Sarah's Introduction

Hello again J

Anyone notice the decorations in the front yards these days? Yes, there is Halloween stuff being laid out already. Worse, there are even a few Christmas things out in the open. Frankly too early, but it’s a free country after all. Anyway, my point is this; we are approaching the end of the fiscal year. You know what I mean, 12.31. Or more precisely, 01.01!  New Year’s Resolutions are back in town!

How many of you made a few of those this year, of going to the gym regularly, eating better, etc; only to slide back to your old and comfortable habits within a few weeks or months at best? Statistically, 95% of you did. The 5% who didn’t, wrote their goals down, kept written journals both for their nutrition and their training. They stuck it out and are leaner and in better shape now than they were last Christmas 

So make sure you write it all down this year. Don’t worry, I’ll be reminding you as the time approaches. But, and this is a big but: why in the hottest blazes wait for January to get your life and body in shape? Think about it. It’s always “I’ll start Monday” or “On the 1^st of the month I’ll join a gym”, or on the first working day of the New Year. Why? There is no time like the present. What you did yesterday that made you look the way you look today, is the past! What you do today will shape the way you look and feel tomorrow, so … well, to put it bluntly, get off your behinds, react!

I’ll list some of our favourites below, but this does by no means mean we don’t like the others as well. I’ve just picked out a few for you which I believe will be really helpful to any one who is heading out on the journey to a better lifestyle, a lean body and general good health.

By starting now, right now, you will already have made a significant change to your body by the time the Holiday Season comes around, and it will be so much easier for you to resist over eating and over indulging at every party. Of course you’ll have a little of (almost) everything, but you’ll already master portion control and won’t go overboard like in previous years. For starters, you will have many admiring looks and comments (oh, jealous ones too, don’t worry about that!). Secondly, when everyone else starts “being serious” after New Year, you have a great head start on them! And you do realize that it takes only 3 weeks to make new habits stick? You have 4 times that much time left until the end of the year.

Absolutely, there are 12 weeks left till the end of the year, and number of training programs and challenges are based on 12-week programs. Starting Monday October 8^th, there are exactly 12 weeks till the New Year. 12 weeks. You have any number of books available right here at AtoZFitness, with either specifics like Tom Venuto’s Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle , Marc David’s Beginning Bodybuilding,  Ray Burton’s …Fat to Fit, David Grisaffi’s Flatten Your Abs, or Will Brink’s  Fat Loss Revealed,  just to mention a few; or our own Total Body Makeover  (which has received a really nice review from Jon Benson himself) giving you several choices of programs. Of course, you also have Jon’s own, new book ….-Every Other Day Diet…. as well as his older Fit Over 40 . The choice is yours, but please, give yourself the absolute best gift you can for this Holiday Season: a lean and healthy body! Or at least a head start on the others who will make their resolutions only from January 1^st 2008.

Need help? I’ve still got room for a few more clients on www.trainwithsarah.com and we do give some free pointers on our forum and my Fitness For You is still at only $ 9,99 at www.healthylivesforyou.com

It doesn’t matter what you choose, just make sure you take action now. Actually, yesterday would have been a good day to start, so don’t put it off any longer. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. What you decide and do today will make your tomorrow. Make the best choice you can.

Sarah, CPT
www.atozfitness.com/sarahsblog
www.trainwithsarah.com
Sarah, CPT

Weekly Featured Fitness Article

The Untold Secrets to Improving your Fitness
By Gary Matthews

You might disagree with me on this but please hear me out "The best and the only exercise program for you is the one you will do!!" The next time you start an exercise program or eating plan take note of the following guidelines and if they don't stack up don't put yourself through the hassle.

You need something to stick to for the rest of your life, never start a program that will set you up to fail. It must be interesting and fun or you will never stick with it.
Below you will find some very interesting fitness tips that will keep you right on track.

Abdominal Training - The safest and most productive way to train the abs is to use the brace and hollow technique. Try standing normally, breathing normally, now suck your stomach in towards your spine and hold, remember to breath normally, hold for seven seconds and release, now do this exercise 10 times.

This is a basic isometric exercise that helps strengthen the abs and the muscular girdle around your waist.

Fast Walking - Research shows that regular, brisk walking is one of the best exercises we can do for overall fitness. It suits people of all ages and fitness levels, it's easy to get started and there's no complicated technique to earn or equipment to buy.

Walking is an excellent way to get fit because it uses nearly all the muscles and, as you have to carry your body weight, its relatively strenuous. It's also safer on the joints and the back than most other forms of exercise because you're not jumping up and down, so the impact is low.

Try Boxing For Fitness - Today, boxing is recognized as a health promoting exercise program that provides a total workout for you're cardiovascular and endurance systems.

The exercises can be done with or without equipment. If you want to buy equipment then a heavy punching bag and boxing mitts available at any sports store for between $50.00 and $100.00.

A good skipping rope can be bought very cheaply also. Other benefits of boxing include, increased stamina, increased strength, speed and coordination and used for reducing aggression. Sports scientists agree that boxing training is one of the best exercises because it conditions the total body.

An additional advantage of boxing is it promotes a persons well being by strengthening self-discipline. Combined with strength training, cardiovascular work it becomes the total package for self-defence and total fitness.

Checking Your Pulse - The best way to measure the effects of an exercise program on your body is to check your pulse. The easiest way to check the pulse is to place your index and middle fingers on your carotid artery or the wrist.

Immediately after the exercise, count your pulse for 15 seconds and multiply by 4. This can also be conducted during the exercise if safely possible. For a more precise reading of a pulse rate purchase an electronic device from any sports store.

Age Adjusted Heart Rate Work - So now you have your exercising pulse rate or heartbeats per minute. Concentrate at the upper end of the 50% - 70% ranges.

To figure this out, deduct your age from 220. Suppose your age is 40, deduct this from 220 and you get 180, 50% of 180 is 90 beats a minute, 60% of 180 is 108 beats a minute, 70% is 126 beats a minute and so on. Don't jump into 70% work straight away.

Start with 50% and slowly work your way up to the 70% upper limit. Start with no more than 10 minutes, and work up to 20 minutes. Having reached 20 minutes at 70% and you are comfortable with that then work to increase the heart rate up to 80%.

Try Active Isolated Stretching (AI) - AI stretching does what stretching is supposed to do, it transports oxygen to sore muscles and quickly removes toxins so recovery is faster.

Finally it also works as a deep massage technique because it activates muscle fibres during the actual stretch. Isolate the muscle or group you want to stretch then contract the muscle opposite. This causes the isolated muscle or group to relax straight away and when it does it is ready to stretch.

Gently and quickly stretch the isolated muscle until it can't be stretched any further; now give yourself a gentle pull with your hands or rope. Go as far as you can and then hold the stretch for no more than 2 seconds then release, do this for a total of 5 repetitions on the isolated muscle or group.

So there you have it, you require a program that is realistic for you now, a program that is time efficient for your time schedule and your life other wise it will not be followed.

Gary Matthews from Maximum Fitness is going to be permanently retiring his excellent fat-loss and muscle-building manuals.

And he's offering it for the DIRT CHEAP price of only $9.97 (including the bonuses).

Considering the amount of information in his eBooks, that is a CRAZY deal, definitely worth checking out.

I'd highly recommend grabbing this one while you can, especially at that price!

Gary Matthews is the author of the popular fitness eBooks Maximum Weight Loss and Maximum Weight Gain.

Both of Gary's famous e-books are liquidating for $9.97

 Unconventional Iron with Nick Nilsson

Daily Specialization Training - Transform Your Weakest Bodyparts Into Your STRONGEST Bodyparts!

By Nick Nilsson

Experience the power of extremely targeted, high-frequency
training. It literally has the power to turn your weakest
bodyparts into your best!

Everybody has them but nobody wants them. What are they? Stubborn, hard-to-develop bodyparts. For me, it's shoulders, calves and biceps. For you, it may be chest and triceps or perhaps hamstrings and quadriceps. No matter what the part, the solution to it remains the same: specialization!

Specialization is a technique that provides highly-targeted training overload to one or more bodyparts. This can be in the form of additional training volume and/or training frequency, i.e. do more sets for it and/or train it more often. Just like medical doctors specialize in certain areas of medicine, you will learn how to specialize on a particular bodypart and excel with it.

I'm going to show you a particular specialization program that I've found to be EXTREMELY useful for developing stubborn bodyparts. It's not hard to do and it doesn't take long to do but it has the potential to shatter plateaus in hard-to-develop bodyparts like a brick through a plate glass window.

How To Do Daily Specialization:

The name of the program is Daily Specialization and, as the name implies, it's done on a daily basis. In a nutshell, you will do just 1 set of 1 exercise for 1 bodypart twice a day, every day. It's very simple but very powerful and it can be done with any bodypart you like!

I will use dips as an example here but you can use any exercise you like. Choose an exercise you can do at home for your selected bodypart to make it easier and more convenient to do (chances are, you're not going to be going to the gym twice a day to do 1 set of 1 exercise!).

If you have weights at home, it will broaden your selection but I find that bodyweight exercises (that use your bodyweight for resistance, e.g. dips, chin-ups, push-ups, etc.) are most effective.

Using dips as the example, on Day 1, very soon after you wake up, do as many dips as you can. Go to failure, doing as many reps as you can then stop. That's your morning workout. You're done.

Do everything else in your day as you normally would, even your regular workouts for that bodypart if they're on your schedule. This program exists completely outside your regular workout schedule.

At night before you go to bed, do another set of dips to failure. That's it. When you wake up the next day, do another set of dips to failure, just like on Day 1. Keep this up for as long as you like - anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the results you want and whether you want to switch to another bodypart or not.

This is the entire program! As a quick note, you can add a third set in the middle of the day on non-training days in order to speed results. It will give your body a little extra stimulus for that bodypart. Also, do only one bodypart at a time with this program. If you add in more parts, you will dilute the training stress and diminish the effects of the program.

The key to success with this program is consistency. You MUST do it consistently every day, twice a day, without fail to provide that constant training stimulus to the body. Even if you don't feel like it, do it. Even if you're tired and you don't get nearly as many reps as usual, do it. Even if your muscles are sore, do it. The only exception to this rule is if you're sick or injured. Do this, and you WILL get results.

Why It Works:

Physiologically speaking, the body becomes its function. If you run long distances, your body will have a tendency to become smaller and lighter to be better able to cope with the stress. If you lift weights, your body will have a tendency to become more muscular in order to deal with the resistance.

We target this highly-efficient adaptation process by training stubborn bodyparts with very high frequency. Your body quickly learns it needs to build up that bodypart in response to this constant workload. Your body will very quickly start allocating recovery resources towards rebuilding that part bigger and stronger.

You keep working it and your body will keep building it. This program harnesses the adaptive power of your body and channels it into a specific bodypart for maximum results. The results are consistent and phenomenal!

Let me give you my experience with Daily Specialization. I used this program for my shoulders, doing handstand push-ups. At a bodyweight of 200 pounds, when I started I couldn't do a single full rep, only a few partial reps.

After 12 weeks of consistently doing handstand push-ups morning and night, I was able to perform 40 full reps at the very same bodyweight. If you think about this for a moment, it's actually quite shocking! Could you imagine barely being able to bench press your bodyweight one day then, 3 months later, being able to press it 40 times!

The results came little by little but on a consistent and daily basis. Over the 3 months (which were going to go by anyway, regardless of whether I did this program or not) this resulted in HUGE gains in muscle development and also carried over to strength in exercises such as shoulder press and bench press.

You can easily achieve powerful results like this with the Daily Specialization Program.

One of the greatest benefits I found with this program wasn't even the improvement in strength and muscle development. Working the stubborn bodypart twice a day to failure actually made my stubborn shoulders not stubborn anymore!

The constant workload, in addition to building strength and muscle mass, also greatly increased the circulation/capillarization in the muscles. Poor blood circulation is one of the biggest causes of lagging muscle development. This greatly-improved circulation meant more nutrients could get into the muscles more easily, which means easier muscle growth in the long-term.

Not a bad result for a few minutes of effort every day!

I want you to pick a lagging bodypart, pick an exercise for it and try this program for yourself. I guarantee you will see consistent results. Your body will simply have no choice!

Interested in learning more about other Specialization Programs and how you can use them to shatter training plateaus? Click this link now to find out about other highly-targeted Specialization Programs.

 Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 16 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding e-Books including ";Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt NOW!" and "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of

David Grisaffi C.H.E.K., CFT, PN

The Lower Abdominals
By David Grisaffi,
Author, Firm And Flatten Your Abs

The lower abdominals may be the single most popular subject among fitness enthusiasts today. This is due to the fact that having flat, tight, lower abdominals is a highly desired look, but a very difficult look for most people to achieve. Many fitness professionals insist that there is no such thing as "lower abdominals", While others propose that exercises like crunches work the upper abs more and exercises such as leg raises or reverse crunches work the lower abs more.

Before continuing, first keep in mind that no abdominal exercise can "spot reduce" lower abdominal fat. Many people feel a need to perform special "lower ab" exercises, not realizing that the real reason they can't see their lower abs has nothing to do with their choice of abdominal exercise, and everything to do with an excess of fat and possibly digestive problems

Because of genetics and hormones like estrogen - the lower abdominal region is simply one of the first places most people store body fat. Therefore the same is true in reverse - lower ab fat is the last place to come off. Removal of lower abdominal body fat is a separate issue than lower versus upper abdominal muscle recruitment and body fat problems can only be addressed by creating a caloric deficit and addressing lifestyle factors. This requires proper nutrition, not special "lower ab" exercises.

Second, it's true that you cannot isolate the upper and lower abdominals from one another. Both upper and lower abdominals are activated during the performance of any abdominal exercise. The rectus abdominis is one long muscle, not two separate muscles. However, the nerve innervation of the upper and lower portions is different.

Although you cannot completely isolate upper and lower abs, research has used electromyography (EMG) testing to try and determine whether certain exercises can emphasize one section of the abs more than another. Results have shown very clearly that the obliques can be recruited more with specific exercises. However, data on lower versus upper abs is mixed.

For example, a 2001 study by Lehman and McGill published in the journal Physical Therapy said, "Differences between the portions of the rectus abdominis muscle are small and may lack clinical or therapeutic relevance." On the other hand, a study by Willett and colleagues at the University of Nebraska said, "our findings support the concept that abdominal strengthening exercises can differentially activate various abdominal muscle groups." A 2007 study by Eric Sternlicht found major increases in EMG activity (93%) of the lower abdominals simply by changing body placement on a swiss ball during the crunch exercise.

I believe it is very possible that the upper and lower abdominal areas can be emphasized to a greater degree by the choice of exercise. The abdominal region is somewhat unique because unlike muscles such as the bicep, the abdominals are divided by tendinous intersections which correlate to various segments of the spinal column. It has been proposed that these segments may be under separate neurological control.

As I learned in my internship from the Paul Chek Institute, as early as 1934, Joel E. Goldthwaite in his book "Body Mechanics in Health and Disease," determined that there was a difference between the control mechanisms of the upper abs versus the lower abs. In other words the "electrical system" that controls each section is innervated by different wiring.

Some years ago a TV special filmed a belly dancer rolling a few quarters up, down, sideways and diagonally across her belly. I have seen a similar feat with my own eyes as my brother can do a "belly roll" - an impressive feat of abdominal muscle control somewhat akin to a caterpillar inching its way across the floor, by rolling one segment of its body a time. Although this may simply be an individual trait and or a well-practiced skill, it's suggestive that different segments of the abdominals can function independent of each other, indicating that they may be on different neurological circuits.

Evidence of separate innervation may also be seen when a person with great upper abdominals experiences distention in the lower abdominal region, commonly known as a "pooch belly," despite low body fat. Explanations include gastrointestinal issues, bloating or food intolerances that allow the lower abdominal wall to protrude as a result of inflammation inside the gut. However, there may be a neuromuscular explanation as well. If the muscles that hold in the gut contents are weak or suffer from poor neural connections, the lower abdominal wall may bulge outward, independent of body fat levels.

There are many opinions on this controversy, as well as conflicting research data. Some experts believe strongly that "lower ab exercises" are just another fitness myth and that the case is simply closed. However, the abdominal and core region may be much more complex than just one long sheet of muscle running from the sternum to the pubic bone that contracts completely along its length or not at all. I believe we should keep an open mind to the possibility of being able to emphasize the upper or lower area to a greater degree, as some of the EMG studies suggest.

Assuming that the lower abdominals can be stressed to a greater degree with choice of exercise, this has significant implications for creating highly effective and individualized training programs. Lower abdominals should be trained with (1) proper exercise sequence (lower abs first), (2) proper selection and (3) proper progression. A common mistake is when a beginner with weak lower abs attempts to do advanced exercises such as hanging leg raises. This demonstrates improper exercise selection and progression and will do nothing but build muscle imbalances. These imbalances will manifest in poor posture and lead to injury and low back pain.

Upper and lower abdominals can be tested and I outline two easy assessments to find out your level of lower abdominal conditioning in my Firm and Flatten Your Abs e book. When you take the upper and lower abdominal tests before starting the program, you will easily see the difference between the two and then you will know which areas to prioritize the most, which exercises you can safely begin with and how to get the best results possible from your training program. You can get more information on the Firm And Flatten Your Abs home page at http://flattenyourabs.atozfitness.com 

Coach David Grisaffi,
Tacoma Washington
 

David Grisaffi is the Author of the bestselling e-book Firm and Flatten your Abs.

David Grisaffi since 1994, has been an exercise specialist, strength coach and personal trainer, he has worked with all types of people from professional boxers to housewives who want to get rid of cellulite.

David is certified by the International Sports Sciences Association and also by the prestigious Chek Institute as a Corrective High Performance Exercise Kinesiologist, Health and Lifestyle Coach and Golf Biomechanics Pro. He is also one of only 37 trainers in the United States to hold all of these credentials.

Click-Here to learn The Secrets today by
Ab Guru David Grisaffi

GHF Weekly Recipe

Crunchy Garlic French Bread

Makes:
1 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons nonfat grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 small loaves French bread

Directions:

• Combine garlic and oil in a bowl and mix well.
• Mix parsley, thyme, marjoram, and paprika in another bowl. Add Parmesan and mix well. Cut each loaf into diagonal slices, without cutting all the way through. Brush cut sides of slices with garlic oil and sprinkle herb mixture. Wrap each loaf in foil; place on a baking sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees F until heated through (about 10-15 minutes). Unwrap loaves. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information:

• Serving size: 1 slice
• Calories: 70
• Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Protein: 2 g
• Carbs: 13 g
• Fiber: 2 g
• Sodium: 140 mg

Shane Ellison M.Sc. - The Science of Health

The Anti-Cancer Drug that Causes Cancer
By Shane “The People’s Chemist” Ellison
www.thepeopleschemist.com

Western medicine’s approach to cancer treatment is based on profit, not safety and effectiveness. This became abundantly clear to me while designing tamoxifen derivatives for the drug industry.

Tamoxifen, like estrogen, binds to the estrogen receptor. In its early days, it was thought that this would prevent excess estrogen binding and therefore halt cancer. It was unleashed to the public as an anti-cancer drug.

Mayo Clinic got excited and announced that, “Tamoxifen (Nolvadex) — has been officially approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help protect high-risk women from getting breast cancer. It's generally taken for five years.”

As time passed, tamoxifen proved to be the anti-cancer drug that actually caused cancer. As a drug chemist, I was prompted to fix Big Pharma’s dirty secret.

For one year, I attempted to offset the cancer side effect of tamoxifen by designing chemical cousins of it. Such attempts failed. All of its molecular relatives initiated cancer. The project was cancelled. The secret was kept. Tamoxifen remained on the market and continued its cancer scourge among unsuspecting victims.

The American Academy of Family Physicians attempted to warn physicians by announcing, “Incidence of endometrial cancer (cancer of the womb lining) almost doubled for those taking the drug [Tamoxifen] for one to two years. Taking it over a five year period: Cases quadrupled.”

Science rarely has a voice loud enough to penetrate Big Pharma’s overwhelming marketing chatter. The industry continues to push the billion dollar profit-puller as the first line of defense against cancer. Avoid the hype, avoid the cancer.

About the author:
Shane Ellison holds a master's degree in organic chemistry and has firsthand experience in drug design. After abandoning his career as a medical chemist, he dedicated himself to stopping prescription-drug hype. He is an internationally recognized authority on therapeutic nutrition and author of Health Myths Exposed and The Hidden Truth about Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs.
 

Phyllis Ward - -Expect Success PT

TRANSFORM YOUR BODY
TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE

Is that really possible?  I know quite a few marines, sailors, and soldiers that will tell you, absolutely!

In April of 2007 we started a popular 12 week challenge at our military base Camp Fallujah,  in Iraq.  Being the MWR (morale, welfare and recreation) department, we wanted to offer a program we believe to be of great value to our troops. 

The excitement and level of participation was exhilarating!  Even working long days and out on missions, these people were on board with the program.  They were in to win.

It would have been really easy for them to quit or not even start at all given the limitations they had.

First, as I mentioned above, many of them work very long hours.  It’s not uncommon to work 12-16 hour days, 7 days a week in Iraq. 

I remember a Navy Captain telling me that after working in the operating room until after midnight, her commander was waiting for her to go work out.  Her commander wasn’t even in the challenge but she wanted to support one of her nurses. 

The second challenge is the limited equipment.  One advantage that the troops had was that we are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  I believe we have a nice gym and a good deal of equipment but, it’s not like the nice health clubs in the states.

Third, the climate.  How many of us want to work out when it’s 130 degrees outside and the air conditioning inside can only keep it to a pleasant 90 degrees?  Most of us, myself included, would be looking for a tall glass of iced tea rather than a treadmill.

Fourth, how do you get in 6 meals a day when the dining facility is open 3 times a day?  Not only are you limited to the times you can go to chow, you also are limited to the selections you have. 

Remember when you were a kid and your mother told you, “eat what’s on your plate or go hungry?”  That’s pretty much the way it is.  In between they had to hope the PX had protein shakes and bars or packets of tuna.  They didn’t have the luxury of going to the local health food store and although we can order online, it takes a while to get to Iraq.

I know that each of them had their own challenges that I’m not even aware of.  Although I believe MWR does a great job of offering resources for the troops, Dorothy…you ain’t in Kansas anymore.

At each 4 week mark in the challenge we asked our challengers to come back in for body fat testing, a weigh in, and new pictures to compare to their “before” picture.

Remember the title to this message “Transform Your Body-Transform Your Life?”  The change in their personalities was unmistakable.  I have a few favorites that I would like to share with you. 

Early in March, Major Quinones came to me to talk about his weight.  He was overweight by Army standards and he was getting some pressure about it.  He wanted to know how to lose a number of pounds in one week.  I don’t remember the number but it was completely unrealistic.  We talked for close to an hour about nutrition, diet, exercise and the lifestyle changes that needed to be made. 

I felt like I was reaching him but he actually hadn’t heard a word I had said.  He was only interested in the pounds he needed to lose in a very short time frame. 

I asked Major Q to keep a food diary for me for the next few days.  I was astonished to see he was only eating around 800 calories per day and putting in tons of cardio.  There are rabbits that eat more than he did. 

When I suggested he wasn’t eating enough and should add weight training he was listening but I think I lost him after I told him he needed to eat more.

When the challenge came along he decided to go for it.  There are few more zealous than Major Q.  He was all over it.

When he came to his four week body fat measurement he was actually smiling.  He was once very tense but he seemed to have “lightened up.”

By the eight week mark, I was amazed at the definition in his body and the change in his demeanor.  Could this be the same guy?  The transformation in his body was making a transformation in his life. 

It makes perfectly good sense.  When you feel good about yourself it spills over into every area of your life.  You are more productive, you have a sense of accomplishment, and you feel better. 

All of us want to succeed at what we try but few of us want to operate in self discipline and self control.  But, self discipline and self control equal self confidence!

I could go on about Major Q but pictures speak volumes.  Take a look at Major Q’s before and after:

 All I can say is HOOAH!

My next transformation hero is a marine.  His name is MSG Thomas French.  I always call him “Top.”

As Top will tell you, he was disgusted with the way he looked.   The challenge that Top had was that although he knew everything there was to know about sports, he had no clue about nutrition, supplements, or working out.

Also, his time was schedule could sometimes be hectic.  We spent all of our weekends together. 

That was a bit of a teaser line so let me explain. 

My job as an MWR Coordinator was to coordinate all the sports tournaments and events.  Each and every month we offered softball, football, basketball, fun runs, horseshoe, soccer and any other tournament we could think of.  Top was always there to volunteer as a coach, referee, pitch, or any other place he could help out.  If we had a tidily winks tournament, he would have been in on that too.  He volunteered a lot of time.

Top began researching everything he could to find out more, and if I had a nickel for every question he asked me, I would be a rich woman. 

He took fitness classes and before long, he was teaching them.  His marines began to ask him about the amazing changes he was making in his body.   Before long he was spreading the gospel of fitness and…people were listening. 

Being out on the field every weekend he also had the challenge of meals.  He began loading up his back pack with protein bars and tuna packets and timed his meals to the minute.  We might have even had to call time outs so he could eat.  Well, I’m exaggerating but only slightly.

By eating a clean diet both of the challengers overcame some health issues they were experiencing.

The funniest memory I have of Top was on the last day of the challenge.  It was time to take the “after” pictures.  He was the first one of the bunch and as we walked out to the tent to take pictures, they were setting up t-walls and of course, we couldn’t enter the area.

I thought he was going to come unglued!  He told them to get out.  We had been working for weeks for the conclusion of the challenge and we’re not stopping now.  

I called the supervisor on the radio, cleared up the confusion, they left and we pressed on with the pictures.  I think the adrenaline rush might have worked in his favor for the pictures.  Take a look at my friend, Top.

Hoorah!

As I look for the common thread of these champions I would have to say it was the support system.  The military, and especially in Iraq, supports each other with everything they have.

They also had the support of the MWR staff.  If we weren’t seeing the results they were expecting, we analyzed diet and exercise and made changes.

Second, I would say accountability.  Those that stayed in the race knew they would be coming in for body fat testing and pictures.  They did not want to fail themselves or anyone else. 

Transforming their bodies gave them the persistence, confidence, and perseverance to keep going. 

I can say with complete confidence that if you transform you body, you can transform your life.

About the Author:
Phyllis Ward, the Minister of Fitness, , has been involved in the fitness business since 1981. In 1999 she began working with the military in Europe. Upon her return to the states in 2000, she took a leap of faith and opened Expect Success, a mobile personal training business and has since evolved into Christian Fitness Coaching.

Phyllis now lives in Missouri with her husband and has begun working with the military again. Phyllis is also the author of God's Temple-40 Steps to Transformation, and is dedicated to helping you be all you can be. You can learn more about Phyllis at www.christianfitnesscoach.com or email her phyllis@godstemple40.com

Craig Ballantyne CSCS, M.Sc - Turbulence Training

The Top 5 Fat Burners

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Let's get right to it...here are 5 ways to make this a great
fat-burning day...

1) Do Something You Love

If you are a beginner and you hate the gym, just do something you love! Don't make your healthy lifestyle a prison sentence. Enjoy what you eat and do. Just don't eat garbage and don't look at exercise as punishment.

2) Strength Training

A very, very recent study (published in the May issue of the
Journal of Applied Physiology 102:1 767, 2007) showed that
resistance training boosts metabolism by 10% and increases fat
burning by 100%!

3) Interval Training

The latest research from Australia showed a more weight loss from interval training than from long, slow cardio. In fact, the long, slow cardio group didn't lose any weight. AND - this study was done in women...so yes, Turbulence Training works for women. Strength training and interval training are the 1-2 punch that blowtorch fat off your body.

4) Eat 6 Small Meals of Whole, Natural Foods

Fruits and vegetables, protein, nuts, and healthy fats. It's that
simple. Don't spend another dollar on "the latest diet". You
ALREADY KNOW what to do!

5) Avoid Booze, Sugar, Trans-Fats, & Inactivity

Yeah, I know, real "secrets" here, CB. "Thanks", you're thinking
sarcastically. Listen, sometimes we just need the motivation. Maybe there is a donut within reach, or you're thinking about watching the tube instead of exercising, or you've got a cookie in one hand and an apple in the other.

Let this be a simple reminder to make the right choice.

Everything you do takes you closer to OR away from fat loss,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com
 

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