Brain Science And New Year's Resolutions by Tom Venuto

If you're not just going through the motions of making New Year's resolutions; if you're really serious about making changes this year, read Tom Venuto's article below for tips on effective goal setting.


Brain Science And New Year's Resolutions
A Study in Goal Setting By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS

Motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said, "I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they plan their lives. Perhaps it's because escape is easier than change."

Success psychologists say that 95% - 97% of the people in the world do NOT have written goals and fail, while 3-5% have written goals and succeed.

If these statistics are correct, then Mr Rohn's observation really IS quite fascinating isn't it?

Unfortunately for most people, the odds for success are actually even lower, because out of the few people who do set goals, most don't take goal setting seriously, they don't do it scientifically and they only do it once a year.

Goal setting is so important, that I always teach goal setting and mind dynamics first, and only THEN, do I teach nutrition and training second.

It doesn't matter how much you know about nutrition or exercise. Until specialized fitness knowledge is linked with goals and directions, the knowledge is useless and you won't accomplish very much or keep the changes long term.

In fact, I devoted the entire first chapter of my book, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, to the subject of goals and constructive "mind programming" for successful, permanent behavior change.

I've also studied neuro linguistic programming (NLP) for many years and more recently spent many months researching the latest information about neuroscience to see just how much of the traditional self help and goal setting wisdom is actually backed by brain research.

As you start thinking about your goals for 2007 right Now, I'd like to help you start the year off right by sharing two very valuable, science based tips on achieving your goals:

SCIENTIFIC GOAL SETTING TIP #1: Repetition is an effective way to "plant" a goal in the non-conscious mind

Why don't most resolutions stick? Psychology and neuroscience today are giving us the answers.

Thanks to new technologies in brain imaging, such as PET scans, SPECT scans and functional MRI's, we can now actually see your thoughts as electrochemical impulses and we can see the formation of new neural connections in real time right before our eyes.

We can also see where, geographically, in your brain, a particular type of thought is occurring.

Most importantly, we can see how long it takes to form strong neural patterns and what types of stimuli cause the patterns to form more quickly

Here's what we've discovered:

Setting a goal once is a conscious activity. Willpower is also a conscious activity. But research has shown that at least 5/6 of your brain power is in the non conscious mind and that the information and instructions that reach the non conscious mind are responsible for your automatic behavior.

Some psychologists believe that 95% of our behaviors are unconscious and automatic... more commonly known as habits.

Long term behavior changes don't take place when you set goals one time as with most new years resolutions. There's an old saying in "self help" circles that it takes at least 21-30 days to form a habit. This has now been proven to be fairly accurate on a neurological basis.

New neural patterns begin to form only after they've been repeated enough times. They continue to strengthen with further repetition. If you make resolutions on January 1st and you don't continue to repeat and reinforce your desire for those "goals," no new neural connection is formed, no new habits are formed, no new behaviors are formed....

Your resolutions wither away and die and any results obtained through willpower (trying to force the new behaviors through conscious effort), are quickly lost when you slip back to your old ways.

What you repeat over and over again is programmed into the subconscious mind and begins to take root. On a practical level, this means RE-writing your goals everyday and thinking about them in positive terms and in mental pictures, every day, repeatedly until the habit is formed and turned over to "auto-pilot."

In 1956, when Earl Nightingale wrote "The Strangest Secret is that we become what we think about most of the time," we didn't know what we know now about the brain.

Nevertheless, Earl was right.

You don't change your body by trying to change your body. You change your body by creating new habitual patterns of thinking and visualizing.

Trying to force new behaviors with willpower while continuing with your old ways of thinking will always fail because your automatic behavior is mostly under non-conscious control.

It's not the resolution you set once... it's the goals (mental thoughts and images) you focus on all day long that create the long term (and automatic) behavioral change... when you change your behaviors, you change your body and your life...

SCIENTIFIC GOAL SETTING TIP #2: Emotion is a goal-turbocharger

Is there any way around this tedious process of "mental programming" through repetition? Not really. The fields of NLP and hypnosis have given us some tools for creating more rapid changes, but ultimately you have to begin to "run your own brain" and change your habitual way of thinking. No one else can do it for you and there's no way around it.

There is however, a scientifically proven way to to speed up the process and that is with the use of strong emotion.

Since modern imaging technology can see activity in the brain and scientists have located the seat of emotions in the brain, we know that the strength and number of neural connections associated with a thought or behavior are increased when you're in a highly emotional state.

The neuron connections are also stronger, longer lasting and it takes longer to lose a neural connection when it was formed with great emotion.

With this knowledge, we see another reason why new years resolutions fail: They are set casually with no emotion and no strong emotional "reason why" that gives you the leverage to you need to make a change permanent.

On January 1st, you may think you're setting "real" goals, but if you're like most people, you're not only doing it a mere once a year and then losing focus, you're also likely to be making flimsy, wishy-washy, emotion-less "resolutions."

Zig Ziglar once said that, "A goal casually set and lightly taken will be freely abandoned at the first obstacle."

You might want to back up and read that quote again, maybe even write it down or print it out, because this one hits the bull's-eye!

This truly explains why New Year's resolutions almost never work, and why so few people can keep off the pounds after they get rid of them.

Goal setting should not be casual or lightly taken. Goal setting is an important and serious matter. This is not a game - this is your life, and you only have one life to live.

Goal setting is also not a one time event - it is an ongoing process of literally "re-wiring your brain." With the discovery of brain plasticity, we now know that this is science fact, not self-help fiction.

Make the time to set REAL goals, today! Take it seriously, do it scientifically, re-write your goals every day, think about them constantly, and then take massive action

Do it and this will be the most successful year of your life!

Tom Venuto, CSCS, CPT, is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal tainer, certified strength coach, certified master practitioner of NLP and author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat Burning Secrets Of The World's Best Bodybuilders And Fitness Models". Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and turbo-charge your metabolism by visiting: http://www.burnthefat.com

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Are You Smarter Than A 5 Year Old?

No fitness or health related info today. I simply wanted to share the story below with you. The insight, empathy and grace displayed by this 5 year old child amazes me.


Five Year Old Cancer Patient Leaves Hundreds of Notes for Her Family
by Susan Wagner

When five-year-old Elena Desserich was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer, she set out to help her family deal with her death in a truly remarkable way. The kindergartener started writing -- she created "The Kindergarten Survival Guide" for younger sister Grace -- and drawing.

When Elena's cancer robbed her of the ability to speak, she used drawing and painting to communicate with her family. One of her paintings, titled "I Love You," was hung in the Cincinnati Art Museum, next to a painting by Pablo Picasso, one of Elena's favorite artists.

But she also wrote hundreds of notes for her family and hid them in various places around their home in Wyoming; her parents didn't know about the notes until after Elena died. "We were moving some boxes around one day and in between some of the books a note fell out," recalls mom Brooke Desserich. "Each time I would read one of those notes, it was like a little hug from her."

You can read the rest of the article here.

22 Diet Secrets by Bonnie Lefrak

Bonnie Lefrak is a former pro-natural bodybuilder and owner of Punch Kettlebell Gym in Worcester, MA. She's compiled a list of 22 nutrition and training secrets.

22 Diet Secrets

Secret #1 There are no secrets.

Hmmm.. How will I get you to read the rest? I am not trying to depress you, but bottom line…there is NO super special workout or diet that is THE ANSWER.

Generally there are a few factors that people need to address, to unlock the secret to their personal success. Maybe you are not strength training? Maybe you eat processed foods?

Maybe your hormones are out of control? Maybe you are not getting enough sleep.

Often it is a few factors that can be addressed for ultimate success.

Secret #2 “Fat Burners” are generally money burners!

Sorry to say, there really is no magic pill that dissolves fat. The supplement industry is a billon dollar industry and growing. With the internet and magazines, these companies can appeal to us with their consistent advertising and false promises. Think about it. If a pill could melt fat, why is everyone struggling to lose weight, why is obesity at epidemic proportions?

If anything a fat burner will have caffeine (usually 200-300mg!) and therefore you may feel more energetic and perhaps work out harder. But you could also add more stress to your body and end up with a host of medical maladies, and still be fat.

Save your money. If you are a bit pooped and need a cup of coffee, ok get it- but beware you will build a tolerance to caffeine and need more and more and more.

This could give you problems when trying to fall asleep. Poor sleep will add to your problems.

If you already are very stressed out, adding “fat burners” could further tax your adrenal glands causing what is known as adrenal fatigue, which could lead to thyroid disorders as well.

Our bodily functions and systems do not operate in isolation. Even in terms of healthy weight loss our bodies will often make shifts and changes to protect us from what it perceives as famine or starvation!

In the end, save your money.

Secret #3 Whatever seems to be working now will stop working.

Our bodies are wicked cool! They adapt as part of our ability to survive. (As mentioned above in Secret #2, when losing weight the body fears famine!)

So, when you start a new workout program or a new nutrition program you often see changes right away… and then as your body adapts (literally it figures out what you are up to!).

The progress you were experiencing will slow down until it stops and you have reached the dreaded “plateau”.

Every 4-6 weeks it is a good idea to make at least one small change. You do not have to change drastically or EVERYTHING in order to keep your body guessing.

If you are doing 3 strength workouts a week, see what happens if you add an extra day. Or if you have not been doing any cardio, add some…

But beware, we cannot keep adding and adding and adding to infinitum.

There are only so many days in the week, so many hours in the day.

You will also have to back off some weeks, and change the program up, rather than Add more work! (see Secret #4 for MORE…)

You can read the other 19 secrets at 22 Diet Secrets

You Want The Secret To Fat Loss?

Craig Ballantyne's Secret to Fat Loss

You want the secret to fat loss?

Well, you're not going to like it.

It has nothing to do with Green Tea, acai berry gummy berry juice, or the Master Cleanse.

Instead, the secret to fat loss is a state of mind. Once you're in it, you can't fail.

So here it is...

"Once you accept how HARD it is to lose fat, then it becomes easy."

Do you understand what I mean?

It's like saving money.

Once you understand and accept how much discipline is required to save money then it's easy and becomes 2nd nature to do so. You understand the difficulty but just do it automatically.

It's the same with fat loss.

Once you understand that you must...

- Plan, shop, and prepare your meals in advance...
- Do three high-intensity workouts per week...
- Keep yourself active on off days and keep your butt off the couch for at least 30 minutes...
- Develop rituals that help you avoid night-time eating...
- Take time to set goals and to plan solutions for every obstacle that gets in your way each week...

Only then will fat loss become 2nd nature to you, so much so that you couldn't get fat if you tried!

Seriously, once you "get it", you literally couldn't get fat if you tried, because your mind is on autopilot to stop you from binge eating or from skipping workouts.

So work on that...apply that secret mindset and you'll succeed. You'll lose as much body fat as you want.

Heck, you can apply this to any aspect of your life and you'll experience success beyond your wildest dreams.

If only you accept the reality of the situation.

The secret doesn't come in a pill, potion, or powder.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training


Craig is graciously offering FREE 10-Minute Turbulence Training Workouts. You can get them here --> 10 Minute TT Workouts. Try them out and you'll see for yourself why I highly recommend Craig's program.


The 4th Turbulence Training Transformation Contest has officially begun but you can still sign up. Craig has now split the contest into Male and Female categories so the best male and female success story will each win $1000! You can check out previous winners' before and after photos, read their stories and sign up here --> Turbulence Training Transformation Contest

Merry Christmas

Have a wonderful Christmas and a healthy, happy new year!

Ditch the Dips

The Bench Dip is a very common exercise in many workout routines. Because you can use a park bench, an aerobic step, a short wall or even a chair, it's a staple in many group fitness classes as well as bodyweight and bootcamp programs.

There are also ways to make it harder or easier depending on the participant's fitness level.

We used to do it with our hands on one bench and our feet on another; the guys did it with a 45 pound plate on their legs.

Up until 3 or 4 years ago, I still had some clients doing Bench Dips but I don't anymore. I'm sure that some people could do them occasionally with no ill effects but why take the risk? When the guy called "the smartest man in fitness" by many other fitness pros talks, I listen. I even named my blog based on a post he wrote. You can read it here.

Anyway, regarding this exercise, Bill Hartman says:

The bench dip requires about 90 degrees of shoulder extension which exceeds normal shoulder extension by about 25 degrees.

To achieve that much range of motion the scapula must tilt forward which is a pretty unstable position. This also means that the shoulder joint is unstable and increases demands on the rotator cuff especially the subscapularis.

Over time this is a lot of undesirable stress leading to impingement of the cuff. This doesn't even consider the stress on the AC joint. It's also a crap exercise for overload.

Try Parallel Dips or Close Grip Pushups instead of Bench Dips.

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No More Pink Dumbbells

I recently came across the post below on the Fit Freshman blog.

Although there aren't a lot of posts there, much of the info is worthwhile.

No more pink dumbbells

I am about to go on a rant regarding how fat loss and weigh training is usually depicted to young women.

Fat loss follows a pretty simple formula, here goes.

1: Eat higher quality foods more often
2: Engage in moderate to high intensity conditioning a few times a week for at least 20 mins
3: Train with weights at least 3x a week with a focus on progressively increasing the resistance or intensity
4: Rest properly

Thats it.

Now if you have noticed , the majority of books, tapes and magazines have women doing the exact opposite. They recommend:

1: run or engage in low intensity cardio like jogging
2: Eat small portions of foods that will stop your fat loss like granola and yogurt
3: Train with weights a few times a week with (you guessed it) pink dumbbells
4: No mention of rest

Remember the body needs to be constantly challenged if it is going to change. Pink dumbbells are not a challenge.

That's all

Gift Suggestions for the Fitness Enthusiast

I'm reposting my fitness-related gift suggestions because, if you're like me, you still have holiday shopping to do.

All of these are under $25 (unless you're 6'9" or taller) except for the Plate Mates, which are About $25 per pair.

GymBoss Interval Timer

I'm not usually not one of those people who gets off on gadgets but I love my GymBoss. If you're a regular reader, you know that I'm a big proponent of interval training. Cardio intervals, bodyweight intervals, Tabata training, etc. The GymBoss is an inexpensive and convenient way to keep track of your intervals.

You can set it for 1 time or 2 different times. For example, you can program it to beep every 30 seconds if you're doing a bodyweight circuit or you can program it for a 20 second work and 10 second rest Tabata workout or any combination of times for other interval training. There is also a handy clip, which is helpful when I'm running outside.

To get the most out of your workout, you need to focus on the exercise at hand. Trying to keep track of the time is an unnecessary distraction which the GymBoss eliminates.

You can get your's here.


Plate Mates

In lower weight dumbbells, you can easily find a slightly heavier weight to progress to. At Body & Soul, I have 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12 pound dumbbells. However, once you hit 15 pounds, the dumbbells increase by 5 pounds.

That can be a big jump, especially for some exercises and that's where Plate Mates come in. Each pair contains two 1 1/4 pound magnetic weights that attach to each end of the dumbbell. So, instead of trying to jump from 15 pounds up to 20, you can make 17.5 pound dumbbells using Plate Mates.

Just a reminder- because they are magnetic, they only work on metal dumbbells. Also, you'll need to get two pairs because you need two Plate Mates per dumbbell.

PlateMate Micro Loading 5/8 Pound Hex Weight Plate - 1 Pair


Flashing Safety Light

If you're buying for someone who bikes, walks or runs after dusk, they really should have a good clip on flasher to improve their visibility. This one has 6 different flashing settings or can be set to glow steadily:

Flashing Safety Light


Thera-Band Stability Balls

When I first saw exercise balls popping up at gyms, I thought they were probably just another gimmick. I was wrong. While I have no use for the crazy acrobatic "functional" exercises some trainers have their clients perform, I have found stability balls to be a valuable addition to any gym. If you work out at home, an exercise ball is an excellent way to greatly increase the number of exercises you can do.

I have always used Thera-Band stability balls at Body & Soul. It's a quality product used by many physical therapists and very sturdy.

I've read comments by exercisers who had to constantly refill their balls or whose cat burst multiple cheap exercise balls, etc. I only rarely have to top off my Thera-Band balls with some air but they get used every day by many members.

If you are 5'1" - 5'6", you would get a 55cm (red).

For those 5'7 - 6'1", go with the 65cm (green).

If you have exceptionally long legs and are close to the upper height range, you may want to go with the next size up.

Thera-Band Exercise Balls


Spri Resistance Bands

Resistance bands are another item you can find at many discount stores and they may be fine. I haven't had a lot of experience with different brands. An aerobics instructor once told me that she had tried different kinds in her classes and found Spri bands to be the most durable. They're the ones I use at Body & Soul and I've been happy with the quality.

Each band below comes with a door attachment and exercise chart. Regardless of which brand you buy, you will probably do best to get at least two different resistances because you'll be able to use more resistance on some exercises than others- just like with dumbbells. (Please don't tell me that you do all your exercises with the same weight. If so, you're definitely doing yourself a disservice.)

The different colors signify different resistances, going from "light" to "very heavy"

SPRI ES500R Xertube Resistance Band with Door Attachment and Exercise Charts (Green, Light)

SPRI ES501R Xertube Resistance Band with Door Attachment and Exercise Charts (Red, Medium)

SPRI ES502R Xertube Resistance Band with Door Attachment and Exercise Charts (Blue, Heavy)

SPRI ES503R Xertube Resistance Band with Door Attachment and Exercise Charts (Purple, Very Heavy)

Who Says You Can't Drop Fat Over The Holidays?

Who says you can't drop fat over the holidays?

No one should after checking out the finalists for the 3rd Turbulence Training Transformation Contest.

Click on the link below and help fat loss expert and TT creator, Craig Ballantyne, choose the winner.

TT Transformation Challenge

I think a guy is going to take the crown this time around.

Definitely impressive results from all of the finalists. Remember, these are not celebrities with personal chefs, fitness trainers and hours to spend working out. These are REAL people getting REAL results.

And look at these prizes:

1st Place Grand Prize - $2000 plus a 3-Year Platinum TT Membership

2nd Place - $1000 plus a 2-Year Platinum TT Membership

3rd Place - $500 plus a 1-Year Platinum TT Membership

Go vote here:

TT Transformation Challenge

Who will get the top 3 fat loss prizes? You can help decide.

The winner will be announced Thursday so get over there and vote.

TT Transformation Challenge

Stress Buster

If the stress of the holidays has gotten to you, watch this video. It's shorter than a minute but good for a laugh.

Unethical and Uniformed Fitness Pros Tick Me Off

I'm all for people making lots of money. I don't care if they just got lucky or had rich benefactors who invested in them or whatever. As long as their product or service is legal and ethical, more power to them.

My problem is with people making money through services or products that cheat or harm people, regardless of the legality. For example, I have a problem with ill-informed fitness trainers who still promote hours of cardio for fat loss or tell women to use light weights or they'll bulk up.

I proudly get hung up on the ethics of business. I refuse to offer or promote worthless or harmful merchandise or services to members, clients or readers of my newsletter or blog.

Yes, people want to lose weight but that doesn't justify preying on them by selling worthless fat burning drinks or pills. I realize that a tan is still prized by many over the pasty look but I'm not going to lie about the safety of tanning beds just to make a few bucks.

I have never understood fitness centers equipped with tanning beds. If we're supposedly promoting health and wellness, how does increasing someone's risk of skin cancer fit in?

Just for the record, if you believe the tanning industry line that tanning beds are safe, you're misinformed. They are not. As dermatologist Jeffrey Dover, M.D. writes in his book The Youth Equation: Take 10 Years Off Your Face, "If there's enough light in that box to tan you, there's enough to cause skin cancer and wrinkling."

People are getting skin cancer from the use of tanning beds. Anyone who tells you differently is either lying or terribly misinformed.

In 2002, researchers at Dartmouth Medical School found that people who participated in indoor tanning were 2 1/2 times as likely to get squamous cell carcinoma and 1 1/2 times as likely to develop basal cell carcinoma than people who didn't tan. A study from Norway and Sweden of regular (as infrequently as once a month) indoor tanners found that they had a 55% greater chance of developing melanoma than non-tanners.

Obviously, some people will do things regardless of the risks and that is absolutely their right. It's also the right of health club owners to promote tanning even though it's an unhealthy and potentially disfiguring (not to mention potentially fatal) behavior. That doesn't make it right.

Holiday Fitness Tips from Mike Geary

I recently received the e-mail below containing some good reminders about holidays fitness and nutrition. As always, good advice from Mike Geary.


The time of year for fitness excuses is here... December is probably the worst time of year where most people use excuse after excuse as to why they are letting themselves get fat and out of shape during "the holidays".

So with this newsletter, I just want to give you some tips and motivation to do the opposite of what most people are going to do this December, and get yourself in BETTER shape during this busy season. This doesn't mean that you have to deprive yourself of anything during your parties with friends and family, but it DOES mean that you have to be sensible and stick to your fitness and nutrition plan when you're not in party mode.

First, the biggest excuse I've heard over the many years I've been doing fitness counseling is that they don't "have any time" to keep working out during the holidays.

Ok, I know we all may have a lot of family gatherings and holiday parties to go to during this time, but saying that you don't have time to keep yourself in shape is basically admitting that your health and fitness is not a priority in your life. If it was a priority, you'd make time.

So let's commit to a pact that we will not use the lack of time excuse this holiday season. Instead, if there are days that you don't feel that you have time to go to the gym for a full workout, schedule a 15 minute workout in for yourself at least 4 days/week either before or after work, or at whatever time you can fit in a 15 minute workout at home.

Anybody can fit in 15 minutes... that's all it takes. However, those 15 minutes need to be full of high intensity exercises that work your entire body. Even doing just some bodyweight circuits at home can keep you in great shape.

For example, you can rotate through 5 or 6 exercises such as lunges, bodyweight squats, pushups, mountain climbers, and lying leg thrusts in a circuit fashion, alternating between them for as many sets as you can do in that 15 minute time period.

If you work hard enough, you can get a great full body workout in only 15 minutes and then be ready to go for whatever holiday activities are on your schedule.

The second biggest excuse I've heard over the years from many people during the holidays is that there's no way they can control their eating during this time of year with parties and gatherings with all of the delicious food being offered everywhere. What many people have told me is that the 5 or 6 weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years every year is just one massive free-for-all bingefest for them.

This doesn't make any sense though. For example, even if you were extremely busy with parties and gatherings and let's say you have 8 parties/gatherings to go to during these 5 weeks, that is still only 8 days out of 35 that you're going to be surrounded by party food for only a small time each day.

This means that if you're still eating super-healthy during the 27 other days and also during the other time available on the party days, you can easily still have at least 90% compliance with your healthy diet. If you can have 90% compliance, it is quite easy to stay lean instead of packing on the lbs during the holidays.

The important thing to keep reminding yourself is that the ONLY time you are going to cheat is during the parties and gatherings and not before, after, or for entire weeks at a time.

One thing I like to do if I know I'll be going to a holiday party or big meal is that I plan to get in a great weight training workout within a few hours (if possible) before going to the party. This way I know that my metabolism is already elevated from the weight training and some of the excess calories that I may consume can help towards muscle repair and glycogen replenishment instead of being deposited as body fat.

So I hope this email has helped to make sure that you stay on track with your fitness during the holidays. There are NO EXCUSES. There's no reason at all to wait until January to start on your fitness program, when it should really be a part of your everyday lifestyle.

Here's to getting in BETTER SHAPE, instead of worse this December!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com

PS - if you liked today's article, feel free to fwd this email on to any of your friends, family, or co-workers that would enjoy it.

Less Than 5 Hours Remaining...

The holiday special on Jayson Hunter's Carb Rotation Diet ends tonight at 11:59 PM. If you're looking for a solid nutrition program, check out the details here or just scroll down to yesterday's post for the basics.

I'm always annoyed by bloggers and marketers and their canned sales letters who gush about every product that they come across. I'm recommending you check this out because, at this price, I am truly shocked by the personal support you will receive from Jayson and by the number and quality of the bonuses.

Remember, you only have until 11:59 tonight to grab the Carb Rotation Diet with all the extras at this price.

If You Struggle With Nutrition

I'm not going to post some long sales pitch here but I wanted to let you know that Jayson Hunter, RD, CSCS is running a special on his
Carb Rotation Diet.

As I'm sure you can imagine, I run across all kinds of health and fitness related products. I honestly don't think I've ever seen a product that contained the level of support and the quality of bonuses that Jayson is offering.

You really should check it out yourself here but below is a sampling of what you'll get.

* 30 Day Weight Loss Made Easy Meal Plan - I know there are people who like having specific meal plans to follow when they are working on losing weight and you will get an entire month's worth.

* 90 Days of Unlimited E-mail Support - How often do you have 3 months of unlimited e-mail access to the creator of something you purchased?

* A 20 minute phone consultation with Jayson - Remember Jayson is a registered dietitian AND a certified strength and conditioning specialist.

Besides that you get 14 other bonuses, including nutrition and motivation reports and exercise programs from...

Valerie Waters

Craig Ballantyne

Rachel Cosgrove

Jason Ferrugia

Steve Cotter

and others. These people are some of the best in the business.

With that kind of one-on-one support and the number and quality of the bonuses, I am shocked at the low cost of this holiday special.

If you have any interest in a nutrition program, you really should do yourself a favor and check out Jayson's
Carb Rotation Diet before Thursday, December 11th, at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Collected Fitness Wisdom #2

First off, happy birthday to my brother Mike!

Here's another installment of great quotes I've collected from other fitness professionals. You can find the first one here. If you're a fan of traditional cardio or mislabeled "functional" training, you may want to stop reading now.


"The reality is that most guys need to check their ego and cut back on the weight and focus on fixing their skitzoid form. Most women need to lift heavier."

~Mike T. Nelson, CSCS



"Standing on half a balloon (actually known as the BOSU ball) with one leg and then doing an overhead dumbbell shoulder press isn’t going to help you at all. When’s the last time you were in your driveway and you needed to walk on a balloon to get inside your house while carrying groceries?

~Dan Grant, CPT



"The fact of the matter is that nutrition and training are like the two wheels of a bicycle; you cannot ultimately be successful if only one wheel is spinning."

~Chris Mohr, PhD, RD



"Do people think there are invisible fat sucking trolls living beneath the treadmills? Well I have looked and let me assure you there are not.

If people spent 1/4 the time doing exercises like squats and deadlifts as they did on the damn treadmill they would be leaner, stronger and (last but not least) healthier. Plus they would be out of the gym in a fraction of the time."

~Joshua Carter, CPT



"I think people know what to do, but just aren't doing it.

e.g. for getting lean: Did you train today? Did you do something that will elevate your metabolism? Did you eat supportively? Post workout shake? 5 meals? Protein at every meal? EFA's?

Stop trying to figure out a better plan if you aren't already doing all of the above.

A lot of the time it's an application of knowledge that is the missing link - not a lack of knowledge per se."

~Alwyn Cosgrove, CSCS

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The Real Power of Acai Berry

In my "What I Know For Sure" post below, I wrote about how diet scams will always be with us because people want to believe there's any easy way. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but although fat loss is simple, it's not easy.

The real power of Acai Berry is emptying wallets.

Right now the internet is full of ads for this latest magic diet pill. Before that, it was Hoodia. Remember Hoodia? Hmmm, wasn't that the answer to losing weight? What was before that? Ephedra, Chitosan, Calorad; the list goes on and on. That should be a clue that these products are scams; the only thing you'll lose because of them is your money.

So the lying, unethical marketers rake in a fortune while people get fatter. As I said in my last post, if most people spent as much time and money on nutritious food and good exercise instruction as they do on quick fixes, they be slimmer, healthier, happier and more confident.

My beef is not with Acai Berry, it's with the snake oil salesman promoting it as something it's not. Acai Berry was featured on Oprah but not as a weight loss miracle; Dr. Oz correctly promoted it as a powerful anti-oxidant.

The guys http://getprograde.com have a new product called Longevity that includes Acai Berry as one of its main ingredients. The big difference is that they only promote their product for what it is; a very powerful antioxidant that can help your body fight the aging process and help boost your immune system.

They could make lots of money touting Acai Berry as some magic pill that's will flush the excess pounds off your belly, butt and thighs but they don't because it won't.

ProGrade.com was started by 2 fitness pros who were disgusted by the unscrupulous supplement companies and their poor quality products and marketing hype.

They are a certified GMP "A" rated facility, which is not an easy task.

I recently bought some Cravers (ProGrade's nutrition bars) and my members are raving about how good they are. I had stopped selling bars a few years ago because they either tasted like cardboard or were glorified candy bars. Cravers are different; they're nutritious, they're organic and they taste great.

If you care about your health and are looking for high quality supplements, multi-vitamins, meal replacements or nutrition bars, check them out here ==> http://getprograde.com

What I Know For Sure

Nowadays, it seems that it's cool to bash Oprah. I don't know if it's jealousy or that some people are upset that she has the power to infuences millions of people or what but it sure seems to be happening more and more. Obviously, all of us have our faults but I think Oprah does far more good than harm.

What's that got to do with No Pink Dumbbells? Not much but Oprah writes a column every month in her magazine called, "What I Know For Sure". She's been very honest about where she got the idea- the late Gene Siskel rattled her with that very question once during an interview.

So I'm going to borrow the idea from Oprah and Gene and tell you some of what I know for sure.

* No fitness program will transform your body without proper nutrition.

* There will always be market for weight loss/exercise scams. Too many people want everything handed to them. The concept of delayed gratification seems to be dead. Why save up for something when you can CHARGE! So many people nowadays think they should start out their working careers with lots of perqs and making lots of money. High blood pressure? Diabetes? Give me a pill, Doc, I don't want to exercise and improve my diet.

Long term weight loss doesn't work like that. You need to be ready to learn some simple nutrition concepts, to exercise regularly and to challenge yourself when you do, to prepare healthy meals, to make the choice to eat right 90% of the time. It doesn't have to be drudgery unless you make it that way but it will take effort.

* If most people spent as much time and money on nutritious food and good exercise instruction as they do on bogus quick fixes, they be slimmer, healthier, happier and more confident.

* Most people waste way too much time in the gym. There's nothing wrong with being sociable but if you are a serial time waster, don't use the "no time to exercise" excuse. Put the magazine down and push yourself. Stop spending 15 minutes on one exercise. An hour on some cardio machine? Fagettaboutit.

* If you are over 100 pounds overweight, it's not just because you like to eat.

I see comments stating the opposite often on online forums. For some reason, there are people who refuse to admit that they use food to medicate themselves, relieve boredom, stress or loneliness, for protection, etc. I don't believe that anyone who has overeaten enough to gain 100 pounds or more just "likes to eat".

* For most people, compound exercises are superior to isolation moves and intervals are better than steady state cardio.


That's a few things that I know for sure; at least as of today. :-)

Leave a comment and let me know what you know for sure.

Finish Strong

If you need some extra motivation to stick with your fitness and nutrition program over the holidays, check out this video:

Finish Strong

Getting Maximum Results From Your Workouts

Everyone wants results from their exercise program but most of us don't have hours to spend in the gym. Luckily, you don't need to. I've written about this before but I got an e-mail the other day from Mike Roulston that spells out the simple steps to get maximum results from your workout.


3 Rules for a Results Focused Workout Program
Mike Roulston, CPT

Rule #1 = Consistency

You have to exercise regularly and consistently in order to see results for your efforts. You could have the most effective workout program ever developed, but if you're constantly missing workouts, the program will not be effective.

Rule #2 = Effort

Exercising regularly isn't enough; you need to put in effort in order to see results. So every time you exercise, you must work hard and put forth your very best effort.

Rule #3 = Progression

This is the real key to producing results from your exercise. Each and every workout, you need to try to perform a little bit better than the previous workout. Perhaps you'll be a bit stronger, or have more endurance, or require less and therefore have a quicker recovery, or a combination of those things. There are lots of ways to progress from workout to workout, so you should always been trying to keep improving every time you exercise. When you work at improving your fitness, you will also see the aesthetic results (usually fat loss) that you're hoping to achieve.


Mike has created a home resistance band workout program. To find out more about it, click ---> here.

Fat Burning Medicine Ball Workouts

Men's Health fat loss expert Craig Ballantyne has created four new fat burning medicine ball workouts. Check out the video for one of them at the end of this post.

Medicine ball workouts are great for the holidays season, when so many people don't have time to go to the gym.

All of his Craig's new TT Medicine Ball workouts can be done in 10-25 minutes at home, in your bedroom, or even in your office. Even if you don't have a medicine ball, a basketball, soccer ball or stability ball will work for most of the exercises.

In Workout A, you'll do 3-4 supersets of medicine ball exercises followed "interval training" with this cool exercise called Power Swings. No cardio equipment required!

In Workout B, you'll do more advanced strength training exercises with the medicine ball, and finish off with medicine ball burpees as your interval training.

Workout C is a 10 exercise circuit where you'll go back to back to back with medicine ball exercises and no rest. That circuit can be done up to three times.

You'll get over 25 different and unique medicine ball exercises to help you burn fat during busy times without going to the gym or using fancy, bulky equipment. You'll do fun supersets and challenging circuits, with every single exercise working multiple muscle groups - including your abs. (You know how I feel about getting the most fat blasting bang for your buck/time with compound exercises. You will never get results like these from doing Tricep Kickbacks.)

So, regardless of your holiday plans and obligations, you can still get in a fast, fun, effective workout using just the ball.

No medicine ball? Tell Santa!

Once you get access to the member's area, go to the TT Workout of the Month area to download Craig's Medicine Ball program.

If you want a crack at these TT Med Ball workouts, you'll get free access to the program in the TT Member's area when you grab your copy of Turbulence Training here -->Turbulence Training

Yes, you do have time to work out.

Mickey


PS - This program is perfect for...

...when you want a break from the ordinary workouts, or when you are sick of cardio machines, or during the holidays when you only have time for 10 minutes of medicine ball exercises in your bedroom.

Not sure if you'd really like these types of workouts?

Take the Turbulence Training $4.95 trial option for 21 days. If you don't like it, just let Craig know and you won't be billed the remaining $35. I can't imagine anyone not loving these fat burning workouts but Craig is totally trustworthy so if TT is not for you, let him know, and you will not be billed further.

Here's the link for the $4.95 trial offer --> TT 21-Day Trial

The video I promised you...