Do Elimination Diets Work For Weight Loss?

March 2012 – FAQ: Nutrition!

For this month’s article, I will be answering a question I received from one of my Boot Camp members. Basically, the lovely young lady wants to know if there are any pitfalls to eliminating (or significantly reducing) certain macronutrient categories (such as carbohydrates) or food groups (such as fruits) from one’s diet for the purpose of losing unwanted weight. Elimination diets are a hot topic of discussion these days and have been for many years. Some experts promote one kind of diet (Protein dominant) and others swear the opposite (Carbohydrate dominant) is true. When the experts cannot agree, who are we supposed to listen to or follow? I will do my best today to guide you through the confusion.

A NEW Paradigm in 2012!

January 2012 – Goal Setting!

In my last article (The Truth About Weight Loss!), I discussed how measuring your success solely by the amount of weight you lose is very flawed. To prove my case, I showed a ‘before and after’ picture of a female who was leaner and thinner in her ‘after’ picture even though she gained weight. For this reason, I have put together another article so that you do not continue to make the same mistake in 2012! I will give you some better examples of goal setting and show you how to more accurately measure success so that you get on the right track this year toward transforming your physique! Enjoy!

The Truth About Weight Loss!

December 2011 – Weight Management!

I am often approached by people with the goal to lose weight. This is an appropriate goal for someone who is significantly overweight; however, it should not be the only goal they set. To focus solely on weight loss (as the only goal) has lead many people toward failure. Also, the goal to lose weight is not appropriate for everyone and yet, most people adopt this goal as their central focus. In this article, I will explain why this goal is not for everyone and how it can actually have negative consequences to transforming one’s physique especially when it becomes your main focus.     

True or False – Spot Reduction Works!

October 2011 – Fitness Concepts and Strategies!

Recently, while teaching one of my Boot Camp classes, a member asked me what exercise works best to get rid of the fat on (or reduce the size of) the outside of her legs. Unfortunately, I could not fully answer her question because I was in the middle of teaching a class. Therefore, I have dedicated this article to her and the many others who have asked this common question. Does spot reduction actually work? Let’s find out!    

Performance Athletes: How Many Reps? (Intensity vs. Volume)

The following is an article that I wrote for an up-and-coming website called PerformanceAthletes.com. 

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For over 10 years, I have witnessed many people (professional athletes, bodybuilders, fitness enthusiasts, etc.) training without a fundamental understanding of key exercise variables (including reps, sets, and tempo). Why is this significant? Well, it often leads to resources (such as time, effort and money) not being used effectively; decreased performance and/or injury. As this obviously does not contribute to your overall success, and is contrary to building yourself ‘body proud’, it is the last thing we want for you here at PerformanceAthletes.com. For this reason, I feel compelled to help you gain a better understanding of these key exercise variables and get the most out of your training.  As a matter of fact, once you understand how to effectively implement these exercise variables, your training and ultimately, your performance will rise to a whole new level. In order to give these exercise variables the attention they deserve, I will dedicate an article for each of them. In this article, I will present the basis of optimal repetition selection.

Just Do It!

June 2011 – Goal Achievement!

“Eat your vegetables.” “Sit up straight.” “Brush your teeth.” “Clean your room.” These are disciplines which most of us have heard from our parents. Why did they tell us to do these things? Quite simply, they loved us. They knew these actions would have a positive impact on us. As we get older however, our parents will no longer play the disciplining role in our lives. At first, we may feel a sense of freedom, but soon enough, we will realize that this role must be replaced. For without discipline, our lives will inevitably turn upside down. Therefore, there comes a time in your life where you must replace your parents discipline with self-discipline.    

How Much Cardio Should I do?

April 2011 – Exercise Q and A!

Should I go for a run or ride the bike? I wonder which one will burn more fat? How many of you have asked yourself this question? Today, I am going to address some commonly asked questions about cardiovascular training. There seems to be a lot of confusion surrounding this topic so I will do my best to clarify things for you. By understanding the way this system works, you will know how to make better use of your energy, money and time.