fitbodyguru.com

tribute to Joe Weider, visionary and leader

scott — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 00:02:25 +0000

I remember how seeing these magazines in the 80′s- It influenced my vision and actually, gave me the only vision into the world of muscular fitness that I had ever seen. From there to all that we have today, everyone in the fitness business, owes some respect to Joe Weider for his vision and contribution. His passion created a legacy. It helped a lot of people, and when people get better, we collectively improve. I am not an expert on Joe Weider, but I do know that he deserves a decent tribute and with anything worth looking at, will take some study and consideration to absorb the years of development and contribution that was made…
Earlier this year we also lost another great, Robert Kennedy, who was also a visionary who created the best in fitness photography as far as I am concerned; He did not re invent the wheel, he just had a way of putting it together that was different, visual and edgy. As the time passes I hope that in this spirit we can continue the good work that these men began. It is in fact the spirit behind making your own publication such as a blog like this one.
In the name of self improvement may you lead by example, support each other out there, celebrate each day we have together, and know that its always worth working for improvement. Perhaps in the days to come I will discuss some of the basic Weider principals and how these apply even today in and out of the varied world of workout science. For me it was always these principals that ignited my interest so many years ago and still linger in my core beliefs as a trainer, and as a person.
Thank you Joe Weider and Robert Kennedy. I will improve my blog I promise.

”Bodybuilding is about changing for the better, not just growing enormous. Once you decide to change yourself for the better, you can make everything in the world better.”

http://www.ifbbpro.com/features/joe-weiders-principles/

how to motivate yourself into exercise you will stick to

scott — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 19:16:04 +0000

This Repost is from something I found on the lifehacker blog, about something we may struggle with from time to time, and thats motivation & focus. The following post is copied faithfully and reposted with gratitude. The original links are retained and all rights reserved for the original authors of this material.

If getting active and staying healthy were easy, everyone would do it…but we don’t. We come home after a long day of sitting in a chair to de-stress by sitting in another chair, unable to summon the energy to take a walk or hit the gym. Sure, everyone says to “make time for what’s important to you,” but oversimplification doesn’t make the struggle easier. Let’s break down the mental walls keeping you from taking care of yourself.

We’ve shown you lots of great ways to get and stay active. Whether it’s the Lifehacker workout or our daily 20 minute workout generator, you have plenty of options if you’re not sure how to get active and get in shape. Combined with the personal trainer in your pocket (in the form of your Android oryour iPhone), you have all the tools you need to get healthy. So why haven’t you?

Whether it’s time management, stress, a busy job, bustling family life, or something else, in this post we’re going to help you break down the barriers that may keep you from getting up and active. We sat down with some experts—people who have really motivated others—for their tips on how to do what you already know you should. When we’re through, you’ll be in the mental position to take advantage of the great fitness resources we’ve put together.

No Excuses: Tear Down Those Mental Walls

First of all, if you’re struggling with a sedentary lifestyle, you’re not alone. Millions of us are just like you, and we all know weshould get moving, but we stumble and fall back into old habits or never get the traction you need. This is completely normal, don’t think anything otherwise. Very few people spring out of bed one day and say “I’m going to change my behavior for the better for the rest of my life,” do it, and never look back. In the real world things are different. Here are some things to remember:

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Fitness expert (and Lifehacker contributor) Roger Lawson notes that we’re often our own biggest hurdle. “They’re simply too hard & expect too much from themselves; they think it has to be much harder than it has to be and when they don’t live up to the expectations they’ve set for themselves, it all begins to fall apart,” he explains. This is the cycle many of you know: you start something with good intentions, stumble, get frustrated, and give up. Be nice to yourself—stumbles and failures are going to happen, no one’s perfect. Photo by Richard Beatson.
Don’t get caught up in the “all or nothing” mindset. Exercise doesn’t have to be complicated. Doing something is better than doing nothing. “Don’t let optimal be the enemy of good enough,” Roger says. “Sure, you could be doing more or could be doing better, but if in the long run that gets in the way of you doing anything at all then it’s not use to you. Do what you can do and do consistently then worry about optimizing later as you gain traction.” Remember, getting started is everything.
Full size

Understand how habits work. We’ve talked about the habit loop and how to break bad habits before, but it’s critical here. Richard Talens, co-founder of Fitocracy, your pick for best fitness tracking site, explains it like this: “Most people fail in fitness because they never enter a self-sustaining positive feedback loop. In fact, most people don’t even start. In order to be successful at fitness, it needs to be in the same category of the brain as sleeping, eating, and sex.” He explained that if exercise worked the way it does in the movies—where a montage plays and after every workout you look better and see results instantly, more people would stick to it. The key is to find a routine replacement that works for you, and that gets results for the energy you put into building it into your habits.
You’re not lazy, you’re just starting from zero. One discouraging thing you’ve probably thought (or heard) before is that you’re just lazy and will give up eventually, so why bother. Richard dismissed this idea: “To say that people don’t exercise because they are lazy is actually backwards. Often times, people are actually lazy because they’re out of shape and don’t exercise!” He points out that it’s easy for someone in-shape to tell someone who’s having a tough time that they’re just lazy, but the truth is running a mile for a couch potato is far more difficult and requires more physical and mental will than it does for someone who does five every day. Recognize that, especially when you start down the slippery slope of comparing yourself—and your habits—to others.
Find your “Secret Sauce”. A lot of people will tell you to “just put the fork down,” or “just get up and do it,” which is easy when that person a: isn’t you, and b: is sitting behind a keyboard. Don’t listen to them: minimizing and oversimplifying the challenge doesn’t help, and while hearing what worked for others can help you figure out things to try, it’s almost never going to be exactly what works for you. Look for your own combination of tools, tips, techniques, and advice that will support you and your health and fitness goals. Accept advice, sure, but remember you’re in this for you—no one else, and you’re the only one who’ll know what really works.Photo by Riley Kaminer.

Remember, health and wellness are extremely personal sciences. You’ll be assaulted on all sides by articles, scams, self-help books, poorly-reported scientific studies, internet commenters, and more who all claim they know what will work for you—and it usually boils down to what worked for them (which is great!) or what they’re willing to sell you (which is not so great.) Having an abundance of options isn’t a bad thing, but remember who you’re in this for.

Stay Motivated and Engaged to Stick With Your Plan

So what does work? Well, there’s more information and advice out there than you could ever possibly use, but the key is to figure out what you’ll stick with, so don’t be afraid to experiment! Just remember what we said: if you stumble or falter, that means you just need to try something new or start slower—not that there’s something wrong with you. Try some of these suggestions:

Set the Bar Low and Start Small. The first time I started working out, I decided to exercise daily for a half hour. Sounds good, right? Well, starting from zero to every day worked well for a while, but when I had to miss a day because I worked late, was sick, or my schedule changed, I felt terrible. Eventually I gave up, and beat myself up over it until I could get motivated to start again. Don’t make the same mistake—if you’re having trouble with every day, start with twice a week, or once. Whatever it is, start with something you candefinitely do effortlessly. This is where suggestions like parking on the far end of the lot and taking the stairs come into play. Try these minimal daily exercises on for size.

“Instead of setting out to exercise 5-6 times a week, aim to do 1-2 times – consistently,” Roger says. “Set the bar low so that you can build up initial success and build the self confidence and examples of winning that you’ll need once things get harder.” Derek Flanzraich, CEO and Founder of Greatist, agrees: “On Sunday nights, schedule your workout times into your calendar for the rest of the week. That removes a ton of excuses— you’ll rarely, if ever, really ‘just fit a workout in’ when you’ve got a free moment. You’re too busy! Schedule it in advance and it’ll be top of mind!” The time for ambitiousness is after you have a track record of success. Remember, we’re trying to get started, and getting started is hard enough.

Whatever You Do, Make It Fun. Roger couldn’t stress this enough, and neither can we. Whatever you do, enjoy it. Choose something rewarding enough to make you feel good about doing it. If you’re having a good time, Roger noted, mistakes feel like learning experiences and challenges to be overcome, not throw-up-your-hands-and-give-up moments. This is one reason that he—and we—love sites like Fitocracy, theMindbloom Life Game (which we’vehighlighted before), and Superbetter, whichalso adds a game-like element to wellness.Photo by Richard Coshott.

Derek suggests picking a fun challenge designed for people in your shoes. Stuck on the couch? Try the Couch to 5K running plan! Maybe a mud run or martial arts class would be more up your alley. Whatever it is, make sure it’s something you’ll have a great time doing, and is low-enough impact that you can get in, keep up, and slowly challenge yourself as it progresses.

Join Communities that Build Positive Habits. Speaking of Fitocracy, Richard explained that services like Fitocracy do so well because they offer consistent, positive rewards for sticking to your guns. Even if you don’t see results in the mirror right away—and you won’t—a site like Fitocracy rewards you with levels, badges, and other treats that keep you engaged and motivated to do better. That’s all great, but Richard explained it’s really just a carrot to get you to the real prize: the community. “Wanna know our dirty little secret? I haven’t really told this to any journalists explicitly, but points don’t help all that much in the long run. They’re merely a gateway drug that gets you involved into the community.” Don’t get caught up in counting calories and tracking steps walked that you miss out on how powerful a community, a workout buddy, or family and friends, rooting for us can be. It can make all the difference.

Use Technology Wisely: To Recount Your Victories. Technology can be a huge benefit to help you see your progress in a way that looking in the mirror won’t show you. Our own Adam Pash got in shape with the help of the right gear, and Roger suggests keeping a calendar as a visual track of your victories. Each time you stick to your plan, whether it’s diet, exercise, or both, mark it on the calendar. Sound familiar yet? That’s right, it’s Seinfeld’s Productivity Secret, or “Don’t Break the Chain.” The goal is to keep that track record, whether it’s on a calendar, in an app, or on a website, going unbroken as long as possible. Just remember, quantifying your efforts is just a method to get feedback and track your progress. Your tech should be a means to building better habits, not the habit in itself. Photo by Yusuke Kawasaki.

You’ll notice we haven’t given you a workout routine or exercise plan to follow here. That’s because we’ve done that before several times. You can take those workouts and start today, but before you do, make sure you’re in a place mentally where you’re set up for success. In a few months, you don’t want to still feel miserable every time you begin a workout, or know you have to work out today—it should be second nature, just something you do, like taking a shower or doing the laundry.

Derek reminded us that the turning point for him—and likely for many of us—is when we realize that we’re in total control of our choices—not someone else who with a fad diet or book to sell—and that can be incredibly empowering. Once you make that realization, Roger notes that you should always remember where you are now when it comes to health and fitness. Whether it’s diet or exercise, being honest with your current situation will keep you from being too ambitious and setting yourself up for failure, or from giving up entirely. “Begin where you are, not where you want to be. Becoming overwhelmed initially is the fastest way to halt all progress. As you get better, do better, and not a moment sooner.” We couldn’t agree more.

Roger Lawson is a fitness expert and the man behind Rog Law Fitness. You can find him on Twitter at @RogLaw, on Facebook at Rog Law, and subscribe to his YouTube channel, RogLawFitness.

Richard Talens is the Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer at Fitocracy, a fitness tracking site and social network that’s makes tracking your exercise a real-world game that’s fun to play. You can find him on Twitter at @dicktalens.

Derek Flanzraich is the Founder and CEO of Greatist, an amazing resource for health and fitness news and tips. You can find him on Twitter at @thederek, and follow Greatist at @greatist.

All three volunteered their expertise for this post, and we thank them.

Title photo made using Leremy (Shutterstock).

Zumba Fitness:

scott — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:05:40 +0000

BOUT: ZUMBA Sweet beats improve your cardio (:

pictured: Jamie Lynn, Left, & Erika Rivere, a Zumba instructor in Apollo Beach, Florida, enjoy the effects of Zumba fitness. I recently spent a day last week shooting some photos while they practiced some moves. Photo courtesy of LucidMojo.com ©ScottEdwards 2012

Zumba! A fun, sexy latino inspired trend is gaining momentum in popularity. What is it & where is it from?

What it is: “Zumba” (pronounced Zoom-ba) -is a latin dance fitness program that was created by Alberto “Beto” Perez in Colombia the 90′s. It combines dance and aerobic elements which choreography includes soca, saba & mambo as well as moves that include squats & lunges; and even Bollywood style belly dancing. It is a challenging, continual movement that requires control, stamina and some grace. It has an interesting backstory, too.

Perez applied the backbeat of salsa & merengue latin styles to the aerobics classes he led, improvising with this approach -a rather untraditional musical style to apply to aerobic maneuvers, serendipitiously when he was short on good music for his Classes. Legend has it that he used tracks on cassette tape he had in his backpack in his car- It was a success & caught hold of Perez & many others attention around the globe. ”The results are an electric combination that adds a sweet layer of all that this music has to offer.” Its a marriage of rhythm & dance and it takes work to do it- but doesn’t seem like it because its fun”, says Jamie Lynn, an educator from Apollo Beach florida, who attends zumba classes at least 3 times a week.

Perez moved to the US in 2001 & Teamed up with a friend and co founder, Alberto Perlman. They produced a demo reel, and the concept was discovered & licensed by Fitness Quest. The company created marketing campaign that produced rumba home videos in 2002. After some considerable time, It has organically gained popularity and brand, with seven different types of of classes including aqua zumba, that is based in a pool. Newer technologies have allowed for developments of rumba video games, The new bio-feedback style body/video games like the Xbox Kinnect and the Wii fit allow for an interactive rumba experience that provides an interesting feedback on your workouts performance because of the interface. Further, there are now more than ever thousands of instructors teaching zumba in countries around the world thanks to the reach of the internet.

The motion is in the lotion…

The Zumba exercises lend themselves to the musics various slow and fast rhythms as well as resistance training exercises to the lilting latin beats. It has been noted that persons who participate in a session experience a fun, informal, even party like atmosphere as thegang moves loosely in dance. It is also noteworthy that there is a drummer often present, something I thought myself is rather sweet. Others claim to experience a responsive wave of endorphin like and adrenal effects. I would like to note the overtones of studies that show how frequency vibration is an element that only happens on subtler human frequency perceptions, and affect rhythmic heartpatterns and certain brainwaves.

The motion is based on aerobic cardiovascular activity but the variations and modifications make you move your entire body, and there are up to seven “levels” of zumba training that vary wildly. The one thing that anchors everything is the music.

Aside from the boost of self confidence the movements include lower body (legs – quadriceps, hamstring from squat and lunge positions to calves and hip adduction from other transitional poses, similar to moving yoga , tai chi and even belly dancing. Core strength is emphasized with the full body movement, and even shoulder region is affected by hyperflexion and abductor contractions. Centrifugal force and counterbalance agility also is emphasized.

Cardio is the main emphasis as far as this activity would be mainly classified. It is a light cardio at that, say different from HIT training, Tablata, or other intense programs. It’s emphasis on fun is what makes it attractive. I believe that is incredibly important for all levels of workout programs.

A standard class is an hour in length and uses four basic rhythms based on simplified salsa, merengue, cumber & reggeaton, I think is ½ ? 4/4 4/8 /16 etc. There are elements mashed from mambo Flamenco, Rumba Calypso beats to round out a facemelting latinthumping sound experience to dance to get your cardio on. From there you can advance to make these fluid motions more difficult and more beneficial in the way your body adapts to the cardiovascular conditioning.

The group element adds to a sense of community and accomplishment as an individual since you are really only required to push your own levels of exertion which increase as you practice.

There is definitely a factor in making a workout varied and fun for your clients as a personal trainer. You deserve to look into what Zumba has to offer in spirit and attitude as well as a few fresh moves to challenge you in your and your clients workouts. Certainly the music adds a real ambiance. Studies have reflected that listening to music with an elevated beat pattern of around 110 to 120+BPM that can help endurance athletes who move with the music because of the brains subtle ways of syncronizing within a beat pattern- hence the phenomenon of music altogether.
I say give it a try . I have been recently intruduced to these new forms, and would like to hear your comments about your experience!
thanks for reading.

~Scott Edwards

exercise can improve your mood, prevent chronic disease, aid in weight management, strengthen your cardiovascular system, promote better sleep, and can even enhance your sex life. Most importantly and often forgotten, exercise can be enjoyable! why wait? add some to your week and feel good about it. Too often we get sedentary and pay a steep price in the decrease in quality of life for it. I suggest all sorts of athletic activities and healthy alternatives to keep fit. got any suggestions or feedback? would love to hear from you!

Join the party: instructor Berto Perez leads a Zumba class

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About: local Zumba… meet instructor Erika Rivere:

LOCAL ZUMBA INSTRUCTOR Erica Rivera hosts wild for rumba sessions in Apollo Beach, Riverview and you can find out the class availability times from this link: {URL} @Zumba.com: https://www.zumba.com/en-US/profiles/65498/erika-rivere/ @Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/alwaysbonita

You can contact her thru the links provided, (& tell her you heard about it here:)

Support for local trainers scott@fitbodyguru.com, ISSA certified CPT Tampa Bay ©ScottEdwards2012
BECOME A ZUMBA INSTRUCTOR at (zoomba.com)

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References

^ Sweat Equity, Miami Herald, p. G1, 13 February 2012
^ Zumba brings the dance party into the health club, USA Today, 10 October 2011
^ Fitness Guinea Pig: Zumba, Brides Magazine
^ Zumba Shakes the Monotony Out of Ordinary Aerobics Classes, The Washington Post, 31 July 2008
^ Zumba Turns Dancers Into Entrepreneurs, Inc., 26 May 2011
^ Get fit dancing: Dance to a different beat with Zumba, Daily Telegraph, 30 March 2009
^ About Zumba Fitness on official website
^ The secret to fitness craze Zumba’s success?, The Independent, 7 September 2011
^ Zumba Movement Catches On, Now Comes the Hard Part, Fox Business, 11 April 2011

royal jelly…an interesting protein

scott — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:00:10 +0000

Royal Jelly – its not the same as honey. It looks like it -and usually comes available in honey, but what is this compound, exactly? In the ever increasing world market it can be hard to differentiate the brands and origins of the many products available. After some quick research, I have found the most interesting facts about royalactin, or the protein found in the compound “royal jelly” where it comes from and its composition.

In holistic healing circles & alternative medicine folklore, royal jelly is believed to have anti aging properties (stemming primarily from its amino acid content) and its broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals. Its reputation for providing fertility and libido assistance is gaining traction, tho there is little clinical research to support this. Royal jelly is also used topically as a component in skin care & natural beauty products, women can smear it all over their faces after a dermabrasion for the benefits to the skin.

Fresh Royal Jelly is not a vitamin or a drug. It’s a unique and precious food substance straight from the beehive. It is not honey or pollen, but the food of the queen bee. The queen lives approximately 6 years exclusively on a diet of Fresh Royal Jelly, while the worker bees live about 6 weeks eating honey and pollen.

What do you say is the big deal? Well, This stuff makes the queen larger than all the workers, up to 42 .6 percent larger and 60.6 percent fatter. While a worker bee lives 6 weeks, the queen lives about 6 years. Sometimes farmers who harvest the manna remove the queen after 5 years in order to keep the hives going stronger. It is known that the women in egypt used this on their skin, and that it was used as a tincture to preserve the dead.

In a more modern study, when given to fruit flies, they too responded to a diet of royal jelly. So- how is it being used today?

Cultivation and Delivery of the product

This comes from bee hives. Harvesters have to gather the stuff from the hive.

Royal Jelly is offered in one of two ways. In its pure, natural state it is like a thick milky substance. This form is very unstable and it must be frozen or refrigerated in order to preserve it. The second form of Royal Jelly is an extract (powder or liquid form). The powder extract is by far the most popular and is what capsules contain. There are two methods of achieving a powdered extract, (1) Freeze-dried or (2) Spray-dried. Freeze-drying the Royal Jelly cost more to manufacture but it is also the best way because no food preservatives have to be added. Freeze Drying the Royal Jelly removes all the moisture content and contrary to what some Royal Jelly providers say, NO nutritional value is lost in this process. However, the spray dry process requires that a preservative be added to it and that honey alone is not a stable preservative.

I found it online in prices ranging from 8$ to 25$ for different forms. Some more thorough investigation was required. A local shop offered a form of royal jelly that was much like honey in a container and said it was “tested for 10-HDA”

It tastes sweet and mellow and doesn’t show any form of crystallization. I wonder how you can test the potency of something like this.

REAL STUFF:

According to research, royal jelly is a honey bee secretion that is used in the nutrition of larvae and adult queens. It is secreted from the glands in the hypopharynx of worker bees, and fed to all larvae in the colony. When worker bees decide to make a new queen, either because the old one is weakening, or was killed, they choose several small larvae and feed them with copious amounts of royal jelly in specially constructed queen cells. This type of feeding triggers the development of queen morphology, including the fully developed ovaries needed to lay eggs. [wiki]

Royal jelly is secreted from the glands in the heads of worker bees, and is fed to all bee larvae, whether they are destined to become drones (males), workers (sterile females) or queens (fertile females). After three days, the drone and worker larvae are no longer fed with royal jelly, but queen larvae continue to be fed this special substance throughout their development. It is harvested by humans by stimulating colonies with movable frame hives to produce queen bees. Royal jelly is collected from each individual queen cell (honeycomb) when the queen larvae are about four days old. It is collected from queen cells because these are the only cells in which large amounts are deposited; when royal jelly is fed to worker larvae, it is fed directly to them, and they consume it as it is produced, while the cells of queen larvae are “stocked” with royal jelly much faster than the larvae can consume it. Therefore, only in queen cells is the harvest of royal jelly practical. A well-managed hive during a season of 5–6 months can produce approximately 500 g of royal jelly. Since the product is perishable, producers must have immediate access to proper cold storage (e.g., a household refrigerator or freezer) in which the royal jelly is stored until it is sold or conveyed to a collection centre. Sometimes honey or beeswax are added to the royal jelly, which is thought to aid its preservation, but a food preservative is required. {these hyperlinks take you directly to the wikipedia definition of the vitamin compounds}

Royal jelly is collected and sold as a dietary supplement for humans, claiming various health benefits because of components such as B-complex vitamins such as pantothenic acid (vitamin B₅) and vitamin B₆ (pyridoxine). The overall composition of royal jelly is 67% water, 12.5% crude protein, including small amounts of many different amino acids, and 11% simple sugars (monosaccharides), also including a relatively high amount (5%) of fatty acids. It also contains many trace minerals, some enzymes, antibacterial and antibiotic components, and trace amounts of vitamin C, but none of the fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K.

Royalactin

-The component of royal jelly that causes a bee to develop into a queen appears to be a single protein that has been called royalactin. It is worth noting that jelly which had been rendered inactive by prolonged storage had a fresh addition of each of the components subject to decay and was fed to bees; only jelly laced with royalactin caused the larvae to become queens. Royalactin also induces similar phenotypical change in the fruitfly (Drosophila melanogaster), marked by increased body size and ovary development.

pullquote”The queen/worker developmental divide is controlled epigenetically by differential feeding with royal jelly; this appears to be due specifically to the protein royalactin. A female larva destined to become a queen is fed large quantities of royal jelly; this triggers a cascade of molecular events resulting in development into a queen. It has been shown that this phenomenon is mediated by an epigenetic modification of DNA known as CpG methylation.

…this is some really interesting stuff as we know what methylation can do within human cells.

if you have had any experience with this I would like to hear about it. As far as I am concerned, how could you go wrong?

References Wiki, healthypro.org, and durhamsbeefarm.com , for information about the royalactin and harvesting; Chucks food store in Brandon for the 11oz royal Jelly 30,000 for $21 and my client who asked the question about it~ I truly have not heard or tried this and It sure is interesting:)

to your health…Scott

The Davis Park bootcamp

scott — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 05:34:12 +0000

hello everyone. The Davis Park bootcamp sessions are now available on Saturdays In Brandon for those of you who work all week.
If you can not make daily sessions, you can now have an invigorating midmorning session that includes tablata, crossfit, core and cardio on saturday and Sunday.
Anyone interested in these sessions needs to give me a heads up – please call me

Sunday we arrive at 930 and warm up, starting relays and challenges at 10Am to 11Am, winding down before lunch at 11:30
expect the grind. I will be inventing new challenges every time:) and bringing back the favorites!
a session like this has varied High intensity challenges that constitutes complex movements and burns fat.

Anyone is welcome to join.Group session rates are 20 per session, 15 per 2 sessions,pre paid, add ons for existing clients will be 10, and if you are an eisting client and bring a friend, it will be 10$ for them, pre paid.

Do not let the price stop you from showing up. you still have to work out, so get your butt down here and I will give you good faith. no excuses. Spring is around the corner and there is no time to waste!

see you then! :)

Happy holidays from Scott :)

scott — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:47:42 +0000

If anyone hasnt noticed that I have taken a break from posting to the blog, It was because of a number of things, but mostly because I am quite busy and I do all of this for free. I have been writing and getting some ideas together for a better fitness site. It is hard to keep up with all of the things when I am a one person crew on the site.

I have a few extra minutes this morning and thought about how the tradition of thanksgiving effects us as we progress thru the holidays for the next six weeks. Six weeks is enough to make an impact on your physique. You could make a decision to do a few things today, tomorrow and the next day, so that by new years you are well on your way to a lean body, rather than bloated and overwhelmed and making ‘resolutions’ on new years day to change, with only 90 days to spring.

There is no reason why you can not enjoy normal food, wine, and trsappings from family and friends. All you have to do is remember a few points:

Moderation. even a little restraint: If you LOVE these deserts, decide which one is worth your while- and just take a taste. Even just a half of a piece of cheesecake, rather than the whole pie. If you think about what this stuff is made of, do you really want to challenge your body to digest this, when it will not be nutritious and not feed your lean physique?
consideration. if you understand the food groups, then you know that you do not need double and triple carbs- such as stuffing and potatoes and bread and .. and… and… and… Portion is everything. if you want to have both, then just cut your portion size down so instead of 6 oz of each, try 3oz instead. Remember that more smaller portions thru the day are better for your metabolism than giant meals which spike your insulin and toll your digestive system.
look for your protien. Turkey is an awesome source of clean protein! but spare eating the skin and fat. don’t skip on the protein!
cut out fats… obvious, like taking in excessive carbs, with the extra portions comes the extra fatty toppings- forgo the butter, and if you are preparing your meals, remember, that if you remove the fat before you cook it will not melt into your food. If you are not cooking, just watch out for the marshmallo topping on the sweet potatoes and the melted butter on your bread and stuffing. I know a lot of my friends do not understand this lifestyle, the conscious decision about every thing you put into your body. Every little choice adds up and you must be diligent about it, always. Just remind them that it isn’t that you don’t care that they made it ( sorry mom ) but that you just prefer it that way. You may even influence them when they see your clear skin, bright eyes, and poppin’ bod to listen to what you are telling them about your lifestyle.
STAY ON YOUR WORKOUT! If you are finding a way to get your heart pumping, weather you go for a impromptu run, bike ride, hike or even a 15 minute push up-pull up drill … or hit the gym. If you are keeping up with your work out, you can eat pretty much whatever you want and enjoy it, you earned it. The boost in calories and carbs can swell your muscles out. You do not have to skip Today or any day, as you don’t want to wait for your results, do you? why wait until new years? make the changes that you want today and get the body you want, no new years resolution needed if you resolve to eat right and exercise today.

There have been some real changes happening to BodyRock.tv, if you have not heard or seen. I am in full support of the changes, but this is for another post, and has had over half a million comments on the bodyrock blog. So, with all this change in the air…I hope you all enjoy a healthy holiday season. Eat good, live good, and I hope to see you soon.

~Scott

Hot stuff for you -turn up the fat burning with these hotties

scott — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:11:36 +0000

its true.

Its because of something called “thermogenesis“.

In Britain, researchers added just 3/5 of a teaspoon of hot chili sauce or regular mustard to a meal and the results surprised them. Metabolism spiked by 25%, burning an additional 45 calories (some subjects burned over 75 calories) for 180 minutes (3 hours) after the meal.

•Salsa was shown to stimulate the metabolism by approximately 15% to 20%.Researchers are looking at ginger, too. Animal studies have found that dry and fresh ginger extracts (specifically the component gingerol) have been shown to boost energy use by nearly 20%.

I always loved Peppers. They not only seemed to help my breathing but also invigorated me. After a little while your brain gets use to the intensity and you can actually tell subtle differences in character and flavor. I have seen studies where it was discussed that there is basically a reward center in the brain for the sensation of injestin’ a hot chili pepper , much like the endorphins you get from an intense burst of activity … but now theres’ more, this actual hot stuff can speed up your internal inferno and help you burn more calories with a chemical reaction within your body called thermogenesis. Take advantage my readers.

and NO that does not mean that you can have the chicken wings because they are extra hot, Joe -sorry. You must remain diligent about not putting fat into your body in the first place, getting regular nutrition and exercise and rest is your best defense, but every small bit you do counts.

Research was performed by the Oxford Polytechnic Institute in Britain.

summary: Green Chilies are high in Vitamin A & C;
Chili peppers fight migraine headaches, also;
Prevent sinusitis and relieve congestion
Chili peppers fight cancer
Helps lower high blood pressure
Fights inflammation
Can help soothe intestinal disorders
Thermogenesis helps you burn fat, use energy in metabolism and lose weight
protect your heart
warm your feet. and your chest :)
and make other people think your amazing. ( ok, I made that up )

introducing…my affiliate sponsor

scott — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 01:03:09 +0000

awesome news my friends! You prolly already know about bb.com. but if you dont…

I am now proudly affiliated with the friendly folks over at Bodybuilding.com…

This site has Everything

Store… from supplements to gym gear and videos, its here. It is secure and ships fast. The pricing is rather remarkable, too.You (It takes a lot for me to complain, but this wasn’t my stuff,) I didn’t like it- and when I told the phone rep about it, he quickly offered me a replacement product credit and I used it later. The service is remarkable, as every time I have called I was able to get information about just about everything on the site and further insight into the supplements- Everyone that I spoke with had some sort of experience in sports. They are located in the USA.
Information & articles. want to see how to do a dead lift? how about a pushup? theres video and articles about every exercise on the site. Many trainers are writing for BB.com, and there are plenty of resources about all of the ingredients that are in the items in the store. There are quite a few contributing writers. every time I go into the forums, I discover new people and ideas. A great place for inspiration, and to cross reference information.
Bodyspace- this is a highly underestimated tool for athletes. Basically it is a fitness blog- loaded with tools- fitness trackers, body calculators, a place to show your progress photos and a network- not unlike the ever popular facebook, where you can add friends and make updates, except the difference is that this is in a community of athletes – allwith like minded goals. You may find some of your favorite athletes online, so go check it out, make some new friends, and start your own “bodyspace” to keep a diary of your enthusiastic ambition. I find it quite inspiring to see the stories and dedication here.

When I was building FitbodyGuru.com as a location site for my personal training service, I did not have any computer skills, just an ambition and a vision. I did not want to re invent the wheel, so to speak, of a fitness site when Bodybuilding.com was already so comprehensive & complete doing what I already wanted.& then some. They have helped me thru the years so it is with a great feeling that I can recommend them to everyone here, that I use them for what I need and I trust them… and I like them. In a world where customer service is otherwise non existent, here is an american company doing an amazing job helping thousands of athletes in not only USA but in canada and europe too, yet keeping each person feeling satisfied, that, my friends is a tall order to fulfill. Go ahead and check them out!

I have recommended to my clients and I will recommend it to anyone else, too.

When you visit Bodybuilding.com from one of my pages in my site, It helps me support my efforts of writing and maintaining FitBodyGuru and TheARTofFit. It is a quality, american web buisness and they have my highest recommendation!

( 9 out of 10 stars)

Why only 9? you say? ( because I give honest reviews. Without critique, we wouldnt be able to improve anything!)

caveats- a few contributor writers had some misinformation in some articles, either by misplacing a “not” where one should be or other possible typo that changes the meaning significantly. and – with 10,000 articles I suppose oversight is cumbersome and tedious. I recommend my clients cross referencing information, especially with your personal trainer.-and vise versa- cross reference any of your information, always!!!

It is a VAST website. sometimes navigating to what you want, exactly, can be tough.

*e-mail me and I will do my best to help you narrow down your search. These are the consultations that I offer my clients and anyone else who needs assistance in this matter- however, the support at bodybuilding.com and the customer service is REMARKABLE with this. Fitness is an underestimated science with many variables and often with medical type vocabulary and physiological concepts that can be hard to understand and downright confusing with so many different styles of training out there. with more than one way to reach for your personal potential, there are plenty of options with bodybuilding.com, and where having a personal trainer can come in to help.

good luck with your journey!!!

a little about eating… part one

scott — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 05:28:43 +0000

The most successful dieters have a high speed of implementation. In other words, they take action faster than the average guy. Sort of. I want to elaborate a little. It’s the quality of your diet that can make the significant difference, next is consistency,and finally, aside from all the hype diets and fads, it boils down to taking in less calories than you burn will result in weight loss.

Thats why you want to have a trainer to help you understand what your basal metabolic rate is, based on your body fat analysis, your own number, and to work with that as a foundation to your understanding of lean body weight.

I will discuss how being leaner ( having more lean muscle mass vs. fat in your body composition) increases your metabolism and has other effects on your health and what that is as we progress.

but for now, here are some ideas for getting your “diet” in shape that you can begin right now:

1. Start writing down what you eat: Simply estimating caloric intakes is not accurate enough. As a bare minimum you need to spend at least 1 week tracking what you eat. This will show you exactly how many maintenance calories you need.

It also makes you realize what your actually eating, and when. This is a simple exercise that makes you accountable- and can understand your current habits in a better perspective.

2. Beef up breakfast: A small piece of toast and a huge coffee don’t count as breakfast. Breakfast should be the biggest meal of the day for you, unless your strength training with iron, then your post workout meal will be considerable , too. If it’s not, you will hinder the efficient metabolic enhancement that eating brings. Smaller portions, more often, kick up your digestive system, in effect burns more calories. Not eating tells the body to hoard calories. Breakfast provides relief to the muscles starving overnight and fuel for the day, nutrients for proper brain function, and it is delicious!

3. Stop drinking wasted calories: Liquid calories (like sodas,READ: especially DIET, cool aid, etc.) are the worst thing you can put into your body. Not only are they a significant source of empty calories, but they also spike levels of insulin. Even worse, they promote tooth decay. And because they are liquid, They DO NOT COUNT for your need for water. The bodys kidneys must metabolize these and the water part of them is lost. you need 64 or more oz. on, average, every day. thats more than the 8 glasses of water adage. drink more water. I love coffee. but still, sodas are out. is it worth the calories? its one of the easiest things to cut out!

4. Optimize circadian rhythms: This is a very powerful technique for increasing energy while simultaneously maximizing the output of fat burning hormones. Interestingly, even individual organs follow their own rhythms. One way to begin optimization is by eating at regular times every day.the muscles heal at night, and other key functions. sleep is underestimated. make sure you get regular rest to recoup strength for your workouts.

5. Eliminate processed food: Especially fast food because this type of food will make you balloon up faster than you can imagine. Its the fats. If your like me and sometimes are faced with no option, you need to know what to avoid on the menu. deep fried-out. breaded- out. go for the grilled. eliminate the mayonnaise, butter, and other unnecessary fats. pennies make nickels that make dimes that make dollars, and if you add up what your not putting into your body, thats less you have to burn! So Don’t put it into your body in the first place!

6. Bring your own food to the rat race: do not assume that the food at your office is healthy, and don’t let others make nutritional choices for you.The average American is brainwashed and unaware when it comes to the topic of what exactly is healthy. You are the person that cares most about your health. So start bringing your own home cooked food to work. get use to it. its part of your new lifestyle. besides, your vintage lunchbox is cool.

7. Go with vegetables & fruits : I’ve never heard of someone getting sick from eating too many vegetables. go to your farmers market. Look at some of my recipes for ways to make smoothies. If you have a sweet tooth, after a week or so of getting the processed and refined sugars out of your mouth, the natural sugars in fruits will be an ambrosia to your taste buds.You will see what I mean, give it a little time, after all your hard work on the gym floor, you will want to reward your body with nutritious food, not starve it, and your body will reward you in return. your senses await you. trust me.

See you soon

~Scott

Writing a blog

scott — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:50:49 +0000

Getting into website creation by yourself is no light undertaking. Blogging, photography, writing…understanding code, is more than a full time job. I comit to do this long ago and I am going to get it, no matter what. I thought the last phase of my site was good enough for a while after all my first website in itself, was an accomplishment. But IT needs to grow, I need to grow and just like in personal fitness, complacency is your enemy.

I had remembered when I first thought I had “arrived” It happened several times. When you think you have got there its hard to fathom that you are actually just starting.

Maybe that would be topic for another post. Until then, I need to make a handful of posts so I can understand how to organize the content. I have been collecting information, notes and other good stuff over this past year that I look forward to integrate into a fitness blog. which was hard, because there are so many good ones already out here. But I am going to incorporate these ideas and hopefully get to work with some of my personal heros and contributors.

keep on blazin!