Exercise is only a small piece of the puzzle in the bigger picture. If you aren’t consistently hammering away at the other foundational elements along with exercise you’re leaving a lot of potential result on the table. ⠀ I’m not saying that exercise alone is pointless. There are numerous physical and mental health benefits that have been proven to come with working out. Though you do have to ask yourself would the person who only sleeps 4 hours a night, but works out 7 days a week, be in a healthier position if they cut some of those days back in order to increase the amount of hours they were sleeping as just one example... This post is more so for the people that decide to start working out 2-5 times a week, without changing anything else about their lifestyle, and expecting to drop 30+lbs in a couple of months. It ain’t happening. One of the most important things a trainer can do is manage a clients expectations. You have to understand what you’ll get and what you won’t from diet or exercise alone. ⠀ Identify what may need some change for the better in your life and start by changing it one small step at a time. -Go to bed 30 minutes earlier for 1 week. -Meditate for 5 minutes. -Put your phone away 30 minutes before bed. -Use hand portions to make sure you’re getting enough protein every day. -Add a glass of water before and after meals to make sure you’re staying optimally hydrated ⠀ Start small. Stay consistent. Improve over time. ⠀ ⠀ #exercise #healthandwellness #precisionnutrition #fitnessandlifestyle #biggerpicture #diet #nutrition #dietandexercise #bodybuilding #gymfacts #healhybodyhealthymind #healthymindhealthybody #flex #eatbetter #sleepbetter #betterresults #personaltraining

Exercise is only a small piece of the puzzle in the bigger picture. If you aren’t consistently hammering away at the other foundational elements along with exercise you’re leaving a lot of potential result on the table. ⠀ I’m not saying that exercise alone is pointless. There are numerous physical and mental health benefits that have been proven to come with working out. Though you do have to ask yourself would the person who only sleeps 4 hours a night, but works out 7 days a week, be in a healthier position if they cut some of those days back in order to increase the amount of hours they were sleeping as just one example... This post is more so for the people that decide to start working out 2-5 times a week, without changing anything else about their lifestyle, and expecting to drop 30+lbs in a couple of months. It ain’t happening. One of the most important things a trainer can do is manage a clients expectations. You have to understand what you’ll get and what you won’t from diet or exercise alone. ⠀ Identify what may need some change for the better in your life and start by changing it one small step at a time. -Go to bed 30 minutes earlier for 1 week. -Meditate for 5 minutes. -Put your phone away 30 minutes before bed. -Use hand portions to make sure you’re getting enough protein every day. -Add a glass of water before and after meals to make sure you’re staying optimally hydrated ⠀ Start small. Stay consistent. Improve over time. ⠀ ⠀ #exercise #healthandwellness #precisionnutrition #fitnessandlifestyle #biggerpicture #diet #nutrition #dietandexercise #bodybuilding #gymfacts #healhybodyhealthymind #healthymindhealthybody #flex #eatbetter #sleepbetter #betterresults #personaltraining
http://dlvr.it/Rnr4HK

If you’re in a slump, if you’re depressed, if you feel like you’re just dragging along, going through the motions - which really isn’t hard to do or feel in the past 9 months - then you’re not alone. ⠀ We all go through feelings like this in life. Life can be hard, just look at the past 9 months with Corona. Lives lost, livelihoods lost etc... It can be unrealistic to think you can be or should be gleefully happy all the time. ⠀ That doesn’t mean we can’t strive or aim for it though. I think one of the main things to strive for in life, that’s more realistic than just happiness, is to remain disciplined in the face of adversity and chaos, and to remain grateful. ⠀ Wake up every day with a “Thrive” mentality. It may not always be there and that’s okay and that’s realistic, but it’s better to strive for it than to be perpetually just going through the motions or “merely surviving”. ⠀ Your mindset is ultimately your reality, remember that. The greatest thing about that is you can change it in an instant whenever you want to! Why just merely survive when you can thrive baby thrive! Say that yourself a few times... Thrive baby thrive! Tell me you don’t feel better already! Add movement, energy, positivity, gratitude, and a smile into the mix and you’re an unstoppable force now! ⠀ ⠀ #mindset #mentality #mentalitymondays #thrive #thrivementality #positivity #positivemindset #attitudeofgratitude #grateful #positivevibes #fitnessmotivation #successmindset #successmentality #motionisemotion

If you’re in a slump, if you’re depressed, if you feel like you’re just dragging along, going through the motions - which really isn’t hard to do or feel in the past 9 months - then you’re not alone. ⠀ We all go through feelings like this in life. Life can be hard, just look at the past 9 months with Corona. Lives lost, livelihoods lost etc... It can be unrealistic to think you can be or should be gleefully happy all the time. ⠀ That doesn’t mean we can’t strive or aim for it though. I think one of the main things to strive for in life, that’s more realistic than just happiness, is to remain disciplined in the face of adversity and chaos, and to remain grateful. ⠀ Wake up every day with a “Thrive” mentality. It may not always be there and that’s okay and that’s realistic, but it’s better to strive for it than to be perpetually just going through the motions or “merely surviving”. ⠀ Your mindset is ultimately your reality, remember that. The greatest thing about that is you can change it in an instant whenever you want to! Why just merely survive when you can thrive baby thrive! Say that yourself a few times... Thrive baby thrive! Tell me you don’t feel better already! Add movement, energy, positivity, gratitude, and a smile into the mix and you’re an unstoppable force now! ⠀ ⠀ #mindset #mentality #mentalitymondays #thrive #thrivementality #positivity #positivemindset #attitudeofgratitude #grateful #positivevibes #fitnessmotivation #successmindset #successmentality #motionisemotion
http://dlvr.it/RnF1Lh

We did the damn thing, Precision Nutrition Level 1 in the books. I am now a certified Nutrition Coach!

We did the damn thing, Precision Nutrition Level 1 in the books. I am now a certified Nutrition Coach! ⠀ 

I loved this course and would highly recommend it to any coaches, trainers or professionals looking to increase their knowledge on nutrition and more so how to apply it with clients in a way that actually leads to lasting change, adherence, and results! ⠀

 “We thought nutrition coaching meant ‘being experts’ who give people information, and that ‘success’ would come from clients doing what we said... Clients who didn’t follow the plans weren’t ‘motivated enough’. After tens of thousands of clients, and about the same number of coaching mistakes and missteps, we came to realize that nutrition coaching isn’t that at all.” -PN Level 1, 4th Edition, Chapter 1 ⠀

I used to think I knew a ton about nutrition, but knowing how to apply it with clients in a manner in which they could understand, and more importantly stick to - I was clueless. ⠀ 

I would usually give out advanced-level meal plans, have them track their food and macros and they would usually crash and burn within a couple of weeks if not sooner. Now for someone more advanced (think athlete, model etc.) that would work in a perfect world, but for a the busy mother/father of 3 trying to juggle a hectic life and schedule, it was a recipe for disaster. ⠀ 

I’ve learned that there is no one perfect answer for everyone, no perfect diet, workout, or lifestyle. I’ve also learned that it should be a collaborative effort between the coach and the client. A coach may be a pro, but ultimately you are the pro of your life, you know yourself better than anyone. ⠀ 

We all have unique starting points and experience, the key is to start small. Start with something that you can consistently do day by day, week by week and slowly increase and or improve other habits along the way once you have the others down. ⠀ 

The next biggest takeaway is... It’s now just about diet and exercise or the physical aspect of things. We don’t want someone looking great on the outside, but feeling terrible on the inside. It’s about improving your mental, social, spiritual, existential health and so on as well!
http://dlvr.it/RmskSQ

Energy in motion is actually emotion!

Energy in motion is actually emotion! If you’re feeling “blah”, if you’re feeling unmotivated and want to change your state in an instant, then get moving! 

Maybe you feel tired, you don’t want to get out of bed, you don’t want to get off the couch, you don’t want to do your (chores, errands laundry, dishes, workout etc). ⠀ 

You can drastically change your physiology by moving! Something as small and simple as cracking smile can do it! Go for a walk or a quick run, breakout into a dance to your favorite song! Bang out some push-ups, BREATHE! You will instantly feel better! It doesn’t have to be anything huge to make a drastic difference in how you feel. ⠀ 

Most of the time, action precedes motivation, not the other way around. Taking the first step is always the hardest part, but once you get moving and get momentum, you’re off full speed ahead in no time. ⠀ 

#motionisemotion #mentalawareness #awareness #feelgood #improveyourmood #loveyourself #smile #movetofeelbetter #changeyourstate #stateofmind #motionislotion #tonyrobbins #hellyeah #motivation #workoutmotivation #onestepatatime #babysteps
http://dlvr.it/RmkjrV

If you have a stiff/tight mid to upper back give these two thoracic mobility exercises a go!

If you have a stiff/tight mid to upper back give these two thoracic mobility exercises a go! They feel amazing, and will have you feeling like a new person! ⠀ 

As always, if you have a serious medical issue or chronic pain, seek help from a medical professional before trying anything! ⠀ 

These can be done separately, by themselves if you’d like, but I really would recommend you pair them together, as they’re very synergistic. Start with the extensions first and then onto the side lying rotations! These are the best! ⠀

Total body strength, endurance, and conditioning workout. All you need is 1 pair of dumbbells! ⠀

Total body strength, endurance, and conditioning workout. All you need is 1 pair of dumbbells! ⠀

 I’m not normally an advocate of throwing out random workouts and expecting people to fit to them. That being said this is a very accessible workout for just about any fitness level. Gyms are also most likely closing unfortunately, and a ton of people are too scared to even step foot into a gym. So this can be done at home if needed! 💪 🏠 ⠀

 If you need help choosing a weight to use, I recommend starting with a weight that you can safely, yet still a challenge to press overhead for 10-12 reps. Increase or decrease the weight depending on the difficulty. ⠀

         The Exercises

1) Goblet Squat 

2) Single Leg RDL w/balance support 

3)Push Press 

4)Single Arm Row 

5)Hammer Curl 

6)Overhead Tricep Extensions 

7)Floor Press or Bench Press if you have⠀

 -Do 10 reps of each exercise *15 reps if you’re using a lighter weight. 

-Take minimal to no rest in between each one.

 -After you complete all 7 exercises, you can then rest for 2-3 minutes before restarting.

 -We want a total of 3-5 rounds. ⠀ 

Let me know if you have any questions or need a modification! 🙌 SONG: FADED by ZHU Awesome videographer: @theelbryan 

The Gym Alone Isn't Enough...

Gray Cook says it best... 

“We can’t fix everything with corrective exercise. If somebody’s sleeping 2 hours a night, if they’re dehydrated, or only getting half the protein of their dietary needs, then the things we do in exercise or movement correction probably won’t have the fertile soil to grow anywhere.”

 ⠀ The same goes for regular exercise and with the goal of changing body composition, getting stronger, dropping body fat etc. ⠀ 

    You can’t just put all your eggs in the workout basket and think that’s enough. Exercise alone is amazing for you, but it’s only a very small percentage of the bigger picture. Optimize the rest your lifestyle and reap the benefits. 

⠀ If you’ve been struggling to lose weight, if you’ve been struggling to get lean, build muscle, if you’ve been dealing with nagging injuries or pain then don’t just look at your exercise or rehab alone as the fix. Hit your nutrition targets, your rest targets, and your hydration targets and watch just how great you feel and perform! ⠀

 SOURCE: FMS Level 1 Course Curriculum. 

Is Working Out 3-5 Hours a Week Enough To Lose Weight

Hint... It’s a rhetorical question. 

You have a far bigger opportunity to burn a ton of calories throughout the entirety of your day than you do with just 1 hour of exercise alone. 

This gives you the chance to further boost, or destroy, your attempts at hitting a certain goal.

 -Keep it moving, go for a stroll at least a couple of times a day. Aim for 10k steps a day. Use your phones “health” app ❤️ to start tracking your steps.

 -Walk, run, or ride 🚴 to places when you can. ⠀ -Take the stairs. ⠀ -Plan and prep those meals out! We have all heard it so many times, diet is 80% of the equation.

 -Prioritize your sleep! Good sleep is your magic fat-loss pill! 💊

 -Do micro doses of exercise throughout the day. Ex. Set out a few “trigger” objects (dumbbells, kettlebells, bands etc). Every time you pass an item do a few reps of an exercise with it, 10-20 curls, squats etc.

 If you liked this post please like and share it with a friend!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CH0an0zHxw2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

What is RPE? ⠀

What is RPE? ⠀

RPE stands for Rating of Perceived Exertion. In other words how subjectively hard an exercise or workout is relative to the person doing it. 

Trainers/Coaches use RPE with clients to help with programming or making exercises easier or harder. 

0 - 3) Nothing at all, light/easy. 

4) Recovery, not hard, high rep sets. *RPE below four isn't important. (1) 

5 - 6) Moderate intensity. Most warm-up weights.

7) Hard, but maintainable, 70% intensity/capacity. 

8) Heavy/Hard intensity, but 2–4 reps left in the tank, 80%. 

9) harder, but still one rep, or a little gas left in the tank. 

10) Very hard, maximum intensity nothing left. 100% effort.

A simple scale of 1-10 is used, with 1 being easy, think sitting down relaxing. Whereas a 10 means you’re going to pass out, vomit crap your pants and/or both. A level of activity/exercise that is extremely intense and that you can’t keep up. Think maximal effort sprinting/exercise or weight lifting. 

In order to elicit specific adaptations to be made, like strength or positive body composition changes (like more muscle) you generally want things to be on the higher end of the RPE scale for some, but not all of your workout. 

Being that the basis for the RPE scale is perception, this generally means that the person should have a decent level of self-awareness related to exercise, rather than someone totally new to it. Though I still love to use it with beginners and or people who tend to surrender too early in a set. Why?...

Because good programming has slow, adaptable, forced progression in it. So even if a person cries out that an exercise was super hard, 10/10 difficulty, we slowly and safely progress them 1 rep or weight over time to the point where it is no longer difficult. ⠀ 

*SOURCE: (1) Tuchscherer, Michael "The Reactive Training Manual: Developing Your Own Custom Training Program for Powerlifting." c. 2009

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHwORq3HTqZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Should you eat before you workout? ⠀

Should you eat before you workout? 

The short answer: In most cases, yes. 

The long answer: There are a lot of dependent variables such as:

 -Your planned workout intensity 

-Workout duration -Time of your workout 

-If it's been longer than 2-3 hours since your last meal 

-If you are working out hard to try and make changes to your body to name just a few. ⠀ 

No matter your goal, even if it's weight loss/fat loss, having a balanced meal of quality protein, quality carbohydrates and healthy fats 1-3 hours before your workout has been shown to: 

-Boost performance 

-Allow you to workout harder 

-Reduce muscle breakdown/preserve muscle 

-Reduce soreness after a workout 

-Speed recovery ⠀

 The notion that when you workout in a fasted state you'll burn and lose more fat is somewhat flawed, and the few studies on the subject show mixed results at best. Ultimately, if your goal is weight/fat loss, the biggest determining factor is that you remain in a calorie deficit regardless if you train on an empty stomach or not. 

Everyone is different, and what works well for someone might not be very effective for someone else. In my personal opinion/experience, I always perform and feel better with something good in the tank before a workout. I consider Pre and post workout meals the two most important meals of the day. ⠀ ⠀ 
https://www.instagram.com/p/CHdOhz0HsBr/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Progress - Just One Of The Many Reasons Why You Should Train!

One of the many benefits of working with a good trainer is that they’ll help you to set certain goals; both for the long term and short term. I really like to give my clients monthly goals that are related to their wants and needs, but that also definitely push their boundaries of they ever thought they could accomplish. When done in safe, properly planned and timed manner it can really yield amazing results and outcomes both for the trainer and the client!

It is an amazing feeling to see how empowered you can make someone feel when they thought they could never do a full body-weight pull-up, or a push-up let alone 5 or 10 and even more! I usually like to have big goals for my clients set every 3-6 months, and we will slowly chip away at accomplishing it by tackling smaller progressive goals on a monthly basis.

The biggest and most important aspect of these goals is that they are always progressing in difficulty and intensity on a weekly basis, albeit in a safe, efficient, attainable matter to reduce the risk of injury. A perfect example and a client I wanted to shine the spotlight on is my client Em! She is a busy 37 year-old wife, and mother of 3, but you’d never know that because she never makes excuses and she always comes in ready to work! Even still had you asked her when we first started training if she thought she’d ever get to the level of strength that she has now, she would have said a big “NO!”.

She has always been active and healthy in some shape or form for her whole life, but she had never lifting or trained with weights, never thought she’d ever be able to do pull-ups, or push-ups etc. She also thought that type of training would make her big, hulky and muscular looking, which is the farthest from the truth. Also, as a trainer that is the last thing I’d want for any of my female clients looking to lose body-fat, trim down, and look better!

I’m very proud of Em’s performance and would like to highlight her Barbell Squat progression over an 8-month period. When we first had her start 65lbs seemed very heavy for her and we definitely needed to work out some kinks in her squat pattern. Now she just recently broke her personal record and squatted 165lbs for 3 sets of 5 reps!!! See the videos for yourself!

Best Foam Roller - The Grid from TP Therapy

If you're in the market for a new foam roller I recommend the ones you can find over at www.tptherapy.com, not only do they look kickass, but they work really well; they're not too hard and yet they are not too soft either! TP is short for Trigger Point, which is one of the reasons we have foam rollers, to ease these trigger points and for myofascial release. The benefits of foam rolling, also known as myofascial release, SMR- Self-myofascial release and so on, are explained perfectly in a nutshell in this article from Men's Health, http://www.menshealth.com/best-life/foam-rolling


  "Joe Hashey, C.S.C.S., owner of Synergy Athletics, explains: "Foam rolling smooths and lengthens your muscles, and breaks up adhesions and scar tissue." Another benefit is that it helps your muscles relax by activating the sensory receptors connecting your muscle fibers to your tendons. The net effect is better blood circulation, which in turn speeds workout recovery and boosts performance."


If you have any local fitness stored nearby call and see if they carry TP Therapy Products, I know Gym Source by my house does. Or you can order online and get a better color option for your liking!

SandBells, a Fun, Versatile, and Effecient Tool to Get in Shape!

I was in Gym Source the other day just looking around with my Mom; she had wanted to get me
something for my birthday that  I could use with clients. She came across these sandbells and fell in love with them, she thought they were an awesome idea. I on the other hand had no interest at all; I thought they were rather dumb and pointless, they looked like whoopee cushions filled with sand. I couldn't open my head up enough to see all of the possibilities with them, but my Mom could and I'm glad she did. She insisted on buying them for me even though I didn't want them at first, and I reluctantly lugged them home. I sat in front of the comp and YouTube'd SandBell workout, and I was blown away by what I saw! I couldn't believe that I was so close-minded and unimaginative when it came to them; just about anything and everything in fitness especially in training requires thinking outside of the box and with these it helped me to open my head a little more!

Essentially all SandBells are is just 2 pieces of what feels like wetsuit material, filled with sand, and sewn shut. You can grab them, you can squeeze them, you can dig your claws into them, you can slam them, throw them, slide on them, just about anything you can imagine; they're very durable! one thing I love about them is my clients, both new and old love working with them! Clients, especially ones that are new to training and exercise can be apprehensive and intimidated when it comes to lifting weights; after all, they're heavy, metal, and you could hurt yourself if you were to drop a dumbbell on yourself. With SandBells that all goes away, and it's a great way to get new clients comfortable and familiar with working out and resistance training!

Here are a couple of my favorite videos in terms of creativity and the versatility that comes with using a SandBell, caution video number 2's music is obnoxious!

 

 

 

Train Smarter, Train Effeciently, Train with a Heart Rate Monitor

Work smarter, not harder. Your time training matters, that's why I ask my clients to purchase a Heart Rate Monitor before they start training with me. It's such a great tool to have and it only makes reaching your fitness goals a lot easier! Monitoring your heart rate helps your trainer (and you) see where you're at in calorie burn, heat rate zones and recovery.

Screen Shot Polar's H7 Monitor
On iPhone App using Bluetooth

I recommend Polar Heart Rate Monitors, as they're the industry standard and I love mine; essentially what it does is track your calories burned, and where your calories are coming from (ex. % fat), it also keeps track of which heart rate zone you're in which is probably the most important feature of HR monitor. Reason for this being that if you're in a high-end zone for an extended period of time you're going to overstress your body, and when you overstress your body progression towards getting the body you want halts; it would be like redlining your car for an extended period of time, it's not good for your engine. At the same time keeping track of the zones comes in handy because it also allows you or your trainer to see if you're under working, and lets you know that you have to push yourself a little harder to bump up into the next zone.

The Polar HR Monitors also have another important feature which is the V02 Max Estimate Test, which not only further increase the monitors accuracy depending on your fitness level, age, and health. The way I put it to my clients is that without a Heart Rate Monitor you are essentially training in the dark, think of your body like a car... A car has all kinds of gauges, and indicators, you know how fast you're going, what your rpms are, how much gas you're burning, the temperature of your engine and so much more right? Well what do we have for your body like that? Nothing, unless you get a Heart Rate Monitor!

No Watch Necessary with Polar's H7

I have the Polar FT60 and recommend that to all of my clients.  I do have a few other clients using the Polar H7. Instead of a watch, the H7 transmits all the information to your smart phone (or Bluetooth ready device) that provides ECG-accurate heart rate, calories, zones, etc. It is a very easy way to see your diary, workout summary and reports on your phone.  H7 is Compatible with iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (5th generation), iPad (3rd & 4th generation), iPad mini and iPod Nano (7th generation).  Also uses Gym Link to connect with the majority of Polar heart rate monitors on the market and with compatible gym equipment

Low Carb Lunch in a Hurry!

It's that time again, summer is upon us and many of you have already started and many more are sure to follow with the dieting! Trying to clean up your bodies and shed some of that winter flab you've accumulated. One of the popular diets people like to go on is the low carb or ketosis type diets because they're generally believed to yield faster results; I myself am guilty of this trend to sometimes as I do find that it does help lean me out a lot faster. I usually will low to no carb diet for only 3-4 days and then then gradually reintroduce carbs back into my diet at the right times and ensuring that they are all quality complex carbs (oats and yams being my favorite). I find that by doing so I don't deal with all the pains and risks of living the low carb lifestyle, and I still get a lot of the benefits, but I will get into that at another time! Today was very busy for me and I didn't have tine for hardly anything let alone to eat so I rushed over across the street to pick these things up and still stick within my low low carb regimen at the moment, not bad right? Just keep an eye out for your sodium intake as the rotisseries have a lot of salt in them. Also finding precise calorie information for a rotisserie chicken is a little difficult, I found several different calorie amounts for the same thing... the average was about 150 calories for 3oz of the breast meat.

8.5oz of rotisserie breast meat and 4.5 tbsp. of guacamole = ~750-800 calories

Know How Much You're Eating with a Food Scale!

8.6oz of rotisserie chicken which has around ~450-550 calories

First things first guys, for the average, everyday client I normally don't advocate using food scales and measuring your food and knowing all of your macros that you're eating down to a T! A lot of the time it's just too much for first time clients to take in and do right away. In reality it isn't necessary for many, not all, people to measure their food precisely, and you can still achieve amazing results and look great in the mirror.

What if you're looking to take your fitness goals to the next level though? Then you should get a food scale! When I say take your fitness goals to the next level I'm talking about getting super lean, getting ready for a bikini or physique show and so on, or I can be talking about someone who wants to build strength and muscle while minimizing fat gain. With all of these goals the bar is set higher and harder to achieve; you really have to zero in on your diet to see spectacular results. Now most of the foods we eat today all have nutrition labels, with the helpful information like serving size, calories, fats, carbs, proteins and so on, but when you're strict diet most of those foods with labels become obsolete. You'll find that you're eating mostly meats, none of which are created equal in size or calories, veggies, and healthy fats. None of these things have nutrition labels and if they do they usually go by ounces or grams, how the hell are you supposed to know how many calories you just ate? I don't know about you but I sure as hell didn't know what 8oz of chicken looked like, or 3 grams of almonds looked like when I first started. That's why having a good food scale really helps, preferably one that can measure in pounds, ounces, and grams. You weigh your food and you either google the calorie information or you can download one of the many apps for your smartphone, my favorite is "myfitnesspal" and search on there, and viola now you know how many calories you have in front of you.

In the case of these almonds you could either use a measuring cup or weigh out 30 grams worth, which I had no idea what 30 grams of almonds looked like, but now I do! 1 serving of almonds, or 30 grams has approximately 27 individual almonds and has about 170 calories, and now I'll remember that forever! This is why having a food scale is beneficial; after a while you start to get familiar on your own with portion sizes, and how many calories certain sizes of foods have, to the point where you won't even need the scale anymore!

Do More with Your Meat!

Summer is right around the corner, and for a lot of people that means it's time to clean up there diets a little and start cutting down their body fat. For many people that means low carbs, lean protein, veggies, and some healthy fats, but are you tired of eating the same things over and over? One thing that I constantly get tired of is eating eggs; they can get bland, boring, and even gross for some people after a while. Despite the millions of things you can do to spice up an egg, one of the things I like to do is throw in meat to make an omelet with additional protein. I'll throw chicken in my eggs, I'll throw in steak, and I'll throw in ground turkey. The different meats really switch up the flavor and the texture and make eating eggs good again! The meat I use is precooked of course, and usually just left over meat I have for meal preps. In this case here I have 4 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, with ground turkey burger thrown in the mix!

T-Fal OptiGrill Review... Best in Home Grill/Griddle in The World!

I had been hearing a lot about the T-Fal OptiGrill for a while before I decided to actually go out and buy one. I was getting tired of always baking my meats, it always came out dry and I rarely ever looked forward to eating a dry piece of chicken with rice. Normally I could use the grill outside but with the winter and spring weather we've been having here in NY that's still out of the question. So I went and picked up an OptiGrill. Upon opening it the thing reminded me pretty much of the George Forman Grill. The thing that set it apart were the buttons and what they called the "Cooking Level Indicator Light". Each button had a picture of a different meat or item ranging from chicken, to a steak, to a burger patty, fish, even a Panini and so on. The way it works is you plug it in, press the power button and select the meat you'd like to cook. By selecting a certain button it heats the grill to a certain temperature ideal for that meat to be cooked to perfection. By paying attention to the cooking level indicator light you'll know when your meat is either Rare, Medium, Done and, or Well Done, the choice is yours. This feature is one that really one me over, because I'll admit it I totally suck at cooking meat  and usually hate it. This makes it so much more worry-free, easy to do, easy to clean, and efficient as ever!

Now for how the food came out; what would be the point of a fancy grill if the food the came out sucked? Well you don't have to worry because I was amazed at not only how fast, and perfectly well done the T-Fal OptiGrill cooked all the meats, but also just how delicious they all were. I had never cooked chicken, steak, and turkey burgers so well before. They were all so juicy and savory, easy and enjoyable to chew and they stayed like that even after being in the fridge for a couple of days after. All you have to do is select the type of meat your cooking, wait for the grill to preheat to the right temperature in a matter of minutes and viola! Throw the meat on there and keep your eye on the cooking level indicator light as whatever is on the grill will be cooked to perfection in a matter of minutes! The OptiGrill also melts away so much of the fat on the meats you cook and drains it into a catcher underneath the grill, you'll be amazed at just how much artery-clogging fat this thing saves you from consuming.

So in a quick summary...
- The T-Fal OptiGrill, is very easy and simple to use even if you don't have any previous cooking or grilling experience.
- It cooks meats perfectly, timely, and efficiently.
- Doesn't make a mess and doesn't require any preparation work.
- Easy and simple to clean.
So stop wasting time cooking and prepping your meals the old fashioned way and pick up an OptiGrill today, I can almost guarantee you will not be disappointed!

Muscle Maker Grill

I was driving today when a huge blow up balloon of a hulkish looking bodybuilder caught my eye. It was out front of a restaurant called the Muscle Maker Grill, if the big muscled up balloon guy wasn't enticing enough the name of the place surely is; I had to try it out. I was surprised though when I walked in a lot of the menu items are actually lower in calories, and low in carbs; I had originally walked in expecting this place to be more so of a bodybuilder café with huge portions of food like beef burgers, steak, chicken, rice, pastas etc. They did have some of these things but each item had only around 400-600 calories, which is great for most people, very portion controlled, but if you're looking for a dense meal loaded with calories something like Chipotle will better suit you for the same price.

This place is still really good though, I got a burger that had turkey bacon and cheese on it with a side of potato's, it was the thing with the highest amount of calories that I could see on the menu. I also got a chocolate protein shake on the side which was 6 dollars; the most expensive protein shake I've ever had! The food was all really good though, it's all cooked right in front of you, it comes out fast only about a 5 minute wait time! The downside to this place, or at least this location was that it is small inside not a lot of seating, and the parking lot which has also got to be the smallest I have ever seen is a nightmare to navigate through. The parking lot is so bad that it could actually deter me from returning just knowing that I'd have to try and deal with it. Take that away though and I like this place a lot, I'd definitely recommend it! I went to the one on...


195 Walt Whitman Road
Huntington Station, NY 11746
Phone: 631-319-1568

Just look for the giant juice head blow up guy!

Have Fun with Your Workouts!

Sometimes when you're in the gym you just need to take the time to have fun, mess around, and enjoy your workout. I know when I workout I'm always pushing myself 110% always trying to go as hard as I can, and I'll find myself disappointed when I'm not making progress. Things shouldn't always be like that otherwise you could end up getting burned out and bored; don't be afraid to step out of your normal routine and experiment with exercises and equipment that you haven't tried before.
Just the other day I was having a bad workout, I wasn't feeling well and it had me frustrated. I was going to leave the gym when I started to talking to some buddies and messing around on a bosu ball. I ended up doing a whole workout with the bosu ball and had a lot of fun! Don't be afraid to stray from the beaten path.