The quality of your nutrition has a direct impact on the quality of results you get from your workout routine. No surprise there right? However, time and time again, I see guys falling short on their eating plan. Usually because they don’t know what it takes to stick with it. So here are some tips you can use to keep you on the straight and narrow path:

Come to the realization that this is a life change, and decisions are made one meal at a time – You can’t view a healthy eating plan as a short term gig. You must see it as a lifestyle change, and commit your mindset and perspective to it as such. However, you can also become overwhelmed by looking at things this way. So to balance it out, you also must understand that you only need to make the right choice one meal or snack at a time.

You need to plan prep time into your schedule - A healthy diet requires more time in meal preperation. It’s very easy to throw some processed food into the microwave or go to the drive-through. But when you’ve prepped your  healthy meal in advance, you will follow through and cook it. Also keep fresh veggies and fresh fruit chopped up and ready to eat.

You gotta keep junk food out of the house. PERIOD, POINTBLANK, NO EXCUSES! - If you have the bad stuff in the house you will eat it. Don’t try to kid yourself into thinking you have the restraint to resist and fight this habit of poor eating that you’ve been practicing for years. Make it impossible to pick the wrong thing. Once eating healthy becomes effortless, you can keep a little bit of junk food around.

Allow yourself one cheat meal per week as a reward - Eat whatever you want; dessert and all. It’s ok to treat yourself. Just be sure to keep your portions in check (no seconds). Of course, this is assuming you are combining a good workout routine with a healthy eating plan. That way, your metabolism will be able to burn off your cheat meal.

Until next time, train hard and train smart.

When it comes to deciding how to buy the best whey protein powder, the number of choices can be downright confusing. However, gaining an understanding of how to recognize quality protein is not that difficult. First off though, let’s just make sure you have a solid understanding of why protein is so critical to effective fat and weight loss:

It keeps your metabolism running hot: Your metabolism has to work very hard in order to break down and utilize protein. That energy it expends results in more calories and fat being burned throughout the day.

Protein is a building block for lean muscle: Lean muscle is another metabolism booster. Just like the previous point, this also burns fat and calories thoughout the day. Besides the whey protein powder itself, the amino acids it contains   promote muscle development, recovery, and performance.

So what should you look for in determining the best whey protein powders? The first thing to do is check the ingredient label. The first or second ingredient (first is better) should be whey protein isolate. This is the purest form of protein. It is absorbed quickly and very efficiently. 

I also recommend steering clear of protein powders loaded with artificial sweetners and fillers. The best whey protein powders will have a very short and simple list of ingredients. Stick to these guidelines and you will make a smart decision when you puchase protein. Also, if you want to save yourself the time and effort of searching, I suggest you look into Prograde protein. This is some of the best whey protein powder you can buy. It is pharmaceutical quality and meets all of the criteria in this blog post, and then some. Here are are some of it’s benefits taken directly from the Prograde website:

No Artificial Sweeteners - Prograde Protein does not contain artificial sweeteners such as aspartame- instead each batch is naturally sweetened with stevia.

Build Muscle Faster – 1 Scoop of Prograde Protein contains 2.5 grams of the essential amino acid Leucine, shown in extensive scientific studies to be responsible for activating protein synthesis and muscle growth at the DNA level.*

No Bloat, Feel Great – Unlike most protein powders which leave you bloated, constipated and with an upset stomach – Prograde Protein wields a double edged sword against digestive discomfort through it’s combination of lactase and Aminogen – working with your body to break down amino acids and sugars for superior absorption and digestion.

Burn More Calories – Each serving of Prograde Protein contains 24 grams of high quality metabolism boosting proteins.

Feel full, Faster, & Longer – Unlike cheap bulk protein powders, the superior purification process of ProGrade Protein results in the preservation of glycomacropeptides, which have been shown in scientific studies to signal your brain that you are full.* This makes it easier to eat less and lose weight.*

Mixes Instantly – Just add water and swirl with a spoon for a fast and creamy shake that you’ll look forward to each and every day.

Prograde is a GMP rated facility, which is a very difficult certification to get. In short it means that they stick to the highest quality practices when creating supplements. It also means that you can trust what they say is in each product’s ingredients, is really there. Prograde also stands behind their products with a 60 day 100% money back guarantee. Right now I am giving away incredible bonuses with the purchase of Prograde protein. For details click here. I am a proud Prograde partner because they make quality a top priority.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

In the last blog post, I talked about how poor mindsets can destroy your health. I ended by saying that if you don’t kill your poor mindset it will kill you. Well, that was an incorrect statement. What I should have said is, “If you have any of these mindsets you are already dead, you just don’t know it!” That’s how serious your state of mind is. By the way if you didn’t read that post do so now, as this all links together.

If you think I’m full of it, answer me this: Lets say we have two guys (John and Mike) to compare. John has a lazy, unfocused, ”I’m good for nothing” mindset. Mike’s mindest, on the other hand, is just the opposite. His is determned and hard-working, laser – focused, and he believes he is worthy of goodness in his life.  Who do you think is way more likely to live a healthy life? Who do you think is more likely to live an unhealthy life? Of course we know poor health leads to all kinds of sickness and disease, as well as a shorter life span. There’s my case.

BEFORE YOU READ THE REST OF THIS POST YOU NEED TO DIGEST THIS CONCEPT:

Your mind is nothing more than a living computer. In other words, you input the data that you want proccessed. That data then determines what your mind does. It really is that simple.

So if you have a bad mindset how do you fix it? You fix it by feeding your mind positivity. After all, how do you think you got a bad mindset to begin with; somewhere in your life you were fed enough negativity for it to stick. Now you have to use that same process to get you head in the right place. Using verbal positive affirmations is a great technique. Why do you think professional athletes always talk so positive about their upcoming games? Because they know it helps get their head in the game, so they can be in it to win it. And that’s where you need to be – in it to win it.

In your own words and style, create a positive affirmation about yourself regarding your worth, your focus, your work ethic, and your ability to improve. Set a goal to say it out loud to yourself throughout the day, at least 20 times. Do this every single day without fail. Feed it to your mind enough and it will begin to believe it and act on those beliefs. 

Reading uplifting, motivational books is also a very effective weapon. It’s simply another way for your mind to absorb, process, and eventually utilize positive input. Jump on Amazon.com and run a search for self-improvement. You will find a huge selection. Obviously the ones with lots of good reviews are worth checking out.

Also be sure to surround yourself with positive people. It’s a fact that we are influenced by our inner circle. Keeping company with motivated, positive people will absolutely rub off on you over time. If you apply these techniques and begin to take action to live a healthier life, you will be amazed at your improvement. Keep in mind that this is not an overnight process. It took a long time for you to develop your current mentality, it’s going to take a long time to get rid of it. If you are in need of a mind shift, I seriously hope you use this information. It will make all the difference in the world for you.  Until next time…

LOOKOUT!!!! CRABGRASS CAN KILL YOU!!!! Ok, before you think that I’ve lost my mind, let me explain. Earlier this spring, I had to give my back lawn a serious overhaul. Basically what happened is I let the crabgrass get way out of control. Instead of taking care of the problem when signs first began to show, I let it take root and overtake my yard.

What in the world does this have to do with health and fitness? Well, it occured to me that my yard could be a metaphor for how we take care of our physical well-being. You see, my yard represented health, and the crabgrass represented the result of bad habits and practices (especially negligence). Are you starting to see it yet? Let me explain a little further.

The results of poor health habits will be small at first. Just like crabgrass, it starts as a small issue. Maybe, you start getting winded when you walk up the stairs, or maybe you start having low back problems. Perhaps, you notice some extra fat that has snuck it’s way like a ninja into your waistline. Whatever it is, you have two choices: ignore it or address it. If you choose to keep ignoring it, the result will be the same as what happened to my backyard. Over time that small issue will spread all over the place and it will take a whole lot of work to get it fixed.

Now I would be doing you an injustice if I just mentioned the bad habits but didn’t mention where the bad habits are born. Bad habits are born out of bad mindsets. The following mindsets are the ones that I see destroy people’s health every single day.

LAZINESS - I define laziness as choosing what feels good over what creates good. In other words, the thing that is going to improve you doesn’t usually feel good in the beginning. For example, when a client first starts training with me, they don’t enjoy their workouts. Why? Because they hurt! What keeps them going is the vision they have in their mind of what they want to be. Of course, as they develop and get stronger and fitter, they learn to love and embrace the challenge of every training session. Remember, sitting around with your feet up eating comfort food and drinking sugary beverages may feel good. But is certainly isn’t creating good.

HOLDING YOURSELF IN LOW REGARD – I believe in God and I love this saying: “GOD DON’T MAKE JUNK!” If you don’t think much of yourself, you won’t take very good care of yourself. I’m not saying you should be arrogant and conceited. What I am saying is you are valuable. You have worth and something to contribute. The sooner you become fully aware of that, the sooner you will become fully aware of how you are treating your body. Remember, we only take care of the things we value. Don’t believe me? When was the last time you cleaned and polished your trash?   

WRONG FOCUS - Let’s say you’re driving your car and in order to get to your desired destination, you need to take a right turn onto Smith street. But instead of focusing on the turn, you won’t take your eyes off of your radio. How successful are you going to be at making that turn? What I’m saying is, the only thing you should be focused on are the things that are going to get you where you want to be. So keep your eyes on the prize.  

If you have any of these mindsets, you have to kill it or it will kill you (slowly over time). Check out the next blog post where I talk about the solution.

There is a formula for creating a great fat loss workout. You can’t just expect to put any exercises you want into a workout and get great results. Use these four tips to get a serious workout in each and every time.

1. Focus on Maximizing Muscle Recruitment. Muscle recruitment refers to the quantity of muscle you use during an exercise. You absolutely have to focus on this when creating a fat loss workout plan. The reason this is so critical is because recruiting more muscle requires more energy, thus cooking extra calories. The end result is greater fat loss. The exercises you do determine the amount of muscle recruitment you achieve.

For instance, bicep curls are not a good use of your time if your goal is to lose fat and/or weight. Biceps are small in comparison to the large muscles of the body (legs, back, chest), which means they don’t burn too many calories when isolated (i.e. worked by themselves). Instead, focus on doing more pullups (assisted, modifed, or pulldowns if neccessary). That will recruit the back and the biceps together.  Here’s another example. Instead of tricep pressdowns, get in more dips (modified if you have to) and tricep bench presses. Now you are working the chest, shoulders, and triceps simultaneously. Squats and deadlifts should be done regularly to develop the lower body. Those were just a few to get you started, there are a lot more choices.

2 . Circuit Training Workouts are the name of the game. In my opinion, circuit training is the best approach to fat loss there is. Here’s a breakdown: Put together a chain of 4 – 6 exercises with 10-60 seconds of rest (based on your fitness level) between each exercise. You are now getting in anaerobic cardio and muscle building. This is highly effective. To really make it work you need to complete your circuit 3-5 times in 30-60 minutes. If you can’t maintain for that length of time, start with at least 20 minutes and gradually increase the length of each workout until you get there.

3. Use a journal or you are cheating yourself. This is really important! If you don’t keep putting greater demands on your body, your results will stagnate quickly. The human body is gifted at adapting to workouts.That means that what is at first challenging will become easy very quickly. If your workout stops being tough, your fat loss will slow to a crawl of maybe stop altogether. You should keep a journal that tracks three factors of each exercise: weight or intensity, amount of repetitions per set, and amount of sets. Every time you workout you need to increase at least one of these factors, even if only by a little bit.

4 Switch up your training applications (stability ball, free weights, calisthenics, plyometrics, etc). This is also referred to as muscle confusion. Different applications require different demands of your muscles. That’s another great way to keep your body from adapting to your routine.

If you utilize these techniques every time you strength train, your results will skyrocket. Remember, creating a great fat loss workout isn’t guesswork, it’s science. If you are really serious about going after it, you should find the free workout and nutrition plan to be extremely helpful. Catch ya later.