Howdy,

This past weekend by buddy John Sifferman and I hopped in my new ride and drove down to hang out at a fitness seminar…

Anyway,

After a great weekend we cruised back and I dropped John off at his house.

On the way back from his pad a road side farm stand caught my eye because they were selling fresh picked flowers.

Being a good husband I stopped to pick up some pretty flowers for the ‘misses’ (ahhhhh). 

While the nice woman was wrapping up the flowers I noticed that she was selling farm fresh eggs too.  I was psyched!

I grabbed a dozen of those and drove home to collect my brownie points from my wife for my thoughtful gesture of flowers.

Well, the flowers were a hit and this morning I cooked up a couple of those farm fresh eggs and let me tell you…

THEY TASTED AWESOME!!

I just happen to have one left over egg from the supermarket and I cooked it side by side next to the farm fresh egg.

There was a DISTINCT difference between the two eggs - the yolk of the farm fresh egg was bright yellow and the supermarket egg (which claimed to be an omega-3 egg) was much less vibrant than its fresh counterpart.   

Besides tasting awesome I know that this little egg was packed with nutritional goodness and that’s why I recommend hitting your local farmer’s market as often as you can (my wife and I try to go every weekend). 

If you’re trying to burn fat and improve your health then you should definately be buying farm fresh eggs and meats as often as you can. 

I have seen reports that farm fresh eggs have 21 times the amount of omega-3 fatty acids as store-bought eggs - WOW!!! 

You may or may not know, but omega-3 fatty acids are one of two essential fatty acids that your body simply can not make on its own.

Linoleic acid (a.k.a. omega-6) is the second essential fatty acid.

Health gurus say we need the proper ratio of these essential fatty acids.

They also state that having too much omega-6s can lead to chronic degenerative diseases because they increase inflammation, constrict blood vessels, and increase platelet ’stickiness’ just to name a few “not so good things.”

On the other hand, those good old Omega-3s have the exact opposite effect…

They decrease inflammation, open up blood vessels, decrease platelet ’stickiness’, and more…

Too much of either of these fatty acids isn’t a good thing and if your goal is burning fat then you will want to make sure that you are hitting your caloric deficit but getting more omega-3’s is a good thing for your health and waistline.

So my friend,

The take away is hop in the car and head down to the Farmer’s Market, support your local farmers, and do some good for your waistline and your overall health by picking up some farm fresh eggs.

Bon appetit! 

Train with purpose,

Kyle Battis, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.SecretsOfBurningFat.com
http://www.BurnTheFat-InnerCircle.com

P.S. - If you’re looking to be healthier AND have a lean, fat-free ‘bod’ then I highly recommend this resource.

Hey there,

I have a great fat loss audio tip for you today that will help you ’stoke your fat burning furnace!”

This tip comes from my buddy and fat loss expert Rob Poulos, who created the ‘Fat Burning Furnace.’

Hit the play button below to listen how you can use a simple water bottle to boost your fat burning potential and make more progress towards your dream physique.

WARNING!! This idea is SIMPLE but don’t dismiss it because it can help you out with your fat loss efforts.

To check out the Fat Burning Furnace Package Click Here.

Train with purpose,

Kyle Battis, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.SecretsOfBurningFat.com
http://www.BurnTheFat-InnerCircle.com

Play Now:

 Stoke Your Fat Burning Furnace [6:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tom Venuto recently gave me a heads-up about a woman who has, to date, lost over 173 pounds…

That’s right,

173 POUNDS LOST!!!!!!!!

Impressive ehh?

Anyway,

Tom asked me if I would interview her about how she has achieved this great success.

I did some research and discovered that she started off her fat-loss journey at 356 pounds and then went
on to completely transform her body and her life…

What I read about this woman BLEW ME AWAY!!

A week later I got on the phone with her and she poured out:

->  40 minutes of amazingly-emotional insights that
    helped her overcome seemingly impossible challenges

->  Life-changing decisions that led to success…

->  How the power of belief transformed her (gotta hear this - it’s powerful…)

->  The driving force that motivated her to change and the belief systems that keep her going through the tough times.

->  She’ll share with you why a sensible and flexible nutrition program is so critical to your long term success…

->  How she transformed her Self Image…

->  How she’s gone from struggling for 3 minutes on the treadmill to long distance cycling for fun and charity.

If you have even considered starting a journey to transform your body then let me be frank with you…

You NEED to listen to this interview. 

Go to the link now, join the Inner Circle if you are not already a member, and listen to this interview before you do anything else.  To come listen to it Click Here

A big reason many people DON’T take action is because they don’t believe “it” will work for them…

If you have ever believed that about anything in life before, especiall about changing your body in any way, then I want you to listen to this interview and hear how this woman changed her beliefs and transformed
her life…

I believe and know that you can too.

I encourage you to go listen to this interview now:

You’ll thank me for it later…

Train with purpose,

Kyle Battis, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.SecretsOfBurningFat.com
http://www.BurnTheFat-InnerCircle.com

PS - I have interviewed dozens of people who have achieved amazing success by following Tom Venuto’s fat loss training and nutrition program. 

I believe so strongly in what Tom teaches that I partner with him in running the premier fat loss support community online and I want you to be part of that community if you are serious about losing fat and changing your life for the better.

I invite you to come hear what you’ve been missing and to join a group of like-minded fat loss achievers just like this woman who can help you achieve the same success.  To hear it all Click Here

If getting ripped abs is on your list of priorities when it comes to your current fitness program, do not overlook the importance of your usual strength training
activities.

One of the biggest misconceptions about getting ripped abs is that you must spend hours doing ab work alone.

Unfortunately this is furthest from the truth,

The real fact of the matter is that when you are lifting heavy during your squats, lunges, deadlifts, and the bench press, you will be using the ab muscles to a great degree.

If they were not working, you would find yourself feeling unstable, and chances are, you would wind up injured.

The ab muscles are going to be called into play with every weight lifting exercise you do, so ensure proper form is being utilized during all workout sessions.

Furthermore, one of the major factors in developing ripped abs, is going to be getting your body fat level low enough for them to be seen clearly.

(this is the key factor)

If you’re not approaching close to single digits, chances are you may have great ab muscles, but you aren’t going to see them when looking in the mirror.

Weight training exercises are one of the best ways to boost your metabolic rate, which will then help you burn off body fat all day long. Do keep in mind though that all weight lifting activities are not created equally.

A heavy set of squats is going to ramp up the metabolism a great deal more than a set of bicep curls would for example.

To utilize this principle, try your best to program your weight lifting routine so that only core, compound lifts are included.

This would be movements such as squats, lunges, deadlifts, bent over rows, shoulder presses, and the bench press.

Not only will this provide you with a far better whole body workout without wasting too much time on needless exercises, but it will also help you achieve that ripped abs look that you are going for.

Lastly, keep in mind that ripped abs and strong abs can mean different things.

If you do a great deal of weighted abdominal work, you may actually cause your ab muscles to grow larger, thus giving you the appearance of a wider waist. Unless the body fat levels are not low again, you’ll just end up looking bigger in the middle, rather than more defined.

So, in order to make this goal a reality for you, first focus on getting low enough body fat levels to get those abs showing.

This can be accomplished through a solid lifting program and a clean diet.

Then, if you are not happy with the shape of the ab muscles or the amount of ab muscle development, start focusing on doing more work focused on just this muscle group itself.

Today’s "How To Get Ripped Abs" tip is from my buddy Vince DelMonte is the author of Your Six Pack Quest found at:

He specializes in helping chubby guys and gals get six pack abs without gimmicks, supplements or dieting.

I highly recommend checking out his program. You can learn more about it by Clicking Here:

Train with purpose,


Kyle Battis, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
http://www.askthefitnessexpert.com/burn
http://www.BurnTheFat-InnerCircle.com

Howdy,

This morning I woke up at my usual time of 5:45 AM, pounded back a glass of water, and hit the gym for 40 minutes of cardio.

After I got home, I cooked up a yummy veggie Omelet, grabbed a cup of Joe, and sat down to eat my first breakfast and read an article about Rap star LL Cool J and his fitness regimen.

From the article, I learned that LL ballooned up to 250 pounds and at the age of 33 he made a decision to change his life.

He hired a personal trainer, ditched the fried foods, started lifting and doing cardio 5 days per week.

Now, in 2008 LL Cool J has reinvented himnself as a lean rapping machine weighing in at 212 pounds of ripped muscle…

(can you say single-digit body fat?)

LL looks RIPPED in these pictures and is the inevetable result of what happens when you mix desire, a proven plan, and hard work together…

His lean body has revitalized his Rap career and launched him into new and exciting directions as well.

For example, LL recently teamed up with his trainer ‘Scooter’ and Nutritionist Dr. Chris Mohr, to write a fitness book, launched a new clothes line for kids, AND a new supplement company ALL expected to pull in big bucks.

Busy guy ehh?

One thing that struck me about LL’s story was that these amazing changes in his physique and his life is that it ALL started with a DECISION,

A line drawn in the sand,

A decision to not settle with a bulging gut and to go tap into the endless amounts of potential that he knew he left unused…

Have you ever wondered what you were capable of - what un-tapped potential you have within you?

You and I both have so much un-tapped levels of success within us and stories like this one about LL Cool J sure as heck motivate me to do more and BE MORE - how about you?

Tap into the potential that is within you and see what you can become…

Train with purpose,


Kyle Battis, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.SecretsOfBurningFat.com
www.FatBurningInnerCircle.com

PS - If you’d like to create Unstoppable fat loss success like LL Cool J did with his transformation from 250 pounds to 212 pounds of ripped muscle and
six pack abs then the first step is to make the decision to change…

Here’s a proven system to program your mind for fat loss success. To learn more Click Here

While we have been on the subject of organic foods and buying from local farmers, I thought it might be fun to film a short clip showing you our home garden. This is the first season that my wife and I have tried to grow any food ourselves. We still buy from farmers markets, but it’s been fun growing some of our own fruits and vegetables. The veggies get bigger every day!

Some of the plants were grown right from seeds, and others were bought having already been started. Here’s the process we followed to prepare:

1) We pulled out all of the plants from the previous garden.
2) Tilled the ground
3) Mixed in some manure that we got from the gardening center at our local hardware store
4) Gave the vegetable bed a good edge, and put up a short wire fence to keep the neighbors dog from running through
5) Planted all seeds at the appropriate time of season
6) Planted all plants at the appropriate time
7) It was watered frequently depending on how much rainfall we’ve had.

* We picked our first vegetables for lunch today (only the green beans are ready so far - but we’ve got quite a bit growing!)

Tour Our First Home Garden

We planted this garden for so many reasons, but mostly because we thought it would be fun. We have learned a lot, and are prepared to plant a larger garden when we are ready. Plus we’ll be enjoying organic food for awhile later this summer. (the fruits of our labor!)

If you have a place to grow a garden, even just a small one, I highly recommend starting one up (my mother grows tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini in a 5×5 box garden). It can be simple - maybe you could just start with herbs, and see how you like it.

Treat it as an honor to take more personal responsibility for your health, and thank yourself for caring enough about your health and those around you to take a step towards healthier eating.

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. If you have a home garden and have some beginners gardening tips, you are more than welcome to post your comments below. I’m sure I could use some pointers!

P.P.S. And if you don’t have a home garden and have some questions, let us know and we’ll see what we can do. I can’t promise any expert advice, but maybe someone else can

I was just doing some Youtube surfing, and I stumbled on this video by one of the Burn the Fat: Inner Circle members. “KaliLilla” uploaded an awesome video demonstration of how to cook one of Tom Venuto’s famous fat loss friendly recipes - the apple cinnamon oatmeal pancakes. She did such a great job, I just HAD to share it with you!

Kyle and I both believe very strongly in Tom’s Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle system - and I’m very happy that people like KaliLilla are spreading the good word about this awesome program.

If you’d like to learn more about the best selling fat loss program since 2003, click here.

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. To join the fat loss support community where Tom Venuto is constantly adding new recipes and members like KaliLilla share their experience with exercise, nutrition, and fat loss, check out www.burnthefatinnercircle.com

When it comes to buying food, most of us think we have it figured out. After all, we’ve always had plenty of food available to eat. In fact, each of us has been eating food for our entire lives - we must have this down by now… wrong!

You see, people act out of habit, and many of us have bad habits that could be improved or replaced by new, good habits. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t floss my teeth twice a day. I could have all the floss in the world in my medicine cabinet, and that wouldn’t change a thing. In the end, it’s not a matter of supply and demand - it’s a matter of personal choice and my decision to live a better, healthier life.

It’s the same with our nutritional habits, having better quality foods available to us doesn’t mean that we will buy and eat them. Most people would agree that organic food is a much better alternative to “regular” supermarket food. Ask any organic food aficionado, and you’ll find out that almost everyone has access to organic food. If almost everyone in America could buy organic foods exclusively, why don’t we? It all comes down to choice, especially when it comes to goals like fat loss.

We like to rationalize…

it’s cheaper at the grocery store
food is only a short drive away
I can use my credit card at the supermarket
I can get more food, and bigger produce, at the grocery store for less money
all of the food is in the same place

So, what do I see here? Buying from the grocery store is convenient, and sometimes more cost-effective.

At least nowadays, I would argue that going to the grocery store isn’t as cost-effective as it used to be. In fact, I think that local farmers are starting to compete with the rising food prices. I’ve noticed my grocery bill double - buying the same amount of food, and paying twice as much money as I used to. Sure, I could blame the economy, the rising oil prices, the war, etc. But again, it all comes back to personal choice.

I’d like to see this as an opportunity to start making healthier choices by buying from local farmers more. It may not be as convenient as the supermarket, but it may actually save some money these days. Plus, there are a ton of other reasons to buy from local farmers:

It’s healthier. The bottom line is that local foods are more nutritious, meaning more healthy and better for those looking to get leaner.  This could be the ONLY reason to buy locally and be justified - but there’s more!

It’s always fresh. Buying from local farmers means that you are getting the food soon after it has been harvested, and onto your dining table ASAP.

It helps you build relationships with local food experts. Buying local food creates the opportunity for you to build a relationship with your food supplier, learning all about what they’re farming and what you’re eating.  A better education will always lead to better choices if you are willing.

It supports your local community economy. Purchasing food from local farmers supports businesses in your community, which aids the overall local economy - something that we could all benefit from.

It’s environmentally friendly. Local foods that are not going to be shipped over a long distance require less packaging and travel, saving on energy, waste and pollution.

Lower shipping costs. Using less fuel to transport local foods means lower total cost for you - the consumer.

I think that if you can accept a little less convenience when food shopping, that buying from local farmers is hands-down the best option for so many reasons.

I found a cool website that lets you type in your location, and it pulls up all of the local foods resources in your area. I found several farms that aren’t too far away, just by typing in my ZIP code. Check it out here: http://www.localharvest.org/

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. Do you have any thoughts about the other benefits buying local food has? We’d love to hear from you!

I got word of this report from another blog I frequent, Diet-Blog.com.

These are the crop prices from 2007-2008, you’ll notice that everything has increased in cost. There are some foods that have decreased in cost though: oranges, pears, tangerines, carrots, and cucumbers. For the most part, however, foods cost much more this year.

Meats have stayed about the same, except frozen turkey which has increased 9%. Dairy products have gone up in price substantially though.

If you’d like to learn more, visit the Cattle Network.

I’ve noticed that buying from local farmers is now, sometimes cost equivalent to buying from the local grocery store. Talk about a complete 180° from a few years ago!

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

Ever in a pinch for getting in some good nutrition, and only have a minute or two to prepare a meal? Enter the smoothie. With a little bit of creativity, these can become great tasting, nutrient dense meals that can be prepared in less than 5 minutes.

There is so much leeway with a recipe like this, that there are virtually limitless combinations of ingredients, which ensures that each shake always agrees with your taste buds. Here is a standard template that I use when making a high protein, whole foods smoothie.

Banana Berry Nut Smoothie

• ¼-½ cup water or milk as a base
• ¼-½ cup plain, nonfat yogurt
• ¼-½ cup low-fat cottage cheese
• ½ serving of whey vanilla protein powder (between 10-20g)
• 2-4 tbsp dry oats
• 1 medium banana
• ½-1 cup of mixed berries - blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.
• 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
• 2 tbsp of mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, etc.)
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tbsp of flax meal (ground flax seeds)
• (optional) honey or splenda as a sweetener, go light on this stuff
• 4-6 ice cubes for texture and that “chilled feeling”

Put all ingredients in a blender, in the listed order, and blend on high for one minute. This simple recipe packs a lot of protein into one meal along with some complex carbohydrates, fiber, and plenty of healthy fats.

Remember that liquid meals like this should be used out of necessity and for convenience reasons - not as a cornerstone of a meal plan. Whole foods smoothies are usually packed with calories and will leave you feeling hungry not long after finishing. Whole foods are always a better option, and when eaten from solid form, instead of liquid, more of the nutrient value will be digested and absorbed into the body.

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. Do you have any favorite shake or smoothie recipes that you would like to share with other fat burning blog visitors? Please leave your recipes and comments below.