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The ultimate cardio method for burning fat and boosting your metabolism

Mike's Blog — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:05:00 GMT

We all know how boring long bouts of cardio can be, but most of us do it anyways because it’s suppose to burn more fat right? Ok but what if I told you that there’s a better way to do cardio that takes less time, skyrockets your metabolism and is way less boring? In this post I am going to teach you everything you should know about cardiovascular training and exactly how to train for the best possible results.

Why you should stop doing long, slow and boring cardio for good!

long and slow cardio is boring!!!!!!!!!!

Believe it or not, not only is the cardio you’ve been doing NOT making you lose weight, but it may even be making you over trained and less fit. Many of the negative side affects of long aerobic cardio workouts include:

- Decreases our skeletal muscles mass, strength, power and speed

- decreases efficient fat metabolism

- increases stress hormone cortisol

- Suppresses our immune systems

- increases systemic inflammation

- Increases insulin production

- increases oxidative damage (free radical production)

- boring!

The reason why this type of exercise is so hard on our bodies is because our bodies were never meant to rely on carbohydrates for extended periods of time and our bodies never needed to run for long periods of time. In fact our bodies are much more efficient at using fat for energy for slow movements or resting and ATP from quick intense bouts of all out effort. So what’s the best way to combine both of these types of energy to promote fat loss and increase your metabolism?

Interval training, the ultimate method of cardiovascular training

in real life the rabbit kicks the turtles ass!!!

    Finally there is a method of training that can boost your metabolism and burn more calories in less time than conventional methods of long aerobic exercise……interval training.

      The concept of interval training is to do short bouts of all out effort like sprinting combined with intermitted rest periods continuously for a given period of time. A perfect example of this is tabatta training. Tabatta training is an interval method created by a Chinese fitness professional named Izumi Tabatta who worked with the Chinese speed skating team. Tabatta training involves doing an exercise such as sprinting for all out effort for 20 seconds and then resting for 10 seconds. The idea is to perform 8 rounds of these 20-10 bouts for a total of 4 minutes. Here is an example in a previous post where I used the tabatta training with a jump rope.
20-10 jump rope

The benefits of interval training include:

- increases muscle fiber strength

- increases aerobic capacity (work ability)

- increases muscle mitochondria (the main energy production center in muscle)

- increases insulin sensitivity

- Decreased body fat

- increases natural growth hormone production

- Increase resting metabolic rate (the amount of calories you burn at rest)

     How interval training boosts your metabolism

     When you do interval training, during the intense bouts of work your muscle fibers are burning energy faster than your body can produce it so your body can’t send oxygen to the muscle fast enough to fuel it. When this happens your body must focus on a different energy system to fuel the muscle. Once the intense bout of exercise is finished your body must replace the other energy source with oxygen to repay what was used. The more intervals you do the more oxygen your body will need to burn after your workout and the longer it will take to get back to normal. This means however long it takes your body to repay the oxygen to get back to normal, the more calories you will be burning while resting.

Designing an interval training workout

     The possibilities and variations of work periods and rest periods are endless but here are a few of my favorites.

30-90 X 6 – this is great for just about everybody! Perform 30 seconds of all out effort with 90 seconds of walking or rest for a total of 6 rounds.

20-10 X 8 tabatta’s – this is the one I described earlier where you do 20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest for a total of 8 rounds. here is a video of me demonstrating this type of circuit
20-10 circuit

30-30 X 5 – this is good for beginners because the work and rest periods are even. I would start with 5 rounds and work your way up from there.

50-10 X 5 – this is by far the toughest interval training method because your working 5x more than your resting. I would recommend doing 5 rounds of this as well. here is a video o fme demonstrating a bodyweight workout with this type of circuit
50-10 bodyweight circuit

     The only tough part about doing interval training (besides the workout itself) is how to time the intervals. It’s easy to do on a treadmill but what if you’re running outdoors or using strength intervals instead of cardio intervals? Luckily a friend of mine named BJ Gaddour has a website where you can get workout interval soundtracks that you can download onto your Ipod. I use BJ’s interval soundtracks in my own workouts as well as implement them in my clients workouts and would recommend them to anybody who wants to get in amazing shape. You can order them at http://www.workoutmuse.com or learn more about them at http://www.helpmyworkoutsucks.com

thanks for reading now get out there and do some intervals!!!!! if you have any requests for future blog post or if you have any questions leave a comment below or send me an e-mail.

dedicated to yoru personal health and fitness,

Mike Salvietti

motivation for fat loss - 10 ways to boost your workout "mojo"

Mike's Blog — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 04:08:00 GMT

Hey there,

It's mike here with another special post for you. This one is all
about motivation. Motivation is a key ingredient to weight loss success.

That's why I decided to put together some of my favorite ways to get
motivated so you can get out of that rut and get your mojo back. All of
the tips below are strategies I use personally so I know they will work
wonders for you. Hope you enjoy.

#1 Watch a workout inspiring movie

For some of us a workout inspiring movie is just the thing we need
to get a quick boost of motivation for a good workout. I remember
watching Rocky IV as a kid and immediately dropping to the ground doing
push-ups and sit-ups and shadow boxing in my room after seeing Rocky
train for the big fight. There are tons of movies that I watch that get
me amped up to workout just like that. Here's a few of my favorites
(besides Rocky of course):

Running The Sahara - this was a documentary film about 3 runners who
decided to attempt to run straight across Africa from coast to coast.
The amount of motivation these guys have to finish is awesome and it
tends to rub off on me when I watch it. This one is great if you have a
big event like a marathon that you're training for.

Chariots of Fire - Oscar winning film about 2 athletes competing in the
1924 Olympics.

Remember the Titans - a great movie about a football team starring
Denzel Washington. I remember our whole football team watching this on a
bus to an away game in high school to get us pumped up to play.

Peaceful warrior - this is a movie about a cocky college gymnast who
gets in a motorcycle accident and is told he can never compete in
gymnastics again. This is a great movie to watch if you're coming back
form an injury or rehab of some sort.

#2 set a goal

This just might be the most essential tip I can give you. After
all, what good is all this motivation if you don't have a specific goal
to work towards? Setting goals that you want to achieve through exercise
and diet is such an important aspect that I will be dedicating and entirely
separate post on it in the future. so keep an eye out

#3 tell E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E

Anytime I decide a new workout goal that I want to achieve the
first thing I do is talk about it to everybody that's close to me. If
you tell someone, "I'm going to try to lose 10 pounds in 8 weeks" the
last thing you want to do is not do it. This is hugely motivating
because the fear of failure pushes you to do what you set out to
achieve. Nobody wants the people closest to them to see them fail.
That's why it's important to include as many people as you can in your
fitness journey. Plus they can help you out a lot by pushing you to do
it.

For instance if you tell your spouse something specific like, "I am
going to lose 10 pounds by cutting out refined sugars and liquid
calories while exercising on Monday, Wednesday and Friday" you and I
both know that every Monday, Wednesday and Friday that you don't go to
the gym they are going to say something about it and every time they see
you pick up a soda they are going to be all over you about it because
they love you and don't want you to fail.

#4 Plan your goal for a special occasion

Big event are a great time to set as your "end date" for when you
want to achieve your goal because it's usually set in stone so you can't
push it off to a later date. It also seems to add an additional sense of
purpose to your goal. Some great occasions to set a goal for include:

* Weddings
* School reunions
* Vacations
* Birthdays
* Family reunions
* Any type of competition
* Anything that involves minimal clothing

This strategy is one I probably utilize the most. I remember when I
got out of high school I was in a bit of a slump. All through school as
long as I could remember my motivation came from training for sports.
Although I was still working out I wasn't getting any results because I
had nothing to motivate me to push myself. At that point I was searching
for anything to get me motivated. On one occasion I even tried out for a
runway show for a local college. Nothing is more motivating to get
ripped than knowing hundreds of people are going to stare at you in a
Speedo. Right now I am training for the New York marathon because I
wanted something to push me to get stronger endurance.

#5 create a workout playlist on your iPod

This can be one of the most fun ways to stay motivated. Try to find
music that really gets you excited and in a good mood. Everyone has
different tastes in workout music and the music your gym plays is not
going to cut it (seriously who wants to listen to heavy rap music one
minute then immediately switch to fergie singing about crying or some
crap?). Also find something that fits your workout style, For instance
my workouts are usually really short intense bouts of circuit and
interval training so I like to listen to hard rock and heavy metal. My
iPod is full of bands like disturbed, Korn, system of a down, drowning
pool and Metallica.

#6 set a specific time to workout

It's easy to skip a workout when your not on a set schedule of when
you workout. Simply pick a time of day that works on most days and stick
with it. Also try to set at least 30 minutes aside to workout. 5, 10 and
15 minute workout circuits are great but if you don't set a substantial
amount of time aside to workout chances are you'll never get around to
it.

#7 hire a good personal trainer

Ok I might be a little biased on this one but seriously I know that
nothing can be more motivating than having someone else push you to
succeed and it wouldn't hurt to have some professional guidance.

#8 find new friends

It's tough to stay in shape when the people around you are not
pursuing the same thing. Try surrounding yourself with people who are
living a lifestyle that you want to live, this means a healthy one.

#9 don't victimize yourself

your genetics, your metabolism, your job, not having enough time,
having kids and not having enough money are not the reason your out of
shape. You have choices and what you choose to do reflects how your body
will look and feel. This one is tough love and I'm only telling you this
because it's true. ALL of us victimize ourselves at some point and its
tough to take responsibility and I'm no different.

#10 set your self up on a workout program

For a couple bucks you can buy a workout magazine with some sample
programs in them. Another alternative is to search the web for online
workout programs that are a little better than what you would find in
the magazines. Even better you can go to the online training section of
this site and have me build you a custom designed workout program
complete with video demonstrations and a dietary meal plan.

And if you are ever stuck in a rut and you need someone to give you a
little extra boost you can leave me a comment or send me an e-mail on my
contact page. I love hearing from al of my readers and I want to build a
strong relationship with you and help you succeed at all of your health
and fitness goals.

So there you go. Those are my favorite ways to stay motivated
and I hope you use them because they have helped me many times and I'm
sure they will help you too. Do you have any other ways that you like to
stay motivated? Leave a comment and share your input with everyone and
who knows we could get a pretty big list going here.

Dedicated to your personal health and fitness,

Mike Salvietti

Another day with yours truly

Mike's Blog — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 01:24:00 GMT

Hopefully by now you have seen my video, a day of eating with mike (see older posting below) where I show you basically what my diet is like and what I eat in a day. Well unfortunately that video is out dated (I filmed it back in May) and I no longer am on that particular diet. So I decided to make a new video of what I eat NOW. Check it out and compare it to the other video to see how my diet has changed and I definitely think you can learn a lot of healthy ways to eat from my video. So sit back, enjoy and let me know what you think.

2 high intesnity fat loss workouts (video)

Mike's Blog — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:07:00 GMT

Welcome back to the blog! I know its been long overdue but here are a couple workout videos that I made for you to check out and try for yourself.

4 minute jump rope workout:

The idea here is to perform 20 seconds of work (jumping rope) with a 10 second rest. just like in the video you want to try to perform a total of 8 rounds.

5 minute bodyweight circuit:

One thing I pride myself on is my expertise in bodyweight training. I find it to be the most practical and efficient way to train. Here is a sample of a great fat loss bodyweight circuit I like to do. To do this you must take five exercises, do each exercise for 50 seconds and rest 10 seconds in between exercises. One round is 5 minutes long. I try to do 3-4 rounds for an entire workout. Try it out for yourself. If some of the exercises are too hard (like the deck squats) try replacing them with another exercise that works the same muscle groups.

P.S. If you like these exercises or have any workout routine requests just send me an e-mail and I will try to make a video for you. Best of luck!

Dedicated to your health and fitness,

-Mike

My favorite online resources for fitness and nutrition

Mike's Blog — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 20:10:00 GMT

Welcome back to the blog! Today I decided to put together a list of my favorite resources online for nutrition and fitness. Check them out and I hope you enjoy.

Nutrition:
rd411.com nutrition database
online food journal fitday.com
nutrition database
fiber content chart

Exercise:
NSCA exercise database
mike boyle’s strength coach site
mark verstegen coreperformance site
patrick cumming’s vimeo videos
craig ballantyne’s youtube page

Motivation and goal setting:
goalster.com
dax moye’s book “the magic hundred”

Other blogs:
the blog of tim ferris
mark’s daily apple
andy bellatti’s smal bites nutrition blog
ask jay hunter
ask rocco
morning cup of joe
hardcore strength coach
relative strength advantage

I hope you guys like these sites as much as me. Keep an eye out for some more great blog post from yours truly,

Mike

A lesson you can learn from the “meat-heads” at your gym

Mike's Blog — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Chances are if you workout in a health club or a gym in your community you’ve seen them, in the weight room, most likely grunting very loudly, banging weights and doing bicep curls (do the curls to get the girls right!?) while occasionally walking over to the mirror to “flex their guns”. In case you’re wondering I am referring to your gyms D.M.H (Designated Meat-Head).

These are usually the guys who come every single day and do 15 different exercises isolating one muscle group (usually on the upper body) in hopes of getting “diesel!” or “brollick!” looking (that’s meat-head for big and buff). Personally I feel that these individuals are far from “fit” and in the long run are ruining their joints and destroying their livers ( from pumping themselves full of supplements…..but that’s a topic for another post). However I think that most people who are looking to get in great shape by possibly losing weight, toning up and getting stronger can learn a valuable lesson from these guys.

The lesson you could learn is a lesson on DETERMINATION AND MOTIVATION. Seriously, if you think about it these “meat-heads” are the few people in the gym that are actually even reaching their goals. They want big arms, chests and back so they go to the gym everyday doing bench presses, pull-ups and bicep curls, and a few months later they have bigger guns, chests and backs.

Another great thing that you can follow their lead on is the fact that once they get to this desired physique of theirs they don’t stop! They keep working out to maintain their physique. Some even take it up a notch by setting new goals to get even bigger and buffer than before. So how does this translate to you for fat loss?

You too can reach your fitness goals and personal fat loss……you just have to follow the meat-heads example buy:

- Putting in the hard work and effort both in the gym (this means following a well planned and well designed workout routine……..a topic for future blog posts) and out of the gym (that means eating a low calorie, well balanced and nutritious diet……..another topic for future blog posts)
- Being relentless (this means constantly striving towards your goal and not giving up)
- Constantly reaching your goals and either maintaining the end result by living a healthy lifestyle or setting new goals to constantly better yourself.

I know you can do it and I am absolutely dedicated to helping you reach these goals. I am always interested in your input and what you have to say so feel free to leave me a comment. And of course don’t be shy to shoot me a question on my website.

Dedicated to your personal health and fitness,

Mike Salvietti

The most commonly asked (and probably the dumbest) question I get asked on my website…..no offense :)

Mike's Blog — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:13:00 GMT

Let’s face it. Everyone at some point in there life has asked a dumb question. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. In fact I’ve probably done it more than YOU! I remember when I was in school and studying to be a personal trainer my nickname is my class was “random” because I always had a random dumb question to ask the teacher during lectures. Even to this day if I talk to one of my old classmates they will address me as “random” still rather than by my real name. But I always found that it’s better to ask a dumb question and get a clear and concise answer than to keep it to myself and make an assumption that could possibly be wrong. However there is one question I get asked almost on a weekly basis on my website that I feel I must put an end to once and for all.
The question I am referring to is “what is the best exercise for my…….”

- Chest
- Stomach
- butt
- Arms
- Abs
- Legs
- Etc.

Another way some might word it is “what’s the best way to get rid of my…….”

- Man boobs
- Beer belly
- Badonkadonk
- Chicken wings
- Cellulite
- Etc.

Now some of you might be looking at this and be thinking “that’s not a dumb question. I want to know what the best exercise is to get rid of that stuff too!” but the reason why I consider this a dumb question is because there is no single exercise you can do to target those specific areas and there is no way of burning the fat in those specific areas alone. But don’t panic. You can lose weight and you can tone up your body. The fact is you just can’t tone up or lose weight in that one targeted area that you want to lose it most. Doing a bunch of crunches won’t target belly fat and doing tons of bench press or push-ups wont target man boobs. When your body burns fat it burns fat evenly throughout your body and does not burn fat in just one spot. Think about it have you ever gone to the beach and saw a dude with ripped abs but he still had man boobs? Of course not. You’ll see guys who are ripped all over and you’ll see some guys who are chubby all over (and of course plenty of in between). So the good news is that you can lose your:

- Man boobs
- Beer belly
- Badonkadonk
- Cellulite
- Chicken wings
- Etc.

But when you burn the fat in one of those areas you’ll also burn it evenly throughout the rest of your body. So stop searching for that one special exercise to target those areas. What you really need is:

- A low calorie, balanced and nutritious diet plan
- An effective and balanced workout regiment
- A clear set of goals
- And the motivation and tools necessary to achieve those goals
- Someone who knows and has all of the tools above that can teach and guide you

All of these things are areas I will continue to teach you in future blog posts and of course if there is a specific area that you feel you need extra help on you can shoot me a question any time for FREE on my website. Keep up the great work and keep the questions coming…..I’m here for you.

Dedicated to your health and fitness,
Mike Salvietti

P.S. if you haven’t seen the survey on my previous blog post go check it out now <a href="www.surveymonkey.com http: href? ? Click Here to take survey“>right here.

The three deadly culprits against fat loss part 3 – the “bad” carb

Mike's Blog — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:17:00 GMT

Welcome to the final installment of my series the three deadly culprits against fat loss. this installment sheds light on the topic of carbohydrates. But before you start throwing out carbs altogether from your diet you should know that not all carbs are “bad” carbs in fact many are essential for proper bodily function and fat loss.

So how do we no what carbs are good and which carbs are bad?

The most relevant and scientifically proven method for determining the difference is the glycemic index. The glycemic index is basically a scale that categorizes foods in the “good carb” or “bad carb” category based off it’s propensity to raise blood sugar. Carbs that spike your blood sugar are considered high glycemic which are bad carbs and foods that have a relatively low spike in blood sugar and keep your blood sugar even are low glycemic and are good carbs. Below is what is found to be the most comprehensive list of foods on the glycemic index as well as where they stand.

the most comprehensive glycemic index on the web

“dude this glycemic list is confusing. is there an easier way?”

A much simpler list was formulated in a November 2002 issue of the crossfit journal where they simply separated a list of good carbs and bad carbs. Here is some examples below:

Water
whole grains
meats (turkey, chicken, steak, fish, etc.)
dairy (milk, cheese, etc)
green vegetables
most fruits
nuts
seeds
oils
natural nut butters

And below is a more comprehensive list of high glycemic or “bad” carbs:

Acorn Squash
Baked Beans
Beets
Black-eyed Peas
Butternut Squash
Cooked Carrots
Corn
French Fries
Hubbard Squash
Lima Beans
Parsnips
Peas
Pinto Beans
Potato
Refried Beans
Sweet Potato
Turnip
Banana
Cranberries
Dates
Fig
Guava
Mango
Papaya
Prunes
Raisins
Fruit Juice
Vegetable Juice
Bagel
Biscuit
Bread Crumbs
Bread
Steak Sauce
Bulgur
Sweet Relish
Cereal
Cornstarch
Croissant
Croûtons
Doughnut
English Muffin
Granola
Grits
Melba Toast
Muffin
Noodles
Instant Oatmeal
Pancake
Popcorn
Rice
Rolls
Taco Shell
Tortilla
Udon Noodles
Waffle
BBQ Sauce
Ketchup
Cocktail Sauce
Honey
Jelly
Sugar
Maple Syrup
Teriyaki Sauce
Chocolate
Corn Chips
Ice Cream
Potato Chips
Pretzels
Saltine Crackers
Molasses

Thank you for taking the time to read this article and I hope you found it helpful. If you have any questions about this article or about fitness in general you can contact me below.

The three deadly culprits against fat loss part 2- alcohol

Mike's Blog — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:18:00 GMT

Welcome to part 2 of the three deadly culprits against fat loss. Thanks for taking the time to read this and watch my video. I really hope I am getting through to you with these posts, especially today since alcohol is a touchy subject for me as alcoholism runs deep in my family. Too few of people out there (possibly you) take alcohol consumption way too lightly and are very unaware of the affects it can have on your body and your health in both short and long terms.Not only does alcohol affect your bodies ability to burn and store fat but even in small amounts limits a persons athletic performance as well. so sit tight and open your mind as I unfold the truths about alcohol.

Alcohol and fat loss:

In Campbell and Volek’s, “TNT diet: Targeted Nutrition Tactics” they describe very in depth of how alcohol literally MAKES YOU FAT! As much as I love to get in depth here I dent want to lose you in all the scientific terminology so I choose to put the science stuff in parentheses and explain it in laymen’s terms as much as possible. So here is how ALCOHOL MAKES YOU FAT:
- Alcohol is digested into your blood stream and then travels directly to your liver.
- Then the body begins to break down the alcohol (which is important since alcohol is toxic to the body)
- The alcohol is broken down into 2 chemicals (acetate and acetaldehyde) which immediately signal your body to stop burning fat.
- Alcohol is also broken down into another chemical (acetyl COa) which actually produces more fat in the body.

How much harm can one beer do?

Well consider this. Our bodies are capable of processing 0.5 to 1.0 grams of alcohol per hour. One 12 oune beer has about 0.6 grams. Which means 1 beer will inhibit your body from burning fat for an entire hour and also make your body produce more fat during that time. 5 BEERS = 6 HOURS OF STORING EXTRA FAT WHILE INCAPABLE OF BURNING IT. Also mixing alcohol with sugary beverages like juice or soda make your body store even more fat.

Some other interesting facts about alcohol:

- There are an estimated 10.5 million people in America suffering from alcoholism
- In the workplace, 47% of industrial injuries and 40% of industrial fatalities can be linked to alcohol consumption
- Use of alcohol and other drugs is associated with the leading causes of death and injury among teenagers and young adults (e.g. motor vehicle crashes, homicides, suicides).

For more info about alcohol as it pertains to alcoholism visit:

http://snj.com/ala-call/alacall4.htm
http://www.aa.org/?Media=PlayFlash

Alright guys so far in this series of the three deadly culprits against fat loss we’ve targeted sugar and alcohol. Stay tuned for the next and final post of the series which covers the most common of the three……high glycemic or “bad” carbohydrates.

The three deadly culprits against fat loss part 1 – sugar

Mike's Blog — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:19:00 GMT

Welcome to part 1 of the three deadly fat loss culprits. Today’s post I’m going to be talking to you about culprit number 1 which is sugar. Sugar is by far the sneakiest of the three as it takes on many forms and is often times you don’t even know you’re eating it. But hopefully after reading this you will know exactly why sugar is bad, what foods have it, and how to cut it out of your diet for a healthy life.

Unfortunately in today’s society sugar is often overlooked and underestimated. When most people check the nutrition facts of foods at the grocery store they go straight to the number of carbs, protein and fat and most often times base the nutritional value of a food on those alone. In fact many people would choose a low fat, high sugar food over a high fat, low sugar food thinking, “ oh this has less fat so it must be healthier” and not even looking at the sugar content OR ingredient listings.

On top of being commonly overlooked it is even more commonly underestimated for how deadly it is to our body. Not only does it aggravate pre-existing conditions such as asthma, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and arthritis, it also has degenerative affects on your endocrine system and depresses the immune system. It also has a huge impact on how you store and burn fat. Sugar raises insulin levels which in turn promotes the storage of fat and raises your triglyceride levels putting you at risk for heart disease.

Sometimes it’s hard to tell when something is full of sugar since sugar has many forms. There’s sucrose which is common table sugar, dextrose which is corn sugar and high fructose corn syrup which is probably the most commonly used and the worst for you. Below is a link of foods that contain corn syrup, many of which appear to be “health foods” that might surprise you.

Foods and Products Containing High Fructose Corn Syrup

“So if sugar is so bad for you then how much or little should you eat?” in my honest opinion you should strive to cut sugar out of your diet COMPLETELY. That’s right! Zero sugar. Our bodies just flat out don’t need it and can do without it. Sugar has no nutritional value whatsoever so cutting it out completely would’t deprive you of necessary nutrients.

So that’s it for today. I hope you found this post educational and I seriously hope you strive to cut out as much sugar as you can as it will make a great impact on your health and fat loss. Stay tuned for the next deadly fat loss culprit ALCOHOL!

The three deadly culprits against fat loss

Mike's Blog — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:20:00 GMT

Welcome to what I like to call the three deadly culprits of fat loss. These weight loss culprits are both scientifically and in my professional opinion some of the biggest obstacles in today’s society to overcome in there diet and lose weight. Not only are all three of these bad boys unhealthy but they make it almost impossible for your body to burn fat. This deadly trio not only wreaks havoc on your body and your fitness goals together but individually are just as bad.

The first of the three is processed and refined sugars. This bad boy is sneaky and takes many forms and often times you don’t even know your eating it. The second is a little more obvious and that’s high glycemic or “bad” carbs which is the majority of what we eat in today’s society. The third is the poisonous alcohol that our society consumes by the gallon on a weekly basis. Over the next few blog posts I plan on going over each one of these bad boys in detail as well as why they are bad, what foods contain them, and how you could eliminate them form your diet and burn fat much faster than you ever thought you could.

Want a head start on taking the initiative to a healthier life and faster fat burns? Heres a list of things you can eliminate immediately to make a huge improvement in your diet and life.

The “whitey’s” (white bread, pasta, white rice, white flour)
Sugar
Canned fruits
Syrups (chocolate, maple, etc..)
Chips and crackers
Candy
Any and all alcoholic beverages ( don’t cry you’ll live)

And here are some foods you can eat much more of

Any green vegetables
Flax seed
wheat germ
Oats and whole grains
Lean meats
Nuts and seeds
Dairy products like milk, yogurt and cottage cheese

For more good and bad foods keep an eye out for part 2 of the three main culprits of weight loss where I go into the first and trickiest culprit……SUGAR!!!!!

Eating healthy 2 a day of eating with mike

Mike's Blog — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:21:00 GMT

Everyday there are literally hundreds of fitness professionals, personal trainers and nutritionists out there spouting out how you should eat, what you should eat, when you should eat and why you should eat what they tell you to eat, but let’s face it people. MOST OF THESE PEOPLE DON’T EVEN PRACTICE WHAT THEY PREACH. It’s a scary truth and one that I find hypocritical. So I decided to show you a little video i made a few months back. I made this video way before I even had this blog and originally sent it to my personal clients so that they could follow by example. I hope you find this video insightful and if you have any questions about the video i’d really love to answer them. Also please take note that when I shot this video i was on a diet intended for gaining weight, not losing it. So although the types of food I eat in the video I definitely recommend eating, I don’t recommend eating the same serving sizes as me if your trying to lose weight.

Healthy eating. Is it as expensive as you think?

Mike's Blog — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 20:22:00 GMT

When I talk to my clients about fine tuning their diets and eating healthy I can’t stand it when they make excuses for their poor eating habits. The most common excuse that I get from most of them are that eating healthy and buying healthy foods costs too much money. Personally I feel that excuse is a lousy and so I aimed to prove it with this video I made back in may. So check it out! Let me know what you think and get a close look at the types of food I eat in my diet (or at least ate at the time of the video).