Omega 3 Health Benefits

You’ve probably heard a lot about Omega 3′s and fish oil supplements in the past little while and although a few recent studies have shown that some fish oils can contain heavy metals like mercury, we should not overlook the fact that this is not always the case and as a consumer we can make an educated decision for us and our families.

I should preface this article by defining Omega 3′s as essential fatty acids, meaning that our bodies cannot create them and we must obtain them from our diet. So what are all the health benefits of Omega 3′s anyway and is fish oil the best source?

Omega 3 Health Benefits

Omega 3 fatty acids play a very important role in cellular growth and development as well as playing a crucial role in brain function. Latest studies back up the fact that Omega 3′s are vital in reducing inflammation and thereby possibly reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, arthritis and even cancer.

Physiologically speaking, Omega 3′s are mostly concentrated in the brain and have shown to be important for cognitive (brain performance & memory) and behavioral function.

I like to highlight this part because as you know losing weight and staying motivated to get into the gym requires a lot of focus and willpower to succeed, so if Omega 3′s can help in any way with our success then why not pay a little more attention to our intake of them?!

Furthermore, although scientific studies show no direct biological relation to Omega’s causing weight loss, the mental benefits are not even considered which I believe is a miss in the scientific community.

Are Plant Sources of Omega 3′s better than Fish Oils?

Although there has been a lot of media hype with regards to build up of mercury in fish oil, researchers from Harvard’s School of Public Health conducted an extensive review and reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2006) that the benefits of fish intake generally far outweigh the potential risks.

So the next question you may be asking is what about Omega 3′s from plants such as flax seeds? The Center for Science in the Public Interest reports that “the omega-3s that FDA considers healthful (DHA and EPA) aren’t found in plants such as flax seed. Interesting because all along if you were thinking like me Omega 3′s are Omega 3′s right? Well now we know better.

Ok, we’re going to go for the best of the best with fish oil how can we chose the healthiest of products? Well we can avoid most toxins reported in mostly farmed fish by choosing to buy deep sea wild fish instead (or supplements made of these fish).

After doing a little research I found that Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega is by far one of the top consumer rated Omega 3 supplements in the market. All their products have gone through 3rd party testing to make sure that their supplements pass even the most stringent standards when it comes to screening for heavy metals and dioxins. Plus their supply of fish is from Norway were cold water fish are the least polluted and to take it even further the oil is molecularly distilled for purity to ensure none of these chemicals are present.

Omega 3 Health Benefits: Conclusion

I hope you found this article both informative and enlightening because at the end of the day we all need Omega 3′s in our diet, and if we can gain any cognitive performance benefit then we know we are doing the best to be our healthiest.

If you have any questions or comments about Omega 3 health benefits please leave a comment below…

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Fat Burning Workout

So many of you asked for it and now you’re going to get it. A fat burning workout so advanced that it will get you to drop your waist size or at least 5 lbs of fat in only 21 days.

This workout requires that you have had at least 2 months of prior training that has been relatively consistent (at least 3 times a week). If this isn’t the case for you then you can take this workout and water it down for the first session or two and then ramp it up to it’s full potential.

Since this is a workout that is specific to fat burning this is not intended for those of you who want to pack on muscle. Instead it is for those of you who want to get more muscle tone and maybe even some curved definition in your abs and waist.

It is a full body workout which trains all the muscles in your body with a focus on your core. Attempt this workout at 3-4 days a week. We’re going to aim 12-14 reps and 3 sets per exercise unless otherwise noted.

Get some good sleep the night before because this is literally going to kick your ass no matter how advanced you are…

Let’s go!

The Fat Burning Workout

7 minute warm-up session on the treadmill or elliptical trainer & aim for getting up to 7.0 mph for treadmill or 10.mph on elliptical
Plank with Bosu Ball – nice and steady tight core and hold for 20 seconds {view image }
Mountain Climbers – bring knees right up to your abs & aim for 30 seconds on each set {view image }
Push-ups on Bosu Ball – keep your core tight and butt down {view image }
Woodchopper with medicine ball – remember abs tight and keep a natural curve in your back & 7 reps each side makes one set {view image }
Single leg deadlift – 7 reps each side for one set {view image }
Triceps plate squat- come down so your knees have a 90 degree bend, then weight up and over your head while keeping elbows near ears {view image }
Lunge and ab twist with medicine ball or dumbbell – hold medicine ball in front of you, take a lunge with one foot and twist to one side then repeat on other side {view image }
10 minute high intensity interval training on treadmill or elliptical trainer – this is it the final and most important component which will burn through fat so go for 30 second spurts of intense sprinting mixed with 30 seconds of jogging as much as you can in 10 minutes.

Recommended Fat Burning Supplements
Probably the most intensive supplement package I have come across which is made for women and men individually. They include pretty much everything you will ever need to burn that fat and accelerate some serious fat loss. Highest rated, fastest results with these packages. Check it out:

• Women’s Advanced Fat Loss Combo
• Men’s Advanced Fat Loss Combo

The Fat Burning Workout: Conclusion

No more excuses or questioning what plan to do for this fat burning workout is guaranteed to get you pretty damn ripped in just 21 days. The fine print should read that you need to be smart and stick to natural unprocessed foods focusing on as much veggies, fruit, lean meats, beans and whole grains as you can for at least 5.5 days out of 7 days. For the remaining 1.5 days you can relax a little and have a few of your favorite foods.

Make a promise now and leave a comment below so you can stay accountable for this fat burning workout. Before and after pictures anyone?

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Lower Back Pain Relief

Without a doubt one of the most common problems that can cause problems with our training and hold us back from real results is lower back pain. Most of us will look to medication for a resolution or simply ignore the problem and hope it goes away.

A smarter strategy would be for us to find the right away which will not only provide relief but will also prevent pain in the future. This is especially important for those of you who have had lower back pain at least more than once in the past.

Remember, we want to create a long term strategy which is part of our routine allowing us to get stronger and get more efficient in the way we use power so that we can train as hard as possible and see the best results when it comes to muscle tone and fat loss.

Lower Back Pain Relief: Strategy 1

The main cause of lower back pain is usually from a weak core in which your core is defined by your pelvic muscles, most notably the abs, obliques and erector spinae (muscles around your spinal cord). Secondary to the lats (side back), glutues maximus (butt) and trapezius (upper back) also come into play as supporting muscles.

To strengthen the muscles of the core, you will be using a lot of body weight exercises and your focus will be to do the contractions with a slow and controlled pace. Pressure and strain should be kept off your neck and anytime you feel uncomfortable tension in your lower back you must make certain to tighten your abs during the exercise. This one tip will help you become more aware of your core muscles especially when you exercise.

For some great workouts to strengthen your core check out these following articles:
Core Workout Made Easy
Oblique Exercises
Tone Lower Abs Workout

Lower Back Pain Relief: Strategy 2

So what about pain relief right now? This is where flexibility training becomes your most effective and powerful weapon. There is some pain medication in the market which can help alleviate the pain a little but if you can do it without drugs then wouldn’t want to try that method first?

Now I’ve already written an article on stretches for lower back pain, so if you haven’t bookmarked it yet check them out here – Lower Back Pain stretches.

Flexibility training has so many benefits including enhanced results from your training because it allows your joints to work more efficiently throughout the range of motion. Put this in place and you have a serious advantage over most people who are just training and exercising all the time. You should be dedicating at the minimum 10-15 minutes at the end of your workout for flexibility, take this time to really enjoy the feeling and think about what you enjoyed most in that days workout session and how you would improve it next time.

Tied into the flexibility training, one of the best ways of really seeing some muscle tone improvement is by incorporating yoga into your weekly routine. The smartest thing to do in this case is to place a yoga session on your rest day away from the gym. Yoga will not only make your joints stronger but it will naturally relax the muscles in almost all parts of your body. With more relaxed muscles you get better muscle recovery and the continued ability to increase your game with the fat loss war.

Lower Back Pain Relief: Strategy 3

Now another way to combat nagging lower back pain is to put two other methods together: massage therapy and icing. When it comes to any muscle pain relief I personally have found the best results with massage therapy, but this may sound easier than it sounds. Finding the right massage therapist (hopefully one that is registered and certified) can be difficult. You may need to try a handful before you find one that really matches your style and continually asks your feedback and is open to changing the pressure and method.

Following up massage therapy with icing is brilliant because the massage therapy gets proper blood flow going throughout all your muscles, and then the icing calms down any inflammation and jump starts your body’s repair functionality.

Lower Back Pain Relief: Conclusion

I know without a doubt these three strategies together: strengthening your core, increasing your flexibility, plus massage therapy and icing will be extremely powerful in helping you relieve even the most chronic back pain problems. The key is to stay consistent and patient in order for these to work and at times it may seem pretty challenging but you should always focus on the positive it is giving you.

Have any questions or feedback about lower back pain relief strategies in this article? Please leave a comment below…

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Warming Up and Stretching

How often do you find that you are running into the gym or rushing to do your workout at home and not giving any time to warming up. The other day I was asked if warming up and stretching were a waste of time since they don’t really help with muscle building and fat loss anyway right?

You got to admit, I think even as a trainer sometimes I just want to jump right into my workout. It’s a real challenge to force yourself to do an adequate warm up and even some stretching before getting into it.

So is there any real value to warming up and stretching before weight training?

Let’s look at it with fresh eyes…

Warming Up

If we look at a biological point of view our muscles are constantly being challenged in a lot of different ways every day and making sure we have the right nutrients in our diets to keep them at top level can be a little difficult at times. Couple this stress, poor sleep or over training and our body reacts by giving us sore muscles as a signal to slow down and change for the better.

This all makes sense doesn’t it? I think sometimes we take for granted how much we put our bodies through every day and just expect everything to go smoothly with regards to getting stronger and losing fat. It’s time to bring a little attention to this matter and take our game plan to a much higher level.

If you look at any professional athlete a warm-up is not just a regular thing before getting into the exercise but it is absolutely essential to success. So why should our mentality be any different. We want to be the best we can be right?

The warming up stage allows our heart to start pumping blood at a faster rate to our entire body and most importantly our muscles. With this greater blood flow, more nutrients are carried to the muscles and more waste products are removed. Staying on this topic most of will notice that without the proper warming up phase we will often get a cramp and this is because the lactic acid build up is too great for our circulatory system to remove it.

So how long of a warm up is long enough? This is a great question to ask and the answer is, long enough that you break a good sweat. I find a 6-7 minute gradual warm up on the treadmill or elliptical trainer is pretty adequate. Just make sure to get to a level which is quite moderate in intensity.

Stretching

Old school mentality was that stretching should be done as soon as you get into the gym. Then new studies proved that stretching should only be done when your muscles are adequately warmed up. The reason behind this was that for the aforementioned reasons increasing your body temperate allows your muscles to have greater ability to stretch and prevent micro tears from happening.

You can get a pretty good stretching phase in by just using body weight exercises or light dumbbells. This goes especially for the guys reading this, whatever you do, don’t come into a gym and go straight for the 60lb+ dumbbell bench press! You are asking for an injury to happen, and this is extremely common with our weak points like our shoulders, knees and lower back.

Try at least one or two sets with super light dumbbells to really stretch out the muscle and get you the full range of motion.

Speaking of full range of motion, stretching is brilliant in encouraging this and with greater range of motion our muscles get worked more and we end up with way better results.

For both women and men using stretch bands is also another fantastic way to stretch out the muscles so if you own some or see them in the gym give them a go especially if you have had an injury in the past. This is the reason physiotherapists use them in rehab and if you get into regular practice of doing this you will prevent yourself from a lot of pain, grief and frustration in losing results due to an injury.

Warming Up and Stretching: Conclusion

So going back to the question of warming up and stretching being a waste of time because it doesn’t really help us gain muscle or lose fat, well hopefully you see now that quite the opposite is true. Serious athletes are always focusing on this so they don’t get injured and take several steps backwards and my intention of writing this article is to really help you increase your game.

Try it out for a few weeks and you should see yourself really beginning to get in a pattern that you don’t even have to think about. It’ll be a little tough at first but if you can prevent yourself from injury which can often be lifetime isn’t it worth it?

What are your thoughts about the points in this article? Good, bad, you don’t think you’ll ever do it? Please leave a comment below…

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Weight Loss Tips: Lose Weight Without Starving

Sometimes you just want to lose some weight and yet you know that the only way you can do it is by expending more calories than you consume consistently. The problem is that when you exercise you also notice that your appetite goes up quite a bit too.

So what do you do? Do you just give in to the whole starving issue and have your stomach grumble for a lot of the day? Or do you think smarter, and use these weight loss tips to give yourself a major advantage to win this battle?

Let’s look at 5 simple ways to lose weight without starving…

Weight Loss Tips #1: Always Eat Breakfast

You know by now that breakfast is by far the most important meal of the day because your sleep was basically a 7-8 hour fast and the only way you can feed your muscles, cardiovascular system and brain is by eating a healthy breakfast.

The thing is that many of us have a carbohydrate rich (hopefully high in fiber) breakfast and within a couple hours later we are already significantly hungry again.

So what we need to do is to outsmart our digestive system and make sure that our breakfast also includes some high quality protein. Ideally some scrambled eggs, a glass of skim milk and some low fat cottage cheese would be a great choice. The protein content will keep fueling our bodies for much longer than a bagel or even some cereal.

Mix it up and even go for some lean turkey breast or smoked salmon to start your day. If none of these are fast enough you can always include some whey protein powder (the best tasting recommendation I can give is the chocolate peanut butter flavour of Gaspari Nutrition’s Myofusion)

Weight Loss Tips #2: Get Nutty

Although plain nuts have high fat content it is the good fat that our body and brain thrives on. Plus just a handful will do wonders with curbing your hunger for a significant amount of time and the protein they contain is also great for your muscles.

My favorite is an assortment of plain peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds. You can even add some cayenne, season salt and black pepper to give it a kick!

Weight Loss Tips #3: Pass on Starchy Food

Almost any white carb is pretty much devoid of nutrients that will keep you full for any length of time. So when it comes to white bread, pasta, rice or even potatoes just eliminate these from your diet all together.

Switching to whole grains and even sweet potatoes is definitely the way to go when you want to lose some excess weight.

Weight Loss Tips #4: Take Your Time

When it comes to eating your stomach and brain are two completely separate entities. Your stomach will signal to your brain when it is hungry, but the problem is that this signal has some delay. In other words, once your stomach is full it will take your brain a few minutes to realize this but in the meantime you have consumed excess calories.

Slow down and really enjoy your food. There have been many studies to back this up and especially in cases where people eat in front of tv’s or when they are out with friends they forget to slow down and really think about the food they are consuming. Are you one of these people?

Weight Loss Tips #5: Eat As Much Veggies As You Can

The thing about veggies is that most of us don’t get enough of them in a day. Veggies not only supply essential vitamins, minerals and fiber to our diet but they also are a great way to keep us from giving into our cravings.

Have fresh cut veggies ready to eat whenever you start feeling a little hungry and you will without a doubt see some pretty fantastic results when it comes to your waist line. Give it a try and be adventurous with your veggies, there are so many different varieties that you can find in markets that are surprisingly quite tasty!

Top Supplements to Decrease Appetite & Increase Fat Loss

Cellucor D4 Thermal Shock
USPlabs OxyELITE Pro
BSN Atrophex

Conclusion: Lose Weight Without Starving

These 5 tips are a life saver for those of us who have challenges when it comes to our stomach overpowering our brain. Stick with these and be patient as your brain will probably want to resist these very effective healthy eating habits.

I hope you enjoyed this article and I would love to hear other ways that you have found to work for you in terms of losing weight without starving. Please leave a comment below…

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Buying Organic Food

Ideally all our food would be organic and free of chemical pesticides as well already know there are certain biological implications of these which are quite detrimental to our health.

The first and most obvious are the scientific studies which link chemical pesticides with causing hormonal imbalances possibly leading to problems with our cardiovascular & respiratory system as well as sexual problems and possibly even cancer.

The latest studies have taken this further and shown that synthetic chemical pesticides used in farms for both livestock and fruits & vegetables can also be directly linked with weight gain and poor muscle development. Organic foods are on the whole found to be richer in vitamins, antioxidants and overall nutrients meaning that our bodies are more able to burn fat and develop more muscle. (If you want some info check out my article Benefits of Organic Foods)

This in itself is quite enough to convince me to recommend organic foods for anyone seriously considering weight loss, fat loss and muscle building. Of course, the costs of organic foods can be quite high so let’s take a look at what studies show when it comes to the top 10 most beneficial organic foods in our diet.

In other words, if you could only afford some foods to be organic then focus on these ones…

Buying Organic Food – Top 10

1. Organic free range eggs – the protein in eggs is almost unmatched (just below whey protein) and if you are eating a lot of eggs then organic free range are much healthier and definitely tastier.

2. Organic oatmeal – oatmeal is a super high quality rich-in-fiber breakfast idea and if we can get the organic variety then we have just seriously upped our most important meal of the day.

3. Organic milk – lately the price of organic milk is dropping significantly because more and more of us are demanding it. Considering the vast amount of hormones and antibiotics given to cows, going organic is a very smart choice.

4. Organic green tea – we already know green tea is a fantastic metabolism booster, but most green teas are pretty highly processed and lack the antioxidants they are promised to have. Going organic with this will almost guarantee a higher quality green tea product.

5. Organic whole grain or flaxseed bread – most bread even of the best brands use wheat which has been sprayed with chemical pesticides or had some kind of chemicals during their processing. Organic bread is usually of higher fiber content and definitely more nutritious.

6. Organic turkey breast – next to cows and chickens, turkeys are also given tons of antibiotics and growth hormones so they grow bigger. Going organic will mean leaner turkey meat which is not only better for you but also tastes better.

7. Organic apples – of all the fruit in grocery stores, apples have been found to have the highest chemical pesticide content. Switching to organic apples if that is all you can afford is a great idea because these chemicals have a hard time penetrating other fruit like oranges, bananas, lemons, melons.

8. Organic grass fed beef – although a lot of media hype has said that beef is bad for you they never reference extra lean beef or let alone extra lean organic grass-fed beef. Tastier, healthier and full of high quality protein and even glutamine and creatine.

9. Organic cheese – straight from the source, lots of antibiotics and hormones given to cows especially when these are contained in greater amounts when fat content is high like that of cheese and butter. Look for low fat organic cheese and you’ll get the best of the best!

10. Organic greek yogurt – lots of studies lately showing how great greek yogurt is for you with high protein content than regular yogurt, just like issues with cheese, going organic greek yogurt is brilliant.

Top Organic Supplements and Products to Buy Online:

• Organic Belgium Chocolate Chip Bar
• Natural Vitality Organic Life Vitamins
• Nutiva Organic Hemp Protein
• Nutiva Organic Hemp Oil
• Organic Food Bar Omega-3 Flax Bar
• LifeTime Pure Certified Organic Acai Juice

Buying Organic Food: Conclusion

You now have a pretty decent top 10 list of foods that you should be buying in organic form if your budget will allow you to. With that said, most of us can definitely cut on eating out and choose to spend our money more wisely with buying organic foods. If you’re wanting another angle to hit with your weight and fat loss efforts, or if you are trying to gain lean muscle mass then organic is a very smart choice for your health.

What has your experience been with buying organic food? Good, bad or any other feedback please leave a comment below…

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Acai Berry Diet

If you haven’t heard of the acai berry diet, it’s all the rage in Hollywood right now with lots of celebrities giving it a go to lose excess weight.

What is the Acai berry anyway? The Acai berry comes from a palm tree which is mostly found in Brazil and much of South America. Many in the health industry praise acai berries because of their high antioxidant and amino acid content as well as Omega 3 fatty acids & even fiber.

Because of their high nutritional content many supplement companies have come up with their own version of an Acai berry diet, but do these work and how are they supposed to work is the question we all should be asking.

Interestingly enough, since Acai has a high concentration of anti-oxidants (even more than blueberries!) they are said to help us detoxify our body and prevent cellular damage from toxins in our foods and environment. There is definitely some validity in this argument especially if one is replacing a processed food with this berry then the antioxidants are a great source of keeping you young and healthy.

I like to take this a little further since antioxidants are great for boosting our immune system as well and with a stronger immune system our body is naturally able to focus on repairing, recovery and growing our muscles. This benefit should not be understated since so much of exercising depends on this recovery period.

So what about the Omega 3 content? Omega 3 fatty acids are most commonly found in fish oil and flaxseed oil supplements. They are an essential component to have in our diet because our body does not create them and we need them for optimal cardiovascular and brain health. Omega 3′s also support healthy cholesterol levels and blood circulation so with all this in mind we know that for most of us supplementation is not a bad idea since our diets are usually deficient with them.

One other point about Acai that is pretty impressive is that from a 100 gram serving they contain a very high fiber content of about 8 grams! This makes having a diet rich in acai berry a great benefit for those who are especially focused on trying to limit their carbohydrate intake.

Acai Berry Diet – Fact or Fiction?

Ok so with all these points above we know that Acai berries are great for us, and what about the supplement companies who say they have an Acai berry diet that you should follow? Well, I honestly believe a focus on just Acai berries is a little off track, you can’t have a diet that only focuses on this one fruit. Our bodies are a complex system that requires a vast variety of nutrients on a daily basis, and acai berries alone would not be sufficient.

With that said, I still believe that having Acai berries or even their juice on a frequent basis several days a week is a great idea for enriching your body with high quality antioxidants and Omega 3′s.

Most Respected Acai Products

After doing a little research I found some Acai berry juices and concentrated capsules that have gotten great consumer feedback. Here is the list:

NOW Acai Juice
NOW Acai Capsules
LifeTime Acai Juice Plus
MHP Activite Sport Multi Vitamin with Acai

Have any questions or feedback about the Acai Berry Diet? Please leave a comment below:

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What you need to know about B-A Endurance

B-A endurance is specifically designed to keep you energetic during your workouts, so that no day is wasted in the gym and you can progress without delays.

B-A endurance combines beta-Alanine with Histidine to increase carnosine stores is your muscles.

Carnosine is a naturally produced chemical in our bodies which is responsible for delaying muscle fatigue. Using B-A Endurance will increase the amount of carnosine in your body, making it much easier to work out harder than you ever though you could before.

B-A Endurance is for anyone who is looking for an overall increase in the amount of energy they have ready at their disposal when they start exercising.

• Those who workout out after a long days of work
• Those who find they get tired half way through their workouts
• Those who are wanting to get stronger and put on some lean muscle mass

B-A Endurance has been proven to:

• Provide more energy during workouts
• Vastly improve overall productivity & results from exercise
• Boost muscle production and reduce time spent waiting to recover from workouts

As with all workout supplements, there are a few issues worth mentioning:

• Takes several days of supplementation to notice results
• Increased protein intake is required for muscle production
• Over-training will hinder the benefits from this supplement, so making sure a day or two of rest a week is still essential

Some common misspellings include :

• BA Endurance
• B-A Enduronce
• B-A Endurnce

Going to the gym can be fun and rewarding, especially after a muscle ripping workout that leaves you physically exhausted but mentally exhilarated. One the other side, there is nothing worse than showing up to the gym and doing half of what you did last week, with twice the effort.

When heading out to the gym, you need to be physically ready. That’s why you need the best supplements to keep you pumped and motivated throughout your routine, so that you can finish faster and harder than you ever did before.

Although this is not the most important supplement a bodybuilder can have, it definitely helps. By buying this product, you are basically paying for less time in the gym with the same productivity. If you do not get enough time in the gym for some reason, or you gym want to work out harder, then you should definitely check out B-A Endurance. Get the best price on B-A Endurance Today!

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Abdominal Workout Advanced

We all want them, 6 pack abs which are curved out like someone took a chisel and chipped away until they were all smooth and ripped. Probably one of the most difficult challenges anyone can attain and we already know that diet is such a big part of it, perhaps the biggest.

So what do we do to combat this problem? Well we can go at it with the mentality of pushing ourselves with ab crunch after back-breaking ab crunch right?

I have a better idea. Let’s kick our abs into gear with a far superior abdominal workout advanced beyond our expectations!

This will be a good exercise on seeing the strength of your core as a whole, let’s get right into it.

Remember we want high reps to get a good burn so go for 3 sets of the following exercises with 12-14 repetitions:

Ab Twists (view image)
Turkish Getup with Kettlebell or Dumbbell (view image)
Plank with Bosu Ball (view image)
Mountain Climbers with hands on Bosu Ball (view image)
Hanging Knee Tucks with Twist (view image)
Ab Rollout with Stability Ball (view image)

This workout plan should be done a minimum of once a week and a maximum of three times a week. Best to couple this with a high intensity interval training session lasting for at least 10 minutes following the abdominal workout. Just make sure to have a whey protein smoothie or a banana at around 60 minutes before this workout session so you have tons of energy to push through. Speaking of supplements…

Recommended Supplements to Boost Your Abdominal Workout

Want to boost your abdominal workout results? These are probably some of the most effective supplements you can include in your diet plan:

Whey Protein for Lean Muscle Production (Try: Cellucor IsoPro Ultra Lean)
Thermogenic Fat Burner (Try: Cellucor D4 Thermal Shock)
Appetite Suppression (Try: BSN Atrophex)
Omega 3′s for Fat Metabolism (Try: Now Omega 3)
Sports Drink for Motivation & Maximum Force (Try: USPlabs Jacked)

Have any questions or feedback about this advanced abdominal workout? Please leave a comment below:

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Sports Nutrition Supplements

The other day I was asked on my facebook fan page about what the most popular sports nutrition supplements that athletes are taking today.

I thought this was a great topic to write a blog article about since there have been some serious advancements in the way these supplements can enhance our performance both in the gym and with sports while staying away from the side effects that the old school supplements were so prevalent with.

Now with all supplements you’re going to have to weigh out the pros and cons and maybe even run a few tests to see what really works for you as what works for your friends may not work for you.

Sports Nutrition Supplements: Truth About Creatine

Creatine (monohydrate) is a natural sports supplement which most definitely had the greatest buzz in the 90’s. If you haven’t heard of it or thought it was just for serious male athletes then let’s take another look at it.

We often obtain creatine from meat so vegetarians are usually found to have lower levels of creatine in their muscles which is something to take note of for those of you who don’t eat meat on a regular basis. Where creatine really comes into play with regards to sports performance is by helping with the transfer of energy molecules which in turn results in an increase of our maximal power and performance in high intensity exercises by as much as 15%.

So what does this mean for us? If supplementing with creatine can increase our efforts in our gym and take us to the next level then not only will our bodies produce more muscle but we will also be able to burn fat at an accelerated pace. Sports wise we can hit harder, run faster & perform at our best hence why creatine is a staple supplement of any serious athlete.

What about Creatine Ethyl Ester? A lot of supplement companies have tried to come out and say that they have created newer more advanced formulas to allow creatine to be absorbed by your muscles and therefore give you better results. The problem is that most of these studies are unfound as they have not been conducted by a second party within a double-blind study environment.

So should you take Creatine? If you haven’t yet, regardless of whether you are a man or women, try it out and give it about 2 weeks to see results as there is some time required for your body to absorb the creatine and create a store for when you exercise. After a couple months you can give a 2 week break to reset your muscles. Top pure creatine monohydrate supplements in the market include: Optimum Micronized Creatine & Higher Power Micronized Creatine

Sports Nutrition Supplements: Nitric Oxide

One of the most popular and best selling supplements in the past few years are labeled as Nitric Oxide enhancers. What this basically means is an amino acid known as Arginine which we convert naturally into Nitric Oxide. So what is the benefit?

Nitric Oxide increases blood flow to muscles an in turn provides more nutrients allowing them to become larger when subjected to stress. For any athlete this means that with a greater nutrient supply we also have the ability to recover and grow our muscles faster.

Without a doubt the top seller in the industry for the past several years is BSN’s NO-Xplode, whose primary ingredient is Arginine. I’ve personally found this one to be not as effective as Gaspari Nutrition’s SuperPump 250, and both include Creatine and Vitamin B’s for a very powerful boost. If you are however looking for a low priced pure Arginine supplement then Optimum Nitric Boost is the next best highest rated alternative.

Sports Nutrition Supplements: Energy Drinks

There are a ton of energy drinks in the market including Gatorade, Red Bull, Monster and probably over a hundred others, but what does the scientific research show?

Some of you may not consider Gatorade as an energy drink but it’s high carbohydrate content coupled with electrolytes makes Gatorade a decent supplement for those who are training in long endurance sports include running, biking, rowing and anything else which is generally over an hour long.

With regards to Red Bull, Monster and energy drinks in this category the primary ingredient is caffeine and then there is a ton of other so-called “performance enhancing” ingredients. Unfortunately, most of these are unfound and sugar is the other big culprit.

Some energy drink manufacturers have come out with zero sugar alternatives which are a little better and ABB Speed Stack is one of these which has gotten some pretty incredible positive eviews.

Just remember with these to take them earlier on in the day otherwise they will give you an energy boost but they will also keep you awake all night!

Sports Nutrition Supplements: Conclusion

Although I could add another handful to this list these 3 are definitely the most effective and powerful sports nutrition supplements to date. If this is an area of a lot of people’s interest, in a future article I will expand on this and get into some other supplements which can also help you take it to the next level. Please leave a comment below if this is something you would like to know more about or have any other feedback/questions!

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Burn the Fat

When you know it’s time to Burn the Fat there are so many different angles to consider that it can be a bit overwhelming and even frustrating when things aren’t quite going your way.

In this article we look at 3 powerful techniques that are proven to help you burn the fat both efficiently and in a way that will not zap away all your energy like a lot of the latest fitness and diet fads.

All you have to do is stack these 3 techniques on top of each to really build your confidence up and turn all the negative into positive energy which is absolutely essential for a successful fat burning strategy. The question is are you up for it?

Foods that Burn the Fat

If you’ve been following this blog you will have heard me preach about eating as much veggies as you can each day. Veggies are not only full of vitamins, and nutrients which keep your heart, brain and body functioning at their best but they also are full of water and give you a full feeling. Next meal, load up your plate with some broccoli, carrots, onions or whatever other veggie you like and you’ll now what I mean.

To make the veggies extra tasty add a splash of extra virgin olive oil (for some healthy fats) along with some cayenne, cajun powder, or even basil to really bring out the flavour and make it extra tasty. A lot of research also indicates that spices are great for increasing your metabolism and getting your body to burn the fat at an accelerated pace so don’t be shy with experimenting with them until you find your favorites.

In addition to veggies, if another part of your efforts are focused on eating high quality lean proteins including whey protein then your chances of having a healthy musculature system which burns fat at an elevated level are increased exponentially. You can make healthy fruit protein smoothies or even add some peanut butter chocolate whey protein to your oatmeal to easily boost your protein intake. My favorite is Gaspari Nutrition’s Myofusion whey protein, it mixes incredibly well and the taste is simply brilliant!

Sleep to Burn the Fat

Sleep too little or sleep too much and you put your body’s entire circadian rhythm out of whack (circadian rhythm is the rhythm which your body’s physiological and chemical processes occur based on a 24 hour cycle). What this means is that the time when your body was expecting food but didn’t get it, or wasn’t expecting food but did get it places excess strain on how your body manages nutrients and in turn causes weight gain in the form of fat.

This is probably one of the most common problems most of us face and through experimentation I believe most of you will find that 8 hours is indeed the magic number you want to hit. It’s long enough to have you feel well rested and short enough to not make you lethargic and lazy.

You need to get this pattern regulated no matter what it takes especially if you notice that you are training and eating relatively healthy and yet not getting the results that you think you should be getting. I’ve found some natural supplements which help with stress like Optimum Stress B Complex and Optimum Nutrition ZMA have really helped with keeping stress under control and therefore resulting in better sleep so you may want to consider trying them out.

Training Variety to Burn the Fat

Most people lose their motivation with training and exercise plan simply because they don’t include enough variety. A great rule of thumb is that if you’ve been doing the same routine for longer than 6 weeks then it is time to change it up. It doesn’t matter what you change as long as it is relatively significant enough.

If you are asking “what is significant enough?” then you are asking the right question! Significant enough would be switching from running to biking or swimming, or instead of training your legs with the same 4 exercises you pick 4 entirely different exercises. Or it could even mean doing abs and back on the same day rather than just abs.

Another great idea is to follow the seasons and pick a sport which you can switch with one of your workouts and then focusing some of your training in the gym to help you with that sport. The stronger you get in doing those similar movements in the gym then the better you will be at that sport and in turn the more fun you will have.

If you want different workout ideas check out the workouts and training section of this site or you could also try signing up for notification of my online personal training program which will be launched in a few months and will be quite comprehensive in the number of workouts it will contain.

Burn the Fat: Conclusion

You’ve now got 3 powerful techniques to really help you burn the fat as fast as possible without harming your health (which is a common long-term trait of most fitness and diet fads). Put them all together and remember to continue to add variety and look for the positive in it all. If it’s not fun then it won’t be sustainable and you’ll start to make up excuses, but hopefully now you won’t have to do that anymore!

Have any questions or feedback about this article to help you Burn the Fat? Please leave a comment below…

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What you need to know about Ultimate Nutrition Amino Bolic

Amino Bolic is a supplement that provides your body all the necessary amino acids to increase caloric efficiency, protein synthesis, and muscle recovery rate.

It varies from other amino acid supplements in that it provides free-form amino acids, which are smaller amino molecules that digest and absorb easier.

For serious athletes looking to boost amino acid levels during workouts, Amino Bolic gives you 6000 mg of Leucine per serving and BCAA’s. Leucine helps your muscles get into an anabolic state (muscle building instead of muscle damaging state), and BCAA’s act as a fuel source for muscles to prevent catabolism.

Anyone who isn’t receiving a balanced diet of amino acids, including:

• Those focusing on building muscle and endurance
• Those who feel mentally fatigued and stressed
• People with protein allergies

Amino Bolic has been proven to:

• Increased energy, muscle recovery speed, muscle and strength gain, and fat loss
• Provide tendon, ligament, and organ maintenance and repair
• Increase production of hormones, enzymes, and neurotransmitters

As with all weight training supplements, there are a few issues worth mentioning:

• Not intended for building serious mass
• Not intended to be used as a weight gaining supplement
• The capsules are a little large and hard to swallow for 7 caplet daily intake

Some common misspellings include :

• Ultimate Nutriotn Amino Bolic
• Ultimate Nutrition Amino Bolicc
• Aminoo Bolic

As an amino acid supplement, it definitely helps your energy and recovery time, and the health benefits are very beneficial.

As a weight and mass gainer, it is not as effective, and should be combined with other supplements specifically geared for those areas. Get the best price on Ultimate Nutrition Amino Bolic Today!

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Lose Weight Quick

You may be short on time and want to implement a training and diet plan to lose weight quick, well truth be told you won’t be the only one especially during this time of year it’s one of the most common problems people are tweeting to me and asking me about on this blog.

Nothing seems to be working lately for you? No worries, I’m here to put it all in perspective and walk you through some old and some new techniques to help you lose weight quick without causing you too much pain or leaving you susceptible to injuries.

The only thing you need to do now is keep your focus clear. Are you ready for it?

Lose Weight Quick: Step #1

Clear out the fridge and kitchen cupboards of anything you know is obviously unhealthy. You probably already know what I’m talking about, but here is a quick and dirty list: chips, cookies, granola bars, low-fiber cereal, ice cream, pasta, white rice, white breads, crackers, sodas, and anything else which is mostly made of processed ingredients.

If the ingredients list includes words you can’t pronounce it’s a good indication that you should clear it out. (If you want more info on how to read nutrition labels check out my article How to Read Nutrition Facts Label

You have to determine now what is more important, keeping some things that will only hurt your health and put flab around your waist, or throwing them out and knowing that nothing is going to get in your way!

Do it now! Clear it all out and get ready for us to look at what foods to buy which will help you lose weight quick…

Lose Weight Quick: Step #2

Ready for the grocery store? Wait a minute not so quick. I want you shopping after you’ve had a small meal so you don’t feel hungry anymore. Trust me on this one, going grocery shopping with a full stomach will help you stay totally focused on buying the healthiest foods, and this is integral to your success with what is laid out here.

Here’s a quick an dirty list of what your shopping cart should contain: as many fruits and veggies as you can get (or afford!), lean meats (including extra lean beef, fish, chicken breast, shellfish), beans, whole grain cereals and breads, spices of any kind, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta or brown rice, green tea (go for natural with no additives, but maybe aim for peach or mint flavors).

Lose Weight Quick: Step #3

I’m pretty new-school with my training and nutrition background and found some staple supplements which really work in losing weight quick and I’ve done a ton of research in this field right down to the biochemical and physiological level. Remember healthy diet comes first, but supplementing with these ideas is definitely going to give you the best boost you can get…

Vitamin B + C for helping metabolize foods – Optimum Stress B Complex
Green Tea extract for increasing metabolic rate – Higher Power Green Tea Extract
Omega 3′s for optimal cardio health – AllMax Nutrition Omega 3
Whey protein for muscle recovery and growth before and after workouts – Cellucor Iso-Pro Whey Protein
Sports Drink mix for quick motivation & energy boost before workouts – SuperPump 250
Glutamine for muscle recovery after workouts – Higher Power Glutamine

If you can only go for two or three of these I would recommend the whey protein and sports drink mix the most. The weight loss benefits they will give you are just simply unmatched.

Lose Weight Quick: Step #4

Ok now you’ve got 60-70% of your lose weight quick plan in place, and yes diet is THAT important. So the next step is to bring in an intense workout plan. You’re going to have a challenging workout in place in order to really burn that fat in as little time as possible so I hope you’re ready for taking it up a notch.

Ideally the most effective workout plan will include 3-4 days of weight training where you split up your body parts in order to give one group a rest while working out another group in the following days. Add to this 2-3 days of an intense cardio routine and you’ve got a golden plan.

Just make sure you give yourself at least one or two days rest a week because with this intensity your body will need it or you will over-train.

You can find a number of workouts to challenge yourself with in the workouts and training section of this blog, but here are some I highly recommend looking at:

High Intensity Interval Training
Core Workout Made Easy
Fast Abs Workout

Men:
Channing Tatum Workout Routine
Workout Plan for Men

Women:
Demi Moore Diet and Workout Plan
Fitness Plan for Women

Lose Weight Quick Conclusion

You’ve got the entire plan in place now, all you have to do is keep your focus and go for it with complete determination and will power. With a goal to lose weight quick it’s not going to be easy, but just accept this and give it everything you have. Anytime you feel like your motivation is starting to dip get back to this blog and read an article or two and you’ll find it will become easier each time to overcome anything getting in your way.

Have any questions about this Lose Weight Quick article? Please leave a comment below…

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Food Myths

This is probably one of the most controversial topics that I will have written for this site and many of you will have some pretty strong opinions on what I’m about to discuss, but even so I hope that it will enlighten and bring to light some common food myths.

Generally when I sit down with a client who wants to shed some excess fat and put on some lean toned muscle the first thing I look at is their diet. It’s interesting, sometimes I think most of us have our brain turn off and we become unaware of all the different things we consume not in just the course of a day but through the entire week.

To really shed light on this I’ve found that keeping a food journal for at least 3 days is a great way to change your subconcious when it comes to eating. In case you missed it I wrote an article including a free printable food log just a little while ago, so give it a look.

Food Myths: #1

Hopefully you have already given the food log a go lately or are ready to give it a try now. Even though that cookie or small bag of chips today doesn’t seem like a big deal over a matter of a week this accumulates to hundreds if not thousands of calories you could easily eliminate.

This is in fact is a pretty common food myth in itself! Thinking that one thing today won’t really make a big difference does a lot more harm than you may realize. If your goal is to show those abs you now have a great reference on what to pay attention to.

Food Myths: #2

Low fat is always the healthiest option in a grocery store right? The problem with low fat products is that in many cases their sugar (carbohydrate) content is blown way out of proportion in order to make it still tasty. You’ll find this happens the most frequently with yogurt, frozen yogurt and even cereal or baked chips. Remember to take a quick look at the carbohydrate amount per serving next time you grab something that is labeled low fat.

Food Myths: #3

Red meat is always far inferior to chicken and other lean meats? I think this is a fundamental flaw in what a lot of old school health studies have shown. If you’re going for extra lean red meat and you’re having a smaller portion then few other meats come close to the nutrient quality of red meat (especially if you go with grain fed organic). The problem with the old studies is that they focused on fatty red meat being burned and those burned parts have been shown to be cancer-causing.

The great thing about extra lean red meat is that they contain nutrients which are fantastic for the recovery and growth of our muscles. Of these nutrients Vitamin B and L-Glutamine are found in greatest concentration in red meat, and if you do a search in this website you’ll see many instances where I talk about the benefits of these for anyone who is working out.

Conclusion: Food Myths

This list of food myths can get pretty long but I think I’ll make it a multi-part series of articles so that I can take the right amount of time to research and write about them with a good amount of depth. For now, the above mentioned are some of the most important that I honestly believe will help you combat that extra amount of fat covering your midsection, just make sure you start with the food log to start getting you on the right path.

Have any other food myths or questions/feedback about the above? Please leave a comment below…

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What To Look For In A Personal Trainer

The other day I had someone ask me about what to look for in personal trainer and health coach and I thought it was a great question that seems to not get asked enough. The problem is that many gyms hire their own personal trainers who get paid close to minimum wage and generally don’t have the skills and techniques that really make a good personal trainer.

You may be one of those people who was willing to spend your good money on hiring a trainer but then felt that the cost was much more than it was worth and you could have trained yourself better by just reading up on the exercises.

This is a pretty unfortunate situation and I think like with anything you need to be pretty smart about who you chose to help you with making the right advances with your training regimen and overall health.

Now many of you may think that you can’t afford a personal trainer yet you are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on eating out each month and then feeling extremely down on yourself for not being the healthiest you can be. Take this seriously because this can lead to a negative downward spiral of your self-confidence and self-worth. Cut your spending in another avenue so you can budget for a good personal trainer who will help you look rocking in the next set of clothes you buy, this feeling you will see is absolutely priceless.

With that said, perhaps it may be easier to talk about what to look for in a personal trainer by going into what you should avoid instead! I’ll make it easy for you and put this into bullet points…

• The personal trainer doesn’t look that fit themselves! You would think this is an obvious one but I see it time and time again. It’s almost like the blind leading the blind. How can you take the advice seriously when the trainer doesn’t really follow their own rules, eventually you will begin to ignore what they have to say, so save your money and skip these trainers!
• The personal trainer doesn’t ask for continuous feedback. You’re not paying someone to treat you poorly, again eventually you will being to resent that person and it will become a huge dread for you to see them again and you may even go as far as avoiding going to the gym all together. A good trainer always asks for feedback to make sure you understand everything.
• Your trainer pushes you so hard that you are sore for days and days afterwards. It’s ok to be sore the next day or two, but if your trainer pushed you so hard that it takes a week to recover then you know this person is not qualified to know how hard to push you.
• The trainer isn’t giving you feedback about your posture. This is ultra important because even with a mirror it’s hard sometimes to know how your posture is, and your trainer should be giving you great conversation about this matter. Without this info you are risking injury
• Focus is barely brought to your core when you are training with weights or even during your cardio. Having a tight core is essential to making sure you get the most of your workouts.
• The trainer is not keeping track of your progress. Again, the only way you will really push through and gain great results is by tracking your exercises, their reps and sets.
• They are yawning or looking bored during your workout. This should obviously be pretty offensive because you are paying them for complete attention and motivation to your workout. A great personal trainer will always be giving you positive encouragement and getting you pumped to push harder at each session.
• Always challenging you and switching up your exercises to keep your energy and motivation high. Personally I can think of over a thousand different exercises I could throw at my clients in any given session and many of them don’t even use weights! You know you have found an experienced trainer when they are able to make you laugh because the challenge is so great each time you workout with them.

Conclusion: What To Look For In A Personal Trainer

I honestly feel like I’ve given you quite a great list of things to keep in mind when looking for a high quality personal trainer and health coach. Now I’m currently in the process of creating a membership section which I can offer affordable online training to many more of you than I would be able to do here in Vancouver. My idea is to offer you a 12 week program where we attack a fitness and diet program and each week you will get the chance to ask me your specific questions via a live online video session. For those of you who want more, you’ll also get access to numerous fitness plans, exercise how-to instructions, a huge database of healthy meal and snack recipes, and much more. This is all stuff people pay several hundred dollars each month to get from their personal trainers, but I’m going to offer a package which will be affordable to all of you, that is my promise!

I’m just in the process of developing this new membership section, but if you want more information on what will be included and be first inline to get some special bonuses please make sure to sign up here – Online Personal Trainer.

If you have any questions or other ideas of what to look for in a personal trainer please leave a comment below…

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Eliminate Junk Food Cravings

Probably one of the biggest obstacles getting in our way to carving our abs and toning up our muscles is our inability to eliminate junk food cravings. But what if we took a look at it in a different angle and set ourselves up for success? Would this help us eliminate the junk food cravings?

The psychology behind it is actually pretty fascinating if we consider how we were brought up by being rewarded with ice cream and other sugary or deep fried treats when were a kid. See where I’m going here?

You see our brain has an incredible ability to make associations. With reward comes pleasure and our brain’s release of endorphins when we were given these foods and that cycle is extremely hard to break. Anytime we feel down our brain wants to react and fix it and subconsciously we may not even realize that food has become a sort of drug which helps ease the pain.

If this resonates with you in any way read the last few paragraphs again and think about how fascinating this is and make yourself extra aware of this next time you think you want to eat something unhealthy.

But let’s take this a step further. Let’s eliminate the junk food cravings before they even happen. What’s the best way to do this?

The answer is pretty simply, just don’t store it in your house. I found this secret several years back when my world started focusing on being the healthiest I could possibly be. I found there were certain times during the day when my defenses would break and I would open the cupboard to grab “baked” chips or something really sweet.

We all have our weaknesses, and I one day just thought if I don’t have these junk foods in my cupboards in the first place then I can’t break down. I started replacing them with smarter alternatives. First and foremost being some of my favorite exotic fruits like pineapples, mangoes and star fruit.

Then I took it another step further, and started buying different flavoured whey protein powders to make smoothie drinks that were full of amino acids to help my muscles recover and grow stronger. This was probably the best thing I ever did! Not only was I getting awesome flavours like chocolate peanut butter but I was eliminating my junk food cravings and packing on pure muscle.

Eliminate Junk Food Cravings P.S.: The best tasting whey protein powder I have ever tried is Gaspari Nutrition’s Myofusion. Like I mentioned they have my absolute favorite which is chocolate peanut butter, but they also make a killer delicious vanilla, and strawberry & cream which are great when blended with frozen fruit! YUM!!!!

Conclusion: Eliminate Junk Food Cravings

Ok, so now we’ve cleared our cupboards of the junk food and bought lots of fresh fruit and even some protein powder to make killer protein smoothies. Adding this to our awareness of the psychology and things are going to start changing.

With all this said, it’s also a good idea to allow yourself a cheat day or two, I like to have this on the weekends so I can still enjoy some of my favorite guilty pleasures knowing that I worked hard all week to be at my best. This takes the pressure off of being perfect all the time and really creates a successful plan. I have more and more to add to this article so if you guys want to hear more please leave a comment below and I will make sure to make this a series of articles….

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Workout Schedule for Weight Loss

It doesn’t matter where you are in your training level, if you are wanting to lose some weight in the next few weeks then it’s a great idea to have a workout schedule at your finger tips which you can quickly follow.

Of course, when we’re talking about weight loss we want to make sure that our focus is actually not on the scale but on what we have to do to reduce our overall body fat right?

Most of us are ok with putting on some extra weight if it’s lean muscle and we should always be conscious of this fact when talking about weight loss. Especially if this lean muscle is going to help us burn more calories, which the science has proven to do so.

Well I’m going to give you a few different workout schedules to make it even easier for you to fit in to your hectic work and family life. Let’s go…

Workout Schedule for Weight Loss #1: Focus on overall fat loss + lean muscle

Monday: Biceps & Back resistance training
Tuesday: Day off, or Yoga/Pilates
Wednesday: Cardio & Abs/core workout
Thursday: Light Jog or 35 minute brisk walk
Friday: Triceps and Chest resistance training
Saturday: Day off, or 35 minute brisk walk
Sunday: Legs & Shoulders resistance training

Workout Schedule for Weight Loss #2: Focus on fat loss + ab definition

Monday: Total body workout
Tuesday: Day off, or Yoga/Pilates
Wednesday: Cardio & Abs/core workout
Thursday: Total body workout
Friday: Day off
Saturday: Cardio & Abs/core workout
Sunday: 20 minute High intensity interval training

Workout Schedule for Weight Loss #3: Focus on fat loss + serious muscle gain

Monday: Arms & Back resistance training
Tuesday: Day off, or Yoga/Pilates
Wednesday: Legs & Shoulders resistance training
Thursday: Light Jog or 35 minute brisk walk
Friday: Abs/Core and Chest resistance training
Saturday: 20 minute high intensity interval training
Sunday: Day off

Recommended Supplements for Rapid Fat Loss

If you’re in a real hurry and want to get results as soon as possible then you may want to include these supplements:

Thermogenic Fat Burner (Try: Cellucor D4 Thermal Shock)
Appetite Suppression (Try: BSN Atrophex)
Whey Protein for Lean Muscle Production (Try: Cellucor IsoPro Ultra Lean)
Omega 3′s for Fat Oxidation (Try: Now Omega 3)
Energy Drink for Motivation & Maximum Force (Try: USPlabs Jacked)

Conclusion: Workout Schedule for Weight Loss

There you have it, 3 different workout schedules which are guaranteed to give you some awesome results in just a matter of 4-5 weeks. Your main objective will be to remain consistent and don’t let anything get in your way. If something does then jump right back on it as soon as possible and remember your end goal, won’t it all be worth it if you get there?

For ideas on the different exercises and specific workouts checkout the workouts and training section of this website, there is a database of over 100 articles in this category.

Have any questions or feedback about this Workout Schedule for Weight Loss? Please leave a comment below…

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What you need to know about Carb Watchers Lean Body

As someone who is trying to watch their weight, it is important to keep track precisely how much food you intake into your body each day. Despite most of our precautions, it is still fairly easy to stray from your eating schedule, especially when you have more important things to worry about than how much food you ate today.

Although you can’t caught up in schedule issues, nothing is stopping you from preparing better with a little forward thinking in mind. A good way to do this is by using carb watchers lean body meal replacement.

Carb watchers lean body is a specially designed beverage which contains all of the necessary nutrients that the body needs and nothing more. Carb watchers lean body also contains sucrolose rather than sugar, so you don’t have to feel guilty after drinking it (also great for those who are diabetic or are trying to really watch their blood sugar levels).

Carb watchers lean body was especially made for:

• Those who follow athletic diets as an alternative in case they are not able to intake their scheduled meal at the very moment
• Those who want to have a quick and healthy snack at work which will help them curb their appetite for junk food
• Diabetics can also enjoy carb watchers lean body, since the sugar is replaced with sucrolose, which is not harmful to diabetics.

Carb Watchers Lean Body has been proven to:

• Overall replenishing weight loss and training supplement
• Great for meals in traffic, during meetings, etc. (Whenever a full meal is not an option)
• Help health oriented people stay on top of their game and side swipe junk foods

As with all weight loss supplements, there are a few issues worth mentioning:

• Although sucralose has been deemed safe by the FDA for even pregnant women and children you may want to discuss it with your doctor
• You will still need to follow a proper diet structure to get the most benefits from this product
• Some customers have said that it is best to have this in between meals rather than as a meal replacement

Some common misspellings include :

• Carb Wachers Lean Body
• Carb Watchers Leen Bode
• Carbohydrate Watchers Lean Body

Although meal replacements are not a total necessity for working out, they do come in handy when you just don’t have a chance to eat before or after work outs, and especially if you are following the 6 meals a day routine. Carb Watchers Lean Body is a great source of protein, vitamins and minerals which will help anyone who is struggling with reducing body fat. Get the best price on Carb Watchers Lean Body Today!

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Ultimate Upper Body & Abs Workout

I wanted to create an ultimate upper body & abs workout which you can do in under 45 minutes and will give you fantastic muscle definition and build your endurance at the same time.

What you’ll find with this workout is that the exercises tax multiple muscles at the same time, particularly your chest, shoulders, triceps and biceps. Coupling this with ab and core exercises will kick your but since they will basically stack on this workout for a pyramid of results.

Now this isn’t going to be an easy beginner workout, so I’d recommend either going into the workouts and training section of this site to find an appropriate workout that works for you, or alternatively doing fewer reps and sets of this workout until you reach the full routine.

Ultimate Upper Body & Abs Workout Directions

With regards to reps, sets and rest period we’re going to focus more on the higher reps and lower weights methodology which again is stacked with short rest periods between exercises and sets. In fact, we want to go about 30 seconds for rest to really get you burning those excess calories as fast as possible.

So with all these exercises go for 3 sets of 12-14 reps. Even though it may seem relatively easy at the beginning you’ll find that with the short rest periods you’ll get pretty winded and will challenge your endurance levels.

Ready? Set…go!

Ultimate Upper Body & Abs Workout

Plank on Stability Ball (view image)
Pushups with Hands Close Together (view image)
Stability Ball Pull In (view image)
Barbell Bench Press on Decline Bench (view image)
Ab Rollout on Stability Ball (view image)
Dumbbell Flyes (view image)
Arnold Press (view image)
Dips on Bench (view image)

Supplements to Increase Upper Body Strength and Define Abs

You may want to take this workout to the next level and if you have a limited time that you’re reaching your goal then some of these supplements have the best research and testimonials to back them up:

Carb and Fat Inhibitor: (Try BSN Cheaters Relief)
Energy Booster: (Try Labrada Charge Ephedra Free)
Fat Burner: (Try Cellucor WS1 Extreme)
Lean Protein Powder: (Try BSN Lean Dessert Protein Shake)
Stress & Fatigue Fighter: (Try Goliath Labs Thermoloid)

Have any questions or feedback on this Ultimate Upper Body & Abs Workout? Please leave a comment below…

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Cardio Workout – Which One is Better?

One of the most common questions I’ve been getting lately is about which cardio workout is the most effective. There are a few different angles we can look at here, and what I want you to get out of it is some great momentum that you can flow into your workouts.

Let’s first look at some of the most common cardio exercises which will help you burn that lazy couch fat!

Here’s a short list: treadmill, bike machine, elliptical, hiking, jumping rope, and swimming.

Without a doubt the most challenging of these is high interval intensity training on the treadmill. This is the simply the most challenging and you’ll notice the difference with your heart rate when you try it. From my extensive experience with different cardio workouts, it simply can’t be beat when fat burning is your goal.

A close second is jumping rope. Just try this for 10 minutes and see how it pushes you through managing coordination and speed at the same time.

Swimming is another fantastic cardio exercise but because it involves almost every muscle in your upper body it may be a little tricky to include it with an intense weight training workout. The reason is because it doesn’t give you the time to recover on your days away from the gym.

As for the rest of them (hiking, elliptical, bike machine) they are all pretty good as you can take it a little lighter until you gain the strength and stamina to go hard.

All of the so far mentioned cardio activities kick butt on any gimmicky crap you see on tv. Those are just pure simply marketing in disguise and if it isn’t giving you a real good challenge and a sweat it is NOT going to to work.

Now there is one factor that comes into play with any of these and that is your mental game. No matter how difficult the cardio exercise is at first you need to give yourself a break and realize that it will get easier each time you do it.

The trick is to get consistency with it so your body adapts and soon you’ll notice some pretty impressive results in the mirror. At this stage you can really take it up a notch and start adding some creative variety.

The more you do it the more fun it will be and you have to remember that one part! I say it all the time, if you’re not having fun with your cardio and diet plan then you are missing the whole point. Being healthy can sometimes be a challenge but your mental focus on the results will pave your path if you let it.

After a little while you’ll be pretty good at almost any cardio activity or sport and trying new ones like kickboxing, rowing, rollerblading, or even pilates and power yoga, so play with it and challenge yourself all the time to keep your motivation and excitement high.

Have any questions or feedback about which cardio workout has worked best for you? Please leave a comment below…

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Build Lean Muscle Fast

Whether you are skinny and want to add some muscle weight or you have some excess weight which you need to turn into muscle for this beach season, the goal of this article is to get you at least 5lbs of pure lean muscle in 21 days.

Let’s break it down so what may seem like an objective that is far to reach, is made much easier by doing it in the fewest steps possible. In fact, we’re only going to look at 3 simple steps!

Don’t you think this makes it a no-brainer? Let’s do this with some serious conviction…

Step 1 to Build Lean Muscle Fast: Meal Planning

This is the most important step in this whole program, and you may find it surprising that it is even more important than the exercise alone.

More than 90% of the time we strip with our plan by being in a rush and making rash choices, or having our stomach out-power our brain in choosing what we put in our mouth!

Let’s be proactive with this approach and completely nip it in the bud. Let’s say you are like most of us in the work force and have a Monday to Friday job, in this case you may want to try doing your meal planning on the Sunday.

Sit down for a few minutes and plan out some healthy recipes. Then get in the grocery store that same day to get all the ingredients so you’re all ready to go.

For ideas on meal plans check out the healthy recipes section of this website and I will continue to add more to this section very soon. Alternatively you can also check out this link to healthy recipe books at Amazon.com.

One tip to add here! When you’re planning your meals make it at least a little unique with different variations of your favorite foods (especially fruit & veggies), herbs and spices. This will make it less of a chore, and something you can continue to look forward to which is so important in staying on track with this.

Step 2 to Build Lean Muscle Fast: Upping the Reps

This is it, we’re going to hit the weights with high repetitions of all our exercises, and remember to watch our form and keep our core tight. our objective here is to specifically aim for that burning feeling in our muscles.

By hitting high reps we’re talking about 12-14 repetitions. The weight will still be significant enough where the last couple reps are a real challenge.

Remember when focusing on building lean muscle fast remember to keep your rest periods between sets short, about 30-60 seconds. This will elevate your heart rate and get you sweating calories even after you stop working out. Also, if you’re working out with a partner, that person should be doing a set while you’re take your rest period and vice-versa. Keep the chatter to the end of your workout.

Step 3 to Build Lean Muscle Fast: High Intensity Interval Training

Stripping fat is done best with at least one or two days of high intensity interval training each week. These should be so intense that your body feels like it needs at least one week to recover. If you want a full run down on what this is check out my article on high intensity interval training.

You will find the best cardio to be running on a treadmill as it is definitely one of the most challenging and it saves your knees from running on pavement. For a killer routine check out Ultimate Treadmill Workout.

One thing to keep in mind here, remember that you’re in control because the previous two steps have given you a highly successful road map to success with building lean muscle fast. Just whatever you do, don’t let laziness push you around!

Build Lean Muscle Fast: Cheat Method

These 3 steps are golden and will work, but many of you are pretty curious about trying supplements that can help. If you choose your supplements wisely you can make it work for you with no side effects. Here are some of the best ideas…

Whey Protein for lean muscle production – Cellucor Iso-Pro Whey Protein
Energy Drink Mix for high intensity – SuperPump 250
Glutamine for muscle recovery and growth – Higher Power Glutamine
Vitamin B Complex for energy metabolism – Optimum Stress B Complex

Build Lean Muscle Fast: Conclusion

Ok, you’ve got it all now, put these steps together and be patient but consistent. Within 3 weeks you need to make sure this intensity is high enough to get you sweating buckets and revving up your metabolism. A goal of 5lbs of pure lean muscle within 21 days is a great one to reach and now it’s time to just put it into play.

Have any questions or feedback on how to Build Lean Muscle Fast? Please leave a comment below…

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What you need to know about Vaso-Pump Hot Start

Vaso-Pump Hot Start is a brand new nitric oxide stimulator, one that enhances strength, muscle size, muscle hardness and overall vascularity.

Nitric oxide stimulator promotes a healthier body, and is the 4th generation of a line of researched and developed products, all which are better than the one before them.

Vaso-Pump Hot Start contains gymnostemma, an ingredient which is clinically proven to increase Nitric oxide levels within your body.

Vaso-Pump Hot Start is for:

• Those wanting to lose fat and get an extra kicker in their supplement collection that really goes a long way (good for use with creatine)
• Athletes who want to perform faster, harder, and better than they ever could
• Anyone who needs a boost of energy that lasts and gets the job done

Vaso-Pump Hot Start has been proven to:

• Improves muscle strength, size and endurance
• Increase vascularity
• Provide results fast

Do you want your body to perform at its peak? Then you need to have to have the right supplements to back it up. When it comes to performance enhancers, there are several supplements that you can pick and choose from, but which ones will provide the best results, the fastest?

If you don’t already know, as far as muscle strength and endurance goes nitric oxide is one of the most important components to revving your work outs. When you use nitric oxide stimulators, you are providing your muscles with enough energy to power through your workout and make your muscles work harder than you ever could, and if you are interested in such a thing, then you really should give this supplement a try.

Some common misspellings include :

• VasoPump Hot Start
• Vaso-Pump HotStart
• VasohPump Hot Start

If you need a little something to give you the extra boost of energy that you need to complete your routine, then Vaso-Pump is what you need. Nitric oxide in its supplemental form, is a very powerfl component in delivering everything your muscles need to work out past your limit, and at another level of intensity. Get the best price on Vaso-Pump Hot Start Today!

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What you need to know about Argilean

If you’ve worked out before you know how absolutely incredible it feels when you get that muscle pump and your adrenaline is giving you such a rush. One of the causes of this is the amino acid by the name of Arginine which is integral to our health.

So if you’re looking for a supplement to enhance this powerful effect, then Labrada nutrition has a pretty cool solution for you.

ArgiLean is an esterified version of arginine, which increases nitric oxide within muscle cells, making them fuller, stronger, and bigger as a result. The ability to allow you to increase muscle mass plus tone and look good is all simplified with this product and the reviews from users is quite exceptional.

ArgiLean can and should be used by all types of exercisers who want to make the most out of their work outs.

• This product is optimal for those who are serious about making substantial muscle gains
• If you’ve found that your results have begun to really slow down then this is great for really giving you a boost out of your plateau
• Working out when your energy level is pretty detrimental to your progress and AriLean will give you a serious pump

ArgiLean has been proven to be:

• One of the most significant break-throughs in the science of Nitric Oxide (NO2) and giving you a fantastic workout pump
• Because of its effectiveness it crushes the competition when it comes to more bang for your buck
• Thermoloid

The only disadvantage there is to using ArgiLean is if you have had a serous heart condition. People with heart conditions run the risk of complications due to the stimulating nature of this product.

Some common misspellings include :

• Argilene
• Argileen
• Argileane

Esterified Arginine is a must for anyone who takes their working out seriously and wants to break through their plateau. This products is guaranteed to accelerate your results, give you greater total muscle ratio and at such a small price for 120 capsules, you can’t go wrong with this product. Get the best price on Argilean Today!

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Free Printable Food Log

I couldn’t give you a weight training log and diet blueprint without also giving you one more golden token to help you achieve your success.

I’m with you on this one, just the idea of keeping a food log is a major turn off, but what if were to tell you that this one technique could be the thing that breaks all barriers you’ve always faced in this effort?

What if keeping a food log gets you to have not just a pretty decent body but one that you really feel proud of this beach season? Perhaps the focus could be more about removing the fear and hesitation of it because we want to get the goods, and after-all what do we really have to lose?

I’m giving you the whole kit-and-kaboodle here, it’s literally at your finger prints and I’ve even going to make it easier for you by giving it to you in an easy to print PDF format.

But before we do, let me give you some pointers which will highlight how this will really help.

You’ll notice that I have a space for “how you are feeling”, don’t ignore this one. When you write down how you felt when eating the food it can give some very powerful information about your pscyhe. Were you eating out of boredom, were you tired, had something upset you recently, or did something you see make you hungry all of a sudden.

If you take this log for just a few days and go back and look at the items which were a little out of your “healthy” list of items, perhaps you’ll see a pattern and develop a plan of action to prevent this from happening in the future.

This one simple part could be a complete game changer and you’re going to have to be totally and completely honest with yourself.

Notice I have also left an area for water intake, because for a lot of us getting 8 full glasses of water (8oz serving) during a day may seem easy until you write it down. And remember you want to increase this by at least 4-6 cups if you are exercising for just one hour that day. Dehydration leads to a number of problems which are particularly related to how hungry you feel.

Without further adieu…

Conclusion: Free Printable Food Log

Having something in writing which shows what you consume on a typical day works wonders and I won’t say anything more because it’s just one of those things you have to do for yourself. It’s the one thing that will lead to that killer beach body and just feeling comfortable with yourself. I know it’s hard and I’m there with you so if you encounter any times when you feel like you won’t do it, come to this article and leave an article, you’ll get support from me and the great community here…

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Weight Loss Tips: Diet Blueprint

Without a doubt you’ve come to the right place if you want to find the right information about losing excess weight, toning up plus all levels of workouts that you can play around with. But the real question that I still get asked most often is: “how do I go about leaning out?”

You may have tried a number of different diets and workouts, some of you may even be exercising 6 times a week but you’re finding that it’s not making enough of a difference. Here is where it gets interesting for me as a trainer and health coach!

I could devise the most sophisticated and advanced workouts, but if you’re going to go home and eat processed and packaged unhealthy foods no exercise plan in the world could out-compete that. So where do we go from here?

Well first of all you need to take some of that pressure off yourself and relax. Be grateful that you are already on your way to finding the right answers that fit for you. This website is dedicated to helping you along this journey and so far I’ve had hundreds if not thousands of people leave comments on how much this site has helped them overcome their challenges. But I want to make it even more simple…

The Diet Blueprint

You can dive right into this site and grab a number of different workouts, then use my free downloadable weight training log to track and measure, and now I’m going to give you a diet blueprint to take it even further!

Here it is in the most simple form, and there will be a lot of sub-notes for you to think about…

1. 8am Breakfast
2. 10:30am Snack
3. 12:00pm Lunch
4. 3pm Snack
5. 5pm Snack
6. 7pm Dinner
7. 9pm Snack

So you’re questions may be what are examples of healthy snacks that you can include. Here is a solid list:

• Any Fruit
• Any Vegetable
• Almonds, Peanuts or other nuts
• Fruit Smoothie
• Whey Protein Shake (try Mysofusion’s Chocolate Peanut Butter)
• Yogurt

Now for meal ideas, I’ll direct you to these two articles which have healthy and very tasty breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas for both men and women:

Fitness & Diet Plan for Women
Workout and Diet Plan for Men

Weight Loss Tips: Diet Blueprint

Ok, so now you have a rough blueprint to follow. With portion sizes you are going to have to experiment to see how your body responds because it really depends on so many factors, like how active you are, what age, what sex, and even your genetics (i.e. metabolism). A great rule to follow with this respect is to eat until you’re almost totally full, but just a little under. You will find this works wonders!

In the end, have fun with it all and just try new herbs and spices all the time, and you’ll find some pretty interesting revelations!

Have any questions or feedback about Weight Loss Tips: Diet Blueprint? Please leave comments below:

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Fast Abs Workout

I can’t count how many times I walk into a gym and see people doing hundreds of ab crunches hoping that these exercises will get their abs to jump out. Not only is this a waste of their time but they have it all wrong.

In order to get killer abs you need a smart workout that is not only intense but also challenges every muscle in your body. Then we need to factor in a healthy diet rich of protein and fruits/veggies, high quality sleep and the time and motivation to keep it all on track.

Sound overwhelming? Let’s take a couple steps back and give you a fast abs workout which will tax all your muscles and give you results in the shortest mount of time…

Fast Abs Workout Routine

This ones going to be a different challenge as you will be engaged in 4 groups of super-sets. If you’re not too familiar with super-sets, the idea is to do two exercises back to back before you have a rest. The great thing about the super-set is that it will give you a really intense burn and have you shred through the fat that covers your mid-section and anywhere else you’re storing that junk!

Instructions:
You’re going to do each group 3 times, and you want to aim for 12 repetitions of each exercise (the number of repetitions is high to focus this workout on defining and toning). After you do one group of exercises take 60 seconds to rest and then repeat.

Group 1:

Ab Rollout with wheel or on stability ball (view image)
Plank on stability ball (view image)

Group 2:

Dumbbell step ups (view image)
Reverse lunge with dumbbells (view image)

Group 3:

Chin-ups underhand grip – as many as you can (view image)
Cable crossovers (view image)

Group 4:

Deadlift with dumbbells (view image)
Shoulder press with dumbbells (view image)

Supplements for Fast Abs

You may want to take this workout to the next level and if you are aiming to get fast abs then some of these supplements have the best research and testimonials to back them up:

Carb and Fat Inhibitor: (Try BSN Cheaters Relief)
Energy Booster: (Try Labrada Charge Ephedra Free)
Fat Burner: (Try Cellucor WS1 Extreme)
Lean Protein Powder: (Try BSN Lean Dessert Protein Shake)
Stress & Fatigue Fighter: (Try Goliath Labs Thermoloid)

Fast Abs Workout: Conclusion

You’ve got a killer fast abs workout here and you can do this two to three times a week especially when you’re short on time. If you want to stack it with a cardio routine try adding my Ultimate Treadmill Workout either right after this or on a day between this workout.

Stay determined and keep pushing through harder at each session so you can begin to turn heads next time you’re at the beach and get that goal you have always wanted to achieve. Remember diet is another part of this equation so I will be providing a blueprint for both you women and men to follow, stay tuned this website!

Have any questions or comments about the fast abs workout? Please leave a comment below…

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Weight Training Log

You may be training pretty hard at the gym or your home gym and still finding that the results are pretty lack luster. This is a pretty normal phenomenon and can be not only extremely frustrating but could lead to your motivation going down the tube.

What’s one of the most simple strategies you can implement to turn your workout routine upside down? It doesn’t matter whether your male or female, keeping a weight training log is absolutely essential in providing long term success with your goals.

Let’s look at this a little deeper so you can really see the value!

Benefits of Keeping a Weight Training Log

Although you may think that you can keep a good memory of all the weights you have used before, keeping a weight training log is something I can guarantee will make you see your workouts in a completely different light. It’s especially important if you are a beginner and trying to find out what weigh to use, plus how many repetitions, and how many sets you should be doing. With a weight training log you can make notes if something was too easy or too hard and then alter your workout the next session to really capitalize on this information.

Now you can keep track of how much you are progressing and how much you are improving week after week. This kind of reminder works wonders on your psyche, and we all know how much one’s psyche can affect progress and success (just look at any of the strategies that professional athletes are using today!).

As you reference your log you begin to build confidence and see what is the cause of your results stagnating and being less than desirable.

Finally you may also get some pretty good insight of anything causing you to get injured so you know what to avoid next time around.

With all this in mind you will keep your motivation pretty high if you look at your weight training log the night before and plan what’s to come. This kind of technique is for superstars and you should give it full attention particularly if you want to make it to the next level with your weight training goals.

Ok, ok, I think you get the point. But I want to make it even easier for you so I’ve created a pretty cool weight training log you can download and print out. To be honest, I wish I had this several years ago!

A couple final notes. You can find a number of different workouts by going to the Workouts and Training section of this site. Also you should remember to switch up your workout at least once every 6 weeks so you don’t plateau and/or get bored with your workout.

Have any questions or feedback about this Weight Training Log? Please leave comments below:

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Melt Away Calories in Half the Time

Having the right workout at your hand when time is really limited is not only smart but great to keep you from falling off track. You may experiment with a number of different workouts and not see the kind of results you believe you should be getting so let’s devise a fast, efficient and challenging workout you can use when time is short.

One of the best ways to go about this is to have a workout which challenges the muscles in half your body, and then while that part recovers, allows you to challenge the other half.

Let’s get right into it…

Total Body Workout

The key here is to cycle through all four exercises resting between 30 seconds and 1 minute between each one, and repeating until you hit 15-30 minutes (however long you have).

The cool thing is that you will hit all the major muscles and move at a quick pace to get your body burning fat like a hot oven.

Dumbbell Lunges (view image)
Dumbbell Rows (view image)
Push ups (view image)
Single Leg Deadlift (view image)

Recommended Supplements for the Quickest Fat Loss Results

If you’re wanting quick results to help you burn away fat you may want to include these supplements:

Thermogenic Fat Burner (Try: Thermoloid)
Appetite Suppression (Try: USPlabs OxyELITE Pro)
Whey Protein for Muscle Production (Try: Cellucor IsoPro Ultra Lean)
Omega 3′s for Fat Oxidation (Try: AllMax Nutrition Omega 3)
Energy Drink for Motivation & Maximum Force (Try: Gaspari Nutrition SuperPump 250)

Conclusion: Melt Away Calories in Half the Time

No more excuses about being short on time here, this quick and efficient workout is a powerhouse which will activate all the major muscles in your body. With all of them activated you’ll notice your body will continue to blast through fat for a while after you stop working out and if you replace two days a week where you wouldn’t have done anything the amount of extra calories you have burned for that month will be simply exceptional.

Have any questions or comments about melting calories in half the time? Please leave a comment below…

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Weight Loss Tips – Secrets to Greater Results

When it comes to losing a little excess fat around the waist we all want to know the secrets to getting better and greater results from our workout and diet plans!

Well the answers may be right in front of you and if you can use this knowledge to put it all together in a manner which will work for you then success in your goals will be close to reach!

Before we get into this grab a cup of tea (preferably green) and get in the positive mood to take this in. As soon as you notice yourself cringe or have negative feelings about a certain topic you will know this is an area you will need to work on most. Think of why those negative feelings arise and always, always look for the positive in your response to it.

Ready? Here we go…

Weight Loss Tip #1 – Secrets to Greater Results

Hydration. If there was any one thing you should always have at the front of your mind, is “when was the last time I drank some water”. It’s pretty hard to over-hydrate especially if you are an active person, but even more important is the fact that without proper hydration our hormones don’t function properly.

Your goal should be about 8 cups of water a day, but what about if you exercise? Well you should add at least 3-4 cups of water for every hour you exercise.

Weight Loss Tip #2 – Secrets to Greater Results

Focus on a healthy breakfast. There should be no excuses here, even if you are really short on time. You should be able to make some healthy oatmeal and boil an egg or two within 4-5 minutes. If you would like more healthy breakfast ideas make sure to check out (Healthy Diets for Men and Healthy Diet Plan for Women: Breakfast Ideas .

Why is breakfast so important? Think about it this way. If you start out your day with a healthy meal you are much more likely to continue your efforts throughout the day in comparison to starting it out with a muffin and butter which is full of calories and fat. If you look for it and read the labels you can find some healthy variations of oatmeal and even high fiber cereals that don’t have sugar as the first or second ingredient.

Weight Loss Tip #3 – Secrets to Greater Results

High Intensity Interval Training (aka HIIT). You will never see such incredible results in fat loss until you have tried HIIT, not only does it decrease the amount of time you spend on your cardio, but it also leaves your body as a thermogenic fat burning furnace for hours after wards. Try and aim for 2 HIIT sessions a week and make sure to give yourself at least a days rest from intense cardio after this session so your body can recover.

If you want more info on HIIT make sure to ready my article High intensity Interval Training

Weight Loss Tip #4 – Secrets to Greater Results

Variation. Nothing comes close to shocking your system than varying your workouts at least once every 6 weeks. Your body has the incredible ability to adapt quickly to any stress you place on it, and working out is no exception.

Play with your workouts, make them challenging and have fun with it all! You’ll notice that this will not only keep your motivation up but you will get far better results!

Weight Loss Tip #5 – Secrets to Greater Results

Focus on unprocessed foods. Processing and packaging of foods is a major cause of the extra belly we store around our weights. Usually with processing chemicals are added to preserve food and this creates havoc with our internal systems (primarily our hormones which dictate how our metabolism operates).

There is one exception, that is cereal, bread and oatmeal. Obviously it’s pretty hard to get enough fiber without eating these kind of processed foods, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t look at the nutritional info of these product, right? If you want a quick read on how to read these labels read my article – How to Read Nutrition Facts Labels.

Weight Loss Tips – Secrets to Greater Results Conclusion

How about them apples. Which one of these tips created the biggest cringe for you? That is your weak point, so start focusing on improving it with positivity in mind. Some dedication to your healthy eating, hydration and interval training will go a really long way. Now you just have to wait to see how good it makes you feel when you put these all together!

Have any questions or comments about these Secrets to Greater Results? What have you found works best for you? Please leave a comment below…
.

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Leg Workouts Amplified

If you’re one to ignore working out your legs with weights because you think that your cardio is enough then you are not alone! But the question you should be asking is if that is a mistake?

In this article we’ll look at how important your leg workout can be and take a look at a sample of the most effective leg workout you can do in as quick as 30 minutes. The goal will be to increase muscle mass to the thighs and calves and at the same time reducing the fat and getting some very nice tone!

There’s nothing as sexy as lean muscular and toned legs for both men and women right?

Secrets of the Ultimate Leg Workouts

Ok, so before we even get into the leg workout many think that cardio and everyday activity is enough for keeping the legs lean and muscular. While this is true in part, the real secret here is that researchers have found that those who use weights to strengthen their legs also kick start their muscle producing hormones which are released throughout the body. What does this mean?

Well firstly, it means that if you workout your legs you also will notice that your upper body will respond better to weight training. Does this give you so more motivation to make sure you also get a lower body workout in more regularly? It really should, because it means easier results and this is what we all want right?

Well let’s take this a little further. Scientists have also found that working your leg muscles with free weights works your muscles harder than machines even including the Smith Machine. The problem is that machines stabilize the barbell and this results in your leg muscles working less hard and also requiring less activation of your core muscles.

Ok so we have these principles in mind and we’re now ready for a pretty awesome leg workout…

Leg Workout Amplified

For those of you wanting to tone up and define your thighs (quads, hamstrings) and calves then you will want to aim for 3-4 sets of 12-14 reps.

For those who want to build muscle first and gain some healthy size then you will want to aim for 2-3 sets of about 6-8 reps.

Stability Ball Squats (view image)
Barbell Side Split Squat (view image)
Backward Lunge (view image)
Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise (view image)
Dumbbell Step Ups (view image)

Recommended Supplements:

Wondering which supplements are most effective in strengthening your legs? Then you will want to make sure you include:

NO2 for muscle pump (Try: BSN NO-Xplode)
Whey Protein for muscle production (Try: Cellucor IsoPro Ultra Lean)
Creatine Ethyl Ester for greater muscle energy (Try: Higher Power Creatine Ethyl Ester)
Glutamine for muscle recovery (Try: AllMax Nutrition Micronized Glutamine)

Have any questions or comments about Leg Workouts Amplified? Please leave a comment below…

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Tips to Build a Strong Chest

The chest muscles are extremely important in providing upper body strength and we use them in almost every single movement on a daily basis. For men, it definitely provides sex appeal when the muscles are challenged extensively, and for women it definitely does the same allowing for brilliant tone.

For most guys and definitely some women, the chest muscles are actually overworked and this can lead to some postural problems along with imbalances in the shoulder area leading to extensive injuries.

So what tips do we need to take into account for building a strong defined chest and at the same time remain confident that it doesn’t make us prone to injuries?

Build a Strong Chest: Tip #1

The pectoralis muscles which define the chest are usually one of our stronger muscles especially if you have included push-ups as part of your training while growing up. When we get into the gym most of us have a tendency to go really heavy right from the bat and therefore abandon the regular push-up. But this is probably one of the easiest ways to mess up your shoulders and cause an injury that will make you fall back in your routine. So what do we do?

Make sure to warm up with at least one set that uses only your body-weight. You can do regular push-ups, or you can do one of a variation of push-ups. Some of these include, having your hands on a bosu ball or balancing board, having your feet on a bench and your hands on the floor, having your hands close together and then far apart mid-way through your repetitions, having your hands on a stability ball.

The important thing here is to vary it and keep it interesting and make sure you warm up your joints nicely. Once you have done this you can begin to go heavier with each set.

Build a Strong Chest: Tip #2

If you are working our your chest muscles more than you are your upper back this is another way to create major joint imbalances which also lead to poor posture and injury. Make sure to do as many sets with your upper back as you do with your chest exercises. If you have bad posture already? Then take it a little further a work out your upper back even more.

Build a Strong Chest: Tip #3

Hit your chest at 3 different angles. By this I mean that you need to think of doing exercises which include a flat bench, an incline and a decline. This allows your chest to get the most definition and grow the strongest.

The decline is the most effective in activating the lower part of the pecs. An incline targets your upper chest muscles, and if you do flyes on a bench then you are going to see some pretty impressive tone in the separation between your chest muscles.

Build a Strong Chest: Tip #4

Wondering which supplements are most effective in building muscle size in your chest? Then you will want to make sure you include:

Whey Protein for muscle production (Try: Cellucor IsoPro Ultra Lean)
Creatine Ethyl Ester for greater muscle energy (Try: Higher Power Creatine Ethyl Ester)
Glutamine for muscle recovery(Try: AllMax Nutrition Micronized Glutamine)

If you want to build definition and tone your chest muscles then you will want to include:

Thermogenic Fat Burner (Try: Nutrex Lipo 6 Black)
Fat Blocker (Try: BSN Cheaters Relief)
Thyroid Regulator & Green Tea Extract (Try: Universal Animal Cuts)

Have any questions or comments about how to build a strong chest? Please leave a comment below…

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What you need to know about Cellucor M5 Extreme

M5 Extreme is a great creatine-based supplement for helping you gain lean muscle mass, gorge pumps, and increased energy and focus. It also helps in prolonging your workouts, allowing your sessions to be longer and more intense.

With a blend of pH resistant creatine and creatine precursors, nitric oxide precursors, insulin modifiers, and growth hormone agonists, this product will help you achieve the strength and size you strive for, without bloating.

M5 Extreme is designed for serious athletes and bodybuilders who wish to:

• Increase natural energy levels both pre- and post-workout
• Intensify and withstand longer lasting and more effective workouts
• Increase the number of vein gorging lift pumps

Cellucor M5 Extreme has been proven to:

• Provide an explosion in energy and focus (without the jitters)
• Show incredible results with lean muscle mass gains
• Give you incredible pumps without the over-stimulation found in similar products

As with all workout supplements, there are a few issues worth mentioning:

• The creatine supplement generally works best when taken over long periods of time, so this product is best used if you are committed for several months
• Some people experience insomnia or disturbed sleep patterns
• While the flavors (Fruit Punch, Cherry Limeade, and Cinnamon Apple) generally have good feedback compared to other supplements, some people have complained of a strong aftertaste

Some common misspellings include :

• Cellecor M5 Extreme
• 5M Extreme
• M5 Extreem

While it is a very effective creatine based supplement, it takes a few weeks to see results so make sure to follow the directions. Users have said that their workouts feel more intense and last longer than with any other creatine supplement on the market, and it has also proven to speed up muscle recovery time.

While the supplemental benefits are tangible, anyone who tries it has raved about their new found drive and ability to focus in the gym. If you’re not looking for a long term creatine supplement, it may not be for you, but it’s a great product for serious athletes and bodybuilders. Get the best price on Cellucor M5 Extreme Today!

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Core Workout Made Easy

We use our core muscles in almost every single movement and the core becomes particularly important if you are training with weights or participating in any sport or exercise. The core is our foundation. It is the one area we can strengthen most to allow us the ability to exert maximal force and acceleration (an in turn speed).

But what muscles make up our core anyway? The core is defined by the abs plus the mid and lower back muscles and even the upper part of the butt (gluteus maximus). So we want to make sure we include exercises which strengthen these muscles safely and efficiently in order to build a very strong core.

How else does a strong core help us? Well with a solid foundation all our movements become more effective and efficient meaning we can build strength in all our muscles even quicker. This in turn allows us to see greater progress when we’re working out in the gym, and in turn our body turns into a fat burning machine!

You like where this is going? Good, let’s get into a quick core workout to make it easy for you to start seeing results…

Core Workout

Since we want to get into a workout that challenges us particularly in one of our weakest areas, that being the lower back, we want to make sure our body is nicely warmed up. Try a 8 minute warm-up on the treadmill, elliptical or bike to get your heart rate up and breaking a light sweat. Got it? Good, now with the core exercises…

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)

Killer Supplements to Burn Belly Fat & Show Your Core

• USPlabs OxyElite Pro
• Nutrex Lipo 6 Black
• Goliath Labs Thermoloid
• MAN Vaporize
• BSN Cheaters Relief

Core Workout Made Easy Conclusion

Now you have a pretty killer core workout, and doing this will give you easy results in no time! If all of this at once is too much just start out with fewer of these exercises and build up. Remember one important thing! Do all these movements with a slow and steady pace and if you can watch your form in the mirror then even better. Your back should always have a natural curve, your abs should be tight, and your shoulder blades should be pulled back to provide with most stability and safety of your spine.

Give this a try and please leave a comment below if you have any questions or have feedback on this routine!

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What you need to know about Muscle Advance Protein Powder

In order to build lean muscle and shed fat, a diet rich in protein is an absolute necessity. If you workout daily, you are going to need to feed your body high quality protein to metabolize muscle and support your body. Protein isolate powder was developed to be low-carb, contain a high number of vitamins and minerals (including Vitamins A, B-6, B-12, C, D, E, Calcium, Biotin, and Niacin), contain BCAA’s, as well as a digestive enzyme complex. It is an effective supplement both pre- or post-workout.

Because it is low-carb and high quality protein, this Isolate formula is beneficial for anyone, including:

• Athletes
• Those wanting to build muscle
• Those wanting to shed fat

Muscle Advance Protein Powder has some fantastic qualities:

• Contains a low glycemic index to ensure healthy blood sugar levels
• Great mixability
• One of the most complete supplemental combinations of BCAA’s, vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes, collagen, and bovine colostrums available

As with all weight loss supplements, there are a few issues worth mentioning:

• Slight powdery aftertaste (common in most whey protein supplements)
• Overuse of whey protein will be excreted and stored in the body as fat
• Should not be taken by anyone with any pre-existing kidney problems

Some common misspellings include :

• Muscle Advance Protien Powder
• Muslce Advance Protein Powder
• Muscle Advance Portein Powder

Compared to other isolate protein products, this definitely gives you a great bang for the buck. At $39.95 per tub, you’re getting a great combination formula and will not have to worry about stacking supplements.

Akin to a science project, stacking is one of the most confusing aspects for casual lifters, and many people make crucial mistakes when combining supplements, ultimately rendering them ineffective. This is a solid product for dieters and athletes, but professional bodybuilders may want to target more specific areas via stacking. Get the best price on Muscle Advance Protein Powder Today!

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Healthy Eating Made Fun & Sexy

This article has one point, to bring to perspective how healthy eating can not only be fun but sexy too. In fact, there are a number of pretty healthy foods that go back centuries as being labeled aphrodisiacs.

Let’s look at some of these foods and also throw in some fun ideas. So many of you come to me through this web site asking about how to lose weight quickly and there is a lot of tension around the topic because of the pressures you have put on yourself….

But maybe you’re missing the point? If you can’t have fun with healthy eating and exercising your success will really be limited (I also pointed this out in yesterday’s article so make sure you give that a quick read, How to Deal with Workout Boredom & Increase Muscle Tone Today).

Sexy Foods

I did a bit of research online and found this list of healthy foods to be noted as aphrodisiacs

• Honey – full of mind blowing nutrients which help with sex hormones
• Oysters – high zinc content linked with increasing libido
• Garlic – full of a chemical known as allicin, garlic helps increase blood flow
• Figs – for the female pleasure center – one of Cleopatra’s favorite fruits
• Dark Chocolate – for the feel good chemicals they release
• Basil – for the fantastic aroma
• Bananas – full of B vitamins, potassium, and magnesium which is why it’s great for endurance
• Avocado – rich with folic acid and Vitamin B6

And that’s just short list of them. The key here is to have fun with it all, and try different natural unprocessed foods all the time to see how your body reacts as we are all different. You might be surprised as to what you find and if you use some of these to surprise your partner in bed, well…

One more thing you will find as you eat healthier is that your libido and self-confidence will naturally increase. Donuts and chips may be your weakness but do they make you feel sexy? Most likely on the contrary right?

The other part of Healthy Eating

Libido and sex aside, healthy eating is what will give you faster results than just exercise alone. It’s the one part that is the most difficult to overcome because we are constantly being bombarded with advertisements and our brain can be easily fooled by the chemicals foods like that from McDonald’s gives. It might be pleasurable eating it but a couple hours later?

I believe you’re getting the point here, but I want to keep making it better. How about weekend themes like “Mexican” or “Greek” where you try making fresh salsa or chicken souvlaki with greek yogurt and fresh herbs? Focus on the healthy here but make it fun and get a little silly.

Fruits are also super easy to incorporate here because there is such a large variety. Remember those days as a kid when you parents would come home with raspberries or watermelon? Try and catch that excitement again and get creative (many of you loved my Fruit Melon Sorbet Blast recipe).

Can Supplements Help?

This question is definitely a good one, sure natural raw foods are best, but supplements can definitely help. Omega 3′s, whey protein, multi-vitamins, garlic extract, green tea extract…all of these are pretty awesome in allowing you to be at your best, and when you’re at your best you feel and enjoy the most!

Try these:

• Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega
• Optimum 100% NATURAL Whey
• Higher Power Green Tea Extract
• Optimum Opti-Men
• Optimum Opti-Women

So how are you going to make healthy eating fun and maybe even sexy? Please leave a comment below…

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How to Deal with Workout Boredom

If you’re training 4-5 times a week and doing the same routine for months on end, then boredom to your workout routine is inevitable. The problem with boredom is further multiplied because it also sets a physical plateau where you stop seeing results from your workouts.

I recently talked about how to know when to increase your intensity in my article Faster Results with Higher Intensity but is there more than just changing your intenisty or workout all together?

Let’s do a refresher on how to deal with boredom and get you to increase your muscle tone right away…

Bust Boredom & Increase Muscle Tone

Do you agree that you need to bust out of your comfort shell and make things more interesting? The truth is that those most successful with their workout routines are those that realize progress only happens when you challenge yourself with a whole smorgasbord of different exercises.

When was the last time you took a class? Hopefully your gym offers different classes like kickboxing, ab training, core training, or any other variation, but even if it doesn’t I’m sure your local recreation center has something out of the ordinary and inexpensive for you to try at least once!

Truth be told, that most like me are a bit apprehensive in trying these kind of classes, but I had an interesting revelation one day. I watched one of the classes for just a few minutes and then prepared myself to get into the mindset of the challenge of a new adventure. In fact, recently I tried Pilates for the first time and had to laugh the next day because my abs and core were so sore!

In these situations you have to make fun of yourself and just go with the flow. Don’t take things so seriously when it comes to working out, or you are going to dread it eventually and that’s not a path you want to keep taking. Look for the positive and a little silliness won’t hurt anyone!

When you see this positivity you will also begin to see better muscle tone and definition without even realizing how much effort you put into it. Aerobic classes like bootcamps are great for shedding the extra fat, and anytime you begin to struggle just try and laugh at how that exercise is challenging you so much, you thought you were a tough one didn’t you?

Conclusion: How to Deal with Workout Boredom & Increase Muscle Tone Today

Rule to follow? Try adding in a different class or trying a new sport, or even hiking a new path once a month. The joy that this will bring you will not only be in your physical state but will also spill into your mental and emotional state. Your appreciation in challenges is what will give you results beyond your expectations. Of course, these variations in your exercises are only half the battle so tomorrow I will follow-up this article with how to add some fun into your diet plan. This is good….

How have you or will you add fun to your workout plan? Please leave a comment below so we can all think of new exercises to try!

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Faster Results with Higher Intensity

Beach season is around the corner and it’s time to really dig deep and push yourself to the next level. But the question may be, what’s the best way to get to the next level, and how do I get there as fast as possible?

Well there is a risky way or a smart way to do this. Some may think we can just jump to an advanced resistance training workout, or an advanced cardio class to accelerate our results. But is this the smart way?

Jumping two steps forward may actually take you four steps back. The problem with jumping ahead to a workout that is too advanced for you is that it makes you highly susceptible to injury. I know, I know, this seems like it will really be a test of your patience right?!

Think of it this way. By moving up your level of intensity gradually you allow your joints and tendons the time to strengthen and prepare for greater intensities ahead. This is a pretty serious and common problem. Many rush this part and push their body beyond the safe level and that’s why back, knee and shoulder injuries affect over 70% of people who workout. These kind of injuries can not only set you back several weeks but can also become life-long issues if not dealt with properly.

So how do you know what is the right intensity for you? There are a couple guidelines to go by.

Firstly, if you’re a beginner or getting back into the swing of things then pushing yourself to the max is not a great idea. Instead, it’s important to go a little shy of this to allow your body to physically adapt and strengthen. Give your body at least 3-4 weeks for the adaptation phase to whatever exercise you are doing. If weight training is the focus here then say your max rep count is 10. The 9th and 10th rep should be pretty difficult but not impossible.

On the other hand, what if you’re in the intermediate to advanced level (having worked out for at least 2-3 months consecutively)? In this scenario, you want to keep doing your best at outdoing your previous workout. If you’re aiming for 10 reps, then the 10th one should be almost impossible to complete.

Regardless of your level there is one more factor which can indicate how intense you should be working out. This is the soreness rule (where we’re referring to Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). For most people, 24-48 hours after their workout they are quite sore, but by 72 hours their affected body part has healed and is ready for high intensity workouts again. If you notice that after 72 hours you are still too sore you know that you have over-stepped your intensity level.

One thing to keep in mind with all of this is that increasing intensity does not necessarily mean just increasing the weight, or the duration of the exercise. Intensity can also be implemented by adding in variations to each exercise. For instance, if you always do bicep curls with dumbbells while you’re standing up, trying them on an incline bench or even doing them while balancing on a bosu ball can be a great challenge! This variation is what gives you the real edge!

For the best results, also remember to switch up your routine every 6-8 weeks. Your body has the incredible ability to adapt to any stress you place on it, and your regular workout routine will become quite stale after about 6 weeks. Get faster results by switching it up and you’ll also keep it more interesting which will help fuel your motivation. (Hint: You can go to the workouts and training section of this website to look for a variety of training plans for both women and men, and I’m adding more all the time!).

Supplements to Increase Your Intensity

No matter how much I tell my clients that patience and strict diet is key, many still want to try supplements to help them increase their intensity and give them a little faster results. Remember my point above about taking things a step at a time but here are the top selling and most reputable supplements when it comes to increasing workout intensity:

• Beast Sports Nutrition 2Shredded
• Super Charge Xtreme
• Thermoloid
• USPlabs OxyELITE Pro

Have any questions about getting faster results with higher intensity? Please leave a comment below…

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3 Easy Tips to Less Fat & More Muscle in 5 Days

Recently I’ve stumbled across 3 pretty cool tips that have helped my clients and I lose fat and gain muscle really quickly…actually in as quick as 5 days! I couldn’t wait to share this with you because they are simply so easy to implement.

One thing before I get into this, you will see best results with this if you are making at least some effort in cutting back on the processed and junk foods you are eating. The problem with processed and junk foods is that they are quintessentially less nutrient rich than raw natural foods like fruit, veggies, and even fresh lean meats like fish. Replace at least one processed food each day with one fresh natural food and these tips will be amplified considerably.

Do I have your interest? Now on to to the 3 easy tips…

Less Fat & More Muscle Easy Tip #1

I’ll start with the best one, because it’s pretty awesome. Hopefully it’s obvious from reading any of my article that whey protein powder smoothies are a no-brainer when it comes to your efforts with increasing your muscle mass and reducing your body fat levels by reducing your appetite for junk food.

But what if you are really trying to watch your calorie intake or even have the slightest sensitivity to lactose (milk products) and want to try something else?

Well, I recently have been experimenting with branch chained amino acids (aka BCAA’s). And was absolutely blown away with the difference it was making for fat loss and muscle production.

BCAA’s provide our muscles with the amino acids they need to recover and grow (similar to whey protein). In fact BCAA’s compose about 35% of your total muscle mass and are essential for any muscle growth to occur, especially if you are exercising.

Over the past few years I had heard a lot of about a specific product which had one a number of awards (Glutamine Supplement of the Year 2008, Recovery Supplement of the Year 2009), it is called Scivation Xtend. The cool thing about this product is that it comes in some really tasty flavours (Apple, Raspberry, Grape, Lemonade, Orange & my favorite Watermelon), but it is also zero calories! Mix it with some water, ice and even some fresh berries and garnish with a fresh mint and you have one killer low calorie muscle producing drink that is good for you in so many different ways. Here is the link for the lowest price and my most trusted source – Scivation Xtend at BodyBuilding.com.

Less Fat & More Muscle Easy Tip #2

Green tea is another great drink to help you reduce your body fat and it has the added benefits of anti-oxidants which help fight damage by free radicals from our environment. Unfortunately, green tea also has caffeine and can disrupt your sleep if you have it late in the evening. So what’s the next best alternative?

Water sounds boring doesn’t it? I know, I’m definitely in the same boat as you! But what if we super-power our water. This is pretty easy. Try making a liter pitcher of water with fresh juice of half a lime, and throw in some slices of fresh cucumber. Now we have the antioxidant benefit of Vitamin C from the lime and cucumber plus some other vitamins and minerals which can help with the digestion of our food as we sleep.

How else is this beneficial? Water helps curb night cravings and is extremely important to help flush out all the toxins in our body and keep our muscles fully nourished. This ultimately equates to less fat. Not convinced? Try it for 5 days in a row and you’ll be surprised!

Less Fat & More Muscle Easy Tip #3

If you find that you are tired a lot and have some weight gain that you can’t rid of then it is possible that you have a thyroid hormone deficiency (aka Hypothyroidism). Although statistically 3% of the general population has this condition it is something that researchers are finding to become more and more common, likely cause from environmental pollution. So, how can we make sure our body has optimal thyroid support?

This is a significant one. Vitamin B’s are especially important for the enzyme that make thyroid hormone and what’s more fascinating is that these vitamins are also involved in the metabolism of every cell in the body (affecting DNA synthesis and regulation). In this scenario Vitamin B12 is the most important, and we can find it only in foods that come from animals including fish, meat and poultry. This makes it especially a concern for vegetarians, but even for people who eat meat, one breast of chicken only contains 6% of one’s daily requirements.

So Vitamin B’s help not only with our thyroid, but also with fat burning and even for muscle production and I’ve found supplementing with it has particularly increased my energy levels, reduced body fat and increased muscle tone. The one I like the most is from Optimum Nutrition, here is the link – Optimum Stress B-Complex + Vitamin C.

3 Easy Tips to Less Fat & More Muscle in 5 Days: Conclusion

Try combining these 3 tips together along with the replacement of one processed food with a fresh raw natural fruit or vegetable in watch the results you get in as quick as 5 days. I’ll be quite surprised if you aren’t as impressed as my clients and I am, but I’d love to continue hearing your feedback on this. Have any questions or feedback? Please leave a comment below…

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Weight Loss Tips: Psychology to Success

What makes someone have the ability to succeed with their weight loss goals for life, and what causes failure for others? That is the question health and sports psychologists are continuing to research and explore even today.

So have you asked yourself what is holding you back? Last week in my article Weight Loss Tips: Goal Setting I talked about this extensively and went deep into motivation and goal setting, but I believe that everyone is different and what’s holding you back may be completely different from someone else.

So let’s get into the psychology a little deeper…

Weight Loss Tips: Belief

I want to paint a picture that you can reference and hopefully connect with at some level. Sports psychologists know very well that athletes who have the most belief in their ability to succeed are the ones who perform better and in fact win the gold medals. Not allowing themselves even a split second of doubt or a hundredth of a second to slow down in any way is what pushes them over the edge to completely annihilate their competition.

This is interesting isn’t it? If only us ordinary people could have that much determination and belief, how much could we succeed not only with our fat loss efforts but also in every other aspect of our lives. So where do we start to achieve such determination?

Well the factors which are holding us back includes the voice in our head, however disguised it may be, that “I’m not good enough” or “I don’t deserve it”. This is what kills our healthy eating and exercising plan. No matter how clear your goals are, this is the voice we need to kill. We need to replace it with the positive affirmation voice.

Sounds cheesy? Yes, I know, but maybe we aren’t as complicated as we think to be! The laws of physics at the quantum level dictate this and are what have made the two hits “What the Bleep do We Know?” and “The Secret” so fascinating and revealing.

In other words, if we work harder at changing our psychology to focus on the positive and on the now, “what positive health choices you made today” then the universe will only nourish this and give you even more positivity.

So here is where the challenge arises, and I’ll be honest, from my experience even the most accomplished and successful in the health industry are always focused on overcoming these challenges.

Weight Loss Tips: Psychology to Success Conclusion

The above mentioned is such a deep rabbit hole, and it will take you a ton of energy to put in place. The point is that you take responsibility, you work on eliminating your self-doubt and focus on the positive every single day, or every single hour, or actually every single minute. Starting from a place of being grateful for what you have is a good angle and then reminding yourself of your accomplishments. It’s not going to be easy but knowing that you are not alone in this challenge and asking your friends and family to also help you change the paradigm to brightness is what will make the difference.

What will you do, or already do every day to make sure you have the psychology to succeed? Leaving a comment below will solidify this success…

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Immune System Booster

As we transition into summer viruses are running rampant trying to survive through the summer by infecting as many people as they can. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) North America is seeing a pretty large rise in the seasonal cold virus during this time of year and millions are missing at least 2-3 days of work at any one time.

You should probably be asking why this time of year is especially bad? Is it just the weather or is there another link?

Well without a doubt May weather is usually rainy and stormy in most parts of North America and when most people are indoors viruses have the greatest ability to spread. But is there more to this puzzle?

Well for most the several months before May there is a culmination of stress factors from work, school, and social relationships…and with stress our immune system is seriously compromised.

With this in mind we want to boost our immune system as much as we can so what measures should we take?

The Ultimate Immune System Booster

Let’s put together an ultimate immune system booster package to make sure our bodies can fight the seriously negative side effects of infections from viruses and bacteria.

Obviously sleep plays a major role in our ability to recover from the days stress, so we must do whatever we can to have a good nights sleep reaching the 8 hour mark. The less sleep we have the less time we give our system to flush out the toxins and regenerate damaged cells.

If you find you are having trouble sleeping the most natural supplements to help without causing addiction include Melatonin and Valerian root extract. Numerous double blind studies have found that both Melatonin and Valerian extract help people fall asleep quicker, reduce the number of awakenings during the night and improve the overall quality of sleep. Two of the most trusted brands include Optimum Melatonin and NOW Valerian Root.

What about fruits like oranges and berries? You bet, citrus fruits and berries are high in the antioxidant Vitamin C which help prevent our cells from being damaged by bacteria, viruses and environmental toxins. A great start to your day is to include a fruit smoothie protein drink which will give your immune system a boost for the rest of the day. I like to add some vanilla whey protein, a couple tablespoons vanilla yogurt, 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup water, some ice cubes and frozen berries. Yum! (I use Optimum 100% NATURAL Whey because it mixes really well and tastes great).

Boost some more? You can take your fruit smoothie shake and add a little of the amino acid L-Glutamine. Glutamine is an amino acid that is in high demand by our bodies because it used by our muscles to recover and also extensively by our immune system to maintain optimal performance. Again one of the most respected brands is Optimum Glutamine Powder.

Immune System Booster Conclusion

With exercise, work and other dynamics our immune system is easily compromised during many parts of the year, and if you are finding yourself dragging your butt a lot then you know that you need a immune system boost. Follow the tips above – sleep, fruits and antioxidants, plus glutamine and you are going to do your best at preventing or quickly fighting off a cold.

Have any questions or other ideas on how you to boost your immune system? Please leave a comment below…

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D.O.M.S. – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

In case you have ever asked the question, “why do we get sore muscles” then you probably have heard of D.O.M.S. DOMS stands for delayed onset muscle soreness and is the dull pain we get in our muscles after exercising.

Usually DOMS comes into play within 24-72 hours and you feel a very stiff feeling in the affected muscle plus pain that can sometimes be very debilitating.

So with this in mind what can we do to reduce the pain we get from DOMS?

DOMS – Prevention

Since DOMS is occurring because of damage to our muscle tissue, we want to make sure that we provide our muscles with adequate vitamins and minerals from a healthy balanced diet. But can we get a little more specific here?

Well our muscles are mostly composed of protein and water, and the fuel for our muscles include carbohydrates plus electrolytes such as sodium and potassium, so knowing this is a good start! In other words, it is really important to have lots of protein in our diet, hopefully from lean meats such as fish, chicken, beef as well as beans and legumes.

Of course, I would also advise with supplementing with whey protein powder because whey is easily digested and provides all the essential amino acids our muscle require to recover and grow. One of my favorite protein powders today is Gaspari Nutrition’s Myofusion – the chocolate milk flavour is absolutely killer (here is the link – Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion)!

Now if we’re looking pre-workout a protein meal about 2hours before exercising is best to allow time for digestion. Post-workout, having protein and carbohydrates, such a fruit smoothie protein drink would be best within 30 minutes after stopping exercising as this is when researchers have found our muscles have maximum absorbing ability. If you want more info on these topics please read my articles: Pre Workout Energy Foods & Post Workout Nutrition.

Further methods of preventing DOMS includes a good warm up before doing any intensive exercise. The warm-up should be adequate enough if you have a light sweat going, so get on a treadmill for at least 5 minutes especially if you are doing any weight training exercise. It is also recommended that you relax your muscles at the end of your workout by including some active stretching holding positions for at least 30 seconds.

DOMS – Treatment

So what do you do when you are trying to deal with sore muscles? Well one of the best and most trusted natural supplements is Glutamine which is an amino acid that is focused on protein metabolism, in other words allowing our dietary protein to be processed and used to repair our damaged muscle tissues. The brand that I recommend the most is ALLmax Nutrition’s Glutamine since it is extremely affordable and has no additives (here is the link – ALLmax Nutrition’s Glutamine)!

Further to that, increasing blood flow to the muscles is a great idea so that nutrients can be sent to the damaged area and waste products can be removed. Heat is great for this as is massage therapy and even Yoga. If you want to include another natural supplement to help with this, Creatine is the most respected which almost all competitive athletes include in their dietary regimen. Creatine causes some water retention in the in muscles, and the more water there is there the more successful our muscles are in recovering. This creatine complex is one of the hottest products in the market because it is quick to absorb by our muscles – Beast Sports Nutrition CREATure.

DOMS – Conclusion

This article should be a great reference point for you anytime you get delayed onset muscle soreness! Remember you need a good diet plan with smart pre and post workout nutrition and if sore muscles is especially a problem for you the aforementioned supplements (Whey Protein, Glutamine & Creatine) are all natural, highly researched and widely used. Some rest and relaxation is also of course a good idea especially if your training has been particularly intense, remember to have at least one day off from the gym a week!

Have any questions or feedback about D.O.M.S. – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness? Please leave a comment below…

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Weight Loss Plateau: The Break Through

You may have found some pretty consistent results by training and eating healthier, but after a while you start to see a plateau with your efforts and you’re wondering what you can do to make things rev up again. If this sounds at least a little like you then you are in the weight loss plateau level which pretty much every man and woman reach at some point in their training sessions.

So what are the reasons for this happening? Maybe if we analyze this it will allow us to make another break through?

Weight Loss Plateau: The Reasons

Portion Size: This is a tough one to gage, how do you know how much you should be eating? Well the answer isn’t that easy since everyone has different energy expenditure during the day.

Let’s look at it this way though, just before you feel full stop eating and leave part of your food on plate. Have a glass of water or even a glass of red wine. After a few minutes do you feel full? I’ve tried this so many times and have been surprised to see that I actually was full before I finished the rest of my plate.

You’ve probably heard it before but this is because our stomach has a delay in telling our brain that it is full and we should stop eating. Try this out and see how you feel, you know your body best and can test smaller portion sizes for a week to see how your body fat reacts to this.

Workout Routine: Your missing sessions more regularly each week here. Are you feeling bored with it all, or are you making excuses? Sometimes we just need a change of scenery, and a cool trick I found was just dropping into another local gym. Sure there is a drop-in fee but it’s a great way to really switch things up if you have been going to the same gym month after month.

On the other hand if you are training at home, switch it up and get outside and try something you haven’t done before. There are bootcamp classes, running & hiking groups and even kayaking groups in pretty much every city. Mother nature is golden when it comes to reducing stress and helping us break a boring stagnant routine simply because weather is almost always different!

Cheat Days: I’m a big advocate of taking the pressure of a diet plan in allowing yourself a cheat day or two each week. This really reduces the pressure and allows us to work hard during the week and have more fun on the weekends. However, this can easily get out of hand, even I can attest to that! Make sure you are a little more diligent here and have your radar totally on especially on those weeks where you looked in the mirror and were not happy with the flabby belly looking back at you.

Weight Loss Plateau: Most Important Natural Supplement

The benefits of whey protein for fat loss and muscle gain is without a doubt proven over and over again, and if you’re not including it then you are definitely leaving something big out of the puzzle. I like to store lots of different flavours of whey protein in my place and use these as my healthy snacks. In my opinion on of the best tasting whey proteins in the market is Gasapari Nutrition MyoFusion which includes the enzyme lactase to help those who are lactose intolerant. It comes in a Milk chocolate flavour which tastes exactly like the real thing, but it’s also full of vitamins, amino acids, and even fat burning CLA from sunflower & flaxseed and it is very low in the carbs. The Delicious Vanilla flavour is awesome too, blend it with some ice, water and fruit and you have a nice creamy fruit smoothie drink.

Weight Loss Plateau: Conclusion

This article was fun to write because it even reminded me of something that often go under the radar and can stop all of us from breaking through. Remember, portion size, variation in your workout routine and being smart on your cheat days and all these things will make that difference to overcome that frustration you have been experiencing.

What change will you make to break through your weight loss plateau? Put it in action by leaving a comment below…

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30 Minute Workout Plan

A lot of times lately you’ve probably been quite busy trying to manage work, family and social life so throwing in a workout may seem next to impossible. Well, we’re always trying to eliminate excuses and keep our motivation high so how about we look at a killer 30 minute total body workout which will activate all your muscles and have you burning fat for hours after your workout?

Best of all all you need for this workout is a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells (here is a link for some very affordable ones – Kettlebells with free shipping) and a stability ball (here is a link for one under $10 – Stability Ball).

Remember you want to go high intensity and have little rest between the sets to really get your heart rate up and get you sweating. Ready for this? Let’s go…

30 Minute Workout Plan

We always need a good warm up to get your joints and ligaments ready for the intensity ahead so start off with 5 minutes of jumping rope or doing jumping jacks (alternatively you can do a quick 5 minute jog!).

Ok now with the exercises. We’re going to do a circuit training routine which means 5 exercises one after each other with very little rest between exercises.

Exercise #1: 12 push-ups. You can add any variety to this, hand close together, hands far apart, hands on a swiss ball or even on a stability ball. ( view photo here )

Exercise #2: 15 crunches on a stability ball. Remember to prevent placing strain on your neck by keeping distance between neck and chin the same throughout the movement. ( view photo here )

Exercise #3: 10 reps deadlift with kettlebells (or dumbbells). Keep a natural arch in your back and feet shoulder width apart, lower slowly and use your hips to raise back up. ( view photo here )

Exercise #4: 10 reps squat and press. Start standing and holding kettlebells on your sides. Squat down until thighs are parallel to ground, then raise up and press the kettlebells up. Keep your core tight. ( view photo here )

Exercise #5: 10 reps dumbbell/kettlebell curls. Let’s tone those arms a little more with some dumbbell curls, bringing the weights up nice and slowly while keeping your elbows in. ( view photo here )

That is one set. Rest 30-60 seconds and complete two more sets.

30 Minute Workout Plan: Conclusion

Now you have a killer 30 minute workout which targets your arms, lower back, legs, chest and abs all in one session. Save this workout and definitely print it out so you can refer to it when time is short! Get your sweat going and feel free to add variations such as doing them in different order or adding in ab crunches between exercises to really get your core stronger.

Have any questions or feedback about this 30 minute Workout Plan? Please leave a comment below…

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Weight Loss Motivation Tips: Goal Setting

It’s that time of year when motivation is really beginning to lack and you know this to be the case because the large crowds which were filling your gym in the earlier months of the year have definitely died down.

You can have all the best intentions and the voice in the back of your head screaming to keep it up and continue to push through but sometimes life just gets in the way and the all the stresses prevent you from staying on track. If this or at least part of it sounds like something you can relate with then you are not alone and this article is a friendly boost to help you reach your goals…

In fact, goal setting is the highlight of this article, but there is something that we should first clarify…

Weight Loss Motivation Tips: Defining Motivation

What the heck is motivation anyway? Maybe if we define it and think about it with a little more depth, that alone will shine a new perspective on this entire matter.

According to Wikipedia, motivation is the energization of a goal orientated behaviour which is rooted in the basic need to minimize pain and maximize pleasure. Wow, read that sentence again and think about it in the perspective of weight loss or weight training.

Are you wanting to lose weight or build muscles to have a better appearance in your bathing suit? Or are you exercising and eating healthy because it makes you feel good about yourself?

This type of questioning is really the key to achieving success with your goals particularly if you can take your ego out of it. In other words, instead of just being about a rocking body focusing on the health benefits – how exercise and eating healthy can benefit you in preventing you from getting diseases (especially of the heart, plus others like cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis), having a better sex life, being able to think more clearly and have excellent memory.

So when setting up your goal you will want to continue to ask these questions…

Weight Loss Motivation Tips: Goal Setting

Now goal setting is the other part of the puzzle which will allow you to maintain motivation and succeed. You can now outline your goals by keeping the above in mind and then asking these questions:

Why do you want to eat healthier?
Why do you want to exercise more?
Why do you want to lose weight?
Why do you want to increase your muscle mass to fat ratio? (i.e. reduce fat and increase muscle)

With these answers you can now clearly define your goals, but there are some tips you should also remember. Be very specific with your goals, be positive, and be realistic too. Write these down. Some examples include:

“I will eat 5 smaller meals throughout the day spaced 2-2.5 hours apart.”

“I will exercise Monday through Saturday and take Wednesdays and Sundays to do house cleaning and light walking as my form of exercise.”

Weight Loss Motivation Tips: Conclusion

Hopefully you had an “Aha” moment with this article and are ready now to use this wisdom to benefit you and your family when it comes to exercise and healthy eating. Remember we can always keep improving and challenging ourselves with how we exercise and how creative we get with our healthy eating, and in the end if you are not focusing on the benefits and the joy that this is giving you then you are not going to get out of it as much as you can be.

Now I’d like to ask you to leave a comment below letting me and all the great readers of this blog know at least one of your goals with this new mindset…

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Can Vegetarians Build Muscle Easily?

Not everyone wants to eat meat in their life. There is nothing wrong with that – some people just have different beliefs or opinions on the subject. But, if you don’t eat meat, does that mean that you can’t achieve the physique you want?

Vegetarians can do the same thing meat eaters can do in terms of their physique. Sure, it may be harder and take a lot more planning, but with the right knowledge and willpower, anything is possible.

The main area you are going to have to watch is the protein intake. With meat being the main source of protein in most peoples diet, it will be essential for the vegetarian to find another source so they can meet their daily needs. Most vegetarians get their protein from bean and legume based products, like tofu, or just straight beans or lentils.

If you can eat dairy products and eggs, getting your protein will be a lot easier. Whether you are a vegetarian or not, eggs are a great source of protein, are easy to cook, and you can make a lot of different egg combinations with a variety of spices. Similarly, milk is another great protein source, and you can always get whey powder (which is dervied from dairy) to meet all your daily amino acid, vitamin D and calcium needs.

Your fats can come from things like avocados, various oils, and nuts. Getting the required amount of fats on a vegetarian diet is generally not that difficult.

Same thing with carbs – there are so many vegetarian carb sources available that you wont even have to worry about this.

If you choose to be a vegetarian, you can still achieve your physique based goals. There are a whole variety of foods available that you would have probably never thought of that can fulfill your macronutrient requirements with ease. Just plan ahead, stick with it, and you will be a winner!

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What you need to know about Ultimate Nutrition Anti-Oxidant

Ultimate Nutrition Anti-Oxidant provides your cells and tissues an additional layer of protection against free radicals, which are produced by intense exercise. These free radicals can damage muscles and cause muscle pain for days after your workout, which obviously hurts your training routine.

This vitamin and mineral blend from Ultimate Nutrition contains Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Zinc, Beta-carotene, Cysteine, Glutathione, and Selenium to help oxidize free radicals and neutralize potential muscle damage.

Your natural metabolism can create excess free radicals, so it’s important to neutralize these so you can reach your athletic potential.

While it’s a great dietary supplement for everyone, it’s particularly beneficial for anyone who:

• Works out often or has a physical job
• Is exposed to pollution or cigarette smoke (i.e. bartenders, factory workers, residents of big cities, etc.)
• Doesn’t have many fruit or veggies each day

Ultimate Nutrition Anti-Oxidant has been proven to:

• It stimulates and maintains cartilage, bones, and teeth
• Prevents lung oxidation through nitrogen dioxide and ozone (two primary components of air pollution)
• Eliminates toxins from your central nervous and immune systems

As with all health supplements, there are a few issues worth mentioning:

• Does not directly help increase muscle mass or strength gain
• Should be combined with other dietary supplements for additional vitamins and minerals
• Caplets are fairly large, can be hard to swallow for some people

Some common misspellings include :

• Ultimate Nutrition Anti-Oxidant
• Ultimate Nurtition Anti-Oxidant
• Ultimate Nutrition Antioxidant

As a dietary supplement Ultimate Nutrition Anti-Oxidant is very effective, but needs to be stacked with muscle or weight gainers to achieve your optimal workout results. At 50 caplets per bottle for $10.49, you will be hard pressed to find a better value out there Get the best price on Ultimate Nutrition Anti-Oxidant Today!

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Post Injury Training

There is no doubt that there is a good chance you will experience sports or exercise related injuries at some time in your career.

The harder you work out and the more you push yourself, the more likely you are to get an injury. Even with the best warm-ups and preparation, injuries still happen.

What is sometimes more frustrating than an injury, though, is deciding when it is time to come back and start training again. Most people don’t like being out of action for very long, but if you come back too soon, you risk getting injured again or even making it worse.

The main thing you should do is listen to your doctor. More often then not, they have probably seen thousands of injuries just like yours, and they know how long it takes to heal. Too many people don’t trust their doctor, and think they can magically heal faster than everyone else. The truth is, your doctor probably knows best, and if you don’t listen to them, you will probably get hurt again.

But, you still have to go with how you feel. It is not a good idea to start training hard again right after an injury, but it may be a good idea to rehab it with some light exercises or stretching. As long as you don’t push too hard, you should not do any more damage and you should be able to help the healing process.

No matter what you do, don’t be one of those people who start training too soon after an injury. Taking another week off is so much better than rushing back and aggravating an injury or turning it into something that will be with you for a while.

And remember, anytime after injury: RICE – rest, ice, compress and elevate!

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Ashton Kutcher Workout

You’ve probably noticed Ashton Kutcher has been working out a lot and now he is featured in a movie called “Killers” where he plays a James Bond type of character kicking lots of ass.

He has been training hard for this role and not much has been revealed about his workouts and exercise plan but as a health coach and trainer I am going to devise you a pretty intense workout which has a bit of a twist.

The objective of this workout is to shed the excess fat you may have gained over the winter months and really get you toned up and beach-ready for this summer.

Let’s jump right in…

Ashton Kutcher Workout Routine

Because this is a toning up and defining workout we are going to go quick and steady with the aim of hitting 12 repetitions and 3 sets.

The twist with this workout is that instead of the usual cardio routine with a treadmill we are going to include swimming laps. Hopefully you have a swimming pool nearby, if not let’s keep the twist and include a cardio routine that involves jumping rope, more details ahead…

Monday Workout: Chest and Triceps
Bench Press ( refer to photo here )
Dips ( refer to photo here )
Cable Crossovers ( refer to photo here )
Seated Triceps Press ( refer to photo here )
Incline Bench Press ( refer to photo here )
Cable Rope Overhead Triceps Extension ( refer to photo here )

Tuesday Workout: Cardio
10 laps Front Crawl
10 laps Breast Stroke
10 laps Back Crawl
10 laps Side Stroke
10 laps Back Stroke

We’ve got 50 laps here and the goal is to try and do them as continuous as possible, but obviously when you start with this routine you may find it a little challenging at first.

No swimming pool? Try a 30 minute session of jumping rope and doing as many variations as possible. Great idea to include double jumps and cross-overs with your arms to really get a wicked burn.

Wednesday Rest Day:

This is your rest day. Your goal here is to eat plenty of veggies/fruit and whey protein powder to help replenish your muscles. I’d recommend a lean whey protein powder which has less than 5grams of carbohydrates per serving such as: Cellucor IsoPro Ultra Lean.

Thursday Workout: Back & Biceps
Barbell Curls ( refer to photo here )
Lat Pulldowns ( refer to photo here )
Cable Hammer Curls ( refer to photo here )
Chin Ups ( refer to photo here )
Dumbbell Curls ( refer to photo here )
One Arm Dumbbell Rows ( refer to photo here )

Friday Workout: Shoulders & Legs
Seated Military Press ( refer to photo here )
Barbell Squats ( refer to photo here )
Dumbbell Lateral Raise ( refer to photo here )
Leg Press ( refer to photo here )
Seated Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise ( refer to photo here )
Seated Leg Curls ( refer to photo here )

Saturday Workout: Cardio
Repeat Tuesday’s Cardio Workout

Sunday: Rest Day

Another rest day here, this is a great day to have your cheat day where you relax a little with your diet. Really enjoy what you eat and don’t go overboard or you’ll kill your results.

Supplements to Get Lean like Ashton Kutcher:

• Whey Protein for lean muscle development (Try this: Optimum Natural Pro Complex Protein)
• Thermogenic fat burner for definition (Try this: Cellucor D4 Thermal Shock)
• Glutamine for immunity and muscle recovery (Try this: Higher Power Glutamine AKG)
• NO for energy and performance igniter (Try this: BSN NO-Xplode NT)

Ashton Kutcher Workout: Conclusion

This is a pretty intense workout and if you’re starting out you should build up to this by beginning with fewer exercises and more rest days. Once you’ve got on route with the entire plan expect to see some pretty quick results within 4-6 weeks. Remember diet is a key component to getting lean so focus on lots of whey protein powder and you may want to check out the numerous healthy men’s recipes for breakfast/lunch/dinner in this article – Workout Plan for Men – Surprise Update.

Have any questions or feedback about the Ashton Kutcher workout routine? Please leave a comment below…

Disclaimer: This workout routine is in no way associated or endorsed by Ashton Kutcher. It is only a simulated routine that is developed to provide similar results.

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Is Creatine Safe?

Hopefully you have heard a lot about the benefits of Creatine (Monohydrate) which is one of the most used and recommended supplements in the health field. However, the question you may still have for yourself… “Is Creatine Safe?”

There is a lot of hype and misinformation about creatine, but this article will give you a quick overview of it’s safety and how it can benefit all of us when it comes to resistance and weight training.

Creatine Defined

You may be asking what Creatine is anyway? Well it’s a naturally occurring compound in our bodies which helps with our energy cycle by helping transport phosphate molecules to form ATP (also known as energy). It is formed in the kidney and liver from amino acids and is mostly stored in our muscles.

We obtain most of our Creatine from eating meats so vegetarians are generally found to lack Creatine in their muscles unless they are supplementing with it.

How Can Creatine Help Us?

The benefits of Creatine are pretty impressive, and it is one of the most tested supplements in the industry having a very long history of extensive testing through double blind studies (dating as far back as 1912!). So how can it help us anyway?

Well the studies show that Creatine supplementation can help boost maximum performance and especially power in high-intensity exercises. Instead of going deep into confusing scientific terms here the benefit shines by allowing us to push through one or more repetitions of an exercise, or go just a little faster and a little further in a maximum sprint situation.

The great thing about this is that pushing through one more rep is exactly what we need to increase muscle strength and size. And you know what goes hand-in-hand with increased muscle density…we also burn more calories at rest and the result is lower body fat percentages if we continue to improve each week.

Because of that mentioned above, I honestly believe that whether your male or female, if you’re looking to improve your performance and reduce body fat while increasing muscle mass then Creatine is without a doubt one of the most effective supplements in the market.

Are There Any Side Effects with Creatine Supplementation?

Long term studies show no adverse effects with Creatine supplementation. In fact, because of it’s nature, it is one of the only supplements that is not banned by any sport, even at the Olympic level!

Some individuals claim that Creatine causes a bloating feeling but this is actually a good thing. What is occurring here is that the Creatine is causing your muscles to store a little excess water to help with the transport of energy and nutrients to the muscles which not only helps with performance but also with muscle recovery.

How to Use Creatine Effectively

There are numerous varieties of Creatine in the market, but the key thing to remember is that Creatine in essence can only really do one thing…provide phosphates to ADP to form energy (ATP). You know your body best and can make an educated decision on what varieties work best for you, but it is scientifically proven that a loading phase is essential with Creatine (so your body adapts and stores the Creatine in muscle to use next time you exercise).

If you are taking Creatine Monohydrate in it’s raw form, then it takes about a week of supplementing with 20 grams a day for your muscles to really absorb and store enough to show performance enhancement. Then maintaining with 3-5 grams a day is the best way to go. After 2-3 months it is really important to remember to stop taking Creatine for at least 2 weeks in order to reset the response mechanism of your muscles.

Most Recommended Creatine Supplements

I’ve found two Creatine supplements to provide the most impressive results – Gaspari Nutrition SuperPump 250 and USLabs Jack3d.

If you’re looking for pure creatine monohydrate and want to save money then the top 3 are: Higher Power Micronized Creatine, Optimum Micronized Creatine Powder and AST Micronized Creatine.

Conclusion: Is Creatine Safe?

Without a doubt Creatine is one of the most effective and safest natural performance enhancing supplements in the market and is usually recommended for athletes of any sport. Increased muscle power, muscle size and definition are all benefits of Creatine by allowing you to push through that extra rep or two when you’re working with weights and this is what is essential to continue to provide you results as you train.

Whether you are male or female, blow past any kind of plateau and remember to concentrate on this extra strength when you are working out and I’m sure you’ll find Creatine to be a highly valuable natural supplement which will be part of your daily routine.

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

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Weight Loss Tips: Is It Really All About Weight?

I’ll be completely frank with you, the #1 question I always get over and over again is that “I’ve been working out and dieting but I am actually getting heavier! What gives?”. Well this question is not without merit…

The marketing angle of so many “weight loss” products and programs is that you achieve success by losing weight on a scale simply because it is the easiest thing to measure. However, in my humble opinion this is the worst measure of your health possible! Why?

There are a number of reasons why most health experts and I believe the focus should not be on the weight because that simply is a trap for failure…

Fact #1: The More Muscle You Have the Heavier You Will Be

Obviously one pound of fat weighs the same as one pound of muscle, but if you are looking at two people who weigh 150lbs and one is 12% body fat and the other is 26% body fat who would you say is the healthier one?

With that said I don’t want you to get obsessed with body fat compositions either. One thing that was startling during my education in Kinesiology is that most body fat measuring devices have an error percent of +/- 8-12%! In other words, the device can tell you that you have 10% body fat when in actuality you have 22%!

Forget all these numbers they simply will lead you down the wrong path. You may be exercising and eating healthy but noticing that your weight is actually going up simply because you are gaining more muscle than you are losing fat. Let’s change this focus…

Fact #2: Focusing on Positive Is Always Better

The best and most effective advice I give all my clients is that you are much more likely to succeed if you focus on the positive.

In this case, the positive is how good you feel after your workout (Ok, well maybe after you have showered after your workout!). The same goes for how good you feel at the end of a day where you have ate super healthy.

Try and change your outlook on this and everything will change for the better, I guarantee it. This directly relates to my next point…

Fact #3: Psychology is Everything When it Comes to Health

Have you ever asked yourself why it is that you break down and eat processed, fatty junk foods? Are these foods giving you any nutritional benefit or enhancing the way you feel about yourself? Are you eating simply because you are bored? How can you replace these junk foods with healthy and tasty alternatives?

Think healthy food can’t be tasty?

Seriously? Come on, it’s the year 2010 and this excuse just doesn’t fly anymore!! Not with the variety of goods we can find at all the local supermarkets and grocery stores.

It’s time to take control and educate yourself with healthy recipe ideas, you can check out the healthy recipes section of this site or find a number of healthy cookbooks from Amazon.com for under $20.

I’ll be honest with you, if you keep pushing yourself to learn more about healthy recipes the more you will enjoy healthy food. I like chocolate, ice cream, and chips as much as the next person but ask any of my friends and they’ll tell you how surprised they are by how good my healthy dinners are so delicious!

Take a few weeks and experiment, buy tons of different spices and herbs, make fresh salsa and low fat salad dressings and you’ll be really happy you made the effort.

Conclusion: Weight Loss Tips – Is It Really All About Weight?

I hope you appreciate my frankess with you here. Focus on the awesome feeling you get after a killer workout and after eating a yummy healthy meal and just have fun with it all. This is the path to success with your health and you shouldn’t let anything get in your way!

Think there’s more to it then this? Leave a comment below and I’ll be happy to follow up with you!

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