I’m going to be blunt and honest with you here. If you want to burn fat, discard several pounds, and get into better shape and health, I’ve got some news for you. Looking for a nutrition and workout program that you can follow for life will not do you any good at all. In fact, I believe that the traditional lifestyle approach to fat loss is a bunch of crap. I’ll share my Non-Traditional Lifestyle Approach to fat loss in a moment, but first, here’s why I believe lifestyle plans suck…

I recently let loose in a conversation that I had with my friend Jim Katsoulis of The Elite Body, and revealed the weaknesses with the traditional lifestyle approach. We recorded that 12 minute conversation so you can listen to it by clicking on the audio player above.

I told Jim that the most frequently asked question I received after I achieved my goal of 6 pack abs was, “Can you maintain that way of eating and exercise for life?” My answer is absolutely not!

If I was to continue to train that way, I would eventually burn out. If I was to continue to eat that way chances are my body would adapt, but not until I eventually wilted away. I burned a lot of body fat during that journey and when I reached my goal and didn’t want to burn any more fat, why would I continue with a program that was designed to melt the fat off my body rapidly? Not to mention, following a fat loss program for a long period of time is mentally draining as well.

But here’s the thing…

It was absolutely necessary for me to crank up the intensity of my workouts and push my limits. It was necessary for me to buckle down on my nutrition and eat a lot more natural foods. It was absolutely crucial to boost my mental game and stir up some serious internal and external motivation.

The Traditional Lifestyle Approach Is A Cop Out!

When someone tells me, “I’m looking for a program that I can follow for life”, I immediately think that this person is copping out. In my humble opinion this is an excuse not to put forth your very best effort.

The lifestyle approach gives you an ‘out’. If you aren’t experiencing success you can always say, “I don’t like strict programs. I prefer to enjoy life”. But are you really enjoying life in an overweight and unhealthy body? Are you able to do every thing that you want in life? Are you full of energy and living to your fullest potential?

The traditional lifestyle approach allows you to stay in your protective little bubble. You never have to test your limits. It’s safe. There’s no chance of failure. How can you possibly expect to achieve great results with this approach?

If you want to burn fat and improve your body you absolutely must step outside of your comfort zone. You must be willing to test your limits and go beyond them. You must be willing to push yourself and do the extraordinary, not the usual.

If You Want To Stay Where You Are At Keep Doing What You’re Doing

If you want to stay in the current level of health keep your physique in the shape that it currently is at, then by all means follow a lifestyle approach. That’s what it’s designed for. But if you have fat to burn or muscle to put on, a lifestyle approach will not get you where you want to go.

I’ve mentioned a great quote by Hall Of Fame Quarterback Jim Kelly in my books and they are words that I live by. “The day that you are satisfied with where you are at is the day that you take a step backwards.”

I personally allow myself to temporarily be satisfied with where I’m at. I admire the success that I just experienced and give myself a nice pat on the back. But shortly after that celebration I begin looking for my next challenge. I begin to look for new ways to improve my physique and my health.

To me, this is the TRUE lifestyle approach. It’s an approach of constant and continuous improvement. You grow as an individual each and every day. You live to your potential. You become the best YOU that you could possibly be. That’s what makes life worth living!

I provide the TRUE lifestyle approach in my Fit Chic and Fit Bastard workout programs. Every month I provide a new challenging workout. Every 3 months we completely switch modes and shift from fat burning to muscle building. There’s a full year of workouts to go through in my programs. But…

I love to incorporate other workout programs designed by my colleagues in addition to my programs. This makes it so much more fun and adds an element of challenge to the picture.

Here’s What Changing My Workout Program Monthly Does For Me

I give my absolute best to every program that I follow. I want to see just how effective it really is. I like to see if a program can live up to it’s claims. The only way to know that for sure is if I put forth 100% of my effort.

So my question to you is… Are you putting your very best effort into your fat loss program? Or are you just coasting in a traditional lifestyle approach hoping that you will succeed somehow?

If you want results it’s time that you pick up your game and kick it into high gear. Why wait for the end of your life to achieve results. Get them now and get them quick, then move onto the next goal.

How bad do you really want a lean & desirable physique? Are you willing to do what it takes to get it?

Come on now! I’m demanding more from you and you should be doing the same for yourself. Show me what you are really made of!

Take 12 minutes to listen to the conversation that I had with Jim Katsoulis and share your thoughts on what we discussed.

When you are done listening to what I have to say, hop on the chance to learn from other experts who know what it takes to achieve an ‘elite body’ by visiting www.UnstoppableFatLoss.com/elitebody.php

Every week Jim interviews a new fat loss expert and has us share our best advice to achieve and ‘elite body’. I’ve listened in on the first 3 interviews and they’ve been outstanding. Jim will be interviewing me in September for our full length interview where I really dish out a boatload of fat burning content.

But for now you can enjoy our short conversation where I talk about the traditional lifestyle approach.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and feelings on this issue. Are you still going to look for one single program to follow for life?

Have a 6 Pack Abs-solutely awesome day!

Scott Tousignant

I survived the 28 day Muscle Explosion Challenge. I’m going to request that Nick Nilsson, the creator of the program, get some shirts made up with that slogan on them. It’s the least that he can do after what he put me through in the past 28 days. But it’s all been worth it. I gained 6 1/2 pounds of muscle in only 28 days. I never thought those words would be uttered out my ‘hard-gainer‘ mouth.

Following the Muscle Explosion has been one of the best things that I’ve ever done for myself. It forced me to step outside of my comfort zone. It forced me to try exercises and variations of exercises that I would have never imagined trying. I has totally transformed my physique, and I’m loving the comments that I’m getting from Angie and my friends in the gym. But most of all it’s transformed my mind.

I think that it has something to do with the challenge itself. I felt like a different person when I entered the gym. I had laser focus. I pushed myself harder than I’ve ever pushed myself in the past. I really wanted to put the Muscle Explosion program to the test.

The biggest thing that the Muscle Explosion program did for me was get me excited about putting on even more muscle. I’ve basically mapped out the next 6 months and Muscle Explosion is a big part of those 6 months. That in itself has a lot to say for the program. If it didn’t work for me I certainly wouldn’t be going back on it again. I’ll share my long term plan with you later this week.

Here’s another picture of me that I took today. So let me share some measurements with you. You already know that I gained 6 1/2 pounds of muscle in 28 days. Well I also gained 1 1/2 pounds of fat and 1/2 an inch on my waist in that time as well. That’s not too bad actually. I was hoping to add a little bit of fat to make sure that I was consuming enough calories to build muscle.

I gained 2 3/4 inches on my shoulders. This has been totally obvious to everyone that’s seen me in a tank top working out. My shoulders a completely popping out now. Someone commented that it looked like I had 3 heads at one point

I wish that I would have taken some shots of my back. I’ve achieved a very noticeable difference in width and thickness. I’ll do that next time for sure.

I love the results that I achieved in my upper body. My wife and friends keep telling me how much better I look. Extra muscle really makes a difference. Even though I was hoping for more gains in my thighs and calves, I’m still pretty darn excited. These are difficult body parts for me to make gains on. It’s got a lot to do with how tight the connective tissue is around those muscles. I’m going to keep working on that.

I’m not the only one that has experienced gains on the Muscle Explosion program. I just received an email from one of my subscribers Jeff Doucette. Here’s a Jeff’s before picture…Before entering the Muscle Explosion challenge Jeff had completed an amazing fat loss journey and reclaimed his health and energy. But he was feeling a bit skinny and he decided to step outside of his comfort zone as well and take on the challenge.

Jeff I just wanted to say how glad I am that you decided to go ahead and submit your pictures. It’s been great to have you commenting on my blog posts and sharing your experience with the program as well. It sounds like this is just the beginning of a wonderful journey of continuous growth and improvement.

Here’s Jeff’s after shot. Jeff gained 9 pounds of muscle during the Muscle Explosion 28 day challenge. He mentioned that his nutrition wasn’t the best and that he had gained 5 pounds of fat as well. But all in all Jeff said that people are commenting that he looks better now than he did 28 days ago even with the extra fat.

Jeff gained 1 3/4 inches on his chest, 3/4 inch on his calves, 1/2 inch on his biceps, and 1/2 inch on his thighs.

I have to agree with Jeff’s friends that he’s looking much better now. His shoulders are broader and he’s looking fuller than he did 28 days ago. Jeff I look forward to going through the program again with you and see if we can get even better results the second time around.

If you are looking to add several pounds of muscle to your body, the Muscle Explosion program gets my highest endorsement. I’ve never experienced anything like it. I’ve never come remotely close to gaining this much muscle in this little time. And my body has never felt better.

I will be going through the Muscle Explosion program again starting on Monday August 4th. If you would like to join me during my second time on this amazing mass building program I will be offering another challenge and will do another q & a session with Nick and this time I get to share my experiences with you live on the call and help you get the most out of the Muscle Explosion Program.

If you decide that the Muscle Explosion program is something that you would like to try, or if you already own the Muscle Explosion program and would like to follow along with me in August, simply send me an email at scotttousignant@gmail.com along with your receipt for the Muscle Explosion program and I will grant you access to the call and fill you in on the details of the next challenge. Plus you will get the recordings from the incredible interview that I did with Nick at the beginning of this challenge. It was absolutely amazing!

If you don’t own Muscle Explosion yet, you can learn more about it by visiting…
www.TheFitBastard.com/muscleexplosion.php

I love the Muscle Explosion program and I love the results that it delivers even better!

I hope that you’ve enjoyed my honest review of the Muscle Explosion Challenge. I’d like to say that I gave the program my absolute best, but I know that I can do even better the second time around. I’m expecting you to hold me accountable to that!

I’ll be announcing the winner of the first Muscle Explosion challenge on Thursday. The winner will receive my programs “The Fit Bastard”, “Unstoppable Fat Loss”, “The Fit Chic” (for their significant other), and any 2 of Nick Nilsson’s programs.

Keep training hard everyone. The results are well worth the effort. You absolute get back what you put into it.

Have an awesome day!

Scott Tousignant

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Last week I shared an article from my friend and colleague Tom Venuto about high intensity interval training versus steady state training. When Tom first shared that article with his readers it produced more emails, blog comments and web hits than any newsletter so far this year. Obviously, there is a lot of interest in cardio training and how to do it right. Sadly, most people are still doing 2 things terribly wrong and it’s killing their results…

2 Cardio Mistakes You’re Probably STILL Making

By Tom Venuto
www.BurnOffTheFat.com
www.Burn-The-Fat-InnerCircle.com

As I thought about reviewing the newest scientific study from Australia this week, or explaining the post workout “afterburn effect” (EPOC) that comes from intense forms of cardio, it dawned on me to backtrack, and ask…

“WHY are people still confused about fat burning cardio in the first place when the solution is drop dead simple, common sense and right in front of our noses?”

I thought to myself,

“if I could help remove the SOURCE of the confusion, then regardless of which cardio program you choose, every decision and action that emerges from your new understanding would be more productive right?”

RIGHT!

As best as I can figure, there are two major reasons why people are still mucking up their cardio programs for fat loss.

REASON #1 NOT ENOUGH FOCUS ON TOTAL CALORIES BURNED

Most people aren’t burning enough darn calories. Why? well, I guess they are too busy worrying about the “proper” type of exericse (which machine or activity), the “optimal” mode (steady state or intervals), the “perfect” ratio of intervals, or the “best” duration. Some people coast along on the treadmill at 2.3 miles per hour or some similar super-slow pace and they think that just by hitting a TIME goal, such as 45 or 60 minutes, that with “X” duration completed, they are assured to get the results they want. On the other extreme, we have folks who have found or created some mega-intense, super-duper short training protocol like the “4-minute wonder workout from Japan.” Just because the workout is high in intensity and it is performed in intervals, they too think they are assured to get the results they want. What’s missing in both cases is the realization that total fat loss is a function of total calories burned (assuming you don’t blow your diet, of course). AND… Total calories burned is a product of INTENSITY times DURATION, not intensity OR duration. Too much focus on one variable at the exclusion of the other can lead to a less than optimal total calorie burn and disappointing results. And remember, intensity and duration are *variables* not absolutes! (“Variable” means you can change them… even if your “guru” says you can’t!) when you understand the relationship and interplay between INTENSITY X DURATION you will find a “SWEET SPOT” where the product of those variables produces the maximal calorie burn and maximum fat loss, based on your current health condition and your need for time efficiency.

REASON #2: TOO MUCH FOCUS ON WHAT TYPE OF CALORIES BURNED

There is one whopper of a mistake that is still KILLING most people’s cardio programs and that is…

Way too much focus on WHAT you are burning during the workout - fats or carbohydrates - also known as “substrate utilization.” This idea comes from the notorious “fat burning zone” myth which actually tells people to exercise SLOWER and LESS intensely to burn more fat. Hold on a minute. Pop quiz. Which workout burns more calories?

(A) A 30 minute leisurely stroll through the park
(B) A 30 minute, sweat-pouring, heart-pounding run?

Like, DUH! And yet we have trainers, authors and infomercial gurus STILL telling us we have to slow down if we want to burn more fat??? Bizarre.

The reason people still buy it is because the “fat burning zone” myth sounds so plausible because of two little science facts:

And thats the problem. You should be focusing on total calories and total fat burned during the workout and all day long, not just what type or percentage of fuel you are burning during the workout.

It’s not that fat oxidation doesn’t matter, but what if you have a high percentage of fat oxidation but an extremely low number of calories burned?

If you really want to be in the “fat burn zone,” you could sit on your couch all day long and that will keep you there quite nicely because “couch sitting” is a really low intensity (“fat-burning”) activity.

(Of course, “couch sitting” only burns 37 calories per half hour…)

HERE’S THE FAT-BURNING SOLUTION!

In both cases, the solution to burning more fat is drop dead simple: Focus your attention on how you can burn more TOTAL calories during your workout and all day long. If you want to burn more fat, burn more calories and you can do that by manipulating ANY of the variables : intensity, duration and also frequency. If you build your training program around this concept, you will be on the right track almost every time.

BUT WAIT - THERE IS MORE TO IT…

Naturally, we could argue that it’s not quite this simple and that there are hundreds of other reasons why your cardio program might not be working… and I would agree, of course. But on the exercise side, the ideas above should be foremost in your mind. On the nutrition side, you have to get your act together there too. For example, many people increase their food intake at the same time as they start a cardio training program, thereby putting back every calorie they just burned during the workout! Then some of them have the nerve to say, “SEE, cardio doesnt work!”

Incidentally, this is the most likely reason that a few studies show that adding cardio or aerobic training to a diet “did not improve fat loss”: It’s not because the cardio didn’t work, it was because the researchers didnt control for diet and the subjects ate more!!

It should go without saying that nutrition is the foundation on which every fat loss program is built.

Choose the combination of type, intensity, duration and frequency that suits your lifestyle and preferences the best, and WORK THE VARIABLES to get the fat loss results you want, but whichever cardio program you choose, remember that a solid fat burning nutrition program, such as Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle is necessary to help you make the most of it.

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto
Fat Loss Coach
www.BurnOffTheFat.com

I hope that this article from Tom shed some more light on the issue of HIIT vs long duration cardio. You have to manipulate both the duration and intensity variables if you want continued success. Cranking up the intensity and keeping your workouts at a set time will only get you so far.

I’ve been a member and moderator at Tom’s Burn The Fat Inner Circle for nearly two years now. He’s got many articles there where he picks apart a lot of research and topics that confuse most of us and are somewhat controversial. Not to mention all the other great information at his site which you won’t be able to find anywhere else.

Because of my relationship with Tom, he has allowed me to offer you a $1 trial to the Burn The Fat Inner Circle. You can check it all out by visiting…

www.Burn-The-Fat-InnerCircle.com

Have a 6 Pack Abs-solutely awesome day!

Scott Tousignant

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In a recent blog post “Essential Fatty Acids To Burn Fat“, Jayson Hunter and I discussed the fat burning and fat blocking properties of Krill oil. We also mentioned that there are almost unlimited health benefits of consuming a Krill oil supplement. Two major health benefits of Krill oil are preventing heart attacks and reducing arthritis.

When it comes to reducing the risk of heart attacks the focus of our medical society is to prescribe you a drug to reduce your cholesterol levels. In my opinion these drugs are over prescribed, but that’s for another debate. The fact is that only a very small percentage of heart attacks are a result of high cholesterol.

I still recommend that you get your cholesterol checked, but at the same time you should have your doctor test your C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. This is a major indicator if you are at risk of a heart attack. If your heart is under stress you will have more CRP released into your blood stream and raise it’s levels.

When there is plaque build up within the walls of the heart, inflammation will occur. When the build up reaches the critical level it will and open up the wall of the heart. To protect itself your body will form a clot to try to fill the hole and it’s this blood clot that can lead to a heart attack.

Krill Oil For Heart Health

There has been a significant amount of research that has shown a remarkable decrease in CRP levels in as little as a week after consuming 300 mg of Krill oil each day. Even better news is that the CRP levels continued to decrease after 30 days of consuming Krill oil.

The decrease is a result of the anti-inflammatory properties of Krill oil. The most important factor is that Krill oil is a safe, natural, and effective alternative to many of the prescribed drugs on the market which usually have some side effects along with them.

Krill Oil To Relieve Arthritic Pain

Because of the anti-inflammatory properties of Krill oil, it also makes it a great supplement to reduce arthritic pain which is caused by inflammation in the joints. The most common form of relieving arthritic pain is to take an over the counter anti-inflammatory drug. Some studies are now showing that prolonged use of these drugs may increase your risks of cardiovascular disease.

Once again, a safe and natural alternative is Krill oil. In addition to reducing arthritic pain, Krill oil also relieves stiffness and functional impairment of the joints.

I have attached one of the studies that shows the positive effects of Krill oil on CRP levels and alleviating symptoms caused by osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. You can download the pdf report below.

I personally consume Krill oil in a capsule form every morning with my breakfast. I use the EFA-Icon supplement from Prograde. You can learn more about the Krill oil supplement that I use by visiting…

Prograde EFA-Icon

I also consume the multi-vitamins, workout drinks, and meal replacement bars that Prograde offers. If you are interested in browsing through the Prograde supplements product line after you read through the information on Krill oil, you can do so by visiting…

http://6packabs.getprograde.com

I just want to ensure you that the benefits of Krill oil extend far beyond fat burning, fat blocking, heart health, and joint health. Seriously, it may seem like a bold statement, but Krill oil is starting to become known as a miracle supplement that has almost unlimited health benefits.

Consider making Krill Oil as a positive addition to your nutrition plan. If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback on the use of Krill oil please feel free to share them in the comment box below. I’d love to hear from you.

Have and absolutely amazing day!

Scott Tousignant

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When it comes to the HIIT vs Long Duration Cardio debate, the HIIT extremists as I call them, are bombarding you with the words, ‘stop doing long boring cardio‘ and ‘long duration cardio will hurt you‘. Once again, I have to question if they have your best interests at heart. You never hear them mention that HIIT training can be harmful to people with certain body types. You also very rarely hear about the health benefits of long duration cardio. I’m going to share just one of the stories from one of my readers, as well as a very informative 14 minute interview with Kevin Gianni below. I encourage you to read on.

Is Long Duration Cardio Really Boring?

To some people, sure it is. And that’s what makes HIIT training so appealing to many people. I admit, running on a treadmill can be pretty darn boring. But running through a forest, on a nice river front trail, or a beautiful park setting can be an uplifting experience.

But cardio is not just jogging. As I’ve mentioned before, I prefer to bike. On my 30 minute bike rides down my winding county road which follows the narrow Belle River, I am certain to see some pretty amazing things along the way. I regularly witness a fox chasing a rabbit, deer running along side me, geese honking and splashing around on the river’s edge, and the simplicity of the horses, cows, and donkey’s that I see along the way.

I guarantee that my 30 minute bike rides contributed to burning the 14% body fat that I recently discarded. And for people to tell me to stop doing something that’s been effective for them and that they actually enjoy is doing a disservice in the battle of obesity.

A Fit Chic’s HIIT Experience

Every day I get at least one email or one post in my support communities from people who are frustrated and confused in regards to this cardio debate. The hype about HIIT has been poured on so strong that it’s been causing people to give up what they enjoy and instead do something that they don’t enjoy because all these experts are telling them to stop doing long duration cardio even though it’s been effective for them.

A Fit Chic member posted her question in the support community and was dizzy with confusion. She had been experiencing fantastic results with long duration cardio incorporated into your workout program and she was enjoying it. But the hype got to her. Being told to “Stop doing long duration cardio because it’s a waste of time” finally sucked her in.

Two weeks of HIIT and two doctors visits later she was ordered to stop HIIT training. It was injuring her and weakening her immune system.

Plus it took all the fun out of exercise. She was dreading her HIIT sessions. But because these experts were pounding it down her throat, she continued with it because this must be the solution to fat loss. Little did she know that she already had the solution. What she was doing was working.

HIIT Evangelists Do Long Duration Cardio Too

The ironic thing is that I know for a fact that there are many HIIT evangelists out there that do triathlons and marathons. Now why is that? I know for some of them it’s because they enjoy it, it’s a new challenge, they do it for a cause, and it’s all a part of living in optimal health.

If they are doing it, why the heck are they telling you to stop?

Hot & Cold Body Types

In the interview below that I did with Kevin Gianni, he shares some great information about body types and which form of exercise would work best for you based on your body type. For example, if you are a ‘hot’ body type, HIIT will actually put stress on your body. This is exactly what happened to The Fit Chic member above and has been experienced by many others within my support communities.

The message that I’m trying to get across here is to listen to your body and listen to yourself. If you are doing something that you enjoy like I enjoy riding my bike, you will stick to it. When it comes to fat loss it’s all about compliance.

If you jogging hurts you or is boring to you, try something different. If HIIT hurts you, try something different. There is no one single solution. The solution is to do what you enjoy and to do what works for YOU!

As I’ve mentioned before, I love both HIIT and long duration cardio. Incorporating both into my program has worked best for me. It’s up to you to find the right balance for yourself.

Take the time to listen to this 14 minute interview with Kevin Gianni. Then share your experiences with HIIT and long duration cardio. Are you overwhelmed and confused? Did you stop long duration cardio because of all the hype with HIIT?

Share your thoughts and opinions… they truly matter and could have a great impact on many peoples lives.

Enjoy the audio and have an awesome day!

Scott Tousignant

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When people think of fat loss supplements they traditionally think about supplements like caffeine, ephedrine, Hoodia, and all that other crap that can cause serious side effects and mess with your body. What they don’t realize is that there is a healthier and more natural supplement, which is very effective at burning fat and preventing fat from being stored and that is Krill oil and other healthy omega fatty acid supplements.

Recently I interviewed Jayson Hunter, the head of research and development for a very reputable supplement company called Prograde Nutrition. Jayson is also the creator of the Carb Rotation Diet. In this 23 minute interview, Jayson explains how consuming healthy fats like Krill oil can actually prevent you from storing fat and help you burn fat.

Jayson and I also discus how there are no other health benefits to taking the majority of fat burning supplements on the market and this is what makes consuming essential fatty acids a no brainer, because in addition to the fat burning benefits, there are almost an unlimited amount of health benefits to them. I know that I have my dad consume Krill oil for heart health and joint health.

We also talk about how difficult it is to convince people to consume essential fatty acids because of the amount of calories per serving. Jayson and I share how we have been able to persuade our clients into making essential fatty acids and essential part of their nutrition plan.

Jayson also shares the best ways to incorporate healthy fats into your nutrition plan as well as why Krill oil is becoming more popular than flax seed oil.

Enjoy this 23 minute 31 second audio and share your thoughts and questions on the benefits of Krill oil and other essential fatty acids.

Have an absolutely amazing day!

Scott Tousignant

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There is no doubt that lack of time plays a critical role in whether or not you will ‘fit in‘ your workout or not. In today’s society most of us seem to be running around with our heads cut off. Busy is often an understatement. And once again, many fat loss marketers will play off of this and hit on all those emotions that come with having a busy lifestyle. How can anyone possibly have time to fit in a 30 minute jog into their day?

In my humble opinion, in an effort to sell their programs they are reaffirming your self limiting belief that you have no time to workout. You certainly won’t get that from me. Angie and I know what it takes to get 6 pack abs and it’s not just a few minutes a day three times per week. Even these other fat loss experts know that, they just hide it in their ‘fine print’.

As I mentioned in HIIT vs Long Duration Cardio Part 1, most of these quick workout programs tell you to do 30 minutes of activity on your off days. Why don’t they just tell you that up front?

So lets face it. It takes effort, intensity, honesty, and time to get a nice set of 6 pack abs. On our journey to 6 pack abs Angie and I started off weight training, HIIT training, and long duration training for a total of 3 hours per week. The last 6 weeks we cranked it up to 5 1/2 hours per week.

It’s Not About The Time… It’s About Your Priorities

There are 168 hours in the week. Don’t tell me that you don’t have 3 hours to dedicate to your health and fitness. And don’t tell me that increasing it to 5 1/2 hours per week for 6 weeks would take away from the things that matter most to you in life.

That’s a bunch of crap. If watching Gray’s Anatomy, Oprah, or whatever reality show is on every night matters more to you then your health, then why the heck are you even trying to get into better shape in the first place?

I’m going to be blunt and honest here. I’ve heard people say that they refuse to sacrifice time with the kids in order to get in some extra cardio. I have 2 young children myself, but I realize that the time I spend taking care of my health means that my children will have more time to spend with me because I will live a longer more vibrant life.

The time that I do spend with my kids will be true quality time because I will be giving them the very best ‘me’ that I could possibly give them. For example, yesterday I spent 45 minutes chasing my 7 year old son, 5 year old daughter, and my 3 young nieces and nephew around the yard with squirt guns. We wrestled, we pretended we were characters in Kung-fu Panda, and we had a non stop good time.

If I did not place my health as a priority, I would have been winded after 5 minutes at the pace we were going at. My kids would not have had the nearly endless pleasure of soaking dad. If I didn’t place my health as a priority I would be robbing my children of the father that they deserve.

Hey, I’ve done that before. When I was 35 pounds heavier and thinking that spending more time in the office to make more money for them, coming home stressed out and depressed, I was non existent as a father. That sucked.

I would come home and vegetate in front of the television because I needed that break from reality. And what would I do? Eat! I would skip my workouts to spend what little time that I had with my family. My body was there, but my mind wasn’t. The real ‘me’ was not present. I had no energy, no focus, and no drive to do anything.

Does that sound familiar to you at all? Do you watch television to escape from reality? How much television do you watch? The average American watches over 4 1/2 hours of television per day.

I thought we were too busy? Ya, we are… too busy watching the boob tube! So what you are telling me is that you can’t ‘fit in’ 5 1/2 hours of exercise per week at the extreme end of the spectrum, yet you can watch nearly that much television in one day.

Now many of the fat loss professionals will allow you to use the ‘not enough time’ excuse when it comes to working out, but I 100% refuse to. If you want to live in optimal health and live the life that you deserve in the body that you deserve, you will make the time. You will do whatever it takes. And no you won’t sacrifice your time with your children. You will sacrifice the useless time that you spend doing useless things.

The moment I placed my health as my #1 priority, everything else fell into place. I quit watching television cold turkey. And let me tell you, there were many shows that I was completely addicted to. Surprisingly, this was much easier than I had thought. I couldn’t believe how much more time and freedom that I had in my day. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. In fact I began to think of everything that I was missing out on because I watched so much television. Now we just rent movies once or twice each week.

I also told my friends and family to stop sending me useless junk mail. It’s amazing how much time we waste sifting through the crap in our inbox. If you are going to send me something you better make it useful to me.

Then there’s the parents that have their kids in every sport and after school program imaginable. From the moment they get home until the moment these poor kids crash at 11pm, it’s non stop. Everyone is stressed out. This definitely contributes to weight gain. Not to mention that there’s no time to make dinner so you stop off at a fast food joint instead.

There’s something wrong with that picture if you ask me. Yet this is what millions of people are doing every day and somehow they think it’s ok.

I also hear the excuse that it takes too much time to prepare healthy meals. Angie and I certainly don’t spend much time preparing meals. Nearly every time we make a meal we are sure to make enough to last at least 3 meals. And the meals that we do make on their own usually only take 3 minutes to prepare. Healthy eating can be done quickly.

Back to the cardio. I believe that the best way to burn fat and stick to a fat loss program is to incorporate both HIIT and long duration cardio training. It’s time for you to get yourself organized and make your health a priority. Schedule at least 30 minutes of long duration cardio three times per week, and schedule three 15 minute HIIT sessions per week in addition to your quick weight training sessions.

Long duration cardio does not always mean jogging. I can’t stand jogging any more, and I can’t do it any more since my knee surgery 5 years ago. I prefer riding the bike and I love it. There are so many different things that you can do and I encourage you to mix it up and find the ones that you love.

You’ve got to realize that there is time in your day for fitness. I’ve trained some ridiculously busy men and women over the years. Most of them have been self employed with young children. If anyone could have used time as an excuse, it was them. But I refused to accept that limiting belief from them and they soon refused to accept that limiting belief themselves. Now they are living in fantastic health and are more productive than ever in their business and family life.

No matter what you value in life, health should be your #1 priority. Because without it, you will not be able to do the things that you value in life. It’s time to wake up and give our heads a shake. It’s time to be honest with ourselves. Do you really not have enough time to exercise? Or is that just another excuse.

Long duration cardio is effective for fat loss. It’s worked for me all my life. It’s worked for all my clients. It’s been incredibly effective for countless people out there. But it’s not the only solution and I would never suggest that.

I’m just trying to be the voice of reason here. HIIT rocks and so does long duration cardio. Together along with an intense weight training program, you will become UNSTOPPABLE!

What do you think? Do you still believe that you don’t have enough time for fitness? What do you do to make more time in your day for fitness? I want to hear from you!

You deserve to live in a vibrant and healthy body. It’s waiting for you!

Scott Tousignant

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Today marks the beginning of the final week of the Muscle Explosion Challenge. After 21 days on the program I’ve added 4 1/2 pounds of muscle and 1 pound of fat to my body. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a difficult time adding 4 pounds of muscle in 3 months let alone 21 days. This is a bit ridiculous. I can’t wait to see the final measurements at the end of the 28 days to maximum mass.

The workouts this week are the same as last week and I’m loving them. The stretch-pause style of training has been very effective for me. I love the pump that it gives me, and I love that it has helped relieve the pain in my left shoulder.

On Saturday I had an hour deep tissue massage which was awesome. I can take the pressure on my upper body, but I usually have to ask the therapist to ease up on my legs because they are so frickin tight. But this massage was different. The therapist noticed right away. He said, “Wow, your calves and quads are not as tight as they usually are, and you’re not wincing in pain.”

I noticed immediately as well. I couldn’t believe it. My connective tissues and muscles have actually loosened up while using the Muscle Explosion program. This is a huge deal for me. I know for certain that the tightness in my connective tissue has been the reason for the slow progress with building my legs and chest.

My eating has been great except on weekends. This past weekend I over indulged in cake, and chocolate fondu. I’m not going to beat myself up over it though. Most days are relatively the same when it comes to my nutrition. I’m a creature of habit.

I’m about to head out the door for today’s workout. The focus is on Chest, Back, Biceps, Calves, and finishing off with the core combo. I’m really looking forward to feeling the pump once again today. It’s unlike anything that I’ve ever experienced before.

I must admit, I’m a little scared of tomorrow’s workout. The burn that I feel in my quads during this workout is like a 5 alarm fire. My quads scream for mercy as I do the leg press and sissy squat combo. Seriously, the look on my face must be priceless as I scream in agony. Gotta luv it

I feel completely recovered after having the weekend to rest up. It’s time to give this week everything that I’ve got. I’m shocked that I’ve already packed on 4 1/2 pounds of muscle and wonder just how much I could put on this week. I’m almost at my goal of achieving 5 pounds of muscle gain during the 28 day challenge. I must reach that mark!

At this point in the game, although I have not finished the full 28 days, I am confident with the results that I have achieved so far that I can give the Muscle Explosion program my full endorsement.

If you want to pack on some serious mass, you must add the Muscle Explosion program to your arsenal. 4 1/2 pounds of muscle in 21 days is crazy. Lets see what it can do for me in 28 days.

Set your goals and go after them…

Scott Tousignant

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Day 17 of the Muscle Explosion Challenge is a day of rest which was much needed. This gave me the opportunity to take a few measurements. After 17 days I have gained 2 1/2 inches on my chest, 1/2 an inch on my shoulders, and 1/4 inch on each arm. I’m surprised that I haven’t gained any size on my legs after all the deadlifting last week, but maybe they still need to recover from all the punishment and abuse that I put them through.

It just goes to show that the mirror can be a really good indicator of the progress that you are making. It has been obvious to me during the past 5 days that my chest has been filling out quite noticeably. This excites me more than you can imagine because developing my chest muscles has been a major challenge for me over the years, especially since injuring my shoulder over 10 years ago.

The amazing thing is that my shoulder has not been aggravated at all while I’ve been on the Muscle Explosion program. In fact, it’s been feeling much better. All of this has been great news for me

I’m surprised that I’m actually able to walk today and that my legs aren’t very sore after the intense training that I put them through yesterday. What’s really sore on me is my chest muscles from Monday’s workout. They are very tender to the touch. What a great feeling

What I Ate On Day 17 Of The Muscle Explosion Challenge

Meal 1: 3 whole eggs with salsa, 2/3 cup oatmeal with mixed berries, Prograde VGF+25 multi-vitamin, Prograde EFA-Icon, 5 grams creatine, 5 grams glutamine

Meal 2: 4 chicken legs, large bowl of zucchini with garlic and cheese, Prograde Craver Meal Replacement Bar

Meal 3: Protein Shake

Meal 4: 3 whole eggs with cheese, 2 handfuls of almonds

Meal 5: ice cream on a waffle cone (celebrating the last day of school for the kids)

Meal 6: 1 can flaked white tuna, 1 tbsp mayo

I didn’t hop on the scale today or take any body fat measurements. I’ll be doing that tomorrow. Until then, it’s time to raise the bar when it comes to your training.

Scott Tousignant

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My legs are screaming at me after and intense day of training with the Muscle Explosion program. My legs just about gave out on me during the last set of leg presses and sissy squats. This was a brutal combo for this style of training. When I was doing the sissy squats my legs were shaking out of control while holding the stretch position. It was crazy insane and amusing all at once

Nick proved how mean he can be by following up this pair of exercises with a leg curl and stiff leg deadlift combo. Not nice Nick! Not nice at all. I went from thinking my quads were going to seize up to thinking that my hamstrings were going to cramp up and I wouldn’t be able to stretch them back out.

In addition to legs, I also trained triceps, shoulders, traps, and a core combo at the end. The stretch-pause training that Nick Nilsson puts you through in this phase of the program is totally awesome. I’ve never trained like this before and I’ve never experienced a pump like this before. I’ve felt intense burning in my thighs with other workouts in the past, but this training put all of them to shame.

I loved the triceps combo of close grip bench presses and holding the stretch position with the dumbbell lying triceps extension. That was killer!

What I Ate On Day 16 Of The Muscle Explosion Program

Meal 1: 3 whole eggs with salsa, 2/3 cup oatmeal with mixed berries, Prograde VGF+25 multi-vitamin, Prograde EFA-Icon, 5 grams creatine, 5 grams glutamine

Meal 2: 2 Chicken fajita, cup of coffee

Meal 3: 4 oz chicken breast and veggies

Pre-Workout Meal: Prograde Craver Meal Replacement Bar

Post-Workout Meal: Prograde Workout Recovery Shake with an extra scoop of protein, 10 grams glutamine, 2 chicken fajitas

Meal 6: 4 oz chicken breast, 2 handfuls of almonds, small protein shake, Prograde Craver Meal Replacement Bar

Relaxing in the jacuzzi tub is mandatory after today’s workout. I’ll take some time to stretch out. My chest and calves are sore and tight from yesterday’s workout.

Seriously… I am loving the Muscle Explosion program more and more each day. I’ve got to take some measurements tomorrow. Visual, I’m seeing some great improvements in my physique.

Time is flying by. 28 days to maximum mass will arrive before I know it. Catch ya tomorrow.

Scott Tousignant

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