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!

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.

There are two realities that have made fitness a multi-billion dollar industry:

• The #1 fitness goal is to have a leaner, more physically attractive physique.

• Everyone strives for improved performance, function, health and vitality.

In terms of priorities, the vast majority of women would put looking good over functioning well. We know this because time and time again women have sacrificed their health, sanity, immune system, energy levels, family, jobs etc…. for unhealthy lifestyle, training, dietary or supplementation practices. Women want the perfect body, often, at any cost. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be a give and take situation. You can be beautiful, lean, sexy, sleek, and functionally fit, strong, vital and healthy at the same time.

Interestingly, the formula for attaining both a body that PERFORMS well and LOOKS amazing is the same but it is the exact type of program that women often shy away from. It is the Female Fitness Paradox. Women are often afraid to work hard, lift heavier weights at lower reps, do less “cardio”, eat more protein and do more functional, compound exercises because as women, you wrongly think that these protocols will produce the opposite results. Meanwhile, the hours of steady state cardio, high rep / low weight “toning” classes, spinning classes, low fat / low calorie fad diets, frozen light entrees and whipped yogurt desserts are taking you further and further away from your goals.

I know the struggle! You can’t figure out why you still suffer from “cottage cheese butt” syndrome when you are supposedly doing everything right.

Your intentions were right but your plan of action was wrong. Your struggle ends now! I strongly believe that what you achieve and master in the gym carries over into your life. Whatever you are afraid to tackle in the gym correlates to something you habitually fear taking on in life. The gym is not real – life is real. But what you do (or won’t do, can’t do…) in the gym is a real representation of your life.

One of the biggest problems with many people’s training program is that they fail to make progress. Usually they have no one to blame but themselves. They either do the same program with little or no change or they impose mental limitations. Many women do not use beyond 12 lb dumbbells because of a stereotype that anything higher is for men, that it will be too heavy or that it will build big bulky muscles (do you think the models in women’s fitness magazines really build those fabulous bodies with the 5 or 10 lbs weights they are posing with?) This thinking will ensure that you never change your body and that your body will eventually decline.

If you continue to train at the same level of intensity, load, sets, reps, tempo, rest between sets with the same repertoire of exercise order, selection etc… you will stagnate. If you continue to tell yourself a given weight is too heavy or a given exercise is too difficult, it will be. You need to apply a “next level” training and thinking to each component of your exercise program – every rep, every set, every exercise, every phase, every cycle, every program. The goal is to always “one up” yourself in some way whether it be load, reps, sets, rest or time. To do this, you need to apply this new way of thinking before every set. You can never allow yourself to think that you are not capable of doing the set/rep/exercise. You need to own it mentally as if you have done it a million times before and will do it again.

This is why recording your workouts is so important. You need to know what you did previously for a given workout in order to take it to the next level and “one up” yourself. If your program outlines a shoulder press for 3×8 and last week you did 3×8 with 12 lbs, one-up it next workout! Next week, start with 12 lbs for your 1st set and aim mentally for at LEAST 8 reps…if you can get 10, do it. Next set, you are a fool if you pick up 12 lbs again. 15 it is! Even if you only get 6, you have taken it to the next level. Guarantee you’ll get 8 on set 3. And the process continues. Once you achieve the rep range with a given weight, you MUST increase the load. I prefer increasing load over increasing reps. That is how you get STRONG, break through mental barriers and build a sleek, sexy, functional body.

If you start applying these concepts to every aspect of your training (nutrition too!), you will make dramatic improvements. Plus, you will constantly impress yourself by busting through new plateaus and be motivated to train again to re-set the bar.

If you feel like your regular crunch just isn’t doing it anymore, you’re probably right! Muscles get “bored” after doing the same exercise repeatedly. The double crunch works your upper and lower abdomen muscles because you are lifting both the upper and lower portion of your body. To “surprise” your muscles into working harder, try this twist on the classic crunch.

INSTRUCTIONS

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: