Bikini

Focusing on keeping your total caloric intake to around 1,500 calories a day is vital. Too many more and you’ll pack on pounds and too few your body goes into starvation mode and you’ll stop burning calories with a stalled metabolism.

Overall for all meals focus on keeping it as healthy as possible by selecting whole, fresh foods (like fruits and vegetables) and whole grains. Limit or even eliminate processed and refined foods, they’re not just unhealthy they tend to have too much sodium which can add to water retention.

Start the Day Off Right with Smart Breakfast Choices:

Stock up on whole grain waffles and pancake mix. Add fresh fruits like melons, bananas, and berries. Try a homemade smoothie (store bought ones can actually be loaded with unhealthy fats and sugars.) Eat scrambled eggs with some veggies thrown in too. (Choosing eggs that are Omega 3 enriched add this important fat to your diet.)

Lunchtime Treats that Keep You Satisfied:

Remember to eat smaller portions and choose foods that keep you full for longer. This is a great time for combining a fruit and veggie with a lean protein. Organic, whole grain nachos with fresh salsa and chopped avocado make an excellent lunch treat. Choose tuna on fresh, whole grain bread or roll. Use a mayonnaise made with olive oil and just use a little. Be sure to keep your tuna consumption to just around 2 times per week to avoid heavy metal toxins becoming built up in your body. If you choose a sandwich eat a lean meat like turkey and pile on the veggies. Try adding sprouts to your sandwiches as they can add vital nutrients to your diet.

What’s in the Snack Pack?

When you do get hungry select whole foods again. Celery and carrot sticks, berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries,) apples slices with peanut or soy butter, popcorn, nuts, and seeds will pep you up and add a burst of nutrients sure to keep you going for the rest of the day.

Good ole’ Dinnertime:

Bigger doesn’t mean better. This is the kind of thinking that’s keeping America fat and making it fatter. Remember to eat smaller portions at each meal especially this traditionally big meal. If you’ve made smart, filling eating choices throughout the day this shouldn’t be too difficult.Remember to keep focusing on getting as many fruits and veggies in as you can. Opt for grilled veggies too. This time of year makes it easy to do. Choose lean meats like chicken or steaks and add veggies to them. A chicken or steak stir fry, fish with fresh veggies on the side, or a frittata with veggies make an excellent meal for dinners.

Any Room for Desert?

If you’re a desert lover try to eat fruit for this too. Watermelon is sweet and succulent this time of year and not only will help to keep you trim but adds a nutrient boost to your body.

When your goal is to look great in that bikini follow these eating tips, exercise everyday and you’ll be sure to reach your goal. The best part is that when you eat fresh, whole foods everyday you’ll feel better than ever and get to enjoy a healthy, vibrant life.

Remember looking good and feeling great isn’t a destination; it’s a lifetime journey to enjoy!

Red Wine and Resveratrol

This essential component in red wine with these life enhancing properties is resveratrol. Resveratrol has shown to fight aging in studies on mice. This powerful anti-oxidant impacts all functions of the body. Anti-oxidants fight free radical damage and lead to decreases in heart disease, aging, as well as degenerative disease risks.

This theory on red wine and health has been around since the 1990’s. But what about red wine, resversatrol and weight loss? In a book published in 2007, The Red Wine Diet, by Roger Corder makes the claim that red wine can promote long term weight loss by means of making it a part of healthy, holistic lifestyle choices everyday. It doesn’t claim that you should sit around and drink wine for weight loss.

Clinical Studies on Red Wine and Health

Studies by numerous researchers suggest the same. The reason you ‘lose weight’ with red wine or resveratrol is its overall impact on your health. When you are healthier and your body is fighting off free radical damage and getting the vital nutrients it needs all body systems work at their optimal.

This means your cravings disappear, you eat less, you sense when you are full much sooner, and your body expels toxins quickly. Toxins are mostly stored encased in fat leading to further weight gain.

Consumers Report Weight Loss with Resveratrol

There are numerous reports by users of resveratrol supplements of significant weight loss with taking 600 mg per day. There have to date been no clinical studies to prove of any direct weight loss associated with resveratrol.

Adding this supplement to your diet isn’t a bad idea. It’s loaded with anti-oxidants and other important nutrients the body desperately needs. It’s not a diet pill and significant weight loss should not be expected.

Weight loss and living at an ideal weight are lifetime goals and achievements. If you make healthy eating and lifestyle choices on a daily basis your weight will naturally be ideal. Adding red wine to your list of preferred beverages or taking a resveratrol supplement will help to rid your body of damaging free radicals and leave you healthier in many ways.

By Jason Ferruggia

I’ll never forget my first encounter with “Big Joe.” I had just gotten my driver’s license about a week before, so I was 17 at the time. Up until my 17th birthday, I had been training at our crappy high-school weight room and was counting the days until I could drive myself to the real gym about 15 minutes down the road. I had been training for a few years at that point and was really starting to get obsessed and read everything I could about how to build muscle fast. Of course, I had been doing everything wrong up until that point, but I didn’t know any better. I was convinced that when I was finally able to join Main Street Gym, I would start to grow like a weed.

During my second week there, I saw Big Joe for the first time. I was about halfway through my workout when he walked in. He was massive from neck to calves with a thick goatee, long sideburns, and a mop of curly brown hair. Big Joe stood about 6’4” and had to have weighed close to 300 pounds. At the time, he was in his late 30’s or early 40’s and walked with a slight hitch—I would later find out that it was from an old football injury—but he continued to squat and deadlift on a regular basis.

He was doing standing military presses that day and throwing around 275 like the bar was empty. I couldn’t help but stare as he hoisted the weights up with ease. After every set I did, I would walk to the water fountain just to get a closer look at one of the most jacked guys I had ever seen in person.

Eventually, we crossed paths and he nodded. That was it.

All the gym vets seemed to know him and every few minutes I heard one of them acknowledging his presence.

“What’s up, Big Joe?”

“Big Joe, what’s happening, my man?”

I had to move to another section of the gym to complete the rest of my workout, but I figured I would see Big Joe again when I was done. I was wrong. When I finished my workout, I looked around the gym and Big Joe was gone.

It was about two weeks before I saw Big Joe again. He came in the door right behind me one night and thanked me when I held the door for him. We both went about our business and started our workouts. He was doing bent-over barbell rows that night and had worked up to 405 for a few sets of six.

About halfway through my workout, I had to run to the locker room to get my straps out of my gym bag. When I returned Big Joe, was gone again.

Over time, I started to see Big Joe more and more and began to notice a trend- he was in and out of the gym before most guys were even halfway done with their workouts. He was so much bigger and stronger than everyone else that I figured there had to be something to what he was doing.

Finally, I worked up the courage one day to go up to Big Joe and ask him about his short workouts. I wanted to learn more about how to build muscle fast and I just knew Big Joe was the one to help me.

“Uh, excuse me,” I said.

“What’s up, big man?” Big Joe replied.

“I just wanted to ask you a few questions about training. I notice that your workouts are way shorter than anyone else’s in this entire gym, yet you are bigger and stronger than everyone,” I said.

“Finally caught on there, huh, diesel? That’s the secret right there. If you keep your workouts short, you never overtrain, you recover faster, and you constantly make progress,” Big Joe explained. “Your testosterone output peaks about a half hour into your workout and is completely shot within 45 minutes. So get in and get out in 45 minutes or less and you will get huge. That right there is one of the most important things I can ever teach you about how to build muscle fast.”

From that day on I have kept all my workouts short and have always done so with all of my clients. The results have been nothing short of spectacular. There is no reason to spend your life in the gym. Hit it hard and get out. And get ready for guys to start stepping aside when they see you coming.

Jason Ferruggia is a world famous fitness expert who is renowned for his ability to help people build muscle as fast as humanly possible. He is the head training adviser for Men’s Fitness Magazine where he also has his own monthly column dedicated to muscle building. For more How to Build Muscle Fast tips, check out http://www.musclegainingsecrets.com/

www.BurnTheFat.com

Anytime the topic of discussion in my blogs, articles or newsletters has turned to my own personal grocery shopping list, there has always been a spike in interest. It seems that many people are not only curious about what foods a natural bodybuilder eats to maintain single digit body fat, but they also want to be taken by the hand and told exactly what foods to eat themselves while on fat-burning or muscle building programs. That’s why I decided to put together four separate “top 10” lists of healthy foods that burn fat and build muscle.

Exact quantities and menus are not listed, just the individual foods, and of course my food intake does vary. I aim to get as many different varieties of fruits and vegetables as possible over the course of every week and there are a lot of substitutions made, so you are not seeing the full list of everything I eat, only what foods I eat most of the time.

I also want to point out that while I don’t believe that extreme low carbs are necessary or most effective when you look at the long term, research has shown that there are some definite advantages to a low to moderate carb and higher protein diet for fat loss purposes. These include reduced appetite, higher thermic effect of food and “automatic” calorie control.

Personally, I reduce my carb intake moderately and temporarily prior to bodybuilding competitions. Specifically, it’s the foods that are on the starchy carbs and grains list that go down during the brief pre-competition period when I’m working on that really “ripped” look. I keep the green and fibrous veggie intake very high however, along with large amounts of lean protein, small amounts of fruit, and adequate amounts of essential fats.

This list reflects my personal preferences, so this is not a prescription to all readers to eat as I do. It’s very important for compliance to choose foods you enjoy and to have the option for a wide variety of choices. In the past several years, nutrition and obesity research - in studying ALL types of diets - has continued to conclude that almost any hypocaloric diet that is not completely “moronic” can work, at least in the short term.

It’s not so much about the high carb - low carb argument or any other debate as much as it is about calorie control and compliance. The trouble is, restricted diets and staying in a calorie deficit is difficult, so most people can’t stick with any program and they fall off the wagon, whichever wagon that may be.

I believe that a lot of our attention needs to shift away from pointless debates (for example, low carb vs. high carb is getting really old… so like… get over it everyone, its a calorie deficit that makes you lose weight, not the amount of carbs).

Instead, our focus should shift towards these questions:

* How can we build an eating program that we can enjoy while still getting us leaner and healthier?

* How can we build an eating program that helps us control calories?

* How can we build an eating program that improves compliance?

Here’s one good answer: Eat a wide variety of high nutrient density, low calorie density foods that you enjoy which still fit within healthy, fat-burning, muscle-building guidelines!

Here are the lists of foods I choose to achieve these three outcomes. This eating plan is not difficult to stick with at all, by the way. I enjoy eating like this and it feels almost weird not to eat like this after doing it for so long.

Remember, habits work in both directions, and as motivational speaker Jim Rohn has said, “Bad habits are easy to form and hard to live with and good habits are hard to form but easy to live with.”

These are listed in the order I frequently consume them. So for example, if oatmeal is on the top of the list, it means that is the food I am most likely to eat every single day.

My 10 top natural starchy carb and whole grains

1. Oatmeal (old fashioned)
2. Yams
3. Brown rice (a favorite is basmati, a long grain aromatic rice)
4. Sweet potatoes (almost same as yams)
5. Multi grain hot cereal (mix or barley, oats, rye. titricale and a few others)
6. White potatoes
7. 100% whole wheat bread
8. 100% whole wheat pasta
9. Beans (great for healthy chili recipes)
10. Cream of rice hot cereal

My Top 10 top vegetables

1. Broccoli
2. Asparagus
3. Spinach
4. Salad greens
5. Tomatoes
6. Peppers (green, red or yellow)
7. Onions
8. Mushrooms
9. Cucumbers
10. Zucchini

My top 10 lean proteins

1. Egg whites (whole eggs in limited quantities)
2. Whey or Casein protein (protein powder supplements)
3. Chicken Breast
4. Salmon (wild Alaskan)
5. Turkey Breast
6. Top round steak (grass fed beef)
7. Flank Steak (grass fed beef)
8. Lean Ground Turkey
9. Bison/Buffalo
10. Trout

My top 10 fruits

1. Grapefruit
2. Apples
3. Blueberries
4. Canteloupe
5. Oranges
6. Bananas
7. Peaches
8. Grapes
9. Strawberries
10. Pineapple

Note: I DO include healthy fats as well, such as walnuts, almonds, extra virgin olive oil, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil (supplement - not to cook with), avocado and a few others.

Also, I do eat dairy products and have nothing against them, nor am I lactose intolerant. I simply don’t eat as much dairy as the rest of the stuff on my lists. When I eat dairy, its usually skim milk, low or non fat cottage cheese, low or non fat yogurt and low or non fat cheese (great for omelettes).

Last but not least, I usually follow a compliance rate of about 95%, which means I take two or three meals per week of whatever I want (stuff that is NOT on these lists - like pizza, sushi, big fatty restaurant steaks, etc)

I hope you found this helpful and interesting. Keep in mind, this is MY food list, and although you probably couldn’t go wrong to emulate it, you need to choose natural foods you enjoy in order to develop habits you can stick with long term. In the fruits and vegetables categories alone, there are hundreds of other choices out there, so enjoy them all!

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (CPT). Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using methods of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com

By Jason Ferruggia

I’ll never forget my first encounter with “Big Joe.” I had just gotten my driver’s license about a week before, so I was 17 at the time. Up until my 17th birthday, I had been training at our crappy high-school weight room and was counting the days until I could drive myself to the real gym about 15 minutes down the road. I had been training for a few years at that point and was really starting to get obsessed and read everything I could about how to build muscle fast. Of course, I had been doing everything wrong up until that point, but I didn’t know any better. I was convinced that when I was finally able to join Main Street Gym, I would start to grow like a weed.

During my second week there, I saw Big Joe for the first time. I was about halfway through my workout when he walked in. He was massive from neck to calves with a thick goatee, long sideburns, and a mop of curly brown hair. Big Joe stood about 6’4” and had to have weighed close to 300 pounds. At the time, he was in his late 30’s or early 40’s and walked with a slight hitch—I would later find out that it was from an old football injury—but he continued to squat and deadlift on a regular basis.

He was doing standing military presses that day and throwing around 275 like the bar was empty. I couldn’t help but stare as he hoisted the weights up with ease. After every set I did, I would walk to the water fountain just to get a closer look at one of the most jacked guys I had ever seen in person.

Eventually, we crossed paths and he nodded. That was it.

All the gym vets seemed to know him and every few minutes I heard one of them acknowledging his presence.

“What’s up, Big Joe?”

“Big Joe, what’s happening, my man?”

I had to move to another section of the gym to complete the rest of my workout, but I figured I would see Big Joe again when I was done. I was wrong. When I finished my workout, I looked around the gym and Big Joe was gone.

It was about two weeks before I saw Big Joe again. He came in the door right behind me one night and thanked me when I held the door for him. We both went about our business and started our workouts. He was doing bent-over barbell rows that night and had worked up to 405 for a few sets of six.

About halfway through my workout, I had to run to the locker room to get my straps out of my gym bag. When I returned Big Joe, was gone again.

Over time, I started to see Big Joe more and more and began to notice a trend- he was in and out of the gym before most guys were even halfway done with their workouts. He was so much bigger and stronger than everyone else that I figured there had to be something to what he was doing.

Finally, I worked up the courage one day to go up to Big Joe and ask him about his short workouts. I wanted to learn more about how to build muscle fast and I just knew Big Joe was the one to help me.

“Uh, excuse me,” I said.

“What’s up, big man?” Big Joe replied.

“I just wanted to ask you a few questions about training. I notice that your workouts are way shorter than anyone else’s in this entire gym, yet you are bigger and stronger than everyone,” I said.

“Finally caught on there, huh, diesel? That’s the secret right there. If you keep your workouts short, you never overtrain, you recover faster, and you constantly make progress,” Big Joe explained. “Your testosterone output peaks about a half hour into your workout and is completely shot within 45 minutes. So get in and get out in 45 minutes or less and you will get huge. That right there is one of the most important things I can ever teach you about how to build muscle fast.”

From that day on I have kept all my workouts short and have always done so with all of my clients. The results have been nothing short of spectacular. There is no reason to spend your life in the gym. Hit it hard and get out. And get ready for guys to start stepping aside when they see you coming.

Jason Ferruggia is a world famous fitness expert who is renowned for his ability to help people build muscle as fast as humanly possible. He is the head training adviser for Men’s Fitness Magazine where he also has his own monthly column dedicated to muscle building. For more How to Build Muscle Fast tips, check out http://www.musclegainingsecrets.com/

1. The more muscle mass an individual builds the higher their basal metabolic rate will be. The benefit here is that more calories are required to maintain muscle than fat. The greater the muscles mass the more the fat burning effect. It should be understood that weight training promotes an increase in lean muscle tissue. This increase replaces the fat deposit within the muscle before a noticeable difference in the reduction of external fat is noticed. This is a very misunderstood concept and requires understanding as to avoid getting discouraged when results appear to be slow. When an individual acquires excess fat it begins in the muscle until the muscle tissue can no longer hold any more fat at which point it then begins to be deposited outwardly. The reduction in body fat takes the last on - last off approach so consistency and patience are important. After all, let’s face it, we just didn’t wake up one morning and we were suddenly overweight. It took some time to get out of shape so it will take some time to get back into shape.

2. Helps prevent injuries from occurring and increases bone density.  A strong, muscular system protects us from impact injuries, like those caused by running/jumping activities.  Stronger muscles lead to stronger bones and connective tissue, helping us reduce the risk of osteoporosis and degeneration caused by aging.

3. Resistance training also provides cardiovascular benefits. The exertion and stress associated with weight training increases and strengthens the heart. The heart is a muscle and gets stronger as the amount of weight lifted and volume of exercise increases. This allows the heart to increase the volume of blood it pumps at a lower beat per minute. I think you get the picture here. If the heart beats stronger and slower then the benefit results in better circulation, faster recovery and additional years being added to your life. Studies have shown that individuals that regularly trains with weights have lower blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels than those whom don’t weight train. Weight training also increases the efficiency and strength of the lungs. This strengthening allows for a higher volume of air to be taken in with every breath through increased volume capacity and deeper inhalation. This increases the available oxygen for all bodily functions and in the blood. The importance of theses effects help to better remove harmful toxins and metabolic byproducts from the system that benefits our immune system makes us more resilient to viruses and diseases.

4. Weight training also benefits us from an emotional state as well. It is a great outlet for reducing stress. As fast paced as our lives have become we have also increased the pressure on ourselves to keep up. Taking time out to train will provide a venue to relieve and release the stress of the day. This provides a calming effect on the system and can almost immediately result in improvements in attitude, increased tolerance and our ability to better cope with the hurdles of the daily rat race we call life. Who could not benefit from an improved mental state and a less stressful existence?

5. These benefits also combine to result in more energy. The combination of the above mentioned benefits increase the efficiency of all our bodily functions and provide an increased utilization of foods aided by enhanced digestion. The more efficiently your body processes and utilizes the nutrients it consumes, the more energy is produced. This coupled with the increases in strength make almost every day to day task easier to perform because less exertion is required and more energy is readily available. Can you begin to see how this cycle feeds itself? The more strength and energy you have, the better your physical conditioning, cardiovascular and other systems work. The less tired you get, the easier it is to deal with daily stress due to a more positive mental outlook. Increased energy and an improved mental outlook make you feel better and the harder you will workout and the better you will sleep.

6. Last but not least lets not forget that all these improvements lead to a stronger, more toned physique. Weight training lowers body fat and shows you the results of your hard work by rewarding you with a more sculpted body you can be proud of when you look in the mirror or go to the beach. Don’t forget that these benefits can be more far reaching than you might think. When others see the changes not only in your physical appearance but also in your self-confidence you just might become an inspiration that provides a positive impact that changes someone else’s life for the better.

Step-Ups

Stand with good posture behind a tall step or box [approximately 15 inches high]. If you want a little extra weight, try holding a dumbbell in each hand. Place your right foot on top and transfer your weight to that leg. Lift your body up so that both legs are now on the step or box. Make sure you squeeze those glutes nice and tight as you lift your trailing leg. Now, switch legs and repeat the sequence again. Begin with 10 to 12 lifts on each side.