugar levels and thus large increases in the potent fat-storing hormone Insulin. The high amount of fat will lead to a large increase in free fatty acids in your bloodstream. Since Insulin is already present in large amounts, in addition to there being a large amount of free fatty acids now available in your blood, the stage is set for all those free fatty acids to be gobbled up and stored by your fat cells. This is the equivalent of becoming the next Goodyear blimp, so it is imperative to use caution at your holiday meals when it comes to combining fat (particularly saturated and trans fats) and carbs (particularly starches and refined sugars). In general, it is best to choose one over the other. But since most people crave carbs at their free meals, it is essential to keep the fat low at this meal. Want pasta? Instead of alfredo sauce, opt for marinara sauce with whole grain pasta. Want pizza? Make your own pizza with whole grain crust and fat-free cheese. Want mashed potatoes? Well then be sure to skip the gravy and go easy on the butter. These small changes can literally save you hundreds, even thousands of calories, and more importantly will prevent your holiday feasts from creating the optimal fat-storing environment that will set you back from achieving your health and fitness goals.
Look your best!
Tyron
http://www.MakersBody.com
http://www.LookBetterNakedBootCamp.ca Tweet This
Monday, December 1, 2008
To Keep Your Body Fat-Free This Holiday Season: Try These 4 Quick Fit Tips
For everyone the holidays are busy. It happens to all of us. However, do not let yourself get caught in the trap of not working out in place of making more time for holiday errands or events.
Do you want to risk losing the lean muscle mass and strength that you have worked so hard to build and maintain?
The thing is losses in lean muscle mass will lower your resting metabolic rate, which accounts for the vast majority (about 60-75%) of your total daily calorie burning. That's a big chunk! With a lowered metabolism, what this means is that everyday you will be burning less and less calories which will put you at a much greater risk of putting on ugly, unwanted body fat during the holidays. Plus, losing strength will mean that the next time you start to work out your performance will be sub par and you’ll get smacked in the face with that ugly word that no one ever wants to encounter when it comes to their training: regression!
Are you wanting to stay fat-free this holiday season? There are a number of different ways you can maintain or even increase the number of calories you burn per day, both from exercise and from your normal daily activities.
Use these quick yet effective strategies below to maintain and/or increase your current amount of lean muscle mass and maximize your daily calorie burn to best protect yourself against the deadly holiday bloat!
1.) At least once per week, perform an intense strength training session
To be honest, when I'm busy and/or don't necessarily feel like working out (yup it happens to me to) I adopt this approach. Studies show that only a single strength training workout per week during times when you cannot train as frequently as you normally do is an effective way to maintain your current levels of strength and lean muscle mass.
Shoot for at least one good strength training workout per week to best maintain your strength and lean muscle mass and stay buff during the holidays and to prevent unwanted regressions in fitness. To make even better progress and prevent weight gain, aim for three total body strength workouts per week. For rapid fat loss, perform three total body strength workouts per week and also perform three cardio interval workouts per week on non strength-training days.
2.) Hit Your Totals
The body cannot differentiate between 100 push-ups performed in a row versus 100 total push-ups performed in a day. When you honestly cannot find a five to 20-minute time slot to complete an effective total body workout, look for hidden chunks of time during the day to get in a certain number of daily repetitions for a certain number of exercises that work your entire body.
Got a free moment from now until you need to take the turkey out of the oven? Then, bang out 10 push-ups, 10 rows, and 20 squats. Using this method throughout the day will lead to big numbers by the end of the day that will burn the same amount of calories in addition to creating similar muscle building effects as if you did all of the exercises at once during a single workout.
It is important to note that this “Hit Your Totals” routine is merely a back-up option to the ideal 20-minute interval training workouts which are scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat than ordinary exercise (see my article Total Body Fat Loss Workouts to Prevent the Holiday 5-10 Pound Gain at http://tyronpiteau.blogspot.com/2008/11/total-body-fat-loss-workouts-to-prevent.html).
Short rest periods between exercises create the optimal hormonal environment for rapid fat loss and lean muscle gain, where as the long rest periods (full recovery) between movements do not. However, it comes down to effective (“Hit Your Totals”) versus optimal (50-10 Total Body Circuit Interval Training Workouts), so be sure to at least be effective this holiday season!
Picking multi-joint, compound movements that hit as much of your body’s major muscle groups in the shortest amount of time possible is ideal for maximum fat loss and lean muscle gain (e.g. squats, deadlifts, lunges, push-ups, rows, etc.).
Use the plan below as guide to build your own “Hit Your Totals” workout. Adjust the repetition ranges accordingly based on your current strength levels. The only thing you need is your body weight and adjustable dumbbells and/or resistance bands. Perform this plan up to three times per week, resting a day between workouts. Make sure to alternate between Plan A and Plan B for more variety. You can either hit your total by doing one exercise first (e.g. perform push-ups rest-pausing as needed until you get 100 total), or by simply employ circuit style training (e.g. 20 squats, 10 push-ups, 10 rows, repeat 10x throughout the day to hit your totals).
The Hit Your Total Workout For The Holidays
Plan A-
Body weight Squats or Hip Extensions: 100-200 total
Push-ups: 50-100 total
DB/Band Rows: 50-100 total
Plan B-
Body weight Lunges or Single-Leg Hip Extensions: 50-100/total per leg
Off Chair/Couch Dips: 50-100 total
DB/Band Curls: 50-100 total (feel free to swap pull-ups or pull-downs here if you have access to the equipment)
3.) Rage Against The Machines
I am not harping on machines and saying they are all bad, just that people rely too heavily on them. For my personal training and boot camp clients that I see on the North Shore, for optimal fat loss and lean muscle gain I focus primarily on free-weight movements as mentioned above and only occasionally implement machines.
This holiday season make it a point to not use them; in the gym or anywhere for that matter...if you can. Of course you have to use your car (machine) to drive to the mall during the holidays, however when you get to the mall, try to park farther away so you can do more walking to get inside.
Avoid using elevators and escalators and opt for the stairs; all those steps truly do add up. As cliche as it sounds, it's true and it works! But it's got to be implemented for it to have any effect. Seriously, try it for 2 weeks and let me know how you feel...I'm serious.
Instead of having your lovely kids carry the bags, burn more calories by carrying the bags yourself. Stay on your feet as much as possible and resist the temptation to let a robot or machine do the work for you.
4.) Engage in more outdoor holiday activities
Are you aware of how exhausting a good snowball fight can truly be? Have you ever been in a snowball fight where when you came indoors afterwards and your snowsuit was soaked with sweat and you were exhausted? If you have you know what kind of awesome workout that is. Essentially you spent 30 minutes to an hour or however long you were out there in total fight or flight mode. Talk about an awesome way to burn calories without even thinking about it!
Make an effort to get outdoors this holiday season and go for a skate, throw around the football or have your very own “Ice Bowl.” Once again, all these calories here and there truly do add up and could make a difference between you fitting in your pants or ripping your pants by the time the clock strikes midnight this New Year!
Look your best!
Tyron
PS. For results guaranteed or your money back personal training in Vancouver, BC please visit:
http://www.MakersBody.com
PPS. For a FREE 1-week trial to North Vancouver's Look Better Naked Boot Camp, please visit:
http://www.LookBetterNakedBootCamp.ca Tweet This
Do you want to risk losing the lean muscle mass and strength that you have worked so hard to build and maintain?
The thing is losses in lean muscle mass will lower your resting metabolic rate, which accounts for the vast majority (about 60-75%) of your total daily calorie burning. That's a big chunk! With a lowered metabolism, what this means is that everyday you will be burning less and less calories which will put you at a much greater risk of putting on ugly, unwanted body fat during the holidays. Plus, losing strength will mean that the next time you start to work out your performance will be sub par and you’ll get smacked in the face with that ugly word that no one ever wants to encounter when it comes to their training: regression!
Are you wanting to stay fat-free this holiday season? There are a number of different ways you can maintain or even increase the number of calories you burn per day, both from exercise and from your normal daily activities.
Use these quick yet effective strategies below to maintain and/or increase your current amount of lean muscle mass and maximize your daily calorie burn to best protect yourself against the deadly holiday bloat!
1.) At least once per week, perform an intense strength training session
To be honest, when I'm busy and/or don't necessarily feel like working out (yup it happens to me to) I adopt this approach. Studies show that only a single strength training workout per week during times when you cannot train as frequently as you normally do is an effective way to maintain your current levels of strength and lean muscle mass.
Shoot for at least one good strength training workout per week to best maintain your strength and lean muscle mass and stay buff during the holidays and to prevent unwanted regressions in fitness. To make even better progress and prevent weight gain, aim for three total body strength workouts per week. For rapid fat loss, perform three total body strength workouts per week and also perform three cardio interval workouts per week on non strength-training days.
2.) Hit Your Totals
The body cannot differentiate between 100 push-ups performed in a row versus 100 total push-ups performed in a day. When you honestly cannot find a five to 20-minute time slot to complete an effective total body workout, look for hidden chunks of time during the day to get in a certain number of daily repetitions for a certain number of exercises that work your entire body.
Got a free moment from now until you need to take the turkey out of the oven? Then, bang out 10 push-ups, 10 rows, and 20 squats. Using this method throughout the day will lead to big numbers by the end of the day that will burn the same amount of calories in addition to creating similar muscle building effects as if you did all of the exercises at once during a single workout.
It is important to note that this “Hit Your Totals” routine is merely a back-up option to the ideal 20-minute interval training workouts which are scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat than ordinary exercise (see my article Total Body Fat Loss Workouts to Prevent the Holiday 5-10 Pound Gain at http://tyronpiteau.blogspot.com/2008/11/total-body-fat-loss-workouts-to-prevent.html).
Short rest periods between exercises create the optimal hormonal environment for rapid fat loss and lean muscle gain, where as the long rest periods (full recovery) between movements do not. However, it comes down to effective (“Hit Your Totals”) versus optimal (50-10 Total Body Circuit Interval Training Workouts), so be sure to at least be effective this holiday season!
Picking multi-joint, compound movements that hit as much of your body’s major muscle groups in the shortest amount of time possible is ideal for maximum fat loss and lean muscle gain (e.g. squats, deadlifts, lunges, push-ups, rows, etc.).
Use the plan below as guide to build your own “Hit Your Totals” workout. Adjust the repetition ranges accordingly based on your current strength levels. The only thing you need is your body weight and adjustable dumbbells and/or resistance bands. Perform this plan up to three times per week, resting a day between workouts. Make sure to alternate between Plan A and Plan B for more variety. You can either hit your total by doing one exercise first (e.g. perform push-ups rest-pausing as needed until you get 100 total), or by simply employ circuit style training (e.g. 20 squats, 10 push-ups, 10 rows, repeat 10x throughout the day to hit your totals).
The Hit Your Total Workout For The Holidays
Plan A-
Body weight Squats or Hip Extensions: 100-200 total
Push-ups: 50-100 total
DB/Band Rows: 50-100 total
Plan B-
Body weight Lunges or Single-Leg Hip Extensions: 50-100/total per leg
Off Chair/Couch Dips: 50-100 total
DB/Band Curls: 50-100 total (feel free to swap pull-ups or pull-downs here if you have access to the equipment)
3.) Rage Against The Machines
I am not harping on machines and saying they are all bad, just that people rely too heavily on them. For my personal training and boot camp clients that I see on the North Shore, for optimal fat loss and lean muscle gain I focus primarily on free-weight movements as mentioned above and only occasionally implement machines.
This holiday season make it a point to not use them; in the gym or anywhere for that matter...if you can. Of course you have to use your car (machine) to drive to the mall during the holidays, however when you get to the mall, try to park farther away so you can do more walking to get inside.
Avoid using elevators and escalators and opt for the stairs; all those steps truly do add up. As cliche as it sounds, it's true and it works! But it's got to be implemented for it to have any effect. Seriously, try it for 2 weeks and let me know how you feel...I'm serious.
Instead of having your lovely kids carry the bags, burn more calories by carrying the bags yourself. Stay on your feet as much as possible and resist the temptation to let a robot or machine do the work for you.
4.) Engage in more outdoor holiday activities
Are you aware of how exhausting a good snowball fight can truly be? Have you ever been in a snowball fight where when you came indoors afterwards and your snowsuit was soaked with sweat and you were exhausted? If you have you know what kind of awesome workout that is. Essentially you spent 30 minutes to an hour or however long you were out there in total fight or flight mode. Talk about an awesome way to burn calories without even thinking about it!
Make an effort to get outdoors this holiday season and go for a skate, throw around the football or have your very own “Ice Bowl.” Once again, all these calories here and there truly do add up and could make a difference between you fitting in your pants or ripping your pants by the time the clock strikes midnight this New Year!
Look your best!
Tyron
PS. For results guaranteed or your money back personal training in Vancouver, BC please visit:
http://www.MakersBody.com
PPS. For a FREE 1-week trial to North Vancouver's Look Better Naked Boot Camp, please visit:
http://www.LookBetterNakedBootCamp.ca Tweet This
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Is a Lack of Sleep Killing You?
That's a bold question but it may very well be true.
You may have heard it before, "The earlier you get to sleep the better it is for you."
Now apart from the obvious that more sleep, the better, the actual act of getting to sleep before midnight is so KEY!
Want your exercise and diet to work? Want to prevent cancer? Acute illnesses?
Each hour of sleep before midnight equals two hours after midnight.
Think about that.
Sleeping during the hours before midnight are twice as important as the number of hours after midnight, due to the synchronizing of the meridians of the body and various organ systems.
Also, sleeping less than 6-8 hrs will create problems with your insulin levels which increases your risk for diabetes among other things. [note: for those trying to lose weight this is NOT what you want as it makes it harder on your body to utilize fat from your fat stores for energy]. Try to sleep in complete darkness, as any light will disrupt your sleep.
Lets take a look at a natural sleep-wake cycle
A few points to consider from this:
1. As the sun rises, cortisol levels rise.
2. Remain at moderate levels throughout midday, supporting daily activities.
3. In the afternoon, cortisol levels begin to fall as the sun begins to set.
4. This decrease allows melatonin and the growth and repair hormones to increase.
5. If we follow this cycle, we should fall asleep around 10pm to 10:30pm as this is the time most physical repair occurs and at around 2am is when most mental repair occurs.
Now lets look at a disrupted sleep-wake cycle
A few points to consider from this:
1. This shows what happens when cortisol levels are elevated above normal due to such things as TV, fluorescent lights, working late in the evening, etc.
2. Since cortisol takes hours to clear from the blood, this will disrupt the release of melatonin and other growth and repair hormones.
3. If you go to bed after midnight you’ve already lost 2 hours of physical repair time as it begins around 10pm.
4. This can lead to adrenal fatigue and can manifest for instance as chronic fatigue syndrome, viral infections, bacterial and fungal infections and headaches.
5. To prevent this, get to bed on time by 10:00pm or 10:30pm at the latest.
Good sleep is at THE FOUNDATION of good health. You could be exercising, eating the right foods, have low stress levels and STILL succumb to acute illnesses because of a lack of good sleep.
For information about how to improve your sleep, click the link below:
33 Secrets to a Good Night's Sleep
http://www.mercola.com/article/sleep.htm
Video by Dr. Mercola
http://v.mercola.com/qa/why-is-it-important-to-go-to-bed-early-1445.aspx
Articles on the importance of sleep
http://search.mercola.com/Results.aspx?q=sleep%20before%20midnight&k=sleep%20before%20midnight
OR read:
Look your best!
Tyron
http://www.MakersBody.com
http://www.LookBetterNakedBootCamp.ca Tweet This
You may have heard it before, "The earlier you get to sleep the better it is for you."
Now apart from the obvious that more sleep, the better, the actual act of getting to sleep before midnight is so KEY!
Want your exercise and diet to work? Want to prevent cancer? Acute illnesses?
Each hour of sleep before midnight equals two hours after midnight.
Think about that.
Sleeping during the hours before midnight are twice as important as the number of hours after midnight, due to the synchronizing of the meridians of the body and various organ systems.
Also, sleeping less than 6-8 hrs will create problems with your insulin levels which increases your risk for diabetes among other things. [note: for those trying to lose weight this is NOT what you want as it makes it harder on your body to utilize fat from your fat stores for energy]. Try to sleep in complete darkness, as any light will disrupt your sleep.
Lets take a look at a natural sleep-wake cycle
A few points to consider from this:
1. As the sun rises, cortisol levels rise.
2. Remain at moderate levels throughout midday, supporting daily activities.
3. In the afternoon, cortisol levels begin to fall as the sun begins to set.
4. This decrease allows melatonin and the growth and repair hormones to increase.
5. If we follow this cycle, we should fall asleep around 10pm to 10:30pm as this is the time most physical repair occurs and at around 2am is when most mental repair occurs.
Now lets look at a disrupted sleep-wake cycle
A few points to consider from this:
1. This shows what happens when cortisol levels are elevated above normal due to such things as TV, fluorescent lights, working late in the evening, etc.
2. Since cortisol takes hours to clear from the blood, this will disrupt the release of melatonin and other growth and repair hormones.
3. If you go to bed after midnight you’ve already lost 2 hours of physical repair time as it begins around 10pm.
4. This can lead to adrenal fatigue and can manifest for instance as chronic fatigue syndrome, viral infections, bacterial and fungal infections and headaches.
5. To prevent this, get to bed on time by 10:00pm or 10:30pm at the latest.
Good sleep is at THE FOUNDATION of good health. You could be exercising, eating the right foods, have low stress levels and STILL succumb to acute illnesses because of a lack of good sleep.
For information about how to improve your sleep, click the link below:
33 Secrets to a Good Night's Sleep
http://www.mercola.com/article/sleep.htm
Video by Dr. Mercola
http://v.mercola.com/qa/why-is-it-important-to-go-to-bed-early-1445.aspx
Articles on the importance of sleep
http://search.mercola.com/Results.aspx?q=sleep%20before%20midnight&k=sleep%20before%20midnight
OR read:
Look your best!
Tyron
http://www.MakersBody.com
http://www.LookBetterNakedBootCamp.ca Tweet This
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Total Body Fat Loss Workouts to Prevent the Holiday 5-10 Pound Gain
Come Christmas (or presently Thanksgiving for my American readers) I know you're gonna do your thang and get your grub on come Turkey Day (either Thanksgiving or Christmas), so why not crank it with some total body med ball workouts so that you can actually earn the feast!
Remember, your body best handles sugary and starchy carbohydrates and higher calorie meals within 3 hours of intense exercise.
A colleague of mine, BJ Gaddour, owner of GetSexyBootCamps.com in Milwaukee, WI, has put together some done-for-you workout videos below so check them out. If you feel you really go overboard with the turkey meal, feel free to do the second med ball workout later in the day after the big meal ;)
5-Minute Total Body Fat Burning Workout #1- Med Ball
- You will alternate between 50 sec of work (max reps or max hold) and a 10 sec rest and transition for each exercise in the following 5-minute circuit
- Perform this 5-minute circuit 1-4x for a 5-20 minute total body workout based on your schedule (20 minutes for optimal results!)
Exercise# Exercise Category Exercise Variation
1. MB Sumo Deadlifts
2. MB Chest Passes
3. MB Alternating Lunge + Twist
4. MB Alternating Rows
5. MB Upper Body Twists
Click the link below to view a complete done-for-you workout video demo @
5-Minute Total Body Fat Burning Workout #2- Med Ball
- You will alternate between 50 sec of work (max reps or max hold) and a 10 sec rest and transition for each exercise in the following 5-minute circuit
- Perform this 5-minute circuit 1-4x for a 5-20 minute total body workout based on your schedule (20 minutes for optimal results!)
Exercise# Exercise Category Exercise Variation
1. MB Back Squats
2. MB Kneeling Shoulder Passes
3. MB Single-Leg Hip Extensions*
4. MB Alternating Bicep Curls
5. MB Leg Raises
*switch sides half-way unless alternating or performing an even number of multiple sets
Click the link below to view a complete done-for-you workout video demo @
Look your best!
Tyron
http://www.MakersBody.com
http://www.LookBetterNakedBootCamp.ca Tweet This
Remember, your body best handles sugary and starchy carbohydrates and higher calorie meals within 3 hours of intense exercise.
A colleague of mine, BJ Gaddour, owner of GetSexyBootCamps.com in Milwaukee, WI, has put together some done-for-you workout videos below so check them out. If you feel you really go overboard with the turkey meal, feel free to do the second med ball workout later in the day after the big meal ;)
5-Minute Total Body Fat Burning Workout #1- Med Ball
- You will alternate between 50 sec of work (max reps or max hold) and a 10 sec rest and transition for each exercise in the following 5-minute circuit
- Perform this 5-minute circuit 1-4x for a 5-20 minute total body workout based on your schedule (20 minutes for optimal results!)
Exercise# Exercise Category Exercise Variation
1. MB Sumo Deadlifts
2. MB Chest Passes
3. MB Alternating Lunge + Twist
4. MB Alternating Rows
5. MB Upper Body Twists
Click the link below to view a complete done-for-you workout video demo @
5-Minute Total Body Fat Burning Workout #2- Med Ball
- You will alternate between 50 sec of work (max reps or max hold) and a 10 sec rest and transition for each exercise in the following 5-minute circuit
- Perform this 5-minute circuit 1-4x for a 5-20 minute total body workout based on your schedule (20 minutes for optimal results!)
Exercise# Exercise Category Exercise Variation
1. MB Back Squats
2. MB Kneeling Shoulder Passes
3. MB Single-Leg Hip Extensions*
4. MB Alternating Bicep Curls
5. MB Leg Raises
*switch sides half-way unless alternating or performing an even number of multiple sets
Click the link below to view a complete done-for-you workout video demo @
Look your best!
Tyron
http://www.MakersBody.com
http://www.LookBetterNakedBootCamp.ca Tweet This
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