3 Butt-Shaping Cardio Workouts

If you want better "butt shaping cardio exercise," think more "out of the machines." Go hard on land my friend and you will have a better shaped butt, hips and thighs (and overall body).

Cardio machine queens and kings love treadmills and other machines to do cardio exercise. Although it is much better than doing nothing, you will get better and faster results doing your cardio on land. You get no help from the momentum supplied by machines.

If you want to further challenge yourself, burn more fat and really "lean out," then take your cardio act outside. There you will have to fight against gravity, inclines and wind.

So, here are 3 Butt Shaping Cardio Exercises on Land:

Note: Thankfully, all it takes is 20 minutes of interval cardio, 2-3 days a week to keep your heart healthy and burn fat...If you don't change up your cardio routine, your body will adapt and you'll be wasting your time. I know people who have done the same cardio routine for so long that repetitive stress injuries have set in!

1. Sprinting up stadium steps will get the job done. Doing interval cardio on stadium steps is simple: run up the steps and walk back down slowly. You might need a little more rest when you first start but that's okay.

2. Change up your cardio routine with lower body cardio blasts using bodyweight exercises like squats, mountain climbers, thrusters, squat jumps, step ups and lunges. Bodyweight exercises give you the dual benefit of strength and cardio. Busy people love this type of time-saving workout.

3. Sprint intervals on grass will torch the fat. Sprinting activates and shapes the bulkier, shapely fast-twitch muscle fibers. Just check out the sprinters at the next track meet you attend and see how toned their butt, hips and thighs are. Just run as fast as you can. The intervals should go something like this:

a. Run 50 yards
b. Walk back to starting line
c. Sprint 50 yards
d. Do this rotation for 20 minutes.

When this sprint workout gets easier to do, run on inclines to ramp up the intensity!

As easy as 1-2-3.....work your butt off!

If you need bodyweight workouts that you can start at your own level, check out the Free download below (it has beginner, intermediate and advanced levels):

Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts. Start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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10 Signs You're Over-Training and Starving to Lose Weight

Are you starving yourself and working out like crazy just to lose weight? Is it worth it?

How do you know if you may be over-training? Here are some signs:

1. You are sluggish and listless during the day. Drinking 10 cups of coffee will only make you feel more tired.

2. You have trouble keeping your body under control during exercises. If you have trouble doing balance exercises or one-legged exercises, this may be a bad sign.

3. Do you need longer rest periods between sets? Thirty to sixty seconds should be enough rest between sets. And, for circuit training, there is little or no rest between sets. If you need 2-3 minutes rest between sets, that's not a good sign. And, your workouts would take forever to finish!

4. If you are exhausted before your workouts on most days, that's a sign you may be over-training (especially if you're sleeping enough).

5. Are you are stressed out after your workout? Exercise should be one of the best stress-busters you have available to you.

How do you know if you're starving yourself just to lose weight as fast as you can?

1. Quick weight loss programs often leave you hungry between meals because you're not eating near enough food. After about a week, your body will begin to think you are starving and start storing fat as a survival mechanism.

2. Are you trying to lose 30 pounds in 20 days? Bingo! You're starving yourself. Weight lost that quickly (without regular strength training) will be mainly water weight and lost muscle mass instead of fat mass (this will slow down your metabolism).

If you're focused on losing pounds as fast as possible instead of burning body fat burned and losing inches, you're on the path to yo-yo weight loss and regain.

3. And then there's severe calorie restriction dieting which leads to consistent low energy and slowed metabolism. Eating 1,000 calories a day is severe calorie restriction.

4. If you are a chronic starvation dieter, you can look forward to a damaged metabolism, a weak immune system, hormonal imbalances, sleep deprivation, loss of lean mass and increased body fat.

5. If you're at a point where you hate to eat, see a doctor. Something seriously wrong is happening with you. This is where illnesses such as bulimia and anorexia can set in.

I was talking to a friend last week who is trying to lose weight too fast. He is basically working out 2-3 hours a day. He had early success which is normal.

But now, he is always exhausted, over-training, under-eating and in a weight loss rut. This combination, if continued, is a recipe for fatigue, injuries, illness and little or no results. So his question was: "What's going wrong here?"

Instead of telling you my answers to him, I will let you see for yourself in the FREE PROGRAM below:

If you need Motivation and Accurate Information to make your best body.......

Be sure and download your FREE 7-Day Body Makeover Jumpstart e-Course, which shows you how to totally remake your body a healthy and lean fat-burning machine!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Top Exercise Increases Testosterone Levels

If you think you may have "Low T" (testosterone) levels, always look for natural remedies first. Don't rush out to spend big bucks on injections and hormone replacement therapies. Go natural first.....

One of the best natural ways to boost testosterone levels is with regular strength training. Build more muscle mass and "lean out" your body, whether you're male and female. Yes, females need adequate testosterone levels too, just not as much as males.

Do strength exercises that work major muscle groups such as squats and deadlift to elevate testosterone levels. Heavier squats will elevate your testosterone levels more. But, you don't have to "max out" on this exercise.

The squat is a must-do exercise to help you burn more fat and shape your body. Learn to love the squat exercise if you hate it! The squat gets a bad rap because people injure themselves by doing the exercise incorrectly.

There is probably no other exercise that has a greater impact on your body's muscle, metabolism and energy expenditure. Why? Because the squat is a complete-body movement exercise. This means your legs (especially quads, hamstrings and glutes), abdominals, lower back, arms and shoulders are targeted.

I would recommend doing squats without machines or weight belts. This will help you to learn how to stabilize your body without artificial support. If you are not able to perform squats with barbell or dumbbell weights because of injury, then start with bodyweight squats.

There are many variations of the squat exercise. Some are: barbell squats, dumbbell squats, bodyweight squats, one-legged squats, Bulgarian split squats, side squats, prisoner squats (pictured above), sumo squats, sissy squats, hack squats and front squats. They are all good to work into your routine at some point. Keep in mind that one-legged exercises are more intense than two-legged exercises.

Here are my Top 3 Reasons to do Squats and Burn More Fat:

1. The squat works the major muscle groups. To recruit more muscle fibers during workouts and improve your fat loss success, focus more on multi-joint or compound exercises like the squat. Compound exercises will help you burn more fat because of the intensity of working large muscle groups in your body. You will also burn more calories after your workout.

2. You will tone your bulky and shapely fast twitch muscle fibers better with the squat exercise. I am talking mainly about your butt, hips and thighs. Need I say more?

3. Work your core with squats. Research shows that the abdominal muscles are engaged more when doing squats than they are doing many of the more popular ab exercises. Your lower back will also get quite a workout. If you do the exercise correctly, you won't injure your low back (as many fear).

The are many other reasons to do the squat exercise. Include some type of squat in every strength training workout.

Be sure and download your FREE Report, "How to Knock 20 Years Off Your Body." You will learn the top ways to naturally increase your testosterone levels.

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

5 Step Power Cardio Plateau Buster

If you need to burn fat sooner, power up your workouts. For sure, a plateau buster, power cardio will torch fat and shape your body better. Do more work in less time and get better results. Power is basically how fast your muscles can produce force. Power exercises will also help you push through boredom, which is inherent with repeated cardio exercise.

A common problem that exercisers run into all the time is---"I have hit a wall (plateau)!" All of the early success associated with starting an exercise program can send you into a tailspin when you reach a plateau. You become frustrated and wonder "what am I doing wrong?" You probably just need to change up your exercise routine and you'll be okay.

Have you been working out at the same intensity for the last 8-10 weeks. If you were "out-of-shape" when you started, you probably worked out at a slow pace.....that will stop working as you get better conditioned.....One of the best ways to "bust thru a fat loss plateau" is to speed up and shorten your cardio and weight training routines.

Doing these types of short burst workouts will change your hormones allowing your body to naturally regulate fat burning, appetite and moods. You will shape your bulkier, fast twitch muscle fibers when doing exercises at full speed.

Too many long, slow cardio sessions wastes time and eats away at your muscle mass. Short, intense cardio sessions also burn more fat and calories during and after your workout.

Here's an example: instead of doing cardio on the elliptical machine, do your cardio with 5 power exercises. All it takes is 20 intense minutes. It can go something like this:

1. Jump rope, fast, 1 minute
--Walk 1 minute

2. Sprint 50 yards, walk back and sprint 50 yards again
--Walk 1 minute

3. Jumping Jacks, fast, 1 minute
--Walk 1 minute

4. Barbell or dumbbell Power Step Ups (pictured above, knee high platform), 10 repetitions each leg, explosive with control
--Walk 1 minute

5. Bodyweight squat jumps, fast, 20 seconds
--Walk 1 minute

Rest 3 minutes between circuits. Repeat this circuit 1-2 more times.

If you don't like these types of exercises, then pick exercises that you like. I know that squat jumps won't work for those with knee or back problems. As long as you change it up and keep it interesting, you will will make progress.

Start changing your body today with the Bodyweight Strength Program below....it has 3 levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced.

Download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts now!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

4 Tricks to Control Your #1 Fat-Burning Hormone

by BioTrust Nutrition

Hey it’s Joel, and today I want to talk to you about the one solitary hormone that can either make or break your weight loss journey…

In fact, if you don’t learn to control this hormone, you might as well forget about losing fat at all…it really is that big of a deal.

You see, back in my college days after struggling to lose weight over and over again no matter what I did, I finally stumbled upon the hormone that I now refer to as the “Fat Burning Hormone,” and that hormone’s name is leptin.

Leptin (derived from the Greek word leptos, meaning thin), is essentially the “master” hormone that more or less controls EVERY other weight loss hormone in your body… and your ability to burn fat as a whole.

You see, when you have leptin on your side, fat loss becomes easy.  When you don’t, losing even a single pound can become virtually impossible.

And here’s the unfortunate news:  just about everyone is unknowingly fighting a losing battle with leptin each and every time they attempt to lose weight.

You see, the REAL underlying reason you may have failed to lose weight in the past isn’t because you didn’t try hard enough, you have bad genetics, or there’s something physically wrong with you… the truth is that you failed simply because you didn’t know the simple ways to control your #1 weight loss hormone… leptin.

With that said, it’s pretty easy to see why so many folks, and perhaps you’re one of them, downright struggle to shed their unwanted body fat like I did, month after month, year after year.

Let me explain…

First, in order to burn fat, your body depends on these two things:

1) high levels of leptin

2) highly sensitive leptin “receptors” (which acts as the “lock” to leptin’s “key”)

Now for the bad news…

Anytime you go on a diet and reduce your calorie intake, leptin levels plummet and fat burning is dramatically reduced to a snail’s pace.

Why?

Because leptin’s main function is to protect your body against starvation, and in the midst of decreased food intake (i.e. dieting), your body unfortunately views your stored body fat as a huge asset to survival.

After all, body fat provides a vast supply of stored energy and warmth, both highly-valued resources when food is in short supply.

You see, when you go on a diet, your body isn’t aware of your hopes for a slim, tight waistline or your desire to drop 20 lbs in time for your high school reunion or summer beach season.  In fact, the only thing it does know is that your calorie intake is now below “normal”… and to your brain, that’s a big red flag.

The result: reduced leptin levels and dramatically decreased fat burning.

In fact, research has shown that leptin levels drop by as much as 50% after just 7 days of dieting.  That puts you at only 50% of your fat-burning potential just one WEEK in to your fat loss plan, and it only gets worse with each passing day.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, with every pound you DO struggle to lose, leptin levels fall even further, making it even more difficult for you to continue to lose fat.

Why?

Because, as mentioned, in the face of calorie restriction, your body views stored body fat as an asset to survival. The more fat you lose, the more “danger” your body senses, and the harder it is to strip away that next pound.

Hello, fat loss plateaus!

Now, I hate to continue to be the bearer of bad news, but the scenario I just explained is actually only HALF the problem.

The other unfortunate reality is that the vast majority of people are ALSO suffering from a condition known as “leptin resistance” due to years of high body fat levels and a diet full of processed foods.

Leptin resistance simply means that even at high levels, leptin is no longer able to properly signal fat burning to your body, dramatically decreasing its fat loss effects.

That’s a pretty disheartening truth for the fat loss enthusiast, but the good news is that there are 4 somewhat odd, but extremely effective strategies you can begin using today that will ultimately end your struggle with leptin once and for all and finally allow you to experience the excitement of seeing a thinner waist, flatter stomach, and a more defined body when looking back at yourself in the bathroom mirror each morning.

Learn more about this awesome fat-burning hormone.....

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES

Your Fitness University
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Her Fitness Hut
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Post-Workout Nutrition Your Body Craves

Eat quality nutrition to fuel your workouts and daily lifestyle activity. What you eat matters big-time.

You have to eat enough of the right foods, all the time, for your body to work properly---whether exercising, working, walking or just plain living. Keeping your body in an anabolic state all the time aids your metabolism, muscle-building, body repair and overall long-term health.

Junk food like chips, pastries, candy, donuts and sodas aren't nutritious and have loads of calories. They also have you wanting to eat more in just a short time. Control your eating with a sound nutrition plan.

Hopefully, your nutrition plan includes protein with every meal. Eating complete proteins from sources like eggs, low-fat diary and fish gives your body a steady stream of protein throughout the day. Research has proven that protein keeps blood sugar levels more steady and helps you feel fuller for a longer period (slower digestion). Protein also keeps the hunger hormone, ghrelin, in check so your hunger doesn't spike so high.

What about eating for your workouts? Do you know what you should eat before and after your workout?

Post-workout nutrition is important to help your body recover from intense exercise (especially weight training). You don't need to eat immediately after your workout but there is a 30-45 minute window where replenishing your body's fuel will optimize your tissue's repair and growth. And, it will help you recover and get ready for your next workout.

How much do you eat? You cannot eat haphazardly and expect to reach your fat loss and weight loss goals. Research shows that people will underestimate the amount of calories they eat.

According to the True Results Health Honesty Survey, 46 percent of those surveyed are not honest with family members and 32 percent admit to lying to doctors. True Results is a team of leading weight loss experts based in Texas.

"Lying about your health and fitness, if even only a few times per year, can signify a fundamental issue in your ability to achieve your health goals," said Jessica Diaz, nutritionist and exercise physiologist for True Results. "Numerous studies have shown, the key to achieving any health or fitness goal is support from those around you and that cannot happen if you're not honest with yourself or others."

If you need help remaking your food pantry.....

The Fat-Burning Kitchen, will show you how to totally makeover your kitchen pantry to make your body a fat-burning machine!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Is it Sick to Diagnose Ourselves?

by Sandy Getzkey

Is it Sick to Diagnose Ourselves?
 or  

There is new medicine man in everyone’s home. The internet. Dr. Internet has provided us with everything we need to know about our personal ailments, from stretch marks to more serious problems. Many of us spend hours online looking for ways to confirm our worst fears. Self-diagnosis is more than just gratifying. It’s a phenomenon. Most people will ask a free search engine to diagnose their problems before consulting a doctor, and many stop looking when they think they have an answer.

A study conducted at BYU has recently called the validity of online self-diagnosis into question with an interesting find. The Internet is written by humans, and any information contained therein is subject to flaws in research demographics, health information included. Oddly enough, while most people have admitted to consulting the Internet before consulting a doctor, less than 15% of Internet users post their experiences with health issues online.

Think about that. Your primary care physician has a doctoral degree. Eight years of intensive research encompassing a huge range of health issues has found him in a position of trust and leadership among his peers. Dr. Internet is composed of the professional experiences of 15% of Internet users, who would you rather consult?

This imbalance poses a threat to the credibility of online self-diagnosis for more than one reason.

First and foremost, high accuracy can only be achieved in high numbers. Most long term studies involve thousands of patients, followed for years of data collection. 

If three people review a product and two find it to be insufficient, the next user will find either a low star-rating, or a 67% failure rate. True accuracy cannot be achieved without sufficient opportunity to present itself. If a thousand people were asked to review the same product, and over 900 approved of it, the two that didn’t wouldn’t tip the scales so dramatically.

Secondly, what we don’t post can hurt us. Users with first-hand knowledge of health issues are holding back, due to a desire for privacy. Patient confidentiality is taken seriously by physicians, but few things on the Internet are protected by law. 

However, failure to post important information leaves inconclusive studies and claims unchallenged. For this reason, the 85% of us who choose to post pictures of our pets over health-related topics would benefit from the occasional anonymous post. Instead, we wait for someone else to do it.

Fortunately, comment boxes aren’t the only things consumers focus on. Many consumers search for healthcare providers online, and they usually find what they’re looking for. Ultimately, knowledge is power, whether it’s sound or factually inaccurate. Self-diagnosis using the Internet is dangerous. Talk to your doctor. Then come back and tell us about it.

The author Sandy Getzky is an associate editor at ProveMyMeds, a medication review site for common ailments that plague people everyday. She also provides medical research for condition-oriented publications like the National Nail Fungus Organization.

Dead-Hang Pullups to Build Sculpted Muscle Mass

The dead-hang pullup is a great bodyweight exercise to build upper body muscle mass and burn fat.  You will also develop better definition and sculpt your upper body as you add sets and repetitions over time.  The best muscle building equipment is your body.   

Bodyweight exercises use natural body motions that don't limit your natural range of motion like machine lifting.  Bodyweight exercises allow you to develop strength that allows your body to stabilize itself. Also, no two people have the same exact motions. So, adjustments are made for your unique challenges.

Work to do exercises with technically correct movements before progressing to heavy weight exercises.  This will limit your risk of injuries.

The pullup is one of the best exercises you should be doing.  Don't be afraid of the exercise.  If you can't do any, start by doing 1 pullup and progress.  You could also strengthen your back muscles with the lat pulldown and dumbbell row.

The pullup is not just a back muscle exercise. Pullups work your lats (and other back muscles), core, shoulders, arms, chest, biceps and improve grip strength.

Do the basic overhand grip, dead-hang pullup this way:

1. Hang from a pullup bar with your palms facing away from your body, your arms straight and your feet crossed together with legs bent about 90 degrees. Pull yourself up until your chin passes the bar.

2. A wider grip (greater than shoulder width) will work your lats more. A closer grip (shoulder width or less) will work your middle back muscles more.

3. If you lack grip strength, you can use straps to help.

4. Don't jut your chin out (it strains your cervical spine).

5. Don't swing. It makes the pullup easier by using momentum. You need to pullup, not swing up.

6. Don't let your chest collapse because that puts too much stress on your shoulders.

7. Don't arch your lower back too much. You want your abdominal muscles to be engaged when you do the pullup. Keep your torso braced (as if taking a punch to the gut) during the pullup.

8. When you start the pullup, drive your shoulder blades down and squeeze them together. This will engage your shoulder stabilizers more.

Go for it!

Here is a great FREE DOWNLOAD below to get you started:

There are Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels for this Bodyweight Strength Program.

Download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Her Fitness Hut
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Are Whole Eggs or Egg Whites Better for You?

by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author, The Truth about 6-Pack Abs

I was on a weekend trip with some friends recently and one of my friends was cooking breakfast for the whole group. I went over to see what he was cooking and saw he was getting ready to make a big batch of eggs.

Well, to my shock and horror, I noticed that he was cracking the eggs open and screening the egg whites into a bowl and throwing out the egg yolks. I asked him why the heck he was throwing out the egg yolks, and he replied something like this…

“because I thought the egg yolks were terrible for you…that’s where all the nasty fat and cholesterol is”.

And I replied, “you mean that’s where all of the nutrition is!”

This is a perfect example of how confused most people are about nutrition. In a world full of misinformation about nutrition, somehow most people now mistakenly think that the egg yolk is the worst part of the egg, when in fact, the YOLK IS THE HEALTHIEST PART OF THE EGG!

By throwing out the yolk and only eating egg whites, you’re essentially throwing out the most nutrient dense, antioxidant-rich, vitamin and mineral loaded portion of the egg. The yolks contain so many B-vitamins, trace minerals, vitamin A, folate, choline, lutein, and other powerful nutrients… it’s not even worth trying to list them all.

In fact, the egg whites are almost devoid of nutrition compared to the yolks.

Even the protein in egg whites isn’t as powerful without the yolks to balance out the amino acid profile and make the protein more bio-available. Not to even mention that the egg yolks from free range chickens are loaded with healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid of the egg. In addition, the yolks contain ALL of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as ALL of the essential fatty acids (EFAs).

And now the common objection I get all the time when I say that the yolks are the most nutritious part of the egg…

“But I heard that whole eggs will skyrocket my cholesterol through the roof”

No, this is FALSE!

First of all, when you eat a food that contains a high amount of dietary cholesterol such as eggs, your body down-regulates it’s internal production of cholesterol to balance things out.

On the other hand, if you don’t eat enough cholesterol, your body simply produces more since cholesterol has dozens of important vital functions in the body.

healthy whole eggsAnd here’s where it gets even more interesting…

There have been plenty of studies lately that indicate that eating whole eggs actually raises your good HDL cholesterol to a higher degree than LDL cholesterol, thereby improving your overall cholesterol ratio and blood chemistry.

And 3rd… high cholesterol is NOT a disease! Heart disease is a disease…but high cholesterol is NOT. Cholesterol is actually a VERY important substance in your body and has vitally important functions… it is DEAD WRONG to try to “lower your cholesterol” just because of pharmaceutical companies propaganda that everyone on the planet should be on statin drugs.

If you’re interested in this topic of cholesterol specifically, I have another article listed at the bottom of this page about why trying to attack cholesterol is a mistake, and what the REAL deadly risk factors actually are.

In addition, the yolks contain the antioxidant lutein as well as other antioxidants which can help protect you from inflammation within your body (the REAL culprit in heart disease, not dietary cholesterol!), giving yet another reason why the yolks are actually GOOD for you, and not detrimental.

To help bring even more proof that whole eggs are better for you than egg whites, I recently read a University of Connecticut study that showed that a group of men in the study that ate 3 eggs per day for 12 weeks while on a reduced carb, higher fat diet increased their HDL good cholesterol by 20%, while their LDL bad cholesterol stayed the same during the study. However, the group that ate egg substitutes (egg whites) saw no change in either and did not see the improvement in good cholesterol (remember that higher HDL levels are associated with lower risk of heart disease) that the whole egg eaters did.

So I hope we’ve established that whole eggs are not some evil food that will wreck your body… instead whole eggs are FAR superior to egg whites.

But what about the extra calories in the yolks?

This is actually a non-issue and here’s why… even though egg yolks contain more calories than just eating the egg whites, the yolks have such a high micro-nutrient density in those calories, that it increases your overall nutrient density per calorie you consume. Essentially, what this does is help to regulate your appetite for the remainder of the day, so you end up eating less calories overall. In addition, the healthy fats in the egg yolks help to maintain a good level of fat-burning hormones in your body.

Overall, this means that the extra fats (healthy fats) and calories from the yolk are so nutrient-dense that they actually HELP you to burn off body fat!

Also, your normal supermarket eggs coming from mass factory farming just don’t compare nutritionally with organic free range eggs from healthy chickens that are allowed to roam freely and eat a more natural diet. Your typical cheap grocery store eggs will have lower nutrient levels and a higher omega-6 level and lower omega-3 level. On the other hand, the cage-free organic eggs from healthier chickens allowed to eat more natural feed and roam freely will have much higher vitamin and mineral levels and a more balanced healthier omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio.

I recently compared eggs I bought at the grocery store with a batch of eggs I got at a farm stand where the chickens were free roaming and healthy.

Most people don’t realize that there’s a major difference because they’ve never bought real eggs from healthy chickens… The eggs from the grocery store had pale yellow yolks and thin weak shells. On the other hand, the healthier free range eggs from the local farm had strong thick shells and deep orange colored yolks indicating much higher nutrition levels and carotenoids… and just a healthier egg in general.

This is due to the fact that a free-roaming hen allowed to roam on plenty of land will eat a variety of greens, insects, worms, etc transferring MUCH higher levels of nutrients to the eggs compared to an unhealthy hen that is trapped inside a dark factory farm hen house in horrible conditions and fed nothing but piles of corn and soy. It’s a DRASTIC difference in the nutrition that you get from the egg.

So next time a health or fitness professional tells you that egg whites are superior (because of their “fat-phobic” mentality towards dietary fats), you can quietly ignore their advice knowing that you now understand the REAL deal about egg yolks.

And can we all please STOP with this sillyness about eating an omelete with 4-5 egg whites and only 1 egg yolk… If you want real taste and real health benefits, we’d all be better off eating ALL of our eggs with the yolks.

After all, do you REALLY think that our ancestors thousands of years ago threw out the yolks and only ate the egg whites? NOT A CHANCE! They intuitively knew that all of the nutrition was found in the yolks. But our modern society has been brainwashed with misinformation about fats and cholesterol.

Another interesting study about eggs…

I read a study recently that compared groups of people that ate egg breakfasts vs groups of people that ate cereal or bagel-based breakfasts. The results of the study showed that the egg eaters lost or maintained a healthier bodyweight, while the cereal/bagel eaters gained weight.

It was hypothesized that the egg eaters actually ate less calories during the remainder of the day because their appetite was more satisfied compared to the cereal/bagel eaters who would have been more prone to wild blood sugar swings and food cravings.

Oh, one last thing I almost forgot… I personally eat 4 whole eggs almost every day with breakfast, and I maintain single-digit bodyfat most of the year.

Enjoy your eggs and get a leaner body!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Author, The Truth about 6-Pack Abs

The dangers of cholesterol lowering drugs, statins

3 Belly Fat Fixes

by Kevin DiDonato, MS, CSCS, CES

QUESTION: What is the BEST way to shred BELLY FAT?

ANSWER: There are many, many different approaches you should consider when you’re looking to shred belly fat.

Although this is a great question, it’s a very complicated question to answer.

You see, there are people who feel that X-Y-Z will work for EVERYONE.

And then there are some other people that only feel ONE way is the right approach.

But what they may not understand is this: weight loss can be very simple, or it can be very complicated.

So let’s start from scratch.  Have a seat and get ready for a crash-course on fat cell anatomy, fat loss, and how to get the “six-pack” that everyone is after.

Fat Cell Anatomy

Now, before we begin, you should understand a little bit about fat cells.

First, they are NOT just pockets that hold fatty acids for later use.  This theory was smashed years ago!

Although that is one of their jobs (storing and releasing fatty acids for energy) it is NOT their primary job.

You see, recently studies have shown that fat cells are actually an endocrine organ – yes an organ that releases hormones.

And the hormones that fat cells release may make or break your fat loss results.

You see, fat cells release two powerful fat burning hormones – adiponectin and leptin – which help regulate glucose metabolism, appetite, and when and how much fat you need to release and burn.

However, sometimes your body either doesn’t respond appropriately to those hormones, or there is not enough of the hormones produced and released from your fat cells.

And this may lead to poor appetite control, altered energy metabolism, and a host of other complications.

Now, you also should know that you have fat cells EVERYWHERE!

They are not just stationed over your abs, but they are spread all over your body, which may be another misconception.

And this makes the age-old spot reduction techniques obsolete.

I know it’s hard to believe!

You can’t spot reduce!  When you start a diet or an exercise program, you start to burn fat from ALL OVER YOUR BODY and not in certain areas, like your abs.

In fact, sometimes your abs may be the last place you – and others – will notice have totally shrunk and melted away!

So what should you do to turn on your fat burning genes?

The Plan

There are plenty of things you can do to lose fat – that you may have tried and stopped – because you didn’t see immediate results.

Remember, it took you how long to put the weight on?  Usually months or years – so it will take that long or longer to strip that fat away.

Here are some of the basics you need to know in order to burn your fat:

1. Eat the Right Diet

Of course, in order to burn fat, you have to eat right.

And eating right doesn’t mean eating out more…

Or eating fast food more…

It means eating the right foods – at the right times - and in the right combinations.

You want to focus on whole foods, like fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, lean proteins, and complex carbs.

Now, eating these foods is not enough.  You need to eat them in the right combinations in order to burn the fat and lose the weight.

Eating too many carbs and not enough protein, for example, may lead to fat storage instead of burning the fat.

You want to make sure your portions are where they need to be.  A good rule of thumb: YOUR open hand = good portion of protein, and YOUR closed fist = good portion of complex carbs.

Eating the right way will go a long way in your ability to burn fat and keep it off!

2. Exercise the RIGHT Way

If you want to burn the fat, you need to move your body.

Exercise is great for, not only making you look good naked, but for expending calories – which is the basis to weight and fat loss.

It not only expends calories, but it also builds lean and toned muscles, which is what gives you the lean, mean, and trim look.

So what should you do?

A combination of strength training, high-intensity training, and cardio!

Yes, although cardio is NOT the best exercise to burn extra fat, it is necessary for added calorie burn and weight loss.

You should do cardio at least one or two days per week, alternating days of high-intensity interval training in between.

And, you need to do strength training.  This helps to build the lean muscle mass stores on your body, which is also a potent metabolism-boosting tissue!

This should help you expend calories, build lean muscle mass, and utilize more fat for energy to fuel your workouts!

The BEST Way to a Flatter Stomach

If you’re looking for a flatter stomach, leaner body, and greater fat loss, then look no further than the steps above.

Not only will they help you to tone and trim up your whole body, but they will help you shed years of unwanted fat stores.

So what are you waiting for?

The body of your dreams is only a few short months away!  Start implementing these tips today, and soon you will have a leaner and fitter body that lacks excess belly fat – and overall fat!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES

Your Fitness University
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Number One Way To Turn BAD Fat Good Again

by Kevin DiDonato, MS, CSCS, CES

As you know, exercise is a very, very important aspect for your health.

It keeps you strong, flexible, and healthy.  Plus – with the added muscle mass – it may keep you fit and trim for years to come.

But, I bet you didn’t know this about exercise…

Exercise and Fat Cells

Depending on the type of exercise you do, you can burn extra calories which may lead to overall weight loss.

And, if you add in some strength training, then you may alter your muscle tissue (a good thing!), therefore allowing your body to burn even more calories at rest.  This could alter your body composition (fat vs. lean muscle mass), allowing for a stronger, leaner, and trimmer body.

But new research - that was just presented - shows that exercise may actually CHANGE the composition of your fat cells – for the BETTER!

Now, as you know, your fat cells play a larger-than-life-role in metabolism, blood sugar control, as well as countless other important tasks.

And, you may have heard, brown fat tissue may lead to extra calories burned (when activated due to shivering, etc.).

Well, now a new study shows – in both mice and humans – that exercise may lead to changes in the composition of your fat cells – therefore enabling your body to burn more calories and potentially lose more weight.

The study used 10 healthy men who performed a 12-week training program that significantly improved their VO2 max.

They showed that the training protocol significantly increased some markers of “browning” of white adipose tissue (the kind located under your skin).

This improved glucose homeostasis in the men.

Now, in order to see if these improvements were due to the changes of the fat cells from training, they took fat cells from trained and sedentary mice and transplanted the cells into a control, sedentary animal.

They discovered that mice who received the cells from “trained” mice, showed improve glucose tolerance and enhanced insulin sensitivity compared to the mice transplanted with the sedentary tissue.

And, the mice with the “trained” cells showed greater insulin-stimulated glucose uptake AND brown adipose tissue.   This suggested to the researchers that this tissue exerted endocrine effects.

Now, they also transplanted this tissue into mice fed a high-fat diet to see how the “trained” fibers would affect health.

They showed that mice with the “trained” cells showed improvements in glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity for at least 12 weeks post-transplantation.

They concluded:

“Exercise training causes adaptations to scWAT that elicit metabolic improvements in other tissues, demonstrating a previously unrecognized role for adipose tissue in the beneficial effects of exercise on systemic glucose homeostasis.”

Get Up and Exercise More

As you know, exercise is an important part of weight loss, weight maintenance, and overall health.

With exercise, you get stronger, more flexible, and see positive changes in your cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar control.

Now, the results of this new study show that exercise may lead to “browning” of your white fat cells, therefore improving insulin sensitivity, glucose control, and possibly more calorie burn and fat loss.

So, if you’re looking to improve your health, burn some fat, or reduce your risk for chronic diseases, then you should consider adding exercise into your daily plan.

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES

Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Get Weight Loss with a Meal Plan and Perseverance

Perseverance, or not giving up, will lead you to the permanent weight loss and fat loss you want. You can have the right meal plan and a great workout program but you will always fail if you don't have perseverance. That stay-with-it attitude, no matter what happens....that formula will give you success with anything in life.

I was thinking today about what motivates people to do what they do....I'm not a psychologist so I looked at myself....there's many things that have motivated me to do certain things: fear, peer pressure, not wanting to let others down, searching-for-answers, enjoyment, determination, etc.

Why did I start exercising at a young age? We knew nothing about childhood obesity. Here is my exercise program growing up: playing games after school every day at the Boys Club or in the neighborhood until dark and playing sports year-round (and we pretty much walked or biked everywhere we went). The common thread? I enjoyed both activities---probably too much! I didn't think about heart rates, exercise technique, repetitions, cardio or any of that stuff. Just having fun.

When it comes to exercise, research has proven that you are more likely to stay with your exercise program if you enjoy it. But, no matter how much you enjoy exercise, you still need something else to "keep it going." You guessed it. Perseverance! Its the "bulldog mentality" that nothing is going to keep me from reaching my fitness goals. When you have those "bad days," its determination that will pull you through. A GREAT COMBINATION TO STAY CONSISTENT WITH YOUR EXERCISE PROGRAM---ENJOYMENT AND DETERMINATION! Mix in a well-designed exercise and nutrition program and you will succeed and build your lean body.

What about your meal plan? Everyone needs a meal plan. You need to have some sort of idea of what you are going to eat for the day. If you don't have a meal plan, you might eat anything at any time. If you have a plan, you are more likely to follow it or at least eat similar foods.

Haphazard eating or grazing is probably the biggest killer of meal plans. And, if you don't have a meal plan, grazing with high-calorie and high-fat foods will skyrocket your calories day after day.....you know where that leads.....

Its the same story folks, a caloric imbalance is the cause of weight gain (consuming more calories than you burn in a day). If you want to speed up your metabolism and burn more calories then exercise regularly (strength training and cardio exercise). Also, eat right and often. Eating small meals every 3-4 hours will keep your metabolism humming and will keep your body from shifting to "starvation mode" (storing fat).

As the week goes by, compare what you eat to your grocery list and planned menus. Another key to your success is to record what you eat in a food journal. This will hold you accountable on a daily basis. You should do this until you know how much and when to eat. Step by step, day by day, week by week...stay with your grocery list and meal plan most of the time and you will succeed.

If you need Motivation and Accurate Information to make your best body.......

Be sure and download your FREE 7-Day Body Makeover Jumpstart e-Course, which shows you how to totally remake your body a healthy and lean fat-burning machine!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

5 Exercise Circuit to Build Bigger Calf Muscles

Build your calf muscles with a tough weight training circuit. I know you are concerned about how every visible part of your body looks. I've had quite a few people ask about how to build bigger calves.

Some people, because of genetics, have bigger calves than others and they don't have to do any extra work to make them look great. Other people have very small calf muscles and want them to look more proportionate to their thighs.

This calf muscle building circuit helped Chris increase his calf size 2 inches in 2 months!

Here is the circuit, rest 30 seconds between exercises (alternate between heavy weight rep days and full speed light rep days):

1. Donkey calf raises, 25 repetitions

Courtesy: www.bodybuilding.com

2. Standing dumbbell calf raises, 25 repetitions
3. Toe lifts on leg press machine, 25 repetitions
4. Standing calf raises on machine, 25 repetitions (pictured above)
5. Standing dumbbell calf raises, full speed, 25 repetitions

Do this circuit 3 times. You can do this workout up to 2 times a week (separate from your regular weight training workout).

Make sure to do static calf stretches after this workout to bring your muscles back to normal length.

Now build those calves the way you want them!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Her Fitness Hut
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

5 Tips to Not Quit Exercising and Eating Better

I encourage you to keep exercise going through the tough times and stumbling blocks to burn fat and lose weight. Don't stop exercising and eating better--your long-term health and lean body depends on it.

No matter what your "exercise and nutrition past" may be, you can start now and go forward with a committed attitude toward exercise and healthy eating.

You don't have to figure it all out today. Just make the commitment and get the help you need to make it happen. I recommend a consultation with a personal trainer to start you on the right path.

Here are 5 tips to keep good exercise and eating habits going:

FREE 7-Day Body Makeover Jumpstart e-Course

1. Surround yourself with positive people who will hold you accountable to your stated fitness goals. Research proves that those with social support have a better chance of succeeding with fitness goals such as fat loss and weight loss.

Personal trainers, workout partners, spouses and friends are all good candidates. Don't try to reach your fitness goals alone.

2. Schedule an appointment with a personal trainer to get valuable guidance and feedback. A trainer will help you to be realistic about goals and show you how to reach them.

You will also get a fitness and nutrition assessment. You may also need to schedule a doctor's appointment before beginning an exercise program.

3. Be willing to change your way of exercising and eating habits, if it hasn't worked for you. If you haven't burned the fat and lost the weight you need to, there is a reason. A personal trainer can customize your training program to make it work for you.

4. Change up your workouts to keep your body guessing (and making progress) and to avoid boredom. Some changes include (but not limited to):

a. alternate lifting light weight and heavy weight days,
b. adjust the number of repetitions and sets,
c. do different exercises for the same muscle groups,
d. alternate routines such as circuit training, superset training and complex training and
e. change the speed of your sets such as using slow, moderate and full speed repetitions.

You could also use combinations of all the above to break through weight loss plateaus.

5. If you fail 100 times, get back up 100 times and try again. You will not always exercise right and eat right. But, you can keep trying until you succeed. Believe that you are worth the effort!

I don't know if you make New Year's fitness resolutions. Maybe you make them each year and fail each year. Here is a solution for you: make a New Life fitness commitment and keep it going no matter what.

If you need Motivation and Accurate Information to make your best body.......

Be sure and download your FREE 7-Day Body Makeover Jumpstart e-Course, which shows you how to totally remake your body a healthy and lean fat-burning machine!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

7 Exercises to Torch Stubborn Fat Faster

Bottom line: build muscle mass, burn fat faster, and shape your lean body.....and, have fun workouts getting it done....that means using exercises that give you better results with short, efficient workouts that you like!

Here are 7 exercises you should be doing to build muscle, speed up your metabolism and burn more calories/fat during the day and at rest:

1. Core Exercises for Stabilization, Strength and Power. See this post. Planks, ropes and medicine ball exercises are two examples.

2. Squats (2 legs and single leg) - Include some form of squat exercise in every strength workout.

There is probably no other exercise that has a greater impact on your body's muscle-building, metabolism and energy expenditure (deadlift is also a great exercise).

This means your legs (especially quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes), abdominals and lower back are targeted. Even your arms and shoulders will feel the effects of the exercise. Research also shows that the abdominal muscles are engaged more when doing squats than they are doing many of the more popular ab exercises.

3. Deadlift - Like the squat exercise, the deadlift is one of the best full body exercises available for building muscle and helping you burn fat.

4. Medicine Ball Throws and Chops - These exercises are great for full speed, full body power exercises.

5. Multi-planar Lunges and Step Ups - These 1 legged exercises are must-do for your overall program.

6. Squat Jumps, vertical jumps hops, box jumps, jump rope and long Jumps - These exercises will torch body fat, especially if done at full speed.

7. Ladder Drills, Cone Drills, Speed Drills. Change-of-direction mixed with speed means MAJOR FAT LOSS for you!

Train hard and smart with the program below:

Be sure and download your Free Dumbbell and Medicine Ball Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs