Fat Loss Meal Planning – Contest Results + More Helpful Tips

Huge thanks to all who participated in last week’s give-away contest/survey! The feedback is much appreciated, and I’ll be working in the coming weeks and months on some of the suggestions you provided …

We had a really hard time picking a winner … but ended up going with Michelle L. Keep an eye out Michelle – I’ll be emailing you shortly re: how to grab your free copy of the Easiest, Fastest Fat Loss Meal Plan program.

While we’re on the topic of fat loss meal planning, I’d like to point you towards an article I posted here early last year – it’s as timely as ever as we approach the holiday season. Click the link below to check it out:

Eating Well While Eating Out – 3 Quick Tips

And don’t forget – over the last three years, I’ve posted literally dozens of workouts, nutrition tips, videos, etc. right here on this site – you can search the blog archives from the right sidebar of any page.

Thanks, and talk soon –

Forest

Win A Free Copy Of Forest’s ‘Easiest, Fastest Fat Loss Meal Plan Ever’

I need your help … so I’m offering you an “ethical bribe” 🙂

I want to provide the best personal training/boot camp experience possible … to continually improve the way we do things … and ultimately make our business all about the customer. And what better way to do this than to get feedback from you?

I also know that your time is valuable. So I’m holding a give-away contest for a free copy of my ‘Easiest, Fastest Fat Loss Meal Plan Ever’ – in exchange for your participation in my (informal) survey.

FYI, here’s what my Easy Fat Loss Meal Plan includes:

The Easiest, Fastest Fat Loss Meal Plan Ever – Your complete guide to fat loss meal planning

The FVT Express Meal Builder – A very cool new one-page guide to print out and carry with you, stick on your fridge, etc. It lays out exactly what to eat of each type of food at each meal, and helps you plan out literally hundreds of meal combinations in less than 30 seconds.

The Easiest, Fastest Fat Loss Workout – Working out is also big part of the fat loss equation … and this short and to-the-point guide will give you a complete plan to get started.

plus …

The Fast Fat Loss Super Quick Start Guide – A specific sample meal plan you can literally start on in the next 5 minutes … requires zero planning and tells you exactly what to eat … a plan lots of my training clients have had great success with.

The Fast Fat Loss Grocery List – A list you can print and take to the grocery store with you to make your healthy shopping that much easier.

The Easiest, Fastest Fat Loss Workout Video Series – A video series that walks you through the Easiest, Fastest Fat Loss Workout to ensure you’re doing all the exercises 100% correctly, getting the most benefit from them and staying injury free …

All you need to do to enter the contest to win is leave a comment on this post with the following info:

1. What is your main fitness goal?

2. What part or parts of your body do you want to change the most?

3. What are your biggest frustrations in reaching your fitness goal(s)?

4. (if you’re an existing or past client) What do you like (or dislike) about your workouts?

5. Any additional comments/concerns/etc.

Please be honest – and if you want to be anonymous, just leave your initials 🙂

You have through Sunday night the 13th of November to enter to win. We’ll go through the entries and announce the winner early next week.

Leave your comment below to enter the contest now

3200 Riverside Street Fair Saturday, November 12th

Special announcement:

The merchants at 3200 Riverside Blvd. in Land Park (Sacramento) are hosting a special street fair event this Saturday, November 12th from 10am – 4pm.

All businesses at the complex will be representing (including us) and providing refreshments, special deals, free giveaways, and more …

Hope to see you there!

Forest

10 Minute Home Workout Video

I get questions in person, via email, on my blog, etc. almost daily about what kind of workouts folks can do at home when they’re short on time. So I shot a quick video that walks you through a kettlebell swing and burpee workout you can do in about 10 minutes – check it out below:

Video Recap

Now, it’s important to note that in an ideal world, you’d workout for more than 10 minutes 🙂 But if you’re in a pinch, this is a good one … you’ll get some cardio, strength training, and core work, all in a single circuit-style session:

10×10 Kettlebell Solution 10 Minute Burpee & Swing Workout

  • Start with a quick 2-3 minute joint mobility warm up
  • Do 5 burpees
  • Immediately follow the burpees with 15 kettlebell swings
  • Repeat the sequence 4 times as fast as you can
  • Finish with 2-3 minutes of static stretching

Thanks and see ya next time –

Forest

P.S. For more info on the 10×10 Kettlebell Solution program I mention in the video, click the link below:

November 2011 Challenge Workout (and results)

The November 2011 Challenge Workout:

  • 50 Push Ups (standard Push Ups for guys, knees for gals)
  • 50 Body Weight Squats
  • 50 full Sit Ups – feet unanchored, hands at sides
  • 50 two hand Kettlebell Swings
  • 50 Bicycle Crunches (each side)
  • 50 Lunges (backwards, alternating feet, in place, each side)
  • 50 Mountain Climbers (each side)

All 50 reps of each exercise must be completed before moving on to the next. Complete entire sequence for time. 20 minute time limit.

And the results:

AL 10:59
LE 12:04
VL 12:08
AG 12:18
MP 12:48
AT 12:48
JG 13:02
MW 13:06
JG: 13:13
CA 13:22
PK 13:36
SF 13:47
SK 13:59
JM 13:59
NG 14:41
BG 14:48
MA 14:59
LA 15:25
AA 15:49
MB 15:56
SB 16:05
AR 16:48
KM 18:20
DS 18:32
EA 21:18

Nice work guys! This one was no joke at 500 reps total …

Also, heads up that next month is the last on this year’s rotation … I’ll have a brand new batch of challenges ready for you come the first week of January. So start getting ready 🙂

Forest

P.S. Today’s your last chance to win a free copy of my new 10×10 Kettlebell Solution program … if you’d like to enter the contest to win (takes two minutes), click here: The 10×10 Kettlebell Solution

Why Sitting All Day Is Slowly Killing You (and what to do about it)

According to a recent study from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, people gain 16 pounds, on average, within 8 months of starting sedentary office work.

Even worse news is that this is just one of multiple health risks associated with working at a desk job and sitting down all day.

Now I do realize that for many of you, there’s not much you can do about your current sedentary state … but the good news is that there are some preventative measures you can take to keep you pain free during extended sitting periods and save your hips, spine, and shoulders.

I recently got together with Sacramento Yoga Center owner Ann DePrato to shoot a quick video on this very topic. Check out the video below, and then read the recap directly below it:

Video Recap

It’s important to take breaks during your workday. You should be getting up and moving every hour.

How To Sit in Your Chair:

  • Put your feet on the floor (put books under your feet if necessary to get your knee in line with your hip)
  • Sit forward in the chair, this will prevent you from slumping and relying on the back of the chair.
  • Place the keyboard so your wrist is in line with your elbows and your forearms are extended out. Your monitor should be at eye level.

Chair Yoga:

  • Take one foot and bring it over your thigh and lean forward, take a few breaths, this will stretch out the side of your hip and back.
  • You can twist in your chair, turn to one side and take a few breaths.
  • Place your hands on your knees and round your spine and hang, opening up the space between the vertebrae.
  • Do side stretches by reaching up to the corner of the ceiling and wall with one hand.

Sitting for extended periods can wreak havoc on your hips, spine and shoulders. However, while you might not be ready to quit your desk job just yet, there are some steps you can take to stay comfortable and pain-free during your work day. The video above with Ann DePrato of Rise Yoga in Sacramento covers some basic tips to help … thanks for reading/watching and talk soon!

Forest

P.S. To learn more about Ann’s Sacramento Yoga Center and her current new student specials, visit her website at http://riseyoga.com

October 2011 Nutrition Challenge

Can you go a week without sugar?

Processed sugar is a refined, concentrated form of sugar with no nutritional value aside from calories. This type of sugar raises insulin levels in your blood; insulin leads to storage of fat, therefore when you eat foods high in processed sugar, you are raising your level of fat storage in your body. Not only that, but it has other adverse health effects, such as increasing tooth decay and your risk for diabetes.

The October 2011 Nutrition Challenge

Consume no processed sugars for the next 7 days

I can hear the whines and cries already 🙂 But just remember – refined sugars simply were not a part of humanity’s diet for 2.5 million years. They didn’t even exist until about 200 or so years ago.

So table sugar obviously has to go, but also keep in mind that at least two-thirds of the refined sugar in the United States is an additive in manufactured food products. It’s hidden in many of the things you purchase from the grocery store. You may find it in your salad dressing, peanut butter, or even lunch meat. So chose whole, un-processed foods, plan ahead and avoid eating out.

Good luck on this month’s Nutrition Challenge!

Forest

P.S. Want some help planning your meals? Check out the FVT Express Meal Builder (it’s free):

The FVT Express Meal Builder

Story Of The Crazy Kettlebell Man (and a Halloween circuit workout)

It’s Halloween night. You’re on the way back from a costume party when your friends decide it’d be a good idea to drive to the outskirts of town to check out a haunted mansion …

You pull off the road and park the car at the back of the property. The house itself is on the top of a hill, still quite a distance away … it’s a dark and cloudy night and the road is pitch black with no streetlamps.

You shiver as you follow your friends into the woods …

It’s a long and spooky walk. You finally arrive at an overgrown lawn that looks up at the house.

You glance up at the third story and the windows gape at you like dark eyes. Suddenly, a ball of light appears in the window … you’re sure your friends told you the house was abandoned!

The light seems to float, and before your eyes, it forms into a hulking giant. You gasp in shock … and the figure begins to swing a giant ball-shaped object.

“Let’s get out of here!” You cry … your friends apparently saw the figure, too, and the group sprints to the car and speeds away.

“What was that?” You ask.

“Don’t you know?” Says your buddy. “It was the crazy kettlebell man!”

You shriek. “The crazy kettlebell man?”

“Yep. A team of kettlebell lifters lived in the mansion. They were Girevoy sport world champions … until the team captain went mad and killed them all. They say he still haunts the mansion to this day and tries to lure visitors in to join his crazy kettlebell circuit workouts.”

Shivering, your friends drop you off and you head home. For the rest of the night, your dreams are filled with images of the crazy kettlebell man trying to lure you to his mansion, swinging his giant kettlebell …

P.S. Check out the video below for the crazy kettlebell man’s favorite kettlebell and body weight circuit workout … and Happy Halloween!