Burn Fat and Gain Muscle: 3 Strategies That Will Guarantee Your Success

The question arises quite frequently whether you can burn fat and gain muscle at the same time. It can be very difficult. However, it is possible. In fact, you burn fat because you gain muscle. Since muscle burns fat, if you increase the amount of muscle you have the more overall fat you will burn. I am going to reveal to you 3 strategies you can implement today to successfully burn fat and gain muscle.

1. Total Body / Multi-joint Exercises. Using exercises that require the movement of more than one joint at a time makes your body work a lot harder than single joint exercises that isolate muscles. Think of training a movement rather than training a muscle. Very few movements, if any, utilize only one muscle. There are other muscles that stabilize, assist, or contract to help out while the primary movement is being performed. Training movements is a more realistic approach if you want to be strong functionally.

Complex movements will work more muscles and encourage more muscle strength and increased muscle coordination than isolation exercises. They are also more time efficient than isolation.

There’s more…Total body movements will get your heart working to supply blood to the working muscles even better than single joint exercises. Combine 3-4 of these total body exercises and do 30 seconds of each without a break. Take a 1 minute break in between circuits and repeat 2-5 times depending on your fitness level. You will not only increase your muscle mass but will do your heart good.

2. Good Nutrition. Any successful weight loss program must include the right eating habits. Stuffing your body full of packaged, canned, and refined foods is not the most effective way to get your body the nutrients it needs to stay healthy. Fresh, whole fruits and vegetables, whole grains, good quality lean proteins, and healthy fats are all necessary for good health. Not to mention, you won’t want to eat as much when you limit your foods to the healthy varieties.

Why is that? Well, fresh fruits and vegetables are loaded with vitamins and minerals as well as fiber. Fiber fills you up and helps to maintain a consistent blood sugar level. When eating refined sugars your insulin levels fluctuate so much that your body goes from high to low and really isn’t sure what to do. Additionally, healthy fats and proteins help you feel satisfied and delay the desire to eat more.

And finally, my favorite strategy…

3. Interval Training. Short bursts of high intensity exercise have been shown to be very effective at burning fat and gaining muscle. When you exercise at a high intensity you challenge your muscles more than with long slow cardio training. During interval training type programs carbohydrates are utilized to feed your muscles. You might say that in order to burn fat and gain muscle you have to burn sugar.

How does that work? High intensity exercise requires a fast turn over of energy. Fat stores cannot usually be converted quickly enough to a usable form of energy during the high intensity exercise bout. A short recovery will allow for some energy to be replaced but not likely all that was used. Once you have completed 6-10 sets of an interval training circuit, you have significantly depleted the stored energy reserves in your muscles known as glycogen.

Now, according to some research studies, you may spend the next 24 hours burning more fat than normal to replace the glycogen stores that were used during your exercise routine. You don’t get the same effect with traditional cardio exercises.

So what’s the next step? To burn fat and gain muscle effectively is possible given the right training program. You must gain muscle to burn fat! A combination of strength training with complex, multi-joint exercises, the right nutrition and interval training for cardio will give you the results you are looking for.

Take action now to ensure your best chances to burn fat and gain muscle by subscribing to the Interval Training Secrets mini course. In it you will discover more strategies to boost your fat burning potential.



The Ultimate Hard-Body Exercise

Here is an article by Mike Geary.  He describes the effectiveness of the front squat and why it is one of the best exercises for creating a total body effect.  Most long boring cardio exercises do not require the type of total body balance, stability, and coordination that the front squat and dead lift stimulate.  What does that mean for you?  Maybe more efficient core training?

Total body exercises are the best and most effective way to lose fat and train your body for the stresses of everyday life.  The front squat and the dead lift require not only lower body strength but strengthen the core muscles that help to support the whole body as well as ripping the six pack that so many times is cleverly disguised.  Enjoy!  Train Fast!  Explode!

Truth About AbsThe Ultimate Hard-Body Exercise

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

Author:  The Truth About Six Pack Abs

The Front Squat

As you may have already discovered, the squat is at the top of the heap (along with deadlifts) as one of the most effective overall exercises for stimulating body composition changes (muscle gain and fat loss). This is because exercises like squats and deadlifts use more muscle groups under a heavy load than almost any other weight bearing exercises known to man. Hence, these exercises stimulate the greatest hormonal responses (growth hormone, testosterone, etc.) of all exercises.

In fact, university research studies have even proven that inclusion of squats into a training program increases upper body development, in addition to lower body development, even though upper body specific joint movements are not performed during the squat. Whether your goal is gaining muscle mass, losing body fat, building a strong and functional body, or improving athletic performance, the basic squat and deadlift (and their variations) are the ultimate solution.

If you don’t believe me that squats and deadlifts are THE basis for a lean and powerful body, then go ahead and join all of the other overweight people pumping away mindlessly for hours on boring cardio equipment.

Squats can be done with barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, or even just body weight. Squats should only be done with free weights – NEVER with a Smith machine! My ebook, The Truth About Six Pack Abs contains the full story on why machines are so inferior and even potentially DANGEROUS compared to free weights.

The type of squat that people are most familiar with is the barbell back squat where the bar is resting on the trapezius muscles of the upper back. Many professional strength coaches believe that front squats (where the bar rests on the shoulders in front of the head) and overhead squats (where the bar is locked out in a snatch grip overhead throughout the squat) are more functional to athletic performance than back squats with less risk of lower back injury.

I feel that a combination of all three (not necessarily during the same phase of your workouts) will yield the best results for overall muscular development, body fat loss, and athletic performance. Front squats are moderately more difficult than back squats, while overhead squats are considerably more difficult than either back squats or front squats. I’ll cover overhead squats in a future newsletter issue.

If you are only accustomed to performing back squats, it will take you a few sessions to become comfortable with front squats, so start out light. After a couple sessions of practice, you will start to feel the groove and be able to increase the poundage.

To perform front squats:

The front squat recruits the abdominals to a much higher degree for stability due to the more upright position compared with back squats. It is mostly a lower body exercise, but is great for functionally incorporating core strength and stability into the squatting movement. It can also be slightly difficult to learn how to properly rest the bar on your shoulders. There are two ways to rest the bar on the front of the shoulders.

In the first method, you step under the bar and cross your forearms into an “X” position while resting the bar on the dimple that is created by the shoulder muscle near the bone, keeping your elbows up high so that your arms are parallel to the ground. You then hold the bar in place by pressing the thumb side of your fists against the bar for support.

Alternatively, you can hold the bar by placing your palms face up and the bar resting on your fingers against your shoulders. For both methods, your elbows must stay up high to prevent the weight from falling. Your upper arms should stay parallel to the ground throughout the squat. Find out which bar support method is more comfortable for you.

Then, initiate the squat from your hips by sitting back and down keeping the weight on your heels as opposed to the balls of your feet. Squat down to a position where your thighs are approximately parallel to the ground, then press back up to the starting position. Keeping your weight more towards your heels is the key factor in squatting to protect your knees from injury and develop strong injury resistant knee joints.

Keep in mind – squats done correctly actually strengthen the knees; squats done incorrectly can damage the knees. Practice first with an un-weighted bar or a relatively light weight to learn the movement. Most people are surprised how hard this exercise works your abs once you learn the correct form.

For complete descriptions of over 50 of the most effective full body exercises for stripping away body fat while developing a rock-hard body, download my e-book The Truth About Six Pack Abs

Truth About Abs Banner


Fat Loss Secrets Revealed: Proven Methods to Get Six Pack Abs

Fat Loss Secrets Revealed:  Proven Methods to Get Six Pack Abs
by Aaron Ivey ATC, CSCS

Some strategies work better than others for getting rid of belly fat and showing off the six pack abs underneath.  Unveiling the six pack doesn’t need to be a complicated or tricky process.  However, it seems that it has become more complicated as more and more advice is thrown around without sound science to support it.  Here are 3 proven ways to reveal the six pack abs that are waiting to be discovered.

1. Control the diet
The first and most important strategy for gaining a six pack set of abs is to take control over what you put in your body.  Nobody will notice the ripped abdominal muscles you have if you cover them up with unwanted fat.  Exercise is certainly very important, but if have the strongest and most toned abs ever and nobody can see them, it doesn’t help you look good.

There is a lot of confusion in the diet world right now because so many different programs and opinions are out there about losing weight and what a healthy should consist of.  Just pay attention to the headlines of magazines and mainstream media – the newest and greatest method seems to be revealed weekly.

The truth is that a healthy diet is one that comes directly from the ground.  It is best to consume whole fruits and vegetables with as little processing as possible.  Whole grains are a great source of healthy fiber.  Eating good quality meat will give the right types of fat and vitamins in order to produce the hormones and energy that is needed to recover from a workout.

2. Intensity
Focusing on the intensity of the workout is the second most important thing to consider.  Workouts should consist of high intensity, short duration exercises with equal rest periods in between. You should also focus on working the whole body rather than isolated muscles.  This gives you the most metabolic challenge possible and will therefore stimulate your body to make the changes necessary to become more efficient at burning fat and slimming down.

3. Abdominal training
It may come as no surprise that working your abdominal muscles would be the third component.  To train the abdominal muscles correctly and get real results, forget about crunches and situps.  These exercises have their place for those that are deconditioned and need a basic way to get started.  They are not the most effective abdominal exercise.

Effective abdominal training involves exercises that focus on rotation, stabilization, and deceleration of the trunk.  Ideally, if you can combine all three of these into one exercise you will have yourself a great abdominal exercise.  Most of the time, if you are performing a whole body exercise, you are also training your abdominal muscles the way they were intended.

Getting rid of excess body fat is going to be the most effective way to show off definition in the abs and midsection.  The most effective exercises to burn fat are complex, whole body movements such as swings and snatches, combinations of squats or lunges with a push or pull movement.  To look good, focus on these 3 things and you will get the body that you deserve.


Interval Training: How Does it Burn Fat?

Interval Training: How Does it Burn Fat? (The Answer Totally Makes Sense)

Traditionally, we have been told by many so called experts that if we wanted to burn fat then we need to train in the “fat burning zone.”  According to these experts, training in the fat burning zone is the only way to burn fat when you exercise.  Well, they are right.  If you want to burn fat during your workout, do some long boring cardio in the fat burning zone.  But, if you want to triple the amount of fat that you burn, do interval training workouts.  Some basic physiology tells us how interval training burns fat long after you finish your workout.

High intensity interval training exhausts your supply of immediate carbohydrates that are stored in the muscles.  This supply is known as glycogen.  The phosphocreatine system and the glycolytic system are dependent upon glycogen stored in the muscles and the liver.

Interval training demands energy so quickly that fat stores are not able to provide energy rapidly enough to keep up with demand.  Interval training requires carbohydrate stores, glycogen to be specific, to supply the fast energy that is needed.  During your recovery period and the hours after your workout when there is plenty of oxygen present and the demand for energy quickly has slowed down, your body utilizes your fat stores to convert that fat into glycogen for the next time you workout with a high intensity.  This process of replacing the fast energy stores that you used up during your interval training workout may take hours to completely restore the glycogen stores.

So, the secret to burning fat is to not burn fat during your workout.  Burn for hours afterwards by exhausting your glycogen stores.


Weight Loss for Women At Home

Weight Loss for Women At Home

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

A woman’s workout should consist of leg raises, biceps curls with
soup cans, and triceps kickbacks with water bottles.

Can you believe that silliness?

Neither can I, but that is what passes for “professional fitness
advice for women” these days.

I could see this info being accepted in the 1930’s (maybe?), but in the year 2007? Please…

Does anyone really believe that biceps curls with water bottles is going to prepare women to carry their children to bed, a bag of heavy groceries in from the car, or swing a sledgehammer during home reno’s?

No way. You need real-world workouts and fat loss advice. Not fluff.

Am I the only one that finds those types of recommendations
disrespectful to the physical capabilities of women? You’d think
that Linda Hamilton’s chin-up scene in Terminator 2 would have turned the tide of female fitness, or perhaps Demi Moore’s GI Jane.

I’ve watched women get fit fast at almost any age with Turbulence Training. In fact, we’ve had girls from 18 to 82 years young kickin’ butt with Turbulence Training.

Turbulence Training for WomenToday, I want to share the story of a classic “supermom”, you know the mom with 3 active kids that has to drive them everywhere, eat on the run, and still find room for workouts. Her name is Brandy Kirton, and she’ll show you how real women train, eat, and find the time to do it all with proper planning.

CB: Brandy, tell us about your past exercise and nutrition experiences. At what point did you find out about Turbulence Training and what persuaded you to start using it?

BK:
I started working out back on high school. I’m 30 now.

I became a personal trainer for a few years in my early 20’s. So I learned a lot about nutrition and weight training. I have been in great shape and not so great shape in the last 10 years. I think I found Turbulence Training just surfing the web and decided to give it a try. I was desperate to lose weight after my 3rd kid.

CB: And how was this a change from what you had done in the past?

BK:
I was doing 30 minutes of cardio and then lifted for 30 mins
3 to 4 times a week. That was if I actually could make time.

I would not work out if I knew I couldnt get it all in. I would
think, “What’s the point of 20 mins?”.

CB: What kind of results have you achieved with Turbulence Training? And is there anything else, besides the results, you love about the Turbulence Training programs?

BK:
I love how it changes every month so I never get bored. I also love that I have no excuse about not having time to fit it in.

My results have been great. I am getting toned up and consistently loosing inches. I also have a lot more energy.

CB: Do you workout at home or in a gym?

BK:
I have to work out at home. No time to get to a gym.

CB: Has Turbulence Training had a positive impact on your lifestyle?

BK:
Turbulence Training has made a huge impact on me. I dont feel like it takes up my whole day or get bored of the same thing day in and day out.

I feel strong and love the daily emails. It helps me stay motivated.

I work full time, have three kids 9, 5, and 11 months, and a
husband. My older two kids play every sports so there really
is no extra time.

I have to get up at 5:30 to work out before they wake up but its
worth it. I feel great after I am done and no matter what happens that day I have already got my work out in which feels great.

CB: Do you have any social support? If so, how has this helped
you?

BK:
My mom comes over in the mornings to work out with me. I need that accountability so that I don’t sleep instead. Its hard to get up but I always feel so much better when I do.

CB: What are your daily obstacles and temptations that you have to avoid with respect to nutrition and training? And what
strategies do you use?

BK:
With all the practices, games and running around I have to do its hard not to grab McDonald’s with the kids.

I try to either bring food with me or wait until I get home. If I
have to eat out I do try and find grilled chicken or subway.

CB: How do you plan your nutrition?

BK:
I have to go shopping on Sunday to stock up on all my healthy
food. Otherwise I will eat whatever I can find which usually is not good for me.

CB: Thanks Brandy, keep up the great work.

****
The message is clear. Plan, prepare, commit, and be consistent.
Brandy didn’t use any magic pills or potions to succeed, she simply found a great workout plan, and did what she had to do.

As a supermom, Brandy practically has to create time out of thin air in order to do her workout, but again, she knows what she has to do and she does it. She’s committed. She has social support. She knows the correct options for eating on the run.

She has made the effort to plan for the obstacles (lack of time,
workout motivation) that we all come across. And by doing that,
she’s cleared a simple path to success.

And she doesn’t waste time in the gym with slow, boring cardio
workouts. Instead, she sculpts her body in half the time with the
Turbulence Training workouts.

Sincerely,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit TurbulenceTraining

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5 More Fat Burning Tips for You

5 More Fat Burning Tips for You

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

At this time of year, we can use every last tip to help avoid
holiday weight gain.

So here are 5 more fat loss tips for beginner & advanced readers.

1) No liquid calories (with the exception of a post-workout drink).

Get rid of all the juices, the sodas, and the sports drinks. Liquid
sugar is the last thing you need when you are trying to lose fat.

You must also limit your alcohol intake – especially if you are
adding mix to drinks…that is a double calorie bomb! A single “Jackand Coke” is over 200 calories (100 calories from booze and 100 calories from mix).

2) No fast food.

Do not eat at fast food restaurants. Even if you choose what you
think is healthy, remember this:

Fast food restaurants are all about profit.

And in order to profit while giving you cheap, quick, and easy to
prepare foods, the quality of the food ingredients will be poor -
especially the protein.

Now you might have read that you can still make healthy choices at fast food restaurants. But you know what, that’s just
politically-correct opinion. If it’s fast food, it’s poor food.

Walking into a burger joint and grabbing a chicken breast on a
white bread bun with a piece of old lettuce and a half-green,
half-pink tomato is “barely” healthy eating.

The politically-incorrect truth is that it’s going to take time and
effort to eat properly. You will have to plan, shop, and prepare
healthy meals. You will have to spend time cleaning, cutting, and
cooking your food. That’s the truth.

But believe me, it will taste so much better than fast food, and
healthy eating will make you more alert. Eating fast food will make you feel terrible, and will make you want to have an afternoon nap at your desk.

Make one small improvement to your nutrition everyday for the rest of your life.

3) Eat more fruits and vegetables.

If you are eating 2 servings per day, then go up to 4 servings per day by the end of the week. And even if you think you are doing great by having 5 servings per day, you still need to double that (take 2-3 weeks to work your way up to 10 servings per day).

Stick with fiber-rich fruits and vegetables – organic if possible.

4) Eat 1oz of almonds or walnuts per day (1/2 oz in the AM, and the other half in the afternoon).

Most nuts are roasted in oils (possible source of trans fats), so
stick to natural or dry-roasted nuts.

Don’t panic…this small amount of nuts won’t make you fat, but will fill you up and help you lose weight.

5) Be consistent with your workouts.

Turbulence Training Bodyweight Fusion

Turbulence Training Bodyweight Fusion

And make sure the workouts are efficient and effective. To make it easy for you to follow, stick with the Turbulence Training fat burning workout system.

It doesn’t matter if you train in the morning before or after
breakfast, or at night before or after dinner, or at 1pm on days
when the moon is in line with Saturn…don’t worry about the
details, just train consistently.

6) BONUS TIP: Go for a walk after lunch or dinner (or anytime you eat a big meal). Research shows this will help you control your cholesterol and triglycerides, plus any movement is better than sitting around watching the TV and snacking.

Improve your lifestyle everyday,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

PS – Change your workouts to beat a fat loss plateau.

“The constant shakeup is amazing. I look forward to my workouts. I feel so much better than I did 6 weeks ago. I had almost given up on fitness as I was becoming very frustrated with my plateaus. I started out at 233 lbs and am already heading for 225 in only a few short weeks. Thank you for developing this truly amazing program and for sharing with the rest of us. It’s very refreshing to enjoy working out again!”
Dave Heffernan

“Turbulence Training is AWESOME! I started working out in 2004 first time in gym at 39 yrs. Then I discovered T.T. in 2006 and started receiving unbelievable info on xercises/nutrition. Immediately I started incorporating T.T. in my busy schedule which is improving my strength, definition, flexibility and nutrition. Craig is quick to reply to questions and supportive. My confidence and strength has definitely improved. If I only knew of Turbulence Training in 2004. The gym crowd is really checking me out now.”
Kimmie Clark

“I lost 14 pounds this month and the weight is just falling off me.
My wife says I now look like when we first met and I still have
more to go. I can fit into my old jeans again which is a big deal
for me. I just cut back on starches and bread and do your routine 2-3 times a week. I never thought in a million years that just 10-20 minutes of weight training followed by some cardio would get me such steady results. I even cheat a bit on the weekends.”
Billy Williams

Turn your health around with Turbulence Training:
About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Turbulence Training

Turbulence Training


30 Second Sprints As Effective as 60 Minute Run

Just six minutes of intense exercise a week could be as effective as an hour of daily moderate activity suggests new findings from researchers at McMaster University.

“Short bouts of very intense exercise improved muscle health and performance comparable to several weeks of traditional endurance training,” says Martin Gibala, an associate professor in the department of kinesiology of McMaster.

The research, which is published in the June edition of the Journal of Applied Physiology, found that performing repeated bouts of high-intensity “sprint”-type exercise resulted in profound changes in skeletal muscle and endurance capacity, similar to training that requires hours of exercise each week.

The Study
16 Subjects: 8 doing intervals, 3 no exercise
Training protocol: 30 seconds work to 4 minutes rest ratio for 4-7 sets “all out.”
Frequency:  3x per week for 4 weeks

Findings for interval training group:
- Endurance capacity nearly doubled
- Increased enzyme (citrate sythase) activity.  This enzyme indicates the muscle’s ability to utilize oxygen

The researchers suggested that implementation of an interval training program may offer a time saving alternative to individuals with a time crunch.  “This type of training is very demanding and requires a high level of motivation, however, less frequent, higher intensity exercise can indeed lead to improvements in health and fitness.”

Want to know how to implement an interval training program?  My friend Craig Ballantyne is offering a discounted trial period for those who want to fire up their training program.  Check it out at Turbulence Training.


Interval Training Burns More Fat, Increases Fitness

Interval training burns fat and improves fitness more quickly than constant but moderately intensive physical activity, according to research by a University of Guelph researcher.

The study included moderately fit women in their 20’s and borderline sedentary subjects.  Subjects trained every other day for 2 weeks alternating between 4 minute work periods and 2 minute rest periods for a total of 10 sets.  They trained at 90% intensity.

So what were the results?

- Increase in fat usage.
- Increase in aerobic capacity.  This means that a person is better able to sustain prolonged activity.
- Increase in muscle enzyme activity.  These are the chemicals in the body that help make reactions happen faster.  This may help to make the body more efficient at producing energy in the muscles.

The bottom line is that the interval training study demonstrated that this interval training program elicits faster and improved fat burning potential and greater overall fitness.  Talanian concludes that the introduction of an interval training program into your exercise routine once or twice a week can be beneficial.

Want to know how to implement an interval training program.  My friend Craig Ballantyne is offering a discounted trial period for those who want to fire up their training program.  Check it out at Turbulence Training.

This study can be found at:
University Of Guelph (2007, June 29). Interval Training Burns More Fat, Increases Fitness, Study Finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 12, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2007/06/070627140103.htm


Politically Incorrect Holiday Fat Loss Tips

Politically Incorrect Holiday Fat Loss Tips


By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

I was at a big event last week and was reminded how
important it is to have strategies for this season of high-calorie
parties and busy schedules. But I get ticked off by the tired old
suggestions you find on the Internet or in magazines like Woman’s World.

Often the suggestions are lack any substance, because the writers don’t want to imply you actually have to make a sacrifice to succeed. They make fat loss sound easy, as if all you had to do was park at the far end of the parking lot and you’d burn all the
calories from 5 shortbread cookies.

Well it doesn’t work that way…So here are my politically
incorrect, unique Turbulence Training strategies to help you keep off the holiday pounds.

By the way, I “borrowed” a few ideas from contestants in my
Turbulence Training Transformation Contest. The Transformation is rocking with social support and success stories right now, even while the rest of the world struggles with weight gain, these TT users are losing fat over the holidays.

Click here to get started with Turbulence Training for Fat Loss:
==> http://www.turbulencetraining.com

Strategy #1 – Green Tea & Almonds

One of the most common tips you’ll hear is to “fill up” before you
go to a party where there will be lots of goodies.

Unfortunately, most people I talk to have no luck with this tip.
Most people still go to a party and eat everything in sight.

But recently TT users have told me that having a cup of Green Tea and one ounce of almonds has helped them avoid holiday cravings better than anything ever before.

The fiber from the almonds reduces appetite while the small amount of caffeine from the Green Tea seems to increase mental alertness and keep you “energized” at the party.

Hopefully that might work for you…

Strategy #2 – Don’t waste your time on any fancy cardio programs

Listen, the bottom line over the holiday season is that your success depends almost entirely on your nutrition.

You can’t expect to hit the cardio confessional and burn off last
night’s 2000 calorie smorgasboard. That’s a 4-hour workout. Instead, don’t get into that situation in the first place.

Here are more nutrition tips:

- Focus on portion control (and if you have no discipline, forget
even trying to eat just one)
- Nix all drinks mixed with calorie-containing beverages, or better yet, just stop getting drunk. Period.
- Write down everything you eat to identify your problem spots. Then do whatever you need to do to eliminate your weaknesses. If you don’t record your nutrition, chances are you’ll miss big
opportunities to change your diet and lose fat.

Strategy #3 – Take care of yourself first.

My friend Holly Rigsby (of http://www.fityummymummy.com) is always reminding busy moms to take care of themselves first, and I think that suggestion applies at this time of year to everyone.

So take a deep breath. Ask yourself as you’re running around to
please everyone else, “Have you set aside time for yourself”

Be selfish. Make sure you have had some exercise time, some good nutrition, and some rest before overextending yourself and doing too much for other people when you haven’t taken care of yourself and your goals first.

Strategy #4 – Get on a roll

This one comes from a TT Transformation contestant who is too busy losing fat to get off track over the holidays.

Don’t procrastinate till January 1st. Get started now. Dozens of
men and women are doing their Turbulence Training Transformations right now – through the heart of the holiday season.

They aren’t waiting for Jan. 1st to show up. They are taking
control now, and getting on a roll, and not letting anything (from
work parties to peer pressure) get in their way.

Strategy #5 – Exercise in short bursts whenever you can

Don’t be afraid to dance at your Christmas party. Don’t worry, there is bound to be at least one worse dancer than you out on the floor. Have fun and get down!

On a more serious note, here’s how to avoid falling off the fitness
program during the busy holiday season.

Get your butt out of bed 15 minutes early so you can have 3 minutes to wake up and 12 minutes to do the December 2007 Turbulence Training 12-Minute Workouts.

Get this workout as part of your bonuses when you start using
Turbulence Training today: http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Stay healthy and fit over the holidays,

Order the Turbulence Training Bodyweight 1000

Order the Turbulence Training Bodyweight 1000

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training
About the Author

Learn about the “Dark Side of Cardio” in the free report from Craig Ballantyne at www.TurbulenceTraining.com. Craig is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com