You’ve probably heard by now of the power that a blender, a few berries, some protein, and some greens can have on your physique as well as your health.
Now while I always recommend whole food meals first (as opposed to shakes and supplements), sometimes it’s just not possible to get in five or six full course meals in a day. After all, most of us (myself included) are not chefs, and we can’t – and do not want to – spend hours each day in a kitchen.
So for those days or times that you just can’t make a full meal, supplementing with what I call a power shake (you can call it whatever you want) is a fantastic way to still get those fat loss meals in, still get all those nutrients in each day, and still have time to do the more important things like work, take care of your kids, and spend some time with your spouse!
With my recent move to Denver, I have been so busy getting situated and moving in that I have had much less time to prepare full meals every day, so I’ve been relying on power shakes a bit more, and I’ve been experimenting a little more to see how I can get the most nutrients in and still have it taste great.
So here’s three new shake recipes that I’ve come up with that I think you may enjoy. They’re quick, easy, and packed full of fat burning nutrients. For each one, just throw these in a blender (in the order that I have listed).
Banana Peanut Butter Shake
1/2 cup of water
1/2 banana
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 scoop vanilla protein
1 scoop of greens mix
a little bit of ice
Yogurt and Berry Shake
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of frozen strawberries
1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
1/2 cup of plain yogurt
1 handful of spinach (trust me, you will not taste the spinach)
1 scoop of plain or vanilla protein
Vanilla Almond Shake
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of plain almond milk
1/4 cup of whole or sliced almonds
1 scoop of berry greens mix
1 scoop of vanilla protein
There you go. A couple quick and easy fat burning shake recipes. One thing to note is that if you are on a fat loss diet, then you are going to want to consume most of your carbohydrates either early in the morning or shortly after a workout. So the first two shakes would fall into this category, while the last shake you can have pretty much anytime that you feel like it.
Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below, and feel free to share some shake recipes of your own.
View on our way to Diamond Lake
This post has little to do directly with weight loss, but I’d like to share a little story with you that I hope will enjoy.
Yesterday, I went on a hike with one of my buddies in the Indian Peaks of the Rockies, about an hour Northwest of Denver. The road that we took to get to the trail head became impassable, so we had to park and hike about 2 miles before even reaching the trail.
As a side note, we actually got his Jeep Cherokee stuck in a snow bank and spent about a half hour digging it out…all part of the adventure, right?
So anyway, our destination was this little alpine lake that sits at about 11,000 feet, which we reached at around noon. Since it was a beautiful sunny day, we decided to stop there for lunch and to rehydrate.
As I snapped a few pictures, I started to think about the fact that at that moment we were literally the only humans in this remote wilderness, and judging by the lack of tracks in the snow that we saw while climbing, we were probably the first people to be up there in quite a while.
And me being the cheesy introverted reflective type, I also began thinking about all the things that I enjoy doing, and how my passions and hobbies have changed quite a bit since my college days…
In fact, I’m not afraid to admit that until this past year, when I’ve really begun growing a business and focusing on productive ways to enjoy life, I was a bit of a party animal, someone who spent the entire week looking forward to the weekend, where I could get hammered and forget about my 9-5 cubicle job!
Maybe you know the type. Maybe you know the type…personally!
Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve always worked out and focused on eating right when I could…and to this day I still enjoy drinking some good beers and letting loose every now and then (trust me, I’m very far from preaching against alcohol and having a good time).
However, I would like to encourage you, if you’ve found that most of your free time is spent either watching TV or drinking, to at least think about some things that you enjoy – or that you used to enjoy – that might leave you a little more satisfied at the end of the day.
You would be amazingly surprised at how good it feels doing even something little, like cooking a good meal with fresh ingredients.
I thought I’d share with you a list of 7 things that I like to do for fun (that don’t necessarily involve going to the gym and and certainly don’t involve sitting on the couch staring at the fool tube…
- Hiking – I think it’s evident from the majority of this post that I enjoy getting outdoors and doing some hiking. It’s a great way for me to get a work out without feeling liking I’m working out. And some of my of my best and most productive ideas come to me when I’m zoned out on a hike.
- Cooking Dinner – some of you men might think this is girly…but trust me, it’s not. Ladies, wouldn’t you agree that a man that can cook is a keeper? I like cooking for two reasons. One, I enjoy the process. It’s relaxing, and I get to be creative along the way (though I admit that I am by no means a great chef…). And two, I know have complete control over the ingredients that go into my meal, so I can make sure that dinner is healthy and delicious (hopefully).
- Playing Guitar – yep, I play guitar…and yep, it is pretty cliche to play guitar. And no, I do not play at coffee shops…yet! But it is something that I’ve been doing since I was ten, and it is yet another way for me to forget about the daily grind and enjoy myself at the same time.
- Rock climbing – I just started getting into rock climbing about a year ago. I’m still pretty awful, but I really enjoy the challenge. I also like the fact that every time you complete a route or problem, it’s like accomplishing a small goal in and of itself…and little accomplishments build momentum in other areas of your life.
- Reading – I love to read! Yes, I am a nerd. I don’t really read much fiction, but I am always trying to learn something new or discover something that I didn’t know before, whether it has to do with exercise and nutrition, growing my business, learning about marketing, or how to better manage my time, etc. As long as I learn even one small thing from any book I read, I consider that a success.
- Drinking a good beer – OK, so this isn’t exactly productive. However, I really enjoy the taste of beer, and sometimes just sitting back and enjoying a new beer with some friends or family can be a really rewarding experience.
- Writing – I do really enjoy writing. I’m certainly not the best writer around, but I do enjoy it, and I do believe that the more I write, the better I’ll get and the more enjoyable it will be for you to read. So bear with me will I hone my craft! I try to write something everyday, whether it’s a blog post, an article, or just an entry in a journal or something. Sometimes it helps to get your thoughts in writing…it frees up your mind to do other, more productive things.
Well there’s seven things that I enjoy doing. You may have gotten some ideas, or you may think that I’m a little crazy (in which case you might be right). But either way, I hope I’ve got you thinking a little bit about some more productive ways to spend your free time, some other enjoyable things that you can do that might get your butt off the couch and taking action!
Please let me know some of the things that you like doing in your free time by leaving a comment. I’d love hear about them.
Posted in Weight Loss by .
Apr 12
17
Denver And Taking Action Today!
So I haven’t written a post in quite a while…but I have good reason.
I recently moved from right outside Philadelphia to Denver. I grew up and spent my entire life (except college) right in the Philadelphia area, and I felt it was time for a change.
So after 26 years I have finally taken the next step and moved to a new town…and so far I LOVE IT!
This place is amazing! 300 days of sunshine per year, gigantic 14,000 foot peaks within an hour drive, and more attractive women than you could possibly imagine (and if you’re a lady, then I’m sure there’s plenty of attractive guys as well).
However, even with the hectic move, don’t think that I have forgotten about fitness, nutrition, and my commitment to helping you achieve the body that you truly deserve.
So as a celebration for my recent “life change,” I’ve decided to completely redo my home page. So during past few days worked diligently to update my home page, and I think you will really enjoy all the new information about online weight loss programs that I put up there.
And as a special bonus because I’m so stoked about this move, I’ve also made it easier than ever to get instant access to my online weight loss program, Fat Loss Fundamentals. So go ahead and check out the cool new stuff up there and don’t forget to get your free copy of Fat Loss Fundamentals.
I’ve recently made a pretty big life change. It was kind of scary at first, and I certainly had my reservations about moving…leaving lots of family and friends behind can be tough.
But now that I’ve done it, I feel more confident and more alive than ever!
Now it’s time for you to take action and decide to make a change in your life. Decide right now that you are going to start a program that will guarantee you get the body, the health, and the confidence that you truly deserve.
Check out my new home page for details on how to get access to Fat Loss Fundamentals right now, and congratulate yourself for taking action in your life!
Are you having trouble starting your new online weight loss program?
Are you thinking about purchasing a new program, but you’re a little intimidated by the whole idea of going through a weight loss program totally online?
Don’t let these fears hold you back.
With the ability to access downloadable e-books, video courses, and training modules in literally seconds, it is so easy to get a great online weight loss program like Turbulence Training or The Truth About Abs in just the click of a button.
And these (and many other) courses are designed to give you all the information that you need to really execute an effective fat loss regiment from start to finish
I mean you get a full nutrition plan, tons of fat loss workouts laid out right in front of you, bonus books on how to get extra sculpted abs, workout journals, diet guides, etc.
You name it and these programs provide it.
So if there is so much great information and such an easy to follow process in many of these weight loss courses, then why is it that despite the fact that you know you want to lose weight that up to this point you still haven’t started?
Well, you could probably come up with some reasons like you don’t have enough time, or it’s really not convenient to have to read through these manuals, or you have to take out the trash…whatever!
But let me ask you a question…
If I told you that one of the biggest reasons that most people never even start one of these programs (even after handing over their hard earned money to gain access to one of these) is that most people feel overwhelmed by the whole process, would you believe me?
Would you believe me if I told you that most people associate more pain with starting a fat loss program than the pain of never starting and remaining fat?
If you can relate to these questions, then let me tell you that there are some really simple (but extremely effective) steps that you can take in order to ensure that you start any weight loss program, period!
- You first have to overcome the fear of starting a new weight loss program – look, if you’re not used to working out and eating healthy foods, then starting a weight loss program can be a little intimidating. But let me tell you that all great accomplishments begin with a first step. So promise yourself that for the next week you will dedicate 5 minutes per day to going through your new online weight loss program and implementing just one single thing that you’ve learned each day. The total process should take no more than 10 minutes tops.
- Start small and start slowly – this is a continuation of step one. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” As simple and obvious as this is, it is a great metaphor for how to approach losing weight. We all want to be finished with the elephant in one bite, but the truth is that if you don’t enjoy the process then the result is rarely worth it.
- Set big goals and small goals – So it’s definitely good to set big goals. For you, this may mean losing 50 or 100 pounds over the next year. And that’s fantastic. However, that is a concrete goal, and while it is a great goal to have and to shoot for, you’re never going to accomplish it by just willing yourself to lose weight. Instead, focus on setting several small behavior goals that will lead to this overall fat loss goal that you set. For example, you may set a small goal such as “I am going to eat 3 servings of vegetables each day for the next week” or “I am going to get through two 20 minute workouts over the next week. Setting good and attainable behavior goals will not only put you on the right path toward attaining your bigger goal, but they will also start building the momentum you need to grow and form the right weight loss habits.
This leads me to one final thought about starting a new online weight loss program. Because you will not necessarily have a trainer or coach there to push you each day, it is important that you develop the right habits that will allow you to follow through with your behavior goals and ultimately reach your bigger weight loss goal.
In my new online fat loss video program, Fat Loss Fundamentals, I teach you exactly how to form the right habits that you need for fast and sustainable weight loss, including specific techniques and action steps that you can take each day in order to ensure that you follow through. You can go through it as quickly as you want or take as much time as you need.
And right now I’ll tell you exactly how you can get lifetime access to Fat Loss Fundamentals absolutely free.
So go check it out right now by clicking here
Think it’s impossible?
Think Again!
Entrepreneur, fitness experimenter, and author of the best-selling book The 4-Hour Body, Tim Ferris did just that (actually he gained 34 pounds in 28 days, but who’s counting).
And did I mention that he was only 146 lbs. when he started! So we’re not talking about a guy with superman-type genetics here. We’re talking about a naturally skinny guy with very little muscle building genetics.
(just for the record, he maxed out at 183 lbs when all was said and done)
So if you’re one of those skinny type dweebie guys (like me), then this post may really interest you.
In fact, using only a few of these principles and techniques that Ferris used, I was able to gain about 17 pounds in a little over 2 months…and I half-assed it (at least compared to Ferris).
So let me explain to you the basics of how to gain massive amounts of muscle…even if you’ve struggled with skinny-man’s disease all your life.
When most skinny guys think about gaining muscle, their first thought is usually to get in the weight room and start training…Arnold Schwarzenegger-style.
The more hours each day and the more days each week spent lifting, the better the gains, right?
WRONG!
In fact, Tim spent a total of four hours in the gym training during the entire muscle building month!!
The key for building maximum muscle is to have focused and brief training sessions. In fact, you’re probably not going to want to do more than 3 or 4 exercises during your entire session. And forget about isolation exercises such as curls or triceps extensions.
You are going to want to focus on big, compound lifts that work multiple muscle groups (like bench press, squats, dead lifts, and rows).
So now that you have the basics of training down, let’s focus on the more important (and often overlooked) component to packing on serious muscle…
Eating.
During his muscle gaining experiment, Tim often ate 5,000 plus calories per day. Now this may seem like a ton (and it is), but it’s actually doable.
In his book, The 4-Hour Body, he goes into exactly what he consumed and how he consumed it. But for now, let me simply tell you that if you want to gain muscle, you need to eat a hell of a lot more than you’re currently eating.
While eating only 3,000-4,000 calories per day, I was able to pack on 17 lbs of muscle and stay under 10% body fat.
And I have no doubt that you can do the same exact thing. Here are some simple tricks for packing in some more healthy calories each day:
- Drink your food – every morning, make a giant shake that includes 3 full scoops of protein powder, 3 cups of organic 2% or whole milk, 2 bananas, and a scoop of greens powder. (approx. 1600 muscle-building calories). Drink up or sip on it throughout the day
- Eat 4-6 whole food meals each day consisting of a serving of lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and as many vegetables as you can shove into your mouth
If you do this, along with some really focused training, you will no doubt make some serious muscle gains.
If you are interested in learning exactly how Ferris was able to accomplish this (including the exact training and eating program that he followed), then
Click Here to Check Out The 4-Hour Body Right Now
