Howdy,

I recently asked fat burning expert Jim Katsoulis, creator of the Elite Body series, about how sleep affects fat loss and here is what he said: 

To hear learn about Jim’s fat loss interview series called the Elite Body Click Here.

Train with purpose,

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

Howdy,

Got something cool for you to see…

Note: The video in this post contains some disturbing images that includes animal suffering, harsh physical abuse of animals and animal executions. Please only watch if you have the stomach for this.

Farm To Fridge

The creators of this video would have us adopt a vegetarian diet to solve the animal cruelty problems in the meat industry. While I think this is generally good advice for health and fat loss reasons, I don’t think it will solve the problems depicted in this video. Mass production of anything involves cutting corners, and what may be considered cruel by you or I may just be “good business” for a meat processor.

I do think that those who practice these unlawful food processing methods should be held accountable for their actions. Not only are animals being mistreated, but the quality of the products is in question. Clearly, meats that contain disease are harmful to our health, and diseased animals should not be used for food. I think this is HUGE ignorance on the giant food companies part.

While I am not one to completely give up meat in my diet, I do recommend adopting a more “raw foods” or vegetarian approach to your nutrition repertoire. The more raw, natural, organic, and unprocessed foods you consume, the better for your health and fat burning goals. If you eat meats regularly, it’s always a good experiment to try consuming less than your usual intake for a few weeks, and replacing those foods with other healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, etc.

I recommend purchasing your meats from a local farmer, someone that you can trust to perform humane practices and provide you with nutrient-dense, healthy foods (that even taste better!).

What do you think about this? We’d love to hear your comments!

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

This past weekend, my wife and I, and a couple of my younger brothers went hiking in the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire. The summer months are always filled with plenty of physical activity, and we love making an effort to enjoy the outdoors as often as we can. This past weekend, we hiked up Mount Pierce and Mount Eisenhower just for fun.

It was cool and humid, and best of all, there were no black flies or mosquitoes in sight. The way our trail was setup required us to hike the most difficult portion first, the initial hike up Mount Pierce. The trail got gradually steeper and steeper, offering no rest for the weary. The setting was absolutely fantastic, and the birds were chirping all morning. We happened to snap a few short clips with our video camera to show you:

Hiking Mount Pierce and Mt. Eisenhower

I always leave one of these trips with a new life lesson, or several. The major lesson of this trip was one I have learned countless times before, but I always benefit from experiencing it one more time. If you have fat loss goals, then pay attention because this hint will help you burn fat in your training sessions.

The lesson I took home was that the body is capable of anything that the mind has determined to be possible. Taken a step further, if you decide, for example, that you are going to train with high intensity before even attempting a fat burning session - that’s exactly what will happen. You must accept that you are capable of more than you previously thought possible. You must accept that your body can handle a lot more work than it would like you to think.

Walking up a mountain is no easy task, and we had a wide array of fitness levels attending our hike. I took a sort of “back seat” approach during the hike to observe how everyone was handling the training stress (because I’m weird, I know!). I watched as each person went through a transformation in their energy levels, and everyone hit this point at a different time.

The initial stage of this physical transformation experienced by all were those of feeling fatigued, breathing heavily, taking frequent breaks, trailing behind the rest of the group, along with some negative self-talk. Very early on in the hike, it seemed like no one would make it to the top of the first summit. Some were even entertaining the idea of only hiking one mountain that day, when we had all set out to do both.

The next stage of the transformation is what was really cool to witness. With each hiker, all of a sudden, the feelings of fatigue, and the negative self-talk stopped immediately. Very quickly, everybody was more than ready to reach the summit, and then to get to the next peak. A little competition even started to see who could stay in the front of the group. My wife, even started jogging ahead of the rest of us, leading us on at a much faster pace than before.

First, seeing everyone feeling like they should just sit down, take a break, or go back to the parking lot. Then seeing everyone testing their abilities, trying to push further and harder, trying to enjoy competition with themselves and others. It was amazing how each person had completely flipped their perspective in a matter of minutes.

I think everyone left this hike with a new view of themselves, realizing that we are capable of so much more than we like to credit ourselves with. The body is an incredible adapting machine!

I highly recommend sometime setting up an activity in which you can test yourself. And I mean, REALLY test yourself. Push your body to it’s limit, and see what you can achieve. You may find that your fat loss goals are much more in reach than you previously thought.

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. Anyone else enjoying the outdoors this summer?

P.P.S. Just as a side note, this was my second major hike this summer, and I credit my successful completion of this hike to the fact that I knew I could push my training limits today, because I had done it before already. Doing something hard will make the next time you do it seem like a walk in the park.

Hey there,

I did a ‘mental weight-lifting’ exercise yesterday that was meant to improve my mental outlook on training, and I would like to share it with you. The mind is arguably the most important resource we have for overcoming physical challenges and achieving goals like fat loss.

What we do not consider possible, in our head, will never be possible for our body. Our physical fitness and natural grace and poise is only limited by those negative boundaries we place on ourselves daily.

Read the rest of this entry »

My coach, Scott Sonnon, posted a very cool video on youtube that I would like to share with you today. It’s just a quick demonstration of him performing his daily personal practice. Most of the movements are considered joint mobility exercises.

(*Note: If you haven’t caught all of the posts in the joint mobility series here at FatBurningBlog, click on the title of this post and scroll down to see a list of the other posts we have put up - but make sure to watch the video in this post first!)

One philosophy that Sonnon and I share is that a beautiful physique comes as a by-product of abundant health. Sonnon seeks health first, and you can tell in this video that this route naturally produces a lean, powerful body that reminds me of a Greek sculpture.

Let me tell you up front that the bottom line when it comes to joint mobility and fat loss is that having a full range of motion at each joint is paramount to fat loss success. I can’t say enough about the benefits I have experienced using this type of training, and I sincerely hope that you are inspired to try it out and realize first-hand how powerful joint mobility truly is.

Along with the joint mobility exercises, you’ll also see Sonnon performing some vibration techniques, some of which I use in my own training. I do get a lot of funny looks when doing these in my yard or at the local YMCA, but the benefits are unquestionable - and I’ll take better health if it only costs some smirks and chuckles from my wife and strangers. I just mention it so that you don’t confuse them with some third-world Shaman ritual - these vibration techniques are not religious by nature, only scientifically-based strategies for relieving tension and stress. Sure, they look a little funny, but they are super effective!

Sonnon FREE TO MOVE Joint Mobility

I wanted to post this because I’d like you to see how truly amazing a daily personal practice can become with consistency. Scott is the creator of this program, and has been using it daily for over a decade himself - so it makes sense that he is a master of his own movement. He is one of my greatest inspirations, and I hope that his movement mastery grabs your attention as it does mine.

I want to encourage you that you can achieve any manner of mastery if you put your mind and effort into it daily. The last thing I want is for you to assume that these movements are unreachable for you. You can move with grace and fluidity, flow! But it must start with a daily personal practice. The exercises in the video are considered advanced versions of the beginner levels. There is nothing outlandish about these movements when you understand that they are just the next level of sophistication - just the next logical step that anyone will reach with practice. Almost all of the exercises in this video are taught extensively in Scott’s joint mobility DVD program Intu-Flow.

You can read my review of Intu-Flow by clicking here.

Or visit Scott’s site directly at http://www.rmaxi.com/products/ifcomplete.htm

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. If you have ANY questions about joint mobility, Intu-Flow, or Sonnon, please let me know using the comment feature below. I would be happy to help!

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

Maybe you’ve noticed a couple of recent changes on the blog, including a new product reviews section tab at the top of our header. Kyle and I are hoping to continue to find and review programs that can help you with your fat loss goals - and probably some that can’t help you too. We are always trying out new programs to see what is available, and we would like to help you cut through marketing hype and find the programs that really do work for fat loss.

Not too long ago, I posted a series of articles and training video’s about joint mobility training and how it enhances a fat burning program. In case you missed them, you can find the links to the series below this post. (*You’ll have to click on the post title to get to the dedicated page for this blog post to see the joint mobility series)

My opinion on joint mobility training is that everyone will benefit from this - it’s a process of recovering, coordinating, and refining all basic human ranges of motion. Who couldn’t benefit from that? And improved range of motion is literally just the beginning - after a few weeks of practice you’ll notice you’re experiencing Deep Relaxation, Whole Body Tension Release, Increased Focus & Concentration, Heightened Sensory Awareness, Superior Athletic Performance,and Bioenergy Amplification.

Even though joint mobility is VERY different from stretching, in a way, it’s the new stretching here in America. It’s emerging fast as a powerfully effective, movement-enhancing, injury-proofing, light exercise method.

The original joint mobility program introduced in America was called Warrior Wellness, by Coach Scott Sonnon. Intu-Flow is the system that grew out of the refinement of Warrior Wellness - it’s an adaptation of the former program. If you haven’t already, check out my review of Intu-Flow here:
http://www.fatburningblog.com/Intu_Flow_Review.php

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. If there are any programs you’ve been thinking about purchasing, and you would like either Kyle or my opinion on them, please let us know below.

Having worked in health clubs as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, and having spent the last 10 years in various gyms, clubs, fitness centers, (etc.) I’ve seen almost every method of madness possible in these equipment-packed facilities. From guys trying to do near-max lifts on the adductor machine, to women jogging on a treadmill for 2 hours. While I am very happy that so many people utilize their local health club to burn fat and improve their health, it is a little disconcerting seeing some things so frequently misused in the health club.

Of course, you can’t just walk up to someone, introduce yourself as a fitness professional, and show them a more appropriate way to exercise. There are plenty of guru’s at most health clubs that are more than happy to share their “expertise” anyway. I’m sure your health club has at least one guy that knows everything there is about all training goals, and he probably makes it a point to tell everyone what they are doing wrong. That is just plain annoying!

I believe that there is actually no WRONG way to train - only methods of training that are misapplied. Here is my list of common mistakes I see in the gym for people who are training for fat loss:

1. Not training with enough effort. This one is more common with women than men, and it is usually because women are very conscientious about performing exercises with excellent technique and don’t want to risk poor technique for more effort. The problem usually stems from confusing exertion with discomfort. For those training for fat loss, strength training should be very exerting, but not painful - and it’s important to distinguish between the two. Lifting weights should be difficult, and there is no other way to make progress other than to train hard.

If you find that you’re training with sets of very high reps, or you’re using weights that feel easy - then my advice is to pick up some heavier dumbbells, or load up the barbell with another plate. A good rule of thumb is to select a weight that allows you to perform the target repetitions, and have enough energy for ONE last rep. For fat loss, stick with sets of 6-15 repetitions, depending on your training experience.

2. Spending way too long on a cardio machine. Cardio exercise is so invaluable for those with fat burning goals, and it is one of the best things you can do to ensure you’re burning more calories throughout the week. Now, a cardio workout for fat loss should very seldom last longer than 60 minutes (unless there are special circumstances like you are training for an endurance sport). In fact, I think that most people can get all of the fat burning potential from their cardio activity in 30 minutes or less. Again, we’re back to the level of exertion that is necessary for fat loss progress. Cardio workouts should be very challenging - each and every session. It is totally possible to fully exert yourself in 30 minutes time - and maximize the calorie burning potential possible. Longer training times should be used to build your work capacity.

If you are spending more than an hour doing cardio, or if you are at a plateau in your fat loss progress, then shortening your cardio sessions and concurrently increasing the intensity of your performance will likely super-charge your fat loss. Also, make it a point to set a new personal record every time you do cardio. Whether it is doing it for a little longer time, at a higher intensity, or using intervals - always strive to improve.

3. Training only a few sections of the body. All right, this one is usually for the guys. Too many times, I have seen guys come into the gym several times a week and do the same exact workout. They will come in and hit the bench press, and mind you from every angle possible. Then, they will move onto pec flyes! Afterwards, they might do some arm-specific training - usually a lot of different bicep curl variations. These guys who want to get lean and mean don’t understand that fat loss (and building muscle) is a systemic process. The ENTIRE body must be involved with fat loss to succeed. Just training arms and chest is, in reality, short-changing yourself. A very small percentage of the body’s muscle mass is in the arms and chest (maybe this is why many men feel the need to train them the most). Actually, about 60-70% of the body’s muscle is located in just the legs. Now, we all know that our muscle largely determines our metabolism, and how many calories we burn naturally. Wouldn’t it make sense to train all of our muscles to boost the metabolic disturbance?

If your goal is fat loss, then it would behoove you to start training your entire body. You don’t have to do it all on the same day - but make sure you’re not forgetting anything. You want a body that is not only lean and mean, but also well proportioned and aesthetic. It would be advice well taken if you started doing compound movements like deadlifts, squats, cleans, jerks, vertical and horizontal pressing, and vertical and horizontal pulling.

Train hard, eat smart, and always seek improvement!

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

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!