When it comes to your abs there are a lot of things that you need to know that you probably don't.

The abs that we see are not necessarily the abs that we need.  So let's exchange the word 'abs' for 'core' from now on when it comes to health and only say abs when we talk about those specific muscles.

Your core is the complex of muscles and bones that connect our upper-body with our lower-body.  Our core creates and maintains the stability that allows us to do almost everything that we do.  And a let's admit right now, a toned core looks dead sexy!  That is most likely why every person that I talk to asks how to get flat abs.  There are some really important understandings and misconceptions about the core that we all need to get through our thick skulls of we want to have abs or even a flat abdominal area.

• Everyone already has six pack abs.  The muscles that you want are there and they most likely look exactly how you want them to.  The problem is that they are covered in fat and skin so they are hidden.  Improving the muscle will do almost nothing to improve the look of the muscle from the outside.
  
• Doing crunches will not make your abs look better.  Those hidden muscles already look great, so doing a ton of ab work will not make them look much better.  What you need to do is lose the fat covering, not increase the strength of the muscle. And frankly, doing abs is a very ineffective way to get great abs...
• Diet has far more to do with great abs than exercise every will.  Even some foods, like saturated fats and alcohol, tend to be stored as fat around your midsection.  Limiting or eliminating these foods from your diet will have a far greater impact on your abs than hours of crunches will.
• Your core is not your abs.  People confuse the idea of core with abs all of the time.  This is like saying that your tires are your car.  Tires are part of a car but are a long way from being the entire core.  The muscles that we see in a 6 pack are the Rectus Abdominus and the External Obliques, but they are only a few of the many, many muscles that make up a core.
• We cannot spot reduce.  By exercising a muscle we will not cause our body to choose to burn fat from that area.  We tend to burn fat in reverse order of when we got it.  ie, if your abs for fat first then they will probably get thin last, no matter what you do!
• Great legs are the key to great abs.  Assuming your diet is good then the next thing that you need to address are your legs.  These are your biggest muscles, they will burn the most calories and will help trim up your waist more than any other muscle group on your body.  Great legs = great abs!
• Work your whole core.  The core includes all muscles that work to connect the lower-body to the upper-body, so a strong core allows you to exercise more aggressively and burn more calories.  Your core stabilizes, flexes, extends and twists you through the waist area so all safe angles should be exercised to establish a healthy core.
• Stop wasting your time.  If you want awesome abs then stop doing crunches.  Your Rectus Abdominus is primarily a performance muscle, not a show piece.  If you are exercising to have nice abs then choose exercises that work the legs and the whole core for best results.  You will burn more calories and expose those already awesome, but hidden, abs much faster.  Also, these total body movements will increase your metabolism a thousand times faster than doing crunches all day long and help you maintain your results.

I have trained over 2,000 clients and most all of them are surprised by how little time we spend isolating the abs.  Your abs are about the same size as your hands, so just think for a second, how many calories do you think that you burn squeezing something with your hands?  This wouldn't even get you out of breath.  Now compare that energy output to something total body like a walking lunge or a Kettle Bell snatch!  Major output and major results.

So if you want to have awesome abs, then stop focusing on them as a muscle to sculpt and start focusing on them as a part of your body to expose.  You will be happily surprised by the results!

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Another great day here in beautiful Boise!  Sunny and 66 degrees in November!  I hope that you take advantage of this and get outside today.  Maybe rake your leaves up before it starts to rain, or if you want a better workout then wait until it rains...  I know that all of you Alaskans and Vermonters are... we'll call it enjoying your local weather!

When it comes to weight loss it is too easy to screw up your results without even knowing what has happened, and before you know it you have quit because of your frustrations.  Here we are going to cover what the most common mistakes are in the hopes that your awareness will help prevent them.

These are fairly basic and I just want you to open your eyes to your life and see which of these mistakes you have made, and make adjustments before you try to lose weight again.

• There is no 1 thing that will make you lose substantial weight.  Stop looking for a single item that will get those pounds to fall off because it does not exist.  Real weight loss comes from combining proper and healthy nutrition with exercise bound to the FITT principle and nothing else (if you need education on the FITT principle then please read through the past posts).
• Get support.  The fact of the matter is that the process of weight loss is grueling and it sucks most of the time.  It will break you down and make you want to quit!  Even the strongest of will can start to feel demoralized.  Good support will help you stay on track when you are your most vulnerable to falling off the wagon.
• Be realistic.  The TV show "The Biggest Loser" has done a great job of motivating many people into action, but it has also given people unrealistic expectations.  You need to remember that you do not live on the ranch and workout for 8 hours per day so you cannot expect to lose the weight that they do.  One of my clients was a client on the show and she said that they eat 800 calories per day and do 8 hours of cardio every day!  This is too bad because you should never be discouraged by losing 2 pounds per week, because that will get you to lose all of the weight if you have the patience to stick to it!
• Eat damn-it!  Food is like a foreign country, it can be your enemy or it can be your ally.  When you use food properly nothing can help you to lose more weight faster than proper nutrition.  But, when you use food improperly nothing can sabotage your results like food.  So get your food on track and enjoy real and sustainable weight loss.
• Don't weigh yourself.  Weighing yourself when you have had great results can really fill you with pride and feel great!  Weighing yourself and seeing great results can also make you feel like you deserve or can get away with a break.  Weighing yourself and not getting results can be catastrophic!  Don't put too much emphasis on the scale.  And when you don't get the results that you want use it as motivation to revamp your program or seek help, not as a reason to back off!
• Over-report exercise.  Don't trust those calorie trackers on the treadmill or elliptical.  They are a joke and will likely give you a false sense of security.  Use the FITT principle the keep adjusting your program, not the silly calorie counter on a machine!
• Lose the light weights.  Heavy weights won't make you get big and light weights don't do a damn thing.  Every bodybuilder on the planet is insulted every time they hear someone say that they don't want to get big, because gaining substantial muscle is insanely hard.  Forget the light weights because they are A WASTE OF TIME.  Choose weights that really challenge you and you will get better results for sure!
• Lastly, get some sleep.  80% of your recovery happens while you are asleep, so a lack of sleep means a lack of recovery.  Tired bodies cannot train as hard or as long and will quickly get over-trained.  Point being that if you don't sleep enough then you will get poor results and quit!
• Stop defending yourself.  Every human being has a reflex to defend our actions and behaviors, but if your not losing weight then it is time to stop wasting your breath on defending yourself.  It is time for a change so open your ears and try some things that sound completely wacko, the
  

• The average Amercian watches nearly 5 hours of TV per day
  
• More than half of American children have a television in their bedroom; one study put the number at 70 percent
• Twiceas many adolescents with a television in their bedroomwatch more than five hours of TV a daycompared with youthswithout a TV in their bedroom
• 90 percent of American toddlers, under the age of 2, watch TV, videos and DVD's regularly
• About 40 percent of babies, under 3 months of age, watch TV, videos and DVD's regularly
• Based on a 2007 survey of families in two states, kids at 3 months watched less than an hour of TV daily, and that viewing time climbed to 90 minutes as children reached the toddler stage

Here is an extended quote from the scientist, Aric Sigman, about the impact of TV on the developing mind of children.

"… [T]he scientists found that for every hour per day spent watching specially developed baby DVDs and videos such as Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby, children under 16 months understood an average of six to eight fewer words than children who did not watch them.

One of the authors stated," The evidence is mounting that they are of no value and may in fact be harmful.

Given what we now know, I believe the onus is on the manufacturers to prove their claims that watching these programs can positively impact children's cognitive development. The bottom line is the more a child watches baby DVDs and videos the bigger the effect. The amount of viewing does matter."

Finally, it is important to note, and this is the part that really caught my attention, that adding extra exercise or physical activity will not counteract the negative effects of the electronic media time!  Nothing but shortening the amount of time in front of the the TV will help solve this issue.

As a long time trainer and parent of 3 I would love to say that my kids never watch TV and I have them doing push-ups and crunches when they get bored, but that just isn't the case.  Sometimes parents need a break where they just lower their engagement with the kiddies, and believe me when I tell you that I get that!  Here is what we have done to try and tune out the TV as much as possible and you should try them too.

• Cancel the cable.  I know that this sounds extreme for those addicted to Sports Center but not having something easily available makes it soooooo much harder to use.  My wife and I have had nothing but rabbit ears for TV for about 8 years now, and I do not regret it one bit.
• Time the TV time.  You now know that the amount of TV a kid watches has a direct relation on their health, so take control of that time.  Use that old school egg timer or even the oven timer and let them watch TV in 20 minute intervals only.
• Make them earn it.  If your kids really need some TV time (and maybe you need them to be silent for a few minutes too...) then use 20 minutes of TV as a reward for cleaning the living room or taking out the trash, or playing outside.  TV does not have to be an automatic, people survived without it for thousands of years.

Every parent that I know wants to be the best parent possible, but TV is part of who we are now.  Make sure that that you are taking the steps, now that you know, to ensure your child the best possible opportunity!  Good luck!

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Here are the links to the articles where I got my info
Live Science
Pub Med

Tanning, or exposure to the sun, found its origins in the ancient cultures of both China and Egypt.  Exposure to the sun has long been touted as good for our health.  But as with everything that is good there can be a downside.

First let's go through the upside of tanning.  Exposure to ultraviolet rays can damage your skin and that damage prematurely ages your skin and can even cause cancer.  As a defense your skin has a built in safety mechanism called melanin, which gives your skin a darker pigment or tan.  This change not only looks good but it will help keep your skin healthy and protected.  This pigmentation absorbs ultraviolet light and protects it from serious burns!

Being tan makes the body appear leaner and healthier.  In the fitness industry we have a saying that is pretty funny, "tan fat looks better than pale fat!".  This better appearance can improve your self image and feeling of well-being.  Basically, the better you look the better you feel.

Finally, sunlight has proven to affect over one hundred of the body’s function. Exposure to light has proven to lower the resting heart rate and blood pressure. It also lowers cholesterol because the body uses the liver’s cholesterol as raw material to produce vitamin D. Sunlight reduces stress and can help the immune system, as well as increase the skin’s resistance to infections. With exercise, sunlight has many beneficial results, as it heightens physical performance. Sunlight can increase cardiac output, as well as increase energy, endurance, and muscular strength. Lastly, it is proven that “sunlight stimulates the thyroid gland, which boosts your metabolism.”

The downside now.  Skin cancer folks.  Too much exposure to sun will ultimately cause irreversible damage.  Those damaged cells can decide to reproduce and cause skin cancer.  Although skin cancer is one of the better cancers to get it can still be fatal and will absolutely leave ugly scars when you have those cancer cells cut away.

Also, prolonged exposure and over-exposure to ultraviolet rays, even when you don't burn, will cause your skin to age and wrinkle. 

If you think that tanning may be for you then take a few precautions.

• Use the right lotion for tanning.  The right lotions can enhance the effects without increasing the exposure.  They can also protect you from getting burned.
• Use a post tan cream or lotion.  Tanning does dehydrate your skin so to rehydrate it ASAP is a good idea for your skins health.
• Always wear eye protection.  Ultraviolet light is very damaging to your eyes as they are even more sensitive than your skin!
• Be smart.  Do not tan as if you want a deep tan starting tomorrow.  Tan slowly over-time.  Most tanning salons offer discounted monthly memberships now so take your time and enjoy the experience.
• TAN FOR FREE ON ME!
  

TAN FOR FREE ON ME!
Want to tan for FREE for 2 weeks?  Just follow THIS LINK and fill out the form.  Let them know in the comments that Matt sent you and that you want your FREE 2 WEEKS of Tanning!  Enjoy

I got this recipe from one of the weight loss blogs that I follow.  I would love to get feedback from those who make it as a healthier alternative this holiday season.  It will also be available through our recipes section if you have registered to this site.

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour (one loaf, or 40 minutes if using mini loaf pans) Ingredients:

• 2 mashed ripe bananas (original called for 1 but I had extras)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (I had a can so I used it)
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 eggs (original called for 1 egg and 2 egg white, but in this economy, I’m not wasting eggs. In addition, egg yolk is not bad for you. It has vitamin D – one of the few non-fortified foods, choline, and unsaturated fat – not likely to raise cholesterol.)
• 2 cups flour (1 cup all purpose, one cup whole wheat OR 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour)
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (I added this to the recipe to make up for the extra banana and pumpkin noted above. You could also add some wheat germ or take this to 3/4 cup easily)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup sugar (I didn’t mess with this but experienced bakers might suggest using some agave nectar, stevia, splenda or other substitute?)
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8 1/2 X 4 1/2-inch loaf pan (or 4 mini loaf pans) with nonstick cooking spray. (I use canola oil and wipe out the excess.)

Place mashed banana, pumpkin puree, oil, egg and egg whites in a large bowl. Beat with an electronic mixer on low speed.

Place flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon in a medium bowl and stir with a whisk. Add flour mixture to banana and pumpkin mixture and beat until just moist.

Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour or until toothpick placed in center comes out clean.

Serves 12. (Now if you make 4 mini loaves like I did, that means you cut them in thirds – that’s a hearty hunk of goodness.)

Per Serving: Calories 196, Calories from Fat 48, Total Fat 5.3g (sat 0.5g), Cholesterol 18mg, Sodium 206mg, Carbohydrate 33.3g, Fiber 1.6g, Protein 3.7g

Note: this info will be off because of the substitutions that were made. But my guess is they are not that different. But if you are concerned, just take a smaller piece!


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One of my closest friends sent me an awesome motivational quote today.  He is also in the fitness business and runs a very successful Personal Training and Boot Camp business and we share pretty much everything business related and he knew that I would love the quote and us fitness folks live and eat by the motivation of others.  He was right, I LOVE THIS QUOTE!

The quote very eloquently summarizes how life is full of opportunities taken and opportunities missed and how they weigh on us for moments, years and sometimes a lifetime.

It also speaks to the burden of those decision and how heavy they are.  It made me look back at my experience with over 2,000 clients all trying get to one level of fitness and weight loss or another.  I have never had a client tell me that they regretted getting in shape.  No one has ever told me that they regretted losing weight.  Feeling better never makes you wish that you felt bad again!  No one has ever told me that they regretted eating healthy all weekend and reaping the rewards of those choices.  Not a single person has ever said to me that living a life of discipline caused them to wish that they were less disciplined.

I have never had a client say to me, "This losing weight thing just isn't working out for me!  I think that I am better off just going back to my old lifestyle."

On the contrary I have had countless, and I mean countless, people tell me that they regretted eating and drinking like crap all weekend.  Countless people have said that they regretted not getting all of their workouts in.  Countless people have said that they regretted not taking action sooner and getting their butt in shape starting that day.

No matter the scenario, no matter how I try to configure it in my brain I cannot picture a situation where someone is happier in an unfit, unhealthy and poorly conditioned body.  Can you?

Take a second right now and think about your fitness goals.  What do you regret more, the moments that you stay strong to your plan or the moments that you are weak to the temptations that move you away from your goal?

Make today an action day, a decision day and let those decision resonate for the rest of your life.  Don't let temptation win, you can be stronger than that!  Here is your motivational quote for the day, from Jim Rohn.

"We must all suffer from one of two pains; the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is that discipline weighs ounces and lasts a moment while regret weighs tons and lasts a lifetime!"

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This whole weight loss process is a confusing situation.  Is it possible that exercise can be bad for weight loss?  The answer is no, exercise cannot be bad for weight loss, but that is not the whole story.

Exercising is generally a series of exercise choices that we make.  All exercises burn calories for energy and help with weight loss, but not all exercises burn that same amount of calories or impact the endocrine system in the same way.  The logic is pretty simple here, big muscles burn lots of calories and small muscles burn fewer calories.  So what we are focused on here is improving your choices. 

Here are the little muscles that don't burn very many calories.  These muscles/exercises are like the frosting on a cake.  If you don't exercise the big muscles first then it is like skipping the cake and putting frosting on the plate.

• Biceps
• Triceps
• Deltoids
• Traps
• Calves

Here are the muscles that burn a fair amount of calories.  Not a bad choice to incorporate these exercises, but not the BEST.

• Pecs
• Lats
• Glutes
• Abs
• Back Extensors
  

And here are the calorie kings/queens!  These muscles are the cake folks.  Get these into every exercise

• Quads
• Hamstrings
  

Obviously, if you have ample time then it is a great strategy to hit all of your muscle groups and get into some isolation.  Since that is not always possible now you have a strategy to help you make the best choices for the time that you have available.  So when you are choosing which exercises to do there are some keys to getting the most out of your workout.  Here you go.

1. Know your schedule.  If you only have 20 minutes, for example, know how many exercises that you can do within the allotted time frame.
2. Always hit your big muscles.  Try to get your legs involved in every exercise possible.  The more calories that you burn the easier weight loss happens.
3. Try to balance.  The more stability required for each exercise the more muscles that will have to be involved to complete the movement.  For example, if you are going to do curls then do them standing on 1 foot!
4. Cut the fat.  If you are on a time crunch then ignore the small muscles and focus on the big ones.  You will do much more for your arms by doing lots of leg incorporation than all of the curls in the world.
5. Multi-joint exercises.  Instead of a chest press machine try a push-up.  This ties right back into #4.  More big muscles involved means more calories burned.
6. Get going.  If you aren't doing this TODAY then change your schedule and get to it.  If you don't know what to do then get some help.  Don't let ignorance be an excuse EVER!

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