Are You Making The Most of Your Time

Do you ever daydream? I’m sure I already know the answer to this… of course you do. We all daydream and have small glimpses of what we want to accomplish. One of my mentors, Greg Justice, defines a daydream as “a shift of attention or wandering of the mind from ongoing tasks that take up past memories, present wishes or fears, and future plans or fantasies. They last for but a moment, to over a minute, but their average length is about 15 seconds.”

These daydreams can be used to gather information about ourselves. Many times, this so called mindless wandering, can allow us to really see what we want and who we really want to be. We can learn a lot from these daydreams if we actually write things down. Give it a try. The next time you catch yourself in one of these so called daydreams, write it down. This can be a great self visualization technique if used properly.

Most of us do not self visualize enough. How are you ever going to get to where you want to be in life if you do not create a picture or working image of it? Self visualization techniques, like writing down your daydreams, can help us achieve our goals at a much quicker rate and stay focused on the desired outcome. This technique can be used for every aspect of life. Write down your vision of who you are and make a plan based on that.

First, you need to start by making your goals SMART. If you use this popular method, you are going to have a much higher chance of actually following through and achieving your goals. Let's start by understanding what SMART goals actually are.

S – Specific. Try not to create a goal or vision of that is too open ended. An example of a popular open ended goal is losing weight. Get more specific and really think about what you want to lose… 10, 20, 50 pounds. The more specific you can be; the better.

M – Measurable. “If you can't measure it, then how can you determine its success?” Losing 25 pounds, lowering your cholesterol 30 points, or going to the gym three days a week are all goals that have a measurable variance in them.

A – Attainable. Making smaller, more frequent milestones will help you reach your long term goal. Losing 25 pounds may definitely be attainable; however it seems like a rather large number when you look at the goal long term. Making each 5 pounds a small milestone makes the 25 pounds seem a lot less. Hitting these milestones will help motivate you and continue your progress toward that final goal.

R – Realistic. Your goal must be realistic. It can be a big, long term goal but make sure it is something you can honestly see yourself achieving.

T – Time Sensitive. Set a time limit for your short term and long term goals.

Hopefully that can help clear up what SMART goals are. Let’s take a look at a goal or vision using that system.

“I want to lose 25 pounds by the end of the year.” That is a specific goal (lose 25 pounds) w/ a measurable variance (weight) and is time sensitive (before the end of the year).

Now let’s see if it’s realistic. Research shows that we can safely lose 1-2 kg per week or approx. 2-4 pounds. From now until the end of the year, we are looking at about 13 weeks to hit this goal. In order for us to hit our goal of 25 pounds by the end of the year, we will need to lose 1.92 pounds per week. As you can see, this would definitely be realistic.

Finally, let’s make the goal attainable. Instead of looking at the 25 pounds as a whole, try to look at the weight loss in smaller increments. We should be hitting our goal as long as we can lose approx. two pounds each week. Breaking the 25 pounds down into small two pound increments make the goal seem much easier. Also, these smaller intervals give us a good chance to evaluate if our plan is working.

Do this for every area of your life. If you want to own your own house, than visualize what you want. “I want a two story house, brick, with a large yard so my dogs can play, in a quiet neighborhood, and easy access to the bike paths. I want to have this house two years from now.” Go through each step and make sure each one of your goals is SMART. Make an action plan and take control. We have the power to do extraordinary things if we are focused. Take the time to do this and see the results.

It’s Go Time ;-)

Post Workout Nutrition... Are you setting yourself up for Success?

This week I am going to have a good friend and fellow fitness professional Steve Long describe his thoughts and opinions on post workout nutrition. Steve has impressed me with his knowledge and I fully trust his decision making and education when it comes to fitness. Here is an article that will help briefly show you the importance of getting your post workout nutrition in. If you know me, you should know how much I preach post workout nutrition, so take it away Steve, teach my followers the way brother.

Written by Steve Long, owner of Complete Fitness Results:

One of the most major things that people do not know about or look past when it comes to fitness is post workout nutrition. Most of us are not bodybuilders or athletes, but there are some things that bodybuilders and athletes do that will help us in our training. If you ask any bodybuilder in the world if they have a post workout shake I would bet that 99.9% would say yes. If you ask any professional athlete is they have a post workout shake after their workouts and I’m sure the numbers would be just as high. Regardless if you are a pro athlete, a gym rat, a weekend warrior, or just someone that works hard in the gym for the best results, post workout nutrition is a must.

After an intense workout your body is in a different state then when at rest. It is starving for nutrients and is depleted of energy. Muscle glycogen stores are depleted and your protein balance is at a negative. Cortisol is released which is catabolic, meaning muscle will be broken down. You have basically just injured your body and set yourself up to lower metabolism.

Now that you have injured your body, how do you fix it? That’s were post workout nutrition comes into play. Sure you could leave the gym and go home and eat a sandwich and that would be decent. You could grab a bar from the gym and that would be better than nothing. If you are like me however, you want to best possible results from your efforts. I don’t go to the gym to get so so results. I go to get the best results possible for the effort I put in. I put in a lot of effort so I want a lot of results. I don’t want to waste that effort with a so so post workout nutrition choice. So how do you get the best post workout nutrition and the best possible results?

They are many theories and studies that debate the perfect post workout nutrition and I think that falls out of the scope of this article. There are many different combinations of supplements that can be used and different macronutrient ratios and things of that nature, but my goal is to make fitness simple. So simply, you want to have a certain ratio of carbohydrates to protein, you want it to digest fast, you want it to be immediately after your workout.

* I recommend a that you have your post workout nutrition in the form of liquid. Liquid absorbs faster and will get the nutrients into the muscles before your window of opportunity closes.

* You have roughly a 30-45 minute window of time to reverse the negative effects and replace them with good effects so make sure that you have your shake immediately after your workout.

* Its best to have a 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein for your average person. For an extreme bout of exercise like distance running or bodybuilding you may increase the carbs to 3:1 carbs to protein.

There is much more that can be taken into account when deciding what kind of post workout shake to have. There are products on the market which have the perfect ratios and types of carbs and protein in them to choose from. In a pinch, skim milk is a good option, but it takes a lot of milk to get the amount of protein that would be ideal after your workout. It is up to you to find what kind of post workout nutrtion you want to use, but to get best possible results and make it easy, I recommend “Workout” by Prograde Nutrition. It’s what I use and I love it. It mixes easy, tastes great, has a 2:1 ratio, and has the best quality protein on the market. I know and trust the guys who own and operate the company and I know that when they say something is in a product that it is true. I can’t say that about any other company on the market. Click below to see all of the great products that Prograde has to offer.

Steve Long of Complete Fitness Results Highly recommends Prograde Nutrition.
Go here to find out more: http://completefitnesssupplements.getprograde.com

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY: Save Our Dad's

Though Father’s Day should be a time for celebrating what our father’s have sacrificed to allow us to lead the lives of our dreams, to me it’s more of a rude awakening.

Look, I hate to be bring down the mood of the holiday, but someone has to say something, and I’m not afraid to say it.

Our father’s are now in the worst shape of their lives, many suffering from a very scary condition called Metabolic Syndrome X.

One of the main indicators of someone who has metabolic disorder is abdominal obesity, as clearly demonstrated in the picture above. The scary part is that many of our father’s look just like this!

What is metabolic syndrome?

An association between certain metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease has been known since the 1940s. In the 1980s this association became more clearly defined and the term metabolic syndrome (also known as syndrome X or the dysmetabolic syndrome) was coined to designate a cluster of metabolic risk factors that come together in a single individual. In more current times, the term metabolic syndrome is found throughout medical literature and in the lay press as well. There are slight differences in the criteria of diagnosis - depending on which authority is quoted. Regardless, the concept of a clustering of risks factors leading to cardiovascular disease is well accepted.

The main features of metabolic syndrome include insulin resistance, hypertension (high blood pressure), hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol), excess fat around the stomach area, and an increased risk for clotting. Patients are most often overweight or obese.

Insulin resistance refers to the diminished ability of cells to respond to the action of insulin in promoting the transport of the sugar glucose, from blood into muscles and other tissues. Because of the central role that insulin resistance plays in the metabolic syndrome, a separate article is devoted to insulin resistance.

How is metabolic syndrome defined?

The definition of metabolic syndrome depends on which group of experts is doing the defining. Based on the guidelines from the 2001 National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel (ATP III), any three of the following traits in the same individual meet the criteria for the metabolic syndrome:

1. Abdominal obesity: a waist circumference over 102 cm (40 in) in men and over 88 cm (35 inches) in women.

2. Serum triglycerides 150 mg/dl or above.

3. HDL cholesterol 40mg/dl or lower in men and 50mg/dl or lower in women.

4. Blood pressure of 130/85 or more.

5. Fasting blood glucose of 110 mg/dl or above. (Some groups say 100mg/dl)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has slightly different criteria for the metabolic syndrome:

1. High insulin levels, an elevated fasting blood glucose or an elevated post meal glucose alone with at least 2 of the following criteria:

2. Abdominal obesity as defined by a waist to hip ratio of greater than 0.9, a body mass index of at least 30 kg/m2 or a waist measurement over 37 inches.

3. Cholesterol panel showing a triglyceride level of at least 150 mg/dl or an HDL cholesterol lower than 35 mg/dl.

4. Blood pressure of 140/90 or above (or on treatment for high blood pressure).

And though Metabolic Syndrome affects more women than men, there is certainly no shortage of men 40 years and older who have that “beer belly” that literally makes them a ticking time bomb for a slew of serious medical conditions.

But there is good news amongst this frightening reality: The most common cause of metabolic disorder is of course a vicious combination of a lack of exercise and poor diet. So in other words…There is a cure for this disease.

See below for the top 7 fitness tips to help save our father’s lives:

1.) Lay off the Brewskis

It’s no wonder why our dads have more of a keg for a gut than a six-pack. Let me start by explaining how detrimental alcohol can be on your body composition:

How Alcohol Makes You Fat

-Alcohol first passes through the esophagus as it travels to your stomach.

-From there, 20% of the alcohol is absorbed immediately by your bloodstream.

-The remaining alcohol travels to your intestines and is absorbed from there.

-The alcohol in your bloodstream then travels directly to your liver. It is here that

the body breaks the alcohol down, something that is absolutely essential since

alcohol is toxic to the body.

-Alcohol brakes down into acetate and acetaldehyde which IMMEDIATELY

signals to your body to stop burning fat. Even worse, another waste product of

alcohol, acetyl CoA, actually starts to make more body fat.

If you booze, you WON’T lose fat!

What Does this Mean?

-Your body can only effectively process 0.5 to 1 ounce of alcohol per hour

-How much damage? A 12-ounce beer contains about 0.6 ounces of alcohol. If

you consumed a six-pack of beer, your body would be inhibited from fat burning for over 6 hours. This is aside from the fact that your body will actually be storing fat during these 6 hours! The more you drink, the longer your body is inhibited from burning fat in addition to a greater fat build up from excess acetyl CoA. As you can see, one day of binge drinking can set you back days if not a full week when it comes to fat loss!

-What’s the worst-case scenario? Mixing alcohol with sugary beverages

promotes even further fat gain due to the resulting insulin surge that triggers fat

storage (e.g. regular beer or cocktails mixed with regular soda and/or fruit juice)

The Bottom Line

If you want to be lean, you must minimize ALCOHOL consumption!

If you must drink:

a.) Choose wine or hard liquor and “light” beer

b.) Limit alcohol consumption to 1-2 days per week with a 1-2 drink per day max

References:

Campbell and Volek, “TNT Diet: Targeted Nutrition Tactics”

2.) Make Sure You Train Lower Body Too

Most dads just want to do the typical meathead workout that emphasizes the upper body only, if they’re working out at all. If you are going for the Johnny Bravo look where you are built up top with chicken legs for wheels, then keep doing what you’re doing.

However, it is important to note that strong, muscular legs are the key to torching your gut. After all, the majority of your body’s muscle mass, and thus metabolism, is contained within your lower body. Not working your legs is like going to a knife fight without a knife, and here’s why:

a.) Training your whole body (legs included) not only helps you burn more calories each workout, it also maximally depletes your body’s glycogen stores (the sugar in your muscles) to allow for more total body fat burning

b.) The more lean muscle mass you have in your lower body the more calories your body will be burning; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

c.) Whenever you work your legs you generate the largest increases in natural anabolic hormone levels which translates into more total body muscle and less ugly, unwanted body fat

So if you want better abs, you better start using those legs! This can be easily accomplished with 3 total body workouts per week that train your upper body, lower body, and core within the same workout.

3.) Do something besides bench presses and curls

Look- I get why guys don’t want to train their legs. Unless you are wearing a speedo, no one is going to see them! So there is simply not as much motivation to put the time and effort into your lower body as there is for your upper body which is always on full display at the beach or poolside.

However, if you are trying to develop a really nice upper body, you need to start venturing outside the realm of bench presses and curls. Don’t forget, you do have muscles on the backside of your body too!

In fact, your lats (the wings that extend from your arm pit to the bottom of your rib cage) are the biggest muscles in your upper body and when developed they really help promote that V-shaped torso that both makes your waist look smaller and your wife happy ;)

Start doing at least the same amount of pulling as pushing (if not more) unless you want to end up like the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Lastly, only do isolation movements like bicep curls if you have extra time after your main workout. Compound movements like rows and pull-ups work your biceps just as hard and since they allow for the use of heavier loads, they also provide a better growth stimulus to maximize results in minimal time.

4.) Don’t eat like those idiots from NutriSystem

Here’s my take on how NutriSystem was created:

“I’ve got an idea for an incredible product and marketing campaign:

Let’s gather a group of genetically gifted former professional athletes that have put on some pounds since ending their playing days. We’ll have them all get their asses kicked by top personal trainers while following a restricted calorie diet so we lean them out real nicely.

But then we lie to the overweight male coach potato consumer and tell them that they got these results from eating the same food they are currently eating- you know, pizza, lasagna, sweets, etc. Except we’ll make the meals the size of a dime so they can still technically eat what they want and lose weight at the same time.

To make it even better, we’ll pre-package all of their meals for them to buy from us so these lazy bastards don’t have to do anything besides nuke it up and eat it!

We’ll make millions!”

Laces Out Dan!

Well, that’s exactly what has happened- thousands of sports-loving, ESPN-watching dads have been swindled to buy into this gimmick that you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight without exercise- because Dan Marino and Chris Berman did it!

5.) Accept the fact that you probably need some professional fitness advice

One of my recent superstar clients has dropped over 40 pounds in about 3 months. He’s a busy executive and father in his late 50’s. I’m sure if you asked him, he would tell you one of my favorite quotes that fit well here. “What you don’t know will hurt you, but what you think you know will KILL you!”

Dads- quit being so stubborn and macho. It doesn’t make you any less of a man to hire a personal trainer or join a boot camp because your wife and her lady friends do it. In reality, your wife (and women in general) are simply smarter than you because they effectively outsource their fitness needs to an expert whereby you try to re-invent the wheel on your own with little to no results.

If you want to lose your gut, follow the lead of the ladies. Love all of you girls ;)

6.) Make the time for a 5-minute warm-up

You simply can’t afford to NOT warm-up. It’s like pushing the pedal to the medal in the dead of winter in your frozen car- things just don’t work right and you’re not going anywhere.

A cold body, like a cold car, doesn’t run on all cylinders

It only takes about 3-5 minutes to lengthen your muscles and lubricate your joints to best prevent injury and ready your body for a more effective workout, so don’t skip the warm-up!

7.) The “no pain-no gain” attitude will leave you a bitter, crippled, and grumpy old man

The “no pain, no gain” methodology is quite possible the most abused practice in fitness. Pain is a good thing as long as it’s the right type of pain as outlined below:

When exercise BURNS YOUR MUSCLES that’s a good pain- this means you are pushing past your comfort zone to inspire change, working with intensity to torch calories and build muscle, and burning sugar so your body can burn fat for hours and hours after your workout.

When exercise HURTS YOUR JOINTS that’s a bad pain- it means you are quickly wearing down the structural integrity of your joints and will soon be unable to do anything without pain or stiffness. This is most often caused by a combination of using too heavy of loads, poor exercise form and technique, strength imbalances, and lack of mobility and/or flexibility- more reason to heed Tip#5 and seek professional help!

I have worked with too many dads who have beaten their bodies down and nothing’s more depressing than a dad who can’t play with his kids or participate in recreational activities with his buddies. Do yourself and your family a favor and stop being such a meathead when it comes to exercise. Exercise doesn’t have to hurt to get results and nobody wants another grumpy AND injured old man ;)

Happy Father’s Day! I love you Dad. You’re the man!!!

It’s Go Time,

Jared Woolever

Edwardsville Personal Trainer Rants About the New "Kentucky Grilled Chicken"

By now, I am sure you have heard all about this new Kentucky Grilled Chicken.

And while I have no doubt that this is a better option than the fried chicken alternative, it’s still nowhere near an ideal food choice.


Congratulations! You are eating “grilled” chicken with a bunch of garbage on the side. Lord knows that mac and cheese and biscuits aren’t going help you look any better naked!

KFC says the grilled chicken has significantly fewer calories and fat, plus much less sodium, than its Original Recipe fried chicken that launched the brand more than a half-century ago.

The big thing that is damaging to our waistlines is the high calorie side dishes accompanying the chicken which are filled with refined starches and sugars, as well as unnecessary amounts of saturated fat.

It may be better, but it still stinks!!


For too long now the fast food industry has made a killing on misinforming consumers about what is and isn’t healthy.

KFC claimed that it recently did switch cooking oils to eliminate all trans fats from their products- a noble effort indeed.

But upon further review, this does not look to be the case…

Here are the ingredients directly from their website:

KFC ® Grilled Chicken

Fresh Chicken Marinated with: Salt, Sodium Phosphate, and Monosodium Glutamate Seasoned with: Maltodextrin, Salt, Bleached Wheat lour, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oil, Monosodium Glutamate, Spices, Palm Oil, Natural Flavor, Garlic Powder, Soy Sauce (Soybean, Wheat, Salt), Chicken Fat, Chicken Broth, Autolyzed Yeast, Beef Powder, Rendered Beef Fat, Extractives of Turmeric, Dehydrated Carrot, Onion Powder, and mot more than 2% Each of Calcium Silicate and Silicon Dioxide Added as Anticaking Agents. Contains Wheat and Soy

I don’t know about you, but this certainly doesn’t sound like a nutritional powerhouse. First of all, “Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oil” are not very good for you and do contain amounts of trans fats.

Trans fats are synthetic fats that are essentially foreign agents in our bodies. There is truly no room for them in a healthy diet.

Plus, a great rule of thumb is that the fewer ingredients found in the food; the better it is for you, ideally less than 5 ingredients being a good marker. Well, if you count the ingredients in this “health” food, there are well over 20!

Fast food and convenience store marketing campaigns make it very hard for me to do my job.

In general, here are some great guidelines that will help you cut through all of the BS these money-hungry SOB’s are sending our way:

Beware of “Fat-Free or Low Fat” Foods:

These food choices are often high in sugar or contain added sugar to make up for taste lost which wreak havoc on your energy levels and prevent fat loss.

Look Out for “Sugar-Free” Products:

These sugar free food choices are typically made with artificial ingredients and sweeteners. Sometimes they are higher in fat to make up for taste lost and/or often contains sugar-alcohols that tear up your digestive system.

Stay Away From “100 Calorie” Items:

These low calorie bags contain ZERO nutritional value with little to no protein and are low in fiber and natural, healthy fats. Not to mention, they do nothing to curb your appetite.

Probably the most infamous “healthy” marketing campaign is 100-CALORIE SNACK PACKS.



Which is better for you body: 100 calories of broccoli or 100 calories of mini-muffins?
GET IT?

I know personally I could easily eat 10 of these packs without getting stuffed- I guess that would be a 1,000-CALORIE SNACK PACK ;)

Unfortunately, we live in a calorie-conscious society, and marketers take advantage of anything and everything possible to make the almighty dollar.

But you don’t need to be a dope like the rest of them.

Educate yourself.

Educate your friends.

Educate your family.

Remember, the market determines the direction companies will go. If we choose not to put this garbage in our bodies anymore, they will make less of it ;)

It's go time ;-D

Jared Woolever

PS- I just know you have got something to say about this hot button issue. Please make a comment to this blog post about what pisses you off the most about this KFC Grilled Chicken, or any other fast food marketing campaign for that matter!

Edwardsville Personal Trainer Helps Show You How to Design a Strength Training Routine Designed To Burn Fat

In the past, the cornerstone of most resistance training workouts has been performing exercises in a straight set format. Essentially, this means you perform a certain number of reps for a given exercise or you perform as many reps as possible for a given exercise and then you rest anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes. This rest period is essentially based on your training goals. For more of a fat loss and lean muscle gain emphasis shorter rest periods are ideal. Longer rest is needed for improving maximal strength and power

So, what’s the problem with this format? Well, though straight sets are extremely easy to comprehend for people new to fitness, they are also an extremely inefficient way to order your exercises. In most commercial gyms you’ll typically see someone perform three sets of 10 reps for let’s say the bench press. They pump out 10 reps, go to the water fountain, talk with some buddies, watch a couple of highlights on ESPN, and then gingerly walk back to the bench area to hit up their second set. In general, most people, guys in particular, tend to take about 3-5 minutes between sets. In the case of three sets of 10 on the bench that means it would take up to 15 minutes to complete only one movement pattern (a horizontal push). At this pace, it will take well over an hour to complete a good solid workout.

It’s all about utilizing your time wisely in order to get the most out of each workout. With this design, you’ll perform one exercise, rest for a predetermined, short period of time, then perform another non-competing exercise, rest for a short period of time, and so forth. Alternating sets allow you to work different areas of your body when you would otherwise be resting with the straight set format. Plus, by working another area of your body with a non-competing exercise you allow your body to recover from the previous exercise(s). Essentially, we are improving the density of each workout to ensure the time spent working out is productive and helping us achieve our goals. There are several ways to perform alternating sets outlined below:

• Supersets: Alternate between two different non-competing exercises (e.g. upper body and lower body such as push-ups and lunges)

• Trisets: Alternate between three different exercises (e.g. push, pull, and lower body such as push-ups, rows, and lunges)

• Complexes: Usually five to six exercises performed without ever putting the weight down (e.g. upright rows, reverse curls, front press, Overhead reverse lunge, goodmornings, and bent rows)

• Circuit Training: A series of four or more exercises performed with minimal rest

Though supersets and trisets are excellent alternating set options, I believe circuit training is by the far the best option time and time again. To demonstrate why, let’s examine my favorite circuit training template using timed set intervals:


The 50-10 Five Exercise Circuit: You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for all five exercises in the following 5-minute circuit:

Exercise#1- Kettlebell Swings

Exercise#2- Squats/ Squat Jumps

Exercise#3- Single-Leg Hip Extensions

Exercise#4- Push-UP’s

Exercise#5- Stability Ball Rollouts

Perform this circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body fat burning workout.

Basically, in the same 15 minutes that it took to get in three sets on the bench you could have gotten in three sets of five different exercise for a staggering total of 15 work sets! Plus, the intensity on each exercise will be just as high as in the straight set format because in this five exercise circuit you will have full recovery with over four minutes before you return to any given exercise (just as you did with the straight set format described earlier).

To recap, the key to creating the optimal hormonal environment for fat loss is to perform each exercise with maximal intensity while separated by brief rest periods in order to accumulate a high volume of total body work in the shortest amount of time possible. Circuit training provides for the best of both worlds and is thus simply unmatched for simultaneously maximizing fat loss and lean muscle gain.

It’s go time, Jared ;-D