Tuesday 26 January 2010

Yes, Diet Soda DOES Make You Fat...

Hey, it's Mike Geary  from http://TruthAboutAbs.com

We all know by now that soda (aka "pop" in some areas) is one of the most evil things you can put in your body... the nasty chemicals, the gut-fattening high fructose corn syrup, and a myriad of health problems caused by this carbonated cocktail worshipped by those that don't care about their health or body.

                                  

Surprisingly, many people falsely believe that "diet" soda is in some way a good thing for losing body fat.  In fact, I hear people all the time proudly state that they eat so healthy and only drink diet soda.

So let's set the record straight...

There is NOTHING even remotely healthy about drinking diet soda. In fact, I've even seen several studies that showed dedicated diet soda drinkers got even FATTER than their regular soda drinking counterparts.

Here's some findings from an 8-year University of Texas study that I had read...

An excerpt from the study author:

"What didn't surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to overweight and obesity," Fowler tells WebMD. "What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher."

"There was a 41 percent increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day," Fowler says.

Okay, as if we didn't already know how bad regular soda was for us, and now they're showing us studies that diet soda makes us even fatter than the already bad stuff!

There's a lot of complicating factors as to why this occurs...

One reason is that the artificial sweeteners in diet sodas create a negative hormonal response in the body that increases fat storing hormone production and increases cravings for more sweets and refined carbohydrates in the time period after consuming the diet drink.

Another reason is that people may subconsciously think that because they are drinking a diet soda, that gives them more leeway to eat more of everything else, hence consuming more calories overall.

I've said this all along, but the bottom line is that if you're serious about your health and body, soda of any kind (and artificial sweeteners in anything for that matter!) should be avoided at all times, except for very rare occasions when you can't avoid them.

Another article I did about artificial sweeteners explains more of the problems with them and good substitutes...

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/artificial-sweeteners-natural-stevia.html

So what is a good alternative to diet sodas?

The best alternatives are good old water with lemon or unsweetened iced teas... you have plenty of options with teas - green, white, black, oolong, red... be creative in making your iced teas and you'll enjoy it more. Plus, you get a greater array of anti-aging antioxidants.

I just add a little of the natural non-caloric sweetener stevia to my iced teas and I love them. I get my stevia here...

http://www.steviva.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.pl?rrc=N&pg=store&affl=m231g


                             


Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com


PS - if you liked todays article, feel free to fwd this email on to any of your friends, family, or co-workers that would enjoy it.

Monday 25 January 2010

Is Your Grocery List Sabotaging Your Fat Loss?

Hey there, it's Mike Geary from http://TruthAboutAbs.com

I was at the grocery store today picking up some ingredients for a black bean and brown rice with seasoned venison strips dish I was planning to make, when an interesting thing happened...

I had gone straight to the grocery store after training a couple clients at the gym. Well, as I was grabbing some frozen veggies, a friendly lady (who must have seen that I was a fitness coach from my shirt), asked me my advice on a couple frozen prepared box meals she was picking out (by the way, those prepared frozen meals are usually highly processed crap loaded with sodium and other chemicals).

Now I will say that this woman was VERY overweight, and she mentioned that she has "tried everything" to get rid of all of the excess body fat and always failed.

Keep in mind I hear about 50 people a day tell me they've "tried everything" to get in shape. The problem that they don't realize is that they're trying all of the wrong things...they're trying all of the gimmicks and fads that are out there instead of just adopting a TRUE healthy active lifestyle.

Back to the woman in the store...

So we started chatting about her struggles with getting in shape, and I began scanning her grocery cart. If I can remember, these were some of the contents she thought were healthy:

*Slim fast shakes (far from healthy...they're actually loaded with high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and a bunch of other chemicals)

*Fat Free Rice Cakes (ok...despite so many people believing these pieces of crap are healthy...they really are nothing but pure refined starch with zero fiber, which basically breaks down immediately into sugar in your body, spiking insulin and promoting fat storage...doesn't sound so good anymore, huh)

*Protein bars "Scientifically Slim Body Engineered" or some BS statement like that (I took a gander at the ingredient list of these so called "healthy" protein bars and sure enough... hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, and enough sugar alcohols to give you diarrhea for a week!)

*Canned fruit in syrup (I guess she could do worse here...but still, why not just eat fresh whole fruit which still contains the skins, fiber, active enzymes, etc, instead of resorting to processed, canned fruit that's been cooked and loaded with syrup)

*Reduced Sugar Dessert Cakes (ok, so these are loaded with artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols, preservatives, and a chemical ingredient list about 15 lines long)

Do you see what's going on here? This is the same scenario that I see all the time.

Most people are fooled by what the FRONT OF THE BOX says, leading them to believe what they are buying is healthy. On all of these items, the FRONT of the packages had all kinds of great sounding things like "fat free", "reduced sugar", "high protein", "low cholesterol", "low carb", etc.

However, the TRUTH is on the BACK OF THE BOX! Ah yes, the ingredient list and nutrition info is where the real truth is. However, I've realized that most of the general public doesn't know how to fully understand the ingredient list and nutrition info, so they rely on the advertising claims on the front of the package to guide them.

BIG MISTAKE!

If you notice, this woman thought she was doing great with her grocery shopping and buying all kinds of healthy stuff for her and her family.

In reality, EVERYTHING she was buying was highly processed and full of chemicals and industrially refined ingredients. No wonder "nothing has worked" for her to get in shape and lose the body fat... she actually hasn't been doing anything right. She's been mislead by all of the confusing marketing, labeling and conflicting nutrition info in the mass media.

If you want to discover the TRUTH about what it really takes to eat a truly healthy diet that maximizes your metabolism, brings your hormonal balance back to normal, reduces cravings, and strips off body fat faster than you'd believe is possible... it's all found in my Truth about Six Pack Abs program at http://TruthAboutAbs.com

Have fun and choose wisely on your next grocery store trip!

Feel free to pass this email on to any friends, family, or coworkers you think might enjoy this discussion.

Stay lean,

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com

Saturday 23 January 2010

4 Foods to NEVER Eat

Two of these foods (or drink) below, I would NEVER eat all, and the other 2, I would only eat in very small quantities. If you want to stop struggling with your body fat, and also have superior health, these foods should be minimized or eliminated. Let's get started

1. Soy

Despite being heavily marketed and promoted as a "health food" by the multi billion dollar soy industry, this food has more drawbacks than it does benefits. In fact, I would label soymilk, isolated soy protein, and tofu as junk foods.

And don't even get me started on the excess estrogenic compounds in processed soy... if you want to increase your belly fat, keep pounding down that soymilk and tofu!

A small amount unprocessed soy, such as edamame, is not a big deal... especially if it's organic. And small amounts of fermented soy such as tempe and miso are okay too (because the fermentation reduces anti-nutrients in soy)... but try to minimize/eliminate most other forms of soy... and that includes soybean oil, which is in almost ALL processed foods, commercial salad dressings, etc.

A fully detailed article on the health issues surrounding soy can be found here:

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/soy-foods-make-you-fat.html


2. Wheat

Most people don't realize this, but a large percentage of the total population has at least some degree of intolerance to digesting wheat... particularly the high gluten content of wheat.

Most people are not full blown Celiacs (who need to avoid wheat entirely), but the majority of people would find improvements to their health and body fat by testing eliminating wheat for several weeks, and taking note of how they feel, look, and their measurements.

I know it's a hard thing to do since a HUGE portion of the modern western diet is made from wheat products, but I've found it's quite easy to do at home once you get used to it.  Dining out is a different story.

Personally, I choose to almost entirely avoid wheat in all of my meals at home.  I only dine out occasionally, or on vacations, so that's the only time when I eat wheat.

A more detailed description of the issues with wheat and how it affects your body can be found here:

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/2-foods-beware-weight-gain.html


3.  Soda or sweetened drinks (including commercial juices)

This is one that I personally choose to NEVER consume! Even on cheat days, vacations, or dining out, I think this stuff is pure evil enough to never even touch.

If you care about your body at all, there's just no reason to consume soda in any amount. It's pure sugar (or worse, high fructose corn syrup), has ZERO nutrition, and has many other issues related to the additives, acids, etc.

In addition, the consumption of this calorically-dense but nutritionally-absent liquid actually makes your body crave more food, because you consumed calories without consuming any nutrients. It also spikes your blood sugar out of whack causing wild blood sugar swings and additional cravings.

I'm always amazed how many people tell me that they are desperately trying to lose weight, but yet I see them drinking a soda.  I just don't understand it.


4.  Anything deep fried (or anything with trans fats)

You would think the entire population should know by now how dangerous consuming trans fats really is... yet people ignore these dangers and scarf down deep fried foods like french fries, corn chips, and donuts every day.

If you study some of the biochemical reactions that take place in the body of humans after consuming trans fats, you would realize this is essentially a poison.

It's not a poison that's going to kill you immediately, but it's a poison that causes inflammation throughout the body, and even detrimentally affects all of your cell membranes (remember from bio101 that your cell membranes need fats for their composition, and trans fats disrupt healthy cell membranes).

I've found that if I can get people to view trans fats as the true POISON that they really are, they finally realize the importance of avoiding them ENTIRELY... and to stop poisoning their kids too by allowing them to eat deep fried foods (especially important for kids to avoid trans fats since it can impair development)

Here's an article I did previously on good trans fats vs bad trans fats:

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/trans-fats.html


Please forward on this important article to any of your friends and family that you care about their health.


Don't be lazy... be lean.

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - TruthaboutAbs.com

Thursday 21 January 2010

Fat Loss Bodyweight Workout

Did you know that you can get an amazing workout from ONLY bodyweight
exercises?

...and that this workout can be done LITERALLY anytime and anywhere?


Warm-up Circuit - 2 rounds - Spend 15 seconds on each exercise.
1) Jumping Jacks
2) Bodyweight Squat
3) Pushups
4) Mountain Climbers
5) Prisoner Forward Lunges
6) Stickups

Strength Superset
1A) Toughest pushup for 30 seconds
1B) Toughest single leg exercise for 30 seconds per side
- Rest 1 minute before repeating this superset

Water break - 2 minutes

Conditioning Circuit - 20 seconds per exercise
1) Prisoner Squat
2) Pushup Plank
3) 1-leg hip extension
4) Close-grip pushup
5) Side Plank
- Rest 1 minute before repeating this circuit

Water break - 2 minutes

Final Circuit - 20 seconds per exercise
1) Split Squat
2) T-pushup
3) Prone Stick-ups
 4) 1-Leg Deadlift
5) Squat thrusts
- Rest 1 minute before repeating this circuit

Water break - 2 minutes

Stretching Circuit - 20 seconds per stretch
1) Hip Flexor Stretch
2) Glute Stretch
3) Chest Stretch
4) Hamstring Stretch
5) Shoulder Stretch
- Rest 1 minute before repeating this stretching circuit

Done!

So much fun, and no equipment needed. You can do this at home, at
the park, in your office (we won't tell!), and even in a hotel room
at a hotel - it no longer matters how bad the hotel gym is!

For more amazing Turbulence Training workouts, visit the website:

www.TurbulenceTraining.com

To your success!

Your friend,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

Wednesday 20 January 2010

Do You Really Need Cardio for Weight Loss?

Today, I have an intriguing topic to discuss with you: cardio training, which will hopefully get you thinking differently, and trying new things.

You may know I've been called the anti-cardio guy before, but this week I'm back posing the question to you... Do you really need cardio training to get lean and in great shape? By the way, you'll see in a minute that I'm not really "anti-cardio", just "anti traditional cardio".

Most fitness buffs, weekend warriors, or anyone trying to get in shape or lose body fat, consider it a "fact" that they need "cardio" exercise to accomplish these goals. They would never even question it. However, I'm not only questioning it, I'm going to refute it!

In fact, you may be surprised to know that some of the leanest and meanest people I know (men and women), NEVER do any type of normal or traditional cardio. And I've spent over 15 years working out in various gyms, and hanging out with athletes of all sorts, so I've seen it all. I will say that there can be a place for low-moderate level cardio for really overweight or deconditioned people, but even in those cases, there can be more effective methods.

Whenever someone comes up to me at the gym and asks me how much cardio they should do to lose more body fat, my answer is always... NONE!!! You should see the crazy looks I get...it's priceless!

But the fact is, just like the lean people I mentioned above that never do cardio, I personally haven't done what most people would consider "cardio" in years. Heck, I can't even remember the last time I "jogged" on the treadmill, or glided away on an elliptical, or pedaled away going nowhere on the stationary bike. Yet despite my lack of "cardio", I maintain single digit body fat percentages year round.

Don't get me wrong... Just because I say I don't do "cardio", doesn't mean that I don't work my butt off in the gym.

But what exactly is "cardio"? Most people would consider cardio to be exactly what I described above... pumping away mindlessly on a treadmill, riding a stationary bike, or coasting on an elliptical machine, while watching the TV screen at their state of the art gym.

This is what I call "traditional cardio". Hmmm, no wonder the majority of people get bored with their workouts and give up after a couple months without seeing results.

But if you look closer, "cardio" can be considered any type of exercise or activity that strengthens the cardiovascular system. I'm not going to get into anything technical like increasing your VO2 max or anything like that. To keep it simple, if it gets your heart pumping, and gets you huffin and puffin... it's cardio. I don't care if you're holding dumbbells or a barbell and everyone calls it a weight training exercise...it's still conditioning your heart.

Let's take a look at a couple examples. Take a barbell (or dumbbell, or kettlebell) clean & press for example, which involves lifting a barbell from the floor up to shoulders, then push pressing overhead. And listen up ladies, because even though this is usually seen as a manly exercise, it doesn't matter if you're not lifting 250 lbs; if 45 lbs is challenging to you, then you will still benefit just as much.

At first glance, most people think of the barbell Clamp only as a weight training exercise or strength exercise. However, I challenge you to do a hard set of around 10-15 reps on the Clamp.

If you used a challenging enough weight, what you'll find is that your heart rate is probably up to about 80-90% of your recommended max, and you are huffing and puffing like you just ran a 100-meter sprint (which by the way, sprinting kicks the crap out of jogging any day if you want the easiest way to lose the flab fast).

Try the same thing for a set of 20 reps of one-arm snatches or swings with each arm with a dumbbell (2 of my specialty exercises in my Truth about Six Pack Abs manual), and tell me your legs aren't burning, heart racing, and you're gasping for breath. How about trying 5 minutes straight of rotating bodyweight squats, lunges, and pushups with very little rest between. Again, notice your heart pounding, sweat pouring off of you, and chest heaving for breaths!

Try and tell me you're not conditioning your heart with this style of training! Conventional thinking says that these are weight training or strength training exercises. However, they are fulfilling your cardio needs as well.

Not only do you save time, but you strengthen and condition almost every muscle in your entire body with these full body exercises if you do them with enough intensity...something that can't be said for that boring stationary bike ride or treadmill jaunt while reading or watching TV.

Seriously, if you can read or watch TV while doing any exercise, you're not concentrating enough on what you're doing, plus you're probably not working out hard enough to see any real results.

I challenge you to give the "traditional cardio" a rest for 6 weeks, and start training the way I explain in my internationally-selling Truth about Six pack Abs Program, and see how you start getting leaner, more defined, and your six pack starting to show through what used to be stubborn stomach fat deposits. What do you have to lose? If you don't like the program, you're covered by the guarantee... so you really have nothing to lose except that extra belly blubber that's been hanging around way too long!

For more info on the Truth about Six Pack Abs Program, go to...

www.truthaboutabs.com

Stay Lean,

Mike Geary
Fitness/Lifestyle Coach
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer (CPT)
Founder - Truth About Abs

Tuesday 19 January 2010

Potatoes: Friend or Foe For Weight Loss?

I'd like to start a little discussion today about carbohydrates... and in particular, potatoes. One reason I wanted to mention this is because so many health and fitness professionals label potatoes a bad carbohydrate choice because of the high glycemic index. Some even say such ridiculous things as "avoid any and all white carbohydrates".

While I certainly agree that white bread and refined white sugar are two of the worst things we can be feeding our bodies, I certainly don't agree that we should be avoiding any and all "white carbohydrates". Now I know all of the buzz lately has been about colorful foods and the protective antioxidants that they contain. They tell you to focus on colors and stay away from white. It's true that colorful foods are great, but it is a big mistake to specifically avoid white foods! There are plenty of white foods that have specific nutrients that are hard to find elsewhere. Let's look at a few examples...

How about onions and garlic? They are both white and they are chock full of protective phytonutrients, vitamins, and trace minerals that aren't easy to find elsewhere in a normal diet... such nutrients as allicin, quercetin (an important flavonoid), chromium, and other unique anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Another example of a white food that is great for you is cauliflower. Cauliflower is loaded with vitamin C, fiber, minerals, and special compounds such as glucosinolates and thiocyanates, which are specifically abundant in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.

Many people do not realize this, but, even white mushrooms have high levels of unique nutrients and antioxidants. White mushrooms are high in a couple types of antioxidants called polyphenols and ergothioneine.

That also leads us to another example - white potatoes (which by the way, can also be found in red, yellow, purple varieties, etc). Many health professionals claim that potatoes are a bad carbohydrate because they are thought to have a high glycemic index. First of all, if you've read my Truth about Six Pack Abs book, then you understand that glycemic index is not necessarily the most important factor in choosing your carbohydrates.

While a generalization can be made that most low glycemic index carbohydrate options will help you lose body fat easier than high glycemic index choices, it is not all that it's cracked up to be. There are several other factors that determine how your body will react to, and process the carbohydrates you ingest, such as glycemic load and also how you combine the high GI food with other foods.

For example, using glycemic load as an example... it is known that watermelon has a high glycemic index. However, the glycemic load of a normal serving of watermelon is just way too low for your body to start packing on body fat just because you ate a high glycemic index fruit. You would have to eat such an enormous quantity of watermelon just to get enough grams of carbohydrates to have any negative glycemic effect, that it is just crazy.

Not to mention that watermelon is also a great source of vitamins, minerals, and lycopene. There's just no reason to avoid it simply because it has a high GI. My point is... candy bars, cupcakes, and donuts make you fat... NOT watermelons, carrots, or potatoes.

Also, as I mentioned, food combinations are important in how your body processes the carbohydrates and the associated blood sugar and insulin response you receive. For example, if you mix a high glycemic index carbohydrate with an extra source of fiber, healthy fats, or even certain proteins, many times the blood sugar and glycemic response will be slowed down considerably by the way you combined the food. Again, I talk in detail about this entire topic in my Truth about Six Pack Abs book

So, back to my point that white potatoes are actually a healthy carbohydrate as long as you eat them in the right form... with the entire skin, and please don't ruin them by deep frying them into french fries either! French fries are one of the most diabolical things ever invented for your health, but only because we ruin them by soaking them in a scorching bath of trans fats in the deep fryer from the hydrogenated oils that are typically used.

Keep in mind that potatoes contain so many vitamins and minerals that the list is way too long to even try. Also, as long as you eat the skins, you get a decent shot of fiber too.


On the topic of potatoes not being so bad after all, I don't remember where I saw this referenced, but I recently saw a particular study that had participants eat something like 7-9 whole potatoes per day for several weeks. At the conclusion of the study, the potato eaters had actually consistently lost weight! I'd venture a guess that the reason the people lost weight is that they were probably so full from eating all of those damn potatoes, that they actually consumed less calories than normal! An average sized potato only has about 100-120 calories, and I can surely imagine you'd be full constantly from eating 7-9 potatoes each day.

Now I would never recommend going to those extremes, but my point is that an occasional potato is not going to hurt your efforts to get lean, especially if you combine it with some other fibrous vegetables and maybe a healthy fat and some protein. On that note, I have one of my favorite recipes for you, using potatoes.

Geary's Lean-Body Potato Side Dish
  • Desired quantity of baby potatoes (I like to use this mixture I found recently at a health food store... it is a mixture of white, red, yellow, and purple baby potatoes)
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 green pepper
  • 1 yellow pepper
  • 1 or 2 onions
  • a couple cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 or 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • a little salt and pepper to taste (I like using a sea salt instead of normal commercial salt)
Cut the baby potatoes into slightly smaller pieces and place in a steamer until soft all the way through. Slice up the peppers and onions into strips and add with the chopped garlic into a pan with the olive oil. Cook the peppers, onions, and garlic until tender, and then add the steamed baby potatoes. Stir it all together and serve. This is a delicious and healthy side dish that goes great with chicken or red meat.

I hope you've enjoyed this little topic today about potatoes, healthy carbohydrates, glycemic index, and my killer potato recipe idea! That's about all for today.


Have a great week, and I'll be back in touch soon.

Stay lean,
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - TruthAboutAbs.com

Monday 18 January 2010

5 Unique Fat Burning Tips

5 Unique Fat Burning Tips
By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

I was just reviewing a big file of all the new exercise, diet, and
research proven fat burning tips I wrote down for 2009, and I
wanted to share 5 BIGGIES that can help your clients get more
results AND make your awesome workers even better..

So here we go:

#5 - Recent research shows shuttle-running is tougher than running
intervals in a straight line...

...so if you want to burn fat faster than ever, make sure you
incorporate old-school shuttle runs (i.e. classic suicide type
drills) into your fat burning interval programs.

#4 - Use a food log.

"According to Men's Health (Feb 2009, p 38), keeping a food log
helped subjects lose 3.5 more pounds than subjects that didn't keep
the log."

#3 - Hit a personal best in each workout.

This is an oldie, but a goodie. There are a few reasons you need to
do this:

a) First of all, everyone loves progress, and if you can achieve a
personal record in each workout (i.e. could be # of pushups, plank
time, etc.), then you will feel a HUGE sense of accomplishment.

b) More personal bests = more results. Plain and simple.

c) You will get addicted to the workouts, and always want to come
back for more attempts at breaking records.

#2 - Get a trainer or join a bootcamp

"According to Men's Health magazine, (Dec, 2009), beginners who
work with trainers get more results than beginners who workout by
themselves". Guaranteed.

#1 - Read a motivational quote every morning.

I promise you that it will elevate your motivation and inspire you
to reach your fat loss goals.

Here's the first motivational quote you can read tomorrow morning:

"Be loud and proud of the healthy changes you are making in your
life. There are many more folks secretly wishing someone will take
charge and be a healthy role model for them. It might not happen
overnight, but if you continue to lead by healthy example - without
preaching or being condescending - you can build an entourage that
will help you reach the next level." - Craig Ballantyne

Those are 5 unique tips to help you lose fat.

For more fat burning workouts visit:

Turbulence Training

******************************
**************************************

To your success!

Your friend,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

Sunday 17 January 2010

2 Common Foods in Your Diet That May be Making You Gain Weight and Get Sick


by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist

Okay, so, you've probably heard a million times now how bad trans fats and high fructose corn syrup are for your health... so I'm not going to bore you with that same old story.

Instead, we're going to look at some common foods that are most likely in your diet in large quantities and may be causing major problems for you, such as weight gain, headaches, sicknesses, indigestion, etc, etc... and those possible culprits are:  Wheat and Dairy

Fear not! I'm not going to tell you that both of these staples need to be eliminated completely and permanently from your diet... but read on to see an interesting test that may help you a great deal...

In all of my years of personal training and nutrition counseling, if I had to choose a couple VERY simple dietary changes that have made the biggest difference for my clients in allowing them to FINALLY see fat loss results (and other health problems solved), it would be this following test:

1. Test removing all wheat products from your diet for 2 entire weeks, and take notice of how you feel, look, and your body composition.

2. Test removing all dairy from your diet for 2 entire weeks, and take notice of how you feel, look, and your body composition.

"milk was a bad choice" -Ron BurgundyThe most effective way to do this is to eliminate them both for 2 full weeks, and then reintroduce one at a time so that you can determine if one of them or both wheat and dairy are causing negative health effects for you.

Wheat and dairy are easily 2 of the biggest intolerances that a large percentage of the population has.

This doesn't mean that you have to entirely eliminate wheat and dairy for the rest of your life, but what I am saying is that this is an important test to do for about 2 weeks to gauge if you see some dramatic changes in your body fat percentage, how you look and feel overall, your energy levels, and other health issues.

If you do the 2-week elimination of wheat and dairy and don't feel that it helped you at all or made you feel better, than you can probably do fine on moderate amounts of each.

Most people do not realize this, but a large percentage of the population has at least some degree of intolerance to the gluten in wheat and several other grains. The biggest offender is wheat though, as it's in such a large percentage of the average western diet... from breads, to pastas, to bagels, to cakes, wraps, cereals, etc, etc.

Most people don't have the extent of intolerance that a celiac has, but most people feel much better, improve all sorts of health problems, and also lose fat faster when they eliminate wheat from their diet.

In fact, I just had a client last week tell me that when she eliminated wheat from her diet, her chronic headaches disappeared almost instantly... these are headaches she's been having for years, and after eliminating wheat from her diet, they are gone (along with some body fat that she lost too!).
What about me?  Do I still eat wheat?

Well, what I do is try to only eat wheat on cheat days, which many times means when I'm out at restaurants or at parties, barbeques, etc. Since wheat is so integral in the typical western diet, it's almost impossible to avoid when eating out or at other people's houses.

But I have virtually ZERO wheat products in my own house usually.  Anything is simple to avoid at least 90% of the time, when it doesn't even exist in your cabinets!

However, even though I'm anti-wheat , I'm actually pro-dairy... But ONLY if the dairy is raw milk or raw cheese and from grass-fed cows. Did you know that many people who "think" they are lactose intolerant actually can drink raw milk without a problem?  This is because the live enzymes and friendly bacteria in raw milk aid in the digestion of the lactose and the proteins in milk. These enzymes and friendly bacteria are destroyed in pasteurized milk, which makes it more difficult to digest for many people.

If I can't get raw dairy, I choose to go dairy-free (with the exception of small amounts of yogurt). That's because I feel that the pasteurized, homogenized milk products are not suitable for long term consumption (but that's another story for another day).

By the way, you can always search to see if raw milk co-ops or farms are available in your area on RealMilk.com.  You'd be surprised at how many co-ops are available that deliver from rural areas to urban areas.  It's important to make sure that the farm is reputable and certified (in some states) to produce raw milk. Most raw milk farms are the cleanest operations in the entire dairy industry.

For the "germo-phobes" out there... I've been drinking gallons upon gallons of raw, full fat milk for about 6 years now, and I've never once gotten sick from it, nor has anybody else that I know that's been drinking it long term... so to all of these so-called "experts" out there telling you that "there's a reason they pasteurize milk, because it's dangerous if not"... well, they obviously don't know what they're talking about.

Plus, the full-fat milk certainly has not made me fatter either... I used to drink skim milk only for years, but now for the last 6 years, I've drank nothing but full fat raw milk, and I'm easily in the best shape of my life now and leaner than ever.

People are more likely to get sick from pasteurized milk, because mass factory farms are generally dirtier operations with animals that are in poorer health than grass-fed raw milk farms.
And don't forget the high levels of fat-burning, muscle building CLA in full-fat, raw, grass fed milk (and omega-3's)!

Back from the tangent... I think this elimination of wheat and (pasteurized) dairy is one of the most important tests anyone can easily do to see if wheat and dairy are negatively affecting them. After all, it's only 2 weeks to test yourself!

A couple quick things to note:

1. Eggs are NOT dairy... I'm not sure why so many people seem to think that eggs are a dairy product, but there is absolutely no dairy in eggs... eggs are basically meat if you want to categorize them.  Eggs are practically a perfect food in terms of nutrition density.


 2. When trying to eliminate wheat, this usually means that almost ALL processed foods have to be eliminated because wheat components are in so many processed foods.

Good luck with the test if you try it!  Many people find it to be one of the best things they've done for their health.

Here's another recent article that was very popular in this ezine... Basically, I did a 6-week experiment on myself and tried to overeat constantly... see what happened:
6-week Overeating Experiment: Did I gain massive weight, stay the same, or lose weight?

Till next time!
fat loss program for a flat stomach


 Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Author - The Truth about Six Pack Abs

Friday 15 January 2010

Are You Addicted to Overly-Aggressive Food Tastes? This Could Be Making You Fatter


This article explores changing your taste buds over time to prefer eating healthy natural unprocessed foods
by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist


Many people seem to falsely believe that they'll never be able to get lean and lose weight if they don't eat what is thought to be typical 'bodybuilder' food -- dry plain chicken breasts, plain broccoli, tuna fish, oatmeal, etc. If you've read my articles before, you know that I'm against this type of boring menu, and like to give healthy meal ideas that have a little more appeal.

However, here is one of the most important things you can do for yourself if you want to eat healthier for life and make it a much easier to get lean and stay that way permanently...

Teach your taste buds to enjoy the natural unadulterated taste of real food -- unprocessed foods!

This is one of the main problems that I see so many people face with being able to control their eating... they have grown up with processed foods and additives that are excessively AGGRESSIVE TASTES. 

So many foods have excessive added sugars, corn syrups, artificial sweeteners, etc 

So many foods have excessive added trans fats, refined vegetable oils, and other processed fats 

So many foods are laden with excessive (and potentially dangerous) flavor enhancers such as MSG and processed commercial salt 


All of this massive onslaught of overly aggressive tastes have rendered most people's taste buds senseless when it comes to the natural taste of real unprocessed foods.

I was having brunch with a couple friends recently and I noticed one of them plopped a huge heaping spoonful of sugar into their coffee. I can't even imagine being able to gag down a coffee that was so heavily loaded with sugar.

Even diet drinks (which I'd never drink because of the harmful artificial sweeteners) are so excessively sweet these days, they're not even refreshing. I can't understand how people can drink something that tastes like pure syrup.

It's funny but one of my recommendations when people ask for my advice with their eating habits is to give up drinking a sweetened drink with their meals (this means no diet drinks either)... they look at me like I'm crazy and say "How can I possibly eat a meal without a soda or a diet soda?"


If you're addicted to drinking a sweet drink with every meal, it would be a wise decision to start to wean yourself off of them and drink water or unsweetened iced tea instead.

Here's a quick quiz to see if you're officially addicted to overly aggressive tastes:

1. If given the choice, would you choose:
  a. sausage or hot dog
  b. steak, burger, or chicken breast


2. Do you prefer:
a. sweetened hot tea, iced tea, or coffee (with added sugar or artificial sweeteners)
b. unsweetened tea or black coffee
 
3. If given a choice for dessert, do you prefer:
  a. cake, pie, or ice cream
  b. a piece of fruit


4. If you like chocolate, do you prefer:
  a. milk chocolate
  b. extra dark chocolate


I could think of more, but that'll do for now... If you answered a's more than you answered b's, then you may be addicted to overly aggressive food tastes, and that could be making you pack on more pounds indirectly.

One of the main problems is that needing to eat aggressive tasting foods means that all of that extra salt, MSG, added processed fats, sugars, and artificial sweeteners are playing havoc with your hormones, and making you crave extra calories that your body doesn't need.
Don't worry though, it CAN be easy to wean yourself off of these aggressive tastes. I've successfully done it. 

About 5 years ago, I'd have called you crazy if you said I'd ever be drinking unsweetened tea or black coffee... I always needed to add a sweetener back then... but now, I actually PREFER to drink them both unsweetened. 

What I did was just slightly reduce the amount of sweetener I added over time, and eventually I got used to using none, and actually started to prefer the natural taste of coffee or tea instead of just tasting the sweetness.

Now you can start to see how this all ties back into enjoying the REAL taste of food instead of the ADDITIVES in food!

My healthy eating recommendations for your leaner healthier body:
  • Enjoy the taste of real meats, such as grass-fed steaks, fish, chicken breasts, pork tenderloin... instead of needing the aggressive tastes of the additives in sausages, hot dogs, deli meats, and other processed meats.
  • Start to enjoy the taste of the actual coffee or tea instead of the taste of the sugar or artificial sweetener.
  • Start drinking water or unsweetened tea with meals (instead of soda or sweetened drinks) at least every other day, and try to increase that to every day eventually.
  • Use herbs and spices in your cooking instead of heavy use of salt.
  • Try to wean yourself off of cakes, pies, candies, and other sweets... Eat mostly fruit or small amounts of super-dark chocolate instead.
  • Avoid eating any and all deep fried foods and processed starch-based side dishes - mac & cheese, scalloped potatoes, etc.
Even doing just some of these simple tips can help you to change your tastes over time and help to overcome your addiction to the overly aggressive tastes that food marketers have pushed on us our entire lives.

I hope these ideas help you to eat healthier, and enjoy food more!



Til then,
Don't be lazy... be lean.

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - TruthAboutAbs.com

Thursday 14 January 2010

How To Flatten Your Stomach While Driving

Here's a unique exercise to help flatten your stomach while driving
 
by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

flat sexy stomachIf you're already a reader of my Truth about Six Pack Abs manual, then you may already know this unique trick... it's basically a simple exercise that you can do anytime, anywhere to help get a flat stomach over time.

Now I will say that this exercise does NOT increase fat burning, but it CAN help to flatten your stomach by strengthening your deeper transversus abdominis muscles and hence "pulling in" a lazy stomach (aka beer belly or "pooch belly").
It involves doing an exercise called "ab vacuums".

I find it a good time to get in the habit of doing daily ab vacuums while driving on your daily commute or another time that would get you in the habit of doing them regularly.
(please make sure this doesn't distract you from driving safely... I find that it doesn't distract me at all...it's certainly much safer than driving while on the cell phone!)

Of course, ab vacuums can be done anywhere and don't have to be just for driving, but I've found that it helps me to remember to do them if I do them at a specific time when driving regularly.... this could be while driving home from the gym every time, or perhaps during your daily commute to work.

Ab vacuums are simple:


You can do ab vacuums pretty much anywhere, at any time.
You can do them standing, seated (such as in a car), kneeling in a four-point position, or even lying flat on the floor.

The movement is as simple as pulling your belly button in as far as you can by imagining you're trying to touch your belly button to your spine and holding for 10-20 seconds at a time.

Start by inhaling deeply. Then, as you exhale, start pulling the belly button in towards the spine and hold it there for 10-20 seconds while just taking short breaths. Repeat for several holds.

Get in the habit of doing this at least 4-5 days per week while driving somewhere and you may find that this helps to flatten your stomach more by strengthening the transversus abdominis muscle (the deep abdominal muscles beneath the rectus abdominis) if you previously had a "lazy belly".

Like I said, this exercise doesn't increase fat burning... it only helps to flatten a round stomach that has lazy deep ab muscles.

If you want a true "six pack abs" appearance, you obviously still need to burn off the body fat that covers your abs... and that calls for a fully encompassing workout program (not just ab exercises), a strategic nutrition program, and the right mindset for success.

get lean flat abs & lose belly fatThis idea of "ab vacuums" while driving is just one of the dozens of tips and tricks found inside my Truth about Six Pack Abs manual. 

Or if you have questions whether the Truth about Abs program is right for you, go here and click under FAQ's

If you liked today's idea in this newsletter, feel free to email this link (or post this link to twitter or facebook) to any friends or family that may want to try these "ab vacuums" to get a flatter stomach.

Til next newsletter,

Don't be lazy... be lean.
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - TruthAboutAbs.com

Wednesday 13 January 2010

Does This Common Substance Make You FAT?

Hey there, it's Mike again from TruthAboutAbs.com 

Today I want to talk about artificial sweeteners because I've noticed that there's a lot of confusion and misconceptions revolving around these non-caloric sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners and the massive list of products sweetened containing them are marketed to you relentlessly as "healthy foods" or "healthier" than sugar or corn syrup sweetened products. But are they really?

Just to clarify, some of the most popular artificial sweeteners on the market today are:

Splenda (sucralose)
Aspartame
Saccharine
Acesulfame Potassium (aka - acesulfame K)


These artificial sweeteners are used in abundance in virtually every "diet" drink, "lite" yogurts, puddings, and ice creams, most "low-carb" products, and almost all "reduced-sugar" products. Even most protein powders are loaded with artificial sweeteners too (just look on the ingredients and you'll usually see one or more of them).

Splenda has got to be one of the worst offenders claiming to be "healthy" because they say that it's made from real sugar. Don't be fooled by this! It's still an artificial substance. What they don't tell you is that Splenda is actually a chemically modified substance where chlorine is added to the chemical structure, making it more similar to a chlorinated pesticide than something we should be eating or drinking!

The fact is that artificial sweeteners are not even close to being healthy, and as you'll soon discover, can easily be just as bad for you, if not worse, than sugar or corn syrup. Most people think that they are doing something good for themselves by choosing the "diet" drinks or "lite" yogurts compared to the sugar-laden versions, but the problem is that you're exposing yourself to a whole new set of problems with the artificially sweetened drinks and foods.

I know it's frustrating to hear all of the contradicting messages about which foods are good for you and which are bad. I'm sure just today you probably saw some clever ad or commercial somewhere claiming health benefits for a food product that is loaded with artificial sweeteners. Don't worry. 

Just stick with me and I'll get past the marketing hype for you and decipher the truth. I'll also give you some ideas for great alternatives to artificial sweeteners as well as alternatives to sugar or corn syrup sweeteners.
The fact is, artificial sweeteners vs. sugar or corn syrup is really just a battle between two evils. Which evil is worse? 

I'm sure you already know the problems with sugar or high fructose corn syrup sweetened products. The excess empty calories, blood sugar spike, and resulting insulin surge this creates in your body not only promotes fat gain, but also stimulates your appetite further, making things even worse.

On the other hand, artificial sweeteners save you calories, but there's growing evidence that they can increase your appetite for sweets and other carbohydrates causing you to eat more later in the day anyway. Therefore, you don't really save any calories at all. Also, studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can stimulate high insulin levels in your body too, which again can promote fat storage.

All of the 4 artificial sweeteners listed above are nasty chemicals that the human body is simply not meant to ingest. However, most of us are ingesting a whole lot of these chemicals on a daily basis. Aside from the problems I touched on so far, other health issues that have been related to artificial sweeteners in scientific studies as well as observations are:
  • some have been linked to potential cancer risks
  • negative effects on the liver, kidneys, and other organs
  • stimulating cravings
  • gastrointestinal problems
  • developmental problems in children and fetuses
  • headaches
  • and too many more issues to list
Now some of the above potential health problems are definitely not proven as fact in studies. However, some of them have been shown in animal studies given high doses. Regardless of the fact that any real health problems for actual human use are not proven yet, I don't know about you, but I'd rather protect myself and steer clear of these possibly dangerous artificial chemicals.

Of course, despite all of the health issues potentially associated with artificial sweeteners, the companies that sell the products will continue to claim that they are fully safe and they have studies that prove that they are safe. The bottom line is that the body was not designed to deal with foreign substances like artificial sweeteners. Take my word on that one.

So what are your options for alternatives? Well, your best alternatives for sugar or corn syrup are either raw honey, organic maple syrup, or even a little-known high antioxidant syrup called sorghum syrup (common in the southern US). Even though these alternatives still have the same amount of calories as sugar or corn syrup... honey, organic maple syrup, and sorghum syrup actually provide some nutrients and antioxidants, so it's not just empty calories. Empty calories stimulate your appetite more because your body is lacking nutrients.

Now you're probably thinking that you'd like to still save on calories but avoid the nasty artificial sweeteners. Good news... You can!

You've probably seen me reference this natural sweetener in a lot of my recipes. It's called Stevia. I've been using it for years as an alternative sweetener when you still want to save a little on calories and sugar.
Stevia is not artificial like the other chemical sweeteners I mentioned above. Stevia is a natural non-caloric herb. It is a South American herb and when dried into a powder, has a sweetness about 200-300 times stronger than sugar. 

One problem I've noticed with using Stevia is that the pure powder is a very powerful sweetener, so you can easily use too much. However, I've found some good Stevia products that use a bulking agent added so that you can measure out the stevia powder in direct comparison to measuring sugar.

I've yet to see any negative reports or health concerns regarding stevia and only positive potential health benefits. I definitely give Stevia my seal of approval. Do yourself a favor (and your family), and if you are currently an artificial sweetener junkie, please consider switching to stevia.

I suggest giving it a try! Just look for the "Steviva Blend". You can use it in your coffee or tea, to sweeten up plain yogurt, added to smoothies for extra sweetness, on cereals or oatmeal, in baking, or where ever else you might need a sweetener but want to reduce the sugar content.

If you want to grab some, here's the link:
http://www.steviva.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.pl?rrc=N&pg=store&affl=m231g

Well, that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed this important discussion. Feel free to forward this email to anybody you know that might be overdoing the artificial sweeteners. 



Stay lean,
Mike Geary
Fitness/Lifestyle Coach
Certified Personal Trainer (CPT)
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Founder - Truth About Abs

Saturday 9 January 2010

Top 5 Fat Loss Tips

I came across this interesting article and thought it would be useful to share:

Top 5 Fat Loss Tips

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Turbulance Training

Men's Fitness magazine recently asked me for 3 of my best fat loss
secrets. Since most times the magazines just don't have enough space
to run my full tips, I thought I'd give you a more detailed
explanation of my secrets here (plus a few extra bonus tips that I
didn't send to the magazine).

Secret #1 - Focus on burning carbohydrate, not fat, during your
fat-loss workouts.

Sounds backwards, right? But not when you look at how I structure
my workouts.

Remember that Turbulence Training focuses on resistance training
and interval training. Both of these use carbohydrate as the main
source of energy. So it's obvious the workout is designed to burn
carbohydrates during the training session.

I have no interest in you trying to train in your "target heart
rate zone" for fat burning (aka - the fat burning zone). The whole
idea of a fat-burning zone is an over-simplified idea of how the
body works during exercise.

Leave the inefficient fat burning zone to the mis-educated trainers
in the commercial gyms (that not surprisingly, also want to sell you
a heart rate monitor so you can stay in your "fat burning heart
rate zone").

If you want to get the most results in the least amount of time,
focus on burning carbohydrates, not fat.

Why do my fat loss workouts focus on burning carbohydrate rather
than fat?

In order to burn more calories after the workout, that's why. When
you exercise with intervals and heavy resistance training, your body
uses more calories in the hours after exercise than it would if you
did traditional cardio and lifted lighter weights.

I call this 'Turbulence'. By any name it gives you the same results
- maximum improvements in your body composition (helping you lose
fat while gaining muscle).

Secret #2 - Use a range of repetitions in your strength training
workouts.

In order to train more muscle fibers and burn more carbohydrates, I
have clients use a range of repetitions within the same workout.

The Turbulence Training workouts now use 6, 8, and 12 reps per set
in order to work the muscle the most effectively.

This will burn more carbohydrates and promote as much muscle growth
as possible when you are keeping the calories low.

Secret #3 - Use the stationary cycle for interval training.

I choose the stationary bike for intervals whenever possible
because cycling against a resistance can help maintain muscle mass.

Cycling against a resistance also allows you to perform a large
amount of mechanical work, and that is a key determinant of the
Turbulence in my training.

But please note: I don't use low-intensity, fast pedaling 'spinning'
intervals as I'm convinced that the hard, resistance based
intervals are more effective for fat loss. My clients only cycle
against a strong resistance in their intervals.

And while I really like the bike, but there are many other ways to
do intervals. Use what works for you, but if you are at a plateau,
try the bike.

Secret #4 - Increase meal frequency

Okay, so this isn't really a secret to anyone that has read about
fat loss.

But a 2005 study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
showed that eating 6 times per day was associated with eating fewer
calories per day, lowering cholesterol levels, and lowering
post-meal insulin levels.

Combine an increased meal frequency with an increased protein and
fiber intake, and you'll see your body composition improve rapidly.


Secret #5 - My Synergistic Turbulence Training Workouts

My Turbulence Training Fat Loss workouts are fast becoming the most
effective way to burn fat, build muscle, and get lean. The
synergistic strength training-interval training workouts are
efficient and effective - getting you in and out of the gym in
under an hour.

Here are some tips that you can use for an advanced training phase.
Use these advanced secrets for 2 weeks then return to your normal
training schedule:

a) Add 10 seconds to each interval but maintain the intensity

b) Add in some bodyweight circuits (10-20 minutes per day) done in
the morning or evening (if you do your regular workout in the AM, do
your bodyweight circuits after dinner; otherwise, do the bw circuits
first thing in the AM, and then do your regular workout at lunch or
later in the afternoon or evening)

If you are advanced, you can use squats, pushups, and bodyweight
rows for your circuit.

If you are a beginner, you could use lying hip extensions, modified
pushups, and stick-ups.

c) Add an extra set to each exercise in the first superset you do
in each workout.

Again, use these three tips for an advanced fat loss period of two
weeks, then return to a normal training schedule.

But always stick to the best fat loss nutrition plan possible.

If you have any other questions, just let me know.

Sincerely,

Craig Ballantyne
Author, Turbulence Training

Friday 8 January 2010

More Ways to Motivate You Into Weight Loss

Exercise in the Morning (As soon as possible)

I know this is a hard one, and it was for me too for many years.  If you exercise first thing in the morning though, you get it over with.  You don't have the whole day to talk yourself out of it.  I know how it goes:  You've had a hard day at work and you rationalize to yourself that you deserve a break or a treat when you get home, so when you get there, you make yourself a comfort meal and sit on the couch watching TV for the rest of the night.  But if you exercise first thing in the morning, you won't have the whole day to talk yourself out of it. Plus, you'll feel great about yourself for having done it. This great feeling will then impact the rest of your day, so that you'll be better prepared to handle a tough day at work, both physically and  mentally.  Use your challenging job as a reason to exercise, rather than as an excuse not too!

Thursday 7 January 2010

Ways to Stay Motivated to Lose Weight

Well, it's a New Year and many of you have made resolutions to lose weight, get fit and stay healthy.  That's great!  Good for you!  The problem is most of you will lose motivation and will quickly let your resolution slide away.....So, let's prevent that from happening! Here's some helpful ways to stay motivated this year!

 Put Pen to Paper

You may laugh at this, but writing down your fitness and weight goals is a very effective way to convince yourself that you mean business.  It will also keep you accountable.  Seeing your resolution in words will help you realize that you deserve to lose weight and be healthy.

When you write down your goals, be specific.  Use the SMART system:
S: Specific.  Be very clear in what your goals are. Losing weight by exercising and eating nutritional foods

M: Measurable: I am going to lose 10 pounds

A: Action: What actions will you take?  Will you join a gym?  Start running? By some exercise DVD's? Enlist help online? Start making healthier recipes?

R: Realistic: You can't set a goal that you know you won't attain.  Don't say "I plan on losing 100 pounds in the next 3 months"  That's just setting yourself up for a disappointment. Something more like " I will lose 1-2 pounds per week" is much more do-able, and your brain will say "yes, okay! Can-do!"

T: Time-based: Set yourself a time limit.  If you have a deadline you are much more likely to work towards it, then if you don't!

Stop by tomorrow for another great way to stay motivated!

Wednesday 6 January 2010

Fat Loss Workouts That Are Better Than Cardio Exercise



Despite common belief by fitness enthusiasts, cardio workouts are NOT effective for fat loss or losing weight long term

by Craig Ballantyne, Men's Health Fitness Advisor, Expert Fitness Author - Beyond Cardio Workouts .com

why cardio exercise machines are not effectiveOne of the most frustrating sights in the world is watching people do the same so-called “fat loss cardio workouts” over and over again without results. It happens all the time! The truth is, there’s hardly anyone in any gym who is able to lose weight with long, slow cardio.

Even research from the scientific journal, “Obesity” showed that when people do up to 300 hours of cardio exercise per year, they only lose 4-6 pounds of weight. That's just not worth it, in my opinion! Do you have time to do 50 hours of cardio in order to lose one pound of weight? I thought not.


That’s why fat loss workouts that are better than cardio. Research and experience proves that interval training (and even high intensity weight training) is better for burning belly fat than long, slow cardio. The good news is, interval training workouts are fun, fast, and more enjoyable. You’ll save time, lose more weight, and build a fitter, better functioning body with these fat loss workouts.



If you are stuck exercising inside a commercial gym for your workout, you can use traditional cardio machines for interval training. 

An easy interval training program is doing a 5-minute warm-up followed by six intervals of 30-60 seconds of hard exercise, alternated with 60 seconds of easy exercise. Then you cool down for 5 minutes and you’re done. That’s less than half the time that most people spend on machines doing long, slow cardio!

After warming-up, do a one minute “work interval” where you will exercise harder than normal. After one minute, decrease the intensity all the way down to a cool-down level for one minute. Repeat the hard-easy combo up to 6 times and then finish with a cool down. That is the easiest way to do interval training. 

If you usually run at 6 miles per hour on the treadmill for 30 minutes, you can do your first interval workout by running at 7 miles per hour for 1 minute and then walking at 3.5 miles per hour for 2 minutes. That’s a good place to start with interval training. You’d repeat that “hard-easy” routine 6 times in an interval training workout (after a warm-up and followed by a cool-down).
 

The best cardio machines (if you must use indoor cardio machines) for efficient interval training fat loss workouts are the treadmill and stationary cycle. Rowing machines and elliptical (cross-trainers) are ok, but in my experience, the treadmill and bike are best. 

Best Alternative Workouts to Traditional Cardio Exercise

Most people enjoy getting out of the gym or doing alternative fat loss interval training workouts (instead of boring cardio workouts inside a stuffy gym). You can use a kettlebell, your bodyweight, a skipping rope, or medicine ball for interval workouts in just a small space in your home or garage. You don’t need to go to a big, fancy, expensive commercial gym to burn fat or get long term weight loss success.

Plus, it’s easier to experiment with different interval training workout programs when you don’t have to deal with intensity settings on cardio machines.


Bodyweight training is the most underappreciated fat loss workout option. Most people are drawn to sophisticated equipment, but only because the equipment makes the workout easier. Moving your own bodyweight is tough, and keeps you honest! 

In the Turbulence Training bodyweight cardio circuits, you’ll use 6-8 bodyweight exercises, alternating between a lower body exercise and an upper body exercise, before finishing the circuit with a fast total body exercise such as running in place, burpees, or jumps.


In the circuits, you’ll do 6-20 repetitions per exercise depending on your fitness level. Once you finish the circuit, rest for one minute, and then repeat the circuit 1-3 more times. If you are new to bodyweight circuits, just do two total circuits. 

The good news is that in most cases, you don’t need a single piece of equipment to do these fat burning bodyweight workouts, so you can do them in a hotel room, your garage, or even in front of the TV. 

Now you have lots of fun, fast, effective fat loss workouts that are better than cardio!

Tuesday 5 January 2010

5 Facts You MUST Understand if You Are Ever Going to Lose Your Belly Fat and Get Six Pack Abs


1. Many so-called "health foods" are just cleverly disguised junk foods that can actually make you to gain more belly fat... yet the diet food marketing industry continues to lie to you so they can make more money from you.


2. Abdominal exercises such as crunches, sit-ups, and ab machines are actually the LEAST effective method of getting flat abs. We'll explore what types of exercises REALLY work at the end.


3. Boring repetitive cardio exercises are NOT the most efficient way to lose body fat and bring out those six pack abs. I'll show you the specific types of workouts that produce 10x better results below. These will surprise you!


4. You DO NOT need to waste your money on expensive "diet" pills or other 'miracle fat-loss' supplements. I'll show you how to use the power of natural foods in more detail below.


5. Do not waste your money on ab belts, ab-rockers, ab-loungers, and other infomercial ab-gimmicks... Despite the misleading infomercials, the perfectly chiseled fitness models in the commercials did NOT get their perfect body by using that "ab contraption"... they got their perfect body through REAL workouts and REAL nutrition strategies. Again, you'll learn some of their secrets and what really works below.



Men Click Here
Women Click Here