Yes, I’m talking about Essential Fatty Acids or Fish Oil.
As a fitness expert, people always ask me, “What snacks can I eat that will help me lose ‘this’?” When they say “this” they are pointing to some part of their body that has a bit too much fat for their liking.
Now I think some people are waiting for me to say, “Oh, don’t worry, you can eat cookies, chips and candy all you want. Everyone has been lying to you. They actually make you thinner!”
Seriously, people really do want me to tell them what they WANT to hear.
But, fortunately, some people are serious when they ask that question. They really do want to know some healthy snack options for rapid fat loss.
So here’s what I tell them:
Raw almonds, walnuts or pecans (Not the roasted variety. And don’t even think about the ones with sugar sprinkled on them!)
Fruit or veggies cut up into sticks (Stay away from dipping them into things you know you shouldn’t)
Hard boiled eggs
Low-fat cottage cheese
Hummus
Those are all great options. But if you really want to treat yourself you’ve gotta check out Prograde Cravers. You can find them here Prograde Nutrition
Prograde Cravers are the perfect healthy option to satisfy any craving. Yes, that’s how they got their name!
They’re made with 100% organic dark chocolate. Plus, they’re only 180 calories and they’re out-of-this-world delicious.
Here is a partial list of reasons why someone would get an online trainer instead of a trainer in a gym:
1: While having someone there to take you through routines that you have probably done yourself twelve dozen times might be good, it’s totally unnecessary if you know how to do the routine.
2: Who needs to know that you have a trainer. No one. It’s hard to have any gym cred if you have someone telling you what to do all the time.
3: Trainers tend to spend a lot of their time (and mostly yours) talking to their clients. If you get a good trainer that spends the session actually training you then you have a great trainer.
4: Lifting weights and proper form is not brain surgery. While form is important, the fundamentals can be taught very easily. What really matters is the development of a training program that meets your specific goals.
5: Money, money, money. Why spend thousands of dollars on a trainer when you can get the same or better training online. I guarantee that you will be in better shape and on your way to your fitness goals in no time at all. I’ll even refund your money if you are not satisfied. How many gym trainers offer you that type of guarantee.
6: You train at your own pace and schedule. Late getting to the gym? No problem. You have the training routine and can train on your time.
7: Online training offers the same motivation and fitness education as you would get in a gym. In fact you will receive more information on fitness and meeting your goals than most gym trainers provide.
Don’t get me wrong, I think that training in a gym with a trainer can be very beneficial. I train folks all the time in their homes and in studios. But when they get the fundamentals down, there is no reason why they need me to hold their hand and be there with them. What they need is an experienced trainer to provide direction and guidance.
Try my online training program. You really have nothing to lose but body fat.
5 Mistakes People Make in a Gym
As a personal trainer in Anderson SC working in a gym and training in another gym, I see all kinds of people doing all kinds of things that don’t necessarily benefit them making progress. Here is a list of workout disasters I see on a regular basis:
1. Not varying the workout routine. This I see a lot. People doing the same thing form months at a time. Reminds me of that saying – Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If you don’t change your routine your muscles get used to what you are doing and progress stops. You have to vary your reps and sets and make sure that you change what you are doing at least monthly. If you are an experienced lifter, more than three years of lifting, then you probably need to change up what you are doing every two weeks.
2. Using too much weight and losing form. This is common among those who see themselves as extremely macho and think that the only way to gain muscle is through lifting heavy weight. While it is true you do need to lift heavy for hypertrophy, it’s also true that you can seriously injure yourself lifting too much weight and losing form. If you are struggling lifting a particular weight you might want to consider doing some strength training to help yourself build up to that weight.
3. Using the gym as a social club and not being focused on making progress. It’s good to have a place to hang out and meet with friends. However, if you are looking to make progress you might want to concentrate on your goals. I don’t think you can have a social experience and train at the same time. You have to set your priorities.
4. Too much cardio. If you want to build lean muscle and lose fat doing lots of steady state cardio will not work. When you do cardio for more than 20 minutes your body starts to eat muscle for energy. Lose muscle and your metabolism suffers. Don’t believe me? Look at long distance runners. Very thin almost skeletal like features. Not a bit of muscle on them. Now think of sprinters and short distance runners. Lots of muscle and not a bit of fat. If you want to do cardio, try doing intervals.
5. This is my biggest pet peeve in a gym. Not dressing like you are there to train. Wearing bluejeans or street clothes. And the worse thing of all, wearing crocks. Especially if you are a man. If you wear crocks anywhere, not just in a gym, you might want to run, not walk, to your nearest doctor and get your testosterone levels checked. Not manly and looks ridiculous. Wearing crocks in a gym is truly a sign you are not there for the right reasons. Look the part when you are training. It helps remind you of what you are there for.
Again, being a personal fitness trainer in Anderson SC, I see it all. Mostly what I see is people going to gyms and not making any progress. Sometimes we have got to give up what is comfortable for us to achieve the goals we set for ourselves.
The 3 Biggest Workout Mistakes
Let’s face it, when you are training you work hard. Right?
But did you know there are 3 common mistakes most people make that sabotage their results. What is the point of working out if you don’t maximize your results?
Here are the 3 biggest mistakes made over and over again (along with quick tips on how to fix those mistakes!)
Mistake #1
Training only your favorite body parts
If you only train your favorite body parts – you are doing your body a grave disservice. In addition to creating an unbalanced and out of proportion physique, it leads to overtraining, stubborn injuries and most importantly a slower metabolism.
When you workout in all facets of conditioning your body is running at peak levels. Your metabolism is stoked and running hot because you are requiring it to function in many planes of movement, working various muscles all over the body and essentially requiring it to work harder than it would if you only trained 2 of your favorite body parts over and over.
Mistake #2
No Workout Variety
If you always complete the same exercises and routine over and over, your body gets used to it. It doesn’t have the need to build new muscle. It becomes complacent.
Your body is only going to build enough muscle and get strong enough to complete the exercise as required. If you do the same 8 exercises over and over again you will never make any progress. Even if you add weight and make the exercises harder your progress is still limited because your body only has to produce enough strength to lift that extra 5 pounds.
Now if you want to consistently be progressing and challenging your body then you should be adjusting your workouts frequently. An example would be to change your workouts up every 3 weeks. You can still work the same muscle groups, but choose different exercises that target those muscles.
If you don’t believe me try a forward lunge for 4 consecutive workouts and then switch to a lateral lunge for the next 4 workouts and see if you notice a difference between the two exercises. They are essentially working the same muscles, but differently and your muscles will most definitely recognize that.
Mistake #3
Damaging Post-Workout Nutrition
This is the biggest mistake that can be easily corrected!
You only get results from exercise AFTER you are done with your workout! And if you don’t consume some type of post workout drink, your will suffer in your recovery and your progress will be slower.
The research is abundant with studies showing an intake of carbohydrates and protein together within 1 hour after working out greatly enhances recovery, increases protein synthesis and replenishes glycogen. The key is to digest quick digesting nutrients so that the recovery process can begin immediately.
The best way to do this is by consuming a high quality post-workout drink with the proper carbohydrate to protein ratio. If you are choosing just a high protein drink without enough carbs, you are consuming the wrong drink.
Prograde Workout Post-Workout Drink is the perfect blend of carbs/proteins and it’s fast absorbing so it will feed your muscles the necessary nutrients you need to start the recovery process and prepare you for your next workout.
Get the supplements the pros use.
Get serious about your results.
Omega 3’s from fish oil are the single most important Nutrient that is missing in the American diet.
On average there is a 12 to 1 ration of omega 6’s to omega 3’s in our diet. Omega 6’s come from corn products and are pro-inflammatory. Omega 3’s from cold water fish are anti-inflammatory. There should be a ration of 1 to 1 of omega 6’s and omega 3’s.
Why should omega 3’s come from fish oil? Because the essential omega 3’s that are lacking in our diet are EPA and DHA found in fish oil. EPA and DHA are found in abundance in fish oil. Women need more of the EPA in fish oil and men need more of the DHA.
Number 1 reason:
Omega 3’s will help you live longer. If that in itself is not a great reason to take lots of fish oil daily, I don’t know what is. Think about this. The two places on earth that people live the longest are Japan and Iceland. Both places are where the population eat tons of cold water fish. Japan has more people living past the age of 100 than any other country on earth.
Number 2 reason:
As stated before – omega 3’s are anti-inflammatory. What do all diseases have in common. That’s right – they cause inflammation. Or wait – maybe it’s our lack of inflammation fighting omega 3’s that is causing all the diseases. Either way, the more omega 3’s we consume, the less inflammation we have. The less inflammation, the less stress on our bodies fighting off inflammation.
Number 3 reason:
Better insulin sensitivity. Fish oil has a great way of evening out insulin levels. Better insulin levels mean our bodies are better at storing less fat and using what fat we have in storage as energy. And you know what this mean? You guessed it – significant fat loss.
Number 4 reason:
Fish oil causes the average person metabolism to rise so that they are using nearly 600 more calories per day. That’s 600 calories a day doing nothing. Well you do have to take the fish oil. Think about that. That’s more than an hour on a treadmill. I could use that hour for so many other things. And besides, between me and you, cardio is a waste of time. You will never lose fat doing cardio. It’s a myth.
Number 5 reason:
Fish oil has significant mental health properties. There have been several studies with fish oil in prison populations. In several studies the incidence of violent behavior decreased dramatically. Fish oil helped patients who were bi-polar. Fish oil has been found to greatly reduce depression. Several other studies have been done with fish oil in individuals with personality disorders. Significant improvement has been shown in most of the research subjects.
I will list more reason why you should be taking omega 3’s from fish oil in other post. I’ll also be writting about how much you should take daily and what are some good brands to take.
Ultra Fit Saved My Life
The last two weeks have been the most physically draining of my life. Most of the time I was having mild to moderate stomach cramps. Nothing major, just stomach cramps that would not go away. Then last Thursday it started getting worse. I had to reschedule two of my clients because the pain was getting worse.
I went into work on Friday and did training sessions. It seemed that the pain wasn’t as bad while I was being occupied. Then late Friday night it hit me. The pain got a lot worse. My wife and I drove over to the emergency room.
They did an ex ray and told me I was stopped up. I was given this jug and told to drink the who thing within eight hours. At this point I would have done anything to get rid of the pain. The jug relieved me of anything that was supposed to be stopping me up. Except for the pain. The pain just continued.
We went back to the ER Saturday afternoon. This time they gave me a mild pain reliever and did a CT-Scan. The scan came back showing that my gall bladder was inflamed and had at least one large stone in it. The doctor gave me a prescription for pain medication and two samples to take when I got home. I took the samples immediately. No relief. In fact the pain got worse. This time it was unbearable.
My wife and I went back to the ER an hour after we left. It took awhile for them to give me anything for the pain. This had to be the worse pain I have ever experienced. In fact, if you add up all the pains I have ever experienced it might all equal to what this felt like. The first relief I had in two weeks. If I hadn’t been knocked out I might of even enjoyed it.
The ER then did a ultra sound. It was then that the surgeon came in and told me I needed to go to surgery right then. At this point I didn’t care. Whatever he could do to not have the pain come back was okay by me.
After the surgery the surgeon told me that my gall bladder had swollen up to three times the size of a normal gall bladder. He said my gall bladder was “impressive”. Not the organ I would like to have someone say is impressive.
Here’s why I tell this story. If I was not in the shape I’m in from training and nutrition, I don’t think I would have survived this ordeal. I really think that the pain would have cause me to either stroke out or have a heart attack. My blood pressure and heart rate run low all the time. While I was being monitored, my blood pressure and heart rate rose only a little bit of what it would be for a person who does not train or have the nutrition plan I have. But, mine was not abnormally high. Even with all the pain I was in.
The nurses came in and checked my blood pressure every two hours. Twice a nurse had to come back in and recheck it because it was so low. When I told them I worked out and had a nutrition plan that worked to reduce my blood pressure and heart rate they seemed relieved.
For me, this is living proof that staying in shape and eating right will save your life. Even when you least expect. I never work out or eat right because there may be a time when I have some sort of catastrophic event that will require me to be in great shape to survive. But it happened.
If you are thinking about starting a workout program, start now. Don’t wait. I didn’t have a clue that my gall bladder would swell up like it did. Or that I would ever experience that degree of pain. Do something to get yourself in shape. It could safe your life in ways you never imagined.
Your Workout Sucks
It’s day six of my Ultra Fit diet. So far I’ve been able to be 100% compliant with the diet. It’s not all that hard to stay on target. The food choices are wide and varied and easy to make. I am eating more and losing weight at the same time. Really amazing.
And the training program is also great. I love it when a workout is challenging and I really have to push myself to get through it. I’ve been working out on a consitant basis (at least 4 days a week) for the past five years. My training had gotten mostly routine and I knew I needed to change things up a bit. And for the most part, I did try to change the training programs about every two weeks. But the Ultra Fit training program has really taken me to a whole new level.
The thing about working out is you have to change up what you are doing. If you don’t your body adapts to the type of force being placed on it and progress stops. In order to continue making progress, change in the training program must occure at the very least every 3 to 4 weeks. However, for optimal results you really need to change your reps and sets with each workout. There is a saying among people that train themselves and others – The best workout is the one you are not doing.
That saying is not necessarilly true. You can have a great workout program and get great results if you know what you are doing or if you have a trainer who knows what they are doing to help you get the results.
I’ve worked with a lot of people who believed that all that needed to happen was for me to write down a workout program and that program would get them in the shape of their lives. It doesn’t work that way. If it did there would be no such thing as personal trainers. Everyone could just be handed the perfect training routine and get the body they want in no time at all. Wouldn’t that be awesome?
A good personal trainer will guide you through your training and make adjustments as they are needed. How could I make those changes or adjustments to my workouts if I had never had any experiance developing training programs? It’s sort of like when my car breaks down. Do I take it to a mechanic who knows what they are doing and can repair it quickly? Or do I ask the mechanic for a manual on how to repair my car and attempt to fix it myself? Yes, there are probably some people that can do that. But the vast majority of us have to rely of the mechanic and his expertise.
If you ask me for a workout routine, and I was to actually give you one, it would only work for a short period of time. And when the program stopped working guess who gets the blame. You got it, it would be me. You have to make changes to the sets, reps, rest periods and tempo of the routine. This is where a skilled trainer comes in. A trainer who can work with you to optimize your training program. Someone who can help you repair your body in the shortest amount of time.
Ultra Fit really is a remarkable weight loss, muscle building program. I can’t wait to get back in the gym. The challeges are rewarding and the benefits are huge.
Do they think I’m that Stupid?
Have you seen those commercials on TV with the two guys at the kitchen table? One of them looks at what the other is eating and says “hey, you’re not going to eat that are you? It has high fructose corn syrup in it.” The other one smugly says “Who told you high fructose corn syrup is bad for you, Mom and Dad? High fructose corn syrup is no worse than sugar. And besides, it’s all natural”
This commercial is the single most offensive commercial on TV today. It gets right to the point of insulting my intelligence. It takes aim right at my brain and pulls the trigger. How can I be so stupid as to think that HFCS is harmful to me. No even that, how dare that I have a brain to think such a thing. I must be really stupid.
I don’t know about you but I remember getting this same load of crap when I was a kid from other kids. “Who told you weed was bad for you, your mommy?” It seems to me that the HFCS people are acting like someone who is peer pressuring us into feeling safe about using their product.
Here’s the deal. If a food company has to spend millions of dollars on advertising to tell me their product is healthy then something is wrong. Does the broccoli consortium have to tell us that broccoli is healthy to eat? NO!!! It just is. Do the Apple growers of America spend one dime to convince us that apples are not on delicious but also very nutritious. If they do then they are wasting their money. No one needs to tell us that Apples are healthy to eat.
But the HFCS people want you to know that you are an idiot if you believe that their product will cause any health related problems or has anything to do with obesity in the United States. And whatever you do, don’t really investigate HFCS. That would simple be a waste of your time and could cause you to be even more dumber than you are for thinking that HFCS is a major contributor to obesity.
Just because it has the words fructose and corn in it does not make HFCS natural. This is not a substance that occurs naturally. It has to be processed. Just because it comes from corn does not mean that it is a natural occurring substance like sugar or even stevia. I’ve heard people use the same logic for their marijuana use. “Hey it’s natural, that makes it okay.” So are a lot of other things, like sugar, but that doesn’t mean I need to enjest it.
Since it’s widespread distribution in our food supply starting in 1982, the incidence of obesity in the US has risen substantially. Here’s the problem with HFCS. Processed sugar raises insulin and insulin’s job is either to store foods as fat or push nutrients to muscle. In the case of sugar, it is processed through the liver and then expelled as waste. HFCS does the same thing as sugar. It raises insulin levels and causes the storage of fat from insulin being raised. However, HFCS is not processed through the liver and remains in your system. This causes your insulin levels to remain high and you store more fat.
Remember, the rule is IF A FOOD PRODUCT COMPANY HAS TO SPEND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO TELL YOU THEIR FOOD IS SAFE OR HEALTHY, IT IS NOT. This also goes for Soy and even milk. If a food is healthy then the producers of that food should not have to spend a dime to tell you it’s healthy.
Halloween Ultra Fit
This nutrition plan is da-bomb. I eat like a mad man all day long and lose weight. Well not really. I am loosing weight but I really do have to stick to the plan. Here’s the deal, I really like the foods that on on the Ultra Fit plan. May not mean much since there are very few foods I dislike. In fact, I can only think of one thing that I found so disgusting that I couldn’t eat another bite. It was a Mexican sandwich in this tacarilla in Houston. It sounded good on the menu but it turned out to be a hunk of pure fat on a bun. It was no wonder the waiter gave me a strange look when I ordered it. I bet he was thinking to himself “silly Gringo, ordering a piece of fat on bread. Who eats fat on bread?”
I was really apprehensive about eating lots of carbs. I really had bought into the thought that if I eat carbs outside of the training time that I would pack on the pounds and muscle would just fall off of me. None of that is happening. I am loosing weight and gaining muscle. And it’s only been a few days.
Hope everyone had a great Halloween. Our neighborhood was packed with kids. Seems the word around town is this is the neighborhood to score big time on bags of candy. We had them lining up outside our door. Practically to the driveway. My hope is these kids don’t get fat off all that candy and have to suffer eating like mad all day long, like I do. That is a scary thought.
