Michael Collins Informal and Uncensored

Curb Sweet Cravings and Protect Your Body by Popping This Purple Fruit

2009-05-12T20:27:00.002-04:00

There's an often over- looked fruit that's sold in your local supermarket or fruit stand that can have powerful implications on your health and your waistline. Not to mention, they're damn tasty.

I'm talking about the plum.

Plums are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants which can help speed recovery after a particularly grueling workout. Studies also show a possible connection between increased antioxidant intake and lowering incidences of certain forms of cancer.

Most of the press about antioxidants lately has been about the exotic newcomers to the market--the gogi, noni and acai berries. These are usually sold as expensive juice blends at local health food stores and through multi level marketing businesses. A compelling story about where they come from and how hard they are to obtain is usually what marketers use to rationalize the jacked up price.

Although these berries are packed with the goods, why not just head to the local market and pick up a bag of fresh plums, which come for a fraction of the price and pack an antioxidant punch on par (if not more) than another superfruit--the blueberry.

Plums can fit seamlessly into your weight loss program as well. A medium, ripened plum contains about 40 calories with 2 grams fiber. They're a great snack if you're dieting because they're low in calories, contain a nice amount of fiber, and best of all- crush cravings for sweet foods.

With the warm weather coming up they can also make a juicy and delicious dessert on a summer day!

Lose Weight Without Depriving Yourself - Sweet Treats to Eat While Dieting

2009-05-09T19:07:00.000-04:00

When most people think of dieting, they conjure up images of deprivation, cravings, and overall hunger. They think it's a necessary evil to feel bad just to shed some pounds. It doesn't need to be this way. In fact, if you're in this mental mind frame before or during a diet, you're doomed to fail. Break out of that shell and see the light at the end of the tunnel.

If I could show you a way to add something to your diet to reduce the anguish, you'd listen wouldn't you? Well, here's a simple tip I use with my clients yet easy way to crush your sweet cravings while keeping calories in check.

Your answer... Fresh Fruit and Berries

Yes, it's as simple as the old switcheroo. In meals where you'd normally have some sweets such as ice cream or chocolate, instead indulge in nature's dessert: Fresh fruits and berries.

More specifically, low-sugar, high fiber fruit. Berries are best, but other options like apples, grapefruit, kiwi, etc. are great too. Instead of polishing off an extra 500- 800 calories of empty calories, you can load up on these delicious, healthy snacks.

This caloric deficit will add up over time to help you lose weight fast. Losing weight at it's very core, comes down to creating a caloric deficit. A caloric deficit is where the number of calories you take in (food, drink, whatever) is less than what you're expending in a day.

When loading up on these fruits and berries, you'll also get a nice dose of antioxidants- nutrients (and enzymes) that fight free radicals, which are charged molecules that roam around like rogues, causing muscle soreness and a whole host of other problems.

Here are some of my favorite fruits and berries:

Blueberries

Cranberries

Blackberries

Strawberries

Raspberries

Goji Berries

green apples

Grapefruit

Kiwifruit

Watermelon

Honeydew

Tip to make the berries even tastier: Top with some low calorie whipped topping. It adds flavor and texture.

Want a Better Workout? Prepare in Advance!

2008-05-05T23:31:00.001-04:00

Countless numbers of people stream through the doors of gyms around the world without knowing what kind of workout they're going to do. They don't know what body parts they're going to work on, they don't know what exercises they're going to do, they don't even know if they're going to do weights or cardio. Many people just show up to the gym and "just do whatever machines are free"

This is absolutely ludicrous if you want results.

I know there are people who go to the gym and have other motives- like finding a date for Saturday night or as someone told me last week "just to get my blood moving". I imagine if you're reading our newsletter you're not in this category. Chances are that you want a specific result- like lose some weight and get in decent shape.

Every result has a specific set of actions that get you to that result. If you're going from New York to San Diego, you don't just get in the car and drive and hope you end up there. You get on Google maps and figure out exactly how to get there. The same thing applies in affecting change in your body.

Before you touch the weight or your foot hits the pedal on your elliptical, know exactly what you're striving for. Do you want to burn a certain amount of calories? Do you want to perform at a certain level of intensity for a specific amount of time? Plan it in advance. There are more reasons to do this than you know. Invest wisely in our Black Book of Secrets for exactly what you need to do.

Clearing up Confusion on Cheat Meals or "Free Days"

2008-04-17T09:07:00.001-04:00

You'll often hear people talking about their cheat meals or Free Days while on a diet. This morning while doing some early morning cardio, I hear a guy talking to his workout buddy about how he puts away ungodly amounts of food on Saturdays- his Free Day. Wings, pizza, pretzels, cupcakes and of course plenty of beer.

This guy has obviously not read our Black Book of Secrets.

The cheat meal is meant as a mini reward for your hard work during the week. It breaks up the monotony of strict dieting and gives you something to look forward to. Many people report having an easier time mentally, thus increasing compliance rate. The cheat meal is not meant to undo all the ass busting work you've done all week.

The Cheat Meal Rules

The cheat meal is not license to cram every high calorie morsel in sight down all day. Just one meal.

The cheat meal is one (1) meal per week that you plan in advance.

The cheat meal length is your duration at the table. Once you get up, it's over Johnny.

Also, check out the best time to eat a cheat meal

Having Problems Losing Weight? Drop the Diet Soda...

2008-04-07T16:08:00.004-04:00

Are you a big diet cola drinker? Having problems losing weight? I know some people who pound down 6- 8 cans of diet cola daily to get their caffeine rush during the day. Since it's calorie free, this should be no problem, right? Well, not according to recent findings. Although there has been no confirmation that artificial sweeteners have inherently negative health effects, some researchers believe that the body is tricked into releasing insulin due to it's conditioning towards sweetness.

Basically, this means that your body thinks you're ingesting sugar and releases insulin in response. As you know, insulin is released into the bloodstream to process glucose from the food you eat. It is involved in some very crucial actions in the body. However, as anything else, too much is too much. And too much (chronically raised levels) insulin can cause some serious problems such as diabetes, high triglyceride levels, and high blood pressure.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that insulin is a storage hormone and when it is chronically raised, it makes packing on weight easy and burning body fat as fuel damn near impossible.

So what do you do? Try gradually switching over to water or green tea. Or, go with my favorite which is seltzer with a squeeze of lemon or lime. Watch out for those restaurant lemons though, as you don't know how they've been handled. (Watch the video below if you haven't seen the study)

Just Start with One Step

2008-02-03T13:59:00.000-05:00

Are you one of those people who buys a diet book, gets excited by the prospect of starting a new diet, then get to the middle of the book and lose interest? Well, you’re not alone. I wish I had a nickel for every person who’s told me some version of that story. In fact, that one problem triggered us to put together Black Book of Secrets, our manual of 61 fat loss techniques, each of which you can learn and apply immediately.

Listen; don’t complicate matters by trying to tackle all these big concepts like going zero carbs, or going through induction phases before you even take a baby step. You’ll likely get frustrated and then stop your journey before you even start.

Keep it nice and simple when you start. Start with conscious eating. That is, take note of what you’re eating and how much. The overall concept that controls your weight loss or gain is the amount of calories you take in against the calories you burn for the day. Work on trimming unnecessary calories from each meal. This is the simplest step you can take. It’s painless, it’s easy to do, and you won’t feel hungry.

The biggest benefit is that you are preparing your mind and body for subsequent, larger steps. Each day, you’ll build more “action muscle”, meaning taking action will get easier and easier. Start a food journal so you can keep details, and you’ll be able to track your progress.

Stop Drinking Your Calories and Start to See the Scale Move

2008-01-03T10:34:00.000-05:00

It amazes me that people are still drinking sugar containing beverages while trying to lose weight. There’s no possible way to have read up on weight loss and not been told about the evils of these sugar laden drinks.

Today I was doing a consultation with a brand new client. She had brought in a regular (sugar containing) Snapple Green Tea. She thought she would get a pat on the back and a “good job” because it’s green tea. Now, green tea is good for a plethora of things from raising metabolism a bit to providing cancer fighting antioxidants. I love it and drink a few cups of it most days… without sugar.

While she had good intentions, as many people do in her situation, it certainly pays to dig a little deeper and learn the basics. Eliminating sugar is one rule of those basics. Eliminating beverages containing any calories (from fat or sugar) is another rule of the basics.

Here are 3 outstanding reasons why NOT to drink your calories

1) If you’re on a diet, this assumes you will be eating less total food anyway. Don’t you want to get the feeling of actually eating the little bit that you are eating?

2) The calories often come from fat or sugar. At this juncture, these are empty calories. They do nothing to support your fat loss goals and subsequently, make a calorie deficit more difficult to achieve.

3) Sugar laden drinks boost insulin levels, and then plummet them. The sugar is liquid, devoid of fiber, and high glycemic. This is a recipe for an immediate spike and crash of blood sugar. This means triggered cravings and possible invoking a binge cycle, where you eat more than you normally would have. On top of that, simply having insulin raised in this manner will stop body fat from being burned.

Awful.

The only time during a dieting phase that you should be drinking calories is during your workout energy and recovery intake. To stay in the hormonal fat burning zone, stick with water or unsweetened, zero calorie beverages

Eating Often to Lose Body Fat

2008-01-02T22:39:00.000-05:00

When trying to lose body fat, you need to create a caloric deficit. That is, you must take in less calories than you’re expending throughout the day doing things like working, working out, sleeping and even breathing. Everything you do takes calories to provide energy. When trying to burn off body fat, you want to use those fat stores as fuel instead of the food you eat.

Since eating less calories is the name of the game, it would seem strange that I’d recommend you eat more often, but it is this case.

When in a dieting down phase (attempting to lose body fat), there are several benefits in eating more often- like 6 or 7 times a day. The first being you are able to manage your insulin levels more effectively, resulting in more body fat being accessible to be used as fuel. Also, when insulin levels are kept in check, hunger goes down as well.

One of the underrated aspects of eating 6 or 7 times per day is that you avoid lulls in mental energy. Mental energy is crucial for getting “thought- type” work done. If your paycheck is based on how creative you are or how fast you think on your feet, you’ll certainly appreciate the stable, consistent energy more frequent meals provide.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of eating more frequently is its ability to bolster your ability to stick to it- “it” being your workout program, your diet, everything. Think about this, last time you cheated on a diet, or quit on that diet, we’re you feeling full or hungry and deprived? I’m willing to bet it’s the latter.

If you’re only eating the traditional 3 meals per day- breakfast lunch and dinner, it’s time to update. Adjust by increasing the frequency of meals by 1 meal per 3 days. This will allow your mind and body to acclimate to your new schedule.

Another thing to keep an eye on is your calorie intake. The point here is not to eat more. The key is to spread the total food you are eating out over more meals.

Start a food journal now. This can be an invaluable tool in your effort to lose body fat. Also, for an in- depth comprehensive program to lose weight now, purchase our instantly downloadable, 100% guaranteed fat loss program the Black Book of Secrets

Have a Lean Body, But Poor Posture? It May Be Your Computer Habits

2007-12-02T14:32:00.000-05:00

I got a question from a reader today regarding proper posture while sitting at the computer. It's actually a great question, and something often overlooked by those who sit at the computer for work or fun for hours on end.

If you're sitting at the computer for more than an hour at a time, you're putting yourself at risk of developing injuries of the hand/arm, shoulder, neck, and back. Obviously these injuries don't occur immediately. They take time to form, due to gradual adaptation of your body to unnatural position. Essentially you're molding your body.

That being said, there are things you can do to counteract any problems from cropping up. Here are a few things that I do, that you could easily incorporate...

1) Strength training the abdominal muscles and lower back muscles.

2) Take a break every 30 minutes. Stand up, walk around, shake your body out and get a glass of water.

3) Stretch the hamstrings (back of the leg) and quadriceps (front of the leg) lightly. Sitting for long periods of time causes some tightness in the legs which can lead to lower back tightness or pain.

4) Take some deep breaths that fill your lower abdomen (stomach). Often while sitting at the computer for long periods of time, people tend to lean forward or slouch, leading to more shallow breaths and reduced oxygen intake.

5) Sit up straight with chin up. If possible, have your screen on level with your eye- line to avoid jutting your head out, leading to stress in the neck and spine.

6) Sit on a swiss ball (stability ball). I only use it once in a while, but some people swear by it. Sitting on the stability ball forces your body to contract the posture muscles so that you don't fall over. It also strengthens the "core" muscles.

7) Foam roller. I love this thing. I foam- roll my full body twice per day and sometimes more if I'm sitting for long periods of time. Here's the one I use at home. I got it at Perform Better. Here's a quick tutorial from Power Systems on how to use it

8) Arrange your work station properly. I'm not a work station expert, so I'll leave you with Cornell Universities' Ergonomic Guidelines for Arranging a Computer Workstation- 10 Steps for Users.

Keep in mind, you may have a lean body, but if you've got bad posture, it offsets the entire presentation.

Alli Weight Loss Pill Worth It?

2007-11-26T07:47:00.001-05:00

The Alli Diet Pill
So over the Thanksgiving weekend, I was asked about the new weight loss drug Alli. Alli's claim to fame is that it is the only FDA approved, over-the-counter weight loss product. (It's made by made by Glaxo Smith Kline)

So how does this Weight Loss "Alli" work?
According to their website, the Alli diet pill works by blocking 25% of the fat you eat from being digested. Sounds awesome right? "I can eat pizza, burgers, Fettuccine Alfredo, and Alli will block 25% of the fat in the food from being digested?"

Not so fast.

So how does Alli block the fat from being absorbed?
Here's a quick science lesson. Alli, which you also may know as Orlistat, is derived from a bacteria that stops your body from producing the natural enzyme that breaks down dietary fat. This enzyme- pancreatic lipase, actually breaks down fat molecules into smaller droplets, able to continue on in the digestive tract.

So, Alli inhibits the fat you eat from from being broken down. Quite simply, if it can't be broken down, it can't be absorbed by the body. If it can't be absorbed, it doesn't provide calories.

So what happens to the fat that Alli blocked from being absorbed?
Ahh, this is where the idea of Alli goes south. Literally. Mess with your digestive system and it could make a mess of you. Since the fat goes unchanged, it basically speeds through the digestive tract through the bowels.

According to users of Alli, it sometimes makes it's way out of your body without you even knowing it! In fact, on their website, under the treatment effects section, they advise you that "it's probably a smart idea to wear dark pants, and bring a change of clothes with you to work".

I'll stop there.

To avoid the side effects of Alli, they advise you not to take in more than 15 grams of fat per meal, or about 45 grams per day total. This provides an interesting situation. Since their product works on eliminating fat, they're suggesting a low- fat diet.

Low fat diets are generally less effective than moderate fat diets. Here's why:

A low fat diet assumes a rise in carbohydrate, to make up for the energy loss from the fat calories. An increase in carbohydrate intake generally causes you to feel more hungry, due to insulin spikes and quick digestion of the carbs.

So now what? You're hungry, but you can't eat more carbs because you'll eat too many total calories. You can't eat fat because then.... well, you know. Hmm.

Higher carbohydrate, lower fat diets are difficult to adhere to. They provide much less satiety, making it more difficult to avoid overeating. High carb diets also maintain a higher, steady insulin level, making it more difficult to release body fat as fuel.

A lower to moderate carb diet with moderate fat intake provides satiety, meaning less cravings and urge to cheat or binge. A moderate fat intake also helps stabilize insulin levels, making it easier for body fat to be released into the blood stream for fuel. It also takes longer to digest, adding to it's satiety effect.

So does Alli help you lose weight?
As you know, weight loss comes down to creating a caloric deficit. You must be taking in less calories than you're burning over a period of time. Eliminating a portion of your calories big enough to create a caloric deficit will result in weight loss. Alli can help the caloric deficit if you are committed enough to perform your exercises, eat less total calories, and put up with the side effects.

It wouldn't be easy, but it can be done. However, a proper diet can easily provide the same weight loss effects, minus the need for pills and new pants.

One more thing I want to tackle here on Alli; a study was done that showed a 37% reduction in the incidence of type II diabetes in obese patience. This is indeed good news. However, I wouldn't be so fast to attribute this to Alli itself. These results are consistent with what we already know about weight loss. Losing weight (especially from obese) improves just about every marker of health in the human body.

In the end, I'd go with the proven, healthy, no side effect, diet and exercise program.

A few tips to make sure your hard work doesn't go down the drain on Thanksgiving

2007-11-20T12:10:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is a couple of days away and there's gonna be tons of delicious, physique blurring foods everywhere.

As hard as you work all year, you should enjoy yourself and your family. Here are a few quick pointers on enjoying yourself while not sacrificing your results.

1) Perform the toughest workout of the week on Thursday morning. Whether you do full body workouts, or you like to split your workout into pushing/ pulling exercises or body part splits.

Performing the workout before the big feast will allow your body to use the feast to it's advantage. A good portion of the feast will go toward recovery of glycogen stores and muscle repair- instead of fat stores.

After the workout, your muscles are like a sponge waiting to soak up all the nutrients. You'll also benefit from ,.

2) If you're hosting Thanksgiving and simply have no time to get to the gym, perform Eugene's 7.5 minute Tabata workout- it's a workout that can be done at home, and is stimulates the metabolism like wildfire. You'll also get all the benefits mentioned above.

3) Drink a whole bunch of water (or as the professionals say, stay hydrated). Keep a bottle of water (or green tea with some lemon squeezed in for flavor) by your side at all times. You're much better off getting those calories from food instead of drinking them.

If you're the one hosting and or preparing everything, it can get hot in the kitchen. You'll also be running around to stores and stress levels can get up there. Water helps quench your thirst and helps ease the stress. Usually, the meal itself will contain copious amounts of sodium and getting a consistent flow of fresh fluids will help you from getting bloated.

4) Eat the vegetables first in the meal. This will help cut down on gorging on the other stuff. The fiber fills you up quick and you'll be less likely to go crazy on the stuffing and pies.

5) Eat the turkey and other proteins first. There's not that many calories in turkey, compared to the to the other goodies on the table. Protein also fills you up quicker. (below are some more reasons for eating turkey before the stuffing and other goodies)

6) Try the green apple trick. Green apples have pectin- a fiber that takes fills you up, as well as a natural chemical that satiates you

7) ~~Instead of the Thanksgiving Turkey, have tofurkey, the tofu shaped as a turkey.~~

Eat your damn turkey and enjoy it! Don't listen to the fun killing food police. Turkey, believe it or not is an excellent source of protein and does NOT make you tired. Eugene told us why.

Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!

Gain an Extra Hour in Your Day; Stop Wasting Your Time With (Unnecessary) Warm- Up Sets!

2007-11-07T14:35:00.000-05:00

Most gym goers could cut their gym time in half if they got rid of all the extra “warm up” sets before each exercise.

When you hit the gym, do you head for the treadmill or bike for 15 or 20 minutes to warm up? Are you warming up, then stretching for 10 minutes to get “warm and loose”?

Stop! It's a silly waste of time. Even worse, it can actually hinder you're progress!

Far too many times I see this scenario in the gym- the long warm up, followed by the long unnecessary stretch session, followed up with 5 or 6 sets of really light weight on the first exercise to “warm up the area”. Enormous waste of time.

“Yeah, but I'll get injured if I don't warm up and stretch before the workout”

No you wont. Studies have shown that stretching does not decrease the rate of injury. In fact, thoroughly stretching before a set will actually cause a decrease in the amount of force you can generate, resulting in less weight being used, and less stimulus for your body to respond to.

Definitely not what we want.

As for warming up, a quick, thorough warm up is beneficial to performance and should be handled properly. 20 minutes on the cardio equipment plus a bunch of warm up sets on the first exercise is nothing but an energy drain. I've written about the proper way to warm up here.

The first sets of an exercise are to acclimate the body to the weight. Acclimation sets are not grabbing the bar, cranking out 12 quick reps, adding a few pounds, cranking out another bunch of reps.

You want to acclimate the body. On the first warm up set, use a moderate weight, and perform 8 reps slowly. On the second set, increase the weight to about 75% of your top weight for the workout, and again, perform 6 slow reps. At this point you should be ready for action.

Let me add one more huge point here...

Once you're warm... you're warm!

Let's say you're doing a chest workout and you begin with bench press. If you're going to do incline press or decline press, or dumbbell press or whatever after, you don't need to warm up the chest again! The muscles and tissues of the area are already warm.

If you're working your back and start with barbell rows, there's no reason to warm up again before doing pull downs or weighted pull ups or (insert your exercise here).

In fact, you don't need to warm up the secondary muscles either; lets say you're going to hit biceps after back. There's absolutely no reason to warm the biceps up with 3 or 4 sets of light curls before you get down to business, because they're warm too!

If you're working on a totally different body part, simply perform 1 acclimation set. This is all that's needed.

With all the extra time you have left over from cutting out the unnecessary sets, you can spend more time with family, work on a new project, and read our Black Book of Secrets- everything you need to know to build a lean, healthy, energetic body, quickly. Much better options to spend your time!

NYC Marathon is Upon Us- Learn What Foods To Eat To Avoid The Gaunt Look!

2007-11-03T17:03:00.000-04:00

So the NYC marathon is tomorrow. A grueling 26.2 mile jaunt through the streets of the 5 boroughs. A thorough challenge for both mind and body. This race attracts the best of the best in the world of marathon running.

Over the years, I've worked with a number of distance runners- the majority of which were the seasoned veterans who through reading or other methods, realized that strength training was a major key to improving their performance and preventing injury.

See, running a marathon is brutal on the body. Not only the marathon itself, but the training for the marathon. Thousands of hours and millions of steps pounding the pavement each year. This adds up and takes it's toll on the joints and ligaments of the body.

I'd noticed that the runner's that I'd been working with had several things in common. Although they were in what they considered "tip top condition" for running a marathon- almost all of them had bad posture, were generally scrawny, and their faces- especially their skin looked like hell.

The posture and "scrawny" issues were dealt with during the strength training exercises we went through. The rest was an intake issue.

See, when you're putting your body through the incredible pounding, stress and oxygen consumption, you're building up tons of free radicals in the body. The more you train, the more you make. These free radicals are charged up molecules that like to scrap with your healthy, vital cells, like a game of Arkanoid.

This scrapping can lead to the breakdown of healthy tissue in the body- muscle, joints, cartilage and skin. If you've ever had an up close look at a seasoned marathon runner, chances are you've seen this damage first hand.

Unless... they read MCNewsletters and know to eat a diet chock full of antioxidants!

Antioxidants catch up to the free radicals and "quench" them. They settle the free radicals down and render them harmless.

Getting copious amounts of antioxidants through foods like fruits and vegetables and select meats can greatly reduce the deleterious, quick aging effects of free radicals due to training.

My favorites happen to be blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. For more on antioxidants and free radicals- and for a great list of foods that contain antioxidants- check out Eat More Berries, Lose More Fat: Antioxidants Explained by Eugene Thong

The World Plays Catch- Up; "An Apple a Day Keeps the Calories at Bay"

2007-11-02T20:26:00.000-04:00

So, a few days ago, USA Today prints an article "An Apple a Day Keeps the Calories at Bay".

Apparently a new study was done that showed that "people who ate an apple about 15 minutes before lunch consumed almost 190 fewer calories than when they didn't have the apple."

This was big enough news that it made the front page of Yahoo!

Hmmm...

Seems they aren't readers of MCNewsletters.com, where we posted our own informal study which yielded similar results in The Green Apple (Mini) Project a year ago...

It pays to be a subscriber of MCNewsletters. You get cutting edge nutrition and workout info a year before anyone else!

P.S. If you think the green apple project is a pretty cool trick to help with your weight loss, we'll knock your socks off with our Black Book of Secrets.

Strip the Fat Off Consistently by Anticipating Problems and Developing Flexibility

2007-10-29T15:19:00.000-04:00

It's amazing how many people write in with excuses as to why they can't eat right or work out or any number of things because of inconveniences.

I'll tell you what? Stop bulls***ting yourself, and you'll dramatically improve your body.

Planning is crucial to success. You've heard it a million times- "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail".

This saying has been beaten to death, but it's still true.

"Yeah, but even when I plan my days, something always comes up"

Yes, even with the best laid out plans, you will come across some obstacles- but what you do when you come across those obstacles makes all the difference in the world. Do you fold in the face of the boss' order to stay late, or do you step up your game and go to plan B?

You need to anticipate obstacles.

You need to develop flexibility. Flexibility is having a plan B. And a plan C.

Flexibility can be simply carrying a protein bar with you, so that in case the boss orders you to stay late, you can fuel up with something of decent quality instead of ordering pizza or Chinese food.

Flexibility can be performing a bodyweight exercise circuit when you find out the gym in the hotel you're staying at is closed for repairs.

Don't let inconveniences ruin your momentum. Step up and use your flexibility.

Train Specifically for Your Goal

2007-10-23T11:37:00.000-04:00

Train for your goal.

Train toward the result you want.

If you want to run a marathon, train like you're going to run a marathon.

If you want to lose fat, train to lose fat.

If you want to add muscle and get strong, train for it.

Any goal, no matter what it is, has a direct path A- B. There's a BEST way to train, and there's everything else. The BEST way is the most effective and efficient. Too many people get caught up in training in too many directions.

If you're trying to add muscle and get strong, learn exactly how to do it, then go do it. What are you doing on the treadmill? Just because there are machines in the gym doesn't mean they all move you closer to your goal.

Don't "try out" a machine because it "looks cool". That's a waste of time. Find out what exercise, weights, machines you need and focus on those. If you're trying to lose fat, stick to ONE diet until you get to your goal. Don't try one diet for a week, decide it's not working, then try another diet.

Find an effective, efficient program, and stick to it.

Get a Head Start on the New Year!

2007-10-14T18:44:00.000-04:00

Ok, there's only 2 1/2 months to go before January 1st, 2008. Man, time flies huh?

Are you going to wait to start sculpting your "New Body" for the New Year, like everybody else?

Or, are you going to get a nice head start and look and feel like a million bucks when everyone else is just starting?

It's your choice.

My good friend Charles Damiano chose to take 12 week Body- For- Life Challenge and ended up the Grand Champion and $100,000 richer.

Charles dropped his body fat from 19.2% to 7.8%, and he lost 22 pounds of fat and gained 15 pounds of lean muscle.

Here are the phenomenal results he got:

"Before" and "After" pictures were taken 12 weeks apart

Why not get started on your New Body NOW?

If you're looking for powerful results, pick up the Black Book of Secrets. Not only do we provide you with the exact diet and exercise program you need to take your body to the next level, we also provides you with all the tricks and techniques to get you past sticking points, and make the journey easier. There's also a money back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Go for it!

Applying the Principle of Compound Interest for Weight Loss Success

2007-10-13T12:44:00.000-04:00

Where you are today is the result of what you've done every day since you were born. Whether you are fit or fat is a reflection of your habits. Your eating habits, your exercise habits, your mental habits.

The way you look in the mirror right now is the culmination of those habits over a certain period of time. The further your body is from where it should be usually correlates to how long you've had certain bad habits or simply no good habits in place.

By looking in the mirror you can get a rough idea of your habits over the past year or so. If you're over weight, you may have the habit of over eating, or eating low quality foods. Perhaps you have a habit of not exercising when you should?

Lets go back on that year and apply some of these Good Habits to Cultivate for Super Health and Fat Loss

Where would you be right now had you cultivated some of those simple habits?

Would you weigh 10 pounds less? Would you be more active, perhaps taking on new challenges you wouldn't be able to without all that extra energy?

Now is the time to start. If you follow the instructions in that article, I promise you things will start to change by leaps and bounds.

From Wikipedia: "Compound interest is the concept of adding accumulated interest back to the principal, so that interest is earned on interest from that moment on."

So where does the Principle of Compound Interest apply?

Well, when you start to exercise and eat clean on a regular basis, you start to make small changes in the body. You're putting in your time and earning back a decent return in fat loss. Maybe a 1% improvement per day. By consistently following the good habits, that 1% starts to compound in the body.

This is the magic of the body. After a while, the biochemical processes of the body change. Your mind and body is reconditioned to a new standard. Soon the return on your habits are far more than 1% per day. The body gets used to burning more and more fat. It also gets conditioned not to store fat.

The payoff is an overall change in the body on the outside and inside.

For instance, the phenomena of vascularization. In Fitness: The Complete Guide, Dr. Hatfield tells of a test done by a researcher who set a weight on the floor and tied a rope to it. The other side of the rope was looped around the middle finger on his right hand. In time to a metronome, he began to lift the weight with his finger. The first time, and for many weeks after, the best he could do was 25 reps.

One day about 2 months later, the researched began the usual lifting, but he wasn't tired at 25. He kept going until he reached 100 reps! The researchers finger had undergone vascularization in response to the adaptive stress of exercise. More blood vessels opened up in the finger, creating new routes for delivering more oxygen. The blood vessels don't open up one at a time, but by whole networks!

This phenomena is bound to happen throughout your body to some extent when you're exercising properly. Not only does the exercise become easier, it becomes more tolerable. Your threshold for exercise goes way up, and heading to the gym becomes second nature like brushing your teeth.

Think of the possibilities your life can have if you actually enjoyed exercise and eating clean?

You can have it all if you simply cultivate those good habits!

Want Results? Take Action!

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If you want results- any results, the bottom line is that you MUST take action.

You can sit down and read all the information on the internet about getting lean, losing weight, starting a business, whatever... It's not going to amount to a hill of beans if you don't MOVE.

Any time you get an idea take action.
Any time you get excited about the idea of finally losing those 50 pounds, take action.

It doesn't matter what action. Just take action.

Once you're in motion, you'll stay in motion. While you're in motion, you can figure out the best actions to take.

Each time you physically move and take an action toward the achievement of your goal, you condition yourself in a way that makes it easier next time.

Each time you DON'T physically move and take an action toward your goal, you condition yourself in a way that makes it more difficult next time.

When you get an idea or get inspired about something, MOVE.