Intrafitt Performance Training Center

2010-10-27T03:37:00.000-07:00

Is Corn Sugar Better For Us Than High Fructose Corn Syrup?

Actually it is the same thing. The Corn Refiners Association petitioned for this name change thinking that it would avoid confusion about high fructose corn syrup. Their argument is that HFCS is the same as table sugar.

There are definite proponents to this statement though. HFCS was introduced in the late 1970s and a cheaper form of sweetener than plain sugar. It is true that obesity rates have risen by more than 100% since then. (1) The rise in diabetes since 1980 equaled the increase in HFCS consumption according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (2)

There have been various studies conducted comparing HFCS and table sugar. One was a 10 week study that showed after the 10 weeks the HFCS participants had new fat cells surrounding their organs. The table sugar participants showed no new fat cells around their organs. (3)

We already know that HFCS is not good for us and can lead to weight gain and even obesity. We have also seen plenty of studies that show regular sugar can do the same thing. Now does one happen faster than the other. These studies appear to show that, but in the end they are both just as guilty in contributing to weight gain and obesity.

What would be interesting is researching the effects of a long term study with HFCS and table sugar. What happens after 5 years, 10 years and even 20 years. Do you end up with the same result?

Obviously you are probably not going to get many participants sign up for that study because it could easily lead to pre-mature death. I am sure the money paid to the participants won't be anywhere close to the amount for someone to think this is a good idea.

Instead how about we just minimize HFCS and table sugar all together. Minimize your processed foods and look at the labels for the words HFCS, corn syrup, corn sugar and even sugar if it is the main ingredient used for that food.

There are of course many other unhealthy ingredients that can contribute to your weight gain. These are not the only ones.

If you need something sweet lean towards natural foods like real fruit or natural honey as a condiment.

Stick to natural foods when you can and you won't even have to worry about this debate on whether HFCS is worse for you than regular sugar.

References:

1 NIDDK, “Statistics Related to Overweight and Obesity”
2 Bray, G, Nielsen, SJ, Popkin B., “Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2004; Vol. 79, No. 4, 537-543
3 Hofmann S, Tschop M., “Dietary sugars: a fat difference,” The Journal of Clinical Investigation 2009; 119(5):1089-1092

2010-10-25T03:20:00.000-07:00

5 Freaky Fat Loss Holiday Helpers.

One of the most dreaded times of year where it is considered the ‘norm’ to gain weight and give into temptation because it is the only socially acceptable thing to do.

Well I’ve been known a little bit as someone who likes to go against the grain, but I’m also realistic. No doubt the holidays are tough but there is no reason why we can’t set reasonable goals but still enjoy the holidays a little bit. Here are five holiday fat loss helpers that will allow you to have your cake and eat it too (pun intended).

1. Set a plan- you know there are going to be social events, and days specifically where you will be challenged. Build your plan around them, and on those days choose two meals where you will use as cheat meals. I suggest working out on those cheat meal days so that the ‘damage’ is minimized by the cheat meals. Make sure you have a plan in effect so that your two cheat meals don’t turn into cheat weekends or weeks. Set a plan and stick to that plan.

2. Perform short workouts with higher intensity and little to no equipment. Using little to no equipment allows you to have diversity in your workout environment. You can train anywhere. And the short workouts are as effective and in many cases, more effective than longer workouts. The shorter workouts allow you to fit them into your busy holiday schedule.

3. Schedule your workouts earlier in the day. Scheduling your workouts earlier in the day allows you to get them done without trying to fit them in later in the day which tends to be taken up with dinner parties, get togethers, and family time. Most people don’t get up early to exercise during the holidays or early for anything (unless its cooking on Thanksgiving, or opening presents on Christmas), but you certainly can fit in a short intense workout before the festivities begin.

4. Hold the starch double the veggie. At meal times, minimizing the starchy carbohydrates and doubling up on veggies as well as having an extra portion of protein will help your nutrition and you won’t feel like depriving yourself. If you hold the starches at dinner, you have an opportunity to indulge in dessert. And won’t be overstepping on your unsupportive calories.

5. Don’t do it alone. There is a good chance that a family member or a friend would also like to minimize the damage the holidays can do to their waistline. So make it known what you are doing and put the offer out to others to join you so you can keep eachother on track and accountable. When your will power is weak and you want to fall off the supportive wagon, your support person may have the will power to say no and help you through the challenge.

The holidays don’t have to spell defeat. If you implement the strategies above, you can minimize the bulge to your waistline and come out of the other side of the holidays ready to kick it into high gear.

2010-10-22T03:22:00.000-07:00

ASPRIN FIGHTS COLON CANCER: STUDY

Taking low-dose Aspirin can help reduce deaths caused by colon cancer by more than a third, British researchers have found.

Their report in Friday's online issue of the medical journal The Lancet reviewed the 20-year results of four trials involving more than 14,000 people that were enrolled in a study on use of ASA (acetylsalicylic acid) to prevent stroke and heart attack.

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in developed countries, with about one million new cases and 600 000 deaths worldwide each year.

In the study, Prof. Peter Rothwell of University of Oxford in the U.K. and his-co-authors looked at colorectal cancer incidence and mortality among people who were given regular, lower-range European Aspirin doses of between 75 milligrams ("baby Aspirin") and 300 milligrams.

There seemed to be no advantage to taking more than a baby-sized dose.

Previous studies looked at the prevention benefits of a daily dose of high does, at least 500 milligrams of ASA.

"Anyone with any risk factors such as a family history [of colon cancer] or a previous polyp should definitely take Aspirin," said Rothwell said.

The finding also "tips the balance" for anyone considering Aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes, he said.

Help for high-risk patients

The results mean that for every 100 people who take low-dose ASA daily, one case of colorectal cancer was prevented, and 1 in 70 deaths from the disease was avoided.

Those findings are comparable to how statins for cholesterol prevent one heart attack for every 100 people who take them.

The other interesting aspect of the study is that the types of colorectal tumours that were prevented were those higher up in the colon, which are harder to detect with screening tests, said Mark Elwood of the B.C. Cancer Agency in Vancouver, commenting on the study.

Specialists warn, however, that there are risks associated with ASA even at low doses. It is a matter of patients balancing those risks and potential benefits in consultation with their own doctor, Elwood suggested, noting the evidence was based on people age 50 and older.

If taken in high doses over a long period, ASA can irritate the stomach, intestines and bowel, causing lesions and major bleeding.

"This interesting study would incite clinicians to turn to primary prevention of colorectal cancer by Aspirin at least in high risk-populations," Dr. Robert Benamouzig and Dr. Bernard Uzzan of Avicenne Hospital in Bobigny, France, wrote in a journal commentary accompanying the study.

The commentators called for specific guidelines on using ASA for colon cancer prevention.

No funding was provided for the study. Rothwell and some of his co-authors have been paid for work by several drug makers who produce anti-clotting drugs such as ASA.

story was on the CBC NEWS website.... Do your research people....

2010-10-04T03:38:00.000-07:00

THANKSGIVING IS HERE

Hey guy's and gal's it's that time of the year again..... Thanksgiving......!
As much as I wanna say, don't go overboard and eat everything you can get your hands on, but let's be honest here.....nothing I say is gonna change the tradition of eating as much turkey as you possibly can. There is only a few times a year that family and friends come over to eat mass amounts of turkey, so "dig-in" you deserve it!

We look forward to seeing all of y0u on the wednesday following the FAT-FILLED weekend....lol Monday is a holiday, so enjoy it and relax.....Wednesday is gonna be torture!

From us at Intrafitt, Happy Thanksgiving guys!!! Have an awesome long weekend, and eat lots,drink some, and be safe!

2010-09-27T06:45:00.000-07:00

THE CHOCOLATE MILK ATHLETE?????????

Long considered a treat, chocolate milk is gaining popularity as a post-workout recovery drink.

Research shows that chocolate milk, loaded with carbohydrates and protein, refuels muscles, reduces muscle breakdown and rehydrates the body.

Studies, including at Indiana University and Virginia's George Mason University, suggest drinking low-fat chocolate milk after exercise is just as effective in helping muscles recover as a high-carbohydrate sports drink.

At about 25 cents for an eight-ounce serving, it's a bargain, too.

Cheryl Zonkowski, director of sports nutrition at the University of Florida, said reduced-fat chocolate milk is offered to about 530 student-athletes – as well as Gatorade nutrition and protein recovery shakes and cherry juice – following exercise.

"It contains 170 total calories, with 29 grams of carbohydrates and 8 grams of protein, a 3.6-to-1 ratio. Optimal recovery ratio for carbs to protein is between 3-to-1 and 4-to-1," Zonkowski said. Milk also contains vitamins A, D, B-6 and B-12; plus niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc.

Each week, athletes from among the University of Florida's 12 Gator teams drink 12 cases of 50, eight-ounce containers of 1 per cent chocolate milk available in weight rooms and training facilities. Whatever their choice, timing is important since optimal recovery takes place immediately to about 30 minutes following exercise, Zonkowski said.

And some athletes say tart cherry juice, rich in antioxidants, eases muscle pain and soreness.

Other everyday foods are also being touted as fitness fuel. University of Texas researchers found that a bowl of whole-grain cereal, such as corn flakes or bran flakes, and milk are also great for post-exercise recovery.

Florida's dairy industry is pleased with the trend.

"It's a completely new way of looking at refuelling, but it's one that makes a lot of sense. It's definitely gaining lots of traction,'' said Scott Wallin, spokesman for Dairy Farmers Inc.

article from healthzone.ca

2010-09-22T03:01:00.000-07:00

WANNA LOOK YOUNGER, AND STAY LOOKINNG YOUNGER WITHOUT USING A CREAM!?!?

This month’s Nutrition Performance is going to give you the breakdown of the latest science on what bodybuilders need to eat and drink for a long life— so they don’t look like the Crypt Keeper.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Tea Have Anti-Aging Effect on Cells

Omega-3s, the fatty acids found primarily in coldwater fish like salmon, have a host of health benefits including protecting against prostate cancer and reducing heart disease. Now there's evidence that Omega-3s may have a profound anti-aging effect, too.

A study using rats found that administration of Omega-3 fatty acids increased their life span by approximately one-third.¹ A more recent study in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association looked at the effect of Omega-3 fatty acids on telomere length. Telomeres are structures at the end of chromosomes that are markers of biological aging. Think of a piece of strand that is wrapped up, and every time the strand is unraveled, it shortens your life span. Well, telomeres are at the end of the strand, keeping the strand from unraveling— so every time the telomeres shorten is indicative of the Grim Reaper taking a step closer.

Genetic factors, exposure to certain chemicals and environmental stressors, inflammation, obesity and lack of exercise all shorten the length of telomeres— and are believed to contribute to the aging process. Researchers from the University of California investigated whether Omega-3 fatty acid blood levels were linked to changes in telomere length in a study of 608 people who had stable coronary artery disease. The researchers suspected that Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) may have anti-aging effects. That’s exactly what they found!

The scientists found that research subjects with the least amount of DHA and EPA experienced the most rapid rate of telomere shortening (indicative of a shorter life). However, those with the highest levels of the Omega-3 fatty acids experienced the slowest rate of telomere shortening.² Each one-standard deviation increase in DHA+EPA levels was associated with a 32 percent reduction in the odds of telomere shortening. So the question is, how do Omegas-3 fatty acids provide anti-aging effects?

One of the mechanisms is that Omega-3 fatty acids reduce free radical damage, which shortens telomeres. Taking Omega-3 fatty acids and eating plenty of marine wildlife is a sure “supplement” to extend one’s life.

References:

1. Jolly CA, Muthukumar A, Avula CP, Troyer D, Fernandes G. Life span is prolonged in food-restricted autoimmune-prone (NZB × NZW)F(1) mice fed a diet enriched with (n-3) fatty acids. J Nutr, 2001;131 (10):2753-2760.

2. Farzaneh-Far R, Lin J, Epel ES, Harris WS, Blackburn EH, Whooley MA. Association of marine omega-3 fatty acid levels with telomeric aging in patients with coronary heart disease. JAMA, 2010 Jan 20;303(3):250-7.

Don’t Take Fish Oils Without Antioxidants!

Now that you know Omega-3 fatty acids can prolong one’s life span, you may feel like popping fish oils like they are amino acids! Hold on a second— there are some things that you need to understand about fish oils— for openers, they are susceptible to oxidation. Here is an experiment: take some fish oil gel tabs and poke a hole in them, and let the gel tabs sit on the counter as they are exposed to oxygen— you may notice they smell horrible. Fish oils are especially prone to spoilage. If you take fish oils, you should take them with antioxidants.

Researchers from Appalachian State University reported that taking fish oils without antioxidants before heavy exercise can cause more damage than good. The researchers had trained athletes perform a bout of heavy exercise. Test subjects were randomized for six weeks to receive fish oils (3,000 IUs vitamin A and 200 micrograms selenium), a fish oil and antioxidant combination, or a placebo. The researchers measured several markers of antioxidant markers in the blood. The concerning finding was that the fish oils group had a 53 percent greater value in prostaglandin F2, compared to the placebo group. F2-isoprostanes are bioactive compounds, which are considered to be the gold standard for determination of oxidative stress.

Interestingly, F2-isoprostanes are elevated in obesity and various other disease states associated with elevated oxidative stress or free radical damage. F2-isoprostanes were increased 53 percent by Omega-3 fatty acids alone, but only 32.8 percent when Omega-3 fatty acids were coupled with large doses of antioxidant vitamins (i.e. C, E, A, and selenium). This suggests that co-ingestion of antioxidants with Omega-3 fatty acids offered some protection from lipid oxidation.¹

Another study reported that if you are taking fish oils, they should be consumed with vitamin E. Researchers looked at men who consumed a controlled diet for a total of 28 weeks. For the first 10 weeks, they received placebo oil capsules (15 grams/day), for the next 10 weeks they received fish oil capsules (15 grams/day), and for the last eight weeks they received the fish oil plus 200 mg of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol). The urinary excretion of peroxidation products (malondialdehyde) more than doubled when the fish oil capsules were introduced, but then dropped by a factor of four when vitamin E was added. The vitamin E concentration in the red blood cells dropped significantly when fish oil was ingested, but more than recovered with the vitamin E supplement.²

In conclusion, the negative effects of fish oil consumption can be overcome by taking fish oils with vitamin E. Don’t take fish oils without taking an antioxidant-rich supplement with it; you may be doing more harm than good.

References:

1. McAnulty SR, Nieman DC, Fox-Rabinovich M, Duran V, McAnulty LS, Henson DA, Jin F, Landram MJ. Effect of n-3 Fatty Acids and Antioxidants on Oxidative Stress after Exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2010 Feb 13.

2. Nair, Padmanabhan P., et al. Dietary fish oil-induced changes in the distribution of alpha-tocopherol, retinol, and beta-carotene in plasma, red blood cells, and platelets: modulation by vitamin E. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 58, July 1993, pp. 98-102.

2010-09-20T06:16:00.000-07:00

Nutrition discovery: black rice rivals blueberries as source of healthful antioxidants

by S. L. Baker, features writer

(NaturalNews) In ancient China, nobles commandeered every grain of a variety of black rice known as "Forbidden Rice" for themselves and forbade the common people from eating it. Now 21st century scientists have discovered that black rice truly is a treasure -- at least when it comes to nutrition. In fact, a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, plus the rice bran has less sugar, more fiber and an abundance of vitamin E.

That's the conclusion of Zhimin Xu, Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science at Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Dr. Xu just announced his research team's findings at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) being held in Boston.

Many fruits are known to be rich sources of anthocyanin antioxidants and these phytochemicals show promise for fighting heart disease, cancer, and other diseases. But according to Dr. Xu and his colleagues, research shows black rice is also rich in these health-protecting phytochemicals -- so adding black rice bran to the diet or the bran extracts to breakfast cereals, beverages, and other foods could help protect and improve health.

"If berries are used to boost health, why not black rice and black rice bran? Especially, black rice bran would be a unique and economical material to increase consumption of health promoting antioxidants," Dr. Xu said in a statement to the media.

Brown rice is the most widely produced variety of rice in the world. It has a brown color because only the outer husks, or "chaff", are taken off the rice grains during milling. When rice is processed more and the underlying nutrient-dense bran is removed, the result is white rice. If you eat brown rice instead of the white kind, you are making a far healthier diet choice because the bran of brown rice contains higher levels of gamma-tocotrienol, one of the vitamin E compounds, and gamma-oryzanol antioxidants, which are lipid-soluble antioxidants.

A large body of research has concluded these antioxidants can reduce blood levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL, the so-called bad cholesterol) and potentially lower the risk for heart disease. In fact, as previously reported in NaturalNews, Temple University scientists have found that a specific natural compound in brown rice can reduce high blood pressure and protect blood vessels (http://www.naturalnews.com/028705_b...) and Harvard University research suggests consuming brown rice may prevent type 2 diabetes (http://www.naturalnews.com/029143_b...).

As healthy as brown rice is, however, Dr.Xu and his colleagues think black rice may be even healthier. They analyzed samples of black rice bran from rice grown in the southern United States and found it possesses higher level of anthocyanins antioxidants than brown rice bran. The scientists also discovered that pigments in black rice bran extracts can produce a variety of different colors, ranging from pink to black, and may provide a healthy, natural alternative to the artificial colorings manufacturers often add to some foods and beverages. Several studies have found an association between artificial food coloring and cancer, behavioral problems in children, and other health concerns.

Currently, black rice is used mainly in Asia for food decoration and in sushi, noodles, and puddings. Dr. Xu stated that farmers in Louisiana are interested in growing black rice and he is optimistic Americans may soon embrace this nutrient-rich rice variety.

This article I found on www.musculardevelopment.com

Benefits of Fish oils....

2010-09-13T03:10:00.000-07:00

Research studies show fish oil benefits are down right amazing.

And knowing this is the second most important thing you can do for your health. (We'll get to #1 in importance soon.)

Studies are published almost daily as the scientific community discovers more and more of the many extraordinary omega 3 fish oil benefits.

If you haven't already been swept up in the net yet, here are 7 proven omega 3 benefits you should know about.

1. Less Pain and Inflammation. Omega 3 fatty acids, particularly EPA, have a very positive effect on your inflammatory response. Through several mechanisms, they regulate your body's inflammation cycle, which prevents and relieves painful conditions like arthritis, prostatitis, cystitis and anything else ending in "itis."

2. Cardiovascular Health. Omega 3 fatty acids have also been proven to work wonders for your heart and the miles and miles of arteries and veins that make up your cardiovascular system. They help to lower cholesterol, tryglicerides, LDLs and blood pressure, while at the same time increasing good HDL cholesterol. This adds years to your life expectancy.

3. Protection from Stroke and Heart Attack. When plaque builds up on arterial walls and then breaks loose, it causes what's known as a thrombosis, which is a fancy way of saying clot. If a clot gets stuck in the brain, it causes a stroke and when it plugs an artery, it causes a heart attack. Research shows omega 3 fatty acids break up clots before they can cause any damage.

4. Better Brain Function and Higher Intelligence. Pregnant and nursing mothers can have a great impact on the intelligence and happiness of their babies by supplementing with fish oil. For adults, omega 3 improves memory, recall, reasoning and focus. You'll swear you're getting younger and smarter.

5. Less Depression and Psychosis. Making you smarter is not all omega 3 does for your brain. Psychiatry department researchers at the University of Sheffield, along with many other research studies, found that omega 3 fish oil supplements "alleviate" the symptoms of depression, bipolar and psychosis (Journal of Affective Disorder Vol. 48(2-3);149-55).

6. Lower Incidence of Childhood Disorders. Just to show how fish oil fatty acids leave nobody out, studies show that children (and adults) with ADD and ADHD experience a greatly improved quality of life. And those with dyslexia, dyspraxia and compulsive disorders have gotten a new lease on life thanks to omega 3 oils.

7. Reduction of Breast, Colon and Prostate Cancer. And finally, omega 3 fish oil has been shown to help prevent three of the most common forms of cancer - breast, colon and prostate. Science tells us that omega 3s accomplish this in three ways. They stop the alteration from a normal healthy cell to a cancerous mass, inhibiting unwanted cellular growth and causing apoptosis, or cellular death, of cancer cells.

So you can see why knowing these benefits is the second most important thing you can do for your health. Can you guess what number one is?

That's right! Now it's time to put your knowledge to work. Eat more cold water oily fish and start taking good quality pure omega 3 fish oil supplements regularly.

2010-09-08T04:22:00.000-07:00

INCREASING AND DECREASING WEIGHTS.......?

If you’ve been to the gym on a regular basis, you will eventually see the following behavior. Someone is working out with freeweights, doing some common exercise like bench presses. They do a set and then they change weights, sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing. They do another set and again they change the weight. In fact, they go on like this for multiple sets, usually four or five, changing the weight each and every time. Is this normal? Is it helpful?

Well, Maybe…

As with many things, the answer isn’t quite as straightforward as you would think. There are reasons for and against both increasing and decreasing weight. However, the difference is rather small. In fact, unless you’re a serious body builder, you probably don’t have much to gain from increasing vs. decreasing weights. However, that doesn’t mean you should ignore the impact of weight altogher.

The Right Weight

The right weight is the one at which, when you do your target number of reps, you can barely do the last rep. For example, if I plan on doing 10 reps, then I should pick a weight where, on the 10th rep, I am barely able to lift the weight. If I can easily do an 11th and a 12th rep, then I’m using a weight that’s too low for me. The same applies to any number of reps. For example, if I want to do 5 reps, then I should pick a weight that will be very difficult on the 5th rep and pretty much impossible on the 6th rep. That’s called “working to failure” or “failure point”. That last rep is the failure point at which you simply cannot complete another full rep. Ideally, every set of exercises you do goes to the failure point.

NOTE - This applies to everyone, not just body builders. And yes, it applies to women too.

What Does This Have To Do With Increasing Or Decreasing Weight?

A lot. Think about the fact that many people do multiple sets. For example, I used to do 4 sets of 10 reps for each exercise. So for example, I would do 10 lunges, rest a few seconds, 10 more, rest, 10 more, rest and then 10 more. That’s 4 sets of 10 reps. Now clearly, as I do more and more of these sets, I’m going to be pretty tired. That means I’m going to have a harder time with the weight.

If I used the same weight for each of these sets, I would have an easy time lifting it on the first set and I might find it impossible to even complete my fourth set. To compensate for that, I would start out with a higher weight and decrease the weight as I progressed in sets. So the first set might be with 120lbs, the second with 110, the third with 100 and the last one with 90.

So Decreasing Weight Is Good?

That’s not what I’m saying. Decreasing weight is just a means to an end. That end is always working each set so that you’re unable to do even one more rep at the end of it. Decreasing the weight was just one way of achieving that. I could have done it in other ways. For example, I can do:

Set 1 - 12 reps with 100lbs
Set 2 - 10 reps with 100lbs
Set 3 - 8 reps with 100lbs
Set 4 - 6 reps with 100lbs

This way I can keep the weight the same while still working to failure on each set.

Alternatively, I could do:

Set 1 - 20 reps with 60lbs
Set 2 - 15 reps with 80 lbs
Set 3 - 10 reps with 100lbs
Set 4 - 5 reps with 120lbs

This approach is just as valid.

These days I only do one set of exercises per workout. So I’m never doing multiple weights. However, I do change weights per day so that on Monday I might be doing a set of 10 lunges with 100lbs. In Wednesday I do a set of 5 lunges with 160lbs while on Friday I do a set of 20 lunges with 70lbs. Again, it’s not about increasing or decreasing weight, it’s about always working to failure and making sure that last rep is really the last one that you can do.

One Last Point

The only real benefit of decreasing and increasing weight is change. Change is good for your body. Doing the same thing over and over in the exact same way tends to lead people into a rut. They get stuck with one routine and can never improve. Changing weights can be a way of forcing your body to adapt to different conditions and that’s a good thing. So whether you change weights every set or every day, just keep trying new things and always work towards that failur point.

Honestly guys/gals Mikey and I believe in increasing the weight, after each set! The best way to determine if this works for you, is to try it....After all, the best workout is one that works for you!!!

I dont know this guy, but he's right! A large majority, both male and female, increase or decrease the weight after each set...Just something to think about!

2010-08-25T03:11:00.000-07:00

How To Get Back On Track

Looking for a chance, a reason or maybe even the motivation to start over?

If you have fallen behind with your fat loss plan because of summer holidays or had some major set backs, No Worries!

Starting over is a fact of life!
And you are Absolutely NOT alone in this!

It makes no sense whatsoever to beat yourself up over it or hide behind excuses ~ such choices keep you RIGHT where you are.

If you are ready and willing to make a difference to your results, you can actually turn set backs into something Positive that can actually Benefit you!

Consider this cool Set Back Fact:
Each time you overcome a set back, you have the opportunity to learn more about YOU.

Set Backs are Stepping Stones….not anchors.

You can overcome each and every setback - keeping you moving on the path to self-improvement.

New lessons
New insight
New motivation
New appreciation

You can more effectively manage your “restarts” by embracing that this is a Life Long journey. Setbacks and restarts are bound to happen so you can choose to Minimize the effect by:

~ giving up the “all-or-nothing” mentality
~ getting better at forgiving yourself
~ taking time to reflect

This last one is super important!

How can we ever learn from these experiences - learning that will take us down a much more successful path - if we do not take the time to look back at whatever happened and ask ourselves….

“What could I have done differently?”

How To Get Back on Track and FAST

If you can make the effort to engage in negative self talk, choose to not workout, choose to indulge in a few more “cheats” - and yes, this does take effort -then you have the ability and the power to choose differently.

Action Steps:
Just three…so take them today.

1 ~ Goals
Take the time to write our your goal.

Determine what it is you want and most importantly - WHY you want it. If you already have taken this step- Review them and reconnect with the emotions of WHY you are doing all of this in the 1st place.

2 ~ Write About Your Experience
How freeing it is to write your thoughts and feelings about your set backs??!!

There is something VERY powerful in the written word.

3 ~ Forgive Yourself
As mentioned above, you cannot move on if you are holding on to dis-empowering emotions.
Forgive yourself - you are human and take the next best step!

Don’t let life pass you by!
Make the most of where you are right now and take that Next Best Step Forward!

~ “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending. ”

2010-08-23T03:19:00.000-07:00

Motivation is Key to success in achieving your goals!

Motivation is one of the most important factors which determines how successful we are at what we do. It is the driving force that gives us the will to accomplish tasks and eventually succeed at reaching an ultimate goal. Motivation levels can vary each day depending on how we feel, or how we view certain experiences. For anyone to succeed at slimming motivation will be the most important part to work at, it will provide us with the determination to get up and exercise even if we don't feel up to it. Motivation also drives us to stick to the low fat selections and recipes required to keep our progress moving.

The strength of your motivation will determine how successful you are in your weight loss efforts as the more you progress and lose weight the more difficult it will be to lose more as the body is pushed past its natural set points. Many top conditioning coaching admit that its possible to gain amazing results when an individual's motivation is high, even if the training program is not "scientifically correct".

DEVELOPING WEIGHT LOSS MOTIVATION

Most dieters will have some degree of motivation as they have already decided to take action. The problem for many is keeping the levels high enough to prevent any relapse.

Work through some of the following ideas and see if these can increase your desire for success!

LEARN TO ACCEPT SELF:

The most common reason people lose interest in exercise / dieting is due to unrealistic goals. Some see the images in the media or television and this coveys the message of how we are supposed to look, adverts enforce these images with false promises like "you too can have a body like this!", and we believe it! When the desired goals aren't reached we're made to believe we have failed.

We need to put these images into prospective and realise that most of the population just do not have the genetic predisposition to look like the models in the magazines, plus most images are now adjusted by computers to look better than they actually are.

Learn to love yourself for who you are, not who you wish to be. Acknowledge that you need to improve your health or weight, but believe that you will do what you can to be the best you can possibly be. The constant pressure and stress of trying to turn yourself into someone you physically cannot be will stop, and it'll be an enormous weight off the shoulders, you'll be surprised at how good it will make you feel and how this can help drive your motivation to make realistic improvements. When we understand and appreciate our bodies, we are able to work with them, not against them!

FOCUS ON POSITIVES NOT NEGATIVES:

Many of us have a tendency to look at our bad points, however once you start to accept yourself it will be easier to focus on the positive side more. To make it easier try writing a list of all the good things in what you've done or what you like about your physical self. Practice running these positives through your mind regularly, it may take time but its surprising what you can believe if it is said enough times - remember the past believe that you could look like the models if you obtain the right diet!

if you don't reach a goal when you want, just focus on the fact that you will get there in time
remember how far you've got not how far you need to go
if you miss a workout one day don't worry just go back with more vigour to improve
remind yourself that a worthwhile pay-off lies ahead in an improved you
remember the exercise is improving your health and fitness and will help increase longevity
remember exercise has many psychological benefits including renewed confidence and self esteem
any type of action always drives motivation

To boost motivation some dieters need to development of a different "mind set". For some people hypnotherapy has work really well to help gain more control over the mind!

SET GOALS:

Setting goals has the advantage of focusing on what you intend to achieve. A goal acts as a form of mental contract with yourself and your degree of motivation will drive you to complete that contract. If the goal is too hard to achieve it can affect your success. The subconscious mind does not distinguish between big or little, it only knows success or failure. If you set a goal of four training sessions each week but only complete three then the mind sees this as a failure. For this reason you must set realistic and easily reachable goals. When you attain each goal it gives momentum to increase the level of motivation further.

Try these tips:

write down your goals
set easy goals often so you create a habit of success in the mind
set measurable goals - I will lose 1 pound each week. This gives you something to go for
tell friends and family about your goals for motivational support
make any routine fun and exciting to help maintain interest
try new challenging goals to stop your normal routine from becoming a chore
reward your success on reaching a goal
think positively, replace thoughts like "I can't" with "I can and I will"
don't set goals that are too much too soon

2010-08-16T03:15:00.000-07:00

8 Minutes to Get Rid of Your Upper Body "chubb"

Whether it's the little black dress in winter or, for men, stripping down to your shorts in summer, those wobbly bits around the upper arms, chest and back can easily spoil the look. Here's our 8 minute body toning workout to banish the "chubb"

Equipment Needed

Any exercise aimed at toning your body needs something to provide resistance for your muscles to work against. Most of the exercises below use hand-held weights to provide resistance: these can be as simple as water bottles (or even tins of food) you can grip comfortably, or dumbbells in the range of 1lb-5lb/0.5-2kg.

Timing and Repetitions

10 reps of each exercise should take about 8 minutes. As with all exercise you should warm-up first. Marching or jogging on the spot for a few minutes interspersed with some gentle stretches will do the trick.

Caution

Body toning exercise can be a pretty painful experience if muscles have lain dormant for a while. The problem is, it's not until 24-48hrs after your workout that you'll realise you've overdone it! Body toning exercise should not be painful while you are doing it - if it is you're using too much weight.

If you've not been exercising your muscles recently it's best to start with a weight that feels "very easy" and build up gradually from there.

The Workouts

Exercise 1 - Chest and Shoulders

Lie on your back and grasp your weights with the palms of your hands facing up, and your arms outstretched to the sides. With your elbows slightly bent, lift your arms above your chest until your hands are almost touching. Return to starting position and repeat.

Exercise 2 - Chest and Shoulders

Lie on your back and grasp your weights with the palms of your hands facing up, and your arms outstretched above your head. Grip your weights and bring them over your head and down to your hips, by your sides - a semi-circular motion. Lift back to starting position and repeat.

Exercise 3 - Chest and Back

Sitting with your back straight (preferably supported) and legs straight out in front of you, hold your weights in at your chest with your elbows out to the side (parallel to the floor). Push your arms out straight in front of you then pull them back in. Repeat.

Exercise 4 - Back and Shoulders

Stand with feet shoulder width apart and arms by your sides, gripping the weights with palms facing outwards. Making sure your movements are slow and concentrated, tense your shoulder and upper back muscles, then slowly "shrug" them up and down.

Exercise 5 - Shoulders and Upper Arms

Stand with feet shoulder width apart and arms raised straight up above your head, grip your weights with your palms facing behind you. Slowly bring your arms forward and down, without bending at the elbow, until level with your shoulders. Lift back to starting position and repeat.

Exercise 6 - Upper Arms, Shoulders and Back

Standing with feet slightly apart, grasp your weights and bend at the waist until your torso is parallel to the floor. Extend your arms towards the floor with palms facing outwards. Lift your arms out to the side, keeping them straight, until parallel to the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Exercise 7 - Upper Arms, Shoulders and Back

Standing with feet slightly apart, position your arms straight down in front of you almost against your body - with your weights almost touching. Bend your elbows and lift your weights towards your chin, bringing your elbows out to the side, in line with your shoulders. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Exercise 8 - Arms and Chest

The classic push up. With your hands shoulder width apart place your palms on the floor. Stretch out your body with either your knees on the floor, or if you're feeling ambitious, your toes - so you are supporting your body weight. Keeping your back straight and using your arms lower yourself gently toward the floor until you are hovering just over it. Push yourself slowly back to your starting position and repeat. Remember - don't lower yourself to the point where you come into contact with the floor, it'll be much harder to push back up.

Exercise 9 - Arms

In a sitting position with your back straight, relax your arms in line with your body. Grip your weights with your palms facing upwards and curl them up towards your shoulders, then back down again. Repeat. Keep your torso still and back straight, let your arms do the work.

Exercise 10 - Forearms

Holding your weight with your arm outstretched in front of you, tilt your wrist up and down repeatedly. Try doing this with both an overhand and underhand grip on your weight. Do one arm at a time.

2010-08-11T03:07:00.000-07:00

Muscle Memory

The question many people weight training ask is how does muscle memory work and how can we capitalize on this in our workouts? Well the answer may be a little more complicated than it seems but this article seeks to demystify the muscle memory phenomenon and provide you with strategies to make the most of your workouts even when you miss a few days or weeks.

What is Muscle Memory?

Physiologically speaking muscle memory is also known as nerromuscular facilitation whereby our muscles memorize movements and through space and time.

To clarify this point lets take a look at someone who has an ankle break and has a cast placed on their ankle. After not using the muscles in the foot and calves for several weeks the person loses ability to completely flex and extend the foot. Although this may seem like a major set back the muscles still remember how to do the movement and that person is able to walk again shortly thereafter.

Now let’s contrast this to learning an exercise for the first time, for example a biceps curl with a dumbbell. When we first learned how to do this our brain wants to do this exercise the easiest way we know how, by involving our shoulders and using our body to swing the weight up.

But we quickly learn from personal trainers (and health blogs such as this!) that we really need to keep our elbows tucked in to our sides and simply use the bicep muscle alone to flex and bring the weight up. After all, doing it this way without any swinging motion is the most effective way of building the biceps muscle.

How Can We Benefit From Muscle Memory?

This one simple point is the basis of all our training. The more we train and understand what exercises our body responds to best the better we can perform and utilize our muscle memory to gain maximum results from weight training. In other words, even if you take some time off or away from the gym, when you come back a few weeks later you can still have that benefits of remembering how to do that exercise and quickly get back on the train of muscle growth.

How Can We Suffer From Muscle Memory?

Of course with every positive is a negative so we can also suffer from muscle memory. By this I mean that our body rapidly adapts to exercises and the immediate results that we see when getting back in the gym eventually slow down…unless…we add variation. This is key, we have to remember to switch up our weight training routine at least once every 6 weeks otherwise we will plateau and lose motivation.

Professional athletes and trainers like Mike are very focused on this. Thats why every routine is different. Mike wants you to maximize your potential! so at 6:00 am when you want to kill him, just know that he wants to see you succeed! Even if the exercise is as simple as bicep curls with a barbell, simply switching it up to dumbbells will be a significant variation to give us results again.

Conclusion

Remember, no matter what gets in your way of maintaining your training schedule it is never too late to go back. Consistency with variation is key, kind of ironic I know, but have fun with your workouts by trying out different routines all the time. Keep your muscles guessing and you will maximize the benefits you see with muscle strength, toning and fat loss.

2010-08-09T03:09:00.000-07:00

Should You Mix and Match Exercises?

posted by Stephen Cabral, CSCS, CPT, NS

The question often arises as to whether you can just pick up a workout out of a magazine or book and add a few of the exercises into your routine, or potentially substitute some the stated exercises with others.

These questions come up out of the need to substitute exercises because you either don't have the equipment specified or you just want to mix and match exercises depending on which moves look interesting. Sometimes you may even want to add in another exercise because it happens to target a particular muscle group you're looking to work.

I ask you to display some caution when it comes to substituting exercises, doubling up on certain body parts, or just choosing an exercise because of how it looks. The reason I say this is that, not all, but many of the programs you see designed in books and some magazines are created as a complete workout. This means that in order to get the maximum effectiveness of that workout you need to complete all the specified movements.

Typically, the sum of all the exercises also brings balance to all body parts and provides a total workout. By mixing and matching you run the risk of creating a muscular imbalance and missing out on a well-balanced workout.

However, there are very specific ways you can substitute exercises with similar movements to still get the same results.

I pulled this off the internet, mostly due to the time I was alotted, at 2:40 in the morning and an hour of researching. Actually my mother asked me this question, and I gave her the same answer. The only difference was the answer I gave. The answer was deffinately not explained as clearly as "Stephen Cabral" None the less had I been given some time, this is the reply that I would have given, if I wasnt half asleep.

2010-08-04T03:07:00.000-07:00

"Nobody, At Any Level, Should Be Allowed To Have
Anything To Do With Healthy Weight Loss Until They
Have Read This Page Seven Times"

Imagine that you’re standing around at work or seated in a classroom taking notes. Or, maybe you’re driving to your child’s first t-ball game of the season.

What you’re NOT doing is sweating or gasping for air.

Yet your metabolism is “exercising”: It’s burning more calories than it normally does at rest, and that means more fat loss.

How many more calories is it burning? By the start of the next day, it will be as many as an athlete might burn by running at over 9 miles per hour on a treadmill for nearly 10 minutes straight (~19 calories per minute).

And it's all because of one ingredient tucked inside a natural product that’s available from any supermarket and is said to be second only to water in terms of its worldwide consumption¹.

Here’s another supermarket wonder. This naturally-occurring amino acid has the potential to reduce your caloric intake by as much as 8%. In one study², subjects who took it ate almost 100 fewer calories.

No undesirable side effects.

It simply reduced their appetite for food. Needless to say, avoiding overeating is a critical component of losing body fat and the one many of us find the most difficult to accomplish.

Let’s add a third to the mix. When subjects took a single dose of this popular ingredient, their calorie-burning rate was boosted by as much as 4% for the next two and a half hours, a change that could lead to “substantial” changes in body weight, according to the scientists who conducted the study³.

The weight loss ingredients described above are just three out of the carefully blended collection of twelve found in Prograde’s new METABOLISM dietary supplement, the latest addition to our line of products intended to help you simplify the process of achieving your proudest body.*

Everyone’s Talking About The Same Thing.

“Slim down”, “lean up”, “drop a few pounds” –whichever words you use to talk about losing weight, you’re ultimately describing the same thing: reducing body fat.

Your body can be divided into two tissue compartments: fat mass and lean mass. Fat mass includes body fat, also known as adipose tissue. Lean mass includes skeletal muscle.

Few of us want to lose muscle when we lose weight. If anything, we’re in a constant struggle to hold on to it as we age.

Body fat, in contrast, is something we strive to get rid of.

Besides affecting how you look in a swimsuit and your level of comfort in front of cameras, body fat impacts your so-called “metabolic health” and, in turn, your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

This May Be The Most Important Secret.

Perhaps the most important secret to losing body fat is “exercising” your metabolism. Physical activities like walking, lifting weights, swimming and the like can push your metabolism to work harder and thereby burn more calories.

And increasing your calorie-burning rate (a.k.a. metabolic rate) is the first step towards achieving negative fat balance, a technical term for the state of affairs in which your body is burning more fat than it’s storing.

No matter how hard you work out or how healthy you eat, if you’re not in negative fat balance, then you’re not losing body fat.

Of course, at some point during the day most of us have to stop exercising in the conventional sense of the word and make a living. The moment you do that (or consume a meal), your calorie-burning rate plummets and it becomes far more difficult to achieve negative fat balance.

This presents a problem: Similar to how you gain body fat when you remain in positive fat balance for a long period of time, losing fat requires that you remain in negative fat balance for a long period of time.

For most mortals, working out all day isn’t an option.

Fortunately, there are natural products capable of keeping your metabolism “exercising” at rest, thereby elevating your calorie-burning rate and making it easier to achieve negative fat balance.

Four of the most studied of these products are coffee, hot red pepper, cinnamon and green tea. We’ve all passed by them in the supermarket.

Few of us, however, are aware of the metabolic properties displayed by particular ingredients found inside each, and how these properties may help you simplify the process of losing body fat. Below is just a small sample of what human studies (no furry animals) have reported:

• A single 50-mg dose of caffeine, equivalent to a little over ½ a cup of coffee, was found to increase the calorie-burning rate of healthy male subjects by 6%².*

• Women given a meal containing capsaicin, the compound responsible for the painful experience of eating hot red pepper, experienced an increase in calorie-burning rate of 10% after the meal⁴.*

• Pre-diabetic subjects given a cinnamon extract reduced their body fat by 0.7% and increased their lean mass by 1.1%. No such changes were observed in subjects receiving a placebo⁵.*

• Men and women given a green tea extract increased their calorie-burning rate by 3.5%⁶.*

The figures cited above sound impressive, don’t they? The reality is that they’re not. A closer re-examination shows why:

• Caffeine: The 6% increase in calorie-burning rate only lasted 4 hours, causing subjects to burn an average of 17 more Calories. That’s roughly the caloric content of 3 tablespoons of Coca-Cola.*

• Capsaicin: The women in this study ate a curried rice curry dish containing 3 mg of capsaicin, equivalent to a few grams of hot red pepper, depending on the variety. Their calorie-burning rate increased 10%, but only for 30 minutes.*
As one of the scientists who conducted the study remarked, it would take a year to lose 1 kg (2.2 lb) of body fat at this rate⁷.*

• Cinnamon: Subjects received the cinnamon extract for 12 weeks. The daily dose was equivalent to 10 g of whole cinnamon. While the reduction in body fat experienced by the subjects taking cinnamon was significant, it was also pretty modest.*
For a 190-lb person with 25% body fat, a 0.7% decrease represents a loss of less than half a pound of body fat.* It’s questionable whether you would even notice a change this small, though the fact that the subjects taking cinnamon gained lean mass at the same time as they lost fat does make the results quite a bit more compelling.
Subjects taking cinnamon also experienced a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure.*

• Green tea: The results of this study are more impressive. Subjects who took the extract received a daily dose equivalent to 3-4 cups of brewed green tea⁸.
Their calorie-burning rate rose by 3.5%, not just for an hour or two, but for twenty-four hours.*
This meant they burned anywhere from 63.5-200 additional Calories a day (average 78.3 Calories).
Using the highest figure in this range, this is roughly equivalent to the caloric content of a small piece of pizza, or how many Calories an athlete might burn by running on a treadmill at over 9 miles per hour for almost 10 minutes without stopping.
Remember, however, that the average was 78.3 Calories.
If you did nothing else but ingest green tea and it increased your calorie-burning rate by this amount every single day, it would take you nearly 7 weeks to lose one pound of body fat.*

Burning Calories In The “Real World”

A considerable amount of scientific research suggests that key ingredients in coffee (caffeine), hot red pepper (capsaicin), cinnamon (polyphenols) and green tea (catechins) have a modest ability to increase your calorie-burning rate or in some other way assist with weight loss and protection against obesity.* While taking larger doses may produce stronger weight loss effects, it also increases the risk of undesirable “side” effects.

Here are a couple of examples.

As scientists who have studied capsaicin point out, most Westerners would find it very difficult if not impossible to get enough of his compound from the diet (e.g. as by adding hot red pepper to meals) to achieve a fat-reducing effect⁹. It’s just too painful.

Others have shown that caffeine or coffee only produce increases in 24-hour calorie-burning rate (i.e. as opposed to an increase that only lasts an hour or two) when doses in the range of 600-1000 mg of caffeine are ingested³.

That’s equivalent to drinking 6-12 cups of coffee in a single day, levels known to produce disturbances in mood (e.g. anxiety) and blood pressure in some individuals.

Even the relatively smaller doses found to produce modest benefits (without undesirable side effects) in studies may be impractical to achieve by relying on the diet alone.

Studies on cinnamon, for example, have used the equivalent of anywhere from 1-10 g of cinnamon powder, quantities not ordinarily used in food. While it may be possible to get enough cinnamon from the diet to lose body fat, USDA scientist Dr. Richard Anderson (Ph.D.) explains that cinnamon obtained this way may be “inactivated” by polyphenol-binding proteins secreted by your salivary glands¹⁰.

Others, like Dr. Andrew Blannin (Ph.D.) think that it would be extremely hard to consume enough cinnamon to produce improvements in insulin sensitivity without taking supplements¹¹.*

In light of everything we’ve discussed, it could be argued that the most sensible approach is to take just enough of each ingredient to produce a small calorie-burning effect so that the overall effect is that much greater.

Unfortunately, based on studies like those referred to here, putting such a “team approach” into practice by relying on the diet only could amount to drinking 3-4 cups of green tea, adding hot red peppers to several meals and swallowing 10 g of cinnamon, all followed by at least one, if not 2, 3, 4 or more, cups of black coffee.

If that doesn’t sound delicious, then we don’t know what does. There’s got to be a simpler way.

The Simpler Way: New METABOLISM

Prograde’s new METABOLISM dietary supplement is intended to serve as a simple tool for helping you “exercise” your metabolism, raise your calorie-burning rate and get you into the negative fat balance territory where fat loss actually occurs.*

How simple is METABOLISM to use? For starters, one serving consists of three size “00” capsules, each measuring only 0.75 x 0.25 inches. The small dimensions make the capsules easy to swallow with water.

Yet inside each serving, Prograde’s R&D scientists managed to fit a team of the same four weight loss ingredients discussed in this article:

• Caffeine: We selected a dose of caffeine that’s been proven to increase calorie-burning rate in healthy subjects¹². Importantly, subjects taking this dose experienced no significant changes in blood pressure (no different than subjects receiving a placebo).*

• Capsaicin: Now there’s no need to add hot red peppers to your meals in order to “exercise” your metabolism. We took capsaicin isolated from the pepper plant and inserted it conveniently into each capsule of METABOLISM.
The particular capsaicin we selected came from a location in India, more than 7000 miles away. It has a 40,000 H.U. (heat units) rating that is relatively mild and thus less likely to upset sensitive stomachs.*

• Cinnamon: METABOLISM’s R&D scientists chose to use a concentrated extract of cinnamon bark in a dose equivalent to 1 gram of whole cinnamon.
This is within the range of doses used in studies investigating cinnamon’s beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity and blood glucose regulation, both of which may factor into the weight loss equation.*

• Green tea extract: The green tea extract found in each serving of METABOLISM is sourced from China (who knows green tea better?). It contains more than 112% of the dose of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) ingested by the subjects in the study that reported a 3.5% increase in 24-hour calorie-burning rate⁶.
EGCG is the catechin believed to contribute to green tea’s anti-obesity effects.*

In an effort to further intensify METABOLISM’s calorie-burning potential, Prograde’s R&D scientists added:

• L-Tyrosine: Two servings of METABOLISM supplies 175% of the dose of this naturally-occurring amino acid found to reduce food intake in healthy subjects².
In the same study, tyrosine caused subjects to burn a greater proportion of calories from fat.*

• L-Arginine alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG): The amino acid l-arginine has a reputation for increasing levels of growth hormone (GH) and nitric oxide (NO).*
Among other things, GH is involved in the regulation of body composition, i.e. the proportion of fat mass versus lean mass.* NO helps regulate blood flow.*
Taking arginine before exercise may enhance blood flow to your working muscles by supporting the production of NO.*

• DL-Methionine, Inositol and Choline Bitartrate; Vitamins B-6, B-12 and Biotin:
This team of important nutrients was added to METABOLISM to support the movement of fat in the body and its efficient conversion into usable energy (“calories burned”).*

All of METABOLISM’s ingredients are carefully blended together using airtight stainless steal equipment.

Prior to blending, they’re stored in double-lined, fibrous drums in a room that is strictly monitored for both temperature and humidity.

Once the drums are opened, blending takes place quickly, after which the resulting mixture is re-stored in the drums to help keep its precious team of ingredients fresh and ready for metabolic action before being placed in the consumer package that ends up in your hand.*

Keep Your Metabolism In “Exercise Mode”

If METABOLISM were an actual piece of exercise equipment, it would be a high-speed treadmill, one of those commercial kinds with the four-horsepower-plus motor. (Fortunately, it is much smaller than a treadmill.)

Indeed, a team of ingredients like this has the potential to do great things to your metabolism, particularly as it concerns reducing body weight.*

However, if your goal is to swallow a few capsules with water, sit back and watch the pounds drop off without paying attention to your diet or exercise habits, then please don’t buy it.

It wasn’t designed with you in mind.

Who METABOLISM is designed for is for those of us who intend on using it as an effective adjunct to a diet containing an appropriate amount of Calories and a regular program of exercise, the latter preferably including plenty of resistance exercise.*

When used in this manner, the results you experience are likely to be much, much greater.*

Mikey received this article from a friend of his. Mike felt really passionate about this article,and wanted me to post it on the blog today....... WOW it's A LOT to take in....maybe that's why you have to read it 7 times...enjoy

2010-07-30T06:02:00.000-07:00

Fast Food Restaurants & Nutrition Facts Compared....SCARY

Fast food is bad food. That's pretty much common knowledge these days. The majority of the foods served at fast food restaurants contain an insane amount of calories, tons of fat (including the very evil trans fat), and are high in pretty much everything else that you'd want your food to be low in. Long story short, it's the kind of food you want to avoid eating.

But, you probably know this already. The funny thing is, most of the world doesn't seem to care. The fast food restaurants continue to do just fine because people continue to eat their unhealthy food. So I figured, if you are still going to eat this junk, you might as well at least know which is the best of the worst, and which is the worst of the worst.

To show this, I've compared the nutrition facts of the most popular foods from over 20 popular fast food restaurants to see how each restaurant's version of the same food stacks up against the others. If this isn't enough to convince you to eat less (or none) of this stuff, it will at least give you the information you need to make the better choice and avoid making the worst one. Enjoy...

*NOTE #1* The tables below are sortable. Clicking a category (calories, fat, trans fat, etc.) will sort the data in that column from lowest to highest. Clicking it again will sort it from highest to lowest.

*NOTE #2* Any questions you may have about anything you see in this fast food comparison is most likely answered at the bottom of this very page or in the "Notes" of each comparison. Be sure to check it out for clarifications on anything that may seem unclear.

French Fries (Large) Compared
Fast Food Restaurant	Type	Serving Size (g)	Calories	Total Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Carbs (g)	Sodium (mg)
McDonald's	Regular	170	570	30	6	70	330
Burger King	Regular	160	500	28	6	57	820
Burger King	Salt Not Added	160	500	28	6	57	530
Wendy's	Regular	Unknown	540	26	4	69	550
Arby's	Homestyle	213	566	37	7	82	1029
Arby's	Curly	198	631	37	7	73	1476
Hardee's	Regular	193	610	28	6	78	370
Hardee's	Crispy Curls	153	480	23	6	60	1190
A&W	Regular	156	430	18	4.5	61	640
A&W	Chili	170	370	16	4.5	49	780
A&W	Cheese	170	380	19	5	50	870
A&W	Chili Cheese	198	400	19	5	51	990
In-N-Out Burger**	Regular**	125**	400**	18**	5**	54**	245**
Jack In The Box	Natural Cut	236	640	33	8	77	1180
Jack In The Box	Seasoned Curly	170	550	31	6	60	1200
White Castle	Regular	244	700	34	6	89	560
Sonic	Regular	98	280	11	2	42	135
Sonic	Cheese	125	380	19	7	44	600
Sonic	Chili/Cheese	186	450	25	9	48	610
Dairy Queen	Regular	280	730	33	6	100	1530
KFC*	Potato Wedges*	102*	260*	13*	2.5*	33*	740*
Carl's Jr.	Regular	198	620	29	6	80	380
Popeyes**	Regular**	88**	310**	17**	7**	35**	660**
Del Taco	Regular	198	490	32	5	47	380

* KFC does not have any "french fries." They do have "potato wedges" which is somewhat close, so I included this information above for comparison purposes. However, I did not take it into account when showing the best/worst since they are technically not "french fries."

** In-N-Out Burger and Popeyes had one item listed as just "French Fries." No actual size (large, small, etc.) was given. Therefore, they were also not taken into account when showing the best/worst french fries.

Best: Sonic (regular)
Sonic's basic french fries are my pick for the best of this comparison. It's not hard to see why either. Due to having the smallest serving size of all of the other fast food restaurants, their large fries ended up being the lowest in every single one of the compared nutrition facts. Not to mention, with 0 grams of trans fat, it was one of just two large french fries that contained 0 grams. The other? Another one from Sonic... this time their cheese fries.
Worst: Dairy Queen (regular) & White Castle (regular)
It was hard to pick an official worst choice here, as there was a lot of trans fat being thrown around. In the end, I went with Dairy Queen's basic fries for being the highest in calories (seriously, 730 calorie fries? Yikes.) and sodium. White Castle's basic fries were also picked here not so much for calories (although at 700, it was right up there in second place) but because of it containing more trans fat (11 evil grams) than any of the others. Of all of the items being compared in this entire comparison, french fries are easily one of the worst all around trans fat offenders.
Notes: For this comparison, I tried to use each fast food restaurant's "Large" french fries. In two cases however, there was no "large" version. So, I instead used whatever that restaurant's largest size was. For White Castle it was "Sack," and for Del Taco it was "Medium."

This article I did not write myself, but it's almost what I was looking for. Last night I gave into temptation, and went for fast food.... :( I wanted to know how much "garbage" I was actually consuming, and after searching a few articles I stumbled across this one. Granted a few restaurants are exclusive to the United States in this article, but I feel it's my job to inform you about these popular restaurants, far and wide...no pun intended.

I hope the next time anyone goes to the states and thinks, "hey maybe i'll try a different restaurant" THINK TWICE PLEASE!

PLEASE LEAVE ME YOUR COMMENTS!!!!!

2010-07-28T03:48:00.000-07:00

Motivation and insight to the un-educated individual contemplating the whole "fitness" thing.....

(If you know someone thinking about getting into shape, please guide them to this blog) thanks Jaemi & Mike

Contemplating a workout program but having a hard time getting going? Here are a few facts about exercise that may convince you to get started.

Exercise can accelerate fat burning. A study done back in the 1970s at Ball State University found that the leg muscle of distance runners were 7 times more capable of burning fat after marathon training than the leg muscle of untrained subjects. Just imagine what that kind of training can do for weight loss

Exercise can lower blood pressure. The number of capillaries surrounding each leg muscle fiber increases by 5-10% following endurance training. This not only makes exercise easier but also lowers blood pressure. Numerous studies support that exercise training does indeed lower blood pressure in hypertensive subjects.

Exercise improves heart function. When you start an endurance based exercise program, expect your resting heart rate to decrease by about 1 beat per minute every week during the initial weeks. This is an indication that your heart is becoming more efficient and pumping more blood each beat. Highly trained endurance athletes can have a resting heart rate as low as 40 beats per minute or even less.

Exercise can prevent muscle loss. Sedentary adults lose 6-10 percent of their muscle mass per decade after age 30, leading to a condition called sarcopenia. Regular strength training can delay or in some cases reverse this trend. When it comes to muscle, you must use it or you will lose it!

Exercise can help you live longer. Studies on large populations have discovered the highest death rates in those who are the least fit. Those who are the most fit have the lowest death rates.

Exercise can improve sex life. A study published by the Harvard School of Public Health found that men who exercised vigerously were half as likely to experience sexual dysfunction when compared to men who did no exercise.

Exercise can improve brain function. Research has discovered that the fittest kids generally score the highest on test scores. Older adults who are fit show less cognitive decline compared to their sedentary counterparts.

Exercise can speed up wound healing. A study out of Ohio State found that skin wounds healed an average of 10 days faster in the exercise group compared to the non exercise group.

Exercise can help the elderly. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported gains in leg strength of 374 percent over baseline in men over 90 years of age who began strength training in as little as 8 weeks! Other research has found a reversal in normal age related characteristics in the muscle of seniors who took up weight lifting.

The evidence supporting the benefits of regular physical activity is overwhelmingly positive and seemingly endless. What are you waiting for?

2010-07-26T03:14:00.000-07:00

HOW TO LIVE A LONG, HEALTHY LIFE.

We all know that certain foods are good for us, but why are those certain foods good? Also, how exactly do they help our health and our bodies? In other words, what are the "health benefits" of individual fruits, vegetables, meats, grains and dairy products?

These are the questions I am going to help answer through the nutrition articles I research, as well as through the articles I write.

Reading nutrition articles and "health articles" is incredibly informative. The facts displayed are usually backed by research, evidence and data. Don't ask me how they figured this stuff out. I am just going to report the information I can track down.

It's amazing that fruits and vegetables that get their nutrients from the dirt are great for the human body, while dirt itself is rather useless for consumption. Nature is truly astounding! Everything seems to work together in either subtle or obvious ways.

2010-07-26T02:56:00.000-07:00

Ever wanted to know what the fruit you are eating are doing for you? Well, here is a list of some fruit facts!

Almonds - Vitamins B1, B2, E + Magnesium + Manganese + Iron + Calcium + Protein + Potassium + Fiber + Tryptophan + Copper.
Avocado - Vitamins A, D, E, + Potassium
Apples - Vitamins A, B, B1, C, and K + Fiber + Folate + Choline + Calcium + Magnesium + Phosphorus + Potassium.
Apricots - Vitamins A, B, and C + Calcium + Potassium + Protein + Fiber + Carotenes + Magnesium + Phosphorus.
Banana - Vitamins A, C and K + Folate + Choline + Calcium + Magnesium + Phosphorus + Potassium + Omega 3 and Omega 6 Fatty Acids.
Blackberry - Vitamins A, C, E and K + Folate + Choline + Calcium + Magnesium + Phosphorus + Potassium + Omega 3 and Omega 6 Fatty Acids.
Blueberry - Vitamins A,C and K + Folate + Choline + Calcium + Magnesium + Phosphorus + Potassium + Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids + Fiber.
Cantaloupe - Vitamin C + Potassium.
Cashews - Vitamins A, B6, C and E + Calcium + Magnesium + Phosphorus +Potassium + Selenium.
Cherries - Vitamins A and C + Potassium + Phosphorus + Flavonoids + Fiber.
Chestnuts - Vitamins B1, B2, B3, A and C + Calcium + Magnesium + Potassium + Phosphorus.
Coconut - Vitamins B and C + Calcium + Phosphorus + Potassium + Magnesium + Iron + Copper.
Dates - Vitamins A and B + Protein + Phosphorus + Calcium + Iron.
Figs - Vitamin B6 + Fiber
Grapefruit - Vitamins A, B, and C + Fiber + Flavonoids + Pectin + Potassium + Calcium + Phosphorus.
Grapes - Vitamins A, B6 and C + Manganese + Potassium + Thiamine + Flavonoids.
Guava - Vitamins A and C + Potassium + Phosphorus + Fiber.
Hazelnut - Vitamins A and E + Iron + Calcium + Protein.
Honeydew Melon - Vitamins B, B6 and C + Potassium + Copper + Thiamine + Niacin + Pantothenic Acid.
Kiwi - Vitamins A, C and E + Phosphorus + Potassium + Magnesium + Copper.
Lemon - Vitamins B6 and C + Folic Acid + Potassium + Limonene + Flavonoids.
Lime - Vitamins B6 and C + Folic Acid + Potassium + Limonene + Flavonoids.
Mango - Vitamins B, C and E + Carotenes + Potassium + Cartenoids + Magnesium.
Maqui berry - Vitamin C + Iron + Calcium + Polyphenols + HIGHEST level of antioxidants of any fruit known.
Nectarines - Carotenes + Potassium + Flavonoids + Lycopene + Lutein.
Oranges - Vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C + Folic Acid + Pantothenic Acid + Flavonoids + Carotenes + Pectin + Potassium + Fiber.
Papaya - Vitamins A, C and E + Carotenes + Flavonoids + Papain + Potassium.
Passion Fruit - Vitamins A, B, C and E + Iron + Phosphorus + Potassium.
Peaches - Vitamins A and B + Manganese + Potassium + Lycopene + Lutein.
Pears - Vitamins B2, C and E + Pectin + Potassium + Copper + Fiber.
Pineapples - Vitamins B1, B6 and C + Manganese + Magnesium + Copper.
Plums - Vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C + Phenolic Compounds + Fiber.
Pomegranates - Vitamins A and B + Ellagic Acid (anticancer) + Flavonoids.
Raspberries - Vitamins B2, B6 and C + Manganese + Flavonoids + Niacin + Folic Acid + Pantothenic Acid + Fiber.
Strawberries - Vitamins B1, B6, C and K + Iodine + Manganese + Flavonoids + Pantothenic Acid + Folic Acid + Biotin.
Tangerines - Vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C + Folic Acid + Flavonoids + Pantothenic Acid + Carotenes + Pectin + Potassium + Folic Acid.
Watermelon - Vitamins B1, B6 and C + Biotin + Magnesium + Pantothenic Acid + Potassium + Fiber.

That should give you some idea as to what is so great about fruit. For the most part the best fruit to eat is fresh, organic fruit. Dried fruits are an awesome alternative because the nutrients aren't lost in the drying process. IN FACT dehydrating fruit concentrates the nutrients making them more nutrient dense! Also a great option if you happen to be in a traveling situation or have a storage space issues. Dehydration also makes it so you can keep the fruit edible for a VERY LONG TIME.

Canned fruit will do in a pinch, but isn't quite as nutritionally sound as fresh fruit is.

Lower blood pressure quickly

2010-07-23T03:05:00.000-07:00

Beet juice lowers blood pressure

(NaturalNews) The vegetable known as the beetroot in Great Britain (and usually called the table beet, garden beet, red beet or just plain beet in the U.S.) has been studied in recent years for its health-building properties. For example, scientists have found it is rich in the nutrient betaine, which reduces the blood concentration of homocycsteine, a substance linked to heart disease and stroke. Now a study just published in the American Heart Association's Hypertension journal concludes drinking beet juice lowers high blood pressure quickly and effectively -- and could be a natural approach to helping prevent cardiovascular problems.

British scientists at the Queen Mary University of London found that drinking beet juice lowered blood pressure to healthy levels within 24 hours. In fact, it was just as effective as prescription nitrate tables in treating hypertension. In a previous study two years ago, the same research team had first observed that drinking beetroot juice lowered blood pressure -- now they've figured out exactly why.

It turns out that the organic form of nitrate found in beet juice is the key to its blood pressure lowering benefits. Study author Amrita Ahluwalia, Professor of Vascular Biology at Queen Mary's William Harvey Research Institute, said the investigators were able to prove the nitrate was the cause of beet juice's beneficial effects on cardiovascular health because they showed beet nitrate increased levels of the gas nitric oxide in the circulation. Nitric oxide is a type of biological messenger in the body. It signals smooth muscle tissue to relax, induces vasodilation and increases blood flow, leading to a lower blood pressure.

"We gave inorganic nitrate capsules or beetroot juice to healthy volunteers and compared their blood pressure responses and the biochemical changes occurring in the circulation," Professor Ahluwalia said in a statement to the press. "We showed that beetroot and nitrate capsules are equally effective in lowering blood pressure indicating that it is the nitrate content of beetroot juice that underlies its potential to reduce blood pressure. We also found that only a small amount of juice is needed -- just 250ml -- to have this effect, and that the higher the blood pressure at the start of the study the greater the decrease caused by the nitrate."

"The research will be welcome news to people with high blood pressure who might now be able to use a new 'natural' approach to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease (including stroke and heart attacks) -- the world's biggest killer!

I don't care who you are, but this information is worth sharing. So please, either cut and paste this blog or email it to everyone you know. You dont even have to mention Intrafitt. We are not trying to promote the gym at all... The knowledge alone could save, or better someone's life. Actually I found this information on a site called www.musculardevelopment.com

Brain...Diet....Breakfast

2010-07-21T03:14:00.000-07:00

BRAIN DIET SLEEP AND BREAKFAST

Breakfast Ideas to Jump-Start Your Day

It's amazing: It can help improve your memory, help you to concentrate, and help you to maintain a healthy weight - and it tastes good, too! So, what is it? Breakfast. Research has uncovered numerous benefits associated with the morning meal.

Feed your brain

Breakfast replenishes the fuel that your body uses up while you sleep - it is literally a break from an overnight fast. Because your brain does not have a storage place for fuel, it is particularly affected by the fast. If your brain's fuel source, glucose, isn't refilled after a night's sleep, your brain will not function at an optimal level. It would be like a car running on empty.

It's not just a theory. Studies have shown that breakfast helps your brain function at its best. According to one study, skipping breakfast has some effect on memory. Researchers reported that people who did not eat breakfast had a decreased ability to remember items from a word list or a story compared with people who did eat breakfast. While these may seem like minor tasks, the ability to remember is key to performing well at home, work, or school. Other important brain functions, such as the ability to pay attention and concentrate, have also been shown to improve with eating breakfast.

Maintain a healthy weight

Research has taught us that people who eat breakfast have a higher-quality diet and are better able to control their weight than people who skip the meal. In fact, 78% of the people listed in the Canadian National Weight Control Registry, a database of individuals who successfully lost at least 10% of their body weight and kept it off for at least one year, report eating breakfast every day. In addition, studies show that breakfast eaters are less likely to be obese than their meal-skipping counterparts.

Make it a habit

These tips can help you make breakfast a habit.

Stock up. Be sure that you always have plenty of breakfast foods in the house.
Plan ahead. Prepare your breakfast the night before to save yourself preparation time in the morning.
Take it to go. Prepare commuter-friendly meals that you can grab on your way out the door.
Don't force it. Don't make yourself eat foods you don't like. Try out different foods until you find something you enjoy.

Think outside the box

Whole grain cereal with low-fat milk is a great breakfast option. But go ahead and get creative: Try adding fruit or yogurt to your bowl or eating non-traditional morning foods for breakfast. It is important to choose from several different food groups such as high-fibre whole grains and low-fat dairy products and meats. Here are several options, or use your imagination to create your own morning meal that is both enjoyable and satisfying.

Whole grain, high-fibre cereal with low-fat milk and a piece of fruit
Whole grain, high-fibre bar and a cup of low-fat milk and a piece of fruit
Toasted whole grain waffle with sliced fruit and yogurt
All-natural peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat toast and a piece of fruit
Whole grain crackers with low-fat cheese and a piece of fruit
Reheated brown rice, a hard-boiled egg and a piece of fruit
Grits with low-fat cheese and a piece of fruit
Oatmeal with applesauce or raisins and a glass of milk
Pita bread with low-fat yogurt and a piece of fruit
Brown rice and beans with fruit
Fruit smoothie blended with juice and yogurt and a whole grain muffin

I don't know about you,but I have not been consistant with my breakfast! You better believe i'm going to start...... (tomorrow)

I really hope these blogs are helping a lot of ppl.... I find them really informative myself,but again i'm posting this information to help YOU!

If you think this information could benefit someone you know, then feel free to send them to the site to check out the info :)

2010-07-19T03:01:00.000-07:00

What to load up on......and what to lighten up on

Brewed beverages Coffee, black tea, green tea. Foods with quercetin, such as tea, may protect against lung cancer.

Dairy Lowfat and skim milk, lowfat and nonfat yogurt (preferably all-natural)

Fresh fruit Apples, apricots, berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries), cantaloupes, cherries, clementines, cranberries, grapefruit, kiwifruit, lemons, limes, mangoes, melons, nectarines, oranges, papayas, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums, pomegranates, grapes, tangerines, tomatoes, watermelons

Fresh veggies Artichokes, arugula, asparagus, beets, bell peppers, bok choy, broccoli, broccoli sprouts, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, chiles, corn, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, onions, pumpkin, radishes, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, turnips, watercress

Herbs and spices Cilantro, cloves, garlic, ginger, mint, rosemary, sage, turmeric

Legumes Beans (black, kidney, lima, navy, pinto), chickpeas, lentils

Seafood Halibut, herring, wild salmon, tuna. In addition to omega-3s, the swimmers contain the antioxidant vitamin E.

Whole grains Breads, oatmeal, pastas, whole-grain and high-fiber cereals

Lighten up on...

Artificial sweeteners The jury is out on fake sugars and cancer; limit yourself to three servings or packets per day.

Barbecued meats Cooking meats at high temperatures (as well as charring them) creates cancer-causing chemicals.

Butter Spread this news: Butter may be linked to an increased risk for lung cancer.

Fast food Convenience chow contributes to weight gain, which raises cancer risk.

Red and processed meats Bacon, beef, cold cuts, ham, hamburger, hot dogs, lamb, liver, pork, pork sausage, salami, steak

Salt Pepper's partner (and salty foods in general) may contribute to stomach cancer.

Smoked foods In particular, smoked meats are linked to stomach cancer.

Some of the blogs are actual atricles,that I have researched, and found on the internet...I hope all of you are educating yourselves throught the internet also! The internet has more info than just FREE..."X-RATED" stuff....lol

This article cought my attention as I was surfing late lastnight.....I hope it helps a few people out!

Eating more may be beneficial!

2010-07-16T03:26:00.000-07:00

Eating More Often May Benefit Your Health

If you struggle with high cholesterol, eating more often may benefit your health. According to a study published in the British Medical Journal that studied the relationship between eating frequency and blood lipid levels, people who ate more frequently had lower overall cholesterol levels and lower levels of LDL (low density lipoprotein - the 'bad' cholesterol).

Almost 15,000 men and women from the United Kingdom completed questionnaires about how often they ate, the types of food they ate, and their lifestyle habits such as smoking and amount of physical activity. Their cholesterol levels, including levels of LDL and HDL (high density lipoprotein - the 'good' cholesterol that is protective against heart disease) were also measured as part of the study.

The people who ate more frequently (about five or six times per day) had lower overall cholesterol and lower levels of LDL when compared to people who ate one or two large meals each day, and HDL levels were not affected. Even though the people who ate more frequently generally ate more calories, fat, carbohydrates and protein, they did not tend to have higher body weight or blood pressure.

How does eating frequency affect health and cholesterol? The study authors theorize that people who eat frequently throughout the day may have a steadier metabolism than people who eat only one or two big meals. This constant metabolizing of food may, as a result, reduce cholesterol in the blood. If you increase your eating frequency to five or six small meals a day, be sure that your nutritional focus is on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat protein sources. Adding extra calories from junk food to your diet may cause weight gain and other health problems.

I can't take credit for this article....I was surfing last night, found it and thought it had valuable info....I hope you find it insightful!

A FRIENDLY THANK YOU!!!!!

2010-07-14T05:38:00.000-07:00

A BIG THANK YOU

Here at Intrafitt we strive to bring out the best in everyone, through fitness, knowledge, and a healthy diet!

Through Ten years of training, four years of university, three years of professional volleyball, Mike Has been their and done it all.... from eating to gain weight, to dieting to lose it. Mike has taken that knowledge and transformed the industry of fitness with a more intense targeted approach to exercising, and dieting!

Now that's all good,but that's not what this "thank you blog" is all about....Mike is coming up on his "ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY" at this location...

Here's where the "Thank you" comes into play... without the loyal and motivated individuals like "YOU", Intrafitt would have fizzled away a long time ago!

Sometimes at the end of each bootcamp, the simple "thank you" is forgotten ....and we believe that everyone who walks through the door to bust their ass, is like family...and sometimes we take family for granted and forget to say "Thank you" or "Great job today"

Well this is a Personal THANK YOU to EVERYONE who is a part of the Intrafitt Family....We appreciate your faith in the knowledge we possess, to help you reach and achieve your goals of personal fitness!

So again if the word Thank you if forgotten once in a while, does not mean we dont appreciate you, not only for your business,but your friendship and faith :)

So keep striving for your goals in becoming physically fit, here with your family at Intrafitt......

Benefits of Having a GREAT BODY

2010-07-14T02:55:00.000-07:00

1.....Feel Good
being physically fit and strong will significantly boost feelings of mental well being and
enhance your outlook on life. Having a great physique, and undertaking the training that
enables this, naturally leads itself to enhanced self-esteem and posative attitude resulting
from increased blood flow to the brain and throughout the body, and the release of
chemical substances called endorphins, which are released to offset physical pain to
create feelings of euphoria...( a profound sence of WELL BEING)

2.....Function Better
veloped physique with good muscle balance will enable one to work harder
physically, while serving to protect the body's joints and internal organs. Strong muscles
and low body fat levels, while being easy on the eye, also equate to better performance which
leads us nicely into point three.

3.....Attract the Opposite Sex
It could be argued that the number one reason guys start training with weights is to
attract the opposite sex. Indeed, a firm tight physique with adequate muscle size is
historically one of the most desired traits women look for in a men, as it signifies an ability to
protect and provide. Without size and strength our ancestors would not have stood a chance
in the cold hard world they inhabited. It's simple: Lean muscle and obvious strength are
attractive male attributes!

4.....Look Good In Clothing
Another popular reason for getting into shape is that you will look more attractive in
clothing, as it will fit better and will actually acceentuate your new physique. Nothing is more
impressive than a nice dress shirt capped off with a stylish pair of jeans and shoes.

Quirky-Fun DID YOU KNOW FACTS

2010-07-12T04:48:00.000-07:00

DID YOU KNOW.....................???

01 A serving of approximately eight strawberries has a higher Vitamin C content than a
medium-sized orange.

02 A Rutabaga is a root vegetable that is thought to be a cross between a turnip and the
cabbage plant.

03 Often used in baking and for pickling foods, allspice produces a flavour that is a
combinationof three different spices; cinnemon,nutmeg and cloves.

04 A good source of B Vitamins and iron, Venison, also known as deer meat, is very high in
protein, while also being low in calories and saturated fats.

05 Sunflower seeds are high in omega-6 Linoleic Acid

06 High in Floate and a good source of dietary fiber, Navy beans are so named not because
of their colour,but because of the fact that they were a staple food item for the U.S. Navy
early in teh 20th century.

07 Thre reason a banana becomes sweeter as it ripens is because the starch it contains is
converted into three different types of sugar; sucrose,glucose and fructose

08 Pecans are chock full of more than 19 differrent vitamins and minerals.

09 Bok Choy is a chinese vegetable of the green leafy variety that is now commonly
grown and cultivated in Calgary, Alberta.

1o Sultanas are the name most often associated with golden-coloured raisins, which
actually originate from a special type of grape grown in the U.S. that does not contain any
seeds.

STRAWBERRIES ARE A SUPERFRUIT!

2010-07-09T03:38:00.000-07:00

A study in the nutrition journal reveals that there is a cholesterol-lowering power in strawberries. Women were given 75 grams of freeze-dried strawberry powder and following the four-week testing period, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol...(bad cholesterol) levels dropped an average of five and six percent. Strawberries are increasingly being recognized by modern medicine as a "SUPERFRUIT." Loaded aith anit-inflammatory and anti-cancer compounds, strawberries are among the most nutritionally-dense fruits available....Among their many attributes are their powerfully high antioxidant levels and their abundance of flavonoids, polyphenols, phytonutrients and fiber!

__________________________________________________________

If anyone would like to email me and let me know what you think about the "new blogs" that would be awesome

jfitzgerald@intrafitt.ca

Belly getting in the way??? take a read!

2010-07-07T04:49:00.000-07:00

Hello guys and girls...this is Jaemi..mikey's sidekick....

Ok here we go..I have met most of you, but still have a hard time remembering everyone's

name...but I have been put in charge of the blogging from now on. So this is my first one...

if anyone has any "constructive critisism" please let me know...feedback is good...lol

Why It's So Hard to Lose Belly Fat

The majority of people who set out to lose belly fat never reach their goal, and those who do, only keep it off for a short amount of time.

If this describes you, let's explore the reasons why you are struggling with weight loss and/or flattening your stomach...

Lack of Understanding of How Your Body Works

A lot of people assume they can just do crunches or buy an ab machine to flatten their stomach.

When you have stomach flab, you actually have extra flab all over your body. It just may look worse in the mid section.

Or maybe you have the type of body frame that gains a disproportionate amount in your stomach area. So it's understandable why you may think you only need to exercise that one area to achieve results.

It's important you understand that you will never lose your stomach fat until you get your entire body into shape.

Our bodies don't know how to eliminate fat in one area so in order to burn the fat in the tummy, you have to burn it all over. Cardio exercises are the best way to accomplishing this.

Even if you love the rest of your body and you just want to lose your stomach fat, understand you will lose some weight in all areas of your body in order to achieve that flat stomach.

That's why you have to think about overall weight loss and not just flattening the stomach. It's important that you understand the two are directly related.

Unrealistic Expectations

If you have bad eating habits and you're not used to exercising, don't expect yourself to get on course just because you want to lose the weight so badly.

It takes time to get into a new rhythm, so make sure you set small goals and reward yourself for accomplishing them.

Instead of trying to cut all bad foods cold turkey, make a list of foods you will eliminate for the first couple of weeks and continue to add new items to your list as time goes on.

When you start to see results from your small goals, it will motivate you to set larger goals and give you a sense of accomplishment.

That's why so many people fail with weight loss. They set unrealistic expectations and when they fail, they give up or look for the next fad diet.

Don't be so hard on yourself. Realize this may be tough in the beginning so set goals you know you can reach.

Overeating Isn't The Issue. It's a Symptom.

I've talked about this with tons of people before, but they still think they can cure their weight problem if they can just stop overeating.....WRONG!!!!!!!

Sure, that sounds like a solution! but the issue is often much deeper than that.

So what you need to figure out is why you overeat. Are you depressed because of a situation in your life? Overeating is only a symptom of a larger problem.

So until you get to the root of that issue, overeating will continue to be your enemy and so will your weight.

No Strength Training

If you are looking for that perfectly toned belly, strength training is how you achieve that "cut look". Usually crunches aren't enough to accomplish this.

So in addition to your crunches and cardio exercise, make sure you do some abdominal strengthening exercises.

Pilates and Yoga are two great ways to do this. Not only do they focus on breathing and relaxation, but they focus on strengthening your core muscles (a.k.a. your belly!).

Is Losing More than 1-2 pounds a week safe?

2010-05-11T11:18:00.001-07:00

Let me just clear the air and answer that question with a resounding YES. The theory that losing more than 1-2 pounds per week is unsafe is false. Its more of a way to shield individuals from going on crash diets and losing a ton of weight using unsafe methods only to gain it back and then some.

Realistically many individuals NEED to lose more than 1-2 pounds per week for their health. They NEED to get the weight off so that many of their medical issues can be resolved. Not to mention that no one wants to wait to see significant results. However it is true that specific lifestyle habits must be instilled before racing to lose as much weight as possible.

Implementing lifestyle habits like planning meals ahead of time, blocking off time for your workouts, and keeping unsupportive foods out of the house. Implementing these and making them habit can take some time so your weight loss during that time can be slowed. However once all components are in place, there is no reason at all that losing more than 2 pounds per week would not be safe. In fact if you have a lot of weight to lose, you had better be losing more than 2 pounds per week or something is amiss.

There is also the thought that the weight will come back on much sooner if it is lost quicker. Well if it is done in a supportive way and not extreme dieting, the weight that is lost whether it is fast or slow, is much more likely to stay off as opposed to taking a year to lose 50 pounds. If it took a year to lose 50 pounds, you certainly have habits in place, but you may also be on the fringe of reverting back to old habits because you may just plain be sick and tired of dieting.

If you have implemented a lifestyle, and executed the lifestyle over the course of the year you might be better off but will most likely be frustrated because the results didn’t come fast enough. The solution? Implement a lifestyle approach where you instill supportive habits and practice them relentlessly. Once the habits are in place, turn it up a notch and accelerate your weight loss by pushing the limits of supportive nutrition and exercise but still not going to extremes. After a period of pushing the limits, return back to the habits you had instilled prior so that you can maintain your success.

Instill habits first then hit warp speed with your weight loss. You will maintain your results and is perfectly safe to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time.

Is Losing More than 1-2 pounds a week safe?

2010-05-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

Let me just clear the air and answer that question with a resounding YES. The theory that losing more than 1-2 pounds per week is unsafe is false. Its more of a way to shield individuals from going on crash diets and losing a ton of weight using unsafe methods only to gain it back and then some.

Instill habits first then hit warp speed with your weight loss. You will maintain your results and is perfectly safe to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time.

Is Losing More than 1-2 pounds a week safe?

2010-05-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

Let me just clear the air and answer that question with a resounding YES. The theory that losing more than 1-2 pounds per week is unsafe is false. Its more of a way to shield individuals from going on crash diets and losing a ton of weight using unsafe methods only to gain it back and then some.

Instill habits first then hit warp speed with your weight loss. You will maintain your results and is perfectly safe to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time.

The Ten Commandments of Fat Loss

2010-04-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

Above all others the following ten are absolutes when trying to lose fat. No exceptions, no substitutions. Follow these commandments and you will reach your fat loss potential. No ‘yeah but’, no ‘I have no time for this’, no ‘this won’t work for me’. All of those are just lame excuses because I know a lot of very, very busy people that have made the time and have been extremely successful. I have had individuals with slow metabolism and a sluggish thyroid, clients over 60 male and female. Over a huge spectrum of people these 10 have held strong and worked every time, and they will work for you. So if you want to lose fat, here are your ten commandments to live by.

Commandment #1 You shall eat a fruit or veggie with a lean protein every time you eat. That is five to six small meals throughout the day. Doing this will allow you to get enough protein AND enough fruits and veggies to satisfy your muscles and your body’s need for quality nutrients. Proteins and vegetables have the highest thermogenic effect and fruits add much needed vitamins and minerals helping your body recover adequately.

You won’t have to worry as much about calories when you follow this commandment as you will feel full longer and more satisfied with each meal, but this isn’t a green light to go hog wild, there is some self control involved here.

Commandment #2 You shall exercise supportively 5 to 6 times per week. Exercising supportively means performing weight training three to four times per week and performing interval based cardio training two to three times per week. Weight training for fat loss involves short rests and medium repetitions and moderate weight which translates to high intensity. Circuit based training works well in this format (one set of one exercise then to another after minimal rest, etc).

Interval based cardio training will burn 9 times more fat than steady state cardio AND is time efficient. Interval cardio is alternating high intensity work periods with low intensity recovery periods. A typical work to rest time would be 30 seconds or 45 seconds of work and 60 to 90 second recovery. Think of sprinting and walking as a good method of interval cardio (but this can be done over a broad spectrum of modes of exercise)

Commandment #3 You shall create a support system with friends, neighbors, family, co-workers and others that will REALLY support your effort. Surround yourself with people that will participate with your or at very least support your efforts entirely. Lean on these people often for help and guidance through the mentally difficult times. Surrounding yourself with unsupportive people is a recipe for disaster and you will eventually give up.

Commandment #4 You shall plan your exercise and meals ahead of time. Planning and preparation are two very important components of success. I won’t lie it takes work and it isn’t easy, but anyone who tells you fat loss is easy is filling you with a line of Bullshit. Shop, chop, and cooking meals in advance will set you up for being successful in eating supportively especially when life gets busy. Set aside two hours on Sunday or your day of choice and shop, then prepare meals for the week. That also means setting a menu for the week and keeping it on your refrigerator so you can easily follow the menu and it will be one less thing you have to think about during the chaos that is your typical week.

Exercise is no different. Schedule your time for exercise and keep that schedule like you would a doctor’s appointment or any other appointment. Don’t let anything else get crowded into that spot.

Commandment #5 You shall remain consistent 90% of the time. You should be eating at least 35 meals per week (5 meals a day for 7 days). Of those 35 meals you must eat supportively 32 out of those 35. That means only three times can you eat an unsupportive meal, cheat, or miss a meal (yes missing a meal counts against you). If you are 90% compliant you WILL get results. The key here is to remain CONSISTENT.

Commandment #6 You shall take in at least ½ your bodyweight in ounces of water per day. But since you are exercising for fat loss you must take in more, so think .6 to .7 ounces per pound of bodyweight of water per day. Dehydration shuts the body down including the metabolism and prevents full effort in your workouts as your muscles are made up of mostly water. Think of having a water bottle (and drinking from it) with you all day.

Commandment #7 You shall take in a quality multivitamin every single day. Even if you are not on a fat loss program this is a must. Multivitamins fill the gaps to any discrepancies in your nutrition plan. And even though you are eating at least five fruits or veggies a day on your fat loss program, you need 7-10 servings of fruit AND veggies per day to satisfy all the vitamins and minerals you need.

Commandment #8 You shall have a strong powerful goal or reason for taking on this project. If you just want to get in shape then stop reading because this isn’t for you. Your goal has to be much more than just getting in shape. Your goal, when you read it should get you fired up and excited. Write down your goal and read it every single day so that your subconscious mind will take over and help you. Spend a lot of time on this commandment because this will ultimately determine your success. Start with the end goal and work backward so you can set up some midrange goals and several short term goals. Once you have this mapped out and read it every day you have essentially set up a roadmap for your success and all you have to do is hit those mini milestones to keep the motivation burning hot.

Commandment #9 You shall have a realistic approach. You will not succeed your goals in one day. And you will not succeed by taking a pill or exercising extra in one week. You will not succeed long term by eating perfect one week and eating great ½ the time the next week. You must be realistic with your approach and understand that this is a journey not a destination. Achieving your ultimate fat loss goal is your destination but the journey is making it a lifestyle and incorporating new habits that will stay with you forever. Results are only as good as long as they stay results. If you revert back to old habits after reaching your goal, you haven’t achieved anything. Implement strategies that are realistic and that will allow you to KEEP off the fat you are working so hard at losing.

Commandment #10 You shall not give up if you fall down. Mistakes are going to happen, especially when you are trying to make changes to hard fastened habits. Understand that it may take several attempts before you succeed at just one of these commandments, but when you do others will get easier. It is ok to be less than perfect, and understand that you are working on it and do better the next time. The more perseverance you have the much more likely you will be to succeed.

Follow these commandments and you will absolutely be successful in your fat loss goals.

4 Signs It's Time to Step Off the Scale Does Weight Weigh Heavily on Your Mind?

2010-04-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

What is with this obsession we have with the scale? For most people, the scale can be an adversary or an ally, depending on the day. We often hate what it says or argue with it, but we still feel the desire to use it. When used properly and taken for what it is, it can actually be a very useful tool for weight management. But for many, the scale does more than measure the total weight of all your various parts. It somehow defines who you are as a person. And sadly, it can determine your own self-worth. We read way too much into this single-purposed tool.

Here are four signs that you might put too much weight on weighing in:

1. You constantly worry about weighing in.
When you're trying to lose weight, it's normal to experience some hesitation when it's time for your weekly weigh in. After all, you want to see the numbers go down as confirmation that all of your hard work has paid off. We all want to be rewarded for our efforts, and it can be discouraging when you have done everything right and things still don’t pan out. However, if you find yourself preoccupied with worrisome thoughts of what the scale is going to say tomorrow or the next day, then you might be a little too obsessed with the scale

2. You weigh in more than once per day.

I recommend weighing in once a week (or even less). Ever wonder why it's not a good idea to do it more often? Your body weight can and will fluctuate from day to day, and change throughout a single day, too. There is no sense in putting yourself on that roller coaster of ups and downs. In the war on weight, if you become so concerned that you weigh yourself daily or several times a day, you are fighting a losing battle and you will be discouraged. If you feel like you can't control yourself or stop yourself from weighing in each day, then you could be headed for trouble.

3. You can recite your weight to the nearest fraction at all times.
This is a sure sign that you are relying too heavily on the scale. Anyone who can tell you not only how much she weighs each day, but measures her weight loss to the nearest quarter of a pound is probably weighing in too often. There is nothing wrong with wanting to see a lower number on the scale, even if it's a quarter pound lower, but remember that weighing in is more about trends (an average decrease or consistency in weight over time).

4. The scale determines how you feel about yourself for the day.
When the number is down, you step off the scale singing and have a jump in your step all day. When the number goes up (or stays the same when you expected a loss), you feel like Charlie Brown walking around with a rain cloud above your head. To me, this is the saddest situation of all—to let the scale dictate how you should feel. How would you feel about yourself if you hadn't weighed in that day? What other ways would you determine your self-worth if weight didn't exist?

If one (or all) of these situations sound familiar to you, it's time to step away from the scale. Go cold turkey. Or at the very least, weigh in less often. But what's a "compulsive weigher" to do?

Instead letting the scale alone determine whether you're a success or failure, use more reliable measures to determine your progress. My philosophy is that weight loss is not a goal, but the result of healthy habits like a better diet and regular exercise. When you do step on the scale and don't see the reading you had hoped for, ask yourself these questions: Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing? Am I making healthy food choices most of the time? Am I exercising consistently? If you are, then rust that your body is making positive changes, and the results will come. If you are not, then resolve to be consistent in healthy behaviors to see the results you want.

Weighing yourself is definitely helpful and it has its place. Just make sure you don’t go overboard and give too much credence to this one measurement! After all, other measures (like how much energy you have, how much easier it is to climb a flight of stairs, or how well your clothes fit) might not be as precise or scientific, but they're sure to make you feel happier and more successful than a scale ever can.

21 day Rapid Fat Loss

2010-01-01T09:02:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone,

I’ve been getting a lot of emails asking if Intrafitt has fast solution to help with the shrinking the waist, stomach and butt…

… while there is no quick fix (I don’t care what the infomercials claim) I did go to the drawing board and crafted a new 21 day rapid fat loss program that’s right up your alley – if you want fast guaranteed results.

You probably know that Intrafitt boot camp is pretty much full, but I'm opening up a special time just for this program so I thought I’d let you know that my NEW 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss program starts Monday, January 11th and the best part is that the 21 day program is discounted to only $157.00 and INCLUDES a 21 day meal plan program.

The only catch is that the camp can only take on 12 participates and you must commit to attend to at least 3 classes per week. So, if you’re ready to fit into your skinny jeans again or shed the holiday weight, tone your body all while dropping inches and pounds then make sure to register for our 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Bootcamp.

Here’s how to register…

Just call me at 647-885-1730 or respond to this email and tell me that you want in on this amazing 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Bootcamp.

The classes will take place Monday – Friday at 10:00 AM at Intrafitt Performance Training Center.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Michael Grayer

647-348-1104

P.S. Like I said we only have room for 12 participants for the 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss program and since this email is going out to over 200 local residents I’m sure it will fill out quickly.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T07:40:00.001-08:00

I would like to wish everyone a safe and low calorie holiday.

Intrafitt Holiday Hours

2009-12-19T07:48:00.000-08:00

December 21-23 regular scheduled classes or 1 on 1 training.
December 24-27 Closed
December 28-30 regular schedule classes or 1 on 1 training.

Intrafitt Re-opens January 4th.

If there is any changes in class schedule I will post it ASAP.

Orthorexia And The New Rules of Clean Eating - Part 2

2009-12-16T05:44:00.000-08:00

Orthorexia And The New Rules of Clean Eating - Part 2

In part one, I described the growing obsession many people have with eating only the purest, healthiest foods, aka “clean eating.” You’d think that nothing but good would come from that, but some experts today dislike the concept of clean foods because it implies a dichotomy where other foods, by default, are “dirty” or forbidden - as in, you can never, ever eat them again (imagine life without chocolate, or pizza… or beer! you guys). Some physicians and psychologists even believe that if taken to an extreme, a fixation on healthy food qualifies as a new eating disorder called orthorexia.

Personally, I have no issues with the phrase “clean eating.” Even if you choose to eat clean nearly 100% of the time, I don’t see how that qualifies as a psychological disorder of any kind (I reckon people who eat at McDonalds every day are the ones who need a shrink).

However, I also think most Burn The Fat blog readers would agree that any behavior - washing your hands, cleaning your house, or even exercise or eating health food - can become obsessive-compulsive and dysfunctional if it takes over your life or is taken to an extreme. In the case of diet and exercise, it could also lead to or overlap with anorexia.

It’s debatable whether orthorexia is a distinct eating disorder, but I’m not against using the word to help classify a specific type of obsessive-compulsive behavior. I think it’s real.

As some of the reader comments from part one reveal (rather ironically in a discussion on orthorexia), many people are quite “enthusiastic” in defending – or preaching about - their dietary beliefs: no meat, no grains, no dairy, only organic, only raw, only what God made, and on and on the rigid all-or-nothing rules go.

What people choose to eat is often so sacred to them, it makes for tricky business when you’re a nutrition educator. Sometimes I don’t feel like telling anyone what to eat, but simply setting a personal example and showing people how I do it, like, “Hey guys, here is how natural bodybuilders eat to get so ripped and muscular. It may not suit you, but it works for us. Take it or leave it.”

On the other hand, I can’t help feeling that there’s got to be a way to better help the countless individuals who haven’t yet formulated their own philosophies, and who find nutrition overwhelmingly confusing. For many people, even a simple walk down the aisles of a grocery store, and trying to decipher the food labels and nutrition claims is enough to trigger an anxiety attack.

That’s where I hope this is useful. I can’t draw the line for you, or tell you what to eat, but I can suggest a list of “new rules” for clean eating which simplifies nutrition and clears up confusion, while giving you more freedom, balance, life enjoyment and better results at the same time.

New Rule #1: Define what clean eating means to you

Obviously, clean eating is not a scientific term. Most people define clean eating as avoiding processed foods, chemicals and artificial ingredients and choosing natural foods, the way they came out of the ground or as close to their natural form as possible. If that works for you, then use it. However, the possible definitions are endless. I’ve seen forum arguments about whether protein powder is “clean.” Arguments are a waste of time. Ultimately, what clean eating means is up to you to define. Whether your beliefs and values have you restrict or expand on the general definition, define it you must, keeping in mind that your definition may be different than other’s.

New Rule #2: Always obey the law of energy balance

There’s one widely held belief about food that hurts people and perpetuates the obesity problem because it’s simply not true. It’s the idea that calories don’t matter for weight loss, as long as you eat certain foods or avoid certain foods. Some people think that if you eat only clean foods, you’re guaranteed to lose weight and stay lean. The truth is that eating too much of anything gets stored as fat. Yes, you can become obese eating 100% clean, natural foods. There’s more to good nutrition than calories in versus calories out, but the energy balance equation is always there.

New Rule #3: Remember that “foods” are not fattening, “excess calories” are

There’s a widespread fear today that certain foods will automatically turn into fat. Carbohydrates – particularly refined carbohydrates and sugars - are still high on the hit list of feared foods, and so are fatty foods, owing to their high caloric density (9 calories per gram). Foods that contain fat and sugar (think donuts) are considered the most fattening of all. But what if you ate only one small donut and stayed in a calorie deficit for the day – would you still say that donut was fattening?

If you want to say certain foods are fattening, you certainly can, but what you really mean is that some foods are calorie dense, highly palatable, not very satiating and eating them might even stimulate your appetite for more (betcha can’t eat just one!). Therefore, they’re likely to cause you to eat more calories than you need. Conversely, “non-fattening” foods have no magical properties, they’re simply low in caloric density, highly filling and non-appetite stimulating.

New Rule #4: Understand the health-bodyfat paradox

Two of the biggest reasons people choose to eat clean are health and weight loss. Health and body composition are intertwined, but dietary rules for health and weight loss are not one in the same. Weight gains or losses are dictated primarily by calorie quantity. Health is dictated primarily by calorie quality. That’s the paradox: You can lose weight on a 100% junk food diet, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be healthy. You can get healthier on an all natural clean food diet, but that doesn’t mean you won’t gain weight… and if you gain too much weight, then you start getting unhealthy. To be healthy and lean requires the right combination of calorie quantity and quality, not one or the other.

New Rule #5: Forbidden foods are forbidden.

Think of you on a diet like a pressure cooker on a burner. The longer you keep that pot on the heat, the more the steam builds up inside. If there’s no outlet or release valve, eventually the pressure builds up so much that even if it’s made of steel and the lid is bolted down, she’s gonna blow, sooner or later. But if you let off a little steam by occasionally having that slice of pizza or whatever is your favorite food, that relieves the pressure.

Alas, you never even felt the urge to binge… because you already had your pizza and the urge was satisfied. Since the “cheat meal” was planned and you obeyed the law of calorie balance, you stayed in control and it had little or no effect on your fat loss results. Ironically, you overcome your cravings by giving in to them, with two caveats: not too often and not too much.

New Rule #6: Set your own compliance rule

Many health and nutrition professionals suggest a 90% compliance rule because if you choose clean foods 90% of the time, it’s easy to control your calories, you consume enough nutrients for good health, and what you eat the other 10% of the time doesn’t seem to matter much. Suppose you eat 3 meals and 2 snacks every day, a total of 35 feedings per week. 90% compliance would mean following your clean eating plan for about 31 or 32 of those weekly feedings. The other 3 or 4 times per week, you eat whatever you want (as long as you obey rule #2 and keep the calories in check)

You’ll need to decide for yourself where to set your own rule. A 90% compliance rule is a popular, albeit arbitrary number – a best guess at how much “clean eating” will give you optimal health. Some folks stay lean and healthy with 80%. Others say they don’t even desire junk food and they eat 99% clean, indulging perhaps only once or twice a month.

One thing is for certain – the majority of your calories should come from natural nutrient-dense foods – not only for good health, but also because what you eat most of the time becomes your habitual pattern. Habit patterns are tough to break and what you do every day over the long term is what really counts the most.

New Rule #7: Have “free” meals, not “cheat” meals

Cheating presupposes that you’re doing something you’re not supposed to be doing. That’s why you feel guilty when you cheat. Guilt can be one of the biggest diet destroyers. Consider referring to these meals that are off your regular plan as “free meals” instead of “cheat meals.” If having free meals is part of your plan right from the start, then you’re not cheating are you? So don’t call it that. What can you eat for your free meals? Anything you want. Otherwise, it wouldn’t truly be a free meal, would it?

People sometimes tell me that my bodybuilding diet and lifestyle are “too strict.” I find that amusing because I love eating clean 95-99% of the time and I consider it easy. I had a butter-drizzled steak, a glass of wine, and chocolate sin cake for dessert to celebrate my last birthday. I had a couple slices of pizza just four weeks before my last competition (and still stepped on stage at 4.5% body fat). Oh, and I’m really looking forward to my mom’s pumpkin pie and Christmas cake too. Why? How? Because as strict as my lifestyle might appear to some people, I’ve learned how to enjoy free meals and I will eat ANYTHING I want - with no guilt. Meanwhile, my critics are often people with rules that NEVER allow those foods to ever cross their lips.

New Rule #8: For successful weight control, focus on compliance to a calorie deficit, not just compliance to a food list

Dietary compliance doesn’t just mean eating the right foods, it means eating the right amount of food. You might be doing a terrific job at eating only the foods “authorized” by your nutrition program, but if you eat too many “clean” foods, you will still get fat. On the fat loss side of health-bodyfat paradox, the quantity of food is the pivotal factor, not the quality of food. If fat loss is your goal and you’re stubbornly determined to be 100% strict about your nutrition, then be 100% strict about maintaining your calorie deficit.

Lesson #9: Avoid all or none attitudes and dichotomous thinking

If you make a mistake, it doesn’t ruin an entire 12 week program, a whole week and not even an entire day. What ruins a program is thinking that you must either be on or off your diet and allowing one meal off your program to completely derail you. All or nothing thinking is the great killer of diet programs.

Even if they don’t believe that one meal will set them back physically, many “clean eaters” feel like a single cheat is a moral failure. They are terrified to eat any processed foods because they look at foods as good or bad rather than looking at the degree of processing or the frequency of consuming them.

Rest assured, a single meal of ANYTHING, if the calories don’t exceed your energy needs, will have virtually no impact on your condition. It’s not what you do occasionally, it’s what you do most of the time, day after day, that determines your long term results.

New Rule #10: Focus more on results, less on methods

I’m not sure whether it’s sad or laughable that most people get so married to their methods that they stop paying attention to results. Overweight people often praise their diet program and the guru that created it, even though they’ve plateaud and haven’t lost any weight in months, or the weight they lost has begun to creep back on. Health food fanatics keep eating the same, even when they’re sick and weak and not getting any stronger or healthier.

Why would someone continue doing more of the same even when it’s not working? One word: habit! Beliefs and behavior patterns are so ingrained at the unconscious level, you repeat the same behaviors every day virtually on automatic pilot. Defending existing beliefs and doing it the way you’ve always done it is a lot easier than changing.

In the final analysis, results are what counts: weight, body composition, lean muscle, performance, strength, blood pressure, blood lipids, and everything else you want to improve. Are they improving or not? If not, perhaps it’s time for a change.

Concluding words of wisdom

We need rules. Trying to eat “intuitively” or just “wing it” from the start is a recipe for failure. Ironically, intuitive eating does not come intuitively. Whether you use my Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle program or a different program that suits your lifestyle better, you must have a plan.

After following your plan for a while, your constructive new behaviors eventually turn over to unconscious control (a process commonly known as developing habits). But you’ll never reach that hallowed place of “unconscious competence” unless you start with planning, structure, discipline and rules.

Creating nutritional rules does NOT create more rule breakers. Only unrealistic or unnecessary rules create rule breakers. That’s why these new rules of clean eating are based on a neat combination of structure and flexibility. If you have too much flexibility and not enough structure, you no longer have a plan. If you have too much structure and not enough flexibility, you have a plan you can’t stick with.

To quickly sum it all up: Relax your diet a bit! But not too much!

In part one, I described the growing obsession many people have with eating only the purest, healthiest foods, aka “clean eating.” You’d think that nothing but good would come from that, but some experts today dislike the concept of clean foods because it implies a dichotomy where other foods, by default, are “dirty” or forbidden - as in, you can never, ever eat them again (imagine life without chocolate, or pizza… or beer! you guys). Some physicians and psychologists even believe that if taken to an extreme, a fixation on healthy food qualifies as a new eating disorder called orthorexia.

Personally, I have no issues with the phrase “clean eating.” Even if you choose to eat clean nearly 100% of the time, I don’t see how that qualifies as a psychological disorder of any kind (I reckon people who eat at McDonalds every day are the ones who need a shrink).

However, I also think most Burn The Fat blog readers would agree that any behavior - washing your hands, cleaning your house, or even exercise or eating health food - can become obsessive-compulsive and dysfunctional if it takes over your life or is taken to an extreme. In the case of diet and exercise, it could also lead to or overlap with anorexia.

It’s debatable whether orthorexia is a distinct eating disorder, but I’m not against using the word to help classify a specific type of obsessive-compulsive behavior. I think it’s real.

As some of the reader comments from part one reveal (rather ironically in a discussion on orthorexia), many people are quite “enthusiastic” in defending – or preaching about - their dietary beliefs: no meat, no grains, no dairy, only organic, only raw, only what God made, and on and on the rigid all-or-nothing rules go.

What people choose to eat is often so sacred to them, it makes for tricky business when you’re a nutrition educator. Sometimes I don’t feel like telling anyone what to eat, but simply setting a personal example and showing people how I do it, like, “Hey guys, here is how natural bodybuilders eat to get so ripped and muscular. It may not suit you, but it works for us. Take it or leave it.”

On the other hand, I can’t help feeling that there’s got to be a way to better help the countless individuals who haven’t yet formulated their own philosophies, and who find nutrition overwhelmingly confusing. For many people, even a simple walk down the aisles of a grocery store, and trying to decipher the food labels and nutrition claims is enough to trigger an anxiety attack.

That’s where I hope this is useful. I can’t draw the line for you, or tell you what to eat, but I can suggest a list of “new rules” for clean eating which simplifies nutrition and clears up confusion, while giving you more freedom, balance, life enjoyment and better results at the same time.

New Rule #1: Define what clean eating means to you

Obviously, clean eating is not a scientific term. Most people define clean eating as avoiding processed foods, chemicals and artificial ingredients and choosing natural foods, the way they came out of the ground or as close to their natural form as possible. If that works for you, then use it. However, the possible definitions are endless. I’ve seen forum arguments about whether protein powder is “clean.” Arguments are a waste of time. Ultimately, what clean eating means is up to you to define. Whether your beliefs and values have you restrict or expand on the general definition, define it you must, keeping in mind that your definition may be different than other’s.

New Rule #2: Always obey the law of energy balance

There’s one widely held belief about food that hurts people and perpetuates the obesity problem because it’s simply not true. It’s the idea that calories don’t matter for weight loss, as long as you eat certain foods or avoid certain foods. Some people think that if you eat only clean foods, you’re guaranteed to lose weight and stay lean. The truth is that eating too much of anything gets stored as fat. Yes, you can become obese eating 100% clean, natural foods. There’s more to good nutrition than calories in versus calories out, but the energy balance equation is always there.

New Rule #3: Remember that “foods” are not fattening, “excess calories” are

There’s a widespread fear today that certain foods will automatically turn into fat. Carbohydrates – particularly refined carbohydrates and sugars - are still high on the hit list of feared foods, and so are fatty foods, owing to their high caloric density (9 calories per gram). Foods that contain fat and sugar (think donuts) are considered the most fattening of all. But what if you ate only one small donut and stayed in a calorie deficit for the day – would you still say that donut was fattening?

If you want to say certain foods are fattening, you certainly can, but what you really mean is that some foods are calorie dense, highly palatable, not very satiating and eating them might even stimulate your appetite for more (betcha can’t eat just one!). Therefore, they’re likely to cause you to eat more calories than you need. Conversely, “non-fattening” foods have no magical properties, they’re simply low in caloric density, highly filling and non-appetite stimulating.

New Rule #4: Understand the health-bodyfat paradox

Two of the biggest reasons people choose to eat clean are health and weight loss. Health and body composition are intertwined, but dietary rules for health and weight loss are not one in the same. Weight gains or losses are dictated primarily by calorie quantity. Health is dictated primarily by calorie quality. That’s the paradox: You can lose weight on a 100% junk food diet, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be healthy. You can get healthier on an all natural clean food diet, but that doesn’t mean you won’t gain weight… and if you gain too much weight, then you start getting unhealthy. To be healthy and lean requires the right combination of calorie quantity and quality, not one or the other.

New Rule #5: Forbidden foods are forbidden.

Think of you on a diet like a pressure cooker on a burner. The longer you keep that pot on the heat, the more the steam builds up inside. If there’s no outlet or release valve, eventually the pressure builds up so much that even if it’s made of steel and the lid is bolted down, she’s gonna blow, sooner or later. But if you let off a little steam by occasionally having that slice of pizza or whatever is your favorite food, that relieves the pressure.

Alas, you never even felt the urge to binge… because you already had your pizza and the urge was satisfied. Since the “cheat meal” was planned and you obeyed the law of calorie balance, you stayed in control and it had little or no effect on your fat loss results. Ironically, you overcome your cravings by giving in to them, with two caveats: not too often and not too much.

New Rule #6: Set your own compliance rule

Many health and nutrition professionals suggest a 90% compliance rule because if you choose clean foods 90% of the time, it’s easy to control your calories, you consume enough nutrients for good health, and what you eat the other 10% of the time doesn’t seem to matter much. Suppose you eat 3 meals and 2 snacks every day, a total of 35 feedings per week. 90% compliance would mean following your clean eating plan for about 31 or 32 of those weekly feedings. The other 3 or 4 times per week, you eat whatever you want (as long as you obey rule #2 and keep the calories in check)

You’ll need to decide for yourself where to set your own rule. A 90% compliance rule is a popular, albeit arbitrary number – a best guess at how much “clean eating” will give you optimal health. Some folks stay lean and healthy with 80%. Others say they don’t even desire junk food and they eat 99% clean, indulging perhaps only once or twice a month.

One thing is for certain – the majority of your calories should come from natural nutrient-dense foods – not only for good health, but also because what you eat most of the time becomes your habitual pattern. Habit patterns are tough to break and what you do every day over the long term is what really counts the most.

New Rule #7: Have “free” meals, not “cheat” meals

Cheating presupposes that you’re doing something you’re not supposed to be doing. That’s why you feel guilty when you cheat. Guilt can be one of the biggest diet destroyers. Consider referring to these meals that are off your regular plan as “free meals” instead of “cheat meals.” If having free meals is part of your plan right from the start, then you’re not cheating are you? So don’t call it that. What can you eat for your free meals? Anything you want. Otherwise, it wouldn’t truly be a free meal, would it?

People sometimes tell me that my bodybuilding diet and lifestyle are “too strict.” I find that amusing because I love eating clean 95-99% of the time and I consider it easy. I had a butter-drizzled steak, a glass of wine, and chocolate sin cake for dessert to celebrate my last birthday. I had a couple slices of pizza just four weeks before my last competition (and still stepped on stage at 4.5% body fat). Oh, and I’m really looking forward to my mom’s pumpkin pie and Christmas cake too. Why? How? Because as strict as my lifestyle might appear to some people, I’ve learned how to enjoy free meals and I will eat ANYTHING I want - with no guilt. Meanwhile, my critics are often people with rules that NEVER allow those foods to ever cross their lips.

New Rule #8: For successful weight control, focus on compliance to a calorie deficit, not just compliance to a food list

Dietary compliance doesn’t just mean eating the right foods, it means eating the right amount of food. You might be doing a terrific job at eating only the foods “authorized” by your nutrition program, but if you eat too many “clean” foods, you will still get fat. On the fat loss side of health-bodyfat paradox, the quantity of food is the pivotal factor, not the quality of food. If fat loss is your goal and you’re stubbornly determined to be 100% strict about your nutrition, then be 100% strict about maintaining your calorie deficit.

Lesson #9: Avoid all or none attitudes and dichotomous thinking

If you make a mistake, it doesn’t ruin an entire 12 week program, a whole week and not even an entire day. What ruins a program is thinking that you must either be on or off your diet and allowing one meal off your program to completely derail you. All or nothing thinking is the great killer of diet programs.

Even if they don’t believe that one meal will set them back physically, many “clean eaters” feel like a single cheat is a moral failure. They are terrified to eat any processed foods because they look at foods as good or bad rather than looking at the degree of processing or the frequency of consuming them.

Rest assured, a single meal of ANYTHING, if the calories don’t exceed your energy needs, will have virtually no impact on your condition. It’s not what you do occasionally, it’s what you do most of the time, day after day, that determines your long term results.

New Rule #10: Focus more on results, less on methods

I’m not sure whether it’s sad or laughable that most people get so married to their methods that they stop paying attention to results. Overweight people often praise their diet program and the guru that created it, even though they’ve plateaud and haven’t lost any weight in months, or the weight they lost has begun to creep back on. Health food fanatics keep eating the same, even when they’re sick and weak and not getting any stronger or healthier.

Why would someone continue doing more of the same even when it’s not working? One word: habit! Beliefs and behavior patterns are so ingrained at the unconscious level, you repeat the same behaviors every day virtually on automatic pilot. Defending existing beliefs and doing it the way you’ve always done it is a lot easier than changing.

In the final analysis, results are what counts: weight, body composition, lean muscle, performance, strength, blood pressure, blood lipids, and everything else you want to improve. Are they improving or not? If not, perhaps it’s time for a change.

Concluding words of wisdom

We need rules. Trying to eat “intuitively” or just “wing it” from the start is a recipe for failure. Ironically, intuitive eating does not come intuitively. Whether you use my Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle program or a different program that suits your lifestyle better, you must have a plan.

After following your plan for a while, your constructive new behaviors eventually turn over to unconscious control (a process commonly known as developing habits). But you’ll never reach that hallowed place of “unconscious competence” unless you start with planning, structure, discipline and rules.

Creating nutritional rules does NOT create more rule breakers. Only unrealistic or unnecessary rules create rule breakers. That’s why these new rules of clean eating are based on a neat combination of structure and flexibility. If you have too much flexibility and not enough structure, you no longer have a plan. If you have too much structure and not enough flexibility, you have a plan you can’t stick with.

To quickly sum it all up: Relax your diet a bit! But not too much!

Our Ladies looking awesome!!!

2009-11-23T14:12:00.000-08:00

Team Intrafitt Tears up the competiton again!!!

2009-11-22T17:43:00.000-08:00

Another great weekend for the team. Everything we set out to achieve was accomplished!! Lots of hardware and smiling faces. I'm happy for all the ladies and they all looked amazing!

The break down of the show was 2 First place trophies and 3 second place trophies and a 5th place. I will post a few clips for everyone to watch how amazing our ladies look.

Carol Lama 1st Figure Medium tall class Level 2 and 2nd in Masters class.
Sharon Philbrick 2nd Figure tall and 5th bikini Model
Meni Moskowski 2nd Medium tall Level 1 and 1st in Masters class.

2009-11-14T07:15:00.001-08:00

"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small people who find it easier to live the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing."

What is Supportive Nutrition?

2009-11-13T12:09:00.000-08:00

You hear a lot of big words or phrases thrown at you in the health and nutrition world without really knowing what they really mean. Well I’m going to throw another phrase at you but I’m going to explain it so you know what the heck I’m talking about when I use the term supportive eating.

Supportive eating very simply is eating a lean protein and a fibrous carbohydrate with every meal. The lean protein and fibrous carbohydrate must be healthy choices and when you think about it if you follow the rule of LEAN protein and FIBROUS Carbohydrate, your choices are limited to only healthy options.

So what exactly are lean proteins and fibrous carbohydrates. Well I’ve compiled a list of lean proteins and fibrous carbohydrates that isn’t a comprehensive list but it will give you a good idea of what I’m talking about.

Lean Proteins

Chicken breast

Turkey breast

Fish

Egg whites

Low fat or fat free cottage cheese

Seafood

Extra Lean Beef

Protein Powder

Fibrous Carbohydrates

Leafy Greens

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Spinach

Green Beans

Squash

Tomato

Cucumber

Celery

Onion

Green Peppers

Black Beans

Red Kidney Beans

Soy Beans

Blueberries

Strawberries

Apples

That should give you a start on what I’m talking about. Like I said there are others that I didn’t include on this list and if you have a question about a particular food please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Essentially what we are looking for with supportive nutrition is balance between highly nutrient dense foods but also shaving away the calories not necessary to maintain or achieve a lean fit physique. Lean proteins help build and repair lean muscle and fibrous carbohydrates supply the energy to the body without causing a spike in blood sugar or excessive energy to be stored in the body.

What happens when your nutrition plan adapts to this, is when you exercise your body will turn to the depleted energy stores which will be burned quickly and the transition from carbohydrate calorie burn to fat burn will be much quicker. Think of fat as your secondary fuel source. You have to burn through all of your carbohydrate storage before going on to the fat. The less carbohydrates (esp starches) you eat, the lower your storage levels will be.

So simply put, supportive nutrition supports your health and your fat loss goals simultaneously. Eating lean proteins as well as fibrous carbohydrates with each meal and snack as much as possible will ensure the body you desire as well as the health you also desire.

Another big weekend with Team Intrafitt!!!

2009-11-08T12:38:00.000-08:00

This weekend was big for the team as we all went to the Idfa (International Drug Free Athletics) competition at the Jane Mallet auditorium here in Toronto.

Lots of hardware was won again, and I'm very proud of everyone that competed. This show was very well organized and judged with pretty good accuracy and only a few questionable calls but, when your losing to your own teamates it's not really losing... this contest was a excellent stepping stone for all the ladies some trial and error and new systems was implemented (meal plan preparation, training styles) for a few of the ladies with really good success.
This show we had 5 ladies competing for Team Intrafitt:
Sharon Philbrick
Meni Moskowski
Carol Lama
Crystal Kenny (first time competitor)
Vera (my wife)

For each competitor I will give small insight on how the day went so some of you can understand the sport and how the body can visibly change from hour to hour. It's amazing how a few carbs, or fats too little or too much can make or break you... To be honest I don't even know how I developed the eye for it. But, I did... Anyways here's how the day went.

Sharon Philbrick- Sharon looked the best she ever has!! this show was more of a test run for our new food plan and how it will pan out for us on big day OPA Level 2 on November 21. She looked awesome we just need to work on bringing her in a little leaner and fuller keeping her off carbs totally except for contest day. Cutting her water out a little earlier to put her on in the top 3 finalists on november 21.

Carol Lama- Ms. Consistent!! Carol came out for prejuding and looked awesome but, was holding a little water around her waist and her abs were not fully in yet... We needed to decrease her carbs and add a bit more natural sugar to make her look more pumped. But, still looked to place top 3 even not at her best... Which gave a few other competitors hope to win. hahahaha... I don't think so.... Ms. Consistent came back in the evening show and put sad faces on many of the women who thought they had a chance!! She dropped the last bit of water she was holding onto and looked her best to date. Carol placed 2nd in figure open division which was one of the only questionable calls of the night... She also, placed 5th in the fitness model category. This show was also just a test run for her new plan as well OPA level 2 November 21 is the contest we have to win!!

Meni Moskowski- This was Meni's day! She was the dark horse no one seen coming! Meni hasn't competed since June and was taking the time to make improvements to her physique and it all paid off... Meni came in flawless and ripped up the competition!! There was no stopping her. Her posing was beautiful and precise, we never had to make any last minute changes to her diet just stuck to the game plan we set up. And the day went perfect Meni placed 1st in fitness Model and 2nd in figure novice division.

Crystal Kenny-Crystal looked beautiful and muscular! this was Crystals first competition and you could see the nerves were working overtime. At prejudging Crystals muscle looked a bit flat and she looked about 5-7lbs lighter then she really is. Also, her posing needed to be a bit more softer as well. the only change we made during the day was to increase her carbs to fill out her muscle. Since it was her first competition I had no idea how her body was going to respond to dehydration and eating that day. On her downtime she watched ladies bodybuilding I think she found her calling she loved it!!! Now it's back to the drawing board and put on some more muscle. Intrafitt has never had a female bodybuilder so now were looking to dominate in all categories.

Vera Grayer- I gotta pick my words here carefully or else I'll be sleeping outside... Vera did a great job preparing for this show and she did it all by herself! But, like Crystal the nerves got to her and it affected her posing and she made a few mistakes... Otherwise she looked terrific! We could heave added some more carbs and natural sugar to her afternoon meal to make her look a bit more fuller and muscular but since she is so short I have no idea how it would affect her final appearence... For Vera it's back to drawing board and add more size to bring her up the ranks. Look for her to finish in the top 5 at the next show.

Wednesday's Action

2009-11-05T06:25:00.000-08:00

Orthorexia and The New Rules of Clean Eating - Part 1

2009-11-03T17:38:00.000-08:00

Definition- Orthorexia, or orthorexia nervosa is a term coined by Steven Bratman, a Colorado MD, to denote an eating disorder characterized by excessive focus on eating healthy foods. In rare cases, this focus may turn into a fixation so extreme that it can lead to severe malnutrition or even death.

Clean eating has no official definition, but it’s usually described as avoiding processed foods, chemicals, preservatives and artificial ingredients. Instead, clean eaters choose natural foods, the way they came out of the ground or as close to their natural form as possible. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, 100% whole grains, egg whites, fish, and chicken breast are clean eating staples. Clean eating appears to be a desirable, sensible, even noble goal. Eating clean is what we should all strive to do to achieve optimum health and body composition isn’t it? Arguably the answer is mostly yes, but more and more people today are asking, “is it possible to take clean eating too far?”

Physician Steven Bratman thinks so. In 1997, Bratman was the first to put a name to an obsession with healthy eating, calling it orthorexia nervosa. In his book, Health Food Junkies, Bratman said that whether they are trying to lose weight or not, orthorexics are preoccupied with eating healthy food and avoiding anything artificial or “toxic.”

Orthorexics are not only fanatical about eating the purest, healthiest, most nutritious (aka “clean”) foods available, says Bratman, they often feel a sense of righteousness in doing so.

Whether orthorexia should be officially classified as an eating disorder is controversial. The term appears in pub med indexed scientific journals, but it’s not listed in the DSM-IV as are anorexia and bulimia. Opponents wonder, “Since when did choosing a lifestyle that eliminates junk food become a disease?”

Media coverage and internet discussions about orthorexia have increased in the past year. John Stossel did a segment on 20-20 (ABC) last year and websites such as the Mayo Clinic, the Huffington Post and the UK-based Guardian added their editorials into the mix in recent months, alongside dozens of individual bloggers.

In most cases, mainstream media discussions of orthorexia have focused on far extremes of health food practices such as raw foodism, detox dieting or 100% pure organic eating, where some folks would rather starve to death than eat a cooked or pesticide-exposed vegetable. In fact, some people do, as seen in the 20-20 video clip below.

But closer to my home, what about the bodybuilding, fitness, figure and physique crowd? Should we be included in this discussion?

In their quest for adding muscle mass and burning fat, many fitness and physique enthusiasts become obsessed with eating only the “cleanest” foods possible. Like the natural health enthusiasts, physique athletes usually avoid all processed foods and put entire food groups on the “forbidden” list. Oddly, that sometimes includes rules such as precontest diets because “fruit is high in sugar” or “fructose turns to fat”.

According to Bratman’s criteria, one could argue that almost every competitive bodybuilder or physique athlete is automatically orthorexic, and they might add obsessive-compulsive and neurotic for good measure.

As you can imagine, (being a bodybuilder), I have mixed feelings about that.

If I choose to set a rule for myself that I’ll limit my junk food to only 10% of my meals, does that make me orthorexic or is that a prudent health decision?

If I plan my menus on a spreadsheet, am I a macronutrient micromanager or am I detail-oriented?

If I make my meals in advance for the day ahead, does that mean I’m obsessive compulsive, or am I prepared?

If I make one of my high protein vanilla pancakes (one of my favorite portable clean food recipes) and take it with me on a flight because I don’t want to eat airline food, am I neurotic? Or am I perhaps, the smartest guy on the plane?

Some folks are probably shaking their heads and saying, “you bodybuilders are definitely OCD.” I prefer to call it dedicated, thank you, but perhaps we are obsessive, at least a wee bit before competitions. But aren’t all competitive athletes, to some degree, at the upper levels of most sports?

Athletes of all kinds – not just bodybuilders - take their nutrition and training regimens far beyond what the “average Joe” or “average soccer mom” would require to stay healthy and fit.

What if you don’t want to be average – what if you want to be world class? What then? Is putting hours of practice a day into developing a skill or discipline an obsessive-compulsive disorder too?

Okay, now that I’ve defended the strict lifestyle habits of the muscle-head brother and sisterhood, let me address the flipside: being too strict.

Where does the average health and bodyweight-concerned fitness enthusiast draw the line? How clean should you eat? Do you need lots of structure and planning in your eating habits, or as Lao Tzu, the Chinese philosopher said, does making too many rules only create more rule-breakers?

Debates have started flaring up over these questions and as inconceivable as it seems, there has actually been somewhat of a backlash against “clean eating.” Why would THAT possibly happen? Eating “clean” is eating healthy, right? Eating clean is a good thing, right?

Well, almost everyone agrees that it’s ok to have a “cheat meal” occasionally, but some experts - after watching how many people are becoming neurotic about food - are now clamoring to point out that it’s not necessary to be so strict.

The diet pendulum has apparently swung from:

“Eat a balanced diet with a wide variety of foods you enjoy.”

“You MUST eat clean!”

“Go ahead and eat as much junk as you want, as long as you watch your calories and get your essential nutrients like protein, essential fats, vitamins and minerals.”

Talk about confusion! Now we’ve got people who gain great pride and a sense of dedication and accomplishment for taking up a healthy, clean-eating lifestyle and we’ve got people who thumb their nose at clean eating and say, “Chill out bro! Live a little!”

The current debate about how clean you should eat (or how much you should “cheat”) reminds me of the recent arguments over training methods such as steady state versus HIIT cardio. Whatever the debate of the day, most people seem to have a really difficult time acknowledging that there’s a middle ground.

Most dieters, when they don’t like a certain philosophy, reject it entirely and flip to its polar opposite. Most dieters are dichotomous thinkers, always viewing their endeavors as all or nothing. Most dieters are also joiners, plugging into one of the various diet tribes and gaining their sense of identity by belonging.

In some cases, I think these tribes are more like cults, as people follow guru-like leaders who pass down health and nutrition commandments that are followed with religious conviction. Seriously. The parallels of diet groups to religious groups can be downright scary sometimes.

Whether the goal is to optimize health, to build muscle or to burn fat, there’s little doubt that many individuals with all kinds of different motivations sometimes take their dietary restrictions to extremes. Obviously, an overly restrictive diet can lead to nutrient deficiencies and can adversely affect health, energy and performance.

In some cases, I can also see how swinging to any extreme, even a “healthy obsession” with pure food could lead to distorted views and behaviors that border on eating disorders. If you don’t believe it’s a real clinical psychological problem, then at the very least, you might agree that nutritional extremes could mean restricting social activities, creating inconvenience or making lifestyle sacrifices that are just not necessary.

I believe there’s a middle ground - a place where we can balance health and physique with a lifestyle and food plan we love and enjoy. Even more important, I believe that your middle ground may not be the same as mine. We all must find our own balance.

I believe that going back to BALANCE, but this time with a better definition of what balance means, is the approach of the future.

I also believe that some new rules would help us find that balance.

What do you think? Can you eat “too clean?” If so, is that a disorder if you’re physically fit and healthy? Share your thoughts on what you just read in part one and I’ll be back to post my list of new clean eating rules in part two.

25,50,75 with 3km!!

2009-11-03T17:08:00.000-08:00

Simplifying Fat Loss Through the Holidays

2009-10-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

The holidays are edging ever so closely upon us, and just like every year around this time, our fat loss efforts fall drastically by the wayside in favor of get togethers, family outings, parties, and holiday shopping. The excuse that exercise and eating healthy takes too much time or ‘I’ll get back on track after the holidays because its too hard now’ surface more than usual. And then like clockwork, every year in January, we clean the slate and start over.

Now I struggle just as much as the next person when it comes to remaining consistent during the holiday season but what I have learned is that even though time gets shorter and social and seasonal commitments get more frequent, we don’t have to completely ignore our fat loss efforts, we just need to modify them a little bit. There are several ways we can do that but I’ve narrowed it down to the three most important and most effective ways that you can start right now and have them as habit before the holiday rush begins.

First, since you will be even shorter on time, it is necessary to change up your workouts to maximize your time in a short period. Best way to do that is the Tabata protocol. Tabata maximizes your efforts in a short amount of time while actually increasing your fat loss results. Typical Tabata protocol is 20 seconds of exercise time followed by ten seconds of rest and is repeated 8 times. Exercises such as your bodyweight are ideal for this. Push ups, squats, stair sprints, burpees are all good examples of exercises with no equipment that you can use. For even more variety, pair up exercises and alternate back and forth between two so that you end up performing four sets of each exercise. Each eight set station lasts 4 minutes so you can add as many stations as you like depending on how much time you have. In 20 minutes you can complete a full workout without sacrificing results, actually enhancing results.

Now that you have your workout plan set, now let’s move on to a plan with your nutrition. The holidays are brutal on your nutrition, so we must have a strategy in place to minimize, not eliminate the damage. Realistically this is the best approach as we all know very well being inundated with sweets and dinners, parties, and other social events are going to happen and happen a lot.

So one thing we can do is be very selective. We don’t have to eat junk every single time we go to a social event. We can pick and choose the events we want to indulge in. The events we do not we can eat before we go, take a snack with you, or be very selective of what you eat at the event. It is unrealistic to avoid all the treats the holidays bring out, so be very selective and pick your moments.

When you pick your moments also try to be reasonable with your portions. There is no need to go overboard with the amount that you have, be selective of what you indulge in and be reasonable with your portions so that you are satisfied but don’t overstuff yourself.

Lastly, set a goal for yourself. The holidays are the most difficult time of year on your nutrition and consistent exercise program, so setting a compliance goal is a great way to push yourself through the difficult time of year. To achieve fat loss results you must be 90% compliant with your nutrition habits and exercise efforts. So through the holidays a good goal is to maintain the results you have already achieved, so set a goal of 70% compliance minimum. If you maintain 70% compliance through the holidays you will avoid the average 8 pound weight gain most experience, your habits will be better solidified and you will start off the new year ahead of everyone else without the feeling of being restricted.

"The challenge"

2009-10-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

The Challenge

Let others lead small lives,

but not me.

Let others argue over small things,

but not me.

Let others cry over small hurts,

but not me.

Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands,

but not me.

Happy Birthday Big Mike!!!!!

2009-10-25T07:30:00.000-07:00

This weeks workout's. great work guys!!

2009-10-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

Zero To 100: 5 Ways to Spike Your Metabolism Today

2009-10-22T17:13:00.000-07:00

Metabolism is the engine that burns fat. In order to boost metabolism there are several factors that have to be in play for a boost to happen. Unfortunately there are many things that affect metabolism causing it to slow down. Before you know it you have gained 20 pounds and your health is reeling out of control.

But it isn’t over, there are many ways in which you can reverse the vicious fat gaining cycle. And it doesn’t have to be a long drawn out process. There are steps you can take now that will have an immediate effect on your metabolism and set you on the path to melting fat off your body at an alarming rate. Here are five that you can start right away that will get your fat burning engine revving.Start drinking lots of water.

1. Drinking lots of water will prepare your body to become efficient which your metabolism likes very much. A hydrated body means hydrated muscles and hydrated muscles work at an optimal level. And when your muscles work at an optimal level, your metabolism speeds up. Since your muscles are the engine that is your metabolism, healthy muscles are essential.

2. Schedule and eat five to six small meals per day. This has you eating every three to three and a half hours. Your metabolism likes to know it isn’t going to run out of energy and it uses past experience as its indicator. So if you only eat one to two meals per day, your metabolism prepares for that by storing excess energy to use during the long periods between and does this in the form of fat. However if you get on a schedule of eating five to six small meals per day, your metabolism recognizes this and realized that it doesn’t have to store excess energy because it knows it is going to get more very soon, so it burns off the excess energy helping you get leaner.

3. Ditch the food labels. Foods without labels are just that foods. There is no need to put a label on the food because it is obvious to the consumer and will also be obvious to the body. Foods such as vegetables, fruits, most lean proteins, raw nuts must be abundant in your diet to assure your metabolism runs high and efficiently. These foods are not only healthy but also provide a spike in the metabolism simply by eating them. The body works harder to digest raw foods therefore expends more calories from that food just to digest it.

4. Take a Multivitamin. Taking a multivitamin is very important not only for fat loss but also for your health. In order to get all your vitamins and minerals in your food, did you know you have to eat 7-10 servings of fruit AND vegetables per day? That is virtually impossible and maintain a calorie deficit for losing fat. In order to make up for this discrepancy, so the logical solution is a multivitamin. Select multivitamins that are whole food based meaning they were made from sources of foods to get the vitamins and minerals that make up the product. These can be found mostly at natural food stores . Two things to look for: typically the multivitamins stink if they are natural, and they will be pricy. But don’t overlook them because they can mean the difference between 5 pounds and 25 pounds lost.

5. Perform weight training. Weight training or resistance training is the direct action you can take to boost your metabolism. In order to directly increase lean muscle you must train with resistance. Cardio and nutrition alone isn’t going to do it. This is too often the missing component in a fat loss program. Too often people are afraid they will get big and bulky. Most people who train with weights have that as their main goal and not get big and bulky. In all actuality it is harder to get big and bulky with weight training than it is to get lean.

There are the five that you can implement today. Set a plan and attack your fat using these five ways to boost your metabolism.

This time of the year gains you an average of 12 pounds of fat...

2009-10-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

Canadians gains an average 12 pounds of fat between

Halloween and January 1st.

 
This was a statistic that a fellow fitness professional
pulled from a magazine article.  

Now I don't know if this is true or not, but when you
think about it this could be very true. 

You eat a little candy on Halloween then the holiday
parties start appearing.  

Your life gets busier with holiday shopping and parties
and then there are the holidays themselves.  

Needless to say your focus on proper exercise and nutrition
has been pushed to the wayside.  

So I don't know if the 12 pound average is accurate or not,
but it makes a lot of sense and quite possibly is accurate.

So what are you going to do about it?

Don't wait until the first of the year to make those new years
resolutions.

Don't wait until mid-december to start complaining about
gaining weight.

Act now and make sure that when everyone else is complaining
about their weight going up you are losing weight and creating
different new years resolutions instead of the normal
"I am going to lose weight" resolutions. 

Take action and get these types of results before January 1st.

Intrafitt Kettlebell bootcamp sign up

2009-10-14T17:47:00.000-07:00

Today's kettlebell demo was awesome!!! I was very proud of all of you for being so open minded to this way of training and making Jeff feel welcome. As, all of you know I very sceptical of many trainers and their abilities to produce results with their clients. ( the 95%-5% rule applies here) 95% of trainers have no idea what they are doing and 5% do... So, bringing Jeff to Intrafitt you know I did my research to make sure he is legit and he is!! As you all seen today with that wicked workout.

If your are interested in this awesome class and seeing what it can do for your fitness goals please sign up now. We will be holding the class Tuesday and Thursday nights at 6:30pm starting October 20 and ending November 12. The cost will be $20.00 per class. I will be limiting the class to only 10 spots. So please if you loved todays workout variety sign up now!!
I guarantee you will not find a class like this!!

P.S. 10:15 am Ladies I'm blown away with how you performed today!!! It was amazing ....

P.P.S here's a little video of today's actions

The Apprentice...

2009-10-12T06:46:00.000-07:00

New 8 week session...
New times...
New trainer...

October 19-December 11 at 12:15pm and 1:15pm

I will be taking on a new certified personal trainer to learn the ropes on how to run a "real" bootcamp class. Not like most of the crap you see out there! I feel it is my duty to pass on some of my skills and knowledge to someone who really wants to learn. Just like my mentor did for for me... And look a the bodies that come from our bootcamp!! AWESOME!

This "new" session bootcamp will be instructed by the new trainer. And all workouts will be reviewed by me first just for effectiveness and safety reasons. I want to offer this session at a discounted price due to the time it is offered at.

Days: Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Date: October 19-Dec 11
Times: 12:15pm or 1:15pm.
Cost: $288.00 ($12.00 per class)

Please email me ASAP to register. Intrafitt@hotmail.com
Each class can only take 12 campers.

Team Intrafitt took home lots of hardware this weekend!!

2009-10-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

Team Intrafitt
The Results are in: Carol Lama 1st place figure, and 1st place figure over 35
Sharon Philbrick: 4th place tall class, 3rd place figure over 35.
Alex Wigle 1st place junior mens bodybuilding

October 3 is Competition day and I think our girls are ready!

2009-10-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

a few o f the weeks great workouts!

2009-10-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

Identifying Weight Loss Scams

2009-09-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

12 Ways to Spot a Fad Diet

The next time you watch an infomercial, read an advertisement, or spot a new supplement reporting miraculous weight loss results, we wouldn’t blame you for cocking a wary eyebrow. When evaluating claims for weight loss products, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends a healthy portion of skepticism; most don’t come close to fulfilling their claims. And in the rare cases where a product might result in some temporary weight loss, it is almost never a permanent solution and is usually unsafe
Before you spend money on products that promise fast and easy results, weigh the claims carefully. You might even consider contacting the FTC directly for more information or if you have concerns.

These 12 tips will help you critique and evaluate weight loss claims and spot a scam before it’s too late:

1. "It’s so easy to lose weight without dieting or exercising!" Face it—permanent weight loss takes work, effort and time. Pass on any products that promise miraculous results without the effort. Buy one and the only things you’ll lose are money and confidence.

2. "Eat whatever you want and still lose weight!" Losing weight requires sensible food choices, not overloading on high-fat, high calorie foods.

3. "Lose weight forever…you’ll never need to diet again!" For weight loss to be permanent, it requires lifestyle changes. On-going maintenance is always a must.

4. "Block the digestion and absorption of fat, carbs, or calories!" There is no magic potion that will allow you to block the digestion and absorption of fat, carbs, or calories. A little pill to curb cravings and suppress appetite just doesn’t exist.

5. "Rapid weight loss: Lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks!" Looking to lose weight rapidly for your high school reunion or wedding? Products that safely produce lightning-fast weight loss just don’t exist. A weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week is the safest and most effective way to take off weight and keep it off.

6. "Finally, a weight loss formula for everyone!" A diet that claims to be perfect for all is erroneous. One-size-fits-all just doesn’t work. Your lifestyle habits and health concerns are unique. That’s why SparkPeople helps you design your own personalized nutrition and exercise programs to suit your particular lifestyle needs.

7. "Lose weight with this miracle diet patch, cream or gel!" You’ve heard it all before—"Apply and watch the fat melt away!" But truthfully, all that melts away is your hard earned money.

8. "Scientifically Proven! Doctor Endorsed!" Where is the proof and how was the research conducted? Were people studied, or rodents? Were there 3 subjects in the study or 3,000? Has the research been published in a medical journal and reviewed by peers? A doctor of what profession? Or is the "professional" as purely fictitious as your weight loss will be? Be sure to check the details.

9. "Money-back guarantee!" It may make you feel safer to give the product a try, but realize that many companies do not follow through with this promise. You’re left holding an empty promise and an empty pocketbook.

10. "100% safe!" Just another attempt, trying to get you hooked with a meaningless phrase. Think of it this way – if there were no reason to doubt, why would they need to make this claim at all? Many products have been removed from the market due to safety issues, but not until too many lives were already destroyed or lost. Does ephedra ring a bell?

11. Those convincing testimonials: We can all look 10 pounds slimmer by: standing up straight, shoulders back, and stomach in; having a good hair day; applying the right make-up; and hiring a professional photographer. Remember, just because you recognize the actor or actress doesn’t make the product any more reliable. They are now just a little richer and you a little poorer.

12. "A miraculous breakthrough!" Turn and run the other direction when extravagant claims make the product sound to good to be true.

great job today guys!!!

2009-09-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

Awesome Quote

2009-09-23T17:28:00.000-07:00

"The important thing is this:
to be able at any moment
to sacrifice what we are for
what we could become."

- Charles DuBois






Ok, now take a deep breath and think
about that.What do YOU need to
sacrifice TODAY to become all
that you can be?

the crowd pleaser!

2009-09-22T16:01:00.000-07:00

T.G.I Friday

2009-09-20T05:37:00.000-07:00

7 Reasons to Eat More Saturated Fat

2009-09-16T16:58:00.000-07:00

Compliments of Mike Testa.

I’ve invited Dr. Michael Eades and Dr. Marie Dan Eades, two of my favorite bariatric (obesity treatment) doctors in the US and the first to introduce insulin resistance to the mainstream, to explain the facts and benefits of increased saturated fat intake…

The sub-headings are mine, and a few edits have been made for space and context.

Mid-Section Fat Loss: Problem Solved?

A couple of generations ago two physicians—one on the East Coast, one on the West—while working long hours with many patients, serendipitously stumbled onto a method to rapidly decrease fat around the mid-section. We’re sure that other doctors figured out the same thing, but these two were locally famous and published their methods. Interestingly, neither was looking to help patients lose weight.

Blake Donaldson, M.D., who practiced in Manhattan, was looking for a treatment for allergies; Walter Voegtlin, M.D., a Seattle gastroenterologist, was trying to figure out a better method for treating his patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Dr. Donaldson got his inspiration from a meeting he had with the aforementioned Vilhalmur Stefansson; Dr. Voegtlin came up with the same idea based on his knowledge of comparative anatomy. Though they came at two different questions from very different angles, they arrived at the same dietary answer. Both solved the problems they were seeking to solve and, coincidentally, noticed that their overweight patients lost a tremendous amount of fat from their abdominal areas while undergoing the treatment. As happened later with us and with Dr. Atkins, word of their success in combating obesity spread rapidly, and before long both physicians were deluged with overweight patients seeking treatment, completely changing the character of their medical practices. In retirement, both wrote books about their methods. Donaldson’s was published in 1961; Voegtlin’s in 1972. And as far as we can tell, although their years of practice overlapped, they never knew one another.

What was their secret? What did these two men independently discover? What kind of nutritional regimen did they use to bring about such great results in their patients?

Both had their patients follow an all-meat diet.

An all-meat diet?

Yes, an all-meat diet. Remember that when these physicians were in practice, there hadn’t been all the negative publicity about saturated fat and red meat that there has been in recent years. At that time, most people considered meat as simply another food, just like potatoes, bread, or anything else. No one worried about eating it. The (misguided) hypothesis that fat in the diet causes heart disease hadn’t reared its ugly head, so telling people at that time to go on an all-meat diet didn’t provoke the same sort of knee-jerk emotions that it does—at least in some quarters—now.

The patients who followed these all-meat diets rapidly lost weight from their midsections and improved their blood sugar and blood pressure problems if they had them. Calculations of cholesterol in all its various permutations was still decades away, but both doctors even used the all-meat diet for their patients with heart disease without problem. The all-meat diet proved to be a safe, filling, rapid way to help patients lose abdominal fat while improving their health. And remember, one of these diets was developed to treat GI problems, the other to treat allergies. The rapid weight loss that followed was a surprising, but welcome side effect.

7 Reasons to Eat More Saturated Fat

In the not-so-distant past, the medical establishment considered all fats equally loathsome: all fats were created equal and they’re all bad for you. Things have changed in that quarter, if only slightly. You have no doubt heard the drumbeat of current medical thinking on fats: some fats are now good for you—olive oil and canola oil*—but others are bad for you—trans fats and all saturated fats. That’s an improvement from the old cry, but far from the truth.

It seems that no matter how the story spins from the denizens of the anti-fat camp, one piece of their advice remains staunchly constant: “You should sharply limit your intake of saturated fats.” The next admonition will invariably be, “which have been proven to raise cholesterol and cause heart disease.” Their over-arching belief is that saturated fat is bad, bad, bad.

You see with just a glance at [our suggested meal plans] that we’ve included fatty cuts of meat, chicken with the skin, bacon, eggs, butter, coconut oil, organic lard, and heavy cream in the plan. Aren’t we worried that these foods will increase your risk of heart disease and raise your cholesterol? In a word, nope. In fact, we encourage you to make these important fats a regular part of your healthy diet. Why? Because humans need them and here are just a few reasons why.

1) Improved cardiovascular risk factors

Though you may not have heard of it on the front pages of your local newspaper, online news source, or local television or radio news program, saturated fat plays a couple of key roles in cardiovascular health. The addition of saturated fat to the diet reduces the levels of a substance called lipoprotein (a)—pronounced “lipoprotein little a” and abbreviated Lp(a)—that correlates strongly with risk for heart disease. Currently there are no medications to lower this substance and the only dietary means of lowering Lp(a) is eating saturated fat. Bet you didn’t hear that on the nightly news. Moreover, eating saturated (and other) fats also raises the level of HDL, the so-called good cholesterol. Lastly, research has shown that when women diet, those eating the greatest percentage of the total fat in their diets as saturated fat lose the most weight.

2) Stronger bones

In middle age, as bone mass begins to decline, an important goal (particularly for women) is to build strong bones. You can’t turn on the television without being told you need calcium for your bones, but do you recall ever hearing that saturated fat is required for calcium to be effectively incorporated into bone? According to one of the foremost research experts in dietary fats and human health, Mary Enig, Ph.D., there’s a case to be made for having as much as 50 percent of the fats in your diet as saturated fats for this reason. That’s a far cry from the 7 to 10 percent suggested by mainstream institutions. If her reasoning is sound—and we believe it is— is it any wonder that the vast majority of women told to avoid saturated fat and to selectively use vegetable oils instead would begin to lose bone mass, develop osteoporosis, and get put on expensive prescription medications plus calcium to try to recover the loss in middle age?

3) Improved liver health

Adding saturated fat to the diet has been shown in medical research to encourage the liver cells to dump their fat content. Clearing fat from the liver is the critical first step to calling a halt to middle-body fat storage. Additionally, saturated fat has been shown to protect the liver from the toxic insults of alcohol and medications, including acetaminophen and other drugs commonly used for pain and arthritis, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs, and even to reverse the damage once it has occurred. Since the liver is the lynchpin of a healthy metabolism, anything that is good for the liver is good for getting rid of fat in the middle. Polyunsaturated vegetable fats do not offer this protection.

4) Healthy lungs

For proper function, the airspaces of the lungs have to be coated with a thin layer of what’s called lung surfactant. The fat content of lung surfactant is 100 percent saturated fatty acids. Replacement of these critical fats by other types of fat makes faulty surfactant and potentially causes breathing difficulties. Absence of the correct amount and composition of this material leads to collapse of the airspaces and respiratory distress. It’s what’s missing in the lungs of premature infants who develop the breathing disorder called infant respiratory distress syndrome. Some researchers feel that the wholesale substitution of partially hydrogenated (trans) fats for naturally saturated fats in commercially prepared foods may be playing a role in the rise of asthma among children. Fortunately, the heyday of trans fats is ending and their use is on the decline. Unfortunately, however, the unreasoning fear of saturated fat leads many people to replace trans fats with an overabundance of polyunsaturated vegetable oils, which may prove just as unhealthful.

5) Healthy brain

You will likely be astounded to learn that your brain is mainly made of fat and cholesterol. Though many people are now familiar with the importance of the highly unsaturated essential fatty acids found in cold-water fish (EPA and DHA) for normal brain and nerve function, the lion’s share of the fatty acids in the brain are actually saturated. A diet that skimps on healthy saturated fats robs your brain of the raw materials it needs to function optimally.

6) Proper nerve signaling

Certain saturated fats, particularly those found in butter, lard, coconut oil, and palm oil, function directly as signaling messengers that influence the metabolism, including such critical jobs as the appropriate release of insulin. And just any old fat won’t do. Without the correct signals to tell the organs and glands what to do, the job doesn’t get done or gets done improperly.

7) Strong immune system

Saturated fats found in butter and coconut oil (myristic acid and lauric acid) play key roles in immune health. Loss of sufficient saturated fatty acids in the white blood cells hampers their ability to recognize and destroy foreign invaders, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Human breast milk is quite rich in myristic and lauric acid, which have potent germ-killing ability. But the importance of the fats lives on beyond infancy; we need dietary replenishment of them throughout adulthood, middle age, and into seniority to keep the immune system vigilant against the development of cancerous cells as well as infectious invaders.

—Footnotes:

*We advocate the use of olive oil, but recommend against the use of canola oil, despite its widely perceived healthful reputation. In order to be fit for human consumption, rapeseed oil (which is canola oil) requires significant processing to remove its objectionable taste and smell. Processing damages the oil, creating trans fats. Also, the oil is sensitive to heat, so if used at all, it should never be used to fry foods.

7 rounds of 7!

2009-09-11T15:51:00.000-07:00

The new beginner class rockin the Training Center!! Led by Sharon Philbrick.

2009-09-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

Work like you don't need $$$$$
Love like you've never been hurt
Dance like no one is watching
Train until you PUKE!!!

2009-09-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

“If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you get what you’ve always gotten.”

You know the saying all too well….but when it comes to your workouts - why is it so hard to break away from the same old routine - especially if you are getting ZERO results!

Now is the time to change the old workout routine!!

Join now and see awesome results in a few short weeks.

Classes are filling quick so get your spot now.

Call or email ASAP

647-348-1104

intrafitt@hotmail.com

How To Get Back On Track

2009-09-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

Looking for a chance, a reason or maybe even the motivation to start over?

If you have fallen behind with your fat loss plan because of summer holidays or had some major set backs, No Worries!

Starting over is a fact of life!
And you are Absolutely NOT alone in this!

It makes no sense whatsoever to beat yourself up over it or hide behind excuses ~ such choices keep you RIGHT where you are.

If you are ready and willing to make a difference to your results, you can actually turn set backs into something Positive that can actually Benefit you!

Consider this cool Set Back Fact:
Each time you overcome a set back, you have the opportunity to learn more about YOU.

Set Backs are Stepping Stones….not anchors.

You can overcome each and every setback - keeping you moving on the path to self-improvement.

New lessons
New insight
New motivation
New appreciation

You can more effectively manage your “restarts” by embracing that this is a Life Long journey. Setbacks and restarts are bound to happen so you can choose to Minimize the effect by:

~ giving up the “all-or-nothing” mentality
~ getting better at forgiving yourself
~ taking time to reflect

This last one is super important!

How can we ever learn from these experiences - learning that will take us down a much more successful path - if we do not take the time to look back at whatever happened and ask ourselves….

“What could I have done differently?”

How To Get Back on Track and FAST

Action Steps:
Just three…so take them today.

1 ~ Goals
Take the time to write our your goal.

2 ~ Write About Your Experience
How freeing it is to write your thoughts and feelings about your set backs??!!

There is something VERY powerful in the written word.

3 ~ Forgive Yourself
As mentioned above, you cannot move on if you are holding on to dis-empowering emotions.
Forgive yourself - you are human and take the next best step!

Don’t let life pass you by!
Make the most of where you are right now and take that Next Best Step Forward!

~ “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending. ”

Maria Robinson

Intrafitt Performance Training Center new schedule

2009-08-31T17:29:00.000-07:00

Hey Campers,
I just wanted to start off by saying thanks.

THANK YOU for your business...

for your trust in me...

and for the continued feedback you provide that helps me better serve you.

The new schedule is finally complete. So, please pick the class you would like to attend ASAP. If any of you have not seen the new facility it's going to a fantastic season and we will have some awesome workouts. But, it will not accommodate as many campers per hour as the church. So space and registration for a certain time that fits your schedule will be a must. To top it all off bodybusters canceled their 9:30am class and I have been getting many calls from their former campers looking to join our camp. I want to see you my existing clients first so please register now and your space will be secured or else it will be gone especially the 915 and 10:15 Mon/Wed/Fri Also, we will be adding some new classes and more convenient times to the schedule: Beginners bootcamp,
Kettlebell bootcamp (awesome!!!),
Yoga,
Mixed Martial Arts
Mom and Baby stroller bootcamp. (So if you know any new moms that want to get their bodies back send them over!!)

I look forward to seeing all of you September 9.

P.S Please don't forget to register for the classes.

Our new address is
46 Fieldway road
Unit 8
Toronto, Ontario
647-348-1104

Off to the ROCK!!!

2009-08-31T17:14:00.000-07:00

Hey campers,
I'm heading to St. Johns Newfoundland to visit my inlaws for the rest of the week.

Bootcamp will resume with the new schedule next week. Starting September 9th. Everyone enjoy your long weekend and be safe.

Sweat and tired faces....

2009-08-29T07:14:00.000-07:00

37 Fat Loss Tips to get you there!

2009-08-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

Being a Personal Trainer, everywhere I always go, I continually get asked the same thing over and over again, what is the best tip you can give me to lose weight? or something along those lines. It honesty becomes a little much sometimes, as there is no one thing that will make the change but a list of many that will get you your dream body. I have decided to write this list and keep a copy on me from now on so the next time I get asked I will simply whip it out and let them read.

Not all of these tips will be found in text books as some I just had to learn over time. If you follow these tips you will start achieving your goals sooner than you think.
1. You can never out train a bad diet, nutrition is 90% of the problem, you must fix this first.
2. The food pyramid is a lie, flip it upside down and you will get closer to what you should be eating.
3. If you cant pronounce the ingredients on the back of the food you probably shouldn’t eat it.
4. Always write down goals for yourself. If you don’t know where you are headed how will you get there?
5. Tell as many people as possible what you are going to achieve as it makes it harder to fail.
6. Fad diets are not good, though following controlled nutrition is what you want. Eating lettuce and water will get you no where, fast. Ensure all your meals are complete with protein, veggies and fats.
7. Understand what you should be doing in the gym, you can’t just show up, lift a few weights and expect results to happen, you must have a plan.
8. Don’t take fat loss advice from someone that doesn’t look like they practice what they preach. You don’t take financial advice from a bum on the street so don’t take training advice from someone who looks like their staple diet is Krispy Kreme and their exercise is hopping up off the couch.
9. 90% of personal trainers suck, sorry but it’s true. It is easy to become a trainer these days, so you as a consumer must sift through the crap. Research them out and make sure they have testimonials and have a proven track record of getting results. Ask them for Guaranteed results or money back, you will be surprised as that is my biggest selling point when it comes to my programs.
10. Watch out who you surround yourself with, there is a saying that reigns true “If your 9 closest friends are broke then you will be the 10th and if your 9 closest friends are millionaires then your will be the 10th. This is also true with fitness, so surround yourself with like minded fit people and you will achieve greatness.
11. Take action
12. Take action
13. Take action now. I cant stress this enough, do not wait until all your ducks are in a row as they never will be, just do it now.
14. If you slip up don’t stress. Just get back on the horse as fast as you can.
15. Thoughts equal actions. Focus on what you want not what you don’t want. If you focus on the cellulite or love handles you will keep it. Though if you focus on how you are getting a amazing flat stomach then it will happen.
16. If you are trying to lose body fat, stop doing cardio at a consistent pace for 45 minutes as it does nothing for you. Start doing interval training to burn fat fast!
19. If you aren’t doing weights, START NOW!
22. Yoga and Pilates is great for flexibility though crap for body fat loss.
23. Exercise with someone as this will help you stay accountable.
24. Always take a post workout protein shake after a workout, it will get protein into your muscles and help them repair, while at the same time lifting your metabolism. If you do not have a shake post work out then your body may start eating away at its own muscle mass to get nutrients causing a drop in metabolism and a reduction in results.
25. Fats are good, consume them in every meal – avocado, nuts, olive oil, almond and cashew butter, flax and fish oils.
26. Aim for 5 solid meals a day and one liquid post workout. You can not just drink your meals, it does not require much energy to break down liquids so make sure you eat solids when possible.
27. Talk to someone who has been where you are and has achieved the results you want. No one person is the same though it will help for guidance.
28. Persistency is the key, never quit as all things good take time.
29. Stop procrastinating or waiting till Monday to start as Monday will never come.
30. The first sign of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. If it didn’t work before, then it won’t work now so change up your workout.
31. Stay outside of your comfort zone as much as you can. Doing uncomfortable things will result in growth as a human being and more skills. If you don’t feel comfortable then you are most probably moving backwards.
33. If you don’t train hard, your muscles will never be hard. You must lift intensity in your workout to achieve amazing results and stop the jiggle
34. Get away from using machines at the gym. They burn fewer calories, they wreck your posture and are a pain for the joints as one size does not fit all.
35. Always aim to get 7-8 hours of sleep a day, you need this for full, psychological and physiological repair.
36. Track of your eating habits, this will make you watch more closely what you are putting into your mouth.
37. When your lifting weights for fat loss, stick to big movements, don’t isolate your muscle groups.
So these are my tips to help you achieve your dream body, if you can’t do them all then pick the 20% that will be the most influential. It goes with everything in life that 80% of the results come from the most influential 20% of the work. When reflecting on the list the most influential here would be Nutrition and to just stop talking about it and start doing it!

Triple Threat!!!

2009-08-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

Rocky Motivational Speech

2009-08-22T08:24:00.000-07:00

Fran!!!!

2009-08-21T14:05:00.000-07:00

Fran was done today as the new bench mark for the upcoming session. Everyone did awesome! The only thing I gotta say is 6am boys the 9:30 Sharks were lifting as heavy or heavier. We gotta step it up!! LOL....

Interval Training Defined

2009-08-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

Interval Training Defined

Interval training is one of those hot phrases that is loosely and irresponsibly thrown around. It is no wonder it can often be confused with the wrong thing or interpreted as a different type of training. Since I work with clientele interested in fat loss and sports conditioning I’m going to explain interval training for those results.

Interval training by definition from Wikipedia means a type of physical training that involves bursts of high intensity work. This high intensity work is alternated with periods of rest or low activity (the intervals in interval training). The term can refer to any cardiovascular workout (e.g. cycling, running, rowing, etc.) that involves brief bouts at near-maximum exertion interspersed with periods of lower-intensity activity.

Now that sheds some insight on what interval training is in general. Interval training can be used over a wide variety of training goals and programs. Athletes, fat loss, increased cardiovascular efficiency, or to maintain overall health. So in terms of fat loss, we need to dig deeper and find the right interval that is going to work for the most effective results.

For this I’ll paint a visual picture. Think of two Olympic athletes. One is a 100 meter sprinter and the other is a marathon runner. Both are high level athletes and both perform interval training. But if we look at their interval training programs deeper, you will see a very obvious difference. The marathon runners intervals will be much longer and for a longer period of time. The sprinters will be shorter and for a shorter overall time. When we see that we then have to decide which body type we want. On average a sprinters body fat will be at around 6-8 percent body fat or lower, where a marathon runners body fat will be at around 9-13 percent. And there is no denying the physique of each individual athlete, it comes down to what you prefer to look like and if you want to lose as much fat as possible, you must train as a sprinter in terms of interval training.

The other benefit to interval training is the amount of time it takes. 20 minutes is the sweet spot for effective interval training. Now that doesn’t seem like very much but with interval training the most effective time for fat to be lost isn’t during the workout. You are priming the body to burn fat for the recovery part of your workout (after you are done). Studies have been performed on measuring the amount of calories burned after a bout of interval training and showed that you will burn 9 times more calories after your workout than you will with longer steady state cardio exercise. And this carries over to weight training and other methods of training. Counting calories burned within a workout not only distracts from your intensity of a workout, it is also compromising your results.

So in terms of fat loss, the best interval training work to rest ratios are: 20 seconds of work 10 seconds rest; 30 seconds of work 90 seconds rest- then work your way down to 60 seconds rest and 30 seconds rest. All of these can be done in 20 minutes. If you are looking for a bit longer intervals 60 seconds of work 60-120 seconds rest is also a good interval to use. Any longer than 20 minutes and you are close to crossing the line between interval training and steady state cardio training which will compromise your results.

Lean and Mean!!!!

2009-08-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

Partners Paradise

2009-08-18T16:31:00.000-07:00

A little bit of Love...

2009-08-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

Bootcampers,
I know this week was full of really hard training sessions. But, all of trained hard and got through them with terrific success!! I'm very impressed with all of you.

Great job!!

BTW- if was great to see you again KARPUS!!!!

The silent killer....

2009-08-15T10:42:00.000-07:00

Our warm up is your workout!!

2009-08-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

Partners and PAIN!!!!

2009-08-12T18:37:00.000-07:00

"300" The Spartan Workout

2009-08-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

The big circuit

2009-08-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

Awesome work today camper!!!!

Fight Gone Bad!!! Intrafitt Style...

2009-08-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

Workin it baby!!!!

2009-08-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

Hot Tuesday!!!!

2009-08-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

A look inside the new training center....

2009-08-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

Hey camper, I'm on vacation this week. But Steve will be their to open the training center. Also mike and Sharon Philbrick will help with form.

2009-07-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

the 10 commandments of Losing fat!!!!

2009-07-20T19:47:00.000-07:00

Above all others the following ten are absolutes when trying to lose fat. No exceptions, no substitutions. Follow these

commandments and you will reach your fat loss potential. No ‘yeah but’, no ‘I have no time for this’, no ‘this won’t work for me’.
All of those are just lame excuses because I know a lot of very, very busy people that have made the time and have been extremely successful. I have had individuals with slow metabolism and a sluggish thyroid, clients over 60 male and female.

Over a huge spectrum of people these 10 have held strong and worked every time, and they will work for you. So if you want to lose fat, here are your ten commandments to live by.

Commandment #1 You shall eat a fruit or veggie with a lean protein every time you eat. That is five to six small meals
throughout the day. Doing this will allow you to get enough protein AND enough fruits and veggies to satisfy your muscles and your body’s need for quality nutrients. Proteins and vegetables have the highest thermogenic effect and fruits add much needed vitamins and minerals helping your body recover adequately. You won’t have to worry as much about calories when you follow this commandment as you will feel full longer and more satisfied with each meal, but this isn’t a green light to go hog wild, there is some self control involved here.

Commandment #2 You shall exercise supportively 5 to 6 times per week. Exercising supportively means performing weight training three to four times per week and performing interval based cardio training two to three times per week. Weight training for fat loss involves short rests and medium repetitions and moderate weight which translates to high intensity. Circuit based training works well in this format (one set of one exercise then to another after minimal rest, etc). Interval based cardio training will burn 9 times more fat than steady state cardio AND is time efficient. Interval cardio is alternating high intensity work periods with low intensity recovery periods. A typical work to rest time would be 30 seconds or 45 seconds of work and 60 to 90 second recovery. Think of sprinting and walking as a good method of interval cardio (but this can be done over a broad spectrum of modes of exercise)

Commandment #3 You shall create a support system with friends, neighbors, family, co-workers and others that will REALLY support your effort. Surround yourself with people that will participate with your or at very least support your efforts entirely. Lean on these people often for help and guidance through the mentally difficult times. Surrounding yourself with unsupportive people is a recipe for disaster and you will eventually give up.

Commandment #4 You shall plan your exercise and meals ahead of time. Planning and preparation are two very important components of success. I won’t lie it takes work and it isn’t easy, but anyone who tells you fat loss is easy is filling you with a line of BS. Shop, chop, and cooking meals in advance will set you up for being successful in eating supportively especially when life gets busy. Set aside two hours on Sunday or your day of choice and shop, then prepare meals for the week. That also means setting a menu for the week and keeping it on your refrigerator so you can easily follow the menu and it will be one less thing you have to think about during the chaos that is your typical week.
Exercise is no different. Schedule your time for exercise and keep that schedule like you would a doctor’s appointment or any other appointment. Don’t let anything else get crowded into that spot.

Commandment #5 You shall remain consistent 90% of the time. You should be eating at least 35 meals per week (5 meals a day for 7 days). Of those 35 meals you must eat supportively 32 out of those 35. That means only three times can you eat an unsupportive meal, cheat, or miss a meal (yes missing a meal counts against you). If you are 90% compliant you WILL get results. The key here is to remain CONSISTENT.

Commandment #6 You shall take in at least ½ your bodyweight in ounces of water per day. But since you are exercising for fat loss you must take in more, so think .6 to .7 ounces per pound of bodyweight of water per day. Dehydration shuts the body down including the metabolism and prevents full effort in your workouts as your muscles are made up of mostly water. Think of having a water bottle (and drinking from it) with you all day.

Commandment #7 You shall take in a quality multivitamin every single day. Even if you are not on a fat loss program this is a must. Multivitamins fill the gaps to any discrepancies in your nutrition plan. And even though you are eating at least five fruits or veggies a day on your fat loss program, you need 7-10 servings of fruit AND veggies per day to satisfy all the vitamins and minerals you need. Select a quality multivitamin based in whole foods. is a high quality multivitamin that will give you what you are looking for.

Commandment #8 You shall have a strong powerful goal or reason for taking on this project. If you just want to get in shape then stop reading because this isn’t for you. Your goal has to be much more than just getting in shape. Your goal, when you read it should get you fired up and excited. Write down your goal and read it every single day so that your subconscious mind will take over and help you.
Spend a lot of time on this commandment because this will ultimately determine your success. Start with the end goal and work backward so you can set up some midrange goals and several short term goals. Once you have this mapped out and read it every day you have essentially set up a roadmap for your success and all you have to do is hit those mini milestones to keep the motivation burning hot.

Commandment #9 You shall have a realistic approach. You will not succeed your goals in one day. And you will not succeed by taking a pill or exercising extra in one week. You will not succeed long term by eating perfect one week and eating great ½ the time the next week. You must be realistic with your approach and understand that this is a journey not a destination. Achieving your ultimate fat loss goal is your destination but the journey is making it a lifestyle and incorporating new habits that will stay with you forever. Results are only as good as long as they stay results. If you revert back to old habits after reaching your goal, you haven’t achieved anything. Implement strategies that are realistic and that will allow you to KEEP off the fat you are working so hard at losing.

Commandment #10 You shall not give up if you fall down. Mistakes are going to happen, especially when you are trying to make changes to hard fastened habits. Understand that it may take several attempts before you succeed at just one of these commandments, but when you do others will get easier. It is ok to be less than perfect, and understand that you are working on it and do better the next time. The more perseverance you have the much more likely you will be to succeed.

Follow these commandments and you will absolutely be successful in your fat loss goals.

Hittin' it hard at the new facility

2009-07-16T14:25:00.000-07:00