Ok,

So now that Look Better NAKED Boot Camps has it’s own website and I don’t have to post stuff on my site about it, I can  get back to writing the way I want to. How do I want to write? Well, I’m glad you asked.
I believe that life is too short & your life is too busy to be pulling punches and trying to be nice about everything, especially when it comes to you weight, the way you feel about your body and your health. I give you the facts that will help you lose weight and realize the body that you want straight up, no bullshit, no holding your hand & telling you everything’s going to be ok.

If you’re not happy with the way you look, it’s your fault. Even if it’s “not your fault” that you are the way you are, it most certainly is your fault for not educating yourself and getting off your ass to do something about it.

Which brings me to today’s topic:

I’m sick & tired of hearing people’s excuses for not exercising, trying to lose weight, or maintain their weight around the holidays.

They’re always the same, and they’re all bullshit.

“Oh, there’s the family meals, and holiday parties, and all the sweets! I’ll just let myself go and eat whatever I want to, gain how much ever weight I’m going to, do more damage to my body by getting fatter, and then worry about it come January.” Great call on that one.
Look, so during November & December you’ve got three holidays, where you’ll typically have one, maybe two meals in each day that are probably horrible for you, right? And let’s say you’re super popular and have five holiday parties to attend, where you are eating crap for a couple of hours.
So eight to ten meals over a period of 45 days is an excuse to let yourself go to shit?!

Why can’t you eat normally other than those specific few hours over the holiday time period, and continue to lose weight, or at least maintain the weight you’re at?

Traveling, shopping & family events keep you from working out on your regular schedule? Figure it out, you’re smart. How many 15 and 20 minute workouts have I given on this blog? It’s possible to keep active & exercising even when you don’t have as much time as you’d like to go the the gym and hit your regular schedule.

I’m going to be out of town & away from a gym for 11 days this month. Know what I’m doing?
I’m not making excuses like most folks, that’s for damn sure. You don’t get into or stay in shape by making excuses. I’m taking a couple of Resistance Bands with me and I’m going to bust some 20 minute resistance workouts and do some interval style running while I’m gone.

I love helping people improve their lives through fitness, don’t get me wrong. It’s just an uphill battle alot of the time with all the excuses people make for not taking care of themselves.

Don’t be one of the millions of Americans that make excuses for letting themselves go to shit this holiday season, or of the half of those that say, “I’m going to get in shape in the New Year.”

Do something about it now!
Don’t make excuses!

Stay focused, stay fit
ZAY

Instead of buying something for your family member or friends that will encourage laziness, over-eating, and weight gain, why not buy them a fitness related gift?
Or you could tell other people what you’d like for Christmas!
Due to the “recession” that so many folks are choosing to participate in, I’m only giving “10 Days of Christmas” gift ideas instead of 12……I’m not in a recession and I’m sure you’re not either, but I guess I don’t want to make anyone feel bad! LoL!

Here’s my Top 10 Fitness Christmas Gifts List:

1) A Gift Card to a Fitness Boot Camp

Boot camps provide a fun and exciting team environment that guarantee better just as good, and sometimes better, than one-on-one personal training for only a third of the cost… it’s a total no-brainer.

Look for a local fitness boot camp with tons of social proof (client testimonials, especially in the form of pictures and video) to make sure they have a solid reputation and a bunch of raving fans of people just like you. Plus, any good boot camp worth its weight offers free trials and money-back guarantees to all newcomers because they are so confident their program works that you’ll more than likely continue after a test-drive, This way there is typically no risk on your part… besides getting you butt kicked, in a good way

So join a fitness boot camp with at least one other friend or family member or buy a boot camp gift card to give to your loved ones. As a boot camp instructor myself, I know firsthand that clients always get better results when they embark on a fitness journey with others.

And if you live in the local Jacksonville/St Augustine area, come work with us for the best personal training in North Florida by visiting Look Better Naked Boot Camps!
We’ll change your life and have you looking better naked this New Year, guaranteed!

2) A Foam Roller

If you’re like most people, you spend a lot of your day nailed to a desk. And when you actually do have time to workout, all you usually can fit in is the workout itself. If you are like me and most of my clients, you probably feel like you don’t have the time or energy to give to a daily stretching routine.

Well that’s where a foam roller comes in. It’s a phenomenal corrective self-massage tool that will dramatically bolster injury prevention and improve performance. It’s ideal to use for at least five minutes post-workout to promote healing of the small micro-tears in your muscles that result from high-intensity training to jump-start the recovery process. Plus, a foam roller both kneads out and lengthens your muscle and connective tissues thus alleviating, if not eliminating, nagging aches and pains in your back, knees, hips, shoulders, and elbows.

If you’re going to get a foam roller, get a good one. The cheaper options tend to wear down into a limp noodle for larger individuals after a couple of months. I get all of my foam rollers from Trainer’s Wholesale. My brand of choice is PB Elite Foam Rollers , I have used it for the last several years and I swear by it! Just click on the link below to check it out and order one for yourself or a loved one!
PB Elite Foam Rollers

3.) Resistance Bands

Resistance bands are by far the most simple, convenient, and affordable equipment option in the fitness industry. They supply total portability for killer workouts that can be done anywhere. If you are a busy professional who does a lot of traveling, bands are the perfect lightweight training tool to take your workouts with you on the road as they can fit in the smallest of bags without a problem. If you are a busy Mom looking to workout in the comfort of your own home, bands can make this happen too. Bands provide the perfect compliment to your body weight circuit training workouts for added variety, allow for multiple levels of resistance with practically zero transition and set-up time, are easy on the joints, and are fun to use!

In my travels, I have had the pleasure of meeting and befriending the world’s premier resistance band training expert, Dave “The Might Band Man” Schmitz. This guy is a total nut job who creates the most innovative fat loss workouts with bands that you’ll ever see. He has his own line of resistance bands that are virtually indestructible and I use them year round to fit in quick effective workouts at home or on the road. To get the best bands in the business check out Resistance Band Training

4.) A Gift Card to a Sporting Goods Store For Fitness Equipment and Apparel

You can’t beat a sporting goods store like Dick’s Sporting Goods to get the best fitness equipment and apparel on the market today. I always recommend going with a gift card here because everybody has their own preferences, particularly when it comes to clothing sizes and styles.

5.) A Gift Card to Native Sun Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or Other Premium Grocery Stores

Rather then waste money on an overpriced restaurant, why not give a week’s worth of groceries to a 100% organic grocer like Native Suns to a friend or loved one. After all, everybody’s got to eat, but how many of us actually eat the right stuff to support our fitness goals?

I must admit, several years ago I thought organic foods was just for rich people or hippies, but was I wrong! (Take a note of that; I’m only wrong once every 7 1/2 years). I shop organic when I’m able to these days, particularly when buying produce to avoid foods that are typically loaded with hormones and pesticides at other regular run of the mill grocery stores. The key is to go in with a budget in mind (e.g. spend $50 bucks on protein, $20 on fruits and veggies, and $10 on miscellaneous items) only buying what you need.

6.) A Gift Card to a Massage Therapist

Most of us are crazy busy and super stressed out during the holiday season and nothing eases the tension like a good massage. This is about as can’t miss of a gift as it gets, unless you know someone who doesn’t like to be touched. It’s nice to be pampered on occasion, and though the foam roller I mentioned above can do wonders for the majority of your body, nothing can alleviate tension in your upper back, neck, and head like a good massage therapist!

7.) Supplements that Work: Protein Powders, Fish Oil, Multi-Vitamin

I have helped hundreds of people lose thousands of pounds of fat. In my journey, I have found only three supplements to be a mandatory part of the optimal fat loss program: protein powders, fish oil, and multi-vitamin supplements.

Protein powders provide great liquid workout nutrition and a convenient meat alternative for on-the-go snacking. For a protein powder, look for a brand low in sugar and carbohydrates and with a mix of both whey and casein (fast and slow absorbing proteins). I like ProGrade Lean, found at Get ProGrade.com

Fish oil, or more appropriately entitled an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement, is critical to providing key omega 3’s to maximize overall health, performance, and body composition. Studies show that krill oil provides the most effective dosing of EFA’s.

A multi-vitamin provides keys vitamins and minerals that are tough to obtain unless your diet is near picture perfect. I don’t know about you, but I like to cover my bases when it comes to my health. Be sure to choose a multi-vitamin supplement that is made from whole foods rather than synthetic materials, in addition to being made specifically for your gender.

My clients and I rock with VGF+25 and EFA Icon, both included in Prograde’s Health+ Package available at ProGrade Combo Packs

8.) Sport-Specific Gift

This one’s pretty basic: if you want to give a great gift to an athlete then get them something unique that compliments their sport, whether it be fitness equipment, apparel, or both.

9.) Fitness Book or Subscription to Fitness Magazine

Everybody needs to read up on health & fitness information, even if it’s from crappy magazine sources that only provide parital information! If you have just read a good fitness book that you know a friend or family member would benefit from, hook them up with their own copy. Better yet, people love magazine subscriptions. Personally, I’m not a big fan of any so-called fitness magazines, because I know the whole truth about the parital truths and marketing gimicks they are trying to push, so I can’t recommend any. However, there are many fitness books out there that will give you valuable information about how to reach your personal fitness goals.
One of my favorites was written by two of the premier health & fitness professionals in the country, trainer Alwyn Cosgrove & Nutritionist Mike Roussell. Their book and program is called Warp Speed Fat Loss, and I can’t rave about it enough! Check it out at WarpSpeedFatLoss.com

10.) IPOD

This one’s a bit pricey, but man is it worth the unparalleled listening pleasure and convenience. an’t workout without my IPOD, nor can I train a boot camp session without one!

Stay focused suring the holiday season so that you can Stay Fit during the New Year!
ZAY

Good Morning!

Here’s another 20 minute, fat-blasting workout for you to try out!
Courtesy of Look Better Naked Boot Camps & instructors Kelly Luedke & Isaiah White.

20 Minute Fat-Blasting Workout!
4 rounds
40 seconds “ON,” 20 seconds “OFF”
I’d recommend giving yourself a 2 minute break after completing the first 2 rounds

*Squat-5 second hold, 5 reps

*Pushups or modified pushups with alternating rotation

*Alternating Lunges

*1-Arm resistance band row (Alternate arms each round)

*Russian Twist

Go try it out, and get to shredding some body fat!

Stay focused, stay fit!
ZAY

*

[Make sure to ignore this post if you WANT to gain weight this holiday season!]

Ok, so I’ve already hit on a few of these things leading up to Thanksgiving, but I’ve learned in my business things need to be repeated often to set in, especially when it comes to nutrition! So you’ll probably hear more about this later too! It’s just to help you out, I don’t like to repeat myself just for the heck of it!

There are several damage control diet strategies that you should employ to best prevent yourself from overdoing it at the dinner table this holiday season. Use the tips below to allow yourself to stay social and to be able to indulge in moderation without splitting your pants before the New Year:

1.) Perform High-Intensity Activity Before and/or After a Big Meal or Holiday Feast

I know, I know. I promised diet strategies, but I simply cannot go without recommending some activity. Your body is most receptive to higher calorie and/or carbohydrate meals within 30 minutes before and within three hours following high-intensity activity. Ideally you would want to workout out before AND after a big meal, but if you can only do one, that will suffice. It is less important when you do it and more important that you do it. Your best options will be 20 minutes of circuit resistance training or cardio interval training. Even a 20-30 plus minute walk a few hours afterwards can serve as a bit of damage control.

This is exactly why I offered everyone to come workout with me on Thanksgiving morning! I guarantee that not only did those of you that worked out with me burn a ton more calories than folks that didn’t, you consumed fewer calories than you normally would at a holiday meal, and you also burnt more of those calories off due to doing such an intense workout!

2.) Do NOT Fast in Preparation for a a Big Meal or Holiday Feast

I’ve said this before, but it bares repeating. Fasting in preparation for a free meal will not only lead to overeating, but worse: overeating foods that are extremely high in sugar, fat, or both! Your body is built to store fat to survive. If it hasn’t had food in a while it anticipates a famine state. This means that the next time that you eat your body will use as much of the incoming food as possible to store as body fat (survival energy) in anticipation that it won’t see food again for another long period of time. Do yourself and your body a favor by eating every two to four hours as you normally should to prevent yourself from becoming a ravenous, fat-storing beast this holiday season!

3.) Do NOT Gorge Yourself

This is easier to do if you will stay on your normal eating schedule of downing something every two to three hours. Eat until you are satisfied, not uncomfortable. Remember this: binge eating is not the habit of lean individuals. It is imperative to understand that that holiday meals are not a ticket to eat as much as you can in as little time as possible. However, listen to your body and make sure to enjoy the foods you are craving in moderation and only eat when you are hungry.

4.) Eat a High-Fiber, Protein-Rich Meal An Hour Before a Holiday Event

A meal high in fiber and protein before a big holiday meal will help prevent overeating by making you feel more full which in turn means fewer calories consumed during the ensuing feast. My favorite strategy is to workout in the morning, follow it up with a post-workout shake, then eat a regular post workout meal, down a 1 liter of water before the holiday meal to help keep me nice and full upon arrival. This way you won’t lose any friends by eating their entire dinner platter and you’ll save your midsection from a fluffier existence!

5.) Eat Leans Proteins and Fruits and Vegetables FIRST

Just because it’s a holiday meal doesn’t mean you can’t eat any nutritious food. Make sure to load up on healthier food choices first and try to eat as much lean meat, fish, and fruits and veggies as possible at the start of each holiday event. This will leave less room for the unhealthier, higher calorie treats. At least this way you know your body is getting in some good nutrition and you are not putting yourself at excessive risk for sickness and/or other health concerns. Also, if you haven’t realized this yet, I’ll give you a little insight. If you are used to eating clean food and you splurge for a big meal, a day or a weekend, your stomach is going to pay for it the following few days, trust me.

6.) Drink Water!

Want an “appetite suppressant” that isn’t a pill and won’t caust you an arm & leg. Drink water! Water takes up space in your stomach and truly helps decrease appetite. For every plate you eat, try to drink at least 1-2 glasses of water. After that second plate, when you have 1 full liter of water in your stomach, I bet you might just throw in the towel!

7.) Do NOT Eat Again Until Hungry Following a Large Meal

Now I know I already told you to eat every 2-4 hours, but there is one exception to this. If you eat a huge meal, it is crucial that you don’t  eat again until you are hungry and/or no longer full. If your body is not used to eating such a big meal, then it will take a much longer time to digest all that food and the worst thing you can do is put more food into an already full stomach, unless you goal is to do the stop, drop, and roll drill. Only when you are hungry again should you resume your normal eating plan following a big holiday meal. That includes dessert! Just wait until you’re hungry again before you eat again!

8.) Immediately Resume Your Normal Eating Schedule at the Next Meal

What’s done is done. Now it is time to get back to your regular eating plan. Remember weekly caloric intake is far more important than daily caloric intake. For example, let’s say that you need 3,000 calories per day to maintain your current body weight. Well, all that you need to do is make sure the average daily caloric intake each week is 3,000 calories per day. This means that you can fluctuate your daily caloric intake and yield the same results as if you ate that same amount each day. So if you have one day of big eating where you eat 9,000 calories (just an example, not a recommendation!), but you only eat 2,000 calories per day the rest of the week, you will still end up at the same caloric balance. Again, I am not recommending that you eat in such an extreme manner, rather I am suggesting that you do not have to obsess about being perfect. Enjoy some indulging in moderation at your various holiday festivities knowing that the week in review trumps a day in review, even when you are particularly naughty on any given day.

If you’re serious about not gaining a bunch of ugly body fat this holiday season, then resist the temptation to turn one bad meal, or even one bad day of eating into a weekend, week or even a month of eating like crap!

9.) Never Eat Junk Food for Breakfast or Before Bed

This is kind of a general recommendation, something that should be applied all of the time anyways. Just thought I’d throw it in there for the holiday tips too! Eating a highly refined carbohydrate meal (i.e. sugar; cereal, doughnuts, pastries, etc) first thing in the morning will make your blood sugar levels go crazy for the rest of the day resulting in greater junk food cravings and uncontrollable hunger. On the other hand, eating a big meal before bed will result in a bunch of unused energy that will be stored as body fat and you very well may have trouble sleeping with all of that extra food volume in your stomach!

10.) Portion Control!

This is pretty simple, but is one of the biggest problems people that need to lose weight face. Try to eat only half of all the servings of unhealthy food that you choose. Half of the portions equal half the calories!

(OK, I decided to give you three more tips; tis the season for giving, right?!)

11.) Avoid Empty Liquid Calories and Alcohol

I know, for some folks, there is no chance of dropping the booze, especially around the holidays. But do you know how many empty calories you add to your nutrition plan when you drink? One can easily consume over 1,000 calories per day from liquid calories alone. This means that in one week, you will gain 2 lbs of body fat from just fluids! Opt for regular solid food calories versus empty liquid calories (e.g. juices and soft drinks), for at least the food will fill you up and provide some nutrition where as liquid calories, particularly alcohol, have no such effect. Rather, sugary and/or alcoholic drinks tend to make you hungrier in general and often hungrier for junk food in particular. (Ever binge out on pizza or Taco Bell late night after drinking too much?)

Additionally, your body cannot burn fat until the alcohol is processed out of your body in addition to the fact that alcohol consumption actually lowers leptin levels thus defeating one of the main purposes of this flexible eating (decreased leptin levels increase hunger and decreases your body’s use of fat for fuel). Thus over-consumption of alcohol can prevent the fat burning process from resuming until several days later and/or even cause unwanted fat gain and thus set you back as little as a few days to as long as a full week! That’s just the alcohol; add in the sugar and or fattening mixers of soda, fruitty mixes, or stuff like egg nog, and you can get an entire day’s worth of calories in a few drinks!

12.) Use “better” substitutes if you can’t use “good” ones.

Instead of using sugar, opt for zero calorie alternatives like splenda or stevia. They can deliver a similar taste without all of the extra sugar and calories. Even try replacing yeast with protein powder when you bake. The extra protein and reduced carbohydrates will result in a slimmer you while still providing some great tasting treats! Your goal should be to find the minimal amount of calories that can provide the same great taste that makes the holiday treats enjoyable rather than simply overdoing it because you can!

13.) Avoid Eating Meals that are High in Both Fat and Carbohydrates

The absolute worst thing that you can do is to eat a meal that is high in both fat and carbs. Let me repeat that: the absolute worst thing that you can do is to eat a meal that is high in both fat and carbs.The high amount of carbs will lead to a rapid increase in blood sugar levels and thus large increases in the potent fat-storing hormone Insulin. The high amount of fat will lead to a large increase in free fatty acids in your bloodstream. Since Insulin is already present in large amounts, in addition to there being a large amount of free fatty acids now available in your blood, the stage is set for all those free fatty acids to be gobbled up and stored by your fat cells. This is the equivalent of becoming the next Goodyear blimp, so it is imperative to use caution at your holiday meals when it comes to combining fat (particularly saturated and trans fats) and carbs (particularly starches and refined sugars). In general, it is best to choose one over the other. But since most people crave carbs at their free meals, it is essential to keep the fat low at this meal. Want pasta? Instead of alfredo sauce, opt for marinara sauce with whole grain pasta. Want pizza? Make your own pizza with whole grain crust and fat-free cheese. Want mashed potatoes? Well then be sure to skip the gravy and go easy on the butter. These small changes can literally save you hundreds, even thousands of calories, and more importantly will prevent your holiday feasts from creating the optimal fat-storing environment that will set you back from achieving your health and fitness goals.

Stay focused, stay fit

Zay

You & I both know how busy the holidays can be!

Don’t use the increased activity this month be an excuse for you to lose your focus.

That’s what the large majority of Americans do, and the majority of Americans gain 3-5 of their annual average 10 lbs during the holidays.

Do you WANT to gain weight this month?!

Don’t let yourself get caught in the trap of not working out to make more time for holiday errands or events. It is a big mistake to risk losing the lean muscle mass and strength that you have worked so hard to build and maintain.

If you’ve been reading my articles & posts for anytime at all you already know why, but for those that might still need to ask why:

Losses in lean muscle mass will lower your resting metabolic rate, which accounts for the vast majority (about 60-75%) of your total daily calorie burning. This means that everyday you will be burning fewer calories which will put you at a much greater risk of putting on ugly, body fat during the holidays.

Additionally, losing strength will mean that the next time you start to work out your performance will be sub par and you’ll get smacked in the face with that ugly word that no one ever wants to encounter when it comes to their training: regression! 

For some more good news, there are tons of ways to burn more calories during your workouts & regular activities during this season! Use the strategies below to maintain and/or increase your current amount of lean muscle mass and maximize your daily calorie burn to best protect yourself against the deadly holiday bloat!

1.) Perform at least one intense strength training session per week

Studies show that only a single strength training workout per week during times when you cannot train as frequently as you normally do is an effective way to maintain your current levels of strength and lean muscle mass. So, to best maintain your strength and lean muscle mass, shoot for at least one good strength training workout per week to stay where you’re at during the holidays and to prevent unwanted regressions in fitness. To best prevent weight gain, aim for three total body strength workouts per week. To maximize fat burning, perform three total body strength workouts per week and also perform three cardio interval workouts per week on non strength-training days.

Remembering that most folks gain weight during the holidays, even maintaining your weight during the holidays is a success sometimes!!

2.) Hit Your Totals

Your body is a moron. In other words, it cannot differentiate between 100 push-ups performed in a row versus 100 total push-ups performed in a day. When you honestly cannot find a five to 20-minute time slot to complete an effective total body workout, look for small chunks of time during the day to get in a certain number of daily repetitions for a certain number of exercises that work your entire body.

Got a free moment from now until you need to take the turkey out of the oven?

Then, bang out 10 push-ups, 10 rows, and 20 squats. Using this method throughout the day will lead to big numbers by the end of the day that will burn the same amount of calories in addition to creating similar muscle building effects as if you did all of the exercises at once during a single workout.

It is important to note that this “Hit Your Totals” routine is merely a back-up option to the ideal 20-minute interval training workouts which are scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat than ordinary exercise. 

 Short rest periods between exercises create the optimal hormonal environment for rapid fat loss and lean muscle gain, where as the long rest periods (full recovery) between movements do not. However, it comes down to effective (“Hit Your Totals”) versus optimal (50-10 Total Body Circuit Interval Training Workouts), so be sure to at least be effective this holiday season!

Make sure to pick multi-joint, compound movements that hit as much of your body’s major muscle groups in the shortest amount of time possible (e.g. squats, deadlifts, lunges, push-ups, rows, etc.). Actually, check out almost any of my videos below to figure some workouts to use.

Use the plan below as guide to build your own “Hit Your Totals” workout. Adjust the repetition ranges accordingly based on your current strength & endurance levels. The only thing you need is your body weight and adjustable dumbbells and/or resistance bands.

Perform this plan up to three times per week, resting a day between workouts. Make sure to alternate between Plan A and Plan B for more variety. You can either hit your total by doing one exercise first (e.g. perform push-ups rest-pausing as needed until you get 100 total), or by simply employ circuit style training (e.g. 20 squats, 10 push-ups, 10 rows, repeat 10x throughout the day to hit your totals).

The Hit Your Total Workout For The Holidays

Plan A-

Body weight Squats or Hip Extensions: 100-200 total

Push-ups: 50-100 total

DB/Band Rows: 50-100 total

Plan B-

Body weight Lunges or Single-Leg Hip Extensions: 50-100/total per leg

Off Chair/Couch Dips: 50-100 total

DB/Band Curls: 50-100 total (feel free to swap pull-ups or pull-downs here if you have access to the equipment)

3.) Rage Against The Machines

Machines have made us an incredibly out of shape and overweight society!

As another way to burn additional calories this month, make it a point to not use them!

Obviously I don’t mean for you give up driving your car to the mall in favor of the old 10-speed.

However, when you get to the mall, try to park further away so you can do more walking to get inside.

Avoid using elevators and escalators and opt for the stairs; all those steps truly do add up.

Instead of having your kids carry your bags bags, burn more calories by carrying the bags yourself, and help them burn calories by making them walk home! Just kidding! Haha!

Point being, stay on your feet as much as possible and resist the temptation to let a robot or machine do the work for you.

4.) Engage in more outdoor holiday activities

Obviously we don’t have the option to do stuff like ski, have snowball fights or build snow angels here in Florida, but this is the nicest time of the year here to get outside & do stuff without having to worry about heat exhaustion!  
Get outside & throw the football around, play basketball, walk around the Town Center, heck even putting up Christmas lights can be a calorie burning experience for most of us!

 Once again, all these calories here and there truly do add up and could make a difference between you fitting in your pants or ripping your pants by the time the clock strikes midnight this New Year!

Stay focused, stay fit!
ZAY