Health/Wellness

A Single Dollar Will Make a Difference…..Click Here To Support Lauren’s Run

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training (TNT) offers hands-on training unlike any other program. You’ll get more help than with other charities, gyms, online training programs or sports clubs. We’re an established network of coaches, mentors and teammates, built by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society over the past 22 years.

Click Here To Support Lauren’s Run

We set your training regimen. We advise you on nutrition and injury prevention. We hold weekly team workouts to encourage one another and stay on track.

TNT trains for events around the country and abroad. Challenge yourself to complete a marathon, half marathon, triathlon, hiking event or 100 mile bike ride. Pick the event that suits you. Travel to a destination with your team for a weekend. Or gear up for a local event closer to home.

We would greatly appreciate your support for this much needed cause!

New Orleans Quarterback Elevates Role and Awareness as National Spokesperson

Carrollton, TX, March 30, 2010 – New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees is the first-ever national spokesperson for AdvoCare International, LP.

Building on an eight-year relationship with the health and wellness company, Brees is stepping into this new role. As part of a three-year agreement, he will be involved in AdvoCare’s national marketing efforts, as well as act as a spokesperson for the company and its more than 71,000 member independent sales force.

Brees is a perfect fit for the company whose slogan is “We Build Champions”. “We are proud to be associated with Drew Brees. He is a true champion who embodies the spirit of AdvoCare,” says AdvoCare President and CEO Richard Wright. “We have always been drawn to his character and high integrity on and off the field.”

The announcement comes just one month after Brees was named MVP of the 2010 NFL Championship Game for his record-breaking performance. A loyal AdvoCare product user and endorser since 2002, Brees supports the company and products. “Clearly I believe in AdvoCare products. They help me get the maximum amount out of my workouts and out of my practice work. I also see the positive influence of the Company and its independent Distributors in communities across the nation. This is the next chapter in a strong, enjoyable relationship.”

The relationship between Brees and AdvoCare extends beyond products. AdvoCare supports the Brees Dream Foundation, started by Brees and his wife Brittany and will participate in the upcoming “The Amazing Race” event in New Orleans presented by the foundation.

About Drew Brees

Drew Brees has been ranked a top player among the NFL’s elite quarterbacks. He was this year’s MVP of the NFL Championship Game. He has been recognized for his performance on the field as an athlete and for his off the field charitable contributions and volunteer work through the Brees Dream Foundation (www.drewbrees.com).

About AdvoCare International, LP

AdvoCare International, LP is an award-winning, premier health and wellness company headquartered in Carrollton, TX, that offers more than 70 exclusive nutritional and skincare products and a business opportunity that empowers individuals to explore their ultimate potential. Since 1993, AdvoCare has offered nutritional supplements and vitamins of the highest quality developed through comprehensive research and backed by a Scientific & Medical Advisory Board. For more information on AdvoCare, visit www.advocare.com or call us at 888-393-4033.

Just How Does the American Diet Differ from the Mediterranean Diet

Most people say the Mediterranean diet is high in fat. Can people still lose or maintain weight on a Mediterranean diet?

While the Mediterranean diet is high in fat, it is high in the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated healthy fats, in contrast to diets rich in saturated fat. It is not the fat content that will determine weight loss on the Mediterranean diet. People who wish to eat the Mediterranean diet may experience other health benefits but still not lose weight if they do not lower their caloric intake.

What makes the Mediterranean diet different from the common American diet?

Americans consume high numbers of red meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy, while the Mediterranean includes very little. The diet also differs from the typical American diet through its dependence on fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, olive oil, beans, breads, cereals, and potatoes.

Why people in the Mediterranean have lower heart disease?

Research has indicated that the foods in the Mediterranean diet play an important role in lowering heart disease. Research also indicates that the Mediterranean diet requires a more holistic approach to a healthy lifestyle than most other diets.

How does exercise, walking, and physical activity enter into the “recipe” for the Mediterranean diet and health?

Exercise is a vital part of maintaining the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet is based on the food choices and lifestyles of the region during the early Sixties and during that time period, physical activity was an important part of their culture. Daily hourly walks are encouraged, as are exercises for at least one hour a week that utilize the entire body.

How the Mediterranean diet differ from the Low Carb diet?

The Mediterranean diet features little protein, in contrast to low-carb diets. Only fifteen percent of the calories consumed each day on the Mediterranean diet come frmo protein.

How has wine figured into the Mediterranean diet? How much per day is recommended?

Wine is recommended in low to moderate amounts. For men, five percent of their calories per day can come from wine, while women can consume up to two and a half percent.

Final Tips

The Mediterranean lifestyle is most effective when including a range of root vegetables, foods high in omega-3 acids, and vegetable oils such as flaxseed or canola. Along with fruits, breads, and cereals, these foods may lower your risk for cardiovascular disease.

About the Author

Eva Alexander writes for Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, her personal hobby blog focused on tips to eat healthy on the Mediterranean way.

Are you in search of ways to do just this in time for your summer?

How about a dozen? Here are twelve ways to lean out and loo your best in a matter of weeks.

No drastic changes necessary, and certainly no fad diets, as you most likely already know just how strongly we feel about those. The following tips, most just simple adjustments you can make to your existing diet and exercise habits, can create drastic changes in very short periods of time if done properly.

Choose as many of these tips that fit nicely into your current daily routine, decide to stick with them, and in a matter of weeks you will see considerable changes in your body!

#1 -Move Faster
One great way to increase your workout intensity is to simply move faster between sets. By limiting your rest period to 30-60 seconds instead of 90-120 seconds, for example, you ll increase the demand on both your aerobic and anaerobic systems. You’ll probably have to come down in weight lifted because you won’t fully recover between sets, but you could use this technique twice a week for an efficient but effective workout.

#2 – Keep a Journal
Since success leaves clues, taking notes on what works and doesn’t work for you will make it that much easier to design your next shape-up program. Keep a detailed training journal and nutrition log, noting as best as possible how each element affects your physique, workouts, energy level, mood, etc. Having such a personalized, proven road map to follow means you 11 never have to depend on guesswork or trial and error again.

#3 – Cardio Circuit Train
Besides being very time efficient, this circuit training, with a twist, will help lean you out fast. The idea here is to actually combine your resistance training with your cardio training. You’ll work your major muscles groups and perform short bursts of cardio in between circuits, allowing you to keep your heart rate elevated throughout the workout. A sample of this type of circuit would be the flat bench press followed by the seated cable row, then  a minute or two of jumping rope; dumbbell shoulder presses, cable curls, dips, then 1-2 minutes of jogging in place; and finally, leg presses, lying leg curls and the leg extension with 1-2 minutes of bench step-ups.

Do each circuit 2-3 times and limit your rest between exercises to 30 seconds. Try this full-body circuit 1-2 times a week, working around your other resistance or cardio training sessions to jolt your metabolism and fat-burning.

#4 – Count Calories
Not what anyone probably wants to hear, but unfortunately, it is a proven way to take your body to the next level. Sure, it can be a pain, but there is little doubt that if you are not counting calories, your daily caloric intake is off what you believe it to be by 300 calories or more each day! The theory behind energy balance and fat burning is simple! Burn more calories then you eat and you will lose weight. However, we know it is not quite this simple as far too often people improperly choose to eat less instead of burn more.

For a simple starting point, multiply your current bodyweight by 12, 13, or 14 (choose 12 if you feel you have a slow metabolism and losing weight is very difficult, choose 13 if you feel you feel your metabolism is average and weight loss or gain comes fairly easy, and choose 14 if you feel your metabolism is quite good and you are relatively lean by nature). Use this total as your starting point for your daily caloric intake and shoot for 40-50% protein, 20-30% carbs, and 20-30% fats. Adjust this number by 100-200 calories daily if your body is not responding as well as you’d like.

#5 – Skip the Straight Sets
Besides cutting your rest time, you can super-fatigue your muscles with advanced training techniques that work you to your limit. A couple of popular choices are supersets (working opposing muscle groups like bi’s and tri’s back-to-back without rest), drop sets (taking a set of a given exercise to failure, quickly stripping some weight off and resuming again to failure) and compound sets (performing two exercises for the same bodypart back-to-back). You won’t be as strong on your movements, but then again, this isn’t a power-lifter’s workout.

#6 – Interval Train
You are hopefully doing some cardio already, so instead of suggesting that you simply do more, we suggest you do it a different way, a slightly more efficient way. Rather than simply walking, jogging, stepping, or pedaling for 20-60 minutes at a time, at a constant speed, while chatting away, let’s try intervals and get more done in less time.

For example, let’s say you are on the treadmill for this cardio session, instead of walking through your entire workout, let’s walk at 3.0 mph to warm-up for 5 minutes, then increase the speed to 6-7 mph and run/jog for a full minute, before decreasing the speed back to 3.0 mph for a minute to recover. This is one interval. Repeat this as many times as you can for a workout of anywhere from 15-30 minutes and your body will take on a whole new look in no time at all.

#7 – Watch the Clock
What and how much you eat are clearly important in the fat-loss equation, but so is an often-overlooked factor: when you eat. In fact, when you don’t eat enough or often enough, your body could end up with less fuel for optimal functioning.

To make the most of your metabolism, divide your daily caloric needs into 5-6 smaller meals spaced 3-4 hours apart. Eat a big breakfast, which can help boost your metabolism up to 10%. Eating healthy meals every 3-4 hours after that helps keep your fat-burning furnace stoked. This strategy will take a lot of discipline, but the rewards are well worth it.

#8 – Shake it Up
Have you followed the same program for months? Simple changes in sets and reps can help you bust through a plateau and reach peak conditioning. Not only can moving faster between sets increase intensity and burn more calories, but other changes — like doing a few extra sets of an exercise — can have a dramatic effect on your physique.

If you typically do 3-4 sets of a particular movement such as leg presses. try doing 5-6 sets every now and then to mix things up. Another effective technique is to increase your number of reps per set: If you usually do 8-10, try doing 12-15. This will again mean you’ll use a lighter weight, but you’ll rest your joints from the heavier training and help build better muscle endurance. You 11 be ready to go heavier again after a while. Try a high-rep day for each bodypart 1-2 times a month.

#9 – Stay Balanced
This one’s a no-brainer: Keep an eye on your fat intake. Though some athletes mistakenly go too low, you want to consume about 15%-20% of your total daily calories from dietary fat, mostly unsaturated sources. Replace regular mayonnaise, sala dressing, butter, whole milk, egg yolks and cheese with light or fat-free versions. Since fat has 9 calorie rt per gram, more than twice the calories found in gram of protein and carbs. cutting your intake can significantly lower your calories and, thus, bodyfat levels.

#10 – Increase Your Cardio
IF you aren’t doing 3-4 cardio sessions per week, you should be. These no longer have to be 45-60 minute events, but they must be done at the right intensity level in order to burn fat, without stripping off lean muscle in the process. Getting cardio in immediately upon waking works best, prior to eating anything! If you are combining your cardio and resistance workouts, always perform your cardio after your weight training, never before!

#11 – Use Compound Movements
Instead of doing a lot of exercises like the dumbbell flye, lateral raise, leg extension and triceps kickback that work only the targeted muscle group, build your workouts around compound exercises like the bench press, bent-over row. seated press and squat. Compound movements involve many muscle groups for balance and coordination, so you’ll not only be able to lift heavier weights but you’ll use more energy (calories) doing it! More advanced trainers can add isolation-type movements after doing the heavier compound moves.

#12 – Use Supplementation
Just about every nutritional supplementation ad running today promises overnight success. This is unfortunate! Nothing, no diet, no training plan and certainly no nutritional, will provide immediate success in a safe, healthy manner. Does this mean supplementation is not good or not required. No! Absolutely the opposite is true. Almost everyone requires some sort of nutritional supplementation, whether it is simply adding protein to their current diet, a daily multi-vitamin, additional Omegas, etc.

It is impossible to get all of the nutrients we need from diet along due to today’s processing procedures. If you are not supplementing with at the very least a good daily and Omegas, I would probably say you have a pretty significant gap in your healthy nutrition. Obviously, we always recommend your doctor’s approval before making any changes to your diet, exercise or supplementation program, but we are fairly confident most doctors today, realize the importance of filling your nutritional gaps.

The one major issue surrounding nutritional supplementation today is product quality! This coupled with questionable company integrity at times, can be cause for great concern. Good, healthy and high quality supplementation can not only make a significant difference in your ability to lean out in time for summer, but more importantly, ensure a healthier body and daily function.

As most are aware, we strongly recommend AdvoCare products due to the product quality, testing and science behind each product. Additionally, with a 17 year unblemished FDA track record, AdvoCare integrity is unquestioned. This provides us with the comfort we need to make recommendations to clients. With a line of nearly 100 products, there is certainly something for anyone, including skin care! No matter what you choose to use and whose product, please do your homework first!

Obviously, these tips are very general in nature, so, should you be in need of more detailed assistance, please feel free to contact us at any time.

As I was going through my pregnancy and postpartum period I tried everything I could to find the best way, to keep fit and then lose those pregnancy pounds…..

This eventually led me to research the topic on the Internet and was able to receive my certification as a specialist in that area.  Many women have  trouble during and after pregnancy with keeping fit. With the research and information that is available, it is now easier to keep fit during and after pregnancy. The information that I am presenting will go over a few basic things to know for these crucial times in life and hopefully make women feel more in control.

The first question normally asked is ”is it safe to work out during my pregnancy”. Most doctors’ will usually tell their patients that they can keep up their workouts. Unless there is underlying medical condition. While most doctors’ will also tell their patients that  in each trimester there are things that are okay and not okay to do. For instance after the first trimester, it is not suggested to attempt to do crunches , the reason being is  that the abdomen can separate and blood pressure can also rise .

Make sure to keep your heart rate at a certain level if attempting to do a cardiovascular workout.  Although it is wise to keep in mind that if you have never worked out before, it is not wise to start.   Make sure  to listen to your body, if you should start to get dizzy, bleed, or leak fluids, make sure to stop immediately and call your doctor.

Most women will feel tired during this time, especially in the first trimester. So it is suggested that women should try and fit in short bursts of activity. Some of these exercises that can be done are bicep curls while doing the laundry, you don’t even need weights,  just use the laundry detergent bottles.  Another exercise that can be done is dancing to get your heart rate up a little.  Some other suggestions would be walking or squats. One exercise that is beneficial are “kegals”.  All that is done is squeezing one’s pelvic muscles, holding  and releasing them.  This has been shown to ease labor and delivery by making the labor muscles stronger.  Also some suggested cardiovascular workouts would be water aerobics or an Upper Body Erogmeter.  All these get the heart pumping a little but are gentle on the joints which can get damaged if not careful.

Another important fact is to make sure you’re getting enough rest and not to get discouraged if you don’t work out one day. One thing that might be able to help get women through the first trimester is knowing that by the second trimester energy levels come back so women might want to get some working out at this point. As per the ISSA handbook on pregnancy, it is said that some women will find the third trimester very difficult, as nausea can return,  the baby’s kicking  becomes stronger, and extreme tiredness is  probable, as a result, some women cease to work out.  Keep in mind, varicose veins may surface and exercise has been proven to reduce this. So, if you can do a little something it might help  moms feel better.

Another key point worth addressing is nutrition. You are eating for two.   Make sure to increase your caloric intake by at least 500 extra calories a day. Melissa Johnsen,  from Bodybuilding.com, advises to plan a well rounded diet to make sure that the body is getting the nutrients it needs, and make sure to maintain a gradual steady weight gain. You can do this by eating smaller meals, such as an apple with peanut butter, which will give a you more natural sugar and protein.  Eating up to six times a day has been shown to somewhat  ease nausea symptoms. Eating smaller meals also can keep the blood sugar level stable. This in turn helps keep a woman’s energy up for herself and the baby.  Make sure to also  intake more water.  A lack of water has been shown to cause contractions.  This can result in the need to receive IV fluids.

Doctors do a test at about 16 weeks to see if their patients have gestational diabetes. This is important to know because some women go on to experience diabetes after delivery.  When this is the case, women are then monitored very closely. It is wise not to gain over 30 pounds which most doctors’ agree is the magic number.  Most Doctors’ will agree that the closer a patient can stay to a 30- 35 pound weight gain during pregnancy, the easier it should be to lose the weight post pregnancy. This weight gain is broken down; most women will need to gain about four to six pounds the first trimester, eleven to fifteen the second and eleven to fifteen the third trimester.

After all the waiting and waiting, the baby is here and you are feeling  tired, happy, and scared. Most women will say “how do I lose all this weight”. Well first things first, make sure that your doctor gives the green light to workout.  With natural births, most women can usually start after two weeks, whereas with c-section deliveries, most women will need to hold off for about six weeks.  One thing that was found in studies is that women who lose the baby weight within a year, will be less likely to become overweight.

Experts agree to start off slowly.  Do short bursts of activity. Keep in mind, that as a new mother, it is a very different schedule. New moms may only be getting  sleep every two hours depending on the baby. So fit it in a workout wherever possible.  Another great way to fit in a workout would be to use your baby as a weight. Hold your baby and squat or dance with your baby. This is a great way to fit in workout while bonding with your baby as well.  A great idea that Autumn Hessman wrote  for Suite101.com is that there are now workouts centered on moms.  One of these groups is called Stroller Strides, a great idea where moms can get together with their babies and walk as well as do some strength training.

As a result, new moms may be able to lose weight quicker and have support while they are doing it. Of course as a new mom, women will be tired, so make sure that rest is a priority.  Just make sure to do something, as most experts agree that the longer women keep on the weight,  the more likely they may have trouble losing the weight and the more at risk for they will be to develop diabetes and heart disease. One recommendation that Meriza Deguzman wrote in an article for Bodybuilding.com is to set up small daily goals and to and have a schedule that women can stick to.  By doing this they know that this is time set aside for me.

During this time, with the new bundle of joy, make sure to have good nutrition as well.  If there are not enough calories coming in, there will not be any energy to spare. Breastfeeding moms need to take in more calories, about an extra 500 calories a day.  The reason being is, according to the ISSA,  that breastfeeding will usually use up those calories just feeding their little one. Some Doctors’ might advise breastfeeding moms to nurse before their workout.  Studies have shown that the consistency of breast milk changes with a heavy workout.

Make sure not to get discouraged if you have put on weight and you feel like it is not coming off fast enough. The weight will come off, just make sure to fit in some sort of activity into the day. Remember the weight did not come on overnight, even though it may seem to most women that it did. The most important thing to remember for new moms is that they brought another human being into this world.  Take the time to enjoy the bond that a mother and baby have. As time goes fast and soon this little person will be all grown up.

Now we see how hard it is for most women to keep fit during and after pregnancy, as well as the possibility of certain issues that may arise, the provided information regarding nutrition as well as some simple ideas for exercise, may enable more mothers and mothers to be to take control over their fitness situation.

- Francine Browning, eFitness for Life Coach (fbrowning@efitnessforlife.com)

How can I gain muscle and lose fat at the same time? That’s right up there with “How do I get six pack abs” as one of the most frequently asked fitness questions of all time.

The problem is, when you ask it, you get all kinds of conflicting answers – even from experts who are supposed to know these things.

So what’s the deal? Is it really possible to lose fat and build muscle at the same time?

There’s now a definitive answer, which is backed by science and real world case studies:

YES – you can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time!

Natural bodybuilder and fat loss expert Tom Venuto has just published a new ebook on the subject that explains it in detail, called: “The Holy Grail Body Transformation Program: How to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time”

You’ve probably heard me speak about Tom Venuto before. I have so much respect for his work, and I think everyone should follow what he’s doing as well…

Tom has definitely hit a home run again with this new “holy grail” book.

The Holy Grail is a 74 page ebook that is destined to set the record straight in a way that you could say it’s the LAST WORD on gaining muscle and burning fat at the same time; It’s impressively referenced with peer-reviewed research and frankly, it just makes sense.

New discoveries in the emerging sciences of within-day energy balance, nutritional periodization, nutrient timing and natural hormonal manipulation have pointed the way to a proven method of achieving simultaneous muscle gain with fat loss…

…and it’s NOT what most people think!

There’s NO magical workout program or supplement that assures you of gaining muscle while stripping off fat. It takes hard work.

This is not an easy goal to achieve – So if you’re looking for magic bullets, go elsewhere. This is a serious, scientific and very strategic program.

But for anyone who is serious about getting leaner AND more muscular, you just have to take a look.

Here’s a sample of what you’ll learn inside the “Holy Grail Body Transformation System ebook:

* Why you MUST understand “energy partitioning” – the fat burning, muscle-building process BEYOND CALORIES-IN vs CALORIES OUT! (page 13)

* The keys to forcing your body to drive energy and protein INTO MUSCLE CELLS and pull calories OUT OF FAT CELLS! (page 13)

* “The power of hormones to dramatically shift fat to muscle… discover what steps you must take to achieve hormonal control for maximum muscle growth and fat loss (page 13)

* The 4 “X-Factors” of concurrent muscle gain and fat loss – these are the special conditions that allow above average muscle gains while losing fat at the same time (page 9)

* The 5 “X2-Factors” that influence your ability to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time; They all depend on your current body composition (lean or fat) and dieting status (dieted down or not dieted down)… Depending on which category you’re in, it can totally change your approach (page 11)

* How to choose the right body transformation goal: should you focus on burning fat, gaining muscle or doing both at the same time? (page 14)

* How to steal the proven system of training periodization from world class athletes and apply it to your muscle-building and fat-burning goals…

* How nutritional periodization might be the single biggest breakthrough for building muscle and burning fat at the same time – This is HUGE! (page 17-21)

* 5 post-workout nutrition strategies to improve muscle growth and optimize recovery from your workouts… (page 23)

* Carb tapering and carb targeting strategies explained for 2010… These are the latest updates to the time-tested techniques used by some of the best bodybuilders, fitness models and figure competitors in the world (page 24-25)

* Cycle dieting techniques under the microscope… find out which methods work and which ones will actually make you fatter (pge 27)

* 4 reasons why cardio can help you gain more muscle and lose fat at the same time, if you do it right… and why you will get weaker and smaller if you do it wrong (page 33)

* 8 carb-cycling menu plans … all DONE FOR YOU, laid out meal by meal, calculated for precision and results (appendix 1)

* Burn the Fat Foods 2.0: … the official new calorie and nutrient data base – it’s a CLEAN EATING food list – NO JUNK This is the list of foods you SHOULD eat… (appendix 3)

* Tom Venuto’s NEW WORKOUT SYSTEM – “TNB” Training – As Seen in Men’s Fitness Magazine … the perfect way to train while following the Holy Grail nutrition plan

(FREE BONUS! See bonus section)

Here’s the deal:

From now until Midnight (PST), May 13th, 2010, you can get a copy of the Holy Grail Body Transformation program ebook absolutely f-r-e-e when you purchase the Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle e-book from this web page: Holy Grail System

Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle is the “bible of fat loss” for tens of thousands of men and women in over 144 countries worldwide and if you don’t have a copy yet, then this is a better opportunity than ever because you can get the Holy Grail ebook as a bonus along with the Burn The Fat program.

This offer expires on May 13th, 2010 at midnight PST and it will be taken off the market for at least a couple of months before it goes up for sale on its own, so I highly recommend you visit the Burn The Fat website now and jump on this great deal while you still can. Here’s the link again: Holy Grail System

Sincerely,

The eFitness for Life Team

PS. You may have already heard of Tom’s Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle book before, so if you already have it, the other way you can get his new Holy Grail program is by joining the Burn the Fat Inner Circle – all members there are also getting access to it this week up until Thursday the 13th. More info on Tom’s inner circle at: Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle Inner Circle

Is the Biggest Loser Really What You’re Looking For

Almost everyone knows about the biggest loser – that reality show/ wt loss contest on TV where overweight people drop ridiculous amounts of weight – like 15 or 20 lbs in a week, and 150 or 200 lbs by the time the show is over.

This past January the guys at over at the Burn the Fat websites completed their first ever body transformation challenge contest.

But their contest was NOTHING like the biggest loser.

In fact, Josh Ketter, the overall men’s winner, and Ryan Cochrane, one of the finalists, only lost a pound.

Now, you must be thinking, “what the heck kind of weird body transformation contest were they running where the

winner and the finalists only drop a pound?

Well, it would seem weird if you thought that success at body transformation meant dropping weight on the scale.

But did you ever stop to think about the difference between fat weight and muscle weight?

Think about it – if those contestants on the biggest loser gain muscle – they get penalized, right? Penalize someone for gaining muscle? Shouldn’t contestants be REWARDED for gaining muscle as well as burning fat?

That’s the problem with wt loss contests today and with a lot of people in the industry in general – they are obsessed with scale weight but they don’t pay any attention to body composition (the fat-to-muscle ratio).

Of course, some of the contestants in that contest did drop a lot of fat – 15, 20, even 25 lbs in only 50 days. But the

person who dropped the most pounds was NOT necessarily voted as the winner.

That explains how the judging was done – some of the winners were rewarded because they made tremendous improvements in their body composition, even though their scale weight didn’t change that much.

Josh lost 8 pounds of fat and gained 7 pounds of muscle in just 50 days. He only lost a pound on the scale because the muscle weight replaced the fat weight.

Ryan Cochrane lost 8 pounds of fat while gaining 7.7 lbs of muscle in 50 days. His weight hardly changed.

Sarah Kensington actually GAINED a pound, from 119 to 120 but her body fat decreased from 19% to a ripped 12.6%. That’s a 7.9 pound GAIN in lean body mass and a 7 pound loss of body fat – remarkable for a MAN, almost unheard of for a woman!

When you look at their before and after pictures, you can see that even though their weight changed by less than a pound, they TOTALLY TRANSFORMED THEIR BODIES! How?

They gained muscle and lost fat at the same time!

Maybe you’re thinking, “wait a minute, I thought it was impossible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time? Don’t you need a calorie deficit to burn fat and a calorie surplus to build muscle?”

Well, yes and no. Calories do matter, but according to fat loss expert Tom Venuto, the guy who sponsored the recent body composition fitness contest, it’s much more complicated than that because of things like within-day energy balance, hormonal fluctuations and “energy partitioning.”

It was these unusual contest results that prompted Tom to dig into the scientific research on concurrent muscle gain and fat loss and create a new program that he calls:

“THE HOLY GRAIL BODY TRANSFORMATION SYSTEM: How to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time”

This is not an easy goal to achieve – So I’m sorry, but I have no miracle for you. If you’re looking for magic bullets, go elsewhere. This is a serious and very strategic program.

Concurrent muscle gain and fat loss is the most difficult goal to achieve.

That’s why people call it the “holy grail”; because it’s so elusive.

BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE: IT IS POSSIBLE.

I’m sure you’ve heard this subject debated ad nauseum on discussion forums. Those debates probably left you confused and not sure what to believe either.

This new ebook sets the record straight in such a way that you could say it’s the LAST WORD on gaining muscle and burning fat at the same time; it’s impressively referenced with peer-reviewed research and frankly, it just makes sense.

Tom Venuto’s previous best selling ebook, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (BFFM) has become known to many as a “fat loss bible”

But BFFM is designed specifically for fat loss. What if you want to lose fat AND gain muscle?

That’s exactly why this new program was created. It’s the first course of it’s kind that builds on the techniques of BFFM and teaches a system for gaining muscle and burning fat simultaneously, and explains the process scientifically.

If you’re skeptical, I don’t blame you. Even I was skeptical when I heard about it. But when you see BOTH; real-world case studies AND the scientific proof, it makes you want to stop and take a look.

Right now the 1st edition of Tom’s new HOLY GRAIL body transformation ebook is available for just the next 3 days in limited release. It’s actually not even for sale separately yet.

What Tom decided to do was offer the holy grail ebook as bonus with the purchase of his Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle ebook.

The Holy Grail ebook is available only for the next 3 days at: Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle

(offer expires on Thursday, May 13th, 2010)

On May 14th, he’s going to take the holy grail course off the market for a while, to correspond with some of his new customers and collect feedback and case studies to incorporate in the 2nd edition.

Then the grail ebook will be officially re-released later this year at the regular retail price.

So, this is a great opportunity to pick up Tom’s fat loss bible AND get the holy grail ebook for free at the same time.

If you’d like to be in this first wave of people to try this new combined muscle-building and fat burning system, this is the ONLY way to order at the moment: Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle – Holy Grail

Purchase a copy of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle ebook, and the HOLY GRAIL body transformation ebook comes along with BFFM for free.

Sincerely,

The eFitness for Life Team

PS. You may have already heard of Tom’s Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle book before, so if you already have it, the other way you can get his new Holy Grail program is by joining the Burn the Fat Inner Circle – all members there are also getting access to it this week up until Thursday the 13th. More info on Tom’s Inner Circle at: Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle Inner Circle

DNA does not make overweight inevitable, new study shows

(HealthDay News) — Does carrying a gene tied to obesity doom a teenager to becoming obese? Not if that teen stays physically active, a new study shows.

Among genes related to obesity, mutations in the so-called fat mass-and-obesity-associated gene (FTO) appear to be particularly important. In fact, each copy of a mutation in this gene has been tied to an average jump in weight of about 3.3 pounds, the researchers say.

However, an hour of physical activity a day largely negated the gene’s effect, the new study found.

“These findings have important public health implications, and indicate that meeting the physical activity recommendations may offset the genetic predisposition to obesity associated with the FTO [gene variant] in adolescents,” said lead researcher Jonatan R. Ruiz, a scientist in physical activity and fitness epidemiology at the Karolinska Institute in Huddinge, Sweden.

The report is published in the April issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

For the study, Ruiz’s team collected data on 752 teens who took part in the Healthy Lifestyles in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence Cross-Sectional Study, which was conducted in 10 European countries between October 2006 and December 2007.

Among these teens, 37 percent did not have FTO mutations, 47 percent had one copy and 16 percent had two copies. Copies of the mutation were linked with higher body mass index (BMI). BMI is a measure of weight divided by height. Statistically, a BMI of 25 is considered the threshold for overweight while a BMI of 30 is the threshold for obesity.

Copies of the gene mutation were also linked with a higher percentage of body fat and a larger waist.

For teens who got at least an hour of physical activity each day, the effect of the obesity-linked gene mutation on weight was much smaller, Ruiz said.

For each copy of the mutated gene, those who exercised had an average BMI that was only 0.17 points higher than teens with no mutations. In comparison, teens who did not exercise for at least 60 minutes daily had a BMI that was 0.65 points higher for each copy of the gene, compared to those with no mutations.

Exercise also helped trim back gene-linked increases in body fat mass and waist circumference, the study found.

Ruiz’ advice to teens worried about excessive weight gain? “Be active. Try to do at least 60 minutes of moderate and vigorous physical activity every day — like playing sports,” he said.

Samantha Heller, a Connecticut-based dietitian, nutritionist and exercise physiologist, commented that, “since few of us will ever get our genes tested, the take-home message from this study is that children and adolescents need to be physically active and eat a healthy diet.”

While we are stuck with our genetic makeup, our lifestyles can either magnify or minimize many genetic tendencies, Heller said.

“If a person has a gene predisposing them to obesity yet they eat healthfully, exercise regularly and adopt other healthy lifestyle behaviors, they are stacking the deck [in their favor] in maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding chronic diseases,” she said.

However, too many youngsters are losing touch with the fundamental joy of engaging in physical activities, Heller added.

“Whether it is a formal team sport or playing tag, playing catch or riding bicycles, the human body is designed to move,” she said.

When this natural instinct is muted by spending hours playing computer games, watching TV or sitting around, so too is the body’s innate ability to stay healthy, Heller said.

“The cycle of weight gain, sedentary lifestyle and poor diet can be tough to break free from, but it is absolutely doable if the whole family is committed to and takes part in the process of reinventing their lifestyle to a healthier one. The rewards are tremendous,” she said.

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

More information

For more on childhood obesity, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
SOURCES: Jonatan R. Ruiz, Ph.D., scientist in physical activity and fitness epidemiology, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, Sweden; Samantha Heller, M.S., R.D., dietitian, nutritionist and exercise physiologist, Fairfield, Conn.; April 2010, Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine

But trans fats could increase it, researchers say

The following article is just one of the many reasons we so strongly suggest that each and every women be supplementing their daily diet with OmegaPlex!

(HealthDay News) — Women who consume high levels of trans fats have a 48 percent increased risk of endometriosis, while those who eat diets rich in omega-3 oils are 22 percent less likely to develop the condition, a new study finds.

In endometriosis, pieces of the womb lining (endometrium) are found outside of the womb. Some women experience no symptoms, but many suffer severe pain. The condition, which can lead to infertility, affects about 10 percent of women. Treatments include pain medication, hormone drugs or surgery.

In this study, researchers analyzed dietary and other data from almost 71,000 women enrolled in the U.S. Nurses Health Study. Over 12 years of follow-up, 1,199 participants were diagnosed with endometriosis. The researchers said their results suggest that diet may be an important factor in the development of the condition.

The study is published March 24 in the journal Human Reproduction.

“Millions of women worldwide suffer from endometriosis. Many women have been searching for something they can actually do for themselves, or their daughters, to reduce the risk of developing the disease, and these findings suggest that dietary changes may be something they can do,” study leader Dr. Stacey Missmer, an assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, said in a news release.

“The results need to be confirmed by further research, but this study gives us a strong indication that we’re on the right track in identifying food rich in omega-3 oils as protective for endometriosis and trans fats as detrimental,” she said.

Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked to reduced heart disease risk, are found mostly in oily fish. Trans fats, which increase heart disease risk, are used in thousands of processed foods.

More information

The National Women’s Health Information Center has more about endometriosis.
– Robert Preidt

SOURCE: Human Reproduction, news release, March 23, 2010

Burn More Fat Than Ever Before With Rob’s Tips

By Rob Poulos, Fat Loss & Fitness Expert & Creator of ‘Fat Burning Furnace’

Do you want to know how to triple your results from your resistance training? Why wouldn’t you?

Properly conducted resistance training can give you startling fat loss results, along with muscle and strength gains.  On top of that, when using the techniques I describe in the Fat Burning Furnace eBook, you’ll also receive “top drawer” cardiovascular health benefits.  And all from 2-3  workouts each week lasting just 15-20 minutes on average.

But, you’ve got to do them right, not like the average resistance trainer is taught these days.  Walk into any fitness center or gym and you’ll see at least half if not more of the exercisers performing their workouts in a less than optimal way…and that’s being kind. continue