She lost 30cm in 7 weeks

Just did Jennie's final measurements and she has lost an amazing 30cm in the 7 weeks she was following my program. How about that for results!! I will keep you updated on Sue's results on Thursday. Do you want to shape up ready for summer too?
Go to fitterfasteronline to check out an amazing discount for an online training program. And come along on Saturday morning to Princes park at 10am (4th October) to find out how you can do it too. Let me know if you are coming by clicking on the 'comment' button below or by emailing me. Come on get rid of the excuses-do you want results or not??

Jo



Click here to take my Online Survey

Free Fitness Bootcamp

Okay everyone

This is it. My free fitness bootcamp is on this Saturday 4th October at 10am at Princes Park. Please come along and learn some of the exercises and techniques that you can do at home to start your fitness program. I will be holding a draw for some free Personal Fitness Coaching sessions on the day for those who attend.

So do you want to learn how to lose the fat, get some lean muscle definition, get more energy and feel a lot better? Come along and see then.

Please let me know if you are coming by email or by clicking on the 'comments' button at the bottom of this post.

Thanks

Jo
I help people achieve the bodies of their dreams while gaining more energy, living longer and feeling better about themselves and having fun in the process

Personal Fitness Coaching

Please take a minute to complete this short Personal Fitness Coaching Survey

Sample healthy meal plans for weight loss

Due to getting so many questions about what exactly to eat, I am republishing this recent article with 2 days of sample meal plans.

Now remember these are not 'diets' in the traditional sense. These are examples of how you should be eating every day, not just till christmas or till the wedding or whatever.

These two sample days do not allow for any 'treats'. Make sure that twice per week-no more you allow yourself a treat if you really have to. Do not go way overboard though. The more you cheat, the slower the weight loss will be. I find that having a treat makes me want it more often and therefore I am usually better off not having it at all. If you must cheat have your treat with one of the meals. If you find that you are hungry, you are not eating enough. Increase the size of the servings!!

First rule: Eat every 2-3 hours!!! I cannot stress this enough. If it is less than 2 hours since your last meal, do not eat. If it gets to the 3 hour mark, you need to eat right now.

Second rule: Eat protein at every meal there are several reasons for this which I will go into in a future post. Very very important

Third rule: Eat salad, fruit and vegies till satisfied You should not be hungry eating like this. If you are, eat more fresh fruit, salad vegetables or steamed vegetables at your meals. When I say huge serving, I mean HUGE as any of you that know me personally can testify to. You will probably find yourself thinking 'gee is it time to eat again?'



DAY ONE SAMPLE MENU

Meal One
2 whole eggs, poached, fried (just a spray of olive oil), scrambled or cooked into omelette.
1 piece of wholemeal or wholegrain toast-no spreads
You can add grilled tomatoes if you want, or add onion, capsicum etc to eggs

Meal Two
1-2 pieces of fruit
1 protein shake with water (no carbs)

Meal Three
approx 100g chicken
steamed vegetables- cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, sweet peas, zucchini, capsicum etc
1 small steamed potato is optional

Meal Four
200g full cream yoghurt
fresh fruit-I cut mine and put it into vanilla yoghurt

Meal Five
approx 120-140g chicken, lean beef or lean lamb
huge salad-no dressing mix it up and have heaps of different salad vegies

Meal Six
1 piece of fresh fruit or 3/4 cup of canned fruit no added sugar
1 protein shake with water (no carbs)

DAY TWO SAMPLE MENU

Meal One
200g full cream yoghurt (300g if you did one of my workouts beforehand)
no sugar added canned fruit or fresh fruit (enough fruit to satisfy hunger)

Meal Two
approx 100g of left over chicken, lamb or beef from last night's meal
with medium salad

Meal Three
150g white fish or 100g salmon
large serve of steamed vegetables as in day one OR huge salad
Optional small/medium steamed potato

Meal Four
1-3 pieces of fruit
1 protein shake with water (I blend together my shake with fresh strawberries and canned pears or even frozen berries and water)

Meal Five
120-140g chicken, beef or lamb
huge serve of steamed vegies or huge salad

Meal Six
100g plain cottage cheese mixed with 1 teaspoon of jam
Add strawberries if you want. Tastes like dessert, but cottage cheese is high in protein and low in fat and carbs.

Now remember these are just samples of what I would eat in a day. I also add some chocolate about once per week, usually to meal six. Most Saturdays, I have pizza for tea. I have a vegetarian one that does not have much cheese and I get extra vegies on it. I eat 1-2 pieces and then pick the grilled toppings off the rest. Yum! Depending on my protein intake for the rest of the day, I may also have a protein shake with it.

You can also alter the order of the meals by swapping Meals two, three or six around with each other. It all just takes preparation. Cook extra meat the night before and pack with salad to take to work. You can easily steam vegies in the microwave a t work too. Even though I have included protein shakes in the menu samples, I still want everyone to eat heaps of real unprocessed foods. Protein shakes are just a great way to get the protein in when you are on the go.

If you would like an individual plan made up, go to Customised Nutrition Plans. These plans include a base daily schedule and food lists from which you choose. That way I can include foods that you like and vice versa for ones you don't.


Give it a try. You will definately lose weight, but even better, you will improve your health and feel heaps better.

Jo

PS and don't forget to sign up for my newsletter at www.fitterfasteronline.com

FitterFasterOnline newsletter tips

Hi guys. Have you subscribed to my FitterFasterOnline newsletter? If you haven't yet, please do so here. After you subscribe, you will receive an email asking you to confirm your subscription by clicking on the link. Please make sure you do this, or your weekly newsletter will not arrive. Also, make sure you mark it as 'not junk mail' or it will end up in you junk or spam folder anyway. If you have already subscribed and have not received the first 3 issues, please check that you have taken the steps above.

Thanks

Jo

Today's workout

Just finished my workout today in time to get ready to watch Hawthorn win the Grand Final. I actually managed to get Greg to do a bit with me today as well and of course Caitlin joined in for most of the session as well.
Did 1 minute each of running step ups, plank, burpees, kettlebell swings and lunges with NO rests for 20 minutes. Greg collapsed after a while, but I then finished off with 30 seconds each of fast rope skipping and abdominal exercises for 10 minutes with no rests. Great workout and very hot in the sun.

Start the Exercise Habit in 4 Simple Steps

As you know I have made exercise a daily habit in recent years.


But I know that it’s not the easiest habit for most people, and most people’s experiences consist of starting and stopping and starting again. I began this way myself. Which is fine — don’t beat yourself up about it. The important thing is starting again.

The Main Problems


So why do most people have trouble making exercise a regular habit? Well, there are probably a number of factors, but here are the main ones as I see it:

1. Too difficult.
   
   People set out with a lot of ambition and enthusiasm, and start out with a big goal. “I’m going to go to the gym for an hour a day!” or “I’m going to run 30 minutes every day!” The problem is that the goal is too difficult to sustain for very long. You can do it for a few days, but you soon run out of energy, and it becomes a drag to do it.




2. Too many goals.
   
   Often we set out to do too much. We want to run, and lift weights, and eat healthy, and quit eating rubbish and....and..... Well, those are multiple goals, and you cannot focus on the exercise habit if you’re trying to do all the others at the same time. Or we might start with one goal, but then get caught up in another goal (to stop procrastinating, for example), and lose our focus on the first one.




3. Not enough motivation.
   
   It’s not a lack of discipline, it’s a lack of motivation. The most powerful motivators, in my experience, are logging your habit and public pressure. There are many others that help as well.

The 4 Simple Steps


So how do we solve those problems? Keep it simple. Here are the 4 simple steps to start the exercise habit (and keep it going). I should note that you can use these 4 steps to start any habit.

• Set one easy, specific, measurable goal.
  
  There are several keys to setting this crucial goal:
  Written: Write this down. Post it up. If you don’t write it down, it’s not important.
  Easy: Don’t set a difficult goal. Set one that is super easy. Fifteen minutes of exercise three or four times per week. You can do that. Work your way to 30 minutes after a month. Then go to 6 days after 2 months. You can see what I mean: make it easy to start with, so you can build your habit, then gradually increase.
  Specific: By specific, I mean what activity are you going to do, at what time of day, and where? Don’t just say “exercise” or “I’m going to walk”. You have to set a time and place. Make it an appointment you can’t miss. It helps to have a training partner or coach to meet but is not necessary.
  Trigger: I recommend that you have a “trigger” right before you do your habit. For example, you might always brush your teeth right after you shower. The shower is the trigger for brushing your teeth, and because of that, you never forget to brush your teeth. Well, what will you do right before you exercise? Is it right after you wake up? Right after your coffee? Right when you get home? As soon as you take off for lunch? A trigger that you do every single day is important.
  Measurable: By measurable, I mean that you should be able to say, definitely, whether you hit or miss your goal today. Examples: run for 10 minutes. Workout for 20 minutes. Do 3 rounds of a strength circuit. Each of those has a number that you can shoot for.
  One goal: Stick to this one goal for at least a month. Two months if you can bear it. Don’t start up a second goal during that 30-day period. If you do, you are scrapping the first goal.




• Log it daily.
  
  This is the key habit. If you can log your workout, you will start to see your progress, and it will motivate you to keep going. And you have to make it a habit to log it right away. Don’t put it off, and say you’ll do it before you go to bed. As soon as you’re done working out, log it. No exceptions. And don’t make the log complicated — that will only make you resist doing the log. Just the date, time, and what you did. Logging it on my blog comments or on Facebook is easy.




• Report to others.
  
  I think this is key. You can do it on my blog, or on FitterFaster online forum (soon to be up and running), with your spouse, or friends or family, or a workout partner, or a coach, or a group, or a class. Even report your workout on Facebook. This will have the extra effect of motivating others who may even join you and make working out an easier habit to keep and more fun. However you set it up, make it part of the process that you have to report your daily workout to other people. Let people know that you will be reporting daily so that they come to expect it and will hold you accountable.




• Add motivation as needed.
  
  The first three steps might be enough for you to get the habit going. But if not, don’t just give up. If you miss two consecutive workouts, you need to look at why, and add a new motivation. Rewards, more public pressure, inspiration, whatever it takes. Read this article for more on this. You can add one additional motivator, and then see if it works. If you miss two more consecutive workouts at any time, add another motivator. And so on, until the exercise habit sticks.

Joanne

Five Things You Can Do Today To Speed Up Your FatLoss

Don't eat chips Pretty simple. Just don't cook them at home. When out, always yes always when ordering ask for no chips(fries) If you forget, they will come and no amount of will power will stop you from nibbling. Ask for extra vegetables or salad instead. This is something I always do.

Drink more water Try to drink at least 1.5 litres of water each and every day. More if training. I always find that on days when I have not consumed enough water, I get a lot more cravings and find it harder to resist.

Exercise with intensity every day okay this one actually takes some effort, but will also give you the most rewards. Getting and staying fit is crucial if you want to lose fat and more importantly keep it off!

Get up half and hour earlier sorry, but this one really helps with number 3. Enough said.

Don't go more than 3 hours without eating I know I've said this a hundred times, but it really works. You will be surprised how quickly 3 hours goes by and you find yourself thinking-'is it time to eat again already?'

There you have it-5 things you can do today that will make a huge difference. Each one on it's own will make a difference, but combined the difference will be amazing. Make a decision now to make all 5 new rules in your life.

Let me know how you go

Jo Butler

PS Did you know you can subscribe to my blog updates by email. Just add your email address to the link at right.

Free Bootcamp

I've had some interest in the free bootcamp session on Saturday. Don't miss out on taking the first step to a fit and lean body. I am going to show you how to work out at home, how to do some of the strength exercises and how the high intensity cardio works. Be prepared to sweat, be prepared to be energised, be prepared to be inspired and have fun. Bring a couple of drinks and a towel.

To all of those who can't make it for whatever reason, let me know and I will keep you posted about the next one.

Jo

I help people achieve the body of their dreams while gaining more energy, living longer and feeling better about themselves while having fun in the process

Free Bootcamp Training Session

A special message to all the local guys today.

I am thinking about running a free training session over the school holidays for anyone interested. I will need to know some numbers, so if you are keen to give it a try, please add a comment below, or email me at joanne@fitterfasteronline.com Possibly thinking about making it Saturday 27th September at about 10am (yes you will have heaps of time to get home for the grand final) or alternatively one day next week in the morning. Please let me know your preference, so I can try to suit as many as possible.



The session will go for about 50 minutes and all you will need to bring is a drink and a towel. I will probably hold it at Princes Park or the Hockey oval, so you can bring your kids if you need to. Please remember that they will be your responsibility though, so you may want to leave them at home if you can to get the most from the session. Kids will need to stay away from the immediate training area, but will be able to stay on the oval.

Please let me know if you want to come and let your friends and family know too. Feel free to bring along someone as long as I know numbers, that will be fine.

Looking forward to hearing from you all. This is your chance to take that first step.

Jo

Beginner workout plan-weeks one to four

Let's suppose you have decided to improve your fitness and lose some weight. You have read the website pages and the blog and it all sounds great. But where do you start. Below is a pure beginner plan for week one of your new program through to week four. This is a general plan that will increase the fitness of anyone whether you exercise regularly or not.

Week One

Monday

Cardio Workout

5 mins warm up

10 minutes of beginner cardio Use a skipping rope for this workout

5 minutes cooldown stretch


Tuesday

Rest day


Wednesday

Beginner strength workout one


Thursday

Rest Day


Friday

Repeat Monday-try alternating star jumps and running on the spot today


Saturday and Sunday
Rest days


Week Two

Repeat week one


Week Three

Monday

Beginner strength workout one


Tuesday

Rest day


Wednesday

Beginner Cardio-as per Monday weeks one and two


Thursday

Beginner strength workout two


Friday

Rest day


Saturday

Beginner cardio

Warm up 5 minutes

Main 15 minutes-try something different today (note extra 5 minutes)

Cool down and stretch 5 minutes


Sunday

Rest Day


Week Four
Repeat week three


So there it is. Please give it a try. You only need to commit to 20-30 minutes for each workout. Little or no equipment needed. You will start to see results straight especially if you follow the diet tips as well. Also check out my recent blog post with sample diet plans.



Goodluck and don't forget to email me if you have any questions Joanne@fitterfasteronline.com

Eggs for breakfast

Just a quickie this afternoon. As most of you who have purchased my meal plans know, I am a huge fan of eggs for breakfast. Check out this latest research.

Eggs for brekkie helps weight
loss
Recent research from the US has indicated
that eating eggs may assist weight loss
and increase energy levels in overweight
individuals.
A two-month study of overweight and
obese adults, led by Nikhil Dhurandhar
an associate professor in the laboratory
of infection and obesity at Pennington
Biomedical Research Centre, Louisiana State
University, discovered a positive association
between egg consumption and weight loss.
Study participants who ate two eggs in the
morning, as part of a calorie-reduced diet,
lost 65 per cent more weight than their study
counterparts who ate bagels for breakfast,
and also displayed a 61 per cent greater
reduction in body mass index and increased
energy levels.
‘People have a hard time adhering to
diets, and our research shows that choosing
eggs for breakfast can dramatically improve
the success of a weight loss plan. Apparently,
the increased satiety and energy due to eggs
helps people better comply with a reducedcalorie
diet’ said Dhurandhar. The study was
funded by the Egg Nutrition Centre.
Source: International Journal of Obesity.

How about that!! For other great diet tips see www.fitterfasteronline.com

Jo

Low carb diets?

Hi again everyone

As you all know, I recommend a diet that consists mostly of non processed foods such as fruit, vegetables, eggs, meats and fish. I read an interesting article which talks about this and low carb diets I have included below.

Please note that I do not necessarily recommend a low carb diet. Of course a diet that does not include a lot of bread, pasta, rice etc will be lower in carbs naturally. Fruits and vegies contain lots of carbs too though, but they also have loads of water and fibre which makes them extremely hard to consume too many calories with.

www.ThePaleoDiet.com
Loren Cordain, Ph.D.
Issue: # 2008 - 10 / September 19, 2008


Hello! Welcome to The Paleo Diet Update, your guide to eating for optimum health. The Paleo Diet is based on the simple concept that the healthiest diet is one which attempts to mimic the diet that we evolved to eat.

Until the invention of agriculture a mere 333 generations ago, humans rarely had access to high amounts of carbohydrate containing foods. When farming replaced the hunter-gather lifestyle, the macronutrient content of the human diet changed dramatically. Today most people consume bread, rice, pasta, sugar, and other high carbohydrate foods with virtually every meal. Others have heard the message about the benefits of reducing carbohydrates, but may go too far too quickly.



People who go on a low-carb diet will sometimes report feeling weak or light headed during the first few days on their new eating pattern.

Whether this happens depends on two main factors: 1) the total carbohydrate restriction and, 2) the total caloric restriction.

Popular low carb diets typically restrict carb calories to 50 grams (~200 kcal) or 100 grams (~400 kcal). If the diet is low in calories and carbs are restricted to less than 100 grams, many people will feel weakness because their muscle and liver glycogen stores will become depleted and they must rely upon beta oxidation (the metabolism of triglyceride) as their primary substrate source.

Additionally, the brain can only use glucose as an energy source, hence hepatic gluconeogenesis (the synthesis of glucose from either protein or fat in the liver) represents the primary glucose source. However, gluconeogenesis is inefficient and can only supply small quantities of glucose.

All of these metabolic adaptations - beta oxidation, hepatic gluconeogenesis and ketosis (a by product of carbohydrate restriction and beta oxidation) - upset homeostatic mechanisms shaped by a lifetime of high carb intakes for the average Westerner.

With the Paleo Diet, we advise people to get all of their carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables and to restrict grains, sugars, legumes and processed foods. Carbohydrates are not restricted on the Paleo Diet, but because fruits and vegetables contain so much fiber and water, it is difficult to consume more than about 30 percent of the daily energy from these foods.

Most people don't experience weakness or lethargy upon adoption of the Paleo Diet, but rather the opposite. Their energy levels remain stable over the course of the day.

I think that he has hit the nail on the head here. Low carb diets do usually work in the short term, but are very hard to maintain and have their own set of side effects.

Sometimes we do need loads more carbs than this type of diet can supply however. For instance I am presently training really hard and long for a half ironman distance traithlon in a couple of months. I use carbohydrate sports drinks while training and sometimes afterwards for recovery. I need to do this as I am using very high intensity training usually twice a day for up to 14 hours per week.

The average person will not need to supplement their diet with extra carbs if they are consuming lots of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables also have many other health benefits such as fibre, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that are vital to our healthy existence.

So heap up those plates and get training.

Jo

Want to look like this?

Hi again guys

Have linked you up to a YouTube clip below that I think is really inspirational. I comes from a kettlebell gym in America, but shows the types of workouts that you can expect to get at FitterFaster once I get up and running. Of course, I won't be expecting everyone to be doing these types of exercises from Day 1, but I will be expecting you to do them. Check out the fit looking bodies. Don't they look great. High intensity workouts make ordinary people like these, look extraordinary. Don't you want to look like them too?





Did you know you can comment on any of these blog entries, Just hit the link under the box that says 'comments'.

Jo

http://www.fitterfasteronline.com

Sample healthy meal plans for weight loss

Hi guys

Well I have had such a great response to the launch of my website and received heaps of questions. One of the most common questions has been "what do I eat?"

Most of you want to lose some weight. I am going to put a couple of sample days plans together here. Now these are not 'diets' in the traditional sense. These are examples of how you should be eating every day, not just till christmas or till the wedding or whatever.

These two sample days do not allow for any 'treats'. Make sure that twice per week-no more you allow yourself a treat. Do not go way overboard though. The more you cheat, the slower the weight loss will be. Have your treat with one of the meals. If you find that you are hungry, you are not eating enough. Increase the size of the servings!!

First rule: Eat every 2-3 hours!!! I cannot stress this enough. If it is less than 2 hours since your last meal, do not eat. If it gets to the 3 hour mark, you need to eat right now.

Second rule: Eat protein at every meal there are several reasons for this which I will go into in a future post. Very very important

Third rule: Eat salad, fruit and vegies till satisfied You should not be hungry eating like this. If you are, eat more fresh fruit, salad vegetables or steamed vegetables at your meals. When I say huge serving, I mean HUGE as any of you that know me personally can testify to. You will probably find yourself thinking 'gee is it time to eat again?'



DAY ONE SAMPLE MENU

Meal One
2 whole eggs, poached, fried (just a spray of olive oil), scrambled or cooked into omelette.
1 piece of wholemeal or wholegrain toast-no spreads
You can add grilled tomatoes if you want, or add onion, capsicum etc to eggs

Meal Two
1-2 pieces of fruit
1 protein shake with water (no carbs)

Meal Three
approx 100g chicken
steamed vegetables- cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, sweet peas, zucchini, capsicum etc
1 small steamed potato is optional

Meal Four
200g full cream yoghurt
fresh fruit-I cut mine and put it into vanilla yoghurt

Meal Five
approx 120-140g chicken, lean beef or lean lamb
huge salad-no dressing mix it up and have heaps of different salad vegies

Meal Six
1 piece of fresh fruit or 3/4 cup of canned fruit no added sugar
1 protein shake with water (no carbs)

DAY TWO SAMPLE MENU

Meal One
200g full cream yoghurt (300g if you did one of my workouts beforehand)
no sugar added canned fruit or fresh fruit (enough fruit to satisfy hunger)

Meal Two
approx 100g of left over chicken, lamb or beef from last night's meal
with medium salad

Meal Three
150g white fish or 100g salmon
large serve of steamed vegetables as in day one OR huge salad
Optional small/medium steamed potato

Meal Four
1-3 pieces of fruit
1 protein shake with water (I blend together my shake with fresh strawberries and canned pears or even frozen berries and water)

Meal Five
120-140g chicken, beef or lamb
huge serve of steamed vegies or huge salad

Meal Six
100g plain cottage cheese mixed with 1 teaspoon of jam
Add strawberries if you want. Tastes like dessert, but cottage cheese is high in protein and low in fat and carbs.

Now remember these are just samples of what I would eat in a day. I also add some chocolate about once per week, usually to meal six. Most Saturdays, I have pizza for tea. I have a vegetarian one that does not have much cheese and I get extra vegies on it. I eat 1-2 pieces and then pick the grilled toppings off the rest. Yum! Depending on my protein intake for the rest of the day, I may also have a protein shake with it.

You can also alter the order of the meals by swapping Meals two, three or six around with each other. It all just takes preparation. Cook extra meat the night before and pack with salad to take to work. You can easily steam vegies in the microwave a t work too. Even though I have included protein shakes in the menu samples, I still want everyone to eat heaps of real unprocessed foods. Protein shakes are just a great way to get the protein in when you are on the go.

If you would like an individual plan made up, go to Customised Nutrition Plans. These plans include a base daily schedule and food lists from which you choose. That way I can include foods that you like and vice versa for ones you don't.


Give it a try. You will definately lose weight, but even better, you will improve your health and feel heaps better.

Jo

PS and don't forget to sign up for my newsletter at www.fitterfasteronline.com

no time for health

I know I've written about this before, but I just couldn't help but mention it again. Having no time is just not a good excuse to let yourself go. We all have the same amount of time in a day, and some of us just achieve more than others. I know you can all find time to look after yourselves. Just start today. Right now do something to better your own health.

I just read this exerpt from Ben Warstler of Groundbreaking Fitness I couldn't put it better myself.



1 Year

365 Days

8,760 hours

525,600 minutes

315,360,000 seconds

We all have the same amount of time jo, it all depends upon how we spend it.

Bill Gates has the same amount of time as you and I do.

Why is he so successful?

Michael Jordan has the same amount of time in a year as we do.

Why does everyone know his name?

Someone who is very lean, pre plans their nutrition plan and has makes time to exercise has the same amount of time in a year as someone who is struggling with their weight, and claims to have no time for exercise.

I've heard all the excuses before, and frankly I have to smile and say ok, when I hear them.

I'm not a cold person, and in some instances I don't know what it is like to be in their shoes. But I will tell you this:

I know we all have the same amount of time in a day and a year. No one has more or less. It may seem that way but that is because the one who seems to have more time has planned ahead of time so they can live each day the way they want to.

The day we don't take ownership for our actions and what we do and don't do is the day we lose control of our very lives; the one thing we can control.

Here is an example of what you can accomplish when you provide yourself the opportunity. We will call this woman Aunt Mildred.

In one year here is what she has experienced:
-Attended 31 basketball games in six days to watch her favorite team win a womens college basketball national championship

-Traveled to the Czech Republic with students on a sports ministry trip, with the hopes to going to China next year

-Put a lot of sweat equity into a camp on 'the island' which included raking, pruning, and burning.

-From June to Labor day went tent camping following the Lewis and Clark Trail from St. Louis to Washington and Oregon. Following the Journals of Lewis and Clark

- Explored the Cascade mountains (including, Mount Hood, Rainier, St. Helens, Baker, Olympia, Jefferson, Washington, and Three Sisters.

-Drove down beautiul US 101 in Washington, Oregon, and California

-Visited the Hoh Rain Forest in Oregon.

-Learned how to sand board

-Traveled through the Rocky Mountains

-Visited family and took a motorcycle ride

-Visited two friends undergoing cancer treatment

-Went to 65th high school reunion

Now some of these items may not seem that great to you. But when you consider the fact that Aunt Mildred is 83 years old, you have to be inspired!

Think about that for a minute.

83 years old!

Kind of puts things in perspective a little bit doesn't it.

The truth is we all have it in ourselves to become better and better each day. In regards to fitness, ask yourself, are you making the time investment now so that when you are 83 years old you can still live? Better yet, are you making the time investment in your health and fitness that are going to help you live tomorrow?

The words I can't don't exist. I don't believe in them. Do you?

Aunt Mildred blows away the other excuse I've have heard too many times to count: I'm too old.


So what are you waiting for.

Begin your journey right now.

Jo

personalised workouts online now up and running

I sent out my first newsletter today. Yahoo! I can't believe I have so many subscribers already. Check the previous post if you haven't already subscribed.

And today I finally got my online fitness program pages happening too. You can now request a personalised fitness program designed especially for you depending on exactly what you want to achieve. You can purchase in 4 or 8 week blocks and both programs are fully updated every 4 weeks. Payments are made through PayPal. If you have any queries or problems during the program, you can email me at any time and we can adjust things and sort out any problems.

I hope to be taking more personal training clients in Maryborough soon too. I will probably be selling Personal Training sessions in blocks of 12-24 sessions and you will be able to purchase these online via PayPal too. Any personal training clients will have access to online programs at no extra charge. These programs will be additional workouts to do in between sessions with me and they will be personalised to your needs as well.

If you prefer to go it alone, I am still adding heaps of new strength workouts and cardio sessions to the site every week. All of these workouts are free and there is plenty of variety to keep you going for as long as you want.

Please email me if you have any questions you want answered and also check out the frequently asked questions pages which I will also update regularly.

In the meantime, keep training hard, eating well and living healthy.

Jo Butler

Stubborn body fat

Hi again

Just a quick post today. I just got a hold of an ebook called the Stubborn BodyFat solution. It goes into quite a bit of detail about hormones and why some fat is harder to lose. It recommends eating a healthy unprocessed diet as I do and also recommends a consistent exercise program. I am giving away copies of this ebook to all new subscribers to my newsletter this month. So if you would like to read it, please subscribe.

Email Name Then Don't worry -- your e-mail address is totally secure. I promise to use it only to send you fitterfastertonlinetips.

Jo

A new body tomorrow??

When should you start your new weight loss or fitness program? Tomorrow, on Monday, at the start of the month or year? When the holidays start or finish? When I'm not so busy, when I move house. After the party, when I have more time.

Sound familiar? The very best time to begin is right now. Do something right now to begin the journey. Spend 20 minutes doing some exercise, cook something healthy for lunch or tea. Clean out the cupboards and get rid of all the junk food. Plan this week's healthy meals.

It doesn't matter where you start, as long as you do it now. Don't put it off till a better time. There never will be a better time. You must make the decision and just do it. You know it won't happen if you wait as there will always be another excuse.

If you miss a planned training session or eat some unhealthy food, don't let it deter you from your program. Just keep on going regardless. There will always be set backs. The key is to not let them be the end of it all. Fitness and health are a lifelong commitment. You must stay committed to your program for the long term.

For an endless variety of workouts and ideas to help make eating healthy a life long habit, go to www.fitterfasteronline.com

You can also contact me directly if you have a specific question. I will only be too happy to help.

Jo

subscribe to fitterfasteronline newsletter

I have just started up a newsletter from my website called fitterfasteronline ezine. In the newsletter I will be giving you a new workout each week. This workout can be used in place of any of the strength workout circuits at www.fitterfasteronline.com These workouts will burn incredible amounts of fat during the training session and also for hours afterwards. They will also increase your strength and fitness better than any long 'fat burning' cardio session ever will. So if you want to get super fit and lose weight while getting the body you always dreamed of subscribe today.

Email Name Then Don't worry -- your e-mail address is totally secure. I promise to use it only to send you fitterfastertonlinetips.

The newsletter will also include healthy recipes and every couple of weeks I will send a new cardio workout for you to try as well. Don't forget that you do not need any expensive equipment to do any of my workouts and they all take around 30 minutes or less to complete

Happy training

Jo

A letter from your belly fat

Letter From Your Belly Fat


How's it goin'! This is a letter from your ol' pal, Belly Fat. We had a great run this summer, didn't we? Lots of good times, great food, and plain ol' sitting around eating too much.

Well, I'm thinking about sticking around another year if you don't mind. But you might need to get a bigger pair of pants, as I was thinking about expanding my place down here.

So do me a favor, avoid that interval training you were thinking of doing. The last time you did that stuff, I nearly had to look for a new place to live. I felt like the Wicked Witch of the West in the land of Oz. Did you hear me yelling, "Help me, I'm melting!"?

Instead, stick to that slow cardio stuff. Sure I get a little sweaty, and the ol' brain up there thinks it's doing "a real fat
burning workout", but it's never enough to melt me outta here.

Another thing, keep listening to those experts who say strength training doesn't burn body fat. Since research shows they're wrong, if you added strength training to your program, you'd practically need to throw me a going away party!

After each one of those superset workouts you tried last January it felt like someone lit a match under our collective butt. I was burning up down here!

But boy oh boy, I sure was glad you gave that up and went back to just lifting utensils and not dumbells. Otherwise we wouldn't have been able to celebrate another summer together this year.

Sometimes I wonder, what did you ever do in college without me, your trusted belly fat? Back then, you were probably one of those people that couldn't wait to get to the beach to show off your body, unlike these days.

Nope, stay in the shade and keep the cover-up clothes on, that's the way to go now. Besides, its a lot closer to the cold beer and the BBQ when you're sitting in the shade avoiding all the fun down on the beach.

Well, it sure was good catching up with you. I'm sure we'll be in touch more often, as long as you stay away from that Turbulence Training workout routine.

Brings a tear to my eye whenever I even think about that workout program and all the belly fat it's burned. Heck, it's fried more fat than a short order cook at a roadside truckstop.

So again, if you want to keep your dear old belly around for another year and another summer, do NOT use Turbulence Training - otherwise, its all over pal, and you'll never see me again.

Belly Fat says, "Don't use this"

www.turbulencetraining.com

Your friend and spare tire,

Belly Fat

PS - Seriously!

Don't go near that Turbulence Training program unless you want to see me, Thunder Thighs, Manboobs, Jigg Lee Arm Fat, and Luv Handles pack our bags and hit the highway.

It will be a sad farewell, and you'd be stuck with ripped abs, gorgeous glutes, and toned arms, and you know how much attention those guys get from the opposite sex. Who needs it, I say.

Pretty funny isn't it. But so true. Turbulence Training uses the same methods as I do. Lots of intense interval training, combined with smart strength training. You can check out the turbulence training program on the above link. I highly recommend it.

Jo

Additions to website

Hi guys

How is your training going? Be honest, have you been putting in the effort to achieve your ideal body? If you have had a set back, don't worry, just keep going from now. Weight loss and fitness are an ongoing thing. It never ends. Stuff happens everyday and sometimes you make the wrong choices. Don't let it deter you from the big picture. I don't eat perfectly all the time. When I do slip up, I just keep on going anyway.

I have added some new workouts to my website including great high intensity cardio sessions that will send your fitness sky high and burn fat really fast. I have also added exercise demonstration graphics so that you know what to do if you are unsure of some of the exercises. All of this is free!

However, if you think you need some extra help, click on the customised fitness plan button to get a completely personalised fitness plan from me which includes all workouts and exactly when and how to do them step by step. You can't go wrong.

Till next time, be sure to check out these new workouts and do one today. Yes today, don't wait any longer.

Jo

lose the fat in minutes a day

Have you read that somewhere? Or '2 minute abs' or 'lose all the weight you want in 20 minutes a week?' Deep down you know it's too good to be true don't you? Well it is. Keeping and getting into shape does take some time. Not hours and hours as some would have you believe, but you really do need to put in the effort. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Programs and products that make these claims are just using good marketing techniques to sell to people who do not know better. Minutes a day, what could be easier. It makes for an easy sell to people who are too lazy to train properly.

It's a great thing to lessen the time spent training by using high intensity techniques for your cardio and strength training. It is another thing to think you can get away with doing practically nothing and still have a fit and healthy body.

Some health benefits can be gained by walking a couple of times per week, especially if you have not been doing any exercise regularly. But real benefits come to those who are willing to put in a real effort. You cannot expect to get fit and lean if you don't put in the effort to match. People who have fit, lean, strong bodies are the ones who are making that effort. Who do not use excuses and who find the time.

Be one of those people. Start right now. Do something right now to get your journey started. Don't wait till Monday or next week or the beginning of the month. Start right now. Get up and do an intense workout. You can be done in 30 minutes. Get into your kitchen and throw out the rubbish. Make a meal plan for the coming week and get the necessary ingredients.

For more information on how to get started visit www.fitterfasteronline.com Here you will find all you need to make a change.

If you are more advanced, I will be adding more programs very soon to help you reach new levels of fitness and strength.

weight loss maintainance

I just read another interesting article regarding maintaining a healthy weight once you have got there. A lot of the principles are exactly the same as losing weight. This should show us that changes you make are not temporary. Going on a 'diet' is not the way. You must change your lifestyle and eating habits permanently. Sometimes the changes need to be huge and sometimes slight modifications are in order. In the article Tom talks about keeping detailed records of everything. I wouldn't go to that extreme with your diet, but make sure that you are eating non processed healthy foods as detailed on my website www.fitterfasteronline.com Here is the article I read:

Listen to Maintainers, Not to Losers: 5 secrets to keeping the weight off for good

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS Burn The Fat
I have very little interest these days in all the media-hyped stories of dramatic, rapid losses of body weight. “Big losers” don’t impress me, for numerous reasons. For example, weight is not fat. “Weight” could be composed of mostly lean tissue, or it could be mostly water weight. In fact, I would go a step further and point out that rapid loss of bodyweight correlates very highly with a greater chance of relapse, weight re-gain and long term failure.

So what does impress me? What gets my attention?

I pay attention to what the “long term maintainers” have to say - those are the people who have maintained an ideal weight for over a year… preferably even 2-5 years or more.

The difference between losers and maintainers

As I was researching the subject of long term weight maintenance recently, I was surprised at the huge amount of research that's already been done in this area.

One paper that caught my interest was published by Judy Kruger and colleagues in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, titled,

“Dietary and physical activity behaviors among adults successful at weight loss maintenance.”
This was not an experimental study, but a compilation of data from the “Styles Survey” which was representative of the U.S. population and asked respondants questions about strategies to aid with maintaining an ideal weight.

In this particular survey, only one-third (30.96%) of the respondents said they were successful at keeping their weight off. The researchers wanted to know the difference between the small group that was successful and the majority that were not.

Both groups reduced the amount of food they consumed, they ate smaller portions, more fruits and vegetables, fewer fatty foods and fewer sweetened beverages.

Not really any surprises there, but what we want to know most is not what losers and maintainers have in common, but what the maintainers did that the losers didn't.

Some major differences emerged between losers and maintainers:

First, a significantly higher proportion of successful maintainers reported exercising 30 minutes or more daily, and they also reported adding other physical activity to their daily schedules (recreation, sports, physical work, etc). In addition, more of the successful maintainers included weight training in their exercise regimens than did the losers.

Reducing sedentary activities (TV watching, etc) was also a significant difference between those who successfully maintained and those who did not.

The next big difference that separated the successful maintainers from the unsuccessful was in their “self-monitoring behaviors” including:
tracking calories
tracking body weight
planning meals
tracking fat
measuring the amount of food on their plate

Unfortunately, these types of self-monitoring behaviors, especially weighing and measuring food and counting calories, are among the most avoided and even criticized weight control techniques. Some weight loss “experts” even claim that it's detrimental to count calories, weigh yourself or measure and weigh your food.

However, these self monitoring behaviors are being identified more and more frequently in the research as part of “the difference that makes the difference.” I agree, and they have always played a major role in my own Burn The Fat Program

A final difference was that people who reported self-perceived “barriers” to their success were 48-76% less likely to be a successful maintainer.

For example, they said they had no time to exercise, they were too tired to exercise or it was too hard to maintain an exercise routine. I interpret this as: the unsuccessful losers were excuse makers!

THE TOP 5 STRATEGIES TO BE A SUCCESSFUL MAINTAINER

So let’s recap and turn these research findings into some practical action steps you can apply today.
1. Increase your total daily activity level, including formal exercise as well as sports, physical work or recreational activity. Exercise improves weight loss, but more importantly, it is critical for weight maintenance.
2. Decrease sedentary recreational activities by cutting back on TV watching, computer games and web surfing. Take up physical recreation such as sports, boating, biking, walking, hiking, gardening, physical hobbies and playing with your kids, if you have them.
3. Include weight training as part of your formal exercise program, throughout the fat loss phase and even more seriously during maintenance.
4. Track and monitor everything! Count calories and nutrients, measure your portion sizes, weigh your food, plan your menus in writing and monitor your body weight and body fat percentage.
5. Avoid excuses and maintain positive beliefs and attitudes towards your environment and what you perceive as “barriers.” For example, say, “I can always make time for what is most important to me” instead of, “I don't have time to exercise.”

If you're currently on a fat loss journey, and you want to know how good your odds are for being a successful maintainer, it's pretty easy to predict using these 5 strategies. If you're not using all 5 of them yet, then when would be a good time to start today?

There are limitations to survey results such as these, including the fact that they are cross sectional, and therefore cannot prove causality. However, I believe these findings are important and significant.

Not only do they confirm previous similar studies and agree with the findings of other groups of successful maintainers (such as the National Weight Control Registry), I found that these results match precisely what I've seen among my most successful "Burn The Fat" clients.

THIS is the type of advice I'd suggest you listen to the most: Advice about how to lose body FAT, not body WEIGHT, and how to maintain an ideal bodyweight and body composition over the long haul, not how to lose weight as fast as possible.

Your friend and coach,

Tom VenutoFat Loss Coach Burn The Fat
P.S. There was one more “difference that made the difference,” in this study, and this one may surprise you (although it didn’t surprise me). Successful maintainers were LESS likely to take over the counter diet products (pills, etc).

About The Author

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is the author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: Burn The Fat

Bootcamp and making healthy choices when eating out

Have you checked out my free workouts? Have you tried them? You can even invent your own based on the same principles. If you need more inspiration and some new ideas, keep returning to http://www.fitterfasteronline.com/ as I am adding new workouts all the time. If you live in the Maryborough Victoria area in Australia, maybe you would like to join me for some one on one training. Or perhaps you have a friend or two that would like to train together.

I am starting up bootcamp style training soon also, this will be heaps of fun and is a great way to boost your fat burning potential and to get super fit in a different sort of setting.

In the meantime, check out this article written by Craig Ballentine which talks about the dangers of eating out on your healthy eating plan and how to avoid eating enough for one or two days in one sitting.


The 1000 Calorie Diet Tip

If you eat at restaurants, it's easy to eat over 1500 or 2000calories per meal. Yikes! That's a full day's worth of calories in one dinner...

Pre-dinner bread & butter -> 200 calories

Pre-dinner cocktail -> 150 calories

Appetizer -> This could be a 500-1500 calorie bomb on it's own!

Steak -> 300-500 calories

Potato -> 150-300 calories

Vegetable -> 100 calories

Dinner Drink -> 150 calories

Dessert - 300-750 calories

After Dinner Drink - 150

And that's only if you CONTROL yourself. If you go on a rampage,you could be looking at 2500 or even 3000 calories in one sitting. Those numbers are scary.
Fortunately, there are ways to avoid this dietary nightmare whiledining out.

Here are 5 rules to cut 1000 calories from your dining-out diet...

1) Plan ahead and avoid restaurants that offer huge portions.

2) Skip the bread. It won't stop you from eating your full mealanyways, so just send it back.

3) No booze or liquid calories of any type.

4) No potates. Stick to your protein and your vegetables.

5) Reward yourself with only the tiniest bit of dessert, if at all.

It's all about taking responsibility for your choices. And yes,choosing between the "Pain of discoipline or pain of regret". What'syour choice?

For more diet and exercise tips, visit:

Turbulence Training

How about that food for thought. As I always say, it is your choice.

Keep doing what you have always done and you will keep getting what you have always got.

Make the right choices and you will soon have the lean, strong, fit body that you want. It's not always easy, but it is always worth it!!

Till next time

Jo

Exercise versus diet for fat loss

Hi everyone

I just wanted to show you part of an article I was reading today authored by Tom Venuto of Burn the Fat fame. It highlights the importance of combining exercise with diet for fat loss which is something that I think is absolutely necessary to getting results with your weight loss program. Here is the article:


Fat Loss Lie #9: "Exercise is not necessary... all you need is a diet"-----------

The Truth About The Diet Versus Exercise Debate

Yes, you CAN lose weight by cutting calories. But as you learned in the first part of this course ("the starvation diet lie"), there is danger in using very low calorie diets; you almost always re-gain weight that's lost with highly restrictive diets.

Some people use calorie restriction out of necessity. For example, I know some wheelchair-bound individuals who lost weight with calorie restriction alone. I also know some people who were very obese and had orthopedic problems (making exercise difficult at first), who chose to get started only with dietary restriction, then they added the exercise later. They also lost weight. However, for able-bodied people, dieting is the absolute WORST way to lose weight.

Two Ways To Create A Calorie Deficit And Lose The Fat

As you learned in part 5 on calories, to lose fat, you need a calorie deficit. However, there's more than one way to create a calorie deficit. One is to decrease the amount of calories you consume (eat less). The other is to increase the amount of calories you burn (exercise more).
Of the two ways, burning the calories with increased activity is the superior method. Or, you can also combine the two - eat a little less, and exercise more.

Paradoxical as it seems, the most effective approach of all is to eat more and exercise a LOT more (as long as you still keep your calorie deficit). Nutritionist and exercise physiologist Dr. John Berardi calls this a "HIGH ENGERY FLUX," which simply means, higher energy input, higher energy output. The result is a high level of nutrition and a turbo-charged metabolism.

Top 10 reasons why exercising ("burn"), not dieting ("starve"), is the superior method of losing body fat:

The most effective fat-burning programs in the world always contain two types of exercise - weight training and cardiovascular training. The reasons to include both could go on for pages, but here are the top 10:
1. Exercise increases your metabolism.
2. Exercise creates a caloric deficit without triggering starvation mode.
3. Exercise helps you sleep better and manage stress better.
4. Exercise (strength training) tells your body to keep the muscle. Dieting causes muscle loss.
5. Exercise increases bone density.
6. Exercise helps prevent diabetes, control blood sugar, and improve insulin sensitivity.
7. Exercise improves cardiovascular health.
8. Exercise improves mood, helps relieve depression and increases self esteem
9. Exercise increasese mobility and quality of life as you get older
10. Exercise helps you keep the weight off long term.

The Science Behind Burning More, Not Eating Less

The role of energy expenditure in weight loss (diet vs exercise) is still the subject of controversy. For years I've been a strong advocate of weight training and cardiovascular training to "burn the fat" instead of just cutting calories (and being a "couch potato"). Take a look at some of the research-proven benefits of the "burn more" approach and see for yourself:

“Strength training may have greater implications than initially proposed for decreasing body fat and sustaining fat free mass. Research suggests that adding exercise programs to dietary restriction can promote more favourable changes in body composition than diet or physical activity on its own.” -Stiegler, Sports Medicine, 2006

“Treatments relying only on energy restriction commonly cause substantial loss of lean tissue…” - Walberg, Sports Med, 1989:

“Increasing daily activity and regular exercise plays an important role in weight maintenance due to an impact on daily energy expenditure and a direct enhancement of insulin sensitivity.”- Astrup, Int J Vitam Nutr res, 76:4, 2006”

“Physical activity is a critical factor for successful body weight regulation. Physical activity facilitates weight maintenance through direct energy expenditure and improved physical fitness.”- Saris, Int J Obes relat Metab Disord, 1998:

“Reduced energy expenditure appears to facilitate weight gain in individuals susceptible to obesity."- Saltzman, Nutr rev, 1995:
The Lies And Deceptions That Fuel The $50 Billion Weight Loss Machine
With this kind of proof, why is there any debate at all? Well, the biggest reason is because the weight loss industry thrives on novelty. Without “what’s new,” there's no story. People want to hear about some cutting edge new revolutionary pill or unique new diet breakthrough.
The industry also bets on laziness. Exercise is a hard sell because it's perceived as hard work. Advertisers know there's a lazy side hard wired into human nature, so they do everything they can to make their weight loss solutions look quick, easy and painless.

I believe the fact that we need to exercise - for health, quality of life AND for improved body composition - is such a common sense and intuitive conclusion that I find it almost comedic that there's any debate about it at all.

Think about it: What will your body shape look like by dieting without doing any training??? Diet without exercise tends to create a “skinny fat person” - someone with a low body weight but little if any muscle, and the last 10-15 lbs of stubborn fat is left defiantly clinging to your hips, butt, thighs, abs or "love handles!"

Here's what else I believe about exercise vs dieting:

I believe that the human body is the only machine on the face of the earth that wears out and breaks down from not using it enough
I believe that much obesity and disease are a direct result of inactivity
I believe that much of the deterioration that happens as you age is a direct result of a sedentary lifestyle and a loss of muscle
I believe that cardiovascular exercise + weight training + a small calorie reduction is vastly superior for fat loss purposes than a calorie reduction alone, both in the short and long term
I believe that calorie restriction alone is a short-sighted and incomplete approach to a complex problem, and it requires a complete change in lifestyle habits to achieve better health, better body composition and results that last
I believe that everyone who is able-bodied should get some type of physical activity almost every single day
I believe that anyone who is healthy and physically able should get involved in weight training 3 days per week (up to 4 - 5 times per week for athletes and bodybuilders)
I believe that anyone healthy and physically able should do at least 3 days per week of vigorous cardiovascular exercise (jogging, brisk walking, treadmills, stairclimbers, ellipticals, aerobics classes, etc), and they may increase their exercise frequency, intensity and or duration if necessary, to accelerate fat loss
I believe that more people should stop taking their bodies for granted and start appreciating that those wheelchair-bound individuals I mentioned earlier would give anything to be able to run or ride a bike

It's tempting to keep looking for some kind of "no-sweat" secret, whether in the form of a special diet technique, a magic fat burning pill or whatever, but in the end, it always, comes back to this:
You need a calorie deficit to lose weight... and it's better to burn more calories than to cut more calories.

Exercise - including weight training and cardio training - should be a part of every weight management program and a part of your lifestyle. This is one of the ultimate secrets to fat loss and long term weight control:

Remember, don't starve the fat, "BURN THE FAT."
In the next lesson, you'll discover the dark side of rapid weight loss and hear the truth about how quickly you can safely take off the pounds - for good - without risking a rebound. Until then...
Train hard and expect success,
Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCSFat Loss Coach

Burn The Fat

This is part of a free email series that Tom has written which is really worth a look. Check it out at Burn The Fat

For lots of free workouts that will burn fat and get you fit fast, check out www.fitterfasteronline.com