Jason Morgan

It’s no mystery, the REAL secret to getting serious results from your health and fitness program is almost always overlooked and glossed over. Most folks say “I know that already” or “I understand” but in reality they have no clue what they’re talking about.

So, what’s the secret? It’s your nutrition habits.

There’s nothing more important to your success than building a solid foundation of healthy nutrition and supplementation habits into your life.

As a fitness professional that has helped hundreds of women and men shed thousands of pounds I believe you’ve got to have the following six components as part of any successful health and fitness program. They include:

1. Nutrition- the foundation of all health and fitness
2. Supplementation- to fill in the voids in your nutrition program
3. Resistance training- to build lean muscle and ramp up your metabolism
4. Cardiovascular exercise- to optimize fat release and heart health
5. Flexibility- to prevent injury and promote recovery from exercise
6. Coaching- knowledge, support and accountability to get you to the finish line

In part 1 of this article, I’m going to focus on numbers 1 and 2. Because without that solid foundation- nothing, and I mean NOTHING WORKS! It literally makes all…

The Difference Between Your Success Or Failure!

But before I get into what to eat and the nutrition habits you MUST instill in your life, let’s talk about why nutrition is so important to your results.

First of all, it’s essential to increasing your energy. If you’re going to increase your exercise activity level, you must have the energy to do so. Not only to keep up with all the day-to-day activities you have on your plate right now, but more importantly you must have more energy before you even THINK about adding additional exercise activity into your life!

Second, eating certain foods stimulate the digestive processes of the body in a big way. That’s a little known secret to ramping up your metabolism.

And THAT, my friend, is why nutrition is very important.

By focusing on developing solid nutrition habits you not only get results in the short term, but establish the foundation necessary to maintain those results for life!

Do You Suffer From Any of These Common Symptoms Associated With Poor Nutrition?

There are many symptoms associated with poor nutrition, and you’re probably dealing with several of them right now. Any of these sound familiar to you? If any (or all) of these symptoms ring true don’t worry. You’re not alone.

Most Americans are suffering from many, if not all, of these symptoms every single day of their lives. Why? Because the Standard American Diet (SAD) is absolutely horrible. What problems you ask?

Being run down every week, sick several times a year and generally not feeling well is indicative of a much more serious problem with your health- a weakened immune system.

Second, being tired in the afternoons, tired when you wake up, running out of gas at 2pm every day, and even getting low grade headaches are the direct results of blood sugar fluctuations. When your blood sugar is going up and down throughout the day, insulin levels start fluctuating in the body which takes your body out of the “fat-burning mode”- all of which makes it virtually impossible to lose weight.

Third, being sore for several days after a workout, waking up so stiff you can’t move, and only getting slow gains in strength from your exercise program are not normal. These symptoms indicate that RECOVERY from exercise is not being properly addressed.

Have you taken notice of all the processed foods and junk you’re eating at every turn?

The majority of these symptoms are the direct result of not feeding your body the nutrients required to be fit and healthy. Furthermore, these symptoms indicate much bigger problems.

What Causes These Nagging Symptoms And Problems?

Allow me to dive into a little more explanation. It’s important you “get this”- TODAY!

1. Missing meals. Most clients I work with are eating maybe one or two meals a day, generally not taking in any healthy foods in-between, and ultimately eating a big meal every six or seven hours. That doesn’t work.
2. Food processing. When foods are processed, they lose many of the micro-nutrients (vitamins and minerals), that are naturally present in them. So what happens is we’re eating food, but we’re not getting the nutrition we need from that food. Unfortunately, unless your growing your own food on a farm, the majority of food around us today is all processed in some way and void of many nutrients.
3. Low Protein in the diet. If we don’t have enough protein in our diet, then we can’t repair tissue or build new lean muscle. In fact, we end up losing what little muscle mass we do have, which you absolutely do NOT want to do. This occurs when there are not enough amino acids present in the bloodstream. The body will then actually break down its own muscle tissue to feed itself- essentially eating its own muscle! Most people are not consuming any type of protein at the most important meal of the day- breakfast! You’ve got to start the day off right to get your body going and that includes eating protein with breakfast.
4. Lack of fiber in the diet. Another big problem which leads to a whole host of issues, but also impacts blood sugar fluctuations. When this happens your body comes out of the fat burning mode and starts storing fat. This is the exact opposite of what you want to occur.
5. Ignoring the importance of post-workout nutrition. Not feeding your body the correct nutrients after the workout leads to slow recovery, slow results, and a lot of unnecessary soreness.

So know that you know the causes of these problems, where do you start to improve?

6 Highly Effective Habits Of The Healthy, Fit, and Firm

1. Increase your meal frequency
2. Balance your meals
3. Drink enough water throughout the day to keep your body hydrated
4. Take a vitamin/mineral supplement everyday
5. Use meal replacement shakes and bars instead of missing meals
6. Always take a recovery shake after your workout

In next week’s article (part 2) I’ll be providing you with more detailed information about the 6 Habits, discuss why you need to start integrating them into your daily routine and provide you with a sample meal plan to continue helping you improve your nutrition plan and RESULTS.

After working with MANY clients over the years, I’m FULLY AWARE that it takes some time to get this nutrition thing “down-pat”. You’re going to stumble, have challenges, have obstacles and you’re going to go through an “adjustment” period with this. That’s OK. Just remember take it one day at a time and make it your goal to do one thing better tomorrow than you did today.

For more on fast fat-loss training and eating strategies to get you in the best shape of your life, check out Muscleworx Ultimate Body Blueprint™ to educate and empower you to gain control of your body composition and metabolism. Start now and have the body you desire and deserve by summer’s end!

Dining out….a favorite American past-time. Research, however, has shown that the more we dine out, the more likely we are to get accustomed to larger portions—and to potentially larger waistlines.

So is it possible to dine out and have your cake too? According to a new report by the Nutrition Action Healthletter, the answer might be a resounding “no,” especially if you dine at some of the casual, “slow-food” restaurant chains out there, with their hyper-caloric entrees, appetizers, and desserts.

One meal highlighted by the NAH report, for example, was The Cheesecake Factory’s “Fried Macaroni and Cheese,” which weighs in at a monstrous 1,570 calories and 69 grams of saturated fat. (The kind that clogs your arteries and can leave you at higher risk for a heart attack for up to 4 hours after a meal.) Consider these factoids:

• Many health experts recommend we eat no more fat in a single day than the equivalent of 3 pats of butter.
• A pat of butter has 5 grams of fat, so “Fried Macaroni and Cheese” contains the equivalent of about 14 pats of butter. Oops!

And the amount of sodium (as table salt) in some restaurant meals is sky-high as well. Chili’s “Big Mouth Bites”-also cited in the NAH article-boasts (if that’s the word) 2,350 calories, 38 grams of fat (7 ½ pats of butter)-and 3,940 mgs of sodium. Excuse me? That’s about twice the amount of sodium recommended for most adult Americans, over the course of a day. How many salt-sensitive people-some of whom have high blood pressure and don’t know it-are innocently gorging on these indoor salt licks?

Okay, so the news about restaurant chains isn’t so good, but there are healthier options out there that will still allow you to go out once in awhile and socialize. Here’s a sampling of entrées from some of the big restaurant chains. I’ve included one “no-no” from each establishment’s menu to help you spot the “heart-attacks-on-a-plate.”

Applebee’s®.

The bad news: You order the “Grilled Steak Caesar Salad with toast,” thinking you’re eating light…after all, it’s a salad, right? But guess what? If you eat the whole thing, you’ll have wolfed down 1,296 calories, 83 grams of fat (16½ pats of you-know-what), and 2,200 mgs of sodium. Uh oh.

The good news: Applebee’s offers a Weight Watcher’s® Menu for health- and weight-conscious diners, and it includes “Garlic Herb Chicken” for 370 calories, 6 grams of fat, and 7 grams of fiber.

Applebee’s even has a dessert, “Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake,” that’s only 230 calories and 3 grams of fat. Pass around 1 slice of this cake and you’ll be cutting calories even further. Although their “Onion Soup au Gratin” (150 calories) has fewer calories than does regular onion soup, the 8 grams of fat in there might cause a problem if your entrée was also high in fat.
Cheesecake Factory®.

The bad news: You ordered their “Stuffed Chicken Tortillas,” thinking it a fairly good nutritional choice. Wrong. You just put away 1,097 calories, 43 grams of fat (8 ½ pats) and a whopping 2,647 mgs of sodium (the equivalent of more than a full teaspoon of salt)….thirsty, by any chance?

The good news: I was surprised to find a new menu item at the Cheesecake Factory called “Weight Management Grilled ChickenTM,” which was accompanied by arugula salad (my favorite!), steamed white rice, and asparagus. Per the online listing, this meal contained “less than 590 calories.” The new “White Chicken Chili” also looks promising, although the nutrition information wasn’t available when I looked. Their “Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo” could be healthy if you ask that the cream be left out of the Cajun-style broth.
Chili’s®.

The bad news: Chili’s online info lists its appetizers under the heading “Start It Off Right,” but you surely won’t be doing that if you order their “Onion String & Crispy Jalapeno Stack.” This before-meal snack is lugging along 2,130 calories, 213 grams of fat (I kid you not–42 ½ pats of butter!), and 1,320 mgs of sodium. (You know how some menus put a little heart symbol next to the heart-healthy meals? “Onion String & Crispy Jalapeno Stack” could just about be awarded tiny skull and crossbones.)

The good news: Chili’s “Guiltless Grill” offers many healthy options too, such as the “Guiltless Grilled Salmon” at 480 calories, 14 grams of fat (with most of the calories and fat coming from those pleasant omega-3-fatty acids), and a good amount of fiber (10 grams). Another item I was curious about is the “Black Bean Burger”: Although its 650 calories seem fairly steep, it does contain a respectably low 12 grams of fat (only 2 of them saturated) and a generous 26 grams of fiber.
T.G.I. Friday’s®.

The bad news: No matter how good Friday’s “Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad” sounds to you, don’t do it. It’s hiding 750 calories and 10 pats of butter.

The good news: With its “Right Portion, Right Price” menu offerings, Friday’s became the first casual, sit-down dining chain in the U.S. to offer smaller portions at lower prices all through the day. Among the entrees are “Asian-Glazed Chicken with Field Greens,” and “Cedar-Seared Salmon on Field Greens.” Two other meals, the “Dragonfire Chicken” and “Shrimp Key West,” are included in their “Better for You” section, which lists only those meals that contain no more than 500 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving. This saves you money as well.
Outback Steakhouse®.

The bad news: Order Outback’s “Aussie-tizers Kookaburra Wings with Sauce” and you just served yourself 1,160 calories and 75 grams of fat (15 pats).

The good news: I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this restaurant now has “Healthy Weight Loss,” “Heart-Healthy Diet,” and “High-Protein Low-Carbohydrate” choices. On the “Healthy Weight Loss” link, they offer options for making their traditional items healthier (e.g., ordering their “Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie” without butter, or the “Shrimp and Veggie Griller” without butter or glaze during preparation.

I feel these guidelines of Outback Steakhouse not only help diners cut calories and fat, but also provide information regarding the food’s preparation. And perhaps most important, diners will most likely feel less intimidated to ask their server for these modifications since they’re listed on the Web site.
Ruby Tuesdays®.

The bad news: You just ordered “Ruby Minis,” thinking, What harm could 2 miniburgers with fries possibly do? The answer: an injurious 1,122 calories and about 14 pats is what.

The good news: I found a menu option online called “Smart Eating Choices,” which looks to include some healthy options, such as “White Bean Chicken Chili” (228 calories, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of fiber) and “Grilled Chicken” at 295 calories and only 6 grams of fat. Other choices, however, were a bit higher in fat than I expected, such as the “Chicken Bella” (626 calories and 7 pats), “New Orleans Seafood” (31 grams of fat), and “Grilled Chicken Salad” (30 grams of fat). However, even these last options are most likely much lower in fat and calories than some of the traditional items on the menu, so overall they may be fairly good choices, in moderation.
I’m sure there are many more restaurants out there with healthier options, so I’d love to hear from you if you’d like to share what you’ve found out. I hope I’ve given you some tasty and healthy options so you can have your cake and eat it to!

Some in search of their ultimate body are only willing to do so much to succeed. Without even knowing what success feels like yet, they make the assumption that they’re already doing enough to get the job done.

Believing that “this strategy is overkill” or “that training style doesn’t make sense” without enough experience to make those kind of evaluations will limit your progress. Coming to the conclusion that “that much focus isn’t necessary” or “that kind of detail isn’t necessary” before even trying the strategy demonstrates that you are only willing to do so much to succeed.

Just because you think you are currently doing enough or are convinced you are on the right track doesn’t mean you really are. Just because you feel you are giving 100 percent doesn’t mean that’s enough to get the job done. Just because you think you are a hard worker doesn’t mean you are working hard enough to be successful.

What makes you so certain that you already know what it takes to succeed? To be brutally honest, how would you know exactly what that requires? You’ve never achieved what you want with your physique yet.

Many in search of fitness make a lot of incorrect assumptions about what’s the best way to train or the best way to eat—without enough experience to support those beliefs. Those beliefs become ingrained convictions that stall their progress and lead toward frustration.

Take Action and Do This NOW!

You must open your mind to new and different strategies if you want to produce better results than what you are currently getting. Look for mentors to help you reach that new level of enlightenment. Success leaves clues. If you do what you’ve always done in the past, you’ll produce the same results.

What are the benefits you will enjoy by opening up your mind to fitness truths and steering clear of false promises? You can gain a sense of understanding, confidence, and certainty which will provide the mental edge needed to reach your full genetic potential. You can progress more smoothly and efficiently. You could make significant improvements in your physique and improve your overall health much sooner. You could generate unstoppable momentum that can produce results that rival those of someone with much more fitness experience. All in all, you could make the entire physique transformation experience more enjoyable and fulfilling.

Sometimes when you are going for your fitness goals, “right” can feel “wrong” to you. Remember that.

The following is a guest posting by my good friend and colleague Dexter Tenison. Dexter is an ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer and I highly recommend looking him up if you are in the Memphis, TN area. For more on Dexter, go to www.dextertenisonfitness.com.

I help people become more lean, more fit, and more healthy. I emphasize with my clients to lose 1-2 pounds of fat a week in order to keep their metabolism high while still getting fat loss results. However, the contestants of the biggest loser seem to defy my advice by losing a whole lot of weight in a short amount of time. Here are some of my top key things I see as flaws of the show:

• The severe exercise program and calorie restriction weight loss is not from fat, it is actually mostly water, not fat loss. This has little value towards improving health and fitness.
• Losing more than this a week will slow down metabolism due to muscle loss. Muscle is the metabolic tissue that burns calories. It is true that the body will use some of the body’s fat for energy during this time, but it relies much more on amino acids. Where does the body get amino acids? That would be stored in muscles, which have to be broken down to be used. Your body actually catabolizes itself if you were to go on an extreme program like the ones you see on the show! Gross!

• The contestants have excessive skin due to the extreme weight loss in a short amount of time. Skin does not reshape as fast as the rest of the body when extreme measures are taken and the end result is having extras flaps when waving goodbye to people.

• The show tells viewers that in order to get extraordinary results, they must enroll into a fat camp that has a controlled environment that has a sole purpose that revolves around exercise and dieting. The average person may be able to train 1 hour a day, most days of the week. On the show, the contestants train 6 to 8 hours most days of the week. This is an insane and impossible task for most people that would result in injuries and people not being able to pay their bills!
• Finally, if you follow the contestants after the show you will notice that most of them will gain the weight back (sometimes more) after the show. If the point was to keep the weight off instead of gain it all back, was this successful? Here are just a few examples:

http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20090112_tows_followup

http://www.celebritydietdoctor.com/ryan-benson-biggest-loser-follow-up/

I’m not a fan of the show because they do not do things the best possible way for a successful fat loss program. This show has the prime opportunity to send people the right and accurate message on how to lose weight and keep it off forever. This show and others like it are simply other “diet” programs that fitness professionals have to fight against because most people keep searching for the “miracle pill” for fat loss that does not exist. They must begin to implement the concept of continual progress, consistency, and nutritious eating. If watching the show gives you inspiration to exercise and eat better, who am I to say it is bad? Remember, the key is to learn how to effectively take what is learned about behavior modification and apply that to the daily rigors of real life, then participation in the show is worthwhile.

If you want to get lean badly enough, you will. I know this is a simple statement, but it is completely true. If you are not as lean as you would like to be, it is NOT due to lack of knowledge. If you don’t have six pack abs or are not lean, but want to be…my answer to you is that you just don’t “want to” reach that goal as much as someone who has. You will reach almost every goal you set in life if your motivation is strong enough.

Getting Paid 5 Million Dollars to Get in Shape

What if I offered you 5 million dollars to get in the best shape of your life? Does that sound like too “out there”? Well…this is exactly what the top sex symbols of Hollywood wind up doing. Obviously an actor or actress has to be able to act, but a fine line separates a regular actor or actress from a mega-superstar in Hollywood. Did you see Ironman? Robert Downey Jr. came back on the scene in outstanding shape. He looked better than ever and it certainly helped him put his name back into the top of Hollywood’s leading men.

What if Over One Million People Were Going to See You Nude?

Many of Hollywood’s actors and actresses wind up doing a nude scene or they are partially naked in a scene. If you knew your butt was going to be on a big screen in front of millions, I bet it would be really easy to say “no” to junk food! Even if you had a swimsuit scene in a movie, I’m betting you would have no trouble at all looking incredible in 3-4 months.

Discipline is Directly Proportionate to Motivation

If you had to lose 30 pounds or lose your house, you have serious motivation to lose that weight. If you were paid  10 million dollars to lose 40 pounds in 2 months, it would be hard but you would find a way…because you would have crazy amounts of motivation. You would be very “disciplined” to reach your goal.

The Stronger Your Motivation, The Easier it Feels

When your motivation is strong enough, it doesn’t even feel like you have to exercise a strong sense of self-discipline. Dieting and exercising become effortless when the motivation is strong. I always find it is extremely easy to stick to a strict diet a month or two before a vacation. I don’t get to travel as much as I’d like, so I want to make sure that I look and feel my best for the trip. Exercising during this time is very easy as well…even tough HIIT training becomes a breeze.

I Can Help You With the Details…

…but you have to find your motivation. There are a lot of ways to get lean that work. I happen to think the methods I teach here will give you rapid results, especially if you want to lose body fat and slim down, but you have to come up with a reason to be motivated. If I was a betting man…I would take a motivated person who knows very little about training over an unmotivated fitness expert.

So What is Your Motivation?

I’ll tell you what mine is, to help you brainstorm. My goal is to travel the world, one beach at at a time. I want to look good and I want to be able to have the energy to play in the water, swim, go out dancing in places with a raging night-life, etc. I’m almost 40, but want to look great in a swimsuit well into my senior years. I also don’t want to spend the last 30 years of my life in and out of a doctor’s office.   Bottom line…I have only one shot at this life, so I want to look and feel my best.

Note: This mindset doesn’t just apply to getting in great shape, it will help you achieve anything you desire. Just decide on what you want and work on “wanting it badly enough”…then do what it takes to get it.

If you’re not yet in the kind of shape you’d like to be in, one of the most important things you can do to change your lifestyle for the better is to first understand your readiness for change.

In other words, although you might want to be in great shape, there’s a difference between wanting it and being ready to do the work necessary to accomplish it.

In this questionnaire below we’ll find out if you’re really ready to make the changes necessary to improve your body composition, health, and physical performance.

Simply answer the questions below by selecting the response most appropriate to your situation. Once you’ve completed all the questions, you”ll have a better understanding of your readiness for change.

And remember, be honest. You’re doing this exercise to find out if you’re really ready to make a lifestyle change. So don’t lie to yourself.

NOTE: If you’re already in good shape or you’ve already started changing, you can still take the test for fun.

The Readiness Questionnaire: