Obsessive Compulsive Exercise?

I just finished reading Craig Ballantyne's new book "Just say no to Cardio".

It's a great read.

One of the reasons I like this book is that it reminds me of Eat Stop Eat. It's quick and to the point - no fluff.

It's not 300 pages long and it doesn't contain filler (like the dreaded recipe section of any weight loss book!)

Craig's account of the ineffectiveness of cardio reminds me of OCE(1) (Obsessive compulsive eating). In fact, I'd go so far as to call cardio training OCE(2) (Obsessive compulsive exercise).

**unless you are actually an endurance athlete, but then its endurance training, not cardio**

When it comes to cardio training for fat loss, it is a ritualistic practice and very obsessive compulsive...Just like traditional dieting.

Since traditional cardio does not tend to give you great fat loss results, people end up doing cardio for longer and longer periods of time.

Then when very long sessions of cardio still don't work they start with the over analysis of WHEN they should do cardio, HOW they should do cardio, WHAT types of cardio....its a never ending downwards spiral, and Craig does a great job of pointing this out.

I even liked Craig's chapter on nutrition. Any one who's recommendations for weight loss involves the phrase "If you are not losing fat, eat less" is OK with me.

You can check out "Just Say No To Cardio" by clicking on the following link to visit Amazon.com: Just Say NO

Obsessive Compulsive Eating vs. Eating Responsibly

Obsessive Compulsive Eating vs. Eating Responsibly

It probably comes as no surprise that I don't get along to well with many other health and nutrition experts.

For the most part, I blame a lot of them for today's rampant outbreak of obsessive compulsive eating (OCE).

In my opinion people are worrying way too much about how to eat, when to eat, what to eat and why they should eat.

Eating is supposed to be healthy. And, it is supposed to be just as psychologically healthy as it is physically healthy.

Getting super stressed over the fact that you want to eat 9 times today, cycling your carbohydrates, making sure to only eat fat with your protein, to make sure there's no carrots in you salad, and that your post workout shake contained exactly 45.445476% protein makes no sense to me at all. I'd go so far as to say that the psychological damage that extreme OCE can do to you mentally far out weighs the damage an extra diner roll with supper can do to you physically.

While many health and nutrition professionals like to complicate matters as much as possible, every once in a while I get an email that makes a lot of sense, because its simple, logical and effective.

The most recent one came from Craig Ballantyne.

One of the most common questions I get regarding Eat Stop Eat is people asking how to eat during the days they aren't fasting. My answer is always to try and eat responsibly. If you want a good definition of what 'eating responsibly' should look like, see Craig's 5 steps in his email below.

Even step 5, (which may sound a little OCE) is definitely not an example of OCE. Sure, if you think of it like a bodybuilder freezing 49 individually weighed meals in his freezer then its probably OCE. But, if you think about someone who shops for their family, this is a very important piece of the healthy eating puzzle.

Simply put, if you run out of healthy foods on Thursday, and you have a family to feed, Thursday night will quickly become 'pizza night'. Have this happen 5 or 6 weeks in a row, and you are looking at recipe of an entire family overeating and putting on the pounds. Being prepared is different than being obsessed.

Here's a copy of Craig's e-mail in case you missed it...

I truly believe that nutrition is the biggest, by far, component of a good fat loss program.


There's a saying in the fitness industry, "you can't out-train a bad diet", and that hold's true almost 100% of the time (and especially as you get older).


Fortunately, I also believe that good nutrition for fat loss is very simple. And here are my 5 steps to building a fast fat burning diet.


1) Find out how much you are eating now. Use fitday.com.


2) If you are not losing weight, eat less.


3) Eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, and good protein sources. Don't eat junk from a bag or a box.


4) Give yourself one treat meal per week to look forward to - not a treat day, just a treat meal.


5) Plan ahead. Prepare your meals (spend 1-2 hours on the weekend getting your meals and meal plan ready for the week). Identify
obstacles and come up with solutions to avoid them.


That is it.


Very simple. Most people do pretty well on 1-3 and even 5, but mess up on number 4. I often hear how well someone did all day long, but then while making dinner they snack on upwards of 500 calories of their kid's treats, or other processed carbohydrates they have lying around the house.


The little things can add up to big time problems. So take a good long look at everything you eat.


And all of this can be avoided if you follow rule #5.


Combine my five simple nutrition rules with three short workouts per week of resistance training and interval training, and you have a very manageable fat loss plan that can fit any busy lifestyle.


Get started with the fast Turbulence Training fat burning workouts:
==> http://www.turbulencetraining.com


There are NO negative calorie foods,


Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

Couldn't have said it better myself,

BP

Craig Ballantyne Workouts

There are a lot of things that my friend Craig Ballantyne and I don't agree on (We share some very different philosophies when it comes to some aspects of nutrition), but one thing is for sure, when it comes to advice on working out, Craig is one of the only people I will ever trust.

So the other day, when I received an email from Craig that was about "fat burners" I felt I had to share it here.

When ever I am questioned about 'metabolism' and 'metabolism boosters' I'm quick to point out that nutrition plays a very, very small role in increasing your metabolism. Typically, I then go on to explain that the only real way you can increase your metabolism is through exercise.

However, Craig does an amazing job in the following email explaining exactly what type of exercise you need to be doing to increase you metabolism.

I hate to give you the bad news, because I wish there was an effective fat loss supplement as much as the next person. A real "fat burner" just doesn't exist. BUT, there are ways to boost your metabolism without supplements...

1) Strength training - aiming for 8 reps per set.

2) Interval training - rather than long, slow boring cardio.

3) Extra bodyweight circuits - done either in the AM or PM.

4) A whole, natural foods diet, rich in high-fiber fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and high-protein foods.

Craig's rules are simple and easy to follow. All you have to do is commit to them, and follow them consistently, and you will boost your metabolism.

Straight up, if you want the very best workout information on the net today then visit Craig's site TurbulenceTraining.com

BP

Fasting Diet, Circuit Training

3 Great Tips from CB

Last week I wrote about the importance of these next several weeks -The time between Halloween and New Year's. These weeks can make or break any physique.

I also asked you to throw out your Halloween candy. If you haven't done it yet, go do it now! (They're two weeks old now, it's time for them to GO)

Now its time to cover the next key to making these ultra-important weeks your best ever, so you can hit the ground running come new years eve.

It drives me crazy to hear about people working really hard in the gym but getting no results.

But I see people in the gym everyday that are doing the same workout and getting no where. You can see the look of frustration and the dread of even doing the workout in their eyes. I hope this doesn't describe you and your fat loss situation. If it does, let's take a look at some of the best fat loss tips and workout solutions to get you back on the fat loss track.

I checked in with my friend over at turbulencetraining.blogspot.com, Craig Ballantyne and had him list his Top 3 Training Tips for Fat Loss...

CB's Top 3 Training Tips for Fat Loss

i) Train with intensity. Yes it takes a lot of effort to do 45 minutes of cardio, but that is low-intensity exercise (since you can do it for 45 minutes straight). Instead, you have to increase the intensity of your efforts. That means the following...

ii) Don't rely on slow, steady, long workouts of cardio. Use intervals instead.

iii) Don't use high reps for fat loss. Use low reps instead. You want to increase the intensity of your training to put "metabolic turbulence" on your muscles. So you need to use moderately heavy weights or advanced bodyweight exercises and interval training to apply this metabolic disturbance and elicit a significant increase in post-exercise energy expenditure.

Bottom line: While long cardio work is focused on breaking down the body, strength training, intervals and bodyweight exercises like yoga and Pilates all focus on building the body. Stick with body-builders.

Sincerely,

BP

To Get your very own copy of Turbulence Training, Craig's fat loss program that incorporates intense weight training and intervals & to get his Nutrition Guide click here: Turbulence Training

Fasting Diet, Circuit Training