Let's get Motivated!

Do you lack Motivation?

Here is a great article on getting back on track and rekindle that fire within you!!!

Even the most motivated of us — you, me, Tony Robbins — can feel unmotivated at times. In fact, sometimes we get into such a slump that even thinking about making positive changes seems too difficult.

But it’s not hopeless: with some small steps, baby ones in fact, you can get started down the road to positive change.

Yes, I know, it seems impossible at times. You don’t feel like doing anything. I’ve been there, and in fact I still feel that way from time to time. You’re not alone. But I’ve learned a few ways to break out of a slump, and we’ll take a look at those today.

When I fall out of exercise, due to illness or injury or disruption from things going on in my life, it’s hard to get started again. I don’t even feel like thinking about it, sometimes. But I’ve always found a way to break out of that slump, and here are some things I’ve learned that have helped:

1. One Goal. Whenever I’ve been in a slump, I’ve discovered that it’s often because I have too much going on in my life. I’m trying to do too much. And it saps my energy and motivation. It’s probably the most common mistake that people make: they try to take on too much, try to accomplish too many goals at once. You cannot maintain energy and focus (the two most important things in accomplishing a goal) if you are trying to do two or more goals at once. It’s not possible — I’ve tried it many times. You have to choose one goal, for now, and focus on it completely. I know, that’s hard. Still, I speak from experience. You can always do your other goals when you’ve accomplished your One Goal.

2. Find inspiration. Inspiration, for me, comes from others who have achieved what I want to achieve, or who are currently doing it. I read other blogs, books, magazines. I Google my goal, and read success stories. Zen Habits is just one place for inspiration, not only from me but from many readers who have achieved amazing things. My  Mentor Dr. Fred Hatfield was the first man to squat over 1,000lbs and I followed in his foot steps to become one of the few to ever achieve the goal of being a 1,000+ LB squatter. I listened to his every word and followed his training cycle to the tee and surprise I eventually achieved success and hit 1,025.50 lbs and set a world record in the squat.

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3. Get excited. This sounds obvious, but most people don’t think about it much: if you want to break out of a slump, get yourself excited about a goal. But how can you do that when you don’t feel motivated? Well, it starts with inspiration from others (see above), but you have to take that excitement and build on it. For me, I’ve learned that by talking to my wife about it, and to others, and reading as much about it as possible, and visualizing what it would be like to be successful (seeing the benefits of the goal in my head), I get excited about a goal. Once I’ve done that, it’s just a matter of carrying that energy forward and keeping it going.

4. Build anticipation. This will sound hard, and many people will skip this tip. But it really works.  If you find inspiration and want to do a goal, don’t start right away. Many of us will get excited and want to start today. That’s a mistake. Set a date in the future — a week or two, or even a month — and make that your Start Date. Mark it on the calendar. Get excited about that date. Make it the most important date in your life. In the meantime, start writing out a plan. And do some of the steps below. Because by delaying your start, you are building anticipation, and increasing your focus and energy for your goal.

5. Post your goal. Print out your goal in big words. Make your goal just a few words long, like a mantra (“Exercise 15 mins. Daily”), and post it up on your wall or refrigerator. Post it at home and work. Put it on your computer desktop. You want to have big reminders about your goal, to keep your focus and keep your excitement going. A picture of your goal (like a model with sexy abs, for example) also helps.

6. Commit publicly. None of us likes to look bad in front of others. We will go the extra mile to do something we’ve said publicly. Now, you don’t have to commit to your goal in your daily newspaper, but you can do it with friends and family and co-workers, and you can do it on your Facebook or Twitter page if you have one. And hold yourself accountable — don’t just commit once, but commit to giving progress updates to everyone every week or so.

7. Think about it daily. If you think about your goal every day, it is much more likely to become true. To this end, posting the goal on your wall or computer desktop (as mentioned above) helps a lot. Sending yourself daily reminders also helps. And if you can commit to doing one small thing to further your goal (even just 5 minutes) every single day, your goal will almost certainly come true.

8. Get support. It’s hard to accomplish something alone. When I started Powerlifting my goal was to win a local meet and maybe even a State Championship. As I progressed and got better and stronger I realized that I needed help to spot me while lifting heavy weights to prevent injury or even death. As I improved and started winning National Level shows I recruited even more help with coaches and mentors to help improve me even more and once I was ready for the world championships I surrounded myself with guys that had already been where I was going. The knowledge I received from these people helped me attain things I never even realized I could do. I ended up winning five (5) World Championships and a World Record in the squat of 1,025.50 LBS and yes I was DRUG FREE! Since then I've taken my experience and my knowledge and passed it on to others with great success including my daughter Amanda Harris who now is the top female Powerlifter in the world and a 17 time World Champion with 464 State, National and World Records. SO SUPPORT IS CRUCIAL FOR SUCCESS!!!!!

9. Realize that there’s an ebb and flow. Motivation is not a constant thing that is always there for you. It comes and goes, and comes and goes again, like the tide. But realize that while it may go away, it doesn’t do so permanently. It will come back. Just stick it out and wait for that motivation to come back. In the meantime, read about your goal (see below), ask for help (see below), and do some of the other things listed here until your motivation comes back.

10. Stick with it. Whatever you do, don’t give up. Even if you aren’t feeling any motivation today, or this week, don’t give up. Again, that motivation will come back. Think of your goal as a long journey, and your slump is just a little bump in the road. You can’t give up with every little bump. Stay with it for the long term, ride out the ebbs and surf on the flows, and you’ll get there.

11. Start small. Really small. If you are having a hard time getting started, it may be because you’re thinking too big. If you want to exercise, for example, you may be thinking that you have to do these intense workouts 5 days a week. No — instead, do small, tiny, baby steps. Just do 2 minutes of exercise. I know, that sounds wimpy. But it works. Commit to 2 minutes of exercise for one week. You may want to do more, but just stick to 2 minutes. It’s so easy, you can’t fail. Do it at the same time, every day. Just some crunches, 2 pushups, and some jogging in place. Once you’ve done 2 minutes a day for a week, increase it to 5, and stick with that for a week. In a month, you’ll be doing 15-20. Want to wake up early? Don’t think about waking at 5 a.m. Instead, think about waking 10 minutes earlier for a week. That’s all. Once you’ve done that, wake 10 minutes earlier than that. Baby steps.

12. Build on small successes. Again, if you start small for a week, you’re going to be successful. You can’t fail if you start with something ridiculously easy. Who can’t exercise for 2 minutes? (If that’s you, I apologize.) And you’ll feel successful, and good about yourself. Take that successful feeling and build on it, with another baby step. Add 2-3 minutes to your exercise routine, for example. With each step (and each step should last about a week), you will feel even more successful. Make each step really, really small, and you won’t fail. After a couple of months, your tiny steps will add up to a lot of progress and a lot of success.

13. Read about it daily. When I lose motivation, I just read a book or blog about my goal. It inspires me and reinvigorates me. For some reason, reading helps motivate and focus you on whatever you’re reading about. So read about your goal every day, if you can, especially when you’re not feeling motivated.

14. Call for help when your motivation ebbs. Having trouble? Ask for help. Email me. Join an online forum. Get a partner to join you. Call your mom. It doesn’t matter who, just tell them your problems, and talking about it will help. Ask them for advice. Ask them to help you overcome your slump. It works.

15. Think about the benefits, not the difficulties. One common problem is that we think about how hard something is. Exercise sounds so hard! Just thinking about it makes you tired. But instead of thinking about how hard something is, think about what you will get out of it. For example, instead of thinking about how tiring exercise can be, focus on how good you’ll feel when you’re done, and how you’ll be healthier and slimmer over the long run. The benefits of something will help energize you.

16. Squash negative thoughts; replace them with positive ones. Along those lines, it’s important to start monitoring your thoughts. Recognize negative self-talk, which is really what’s causing your slump. Just spend a few days becoming aware of every negative thought. Then, after a few days, try squashing those negative thoughts like a bug, and then replacing them with a corresponding positive thought. Squash, “This is too hard!” and replace it with, “I can do this! If that wimp Leo can do it, so can I!” It sounds corny, but it works. Really.

My personal thoughts.....

The energy you put out, is exactly the energy the universe will give back to you. Please remember to think positive always focus on the solution, not the problem. Avoid negative people, they will bring your energy down, surround yourself with like minded people and feed off of each other. I wish you are much happiness and success!

No Bad....Just Good.....Better and Best

No Bad.....Good...better & Best!

Over the last few months I've done allot of reading and research and I've seen some really poor articles and I've seen some really great articles that provide people with information they can actually use.

Some self proclaimed industry experts are writing articles to self promote their own personal agendas and that in my opinion is where the confusion begins. Many of these gurus will bash sound exercise programs telling people that some exercises that have been around for decades are absolutely useless. In fact I read just a few days ago where one of the self promoting gurus announced that the Tricep push-down exercise is a complete waste of time. In fact the use of machine weights were a waste of time in his strongly opinionated article. What's really sad many people will buy this garbage and stop the exercises completely.

In my opinion, there is always a good, better & best with everything and that includes exercise.

Every single person that has decided to begin an exercise program should do just one thing to start and that is get up off your butt and MOVE!

No one will ever improve their health sitting around talking about how they are going to get in shape. So less talk and more action!

Next is really simple, do NOT get caught-up reading articles in magazines because 95% of them are written to get you to buy a supplement or a program by the gurus of the industry.

The bottom line is any exercise beats no exercise every day of the week.

If you are wanting to lose body fat, great stick to the basics, squats, dead-lifts, Olympic style lifts and high impact cardio. Build the big muscles in your body and let them burn your fat.

If you are in shape already and want to do some fine tuning of a particular muscle group great, add those tricep push downs or bicep curls to your routine.

In my opinion if you are exercising your are making progress to a healthier YOU! If you need help seek out a good trainer that can take you to the next level. Find one that fits your personality, don't hire the first one that you meet, interview several and pick the trainer that best listens to your needs and proves to be knowledgeable and will be able to take you to that next level. Remember YOU are the client and it's your money, the trainer works for YOU.

In closing the object of this article is just to help you get going in the right direction and that all starts with ACTION! Sitting and talking about it never accomplished anything. Clearing the air about all these self proclaimed experts was also important, do not get caught-up in believing that one program is superior to another. In the big picture all programs are either good, better or best. It's all up to YOU on what best fits your own personal needs.

Good...better & best!

Good...better & best!

Over the last few months I've done allot of reading and research and I've seen some really poor articles and I've seen some really great articles that provide people with information they can actually use. 

Ignore that Guru hiding behind the curtain.

Some self proclaimed industry experts, (The Guru) are writing articles to self promote their own personal agendas and that in my opinion is where the confusion begins. Many of these gurus will bash sound exercise programs telling people that some exercises that have been around for decades are absolutely useless. In fact I read just a few days ago where one of the self promoting gurus announced that the Triceps push-down exercise is a complete waste of time. In fact the use of machine weights were a waste of time in his strongly opinionated article. What's really sad many people will buy this garbage and stop the exercises completely.

In my opinion, there is always a good, better & best with everything and that includes exercise. Every single person that has decided to begin an exercise program should do just one thing to start and that is get up off your butt and MOVE!

No one will ever improve their health sitting around talking about how they are going to get in shape. So less talk and more action!

Next is really simple, do NOT get caught-up reading articles in magazines because 95% of them are written to get you to buy a supplement or a program by the gurus of the industry.

The bottom line is any exercise beats no exercise every day of the week.

If you are wanting to lose body fat, great stick to the basics, squats, dead-lifts, Olympic style lifts and high impact cardio. Build the muscles in your body and let the muscle  burn your fat.

If you are in shape already and want to do some fine tuning of a particular muscle group great, add those triceps push downs or bicep curls to your routine.

In my opinion if you are exercising your are making progress to a healthier YOU! If you need help seek out a good trainer that can take you to the next level. Find one that fits your personality, don't hire the first one that you meet, interview several and pick the trainer that best listens to your needs and proves to be knowledgeable and will be able to take you to that next level. Remember YOU are the client and it's your money, the trainer works for YOU.

In closing my object of this article is just to help you get going in the right direction and that all starts with ACTION! Sitting and talking about it never accomplished anything. Clearing the air about all these self proclaimed experts was also important, do not get caught-up in believing that one program is superior to another. In the big picture all programs are either good, better or best. It's all up to YOU on what best fits your own personal needs.

Making Exercise a Habit.....

Making Exercise a Habit.....

We know that it’s not the easiest habit for most people, and most people’s experiences consist of starting and stopping and starting again. Which is fine — don’t beat yourself up about it. The important thing is starting again.

The Main Problems
So why do most people have trouble making exercise a regular habit? Well, there are probably a number of factors, but here are a few of the obvious reasons exercise in not a habit for everyone.

1. Too difficult. People set out with a lot of ambition and enthusiasm, and start out with a big goal. “I’m going to go to the gym for an hour a day!” or “I’m going to run 30 minutes every day!” The problem is that the goal is too difficult to sustain for very long. You can do it for a few days, but you soon run out of energy, and it becomes a drag to do it.

2. Too many goals or unrealistic goals to start. Often we set out to do too much. We want to run, and lift weights, and eat healthy, and quit sweets, and stop drinking soda. Some of us have an image in our heads of exactly what we want to look like and set a time to get there! STOP!!! Take your time and focus on getting daily exercise first, clean up your diet and drink water with fresh lemon or lime juice instead of soda. If you stick to the plan and get the good habits to replace the bad then the rest will fall into place. Your body will reflect your new habits but be patient you didn't get in the shape your in overnight so it certainly won't be fixed overnight either.

Golden Rule never give yourself a deadline for looking good!
3. Not enough Motivation. So many times we start with good intentions yet the motivation dies quickly. Well if that's the case lets fix it!!!! Starting May 18, 2013 we will start our support group for everyone that needs motivation. That is a Saturday and we will meet at the Studio at 7:00PM sharp. If you want to stay motivated you have to have a great support team to help and that's what your trainer and our staff is here to help you do "STAY MOTIVATED"
 

Solutions

1. Start by setting your goals low and attainable for you. Remember if you set unrealistic goals you will FAIL! Set goals that will assure your SUCCESS! As you become more fit and eager for more that is when you step up and make those harder goals, just remember to baby step your way up to the bigger goals!!!!

2. Write your goals down and keep them posted so you can see them everyday multiple times a day! Remember out of sight out of mind!

3. Be specific with your goals both short and long term. Write down the exact exercises you plan on doing everyday and DO THEM!!! Make a date with yourself everyday and stick to it so at 3:30PM I will walk 2 miles and do 25 push-ups and 25 set-ups. Like I said be detailed with your daily goals. Once you've completed the goals write down how you feel and how easy or difficult the exercise was for you, evaluate yourself and increase or decrease the exercise based on how you feel.

4. Look for a Trigger mechanism that will spark the motivation to exercise daily. This will help you get into the habit and stay there. We all have events that happen everyday without fail. So take one of those events and use it as a trigger for your exercise program. Here's what I'm talking about. Many of us wake-up to coffee brewing in the kitchen or an alarm clock blasting in our ears that starts the day rolling it makes us focus on the task at hand, "getting ready for the day". Many of us now have smart phones so set a timer or your alarm for your workout time and give yourself ample time to get where you need to be to exercise. If you work 15 minutes from the gym then set your alarm on the phone 30 minutes before you need to leave. That way you can close things down, take your pre-workout supplements and get to the gym on time.

5.Hold yourself accountable- Journal every workout everyday. Be detailed and write down exactly what you did for the day. As you get in better condition your will be impressed with how much more you are able to do with greater ease. This will help establish the good habits and boost your self confidence and self-esteem.

6. Visualize your new image....cut out pictures from magazines clip out articles on fitness and nutrition and post them where you work and live. If you can see yourself in a bikini or that cute dress you saw at the mall, chances are you will succeed by staying focused. Remind yourself with visual images.

7. Avoid Negative People, the last thing you need in your life is a nay sayer! You know the type always giving you an excuse as to why you are wasting your time! Remember this, they just want you to quit because what you are doing is making them feel bad about themselves. Stay away from these people, remember misery loves company. Stay in contact with people that are lifestyle friendly with your new program. These people will support you and encourage you to stay focused.

8. Educate yourself on what you are doing to your body. Take the time too learn how your body is responding to the exercise and the nutrition programs just don't follow a plan without actually doing some research and learn what really works best for you. Remember the only person that can build the perfect program for you is YOU! Sure trainers can help and I highly recommend using one if you are just getting started but lets face facts few us us want to pay money for years and years and never learn a thing. Personal Trainers are a great way to start your program and if you are training for a specific sport or event you need one. But they can not tell you how you feel after you train with them! Only you know how you feel and only you can adjust to get maximum results with your efforts.

So get in the habit of being accountable to YOU! Set your goals and get in the right HABIT!!!!

Ten Steps to a better leaner YOU!!!

Ten Steps to a better leaner YOU!!!

10. Take Measurements

You'll never reach your destination if you don't know your starting point. A great place to begin is calculating your bodyfat percentage.

This will allow you to set accurate goals and measure progress. The most accurate (and available) method of measuring body fat percent is the skin-fold method.

This is a simple process that only requires a scale, a bodyfat caliper, and an equation. If you don't have body fat calipers, then take girth measurements—waist, hips, chest, arms, etc. Don't just rely on the scale. The more information you have on your body, the better you will be able to see and analyze your progress.

9. Eat 5-6 Meals Each Day

You've probably heard this countless times before but it just can't be stressed enough. Eating 5-6 meals containing protein, carbohydrate, and healthy fat each day is key, regardless of your training goals.

To begin, if you are looking to drop some body fat, then eating more often allows you to better manage your insulin levels for increased fat burning. Controlling insulin levels when dieting is critical as insulin is the body's most potent blocker of lipolysis (i.e. liberation of stored fat to be used as energy).

Another added benefit of controlling insulin levels is consistent energy levels; your blood sugar won't rise and crash throughout the day. Purposefully spreading the traditional "three square meals" into 5-6 smaller meals will allow you to increase your fat-burning ability while at the same time providing your body with nutrients required to build muscle.

8. Train With Weights 3-4 Times A Week


Lifting weights is an essential part of developing a lean physique. Not only will weight training boost you metabolic rate for extended periods of time, it will help you build muscle (which will allow you to burn more calories just sitting around!).

Let's say you love lifting weights. You might ask, "Why just 3-4 times a week? Professional bodybuilders lift 5-6 days a week double sessions!"

When you are dieting, you are in a calorie-deficient state. This will put your body in a compromised position where you will have limited recovery capabilities. 3-4 sessions of intense training sessions are perfect for most people to stimulate their muscles and metabolism without beating themselves into the ground (or worse a state of overtraining).

7. Don't Overdue The Cardio

A lot of people go cardio crazy when trying to lose body fat. The days of getting on the bike or treadmill for 40-60 minutes 5-6 times per week are done! If burning body fat and building muscle is your goal, shorter, more-intense interval-based cardio sessions are the way to go.

Cardiovascular activity performed in a high intensity interval fashion (high intensity is a term relative to your personal fitness level) has been shown to burn more calories than the old school 40-minute cardio sessions.

This means you'll burn more fat, in less time. If you have been doing longer cardio, don't quickly jump into this higher-intensity cardio.

Give your body time to adjust over several weeks by slowly replacing the interval sessions for the longer sessions. Most people find that 3-4 interval sessions give them better results than 6+ traditional longer cardio sessions.

6. Plan Your Meals The Night Before

This one has made all the difference in my personal fitness journey. Not only does it make eating multiple meals per day easier, but it changes your focus during the day from creating a nutrition plan to executing one.

You have enough going on during the day that you don't need to be worrying about where your next meal will come from and how you can make it fit perfectly into your plan. Eliminate the added stress, plan the night before, and just follow your roadmap during the day.

5. Drink Green Tea

Ever since the FDA put the clamps down on Ephedra, supplement companies have been searching for a replacement. The winner is ... Green Tea extract. While it is not as effective as Ephedra, it is the best thing most companies have to work with.

The compound within green tea that contains the metabolic enhancing effects is a polyphenol called EGCG. To make a long story short, scientific studies have shown EGCG to produce a thermogenic effect (increased rate at which calories are burned as heat) in the body.

Another interesting feature that makes green tea more attractive to dieters comes from a 2004 study published in Life Science. Researchers found that green tea was a potent inhibitor of fatty acid synthase (FAS).

As you may be able to deduce by the name, this is an enzyme in your body responsible for synthesizing fatty acids. The last thing you want your body to do when you are trying to lose fat is to synthesize fat.

You don't have to supplement with green tea extract either, you can get the same result by simply drinking a pot of green tea each day (3-5 cups). In addition, green tea is a great substitute and much better for you than diet soft drinks.

But remember green tea is naturally caffeinated which is perfect (Mother Nature knows best right?) as the combination of EGCG and caffiene is best for eliciting fat loss.

4. Get Rid Of Bad Friends And Bad Food

Don't let your environment sabotage your weight-loss efforts. If you are trying to eat healthy foods you can not have the freezer stocked with Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and the cupboards full of BBQ potato chips.

As it gets to be later at night you know you'll be tempted. Don't set yourself up for temptation and failure; create an environment where you can't fail! It can be simple, if the food isn't in your house, then you won't eat it. So, throw out the junk, high sugar, over-processed high-fat foods!

The same goes for your friends. If you are constantly being scoffed at and joked about because you choose to have a grilled salmon salad instead of buffalo wings, or because you asked the waiter to bring you steamed broccoli instead of french fries – get new friends! Find people that are supportive of your fitness goals and the behaviors that they require.

3. Drink Lots Of Water

Water is essential to life and a healthy body. Dehydration will wreak havoc on you and your fitness goals. If you are dehydrated your body cannot function at its optimal level. For example, your muscles will lose strength, you won't burn fat as quickly, and you'll feel tired and fatigued.

A 2003 study entitled 'Water-Induced Thermogenesis' was published by the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. It was stated that drinking 2 Liters of water spread throughout the day burned up to 100 extra calories (the equivalent of running a mile).

2. Take Time Off To Rest And Recover

Fat loss training and dieting is mentally draining. That is why you need to take extra care of yourself. Extra stretching and foam rolling, epson salt baths, going to bed an hour early, and/or taking a magnesium supplement prior to bed are all simple ways that you can help accelerate your recovery (and progress).

One of my favorite sayings is: "Physiology trumps diet." This means that if your body chemistry and physiology is off, you won't be able to maximize your fat loss. Trying to lose weight is no excuse for being unhealthy and it will in fact hinder your progress. Rest, recover, and you'll lose more weight.

1. Apply The Previous Nine Rules

It is important that you realize that the statement "Knowledge is Power" is false! Applied knowledge with passion and consistent persistence is power! The chances are you know everything that you have to do to achieve your best body but you're not applying your knowledge. Stop...take the time to focus and execute the steps above with a well structured game plan and achieve all your goals.

8 Benefits of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

8 Benefits of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

And why it needs to be part of your regular workout routine!

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) describes any workout that alternates between intense bursts of activity and fixed periods of less-intense activity or even complete rest. For example, a good starter workout is running as fast as you can for 1 minute and then walking for 2 minutes. Repeat that 3-minute interval five times for a 15-minute, fat-blasting workout. It sounds too simple to be effective, but science doesn't stretch the truth.

Below are 8 more benefits of HIIT.

1. It's Efficient

Super-efficient HIIT is the ideal workout for a busy schedule—whether you want to squeeze in a workout during your lunch break or to get in shape for a fast-approaching event. Research shows you can achieve more progress in a mere 15 minutes of interval training (done three times a week) than the girl jogging on the treadmill for an hour.

According to a 2011 study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, just 2 weeks of high-intensity intervals improves your aerobic capacity as much as 6 to 8 weeks of endurance training. Now that's EFFICIENT!!!!

2. You Will Burn More Fat
Not only do you burn more calories during HIIT workouts, but the effect of all that intense exertion kicks your body's repair cycle into hyperdrive. That means you burn more fat and calories in the 24 hours after a HIIT workout than you do after, say, a steady-pace run.

3. A Healthier Heart
Most people aren't used to pushing into the anaerobic zone (that lovely place where you can't breathe and you feel like your heart is trying to jump out of your chest). But in this case, extreme training produces extreme results. One 2006 study found that after 8 weeks of doing HIIT workouts, subjects could bicycle twice as long as they could before the study, while maintaining the same pace

4. No Equipment Necessary
Running, biking, jump roping, and rowing all work great for HIIT, but you don't need any equipment to get it done. High knees, fast feet, or anything plyometric like jumping lunges work just as well to get your heart rate up fast. In fact, some equipment like dumbbells can make HIIT less effective because you want the focus to be on pushing your heart to its max, not your biceps.

5. Lose Fat, Not Muscle
Anyone who has been on a diet knows that it's hard to not lose muscle mass along with fat. While steady state cardio seems to encourage muscle loss, studies show that both weight training and HIIT workouts allow dieters to preserve their hard-earned muscles while ensuring most of the weight lost comes from fat stores. This is a Win/win Situation and your metabolism will increase as the body fat drops.

6. Increased Metabolism
In addition to increased fat burning and more muscle preserved, HIIT stimulates production of your human growth hormone (HGH) by up to 450 percent during the 24 hours after you finish your workout. This is great news since HGH is not only responsible for increased caloric burn but also slows down the aging process, making you younger both inside and out!

7. Do It Anywhere
You can do it in a boat, you can do it with a goat. You can do it here or there, you can do it anywhere! Dr. Seuss would have loved HIIT. Since it's such a simple concept—go at maximum effort for a short period of time followed by a recovery period and repeat—you can adapt it to whatever time and space constraints you have.

8. Challenging
This is not a workout you can do while reading a magazine or chatting with your friend. Because it's so short, you will be working hard the whole time. The trade-off is this format offers seasoned exercisers a new challenge and new exercisers a quick way to see results. You may be in pain, you may be sucking wind, but you definitely won't be bored!

What is the best time to Train?

The best time to train!

What time of day do you feel at your best?

The combination of scientific advances and our own analytical mind gives rise to a multitude of questions. Our inquisitive nature leads us down many roads of discovering the best and most efficient way of doing things. One question many of us have probably wondered about is how the time of day can influence our performance in activities.

One such activity to be analyzed is weight training. As we will see, though, the answer to the question of "when in the day is our weight training performance best?" is not clear cut. There are many paths to choose from, with different roads leading to various results depending upon the individual.

The human body has evolved to function and sustain itself automatically, so that the brain can devote more energy to higher-level tasks. We have all adapted to cues in our environment that help our body trigger activation of certain systems and processes, while suppressing others.

The biggest environmental cue our bodies recognize, and react to, is light. The regulation of our bodily systems based on time of day is referred to as our circadian rhythm.

It should be noted that everyone's biological rhythms are different, and I will discuss the influences on performance based on a person with consistent sleeping and waking habits. This consistency actually helps to prevent unwanted stress and injury, and improve your performance in various activities. Assuming this regularity, the biggest difference between peoples' circadian rhythm tends to be their waking time:

Larks Vs. Owls:

There are some that rise from sleep earlier-waking up enthusiastic and full of energy. Such people are called "larks." Another type of person, the "owl," wakes later and more slowly than most, taking a few hours to get functioning and feel alert. Generally speaking, the owl will perform better in the late afternoon, while the lark will perform better in the morning.

Both these types of people actually form a minority, though. Most people, about 60% to 70% of the population, are indifferent. This means they fall somewhere in between the lark and the owl.

Understanding the bodies circadian rhythm and your hormonal functions is important to actually knowing when the best time of training is for YOU.

The following compilation reviews points of interest for the average circadian rhythm:

Morning:

Testosterone is at its daily peak.
Mental alertness peaks late morning.
Memory works best.
Body temperature is still low.

Afternoon:

Pain tolerance is highest.
Possible point of low energy around noon.
Late afternoon, adrenalin and body temperature has a rising trend.
Late afternoon, there is an optimum period of mental/physical function balance.

Evening:

Coordination, stamina, body temperature at a peak.
Lung performance is best.
Flexibility and strength at their greatest.
Mental focus is waning.

Night:

Starting around 9pm, the body produces additional melatonin, preparing for sleep. Bodily processes should be slowing down in preparation for sleep.

Notice that many systems will not be at peak performance at the same times of day. Because of this, and with the addition of individual differences, it is difficult to give a time at which a person will be at their best. But with the given information so far, I would suggest late afternoon as a time of optimum performance in most of your body's processes.

From the given information on circadian rhythm, here are some suggestions based on unique goals:

1. Morning - Best potential for building muscle because testosterone is critical in protein synthesis and for rebuilding muscle fiber damaged in weight training. There is also greater mental focus, which may allow for greater mind-muscle connection and greater efficiency of muscle work done.

2. Afternoon - Best potential for breaking plateaus by employing muscle shocking techniques because pain threshold is highest and the limits of the body might be able to be pushed further than usual.

3. Evening - Best potential for strongest performance. This is the time of day when the body is in peak condition for physical activity.

Besides the purely physical observations about circadian rhythm that have been mentioned, there are other considerations that one might take into account when deciding the best time of day to weight train:

Morning:

Is fat loss or fat storage prevention a goal? Morning exercise may help in reaching this goal partly due to higher than normal testosterone. It also helps that your body has not had much food to process yet, and may turn to fat for energy instead.

1. Exercise has shown to increase serotonin levels. Low serotonin has been shown to be related to depression. Exercising in the morning could possibly help elevate mood slightly for the rest of the day. It should be noted, however, that significant changes in overall mood can take a long time to occur, and will happen as a result of a general increase in serotonin.

2. Is the gym open at the time you want? I know my gym currently does not open at an early enough time for me to schedule a workout.

3. If you are able to get to a gym in the mornings, there are generally less people there. You won't have to fight over weights or machines. You're more free to move about and choose the exercises you'd like with less interruption and possibly less embarrassment if you're the shy type and trying something new for the first time.

4. By doing a workout in the morning, it will be out of the way, out of mind. There will be less worry about missing a workout and less stress in anticipation of your performance if it gets done sooner in the day.

Afternoon:

*** A good balance between all the issues discussed in both morning and night sections. ***

Evening:

1. If working out too late, this can affect you're body's natural time of slowing things down for sleep.

2. Working out increases ability to absorb nutrients on a cellular level. If adequate nutrition is not in place after a workout, the body might soon be left hanging for an eight hour fast while you sleep.

3. Is the gym open late?

4. More people tend to be at the gym because they are done with work or school for the day. It may be harder to get in all the specific exercises desired in a reasonable amount of time, as there may be waiting times for equipment.

5. How worn out a person gets from there school, work, or other daily activities might also play a role in their evening weight training efforts.

The Best:

Based on both these more obvious considerations and from the circadian rhythm information, I would recommend that weight training in the afternoon would be best. It has a nice balance of all the aspects and issues presented. In fact, the only real drawback I could think of might be that it may be harder to schedule for some--due to other commitments like work or school.

For those that cannot do afternoons, just try to schedule training at a time that is either most comfortable, convenient, or when equipment is most freely accessible. What is most important is not placing undue stress upon yourself by worrying too much about when you train-your body will figure things out no matter what time it is.

The best advice given is to follow your bodies reaction to the training you put it through.

1. Do you feel like you are getting the most out of your workouts? If not maybe trying a different time of day to train may just do the trick.

2. In my opinion there really is no one perfect time to train for everyone. I've always trained when I felt ready to train. The key to long term success is basically to train consistently regardless of the time of day. There is no need to stress over the time of day not being perfect for your training.

3. Remember to get maximum benefits from training it's not all about the time of training, remember that proper nutrition, supplementation and rest are all equally as important.

This article is simply designed to give you the knowledge so you can make a more educated choice on when you should train. Just remember follow what works best for YOU and get in the gym and train!

The ills of Sitting too long!

Seems like everything we do can be bad for you???

The ills of Sitting too long!

Prolonged sitting significantly impacts your cardiovascular and metabolic function. Studies show that these risk correlations hold true no matter how much you exercise.

In one recent study, six hours of uninterrupted sitting was found to counteract the positive health benefits of one hour of exercise.

Beneficial molecular effects are activated simply by carrying your body-weight upon your legs. Those cellular mechanisms are also responsible for pushing fuels into your cells.

As a general guideline, if you’ve been sitting for an hour, you’ve sat too long. At minimum, you should not sit for more than 50 minutes out of every hour.

The problem is that an hour of exercise here and there, even if it’s vigorous, cannot counteract the harm incurred during the hours you’re sitting still. For example, one recent study3 found that six hours of uninterrupted sitting effectively counteracted the positive health benefits of a whole hour of exercise.

Basically, this means that even if you spend two to three hours in the gym each week, if you have a full-time sit-down job, many of those exercise benefits are simply evaporated.

I think it’s quite clear that you need both intense exercise, and daily intermittent or non-exercise movement in order to optimize your health and prolong your life. It’s not a matter of choosing one over the other. You really do need both.

As for intermittent movement, the key, experts say, is to avoid sitting for more than 50 minutes out of each hour. Ideally, you’d want to sit for a maximum of about three hours a day—a far cry from today’s norm.

The average American office worker can sit for 13 to 15 hours a day! This means that most people need to figure out how to get out of their chair for several hours each day.

Get your Step Count Up

Simple tips to help get you moving

At first, you may be surprised to realize just how little you move each day. Setting a goal of say 7-10,000 steps a day (which is just over three to five miles, or 6-9 kilometers) can go a long way toward getting more movement into your life.

1. Walk across the hall to talk to a coworker instead of sending an email

2. Take the stairs instead of the elevator

3. Park your car further away from the entrance

4. Take a longer, roundabout way to your desk

5. Organize the layout of your office space in such a way that you have to stand up to reach oft-used files, the telephone, or your printer, rather than having everything within easy reach.

6. Use an exercise ball for a chair. Unlike sitting in a chair, sitting on an exercise ball engages your core muscles and helps improve balance and flexibility. Occasional bouncing can also help your body interact with gravity to a greater degree than sitting on a stationary chair. But this is a concession and it is still sitting, so standing would be a better option.

7. Alternatively, use an upright wooden chair with no armrest, which will force you to sit up straight, and encourage shifting your body more frequently than a cushy office chair.

8. Set a timer to remind you to stand up and move about for at least 10 minutes each hour. You can either walk, stand, or take the opportunity to do a few simple exercises by your desk.

Source; Dr. Joseph Mercola