Just Get It Done!

I just got back from an amazing trip to New York and New Jersey volunteering (on the coaching/support team) for a self-improvement workshop, and attending a mastermind meeting within my industry.  In my mastermind group there were 5 of the biggest names in my industry and it was amazing learning from them.  Simply put, they gave me a much needed kick in the a$$ to move forward on projects that I’ve been putting off due to many excuses – or as James Arthur Ray likes to say “Good Stories”.

You see, so many of us have the passion to pursue things but lack the drive and discipline to keep it in our sights. We let “ourselves” get in the way, and blame the lack of results on “life” getting in the way. Whether you agree with me or not, we are always responsible for our results – ALWAYS.  If that pushes your buttons, I have three words and three fingers pointing right at your face simply telling you to “Get Over It”. That’s right, I said it, “Get Over It”.

Pointing fingers (photo credit: cowbite)

I’ve learned that who we are today isn’t a determiner of who we will be, but is a direct result of our past actions. By now you’re probably saying, “Rommel, what the heck does this have to do with fitness?” Everything! Every week I hear clients telling me every “good story” or excuse in their book as to why they’re not achieving the results they want. They point fingers at others when they should be pointing the finger at themselves. Only you can push yourself harder in a workout, only you can put non-nutritious food in your mouth, and only you can control your time to dedicate to your fitness plan and achieve the results you’re looking for.

As fitness professionals/coaches we’re here to help motivate you, and to provide you the tools and the “map” to your fitness goals, but we are definitely not the ones to drive you there. It’s not our place. So get over yourself, stop complaining, and just get done what needs to be done. Take small steps if needed, but just understand that every small step achieved is a victory not a challenge. At least you took action, and that’s better than 90% of the individuals out there. Take inspired action, get it done, and before you know it you’ve achieved the results you’ve been looking for.

Do you agree or disagree with this post?  Are you taking inspired action? Questions/comments about today’s post?

– Rommel

Photo credit: cowbite

The Secrets of Bond Girls!

The James Bond Girls have become as famous as 007 himself. With exotic looks and far out names it’s hard not to notice the women who portray Bond’s girls. Their presence is almost as necessary as all of 007’s cars and cool hi-tech gadgets.

I came across an article in which three of the Bond girls shared their secrets to maintaining a sexy physique.

The latest Bond girl, Olga Kurylenko said she cross-trained with martial arts and high-intensity circuit weight training. Her nutrition tip was to not overdo it with sugar, and said “The only time I had dessert was at friend’s houses!”

Halle Berry’s tip was along the lines of using an external motivator. Her motivation was knowing that she had to wear that orange bikini in Die Another Day, and to “walk sexy” coming out of the water. She too cut out sugar, ate more fruits and veggies, and focused on short, intense, and effective circuit weight training.

Michelle Yeoh explains that regular exercise is part of her life, and it’s important to incorporate it into your everyday lifestyle. She doesn’t diet, eats most things in moderation, but eats a lot of fruits and veggies.

These tips are great examples of how you don’t need to overcomplicate your fitness routine and eating habits. Cutting out refined white sugar and increasing your consumption of fruits and veggies is something we’ve been preaching consistently. Make exercise a priority in your life, but find a way to make it fit seamlessly even if it’s literally just doing 1-2 sets of bodyweight squats and pushups. You perform those two sets intensely enough it will still provide you great benefits in as little as four minutes per day.

So get off your butt right now, bust out as many squats as you can in 20 seconds, followed by as many pushups as you can in 20 seconds, and repeat that five more times. You’ll be worked for sure, and when you’re done you can bite into your favorite fruit.

Have fun with that!

– Rommel

Why You Shouldn’t Eat Meat

Last Saturday I held a grocery store tour for a few clients. As we approached the meat section one client mentioned that they’ve pretty much cut out red meat from their diet, that people should stay away from meat, it causes a lot of problems, it’s linked to cancer, and the “China Study” reveals why.

I agree and I disagree. But let me explain something first. The “China Study” was written by Dr. Colin Campbell – a well known vegan. Of course he’s going to be anti-meat. As my business partner, Belton, and I have stated numerous times, please consider the source.

Now I’m not completely bashing Dr. Campbell, because there are very good and legitimate points stated in his book. However, there are way too many factors to consider before concluding that eating meat is the devil. Yes there’s definitive evidence that links meat with increased cancer risk, but some factors to question are,

• The type of meat that was eaten – is it hormone pumped, grain fed beef? Or, naturally grass fed beef?
• Were the meats processed?
• How was the meat cooked? Grilled or Charred? (Charred beef contains cancer causing carcinogens)
• What was eaten in combination with the beef? More saturated foods like cheeses? Or heart healthy whole grains and fruits and veggies?

Do you see my point yet? Again, there are way too many things to consider, but let me simplify what I’ve learned from my own research, and in discussions with numerous nutrition experts. It’s more about the way you combine your foods that will dictate your overall health and your physique.

We utilize these simple methods in our fat loss programs from Jayson Hunter, registered dietitian and Director of Research and Development for Prograde Nutrition:

• For each meal fulfill one serving for each category: lean protein, fibrous carbs (any fruits or veggies), starchy (but high fiber) carbs
• For starchy carbs do your best to choose whole, unprocessed grains such as whole grain or whole wheat breads, or other complex starchy carbs, such as sweet potatoes, yams, quinoa, and brown rice.
• Consume more healthy fats in the form of nuts, cold water fish, or supplementing with heart healthy, fat blasting essential fatty acids (we recommend Prograde’s EFA Icon, and read this blog to learn more about how essential fatty acids helps beat the battle of the bulge).
• Drink more water! We recommend a minimum of 64oz per day.

These methods are not rocket science, and they’re definitely not new. The problem is that most people are oversimplifying the concepts (considering how we Americans tend to react to information, this isn’t surprising). Remember the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle? Take small steps by focusing on one bullet point each week. Master that bullet point then move on to the next. I guarantee you do that and you’ll be seeing results in no time.

Now back to the issue of eating meat, if you love it don’t avoid it, just make sure to eat the naturally raised grass-fed beef, and eat more fruits and veggies to go with it. Eating the right amounts of meat can be helpful in an overall supportive nutrition regimen. Not only is good quality meat high in muscle-building protein, but it’s rich in iron, and energy producing B-vitamins. Again, just make sure to add in high quality fruits and veggies for added antioxidants, and lots of fiber to round out your nutrition plan.

Yours in health,

Rommel

PS – If you’re not a participant in one of our fitness and fat loss programs and would like more information about the nutrition guidelines stated above, please fill out the form on our home page and we’ll send you our “Nutrition Crash Course” guide.

**Disclaimer: I am not a dietitian. The dietary recommendations are not intended as a substitute for any treatment or dietary regimen that may have been prescribed by your physician. If you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, or any other metabolic disorder please discuss all nutritional changes with your physician or a registered dietician.

Breakfast is Boring!

This morning I was in a rush to head out to teach bootcamp and didn’t have time to make my normal breakfast of an omega-3 enriched egg omelette and oatmeal topped with almonds and dried fruit. So I had to reach for my trusty shaker bottle, filled it up with water and threw in two scoops of Prograde Lean. About two seconds into shaking it up I made a huge mess, because I forgot to secure the cap and about a fourth of my shake went splashing all over the kitchen floor – AARGH!!!

I was so pissed, but calmed myself quickly knowing that I had to get to the club asap. I noticed as I was cleaning my mess up that I really wasn’t in the mood for a meal replacement shake and wanted my REAL breakfast.

Why am I telling you this story? Well, I wanted – yet again – to stress the importance of breakfast to you and how crucial it is to achieving great results, especially in regards to positively changing your body composition (or, in the words of most of my clients “lose belly fat”).

On my drive over I was like, “Gosh, this shake is so boring right now!” So I figured my blog title would express that in some way. But do NOT take this message lightly.

“You have to eat breakfast!” I know you’ve heard it a many times, and this message is nothing new. But do you have any idea how many people I talk to on a daily basis that DO NOT eat breakfast? It’s a lot! And the worst thing is that at least 70% of these people that admit this to me are overweight.

Look, I know a lot of people either don’t have much time in the morning or are just not that hungry after waking up, but you’ve got to find alternatives to feeding your body some quality nutrients in the morning.

Consider this analogy – You go to work every day, because you need to earn a good income, provide for your family with a comfortable home, food to eat, and enjoy other luxuries. You do this because you NEED the RESULT of this effort, right?

Well, Ok, then IF you want to burn fat, feel better and have more energy you NEED to eat breakfast every morning. Period. End of discussion.

Some things are boring, such as the shake I had this morning. Some things just have to be done to get the result you want. For those of you that want to burn fat all day long, breakfast is just one of those things.

Yours in health,

Rommel

6-Packs and Michael Phelp’s Bong

By now you’ve heard that our Olympic champion Michael Phelps has gotten into a lot of trouble over his bong pics. There are lessons that can be learned from this mishap.

First, we must always remember we are role models in some way. There is always a client, a family member, or a colleague somewhere looking to us for guidance. Michael Phelps screwed up, and it’s a shame, but what’s done is done. However, it reminded me that as a fitness professional, I MUST lead by example.

Second, forgiving yourself after a mishap. I believe in forgiving yourself after recognizing “fitness faults”. I’m talking about “cheat” days versus a “cheat” meal, or a less than stellar workout week. After working with hundreds of clients looking to change their body, there’s no doubt you WILL screw up along the way. When it comes to burning fat, or simply improving your fitness, it’s VERY important to recognize your mishaps, forgive yourself, then move on immediately towards positive action. If you don’t, you’ll easily be one of those that gives up their fitness goals soon after the mishap.

Third, really has nothing to do with Michael Phelps recent actions, however I was simply reminded of working hard for your fitness goals. Regardless of his actions, you have to agree that he worked super hard for his six-pack abs and to achieve such a high level of fitness. He set goals and he tackled them with such ferocity. You don’t have to be an elite athlete like Phelps, but I encourage you to work hard at becoming the best you can be in relation to your fitness goals. It’s not easy, so don’t be fooled that losing 20lbs in 12-weeks is going to be a walk in the park.

With that said, have you revisited your “Resolutions”? It’s been almost 6 weeks into the New Year, and you should have seen some decent changes and results. If not, it’s probably time to take a hard look at what’s holding you back from achieving the body or fitness level you dream of. If you want amazing conditioning you need proper nutrition AND proper intensity in your workouts. Period.

Anyway, anytime I see a story like Michael Phelp’s recent news, I always try to look for the lessons that can be learned in relation to fitness. Please share your comments on what you learned.

Dedicated to your fitness success,

Rommel Acda

PS – If you’re serious about your training and want the best nutritional products, then use what I use – Prograde Nutrition

Balancing Hormones by Dr. Lucille

Life is all about balance.

At least I think so.

So does hormone expert Dr. Holly Lucille.

Holly’s idea of balance goes beyond day-planners and schedules. She talks about “internal” balance: Balance between your  natural hormones to help create energy,  lower bodyfat, and jacking up your sex.drive.

Good stuff.

I wanted to give you this today. It’s an  excerpt from Dr. Lucille’s fantastic book,  “Creating and Maintaing Balance.”

Pick it up here free —> 26 pages of Holly’s book

Enjoy!

This Is Your Missing “Fitness” Ingredient

Do you keep a fitness journal?

Are you serious about your fitness goals? If you are and are maintaining some kind of journaling then keep it up! If not, what are you thinking? Seriously, let me ask you this. Within your occupation if you have an important deadline for a specific task you would formulate a plan of action and track progress wouldn’t you? Because if you didn’t you’d probably be in a world of hurt from your superiors and you can say goodbye to that possible promotion.

Over the years I’ve noticed that 8 maybe 9 out of 10 people maintain a fitness journal successfully. I’ll admit it’s hard, but when it comes to your health and fitness it’s going to be your secret weapon to finally achieving your goals. Most of my clients respond with, “How can a fitness journal be my secret weapon?”  Here are my reasons,

• Accountability
• Tracking and monitoring nutrition and how certain foods make you feel
• Tracking milestones such as measurements, weight lost, muscle gained, etc.
• Monitoring workouts that actually deliver results
• Monitoring recovery

As you take notes and monitor everything you will find that you will reach your goals in an efficient manner, which translates into achieving results without having to spend too much time on your fitness regimen.  No matter what the goal you should never be without a fitness journal.  Here are five tips to doing it right.

1. KEEP IT PORTABLE & SIMPLE – I keep a small spiral notepad in my gym bag at all times.  It doesn’t have to be anything fancy like the ones you buy at the bookstores.  Stick with a simple notepad and don’t try to overanalyze it.
2. RECORD EVERYTHING – I like to record all of my nutrition on the left or front side of the sheet, and my workouts on the right or back side of the sheet.  I also record how I felt after each workout, and sometimes on specific sets that just seemed harder that day.  Tracking the details allows you to monitor the need to change your routine, stress and the possibility of overtraining, or undertraining (which is the unfortunate reality of most gym goers, not enough intensity).
3. PSYCHE YOURSELF UP – It’s always good practice to look at your accomplishments from the previous week to decide how much more you’re going to try to do this week.  Maybe it’s increasing your weights by 5-10lbs or using the same weight as last week, but doing more reps.  Just as long as it still fits within the overall goal of the program.
4. YOUR WORKOUT ENCYCLOPEDIA – Using previous journals as workout encyclopedia’s in order to study which workouts produced certain results is key in maintaining a “fitness lifestyle”.  The human body typically adapts within 3-4 weeks to most workout routines (some more, some less) so referencing previous journals, and then planning out which workouts to use over then next 3-6 months is a great way to accomplish new goals.
5. KEEP IT GOING – If you’re serious about achieving your fitness goals then this should be easy.  Especially, when six months from now you read it and notice how much you’ve improved.  Keeping it going won’t seem like such a hassle anymore.

So again I ask, “Do you keep a workout journal?”

Like/hate what you read? Have a reaction? Please share your thoughts below!

Can You Gain Muscle While Losing Bodyfat?

Another Q & A session with a client produced another great blog topic. The main theme addressed the ability to still gain muscle while trying to lose bodyfat, and most of all can it be done while on a calorie deficit. This is a complex question, and my answers might surprise you. Here we go.

Q: If I am trying to lose weight by lifting weights and dieting, how does that preserve my muscle if weight lifting breaks down my muscle and then uses fuel (calories) to repair and increase my muscle mass?

A: Conventional wisdom suggests in order to lose weight you need a calorie deficit from both nutrition and exercise. This is both true and not true. A study presented in October 1993 by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition demonstrated that subjects can gain quality muscle mass while losing bodyfat (average weight loss was 35lbs in 90 days) even on an 800 calorie diet! Anything below 1200 calories is thought to be extremely detrimental to overall health, and especially to one’s physique. Yet all the subjects experienced significant muscle gain. There are other studies that suggest this, so it seems that what we thought we knew about weight loss and muscle gain has now changed.

Yes, weight lifting breaks down muscle tissue and what you feed your body during that day will determine how good of a recovery you will get. Feed it the right nutrients/combinations of foods and you’ll get optimal gains. If you don’t, well, that’s obvious. Calories are important, but in my opinion it seems to be more about the “quality” of nutrients.

Q: Can I still increase my strength while on a calorie deficit?

A: Just because you’re “dieting” or on a calorie deficit doesn’t mean you can’t increase strength. Anyone can increase strength no matter how many calories you intake, provided you’re utilizing the appropriate protocols. Again, if you don’t get in the right nutrients then you won’t recieve the benefits you’re looking for. However, from my experience if it’s purely strength you’re looking for I’ve seen both on myself and clients faster strength results while on an appropriate calorie surplus.

But to put it simply there are two main question’s that must always be addressed no matter what the fitness goal. First, is your nutrition supportive and specific to that goal? Second, are your workout protocols appropriate to provide the correct stimulus to facilitate achieving that goal?

Have you taken a good look at those two factors in regards to your fitness goals? If not, good luck achieving your goals!

Next up, Q & A about the importance of tracking your progress.

Like/hate what you read? Have a reaction? Please share your thoughts below!

When Cardio Is Counterproductive

I was asked a great question this morning from one of our dedicated male boot campers about doing extra cardio after the boot camp in order to burn more calories. I applaud him for wanting to do some extra work, but I cautioned him that it would be counterproductive in several ways. Now I gave him the cliff notes version, but I will provide you several reasons why extra cardio and just traditional cardio in general is counterproductive, especially in regards to losing bodyfat.

But before I go any further, please understand that I don’t completely dismiss cardio as a fitness tool. It’s a must for addressing metabolic disorders, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, and is a necessary tool when training for long duration events such as a marathon. However, for losing weight and body fat, cardio is just plain inneffective. Here’s why:

Studies have shown that results plateau after 8-weeks
When you apply stress to the body it tries to find a way to adapt to the stress as fast as it can. The human body hates to be energy inefficient so it will adapt accordingly to become energy efficient. Basically, if you used to burn 500 calories during a 30-minute run, after 8-weeks your body has adapted and you may now only burn 400 calories during those 30-minutes. Your heart health is improving and becoming more efficient, however the ability to burn calories is decreased.

It decreases muscle strength and power

This is associated with the type of stress put on to the working muscles. There are slow-twitch muscle fibers and fast-twitch muscle fibers. Slow-twitch muscle fibers are normally referred to as our endurance muscle fibers or Type 1 fibers, and fast-twitch muscle fibers are normally referred to as our strength/power muscle fibers, or Type 2 fibers. The more continuous cardio you do causes your slow-twitch fibers to dominate the adaptation process. Slow-twitch fibers produces the least amount of force, but are very energy efficient.

Fast-twitch fibers are classified under two types, Type 2a and 2b. Type 2a fibers are a hybrid of Type 1 and Type 2b. Because of the hybrid characteristics if more aerobic work is done then Type 2a’s will behave more like Type 1’s, and on the flip side if more strength is done then they will behave more like Type 2b’s. Type 2a fibers are also most responsible for increases in muscle gain. To illustrate, who has more body fat an Olympic sprinter or a marathoner? Most people would answer the marathoner because on the outside they look lean and thin. However, many strength coaches have demonstrated that when measuring the body fat of a sprinter versus a marathoner, the sprinters have less body fat.

Type 2b fibers are most responsible for generating all out power, but are highly inefficient and depending on the type of strength training you are doing Type 2b’s can convert to Type 2a’s. Let’s compare again a sprinter and a marathoner, who has more strength and power? This should be obvious in that sprinters are explosive and have good muscle mass.

Simply put, cardio can make your body slow and weak.

It increases oxidative stress
Oxidation is a process in which free radicals form in the body. With adequate amounts of antioxidants in your nutrition this shouldn’t be a problem, because you’re body will normally neutralize the effects of free radicals. However, if the body is exposed to too much free radicals, which is produced by excessive cardio then you’re body will have an extremely difficult time combating this process. Too much oxidative stress has shown to accelerate aging!

Can impede proper hormonal function
First, too much cardio can stress your adrenal glands, which are responsible for the delicate balance of hormones. Fatigue the adrenal glands and you’ll quickly experience symptoms such as chronic fatigue, insomnia, decrease in ability focus on tasks, anxiety, and decreased immunity just to name a few.

Secondly, it can negatively affect testosterone and cortisol ratio’s. If the testosterone/cortisol ratio is lowered your ability to build muscle is decreased. Why? Because, muscle is essentially your metabolism. The more muscle you have the more calories you can burn. The inability to build more muscle simply makes your ability to lose weight harder.

Are you experiencing any of the negative effects stated above? Are you finding your hitting a fitness plateau? Take a good look at your workouts and observe the ratio of cardio to strength training. You might just be wasting your time and efforts if you’re trying to lose weight.

My Old Fitness Lifestyle vs. Current Fitness Lifestyle

It’s been 14 years since I made the final decision to pursue a career in health and fitness.  Just two years after starting my college years in Business Administration I enrolled in a degree in Exercise & Sports Science at Oregon State University.  The ironic thing is I couldn’t stand business back then, but today as an owner of Element 5 Fitness, I completely appreciate it and actually enjoy the business side of things.  But I digress.

Many, many things have changed in relation to how I approach my nutritional habits, my workouts, and my auxilliary physical activity.  From 1995-1998 I approached fitness with a balls-out approach of working out 5-6 days a week, which included 45 minutes minimum of strength training, followed by 1-3 hours of recreational basketball at least 3-4 days per week.  I was also mountain biking and rock climbing regularly, and snow boarding during the winter at least two times per week.

I was very lean, and was able to eat whatever I wanted.  I supplemented well only because I knew that I wasn’t getting all the necessary nutrients from the foods I was eating.  I was spending a lot of money on multi-vitamins, protein powders, meal-replacement shakes, you name it I’ve more than likely tried it.

You see, although I was in an Exercise Science program I was still set in the mindset of “I can do whatever I want, and because I’m so active I won’t gain any fat”.  When in reality I was just too lazy and undisciplined and resorted to supplements to “make me healthy.”

In 1998 I started my personal training career at the university’s gym, and to prove I was a product of my product I knew I needed to change my mindset in order to change my fitness lifestyle.  I enrolled in EAS’s “Body of Work Spokesperson” Contest (this was just before it was renamed to the now famous Body for Life Transformation Challenge).  I was already hooked on EAS’s products at the time that I wanted to become a spokesperson.  I ended up as a semi-finalist, and was awarded a certificate of achievement and a “Success Coach” certificate as a means to help other individuals who were pursuing the Body for Life challenge.

(Couldn’t find my 12th week photo, sorry!)

BUT, I know you’re diggin the Kid ‘N Play hairstyle! LOL!

My Certificate of Achievement

My transformation created a huge shift in my lifestyle.  I finally set concrete goals, wrote them down, and ACTED on them.  I kept a food and workout journal everyday, and was even meticulous about weighing my food – talk about anal.  I was monitoring EVERY SINGLE thing that was going into my body.  I was always within roughly 100 calories above or below my target, I drank a minimum of 96 ounces of water per day, took all my supportive supplements, slept 7-9 hours per night, and even took yogo twice a week to improve my flexibility.  I was dialed in, and no one and nothing was able to upset my regimen!  I finally practiced what I preached, and I took what I learned from this experience and applied it to help other individuals create transformations of their own.

Fast forward to 2002, which was the start of a more holistic approach, and the start of my re-education in my field.  In 2002, I was fortunate to win a contest to the World IDEA Convention, which is the largest fitness convention in the world.  The convention lasted five days, and I went to as many cutting edge educational courses (at the time) as I could.  Long story short, I realized that what I knew and understood up to that point was simply outdated and that I needed to make more of an effort to keep up.  This sparked a voracious appetite to do hours of research and testing out many nutrition and exercise protocols.

Fast forward to today.  I’m a big believer in Dr. Berardi’s Precision Nutrition lifestyle program and this is what I adhere to 90% of the time.  Hey, you gotta allow yourself to cheat 10% of the time, but more on that in another blog.  Nowadays I don’t count calories, eat more whole foods, less simple and starchy carbs, WAY more fruits and vegetables, use less supplements, and increased the good fats in my diet.  As for my workouts, they’ve been cut down to 30 minutes or less.  I’ve simplified them into quick and efficient workouts, which have allowed me to get the same results in half the time.  It seems that the more experience and knowledge I gain, the methods become simpler and more laser focused.

So what’s next?  Well, I’ve decided on pursuing another transformation to prove that less is more.  Stay Tuned!