Procrastination Nation Gift List Pt II

Allright, I'm back with the second half of my Top 10 list. Here it is :

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

I have helped hundreds of people lose thousands of pounds of fat. No joke. 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). If the taste of most proteins powders keeps you from using them, I recommend Muscle Milk. They seriously have like 30 flavors or something crazy like that and they actually taste good!

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 http://www.symmetryfitness.getprograde.com/



7.) 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 what they like playing or doing, whether it be fitness equipment, apparel, or both.

8.) Fitness Book or Subscription to Fitness Magazine

Everybody needs bedtime or bathroom reading baby! 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 am a big fan of Men’s Health and Women’s Health. These magazines are filled with tons of workout, nutrition, and lifestyle tips catered to each sex. I know it sounds funny that I read Women’s Health being a dude, but I work with a lot of women so I need to keep up with the lingo like skinny jeans and muffin-tops, ha ha!

9.) Ipod Shuffle

So I’m kind of addicted to Ipod. Ihave a shuffle, a classic, a nano and an Iphone and I’ve actually justified reasons for having each of them! The classic is for the truck, (I have almost 10,00 songs on it so I have the 80 gig), and nothing is better for working out than the shuffle or the nano. The nano is good if you want to see what’s playing or want to pair it with the Nike + running chip but honestly, I love the shuffle. I just load it with strictly workout music and push play, I don’t need to know whats playing next. It’s like the size of a quarter so you can hardly tell it’s there and for 50 bucks it’s hard to beat!

10.) A Gift Card to a Fitness Boot Camp

Boot camps provide a fun and exciting team environment that guarantee better results 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 Tucson, Arizona area, come work with us for the best personal training in Tucson by visiting http://www.lookbetternakedtucson.com/ just call or email and will give you a free two week trial pass! We’ll change your life and have you looking better naked this New Year, guaranteed!

Let’s Get It!

Procrastinators Top 10 Holiday Fitness Gift List

I don’t celebrate Christmas myself, but since the majority of the world does, I still relate to the holiday seasons. I really relate to procrastination as I’m pretty bad at waiting until the last minute to do some things.
So if you’re running out of time and hit a wall on what to get your friends or family for the holidays, then why not get them a fitness gift. Heck, you could even put some fitness gifts on your own holiday wish list. After all, who doesn’t want to look or perform better? Here is my official top 10 list of the best last minute fitness gifts for 2008:

1.) A Foam Roller

If you’re like most people, you spend a lot of your day nailed to a desk or out in the field doing construction work. And when you actually do have time to workout, all you can usually fit in is the workout itself. Really, who has time for daily stretching?

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 jumpstart 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. If your’e in the Tucson area, I get all of my foam rollers from Just Weight, you can reach them at 520-229-0072 or on the web at http://www.justweight.net/


2.) 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 Band Man” Schmitz. The dude is nuts, for real ! He 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 crank it at home or on the road not to mention my boot campers use these same bands. To get the best bands in the business check out http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=887805

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

Gift certificates are always good because the recipient can pick out what they want and it saves you the time of trying to decide for them. Here in Tucson we have plenty of good sporting good stores whether your favorite is Big 5, The Sports Authority or Dick’s Sporting Goods, you can always count on them to get the best fitness equipment and apparel on the market today.

4.) A Gift Card to 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 Whole Foods 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’m not gonna lie, several years ago I thought Whole Foods was just for rich people or hippies, but boy was I wrong. In addition to Trader Joes and Whole Foods, Sunflower market and Sprouts here in Tucson are particularly great 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.

5.) 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. (Hey some people hate massages, I’ll never understand it) 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! I recommend Peaceful Spirit if you’re in Tucson. I’ve been going there for years and I can’t speak highly enough of the treatment I receive there!
Visit them on the web at http://www.bestmassageintucson.com/

Ok, make sure to tune in on Wednesday for the second half of this Top 10 list and in the mean time...

Let's Get it!

Keegan Harris

Save Your Waistline This Holiday Season

There are all kinds of damage control tricks and diet strategies that you can put to work to prevent yourself from overdoing it at the dinner table this holiday season. Use the tips below to allow yourself to stay social and still be able to indulge (in moderation ) without splitting your pant seams before the New Year:

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

Ok, so 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’s better than a kick in the butt as mom would say ;) . It is less important when you do it and more important that you just do it as Nike would say (Ok I’m sorry! Enough quotes :p). Your best options will be 20 minutes of circuit resistance training or cardio interval training. Even a 20-30 minute walk a few hours afterwards can serve as a bit of damage control.

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

Fasting in preparation for a meal will not only lead to overeating, but worse: overeating foods that are extremely high in sugar, fat, or both! Your body is a survival mechanism. 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 gut 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

Eat until the point of satisfaction, not discomfort. Remember this: binge eating is not the habit of lean individuals. It is imperative to understand that holiday meals are not an excuse to eat as much as you can in as little time as possible. Listen to your body and make sure to enjoy the foods you are craving in moderation and only eat when you are hungry. Enjoy yourself and your family, just be wise J

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 less calories consumed during the ensuing feast. My favorite strategy is to drink a protein shake with added fiber and healthy fats (e.g. 2-4 Tbsp. flax meal) and 1 liter of water before such meals 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 blowing up!

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. Remember, enjoy yourself, just keep your priorities straight.

6.) Drink, Drink, Drink Water!

Water puts up a good fight for space in your stomach and really does help 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 important not to 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 be as rollable as possible! Only when you are hungry again should you resume your normal eating plan following a big holiday meal.

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’m not recommending that you eat in such an extreme manner, I’m just 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. Enjoy life!

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

Eating a highly refined carbohydrate aka simple carbs aka SUGARY meal 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.) Control your Portions

This one is real simple, but try to eat only half of all the servings of unhealthy food that you choose. Half of the portions equal half the calories!

11.) Avoid Empty Liquid Calories and Alcohol

You 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! Go for regular solid food calories versus empty liquid calories (e.g. juices and soft drinks), 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. Not to mention, your body just can’t 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!

12.) Use Lower Calorie/Carbohydrate Substitutes Whenever Possible

Ok so I’m not a fan of sugar substitutes, but if you are going to use sugar no matter what, Instead of using sugar, go for zero calorie alternatives like splenda or stevia. They can deliver a similar taste without all of the extra sugar and empty 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. 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 alfre
do 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.

Let's Get it...

Keegan Harris

www.LookBetterNakedTucson.com

Fight Fat And Excuses! 4 Quick Fitness Tips To Keep Your Body Fat-Free For The Holidays

We all know how busy the holidays can be. But no matter what, 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. Why ? Because 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 less and less calories which will put you at a much greater risk of putting on ugly, unwanted body fat during the holidays. Plus, losing strength will mean that the next time you start to work out it’ll be that much harder to do what was relatively easy before you stopped and it’ll feel like you’re starting over! Furthermore, there lots of ways to maintain or increase the number of calories you burn per day, both from exercise and from your normal daily activities, to stay fat-free this holiday season. Use the strategies below to maintain and/or increase your current amount of lean muscle mass and maximize your daily calorie burn to protect yourself against the deadly holiday bloat!

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

Studies show that just one 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 buff during the holidays and to prevent unwanted backsliding 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.

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 hidden 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 (feel free to contact me for more info on this). 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.). Use the plan below as guide to build your own “Hit Your Totals” workout. Adjust the repetition ranges accordingly based on your current strength 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
Dumb Bell/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
Dumb Bell/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. This holiday season make it a point to not use them! Now I don’t mean to say that you cannot drive to the mall during the holidays. 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 hit those stairs!; all those steps truly do add up. Instead of having your kids carry the bags, burn more calories by carrying the bags yourself! ;) Stay on your feet as much as possible and resist the temptation to let a remote control, elevator or machine do the work for you.

4.) Engage in more outdoor holiday activities

So I know we don’t get to have too many snowball fights here in Tucson unless we decide to head up Mt. Lemon, ( some of you are saying “ thank goodness we don’t have to shovel any snow!”) theres all kinds of fun stuff we can do outside! Let’s take advantage of our fantastic weather and get outdoors this holidays season! Throw around the pigskin or have take a hike! Are you kidding? Where else but Arizona can you enjoy a hike as awesome as Sabino Canyon or any of our other trails in December? 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!