Posted by Eric Twitty on October 22, 2008
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I have spent a lot of time in the gym in my life. It seems to me that most people are lost when it comes to what they should be doing in the gym. If you are one of these people, then this article is for you. Here are seven rules that you should incorporate into your workout regimen.
Rule #1: Always Use a Partner
Not only is a good partner necessary for safety reasons, but they are also great for motivation. They can help you stay disciplined and keep you from missing workouts. Find a motivated partner and challenge each other to improve each and every workout.
Rule #2: Don’t Socialize
Don’t socialize at the gym. This includes staying off your cell phone. If you have time to walk around and talk to people, then you are wasting valuable time. Are you going to the gym to make friends or to improve your body?
Rule #3: Have a Purpose
Go into the gym knowing what you want to accomplish. Each workout should have a purpose. If you are there to burn fat, then work hard to burn fat. If you are there to build muscle, then work hard to build muscle. Every workout should push you closer towards your goals. You must have a workout program that is structured for you and what you want to accomplish. Once you do, go in there and give it your all.
Rule #4: Get the Right Nutrition Before, During, and After Your Workout
If you are just doing cardio, this is not as important. If you are lifting weights, which you should be, then the nutrition you consume before, during, and after your workout should be taken very seriously. Make sure you have some carbs before your workout for energy. During your workout you should sip on a carb and protein drink. After your workout, take in 30-40 grams of protein and around 50-60 grams of carbs. This will go a long way in helping your body recover and give it the building blocks necessary to build muscle.
Rule #5: Keep Your Workouts Under an Hour
Your workouts should never take more than an hour. Research has shown that after an hour, your body is no longer in a state conducive to building muscle. You can get plenty of work done in an hour if you focus and ignore distractions.
Rule #6: Use Free Weights or Cables
Studies have shown that free weights not only build more muscle than machines, but burn more calories too. Don’t be lazy. Use free weights.
Rule #7: Focus Mostly on Compound Movements
Your workout program should be centered around compound movements. These are the best bang-for-your-buck exercises. They recruit more muscle fibers than isolation movements, and as a result build more muscle and burn more calories. If your workouts do not include exercises like squats, bench presses, and pull ups, then include them now.
Follow the Rules
Follow these rules and you will experience more success in the gym than you ever have in the past. If you are already doing some of these then you are doing a great job. If not, then start following these rules immediately.
Posted by Eric Twitty on October 15, 2008
With the obesity problem in the U.S. today, it is obvious that people not only need to eat better, but they also need to exercise more. Walking is one exercise that should be added into your daily schedule.
Why Should You Walk?
Walking an hour a day is a good way to burn excess calories, and it’s easy on the joints. Research has shown that fat is the body’s fuel of choice while walking. Combine this with an effective diet, such as the one outlined in my Only Diet Plan You Will Ever Need article, and you should trim excess inches and shed unwanted pounds in record time.
Walking is great because you can do other useful activities at the same time. I like to listen to audio books while I walk. Since I like to devote some of my time to reading daily, it allows me to be more efficient with my time. It also gives me time to myself. I can use that time to think about things and come up with new ideas for my business.
Use a Pedometer
A great tool you can use is a pedometer. Monitoring the amount of steps you take every day can help you lose weight. Every day, try to beat the previous day’s step count. You can also have a little competition with a friend who wants to lose weight also. You can offer each other a reward to who takes the most steps each day. Little games like this will make it more interesting and fun.
Stick With It
The key to any exercise is to stick with it. You should commit yourself to making this a daily habit. Get serious about your weight loss. Think about how good you will feel once you have achieved your weight loss goal. Don’t put it off. The time to start is now!
Posted by Eric Twitty on October 8, 2008
There are so many diet plans out there, it is obvious why people are lost when it comes to dieting.
Everyone is looking for that magic diet that will melt off the pounds in record time.
These diet plans usually lead to frustration and failure and it doesn’t have to be that way.
Effective dieting takes a lot of discipline and hard work.
So what makes up an effective diet?
An effective diet should accomplish these three things:
1. Boost metabolism- increase fat burning even while you are inactive
2. Create a slight caloric deficit- you take in slightly less calories than you burn
3. Keep insulin levels low- insulin is the hormone that controls blood sugar levels
Boosting Metabolism
To put it simply, your metabolism is the amount of calories your body burns to operate on a dialy basis. Boosting your metabolic rate can have a dramatic effect on your daily calorie expenditure. So how do we boost our metabolism?
1. Break up your meals into 5 or 6 smaller meals throughout the day
2. Eat lean, protein rich meats with every meal
Breaking up your meals into 5 or 6 smaller meals ensures that your body has the fuel it needs to function optimally. Each meal should include a good lean protein source and green vegetables such as broccoli or spinach. Protein requires more calories to digest than fat or carbohydrates. You can include a piece of fruit with your early meals but you should avoid it in your later meals.
Create a Caloric Deficit
Creating a caloric deficit basically means eating less calories than you burn. There are formulas out there that you can use to estimate your daily calorie expenditure but I think for most people just wanting to lose weight they aren’t necessary. If you stick to the foods that I recommend you should steadily burn fat and trim inches off your waist.
Keeping Insulin Levels Low
There are many health advantages to keeping your insulin levels low. Chronically elevated insulin levels can lead to diabetes and excess fat storage. Vegetables will do little to raise insulin concentration in the blood. You should get most of your carbs from green vegetables and fruits. One or two spikes in insulin levels throughout the day is fine but you want to avoid high insulin levels for an extended period. You accomplish that by avoiding foods that are very starchy.
So What Foods Should You Buy
Your food choices at the grocery store are very important. You want to avoid purchasing unhealthy foods. Don’t even go down the potato chip aisle at the store. Remember, if it’s not in your house, you won’t be tempted to eat it. Here is a list of what you should be buying at the store:
- Plenty of lean meats (chicken, sirloin, lean ground beef, lean ground turkey, lean turkey breast)
- Fish (salmon, tilapia, etc.)
- Fresh or frozen green veggies (broccoli, spinach, asparagus, celery, etc.) do not buy the cans
- fresh fruit (grapes, bananas, blueberries)
- coconut oil (for cooking)
This list offers lots of choices to create variety. Variety is essential if you want to stick to the diet.
Putting it All Together
So what would a typical day on this diet look like? It should look something like this:
Meal 1
5 oz. chicken breast
1 cup of oatmeal mixed with blueberries
Meal 2
5-6 oz. of lean ground beef or turkey
1 cup steamed veggies
1 banana
Meal 3
5 oz. chicken breast
1 cup steamed veggies
Meal 4
5-6 oz. salmon or tilapia
1 cup steamed veggies
Meal 5
5 oz. chicken breast
1 cup steamed veggies
This is just an example. You can eat whatever meats you like as long as they are lean. I would avoid eating a lot of fish. You should only include fish in three or four meals a week. Just remember that you want to avoid a lot of carbs later in the day.
Helpful Tips
1. Drink mostly water- its ok to have a zero calorie beverage every once in awhile such as diet coke but I would limit them to no more than one a day
2. Take a good multivitamin- this will ensure that you are getting all your vitamins and minerals
3. Take 10 grams of fish oil daily- there are numerous benefits to taking fish oil, its benefits are well published all over the web
4. Pre-cook your meals- this saves a lot of time, I usually cook everything on Sunday and pack them into ready-to-go meals in the refrigerator for later use
5. Experiment with different seasonings- use different seasonings while cooking to create more variety
6. Exercise- any daily exercise can go a long way in increasing your metabolism and burning extra calories
Get Out There and Get it Done
This truly is the only diet plan you will ever need. You shouldn’t even consider this a diet. This is a way of life. These are solid eating habits that will give you the body you want and help you keep it.
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