Try Workout Of the Day

I wrote about Crossfit in my very very very early posts. Here is the link. I called it 'the next big thing'. Well...I would now like to correct my self. It is the NOW BIG THING. It is absolutely insane. The workouts are like 15 - 20 minutes long (including the warm up) but extremely high in intensity. I have been going to the guy for a long long time, but after trying this, I was seriously depressed because all that hard work did not REALLY make me all that fit!!

The main idea is a combination of strength training and cardio. Typically we do a strength training session and then a cardio session, BUT what these Crossfit super humans do is do both at the same time e.g. 21 clean and jerks without any rest and with a reasonably heavy weight. I have recently start some Crossfit routines and the numbers and times are impossible to reach e.g. 100 pull ups (kipping pull ups), 100 push ups, 100 Squats and 100 situps. Now, very honestly, this will completely burn you out. If you want to be FIT i.e. really really fit then go to a crossfit affiliated gym and see the changes in your body. Ahh but if you want to have that bodybuilder sort of look then, crossfit ain't for you. Crossfit is for people who want to adopt to a healthy liftstyle rather. You will definitely get a good physique, but more like a toned and defined look rather than a bulked up body builder look. At the same time, you get the strength and stamina. Maybe that's why everyday, more and more women and moving towards crossfit!!! HMMM!!!!

Go to the crossfit site and read about the concept. You can view lots and lots of their videos on youtube. There is this lady called Nicole and MAN is she strong. Go on...type in Nicole crossfit on youtube and you will see what I mean.

Try the easiest routine of crossfit and share your experience here :)

Top 5 tips to eat right

The amount of information about eating right is OVERWHELMING!! Whereever you see there are people who have their own philosophy about eating right. Well, I can either be one of them or I can read through their philosolphies and tell you which are the most effective ones based on research and personal experience. I would I would go for the latter. I have gone through a number of websites and books to see what nutritional and the fitness industry experts class as healthy eating or the RIGHT WAY TO EAT. I found that most of them were saying more or less the same thing. One concetrated on one bit more than the other and vice versa. So here goes:

The more colourful the better: If you are eating a steak, it is usually dark brown in colour. Now just give it color, add a small portion of mashed potatoes (made with olive oil), some bell peppers, onions, tomatoes and chillies. Now that is colorful and at the same time, it will much healthier that just a piece of MEAT. You get fiber and complex carbs from the vegetables and mashed potatoes. You get the fat from the meat and olive oil in the mashed potates and protein from the meat. 'A complete meal' I call it. Add vegetables to add colour to your meal. Lots of vitamines and minerals along with fiber to help you feel more satisfied.

Stay hydrated: Doesn't matter how many times I talk about drinking water, it is not enough. I remember reading that if you are a body builder or you workout with heavy weights, you will increase your lifts by about 8% if you are hydrated as compared to when you are not. Just goes on to show you how good water is for you. I mean...we are about 80% water..aren't we? Ohh and if you are a body builder, protein can only bind with water. 1 molecule of protein binds with 2 of water. Have you ever noticed at 100grams of lean chicken breast has 21 - 25 grams of protein. What is the rest of the 75%? Well, about 70% or that 75 is water. So PEOPLE drink up!!

Never fill yourself to the limit: Smaller meals speed up your metabolism whereas larger meals speed it to the extent that your systems get exhausted and then slows down very quickly, UNLESS you have the capacity to cope with this load. Let's take a look at an example. If you have an old car, you travel at a speed of 30 - 40 miles an hour, the car will be fine and will take you from point A to point B. That very same car, if driven at 100 miles an hour will go fine for a while but chances are it may get heated up or might get some other problem. I know not that great an example but you get the idea!!! I suggest fill up to 2/3rds of your stomach.

Don't eat any a MEAL 2 hours before bet time: The reason for this is because when you sleep your matabolism slows down. If you eat something (especially carbs) before going to bed, they will not get used up and get stored as fat. Now noones wants that!! right? So give it a couple of hours before you go to bed.

Avoid simple sugars and saturated fats: This really is a no brainer. Simple sugars like any thing that has sugar and saturated fats like processed oil and butter etc. both should be avoided. Ohh and don't forget the ICE CREAM!! Ice cream has both simple sugars and cream i.e. saturated fat.

Follow these and you see a difference your lifestyle.

8 ways to lose weight without exercise

Now many people grilled me on my No sweat fat burning method post some time back, saying why am I prmoting not exercising. The thing is that I want to help people with atleast one thing if not both. Either, start and keep them with exercising or get them to start eating right. Both would absolutely amazing if there is a person who saying I want to lose weight but I don't want to exercise, people look him like he is some lazy coutch potato. I don't think there is any thing wrong with not wanting to workout. Working out is important for fitness not for weight loss. Weight loss is a secondary phenomenon that happens when you get fit. If you just want to lose weight, you CAN do it by not exercising. What happens is people get put off when they hear that they cannot lose weight without exercise and they won't even try. I have a problem with people trying to take pills to lose weight but not really the not exercising issue.

I have come up with 8 things that you can do to burn fat and lose the extra weight. Here you go guys:

- Eat real foods: Basically, NO PROCESSED FOOD. I think this is the most common advice you will find for losing weight. The reason is that it is the best one. Stick to natural and real foods like lean meat, veggies, grains, nuts and fruits. Avoid anything that comes out of a package and with a brand name on it.

- Eat Frequently: Eat after every 2 - 3 hours as it increases your metabolism. You won't feel hungry or won't have carbohydrate cravings. Honestly, this is excellent advice. You will never BINGE EAT ever again.

- Control your portion size: Now it doesn't mean eat HUGE portions of chicken and whole grain bread sandwiches. Even though they are healthy, bug portions mean more calories so you might actually gain if eat too much of whole foods as well. Restrict your portion size. If you have a 12 inch subway sandwich, leave 6 inches and eat it after 2 - 3 hours. The same thing, same amount of calories BUT better digestion, increased metabolism and weight loss :)

- Water before and during: Drink water before and during your meal. Not right after your meal. There are some serious absorption issues. I always recommend take a glass of water before a meal and take one glass during the meal i.e. sipping as you go on eating.

- Don't fill yourself up: Eat enough to fill about 2/3 of your total stomach capacity. Only YOU can be the judge for that.

- Eat fats: Eat enough healthy fats from nuts and non-processed oils. They are great for energy and help you get enough calories in a small meal. E.g you need a 400 calories meal and using protein and low carbs you get about 300. Sprinkle one tablespoon of olive oil on it and you get those extra 100 calories to get the 400 calories.

- Eat junk once a week: You are allowed to cheat once a week so go all out. Eat WHATEVER you want. Just keep it to one day. Even better, just keep it to one meal.

- Take fresh juices: If you feel like having some juice. Go to the kitchen, switch on your juices and get some fresh juice. Avoid the other juices...Ain't always what they say it is.

There you go. Nice and simple wasn't it? Let me know what you think by leaving a COMMENT!!!

Top 5 foods to burn fat

Let's be honest here. There no foods that BURN fat directly. There are a number of different theories out there but there is just one basic principle about foods that burn fat. Foods that raise your metabolism for long periods of time will burn fat. The longer the metabolism is raised for, the more fat burning will take place. I am not saying everything else is pointless. I am just saying that they may help the process...THAT IS IT!!

Animal protein is usually the best candidate as it takes longer to breakdown. Here is the breakdown rate order from quickest to slowest.

Simple Carbohydrates
Complex Carbhydrates
Unsaturated Fats
Saturates fats
Fibrous Carbohydrates
Dairy Protein
Animal Protein

Some people might want to argue with me. LOOKING FORWARD TO IT...BRING IT ON B_ _ _H.

Now let's get to the point. Top 5 fat burning food. Here it comes. The number 5 place goes to........


Avocado: Some websites call this a SUPER FOOD. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a super food, but they are pretty good. Very high in unsaturated fats, vitamins and have quite a bit of fiber. I don't want to get into how fats are good for you, that is a whole post on its own. Just remember unsaturated fats in moderate amounts are good to burn fat.

Fibrous vegetables: First of all these vegetables (and even fruits) that are high in fiber are low in calories and fill you up for a good amount of time. They are mainly carbohydrates so energy is not a problem. So basically all I am trying to say is listen to your mum...take in lots of vegetables :D

Lentils and Beans: Lentils are not used in the western world all that much...unless you are a vegan. The main usage of lentils and legumes is in the indian subcontinent. They are high in SECOND GRADE protein so one should always try to mix them up with some sort of LOW GI carbs to get a complete protein. Even if they are taken alone, they will help in reducing body fat.

Chicken: This one is a no brainer. Isn't it? Every where you look you see high protein and you can't have too much beef and even eggs so people stick to lots and lots of chicken. Turkey falls in the same category but I personally couldn't develop the taste for it. The meat i.e. chicken i.e. animal protein i.e. complete protein keep you full for longer. The thermal effect raises the matabolism for longer and it help muscles rebuild themselves after a workout.

An the WINNER IS............THE FISHES

Fish: Let's just say you get all the benefits from a fish that you get from chicken. The only difference is that the fish has healthy fats in them. Oils that are mono and poly unsaturated. Oils like Omega 3 and 6 etc. So a fish is excellent. to burn fat ohh and to build muscle as well. But that's a different story.

Hope you guys enjoyed the post. Leave me a comment and tell me what you think.

Top 4 methods to increase HGH

I have mentioned earlier the benefits you get from increasing HGH (Human Growth Hormone) production in your body. If you want to read some more about it, you can refer to my post about the fat burning hormones here. Here are the TOP 4 methods of increasing your HGH.

Max muscle usuage: Workout as many muscle groups at one time as possible. The more muscle you use, the more fatigue and exhaustion you will experience and therefore the body will release more HGH. Usually I recommend compound exercises but if you are not a beginner, then try to modify workouts. The idea is to activate your stabilizer muscles. But make sure you don't try to do a 250 lbs bench press, on a ball. You can seriously hurt yourself. Try doing all isolation movements like bicep curls, lat raises etc. on the ball. You can do some exercises on one leg as well. The main idea if engage more muscle than you usually would in a normal exercise. If you don't bench press too heavy, then bring your legs up in the air to work your lower abs. If you don't use heavy weights then try things like overhead squats. Ohh and do full body workouts in a weight training session. Not just once body part. Be creative and remember to be safe.

Low or no fats in your pre-workout meal: I remember reading that eating fats before a workout slows down the production of HGH. Some people recommend unsaturated fats before a workout for energy as they take longer to breakdown. That is for people who are not concentrating on HGH. There are some other reasons to workout as well you know :P

Don't take carbs till an hour after your workout: Some people might kill me for saying that and they might be right as well. The only reason is that one tends to take High GI carbs or simple carbs right after a workout which increase your insulin levels. Insulin in normal circumstances is an anti-HGH hormone. There are ways to increase both at the same time they are a bit of an extreme measure if you ask me. Not taking carbs after your workout can end up in low energy levels and slower and LESS muscle repair, so do this a couple of time a week to reap maximum benefits and keep a balance.

Get atleast 8 hours of sleep: HGH is released to its max when you go into deep sleep. After an hour after you go into deep sleep. If you don't get enough sleep, you can't get into deep sleep and therefore not get everything of the HGH.

I guess this sums it up...let me know what you think :).