Healthy Christmas Treats

Christmas is a wonderful time of year to enjoy spending time with loved ones, eating delicious foods and giving gifts. If you are like me then you probably enjoy eating delicious baked goods and other Christmas treats. I am going to talk about how you can still eat those delicious Christmas treats and avoid the holiday weight gain. In case you didn't know the average

Holiday Weight Gain is 5-7 pounds for people who are overweight. However if you are in great shape that number drops to 1 pound.

So how can you eat those tasty Christmas treats and avoid the weight gain?

The #1 way to minimize fat-storage over the holidays

is to cut down on your unhealthy carb intake.

I know that during the holidays we like to drink beer, eat breads, cookies, and other Christmas treats that are loaded with carbs. Here is a healthy trick that we can use to enjoy those unhealthy Christmas treats. 

You see when your body takes in carbs, it then stores them inside your muscles and liver as glycogen. This is what your body uses as its primary source of fuel.

But you can get around this by depleting those stores of glycogen. The way that you can do this is by either cutting out bad carbs during the holidays or a much simpler way listed below.

How can you burn from your fat cells instead?

Make sure that you plan ahead for your workout and that you use your largest muscle groups. You can do a workout the night before your big feast, the morning of, or just before you eat the big holiday feast.

Here is how you can do this:

1) Target larger body parts like chest, back, and legs this has been proven with research to deplete glycogen stores faster

2) A high volume of reps in such a short amount of time stresses
the muscles and stimulates more lactic acid. which is a precursor
to releasing more growth hormone…

3) By working the larger muscle groups you will deplete glycogen very fast.

here is a great body weight workout you can do anywhere.

8 rounds

8 reps per round at as high an intensity level as you can do with good form

Push Up or Push Up variation (think clap or close grip)

Pull Up    or Pull Up variation    (chin up, or wide grip)

Squat Jump  or Squat Variation (squat,deep squat, or drop squat)

Veggie Christmas Treat, With Healthy Veggie Dip:

• 1 and 1/2 cups plain greek yogurt

• 3/4 teaspoon dried parsley

• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients together and mix well.
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but preferable overnight for the best results.
3. Serve with fresh veggies or any other dippers that you’d like.

Healthy Protechino Treat:

Yes, I made that word up, at least I think I did. It is a delicious Christmas Treat that you can use anytime of the year.1 scoop of your favorite chocolate protein powder

• 1 cup of coffee

• sweeten with stevia to to your liking (you can also use almond milk)

• You can also use a drop of peppermint oil in this for an extra holiday touch

Dedicated to helping you become your best self,

Ben Myslenski

Achieve Your New Years Resolutions Today (with bonus workout)

Achieve Your New Years Goals Today

What are you going to do today that will help you to achieve your new years goals?  What Causes you to fail? What can you do about it? Do you like feeling flabby and out of shape? Do you want to have high blood pressure and take medication? Do you want to be put on cholesterol medication? Do you want to be at an increased risk of diabetes? Are you ready to die early?

Most people seek out the path of least resistance when in comes to deciding to lose weight. We all have done this. We seek out the latest fad diet, or we choose quick fixes like surgery, and diet pills. We think if I can just lose ten pounds in ten days it will kick start a new habit. My favorite is when people including myself say I will start next week. We say this is my last bag of candy or this is my last bowl of ice cream but we say it over and over every week and 30 pounds later we weigh more than we have ever weighed. We feel like crap and we have no one to blame but ourselves. Start today and make a decision to become the best that you can be. 

Why we fail?

We usually fail because we make excuses

-I tried for a few days but it's hard

-I had one bad day and then I gave up

-I became discouraged because I was not seeing results fast enough

-My new years goals were too lofty 

-I'll try again next year

-I would have done better if my husband or wife were more supportive

-I would have done it if I didn't have kids

-I was sick and gained some weight back

-I... insert lame excuse here!!!!

"Just 8% of people reach their new years goals" Forbes

"A year from now you will wish you had started TODAY" Karen Lamb

How many days will you wait to make a choice to be in the best shape of your life? 

Will you wait until the next new year to stop procrastinating? 

Will you wait several months to do it?

Will you continually say this every day for the rest of your life until you are dead?

How much more weight would you have lost if you had made up your mind to put in the hard work that you needed to do. If you would have made the decision to change your life last year when you made your new years goals to lose 10 pounds you would already be there. The choices you make today impact everything that you do from here on out. I know that you didn't decide to be fat or out of shape. You started down a wrong path a while ago but today is the day you can CHANGE. I love Star Wars and that is why I put the next quote in here. I hope it inspires you to make the change that you need to make in your life. Decide to make this "New Years Goals" a command instead of another go at it. Choose to start down a new path, don't let fear, or excuses hold you back from achieving your destiny. I know it sounds cheesy but it is the truth.

"If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will" Yoda

Here is an awesome starting workout that you can do anywhere. 

I have included 3 different exercises for each one the first is the beginner the second is intermediate and the third is advanced. Choose one exercise in each number and do it for 30 seconds as many times as you can with good form. Rest for 15 seconds and start the next exercise.

Tempo 30-15 4 rounds with minimal rest and as many reps with good form.

1. Chest Press with weights, Pushup, Clap Pushup

2. Split Squat, Prisoner Lunge, Jummping Lunges (switch legs on each jump)

3. Modified Jumping Jack, Jumping Jacks, Seal Jacks

4. Knee Raises, Power knee (speed), Knee and push kick 

5. Walk hands up to chest, Burpee, Burpee with pushup

The problem is that we don't change the habits that led us to where we are now. Make a choice to start today not tomorrow or on the New Year because if you put it off you will never start.

Dedicated to helping you become your best self,

Ben Myslenksi

http://www.totalsolutionfitness.com/

10 Secrets To Help You Improve Your Life

Hello everyone,

I have been reading a lot of books lately and following some blogs by successful people. One of the blogs that I follow is called Early to Rise. It is an incredible blog by Craig Ballantyne who is a writer for Men's Health and Men's Fitness and several other magazines. In one of his updates he talks about keeping a Gratitude Journal. I thought about this for a long time and thought about all the things that I am grateful for and decided to put a list of things I do that are helping me to improve myself every day. 

What are the daily secrets that help you improve your life, comment and let me know.

1. Read a book that will improve some aspect of your life for an hour everyday.

When I first started this I thought it was silly but the more I do the more knowledge I am obtaining on how to become a better writer, trainer, or a better contributor to society. Some of you may ask what is the secret to reading every day. I will tell you this that since I started reading books by other successful trainers I have become a better trainer. I have also started reading motivational books, and business books. Listed below are some of the best books that I have read. My list will definitely be different from yours but these secrets will help you to improve your life.

2. Take 20 minutes to meditate and do absolutely nothing let your mind wander.

Some of my best ideas come from meditating on my current problems and finding the solutions that I need to overcome them. Make sure that you do this in a quiet room and turn off all electronic devices. It will be tough at first but the more you do it the clearer your mind will become.

3. Be happier.

Happier people live longer and don't get as sick as the rest of us. The secret is to enjoy life. Smile, laugh and don't get to discouraged because tomorrow can always be better than today. Check out this article for more information on happiness

4. Say thank you.

5. Compliment someone.

Sincere appreciation towards a person can make a big difference in making someones day better. I had a lady at the grocery store tell me that she was having a terrible day. I told her that I only come to her line because she is the fastest grocer and she always has a great attitude. I told her that every time I go to the store I hope she is working and I know that she will always remember that compliment.

6. Make a list of 5 things you accomplished today.

If you write a list of things you accomplished today you will notice one of two things. 1. I was very productive or 2. I need to step up my game. This will also help you to become more productive because you will be thinking what 5 things can I accomplish tomorrow.

7. Plan ahead.

I usually plan tomorrows day the night before. I didn't always do this but I have found that I am much more productive when I do this. The secret to this one is when you plan ahead you don't have to sit around and question what you will be doing in the mornings the next day.

8. Keep a Journal to reflect on what is happening on a day to day basis.

I started keeping a gratitude journal because I was complaining that I was not making as much money as I wanted too. I told myself you need to stop thinking about all you don't have and start being thankful for what you do have. Every day I write down these things in my Journal.

G- Gratitude (what am I thankful for)

O-Opportuniy (what opportunities can I capitalize on and how can I create more of them) 

Did- What did I accomplish today

Do- What do I plan on doing tomorrow.

App- Who do I appreciate

9. Take some time out for yourself to have fun.

The secret to taking some time for yourself is not to take too much time. I know it easy to get bogged down with our day to day tasks and then get home and act like a zombie (watch TV and eat potato chips until you go to bed). I am not telling you to do that I am just telling you to enjoy your life and take 1-2 hours for yourself each day.

10.Exercise.

This one is a no brainer if you exercise your body releases endorphin's which help to lower stress. Exercise also has many other benefits which will help all aspects of your life.

Exercise:
Fights Fat
Reduces Stress
Improves Your Metabolism
Makes you look awesome in a swimsuit
Improves your confidence... and much more

What do you think about my short and sweet list please comment about the top ten things you do to improve your life?


Dedicated to helping you become your best self,

Ben Myslenski

Your #1 Fat Loss Workout Mistake

Guest Post By Kate Vidulich, Fat Loss Expert

Author, Fat Loss Accelerators 

My heart was racing, lungs burning and sweat was pouring off my head. Only 9 minutes had passed, yet it felt like I’d been training for hours. As I sat in the corner gasping for air, the interval timer screeched to signify the end of the fastest ever 90-second break.

Two minutes later, my “off-day” workout was done. The thing is, it took no longer than 20 minutes, and was over before I could even register how challenging it was.

What’s the number one excuse for missing your workout?

Lack of time.

The number two excuse, according to unofficial Australian research conducted by me, is happy hour drinks. But that’s another story.

Here’s the troublesome situation…

-       You got stuck at work and traffic was so bad, your 45-minute workout window shrunk to 20 minutes. Bugger.

-       You show up to train, but unfortunately everyone had the same idea as you. It’s jammed.

So if you have no time and you need to get a quick fat loss workout in, what choices are you left with?

1. Elliptical? Please. Stop. Now.

2. Usual Dreadmill intervals? 20 mins again. Really? That’s so 2008.

3. The same old bodyweight circuit? Boring.

Three strikes and you’re out.

How long do you really need for a heart pounding, fat blasting workout?

Less than you imagine.

Think about this for a moment. In a regular workout session, 10-15 minutes can elapse by the time you get cracking – before you reach the awesome fat blasting action.

Now I’m not saying you should skip dynamic warm ups or core training when you’re pressed for time, these are very important components. But you need to get to the entree as soon as possible.

You need a plan. You need to focus. You need to hustle.

ONE big fat loss workout mistake to AVOID

Resting for too long.

Ideally, your rest breaks should be no longer than 30 seconds when training for fat loss. It’s tough, but using a GymBoss Interval timer (or your Smartphone) will stop you from cheating or slacking off.

Without any control over your rest breaks, your workout can become just like happy hour (only without beer – how boring).

You only need 20 minutes to workout. But before you jump on the dreadmill and do intervals again… You need a fast, fat-burning workout solution that you can do in a small space with minimal equipment.

Enter what I call Fat Loss Accelerators. 

Try this intense workout solution.

Check out the video click here.

=> Get all 31 Fat Loss Accelerators workouts here 

These intense, targeted interval workouts involve the strategic use of compounding, hybrid exercises to maximize fat burning and training time to break through plateaus.

Why is this style of workout so effective?

You can pump up the intensity without killing any one muscle group, allowing you to burn more calories faster with total body movements.

Metabolic workouts, like this one, also increase the after burn effect to significantly higher levels than cardio on the dreadmill, meaning you burn more calories after the workout at rest.

Of course, training with intensity and avoiding extended rest periods will leave you sweating buckets, but this will accelerate your fat loss results.

Did I mention this is fun? Training should NOT be deathly boring or long winded.

Be different. Burn fat while having fun conquering these unique, metabolic movements and save time in your training sessions, maximize your calorie expenditure and eliminate the boredom of cardio.

Now you can say bye-bye to intervals on the sweaty dreadmill. Actually, just say forget about it to cardio entirely.

Try this intense workout solution today 

Replace your interval days with Fat Loss Accelerators, and reduce the stress involved with thinking and planning.

Rock on!

Kate Vidulich, BSc, ACSM, CTT

PS - If you liked this article and video, and want to learn more about the unique fat loss workouts I use with my clients, check out my new Fat Loss Accelerators program – it’s on sale at a ridiculous price for a very limited time:

=> Fat Loss Accelerators Workouts 

About the Author

Kate Vidulich, BSc, ACSM, HFS, CTT is New York’s Premier Fat Loss Expert. Kate specializes in designing and implementing personalized, effective, results-oriented training programs. Her unique, fun approach to fat loss has helped thousands of people across the world achieve their goals, at all ages. An ultra-marathoner and always up for a challenge, Kate consults with clients in private one-on-one, and online coaching with clients worldwide. She regularly updates her blog at FatLossAccelerators.com

Dedicated to you becoming your best self,

Ben Myslenski