Dean
Dean
We all know how busy the holidays can be. A thousand things to do and so little time to get them all done. Will it really matter if I miss a few workouts? Just start up again in January?
Don’t do it!
It’s a big mistake to risk losing the lean muscle mass and strength that you have worked so hard to build and maintain. What’s the big deal? Losses in lean muscle mass will lower your resting metabolic rate, which accounts for the vast majority (about 60-75%) of your total daily calorie burning. This means that everyday you will be burning less and less calories which will put you at a much greater risk of putting on ugly, unwanted body fat during the holidays.
Here’s another thing to consider – remember when you first started training again? The soreness? Shortness of breath? Lack of strength? Do you really want all that to start over again?
Look, if you are on a good plan -stay on it! The time you take for yourself to train is an important part of being healthy and feeling great. Is another trip to the mall really worth it?
For those of you who have let your training, shall we say…slip… there are many ways to maintain or increase the number of calories you burn per day, both from exercise and from your normal daily activities, to stay fat-free this holiday season. Use these strategies to maintain and/or increase your current amount of lean muscle mass and maximize your daily calorie burn. Leave the “Santa Belly” to the professionals!
1.) Perform at least one intense strength training session per week
Studies show that only a single strength training workout per week during times when you cannot train as frequently as you normally do is an effective way to maintain your current levels of strength and lean muscle mass. Anyone can get in at least one good strength training session a week to stay buff during the holidays and to prevent unwanted regressions in fitness. If you are serious about preventing weight gain, three total body strength workouts per week should do the trick . To maximize fat burning, perform three total body strength workouts per week and also perform three cardio interval workouts per week on non strength-training days.
2.) Add it all up.
Can’t spare the 60 minutes? (I’ll bet you could if you tried). When you honestly cannot find a five to 20-minute time slot to complete an effective total body workout, look for hidden chunks of time during the day to get in a certain number of daily repetitions for a certain number of exercises that work your entire body. Got a free moment from now until you need to take the turkey out of the oven? Then, bang out 10 push-ups, 10 rows, and 20 squats. Using this method throughout the day will lead to big numbers by the end of the day that will help maintain your strength and overall fitness.
It is important to note that this “Hit Your Totals” routine is merely a back-up option to the ideal 20-minute interval training workouts which are scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat than ordinary exercise (see my article How You Can Build the Ultimate Circuit Training Workout For Rapid Fat Loss for more info). Short rest periods between exercises create the optimal hormonal environment for rapid fat loss and lean muscle gain, which the long rest periods of “normal” training just don’t.
Make sure to pick multi-joint, compound movements (the BIG exercises) that hit as much of your body’s major muscle groups in the shortest amount of time possible (e.g. squats, deadlifts, lunges, push-ups, rows, etc.). Use the plan below as guide to build your own “Hit Your Totals” workout. Adjust the repetition ranges accordingly based on your current strength levels. The only thing you need is your body weight and adjustable dumbbells and/or resistance bands. Train using this plan up to three times per week, resting a day between workouts. Make sure to alternate between Plan A and Plan B in order to work more of your body. You can either hit your total by doing straight sets (e.g. perform push-ups rest-pausing as needed until you get 100 total), or by simply employ circuit style training (e.g. 20 squats, 10 push-ups, 10 rows, repeat 10x throughout the day to hit your totals).
The Hit Your Total Workout For The Holidays
Plan A-
Body weight Squats: 100-200 total
Push-ups: 50-100 total
DB/Band Rows: 50-100 total
Plan B-
2-Leg Hip Extensions: 50-100/total
Off Chair/Couch Dips: 50-100 total
DB/Band Curls: 50-100 total (feel free to swap pull-ups or pull-downs here if you have access to the equipment)
3.) Rage Against The Machines
Machines have made us an incredibly out of shape and overweight society. This holiday season make it a point to not use them! Now I don’t mean to say that you cannot drive to the mall during the holidays. However, when you get to the mall, don’t drive around for 10 minutes looking for the closest space. A little walk will do you some good! Don’t wait in line for the elevator, the stairs will more than likely have plenty of room, and all those steps truly do add up. Stay on your feet as much as possible and resist the temptation to let a robot or machine do the work for you.
4.) Engage in more outdoor holiday activities
I have been in some pretty incredible snowball fights in my day. Though I was always having a blast while pelting my friends behind cleverly built igloos, I was never aware of how exhausting a good snowball fight can truly be until I came indoors afterwards. We never used to notice how cold it was outside because we were moving around and having a blast! Talk about an awesome way to burn calories without even thinking about it! Get outdoors this holidays season and throw around the pigskin or have your very own “Ice Bowl.” Once again, all these calories here and there truly do add up and could make a difference between you fitting in your pants or ripping your pants by the time the clock strikes midnight this New Year!
Now get out there and do it!
It’s time to dust off the big roasting pan, heat up the oven, and get down to business. That’s right, I’m talking Turkey! Although most of us associate Thanksgiving with bloated bellies and after dinner coma’s on the sofa, don’t you dare blame it on turkey. Heap your scorn on sweet potatoes, put a smack down on stuffing, and pummel all those pies – but leave Terrific Tom Turkey out of it! After all, turkey is jam packed with powerful protein, which simultaneously elevates metabolism and promotes fat burning and lean muscle growth. Turkey is also lean protein source as long as you remove the skin, which makes it twice as nice!
So what’s so important about protein? Protein is the only macronutrient (the others being fat and carbohydrates) responsible for building and repairing your body’s tissue stores. More specifically, adequate, regular protein intake is critical to repair muscle damage from high intensity activities such as strength training and high intensity cardio. If you are not taking in enough protein every two to four hours, you are going to have a challenge maintaining your current muscle, never mind enough for growth and repair.
Why is this important? For the simple fact that the more lean tissue (muscle) you have, the bigger “metabolic engine” you have, which enables you to burn more calories (and fat) on a daily basis. Protein is also the least likely macronutrient to be stored as bodyfat, and it takes your body twice as much energy to digest protein than carbohydrates and dietary fat. Sounds like a win-win to me. If you are going to choose to overeat anything this holiday season and get away with it, turkey is probably going to be it.
Another bonus in adding turkey to your menu is that it easy to prepare and one turkey goes a long way. You can save a ton of time in food preparation by roasting a turkey. You’ll have tons of meal option all week! To inspire your turkey consumption efforts we’ve put together some awesome better body recipes that you can create with turkey as your lean protein foundation. Enjoy!
Turkey Salad
Ingredients:
– 6-8 oz. Turkey Breast chopped into small cubes
– 1/4 red bell pepper
– 1/4 green bell pepper
– 1/4 red onion
– 2 Tbsp canola or olive oil mayo
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and enjoy over a bed of greens.
Makes one male serving and two female servings.
Turkey Cranberry Cream Cheese Roll-up
Ingredients:
– 6-8 oz. Sliced Turkey
– 1 Tbsp Fat Free Cream Cheese
– 1 Tbsp Dried Cranberries 1?2 Clove of Roasted Garlic Salt and Pepper to taste
– 2 Whole Grain Tortillas
Directions:
Soak cranberries in water for 20 minutes or microwave until soft if you are short on time. Mash the 1/2 clove of garlic. Mix cranberries, garlic, and cream cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread the mixture into the inside of the tortilla(s). Add turkey breast. Fold up sides, roll up, and enjoy!
Makes one male serving and two female servings.
Turkey Medallions With Cranberry Glaze
Turkey Medallions:
– 6-8 oz. Turkey
– Non-stick spray Turkey Seasoning
Cut Turkey Breasts into small medallions, sprinkle lightly with seasoning. Reheat in a pan sprayed with non-stick oil on medium heat until lightly browned on both sides. Drip Cranberry glaze (below) over the medallions.
Cranberry Glaze:
– 1 Cups Dry white wine
– Turkey or chicken stock, as needed
– 1 1/2 Cups Dried cranberries
– 1/4 Cup of Pine nuts, toasted
– Pinch of Salt
Add 1/2 cup of white wine and 1/2 cup of turkey stock to pan. Add other 1/2 cup of turkey stock, cranberries, pine nuts and pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat until reduced in volume by half, about 4 cups.
Makes one male serving and two female servings.
Turkey Shepherds Pie
Ingredients:
– 2 cups cubed cooked turkey
– 3/4 cup turkey gravy
– 1 small can whole kernel corn
– drained 1 cup of chicken stock
– 1 cup of water
– 3 cups steamed cauliflower
– 2 cups celery, chopped 2 carrots
– chopped 1 onion chopped 2 cloves garlic
– minced 1 bell pepper, any color
– chopped Salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. First you must make the gravy. Take the garlic, 1 cup of celery, carrots, onion, bell pepper, chicken stock, water, vegetables, salt and pepper to taste. Add to a pot, boil until vegetables are soft and blend in a blender or food processor.
Next, you will take the steamed cauliflower and mash it, or place it in a food processor until the consistency is like that of mashed potatoes.
Next, in a baking dish, layer the turkey, gravy, corn, remaining celery and mashed cauliflower. Bake, uncovered at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
Makes 2 male servings and one female serving.
Turkey Florentine
Ingredients:
– 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
– 2 tablespoons smart butter
– 1 cup cooked whole grain fettuccine
– 2 cups diced, cooked turkey
– 1 cup turkey or chicken stock 1
– (8 ounce) package fat free sour cream and onion dip
– 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
– 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
– Non-stick cooking spray
Directions:
Cook spinach according to package directions; drain. Stir in smart butter. Place noodles in a non-stick sprayed baking dish; top with spinach. Combine turkey, stock, onion dip and onion salt and spoon over spinach. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees F for 25 minutes or until bubbly.
Turkey Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients:
– 1 bag of frozen green beans
– 6-8 oz. of cubed cooked turkey breast
– 1 can of organic cream of mushroom soup
– 2 cups Kraft all natural fat free cheese
– Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients into a casserole dish and bake for about 30 minutes or until completely hot. Makes one male serving and two female servings.
Fat Loss Forever,
Nancy Carlson
As a former fat kid and a current real world fat loss specialist who has helped tons of people lose the pounds, I know a thing or two about exercise selection. Because of this I am often asked what the best exercises are to lose fat AND gain muscle fast.
Let’s keep it simple. The most effective exercises for fat loss are also the most effective exercises for muscle gain and visa versa. These exercises all have one thing in common: they provide a UNIQUE challenge to your body AND involve as many muscles in your body as possible.
Both the scientific research and the real world case studies have shown that total body workouts are superior for maximal fat loss and muscle gain. But that’s not all…
We can dramatically accelerate results by preferentially selecting TOTAL BODY EXERCISES within each TOTAL BODY WORKOUT! For example, squats are well known for being one of the best muscle-builders with a serious a fat-shredding effect. However, the squat goes from great to UNSTOPPABLE for changing your body for the better when you make it a combination movement by adding a row or press to each repetition. You can absolutely reap more benefits this way since you have now involved your upper body into the king of lower body exercises.
It’s as simple as the Best Body Equation below:
Performing Total Body Exercises Within Each Total Body Workout:
More Muscles Involved =
More Calories Burnt + Greater Muscle-Building Stimulus =
Greater Fat Lost + Greater Muscle Gain
I must be honest in that I have a true love-hate relationship with the following movements I am about to share with you. Love because of the unparalleled fat-melting, muscle-building results they provide to help get that lean, strong body. Hate because they break me every single workout by leaving me in tears while in a pool of my own sweat. In other words, these are not for the weak of mind, body, or soul!
Alright, enough jabbering already! Here is the official top 10 list of my favorite exercises in the world for fat loss and lean muscle gain:
Exercise#1- Any Squatting Combination Exercise- Squat Thrust/Burpee Variations, Squat to Overhead Press, Squat to Row, Squat to Chest Press, Braced Core Squat, Single-Leg Squat plus Curl to Press, etc.
Exercise#2- The Swing- Dumbbells, Kettlebells, Med Balls, or Sandbags
Exercise#3- Any Lunge Combination Exercise- Alternating Lunge plus Curl to Press, Alternating Lunge plus Twist, Alternating Lunge plus Chest Press, Alternating Reverse Lunge plus Row, Split Jump plus Jerk, Split Jump plus Curl etc.
Exercise#4- Any Push-Up Combination Exercise- Push-ups plus Knee-Ins, Push-up Rows, T-Push-Ups, Spiderman Push-ups, Squat Thrust Push-Ups, Four-Way Push-up Crawl, etc.
Exercise#5- The Chop- Dumbbells, Kettlebells, Med Balls, Bands, or Sandbags
Exercise#6- Olympic Lifting Variations: Dumbbell or Kettlebell Cleans, Snatches, High Pulls
Exercise#7- Dynamic Back Pillar plus 1-Arm Dumbbell Chest Press
Exercise#8- Rear Foot Elevated Deadlift plus Curl to Press
Exercise#9- Med Ball Snatch-Slam Combo
Exercise#10- Dumbbell or Kettlebell Single-Leg RDL plus Row
I’ll be sharing some more great exercises for those specific trouble spot areas (e.g. legs, butt, abs, chest, arms, etc.) in the days to come.
To your best health,
Dean
http://GetFitNHbootcamp.com
In the past, the cornerstone of most resistance training workouts has been performing exercises in a straight set format. Essentially, this means you perform a certain number of reps, then you rest anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes based on your training goals before repeating this set a certain number of times based on your goals. If you were looking for fat loss and lean muscle gain shorter rest periods were thought to be ideal. For more of a strength or power emphasis, longer rest periods were prescribed.
So, what’s the problem with this format? Well, though straight sets are extremely easy to comprehend for people new to fitness, they can also be an extremely inefficient way to order your exercises. In most gyms you’ll typically see someone perform three sets of 10 reps for let’s say the bench press (You do know Every Monday is National Bench Press Day, Right?). They pump out 10 reps, go to the water fountain, talk with some buddies, watch a couple of highlights on ESPN, and then head back to the bench to hit up their second set. In general, most people, guys in particular, tend to take about 3-5 minutes between sets. In the case of three sets of 10 on the bench that means it would take up to 15 minutes to complete only one movement pattern (a horizontal push). That means you’d need at least in hour to perform four different exercises. If your goal is to win a bench press competition, you might choose to train this way. However if fat loss is your goal, there is a much better way!
A much more effective and time-efficient approach to ordering your exercises is utilizing the alternating set format. Here you’ll perform one exercise, rest for a short period of time, then perform another non-competing exercise, rest for a short period of time, and so forth. Alternating sets allow you to work different areas of your body when you would otherwise be resting with the straight set format. Plus, by working another area of your body with a non-competing exercise you allow your body to recover from the previous exercise(s). The result is improved training economy and density: more work accomplished in less time, which is the cornerstone of any sound fat loss program. Let’s look at a few ways to perform alternating sets:
Though supersets and trisets are excellent alternating set options, I believe circuit training is by the far the best option time and time again. To demonstrate why, let’s examine my favorite circuit training template using timed set intervals:
The 50-10 Five Exercise Circuit: You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for all five exercises in the following 5-minute circuit:
Perform this circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body fat burning workout.
Basically, in the same 15 minutes that it took to get in three sets on the bench you could have gotten in three sets of five different exercise for a staggering total of 15 work sets! Plus, the intensity on each exercise can be just as high as in the straight set format because in this five exercise circuit you will have full recovery with over four minutes before you return to any given exercise (just as you did with the straight set format described earlier).
To recap, the key to creating the optimal hormonal environment for fat loss is to perform each exercise with maximal intensity while separated by brief rest periods in order to accumulate a high volume of total body work in the shortest amount of time possible. Circuit training provides for the best of both worlds and is thus simply unmatched for simultaneously maximizing fat loss and lean muscle gain. Use the following template I use with my many boot camp clients for some killer, yet simple fat loss circuits:
I’ll be sharing some more great circuit training workouts from our boot camps in the weeks to come.
Fat Loss Forever,
Nancy Carlson
Summer is cruising on by…it’s crazy how fast time flies!
It’s August, and as you probably know, the Olympics in Beijing China start in just a few days.
Most of us are not heading to China.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t have our own Olympic games.
Nancy has set up a challenge for us at our support site over at http://cr8health.ning.com
Will you earn Gold, Silver or Bronze?
No matter which one you earn, you will be fitter than when you started, and that’s always a winner!
If you haven’t signed up for your fr*e account, you are missing out.
Nancy does a great job keeping the site fresh with great ideas, and our group has made friends all over the country that are also striving to look and feel great.
Head on over and Go for the Gold….today!
Our 5:00am Boot Camp Class got into a discussion this morning regarding a recent study published by the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study was designed to determine which type of three diets worked best. For purposes of this letter, the three types don’t even matter, as I’ll explain.
It was a good discussion, but when I thought about it afterward, I realized something was amiss.
Described as a “tightly controlled study” by the New York Times, the 322 participants lost an average of between 6-10 pounds.
Not too bad – right? I mean it must have been a 2 or 3 month time frame, right?
Try TWO YEARS on for size!
That’s .333 pounds a month.
That’s not so good. (In fact it’s downright lousy!)
To me the take home point is this –
It doesn’t matter how good the “diet plan” is –
If you don’t actually DO IT CONSISTENTLY!
I suspect many if not most of these participants were, how shall I put it? – less than truthful about their compliance to the diet.
I come to that conclusion based on experience.
You see, I have a philosophy regarding nutrition – principles that if applied produce the desired results.
If a client tells me it “doesn’t work”, 99 times out of 100, when we look at what he ACTUALLY does, it not the plan that isn’t working, it’s the client not working the plan.
(Note the “if applied” part above.)
So what do we do about it?
Here are 5 principles of nutrition that anyone CAN do.
The real question is – WILL you?
1) Track how much you are really eating. Log 2 weekdays and 1 weekend. Fitday.com is gold, and it’s no cost.
2) To lose weight, all other things being equal (your exercise plan for instance) – you need to eat less. Start with a 300-500 calorie reduction. Use fitday.com to track it. Adjust every two weeks as needed.
3) Don’t eat food from a box, bag, wrapper or can. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, and protein are the basis of a “good” nutrition plan.
4) Don’t make excuses. If you “fall off the wagon” and eat something you know doesn’t help, don’t turn it into a binge. That extra piece of cake DOES make a difference. Once in a while doesn’t mean once a day. Remember, making excuses only burns .02355 calories a day. (OK – I made that up)
5) Plan ahead. Pick a day when you can prepare ALL the meals for the week. If you are not willing to plan ahead, you aren’t serious about making the change.
Which is the most important?
In my opinion – #5.
If you don’t know what you are going to eat next, you’ll eat anything you can get your hands on.
I know, because I am right there with you.
But IF you combine these 5 tips consistently applied (i.e. EVERY DAY) with a good training plan (consistently applied) you will start to achieve the results you want.
As we like to say in Boot Camp – It’s Simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s Easy.
Nothing worthwhile ever is.
To your best health,
Dean
That’s what one of our June “Get Fit NH” Bootcamp participants experienced.
I saw her last weekend, and she couldn’t wait to tell me!
After 1 month – 16 one-hour training sessions, her total body measurements were down eight inches!
She was thrilled, and it won’t be the last time she will see that kind of progress.
You see, she had been training for quite awhile without seeing progress she was happy with.
One month at Boot Camp changed all that.
What makes our fitness bootcamp a solution that can work for “Every Body”?
A comprehensive system of:
It’s time to get off the sidelines and into the game.
Nothing will change unless you change what you’re doing.
July classes are going strong.
August classes are starting to fill.
Can’t wait to see you there!
Register for “Get Fit NH” Boot Camp Online Here.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued new guidelines on cholesterol and fat intake for our kids. I think these guidelines are a sad commentary not only on the state of our kids health, but on the way we approach disease.
We don’t have a health care system in this country, we have a sick care system. We are way more about “fixing” the problem, or maybe more accurately, treating the symptoms, than we are about education and prevention.
What’s easier – giving someone a pill, or taking the time to educate them on making good choices to improve and maintain health? I am not necessarily blaming all medical professionals. Because of the way the current system works too many of our health care providers do not have the time necessary to spend on such educational efforts. Ways to fix this challenge is a discussion for another day.
The thing that disturbs me most about the new guidlines is the focus on prescribing cholesterol lowering drugs to kids as young as 8 years old. The guidelines from 1992 suggested that drugs be prescribed AFTER 6-12 months on a nutritional protocol designed to lower cholesterol. As far as I can tell, this has been thrown out the window in favor of a more immediate call for drugs.
Now proponents will tell us that this is only in “high risk” kids, but we have been down that slipperly slope with a wide array of drugs for both adults and children. I have also seen it stated that these drugs are needed because over 15% of our children are obese, with many more overweight. That may be, but is prescribing drugs treating the symptom – obesity, or the cause – poor nutrition? I think the answer is obvious.
We are in a health care crisis in this country not because of the quality of the system, but because we have become sedentary and undernourished. Not under-FED, but undernourished. With the US population now approximately 66% overweight, we have a real problem, and it’s only getting worse.
Children need activity and exercise, not TV and Xbox.
Kids need fruits and vegetables, not soda and snack cakes.
It starts at home. We must take personal responsibility for our own health and the health of our kids. Don’t feed them junk, and don’t let them vegitate in front of the idiot box. And keep your kids off drugs – even the “good” kind.
Nancy has done a great job over at http://ourfamilyfitnessblog.com/ putting together real world tips and recipes to help the cause. Do yourself and your kids a favor and check it out.
For more information on kids and cholesterol lowering drugs, please take time to read this interview Newsweek magazine did with Dr. Peter Belamarich: http://www.newsweek.com/id/144960/page/1
Here are a few pictures of our two June classes. We worked hard AND had a ton of fun. Make sure you take a look at the chart that show testing results from our PM class – Great Job!
Our May 2008 Get Fit NH Boot Camp Class was a tremendous success! We had men and women from ages 20-49 training together for four weeks – a total of 16 sessions. The phenomenal results are shown in the chart below.
To summarize – The Average Boot Camp Member:
Could do 18 more pushups – an increase of 115%…
Did 12 more situps – an increase of over 59%…
Got down and did 11 more squats – 32% more…
Almost doubled the amount of burpees, from 8 to 15 – a 97% increase…
And shaved 18 seconds off their 1/4 mile run…Way To Go!
Our June Classes are starting soon…
When are YOU going to join a Get Fit NH Boot Camp?