I am SO EXCITED to take some down time!



This weekend starts today for me. My Best Friend comes to town today and we will get to sit around and chat till the wee hours of the morning, soak up the sun together, share a bottle of wine and just have some good girl FUN! We haven't seen eachother since last Oct., that was in Vegas....Yep THAT was fun too!

If it's been a while since you have taken some time for yourself, make a plan to do this. You will refuel your mind, heart and soul by just taking some time out and having a little fun.
You will come back to work, family, and whatever else you have on your "To Do" list ready to tackle it with a smile.
I will post some pix of Angie and I on Sunday or Monday.

5 New Ab Workouts

You'll never have to do another useless crunch on a stinky, sweaty
dirty gym mat or hotel room floor EVER again!

...because Men's Health expert, Craig Ballantyne, has just
released his new CRUNCH-FREE Home Abdominal Workout program.

But hurry, only the first 100 copies come with his extra special
gift for you worth $59.85...

And you'll get his new program that features 5 new TT for Abs
workout programs including...

1) The 4-Week Beginner Introduction to CRUNCH-FREE Ab Workout

2) The 4-Week Intermediate Level ANTI-CRUNCH Ab Workout

3) And THREE Advanced 4-Week Home Abdominal Workouts

PLUS, you'll get...

4) The "TT Abs 300" Workout Challenges (including one for beginners,
intermediate, and advanced fitness levels)

5) The Bodyweight Abs program that you can do anytime, anywhere,
without a single piece of equipment. (This program comes with
beginner and advanced versions too!)

All that, AND STILL MORE...

The TT for Abs Home Abdominal Workouts also comes with...

a) The Advanced Ab Nutrition Meal Plans for Men & Women

b) The 5 Motivational Secrets to STOP Cheating on Your Diet and
Never Skip Another Workout Again

PLUS, the first 100 men and women to grab their copy gets a 3-month
TT Basic Level Membership to the TT forums and workout of the month
club.

AND FINALLY, he's added THREE more 4-week programs to sweeten the
deal and keep you burning fat for another 2-3 months. When you grab
your copy before Wednesday, July 23rd at midnight, you'll get:

1) The NEW "Hot Zone TT Fat Loss Workout"...

...showing you how 4 simple exercises hit all the fat burning hot
zones of the body and help you boost metabolism and burn more
belly fat.

2) "Bikini Ready Abs"...

...from America's #1 Fat Loss expert for Mom's, Holly Rigsby, giving
you another "IN-HOME" fat burning abdominal workout you can do with
minimal equipment.

3) The Big 5 Fat Burning TT Circuit Workout...

...revealing one of the most popular and innovative fat burning
workouts Craig has ever put together. If you love burning fat with
circuits, you'll love this simple 5 exercise solution to getting rid
of stubborn belly fat.

WHEW!

That's an incredible offer, but its only here for 3 days...

...So That You Can Burn Belly Fat and Work Your Abs in the Comfort
of Your Own Home...

As you can see by HIS PHOTO on his new site, he knows how to get abs
without doing crunches or long, slow boring cardio. And he'll show
you all NEW workouts to help you do the same.

Check out Craig's abs and get his new program HERE: http://www.turbulencetraining.com/cbae/?a=rrrXB&p=13




But remember...

1) Only the first 100 copies get the extra bonus worth $59.85

2) The "Biking Ready Abs", "Hot Zone Fat Loss", and "Big 5 Circuit
Workout" are only available as FREE GIFTS for the next 3 days. They
are gone after Wednesday, to be put back in Craig's workout vault
for Platinum TT members only.

WHY IS HE DOING THIS?

Because he knows you can't wait any longer to get working on your
abs...summer is here and passing us by - and so are your chances to
impress everyone with a new body on the beach, at concerts, or in
backyard BBQ's.

Check out TT for Abs for all of the details on this Limited-Time
Special Offer: http://www.turbulencetraining.com/cbae/?a=rrrXB&p=13



So save time and money by grabbing your copy today. But hurry, this
Special Offer expires and VANISHES - Poof, just like your belly fat
will - at midnight on July 23rd.

Get started with the all NEW Turbulence Training for Abs Home
Abdominal Workouts here: http://www.turbulencetraining.com/cbae/?a=rrrXB&p=13


Helping you look great this summer,

ISSA~ Certified Personal Fitness Trainer ~ Carmel Wieland
http://www.BetterBodiesbyCarmel.com

P.S. The bonuses are gone after July 23rd. In fact, only the first
100 copies get the 3-Month TT Membership bonus. So don't wait, those
will be gone before noon on Monday!

Visit Craig's site to see his abs & get this limited time offer: http://www.turbulencetraining.com/cbae/?a=rrrXB&p=13

Ab Workouts Slow Fat Loss

Ab Workouts Slow Fat Loss
By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

http://www.turbulencetraining.com/cbae/?a=rrrXB&p=13







Not only are most traditional ab workouts a waste of time, but they also slow your fat loss efforts. Each workout you spend crunching takes time away from more effective fat loss methods - such as interval training.

That's right, the common man's (and woman's) ab workout taken from Shape magazine or Muscle'n'Fitness often hurts their fat loss program more than it helps it.


Remember - I'm in the business of getting you the most fat loss in the least amount of exercise time...so I have little room in myprogram for traditional ab crunches (with the exception of usingbasic ab exercises for beginners who need to learn to use their ab muscles after a lifetime of inactivity).




Instead, I focus on exercises that build a 6-pack AND burn a lot of calories at the same time. That's why I'm a big fan of making EVERY exercise an ab exercise (by bracing the abs in every movement), as well as using total body ab exercises (such as Mountain Climbers, the Spiderman Lunge/Climb, and the Stability Ball Jackknife).




These exercises use far more muscle mass than a traditional crunch. In fact, some of the total body ab exercises are "interval-like" in nature, helping to put more metabolic turbulence on the body, and as you know, that's what burns calories during AND after the workout.




Now of course you know that you can't spot reduce the fat on your body - so doing an endless number of crunches not only does little for you in terms of losing fat, it also wastes your time in your quest for a 6-pack.




Here are a couple of strategies to maximize your workout time when your goal is to get lean, and get down to a low-enough body fat percentage to see your abs in as little workout time as possible:




(If you've got 2 hours a day to workout, by all means, do whatever your heart desires...but I don't think many of us that live in the real world have that kind of time.)


A) First, simply cut back on your ab training - If your goal is tosimply lose fat, gain a little muscle, and just look as goodpossible, then you can't spend 30 minutes on abs everyday. You can build your 6-pack by doing less than 30 minutes of ab exercise per week.


I'm convinced that no one (not even a fitness model or probodybuilder) needs more than 30 minutes of ab training per week.


In fact, at the photoshoots I supervise for the fitness magazines,I get to talk to a lot of fitness models and what they tell meabout their training routines might shock you. Most of them don't train nearly as frequently as you or I might think.


Instead, they've worked hard over the years with the basic lifts to build their body, and now many of them simply use nutrition and maintenance workouts to keep their abs showing.


B) Second, replace your crunches with the total body ab exercises I mentioned earlier. Also, if you have access to a cable machine, you can do weighted ab exercises such as kneeling cable crunches.


C) And finally, if you are doing intervals for fat loss as Irecommend, you can use the following approach to increase thedifficulty of your ab and interval training. However, this is anadvanced method only. Beginners should stick to the TT guidelines in their manual.


During your interval workout, perform an ab exercise during your active recovery period. For example, if you are doing running intervals on a treadmill...


Run for 60 seconds at your work interval speed. Immediately stop the treadmill, get off, and go into a set of 20 Mountain Climbers. Climb back on the treadmill and start it up for your next interval. Repeat for 3-6 intervals.


You can also use basic spinal stabilization "ab exercises" such asthe plank, side plank, or advanced plank versions (i.e. plank with your arms on the ball) to train your spinal stabilization while under heavy breathing stress. I learned this technique from Dr. Stuart McGill.


Remember: Always train safe, with good form, and be conservative. Don't try to be a hero in the gym, but you should safely challenge yourself in each workout.


Stick to the Turbulence Training Guidelines if you don't know where to start.


Sincerely,


Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

Author, Turbulence Training


About the Author



Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit

http://www.turbulencetraining.com/cbae/?a=rrrXB&p=13

How do you get rid of the flabby thighs??

You ever wonder this? Well people ask me this all of the time! I will let you in on a little secret, you know those thigh machines? Well in my opinion they SUCK! They dont burn fat off your thighs. If you really want to get rid of those thunder thighs you have to use compound exercises! Try these on for size....

• 
  
  Sumo squats with dumbbells or smith machine 15x3


• 
  
  Stability ball leg curls 15x3


• 
  
  Romainian deadlifts with dumbbells or barbell 15x3


• 
  
  Side lunges with medicine ball swing 15 each side x3


• 
  
  Walking lunges with a twist using a medicine ball 15 each side x3

With these exercises you will be working your whole body! Tone your arms and abs while melting fat off of your thighs and butt too!

Are you eating HIDDEN sugar???

As you may all be aware that eating sugar when you are trying to lose weight is a serious no no, do you know all the names of sugar? You are reading the labels making sure there is no added sugar....but is there?

Sugar has many different names here is a list of them for a reference.



barley malt
beet sugar
brown sugar
buttered syrup
cane-juice crystals
cane sugar
caramel
carob syrup
corn syrup
corn syrup solids
date sugar
dextran
dextrose
diatase
diastatic malt
ethyl maltol
fructose
fruit juice
fruit juice concentrate
glucose
glucose solids
golden sugar
golden syrup
grape sugar
high-fructose corn syrup
honey
invert sugar
lactose
malt syrup
maltodextrin
maltose
mannitol
molasses
raw sugar
refiner's syrup
sorbitol
sorghum syrup
sucrose
sugar
turbinado sugar

Dont be fooled by artificial sweeteners either, those are just as bad and maybe even worse as research reveals the side effects and health risks.

Did you know your diet soda could be making you fat? Yep, research has shown that artificial sweeteners triggers the same response in our bodies as real sugar and makes us crave more! Your best bet is to get your sweets from your natural fruit. In its natural grown from the ground form.

How Important is Your Circle of Support?

What do you think? We have always heard it is important to have support when you are trying to quit smoking, drinking or lose weight. So what happens when you have negative people around you when you are trying to get healthy and make yourself better all around? I never realized how important this was until the other day when I was talking to a friend who was having trouble in a friendship of hers. This person was being so negative about anything she was doing that was good for her. Ever had that happen to you? Well I have, I'm sure most of us have. After we talked for about an hour about other stuff she brought up how frustrated and hurt she was by this other friend again.

The people we talk to and hang out with really do effect us, good or bad. So why not hang with friends who make us feel good about ourselves and the things we are doing to make ourselves better?

Surround yourself with those who think you are wonderful and love you. Those who tell you how great you are doing and who may have the same type of dreams and goals as you do. You will find life much more enjoyable and your goals much easier to reach!

I leave you with this thought from Dick - Applying the Law of Attraction

"Surround yourself with positive people - Negative people can quickly lead to negative thoughts. Make sure your group of friends are those that love and admire you for the great person you are.Eliminate any time spent with anyone who brings you down. You can't afford the hit to your subconscious mind simply to maintain a negative friendship."

Dick, Applying the Law of Attraction

Warp Speed Fat Loss

Im trying something new

As you all may know by know I get bored with things and like to change it up often. So my new journey (besides the sprint tri.) is Alwyn Cosgrove & Mike Roussell's warp speed fat loss program. I have used Alwyn's workouts before I have both of his New Rules books and really liked the challenge. The WSFL program looks just as intense and as a bonus for me comes with menus so I dont have to waste my time planning what I will eat. I will be starting this Monday when my clients start their 12 transformation challenge. The WSFL is just 4 weeks. I will keep updates here for my challenge also.

Here is the WSFL program if you want to check it out for yourself.

http://www.warpspeedfatloss.com/yes.php?offer=bbbc2&pid=4