Guests

The Simple Secret to Getting Leaner

The following is a guest post by Annie Berryhill:

In recent days, under the direction of my coach, I made some pretty significant changes to my already fairly clean Paleo-type of diet.

Best lean diet. Eat fat to lose fat.

Now I am not a microbiologist, biochemist, super-institutionally-educated brainiac. I am just a gal who loves to read. And to use her body as a science lab. It seems when you get enough fat, and lower you carbs, your body learns to use what you have hanging around for energy.

Okay, it’s not really a secret. It’s just one of those things that people just don’t want to believe. It’s actually counter-intuitive so people resist. But the truth is, it works and I am living proof.

Will it work for you?

I don’t know, but if you are into shedding some body fat, it is worth it to give it the old college try, right?

Let me go on the record though… I work to balance the “Ideal/By-the-book” program with “Real Life”. At 46 years old, I feel like I know I need to keep things in check. But at the same time, allow some “escape hatches” for fun and a little craziness (chips and salsa craziness!)

So for the last 6 weeks (or 5, up until I was commanded to shut down workouts), I adhered to a type of plan that I had never done before. In 6 weeks time, I am literally swimming in my Daisy Dukes. And have lost about 6 lbs. (I never go by pounds but I randomly weighed myself and was shocked to see the number. It’s the lowest I have been in about 20 years.)

Anyway…here is the plan:

AM:

1 Scoop (1Tbls) of fat before coffee (which has coconut milk and or coconut butter in it)

1 Protein Shake Daily Balance with Coconut or Almond Milk Base + 1/2 an avocado OR a scoop of almond butter with ice in a blender. Fill the remaining space in the blender with raw spinach, or spinach and Kale. Blend til smooth.

<If I get hungry at mid-day, I have a scoop of fat)>

Lunch

Meat (grass-fed, hormone free), Veggies (greens of course), Fat (Olives, Avo, coconut butter, olive oil)

Snack of fat if needed…

Dinner- Repeat something like lunch

I am allowed to have red wine (up to 2 glasses) up to 3xs a week. I usually would drink it only on evenings that precede an off-day.  I am also allowed 1 CHEAT MEAL a week. I’m just sayin’…

My WODs:

Mostly short (4-12 minutes tops!), core-centered workouts with medium weight components, varied movements.

What has improved since being on a this Fat-Oriented Paleo-Like Program:

• I sleep better
• I feel stronger, lighter
• Hamstring injury notwithstanding, I feel strong
• I am excited that I can adhere to it VERY easily, no real cravings!
• My passion for cooking and eating clean, I could talk about it all day every day!

What has been the hardest part on this eating plan?

• Keeping enough fresh food in the house
• Planning ahead
• Anticipating hunger and being ready to combat the cravings with fat sources
• Getting used to eating KALE (yuck!)
• Getting my husband to buy into what I was doing for US!
• I miss cheese a little bit, but not too much…

So, in the end, it is really simple to follow and allows a large variety of foods to use. Many people are against the whole shake thing. But with all the chopped veggies and fat I add, I believe it does slow down digestion and absorption somewhat. Besides, I like the ease of shakes in the morning – Just Make and GO!

Does this seem easy or is it a little baffling to you? Do you need some help understanding it, or coming up with a plan to implement this? Never fear, I am here to help you get rid of that nasty fat and reveal you strong, lean, healthy self!

Anne (Annie) Berryhill is a Crossfit Level 1 Trainer, USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach, Crossfit Athlete and competitor who owns and operates OC Fitness Revival in Orange County, CA. Services include personal and group training, nutrition classes and counseling. As well as providing incredible health-improving supplements to help people  to make the most out of what they’ve got.

7 Qualities of Winning Athletes

With all things being equal, what is different about winning athletes? When elite athletes are competing, the gap in abilities between the first and last place athlete is relatively small. You’ll need to dig a little deeper to understand what separates the top 1% of elite athletes from all the rest

Proper training builds strength and endurance. Mindset strategies improve focus and build confidence. Both components, physical training combined with mental game strategies, are necessary for high performance.

Elite athletes view performance, and winning, from a different set of lenses. Where elite athletes place their focus and attention is different from average athletes.

1. Motivation – There is a burning desire to be the best you can be. Being good enough is not enough. Elite athletes possess a deep need to always improve, taking their performance to the next level.
2. Initiative – Driven athletes don’t wait to be given permission to do something. They are the leaders in all they do, setting the standard for excellence.
3. No Excuses – Full commitment is necessary to be the best. Instead of viewing obstacles as problems, elite athletes approach them as challenges to overcome. The goal is the primary focus.
4. Determination – All challenges have solutions. Elite athletes are actively looking for the opportunities to help them reach their goal. Failure is not an option.
5. Strengths Based Approach – Focus on strengths. Elite athletes know where they excel and use that to their advantage. Find the best approach based upon your strengths. Also develop the skills necessary to minimize weaknesses.
6. Extra mile – A strong commitment sets up elite athletes to go the extra mile. Even when no one is looking, they continue to push themselves to be the best they can.
7. Tough Minded – Athletes are expected to do things which stretch them all the time. Tough minded athletes acknowledge the discomfort, but don’t let it stop them. Taking risks, and pushing through their comfort zone, is part of the champion mindset.

A success mindset is more natural for some than for others. Fortunately, it is not a birthright. Similar to new techniques and skill sets, a champion mindset can be learned.

Consider your level of commitment to your sport. Are you satisfied? If yes, that’s great. If not, then you can choose to change it accordingly.

The best way to begin the process of developing a champion mindset is to be coach-able. Become a student of excellence. Who can you learn from? Role models are excellent for witnessing success principles in action. Your coach and trainer want the best from you, even if they don’t always do a great job of giving you that impression. If they are approachable, find out what suggestions they have for you to improve your performance.

Be on the hunt for opportunities. They are all around you. The champion mindset focuses on the solutions, not the problems. Elite athletes are creative in their approach to challenges, willing to take a risk. They are all about results. Focused attention on solutions, while maintaining a positive mindset that reaching your goals are possible, will change your approach to challenges. Instead of excuses, you will be seeing opportunities to be the best you can. A champion mindset sets you up for success in all aspects of life.

Activity: Identify your goals. Be as specific as possible. Be willing to learn what is necessary to help you reach your goal. This means becoming a student of your sport. Winning is not just about physical abilities, it is about learning the underlying principles which make excellent athletes. Experiment. Work on one new skill at a time. You are more likely to succeed with steady effort instead of an all-out approach.

And now I would like to invite you to claim your FREE Start-up Kit “The Top 7 Mistakes Even the Best Athletes Make” available at: http://expertsportsperformance.com

Go to the above link to receive the champion mindset secrets to reaching your goal and begin building more confidence for winning results during competitions.

From Loren Fogelman, the Sports Performance Consultant, founder of Expert Sports Performance, a company devoted to teaching athletes around the globe how to consistently achieve peak performance levels, maintain focus during competitions and create the confidence to reach their BIG goals.

Full Body of Work: The Importance of Strengthening the Forgotten Muscle Groups

The following is a guest post from Brett Warren from Force Factor:

For many strength trainers, if you can’t see a muscle in the mirror, it just doesn’t matter. You’ve seen these “beach lifters” in the gym interrupting their workouts to admire their massive pecs and bulging biceps before cranking out yet another set of dumbbell flys. Let’s face it. There’s a little bit of beach lifter in all of us. It’s extremely gratifying to see our hard work pay off in a set of ripped abs (and to see the ladies notice those abs). But the serious lifter knows that it’s the less glamorous muscle groups you can’t see in the mirror that will take you to the next level of strength and flexibility.

We all know that muscle groups work in opposition to each other. When one muscle lengthens, another contracts. Yet we often structure our workouts as if we’ve never heard of this basic concept, overemphasizing the chest, biceps and abs, and ignoring the muscles of the back. Over time, the opposing back muscles become weaker and weaker, resulting in a hunched or slouching appearance and lower back pain. The same problem is common in leg workouts, where many of us focus heavily on the quads and forget about the hamstrings until we end up pulling one of them on the treadmill or the basketball court. In other words, neither your appearance nor your overall fitness level is well-served by the beach lifter approach.

The next time you hit the gym, spend some time on these less glamorous but equally important muscle groups. You’ll reap the benefits in increased strength, stability, flexibility, and yes, in your appearance as well.

1. Serratus Anterior: These muscles connect the anterior surfaces of the top 8 or 9 ribs with the scapula (shoulder blade), stabilizing the scapula by holding it against the chest. The serratus is often called the “boxer’s muscle” because it allows the scapula to move forward when you throw a punch. You won’t see it in the mirror, but because this muscle enables the forward and upward movement of the shoulders, a well-developed serratus is important for achieving maximum effectiveness in lots of the exercises you do on a daily basis. Think Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre don’t incorporate serratus work into their training? Think again. The incline shoulder press and incline shoulder raise are good exercises to help focus on this area. The good old-fashioned pushup works as well.
2. Rotator Cuff: The rotator cuff is the common name for the muscles that connect the arm to the shoulder blade, stabilizing the shoulder. There’s a really simple reason to work on strengthening the rotator cuff it’ll help you bench more. Since you can only bench as much weight as you’re able to stabilize, strengthening these muscles will help take your benching to the next level and improve your appearance with better posture. You can isolate the rotator cuff with cable external or internal rotation exercises or by doing arm circles.To do arm circles, stand with legs shoulder width apart with arms held tight and parallel to the ground to form a “T” with your body. Start with your thumbs pointing downward and begin moving the arms forward in tight circles for 15-20 seconds. Then reverse direction for another 15-20 seconds. Repeat these two cycles with the palms facing the ground, then with the thumbs pointing up, and finally with the palms facing upward. Think it sounds easy? If you’ve been neglecting your rotator cuffs, you may be surprised at how much of a burn you’ll feel from just a few minutes of this exercise. Arm circles are also a great warm up for lifting because it engages the arm muscles and promotes flexibility.
3. Lower spine: The lower spine and its muscles keep the body upright and are responsible for transmitting force evenly through the body. If you’ve ever had lower back pain, as many strength trainers do from time to time, you know how important the health of the lower spine is not just to your success in the gym but to your overall quality of life. When you’re regularly lifting large amounts of weight, it’s especially important to keep the core muscles in the abdomen and back strong and in balance with each other. Abs that are too weak can cause back pain, but more often abs that are too strong in relation to their counterparts in the lower back create problems for lifters. Doing back extensions on the roman chair or on a machine with weights can help strengthen the lower spine. For a lower impact workout, try a Pilates or yoga class; it may not feel quite as manly as pumping the heavy iron, but you’ll be surprised at how quickly you’ll see results.

Spend more time on these forgotten muscle groups, and you’ll quickly see gains in the major muscle groups as well. You’ll look better, you’ll feel stronger, and you’ll maintain a higher all-around level of fitness.

Brett Warren is a biochemical engineer from Boston, Massachusetts who develops sports supplements for Force Factor. He has done extensive research on nutrition and is an expert on nutraceutical science. He also has a passion for fitness and health. Brett’s work at Force Factor is supplemented by an active family life with plenty of gym time and outdoor recreation.

 

Tools You Need For Great Tennis

The U.S. Open has begun. Tennis fans anticipating upsets are waiting to see how it will all play out in the finals on the stadium courts.

For the first time Mardy Fish, seeded eighth, is the highest-placed American in a major championship. Renewed commitment to fitness and strength are paying off. His turnaround performance continues to improve. Fish’s confidence is building as he continues to tap into his full potential.

Last week offered an abundance of high quality activity during the qualies. Thirty two players, 16 men and 16 women, who did not make it into the main draw had a chance to play in the match.

Players from all over the world, came for their chance to compete in the Open. The excitement is in the wild card. The momentum builds when one of those players transforms from an unknown to an up and coming contender.

Frank Mitchell, 18, is among the youngest players in the qualies. As the No. 2 ranked junior player in the U.S. he received an invitation to play alongside the pros. The experience is priceless, expanding his ability to play against any opponent. Regardless of the outcome from the qualies, Mitchell has a clear plan for his journey from an amateur to pro, playing Division 1 college tennis as a stepping stone.

The difference in the abilities between the top and the lowest ranked players narrows as they move up in the rankings. So what does it take for a junior, like Mitchell, to successfully follow Fish, making the leap to the pros?

• Athletic ability – Developing an effective program for endurance, agility, quickness, power and conditioning. Balance helps players reach for tough shots and reduces injury when playing. Technology continues to advance the level of fitness and ability, creating specialized programs for different athletic skills. Top fitness is a strong advantage. This season Fish has shown increased stamina, speed, and fitness to stay in the rally.
• Skill set – Becoming a master on the court means strength in a wide range of strokes. Mixing up the pace is an advantage, being flexible on the court. Fine tuning technique to control the balls spin.
• Mental game – Understanding the desire to turn pro. Being resilient, prepared to adapt to the demands of being on tour. Mitchell displays presence of mind. His focus, on and off the court, regardless of the circumstances is a skill. Effective problem solving while in the game leads to effective tactics when the original plan is not working.
• Experience – Specific knowledge is gained from competition. Players learn how to control their game under stressful conditions. Strategy becomes refined by playing on a variety of surfaces, under different conditions and against opponents differing play styles.

Learning kicks in by attaching emotion to an event. Setbacks and wins create the deepest learning simply because the most emotion is attached to those events. The lessons learned from taking risks and making mistakes are priceless, becoming building blocks to excellence.

Some things cannot be anticipated until a player has been in those circumstances. Instead of being overwhelmed by an opponent’s strengths, and then giving up, elite tennis players identify the weaknesses in their opponents to turn the tables in their favor.

And what now? Mitchell failed to advance after day 3 of the qualies. His plans are to prepare for his freshman year at University of Virgina, playing men’s tennis for the school.

Activity: Patience is a virtue. When the pressure is on, don’t rush. Using rest periods between sets and prior to a serve is a strategic part of a winning player’s game plan. It takes a skilled, competitive player to stay in the game all the way to the end. Create your plan to effectively use the build in rest periods for center and maintain focus. To help the process between sets go ahead and throw a towel over your head to minimize distractions.

Loren Fogelman is the founder of Expert Sports Perfomance.com, a company devoted to teaching elite athletes how to consistently achieve peak performance levels, maintain focus during competitions and confidence to reach their BIG goals.

Water: The Key To Life

The following article is from friend and guest writer Jenny Berkeley from www.eating4eternity.org.

Firstly, I would like to say thank you and acknowledge Ryan Krane for the opportunity to share this article on his blog and you, his readers. As a nurse, I am very passionate about helping patients get more out of their current situation. You may be afflicted with a disease but you are not your disease.

In this article I’ll talk about one of my favourite topics. My topic for you is water. You see water is such a fundamental part of all alive and all existence that we sometimes take granted. I will grab hospital emergency rooms in and around Toronto. I see patients come in all manner of health challenges. And at that time I interrogating them I ask one simple question to which the answer is almost always the same. My question: “How much water have you to drink in bars 24 hours?”

The answer is almost always none or one to two cups. Sometimes patients get creative and they begin to count their cups of coffee, their juices, their energy drinks, and other liquids as water intake. But even though drinks contain water they are not a substitute for pure, clean, unadulterated water.

Your body is 70 to 80 percent water. Looking at yourself in the mirror, it seems hard to believe that your body could be 70% water and 30% solid matter but that is the truth. Given that water is such a large component of who you are, it makes sense to ensure that you have the very best water inside of you.

The old saying, “you are what you eat” becomes even more so in the expression, “you most certainly are what you drink.”

People have literally had your eyes opened by my lectures on this topic. I have received thanks from people whose lives have since been changed. One attendee in her evaluation said, “The information was logically presented and did support the method of hydration as a main health facilitator as well as others for your body. Well done Jenny.” The reason why people are excited is because I make the lecture so simple that a child could understand. I even draw a few happy faces on the blackboard when I teach also.

Water is so fundamental that making it too complex with person to understand is denying them access to information they need that could possibly save their life. That’s the way I look at it and that’s why my lectures are loved by the attendees.

As an athlete, your muscles must be infused and surrounded by the proper of water at the proper pH. It is the quality of this water that will facilitate proper elimination of cellular waste as well as proper absorption vital nutrients into your cells. If you want to be a better, faster, stronger, athlete then you must pay attention to the factor which makes up more than 70% of your body mass. Whether you are training for tennis, soccer, football, track and field, or even a marathon, it is important to ensure you have the proper nutrients along with the water to support it. If you failed to heed the warning then in your later years you too may become the victim of degenerative diseases so please hydrate well.

Remember, water truly is the key to life.

If you or a friend or family member in the Toronto, Canada area would like to learn more, come out to my speaking event on November 22, 2010. For more information visit: http://health2010.eventbrite.com

Peace and be well.

- – - -

Jenny Berkeley has been helping others for over 18 years. As a nurse and a health educator, she is fully able to help others understand their health from a traditional medicine or alternative medicine approach. She is also an author, speaker, lecturer, life-change coach and an advocate for good health. She is the publisher of a monthly health and wellness eZine and she is a social media butterfly with over 22,000 followers on twitter who follower her thoughts and insights. Her no nonsense approach to health and wellness gives people the information they need without the filler or fluff. Jenny lectures on a variety of topics including Senior’s Health, Diabetes, Colon Health, Dehydration and Disease and much more.

Blog: http://eating4eternity.org/blog

Twitter: http://twitter.com/sproutqueen

Why Uniqueness and Randomness Pays Off in Fitness

When it comes to fitness, it is very important to change up your work out every few weeks. You don’t want to fall into a pattern where you are repeating the same exercises over and over – your body will get bored(and so will you). Your body is a machine – throughout your lifespan, it’ll continually adjust and adapt to the numerous workout routines that you employ. If you continue running the same routine, your body will see diminishing returns after a period of time because it is too used to seeing the same work out over and over.

This concept carries over to anything in real life. Imagine eating a chicken salad every single day: while it might not seem so bad for the first week or so, you’ll eventually get so sick of it that you won’t be able to stand the sight of another chicken salad. That’s why we as human beings like to eat different kinds of foods – we don’t want to be bored. The same thing goes for your body – don’t fall into the trap of boring yourself. Because if you do, you’ll not only grow tired of the same repetitive routine – your body will see minimal gains. And that totally defeats the purpose of exercise we want to look good, right?!

As an example, I have provided a two week workout routine right here. The great thing is that there are so many different workouts that you can mix and match to form different types of routines – the possibilities are really endless. Another great thing is these exercises can be performed by both men AND women! Don’t know what these exercises are? Simply plug them into Google and you’ll quickly learn how to do each exercise!

Week 1:

Monday:

Squats(or lunges for women): 5 sets of 5

Planks: 5 sets of 5

Bent Over Rows: 3 sets of 10

Seated Dumb-bell Incline Press: 5 sets of 5

Tuesday:

Elliptical HIIT(high intensity interval training): 35 min(this can be adjusted depending on your fitness level)

Wednesday:

Squats(or lunges for women): 5 sets of 5

Planks: 5 sets of 5 Bent Over Rows: 3 sets of 10

Seated Dumb-bell Incline Press: 5 sets of 5

Thursday: Elliptical HIIT(high intensity interval training): 35 min(this can be adjusted depending on your fitness level)

Week 2:

Monday:

Pullups(pullup machine can be used for assistance!): 3 sets of 10

Seated hammer curls: 4 sets of 10 Seated preacher curls: 4 sets of 10

Elliptical HIIT(high intensity interval training): 35 minutes

Tuesday: Barbell Benchpress: 4 sets of 10

Machine Cables: 4 sets of 10

Decline Benchpress Machine: 4 sets of 10

Elliptical HIIT(high intensity interval training): 35 minutes

Wednesday:

Squats: 5 sets of 5

Lunges: 5 sets of 5

Reverse Lunges: 5 sets of 5

This is just ONE example of MANY routines you can switch from. See how easy it is to mix and match? Not only will you keep from getting bored, but your body will reap the benefits! Happy working out!

Eric Siu is the owner of the skincare blog How To Get Rid Of Pimples Fast. He is 24 years old and currently resides in Los Angeles, California. His interests are health, fitness, football, basketball, and poker.

Tennis and Weight Loss

The following is a guest blog post from Chris @ howtoloseweighthealthy.com:

Tennis can be a lot of fun and can keep a player physically fit. Additionally, tennis can help you lose weight. Before getting into the details on how playing tennis can help you lose weight let us first discuss when a person gains or loses weight.

When we eat, the calories from food are being converted to energy so the body can perform its physiologic functions as well as other activities that are part of daily living. However, if we take in too much calories and at the same time live a sedentary lifestyle, the calories are converted to reserved energy (also known as body fat) and deposited in the fatty tissues for future use. This body fat greatly contributes to the ability of a person to gain weight and also looks not as aesthetically pleasing. However, when physical activities that require effort are performed, the body will be working harder to convert these body fats to energy so the person can efficiently perform the tasks, thus a person loses weight when working out.

According to fitness experts, an effective workout activity doesn’t only burn calories but it is also something that is enjoyable as well. Come to think of it, a workout will be considered a chore if a person finds it boring and unchallenging, which is the reason why more and more people drop out from gym or fitness classes. On the other hand, a fitness activity that interests a person is considered recreational thus people are able to burn more calories because they keep on coming back. That’s the reason why fitness experts recommend fun activities for weight loss like dancing, yoga, and sports.

Tennis is a great calorie-attacking sport that allows a person to burn 326 calories/hr for doubles and 469 calories/hr for singles. This sport burns a good amount of calories because it requires a lot running, jumping, skipping, hopping, tossing, and hitting. Since this sport requires both the upper and lower body to work, it’s one of the best sports that is recommended if you want to shed off those excess pounds at an accelerated rate.

Playing tennis also contributes in creating lean and toned muscles because it requires both strength in hitting the ball and agility as the player runs and jumps. Additionally, since muscles burn calories faster than fats, tennis allows the player to lose weight faster than going through workout machines.

Tennis is also a great aerobic exercise. This means that when a person plays tennis, the oxygen system is improved and the heart gets some exercise as it pumps faster in a short period of time. Also, according to the principles of indirect calorimetry, oxygen plays a major role in burning calories, so you lose weight as your oxygen level improves.

Because of all these reasons, playing tennis is like working out on several exercise machines all at once. Thanks to tennis, Anna Kournikova, Maria Sharapova, and Maria Kirilenko look so stunningly sexy and James Blake, Andre Agassi, and Rafael Nadal have lean and well-toned abs.

Author bio: Chris maintains a weight loss blog where he explains how to lose weight using natural methods and techniques. Sports and especially tennis are some of the best ways to lose weight fast and enjoy it at the same time.