If you’re working out like crazy, and still not seeing your 6 pack abs, then there’s one big reason: The specific foods you eat. As such, you need to start analyzing your diet. With that said, I am not suggesting a low calorie diet or advising you to reduce your carb intake. But, there are 5 foods you must avoid. Even if you have a sound nutritional diet, you will still be stuck in the weight loss rut if you eat these foods. If you’re consuming any of the 5 foods below, they will stop you from ever seeing your 6 pack – or even getting lean. The solution is to eat substitutes, or healthy alternatives. 1. Fast Food Nearly all fast foods have tons of Trans Fats. It’s these types of fats that have zero nutrition and they actually lower your good cholesterol while raising your bad. Stay away from fast food, PERIOD. I am sure you’ve heard the saying, “everything is good moderation”..? Well, except fast food! The Obesity epidemic is on the rise. In fact, did you know that 1/3rd of the population (BMI 30+) suffer from being obese? Furthermore, overweight individuals (BMI 25-29) make up another 1/3rd of it. We live in a fast food and microwave type of era, everyone wants it fast to fit their lifestyles. No wonder these franchises are popping up on the most sought after corners of real estate around the country. And, they will keep opening doors as long as we keep lining up for their products. 2. Frozen “Diet” Food aka “Lean Cuisine” These so called “Lean Cuisines” or “All In One” diet meals are nothing more than a big ball of chemically processed garbage. If you don’t believe me, grab a microscope and take a peak at what you’re putting in to your body. That should be enough to convince you! Try baking a chicken breast in some lemon and garlic, add some asparagus or greens for the side. Its just as fast and easy, tastes better, and is far better for your body. 3. White, enriched, or otherwise refined flour-based products Flour is a powder made from grains, legumes, nuts or seeds. Refined grains are significantly modified from their original state, removing the germ and bran. They are further processed through mixing, bleaching, and brominating, and then can be “enriched” with B vitamins and iron. However, in most cases it is not leaving white flour useless for your body. White flour contains absolutely no nutritional value what-so-ever. There is a reason why diabetics are not suppose to eat white bread… It’s because white flour is converted by the body into sugar as it enters the bloodstream. You’re just as well off eating a slice of cake! In other words, it makes you fat so steer clear. 4. High Fructose Corn Syrup They are starting to put this crap in everything! READ THE LABELS… This ingredient is not good for you and without question detrimental to your six pack abs. (HFCR) is not processed by the body in the same was as traditional sugar, it must pass through the liver first. (HFCR) is prominent in things such as; soft drinks, juice beverages, and processed foods. It is also referred to as “corn sugar”, so be conscious of this as you shop. In fact, one study performed by Princeton found that high-fructose corn syrup ingestion in rats prompted considerably more weight gain than table sugar — even when caloric intake was the same. Read more: http://naturalsociety.com/high-fructose-corn-syrup/#ixzz2NoupSTBx 5. Alcohol This is a midsection killer! Alcohol wreaks havoc on your waistline like smoking does on lungs. If you are going to drink, then resort to a glass or two of red wine or a light beer. I certainly don’t recommend drinking alcohol at all while trying to lose weight, however, you can see some best case scenario beers here. Find substitutes or alternatives for these 5 foods and you will break through your fitness plateau and begin losing body fat.You can do this! Let’s get fit together! Tweet 3 Share 128 +1 0 Reddit Pocket Pinterest LinkedIn 0
If you’re currently expecting and are still motivated to continue with your resistance training, there are a few important things to keep in mind when training during a pregnancy. While moderate training is recommended during pregnancy; its important keep yourself safe for your baby’s sake. 1. Stay Away From Exercises That Require A Prone Position Make sure that you stay away from any movements that require you to be in the prone position. This includes but is not limited too; superman’s, bent over rows, push-ups, burpees, and planks. These types of exercises should be avoided, because these positions can place excess stress on the stomach and baby. Any type of exercise that involves lying down on your stomach is definitely one you’ll want to avoid. 2. Monitor Your Body Temperature It’s important to keep track of your body temperature as well. Stay as cool as possible; you don’t want to let your body overheat as this could put your baby at risk for developmental problems. Tip: Be sure to wear cool, breathable clothing during your workouts. If possible use fans close by to keep you cooler. Remember; it’s OK to stop if you feel yourself getting excessively warm. 3. Keep Your Heart Rate Lower Always make sure to train at a sustainable heart rate; it’s even more important during pregnancy. While your heart rate will rise slightly regardless of the type of exercise you’re doing, don’t let it rise to high too fast. Now is not the time to work on achieving fitness goals – you’ll want to use your resistance training while you’re pregnant to simply maintain your fitness level. This will ensure a much easier road post pregnancy. 4. Don’t Perform Exercises That Require High Balancing Effort Lastly, stay conscious of your pregnancy as well as the workouts you are performing while your pregnant. You should avoid doing very complex exercises all together, especially those that require extreme balance throughout the range of motion. For example, now just isn’t the time for single leg split squats, single leg dead lifts, or single leg anything for that matter. Remember, the purpose of this training is to maintain not to get ready for a triathlon. While these are all fantastic movements that can really add another dimension to your routine; as your body weight is climbing and your equilibrium slightly off already, you don’t need to engage in more challenging exercises. Stay balanced and safe, your baby is counting on you. These simple little tips will help you stay on track during pregnancy and you will be on your way to staying in shape and maintaining both your health as well as your developing baby’s. Tweet 3 Share 3 +1 0 Reddit Pocket Pinterest LinkedIn 0
Casein is the primary protein found in milk and cheese. Out of the true proteins found in milk, 82 percent is casein. The other major protein in milk is whey. I strongly believe in reducing and/or eliminating dairy from the diet all together. Here’s why… I speak from experience when I say I had adverse effects from consuming casein. What can I say, it came highly recommended by the sales associate at my local GNC. So I gave it an honest shot, this was before I made the decision to only use all natural supplements.I tested casein, the GNC brand for 3 straight days. What a nightmare! I read the directions and consumed it according to the specifications on the label. On each of the 3 days I drank a casein shake before bed. At least that’s what I intended to do, was go to bed. That was before I broke out in hives. The first night I couldn’t pin point it, but on day 2 I knew exactly what was. I thought fair enough, the hives weren’t so bad they were going to kill me, they were just uncomfortable and third times always a charm right?! Needless to say I returned it. GNC stands behind everything so it was a very easy transaction. Now I realize that supplements react differently for everyone. But I couldn’t help myself to go looking for some information. If I had these adverse effects surely it can’t be good for others whether they are experiencing these same reactions or not. What I found was quite interesting to say the least. If you aren’t familiar with the adverse affects on the body from consuming milk and dairy products, check out this article and then read on to find out why it’s primary protein isn’t what it’s marketed to be. Consuming casein is very often accompanied by some unwanted side affects, such as allergies, heart burn, gas and an unpleasant aftertaste. Casein causes an increase of the body’s mucus. The fact that casein is not easily digestible, it can result in a sinus infection. Over time, these foods can clog the intestines with thick mucus, along with the fecal matter and other debris it traps. It’s used for making glue. Yes, you read that right. The process of making casein glue is almost identical to making cheese. Casein glue has a long lifespan, is very strong and very water resistant. Some other products made from casein: paper coating, leather finishing, and even a form of paint. It really doesn’t sound like something that we should be ingesting. There are many studies linking casein to increased risk of cancer. Considering milk and dairy consumption increases the body’s level of insulin-like growth factor-1, IGF-1, this certainly means casein does. Casein can be found in more products than you think; protein bars and powders, coffee creamers, cheese products, whipped toppings, ice creams and frozen desserts, baked goods, meat products, and even infant foods. Nearly all of these items are not beneficial to your health. Do yourself a favor and avoid all processed foods as well as dairy and you will reap major benefits. As always I encourage you to do your own research to decide what’s right for your body. Let’s get fit together, – Michael Tweet 0 Share 1 +1 0 Reddit Pocket Pinterest LinkedIn 0
There’s no doubt about it, anyone involved in fitness, weight loss or muscle building seeks one thing – six pack abs. That’s the muscle group that people take notice of. It shows that you work out and are in great shape. Well, the good news is that you already have a six pack, but it’s lurking under a layer of fat (if you can’t see it). So what’s the answer to revealing your six-pack abdominals? Sure, you can do hundreds of ab crunches every day, but it’s not going to burn the belly fat (regardless of what the magazines say). As such, here are 3 effective techniques and tips to get those toned abdominals that you really want, and which turn heads. Six Pack Tip #1 Taper your meals during the day Your body must properly digest the food after each meal. To make this happen, reduce the size of every meal as the day goes on. Keep this saying in mind: “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.” Start your day with a balanced, protein-packed breakfast to get your metabolism cranking. Eat eggs, fruit, and nuts. As the day progresses, eat every 3 hours and try to consume less carbs in the evening. This will help keep your metabolism cruising throughout the day and night, and help to reveal those abdominal muscles. Six Pack Tip #2 Ban processed foods Listen up – if you put garbage in, you are going to feel and look like garbage. Polluting your body with processed food is the worst thing you can do for health and for getting those six-pack abs. Cutting out the fake food will give you more energy, less body fat, better digestion, healthy skin and a spring in your step. Six Pack Tip #3 Increase your water intake A simple but effective tip. This strategy has been used by many personal trainers and body builders, and is one of the best ways get those flat abs. Why? Drinking water helps to flush out toxins and boost your metabolism. Contrary to some myths about water weight, the more water you drink, the less water weight you will retain. Drinking water flushes out toxins and keeps our bodies working properly. Often, we eat when we don’t realize we are thirsty. So, drink a glass of water to quench your thirst before every meal and you will avoid overeating. Tweet 0 Share 0 +1 0 Reddit Pocket Pinterest LinkedIn 0
Do you hate plateaus as much as I do? If you’ve been working out for any length of time, then my guess is you do. And, for those of you who have just started working out or have been lucky enough to avoid them, it’s only a matter of time. Don’t worry they happen to even the very best athletes in the world. However, when you are prepared for something it’s far less likely to effect you. The following three tips will help you shake off just about any plateau you can think of. These are the same tips I use, over and over again with my clients, so I know they will prove to be successful if you follow them. 1. Write Down Your Workout Stay prepared. Get into the habit of writing down your entire routine before setting foot in the gym, popping in that workout DVD, or gearing up for your training session. Include every detail; reps, sets, weight, and rest. Not only will you train with laser focus and intensity, you will also get your workout done in less time, leaving you with more time to enjoy your other favorite activities. 2. Change Up Your Routine a. Increase “Volume” Increase the volume of your workout by training longer. Keyword “training”. Not walking around aimlessly. Again write down your workout. I only recommend increasing the volume of your workout if you are training for less than one hour. Start with an increase of 15-20%. b. Increase “Density” Increase the density of your workout by doing more in the same amount of time. Or by performing the same amount in less time. You can always increase the density. I am a big believer in workouts with less rest built into them. That is essentially how you increase the density of any given workout. This is how you rev-up your metabolism too. You can change up your routine; increase “Volume” and or “Density” by manipulating any one or more of the following: Time in between sets (rest) Reps Sets Weight Adhere to the volume/density principals and you will be able to push through any barrier big or small. By manipulating your reps, sets, weight, and rest time you keep your muscles guessing. And, if you have seen or heard me say in one of my other videos or eBooks, you know on the training side everything revolves around the “keep your muscles guessing, keep your muscles growing and changing” philosophy. The last and possibly the most important tip revolves around your diet. 3. Take a Hard Look at Your Diet Eliminate that one thing from your diet that you know needs to go. We all have that one thing in our diet that’s very difficult for us to give up. For me it was a cranberry orange muffin every morning with my coffee. I think I had this particular muffin with my coffee for 180 days straight. I was addicted. It was the very last thing to go. It was hard, but so worth it. I found a substitute to take its place. , my favorite bar on this side of Kentucky – haha! No serious these bars are the best all-natural bars I’ve ever tasted. Moral of the story… Whatever your thing is, give it up for at least the next 7 days. You’ll be glad you did. Summary If you are stuck, maybe the scale isn’t tipping, you can’t put on any mass, or maybe you just can’t seem to get any stronger. Regardless of the plateau, I can assure you by implementing these 3 things you will bust through your plateau in no time. It won’t even seem like a plateau. What’s your biggest hurdle or plateau at the moment and are you prepared to flat out crush it? Tweet 0 Share 1 +1 0 Reddit Pocket Pinterest LinkedIn 0
It should come as no surprise that stretching is an important part of fitness, but why? For those of you who don’t know: flexibility is defined as; the ability to flex, extend or circumduct the joints through their full intended range of motion (ROM). It is through stretching that we become more flexible. However, the vast majority of people already have an adequate level of flexibility. In other words, you probably have ample flexibility to meet the daily exigencies of live with room to spare. That doesn’t mean you should ignore all-together. I mean you’re most likely strong enough to meet the daily demands of life but you still train, right? Many trainers typically tend to over emphasize flexibility training, as opposed to developing functional strength while in a stretched position. I mean, what good is being flexible if you aren’t strong enough move through your new range of motion? If you develop your joints ROM without also improving the strength of your surrounding musculature can set yourself up for injury. Tip: When you’re performing any type of strength exercises make sure you are using the full ROM, and especially for new movements and techniques. Here is what I recommend: Add some basic stretching to engage the muscles of which you exposed during your workout, but do it after your training session (5-10 minutes is sufficient). A good rule of thumb is to hold the stretched position for 20-60 seconds and not much more. Now this doesn’t mean; don’t warm up before your workouts. You should always warm-up before an intense training session, but leave the stretching for after the workout. I don’t recommend stretching to any real degree before your workout, it can actually prohibit you during strength exercises. If you’re workout is mostly long form cardio, then stretching before hand is more important. I highly discourage long form cardio unless you are training for a marathon, in my professional opinion long-form cardio to get fit is broken! I’ll prove it to you; however, I will save that for a different post. Here is an good example of a quick warm-up for most intense strength training sessions: Tweet 5 Share 5 +1 0 Reddit Pocket Pinterest LinkedIn 0
We all have our cheat days and when we do, sometimes it can be hard to enjoy them if we are thinking about how it’s going to affect all of the hard work that we put in during the week. But there is a way to have cheat meals and not gain weight. With three simple steps, you can have your cheat meal and not worry about a few extra calories. Here are some Guidelines to Follow: Drink a ton of water Make sure you still get your protein in before anything else Cheat on your most intense training day Drinking more water when having a cheat meal is important for two reasons. One is that depending on the cheat meal, you could be consuming an excess of salt that you are not used to and water will help flush that out. A second reason is that hunger is sometimes really just thirst, and being over hungry when consuming the cheat meal that can lead to excess indulging. Have a glass of water or two leading up to your cheat meal. This will help you better gage how hungry you are when eating it and stop you sooner than if you felt starved. The easiest way to remember how much you will need, will be to drink half of your body weight in ounces per day. Then have more if you feel thirsty. Things like training and salt intake will effect how much water you need. Always have your protein first. When you plan to add a cheat meal to your day, never use it to replace your protein somewhere else. Protein is important to your muscle recovery and feeling satiated. Again, being overly hungry when consuming junk food is a terrible idea, and can lead to over indulging. Make sure you get all your protein in for the day and then put your junk food cheat into the spot of a carbohydrate and fat. When having your cheat meal, make sure that you plan for it on a day that you training is super intense. Maybe your do HIIT Max Monday, Wednesday and Friday so it would be one of those days. For our Morellifit Coaches, these days are often leg days. That allows your body to use up these excess calories and you consume the cheat meal on a day that your metabolism is revved up. Then lastly after following these rules, we want you to #earnyourcheat. You have work up to your cheat meal by doing all this so you don’t feel guilty when eating it, and you don’t feel guilty afterwards. Meal planning for your week allows you to fit in your cheats in a way that works. It’s ok to cheat and it’s going to build resiliency. You’ll probably feel bad afterwards and think to yourself that you don’t want to do that for a while anyways. What happens then is that you’re less likely to cheat if you feel the bad effects of a bad meal. That will help you wait and have a cheat meal for a while. Tweet 5 Share 1 +1 0 Reddit Pocket Pinterest LinkedIn 0
Do you find yourself binging under stressful situations? You’re not alone. In fact, I remember when I was in college, stayed up all night cramming for that 9am mid-term. I absolutely hated the cravings. It was like I stayed hungry all night long. I was constantly reaching for my comfort foods; frozen pizza, cereal, and my all-time favorite candy Starburst. What I didn’t realize at the time was WHY..? For me it was the pressure of college, maybe it’s something different for you. With that in mind, if we understand where this urge comes from; then we can better prepare and our chances of controlling it increase ten-fold. What is the “hunger hormone”, and how do we trigger it…? Research suggests ghrelin, aka the “hunger hormone” plays a key role in triggering individuals to indulge in high-calorie, high-fat “comfort foods” in response to stress. Researchers have also discovered that ghrelin influences the transmission of nerve signals to the area of the brain associated with pleasure and reward behaviors Many experts believe this to be the reason why we more often than not reach for these so called “comfort foods” during times of stress. The stress is inevitable… How do I get control? You can control ghrelin by making sure you eat throughout the day. I normally recommend that my clients eat every 3-4 hours and to make sure to include protein and healthy carbs. Additionally, make sure to get enough sleep (8 hours is recommended). Exercise regularly and try to reduce stressful situations. This may mean less commitments, or maybe you need to take a relationship inventory. Often times the stress in our lives can be caused by friends and family. It may be time to discuss your feelings and the effects of certain people in your inner circle. They will understand if they truly love you and care about your well-being. Remember to take care of yourself, you’re the only one you’ve got! Tweet 0 Share 0 +1 0 Reddit Pocket Pinterest LinkedIn 0
There are many reasons that prevent people from losing weight, but ultimately, they all boil down to the thoughts that become habitual. In other words, we need to make a few shifts in our mindset. Here are the two mindset shifts that encourage weight loss: Lack of patience v long-term persistence & consistency In reality, you never really know close you are from achieving your goals. It doesn’t matter if you want six pack abs, want 10 pounds of muscle, or want to 10 pounds of fat, the same principles apply. Many of us throw in the towel right as we are turning the results corner. So, be patient and persistent, and remember that anything worthwhile takes time. If your goal is to lose weight, realize that you didn’t gain the excess weight overnight, so you can’t possibly lose it all overnight. Stay the course, be consistent, and you will see results. Consensus thinking v advice based on proven results Unfortunately, conventional fitness advice has hindered the dreams of many people. Many people give up on their dream body because they exercise and diet so hard, for weeks or months, without seeing any real results… I know this feeling first hand. It’s almost a feeling of betrayal (I did everything I was told, and ended up with nothing). This was me for a long time. I was bouncing around from program to program, doing what I was told by the experts. And I got only minor results. Conventional wisdom tells you to do a lot of cardio. Right! The treadmill is your best friend. And…Eat 6 small meals a day, making sure to keep your total calorie consumption as low as possible. Here’s where reality steps in. It’s simply NOT sustainable. Sure, if you run for hours and eat like a bird, you’ll lose weight… But who has the time or means to do that forever? The reality show, “biggest loser” is a good example. Take a look at the past contestants. The commonality is that many of them have put on plenty of weight since the show. This is common theme for many people who lose weight. In fact, it’s so common that it has been termed the “yo-yo” effect. Weight comes off – then it goes back on. A simple mindset shift means you can avoid this weight loss pitfall. Avoid following the conventional advice, and look at health and physique of the person who is offering an opinion. It doesn’t stop there. Ask yourself, “what do they have to gain by telling me this”? Be cautious and question everything, even the advice you get from me. Bottom line… I want you to get into a habit of this. Do your own research. To sum this up… 1. Practice persistence in your life. You can do this everyday, and your ability to persist will grow stronger. 2. Don’t follow conventional fitness advice. Find someone who you can trust in the fitness world. Find someone (or a few people) who provide you with honest information, and walks the talk. Making these simple shifts in thinking will have a big impact on your results. Remember, it all starts with your thoughts. Don’t under estimate the power of them. Tweet 0 Share 0 +1 0 Reddit Pocket Pinterest LinkedIn 0
I’ve been getting a lot of questions on how I went from 176lbs at 24% body fat, to 150lbs at 8% body fat. You can see my transformation here I’ve already revealed certain things that I did via Twitter, but I could only offer short answers there. In this blog post, I want to describe the 11 steps that I used day-in, day-out. Here they are: High intensity training I created the MoreFit circuits myself in order to implement HIT into my life. Check out my YouTube channel for complete MoreFit workouts, and part exercises. Even if you don’t use my workouts, use some type of HIT exercises. If you do this, you will find your metabolism gets cranked up, your burn fat and feel great all day. I have given my opinion on long-form cardio training on this blog. It simply does not work for fat loss. So, instead of that, aim for 3-5 sessions per week of HIT training. Drink more water There are so many reasons to drink more water. Water is the major substance in your body (the average adult human body is 50-75% water). Without water in your liver, you cannot metabolize the fat. So, if you don’t drink enough water, you will gain weight. Besides this, you need water to stay hydrated, clear headed, focused and energetic. If you want more motivation to reach your goals, you need more water. Eating schedule Begin with breakfast. This will jump start your metabolism. From here, eat every 2-3 hours a day, throughout he day. To do this, you need to be prepared ahead of time, so have your meals ready. If you’re new to this way to living, then try to have 24 hours worth of food ready to eat at a moments notice. This will prevent poor food choices and help you build the habit. Ban processed foods Have more energy. Have better-looking skin. Improve your digestion. You can gain all of these benefits and more, then you simply cut out processed foods. This can take time to implement, but just be more focused when you go food shopping. Choose fresh food over packaged items. Don’t forget to supplement your diet Supplement with the big 4: Protein. BCAA’s. Glutamine. Multi vitamins. You need to get these extra ingredients if you are using high intensity training. You need to recover, grow and get stronger, and ordinary foods won’t give you enough high quality nutrients. If you are doing everything right, but not losing the weight you want – this could be a turning point for you. These supplements are not expensive, and represent the best investment you can make for health and weight loss. Cut out sugar Refined sugar is poisonous and lacks any nutrients. There is no goodness in it, so cut it out. I used to enjoy starburst and skittles, so this took some willpower and time to implement, but I did it. And so can you. This is the number one cause of weight gain, and the reason many people feel fatigued. There is sugar in almost all packaged goods, so you need to be aware and check the labels. Avoid alcohol I used to have a drink almost every night of the week. So this was difficult to cut out. But you will feel better immediately, and avoid any hangovers. Alcohol will reduce your strength, and increase your recovery time after working out. It will also hinder your ability to metabolize fat. In other words, it is literally working against your goals, so try to cut it out, and reserve it for only special occasions. Limit dairy Dairy contains hormones, RBGH, pus, blood cells and peptides. It will also raise your insulin. When I learned this, I made a choice to cut it out of my diet, for health reasons. Substitute milk for almond milk. You will find it tastes better. Try to cut out the cheese. You will find that you feel less bloated when you cut it out (it worked for me). Cut out wheat & grains Despite what you might have been told, whole wheat is not healthy. Wheat and grain will stimulate your appetite and increase your blood sugar levels (which will lead to weight gain). Eat fat to lose fat You need to have the right fats in your diet. Aim for Omega 3,6, and 9. Stick to mono-unsaturated fats. These are the good fats. When you do this, you will begin to use the fats to fuel and fat loss will be visible on a weekly basis (if you have stopped eating carbohydrates). Stop stressing out Go for a walk. Read a book. When you feel stressed, take a deep breath and try to think things through. Why? Because stress releases cortisol (which is a hormone that eats muscle tissue) and slows down your metabolism. Don’t work hard in the gym, and then lose your gains because of stress. Summary All of the 11 methods above are things that I have used, and still use. They have become unconscious ways of acting, being and choosing now. But, I had to work on them each day to turn them into habits. Don’t be overwhelmed by the list. Choose just one thing and work on it today. Once it becomes a habit, move onto another from the list. Join me and let’s get fit together! Tweet 0 Share 3 +1 0 Reddit Pocket Pinterest LinkedIn 0
