AtoZfitness Article Blog Post – Feb.26 2008
Exercise Less For Fat Loss Success

By Scott Tousignant, BHK, CFC
Creator of Unstoppable Fat Loss
Author of “The Fit Chic” and “The Fit Bastard”
Co-Author of “101 Great Ways To Improve Your Health”

 
97% of the people that I see working out in the gym are totally wasting their time.  You may argue with me and say that “Something is better than nothing”, but you are only kidding yourself.

How may people do you see in the gym who have been working out on a regular basis for years, yet their bodies have not changed at all?  Do you see these same people walking or jogging on the treadmill for nearly an hour or even more than an hour every day?  There’s a reason for this lack of results…

It’s ‘Lack Of Intensity’.
 
Now let me ask you another question.  Have you ever hit a plateau where the weight loss results that you were experiencing suddenly came to a halt?  What did you do at that point?  Did you add in another weight training session or increase your cardio by 15 additional minutes?

Then when you stop seeing results once again do you increase the amount of exercise even more all while cutting back on what you eat to the point where your pet rabbit is eating more than you?

I’ll tell you what I’m seeing out there. People who think it’s necessary to spend 90 minutes in the gym 6 days a week in order to achieve any significant results.  Who’s got time for that?  I know with my busy schedule there’s no way you’ll catch me working out that much.

I’ll tell you what else I see in the gym.  People aimlessly wondering around with no plan and no structure.  Their just going through the motions lifting a weight that’s not challenging, walking at a speed that barely gets their heart rate going (because that’s what the program says on the treadmill is best for fat loss), and doing the same old thing day in and day out.  Their rest periods are excessive and they certainly aren’t enjoying themselves.

And they wonder why they’re not seeing fat loss results.

What they are neglecting to realize is their intensity sucks!  Lets face it, challenging yourself can be difficult.  We have to step outside of our comfort zone and most people are just not willing to do that

If what I’ve just said has hit a little too close to home then it’s time that you think long and hard about why you are even going to the gym.

It’s time to get the intensity back into your workouts and here are the key ingredients that absolutely must be in place:

1)         You need to have purpose and passion at the foundation of each workout.  Purpose comes from realizing that this individual workout is a step toward achieving your ultimate fat loss or muscle building goal. 

Passion comes from realizing all the benefits associated with accomplishing your goal, such as looking hot in a bathing suit, getting compliments from your friends and spouse, landing your dream job or getting a promotion, increased confidence and self esteem, knowing that you will be around to play with your grandchildren or see your own children get married, and so much more.

2)         Make every workout count.  You’ve got to give maximum effort to every single rep of each set of every exercise you do.  One way that you can do this is by having an intense focus on the individual muscle that you are working.  Feel the muscle working and push it to exhaustion.  You need to connect your mind with your muscle.

If you’re going to go to the gym, you’ve got to give it everything that you’ve got!

3)         Choose a weight that is challenging and push it to momentary muscular exhaustion.  5 pound dumbbells usually don’t cut it.  Stimulate those muscles and force them to change to give you the defined body that you deserve.

4)         Cut your rest time right down.  There are times when I only allow 15 seconds rest between sets, and if I’m super setting or drop setting I may not rest at all.  This is the reason why many of my workouts only last for 20 minutes.  It’s also the reason why there isn’t a dry spot on my shirt at the end of the workout and my heart rate is higher than the people that have been on the treadmill for an hour.

I created The Fit Bastard & The Fit Chic Fat Loss workouts to be incredibly time efficient so you can get in and out of the gym in no time at all.  Most of the fat loss workouts can be done in 20 minutes.  The strength and muscle building phases last a bit longer, but you will never spend more than 45 minutes in the gym on any of my programs.

When you increase the intensity you can cut your workout time way down and it will be much more effective than the long drawn out programs that most people are doing.

5)            Continuous and consistent progress is a powerful way to increase your intensity.  If you are better this workout than you were the last and you plan on being better the next workout than you were this one, you will force yourself into increasing your intensity.

This is where using a journal really comes into play.  Record the workout that you did, along with the exercises, reps, weight lifted, rest period, and total time that it took you to complete the workout.  Make a note of how you feel and how challenging it was.  Create a rating system and rate each workout.

When you follow the above strategies you will have no choice but to cut your workout time in half because you simply will not be able to keep up with that pace.  Basically you are getting more work done in less time.

You have a choice.  You can continue to do what you’ve been doing and experience the same fat loss results or lack there of, or you can do what it takes to get your dream body and pick up the intensity.

You get what you put into your workouts.  Make them fun and always put your heart and passion into every single one.  Focus on your ultimate fat loss goal and know with absolute certainty that today’s workout has a significant impact on whether or not you will achieve it.

About the author:

Scott Tousignant, BHK, CFC is the creator of Unstoppable Fat Loss, "Empower Your Mind… And Your Body Will Follow!"
http://snipurl.com/empoweratoz

Scott has also authored 2 books that are transforming the bodies of people around the world.  "The Fit Chic" and "The Fit Bastard" not only contain a FULL YEAR of workouts, they provide intense motivation to drive you to fat loss success.

You can grab a free motivational gift and month of workouts at the following sites:

Gals – http://snipurl.com/fitchicatoz

Guys – http://snipurl.com/fitbastatoz

Nutrition Strategies to Turbo Charge Your Metabolism

By Scott Tousignant, BHK, CFC
Creator of Unstoppable Fat Loss
Author of “The Fit Chic” and “The Fit Bastard”
Co-Author of “101 Great Ways To Improve Your Health”

First of all this is not about a new miracle pill that melts the fat off your body.  The best strategy of fat loss is to EARN IT. 

The first step in earning a lean and tight body is to consume five to six small meals per day.  It is something so simple yet many of us choose to ignore it.  This alone is enough to kick-start your metabolism. 

You should eat every 2 ½ to 3 hours.  Each meal should be small and leave you feeling satisfied but not full.  If you are not quite hungry 3 hours after you’ve consumed your meal, it’s a sign that you ate too much.  Basically, take what you would eat during your 3 meals each day and spread it out over 6 meals. 

To get the most out of each meal and turn up your metabolic furnace it’s best to combine a lean protein, a complex carbohydrate, vegetables, and essential fatty acids with most meals.

Eating carbohydrates alone will result in quick digestion and an insulin spike.  Protein takes longer to digest and requires your body to burn more calories during the digestion process (thermic effect of food).  Consuming proteins with your carbohydrates will cause the digestion of the carbohydrates to take longer and you will stay satisfied longer as well.

A common problem with the typical low calorie diet is the significant reduction in calories for extended periods of time.  During the beginning stages of the diet you may lose a significant amount of weight but then you notice that your results start to decrease until eventually you are no longer losing weight even though your are still following the strict diet.

At this point you figure that you probably hit a plateau and you decrease your calories a little bit more so you can lose those last ten pounds.  The plateau that you have experienced is due to your bodies ‘defense mechanism’ that is on red alert screaming, “We’re starving!” 

So what does your body do? 

It releases more fat storing hormones and enzymes into the bloodstream and decreases the fat burning hormones and enzymes.  Why?  The answer is that your body is simply trying to protect itself so it stores whatever it can as fat in order to prepare for this famine that you are putting yourself through.  The end result is a decrease in your metabolism.  So what can we do to prevent this from happening?

The first strategy is called ‘calorie cycling.’  It goes by other names as well, but this pretty much sums it up.  To lose weight you definitely need a caloric deficit, meaning that you need to burn more calories than you are taking in.  You should never drastically reduce your calories.  Aim for a 15% to 20% reduction in calories. 

With calorie cycling you follow this deficit for 3 days and on the fourth day you go back to your maintenance caloric intake, which is the amount of calories that you could eat without gaining or losing any weight.  You then repeat the cycle.

What this strategy does is just when your body starts to think that it better make some changes to lower your metabolism and store up some fat, you trick it by slightly increasing your calories.  This also gives you a boost in energy and does not leave you feeling deprived.

The second strategy improves upon the calorie cycling and is called carbohydrate cycling.  So if you reduce your calories by 15%, the reduction would come entirely from carbohydrates. 

This is not your typical low carb diet.  A 15% decrease is not an absurd amount, and you get to bring it back to normal on the fourth day, which will replenish your glycogen stores in your muscles to give you more energy and strength to get through your workouts.

The third strategy is called calorie tapering.  In a five to six meals per day plan, you consume more calories in your first few meals of the day and reduce the amount of calories in each meal as the day goes on.  For example at breakfast, mid morning and lunch you may consume 400 calories at each meal.  Then for the next two meals you consume 300 calories and finally 200 calories at your last meal.

To improve this strategy you should consume your starchy carbohydrates, such as oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and brown rice in the earlier meals and for the remaining two or three meals consume fibrous carbohydrates such as vegetables.  The reason for this is that the starchy carbohydrates are more calorie dense meaning that a small portion of them would equal the same amount of calories as a large portion of vegetables.  By consuming the starchy carbs in the morning it will provide you with the right amount of fuel to get you through your day.        

This is not a quick fix weight loss strategy.  Incorporating nutrition packed whole, natural foods into small frequent meals is not rocket science, but it definitely works.  It will take some planning to prepare meals ahead of time, but the results will be worth it.  Best of all, this is a program that you can follow for life.  Eating frequent meals will leave you satisfied and the temptation to binge will be reduced.

Nutrition is a very large piece of the puzzle in your battle for fat loss and should be taken seriously.  To truly ignite your metabolic furnace, it is absolutely necessary to include weight training, cardio, and the most important piece of the puzzle, which is developing a powerful mindset.

Your body will only go as far as your mind will take it.

About the author:

Scott Tousignant, BHK, CFC is the creator of Unstoppable Fat Loss, "What separates the people who achieve fat loss success, from those who struggle to lose weight.”  http://www.atozfitness.com/alc/goto/unstoppablefl.html



Scott has also authored 2 books that are transforming the bodies of people around the world.  "The Fit Chic" and "The Fit Bastard" not only contain a FULL YEAR of workouts, they provide intense motivation to drive you to fat loss success.



You can grab a free month of workouts at the following sites:



Gals – click Here !

Guys -Click-Here !

Unstoppable Motivation For Fat Loss Success

By Scott Tousignant, BHK, CFC
Creator of Unstoppable Fat Loss:  http://snipurl.com/empoweratoz
Author of “The Fit Chic”: http://snipurl.com/fitchicatoz
and “The Fit Bastard”:  http://snipurl.com/fitbastatoz
Co-Author of “101 Great Ways To Improve Your Health”

By 2015, 75% of Adults Will Be Overweight; 41% Will Be Obese.  That’s a pretty scary statistic that was just released by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.  In fact they are calling it a public health crisis.  So are you going to accept these statistics as inevitable?  Or even worse, are you going to become a part of that statistic?

I don’t think so!  You’re smarter than that.  You realize that the only reality is this very moment and in this very moment you have a choice to take matters into your own hands and strive for the healthy and vibrant body that you deserve.

Since we’re talking statistics here I may as well bring up one that most of us are familiar with; 95% of all people who attempt to lose weight will gain it all back and more.

Pretty depressing huh?  Most people will look at that and see the odds completely stacked against them.  You on the other hand are beaming with excitement and enthusiasm.  You see that 5% and you are absolutely certain that’s where you belong.

Those people who can’t seem to get their focus off the 95% are afraid to set a fat loss goal because they see the chances of failing are pretty darn high.  There’s no way they’ll ever tell anyone about their dream of fitting into a 2 piece bathing suit, because it would certainly be embarrassing if they don’t accomplish their goal.

I guarantee that if you are afraid of failing to reach your weight loss goal you will fail by default.  The problem is that these people are basing their dreams on logic.  Doesn’t that kind of take the fun out of dreaming?

Do you really want to develop the ‘Unstoppable’ motivation that will drive you towards achieving fat loss success?  Did I hear a ‘YES’?  Sorry what I meant to say was, “Do you really, truly, from the bottom of your heart and every ounce of your being want to learn the necessary skills to develop the type of attitude and belief that absolutely nothing in this world or any other will ever get in the way of you and your dream body?

Can I get a Hell Ya?

That’s what I’m talking about!  Allow me to share with you some of my top strategies that will ignite that ‘Unstoppable’ mindset within you.  I’m not going to go into detail about goal setting, visualization, and positive thinking right now because I’m sure that you’ve heard a fair amount about that lately.  It’s all great stuff, but if you really want that unstoppable attitude like you said you do it’s going to take much more than that.

1. Passion – This is wear it all starts.  Set your goals from your heart.  Forget about what the statistics say and any of your past failures.  What does your dream body look like?  How bad do you want it?  Why do you want it so bad?  How is your life going to change once you achieve it?  Think of how much passion will come into your life once you are lean and sexy.
   
   
   
   
2. Growth – Achieving your goal does not have to happen over night.  Small changes add up very quickly.  A great strategy is to simply be better today then you were yesterday and better tomorrow than you are today.  After 6 months you will be blown away with the improvements that you’ve made.  18 months from now you could be a fitness model.  It’s true!
   
   
   
   
3. Comfort Zone – In order to experience this daily growth there are times when you will have to step outside of your comfort zone.  You will have to increase the intensity of your workouts, prepare food in advance, write down your goals, spend some time visualizing, pass on the dessert, and other things that have not become a habit for you just yet.  Accept discomfort and expect it.  It’s an opportunity for you to become better than you are today.

4. Gratitude – It’s easy to be grateful when things are going well, but I find the practice of being grateful for who you are today and for the so called failures and challenges of your past is much more powerful.  Each challenge or failure provides you with the opportunity to grow and improve yourself.  If you want to be happy in your body start today!  Love yourself unconditionally.  Be grateful for all your past experiences because they have contributed to the lean and sexy person that you are about to become.

5. Become – This could very well be the most powerful word in your vocabulary when you use it properly.  For example; “I have become UNSTOPPABLE!”  “I have become Mary, the lean and sexy women who loves healthy foods and living the active lifestyle.”

   When you ‘become’ something or someone it is no longer a hope or dream.  It’s a part of who you are.  You now hold these beliefs and attitudes that nothing will get in your way.

   I knew that I became ‘Unstoppable’ when the alarm clock would go off at 5:00am so I could go for my morning walk, and it was no longer about fat loss.  I was doing it because I loved it.  It provided me with an opportunity to clear my head, plan out my day, enjoy the sounds of the birds chirping, listen to an educational audio on my Mp3 player, and more than anything it energized me first thing in the morning when I would typically be tired.

6. Fun – Research shows that the people who choose activities that they enjoy are more likely to stick to their programs for the long term.  You may read a book that lays out the best fat burning workout routine and nutrition program, but if you don’t enjoy it chances are you will not stick with it.

   There are so many different workout programs on the market.  Experiment with them and find the ones that fit best with your lifestyle and the ones that you enjoy the most.  Don’t just stick with one.  You need variety and variety will keep the enjoyment of activity at a high level.

7. Role Model – You need new references, which demonstrate that achieving your dream body will happen.  Seek out that 5% of the population and model their behaviors and actions.  If someone tells you that your fat loss goals are unrealistic just show them a picture of your role models.

Will you join me in making sure that this recent statistic showing “By 2015, 75% of Adults Will Be Overweight; 41% Will Be Obese” never becomes a reality?  After all, you deserve to be living in your dream body.

About the author:

Scott Tousignant, BHK, CFC is the creator of Unstoppable Fat Loss, "Empower Your Mind… And Your Body Will Follow!"

http://snipurl.com/empoweratoz

Scott has also authored 2 books that are transforming the bodies of people around the world.  "The Fit Chic" and "The Fit Bastard" not only contain a FULL YEAR of workouts, they provide intense motivation to drive you to fat loss success.

You can grab a free motivational gift and month of workouts at the following sites:

Gals -
http://snipurl.com/fitchicatoz

Guys -
http://snipurl.com/fitbastatoz