Five Fat Burning Secrets

Usually, I'm not this specific in my articles, but I'm going to give you the exact details on 5 very efficient methods for maximizing your metabolism and boosting your fat burning levels. These are strategies you can use that don't incorporate long workouts or calorie counting diets – just practical methods of achieving results. Throw just 1 or 2 of these tips into your daily routine, and you'll notice changes. Try all 5, and you’ll be able to literally watch the fat melt away and a lean body begin to appear.

#1: 10-15 minutes of light exercise before breakfast every morning. You may have heard that you shouldn't exercise on an empty stomach before breakfast because by the time that you finally do eat the morning meal, your body will be in fat-storage, starvation mode. While this is true for longer exercise sessions, a brief bout of exercise will give your metabolism a boost and ensure you start the day off right. Here is a sample routine to complete 1-2x:

·      25 knee or regular pushups + 25 jumping jacks

·      25 crunches + 25 jumping jacks

·      25 body weight squats + 25 jumping jacks

·      25 toe raises + 25 jumping jacks

#2:  Park at least ½ a football field from the front door of anywhere you go - grocery store, shopping mall, health club, church, video rental - everywhere! If you have a hard time gauging the distance of a football field, take about 50 long strides. For most individuals, that will be close to 50 yards.

#3: Eat one of the following every single day (I call it the ABS group): 1 Apple, 1 Banana, 1 Salad. Whole, raw, and with as little dressing, peanut butter, croutons, cheese, and other fancy additives as possible.

#4: Perform 20 body weight squats every time you use the restroom. Don't laugh - I told you I'd be specific! Make sure to keep your weight on your heels, your knees behind your toes, and your back straight. And get those thighs parallel to the ground.

#5: Do not eat any food that contains High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). I dare you. Since HFCS is extremely soluble, mixes with many foods, is cheap to make and easy to store, its used in everything from bread to dressing to processed meats to beer to health bars to soda. Because HFCS doesn’t activate the hormones in the body that regulate weight and appetite, fat burning and metabolism are suppressed after it’s consumption – even more that other sweeteners!

OK, now that you've got the 5 secrets, let's review tomorrow's plan: 10-15 minutes of light to moderate exercise followed by a healthy, complex breakfast; park far away everywhere; eat ABS; squat when you squat; nix HFCS. Got it? Good! Our bodies weren't meant to sit quietly the entire day and be fueled by liquid candy and processed foods, so eat smart, live smart, and train smart!

If you'd like a personal trainer to give you more practical tips by phone and e-mail, a detailed exercise routine, or a sound nutritional plan, just check out what we offer for online personal training from www.pacificfit.net, or e-mail me at elite@pacificfit.net. Also, when you're at the website, feel free to download a free sample copy of my diet and fitness book – Shape21: The Complete 21 Day Lean Body Manual. Anyone who is training online automatically receives a 10% discount on the the book/DVD package. So if you use the 10% personal training discount at the end of this newsletter, you'll be getting double discounts!

Ben Greenfield

M.S. PE, NSCA-CPT, CSCS

An Athletic Core Routine

During triathlon training season, I perform this killer core routine after a forty-five minute series of anaerobic threshold hill climbing on the bike. But you can do it anytime, and receive huge benefits with a strong cross-over effect to triathlon: coordinated strength between the arms, legs and torso for the run, amplified hip power for the bike, and abdominal/low back endurance for the swim.

To focus on form, just perform this routine once the very first time you do it. Eventually, work up to three times through. The key to the routine is to maintain constant core tension by performing each repetition in a smooth and controlled manner. My favorite way to do this is a 3 count up, 3 count down for each rep. Do 10 reps of each exercise (per side for the single side exercises) before moving on to the next exercise with little to no rest.

1. L-Pullups: perform a pull-up with the body shaped like an "L", meaning a 90 degree bend at the hip, with the legs held straight out in front of the body. If you can't do a pull-up, do 10 lat pulldowns followed by 10 hanging, straight leg raises (hang from a bar and raise the legs).
2. One Leg Romanian Deadlifts: Hold a weight in one hand and stand tall on one leg. Now hinge forward, keeping the back completely straight and allowing a very slight bend in the knees. Your leg that is off the ground should extend behind the body in a "laid out" position. Looking forward and keeping the rib cage pushed out, return to the starting position. That's one rep.
3. One Leg, One Arm Rows: Hinge forward at the waist again, but this time stabilize yourself with one hand on a bench or other supporting object. One leg should still be out behind you, with your body weight supported on the other leg. Hold a weight in on arm and complete 10 rows, utilizing a "starting the lawnmower" motion.
4. Split Squat - Hold a weight in each hand and get in a lunging position, with one leg out in front of the body and one leg back behind you. Place the foot of the leg behind you on a bench or other supporting object that is about 3-4 feet off the ground. Keep all your body weight over the front leg, and bend it to 90 degrees, then back to the starting position.
5. One Arm Overhead Press - Stand tall, suck the bellybutton in towards the spine, and press a weight overhead 10 times, with one arm. Switch the weight to the other hand and repeat.
6. Woodchopper - Stand with the feet shoulder width apart, holding a weight with both hands and outstretched arms in front of the body. Rotate the entire torso to the right while simultaneously squatting down and bringing the weight to the outside of your right shoe. Now stand and rotate the entire torso as far as possible to the left, swinging the weight to the outside of the left shoulder. Remember to keep the arms straight.

If you feel any pain in the low back during this routine, stop and make sure you're keeping your back completely straight. If your core is unconditioned, it is likely that low back fatigue will set in very quickly during this workout, so listen to your body! For complete triathlon coaching, visit www.pacificfit.net. Also, feel free to check out the new sports performance laboratory at www.champsportsmed.com.

Until next time, train smart,

Ben Greenfield

Fitness Tip of the Week

"Cheat."

At least once a day, cheat on your diet plan. It doesn't have to be a smorgasbord of ice cream, cotton candy, and boulders of fudge - but something to keep your healthy eating from becoming stale. For me, it's a handful of deluxe nuts, a frozen banana dipped in Hershey's, or a glass of killer red wine. It's the huge portions, day-in and day-out, that sabotage your goals, not the little nibbles here and there. Just have a little self-control.

Weekly Special - The Shape21 Preview

-The Shape21 Preview - Click here for a FREE preview of Shape21. Make sure you have the free Adobe PDF Reader on your computer.

After working for over 7 years in the personal training industry, helping thousands of clients melt away literally tons of fat, and discovering how to transform the body into a lean and athletic fat-burning machine, I've collected all the secrets that I've learned over the years and packaged them into one complete manual - a book that will change the way you view nutrition and exercise forever...click here to read more...

This brand new fitness manual offers a revolutionary new approach, and here's why: rather than separate nutrition and exercise into two different ways to burn fat, boost the metabolism, or gain a toned and sculptured body, I've combined a workout program, grocery shopping list, exercise instruction manual and meal plan menu that shows you exactly how to exercise and what to eat every single day. That means there is no guesswork and no "holes" in your fitness program - it's all there, in one complete, easy-to-read package that you can keep in your car, gym locker, kitchen table, or grocery store shopping cart...click here to read more...

Best of all, I've designed Shape21 to be applicable for all levels. So each manual includes options for beginner, intermediate, or advanced individuals. That means that if you have never worked out before, but want to take charge of your life and begin a new exercise and nutrition routine, you'll start with the beginner level. If you're in decent shape, but need to lose a few percentage points of body fat, or need to find a diet that caters to your busy lifestyle, you'll begin Shape21 at the intermediate level. Finally, for athletes who want to see unparalleled increases in speed and power, while retaining a lean sprinter's body and consuming the best possible fuel, the advanced level exercise program in Shape21 will instantly give you a huge performance boost...click here to read more...

QUESTIONS? Contact elite@pacificfit.net.