Weight Loss Tips for Men

Weight loss is one of the most popular health and fitness goals I encounter with my clients – both women and men alike!

But there are a number of reasons why men and women need to approach this goal a little differently.

First, men often have the additional goal of building significant amounts of muscle mass. They also have higher levels of testosterone, which naturally improves their ability to build muscle and burn fat.

So I’ve compiled a list of my top weight loss tips for men. Take a look, and give them a try – you can’t go wrong!

Top Weight Loss Tips for Men

1. Don’t Give Up on Cardio

This one has become a little controversial in popular culture. Many fitness experts claim you don’t need to do cardiovascular exercise at all, while others still support it. I have definitely seen some cases where guys get in shape without cardio, but this really doesn’t work for everyone.

If you’re trying to lose weight and cardio’s not part of your workout, then I suggest giving it a try. I don’t like any fitness regimen that includes too much cardio, but adding short bursts of high intensity cardio can really make a big impact on your body’s ability to burn fat. There’s no doubt about it – cardio burns a ton of calories.

The fear is always muscle mass, as it is possible to burn muscle if you do too much cardio. The ideal cardio workout is one that includes resistance training. This is why I’m a huge fan of high intensity interval training (HIIT). You’ll get better results in a third of the time, and still burn a ton of calories and fat. Take a look at my article on HIIT here for more details.

2. Eat a Ton of Protein

Not literally, of course, but you need to realize that protein is not just essential for building muscle. It also boosts your metabolism and gets you burning fat even while at rest. You should be getting at least 20 grams of protein in every meal, and make sure your snacks are also packed full of protein.

One of the leading protein supplements on the market is Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion (the Delicious Vanilla flavor is amazing). But to really fuel your muscles for those hard workouts, I recommend a sustained release protein like MHP Probolic-SR Muscle Feeder. This will ensure that your muscles are getting adequate protein throughout the day, which will further help you avoid cravings.

3. Take Things Up a Level

To see faster weight loss results, you really need to boost your energy expenditure at the gym. By doing so, you’ll burn more fat during your workout and build more lean muscle mass, which will get you burning more fat down the road. There are a number of things you can do to take it up a notch.

First, a pre-workout supplement like Gaspari Nutrition SuperPump MAX or USPLabs Jack3d can help you get a lot more out of your workouts. It will also boost your metabolism and get you burning more fat, so it’s all around an effective option. You can also try something as simple as hydrating with VPX Coco Fit Coconut Water during your workouts. It’s a pretty effective source of energy, and will replenish key nutrients lost during exercise.

If you’re looking to get more serious about your fat-burning efforts, then you really need to check out a new supplement on the market – 7-Keto LeanGels. It’s a unique blend of really powerful weight loss supplements that will give you the boost you’ve been looking for!

Have any questions or feedback about Weight Loss Tips for Men? Please leave a comment below…

Fast Weight Loss Tips for Women

If weight loss is going circles in your mind & you’re frustrated because you can’t seem to figure out how you can shed those extra pounds then you are definitely not alone.

This is one of the most common fitness goals I encounter with my clients. Whether it’s to get in better shape, fit into a pair of jeans, or show off those abs, women everywhere are trying to lose weight – and fast!

But there are a number of reasons why you may be missing the mark when it comes to your weight loss goals – especially if you’re looking for real results!

Over the years, I’ve identified some of the main reasons women fail to reach their weight loss goals. It may not be rocket science, but that doesn’t mean it’s a simple answer either. There are a number of factors that are probably standing in your way.

So I’ve come up with a list of my best (and most current) tips for fast weight loss. Give these a try, and you should be seeing real results in no time!

3 Fast Weight Loss Tips for Women

1. Approach Things from Multiple Angles

Probably the biggest mistake I see is approaching weight loss from a single angle, usually either diet or exercise. This often happens because we fall for some fad diet or exercise program, or because we simply don’t have the motivation.

But the truth is that you must address both diet and exercise in order to see real weight loss results. You should focus on cleaning up your diet and dropping the junk food, and exercising at least 4 days a week. Your exercise should also include both cardio and weights, so again, a multifaceted approach works best.

2. Get More Protein in Your Diet

Snacking on triscuits or eating whole grain pasta for dinner may seem like healthy options, but adding protein to your diet can really go a long way. Now that you’re lifting weights at the gym, you need extra protein to support lean muscle growth. And the real benefit? Protein keeps you feeling full, it burns more calories during digestion, and it boosts your metabolism.

This is why I so often recommend protein supplements. There’s a lot of crap out there, so be careful – you want to go for quality to see the best results. Two of the leading protein supplements on the market are the delicious Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion and Optimum 100% Natural Whey. If you’re vegan, Vega Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer is another fantastic option.

3. Try Something New

While some women make the mistake of trying fad diet after fad diet, many others get stuck in the same old routine – without ever seeing results! But your body can become complacent over time, so it’s important to change things up once in a while.

This can mean something as simple as adding yoga or weight training to your fitness program, or adding fat-burning foods like Nutiva Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil or Nutiva Organic Chia Seeds to your diet. In addition, there are some amazing fat-burning supplements on the market that are a lot more grounded in science.

One of the newest supplements that’s getting a lot of attention is 7-Keto. It’s a unique blend of naturally-based, fat-burning substances that are really having some amazing results! Check it out here – 7-Keto LeanGels.

Fast Weight Loss Tips for Women – Conclusion

These tips may seem pretty simple, but you’d be surprised by how many women are overlooking these weight loss principles. Remember, take a closer look at your lifestyle, make some important changes to your diet and exercise program, and try something new! It’s the only way to see real results fast.

Have any questions or feedback about Fast Weight Loss Tips for Women? Please leave a comment below…

Intermittent Fasting for Fat Loss

In the ongoing battle for weight loss, I believe that every piece of information counts.

Something you’ve probably heard a lot about is calorie restriction. But what you may not have heard about is intermittent calorie restriction or intermittent fasting.

There’s a bunch of new research out about the potential benefits of intermittent fasting, so I thought I’d offer up a review of this somewhat controversial topic.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting essentially means alternating between days of very low calorie intake (300 – 800 calories) and days of unrestricted eating (of course focusing on healthy natural foods). While some may engage in complete fasting intermittently, I’m using the term “fasting” to also include extreme calorie restriction.

Many of you may have never considered fasting of any kind, assuming it was entirely unhealthy. I have to admit that I used to have the same idea in mind, but there’s more to the story. Keep reading to learn more…

Is Intermittent Fasting Good for Fat Loss?

A number of studies have recently compared the benefits of daily calorie restriction (i.e., the typical dieting) and intermittent restriction or fasting. What they found may surprise you.

Research is showing that both methods are actually effective fat loss strategies. The difference, however, seems to be in the type of weight lost. On normal daily calorie restriction diets, most of the weight lost is indeed fat, while the rest is muscle mass. The ratio is typically 75% fat / 25% muscle.

Obviously any loss in muscle mass is a bad thing, especially if your goal is also muscle gain. And in the long run, retaining as much muscle mass as possible is key to healthy aging and living a long life.

But here’s the interesting finding from this research. While weight lost was comparable using intermittent fasting, the composition of fat loss was very different. Rather than a 75% fat / 25% muscle weight loss, those on intermittent fasting demonstrated 90% fat / 10% muscle weight loss. This is impressive, I must say! And definitely better for maintaining your overall fitness goals.

What’s the Catch?

While the numbers are definitely impressive, there are some things that the research didn’t do well. For example, they didn’t control for exercise habits, which may have explained some of the differences observed.

The long term impact of intermittent fasting is also unknown, and it may indeed be hard on your body or specific organs. More information is needed to sort these things out.

Nevertheless, if you’re looking to try something new, give it a shot. But I would caution against engaging in any kind of real fasting. You still need to provide some fuel to your body and to your muscles, particularly if one of your goals is muscle gain.

If you decide to give intermittent fasting a try, make sure you’re supplementing with a high quality protein powder. This will help you maintain your muscle mass on any diet, and will also help fight cravings by keeping you full for longer. Here are my top picks for protein supplements:

• Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion – one of the tastiest whey proteins on the market, nice and creamy texture
• Optimum 100% Natural Whey – another great option that you can mix into anything and has no artificial sugars or preservatives
• MHP Probolic-SR Muscle Feeder – the perfect time-released option for weight lifters
• Vega Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer – an effective vegan/vegetarian protein option

Have any questions or feedback about Intermittent Fasting for Fat Loss? Please leave a comment below…

Burn Belly Fat Fast

Belly fat is probably the most targeted area by people trying to lose weight.

And who can blame them? Having a toned and ripped midsection is not only attractive, it’s also a sign of fitness and health.

But it’s not easy to get. In fact, I’d say that toning your abs and burning belly fat are a couple of the most challenging fitness goals out there.

So what can you do to burn belly fat fast and get the midsection you’ve been dreaming of? This article takes a closer look at the basics, as well as some innovative diet options that will actually increase your metabolism!

5 Ways to Burn Belly Fat Fast

1. Get Lots of Exercise

Cardiovascular exercise really is an important step to losing belly fat. It’s critical that you increase your metabolism and get burning more calories and fat. Unfortunately, burning fat from your abs only is impossible – this kind of targeting just doesn’t work. Instead, you have to increase your metabolism overall in order to effectively burn more body fat.

One of the best ways to increase your resting metabolic rate is to start weight training. Weight (or resistance) training will increase your total lean muscle mass, which is directly related to your metabolism.  Check out my article Fat Burning Workout which will allow you to lose 5lbs of fat in 21 days.

2. Tone Your Abs

Although you can’t target your fat burning efforts, you can train and tone the muscles that make up your midsection. By engaging in a complete, high-intensity abdominal and core workout once or twice a week, you’ll get your midsection looking leaner and tighter. This will give the illusion of fat loss and get you in better shape! Try my Total Ab Workout in 30 Minutes to help you target your abs from all the different angles for best results.

3. Cut Down on Carbs

While I don’t support a “no-carb” diet, I do recommend a low-carb diet if you’re trying to burn belly fat. Cutting out carbs will help reduce your overall calorie intake, and help you get the flat stomach you’re looking for. Check out my article on Low Carb Diet for Weight Loss so you can really understand the most effective way of doing this without killing all your energy.

4. Eat Foods that Boost Your Metabolism

This is the one that’s really going to kick your fat-burning efforts into gear. There are a number of foods that boost your metabolism and actually get you burning more calories and belly fat just by eating them! Here are a few I highly recommend:

• Protein – Increasing your protein not only supports lean muscle mass, but it also takes a lot more to digest and will burn belly fat in the process. Invest in a tasty protein supplement like Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion or snack on these PROTEIN BARS.
• Green Tea – You may have heard it before, but green tea has been shown to significantly improve weight loss and fat burning efforts. If you don’t like to drink the green stuff, try taking a green tea extract like Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer.
• Coconut Oil – Coconut oil contains a unique type of fat that will actually burn more belly fat! You can purchase Nutiva Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil here.

5. Take a Fat-Burning Supplement

I’m not a big supporter of all weight loss supplements, but there are a few fat-burning supplements on the market that have been supported by science for their ability to burn fat without side effects.

The one that’s really gaining in popularity lately is 7-Keto, which contains a unique combination of fat-burning supplements that have been proven effective by science. Check out 7-Keto LeanGels here – they’re sure to improve your fat-burning efforts and give you the flatter belly you’re looking for!

Have any questions or feedback about burning belly fat fast? Please leave a comment below…

Ketogenic Diet Menu

A ketogenic or low-carbohydrate diet remains a popular choice for those trying to lose weight and get fit.

The basic rules are pretty simple. Eat a diet that is low in carbohydrates, high in fat, and high in protein.

The point of the diet is to replace carbohydrates (especially pastas, breads, and rice) with proteins and fats in order to drastically cut down on the amount of calories and sugars ingested.

A ketogenic diet has the additional goal of causing your body to enter a state of ketosis. This simply means that your body is using fat for energy, rather than carbohydrates. This adjusted metabolic state releases ketones during energy production, many of which are released in urine.

There’s some confusion out there about the safety of a ketogenic diet. But the science is pretty clear that there’s nothing problematic about your body using fat instead of glucose during energy production. The only time you should not consider a ketogenic diet is if you’ve been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

There is often a period of adjustment in any low-carb diet. The first week or so can be challenging and takes some time for your body to adjust. But the results are usually pretty significant. The ketogenic diet can help you lose weight, burn more fat, tone up, and show off that lean muscle mass if you’ve been hitting it hard at the gym. In fact, many bodybuilders adopt this kind of diet during their cutting phase.

Ketogenic Diet Menu

The menu on this diet is fairly similar to the paleo diet, which is intended to mimic the natural diet of our ancestors. Here is a menu guide to help you get the most out of your ketogenic diet efforts.

High Protein Foods – This is a primary focus of any ketogenic or low-carb diet. Proteins should be included in every meal and snack, and are what will keep you feeling full on this diet. They’ll also help support lean muscle mass, which is why this diet is so good for cutting and toning.

If you’re not already taking a protein supplement, it’s absolutely essential that you invest in a high quality protein while on this diet. Two of the best options on the market are Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion and Optimum 100% Natural Whey. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, check out Vega Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer.

Snacks should also include decent servings of protein. Protein bars are great options, and I’m a big fan of the Promax Protein Bars Other good bars include Myoplex LIte Bars and Quest Bars.

High Fat Foods – Foods high in fat are also a key component of a ketogenic diet. But whenever possible, you should still aim for healthy fats over less healthy ones. Nuts, avocados, and olive oil should all be eaten liberally on a ketogenic diet. Nutiva Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil is another great option for cooking at home, and includes unique fats that can further aid in boosting your metabolism.

Low-Carb Foods – Carbs should be reduced and eliminated when possible. This is pretty straightforward when it comes to breads, pastas, and rice. But you should also be avoiding starchy vegetables that are high in carbohydrates, including potatoes, carrots, and corn. Aside from the starchy options, a ketogenic diet calls for lots of vegetables and leafy greens.

Have any questions or feedback about the ketogenic diet? Please leave a comment below…

How Many Calories Should I Eat a Day to Lose Weight?

No matter how much I stress the fact that you shouldn’t be focused on calories one of the number one questions I get is based on how many calories you should eat to lose weight.

Losing weight is a science and the good news is that you can get better at it with time if you stay patient and focused on eating healthy and exercising.

And given that it’s a science, it’s important to understand exactly what your body needs in order to lose weight.

To lose weight and burn fat, you essentially need to get your body into a calorie deficit. What this means is that you need to be burning more calories on a daily basis than you consume.

In many instances, an imbalance between calories in and calories out (with more calories in) is a key factor in obesity. This means that to lose weight, a shift has to occur in your calories in and calories out. But exactly what kind of shift do you need to make? How many calories should you eat a day to lose weight?

This is obviously a somewhat complicated question to answer, since it depends on a number of lifestyle factors including your job, how much exercise you get on a daily basis, and your genetics. But let’s look at a basic way of calculating your ideal daily calorie intake. Consider this a starting point.

How many calories should I eat a day to lose weight?

First, there are a number of calculators available online to help you figure out your daily calorie need. This number is based on a number of factors, including age, height, weight, and level of daily exercise. Click here for a simple calorie calculator.

Once you have this number, you need to determine how much weight you want to lose. This is a simple subtraction.

Current Weight – Goal Weight = Number of Kilograms/Pounds to Lose.

Next, you need to calculate the total calorie deficit needed to lose this total amount of weight. This is not a daily number – this is the total number of calories you need to burn over time to reach your goal.

If you’re using kilograms, multiply the number of kilograms you need to lose by 7700. One kilogram of body fat is 7700 calories.

If you’re using pounds, multiple the number of pounds you need to lose by 3500. One pound of body fat is 3500 calories.

For example, if you’ve determined that you need to lose 20 pounds, multiply 20 x 3500. Your answer is 70,000. This means that you need a total calorie deficit of 70,000 calories to reach your goal. But again, this number is reached over time.

It is generally safe to lose one pound (or .45 kg) of body fat per week. This translates into a daily calorie deficit of 500 calories. In other words, in order to lose a pound a week, you need to be burning 500 calories more than you consume each and every day.

Now, return to your calorie calculator. Take your daily calorie need and subtract 500 from it (for example, 2800 – 500 = 2300). This final value is the total number of calories you should eat every day in order to effectively lose weight.

Over time, you need to burn your total calorie deficit to reach your goal. If your total calorie deficit needed is 70,000 calories, then it will take you approximately 140 days (or about 5 months) to reach your target weight loss goal (total calorie deficit divided by 500 = total number of days). Doesn’t sound too bad right?

The Problem with Calorie Counting

While these numbers give you a good starting point and a rough estimate of your daily and long-term goals, they’re too simplistic in many ways. There are a number of other lifestyle factors that may be impacting how many calories you need to burn to lose weight.

The other problem is that counting calories is difficult and impractical. Any diet that is not practically sustained over time is doomed for failure. So again, while these numbers can provide a good starting point, they shouldn’t be the only factor involved.

The Real Weight Loss Solution

A far more effective solution is to get around these numbers altogether by increasing your daily level of exercise. This simple change allows for a greater daily intake of calories while still burning more fat. Add to your exercise program some resistance training, and you’ll increase your metabolic rate over the long term, meaning you’ll burn more calories when your body is at rest. More lean muscle mass means higher metabolism.

Cutting out junk foods, sugary foods, and fatty foods is another effective way of reducing your calorie intake without having to worry about actually counting calories. Combine this with an increase in protein, and you’ll start feeling a lot more satisfied after your meals. A tasty, high-quality protein supplement like Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion is a great way to support lean muscle mass, curb cravings, and boost your metabolism.

It’s also important to remember that many foods actually help you burn more calories and fat. Green tea is one such food, but if you’re not a fan of the green stuff, a green tea extract like Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer can be a great addition to your diet.

In conclusion, use this information on daily calorie intake as a starting point and as a self-assessment. It will give you an idea of how much change is needed in your life to reach your weight loss goals. But don’t get obsessed with calories! Instead, get active, eat better, and make some healthy lifestyle changes that are sure to last!

Have any questions or feedback about How Many Calories Should I Eat a Day to Lose Weight? Please leave a comment below…

Cutting Diet

Cutting is an important step for professional bodybuilders, but if you’re trying to get toned and ripped, there’s a lot you can learn from a cutting diet.

Cutting is the phase that follows bulking up. Essentially, bodybuilders spend a few months adding on the muscle mass by lifting heavy and eating a lot. They then follow this with a toning training routine and a super strict diet. The goal of cutting is to lean out, shed the extra fat gained during the bulking phase, and get totally ripped.

But anyone can adopt a cutting diet. It takes a lot of discipline, but trust me, this kind of eating will get you some serious results, especially if you’ve been spending some time at the gym. Let’s look at the basic rules of a cutting diet.

Cutting Diet Rules

1. Don’t Diet Too Fast – Before you even think of adopting a cutting diet, you need to keep in mind that dieting too fast will also result in muscle loss. To maintain the muscle you’ve already gained, you need to maintain an adequate intake of calories. Generally speaking, don’t try to lose much more than 1 to 2 pounds a week. Focus more on what you’re eating rather than on how much.

2. Cut the Fat – You absolutely have to restrict your fat intake on a cutting diet. This is essential for getting toned and showing off all your hard work. Watch your labels. Healthy fats (in moderation) like essential fatty acids are great and will help maintain your testosterone levels.

3. Protein, Protein, Protein! – Protein is by far the most important aspect of a cutting diet. Getting an adequate amount of protein will ensure that you maintain your muscle mass despite your restrictive dieting. The amino acids contained in dietary protein will help spare your muscles during energy production and continue to aid in muscle building during your toning workouts.

There are a number of ways to ensure adequate protein consumption. The first is to consume a variety of protein sources, including lean meats, eggs, and dairy. Protein shakes are also instrumental on a cutting diet. Definitely consider either Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion or a great time-released protein like MHP Probolic-SR Muscle Feeder. These Quest Protein Bars are great snacking options while cutting.

4. Monitor Your Carbohydrates – Carbs are tricky on a cutting diet. Sure, restricting carbs can definitely contribute to fat burning results, but too few carbs in your diet will also result in muscle loss over time. The truth is, you need some carbs to maintain your muscle building efforts. Without them, your body will use amino acids (vital for muscle maintenance) for energy production, reducing your overall muscle mass. It’s okay to reduce your carbs, and I recommend doing so, but don’t cut them out altogether. Just be smart and eat healthy carbs, including whole grains and starchy vegetables (sweet potatoes are great options).

5. Get Smart with Supplements – Just like during your muscle building phase, supplements go a long way on a cutting diet. There are a couple things I recommend. First, get a good BCAA (branched chain amino acid) supplement to help support and maintain your muscle mass. Scivation Xtend is a highly effective product.

I also recommend a good fat loss stack during cutting. Check out this Fat Loss Stack for Men and this Fat Loss Stack for Women. Alternatively, you can also check out Muscle Pharm Shred Matrix, which has amazing fat-burning effects. Combined with the diet tips I just laid out for you, you’ll be seeing amazing results in no time!

Have any questions or feedback about cutting diet rules? Please leave a comment below…

The Paleo Diet

The paleo diet has received a lot of attention lately in the media. But what’s this diet all about? And how can it be of benefit to you?

The paleo diet, short for paleolithic diet, is essentially a return to our caveman roots. It’s a diet that focuses on natural, whole foods like those eaten by our ancestors. Things like wild fish, game meat, nuts, fruits, and leafy greens are all options on the paleo diet.

So what’s so great about the paleo diet?

For starters, the paleo diet doesn’t have any room for processed, packaged, or preserved foods, which means that it’s low in sodium, sugar, and fat. It also doesn’t include any fried or junk food. All of these factors are great for losing weight and contributing to a healthy lifestyle.

Here are some more great benefits of the paleo diet:

• The increased protein intake helps curb cravings and keep your metabolism in high gear. This is also a great diet for supporting lean muscle mass, so if you weight train, you’ll get all the nutritional support you need.
• The greater focus on fruits and vegetables means more vitamin support overall. You’ll get more antioxidants and important minerals in your diet.
• Given the focus on foods like nuts and fish, you’ll increase your intake of essential fatty acids which support weight loss.
• Carbohydrate cravings are diminished over time because of the low carbohydrate intake. Low carbs also means a more toned look overall!
• You don’t need to count calories or measure potion sizes on this diet. Frequent meals will leave you feeling more satisfied throughout the day.

Overall, the paleo diet will significantly lower your intake of preservatives and other chemicals that are hard on your body. If you can, you should also be aiming for organic options whenever possible. This further mimics a caveman diet and will lower your intake of potentially harmful pesticides and herbicides.

What can I eat on the paleo diet?

You really have a lot of options on this diet. It’s great for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, and is probably one of the easiest diets to incorporate into your lifestyle, meaning you’ll be more likely to see the results you’re looking for.

Here are some of the tasty options on a paleo diet:

• Eggs – anyway you like them!
• Nuts – a great option for snacking throughout the day.
• Wild Fish – one of the best proteins for weight loss.
• Fresh Fruit – another tasty snacking option!
• Leafy Greens – spinach, kale, and arugula are all great choices.
• Root Vegetables – carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes are great carb options.
• Mushrooms – these are packed with satisfying taste and a high nutritional value.
• Meats – try to go with free range organic whenever possible.
• Fresh Herbs – make sure you include lots of fresh herbs and spices!
• Fats – avocado, nut oils, and coconut are all healthy sources of fat.

As you can see, the paleo diet is free of grains, so your carbohydrates are coming strictly from vegetables and nuts. If you must include some bread once in a while, make sure you go with an organic, 100% whole grain option. Ideally, flour-free bread made of sprouted grains would be the best option on this diet.

The Paleo Diet – Conclusion

Those are the basics of the paleo diet. Sound good? Trust me, this is one of the most natural and nutritious diet choices. I’m not a big fan of fad diets that restrict your lifestyle and make you miserable. The paleo diet is a fantastic option if you’re trying to lose weight, get fit, or just live a healthier life.

Have any questions or feedback about the Paleo Diet? Please leave a comment below…

How to Reduce Body Fat

If you’re like me, reducing your body fat percentage is probably one of your number one fitness goals and will continue to be a good challenge to overcome.

Over the years, I’ve offered up a lot of tips and guidelines for burning excess body fat and toning up. But I thought I’d do things a little different this time by telling you what I’ve done over the years to reduce body fat.

Remember, everyone’s body responds differently, and you need to do experiment, challenge yourself and find what works best for you. I’m hoping these tips might offer you some new insights into your own battle against body fat.

Ready for this? This is a completely unedited look at what has worked best for me when it comes to reducing body fat, toning up, and getting ripped.

Let’s get to it…

Steps to Reducing Body Fat

1. Implement Resistance Training with Weights

Without a doubt, the most significant transformation I’ve made in my own life to reduce body fat has been weight lifting. Whether you’re a man or a woman, lifting weights and building lean muscle mass is one of the most effective methods of weight loss. This is because the more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories and fat your body burns on a daily basis, but also your confidence increases, your energy levels increase and it causes a cataclysmic chain of positive events in your life.

To reach my own fitness goals, hitting the gym at least 4 days a week was necessary. I started out with a basic split of upper and lower body every other day, and eventually moved to splitting up muscle groups. For example, you could follow a rotation of back/biceps, chest/triceps, legs, and abs/core. This has worked best for me and although I add lots of variety I tend to come back to this group set.

I also found that it was necessary to really educate myself and learn how to lift weights properly. This is an important tip that should not be overlooked! Proper form can make a huge difference when it comes to reaching your goals. When going through the workouts on this site pay special attention to the body positions in the images provided for the exercises. My other biggest tip, is don’t be afraid to look in the mirror at the gym, they are there to help you watch your form (contrary to what some may believe!).

2. Eat to Support Your Own Goals

I know, you hear about healthy eating all the time. But I’m going to put a bit of a spin on this old tip: Eat in a way that supports your own fitness and weight loss goals! For me, given that I was working out and lifting weights 4-5 times a week, it was necessary that I eat frequently and get a lot of extra protein in my diet.

Aside from that, the basic rules applied. The more I learned about healthy eating, the more I implemented in my daily living and hence why I started this blog so I could pass on that info to you guys. I cut out white flour and white rice as much as possible, cut back on sugar and sodium, and overall ate more whole foods versus processed foods. Take it slow, and make small changes over time!

Once you get into the momentum of eating healthy you will realize how good your body feels receiving all these nutrients and your view of junk foods will change because they won’t have the same satisfaction after eating health foods.

3. Take the Right Supplements

This one gets a lot of controversy, and I have to admit I was a bit hesitant about supplements when I first started my own fat burning and toning efforts. But I quickly learned that they were extremely helpful if I wanted significant results in a short period of time. I also learned that they could be healthy if taken correctly and in the right combination. These are the supplements that have worked well for me over the years:

• A tasty, satisfying whey protein supplement to support muscle growth. You can’t pack on muscle without more protein and why protein is pure protein without the extra calories. My two favorite are Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion (before workouts) & Optimum 100% Natural Casein (after workouts).
• A pre-workout booster for energy and endurance, to help you get that extra pump. My new favorite is Muscle Pharm Assault but one that I also fall back to is USPlabs Jack3d.
• An intra-workout supplement for improving muscle endurance and recovery. This one hands down is the best of the best amino acid supplement: Scivation Extend.
• A glutamine supplement to preserve muscle mass and maximize your results. Try Optimum Glutamine.

Have any questions or feedback about how to reduce body fat? Please leave a comment below…

Benefits of Exercise: Can It Keep You Young?

The question of whether or not one of the major benefits of exercise is keeping you young may not be one that really has you baffled, but I believe if we dig a little deeper you’ll think about it differently.

Anytime you explore questions like this you ultimately get to know yourself better and with this kind of understanding you take one step higher to increasing your willpower.

At the end of the day we all know it’s willpower which keeps us from slipping into the belly busting junk food temptation world and putting on excess weight which in turn hurts our confidence and feeling of well-being.

Stick with me here and I guarantee you’re going to get a few nuggets to take away with you which will benefit you in not only losing weight in your trouble spots but also give you the drive to push through your biggest obstacles…

Benefits of Exercise: The Science

A recent study at McMaster University in Ontario explored the effects of exercise on mice over 1 year (which would be equivalent to the age of 100 in human terms since the mice were genetically modified to grow older at an accelerated pace), and the DNA analysis was quite shocking even to the researchers.

The study compared a group of mice who were sedentary vs a group who were allowed to run on a wheel for 45 minutes three times a week and were given other challenges to increase their muscle mass. So what did the research show?

The sedentary mice started showing signs of DNA malfunction resulting in bone density issues as soon as 3 months (equivalent to age 20 in human years) and by the 8 month stage (equivalent to age 60) the sedentary mice had become frail with shrunken brains, enlarged hearts, smaller sex organs and graying fur. All these mice were dead by the 12 month stage.

So what happened with the mice that had exercised? Up until the 8 month stage these mice had a rich dark fur with no salt-and-pepper shadings, had retained their muscle mass and brain volume, plus their sex organs were completely normal and still agile.

By the 12 month stage only one of these mice had died from natural causes and most surprising to researchers, even though these mice had been genetically modified to age faster their DNA was able to continue to repair itself almost like they had taken a secret potion to stay young.

Benefits of Exercise: Your Take Away

Alright so studies of mice aside we can be pretty certain that exercise can benefit us in such a powerful way, but yet so many of us still make excuses or continue to have poor time management so we can’t fit in some exercise just 3 times a week.

I want you to let this seminate in your thoughts, and think about this one article next time you feel that devil next to your ear whisper that it’s ok to miss this one day and leave it to the next day. In other words, use this information as ammo to fuel your willpower not just tomorrow or next week, but for the rest of your young life.

Check out the Workouts & Training section of the site for hundreds of different workouts or use the search function on the site to find something specific to your target goal or your sex.

Of course, eat healthy and fresh foods as much as possible and arm your stay-young arsenal with a multi-vitamin like Optimum Opti-Men or Optimum Opti-Women, a natural immunity boosting antioxidant like NOW Acai or NOW Green Tea Extract and a heart-healthy Omega 3 like AllMax Nutrition Omega 3. These will all help you look young and even reverse some of the negative effects of eating unhealthy and not exercising frequent enough, but just as long as you have changed your habits for the better now.

Have any questions or feedback about these benefits of exercise and staying young? Please leave a comment below…

How to Burn Fat Fast

Burning fat and losing weight can be tough goals. But if you take the right approach, you can burn fat fast and be on your way to looking fit and ripped in no time!

Time is an issue for all of us, and we all have days when fitting in a good workout is tough.

So how about a 10-minute workout that will have you burning up to 300 calories?

Believe it or not, it’s possible! It’s all about challenging your body and getting intense. No matter how much time you have, you can fit in a decent workout that will burn some extra calories and give your metabolism a boost.

Burning fat and losing weight are all about getting yourself into a calorie deficit. This means burning more calories than you take in on any given day.

So whether this is your only workout of the day or an add-on to your current routine, burning an extra 300 calories will help you get a bit closer to your fat-loss fitness goals.

10-Minute / 300-Calorie Workout

This workout combines 3 exercises and mirrors the type of exercises you’d typically see in high intensity interval training. All exercises can be done at home or at the gym and require no equipment whatsoever!

1. Jump Squats

Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your arms at your sides. Start by doing a regular squat, and then jump up out of the squat as high as you can while reaching your arms to the ceiling. When you land, immediately lower your body back into the squat and repeat. The goal here is to flow smoothly from the squat to the jump and back into the squat.

Beginner – 10 reps & 30 seconds rest before next exercise.
Advanced – 30 reps and 10 seconds rest before next exercise.

2. Spider-Man Push-Ups

Start in a regular push up position, keeping your back straight and aligned. As you lower your chest to the ground, raise one knee up and to the side of your body, so that your bent leg is parallel to the ground and your knee is pointing to your side. Return to the starting position and repeat using the other leg.

Beginner – 10 reps & 30 seconds rest.
Advanced – 25 reps and 10 seconds rest.

3. Sprints

Sprints can be done at the gym, at home, or outdoors, so they’re a great fitness tool to keep on hand. Make sure you push yourself and don’t take things too easy! Sprints of any distance can be effective, and back-and-forth sprinting within a more confined area will burn just as many calories.

Beginner – 10 second sprint & 30 seconds rest.
Advanced – 20 second sprint & 10 seconds rest.

How to Burn Fat Fast – Conclusion

Trust me, the combination of these high intensity exercises will really work up a sweat and get you burning fat fast! Simply alternate between these 3 exercises for 10 (or more) minutes at maximum intensity.

Follow up with a good recovery drink like Scivation Xtend, and add a natural weight loss supplement to your diet for even better fat-burning results. Check out Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer – a great option for boosting your metabolism!

Have any questions or feedback about how to burn fat fast? Please leave a comment below…

1500 Calorie Diet

Calorie-counting isn’t for everyone, but if your weight loss goals are big, it may be exactly what you need to do.

At a basic level, weight loss requires taking in fewer calories than you burn over an extended period of time. In other words, you need to eat less and burn more to see significant results.

In order to burn one pound a week, a deficit (more calories burned than eaten) of 500 calories is needed per day. This can be accomplished fairly easily by eating a healthier diet and getting active. Portion control is also important, but so is cutting down on fats, sugars, sodium, and processed foods.

This is where meal plans come in handy. Meal plans help take some of the guesswork out of dieting, in an attempt to show you what you can eat when you’re trying to lose weight.

So here’s a 2-day sample meal plan to get you started. This one comes in at only 1500 calories a day, which should help you get into the red and start losing weight fast!

1500 Calorie Meal Plan

Day 1 Breakfast – Dried Apricot & Flax Muesli (400 calories)
¾ cup rolled oats, ¾ cup milk, ¼ cup chopped dried apricots, 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed, 1 teaspoon honey. Mix all ingredients and let sit 15 minutes.

Day 1 Lunch – California Burger (400 calories)
1 vegetarian burger, 2 slices whole grain bread, toasted, 1 tablespoon hummus, 1/4 avocado, thinly slices, 2 tomato slices, 1 cup grapes. Cook burger in microwave according to package directions. Place on toasted bread with hummus, avocado, and tomato. Serve grapes on the side.

Day 1 Snack – Pineapple with Cottage Cheese (200 calories)
¾ cup low fat cottage cheese, ¾ cup pineapple chunks.

Day 1 Dinner – Sesame Salmon with Borccoli Brown Rice (500 calories)
2 teaspoons sesame oil, 1 clove garlic, minced, 5-ounce salmon fillet, 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 cup chopped broccoli, 1/2 lemon, juiced, Sea salt and pepper, to taste, 1 cup cooked brown rice.

Preheat broiler. Whisk sesame oil and garlic. Brush on both sides of salmon and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Place salmon on a baking sheet and broil for 10 minutes. Sprinkle cooked salmon with sesame seeds. Steam broccoli and flavor with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve cooked brown rice with lemon broccoli and broiled sesame salmon.

Day 2 Breakfast – Blueberry Walnut Waffles (400 calories)
2 frozen whole grain waffles, 1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen, unsweetened/thawed), 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts, 2 tablespoons 100% maple syrup. Toast waffles and top with blueberries, walnuts and maple syrup.

Day 2 Lunch – BLT Salad (400 calories)
5 slices turkey bacon. 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce, 1 small tomato, chopped, 1 tablespoon sliced almonds, 2 tablespoons light honey mustard dressing, 5 whole grain crackers, 1 orange. Microwave bacon, cut into pieces and toss with lettuce, tomato, almonds, and dressing. Serve with crackers and an orange.

Day 2 Snack – Black Bean Salsa with Baked Chips (200 calories)
1 whole grain tortilla, 1/4 cup salsa, 1/4 cup black beans.

Day 2 Dinner – Parmesan Pasta with Sautéed Vegetables (500 calories)
2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 clove garlic, minced, 1/2 onion, chopped, 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms, 1 cup spinach, 1/2 tomato, chopped, 1/8 teaspoon each: sea salt and pepper, 1.25 cups cooked whole-grain penne pasta, 1/2 cup Northern beans, 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese.

Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion, and mushroom and cook for 4-6 minutes, until onion starts to soften. Add spinach, tomatoes, salt and pepper; cook 2-3 minutes, until vegetables are cooked. Mix cooked vegetables with pasta and beans. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Looking for an extra boost?

Another great addition to your diet is a green tea supplement like Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer. This will help you burn some extra calories and bring you closer to your weight loss goals!

Have any questions or feedback about this 1500 calorie diet? Please leave a comment below…

Ultimate Fat Loss Diet Plan

It’s time for a whole new perspective and you now have the opportunity to do things right.

When it comes to health and fitness, you may still be looking for a fat loss diet plan that’s right for you.

Well look no further. This 4-week ultimate fat loss diet plan is going to give you results that blast away at your ab, thigh and arm fat like none other.

The focus here is on doing things right with a good solid plan in place. This isn’t another fad diet. Instead, I’m offering you some secret tips and strategies that you can implement each week to transform your fat loss efforts and revamp your lifestyle.

By the end of this month, you should have a solid foundation for reaching your fat loss and fitness goals. Doing things in steps like this is important for keeping you motivated and reaching success!

So let’s get to it…

Week 1 – The Prep Work

The first week is focused on preparing your body and your mind so that you can see your fat loss goals through to success.

The first thing you need to do is clean out your kitchen. You know the drill – no junk food, no processed food, and cut down on the fat and sugar. Replace white flour items with whole grains, and increase your protein intake. Increasing your protein will prepare your muscles and give you the fuel you need to make some drastic changes. If you’re like me and want a protein supplement that is devoid of artificial sugars then Optimum 100% Natural Whey is a great option to add to your diet to ensure you’re getting enough belly-blasting protein.

As for fitness, you’re going to start this routine with a minimum of 4 days of cardio a week at least 30 minutes per workout. Try to change things up each day if you can. You’re also going to start a resistance training routine at least 3 days a week. Aim for 1-2 sets of 12-15 reps to get your muscles into the swing of things. Need ideas on these types of routines? Pick one from the hundreds available to you in the workouts routines section of this blog.

Week 2 – Rev Up Your Metabolism

The second week is all about increasing your metabolism. Now I want to make sure you’re having a protein shake every morning (at least). Protein actually burns more calories during digestion alone! This is also the time that you’re going to increase your resistance training efforts to 4-5 days a week. Adding lean muscle mass actually increases your resting metabolic rate and allows you the ability to push through your cardio workouts with much higher intensity. This means you are creating a calorie-burning furnace that is often missed out by most women and men who get lost doing endless cardio sessions.

Week 3 – Maximize Your Calories Burned

Now that you’re feeling revved up, it’s time to take things to the next level. Here I want you to make a minor diet adjustment and decrease your carbohydrate intake to only 3 servings a day, while increasing your protein intake. If you need some variety in your protein shakes, also check out Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion. It tastes amazingly creamy and smooth and yet is low on the calories and especially on the carbs.

As for your fitness routine, decrease your cardio to 20 minutes a day and increase your resistance training to at least 40 minutes per workout 5 days a week. You’re also going to increase your weight, now aiming for 3 sets of 8-10 reps each. This will help you increase your strength.

Week 4 – Get Creative

This is where things get a bit more intense. For your cardio workouts, I want you to implement interval training. This means alternating between a couple minutes of high and low intensity. Trust me, you’ll really feel the burn! As for resistance training, create circuits by moving quickly between sets of different exercises. This week is all about getting creative, changing things up, and taking your metabolism to the highest possible level!

What about your diet? Well in this stage you can start to implement some more carbs particularly right before and within 30 minutes after your workouts while at the same time maintaining your protein intake. Can you feel your abs now?

Ultimate Fat Loss Diet Plan – Conclusion

So there it is, an effective 4-week strategy for maximizing your fat loss potential. This plan is all about variety – changing things up like this on a regular basis will help keep you motivated. If you want to extend things over a longer period of time, you can also try 2-week periods for each stage. Now go out there and make it happen!

Have any questions or feedback about this ultimate fat loss diet plan? Please leave a comment below…

Weight Loss New Year’s Resolution

It’s that time of year again. Christmas has passed, family members have gone home, and it’s time to focus on you!

And what better way to start 2012 than a weight loss New Year’s resolution?

Weight loss and fitness are probably two of the most common New Year’s resolutions. And who can blame us, we all want to look and feel better. But you may still be missing the mark when it comes to your weight loss goals.

So let’s go over what I believe are the keys to weight loss success in 2012.

Keys to Weight Loss Success

1. Be Realistic – The truth is, most people aren’t realistic when it comes to their new year’s resolutions, especially when those resolutions involve weight loss. Losing 40 pounds in a month is simply not realistic (and in fact, it’s probably a bit dangerous).

Start by getting to know your body. Weigh yourself, take some measurements of key areas of focus, and consider calculating your body mass index (BMI). Your BMI is a good measure of how healthy your weight is based on your height. Taking account of these factors is a good starting point, as they’ll give you an idea of how far you need to go.

I recommend keeping all of this information in a notebook and doing regular self-assessments at least every 2 weeks. This is also a great way of tracking your progress throughout your weight loss efforts, and seeing progress on paper can be a huge motivation in itself. There’s actually a great notebook on the market that can help you track all of your weight loss and fitness information in one place. Check out the Fitlosophy Fitbook here.

2. Set Specific Goals – Now that you have a clearer idea of where you’re at, you need to set specific and practical weight loss goals. When I sit down with my clients to plan their workouts with them, I always set short-term and long-term goals. You need short-term goals to keep you motivated and see progress along the way, but you need that long-term goal to represent your full potential.

Be as specific about these goals as possible. For example, you can make your first short-term goal to lose 5 pounds in 2 weeks – as you work towards your long-term goal of losing 40 pounds in 6 months. You should also set a specific timeline with milestones along the way that you plan on achieving. Get visual with this. Post something on your fridge and keep all of this information in your notebook. Specific goals will increase your chances of success.

3. Execute Your Strategy – Now that you have your personal data, a functional notebook, and some specific goals to work towards, you need to know how to execute them. You should develop a specific plan as to how you’ll reach your goals. Maybe it’s hitting the gym 3 days a week, or running 4 morning a week. Something as simple as adding a yoga class to your workout routine can help you get closer to your weight loss goals.

It’s important that you view your weight loss goals as a journey, rather than as a battle. Incorporating lifestyle changes that can withstand time will be more effective than any fad diet. And I always recommend hitting things from all angles. Workouts that combine cardiovascular and resistance (weight training) are the most effective for weight loss.

And always aim for a balanced, whole foods diet low in fat and sugar. If you’re looking for a little jumpstart, then I’d suggest trying Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer. It’s great for providing you with a little kick in the beginning, which can be a huge motivator for seeing your New Year’s resolution through to success! Also make sure to check out my ultra popular articles Top 10 Workout Supplements for Women & Top 10 Workout Supplements for Men.

Have any questions or feedback about weight loss New Year’s resolutions? Please leave a comment below…

Weight Loss Diet Plan

Nowadays, weight loss is probably the single biggest motivation for working out and eating healthy. But it also seems to be one the biggest challenges!

When it comes to diets, things can get confusing and overwhelming.

In this article we’re going to look at 5 powerful tips to improve your weight loss diet plan.

The Weight Loss Diet Plan Problem

Most of the weight loss diet plans you’ve required require an extreme change in eating habits, especially if they involve counting calories. It doesn’t take long for most of us to experience a rebound or boomerang effect mostly because the diets are just too unrealistic.

The problem is that they can’t be maintained for the long haul, leaving you feeling discouraged, unsatisfied, and more frustrated than ever. So what’s the solution?

The Weight Loss Diet Plan Solution

Here’s what you need to do. First, throw out the fad diets and weight loss plans – you don’t need them. Instead, focus on eating a healthy, balanced diet that is geared towards burning fat while keeping you feeling satisfied.

The following 5 tips are really all you need to be on your way to weight loss. This is a comprehensive diet plan because these 5 principles can be applied time and again without leaving you bored and overcome with cravings.

After reviewing these 5 tips, start by cleaning out your kitchen so that you can start fresh!

1. Cut Down on the Bad Fats – You might not know this, but not all fats are bad for you. Try to avoid trans fats and saturated fats whenever possible, because they’re stored directly as fat deposits in your body. But other fats, like omega fatty acids and unsaturated fats, will help you maintain a healthy weight and keep you feeling full. Foods like salmon, nuts, extra virgin olive oil, and avocados are all great options.

In fact, I highly recommend taking an Omega 3 supplement, as this is the healthy fat that most of us don’t get enough of. Try NOW Ultra Omega-3, it’s a great addition to your weight loss diet plan. Studies have even shown that omega 3 fatty acids can contribute to weight loss!

2. Ditch the Processed Junk and Go with Whole Foods – Go for whole food options whenever you can. This means cutting out canned foods that high in sodium (which add to your weight by causing your body to retain water) and frozen foods that are full of unhealthy preservatives. Buy fresh ingredients as much as you can, as these are higher in vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants.

I also recommend cutting down on starchy veggies and potatoes, and always choose whole grain and whole wheat options over white bread, rice, and pasta. These whole food options will keep you satisfied for longer because they take longer to digest. Organic options are always best and usually have fewer preservatives and chemical residues, which can disrupt digestion.

3. Eat Foods that Burn Fat – There are a number of foods that actually burn more fat simply by eating them. For example, lean protein requires your body to burn more calories during digestion. The same is true for whole grain options versus processed rice and pasta.

Adding a whey protein supplement to your diet is a great option, and can also help curb your cravings. I recommend the tasty GASPARI . Other effective fat-burning options include Nutiva Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil and NOW Green Tea Extract. Fiber is another addition to your diet that helps you burn calories and stay full. A fiber supplement like Fitness Fiber can help you get the daily recommended fiber you need.

4. Don’t be Hard on Yourself – The truth is, nobody’s perfect. Trying to eat perfectly will only result in more frustration. Consider rewarding yourself occasionally, maybe once a week, and eat something that’s a little more indulgent. The occasional dessert or alcoholic beverage won’t ruin your weight loss efforts and may give you the motivation you’ve been looking for.

Other effective methods for staying motivated include using motivational pictures, sticking to a schedule, or rewarding with a new pair of shoes at the end of the month. For many people, journaling your diet habits can be a really effective tool for staying motivated and on track.

5. Get Regular Exercise – Diet is important, no doubt, but being active is a major factor in weight loss and should be added to any weight loss diet plan. A combination of strength training and cardiovascular exercise 3-5 days a week will rev up your metabolism and get you burning more fat and calories over the long term.

To maximize your workout and your weight loss efforts, I recommend a combination of the following supplements:

• A tasty, satisfying whey protein supplement. Try Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion.
• Pre-workout supplement to boost energy and burn fat – Try Muscle Pharm Shred Matrix.
• A post-workout recovery supplement with key amino acids. Try USPlabs OxyELITE Pro.

Weight Loss Diet Plan – Conclusion

Now it’s time to implement these principles. Start by cleaning out your kitchen and getting rid of the junk. Then, I recommend sitting down and writing out a weight loss diet plan that incorporates exercise. Remember, you’ll see better results with a practical and balanced weight loss diet approach!

Have any questions or feedback about this weight loss diet plan? Please leave a comment below…

How to Lose Weight Fast

Weight loss may be within reach, and you may be able to reach your goals faster than you think!

Want to find out how?

The biggest mistake that most people make when it comes to weight loss is only making one lifestyle change.

But the reality is, there are a number of things you can do to lose weight fast. And adopting more than one strategy at a time will have you losing the weight even faster!

So here are 5 easy things you can start doing today to lose weight fast.

1. Get Motivated

Motivation is one of the biggest challenges for all of us, including myself. And this is especially true when it comes to weight loss. The truth is, there’s a lot you can do to stay motivated to lose weight.

First, make sure you set practical, attainable goals, and write them down! Then, track your progress by keeping a health and fitness journal. I recommend the Fitlosophy Fitbook, a great tool for keeping track of your exercise routines. Watching your progress on paper can really get you motivated!

Some other motivation tips include shopping smart (don’t bring the bad stuff into your house), coming up with a detailed plan that you can stick with, and rewarding yourself. If you don’t already, I recommend rewarding yourself at least once or twice a week!

2. Eat Foods that Burn Fat

There are a number of foods that actually burn more fat just by digesting them! Lean protein, for example, requires your body to burn more calories during digestion. Adding a whey protein supplement to your diet is a great option, and can also help curb your cravings but keeping you feeling full and satisfied.

I recommend the tasty whey protein supplement Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion. Other effective fat-burning options include Nutiva Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil and NOW Green Tea Extract. Fiber is another addition to your diet that helps you burn calories and stay full. A fiber supplement like Fitness Fiber can help you get the daily recommended fiber you need.

3. Ditch the Processed Foods

Go for whole food options whenever you can. This means cutting out canned foods that are high in sodium (which will add to your weight by retaining water) and frozen foods that are full of preservatives. Buy fresh ingredients that are high in vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants. Avoid starchy veggies and potatoes, and always choose whole grain and whole wheat options over white bread, pasta, and rice.

These whole food options will keep you satisfied longer because they take longer to digest! They also help prevent drops in your blood glucose levels, which means you won’t encounter those deadly cravings!

If snacking is a problem for you, then make sure you have some healthy, high-protein snacking options at your disposal. Nuts, yogurt, and veggies are great options. There are also some good healthy options when it comes to protein bars. I recommend this whole foods, vegan protein bar: Organic Food Bar – Protein.

4. Get Moving

Although diet is key, being active is a major factor in weight loss. It’s really hard to skip this one if your goal is weight loss. I recommend hitting the gym and getting at least 30 minutes of cardio 4-6 days a week.

The trick to getting the most out of your cardio workout is changing things up. If you’re a beginner, make sure you’re choosing different equipment as often as possible, or get outdoors a couple of times a week. Changing things up will help you avoid plateaus in your workouts, which means you’ll see better results!

If you’re looking for something more advanced, I recommend introducing interval training to your cardio routine. Interval training involves alternating frequently between periods of high and low intensity. This is a great way to get your heart rate up and burn way more calories!

5. Lift Weights

A combination of strength training and cardiovascular exercise is ideal. The primary benefit of weight training for weight loss is that it will rev up your metabolism over the long run. This means you’ll increase your ability to burn more fat and calories even on your days off!

If you’re a beginner, I would suggest introducing a basic weight lifting routine to your workout. To really notice the weight loss benefits, aim for at least 4 days of weight training a week. Alternate between workouts that focus on legs and shoulders, chest and triceps, back and biceps, and abs/core.

To maximize your workout and your weight loss efforts, I recommend a combination of the following supplements:

• A tasty, satisfying whey protein supplement. Try Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion.
• Pre-workout supplement to boost energy and burn fat – Try Muscle Pharm Shred Matrix.
• A post-workout recovery supplement with key amino acids to support muscle growth and repair. Try Scivation Xtend.

How to Lose Weight Fast – Conclusion

Sound like a lot? Maybe, but once you start adopting these lifestyle changes, you’re going to notice some killer weight loss benefits! No one strategy is enough, when it comes down to it.

Keep in mind, these are not fad diet ideas. These are real lifestyle changes that will help you lose weight fast and stay in great shape!

Have any questions or feedback about losing weight fast? Please leave a comment below…

Weight Training for Weight Loss

Still trying to lose weight but can’t figure out what you’re doing wrong?

Maybe what you’re missing is a good weight training program!

Many people make the mistake of avoiding weight training when their goal is weight loss. They worry about bulking up or they just assume that cardio is the best route.

But you want to know the truth about weight training and weight loss?

The truth is, weight training is probably the best thing you can do for weight loss. Let me tell you why…

Weight training is great for weight loss for a few reasons. First, just like cardio, weight training gets you moving, which means you’re burning calories and fat during the actual exercise.

You can increase the speed of your movements to help improve these benefits. Lower your weight a bit, and get out faster (but controlled) lifts at a higher number of reps. I recommend aiming for 12-15 reps periodically if your goal is weight loss. This helps you burn more calories while gaining lean muscle mass.

And there’s more you can do with your weight training workouts. If you incorporate circuit training, you can really keep your heart rate up during your gym routine. This means no rest between sets, and alternating between single sets which target different muscle groups. Supersetting is another great option for keeping your heart rate up. With supersets you can do two or more exercises back to back without taking a break in between and this will elevate your heart rate considerably meaning more calories burned.

But the real weight loss benefits of weight training come from the long-term metabolism boosting effects. Unlike cardio, which only raises your metabolism for that day, muscle mass maintains a higher metabolism even on days you don’t work out!

That’s right, the more muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate. So regardless of whether you’ve worked out, your metabolism will naturally be higher – meaning you’ll burn more calories and fat in the long run!

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do cardio at all. But it does mean you should be lifting some weights, even if you need to cut down on the cardio a bit to do so. You’ll be surprised to see how much it helps with your weight loss goals!

In order to help you gain more lean muscle mass from your workouts, if you’re not taking a quality whey protein supplement like Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion then you are most likely breaking down more muscle then you are building it. Incorporating a high quality protein shake into your breakfast and post-workout snack can help you build more lean muscle – which means more fat burned. It will also help you feel full longer and fight the cravings which often sabotage your results.

I like Myofusion because the quality and taste is fantastic and doesn’t compare to the brands you find in grocery stores and even most local supplement stores. If you’ve had a hard time with the taste and texture of previous protein shakes don’t give up yet.

Weight Training for Weight Loss and Motivation

Now if you have problems with motivation which during this time of year can be most challenging then you really want to focus on planning your week in advance. Get everything ready the night before and just spend two minutes going over your workout routine for the following day.

Lately I even prepare my pre-workout energy drink the night before so I can slam it down and get my blood flow going right before I leave for the gym. I’ve found a mix of arginine and creatine is the best since arginine helps your blood vessels expand and the creatine helps you with energy to get some more reps. Mixing half a scoop of USPLabs Jack3d & half a scoop of Gaspari Nutrition SuperPump MAX is a pretty killer combo.

Post workout you should include a scoop of Scivation Xtend into your protein shake to help your muscle recover faster from your workout and trust me on this one, your results will be amplified.

Have any questions or feedback about weight training for weight loss? Please leave a comment below…

Green Tea Weight Loss

During this time of year we’re all trying to lose some extra weight we’ve put on, so looking for healthy ways to help us fight the good fight can never go unappreciated right?

You’ve probably heard of the claims about green tea and weight loss. But is green tea a good option for you?

Let’s find out…

Green tea may be one of the most talked about natural weight loss remedies out there. And the truth is, there is some decent evidence out there to support these claims!

Some Facts about Green Tea and Weight Loss

1. Green tea increases your metabolism.
The benefit here, of course, is that you’ll burn more calories. And when you’re trying to shed the weight, you need to get into a calorie deficit. This means that you need to burn more calories than you consume.

This may sound challenging, but this is where green tea can really help! It’s an all-natural method for increasing your calorie deficit and losing more weight!

2. Green tea increases your body’s ability to burn fat.
This means that your body will oxidize or use up more fat during exercise and physical activity. Combines with more calories burned overall, you can see why green tea is such a great option for weight loss!

In addition to this, research has shown that those who drink green tea or take the extract also are consciously reminded to eat more healthy and thus the benefits are compounded in a very positive way.

3. Green tea provides tons of antioxidants.
If you’re concerned about your overall health, then green tea is a great option for getting a more balanced nutrition plan. Not only will you see improvements in your weight, but it will also help with many other aspects of your health.

For example, there is lots of research which shows that green tea can help lower your cholesterol, improve your body’s immune system, and also help your cells eliminate toxins found in our foods and the air we breathe. These are all benefits we receive because green is so high in antioxidants.

4. Green tea acts as a natural appetite suppressant.
This can be extremely helpful when you’re trying to lose weight, and might just give you the extra kick you need. The main reason for its appetite-suppressing properties is the caffeine it contains.

5. Green tea can give you a natural energy boost.
Because it’s a natural source of caffeine, it’s a great option for giving you a morning or pre-workout energy boost. The difference between the way the caffeine absorbed with green tea vs coffee is that the the caffeine is absorbed much more slowly so you don’t experience the crash with green tea like you do after drinking a coffee.

How much green tea should you drink?
Many of these benefits can be gained from drinking a few cups of green tea every day, but that might sound like a lot to you. Luckily, there are a few great green tea extract supplements you can buy that contain all the green tea you need! In fact, a lot of the scientific studies on the benefits of green tea have used green tea extract.

And of course, the benefit of these supplements over other weight loss supplements is that they’re natural. So if you’re looking for a natural option, green tea is it!

Here are two that I highly recommend:

• Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer
• NOW Green Tea Extract

Green Tea Weight Loss Conclusion

Whatever your weight loss goals, green tea and green tea extract are great options for boosting your metabolism, burning more fat, and shedding some extra pounds. And remember, I always recommend regular exercise in any weight loss program, so make sure you’re staying active!

Have any questions or feedback about green tea weight loss? Please leave a comment below…

6 Weeks to Your Perfect Body

Your perfect body may be closer than you think!

All you need is a plan, some time, and a little motivation, and you could be on your way to a perfect body in just 6 weeks!

So here’s the plan…

The 6 Week Plan for a Perfect Body

This plan incorporates my best tips for fitness and diet. Trust me, you’re never going to get the body you’re looking for unless you attack things from both angles.

So here are some general diet tips you need to follow: Cut down on the carbs (and only go for whole grains when you do eat them), cut out the unhealthy fats, reduce your salt and sugar intake, and up the veggies and protein.

One of the best things you can do is invest in a great tasting whey protein supplement like Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion. It will help you meet your protein needs throughout this 6 week plan.

This 6 week plan is broken up into 2-week periods, so you’ll be working through 3 phases in total. Each phase involves changes to your diet and fitness routine to help you get in your best shape ever! Here we go…

Phase 1 (Weeks 1 & 2) – The Prep Work

Diet: Limit your carb intake to only 3 servings a day (estimate 3 pieces of whole grain bread). Make sure you’re not skipping breakfast, and snack healthy between meals and before bed. Nuts and non-fat Greek yogurt are great options.

Fitness: Hit the gym 4-5 days a week, alternating between the following resistance training workouts: legs & shoulders, back & biceps, chest & triceps, abs & core. Aim for 3 sets of 10-12 reps. Do 20 minutes of cardio before or after every workout.

Phase 2 (Weeks 3 & 4) – Bulking Up

Diet: Increase your carb intake to 4-5 servings a day, because your body’s going to need the extra fuel for these muscle building workouts! Also increase your overall calorie intake, making sure those are all healthy calories! That means your snacks are going to turn into small meals.

Fitness: Now you’re going to hit the gym 6 days a week, alternating between the following workouts: legs, back, biceps, chest, abs & core, triceps & shoulders. Aim for 4 sets of 8 reps, and keep your cardio at 20 minutes.

Phase 3 (Weeks 5 & 6) – Getting Ripped

Diet: Return to 3 servings of carbs a day, as this is your cutting phase. You should also increase your protein to maintain muscle mass. Add at least 2 or 3 servings of protein a day.

Fitness: Take an extra day’s rest, and hit the gym 5 days a week, alternating between legs, back, chest, arms & shoulders, and abs & core. Aim for 4 sets of 12-15 reps, and increase your cardio to 30 minutes a day.

Want an extra push?

If you’re looking for an extra push through this 6 week plan, I recommend adding a fat burning or energy supplement to your diet, like Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer or USPLabs Jack3d. You should also take a multivitamin for overall health support. Optimum Opti-Men and Optimum Opti-Women are great options.

Finally, to support muscle growth and recovery after your workouts, you should seriously consider Scivation Xtend. It’s packed full of helpful amino acids to fuel your muscles!

Have any questions or feedback about 6 weeks to your perfect body? Please leave a comment below…

Exercise Plans for Weight Loss

Are your weight loss efforts hitting a wall?

Feel like you’re in a bit of a slump and can’t get out?

Let’s face it, weight loss can be tough for anyone, especially without a good plan.

I’ve come up with 3 plans for weight loss, each tailored to a different level – beginner, intermediate, and advanced – to help you target your efforts and see fast results.

Ready for this?

In order to burn about a pound a week, you need to aim for a deficit of 500 calories. That is, you need to burn around 500 calories more than you consume each day. The best way to get there is to eat a healthier diet. Portion control is the first step, but you also need to cut down on fats, sugars, sodium, and junk food.

Natural weight loss supplements, such as Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer, can be a great option as well. They’ll help boost your metabolism, give you more energy, and burn more fat throughout the day.

Cardio is helpful, but adding resistance training can boost your metabolism over the long term. Why? Because more muscle mass means more calories burned even when at rest! One thing you want to make sure you do is eat enough protein, so I always recommend a good protein supplement like Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion or Optimum 100% Natural Whey.

So here are some exercise plans for weight loss to get you burning fat!

Exercise Plan for Weight Loss #1 – Beginner

When you’re starting out, it’s totally understandable that you may want to ease your body into things. If you feel the need to start with the basics, then this is the plan for you…

• Day 1: 30 mins of cardio, 20 mins of resistance training (legs & shoulders)
• Day 2: 30 mins of cardio, 20 mins of resistance training (chest & back)
• Day 3: 30 mins of cardio, 20 mins of resistance training (abs & arms)

Exercise Plan for Weight Loss #2 – Intermediate

If you’ve been exercising regularly but need to take things to the next level, then this one’s for you…

• Day 1: 30 mins of cardio, 30 mins of resistance training (legs)
• Day 2: 30 mins of cardio, 30 mins of resistance training (chest & triceps)
• Day 3: 30 mins of cardio, 30 mins of resistance training (abs & shoulders)
• Day 4: 30 mins of cardio, 30 mins of resistance training (back & biceps)

Exercise Plan for Weight Loss #3 – Advanced

If you’re already hitting the gym 4 days a week and are looking to get really serious, then I recommend going intense for a couple months. Here’s how…

• Day 1: 20 mins of cardio, 40 mins of resistance training (legs)
• Day 2: 30 mins of cardio, 30 mins of resistance training (chest)
• Day 3: 20 mins of cardio, 40 mins of resistance training (abs)
• Day 4: 30 mins of cardio, 30 mins of resistance training (back)
• Day 5: 20 mins of cardio, 40 mins of resistance training (biceps & triceps)
• Day 6: 30 mins of cardio, 30 mins of resistance training (shoulders)

For all of these workouts, I also recommend taking Optimum Glutamine for muscle repair and support. If your energy’s lacking, then check out USPLabs Jack3d to give you a serious boost!

Have any questions or feedback about exercise plans for weight loss? Please leave a comment below…

Training Program for Weight Loss

Trying to lose weight but keep missing the mark?

Weight loss can be a big challenge for a lot of reasons. So I thought it was time for a complete training program for weight loss.

The trick is finding balance between all components: cardio fitness, resistance training, and diet. Remember – these things just won’t cut it on their own.

Let’s jump right in…

Complete Training Program for Weight Loss

Clean Up Your Diet – When it comes to weight loss, everything starts with your diet. And eating right should not be complicated. Start by throwing out the fad diets you’ve been struggling with and aim for some basic lifestyle changes.

Cut down on sugars, unhealthy fats, sodium, and junk food. Add more veggies, fibre, and lean protein, including a variety of lean protein sources that will help support muscle growth.

Adding a protein supplement to your diet is a great way to get more protein. Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion is one of the best options out there. I also recommend adding a natural metabolism booster to your diet, like Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer. It will help give you the jumpstart you need.

Get Moving – You can’t lose a lot of weight without moving your body, simply put. So here’s a 6 week plan to help you shed the pounds. The trick is changing things up on a regular basis and constantly challenging yourself. This training program will help you do just that!

Weeks 1 & 2 – Lay the Groundwork

The Plan: Cardio & resistance training 4 days/week. Aim for 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

• Day 1: 20 mins cardio, 30 mins weights – legs and shoulders
• Day 2: 20 mins cardio, 30 mins weights – abs and core
• Day 3: 20 mins cardio, 30 mins weights – back and biceps
• Day 4: 20 mins cardio, 30 mins weights – chest and triceps

Weeks 3 & 4 – Hit It Hard

The Plan: Cardio 3 days/week, high intensity interval training (HIIT – see link here) 2 days/week, resistance training 5 days/week. Aim for 4-5 sets of 8-10 reps.

• Day 1: 20 mins cardio, 40 mins weights – shoulders
• Day 2: 15 mins HIIT, 45 mins weights – abs and core
• Day 3: 20 mins cardio, 40 mins weights – chest and back
• Day 4: 15 mins HIIT, 45 mins weights – legs
• Day 5: 20 mins cardio, 40 mins weights – biceps and triceps

Weeks 5 & 6 – Get Ripped

The Plan: Cardio 2 days/week, HIIT 3 days/week, resistance training 5 days/week. Aim for 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps.

• Day 1: 20 mins HIIT, 40 mins weights – chest and biceps
• Day 2: 30 mins cardio, 30 mins weights – abs and core
• Day 3: 20 mins HIIT, 40 mins weights – back and triceps
• Day 4: 30 mins cardio, 30 mins weights – shoulders
• Day 5: 20 mins HIIT, 40 mins weights – legs

So there you have it, a complete 3-month training program for weight loss. After your first 6 weekss, I recommend taking a one-week rest period before starting again or challenging your body in new ways.

Just make sure you’re supporting your work at the gym with a amino acid supplement like >Scivation Xtend and a post-workout supplement like Optimum Glutamine to support muscle repair and recovery. These will help you see results faster!

Have any questions or feedback about this training program for weight loss? Please leave a comment below…

BMI and Weight Loss

Weight loss can feel like a complicated and challenging task.

But you’ve heard of BMI, right?

BMI, or Body Mass Index, is one of the simplest tools for measuring your level of fitness (take special note of me saying “simplest”!).

This article looks at BMI and how it can help you reach your weight loss goals. As you’ll learn, it’s really only helpful to a degree, and like everything, it has a few flaws.

Let’s take a look…

BMI: What is it?

BMI is a scientific and objective measure of health and fitness based only on your height and weight. It’s used by physicians, healthcare practitioners, and personal trainers as a way of showing people where they’re at in terms of body weight.

BMI is a single number, calculated by dividing weight (kg) by height (meters squared). BMI is a ratio, so the higher the number, the more overweight you are by medical standards. For a BMI calculator, click here.

The number you get can then be classified as underweight (under 18.5), normal healthy weight (between 18.5 and 24.9), overweight (between 25 and 29.9), or obese (30 and over).  These numbers essentially tell us if we have too much or too little body weight for our height.

BMI and Weight Loss: What’s the Deal?

If one of your main fitness goals is weight loss, then BMI can be a good tool for tracking your progress.

I’d recommend keeping a log of your  in measurements, exercises, and workouts using a great tool like the Fitlosophy Fitbook. BMI should be measured at the start of your weight loss goals with your other measurements, and taken again about every 2 weeks.

Obviously all you’re going to measure is your weight. But you should be calculating your BMI periodically as an indicator of whether you’re in a healthy range. If you’re starting out in the overweight or obese categories, dropping to the normal healthy range can have a big impact on your health and overall well-being.

But there’s a catch.

If your weight loss goals also include increasing lean muscle mass, then BMI is not going to be the best indicator of your fitness level.

The problem is, BMI is such a simple measure that it can’t distinguish between body fat and lean muscle mass. So if you’ve been working hard at the gym and have a lot of muscle mass, your BMI may be telling you you’re overweight. Even if very little of that weight is actual fat!

So in the end, BMI is a good rough estimate of your health and fitness, but it doesn’t tell you a whole lot, especially if you have very specific fitness goals.

Reducing Your BMI

If you’re trying to lose weight and reduce your BMI, there are a few simple additions to your weight loss tool box that will get you seeing results fast. Here’s a couple I recommend:

• A heart rate monitor for making sure you stay in your target fat burning zone. Check out the awesome Bowflex Classic Strapless Heart Rate Monitor.
• A natural weight loss supplement like Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer. This is a great way to get you motivated in the beginning and seeing results.
• A good protein supplement to help you fight the cravings like Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion. This will help you maintain lean muscle mass, which means you’ll burn more calories on a regular basis.

Have any questions or feedback about BMI and weight loss? Please leave a comment below…

Motivation Tips for Weight Loss

Reached another roadblock? Think you’ve hit a plateau?

Motivation is one of the biggest challenges for all of us, including myself. And this is especially true when it comes to weight loss.

So what are you going to do about?

The truth is, there’s a lot you can do to stay motivated to lose weight. Here are my top 10 motivation tips for weight loss. Ready to get motivated?

Motivation Tips for Weight Loss: Top 10 Tips

1. Shop Smart – My number one motivation tip for weight loss is to shop healthy. The worst thing you can do is bring unhealthy junk food into your house.

2. Write Down Your Goals – Setting goals and writing them down may seem juvenile, but for most of us, creating some sort of visual is crucial. If you get your weight loss goals on paper, you’ll have a clearer idea of what you’re working towards.

3. Set Reasonable Goals – When you set goals, they need to be reasonable. I recommend setting both short term and long term goals. Reaching milestones along the way will really keep you motivated.

4. Visualize Your Goals – Once your goals are set, you need to visualize them. Whether it’s a picture of your fitter self, or a magazine clipping of the body you want, you need to remind yourself of what you’re working towards.

5. Come Up with a Plan – Once you’ve set your goals, you need to make a plan of how to reach them. This means coming up with a workout schedule and deciding on how you’re going to handle your diet. And write it down!

6. Keep a Journal – I can’t stress this one enough. Seeing your progress on paper is totally motivating. Write down your weekly weight, measurements, and workouts. You can even keep a food journal if you want to get really detailed. Checkout the Fitlosophy Fitbook – it’s a great tool for tracking your progress!

7. Do It With a Friend – May sound simple, but losing weight with a friend can be a huge motivator. You can check in with each other, give each other tips, and help keep each other stay motivated.

8. Change Things Up – One of the biggest roadblocks to staying motivated is boredom. And one of the best ways to fight boredom is to change it up. This means changing your workout routine every couple of weeks, as well as keeping variety in your diet.

9. Try a Supplement – If you’re finding things hard to get going, consider trying an all-natural weight loss supplement like Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer or a workout drink like Muscle Pharm Assault. This can be a great way to see some quick results and motivate yourself to action.

10. Reward Yourself – This is my last tip for weight loss motivation, but probably one of the most effective. We all work well for rewards, so every week or month, plan on giving yourself a reward. Whether it’s your favourite cheat meal or a new pair of shoes, rewards can help you stay on track with your goals.

Try out any of these motivation tips, or use them all to really jump start your weight loss goals. I guarantee you’ll find something here that works for you!

Have any questions or feedback about motivation tips for weight loss? Please leave a comment below…

Circuit Training for Weight Loss

Still not seeing the weight loss results you want?

Want to take things to the max?

Of all the weight loss workouts I’ve offered, circuit training will get you seeing results the fastest (combined with the right diet, of course).

So here’s a circuit training workout specially designed for weight loss.

What is Circuit Training?

Before we get to the workout, it’s important to understand the general goals of circuit training.

Circuit training combines resistance training and high-intensity aerobics in order to maximize your results at the gym. It helps build strength and endurance at the same time.

One circuit means completing one set of all exercises in the program. Usually, rest periods are shorter between sets because you can focus on different muscle groups back to back. The idea is to keep your body moving at all times, and complete the exercises quickly.

This is why circuit training is great for days when your time is tighter than usual. It’s also great for getting in a full body workout.

Circuit Training for Weight Loss

Now onto weight loss. How can circuit training be used to target weight loss? Let’s find out…

In principle, all circuit training can be great for weight loss, because it builds muscle and burns tons of calories at the same time. But there are things you can do to increase the metabolism-boosting effects of circuit training.

The following circuit training program combines weights with cardio. Don’t forget your towel, and make sure you’re properly hydrated before you start. Ready for this?

Circuit Training for Weight Loss Step 1. Warm-Up:

Start with 5 minutes of low intensity cardio to get warmed up. The treadmill would be great for this.

Circuit Training for Weight Loss Step 2. Cardio:

Choose a piece of cardio equipment (treadmill, elliptical, or bike are all fine) and start with 1 minute of moderate-high intensity training.

Circuit Training for Weight Loss Step 3. Weights:

As soon as you’re done your 1 minute of cardio, move to your first strength training exercise. This can include free weights, machines, or cable – doesn’t matter. If your gym keeps cardio equipment on a different floor, you can substitute exercises that use body weight as resistance, like crunches or pushups.

If you’re using weights, use slightly less weight than normal (30% less, for example) and perform one set until near exhaustion. Make sure you use proper form and tempo throughout.

Some of the best strength training exercises that I would recommend would include: lunges, squats, pull-ups, lat pull downs, dumbbell chest press, dumbbell shoulder presses or even a combination of these exercises such as a squat and shoulder press all in one fluid movement.

Circuit Training for Weight Loss Step 4. Repeat:

Immediately move back to your cardio equipment and do another minute at high intensity, and then follow this with your second strength training exercise.

Repeat this cycle for the length of your workout, or perform multiples of shorter circuits. No rest is necessary between cardio and weights – the idea here is that your cardio is your strength training rest, and your strength training is your cardio rest.

Sound tough? It is, but it’s also fun, and it gets you burning calories like mad. This is one workout where you want to make sure you’re taking an energy booster like USPLabs Jack3d, which will also aid in muscle endurance and strength. Make sure you also follow with a protein shake like Optimum 100% Casein Protein to help replenish those muscles! They’ll need it after an intense workout like this.

Keep in mind, this kind of circuit training would work best in an uncrowded gym, or you could also give it a try at home. Either way, you’ll be burning fat and losing weight in no time.

Have any questions or feedback about Circuit Training for Weight Loss? Please leave a comment below…

Celebrity Diets

So last week I offered you some killer celebrity workouts for revamping your gym routine.

But what about celebrity diets?

I thought I should cover this topic, because there are a lot of fad diets out there either linked to celebrities or endorsed by them. But what’s the deal with these diets? Do they work?

If you want the truth on celebrity diets, keep reading…

Jaime Pressly Cabbage Soup Diet – The cabbage soup diet has been floating around for years. It recently came up with Emmy award-winning actress Jaime Pressly, who claimed she lost 32 with this method.

She says she went through 2 rounds of the diet, eating cabbage soup 3 to 4 times a day for 6 days. Apparently, on one of the days, she was allowed to eat up to 8 bananas. I don’t know about you, but this doesn’t sound like my kind of diet. It also comes up short on nutrition and really puts your body in major stress mode possibly causing serious health complications.

My Tip: Without the protein and carbs, your body is not going to function at its best, which means your workouts will suffer. Pass on any diet that deprives your body of balanced meals and snacks, especially this celebrity diet which sucks big time.

Demi Moore Master Cleanse Diet – Last year Demi Moore reported on Twitter that she was giving the Master Cleanse a try, a 10-day diet program consisting only of a mixture of water, cayenne pepper, maple syrup, and lemon juice.

According to the actress, she only lasted 4 days on this insanely impractical diet. No surprise there. She ended up swapping this diet for the Clean Program, a 3-week cleanse that involves whole grain organic meals, meal replacement shakes, and a number of supplements. While a bit more manageable, this program costs $350, not including food. Like any cleanse, this one has its own controversy, but Demi has publicly supported it.

My Tip: Cleanses can definitely be helpful if they require you to eat healthier, drink more water, and get a more balanced intake of nutrients. But spending $350 is completely unnecessary. Check out my own Master Cleanse here for a safe and healthy way to clean up your act.

Jennifer Aniston Baby Food Diet – Rumors have been floating around that Jennifer Aniston went on a baby food diet for her role in Just Go With It. According to the rumors, this diet consisted of pureed vegetables plus one “adult meal” each day.

The actress has denied these rumors, but I thought I’d address this one anyway. I’ll say it again: Stay away from any diet that deprives your body of balanced, nutritional meals. Other than the fact that is it totally unsustainable, a baby food diet just doesn’t cut it and you’re going to be causing more harm in the long run than any good.

My Tip: There’s nothing about pureed vegetables that’s any better for you. If you’re considering going vegetarian or vegan, check out my article on Vegan Sports Nutrition here. It will tell you how to do it right.

The Final Word on Celebrity Diets

The truth is, any fad diet, whether it’s endorsed by a celebrity or not, is just a fad. Simple changes like increasing water intake, reducing portion sizes, and cutting out fat and sugar are manageable changes and will get you seeing real results. For more healthy dieting tips, check out my article Weight Loss Healthy Diet here.

Have any questions or feedback about celebrity diets? Please leave a comment below…

Weight Watchers: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

We’ve all seen the commercials. And more likely than not, we’ve all known someone to give Weight Watchers a try.

Weight Watchers offers customers a number of ways to lose weight, including group meetings with professionals, special food products, and online memberships.

This diet program is based on a point system that is meant to help you cut down on calories. You’re allowed a certain number of points per day, and every food is assigned a point value.

Combined, all of these options seem like convincing methods for losing weight.

But what’s the truth about Weight Watchers? Does it really work? Or is it just another fad diet? In this article we’ll look at the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of Weight Watchers.

The Good Side of Weight Watchers

What’s most attractive about Weight Watchers is that it’s an easy, “no thinking required” step to weight loss. For individuals who are overweight but don’t know where to start, Weight Watchers can be an easy option.

The program also offers group meetings and regular check-ins with professionals, offering a source of motivation that may be difficult to find elsewhere. Just being around other people trying to lose weight can be encouraging.

The Weight Watchers point system helps control calorie intake, which may lead to weight loss. But there’s a downside to the Weight Watchers point system…

The Bad Side of Weight Watchers

The Weight Watchers point system has some major flaws. First, it doesn’t teach people much about nutrition, as points are not a measure of anything real. The same goes for Weight Watchers’ prepared food products – they won’t teach you anything about healthy cooking, leaving you lost when you can no longer afford the program.

Cost is another major downside. Meetings can cost around $15, but this adds up, especially if you’re buying their food products, which can be quite pricey. Their online memberships are even worse at over $40 a month!

The Ugly Side of Weight Watchers

The Weight Watchers point system is really just a calorie-counting diet in disguise. Calorie-counting diets never work in the long term, because they’re impractical and lead to cravings and binges. The other problem occurs if you’re working out intensely. Your body requires MORE calories if you’re hitting the gym, and the point system is not designed for this.

Where Weight Watchers really gets it wrong is in their advertising. They sugest that you can still eat whatever you want on their program. And technically you can, as long as you don’t exceed your daily points. But this ignores nutrition and healthy eating.

Most people are overweight because their eating habits are unhealthy, not just because they need to eat less. The Weight Watchers point system does not encourage a balanced, healthy, and practical diet.

The Final Word on Weight Watchers

Weight Watchers may be appropriate for those who really need to eat less and control portions, but for most people, it’s not the best weight loss solution. It’s expensive, it’s impractical, and it doesn’t provide a better understanding of nutrition.

If you’re looking for healthy, long-term weight loss solutions, check out my recent article Weight Loss Diet Information.

Have any questions or feedback about Weight Watchers: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly? Please leave a comment below…

Weight Loss Programs that Don’t Work

Trying to lose weight and finding yourself hitting a wall?

Weight loss can be challenging no matter the route you choose.

But when it comes down to it, some weight loss programs simply don’t work – especially in the long-term.

This article reviews which weight loss programs and fad diets you need to ditch, so that you can be on your way to seeing real results.

Weight Loss Programs that Don’t Work:

1. Very Low-Calorie Diets (VLCD) – These diets restrict your calorie intake to between 500 and 800 calories per day.

Why this weight loss program doesn’t work: VLCDs are actually intended for individuals with a body mass index of over 30, and should always be medically supervised. They are also only intended for short-term weight loss and will set you up for failure down the road.

2. Carb-Free Diets – Diets that severely restrict your intake of carbohydrates have been popular in recent years. This diet is based on the idea that carbs are often accompanied by more calories and fat.

Why this weight loss program doesn’t work: Carb-free diets are impractical and unhealthy, as your body needs carbs to properly digest proteins and to maintain a healthy heart. Lowering your carb intake is okay, but replacing simple carbohydrates and starches with complex carbs and whole grains is more effective in the long run.

3. Cleanses – A variety of cleanses are out there claim to shed the pounds in a few days. These rapid dieting methods typically involve a liquid-based diet consisting of only a handful of ingredients.

Why this weight loss program doesn’t work: Cleanses are appealing because of their quick fix claims, but in the end you’ll only find yourself starving for real food. Depriving your body to this degree cannot be managed for very long.

4. Delivery Diets – Having portion-controlled meals delivered to your doorstep sounds like a good idea. These diets are appealing because they take the thinking out of the diet.

Why this weight loss program doesn’t work: Delivery diets may seem easy, but easier isn’t always better. Most people can’t afford these diets for a long period of time, and if they can, boredom ensues. Once they stop, you’ll be left wondering how to make healthy meals on your own.

5. Supplement-Based Diets – There are tons of supplements out there (eg. Herbal Magic, Hydroxycut) claiming miraculous weight loss properties. Some aim to boost your metabolism, while others suppress your appetite.

Why this weight loss program doesn’t work: Most studies show that these supplements are not healthy and can actually disrupt your metabolism, potentially leading to other health problems.

Weight loss programs that DO work – The most effective weight loss program is one that combines exercise (both cardiovascular and resistance training) and a balanced, whole foods diet. Natural fat-burning supplements like Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer can help to safely boost your metabolism, and fat-burning heart healthy omega’s like AllMax Nutrition Omega 3 can help you speed up the process.

Also ensure that you’re getting an adequate amount of protein, which actually burns more fat in digestion and helps curb cravings. A tasty low-carb, lactose-free protein supplement like Optimum Platinum Hydrowhey (I recommend the delicious vanilla) can be a big help to your weight loss efforts.

Have any questions or feedback about Weight Loss Programs that Don’t Work? Please leave a comment below…

How to Lose Weight in Upper Body

Sadly, most of us store our fat in our midsection – one of the biggest problem areas reported by people trying to lose weight!

The truth is, when it comes to weight loss, you’re probably hoping to trim up and tone down your upper body.

But don’t fear. Whether it’s a spare tire, love handles, or flabby arms, there’s a lot you can do to lose weight in your upper body.

Follow these tips and you’ll see results that’ll put a smile on your face…

How to Lose Weight in Upper Body: Eat Right

Losing weight in any part of your body requires healthy eating. There are a number of simple changes you can make to your diet to help you lose weight in your upper body (and everywhere else).

First, cut out the starches and white bread. Replace white flour with whole grain and whole wheat options. Whole grains will help keep you full for longer and stabilize your metabolism, leading to fewer cravings and binges. Whole grains are also lower in fat and higher in fiber and protein.

Second, cut out the unhealthy fats and sugars. Get rid of the trans and saturated fats, and only eat foods that contain healthy fats, like nuts, fish, and avocados. Try cooking with Nutiva Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil, which contains a unique combination of healthy fats that actually burn more calories.

Watch out for sugar-culprits like juice, fruit-yogurt and most sauces, sugar is a big part of these and gives you extra calories you don’t need.

Finally, add more protein to your diet. Protein keeps you feeling full for longer and burns more calories during digestion, contributing to weight loss. Go for lean protein options, like fish, chicken, and soy. These options will rev up your metabolism and burn upper body fat.

A good way of adding more protein to your diet is a tasty whey protein supplement like Optimum 100% Natural Whey. Another good lean protein supplement is Combat Powder which is particularly good for those of you who really want to pack on muscle. For snacks, try the tasty Myoplex Lite Bars.

Keep in mind that many foods burn fat naturally. A natural weight loss supplement like Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer can help you shed that extra upper body weight. Revolution Thermogenic Push also contains cayenne pepper to help you burn that extra fat by boosting your resting metabolic rate.

How to Lose Weight in Upper Body: Exercise

Exercise and weight training are extremely effective ways to lose upper body weight. Cardio workouts are important, but don’t overlook the weight bench. Building muscle increases your metabolism in the long term, leading to more calories and fat burned. This will help to tone up your upper body.

You can’t target exactly where you burn fat, meaning that you need to work out every part of your body to lose upper body weight. But, what you can do is TONE specific parts of your body. If you’re trying to lose weight around your midsection, abdominal and oblique exercises will help you tone up your waist and belly. If it’s your arms you’re worried about, bicep and tricep workouts will tighten them up. Toning will give the appearance of less fat.

Tension bands can be great at-home options for toning your upper body. Try investing in a good set, like these Adjustable Resistance Toning Tubes. These are great for toning your arms, back, and chest. I would also recommend the Fitlosophy Fitbook, to help keep you motivated by tracking your weight loss efforts.

For ideas on home workouts check out these articles: Home Workout No Equipment and Total Ab Workout in 30 Minutes

Have any questions or feedback about How to Lose Weight in Upper Body? Please leave a comment below…

Comparing Weight Loss Programs

With so many people looking to lose weight, it’s no wonder there are so many diets and weight loss programs out there.

But all of these programs can be overwhelming, and the truth is, many are just out to get your money.

So which weight loss program is best for you? Let’s compare…

Weight Loss Programs: Counting Calories

If you need to lose a lot of weight, reducing your calorie intake may be beneficial. This is essentially the same goal of weight loss programs that rely on point systems. Creating a calorie deficit (burning more calories than you’re eating) can be a great way to lose weight and burn fat.

But the risks may outweigh the benefits especially if the deficit is not in line with your goals.

Calorie deficits can also result in muscle loss, which can counteract your strength training and muscle building efforts. Extra calories are also needed to sustain that extra muscle growth.

The other part of calorie counting is that it really puts you down the wrong path of always stressing out about how many calories there are in your food rather than enjoying what you eat. My advice on this is to stay away from these kind of weight loss programs.

Weight Loss Programs: Low-Carb Diet

The low-carb diet is a great option for losing weight as carbohydrates are often accompanied by extra calories. But don’t cut carbs completely – your body needs carbs to properly process other nutrients like protein.

If you do the low-carb diet, do it right – go for lean, unprocessed meats like fish and poultry. They’ll contain less sodium and be lower in unhealthy fats.

Also make sure to have carbs before and after your workouts as without the carbs you’ll drain your energy and not have the ability to go extra hard in your workouts.

Going Vegan

Many people think that going vegetarian or vegan is an effective path to weight loss. But lots of new research indicates this may not be the case.

The removal of dairy products and meats also means a significant decrease in protein, which is key to a balanced diet. The majority of vegetarians are lacking all the essential amino acids that are found in complete proteins because most veggie sources of protein are not complete.

If you go vegan, make sure you take a veggie-based protein supplement like Nutiva Organic Hemp Protein, in addition to eating lots of protein-rich nuts, beans and legumes.

Fat Burning Supplements

Generally speaking, “diet pills” are not a smart option for losing weight. Many over-the-counter weight loss supplements have negative side effects that can actually disrupt your weight loss efforts over time.

But there are a number of natural fat burning supplements that can be great additions to your weight loss routine. I recommend trying Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer or Muscle Pharm Shred Matrix for best results.

Remember fat burning supplements should be looked as “supplements” and only part of a healthy nutrition and workout plan. No matter what you hear there is no magic pill which will make you toned without the whole plan, so be smart about it.

Cardiovascular Exercise

While cardio workouts can contribute to weight loss, they may not be the most effective route. Too much cardio can actually burn muscle mass, which can disrupt your efforts at the gym.

Increasing your cardio also results in an increased appetite, which can lead to cravings and unhealthy binges. I recommend combining cardio with a weight training routine 2-3 days a week at a maximum of 30 minutes a day (of cardio).

The best approach with cardio is to go intense and shorter duration, even 15 minutes of high intensity will provide better results than 60 minutes of low-intensity cardio.

Strength Training

Strength training is an extremely effective option for losing weight. By increasing your body’s muscle mass, you are increasing your body’s metabolism over the long-term.

This means you’ll burn more fat on a daily basis, even when you’re not working out. In order to sustain muscle growth, make sure you’re taking a good quality whey protein supplement like Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion and BCAA’s (branch chained amino acids) like Scivation Xtend to improve your post-workout recovery.

The Final Word

When it comes down to it, a balanced, healthy diet combined with a rigorous strength training routine (with occasional cardiovascular exercise) is probably the best weight loss program out there. Eat smart, be more active, and you’ll be losing weight in less time and keeping it sustainable over the long-haul.

Have any questions or feedback about comparing weight loss programs? Please leave a comment below…

3 Month Weight Loss Plan

Only you know how many obstacles are in your way with your weight loss goals, at times it seems like it just simply won’t happen right?

Despite the challenges, there are a number of lifestyle changes you can make to lose weight and improve your overall health.

The following 3 month weight loss plan will help get you on a road to weight loss today.

3 Month Weight Loss Plan: Step 1 – Set Your Weight Loss Goals

Before beginning any new health and fitness plan, you need to set a goal. When choosing a goal, it’s important that you find a balance between challenging yourself and being realistic.

Make sure that your goal is not too easy, as you may not feel motivated to push yourself. It will also take even longer to see results if you’re not challenging yourself and this will be quite discouraging.

On the other hand, you have to be realistic. Losing 2 or 3 pounds a week can be challenging but achievable. At the end of 3 months, you could find yourself up to 20 pounds lighter.

Secret: Write your goals in a workout journal as this will plant a seed in your mind that will make you much more likely to succeed. Try this journal made especially for your workout and training plan: Fitlosophy Fitbook.

3 Month Weight Loss Plan: Step 2 – Cut Your Calories

In order to burn one pound of fat per week, you need to create a calorie deficit of at least 500 calories daily. This means you need to eat 500 calories less than you burn each day. Watch your portions, eat smaller meals more frequently, and increase your intake of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and proteins to keep you feeling full longer. Drinking lots of water is another effective way to stay satisfied and eat less.

If your goal is two pounds a week, you need to double this daily calorie deficit, which may be difficult to accomplish by dieting alone.

To help you fight cravings you may want to try all-natural fat-burning supplement such as Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer or the ultra popular USPlabs OxyELITE Pro.

3 Month Weight Loss Plan: Step 3 – Exercise and Build Muscle

Although cardio can aid in weight loss, your fitness plan should be also focused on resistance training with weights and building muscle. As you’ve heard me say quite a few times the research backs this up in showing that people with more muscle mass have a higher resting metabolic rate. This means you will burn more calories and fat throughout your day.

Building muscle will also help keep the fat off at the end of your 3 month weight loss plan so the benefits are three-fold.

Start with a simple weight-lifting routine 4 days a week:

Day 1 – Focus on your legs and lower body. Start with squats, lunges, and calf raises.

Day 2 – Make this day all about your chest and triceps. Simple dumbbell presses and pectoral flyes are good options for beginners.

Day 3 – Focus on your back and biceps. Dumbbell curls, lateral cable pull-downs, and dumbbell rows are great options.

Day 4 – End with a day dedicated to your abs, core and cardio. Various forms of sit-ups and curl-ups are great, but make sure you change it up and try new things.

Alternate these days as you wish, and change things up so you don’t get bored. But try to keep to a schedule over your 3 month weight loss plan. In month 2 you can increase your routine to 5 days a week, and in month 3 you can increase to 6 days a week. Mix it up and vary your cardio to see how your body responds, you may be surprised and see that one more day of weight training has better results than 1 more day of cardio.

Some supplements that can help you during your 3 month weight loss plan include a whey protein supplement, such as Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion, to keep you full and give your muscles the fuel they need, and a smart multi-vitamin specific to your gender Optimum Opti-Women or Optimum Opti-Men.

Have any questions or feedback about the 3 month weight loss plan? Please leave a comment below…

Burn Fat Without Losing Weight

Getting a lean and toned body requires burning more fat, simply put.

But how do you burn more fat without losing muscle weight?

After packing on the muscle at the gym, preserving your weight can be a challenge if you’re also trying to tone up.

This goal is often referred to as “cutting,” which involves increasing muscle definition by shedding excess fat after building muscle. When it comes down to it, it’s all about balance. If you focus only on burning fat, you’ll likely burn muscle in the process.

But don’t put all your weight training efforts to waste. There are a number of things you can do to burn fat and tone up without losing all the hard work you put in building up your lean muscle mass.

Burn Fat Without Losing Weight – Tips

Increase the Reps: By periodically dropping the amount of weight you’re lifting and increasing your reps, you’ll shift your focus from bulking up to building lean muscle mass. This will help you tone up and gain the definition you’re looking for. You’ll also burn more fat while still working your muscles.

Toning bands can be a great option for toning up and maintaining lean muscle mass. Check out these Adjustable Resistance Toning Tubes.

Add Cardio, Gradually: You may have really cut down on cardio while bulking up, but slowly reintroducing cardio is a great way to ramp up your fat burning efforts. Just don’t overdo it, or you’ll burn too much muscle. Start with 20 minutes of cardio a couple days a week. If you eat smart, you’ll maintain your muscle mass through your cardio training.

Jumping rope will give you a full-body fat-burning workout without shedding too much muscle. Check out this fully adjustable LCD Digital Jump Rope and get ripped.

Eat Smart: If you’re trying to cut fat, you obviously need to eat healthy. But there’s more you can do than just cutting fat from your diet. Cutting carbs can be a good starting point, but remember that your body needs them for energy production. Carbs should always be cut at night, as this will decrease fat storage while you sleep. Also eat more frequently throughout the day – this will help keep your metabolism revved up. Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer can be a great addition to your diet and will help you burn that extra fat.

Eat More Protein: In order to ensure that you don’t lose muscle mass, you must maintain a high consumption of protein. After packing on all that muscle, you have to make sure you keep fueling it. Whey protein, chicken, turkey, eggs, and dairy are all good options. The general rule of thumb for muscle maintenance is to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

There are a number of supplements to help you burn fat without losing weight:

• Whey protein supplement for lean muscle growth – Try Combat Powder.
• Glutamine for preserving muscle mass while dieting – Try Optimum Glutamine.
• Pre-workout supplement to boost energy and burn fat – Try Muscle Pharm Shred Matrix.
• Protein bars to fight cravings and fuel muscles – Try Supreme Protein Carb Conscious Bars.

Have any questions or feedback about burn fat without losing weight? Please leave a comment below…

Nutrition Tips for Losing Weight

There’s a lot of information floating around out there about dieting and weight loss.

All of this information can seem confusing and sometimes overwhelming.

What should you eat? How much should you eat? And how frequently?

When it comes down to it, it’s best to keep things simple. Ditch the fad diets and adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes the right nutrition. Combined with exercise, you’ll be on your way to losing weight in no time.

Get started now with these nutrition tips for losing weight…

Nutrition Tips for Losing Weight: More Leafy Greens

We all know the benefits of a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables. But there are some options that are better than others. Some of the most nutrient rich options include leafy greens (the organic spring mix is great), spinach, berries, and broccoli.

Avoid too many starchy vegetables such as corn, potatoes, peas, and carrots. Starchy foods digest more quickly and raise blood glucose levels, leading to more feelings of hunger shortly thereafter.

Nutrition Tips for Losing Weight: Whole Grains Only, No Exceptions

One of the most effective changes you can make to your diet is to cut out white flour and other bleached/processed grains (such as rice). There are many benefits to whole grains: they a higher nutritional value, are higher in protein and fiber, and it will keep you feeling full for longer.

White flour is higher in calories and causes your blood glucose level to spike, throwing your system off and leaving you wanting more. Whole wheat is better than white, but if you can, go whole grain (check your labels). This is the least processed option.

Cutting carbohydrates in general is also a good option for weight loss, but be sure to maintain a balanced diet. Do not cut carbs completely. Simply reduce your intake to 2 or 3 servings a day. If you need help with controlling your cravings you may want to try the highly effective and reviewed USPlabs OxyELITE Pro or the all-natural Revolution Thermogenic Push

Nutrition Tips for Losing Weight: Increase Your Protein

Protein keeps you full for longer, and also contributes to the maintenance and growth of muscles. It is recommended that you get about 20 to 25 grams of protein per meal, but also try to include protein in your snacks.

A natural whey protein supplement is a great option for ensuring adequate amounts of protein. These can be taken with meals or as a snack, and will help keep you satisfied. Try Optimum 100% Natural Whey or the best tasting whey in the market – Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion.

Nutrition Tips for Losing Weight: Cut the Sugar, Fat, and Sodium

This one’s a given, but it can’t be overstated. We are constantly bombarded with meal options that are high in sugars, fats, and salt. All of these things will contribute significantly to weight gain and hinder your weight loss efforts.

Check the labels – go for options that are lower in fat and sugar and avoid sodium content that is over 15% of your recommended daily value. If you want to know how to read labels better make sure to read my article Nutrition Facts Label: How to Read.

Nutrition Tips for Losing Weight: Eat Often

Eating smaller meals more frequently is a very effective step towards losing weight. This will help keep your blood sugar levels stable and prevent frequent bursts of hunger.

It will also keep your metabolism from slowing down, which means more fat burned. Natural energy and protein bars are a great snacking option and will help keep you full for longer. Try Supreme Protein Carb Conscious Bars or an organic alternative would be the Organic Food Bar.

Have any questions or feedback about nutrition tips for losing weight? Please leave a comment below…

Exercise vs. Diet

There has been a long debate over the benefits of exercise vs. diet.

Some claim that physical activity is most important for a healthy lifestyle, while others focus on dieting and eating right.

When it comes down to it, this debate depends on your personal goals. Let’s take a look at both angles.

Exercise vs. Diet for Weight Loss

One of the most common health and fitness goals is weight loss. Yet it can also be one of the most challenging. At a basic level, weight loss requires taking in fewer calories than you burn over a long period of time. In other words, you need to eat less and burn more.

In order to burn one pound a week, a deficit (more calories burned than eaten) of 500 calories is needed. This can be accomplished fairly easily by eating a more healthy diet. Portion control is key, but so is cutting down on fats, sugars, sodium, and processed foods.

Aim for a clean, whole foods diet rich in nutrition, and you should have no problem achieving or surpassing this goal. You can up the ante by replacing white flour with whole grains and cutting down on carbs.

Fat-burning supplements, such as Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer or a Fat Loss Stack can be great options as well.

For many, however, a pound a week simply isn’t enough. When your weight loss and fitness goals are greater than this, your next best option is increased physical activity and exercise. Not only will you burn more calories, but you’ll also kick your metabolism up a few notches.

If you enjoy cardio workouts, such as running or biking, try to fit these exercises into your morning routine. This will help keep your metabolism higher throughout your day, burning more calories and fat. Aim for at least 30 minutes 3-5 days a week.

Cardio is a great option for weight loss, but be careful. Too much cardio can result in greater feelings of hunger, which might throw a curve in your weight loss goals. Weight lifting and resistance training are ideal options when it comes to exercise. By building muscle, you are improving your body’s ability to burn calories and fight fat for longer periods of time. You will also tone up, giving your body a healthy lift.

Exercise vs. Diet for Health and Wellness

If your goals go beyond weight loss, then dieting should not be your only answer. In the end, a combination of healthy eating and increased physical activity is best. In addition to burning more calories and getting in better shape, exercise also improves your mood and overall sense of well-being.

For those who are already healthy eaters, then a smart training plan may be the best option for you. Start with at least three days a week and build your routine over time. If you’re already hitting the gym and looking great, don’t assume that healthy eating is any less important. A healthy diet can help with stress, sleep, and give you an extra boost of energy at the gym.

It’s all about balance. Think carefully about your health and fitness goals, and find the right balance of exercise and diet for your lifestyle.

Have any questions or feedback about exercise vs diet? Please leave a comment below…

Weight Loss for Belly Fat

Hopefully you have a pretty good understanding of the fundamentals of how to lose overall body fat and how to do it quicker (if not reference my recent article on How to Lose Fat Fast), but in this article we’re going to take it to a little more of an advanced level.

If you’re like most of us then you also probably find that belly fat is one of the hardest areas to target and although the mentality may be that you can’t target an area.

I like to challenge this thought though, as I know especially now since I’m preparing for another photo shoot for the next version of this website that there are definitely some tricks that have blown me away in how effective they can be.

Read on for these tips and tricks…

Weight Loss for Belly Fat: It’s Not Easy Breezy!

I’m going to give it to you straight up, weight loss for belly fat is not a walk in the park especially if you are over 35. It’s going to take extreme conviction and motivation to make it happen and particularly if you want it to happen quickly.

I have to say that one of my biggest motivation break-throughs that I mention in the article Motivation Tips for Weight Loss really has to do with being in your uncomfortable zone and knowing how to battle it.

Ok so you’re preparing for an event and want to look your best or simply are just ready to make it a complete lifestyle choice then the truth of the matter is that you may uncomfortable for a while but as you begin to see progress you will have a huge grin on your face and a feeling of pure joy when you look in the mirror.

But the question is how do we get to this point?

Weight Loss for Belly Fat: The Right Strategy

So I have to address it because people are always looking for the magic pill. Unquestionably there are some out there that do work and work quite well like USPlabs OxyELITE Pro or the new Muscle Pharm Shred Matrix. However, just relying on this is really not going to give you the results you want unless you have the all the other components in play at the same time.

First component of your strategy: Eat more in the morning than in the evening.

This one works wonders as your body has the time to burn through calories throughout the day, whereas at night when you are in rest mode there is a greater chance that the food will be stored as fat.

Take this to the next level by having the majority of your carbs in the morning and right before/after your workout as this will decrease the likelihood of the carbs being converted into sugar and again stored as belly fat.

So what do you late night when the cravings really kick in and overtake even your strongest willpower? Try one of these techniques:

Mix tons of ice, water and half a scoop of Muscle Pharm Bullet Proof. It’ll both help you with sleep, and muscle recovery and the ice will make you feel like you ate something substantial. Trust me this one works very well.

The other technique and this is especially good for those of you who want to keep the muscle or at least work on lean muscle production, but warm up some skim milk and water and then add a scoop of Optimum 100% Natural Casein protein. The chocolate flavour one will taste as good as hot chocolate and yet only have 120 calories. Amazing appetite killer and very good for you since casein protein takes a long time to digest and can feed your muscles throughout the night.

Second component of your strategy: Add cardio after your weight training.

Yes, you heard me right, it’s especially important to add in extra cardio to your resistance training plan if you haven’t already and do it after your weight training session.

This includes you ladies who think you can get away with just cardio alone. Weight training will condition your muscles and give you the tone you need to look sexy.

Does this mean endless hours in the gym? Absolutely not! Break out your plan so that you are using weight training with only one or two body parts per day and allow yourself 10 minutes at the end of the session to do some medium or high intensity interval training on a cardio machine of your choice, or get out and run or jump rope.

To keep your body guessing I’d switch up the type of cardio as well as duration/intensity.

Weight Loss for Belly Fat: Conclusion

There you have it, some added tips and tricks that are at the most advanced level and what elite fitness models use to get rid of their belly fat. Now the question is do you have the right conviction to put it into play and do whatever it takes to make it happen?

Have any other tricks that you have found to work especially well with losing the belly fat? Please leave a comment below…

How to Lose Fat Fast

In this fast paced world, everyone’s looking for a quick fix, especially when it comes to their health and fitness.

Losing fat is no exception. But no matter how challenging your goals may seem, there are a number of things you can do today to start losing fat fast.

Just remember one thing, keep your energy and mindset in a positive direction. If you haven’t yet read the recent article on Motivational Tips for Weight Loss as it really should help change your mindset.

Now let’s get on with the tips…

How to Lose Fat Fast: Tips for Getting Started

• Eat Healthy. The main culprit in unhealthy weight gain is your diet. Making some simple changes to your diet can have a huge impact. Start with the basics – eat only whole grains, eat more fruits and vegetables, and eat foods that are lower in sugars and unhealthy fats. You should also cut out foods that are highly processed, as they often contribute to weight gain.

 

• Cut Carbs. Another easy change to your diet is to reduce your intake of carbohydrates. Don’t remove them altogether, but limit your intake to 2 or 3 servings a day. Eating fewer carbs means lower insulin production, which can increase your body’s ability to burn excess fat. Instead substitute protein to help with cravings and to make sure you get the best protein for you make sure you read Best Protein Powders

 

• Drink More Water. The more water you drink, the more full you will feel. This is an easy and inexpensive method of cutting calories and losing fat quickly. Water also aids in the digestion of food, reducing storage of unhealthy body fats.

 

• Eat More Often. Eating every 2 or 3 hours will help keep your blood sugar levels stable. This means reducing feelings of hunger and increasing your metabolism so that you burn more fat during your day.

 

• Lift Weights. The more muscle mass you have, the more fat your body will burn. Increased muscle means increased metabolism, so hitting the gym and lifting some weights will result in faster fat loss. If weight training is not currently part of your fitness routine, start lifting today. You can start with a simple strength training regimen 4days a week, with each day focusing on a different muscle group: Day 1 – back and biceps, Day 2 – chest and triceps, Day 3 – lower body / legs, Day 4 – abs and core.

 

• Add Cardio. Cardio workouts can further contribute to fat loss. If you’re lifting weights and eating healthy, cardio can speed up your results. Remember to never do too much cardio for too long. Three times a week for about 30 minutes is sufficient. Too much cardio can actually burn muscle instead of fat, which will hinder your efforts overall. You should also include HIIT once or twice a week to really help burn fat.

 

• Take a Natural Fat Burning Supplement. There are a number of healthy, natural fat loss supplements on the market that can help you speed up your metabolism and burn more fat fast. Try Revolution Thermogenic Push, which combines naturally occurring ingredients to increase energy and burn more at. These supplements can provide just the push you need to get on track with your fat loss goals.

 

Remember, no matter how challenging your weight loss goals may seem, there are a number of things you can do today to lose fat fast. Start with a few of these tips, or tackle them all. You can’t go wrong.

Have any questions or feedback about how to lose fat fast? Please leave a comment below…

Finding Weight Loss Systems That Work

Finding weight loss systems that work can be a difficult task especially if you don’t have clear goals that you have already outlined for yourself.

Most of us are also usually unaware of various relevant facts such as how many calories we need to burn, what kind of system will suit us, what to budget for eating healthy and how to go about it all.

Before you read the below mentioned tips, let me tell you weight loss systems that are known to work are those which combine a healthy natural diet with the appropriate workout.

Finding Weight Loss Systems That Work: What to Look For
As long as the essential nutrients are included in the diet, and body needs are fulfilled, you will maintain a high energy balance. In other words, if you are finding that your energy level is always low then you are not getting the essentials and you need to re-evaluate your current plan.

Most successful weight loss systems that work for you are those which suit your daily routine, budget, exercise preferences and lifestyle.

However, excellent weight loss systems will prove to be extremely worthless if you do not follow them. In addition, a weight loss system that assures substantial and quick weight loss is a quick recipe to failure because till today there is no magic pill that will do all the work for you.

Knowing how much calories you need to eat everyday will assist you in determining which weight loss system shall work for you. The basic way to ascertain your appropriate calorie intake is to multiply your weight by fourteen and subtract five percent from the total. With that said it’s good to take a quick look at these numbers and your average intake so you can have a baseline to follow, but whatever you do, do not get stuck in a plan which has you counting calories all the time.

If you are considering a system that is based on you consuming a certain quantity of calories every day, then look elsewhere as this leads you down the wrong path and causes you to lose focus.

Weight Loss Systems That Work do not feature any strict guidelines and rules. They do not have harsh restrictions, but advise you to follow a healthy diet plan which can be continued for long, even after you lose weight.

The second step of finding Weight Loss Systems That Work is to decide whether you are going to do it all by yourself, or you are going to take help of a program. Undoubtedly, the best way is to incorporate a personal plan with appropriate dietary changes, increased activity and behavioral changes.

Partnering with an individual who is pursuing similar weight loss goals as you, will assist you in finding Weight Loss Systems That Work and sticking to the system. Besides finding good support, you may also develop good friendships along the way and be able to push each other through hard times.

Finding Weight Loss Systems That Work: Your Diet

When you talk about going on a diet you should think of it as a lifestyle change that will allow you to be your best – feel your best and look your best. Unfortunately with us being so busy all the time it can be hard to be prepared enough to eat the right foods all the time.

In this case you may want to consider a full service healthy meal delivery program like Diet to Go (by the way, I found a coupon you can use to get 15% off – CJ15P). A full 7 day per week program is just over $20 a day for 3 meals/day delivered right to your door so not bad at all!

If you want to dive a little deeper with other programs check out the section on the site – weight loss programs as well as the healthy nutrition section and you’ll find tons of great tips to follow.

Getting Cut Abs

It’s extremely hard to get cut abs because we need to have the right diet, a smart supplementation plan and above all a workout routine which allows us to make our bodies an incinerator when it comes to burning fat.

In this article we’re going to put it all together and include a full body circuit which will tone, cut and allow you to keep your muscle mass so your metabolic rate is at an accelerated pace.

Time to get cut abs, here we go…

Getting Cut Abs: The Pre-workout Plan

Your pre-workout plan is one of the most important elements in training hard. This works and works amazingly well so try and follow it to the tee and you should begin to see results in as little as a week.

When preparing for intensity you need to have the carbs and amino acids for fueling your body. One hour before your workout try this protein smoothie recipe to give your muscles everything they need to function at their max level. One scoop of Optimum Platinum Hydrowhey with 2 ice cubes, half a banana or sliced mango, 1/4 cup of skim milk, 2 tablespoons vanilla yogurt and water to the brim.  It tastes awesome and has the perfect ratio of macro-nutrients for your muscles.

Half an hour before your workout you want your pre-workout energy matrix, so have one scoop of Gaspari Nutrition SuperPump MAX with half a scoop of USPLabs Jack3d plus water and ice.  This killer combo will push your workout into outer space it is so powerful.  It’ll make you say motivation schmotivation!

Ok now we’re talking, you even got enough pre-workout hydration through these two mixes so get ready to blast though this total body muscle-busting circuit…

Getting Cut Abs: Total Body Circuit

Do all these exercises one after another before taking a 60 second break. Then repeat 2 more times!

8 repetitions (each side) pushup rows (view image)
10 repetitions pull ups (view image)
12 repetitions (each side) reverse lunge (view image)
10 repetitions jump squat and curl (view image)
10 repetitions dips (view image)
10 repetitions pushups on bosu ball (view image)
10 repetitions hanging leg raises (view image)
30 seconds plank on ball (view image)
10 repetitions lateral shoulder raises (view image)

Now if you have the energy still, and you should if you followed the pre-workout plan to the tee then you can try my Ultimate Treadmill workout routine.

Getting Cut Abs: Healthy Meal Plan

You know the deal with this one, you need to focus on lean meats, veggies, fruit and cutting out soda and junk foods. This is probably one of my favorite meal plans so check it out – Healthy Meal Plan.

Getting Cut Abs: Conclusion

You have it all, put these three elements together and do the circuit at least 2-3 times a week (2 times if you have a regular workout routine) and getting cut abs won’t be as ridiculously impossible as you thought. The pre-workout plan is ultra important and although may seem intense it does work if you give your body enough time to adapt to it properly.

Have any questions or feedback about this article? Please leave me a comment below…

Fat Loss Program

Probably one of the most common questions I’m getting lately is about a good fat loss program to implement in your daily routine that will actually provide decent results so I thought I’d put together a pretty killer program for you.

To make this program really stick your best bet is to grab a notebook and make the effort to take some notes that really resonate with you.

Just the act of writing some of these sticking points will create an ever expanding drop into your mind’s eye and will enforce will-power you never thought you had.

Fat Loss Program: Step 1

If you haven’t set your objectives in place for this coming month, then it’s time to do that now. Be clear, concise and reasonable on what you want to achieve.

An example would be: I want to cut out all soda and juice drinks, and drop 2 inches in my waist size after 30 days.

This is a good general statement which will allow you to expand in the following steps.

To add to this you can also include a photo of a celebrity or athlete that you want to strive to look as good as. Even if it’s far from a possibility it will still set in motion a number of mental processes which will take you one step further.

Fat Loss Program: Step 2

Now you want to outline what it will take for you to reach your objectives. The first part of this may involve you cleaning out the junk foods in your kitchen and/or going grocery shopping with the healthiest nutrition in mind.

This is a golden grocery list so keep it close to you:

• High Protein Diet Shopping List
• Low Carb Diet Shopping List
• Low Fat Diet Shopping List

If you have a family that you can’t convince to stay as healthy as you, then keep a cupboard for them which maybe even has a lock on it (with a combo only your family has) or just has a photo to remind you of your goal. I strongly believe that if you are not one to be opening that cupboard you will get a boost of will power since it’s not constantly reminding you of the junk you think you want.

Fat Loss Program: Step 3

Now it’s time to select a well rounded workout that will challenge your entire body along with a focus on cardio and core. I have hundreds of extremely popular workouts in the Workouts and Training section of the site and you can always mix and match.

The key with this workout plan that you devise is to make sure it backs up your objectives. But let me explain this a little further in the perspective of a trainer.

If you notice the workout is geared towards gaining muscle by focusing on low reps (6-10 range), then all you have to do is increase the number of reps to 12-14. Higher reps will help you burn more fat, whereas lower reps will help you build more muscle.

Fat Loss Program: Step 4

If you think you still need more help and want to include healthy supplements then I would recommend going over this list of top supplements that have helped me and my clients lose fat especially during those periods when you just can’t beat the odds.

• High quality, great tasting and low calorie protein powder: Optimum 100% Natural Whey
• Pure grade heart healthy Omega 3′s: AllMax Nutrition Omega 3
• Men and women’s comprehensive fat loss stacks: Basic Fat Loss Stack
• Green tea antioxidants and fat metabolizer: Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer
• Appetite control and suppression: USPlabs OxyELITE Pro

Have any questions or feedback about the 4 step fat loss program? Please leave me a comment below…

Weight Training for Weight Loss

You’ve probably read in the many articles on this site that weight training can be a great way to lose weight, but what are the strategies that you would put in place to really accelerate the loss of excess weight?

Well in this article we’re going to quickly go over a few very powerful methods to use your weight training to stay focused on this goal and in particular attack the fat in your problem areas like your waist, arms, thighs and even side of your back.

The one thing to keep in mind is that no matter what level you are at you need to take the recommended strategies and build it out one day at a time otherwise you will feel overwhelmed and none of them will stick.

Weight Training for Weight Loss: Strategy 1

Does your workout take longer than an hour? If so then you aren’t training for fat and weight loss, in fact you may be wasting your time because you are taking excessively long rest periods or you are simply doing to many exercises in one session.

Aim for rest periods of about 30 seconds and definitely no longer than 60 seconds. Although longer rest periods are effective for those focused on serious muscle gain, the 30 second period is enough time to allow your muscles to recover energy and at the same time catapult your internal thermal metabolic system.

This means accelerated fat burning even for hours after you stop working out.

Generally in under an hour you should be able to fit in about 6 to 9 exercises with 3 sets of each so if you are taking longer take a closer look at how your are spending your time.

Weight Training for Weight Loss: Strategy 2

The goal for weight training regardless of your sex is that you are building sexy toned lean muscle that will make your clothes fit in the most attractive way possible. The only way you can do this is by making sure you have adequate protein levels in your diet as the amino acids in protein are essential to the health of your muscles.

Since whey protein powder is the best form of protein for your muscles (since it contains all the essential amino acids that are usually missing from vegetarian sources) I highly recommend you stock up on a high quality whey protein powder that is devoid of artificial flavors, colors and sweetners. Without a doubt my favorite tasting natural protein is Optimum 100% Natural Whey.

The best time to take protein is an hour before your workout and within 30 minutes after your workout. If you want to take it to the next level I would suggest sticking with Optimum 100% Natural Whey before your workouts but use Optimum 100% Natural Casein after your workouts since Casein is a little slower to digest and therefore will feed your muscles gradually for hours afterwards. This a killer advanced strategy that works wonders for those in the fitness industry.

In addition for your pre-workout regimen if you are one who has difficulty with motivation give USPLabs Jack3d a serious try as it will give you incredible power and endurance.

Weight Training for Weight Loss: Strategy 3

A powerful and time-shortening strategy to enhance your weight training for weight loss routine is to implement supersets into your training. The way a superset works is that you do one set of an exercise followed immediately by another completely different exercise and then rest for about 30 seconds before you repeat.

This means you can bang out two exercises in almost half the time and at the same time really elevate your fat burning oven. It’s not easy doing supersets because you will be pushing your muscles past exhaustion, but the fat loss benefits from it are quite awesome.

The key thing with supersets is to put them in at the end of your workout routine otherwise you will burn out too early. As you build endurance with this strategy it will become easier each time you practice this method.

Weight Training for Weight Loss: Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed these 3 powerful strategies to help you keep your weight training plan in focus of excess weight loss. Remember to start with one strategy first so you don’t get overwhelmed and not end up doing any of them! They will work, just put it in place and constantly monitor the feedback your body is giving you!

Have any questions on these strategies? Please leave me a comment below…

Weight Loss Programs for Men

You may be wondering how weight loss programs for men differ versus those for women, well the fact is that men store fat differently than women and also have a metabolism that affects the results in a separate way.

This article will look at 3 different weight loss programs for men and to not leave women out, the next article will follow up with a weight loss program for women.

The idea will be to couple together a healthy nutrition plan and a workout routine to match you based on your level of current activity.

Ready to lose some weight? Let’s get started…

Weight Loss Programs for Men: Beginner

The beginner stage is for those of you who have not worked out in the past 3 months or if you feel like you have been too scattered and want to take the approach to rebuild with a strong foundation from the ground up.

Your goal at this stage should be to focus on cutting out junk foods for 5 days of the week plus carefully watching your form with each exercise.

The following healthy meal plan is a sample of how you should be eating on a daily basis. Of course you can exchange items with different fruits/veggies and lean meats.

Your Beginner Healthy Nutrition Plan:

Meal 1:
1 cup reduced sugar instant oatmeal
½ cup Skim Milk
2 eggs

Snack 1:
1 scoop Optimum 100% Natural Whey

Meal 2:
1 can Tuna
1 cup veggies
4-5 Wheat Crackers

Meal 3: Immediately Post Workout
1 medium portion Lean Beef/Chicken/Fish
1 Potato

Snack 2: 2-3 Hours Post Workout
1 glass freshly made Juice
1 scoop Optimum 100% Natural Whey

Meal 4:
1/2 non fat cottage cheese
1/4 cup frozen fruit

Your Beginner Healthy Supplement Plan:

High quality whey protein to help you fight cravings: Optimum 100% Natural Whey
Multi Vitamin for men: Optimum Opti-Men
Heart healthy essential fatty acids: AllMax Nutrition Omega 3
Fat loss combo: Basic Fat Loss Stack

Your Beginner Workout Routine:

Day 1 Workout: Upper Body
4 sets dumbbell press ( view photo here )
3 sets bent over row ( view photo here )
4 sets dumbbell shoulder press ( view photo here )
3 sets dumbbell bicep curls ( view photo here )
3 sets triceps rope pull downs ( view photo here )

Day 2 Workout: Lower Body
4 sets barbell squats ( view photo here )
3 sets lunges ( view photo here )
4 sets deadlift with dumbbells ( view photo here )
3 sets standing calf raises with dumbbell ( view photo here )
3 sets stability ball back extensions ( view photo here )

Day 3 Workout: Core/Cardio
3 sets ab rollout with stability ball ( view photo here )
3 sets ab crunches on stability ball ( view photo here )
4 sets bosu runners ( view photo here )
3 sets plank with bosu ( view photo here )
10 minutes high intensity interval training on treadmill

Day 4: Rest
Try and keep at least a 10 minute brisk walk as part of your rest day to increase blood flow to your sore muscles

Day 5 Workout: Upper Body
Repeat of Day 1

Day 6 Workout: Lower Body
Repeat of Day 2

Day 7: Rest or Core/Cardio
Rest day or add in your core/cardio workout from Day 3

Weight Loss Programs for Men: Intermediate

If you’ve been working out for at least 3 months in a row then you will be in the intermediate stage. Your goal at this stage should be to focus on high quality protein plus keeping your core tight with each exercise.

Your Intermediate Healthy Nutrition Plan:

Meal 1:
2 Oatmeal packets
2 tbsp Almond Milk
4 Egg Whites

Meal 2:
2 scoops Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion
5oz Strawberries

Meal 3:
8oz Roast Beef
1 Lavosh Wrap
1½ cups Green Beans

Meal 4:
10oz Chicken
1 cup Whole Grain Rice

Pre:workout
1 scoop Gaspari Nutrition SuperPump MAX

Meal 5: Post Workout
2 scoops Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion

Meal 6:
10oz Chicken
1 cup Whole Grain Rice
1 serving steamed Broccoli/Asparagus

Meal 7:
1 scoop Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion with Almond Milk
1 piece Fruit

Your Intermediate Healthy Supplement Plan:

Since we’re going to be working all your muscles in a more aggressive patter, there are some staple supplements which should be part of your diet to help burn fat, maximize recovery and reduce muscle soreness.

High quality low carbohydrate & lactose free whey protein (Try: Optimum Platinum Hydrowhey)
Thermogenic Fat Burner (Try: USPlabs OxyElite Pro)
Creatine and NO2 energy drink (Try: Gaspari Nutrition SuperPump MAX)
BCAA’s for muscle recovery (Try: Scivation Xtend)

Your Intermediate Workout Routine:

Days 1, & 5: Arms, Back, & Shoulders

3 sets of 10-12 reps of the following exercises:
Bench tricep dips (view exercise)
Seated Military Press (view exercise)
Alternating incline dumbbell curls (view exercise)
Pull ups (view exercise)
Shoulder dumbbell presses (view exercise)
Standing dumbbell curls (view exercise)
Tricep rope push downs (view exercise)
Lat Pull downs (view exercise)
Seated cable rows (view exercise)
Cable Hammer curl (view exercise)

Days 2, & 4: Chest, Abs & Legs

3 sets of 10-12 reps of the following exercises:
Pushups on Bosu Ball (view exercise)
Barbell squats (view exercise)
Dumbbell chest press (view exercise)
Leg press (view exercise)
Decline barbell chest press (view exercise)
Hanging leg raises (view exercise)
Oblique crunches on stability ball (view exercise)
Plank on exercise ball (view exercise)
Single leg deadlift (view exercise)
Dumbell flyes (view exercise)

Day 6: Core

3 sets x 12 reps | Ab crunches on stability ball (view image)
3 sets x 10 reps | Stability ball pull-in (view image)
3 sets x 10 reps | Mountain Climbers (view image)
3 sets x 10 reps | Hanging leg raises (view image)
3 sets x 10 reps | Stiff leg deadlifts (view image)
3 sets x 10 reps | Stability ball back extensions (view image)
3 sets x 30 seconds | Stability ball plank (view image)
3 sets x 20 seconds | Side planks (both sides is one set) (view image)

Weight Loss Programs for Men: Advanced

If you’ve been working out for at least 6 months in a row then you will be in the intermediate stage. Your goal at this stage should be to focus on replacing all white starchy foods with whole grains plus pushing an extra rep on each exercise.

Your Advanced Healthy Nutrition Plan:

Meal 1:
1 scoop Muscle Pharm Combat Powder with half a cup of milk & ice blended
1 bowl oatmeal with cinnamon and blueberries

Meal 2:
Tuna Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread

Pre-Workout:
1 medium Banana
1 scoop USPLabs Jack3d

Post-Workout:
2 scoops Muscle Pharm Combat Powder with half a cup of milk & ice blended

Meal 3:
12 oz Grilled Chicken
3 cups of Vegetables (Broccoli, Spinach, or Zucchini) or 8 oz Salad
1 tbsp minimal low-calorie Dressing

Meal 4:
1 scoop Muscle Pharm Combat Powder with half a cup of milk & ice blended
1 medium orange

Your Advanced Healthy Supplement Plan:

Whey Protein with BCAA for muscle growth (Try this: Muscle Pharm Combat Powder)
Creatine for volumizing and strength gains (Try this: Gaspari Nutrition SuperPump250)
Natural Testosterone Booster for muscle development (Try this: USPlabs Prime)
Glutamine for immunity and muscle recovery (Try this: Optimum Glutamine Powder)
NO for energy and performance igniter (Try this: BSN NO-Xplode NT)

Your Advanced Workout Routine:

Day 1 Shoulders

Seated Barbell Press ( refer to photo here )
Lateral Raises ( refer to photo here )
Dumbbell Press ( refer to photo here )
Seated Rear Deltoid Raise( refer to photo here )
Shrugs ( refer to photo here )
10 Minute HIIT Training Session on Treadmill, Bike or Elliptical Trainer

Day 2 Chest

Flat Bench Press ( refer to photo here )
Incline Chest Press ( refer to photo here )
Bench Flyes ( refer to photo here )
Decline Chest Press ( refer to photo here )
Push ups on Bosu Ball ( refer to photo here )

Day 3 Legs

Barbell Squats ( refer to photo here )
Leg Press ( refer to photo here )
Hack Squats ( refer to photo here )
Lunges ( refer to photo here )
Seated Calf Raises ( refer to photo here )
10 Minute HIIT Training Session on Treadmill, Bike or Elliptical Trainer

Day 4 Arms

Barbell Bicep Curls ( refer to photo here )
Skull Crushers ( refer to photo here )
Incline Seated Bicep Curls ( refer to photo here )
Dips ( refer to photo here )
Cable Hammer Curls ( refer to photo here )
Close-Grip Bench Press ( refer to photo here )

Day 5 Back

Pull Ups ( refer to photo here )
Seated Row ( refer to photo here )
Lat Pulldowns ( refer to photo here )
Stiff Leg Barbell Deadlift ( refer to photo here )
Bent Over Barbell Row ( refer to photo here )
10 Minute HIIT Training Session on Treadmill, Bike or Elliptical Trainer

Day 6 & 7 Rest

These two are your rest days and you’re going to need this time to allow your body to recover and have full energy for the next week of this routine!

Weight Loss Programs for Men: Conclusion

There you have it, 3 different weight loss programs for men depending on which level of fitness you are. Remember it’s not a bad plan to start from the beginning and really focus on taking it up a level through stage every 6 weeks. You’ve got a full nutrition plan and workout plan to follow so no more excuses..the results will be awesome this beach season!

Have any questions or feedback about these programs? Please leave a comment below..

Rapid Weight Loss: Core Focus

There are some fundamental differences you can make in order to win a game of rapid weight loss and this article is going to show you some powerful techniques to implement for greater success.

The main focus will be on your core because even though you may not notice it, the core is where you gain all your foundational strength from.

In other words, if you are one of those people who have noticed lately that you should be seeing faster results than you are, then this article will be of great help in allowing you to push past that barrier.

Rapid Weight Loss: Step 1

The first and most important step you should always be aware of is your posture when exercising, especially when you are training with weights.

This and for this reason only is why most gyms have so many mirrors! It’s not so you can check other people out, or see how good you look, but rather so that you can watch your form.

So what should you be watching with respect to your form? Let’s break it down:

Shoulder blades back – in all honesty I can’t think of one exercise where you shouldn’t have your shoulder blades back so that they are not rounded forward. You want to see your body have a straight line down from your head to your toes and this ties directly into your core…

Core tight – if you’re in the gym with me you’ll hear me constantly reminding you of keeping your core tight and shoulder blades back especially when any exercise is challenging your stability. This will allow you to use the right muscles for the exercise and at the same time burn extra calories by working your core muscles.

Feet shoulder width apart – with any weight baring exercise such as squats, it is especially important to make sure your feet are shoulder width apart and that your knees are directly above your feet. This stance will protect your knees, hips and lower back.

Rapid Weight Loss: Step 2

Our core muscles include the abs, obliques (love handles) and lower back so you can only imagine how active they are in every movement we make throughout the day. Just think about the amount of times we are lifting things, sitting down and up, and bending forward to get shoes on, clean etc.

So with this in mind, it should be obvious to us that the number one reason lower back pain is of epidemic proportions around the world is because the core muscles are too weak to support our upper body weight.

Get in the gym and mix it up with core exercises, don’t stick with just sit-ups. I’ve got a ton of these kind of workouts for you in the workouts and training section of the site but here is one of my fave’s:

3 sets x 30 seconds | Stability ball plank (view image)
3 sets x 20 seconds | Side planks (both sides is one set) (view image)
3 sets x 12 reps | Ab crunches on stability ball (view image)
3 sets x 10 reps | Stability ball pull-in (view image)
3 sets x 20 reps | Mountain Climbers (view image)
3 sets x 10 reps | Hanging leg raises (view image)
3 sets x 10 reps | Stability ball back extensions (view image)

Rapid Weight Loss: Step 3

It’s easy to think that doing thousands and thousands of sit-ups is going to get you rapid weight loss and killer abs, but the truth is actually quite surprising because you don’t need to stress out about. In fact, I’ve found the best results occur with a workout like the above once or twice a week, and then keeping in mind your core with all other exercises throughout the rest of the week.

A better strategy is to always mix it up and keep your body from getting used to one kind of core workout. A simple way to mix it up is to change the order and number of reps or switching between a bosu ball and a stability board for example.

Rapid Weight Loss: Step 4

For rapid weight loss goals, add in high intensity interval training (HIIT) once a week. I like to put this at the end of my workout week because it saps all your energy and your body needs a few days to recover.

If you’re wondering what an example of a HIIT training session would look like, then nothing and I mean nothing will give results like my ultimate treadmill workout. I’ve compared this to top selling DVD’s like P90X and Insanity Workouts and the results are right on par.

Rapid Weight Loss: Step 5

With all the above mentioned there are definitely some diet guidelines we will need to follow in order to make sure we get our muscles all the nutrients they need to grow, recover and get stronger and leaner with a great sexy tone.

Adequate pre and post workout nutrition is a must. You can’t really go wrong with whey protein fruit smoothies since the whey protein provides the highest quality and most effective uptake of essential amino acids into your muscles which are necessary for their growth and recovery. The fruit also provides clean energy in the form of fructose sugar so you can be as intense as you can during your workouts.

Pair this with some glutamine powder and you have a power muscle recovery drink which is healthier and better tasting then anything else out there. It is a part of my daily routine and I love trying different fruit all the time to keep it interesting.

For a great tasting vanilla flavour try Optimum 100% Natural Whey and for high quality glutamine try Scivation Xtend.

Other than these, a diet rich in fruit, veggies and lean meat like fish is the most powerful in providing all the right ingredients for quickest muscle recovery time. I like to supplement with NOW Ultra Omega-3 since getting enough fish can be quite challenging at times and NOW supplements is the most trusted brand when it comes to high quality filtered oil so you aren’t exposed to the toxic chemicals most fish in our food chain are so susceptible to.

Lastly, if you want to try a thermogenic stimulator to help you burn fat even faster then you may want to consider a new one in the market that is getting some very awesome reviews – Muscle Pharm Shred Matrix.

Conclusion: Rapid Weight Loss

There you have it, 5 complete steps to follow to create a killer foundational core which will give you a sex looking physique to show for all your hard work. Just remember, keep your shoulder blades back and core tight and the results will speak for themselves!

Have any questions, or feedback about Rapid Weight Loss? Please leave me a comment below…

Successful Weight Loss

In order for you to have a successful weight loss plan you need to have two important inter-related factors not only in mind but planned out from the get-go.

In this article, we’ll look at these two factors and devise a strategy which is simple to follow and is guaranteed to provide results. You may think that sounds too easy and that you’ve already done everything in your power to be successful at weight loss but sometimes it’s the basics that trip most of us up.

Clear your mind and forget all the clutter, we’re going to jump right in together and we’re going to conquer!

Successful Weight Loss Factor #1

You’ll hear it time and time again, the most important and number factor to successful weight loss is a healthy diet that varies according to your seasonal exercise plan.

Most of us want to lose fat, gain muscle and look ripped all at the same time, but the truth is that you should vary your strategy to tackle one of these at a time. What I mean by this is that if your goal is to gain muscle then you shouldn’t be overly freaked out about gaining some weight at the same time. If you’re female and not necessarily interested in gaining muscle you must remember that even 1 extra pound of muscle will help drive your metabolism higher so you are burning more fat during rest so you need to work into your plan a stage for this. Let’s go a little deeper.

Muscle is composed of water and amino acids which compose our muscle fibers so take 6-8 weeks and focus on eating plenty of food and extra water to really build a good foundation of muscle. Your food should be focused on protein and carbohydrate portions with the majority coming from lean meats, beans, lentils, yams, oats, brown rice and of course whey protein.

For your muscle building phase, and yes this does absolutely apply to you women out there, I would highly recommend that you keep your high carb intake mostly in the morning and early afternoon. This will feed your muscles and allow you to push your hardest during your workouts. Aim for 2 or even 3 protein shakes a day (this year the visitors from my site are giving the greatest feedback for Optimum 100% Double Rich Chocolate & Myofusion’s Chocolate Milk).

Now what about when your objective is focused on fat loss. Generally speaking you want this phase to be about 2 months before beach season to give yourself plenty of time to start shedding the excess weight you may have gained during your muscle gaining phase.

During this phase you want to take out your high carb foods after 7pm (if you are sleeping at around 11pm) and try and eliminate any junk foods during the week. Giving yourself a cheat day or two during the weekends is not a bad idea to allow you to still enjoy your guilty pleasures and take off some of the pressure of eating perfectly all the time.

So what about your exercise plan, how do you leverage that to give you a win at successful weight loss?

Successful Weight Loss Factor #2

During your muscle gaining phase you want to lower your reps of each exercise to about 6-8, where the last couple reps are really challenging you to the max. Your rest periods between sets and exercises can range in the 60-90 second area.

Remember, during this phase your plentiful diet is going to support your muscle recovery and hence why I recommended 2 or even 3 protein shakes a day.

During your weight loss phase you will want to increase your reps to the 12-14 range so the weights you will be using will have to be lighter. Your rest period should also be cut to about 30 seconds between sets and exercises. This will allow you to increase your metabolic rate and become a fat burning furnace.

You will also want to think about adding 2-3 sessions a week of HIIT – high intensity interval training so try my ultimate treadmill workout routine.

Since your training is going to be quite intense and especially if you up it to 5 or 6 days a week make sure to include Omega 3′s (like Optimum fish oil) and the amino acid glutamine (such as Scivation Xtend).  For those of you who want to increase your weight loss gains by increasing your metabolism and battling junk food cravings, think about USPlabs Oxyelite Pro which is bar the most popular supplement on my site and has gained rave reviews.

Successful Weight Loss: Conclusion

There you have it, two very important inter-related factors which only work well when you combine a variation of exercise and nutrition according to your seasonal objective. Regardless of your sex, having a season to gain muscle weight and a season to lose fat is spectacular technique which all fitness athletes use becuase it works. Don’t make it overly complicated for yourself and follow this advice because in the end you will be winning the war at successful weight loss!

Have any questions or feedback about the topics discussed in this article? Please leave me a comment below…

Carb Cycling for Weight Loss

If you’ve heard about carb cycling for weight loss then you actually have a more deep level of understanding on the biochemical processes that happen in our body and that knowledge is actually quite powerful.

To tell you the truth, I was actually quite surprised when I spoke to another trainer who had some killer fitness shots and he mentioned that carb cycling allowed him to get the most ripped he has ever been.

Let’s get a quick rundown on carb cycling and how you can lose it very effectively for weight loss.

Carb Cycling for Weight Loss: The Concept

Carb cycling is actually quite an advanced technique which was developed since fitness athletes found that low carb diets caused a number of very negative side effects. As you may have already noticed if you’ve tried a low carb diet, your body reacts in a number of different ways, including a difficulty with focusing and concentrating, a lower metabolic rate, increased uncontrollable hunger cravings, and worst of all a decrease in energy levels when on a continuous exercise plan.

Carb cycling side-steps these negative side effects because it focuses on mixing lower carb days with higher carb days. Thus fitness models and bodybuilders have found this to be a much more pleasant approach to shredding fat especially since the higher carb days allow your body to replenish it’s energy stores which also give the muscles a more defined and pumped look.

This may sound easier than it is but in fact, it takes a lot of discipline and planning.

Carb Cycling for Weight Loss: Keys to Success

In order for carb cycling to have the right effect, you will need to keep some things in mind:

• Having high carb days on the days when you train the heaviest with your weights
• Drinking adequate water on high carb days to help with digestion
• Some noticeable water weight gain will happen but will also be shredded on your low carb days
• High carb days require complex carbs such as oatmeal, pasta, brown rice and potatoes
• To combat fat gain, reduce fat in diet on high carb days
• In this case you’ll want to watch that your calorie level doesn’t go too high

Carb Cycling for Weight Loss: Implementation

If you are ready to try and implement this strategy my best advice would be to start gradually implementing lower and higher carb days into your weekly schedule. This will allow your body to adapt a little so that it isn’t too intense on your energy pathways. Notice that I said on the high carb days that you must also reduce your fat intake so this doesn’t mean you can have cupcakes and think that you won’t store fat in the process.

Supplementation to Help with Carb Cycling for Weight Loss

Hunger blocker and thermogenic for low carb days (try: OxyElite Pro)
Low carb high protein whey (try: Optimum Platinum Hydrowhey)
Creatine and energy optimizer for high carb days (try: SuperPump Max)
High Carb protein drink for high carb days (try: Cytosport Cytogainer)

Remember to watch your water intake, it’s going to have to be at least 4 litres a day to get optimal results. If you try this out or have any questions please leave a comment below…

Weight Loss Tips: Staying on Track

It’s time to address staying on track with your weight loss plan as this is the time of year when most people fall off track and start to neglect their health again.

If you’re not one of these people, then this article will simply help you be proactive and ensure that you get the most of your time in the gym pr doing whatever exercise you are currently doing.

Grab a pen and paper and get ready to jot down some notes as this will be a quick exercise you can run through to make you aware of some things that you would not otherwise realize. The end goal is a game plan that keeps chipping away at your problem areas that are causing you so much grief.

Ready? Let’s go…

Weight Loss Tips: Staying on Track Step 1

On your piece of paper make two columns and label the headers as “what I liked this past month” and “what I didn’t like this past month”.

Now write down everything you liked and didn’t like about your exercise plan, as well as your nutrition plan.

Some ideas to think about include:

• Your weakest & strongest areas
• Exercises that you avoided the most
• Exercises that you enjoyed the most
• Foods that caused you to overeat
• Healthy foods you enjoyed the most

Good job, with this list you are now one step closer to coming to realization your weaknesses and strengths and areas you need to continue to improve on. But let’s take this further.

Weight Loss Tips: Staying on Track Step 2

Now take another piece of paper out and make two columns again. This time label the columns “what kept me back” & “what encouraged me to stay on track”.

This time you will need to think about stumbling blocks like:

• Not having enough sleep
• Having work or family get in the way
• Causes of you having low or high energy
• Causes of you having low or high motivation
• Any injuries or colds

The picture should be getting clearer for you on the causes of anything that has been keeping you back, as well as things that have been really pushing you through even on those days when you had to drag your butt to the gym.

We’re almost done, but let’s take it even one more level deep, this one will be the game changer!

Weight Loss Tips: Staying on Track Step 3

This time we’re going to do an exercise to allow you to focus on the positive. On another piece of paper write down some notes on:

• What body part you can improve on this month and exercises/workouts to help you achieve them
• Ways on improving your nutrition plan, what groceries you can buy to compliment your healthy diet
• Ways to keep your motivation level high, whether it be more sleep, better nutrition or better time management
• Nutritional supplements which can help you stay on track and achieve your goals (you may want to review Top 10 Workout Supplements for Men or Top 10 Workout Supplements for Women

Conclusion: Weight Loss Tips: Staying on Track

The 3 steps WILL help you continue to challenge yourself and allow you to keep getting better no matter what age, sex or level of experience working out. Whatever you do, don’t laze out and skip them because if you come away with just one realization you will have made a huge impact on your training results.

Have any questions or comments about this article? I’ve love to hear them so please leave a comment below…

Weight Loss Myths Debunked Part 2

In our effort to keep you informed we are bringing you another set of weight loss myths debunked so you can sift through the false diet information and make a plan that will work for you in the long run!

Myth #1 – You can eat whatever salads you want because all salads are healthy.

This is kind of a true and false statement. Most salads have healthy elements such as leafy greens and, hopefully, other vegetables as well. But that doesn’t mean that they are all low calorie.

Lots of salads come topped with cheese, heavy cream dressings, croutons and fried chicken or even bacon bits. Obviously all of these foods add a lot of calories to the mix.

Instead of a cream based dressing such as ranch or blue cheese substitute a vinaigrette dressing on the side. Ask for grilled chicken instead of fried or battered chicken and make sure that the lettuce used is not just the nutrient-less iceberg variety which is basically just water. #1 of the weight loss myths debunked!

Myth #2 – Following a low carbohydrate diet will make me drop pounds faster.

Maybe. But you will have to avoid ALL carbohydrates and that is completely unhealthy. And you will gain all of the weight back and probably a little extra once you go off this diet.

The fact is that eliminating any major element from your diet will cause some weight loss. That doesn’t mean it is advisable.

Carbs have gotten a bad rap lately and that is unfortunate because they are a necessary part of a healthy diet.

Instead of avoiding carbs all together you should educate yourself about the difference between healthy carbs and unhealthy carbs. Avoid enriched wheat or bleached wheat flour products and go for whole grain items instead.

This will contribute to healthy weight loss and improve your overall health. It will also give you the knowledge you need to create a sustainable diet plan that will give you continued and maintainable results. #2 of the weight loss myths debunked!

Myth #3 – You can eat whatever you want as long as you are on weight loss pills.

No, no, no, no, no! Not true, at all. Come on, look at it logically! How can a weight loss pill magically negate five slice of pizza? It can’t and you know it.
Some pills can boost your metabolism slightly and that will cause your body to burn some extra calories but that is only going to aid in your weight loss if you are already following a reasonable plan.

There are no shortcuts or easy outs when it comes to weight loss. If there were then no one would need to lose weight ever.

Weight loss pills may come in handy once in a while by helping you to stave of hunger in order to develop better habits but they are not a long term solution and it’s best to always keep this in mind so you don’t become dependent on them. #3 of the weight loss myths debunked!

I hope you enjoyed the second part of the Weight Loss Myths Debunked series and if you did or have any questions to ask with regards to this article, please leave me a comment below…

4 Reasons Diets Fail

It is a truth that we try to ignore at the onset of our dieting plans but the fact is that more dieters fail than succeed. This fact alone is enough to make you give up and order a pizza but educating yourself is the key.

But I strongly believe deep down we’re stronger and more resilient than that.

Learning why diets fail and understanding what to watch for will give you the upper hand!

4 Reasons Diets Fail #1: You’re a Commit-a-phobe!
The fact is that your diet is only going to be as successful as you want it to be. You are the one that decides what goes in your mouth and you are the one that decides how much your body moves. Lots of people “want to lose weight” or “look better” but you have to want it enough to do the work.

What does this mean? It means you need to do the research about nutrition. You need to honestly evaluate your current diet and make the necessary changes in food items, portions size, meals per day, and snacks.

You also need to look at your exercise routine. Chances are, if you want to lose weight, your energy output is minimal. Maybe you don’t have the time and money for a gym membership but could check out some of the free home workout plans on this site? Maybe invest in some gear for your home workouts? Throw all your excuses out the window and figure out what will work for you.

Home Workouts:
Workout Routine for Men at Home
Workout Routine for Women at Home

4 Reasons Diets Fail #2: Forgiveness is Key
Before giving into the self-loathing a small (or big) slip-up can cause look at the situation logically. If you have followed your diet plan well for a week and then slipped up on Sunday the truth still remains that you have 7 days of eating well and, hopefully, exercising. 7 days of caloric output instead of gain. Why should you feel bad about one mistake in the face of so much success?

The fact is that we are all human and we are all going to eat some chocolate or have an extra beer now and then. And that is fine. If you do your best to eat healthy and exercise in a reasonable manner on a regular basis you can have small indulgences now and then.

4 Reasons Diets Fail #3: Get Real!
Do you honestly think you will be able to eat soup for every meal for the rest of your life or that you will never have sugar or bread again? Fad diets and quick fixes don’t work in the long run. You need a realistic plan that incorporates healthy foods and regular exercise.

No, you won’t lose 50lbs overnight but you will be able to maintain a steady weight loss and keep it off. By changing your habits and your ideas about what is healthy you will re-educate yourself and find success.

4 Reasons Diets Fail #4: There is no Diet Magic
Don’t expect to lose 10 lbs because you eat well and exercise for a week. It takes time for your body to adjust. And the fact is that losing extreme amounts of weight in a short time is actually really bad for body.

Slow and steady wins the race. 1-2 lbs a week is the norm for a healthy meal plan and regular exercise routine. It might not be as easy as “abracadabra!” but it will be long lasting.

Next Steps…

Here are some suggestions for next steps to make sure you succeed with your weight loss and training program:

• If you haven’t yet sign up to my newsletter which includes the free Body Transformation in 5 Days Course
• Plan and organize to keep your motivation high – read Weight Loss Motivation Tips: Advanced
• Make sure you have the right pre-workout nutrition – read Pre Workout Energy Foods
• If you’re having problems with not recovering from your workouts – read Muscle Recovery Supplements

Diets for Weight Loss

Do you believe diets for weight loss work as a long-term sustainable plan? Well if you haven’t discovered the truth yet jump over to my Facebook page to see what most of my group has to say about diets!

It’s incredibly encouraging as a health coach to know now that most people are coming to realization that all the diet programs out there are pretty much designed for short-term success.

Yes that does include Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Atkins Diet and all the other big ones that come in season once or twice a year. But what about all the celebrity success stories?

Diets for Weight Loss = Road to Failure
Well in that case, the proof is in the pudding! Take a look at celebrities where money isn’t even an issue such as Oprah, Kirsti Alley and even some of the guys like Russel Crowe and Gerrard Butler.

At one point or another they have gone through the yo-yo affect where they look good for a short period of time but then bounce back and most times even worse than they were before.

I think this says something to all those people who say that they could be totally fit too if they had a personal trainer, a chef and people to do their house chores. This is a wake up call for all you people who haven’t gotten it yet…

Diets for Weight Loss: The Reality

The reality is that it is absolutely critical to long-term success for you to really appreciate how good eating well and exercising regularly feels.

Sure it’s a challenge at first when your body isn’t used to it, and sure there are going to be days where your motivation is slashed but the one golden nugget you should get from this article is to focus on that euphoric good feeling you get on those days where you have slept and eaten well and had a killer endorphin rush after your workout.

To be honest that one feeling is what has kept me on track for most of my life and my dedication to always learning more and trying out new foods, exercises and workout plans that would even challenge a young athlete. I’ve seen men and women in their mid 50′s who have made me want to strive for being my best no matter what age I’m at.

Can you say the same? Why or why not? Think about this and be honest with yourself, even take the step to leave a comment at the end of this article to make this a reality regardless of how harsh it is.

Time to Replace Diets for Weight Loss with Smart Healthy Living

There are several hundred articles on this blog which cover almost every aspect of weight loss and training reaching all ages and sexes so it is up to you to take this knowledge and make a smart educated healthy nutrition and workout plan that meets your needs.

(P.S. I’m in the process of collecting these articles and making mini e-books so you can download them and print them out or read them on your iPad/Kindle so make sure to sign up to my newsletter on the right hand side so you can be the first to get a copy).

I could go on and on with this article but I think I’ve covered some fundamentals that you should really take to heart because I know it will work if you throw out the idea that diets actually work with weight loss. In reality what will work is you and your mental game with being your best one day at a time.

Important Weight Loss Questions

Starting out on a diet and exercise plan can be scary and confusing. It can also be lonely. The truth is that most us will embark on a weight loss plan at some point in our lives and there are a few commonly asked questions that we will attempt to answer now.

These important weight loss questions and answers should help you to feel more informed as you begin your weight loss journey and hopefully help you to know that you are not alone!

So what’s the number one question to start this off?

Weight Loss Question #1

The number one query in our important weight loss questions round up is: “how soon can I expect to see results?”

Well, this depends on a lot of factors such as what are you eating, how often are your exercising, what your personal body chemistry is like, and how much you need to lose.

The fact is that weight loss varies from person to person. An individual that only has five to ten pounds to lose will probably drop weight at a slightly slower rate than someone that has one hundred pounds to lose.

The important thing is to not become discouraged. If you keep your low-calorie diet and exercise routine you will see results. Make a very good attempt to focus on your increased energy and happiness, as well as how your clothes are fitting, instead of a number on the scale.

Weight Loss Question #2

Another of our important weight loss questions is: “why have I stopped losing weight when I am still following my diet and exercise plan?”

This is called a plateau and it is actually quite common. Your body has the incredible ability to adapt to the changes you have made with your diet exercise after several weeks. Don’t give up! This is good; it means you have lost enough weight to really start benefiting from the new physique you are going to build.

Now you need to evaluate your weight loss goals with a new perspective in the variation of your training plan. You need to amp up the intensity of your workouts and change up your routine to kick start more weight loss.

You can handle it! You haven’t just been dropping pounds this whole time; you have been building up your foundational muscle and increasing your stamina.

Do not cut your calories even more at this stage! Variation to your training technique is the key to overcoming a plateau. You need to feed your body. If you starve yourself your body will end up breaking down muscle, which will severely undermine your metabolism and cause it to become sluggish.

Weight Loss Question #3

The third important weight loss questions is: “why am I gaining weight when I have been exercising for months?” This is one of the main reasons that we recommend using the “how do I feel?” and “how do my clothes fit?” barometer rather than focusing on the scale.

The scale will only tell you what your overall mass is. It does not differentiate between fat and muscle. You may weigh 120 lbs but how much of that is from fat cells and how much of that is from strengthened muscles?

Don’t be a slave to the scale. If you have been exercising and eating well for months then chances are you are wearing a few sizes less than before or your body has tightened in spots that weren’t so tight before. That is the true test of your success.

Weight Loss Question #4

The last of our important weight loss questions is: “what supplements do you suggest I take that don’t have major side effects?”

There are the essentials that everyone should be taking, these include: multi-vitamins, Omega-3 (fish oils), and finally a high quality lean whey protein. The multi-vitamins will make sure that you have all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to burn through fat and build lean muscle, the omega-3 will keep your heart healthy and help lubricate your joints, and the whey protein will provide the essential amino acids for muscle recovery and development.

Here are the top sellers in the market:

• Optimum Opti-Men
• Optimum Opti-Women
• AllMax Nutrition Omega 3
• Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion or 100% Natural Whey

Have any other weight loss questions? Please leave a comment below and I will make sure to have a reply for you…

New Years Resolutions to Weight Loss

The time of year is upon us again when we revisit our New Years resolutions, but you may be looking for a plan to help you make an exceptional break-through this time around so here is the checklist which will prevent you from getting overwhelmed and reduce that extra weight around your midsection.

The first step we’re going to look at is making sure your motivation is in check and create a plan that is sustainable for you not only for the next month but for the next year ahead.

Then we’re going to look at your top workout questions and revisit the essentials your gym should provide in order for you to get the best results.

Ready? Let’s go!

Weight Loss and Training Motivation

Hopefully you are reading this article because you are quite motivated to get your weight loss plan in order and make it stick this year. So I’ll give you a simple exercise to run through which will shed some light on what to do keep it in check.

Take a piece of paper out right now and write down the top 5 reasons you keep getting off track with your motivation when it comes to working out and eating healthy.

Did you do it? Seriously, take a few minutes and do this right now before you read ahead.

Ok, now you are being honest with yourself and you’ve put on paper what has held you back in the past. Now write down 2 or 3 solutions to each road block.

Save this paper, put it somewhere safe. Next time you notice your motivation starts to waiver look back at this paper and see if you could have prevented those things that tripped you up or if they were not what you originally thought.

This is a very simple exercise and those of you who actually do this are 150% more likely to succeed than those of you who were lazy!

I have also written extensively on the SMART approach to motivation, check out this article – Weight Loss Motivation Tips: Advanced if you are determined to take it to the next level.

Your Top Workout Questions

How long should I stay on one workout routine?
Ideally you don’t want to do the same workout for longer than 6 weeks because your body has the incredible ability to adapt to the stresses you put on it. Check out the workouts & training section of the site for hundreds of ideas on workouts you can do both at the gym and at home.

This means you really shouldn’t have any excuse in doing the same workout over and over again until it bores you to death, plus you’ll get the added advantage of seeing your results really show.

How much weight should I be using?
The weight you use really depends on your training goals. Your final repetition of the exercise should be almost impossible to complete, but how many repetitions should you do?

If you’re going for weight loss and increasing definition then you will want to aim for 10-12 reps for men and 14-16 reps for women.

If your goal is to increase muscle mass then you will want to aim for 4-6 reps for men and 8-10 reps for women.

What the quickest way to lose fat?
Everyone wants a quick solution to fat loss, that is an obvious no-brainer. The answer is a little more complicated than it seems but if I were to devise a plan for you then I would include 3 days a week of a mix of high intensity cardio and interval training along with a 4-5 day weight training routine. Additionally those of you who want to push it even further, you may want to try some thermogenic supplements which will boost your metabolism such as USPlabs OxyELITE Pro or MuscleTech Hydroxycut Hardcore Pro and/or preworkout energy enhancers such as Muscle Pharm Assault or USPlabs Jack3d.

I’m sure you have many more questions, check out my popular article Workout Routines: Your Top 10 Questions Answered.

What Should I Expect Out of My Gym Membership?

If your gym doesn’t seem to have the equipment you need or is simply lacking the positive energy to keep you going back then there is no time better than now to look for a new gym. Depending on the city and the amenities of the gym you should expect to pay about $40-$85 per month for your gym membership.

For some this seems like it may be quite a lot to add to your monthly spend, but if you factor in the massive health benefits I honestly believe this is an incredible deal and one thing that hasn’t really changed in price for almost 15 years! If you compare this to having a latte at $4 a day then I think you’ll see what I mean!

Now what should you look out for in the gym that you should come to enjoy visiting? Start off by seeing if the busiest time at the gym is the only time during the day that you can go. Usually this is around 5-7pm and sometimes from 6:30-8am. Is it too busy that the cardio machines that you want to use are all being used? Or there are no free benches all the time? I’d look for another gym if this is the case (I should state one exception – the month of January is always the busiest in any gym, usually you will see a huge difference in the number who frequent the gym by March/April!).

Secondly, you should be looking for a gym that has high quality equipment that they have invested in maintaining at tip-top shape. Cardio machines especially break down very frequently, so if your gym has more machines broken down than it has in working condition this is a huge red flag. What about the benches and dumbbells? Are they relatively new and cleaned frequently so that they don’t give you metal splinters or give you the hebeegeebees?

Lastly, and what some may actually say is the most important factor in choosing the gym is the energy! Are people respectful of your space and of using the equipment so that they don’t take up several machines at the same time? Are people there to work out or speak on their mobile phones and take up space? Can you picture yourself friends with anyone there and do the say hi after they have seen you several times? It might not seem to matter to you, but this is one time during the day that is “your time” and I think it means a lot to be in an environment which is friendly and respectful of you and your time. Afterall, you will find if the gym has a good energy that works for you, you will keep going back and your motivation will be able to sustain at a high level.

New Years Resolutions to Weight Loss: Conclusion

Wow, this became quite the lengthy article, but I hope you find this information very helpful to you and allow you to keep to your new years resolution. I’d like to follow up this article with another that goes more in depth into your workout and nutrition plan as well as looking at supplements and other supportive material so please stay tuned to that!

Have any questions about any of this? Please leave me a comment below, I’d love to hear it!

Weight Loss Surgery vs Natural Weight Loss

There are so many natural weight loss benefits to consider before agreeing undergoing a painful and costly surgery that has no guarantee. Too many people are seeing these weight loss surgeries as the easy way out instead of as a lost option, which is what they were meant to be.

Natural weight loss benefits are so much more motivating than those of surgery. With natural weight loss you are not shocking your body into starvation with an intensely reduced stomach. Instead you are retraining your body to appreciate the right foods that provide the nutrients you need to be healthy.

Some of the damaging side effects of weight loss surgeries include post-surgery blood clots, sagging skin and other medical complications. While throwing a clot or becoming septic are rare issues, sagging skin is incredibly common.

Sagging skin occurs when the elasticity in the skin has been stretched too far and then the skin is emptied too quickly. One of the natural weight loss benefits is that is happens over time so that the entire body can adjust to the changes and so that your skin has time to reshape itself to the new you.

Other natural weight loss benefits include the introducing of better habits into your lifestyle. By taking the time to learn to eat well, to learn to appreciate and enjoy regular exercise, and to learn coping skills for strong cravings or binge days you are setting yourself up for long term success!

The Truth About Weight Loss Surgery

Losing weight might be a simple mathematical equation of “this much in” and “this much out” but keeping the weight off is a delicate system of habits and routine that you learn over time. Having surgery is not going to rewire your brain or your eating habits.

Yes, at first weight loss surgery will help you lose a lot of weight and you will not feel like eating very much. But that goes away with time. About 50% of those that have gastric bypass surgery begin to regain the weight after two years. Your body will adjust. Your stomach can expand all over again.

Natural weight loss benefits far exceed the benefits of gastric bypass surgery because they are not just physical benefits but emotional and mental benefits as well. You will be proud of yourself for having achieved such an amazing goal and you will have a stronger incentive to keep the weight off because you understand what it takes to lose it.

Losing weight through natural means is also infinitely better for your overall health. Surgery is very risky and people can die on the table, even during routine procedures. It’s a risk that should only be taken when there is no other alternative.

Another reason to lose weight naturally is that it is less expensive. Gastric bypass surgery or lap band surgery is costly and most insurance companies will only cover part of the cost, if they will assist at all. You could be paying the surgery off for years and, without the right habits, you will probably be paying it when the weight starts to come back.