Three common workout mistakes that are INSANE!
Do you know the definition of insanity? According to Benjamin
Franklin, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over
and over again and expecting different results.
Okay, you work out hard, over and over… but are you seeing the
results you want?
Here are 3 common mistakes that people make but not to worry… you
do not have to keep making them!
1- Training only the parts of your body that you think need to
improve
Everyone has areas of their body that store more fat. My favorite
example of this is when people do 100’s upon 100’s of crunches
hoping to burn the fat off their mid-section.
If you only target certain body parts you create an unbalanced
physique and can over-train and injure those body parts.
Furthermore, you won’t be doing anything to increase your
metabolism.
By working all of your body parts, not only will you increase
metabolism, but your body will be more suited to handle daily
activities and functions because you will be better balanced.
Make sure your workouts cover many planes of movement and work the
muscles all over the body. Your workout will be more challenging…
and more effective.
2- Not changing up your workouts
Your body will easily adapt to the demand you consistently give it.
By changing up your routine, you can still work the same muscle
groups, but you need to choose different exercises to target those
muscles.
If you were doing dumbbell squats for 4 weeks straight,
and all the sudden you did lunges… even though these 2 exercises
basically target the same muscle group, you will probably notice
those muscles “talking” to you the next day!
3- Destroying a good workout with poor nutrition afterward
Did you know that eating carbohydrates and protein together within
an hour after working out will enhance muscle recovery, help
maintain and gain lean muscle mass, and help enhance physical
performance and endurance? Without doing this, your progress can
be slower if you are not doing everything to maximize your recovery.
One of my favorite “rewards” for a good workout is my Post-Workout
Recovery Drink! This one is used by hundreds of professional and
world-class athletes across the USA… so why not pick the best?!
Is this you?
Someone who wants to minimize soreness experienced after exercising
Someone who is looking for better muscle recovery
Someone who wants to enhance your current exercise and/or weightlifting program
Someone who wants to gain lean muscle mass
Good news… Post-Workout Recovery Drink is on sale until September
7, 2010!
Get the most out of your workout!
Hydration
You probably already KNOW every function in your body depends on water and drinking enough of it. You may think you are drinking enough, but even the slightest level of dehydration can have huge consequences on your health.
When you fully understand the BENEFITS of drinking no less than half your body weight in ounces of water a day, running to the bathroom every minute will be a small inconvenience.
As you age, (particularly women), keeping your levels of electrolytes in balance and relatively constant can get increasingly difficult, but this is easily remedied.
Keeping your body hydrated is a balancing act of water and electrolytes, if one changes… the other changes as well. You lose water and electrolytes through sweat, urine, bowel movements, and through air you exhale.
The water in your body contains “electrolytes” which are dissolved minerals, mainly sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Dehydration, the body’s loss of water and electrolytes, will cause you problems. Water by itself cannot keep you hydrated. The dissolved minerals, “electrolytes”, help hold the amount of water in the body and keep the blood pH to 7.4, the normal level.
When too many electrolytes are used up, the pH drops and the body takes the electrolytes from “storage centers”… for example, calcium from the bones, magnesium from the muscles… and over time, this can cause serious problems.
Just a 2 – 5 percent decrease in body fluid can reduce blood volume, decreasing oxygen delivery to muscles and organs when you need it most. Prolonged exercise, outdoor activities at elevated temperature or humidity, and occasional gastric imbalances are associated with loss of body fluid and dehydration.
Even low-intensity exercise or activity can cause significant fluid loss. Performance declines due to increased reaction time, and decreased concentration and judgment. Worse, you can be completely unaware of this happening until it’s too late.
The longer or more intense the exercise, the more urgent it becomes to replace the electrolytes as well as the water for optimal performance. Loss of body weight due to water causes your heart to work harder, causes quicker fatigue, possibly increases muscle cramps, and can result in more serious trouble such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion.
The amount of fluid to drink varies from person to person but there are some signs that can help you determine you are not getting enough hydration: If your urine is dark in color and low in volume and if you weigh yourself before exercise and it is less then when you started… you have lost fluids. Staying hydrated will give you more energy and increase your performance. When your workouts are better, you feel better.
The American College of Sports Medicine sets the following guidelines:
- Drink about 17 ounces of fluid 2 to 3 hours before exercise.
- Drink about 8 to 10 ounces of water 10 to 20 minutes before exercise.
- Drink about 8 to 10 ounces of water every 15 minutes or so during your workout.
- If you exercise more than an hour, consider a Sports Drink.*
- Continue drinking water after your workout to replace fluids loss.
*Rehydrate Electrolyte Replacement Drink provides the necessary nutrients to maintain proper metabolism and delay the onset of fatigue. It hydrates your body by re-establishing your electrolyte balance with its superior formulation. Rehydrate Drink has a low glycemic index that produces a more gradual insulin response and is isotonic, thus providing rapid gastric emptying and rapid rehydration. Furthermore, this drink helps support the body’s energy cycle and provides carbohydrate fuel necessary for energy production.
Unlike other sports drinks, Rehydrate Electrolyte Replacement Drink includes antioxidants, carbohydrates, electrolytes and other nutrients that effectively promote optimal hydration and recovery. Rehydrate Drink has a 1:1 ratio of sodium and potassium, two of the most vital electrolytes that are lost when we sweat. Rehydrate Drink helps prevent cramping by providing calcium, magnesium and L-glutamine to support the contraction and relaxation phases of the muscles.
This amazing sports drink also helps sustain carbohydrate energy by including chromium in its unique formulation, strengthening endurance at any activity level. Furthermore, the antioxidants in Rehydrate Drink help fight the effects of free radicals, and the amino acids support blood flow throughout the cardiovascular system. Rehydrate Electrolyte Replacement Drink provides a complete spectrum of ingredients for hydration that far exceeds other leading sports drinks, making it a superior choice for the serious or casual athlete.
Your levels of electrolytes can also fluctuate for other reasons than exercise or hot weather and need to be replaced in the body for better health. Some common health problems listed below can be helped by adding “Rehydrate” and boosting your water intake.
- Weight loss: Drinking water aids in digestion and the fat burning process. It helps you remove toxins from the body, keeping you clean and healthy. Your kidneys need to have enough water to function properly. If they are functioning at low capacity, then your liver will have to do more work. One of the liver’s functions is to metabolize fat that is stored for the body to use as energy. If the liver has to pick up the slack for what the kidney cannot do without enough water, then it will not be able to metabolize the fat with full effectiveness. If the liver is metabolizing less fat, then you are jeopardizing your fat loss.
- Water retention: A common misconception is that drinking lots of water causes water retention. Actually, the opposite is true. If the body isn’t getting the proper amount of water, it begins to store what it can. So whenever you drink water, you will automatically retain it, and feel uncomfortable. The only solution is to provide your body with more water than it needs, which will allow you to flush the excess water out of your system. You might think it is too much salt in your diet or specific foods that cause water retention, but usually the cause is not having enough water in your system. If you are drinking enough, your body will get rid of the excess salt as well.
- Muscle Cramps: Sometimes dehydration accompanied by muscle overuse and lack of nutrients such as potassium and calcium can cause this to happen. Rehydrate Drink helps prevent cramping by providing calcium, magnesium and L-glutamine to support the contraction and relaxation phases of the muscles.
- Constipation: This may be an uncomfortable topic, but 50% of Americans are constipated! If this is you, you may also want to talk to me about the Cleanse! Fluid added to the colon will help add bulk to the stools, making bowel movements easier to pass. Drinks like alcohol, coffee and cola will only cause more dehydration.
- Vaginal Dryness: Okay, this may also be an uncomfortable topic but chances are if you suffer from this, and it is an extremely common symptom of menopause, your first line of defense would be to check your hydration. It is also useful to fill in the gaps with a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement even if you think you eat healthy. It is impossible to get everything you need from your food.
- Dry Skin: If you haven’t picked up on the trend here… dryness in all places in your body are usually a result of lack of proper hydration. People who naturally suffer from dry skin should be extra careful to rehydrate!
Hopefully this simple change will make a huge difference in many areas of your health. Please feel free to contact me or leave a comment if you need more assistance.
Simply Nutritious
Filed Under Nutrition · Tagged:
Nutrition does not have to be complicated. Here are some very basic rules to follow whether your goal is to lose weight or be healthy:
1- Eat whole unprocessed foods as close to their natural state as possible… not out of a bag or box.
2- Eat foods that are nutrient dense rather than a lot of empty calories.
3- Eat a lot of vegetables and some fruits… this is what should make up most of your carbohydrate intake rather than grains.
4- Include a lean high quality protein with every meal.
5- Include healthy fats from fish oil, olive oil, nuts and seeds.
6- Cook in bulk and store in individual portions. You will thank yourself when you come home tired and don’t feel like cooking.
7- Avoid eating out too much. You do not have control of how things are prepared. Try to have food that is healthy and travels easy. PLAN ahead.
8- If you have to eat out, most restaurants have an online menu. Ask yourself, what will best support my nutritional goals? Go to the restaurant with a PLAN.
Nutrition is what holds most people back from their goals. It is not the 165+ hours or so a week when you are not in the gym exercising. As a trainer, I would like to say that your training has the most impact on your body composition, health and performance.
Your nutrition is what will get you the body you thought you could never have.
Most people think they are eating healthy or eating the correct portion size.
What I have found in coaching people on their nutrition is the lack of attention to the nutrient ratio: Carbohydrates, Fats and Proteins. Not everyone requires the same ratio. This can seem complicated when you don’t know what is best for you.
The reason the 24-day Challenge works is because of the strong nutritional and supplementation support. People are usually surprised by how much the CAN eat, what they NEED to eat to feed their muscle and starve their fat, and how EASY it is to follow.
I don’t post a lot of recipes but this “soupe de Poisson” is quick, easy, healthy AND really good, even if you aren’t a big fan of fish.
SOUP DE POISSON
In a soup pot, saute in olive oil:
1 diced onion
2 sliced carrots
Add 1 pound boneless, skinless salmon, and turn gently
Add 1 cup dried red lentils
Add generous pinch of “herbs de province”and one bay leaf (you can make your own blend of herbs like rosemary, thyme, parsley if you don’t have herbs de province)
Add one bay leaf
Saute a little more, then add 5-6 cups of water and simmer until the lentils are soft.
Stir in one can tomato paste
Serve with a spinach salad if you like, and one of my favorite EASY and HEALTHY desserts, high in protein… it tastes like chocolate mousse. Hard to believe something this tasty and easy can be good for you!
1/2 cup Plain fat free Greek Yogurt
1 scoop MUSCLE GAIN CHOCOLATE PROTEIN
For those of you who are counting calories and watching your nutrients, here is roughly how this meal looks:
|
|
24-Day Weight-loss Challenge
Filed Under Motivation, Nutrition · Tagged:
The results of the 24-day challenge continue to amaze me. We are experiencing an average of a 10 pound weight loss with a decrease of 8-10 inches total.
I did the challenge and lost 7 pounds 6-1/2 inches… I have continued to lose 3 more pounds and another 2 inches. Even if you do not have a significant amount of weight to lose… or maybe it’s just the last 10 pounds…
…The 24-day challenge is a SYSTEM that will energize your mind and body, feed your muscles and starve your fat as you lose inches, improve health and melt away body fat in a way that will fit into your busy life and be realistic for any hectic schedule.
Does that sound like something you would like to know more about? Then read on, I will try to get right to the point.
This jump start program will teach your body to continue losing body fat and increasing lean muscle, which means, your body composition CHANGES!
If you don’t know or understand what exactly that means, here is a brief explanation:
Many people are overly concerned with what the number on the scale reads when they are trying to lose weight. Replacing fat with muscle is what should be the main focus.
Women take note: if you are not increasing the amount of weight you are lifting or are not engaged in weight training in your workouts because you are afraid you will bulk up… you are missing out on getting a lean body!
Muscle takes up less space than fat AND it weights more than fat. Therefore, you want to be more concerned about your fat to muscle ratio… or your BODY COMPOSITION. This is EXACTLY what it means to “tone-up”.
The supplements are the foundation of the program, providing you with the nutrients you need for optimal health, increased energy, fat burning, and craving control. For instance, did you know that low vitamin B levels have been shown to cause sugar cravings? Did you know that fatigue causes “false” hunger? Do you know how much protein it takes in the morning to most effectively burn fat during the remainder of the day? Do you know which one of our products used as an afternoon snack can burn even more body fat during the rest of the day? And there is so much more than this…
The eating plan was designed by a registered dietitian and elite personal trainer. They incorporate a “zig zag” method of eating. What does that mean? You’ll find out during the program – and you’ll be surprised to find out that your body needs MORE calories on certain days to avoid a plateau. We don’t want you to diet. Aren’t you tired of that already? The eating plan itself is extremely simple for the on-the-go person who doesn’t have time for complicated recipes. In fact,the overwhelming response we get from our clients is, “Wow! Can I do that again?”
Losing weight doesn’t have to be hard. Let us prove it to you.
The cost of the program is simply the cost of your supplements. The eating/exercise plan and coaching with me is FREE! How many supplements do you know come with a professional Life Coach, Certified Personal Trainer and an NLP practitioner as your accountability partner for change?
Contact me or order here: 24-Day Challenge
Health and Wellness in No Time Teleseminar Series
Couples Who Get Strong Together… Live Long Together
Filed Under Exercise, Motivation, Nutrition · Tagged:
Isn’t it time you and your partner really supported each other in your fat loss journey?
Your partner who will be doing every possible step with you to achieve your success?
Your partner who understands you, helps you overcome all the challenges, and share your wins?
Together as a team, you can share an amazing journey towards a better, stronger and healthier relationship… like never before.
• Do you approach weight loss as individuals or work against each other?
• Do you sabotage each other with poor eating choices?
• Do you have equal exercise time in your day-to-day lives, or do you hold resentment for the time that only one of you gets to go to the gym?
If this is you, discover how when you support one another, your chances of success are far greater. You can enjoy the many physical benefits that working out and eating healthy together can offer.
When you work together as a team toward a common goal, you will find there will be a lot more benefits than weight loss alone:
• Grow emotionally as a couple as you reinforce good feelings in your relationship by sharing your experience.
• Build trust and improve communication.
• Gain a greater respect for each other .
• Have a deeper appreciation for each other’s needs.
• Face challenges and overcome obstacles together better.
• Keep each other accountable.
• Have a greater sexual attraction for each other.
You really CAN get back your sexy body you desire and at the same strengthen your relationship. As a team you can work together on a common goal. This will become an exciting journey for both of you.
• Having a workout partner is often the most critical link to your adherence to exercise. When someone is counting on you to workout, you have to be accountable to the plan.
• Working towards a common goal will give you much to talk about and will establish a new connection with each other.
• You will be less likely to cheat on your nutrition plan when someone else is feeling a little stronger than you are at a weak moment.
• You will increase your energy as you begin even to make small changes towards a healthy lifestyle. This will lead to more productivity in other aspects of your life. With both of you having unstoppable energy, it will be a win-win!
• Becoming more physical with each other will establish deeper intimacy and you will have a better self-esteem because of it. As you become more fit and lean, you will FEEL much more attractive when you begin to tone up and fit into smaller sizes. When you feel that good about yourself you will want to share your feelings with your loved one.
• If you have children at home you will become a great role model not only for each other… but for them. Whatever age your children are, the best gift you could ever give them is instilling the value of a healthy lifestyle.
So how can you go about doing all this?
As a special VALENTINE gift to you, from now until February 15th, my coaching program is two for the price of one!
If you are willing to work together as a team… then I would like to be a part of your SUCCESS TEAM too!
New Year’s Resolutions
Filed Under Exercise, Motivation, Nutrition · Tagged:
I want to thank everyone for all the kind wishes and positive
words I received over the year. I really love what I do and it is
extremely rewarding to know I have helped facilitate a change
that improved the quality of your life.
It is hard to believe that we are not only closing another year,
but a decade too!
For the first blog post of 2010, I would like to give you some
helpful tips to “master” the art of making New Year’s
Resolutions to create the outcomes you want.
First, consider a few questions:
1- Is your nutrition healthier than it was 10 years ago… or
even one year ago?
2- Have you been doing the same exercise routine year after
year but your body has shown no improvement?
3- Were you better off ten years ago in terms of your lifestyle?
Most people make resolutions. That is only the beginning.
Resolutions are the words you speak. They sound like great
ideas but they don’t really mean anything unless they are
accompanied with a plan of action.
Talk without action is only dreaming about a possibility…
and that’s a good start, because all actions begin with a
thought or a desire. When you make a commitment… and
make the appointment that is written in your schedule and
prioritized, guess what… you get it done, no kidding.
I am re-launching my New Year’s Resolution program from
last year at the same price with more added bonuses…
Because guess what, you will get it done, no kidding and
here’s why… it’s those tips I was going to tell you about…
http://bestbodymakeover.com/newyear/
1. Know what worked. It is important to identify all the
things that have worked well for you in the past. Commit
to them… do them consistently and more often.
2. Pay attention to what you learned. Whether you
reach your desired outcome or not, that knowledge is the
feedback that will help you advance. Then, you can speed
up your results each time around and not repeat the same
mistakes over and over again.
3. Have a plan in advance before you set your goal
rather than make it up as you go along. Without a plan you
will waste time. Setting a goal is just the start, achieving
your goal requires a consistent plan of action for both
training and nutrition.
4. Know what it will cost. Every goal has a cost… and it’s
not just about money. It can cost you time, it could cost
you a relationship, and it can cost you your health if you don’t
do it… Most of the costs lie outside your comfort zone. This
is probably what gets most people into trouble.
People don’t realistically think about the cost of what it will
take to achieve their goals. They are unwilling to pay the
price and quit at the first obstacle.
5. You are worth it, pay the price! That’s right… This may
be tough love but if it’s a goal you want, you need to suck it
up! This is your life and quite frankly you cannot put a price
on your health.
If you cannot honestly say you have improved your nutrition
or exercise habits over the past year or decade; then you can
make the next weeks, months, even decade ahead be different
that the last 10 by making a decision and a commitment to
change no matter what price.
Find out more about New Year’s resolutions and how you can
keep yours by clicking on this link:
http://bestbodymakeover.com/newyear/
You will discover everything you need to succeed: nutrition,
cardio training, strength training, and your motivation to do it
all. You will stay focused on the resolutions you make.
I will be customizing this program for you with personal
one-on-one attention. Nobody else gives you this kind of
support.
There is one catch… because it is important that I give you top
quality attention, it is very time intensive for me, I have to limit
this to 12 people.
As an added incentive to make 2010 a significant year of change
for you, grab this offer before January 6th, and save big time
for a limited time.
http://bestbodymakeover.com/newyear/
All the best in 2010!
Lauren
Happy Thanksgiving
For many of you this week is the start of holiday festivities and fun. In the US we will be celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday which is always challenging for anyone struggling with their weight, or simply short on time for exercise routines.
This need not be a situation of all or nothing, meaning either you stuff yourself silly or deprive yourself of pumpkin pie, stuffing or even the smallest spoonful of gravy. It is one day, you do not have to over-indulge all week long or straight through until New Year.
If you start today, by staying compliant with your healthy meal plan, you can indulge a little on Thanksgiving! Focus this week on maintaining the weight you are right now and eat your Thanksgiving meal responsibly. You can have everything! What you don’t need to do is have everything for 3 people!
Tomorrow, you can get right back on track. Remember, it is a time to enjoy your family and friends and be grateful for all you have. With that in mind, here are a few tips:
1) Focus on how many times and how long you will be able to exercise this week, then schedule it. What gets scheduled, gets done.
2) Eat small amounts of food every 2-3 hours throughout the day to give you better control of your appetite so you do not arrive at the Thanksgiving table starving. Not eating or eating very little that day will make you more inclined to over-indulge.
3) To the best that you can, start your day with exercise and focus on the intensity and duration both. Obviously creating a calorie deficit will help the equation of calories in calories out… which also supports #1.
4) Avoid drinking your calories, they add up quickly and stimulate your appetite. Water is always the best choice. Save the calories in your calorie bank account for the delicious food.
5) Make smart choices with what is available. Go ahead and try it all if you can’t resist… just watch your portion size.
6) Eat slow, and relax. Enjoy your company. Stop frequently and take a deep breath. Give your brain time to get the signal that your stomach is full… it takes a while.
7) Get up and move from the table or help clear as soon as it is appropriate.
I would like to take a minute to tell you how thankful I am to all of you who have participated in my programs, to all of you who have taken the time to leave comments on my blog, and to all of you who subscribe to my newsletters. To all of you celebrating Thanksgiving, I wish you all a very happy holiday.
Get Rid of Belly Fat: 5 Nutrition Musts!
Filed Under Nutrition · Tagged:
How do you eat healthy to get rid of the fat around your belly?
You know what they say… You can’t out-train a poor diet! Your fitness is definitely part of the process, and next week I will talk about that more specifically.
Following these 5 basic nutrition rules are the best way to lose belly fat.
This does not have to seem like you are turning your kitchen into a science laboratory. If all this seems to overwhelm you, I can coach you through it in a short time… so it lasts a life-time. Just click here: http://bestbodymakeover.com/coaching/
Here are the 5 nutrition musts to fuel your success:
- Eat 5-6 meals a day or about every 2-3 hours. Now eating 5 or 6 times may seem like a lot, but some of those meals can be snacks, or you can divide your total daily calories by 5 or 6. For example, if you have figured out you need to be eating 1500 calories a day to lose fat, then you need to eat 5-300 calorie per meal a day. The reason for eating frequent meals throughout the day is to increase your metabolism or the amount of calories you burn at rest. It will also help you by not going too long between meals causing you to over consume.
- Always include a lean protein with each meal or snack. You want to choose something that has high protein but is low in fat. Complete lean proteins are mostly foods that come from animals (Chicken, lean beef, fish, dairy, eggs). If you are a vegetarian including lean protein with each meal still applies, but obviously you will have to find your protein from a different source. Many people are not getting enough protein in their diets. Protein will keep you satiated so you won’t feel hungry between meals.
- Most of your carbohydrates should come from high fiber sources like vegetables and fruits. Including these foods in every meal is one of the healthiest things you can do. For most people that is a big change, but it is an important one. Eating modified or processed carbohydrates such as breads, pasta, breakfast cereal, muffins, granola bars, or anything like it that comes out of a bag or a box will slow your results. It may likely be the cause of lack of mental clarity or feeling sleepy after meals. A healthier choice for non-fruit or vegetable carbohydrates would be brown rice, oats, whole grains, sweet potatoes or white potatoes with the skin eaten. The best time to eat these kinds of carbohydrates is after you have exercised. Stick to the vegetables and fruits the other times of the day if you are trying to lose weight.
- Eliminate or reduce bad fats but increase monounsaturated fat. Eating fat is essential for you but usually you get plenty of it in your foods without adding more to it. If you are eating lean protein, you will get some saturated fat… some is good for you but you don’t need to pile on more. Avoid eating trans fat all together. Read food labels to make sure you aren’t getting any. Polyunsaturated fat should come from flax seed oil, and mixed nuts. Monounsaturated fat also comes from mixed nuts and also olive oil and fish oil. One supplement that is important for everyone’s heart health is fish oil.
- Always have a healthy eating PLAN. Follow a PLAN where 90% of what you eat is helping you meet your goals. You can eat whatever you want as much as 10% of your food, but make sure this “cheat” is also planned. What this means is: Your 10% meal or snack of eating whatever you want does not mean eating an entire pizza or cake, obviously you would not succeed in reaching your goals if you did. You still have to do the math. Save those “eat whatever you want” times for special events, or social situations that you know might be challenging. Great food is a joy in life and you should never feel you are being deprived. But eating unhealthy foods too often or in large portions will make you sick, overweight, and/or less energetic and that is no way to live. Eating 90% healthy and in correct portions will help you lose fat, give you the most energy and keep you in the best shape of your life.
The next 10 people who take up my coaching offer, I will show you in how this can work for you by virtually watching over your shoulder every day for 30-days to make certain you get your nutrition on the right track.
By the end of 30 days, you will make the right food choices, eat the right portion size, and find out the exact nutrient proportions (Proteins/Carbs/Fats) that are right for you.
http://bestbodymakeover.com/coaching/
How To Get Rid Of Belly Fat
Filed Under Exercise, Motivation, Nutrition · Tagged:
It seems the subject of getting rid of belly fat has been beaten to death already but evidently, it still needs to be addressed. While everyone is convinced they must include an abdominal exercise or two or three or four in every workout if their goal is to lose belly fat, it is not the secret to losing belly fat. The answer may not be what you want hear but if you truly want to reduce the fat around your belly, you need to pay real close attention and more importantly, take action.
Ridding yourself of belly fat is not an impossible feat, but depending on how long it took you to get the fat around your belly or how much fat you have, it can be challenging. It can take a long time to get into a mess, and sometimes longer to get out of one… but you can get out of it and achieve extraordinary results as long as you are focused and on board with taking extraordinary efforts. There is not one single thing that will give you six-pack abs or even a flat tummy; rather it is a combination and synergy of many things working together.
First and foremost, what energy balance are you creating, meaning calories-in and calories-out? If you don’t know the answer to that equation it means you are not willing to measure and be accountable to what you eat. If you knew for certain that people who weigh, measure, journal their food achieve their results, why is that stopping you from doing the same?
If you know for certain that you are honestly reporting the amount of food you eat, and you are burning more than you consume without results, then it is time to look deeper. It’s time to take the guesswork out and make sure you don’t have any underlying causes. Have your blood and saliva tested. Testing can uncover many issues: difficulty with weight loss, fatigue and lack of energy, thyroid dysfunction, adrenal fatigue and imbalance, anemia, hormone or blood-sugar stabilization and much more. Find out. If you find out there is an issue, then take some time to re-frame it. Is this an impossible obstacle, or is it a challenging opportunity?
Next, what are you doing to maximize your fitness plan? Are you simply showing up at the gym dutifully three times a week and going through the weight machines without a real game plan before you even show up there? Are you spinning your wheels doing the belly fat exercises that you read somewhere in a magazine? Does your aerobic exercise consist of walking the dog every morning, or reading a book or watching “CNN” or “Oprah” on the television while on the elliptical?
If you are not honestly ramping up the intensity of your exercise, your body will simply be maintaining what you have. Your muscles will create whatever demand you are giving them. So if you are not increasing the amount of weight you lift, or changing up the type of exercise you do, you will not be building more muscle tissue or burning more fat.
This does not mean you need to spend more time at the gym necessarily, but it does mean you should make the time you are there more effective. You can burn more calories running 30 minutes than walking 60 minutes for example… and that does not mean you have to become a runner… that is just an example.
To lose the fat around your belly, you have to build muscle and work all of your body. The belly is where most of your fat is stored. By building muscle you will increase your metabolism and burn more fat and calories. Your body has to work harder to keep up with the increased demand you are placing on it.
Last and definitely not least, it is not which exercise or nutrition program you follow that will be the secret to losing your belly fat. There are many ways to get from point A to point B. What makes a program great, is when it will motivate you to take action and stay in action for a lifetime.
If you need help getting a program that will keep you on track by all means do not delay, click on this link:
