Not too long ago Tobacco companies were using cartoon characters to influence
children into thinking smoking was cool. They got in a lot of trouble for that,
eventually.

Fast food companies partner with Hollywood and have all sorts of action figures from
popular movies at their restaurants.

And corporations do the same to sell all kinds of thing – including vitamins – for
children.

Have you ever taken a good look at the labels of the leading brands of kid’s vitamins?

On there you’ll find:

Aspartame, which is a VERY controversial artificial sweetener.

DiCalcium Phosphate, which is used in the “feed” that poultry eats.

Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, which NOBODY needs to be ingesting.

And all sorts of artificial colors.

Does that look NUTRITIOUS to you???

Ok, I know what you’re thinking:

“Yeah, that’s great. But what other choice do I have? If it doesn’t TASTE good,
my kid’s not going to take it.”

Well, we may just have the answer to your prayers. But your child’s taste buds are
going to have to decide. As a proud Prograde Partner we’re THRILLED to let you know
they have just released an all-natural children’s vitamin. And they’ve gone to great
lengths to taste test it with kids.

But again, your child will have to decide if it tastes good or not. So that’s why
you can try Prograde Essentials for Kids for FREE! (Yes, there is a small S & H
fee)

Just go to this link right now and discover how Prograde Essentials for Kids
delivers the nutrition your child needs and deserves.

Prograde Essentials for Kids –> http://bit.ly/5ZPFGg

Yours in health,

Rommel Acda, CSCS and Belton Lubas, NASM-CPT
Your Element 5 Fitness Coaches

PS – Again, we understand, and so does Prograde, that your child MUST love the taste
of their new chewable vitamin for kids. That’s why you can try it for FREE.

Prograde Essentials for Kids –> http://bit.ly/5ZPFGg

It’s mid-week and your energy and enthusiasm to get a workout in is starting to fade. You’ve done well the past two days, but you might have gone too hard and your mind and body are simply telling you to back off a bit.

So what do you do?

Well, you just need that extra motivation and inspiring workout to get you excited again. And, have we got the perfect workout for you. Just follow the advice of our friend from “Beefy’s Gym”, especially when he explains, “That was the pre-warmup, to get you ready for the warm-up, to get you ready for the pre-workout, followed by the workout, which precedes the post-workout, then we’re going into a 60-minute warm-down…”

Ok, better yet, I’ll just let you watch the video and you can follow from there, enjoy

Remember the pixie dust from Peter Pan?

Couple of things before reading this blog:

-  Don’t be offended.  Wait…yes be offended.  I dare you

-  I included some video links, embedded them, or linked it to my other blog for a point

-  It may be a little long so bear with this

-  Lastly, the words and phrasing I give credit to where it is due…Pastor Ryan Meeks from EastLake Community Church

So………here goes:

My wife suggested to go to church Sunday evening.  I was sort of reluctant.  You know, tired, rainy, rough week last week, just kinda not in that mood.  It’s kinda funny that every time I resist something I know would benefit me, I do it anyways and I love it afterwards.  Ever feel that way?

So we went to church and the topic of the sermon was “Work Hard”.  Usually I write a blog from an inspiration of some sort and I found it tonight.  Some of you have been missing my emails.  Sorry, I haven’t found that inspiration till recently.

Now please bear with me and don’t worry I am not going to get “churchy” on you.  I may use some bible verses due to the relevancy of this blog and where it came from.  But, my goal is not to force anyone into thinking a certain way.  That is your choice and your views and I am ok with that.  What you do with this information in this blog is your choice ultimately.  In the end, I hope your offended enough to take action and get some work done.  So here is what I learned from going to a Sunday evening service at Eastlake Community Church.

LESSON 1

Work Hard

“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk only leads to poverty.” Proverbs 14:23

This verse hit me pretty good.  It hit me from different angles.  Definitely from a business perspective and some other aspects as well.  Kinda like a “talk the talk well walk the walk” thing too!  The premise of this is not to just say your going to do something….DO IT!  Action speaks louder than words!  We have heard this line that too many times.

Speaking of talking the talk and walking it…Just recently, a bootcamper called me out early in the morning.  This person said…”why don’t you do the exercise with us?”  Well, my ego took over and so I did.  What this person didn’t know was that I blasted my legs the night before with a rigorous Muay Thai workout.  I didn’t have to justify myself but I did 30 Split jumps anyways WITH this person (even though it was only 30 step out lunges…I leveled it up a bit).

You know, I do ask the bootcampers to share their accomplishments, setbacks, and workouts as they go through their 21 day rapid fat loss journey.  So here is mine as I am being transparent.  I will give you a glimpse of the day before.  The day of my Muay Thai workout.

Thursday November 19th:

5am = wake up, 6am = bootcamp, 7am= egg whites and spinach breakfast, 8am = train, 9am = shake, 12pm = Unwich (turkey), 130pm = martial arts client, 2pm = corporate meeting representing Element 5, 3pm = chicken breast salad from subway, 4pm = corporate training Bellevue, 530pm = chicken breast salad, 6pm = bootcamp, 7pm = martial arts class (teach a portion but take as a student and get butt whooped!!), 830pm = cous cous with turkey meatballs and spaghetti sauce.  Then comes Friday…blasted legs and all and my little justification act/moment.

And just so you know what the high intensity of Muay Thai or boxing takes look at the videos posted and the link to my other blog (click—>) ”Boxing Mom” workout and check out the first video, read the blog later its cool though! Or to check out the actual video look below. (you can read that blog later about high intensity boxing workouts)

**FYI….this woman has three kids of her own**  Now that’s a MOM you don’t wanna mess with!!

Holding pads for these athletes IS A WORKOUT!!  Look below!

So yes hard work does pay off and talk is cheap.  I hope a look into my day shows you who I am and what I do.  Just to be clear, Rommel and myself, NEVER show an exercise we ourselves haven’t done.  More importantly, hard work gets you results.  I remember working hard to be a great defensive player for OSU’s Men’s volleyball team.  I didn’t have the luxury of being 6ft 5in++.  I had to work at being fast defensively, responsive, and tactful offensively as a server since the back row line is the most I would probably get to see.  Practice and tournaments and games was like a second job to school.  Work Hard…

Look, no one ever said achieving great things was going to be easy.  You set your goals, aim for it and work hard.

Pastor Ryan said something funny tonight.  He said we like to believe there is this thing called Pixie Dust.  Just sprinkle it and the problem (fat for us in the fitness world) goes away.  Pixie Dust.  Just sprinkle it and the magical opportunity comes your way.  Pixie Dust, your problems aren’t yours to own, just sprinkle it and it will go away.  Pixie Dust…bullcrap.  Work Hard.

LESSON 2

Work Hard at What You Do Best:

Colossians 3:23-24 starts out saying “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart…”

Ah this part is good.  You see the Michael Jordans of the world have it easy.  Tiger Woods?  Cmon!  what’s so hard about walking in the park and swinging at a ball to a goal?  I mean the goal isn’t even guarded!  You won’t be tackled either.  So, lucky them eh?  Just naturally gifted right?  WRONG!

You think those great athletes haven’t put in the work?  Greatness is easy to see, but we neglect the process behind that greatness.

“I have failed many times, and that’s why I am a success” – Michael Jordan

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career.  I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed.  I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life.  And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

It’s the very same reason why Rommel and myself are in this business.  We are good at what we do and we will work hard at what we are very best at doing.

LESSON 3

Work Hard at What Matters Most

One of my coaches Bedros Keuilian asked me a question.  He told me to name three things in the business that was successful to us achieving our goals.  He had told me to focus on what we are good at, and not to spread oneself too thin.  How true, how relevant.  Thanks Mr. Keuilian.

Life is temporary people.  If you give your life to something you are NOT good at, then you “betray yourself”.  You assassinate your character and destroy your integrity, as Mr. Meeks says.  Lasting greatness is due to hard work.  Your not entitled to it.  You want great results in fitness or in life?  Work Hard.  Simple yet hard to do.

After the sermon was over, (The Pastor said for anyone who he hasn’t met to feel free to come up and introduce themselves), I walked up to the front with Amanda and we thanked the pastor for his message.  We then went to Fred Meyer to return a Red box dvd. Amanda went off to look for an item and I was texting my business partner Rommel about the awesome church experience and you know how these grocery stores have banks in them?  Well as I was walking and texting with my head down I literally almost ran into one of the banks promo sign.  It was a promo sign for the bank and a Disney prize of some sort….it said:

PIXIE DUST………….and so my blog began.

P.S.  Please leave a comment with your thoughts

P.P.S.  Please subscribe to this blog and forward this to those you think may benefit from it.

Yours in Health,

Belton Lubas

Wait a minute…Did I just say that Tebow was at Fitness Info Summit 2009? In case you didn’t know Tim Tebow is:

Timothy Richard “Tim” Tebow (born August 14, 1987 in Manila, Philippines) is a Heisman Trophy-winning American football quarterback for the Florida Gators. He was the first college football player to both rush and pass for 20 touchdowns in a season and was the first sophomore to win the Heisman.

And c’mon really?! Tebow here at Fitness Info Summit 2009?! This blog isnt about Tim Tebow but it is about his champion like abilities. A guy who is on top of his game. A man who is TRANSPARENT. A stand up guy who 3 months before enrolling in Florida went to Phillipines to help with his Father’s mission work at an orphanage.

But here’s the deal…CHAMPIONS WERE on stage. The champions of the fitness marketing and information world. The likes of Bedros Keuilian, Craig Ballantyne, Chris McCombs, Zach Even-Esh, Vince Del Monte, Steve Hochman, and some others such as Mr. “Luc” Del Monte, seven figure Sam, Josh Carter, and Joel Marion (who wasn’t exactly on stage but mentioned numerous times…I apologize to those who I may have not mentioned).

Who are these guys? These so-called Transparent gentlemen. Sounds like a super hero team to me! The Transparencies! Could be a boy band actually. No, but seriously who are they?

Let me start with Steve Hochman! Because I like to start with humor to break the ice (Timmay!). Now this guy you have to corner while he is going to the bathroom. And when he is doing a Number 3! Ugh…And if you have a chance to corner him, you just might run into a strong Mindset. Steve came onstage and killed it as he talked about mindset and the parallels it has with success. Not just in business, but in life.

Zach Even-Esh. Ma man! My Broskie! The guy I said yes to and flew back to Dirty Joyzee to get certified and licensed as the first Underground Strength Gym in the NORTHWEST! His Vlogs are very indicative of who he is. Air guitar and all! (Pauly Reddick work on your slap base please) Charter member baby! This lovable goofball has alot of heart, powerful mind, and great work ethic. Love ya Bruddah!

Craig Ballantyne….(saying this in dry serious manner) “Well…..Yeah….He’s Good”. Just Kidding! You had to be there to understand this joke and this line! Craig is a NO B.S. type of guy. Git ‘er Done! Straight to the Point and Transparent. But the man is brilliant. Simply, Brilliant. Wait did I just do it (dry tone) again?! Kidding Craig, kidding.

Chris McCombs – Man, what a down to earth cat who just is himself. What-you-see-is-what-you-get type of guy. This Blogging maniac of a king, may seem so far away because of his imposing size and his stellar fame on the internet. But in reality, he is transparent and goes against the grain to carve his own path.  A pot-stirrer, authority figure, get -it-done-guy, family man, and downright got your back type of guy.

Do you see a pattern here people?

Vince Del Monte…down to earth and as transparent as he is as you can tell the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. You can see it when his father spoke and you can see where his Humanness comes from. Thank you Vince for being successful, so that we can pick up on the clues that success leaves.

Bedros – Where do I start with this Lion? You know that animal fits him perfectly. No not because his hair looks like he has a mane! Or that when he laughs it sounds like a roar?! By the way guys, he can’t throw a shirt across a room if his life depended on it.  We should do an info product on increasing shirt throwing distance.

I was still trying to figure Bedros out back in FBS 2008.  Obviously, I believed in him to purchase multiple products.  But with Orlando 2009…I see you now Bedros. Yeah man, I see you brah!

He said something to me at the end of the seminar this weekend as I went up to thank him that WILL change my life. It’s game over people. You will soon see. Let’s just leave it at that.

But Bedros’ transparency best showed when someone had asked a question about which products and which route he should go? Bedros shocked the room by giving advice that may have “seemed” stupid from a straight business gross perspective! Turned down thousands of dollars?! You nuts Lion man?!

Yeah he is…But you know what? He is crazy/nuts from the heart. And that my friends was one of the best displays of transparency for the fact that he did NOT TAKE the gentleman’s money; and instead suggested that he work on more simpler items. I applaud you Bedros. I thank you.

I thank everyone! For being (here i go as I butcher this word to death) T-R-A-N-S-P-A-R-E-N-T.

This feel good word doesn’t mean jack crap until you see it for yourself. Until you try it for yourself.

I already told you who these guys are.

Well, who the hell is Belton Lubas?

For one, I’m Not Mike Seril…..

I’m the guy that cried in front of 300+ people this past weekend.

I’m the guy who resisted being transparent and did not want to share his goals to a room full of fitness professionals.

I’m the guy that heard the stories of where people came from and where they are at now, and was moved as I related to them sleeping in cars, basements, drug filled houses.

It was too emotional for me to bring up! So, I’m writing this blog in thanks, and to CLEARLY say what I WAS going to say up at the microphone till i garbled it up in tears.

WHO AM I?

I left the Island of Guam with a plane ticket and $500 in my back pocket to pursue a college education. I thought I wanted to become a physical therapist. I even went as far as 2 years of grad school for an MPH only to quit on the last semester because the bills were piling up. (I’m 2 classes and a thesis away from a Masters degree)

I worked at a corporate fitness entity and made very close to 90K as a fitness manager of multiple locations. And 2 months before my wedding date, I asked the “big wigs” simple questions as they were dangling the corporate carrot to me. I asked them to be transparent for once, so that through their answers I can see my future.

Name one fitness manager who satisify these three criteria:

- Runs a facility that hits 110% of their monthly target i.e. a successful business
- has a FRUITFUL marriage life
- AND has kids

cricket, cricket, cricket…………..chirp, chirp, chirp……………..

Heres my 30 day notice. Fast forward….I’m in Orlando.

You see people, Success leaves clues. But most importantly, where you get those clues and the integrity and character of that person, is the proper concoction. Because as Bedros said those impactful words to me at the end of the seminar, and I walked towards the back of the room to leave, I also thanked his wife, and Chris McCombs personally shook my hand to thank me at the lobby?! wait… I came up to him to thank him!! Not for him to thank me?! Wow! Cool!

And as Steve Hochman and Dr. Sam both genuinely looked me in the eye and said Thank you (again they deserve all the thanks!! I mean they had the awesome information and add value to our businesses), I was hit so hard emotionally AGAIN, that I went to the pool, called my wife and told her about my experiences.

Success as I saw it in these people was defined in their families, their financial freedom they provided, and their willingness and ability to help others succeed.

That…..my friends was as transparent as can be. Not only did I see THROUGH these Tim Tebows of Fitness; I also saw myself.

I will become great, and I won’t let the fitness industry define me, I will define the fitness industry as I carve my path.

I was ashamed and embarassed shortly after my transparent moment. But I hope that some of you never have to experience these “hardships”. But as Hochman calls these hardships perspectives, he reminds us that bad isn’t that bad and you have to remember that “your worst day can be someone else’s BETTER day”.  POWERFUL  I welcome more challenges and opportunities. I pray you do too.

I wish you all success who was at the seminar because I had a great time. Cool people, great energy.

This seminar wasn’t all about info marketing. In my eyes it was a “Go-Giver” mentality, transparency, and giving thanks!

The laws of reciprocity was thick in the air!!

Thank you everyone.
Belton Lubas
Element 5 Fitness
Underground Strength Coach NW
Strong And Sexy Bootcamps

Element 5 Fitness founders and creators of Strong & Sexy Boot
Camps Rommel Acda, CSCS, and Belton Lubas, NASM-CPT are proud to announce the
grand opening of their first fitness training center in Kirkland, WA.  The Element 5 Fitness Training Center offers
group fitness and fat loss programs, one-on-one personal training, Muscle
Activation Techniques (MAT), sports performance enhancement, and is also the first
licensed Underground Strength Coach Gym in the Pacific Northwest. 

Rommel and
Belton believe that their unique fitness programs are the answer for fitness
enthusiasts feeling the effects of the economic crisis currently facing
Americans. They state: “People are really struggling right now with these hard
financial times.  Though we feel
fitness is a necessity item, most people still do not, and the bottom line is
that it tends to be the first thing that gets cut when people are short on
funds.  Our fitness programs provide
the solution to maintain staying in shape.”  Our Strong & Sexy Boot Camps are thriving in spite of a
struggling economy due to its mission of offering large group workouts lasting
60 minutes in length for as little as $20 per workout. This offers a
significantly more affordable alternative for busy people than traditional
one-on-one personal training rates that start at $65 per one-hour session. 

Strong
& Sexy Boot Camps has some ravings fans, none more vocal than Briony Stow, “I
first heard about the Bootcamp from a friend, naturally we were a little
skeptical, but they promised amazing results and money back guarantees, so why
wouldn’t you try it out? So I did. A few months later, I achieved my weight
loss goal. In fact, EVERYONE that came to train and followed the nutrition
guidelines achieved amazing results. I would recommend these guys to anyone and
everyone! Oh, and even though I reached my goal, it became something that I
enjoy so much that I continue to train with them 2-3 times a week and will do
so indefinitely.” 

Element 5
Fitness training center is also home to the United Source Martial Arts
Academy.  The United Source Academy
specializes in authentic Muay Thai
kickboxing,  Western Boxing, Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune  Do, Filipino
Weaponry, Clinch/Ground Boxing, and Fitness Kickboxing.  The academy offers a multifaceted experience for the beginning to
advanced practitioner. Their focus is not limited to the insufficiency of
solely creating the ‘toughest fighter’ but rather in the equally important
value of introducing individuals and families to the life long benefits of
martial edification and personal development.

The Element 5
Fitness Training Center will be holding a free boot camp from 10-11am this
Saturday to kick off the grand opening.
The United Source Academy will be holding martial arts demonstrations every
30 minutes starting 10am.  Come join us for a great workout at 10am, food, drinks, and prizes to follow at 11:30am.  We are located at 11626 Slater Ave NE, Suites 4 and 5, Kirkland, WA 98034 behind NAPA Auto
Parts.  For more
information call us at 425-823-4400.

Yesterday was very very interesting.  A couple of things were repeatedly brought up to me and I had to finally blog about it.  At first, I thought maybe it  was pure coincidence, or maybe we were all on the same page?  So, out of the many conversations, comments, and eavesdropping in the gym,  I heard two main topics:

- My Blue shirt looked good and I should wear blue more often as told to me by 5 different people.  The 6th one (Allen our new trainer) said it was weird on me because he was used to seeing black and red.  Whatever…hehe.

- “My schedule is too busy.  I can barely eat or even drink water!  I’m rushing to work and so I skip breakfast!”  Blah blah blah

Well, the blue shirt did look good and it represented our ultra sound body fat testing device by Bodymetrix.  But that’s not why I am writing.  That’s a different topic.

I’m writing because people are telling me that they go four to six hours without eating because they are BUSY.  I had a long talk with a client yesterday about eating every 2-3 hours and that it was a struggle for her!!  The work environnment doesn’t allow for her to eat on a regular basis.  I scolded her and now she is taking a stand for her health and going to talk to her boss about getting some time to actually take a break and eat some food and drink water.  Hey, I’m not responsible for what happens if her boss reacts differently.  But Good For Her!

SIDE NOTE: A message to employers, bosses, managers, and all those who make those decisions; “What the Hell?!”  You want happier healthier employees? Geez

Seriously?!

Ok so these clients are busy.  I understand.  And to put it in perspective for those who gave me an excuse…  Let me give you an insight how my “BUSY” day went.

Tuesday Night:

I finished training a client who barely eats because she is “busy”.  We talk about shakes and quick healthy snacks.  I don’t give her any excuses so I gave her my personal jug of chocolate powder shake, flax seed, and organic fiber.  Ah ha! Now she can’t say anything. hehe.  I then lecture her about making time to workout outside of meeting with me; but I myself haven’t worked out yet that day.  Cmon, It was a BUSY day right?  I have an excuse.  I was about to walk out the door when Willie (Element 5 Fitness Master Trainer) suggested we do a workout that entails:

ANGIE WORKOUT:

100 double Kettlebell squats, 100 pushups, 100 pullups, 100 hanging abs. 

Instead we were inspired by a member doing some boxing so we boxed for 45 minutes and perform thai  kicks in the combo.  Boy that was tough!  As we ended, Willie and I both agreed that it was well worth the time to stay an extra 45 minutes to get that workout in because it reset and renewed our spirits!

SO here we are to Wednesday:

YOU WANT BUSY?

4:00 am – wake up and get ready

4:45 am  – drive to Redmond from Bothell.  Pound a shake and an apple while driving

5:30 am to 6:00 am – measure bodyfat for two clients using Ultrasound device

6:00 am to 7:00 am - Strong and Sexy Bootcamp

7am to 7:30am – Measure Bodyfat again

7:30 am – Train the “Welcome back from Vegas” format for this client. HA!

8:30 am – Train the “Welcone back from Palm Springs, San Diego, Mexico, LA, was just sick, and leaving again to LA” format for these two clients. Double Ha

9:30 am - Train the “Just came back from San Diego, gained 10 pounds but lost 5 since coming back and then heading to China WORKOUT” format; but client and I call the session 15 min early as he is BEAT! Good work.

SIDENOTE: Is there a pattern here? hmmmm

10:15 – Run to QFC and Starbucks and grabbed turkey, zuchinni, squash, snap green peas, oatmeal at starbucks. ARGH have only 15 minutes till 10:30 appointment!

10:30 am - Train and talk to client about boss who wont allot time to eat and replenish fluids.  Encourage client to talk to boss.

11:30 am - Leave to Noon Strong and Sexy Bootcamp at Downtown BellevueFirst Street Fitness with Water Babies Crew.  Yes EAT and DRIVE! Turkey and veggies.

12:00 pm – Train noon crew in “They didn’t go to vacation” format

1:30 pm – Train and gave client the  frustrated look.  Suddenly she wasn’t “trying” she  just DID IT!!

2:30pm – Train, Nutrition talk, uh oh…stopped exercises to perform Muscle Activation Techniques Jump Start low grade exercises.  Talked with client about Red Carpet event she is preparing for Bobby Engram Foundation to fight sickle cell disease.

3:30pm – Head to Woodinvilleto train Basketball crew on Strength Format.  Finished Turkey and veggies and ad some grapes from a friend’s cute daughter who offered me some.  Was reminded to wash grapes first to make sure they are clean.  She was too cute.

4:30 pm – Head to Downtown Bellevue for Strong and Sexy Bootcamp evening class and new client. 

5:00pm   – Arrived earlier so I grabbed a Labrada Lean Body shake at Emerald City Smoothie about 4 blocks away.  Water base, adams peanut butter, fiber, calcium, glutamine, amino acids, flax oil, and a small stick of Ostrich jerky.  Popped open computer and sent some files (SSbootcampmanual) but wireless died and I didn’t want to deal with it, so I WORKED OUT! 

5:30 pm – class time…

6:30 pm – New Client, 15 yrs old.  I call him G35 because thats the car he wants.  His mom came to watch…Um NOT on my watch! (sorry for the pun) I put her on a bike and had her do 35 minutes while she watched.  Don’t think she liked that very much in the beginning.  She was loving it later though.

7:30 pm – wrapping up

UGH TRAFFIC

8:00 ish pm – Brown Rice chicken and an orange.

Popped open computer and still did some more work. 

So essentially I went from 4am straight till 9pm ish.  Don’t give me this “I cannot eat” crap and “I cannot workout”.  I have used that before.  You just saw my day.  ‘Nuff said…

If you need some great information on quick exercises for you BUSY folks… Go to

http://www.fitinahurry.com/

Your Fitness Coach,

Belton Lubas

In the quest to burn fat, build muscle and attain a flat belly right in time to show it off at the park or beach this summer there are many obstacles and challenges that will get in the way.  Getting to the gym has become much easier than eating right.

This is where a good protein shake comes in handy.

There are so many options available now that it makes it even more confusing.  However, knowing what to look for will make this process a convenient “no brainer”.

What To Look For

First look for a brand of whey protein powder that is 100% All Natural.  It should state “no artificial sweeteners”, “no artificial flavors”, “hormon free”, “antiobiotic free”, and “BSE free”.  On the ingredient list you’ll ideally want to have 10 ingredients or less on the label.  Depending on the brand they may have a combination of whey protein sources, and that’s ok.  The flavor protein powder you choose will depend on which recipes below seem tasty to you.  For more variability it’s usually easier to go with vanilla.

Shake It Up

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

Mix one serving of chocolate protein powder according to directions with a heaping tablespoon of all-natural peanut butter and half of a banana.  Blend it with crushed ice cubes and enough water to your liking in terms of thickness.

Banana Split

Mix one serving of vanilla or chocolate protein powder according to directions with half a banana, half cup of chopped pineapples, and four frozen strawberries.  Blend it with
crushed ice cubes and enough water to your liking in terms of thickness.

Cookies and Cream

Mix one serving of vanilla or chocolate protein powder according to directions with four to six drops of peppermint extract.  Blend with ice for about 30-45 seconds, then add about four low-fat all-natural chocolate wafers, and blend at a slow speed for an additional 10-15 seconds.

Cinnamon Roll

Mix one serving of vanilla or chocolate protein powder according to
directions with half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon.  extract.  Blend with crushed ice cubes and enough water to your liking in terms of thickness.  This one is especially good with skim milk, soy milk, rice milk, or almond milk.

PB & J

Mix one serving of vanilla or chocolate protein powder according to
directions with a heaping tablespoon of all-natural peanut butter and four to six frozen strawberries (or any berry of choice). Blend
with crushed ice cubes and enough water to your liking in terms of
thickness.

Post-Workout Power Juice

Blend six to eight ounces of all-natural orange juice with one serving of vanilla protein powder, half a banana, half cup of plain yogurt, and ice cubes to your liking.

So these are just a few easy protein shakes to get started.  Add more or less fruit or other ingredients to suit your taste buds.  If you opt for milk as your fluid of choice try to stick with skim milk, low fat soy, rice, & almond milk, or non-fat to low-fat plain yogurt.  Keep the juices for ONLY post-workout shakes, but try to keep it between six to eight ounces (gotta still watch out for the excess sugars).

Are you already a protein shake aficionado?  Share your recipes in the comments section.

PS – These are my brand recommendations,

MRM 100% All Natural Whey (Vanilla or Chocolate) – for protein only, and can be found in most local health food stores

Prograde Lean – for a full meal replacement shake

Prograde Workout – for pre or post workout only (has been university tested and featured in Men’s Health)

[Photo credit: Shootsnikon]

Having trouble sticking to your fitness routine?  Shake it up a little by working out first thing in the morning.  It’s a huge mental shift, but with the sun coming up earlier, early morning workouts will help you jump start your metabolism for the rest of the day.

In addition, you can avoid the stress of battling decisions between your workout and possible last minute evening activities that would have competed with your time, you won’t have to think about getting your workout in, and you’ll find yourself getting more work done during the day.

So challenge yourself to get up earlier and in less than two weeks I guarantee you’ll see and feel a difference.

PS, Still need some pick me up help in the morning? Here are two quick dynamic flexibility exercises to get the blood flowing.

Perform 2 sets of 10 reps for each exercise.

1. Cat/Camel

2. Opposites (aka Bird Dog)

You may or may not have heard of the term “TEF”, or “Thermic Effect of Food”.  For whatever reason “TEF” isn’t widely discussed.  Maybe it’s because talking about good nutrition can be boring, or because there’s so much advice out there that we almost become immune to it.

However, you might want to listen up for this one simple tip, because it’s going to help you (if you apply it) burn an extra 100-300 calories per day.

Here we go.

Every time you eat, at least 10% of your calories is being used for digestion.  This is your body’s natural furnace, aka “TEF”, and it represents the calories burned in order to process the calories consumed.

[Photo Credit: sheedypj]

Protein has the highest TEF at 25-30%, with carbohydrates and fats not even being close at 7% and 3% respectively.  For every 100 calories (25 grams) of protein you eat, your body burns 25-30 calories to simply digest and use the protein.  This is one of the reasons we recommend that you build your meals and snacks around good sources of lean protein, especially if your goal is fat loss.

In comparison, if you ate a meal or snack that was 100 calories of carbs only, such as toast and jam, your body would only burn 7 calories.  Obviously, not the way to go if you want to burn more calories so throw away those useless “100 Calorie” snack bags pronto.

[Photo credit: 3liz4]

So again, if your goal is fat loss then imagine if you combined lean protein with a good carb source that totaled 400 calories and half of those calories came from protein.  That’s 50-60 calories burned from protein, and 14 calories burned from carbs totaling at least 64 calories of TEF.  If you ate four meals like this that would be an additional 256 calories you burned in a day not including the fat blasting calories from your workout.

The simplest thing to do to burn more fat and increase your energy levels is to increase your protein intake, and not only your meal frequency but the regularity of those meals.  Doing this will boost your metabolism quickly and will keep it elevated for several hours.  Talk about an easy way to fight fat, especially if your combining the right foods.

Now go chow on some fat-burning protein!

- Rommel Acda, MATS, CSCS

Have questions or comments?  Please let me know in the comments section.

Have you ever looked at high intensity athletes such as martial artists (MMA Fighters), track stars, gymnasts, etc, and wonder how and why they have a physique like that of a bodybuilder posing at the night of their showing?  You see 6-pack abs, ripped muscles, and basically just a lean mean fighting machine? 

These high intensity athletes are not freaks of nature (well, some of ‘em are), but more or less people who have truly maximized their genetic potential through High Intensity Training.  Whether it is their profession or a passion, you can see across the board the effects of their training.  One class of high intensity athletes are martial artists such as MMA (Mixed Martial Artists) Fighters. 

GSP http://www.sportsbettingandcasino.com/files/2008/01/georges-st-pierre.jpg

As of late, you have seen the explosion of MMA into the mainstream affecting everything from clothing lines, media, pay-per-view, haircuts (kidding), etc.  But when you look at how these high intensity athletes train, it is amazing.  There is something to be said about the energy demands and requirements for this type of training.  This form of training is anaerobic (without oxygen) in nature and has what we call an “afterburn” effect aka EPOC (Excess Post Oxygen Consumption).  Unlike traditional cardio aerobic programs where you stop burning once you stop your exercise, anaerobic exercise keeps on going for hours afterwards thus maximizing fat loss!  It is the Energizer Bunny of fat loss! Keeps going and going and going… 

BJ Penn http://www.newzealandmma.com/home/images/photos/bjpenn.jpg    

Manny Pacquiao http://hibachibaby.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/manny-pacquiao.jpg

Although many cannot handle the actual intensity of how hard Martial Artists truly train, you can still get involved in high intensity training starter programs and maximize the benefits from it.  As you progress, you can increase the workload and change up the routine to accommodate your progressions.

So how many calories can you burn?  Well, let me just say that your body composition determines that.  Obviously if you are heavier, your energy demands are greater.  For example, did you know that you can burn up anywhere from a low end of 300-600 calories OR 800-1200 calories per hour of boxing training?  Those numbers are dependent upon the body mass of the individual.   But before you get excited about your fat loss journey, keep in mind most people CANT go for an hour of boxing let alone 15 minutes.  Now remember, boxing is one format of a high intensity exercise.  You are missing the point here if you start buying gloves and a heavy bag.  I’m talking about high intensity training and using martial artists as an example.  Look at the example below demonstrating high intensity vs traditional cardio training below:

-       154 pound person who runs at a pace of 8 mph will burn 320 calories in 20 minutes. That same person, walking at 3 mph for an hour, will burn 235 calories.

Now take that into your training protocol and you will see that you do NOT have to train for an hour.  Train Smarter not just harder. 

The Strong and Sexy bootcamp program with Element 5 Fitness has incorporated this form of training into their programming.  All over the Eastside clients are experiencing fat loss with this type of training.  From 25-50+ pounds of fat loss, you may wonder why participants at the Strong and Sexy Bootcamp classes are experiencing this phenomenon.  Well, if you were paying attention to the paragraphs above then you would know why!

I have included some of the sample workouts below that were incorporated in our Strong and Sexy Bootcamps classes.  This is a 30 second format PER exercise.  You cycle through the three exercises one after another WITHOUT rest.  The only real rest you will probably get is a 5 second transition between stations. 

30 second format EACH exercise EQUALS ONE SET:

-       Bench Press OR Band Punches 30 seconds

-       Reverse Lunge with Band Row

-       Jump Rope OR explosive cardio format

Repeat these exercises 4 or 5 times through!  That itself covers a quick six to seven and a half minutes!  Once you combine 3 – 4 formats of this type of training, you will have covered at least 20-30 minutes of a high intensity type of training. 

If you dare, try this format and adjust the intensity and tempo to get a killer workout!  Welcome to the FITNESS WARRIOR LIFESTYLE!!!

Yours in health,

Belton