Hi Gang

My friend Jon Benson wrote a great article on how to gain muscle and lose bodyfat at the same time.

I know…I didn’t think it was possible myself. But it is.

Jon tells you how here –

Build Muscle, Burn Fat At The Same Time 

I trust you’ll find this article as eye-opening as I did.

Phil

Having your spouse/partner as part of your fitness lifestyle can take your own levels of fitness to a new level.

Imagine that you go to the gym and workout and are around 100% intensity.

Now imagine that you BOTH go to the gym and workout and are around 100% intensity and it carries over into other aspects of your life (sleeping, eating, etc).

It’s difficult when you are into working out and your spouse may not share the same levels of commitment or joys. Talk about frustrating too! You see beyond just you and her but to your daughter as well having parents around later in life that are healthy.

What’s worse is that your daughter may make the choice later to NOT to active even though you are very active. It’s easier if the whole family moves as a single unit.

I’ve seen several articles written on spousal support in the gym.

* some love it as it’s an extension of themselves * others don’t like it as they want to do it on their own

Obviously you are walking a delicate line. You want to get your spouse involved in fitness in some capacity. You also know she doesn’t like exercise in general (my mom was the same way).

The key is….

For the complete article, please…..CLICK HERE

Fact: There is no magic pill, special food or fat melting workout when it comes to fat loss and achieving the toned and sculpted body you desire.

There is one way to achieve permanent results; follow a complete and integrated fitness program that focuses on a change in body composition (body fat vs. lean muscle) rather than weight. It is lean muscle that plays the key role in any type of fitness program. Whether you’re interested in fat loss or muscle gain, lean muscle requires certain conditions in order to allow a positive change in body composition.

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Today, I just wanted to share with you my special muscle meal of the week, and it actually comes in the form of a salad.

I know the ladies will love this idea, but for all of you guys out there that think eating a salad makes you less of a man… Well, you haven’t tried the ultimate “salad on roids” yet!

Keep in mind that this salad is not low in calories. It’s not low in fat. It’s not low in carbs.

And guess what…that’s the whole point!

It’s not low in anything, but it sure as hell is HIGH in everything under the sun that’s good for your body… just about every vitamin, mineral, antioxidant, and phytonutrient on the planet! And that means your body will receive all the nutrition it needs to maintain optimal hormonal balance, function at it’s highest capacity, keep your appetite satisfied for hours, and prevent any unwanted cravings.

Keep in mind that last point… when you fill your body with all of the nutrients it needs on a daily basis, you pretty much totally eliminate cravings! This happens because your body is satisfied and doesn’t need to crave any more food, because it has all of the nutrients it needs.

I’ve experienced this myself. Years ago, I used to crave sweets ALL THE TIME. But now that I eat the balanced diet that I do these days, I can’t say that I’ve had a craving in at least 5 years! No joke.

Alright, here’s the recipe:

The Ultimate Muscle Salad

* approx 1 cup spinach leaves
* approx 1 cup mixed leaf lettuce
* shredded carrots
* 1/2 of a ripe avocado, diced
* 2 hard boiled eggs, diced (preferrably organic, cage free)
* 3 Tbsp chopped pecans
* 1/4 cup dried cranberries
* top with homemade dressing made of balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and Udo’s Choice Oil Blend (3/4 of total liquid should come from the vinegar)

Mix it all together and you’ve got one delicious and ridiculously nutritious salad. For an extra shot of antioxidants, wash it all down with some homemade iced green/white/oolong tea lightly sweetened with the natural sweetener Stevia or a little touch of raw honey.

Alright, now let’s look at the approx macronutrient breakdown:

Prot: 23 g., Carbs: 46 g., Fiber: 12 g., Fat: 45 g., Calories: 640

Now before you throw your arms up in disgust and call me crazy for recommending such a high fat, high calorie meal, keep in mind to scale back the portion sizes for your own caloric goal. The portions above are simply the portions that I use considering that my maintenance caloric intake is around 3000 calories/day. If your maintenance is 2000 calories/day, then scale back the portions accordingly.

Also, I don’t care about the high fat content of this meal… because every last gram of the fat in this meal is VERY healthy… from the pecans, the olive oil, the Udo’s oil, the fresh avocado… and yes, even the fat from the egg yolks is good for you!

All of this healthy fat makes it a very hunger-satisfying meal, causing you to eat less for the remainder of the day (that’s right… no cravings later that night!).

How about the carbs? Well, out of a total of 46 grams, you’ve got approx 12 grams of fiber. That’s a pretty good ratio. Also, the healthy fats and protein in this meal will slow down the carbohydrate digestion, giving you a healthy glycemic response and steady controlled blood sugar.

Alright, so you’re probably also wondering why there isn’t a larger amount of protein. After all, protein is all the rage with bodybuilders, right.

Well, actually 23 grams isn’t too shabby, especially considering 14 grams of that comes from the highly bioavailable protein from the hard boiled eggs. Also consider that this meal has a whole lot of healthy fats, which increases the utilization of your protein. This happens because your body does not need to use your protein for energy, and can instead use it for muscle building & maintenance, and all of the other various functions that amino acids are needed for in the body.

Overall, with this meal, you’ve got a great mix of healthy fats, good fibrous carbs, quality protein, and a huge diversity of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other trace nutrients.

If you enjoyed this idea today, feel free to fwd this link to your friends, family, and coworkers that might enjoy it.

If you liked this healthy lean-body meal idea, there are 84 other healthy and quick meal ideas in my popular Truth about Six Pack Abs Manual. If you don’t already have a copy, check out some of the Truth About Abs reader reviews right now.

I’ll be back in touch soon. In the meantime… train hard, eat smart, have fun, and enjoy life!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - TruthAboutAbs.com & Busy Man Fitness .com

Fitness Tip: Is it true that you should not eat protein and carbohydrate foods at the same time? - This belief dates back at least 100 years and its popularity was recently revived with various publications. In fact, the human digestive system is magnificently designed to cope with an ‘omnivorous’ diet.

That is, we have the enzymes and acidic conditions in our stomach to digest a huge range of foods, whether eaten individually or together. If we were to follow this advice, milk, yogurt, bread, rice, pasta, potatoes and legumes would have to be taken off the menu. These foods are all good sources of both protein and carbohydrate which occur naturally together.

Following this advice would also mean that babies could not drink their mothers’ milk. Human breast milk is similar to cow’s milk (although specifically designed for human babies) as it also contains significant quantities of protein, carbohydrate and fat all of which are essential for growth and development.

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Fitness Tip: Eating Nothing But Fruit Before Midday - This is a misguided practice which takes little account of how the body, and the digestive processes, work. Overnight, the body’s blood glucose level drops because you are in a ‘fasting’ state.

The first meal (literally ‘breakfast’) should provide plenty of carbohydrate for energy. This is just as important for people who have sedentary jobs as it is for laborers, athletes, soldiers, or anyone else who is physically active.

Unless you are in a state of semi-starvation your brain has only one source of energy - glucose, and it is also the preferred fuel for active muscles. Unfortunately, most fruits are not very good sources of carbohydrate (they are much better sources of vitamins and fiber).

Cereal foods such as bread, muffins and breakfast cereals are much better sources of carbohydrate than fruit. A breakfast of cereal, milk, and toast, or muffins with fruit juice, will provide you with the carbohydrate, protein, vitamins and minerals you need for that early morning ‘kickstart’.

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Fitness Tip: The Role Of Genetics In Weight Loss - Genetics play a part in a person’s metabolic rate and thyroid function which both impact on the body’s ability to burn fat efficiently. However, having overweight parents does not mean you are destined to a lifetime of obesity and disease.

This just means you have a little bit more work to do to train your body to burn fat more effectively. This means you can’t get away with cheat meals and skipping exercise as much as others can. It means you have to be more disciplined to get results.

At the end of the day, it comes down to making a conscious decision to adopt a health enhancing lifestyle, and you will soon enjoy the benefits.

Brought to you by: PROGRADE Nutrition and PHIL’S FITNESS FOUNDRY - Online Personal Training and Nutrition Programs - Get the results you want and the body that you deserve with a customized workout and/or nutrition program.

Exercise of The Day: Overhead Cable Extensions 

Starting Position: - Attach a rope to the high pulley.  Stand with your back to the cable with your hands on either side of your head. Take a large step forward with one leg and bend forward at your waist. Keep your back flat and elbows at ear level.

Movement: - Exhale as you fully extend your arms overhead.   Inhale as you return your arms to the starting position. Repeat as required.
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Fitness Tip: Losing Weight And Keeping It Off - Despite decades of research, we still don’t fully understand why some people gain weight more easily than others, and also have greater trouble losing excess weight.

It is known that body fat levels are increasing in America, along with the rest of the developed world (and increasingly in the developing world too). For example, in 1990 fewer than 10% of Australian adults were obese, while in 2001 the corresponding figure was more than 16%. In 2003 the Worldwatch Institute reported that, possibly for the first time in human history, the number of overweight individuals worldwide rivals the number of underweight.

For the complete article, please…..CLICK HERE 

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Part of an ongoing study into the impact of drinking milk after heavy weightlifting has found that milk helps exercisers burn more fat.

The study by researchers at McMaster University and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was conducted by the Department of Kinesiology’s Exercise Metabolism Research Group, lead by Stuart Phillips.

For the complete article, please…..CLICK HERE