3 Secrets to Fat Loss Results

 

3 Secrets to Fat Loss Results
by Robby Blanchard, MBA, BS, CPT

Functional Movement, Constantly Varied and High Intensity…The 3 secrets to fat loss and results.

It always seems like there is controversy surrounding CrossFit.

Many people believe it is extremely dangerous and the risks outweigh the benefits.

Then there are others (like myself) who believe that CrossFit is an amazingly effective and safe method of training when done correctly.

As the owner of CrossFit Reach just outside of Boston, Massachusetts, I’ve been training people from all ages and abilities for over 6 years. And in those 6 years I’ve seen amazing transformations and results….from people losing 50+ pounds, getting of their diabetes medication and becoming stronger than they could have ever imagined.

So whats the secret sauce for the success my clients have seen?

It comes down to 3 things that make up the CrossFit methodology….

Functional Movement, Consistently Varied and High Intensity.

Functional movement is something that many of us already know…movements that are already programmed into our DNA. When you pick something up off the floor, thats a deadlift. When you get up and out of a chair, thats a squat.

By training these functional movements we are reinforcing what is already built into our DNA and that triggers results much faster than just isolating muscles or muscle groups.

Now once you have the functional movements down…you have to make sure that they are constantly varied. The body is so amazing and can adapt very quickly which is why it is important these movements stay varied.

Running, jumping, weightlifting, bodyweight movements…these should always be varied in both time and length, weight and resistance. When you vary these functional movements the results never stop.

Finally we have high intensity. You’ll notice that this is the last of the 3 secrets to fat loss. Why?

Without proper form in your functional movements…the intensity should not be increased (not following this rule is why people get hurt).

Now high intensity is really the key to fat loss and your results. If you feel like your results are slowing down…increase the intensity and you’ll quickly get back on track.

Now I realize that starting a crossfit routine can be tough and that is why I created my 6 week bodyweight training program…6 Week Shred.

This program is designed to give you short, high intense workouts that you can do anywhere. And the best part is…it only requires 10-15 minutes 3 day per week.

You’ll experience the same results of a CrossFit workout using just your own bodyweight!

Get Shredded Abs in Only 10 Minutes
a Day Without Going to the Gym

Muscle Saving, Waist REDUCING Holiday Tips

By Chris Wilson

 

The Health and Fitness community really benefits during this special time of year.  It is this particular 2 month stretch where normally healthy people end up making very unhealthy decisions.  And you know what….good for them!

I’m the first one at the dinner table to indulge in mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, corn bread and of course turkey (and in some cases ham too).  I work my tail off all year long as do many health conscious people across our great country.  This is the time of year for reflection and celebration.  A time to give more and be kinder to those around us.

Being thankful and extra thoughtful for a few months seems to come naturally to some during the months of November and December and FOOD is often the catalyst!

Just think about, co-workers and patrons bringing delicious treats into the work place for you.  Desserts and high calorie food present in almost any place of business and certainly sitting on the kitchen counter at home.  Leftovers for days and weeks.  It’s impossible to avoid the stuff.

So don’t!

Okay, be smart about this and have a game plan.  Don’t just throw caution to the wind.  Like any good sports team, you need to do some homework and have a plan of attack.

Tip #1: The 10 minute rule

We’ve all heard this one before and guess what…it works!  After you have ONE plate of food, STOP and give yourself 10 minutes before loading up the second plate.  I promise you, that second plate will be smaller than had you immediately restocked after the initial consumption.

Tip #2: Drink water before you eat ANYTHING

This one is a no brainer and easily forgotten by many.  A majority of the country is dehydrated on a regular basis.  Instead of drinking water and recognizing our thirst indicators, we very quickly jump to food which satisfies both hunger and thirst.  If you fill up on a large glass of water every hour or so and certainly just before a meal…you will do a much better job satiating the body.  That translates to LESS superfluous calories at dinner time leaving you feeling more comfortable and less lethargic.

Tip #3: Workout Finishers

Exercise is critical in the effort to maintain a muscular build and keep the body revved up all day long.  This can be done in less time than you might think.  The 5-10 minute workout finisher can be extremely useful during a time of year when family, friends and celebration take center stage.  Making time for working out is very hard and for some of us, nearly impossible.  Enter the 10 minute (or less) workout.  By doing a series of movements like push-ups, body weight squats, lunge patterns and planks, it is possible to burn off those extra calories AND hold on to that well-earned muscle you’ve been piling on all year long!

When it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas time, I’m ALL IN.  I want to eat and drink with my close friends and relatives.  I don’t want to miss out on the fun and enjoyment of home-cooked meals and hand-made desserts.

By plugging in the 3 BEST muscle saving and waist reducing tips, I can still look good on January 1^st and have memories that will last for years to come.

How Much Protein is Really Needed?

How Much Protein is Really Needed?
by Sol Orwell of Examine.com

We have to take a step back and ask ourselves – what do we mean by need? Are we talking about the amount you need so you don’t die? Or are we talking about the optimal level for good health?

Firstly – the bare minimum. You need roughly 0.8g per kg of bodyweight to just live. So for a 150 lb person, that’s just 55g (just above 2 scoops of protein powder). For a 200lb person, that’s 72g (just a bit less than 3 scoops). You can outright ignore the RDA you find on labels – that’s based on a 165lb male or a 137lb woman.

Then again, that’s the bare minimum to survive. If you want to look rail-thin, that’s your  minimum. But for people who are into athletics, scientific studies say more is better:

• The bare minimum you should consider is roughly 1g/kg of bodyweight. This is pretty much for everyone. Only exception is if have an actual disease and your doctor recommends something else.
• The range athletes who want to have muscle is roughly 1.2-1.5g/kg. So for a 150 lb person, that is roughly 100g/day. For a 200lber, that comes out to ~125g/day.
• Any more than that has not been studied. That doesn’t mean more protein is good or bad. It just means we don’t know.

Still, if you eat even more protein, there is no evidence that it will cause harm. So if you love your protein, take as much as you want.

When should I increase how much protein I take?

While the above is your base, when cutting, the rules change.

Protein has a very high TEF (thermic effect of food). That means how much energy your body has to burn to be able to use it. Carbs and fat have roughly 5% TEF. Protein is at 20% TEF. That means if you eat 1000 calories of protein, you instantly “lose” 200 calories (as your body needs to burn that much just to be able to use that protein). Furthermore, when you are cutting, your body has to get energy from somewhere. It will get this energy from your body in the forms of adipose (fat), glycogen (carbs), and skeletal muscle (protein).

So when cutting, protein becomes super important. It helps burn itself off, and when your body needs to extract energy, it helps minimize any loss from skeletal muscle (which you want to keep!)
So our 150 lb athlete should likely bump his protein intake to ~125 grams and our 200 lb athlete up to ~160 grams.

All of the scientific research presented in the Supplement-Goals Reference Guide (over 2000 references) is human studies.  While they factor in animal studies and in vitro studies while building up their knowledge on topics, they do not include them in their conclusions.

Supplementation is interesting field. Some people rely too much on supplements while others totally dismiss them as useless.  This non-biased guide will help you decide for yourself.

I bought a copy for everyone on my staff to reference.

If You Have Questions About Supplements – Click Here as This Reference Guide Will Help.

 

The 7 Habits of Effective Weight Loss

Have you ever looked at an overweight person, maybe even yourself, and thought, “That person just needs discipline.  If only they’d expend a little effort and self control they wouldn’t be fat anymore.”?

But why not?  We all know what it takes to lose weight–eat less and move more.  Why do so many of us find it so hard?  Why do we start with the greatest enthusiasm and the best of intentions only weeks later to throw in the towel?

In a word, habit.

The things we do over and over again are our habits.  Some are good and some are not.  It’s their consistency that both makes them a habit and gives them their power.

For most of us the reason we fail at losing weight is that the habits of poor eating and not enough exercise are stronger and more established than the new habit of good eating and exercise we are trying to establish.  And therein lies the first problem, we don’t acknowledge that it’s a habit we are trying to change or recognize the difficulty in doing so.

Which is by no means a suggestion that we shouldn’t try, just an acknowledgement that the issue is more involved than we might first assume.  If we are to be successful in any endeavor we have to be able to assess the entirety of our situation and develop a competent strategy for change.  Here is where THINK! and Lose Weight can help.

There are no new secrets to weight loss.  There is no magic wand, elixir or pill that can change the process, make it faster or less arduous.  Burning more calories than you consume on a consistent basis is the only way to lose weight.  It is to the marketer’s and charlatan’s advantage that the issue is made more complicated than it needs to be.

However, within the rubric of “eat less do more” a surer path to effective weight loss can be found.  This is the path of effective strategies, of understanding why you eat too much, of destructive habits and how to convert them into constructive ones.  This is the path laid out in THINK! and Lose Weight: the 7 Habits of Effective Weight Loss.

Along the way you will learn the habit of success, a habit that can be applied to any endeavor  and with great reward.

Each chapter focuses on one habit and how acquiring that habit is essential to successful weight loss.  Beyond the habits are several appendices with real-life strategies for organizing your exercise and diet and bringing them into compliance with not only your weight loss needs but your lifestyle as well.

So, while the formula for weight loss is the same it’s always been–eat less and do more–THINK! and Lose Weight offers strategies designed to help you effectively change your life, to make weight loss a consistent part of your lifestyle and ensure your continued success.

Habits Can Be Changed Quickly – Here’s How