5 More Tips for Serious Fat Loss

If you really want serious fat loss, keep reading, if not click delete and have some chips…..

And yes, I am going to start with this one AGAN!

1 – Don’t do long-distance cardio (as a fat loss mechanism). Go short & hard and get lean. Go long & soft and get scrawny.  Nobody looks good when they’re scrawny.  Even "Supermodels."

A hard body is better than a soft one, right?  You bet!  Have patience and understand that sprints, weights (preferebly big weights), turkey, steak, and leather jackets will make you bad!!! (in a good way)

+

=

Awesomeness!

2 – If you have high bodyfat, 95% of your calories should come from lean protein, veggies, and little amounts of fruit.

The MAJORITY of your weekly meals need to consist of lean protein (chicken, fish, lean beef, protein powder).. and truckloads full of veggies When your bodyfat is high, you’re more prone to getting fat from carbs than when your bodyfat is low.   So when your bodyfat is high - Veggies over everything; No carbs on weekdays and again, Veggies over everything. When your bodyfat is low - Veggies over everything, with Oatmeal for breakfast and Sweet potatoes, brown rice, Quinoa, etc. for lunch.

3 – Pushing sleds, eating often, lifting weight, and PATIENCE will turn you into Xena the Warrior Princess. Or Thor, and maybe, just maybe SUPERMAN!

4 – Treadmills, and Elliptical machines exclusively, will turn you into a wet tortilla. Weak & scrawny. Yes.. yes.. yes, you WILL benefit from it over doing nothing, but do it correctly. 

Treadmills and long distances are good and will help some people’s look, but it won’t be a good look if you are looking for a tight, lean, tone body. Especially when you’re naked.

5 – The shortest road to success is to surround yourself with others who are further than you, and have done exactly what you want to do.  EXACTLY.. what you want to do..  What YOU.. want to do..

Know what YOU want first, then choose your surroundings wisely.

Doing what the ‘fit’ girls do just because they have definition in their arms is short-sighted.  Great physiques come from great strength. Great strength comes from great legs & back!  Nothing helps to sculpt your physique (and overall health) more than having STRENGTH.  Can you ever be too strong?  I have never heard one of my female or male clients say, "ok Greg, let's just go lighter, I am way too strong."  But I have heard some say, "why do my legs and arms get tired when I carry my kids? And sometimes my back hurts too."

The minute you stop training for strength, you’re going backwards, backwards, backwards all the way till you get skinny and butt-less and flat and soft.  Remember, there are only a few girls and guys who ‘get it’.. let's grow that number.  Those who "get it" equates to about the same amount of people in line at the pullup bar.  "Pullups, what...? pullups.....but I can't even do one"...... that's another topic.

I hope this made sense, model yourself after what's real, strength is unequivecally real!

Yours in health,
Greg


Greg DiRenzo, M.S.
Lakeside Fitness Center
"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"

3 sprint interval workouts - these will help you achieve your best body.

Everyone keeps asking… “ok Greg, Mr. Stop Running Smarty Pants, what should I do for a sprint workout/session?”  Here is some additional info/data on sprints….and a program protocol for you! J

Here are 3 sprint interval workouts - these will help you achieve your best body.

Were you born to sprint/run?

“I am not afraid. I was born to do this.” –Unknown.

Were you born to sprint/run?

Regardless of whether or not you were "born to sprint/run", you WERE born to move, and born to move with force, born to endure pain when the room is empty, and born to find out what your real limits are.

Sprint training will help you achieve these outcomes, improve your athletic performance, and it’s been shown to be a “shortcut” to optimal health if you’re willing to put in the effort. What?  A shortcut?  Oh boy, is this an infomercial?  Am I up reading this a 3am?  Nope, Christmas has come early; your welcome, enjoy……

This info below will provide three great interval models to guide your training for the best body and life.  Keep reading all three – you fit into one of the 3 categories below.

Category #1: The All-Purpose Athlete: The Best Sprint Program To Build Muscle & Lose Fat

Research done on elite athletes shows how a short but intense sprint interval program can produce a significant anabolic hormone response to build muscle and lose fat. This study compared the effect of doing four all-out sprints in increasing distance order (100, 200, 300, 400 meters) or the reverse order. Rest intervals were 4 minutes following the 400, 3 minutes following the 300, and 2 minutes following the 200, and 1 minute after the 100.

Results showed that the decreasing order (400, 300, 200, 100) produced the following superior results and the athletes rated the workout as easier:

•    Greater increase in growth hormone (GH) and blood lactate, indicating this protocol was more metabolically taxing and could lead to more fat loss over time.

•    A significant testosterone response, suggesting the protocol was effective for muscle building and creating an anabolic environment.

•    A greater insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) response—a hormone that further enhances muscle adaptations—which is important because a previous study using longer intervals of 250 meters, but lower intensity didn’t elevate IGF-1.

•    Greater stimulation of the GH-IGF-1 axis, highlighting that more time spent training anaerobically will produce a greater metabolic effect and more body fat loss.

This type of training is ideal for the conditioned trainee, but it’s vital to have other interval protocols to choose from.

This next model applies to the recreational athlete who might not be as well conditioned, but still wants to get lean while maintaining muscle.  Basically the general population gym goer – fitness enthusiast.

Researchers from Canada compared the effect of a 3-day-a-week, 6-week interval running program with an endurance protocol on body composition and time trail performance in young trainees. The interval protocol was six 30-second all-out sprints with 4 minutes rest. The endurance protocol was 30 to 60 minutes of running at 65 percent of maximal.

Results showed the following better results from the sprint program:

•    The sprint group lost an impressive 12.4 percent body fat and 2 kg of fat mass. The endurance group lost 5.8 percent body fat and about half a kilo of fat. Both groups increased muscle mass by a small 1 percent.

•    The sprint group spent a total of .75 of an hour actually sprinting compared to the endurance group that spent a whopping 13.5 hours running.

•    Both groups improved by 5 percent on a 2,000-meter time trial.

Here you see that you can lose more fat and maintain muscle in MUCH less training time by doing sprints. You will improve conditioning, get faster, and be able to sustain a higher work rate for longer, as seen by the better performance on the middle-distance time trial.

Category #2: The Strength Athlete: Improve Power, Conditioning & Anabolic Response

If your primary goal is to improve peak power and anaerobic conditioning, shorter intervals with less rest are the way to go. These models are ideal for combat athletes like wrestlers, judokas, and MMA fighters, but they could also benefit the strength trainee who just wants to be more athletically awesome. With a killer anabolic response, these short but sweet workouts will help you build muscle and get cut.

Try six to ten repeats of 35-yard all-out sprints with 10-seconds rest. That’s what competitive wrestlers did twice a week for 4 weeks in order to achieve the following benefits:

•    Increased maximal power by 5 percent. A similar study by judokas showed increase peak power of 16 percent.

•    Higher maximal work capacity by 32 percent as seen with an increase in the ability to go all out on an exhaustive test from 356 to 471 seconds.

•    Higher testosterone and a decrease in cortisol of 12.6 percent. A more favorable testosterone to cortisol ratio that indicates anabolic adaptations.

It’s too bad that the researchers in this study did not measure changes in body fat or lean muscle mass, since the wrestlers may well have improved body composition given the enhanced anabolic response. Try this model if you already have a base level of conditioning and want to maximize power and lean muscle development.

Category #3: The Endurance Athlete: Lose Fat, Save Time & Improve Performance

It is in endurance athletes that we see the profound value of interval training. If your goal is endurance, but you still want to have a killer looking body, and be fast and strong, sprinting is your savior. And of course, you’ll save training time that can be devoted to other thrilling pursuits.

A recent study had endurance runners in their 40s do either a 4-day-a week interval program or an endurance program for 4 months.

The interval protocol varied:

Day 1 was ten 30-second all-out sprints with 90 seconds active rest;

Day 2 was 6 intervals of 2 minutes at maximal speed followed by 90 seconds active rest; Day 3 was ten 30-second all-out sprints with 90 seconds active rest; (same as Day 1)

Day 4 was 30 minutes of tempo running at lactate threshold.

The endurance protocol consisted of running at 75 to 85 percent of the lactate threshold for 45 to 75 minutes.

Results showed the following greater body composition improvements in the interval group:

•    The interval group lost 4.4lbs of body fat and 16 percent belly fat. They also improved running speed at the lactate threshold by 20.5%, and increased aerobic capacity by 18.6%.

•    The endurance group lost 2.2lbs of body fat and no belly fat. They improved speed at the lactate threshold by only 12.9%, and improved aerobic capacity by 7%.

•    Both groups lost a small amount of lean muscle—the sprint group lost 2.2lbs, whereas the endurance group lost 3.3lbs — reinforcing the need for strength training to maintain muscle.

The interval workout was so much more effective because it produced a greater lactate response, which correlates with an elevation in fat-burning hormones. This combined with an increase in the amount of energy burned in the 24-hour recovery period (called EPOC) led to greater fat loss. Leaner is always better when it comes to endurance performance, particularly when muscle is spared since it means you will have greater relative strength.

Ok, here are some final thoughts:

To use this evidence to get your own results, consider the following energy-system principles:

•    Volume and intensity are inversely related. Make sure you maintain sprint quality and avoid the critical drop-off point where you get diminishing returns.

•    Use this model for anaerobic power with fat loss: 9 X 30 seconds, 7 X 45 seconds, and 5 X 70 seconds.

•    Use this model for anaerobic capacity and fat loss: 6 X 70 seconds, 4 X 90 seconds, and 3 X 120 seconds.

•    Plan your sprint sessions separately from your lifting workouts—don’t do them in the same session, and ideally, do them on separate days.

Yours in health,
Greg



Greg DiRenzo, M.S.
Lakeside Fitness Center
"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"

11 Reasons Why Weight Lifting Is Terrible For Women!

Friday I posted a blog "Some Girls Get Bulky", I addressed women and weight lifting primarily. Yesterday I followed up on it with my "Stop Running" blog. Today I'm here to tell you that this is the 3rd installment of my trilogy on this topic. I was doing some additional research and decided to change my story.... and maybe what I have uncovered has changed this a bit, I guess you can decide for yourself ladies!

Well everyone truly knows that lifting makes women big, bulky, and more specifically, less desirable as most think.

Ok maybe you buy into that, but why?

Do ladies know the reasons why?

If not here ya go.... Below are my top eleven reasons as to why women should NEVER EVER even think about touching a weight. Ever!!!! Here ya go....

1. You will find less and less that you are asked to go to the kitchen and make a sandwich. What will you do with all that free time??

2. Men on the Internet will tell you that you have muscle; more muscle then they do and that you prob could kick their butt. Can you handle no longer being the object of a stranger's fantasy?

3. Pants won't fit because your butt has gotten so big. Imagine actually filling out a pair of pants, the horror of having a round firm butt!!!

4. Your children might see that a woman can be something more than a frail object meant to please a man. Challenging the status quo is never a good thing.

5. You can eat a much larger amount of delicious food and not gain a pound. Disgusting! Pass the tofu, salad and skim milk please.

6. Men will avoid you at the gym when you lift more than they do. How are you supposed to know how to lift without their constant coaching?

7. You will be able to open a pickle jar without a man or a knife. No one should possess that much raw power.

8. Your bones will maintain a thick density throughout your life. Do you really want to rob a surgeon of your money for osteoporosis treatment?

9. Heavy lifting can be as diverse as you want to make it. Your time would be much better spent on a treadmill every day watching CNN and QVC.

10. You will be shunned from old friends that want you to go clubbing every night. Those are the kinds of friends you just don't want to lose.

and the last, but not least....

11. Others in the gym will point fingers and talk about you behind your back. They will say things like, "did you see how good she looks?" Everyone hates finger pointers and people that talk behind your back!

Oh yeah, all 11 of the above applies to us guys as well, who in the world would want to look like they have muscle??? Did you see "Man of Steel" - I'm pretty sure that guy is going to wind up on a few magazine covers!

Yours in health,
Greg
"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"

Stop Running!

Here is the follow up to Friday..... and if you didn't read it, here is the link. Some girls get bulky...
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Let’s set something straight – your FOOD determines your body, both in growth-muscular development, and reduction of mass and fat, no question about it, don't be dellusional. I have seen too many people come to the gym with a caramel macchiato, (because they need the caffeine-yeah right), have a mediocre workout, go get another caramel macchiato after workout, and then complain their body hasn't changed. Well let me see, you just drank 700+/- calories with about 30g of fat, almost 100g of carbs, and almost 100g of sugars.... and you wonder why there is still a belly?  Then I hear, "but I just took a class, ran on the treadmill, and did some crunches, I worked out for two hours."  Here is my opinion and what I say, which some people think all I say is nonsense.... "You just gained weight/fat by coming to the gym (because you needed the caffeine), wouldn't it have been better as well as an effective use of your valuable time to not drink half of your caloric intake for the day, get an effective fat burning / muscle building workout in and be out of the gym in 30-45 minutes?" 

The difference between a ‘bulky’ look and a ‘Jessica Biel’ look is whether you’re eating above or below your caloric maintenance level. 

Very often I see people get confused with all the diets, workouts, supplements that are thrown their way.  Now more than ever many of us are on ‘information overload’.  And this is causing people to associate ‘this workout with these results’, and ‘this food with those results’.

The best thing you can do when trying to lose fat is to keep it simple - and not get distracted.  Keep your ‘shiny object syndrome’ in check and stay on track – because it’s really not as hard as you may think..

Here’s the deal -> Your body has 4 things going on.
It has bones, organs, muscle, fat.... You can’t really change your bones & organs – what you CAN do is..

1 Make your fat cells bigger
2 Make fat cells smaller
3 Grow muscle
4 Lose muscle

That’s it.

The ideal combination is 2 and 3, to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle. Do that and you’ll be sexier than ever.  Guys and girls will whistle at you, regardless of whether you are a guy or girl.  The most important factor for fat loss is your nutrition, followed very closely by metabolism.

In order to lose bodyfat, you should be on a slight caloric deficit.  So calculate how many calories your metabolism, there are several sites out there you can do this on, one is http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/calorie_calculator.asp.

Do this and you will NEVER get bulky. Unless you sleepwalk and eat without knowing it, but that’s a whole other problem.  Aside from all this.. aside from proper nutrition – the very next best things for fat loss are "high intensity workouts" such as hill sprints and sled work as noted in my previous post.

THIS is where most people mess up when trying to lose fat.  They assume that ‘jogging’ or ‘running’ is good for them and that running will burn the fat. 

Nothing could be more WRONG!

If your goal is to get definition and SERIOUSLY look good in a bathing suit, you have to eliminate the jogging and replace it with hill sprints and sled work, etc. Take a look at and compare the marathon runners versus the sprinters.  Take a look below or Google it, not only for pictures, but info and data....

Sprints will build up the hamstrings and glutes tremendously. (Running for a purpose (such as shooting for a measurable improvement) is great, running as a method to shred fat and get lean isn’t highly effective as most think.  Interval running is where it’s at for overall effectiveness, both in cardio respiratory improvement and eliminating fat, with that said nutrition is vitally important.  If you are physically capable of sprinting and wanted to continue on the treadmill, I would, if I were you, raise the incline and do the intervals with a significant incline, this way the speeds won’t be that high and there is less pounding on your joints – safer.) 

Sprints are also one of the best forms of abdominal training you could do. You ever see the glutes and abs on a sprinter? Google them and see what they look like.. then ask yourself which body type YOU prefer?

Excessive jogging is not only time-consuming, it also increases cortisol.. which in turn increases belly fat.. wears down your joints.. reduces your strength.. makes you lose muscle.. lowers testosterone.. and most importantly, runners will never have a truly amazing butt.  You know, one of those ‘from another planet’ butts. Sprinters have them. People that lift weights have them. Runners don’t. (And here we go again, with the stick pins in the Voo Doo doll... thats ok, you are sticking it into muscle... and before you start sending me viscious emails that I immedieately delete and "send to trash" I am simply directing and advising the "stop running" info to people who want to be tight, lean and have a killer fitness body.)

And it’s all because weight training & sprints, hill sprints, and sled work builds muscle while burning fat.  You just can’t say that about running a marathon. You will be in great cardio resperatory condition in this case, but not a "Fitness Model" body.

Now many people are confused about this, and honestly, I don’t blame them.  Somewhere along the way ‘running’ became popular, and it didn’t take long before Nike jumped on the bandwagon and started promoting ‘running’ as the cool thing to do  (prob due to Forrest Gump).

Unless you get intense joy out of finishing a marathon (and I 100% commend you-I would if I could do it, but I can't), running will only set you back when it comes to your "fitness Model" physique.

Yes it increases your endurance, but it has nowhere near as much impact as hill sprints.  And yes, “some exercise is better than no exercise”, but that’s another talk.

If for every dollar spent on stock A you get $100 back, and every dollar spent on stock B would give you a million dollars.. you’d go for stock B right?

Hill sprints & sled work = stock B.

Stock A is stuff like jogging, stairmasters, and elliptical machines..
Stairmasters and Ellipticals?  Yes that's what I said, Stairmasters have no "High intensity" effect - it's just tiring on the legs and cardio, Elliptical Machines have momentum. Momentum is only good when you’re playing golf or in the Pinewood Derby.

Stock A is not good for challenging your body and burning the max amount of calories in minimum time. (notice I said max cal in min time)

One of my favorite quotes is:
“If you want to be successful, look at what everyone else is doing and do the complete opposite.” ..

The same goes for your cardio.  Now you keep hearing me say ‘hill’ sprints and there’s a good reason why..

Hill sprints place your body in a safer position than flat ground sprints because of the angle, so there is far less impact.  Also, hill sprints and sled work slows you down and is for that reason very safe. The risk of pulling a hamstring or popping an achilles or something in your knee is greatly reduced.

Remember, that sprinting for fat loss is different than sprinting for speed. The latter requires specific timing, longer rest periods, etc. But to drop body fat and just bring up your conditioning without compromising your strength gains, you don’t have to get too tedious about this.

Just do the darn sprints. That’s all that matters :)

If there is a big enough "why", you will find and do the "how"!  What is your "why"? And how important is it to you?

Get in the back and start sprinting today. See we even have an indoor spot ready for you... :)

You will be at a pool party or on the beach before you know it.  And you will regret what you didn’t do.

Yours in health,
Greg

Greg DiRenzo, M.S.

Lakeside Fitness Center

www.lakesidefitnessclub.com

"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"

Some girls get ‘bulky’…

Hey Greg here once again, I hope you plan on having an awesome weekend, I know I do!

Throughout my career I’ve been asked COUNTLESS times by females whether lifting weights will make them bulky – so I decided to address this issue here once again as a review....

Here’s what I say now, just like the previous 12 million times:
Q: "Does lifting weights make me bulky? I don't want to get too big."
A: (as I amswer, I do smile with a chuckle and say), "Workouts don't make you bulky. Bad Nutrition makes you bulky."

Some ladies even stop doing proper workouts because they felt like they were getting bulky. The truth is they were actively building muscle but eating horrible while doing so.

Weak workouts,
Strong Workouts,
Weak Nutrition,
Strong Nutrition....

Strong workouts + Strong Nutrition transforms your body.

Strong workouts + Weak Nutrition at the most will increase endurance, but will do nothing for your appearance.

Weak Workouts + Weak Nutrition is a waste of time.

If you want that bikini body, then build muscle and lose fat. It's that simple.

If you want to get it fast, use heavy weights, do sprints, and for goodness sake Stop running... please.  OMG, here he goes again.... (I know you just said that, and I actually felt the stick pin from the Voo-Doo doll)

I can not even count the amount of 'runners' over the years that have asked me asking how to lose that last part of their 'pooch' - as well as the numerous amount of runners that hate me for saying this over and over and over again, there aremore of tha later actually.

To lose the "pooch" - The answer is simple: Get on a small calorie deficit, and keep your workouts INTENSE.

Skip the running and absolutely kill it with each workout. Have your post workout shake immediately afterwards, and then non processed real food; protein, carbs, veggies within 45 min.

Cardiowise I'm talking sled work, hill sprints, jumprope, battle ropes, that type of stuff, WITH INTENSITY!

And if this advice doesn't jive with you - then that's cool. But I'm right, you know it, and some just don't want to work that hard by doing sled work, hill sprints, jumprope, battle ropes, etc.

But the best thing you can do is choose ONE person to listen to, and it may not be me.... Follow his/her tips to the fullest and ignore all else - don't get information overload and just keep it simple.

It's not rocket science, just human science, but the single most important thing you can do is take action and stay focused. (and the second most important thing you can do is listen to me) :)

Both of the ladies above are a size 2 and the girl on the right is 11lbs heavier at the same height, which do you want to look like?

After my previous discussions on this topic I always get tons of comments, (and I'm sure I'll get plenty more in my inbox) and some do come from my clients, here is one of them. 

She said: “Hi Greg!! This stuff is very informative.. I just have a question, why no running?? I thought it was the best to complement the workout.. Please explain, thank you.”

And before I bore you with a long answer on this now, I decided to let you enjoy the weekend and write an entire new blog on why you should avoid running.. For Monday.... I think I'll call it "Stop Running"......

Yours in health,
Greg

Greg DiRenzo, M.S.

Lakeside Fitness Center

www.lakesidefitnessclub.com

"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"

5 Nutrition facts you shouldn’t believe.

5 Nutrition facts you shouldn’t believe...

You probably have something you do often every week right? Maybe it’s something on your job, or something with your kids – for me it’s fitness and doing nutrition consultations.

All our members/clients have unlimited access to me, so on average I’ll do a dozen or more consultations with clients where we dial in their eating habits.

During these consultations I see a LOT of recurring issues come up
And I guess ‘issues’ is not the right word. ‘Misunderstandings’ is better.

‘Misunderstandings’ regarding proper nutrition, the RIGHT way to workout, corrective exercises, big butts, skinny girls, and other stuff.

For instance, 9 out of 10 still believe:
1.     You can skip breakfast and get away with it
2.     Angelina Jolie looks good
3.     It’s normal to feel tired before a workout
4.     Shop Rite is just as good as Trader Joes
5.     Fish Oil gives you bad breath

Let me decipher these silly & untrue facts:
Wrong #1 - You can skip breakfast and get away with it Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s your opportunity to tell your body:
“Hey body, I have plenty access to food out here, so no need to store fat for me!”.

Skip breakfast at your own risk.

If you ask me, skip breakfast and you’ll soon turn into a skinny girl with no butt that’s hungry & moody all the time.

If I had a penny for every time I hear someone say “I wish I had a butt like ….”.. then I could get a Redbox movie.  Yes, they only cost $1, but that’s a lot of pennies!

If you want legs like “…..” and the “…….” butt, eat breakfast.

Wrong #2 – Angelina Jolie looks good
If you were to see Angelina Jolie in person you’d be shocked how skinny she is.

I know, I used to date her.



:)
Just kidding, I did send her an email once but she never got back to me.

We, the people, should pay zero attention to MOST of the red carpet bodies and Hollywood diets.

Almost all figures you see on covers of magazines are photoshopped, and just in general I am a huge believe in ONLY comparing yourself one person….. to yourself.

There will always be somebody out there who looks better or worse than you.

Always! Always! Always!

Be happy with what you have, and if you feel there’s room for improvement, then go get that improvement through balanced nutrition and intense workouts.

Whatever you do, don’t compare yourself to anyone – you’re way too good for that.

Wrong #3 - It’s normal to feel tired before a workout.
If you feel sluggish before a workout, it is totally OK to take a preworkout energy drink. As long as it’s natural and doesn’t have any fillers in it.

I personally take and recommend this one – and it gives me total kick in the butt without any crash-feelings afterwards.

Wrong #4 – Shop Rite is just as good as Trader Joes
I’ve said it before, but if Trader Joes were to ever step into the boxing ring with ShopRite.. it would be a First Round Knockout for TJ.

Trader Joes is the way to go. I don’t get paid for saying this, but I just KNOW that if you’re on your worst behavior at TJ you’ll still be more holy than making one mistake at other stores.

If you live in an area near TJ (..if you’re getting this email you probably do), then you owe it to yourself to bicycle yourself to the local Trader Joes.

And if you have a car you can also drive there.

Wrong #5 - Fish Oil gives you bad breath
The only fish oil that gives you bad breath is the cheap kind.

Don’t go for the cheap-brand fish oil pills. Those will give you that infamous ‘fishy burp’ and are not as pure as the more expensive ones.

Overall, you should ALWAYS pay more for food. It’s like when you get gas for your car – there’s 87 grade fuel, there’s 89, and there’s 91 grade.

One of the biggest contradictions I see in life are people who fill their nice cars up with 91 fuel, but have donuts for breakfast.

Always put 91-grade stuff in your body. Pay 91-grade prices for your food. No more discounts for your health.

Pay 87-grade pricing for unimportant stuff.. like your cellphone, your TV subscription, your purse, and even your clothing.

I mean, I’d rather look good in a white t-shirt than look flabby in an Armani suit.

I’ve said this many times before and I’ll keep saying it: More likely than not, you have information overload.

Information overload when it comes to fitness. And this is a bad thing. See, the best way to see results in something is to choose a path, and STICK TO IT!

No matter what or how, stick to what you’re doing.. and in the worst case scenario you will get bad results. But at least you got RESULTS. Too many times I see people jump from program to program, only to end up with zero results in the end.

It takes 6 months to see results. And deep inside we all know this, but with this ‘quick-fix’ society it’s easy to believe otherwise.

So I hope this email helped you on the right track.

Stick to what’s real. Remember that no matter what, it takes 6 months.

And nothing will ever work unless you do.

Yours in health,
Greg

Greg DiRenzo, M.S.

Lakeside Fitness Center
"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"

I give up!

Today is just another day, another day just like yesterday.  I woke up, I am going about my daily activities, then I'll go to bed and repeat tomorrow.  Wow, thats a pretty boring day you might say, but I guess that depends on what the daily activities are or are not.....  More on this later....

I give up, how about you? As you all probably know by now (in reading my posts and blog) I am a fan of "a challenge" any challenge, yes any challenge, either physiacl or mental.  With all these challenges come accountability, commitment, and personal integrity for me. Last year I challenged myself to read a book a week for the entire year, this year I gave up alcohol for the year, and remember a month or so back I asked for you to challenge me, I got a few good ones, but in all honesty nothing too tough.  So I decided to give it up!

I'm done, it's over and I've had enough!  I give up!

Hold on don't call crisis management or a 911, I have given up the "Seven C's".  Cookies, Cake, Candy, Chocolate, Chips, Cola!  Wow that nut's right?  Hey wait, that's only six, oh yeah, the most important one - Complaining!  My accountability on this is for 14 weeks, Memorial Day to Labor Day; my commitment is to the man in the mirror; and my personal integrity is that no matter what - I stick to it and pass the "pillow test" every night.  Well who in this world can refrain from complaining for 14 weeks?  I can, you can anyone can.  People have told me I'm never going to do it and that it is way too difficult and way to long.  Really, I thinks it's easy, just like anything else you want to do.  It's back to my risk vs. the reward outlook.  If you want to see something amusing and educational watch this below.  Dr. David Walsh conducted an experiment - "The Marshmallow Test" some of you might know of it. 

YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP WHAT YOU WANT NOW FOR WHAT YOU WANT MOST!

YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP WHAT YOU WANT NOW FOR WHAT YOU WANT MOST!

YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP WHAT YOU WANT NOW FOR WHAT YOU WANT MOST!

now you, go ahead and say it.......

So back to my opening paragraph..... Here's the way I look at my challenge, I wake up, go about my daily activities (minus the Seven C's) and go to bed. Wake up again and repeat and repeat until 14 weeks is over.  See, I'm not challenging myself and looking at it as 14 weeks, 14 weeks needs to be broken down as a day by day process, if you can do something for one day, you can do it everyday!   Let me say that again.... if you can do something for one day, you can do it everyday!

Q: "How do you eat an elephant?"  A: One bite at a time..........

Ok, let me wrap up so you can start eating... one bite at a time.  And yes, I'll answer the question that is burning you up inside.  How can I not complain for 14 weeks?  Well that's simple as well, in my life like everyones' there are troubles, in my fitness world like yours there are obstacles, in the real world there is always something that anoys me or makes me a little (a lot) upset, I am not going to stop those feelings from happening, I am simply going to change the way I act/react to them.  Everytime I want to complain about something I am going to replace it with a feeling of being grateful.  It's that simple.  Last week I complained about the rain and having to cut the grass; this week I'm glad it rained because my car was full of pollen and I didn't get to the car wash yet.  Last week I spent the weekend, all weekend (both days) in a exhausting and tiring seminar/class; this week I get to utilize the knowledge I gained to help people get better.

In closing can't think of anything better than this.... "I cried because I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet.”  The aphorism has been cited since at least The Gulistan, or The Rose Garden (1259) of the Persian poet Sa’di since at least the 1800s.

YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP WHAT YOU WANT NOW FOR WHAT YOU WANT MOST!

YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP WHAT YOU WANT NOW FOR WHAT YOU WANT MOST!

YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP WHAT YOU WANT NOW FOR WHAT YOU WANT MOST!

now you, go ahead and say it one more time....

Yours in health,
Greg

Greg DiRenzo, PhD
"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"