What is the best fat burner?

I remember it like it was yesterday.  The brown liquid in the bottle that promised to help burn fat tasted like a bitter lemon- tea.  Not too bad I thought..but nothing happened.

I didn't drink just one of them, I had a few of them. Maybe one every day.  I'm not sure what I was hoping for but all I got was a nice lemon- tea flavored treat.  No fat burning, well at least not that I could tell anyway.

Does that story sound familiar?

Maybe yours wasn't lemon-tea, maybe it was some kind of pill, or powder, or cream but you looked to it to help you burn fat and nothing happened.

This is usually where all of the fun commercials tell you that it wasn't your fault.  You didn't fail, it was the diet/product that failed you. Well, that may be a part of the situation, but there is something much bigger that you must know.

Are you ready?

You failed.

Yes, I just said that.  You failed.

You failed to realize that NO PRODUCT can do it all.

Yes, some can actually help you in your quest to "burn fat"..although not it the sense that you imagine (more on that later).

I think what needs to happen first is that you figure out what it is you mean when you say "burn fat".  What you are really envisioning happening is losing fat ...becoming leaner.. right?

 So what is the best "fat burner"... or should I say what is the best way to lose fat and become leaner?

YOU are the best fat burner.  And the best way for you to lose fat and become leaner is to STOP ADDING BODY FAT.

Yes, it is up to YOU.

Let's simplify this for a moment.  Think of your body fat as a pool of water (or fat- whatever image suits you best).  At the bottom of this pool is a small drain.  Ever so slowly some of this water (or fat) flows down the drain. This represents your exercise and everything else that you do that causes "fat burning".

Now imagine a large hose placed in the top of the pool with a constant heavy stream of water flowing from it into the pool.  This represents everything that you do that adds to your body fat stores.

It shouldn't be too hard to figure out that if the hose filling the pool is doing so at a rate greater than or equal to the rate that the drain is emptying the pool you will NOT be getting any less fat.  You may in fact be getting even fatter!

....even with the drain open at the bottom of the pool!!

So when you ask me what the best "fat burner" is and what you should take that will help you to lose fat I canNOT answer that with one word.  The answer is not a pill, or potion, or cream. (Sure, some may actually help and as I said we will get into that later).

The answer is YOU and the answer is to STOP adding to the fat.

How do you do that??

Well, I can't answer that in one word either.  I'll need two..
Metabolic Precision.

Metabolic Precision will teach you how to STOP adding to the fat.  THIS is the key.

No matter how you phrase the question to me, this is the answer.  Learning how to stop adding to the fat will get you where you want to go because it also helps to "burn fat".  Yep.  It does.

If you are looking for more information about how to do this, you'll want to check out Metabolic Precision.

Your opportunity to work with me one one one online with the Metabolic Precision program is coming very soon however opportunities will be very limited.  If you are serious about wanting to know the best way to "burn fat" you won't want to miss out on this.

Message me to place your name on the list for advanced announcement of this opportunity.

Please don't intimidate me...

When I read it, I actually did laugh out loud.  Then I thought to myself, "What a shame."

Yep the gym that is famous for not judging (cough, cough) has done it again. This time they have decided that all squat racks must be removed from their gyms. This comes as a result of a member complaining that the squat racks were intimidating.

Wait, WHAT??!

Yes, those very same squat racks that I search high and low for are apparently very scary to some people.  Huh...

While I could go on and on about how squatting is probably one of the best exercises that people can do, and that if people want to lose weight (fat) they NEED to lift weights and squat, and that an inanimate object CANNOT intimidate someone, and...

I think it goes far deeper than just this poor squat rack.  It seems that the squat rack, along with people that are in shape are banned from this gym because people want to avoid pain.

They want to avoid acknowledging the pain they feel in their current situation. Whether they are overweight or under-tall, less muscled than they'd like, or just not confident instead of acknowledging what is REALLY going on they opt for "remove anything that may make me take a good, hard look at myself".

Wow, that is scary!

What happens when the outside world...the world outside the purple pizza parties... does not play by these rules? Is there a way to cope? Does anyone say, "Hey, maybe we should take a deeper look at what is going on here?"

Yeah, probably not and that is quite unfortunate as pain is really the only thing that will cause you to change.

Change will occur when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of changing.

So removing anything and everything from your life that makes you the slightest bit uncomfortable is a recipe for misery, not for happiness.

Being intimidated has nothing to do with the 'object' it has everything to do with Y-O-U.  The feelings you are feeling are coming from inside of you...in reaction to a story you have told yourself.  Yep, it is in your head.

I don't mean that like "you're nuts", but literally your reactions to things are based on stories you have in your head. Coming to terms with these stories, or at the very least acknowledging them is the first step.

What are your stories?

Answering this is the first step to losing fat, gaining muscle, freeing yourself from your food addictions, and yes, even freeing you from the fear of the squat rack!

Avoidance is a recipe for keeping you stuck.  Stuck in that place you were waaaaayyyy back when that story in your head first took place.

Are you ready to move forward? Metabolic Precision Can Help

Have you just 'let yourself go'?

Have you just 'let yourself go'?  Interesting to think about, and I bet if you took a poll of the general population many would agree that they, or their friends, family members or loved ones have indeed 'let themselves go'.

It was a conversation just like this that started my thinking...hmmmm, maybe just maybe we need a different perspective on this.

I was running with a good friend the other day as she was recounting a conversation that centered around her brother.  Apparently in high school he played sports and was in relatively good shape. Now, some years later he is a good bit heavier and in pretty sad shape.

Sure she was talking about her brother, but this same conversation could have been about anyone.  In fact, I am sure that you could name at least 5 people right now who fit this same description.

Common thinking on our part as well as theirs, is that they just 'let themselves go'.

You hear this saying thrown about all the time, but what on earth does it mean?

I'm guessing that most people use it in a sense that refers to the 'giving up' or 'giving in'.  That whatever it was we used to do we don't do any more.

 "In high school I played football and baseball.  I'm 30 now and I haven't played sports in years.  I've really let myself go."

I don't think I would be far off with that assessment either.

Ok, here is the challenge to that paradigm.  What if 'letting yourself go' didn't carry with it the meaning of giving up on something, what if it meant more of a continuation of things???

Follow me for a minute.

In high school, sure you played sports (or maybe you didn't), you also stayed up late, ate too much junk food, and thought you knew everything.

Look at your life now--I'm betting that you 'let yourself go' on doing at least 3 of the 4 things I just mentioned.  How's that working out for you?

The continuation of things that we could get away with when we were younger may be exactly what derails us later in life.

Lack of sleep

Lack of sleep is linked to increased stress levels, weight gain, food cravings, impaired glucose and insulin functioning, and disruption to circadian rhythms.

In a nutshell, losing sleep causes us to feel hungry (even though we aren’t), increase our caloric intake, store more of these calories as fat and burn fewer calories throughout our day regardless of the exercise we do. We gain weight, become diabetic, and develop cardiovascular disease.  Sound familiar????

Eating junk food 

No surprise here, junk food isn't all that great for you when it comes to staying healthy or 'in shape'.  The problem is that most people don't realize just how much of what they are eating actually falls into this junk food category.

Candy bars, cookies, and ice cream are all easy to spot, but the other junk that goes around masquerading as real food is what we need to be aware of.  Those "healthy" boxed, prepared cereals, crackers, breads, and other convenience foods.. yep, pretty much in the junk food category.  And, NO, I don't care what the commercials say...

You may have been able to get away with eating them when you were younger, but not so much now. Guess what, that is because your body responds differently to them now.  Hormonally speaking your body is better able to store those things as fat as opposed to use them for immediate energy.

Let me say that another way, continuing to eat those things as a large part of your diet will make you fatter and fatter.  Period.  You're welcome.

Thinking you know everything 

Interesting how we think that just because we are older we know more than we did before.  Sure this may be true about some things, say for instance the job you have- you probably know more about it today than you did on your first day. But when it comes to your body and your health, I find that most people don't have a clue.

Not knowing which end is up with regard to your health and well-being can be a problem for sure, but the BIGGER problem is thinking you know everything about it when in fact, you do not.

No one is born knowing everything.  And certainly it is very challenging to know a lot about a lot of things.  That is why people specialize- to learn more about one or two things.  So stop thinking you know everything about your health and seek out someone who knows more and who may be able to help you.

So back to my point about 'letting yourself go'.  I propose that it isn't the giving up on what you did when you were younger that got you to where you are, rather the 'letting yourself go' on doing what you did when you were younger that has done it.  The continuation of things that no longer serve you.

All too often people are looking for what it is they need to do to make a change when all too often it is something they need to stop doing that will help the most.

Gym Etiquette For The New Year Resolutioners...

It's that time of year- you know, the time when all of the New Year's Resolutioners show up at the gym and all of the gym regulars get a bit frustrated.

You can't really blame them, I mean for almost 10 months now the gym has been pretty much theirs.  There is an unspoken understanding between 'the regulars'...you know on Monday the guy that always wears the red tank top will be in the squat rack until about 9:30 so you can schedule your training around that.  You get to know people without really knowing them and it makes for a better training session for all involved.

But then New Year's comes and in walk 'the newbies'.

In anticipation of this unavoidable event, I decided to throw together a list of some Do's and Don'ts- a gym etiquette posting of sorts to help folks out.

1. DO Shower.  Yes, I understand you are going to work out, but if you stink already we have a BIG problem.

2. DO Change your clothes.  This goes along with #1. Some folks like to wear the same clothes to train in because they are comfortable..that is fine, but wash them! Otherwise do as the rest of us do and just wear something different..that is clean. And please be sure they fit properly, I don't want to see your junk hanging out no matter how cool you think you are.

3. DO Wear deodorant.  I know I shouldn't need to say this, but I will..because you know somewhere....

4. DON'T stand around in the locker room naked.  Fine to do when you are at home, but in public this is a bit of a no-no. Don't be 'that guy' or 'that girl' that folks try to avoid... unless of course you are at a nudist gym, in which case ignore this recommendation.

5. DON'T stand directly in front of the dumbbell rack.   This area is for loading and unloading ONLY.  It is not meant to be used while doing your set.

6. DO give yourself and everyone else plenty of room. I've had this happen many times- I'm in the middle of a set of squats and some guy drags a bench over, sits down and starts doing shoulder press 3 inches away.  C'mon man, not a good idea.  Don't be that guy, be sure to give yourself and everyone else plenty of room.  Collisions in the gym should not occur. Always be aware of your surroundings.

7. DON'T talk to someone in the middle of their set.  I don't care what it is you want to say, it can wait.

8. DON'T randomly start talking to someone with headphones in.  Head phones in the ears should be considered the international sign for "I don't want to talk".  I don't care if you CAN tell they aren't listening to anything.  They have their headphones in for a reason.  Leave them alone.

9. DON'T sing. This is generally directed towards those of you that wear headphones while training. The rest of us can't hear your back up singers and would really rather not hear you sing "Baby Got Back" out of tune.  Save it for the car, or the shower (just not the shower at the gym).

10. DON'T just jump on a piece of equipment. It is never safe to assume that someone isn't using it- especially if someone is standing near it.  Always ask.  If they have head phones in, simply point to the machine and they will know what you are asking.

11. DON'T talk on the phone while sitting on a piece of equipment. You are there to train, remember? Also, chances are pretty high that someone else is waiting to use what you are sitting on.  Never mind the fact that no one wants to hear your conversation anyway.

12. DON'T hover around a piece of equipment while checking FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter, or anything else. See #10.  Put the phone down and train.

13. DO wipe up your mess.  No one wants to sit in your sweaty mess.  Wipe down the equipment before walking away.

14. DON'T assume you know what you are doing. Save yourself a time and energy, hire a professional.  How do you know if you don't know what you are doing? If this is your first time to the gym- you don't know what you are doing.  Hey, nothing to be ashamed of, we've all had our first day at the gym.  If you want to ensure that you continue to have days at the gym, be sure you know what to do and how to do it properly.

15. DON'T bathe in perfume or cologne before your session. While you may think it smells fabulous, the rest of us are choking on it.  Save it for your night out at the bar; not under the squat bar.

16. DON'T come to the gym if you are sick. For goodness sake keep it to yourself.  The gym is kind of like an adult daycare situation..one person gets sick and then so does everyone else..just like the little kids that spread their germs around the daycare.

SO there you go, a few things that can help you out as you venture into some new exciting territory.

Stay safe and have fun.

Happy New Year!

Everyone knows how to train (and eat), right?

Walk in to any gym (even the ones with squat racks) and you'll hear it or see it.  Everyone is an expert.

Don't think its true? Just listen to them.

When we were in LA some of it was so good I actually took notes. No, for real, I did.  Pulled my phone out and typed it right in there so that I would remember what I wanted to share with all of you.

Two guys doing tricep pushdowns; the one directing says to the one doing the work: "turn your left toe in." No, I am not joking, and just to clarify the guy was standing pretty damn straight.

Younger guy talking to a gentleman maybe 20 years his senior is going on about how he is bulking but come January 30 he is going to "start cutting" (love that terminology).  So the older gentleman tells him: "The first rule is to get up in the morning and run on an empty stomach."

I giggled to myself as I reflected on just how interesting it is that everyone in the gym knows everything.

No need to seek a professional, clearly anyone who has ever joined a gym, lifted a weight, lost a pound, gained a pound, ran a mile, or did a jumping jack knows exactly what to do to lose body fat, gain muscle, or improve performance. And they know how to do this IN the gym and IN the kitchen.

What I find so very interesting is that no one seems to think anything of this.  It somehow seems perfectly normal and acceptable especially to those on the receiving end.

Weird, I don't think those same people would take advice on how to fix their car from a 13 year old who just drove for the first time.  I don't think that they would take french cooking lessons from someone who just attempted their first soufflé.

These same people would think nothing of taking a tennis, golf, or ski lesson.  Heck, most people brag about that going on about how much they spend in an attempt to become better at these sports yet very few do the same with they gym.

So let's see if I am getting this right- in order to become better at tennis, golf, or skiing folks hire a professional that will teach them the best, fastest, and safest way to reach their goal in those respective sports...did I get that right?

Ok, so why then do people wish, and hope, and dream about being stronger, or in better shape, or healthier yet take advice from anyone?

I just don't get it.

I mean, really if YOU wanted to reach your goal wouldn't you seek out the best possible person you could to help you reach it???  I would.  But maybe I'm just crazy. Or maybe you like to waste your money.

"But Michelle, there trainers everywhere, how do we know who is a good one?"

Great question...

You can't know..especially if you have no (or very little) experience in the gym.  Everyone who calls themselves a trainer may look and sound like they know what they are talking about....but they don't.

I will tell you this. If you are looking for the top trainers who know about nutrition and training then you are looking for a Metabolic Precision certified trainer.

Most certifications send hopefuls a text and an exam..yes, at the same time...and ask them to answer multiple choice questions.  Some send a text and require and exam to be taken at a testing center..again asking folks to memorize things and then regurgitate them on a multiple guess test.  Not MP.

MP requires that all hopefuls not only learn the material, but also that they demonstrate the understanding of it through its application via essay exam as well as practical application.  MP is a science based and research proven method for reaching your goals.. I don't care if it is body fat loss, muscle mass gain, performance improvement, or something else the certified MP professionals are the ones that can get you there.

As the new year approaches no doubt you or someone you know will be making THAT New Year's Resolution... you know the one I talking about.  Why not hire someone that can get you there safely and teach you how to sustain and maintain the results you achieve? I mean, unless you want to get there and then back slide..

For those of you that are really serious, use this link to find the best trainer you'll ever meet. But only if you are really serious.

Can't find one in your area? No problem these folks are ridiculously good at doing things on line as well. Need help finding just the right person? Just ask, I'm more than happy to be a "match maker".
Find a Metabolic Precision Trainer

Do it.  You'll be glad you did.  No worries, you can thank me later.

Where have all the good gyms gone?

Have you ever heard something, and you know you heard it, but later on it comes back around and really slaps you in the face??

Yeah that's kind of what happened this weekend.

I mean, it isn't anything that I didn't already know, or something that I hadn't noticed before, but this time it really hit me.  And then it was almost as if a panic of sorts set in.

Training is disappearing.  Real, honest to goodness training..with real weights..not inflated balls, rubber bands, or hollow cheap metal equipment.

You may look at me and think: "oh come on, you have no idea what you are talking about" but you would be sorely mistaken.  My roots in the industry go way back, as does my love of the gym and training with real weight; iron as we like to call it.

It goes back to the good ol days when there was only bodybuilding in the bodybuilding world.  No, fitness, figure, bikini, physique...just the real beef- bodybuilding.  Guys like Quadzilla Paul DeMayo, Tom Platz, and the like were all over the magazines.

You could walk into almost any gym and find a squat rack and plenty of plates to load the bar with.

Fast forward to this weekend.

We walk in to a 24 Hour Fitness (yeah, ok I know..but that is part of the point) and have to search for anything resembling a squat rack.  Finally, after having walked up 4 flights of stairs, through a labyrinth of rooms chock full of machines did we find one lone squat rack.  It was aaaaaaaaaallllllll the way in the back.  Literally.

I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that we walked through at least 4 rooms chock full of suspension training equipment, inflated balls, rubber bands, cheap machines,  and virtually every other piece of equipment you can think of except olympic bars and plates (and squat rack).

I thought to myself: "damn, they really don't want anyone to even know they have a squat rack."  The image this gym (and most others these days) presents is one of cardio and toys; nothing serious or intimidating.  Well, at least nothing that could be interpreted as such by Joe (or Josephine) Q. Public...don't want to scare them away.

What on earth has happened???

When did it become so scary to see a squat rack, or to see someone squatting, or deadlifting?

Is everything going the way of Planet Fitness? I call it the "aim for mediocrity" mindset.

Hasn't anyone noticed that we, as a society, are moving further and further from a state of health?

Interesting that this shift away from health mirrors the shift away from real training with real weights in a real gym.

This is what hit me like a ton of bricks all over again.

I've been there before, having the thought that all of the real equipment in the gym has been moved to the back, out of the line of sight of anyone just walking in the door.  Keep that stuff in the back and no one gets scared.  Riiiiiiiiight.  Keep it in the back and no one gets leaner, healthier, or fitter either. Spending your time doing endless hours on the less intimidating cardio equipment will do little good.

So came back to me the words of a good friend, Shawn Phillips, in one of his recent musings on The Kryptonite Report in which he discussed the disappearance of real gyms.

What gives, where have they gone?

Is it coincidence that more people hit the gym today than ever before yet the number of overweight and obese continues to grow??  (pun intended)

Clearly something isn't working.

Maybe getting back to hitting the iron in a real gym would help....
Just a thought.

Coffee, coffee, coffee.. Your BulletProof coffee is full of holes!

Coffee, the nectar of the Gods as it has often been referred to, definitely has a place in my life.  I love it.

Yes, I realize some may think love is a strong word to use to describe my relationship with coffee, but  the thought of it can bring a smile to my face, it never lets me down, and it is always there for me.  So yes, I say love.

My relationship with coffee, or anything coffee flavored goes back to my childhood days.  I have fond memories of sharing coffee flavored ice cream with my mom.  Good times for sure.

Mom and I still share coffee although these days it is usually the drink, not usually the ice cream.

Those of you that know me know that I love coffee.  You guys also know that one of my missions in life is to bring the truth to light.  I dislike half-truths and deceptive marketing especially when it comes to exercise, nutrition, health, and healthy living.  Just. Can't. Deal.

Spreading these half truths makes it harder for all of us to reach our optimal health status.

So what's got me all wound up now?

Coffee.

Yes. Coffee.  My love.

Coffee is so much more than a smile in a cup, it has a laundry list of positive effects on our health as well.

When I say health benefits, I mean proven by science.  Cast all doubts aside.  No guessing. Just facts. Good for you.  Period.

Coffee consumption helps to lessen depression.

Pham N. Green tea and coffee consumption is inversely associated with depressive symptoms in a Japanese working population. Public Health Nutr. 2013 Mar 4:1-9

Drinking coffee is associated with decreased risk of all cause mortality.

Malerba S. Turati F. Galeone C. Pelucchi C. Verga F. A meta-analysis of prospective studies of coffee consumption and mortality for all causes, cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Eur J Epidemiol (2013) 28:527–539

I could go on and on, and most likely will at some point.. but not before I get to the actual point of this post.... the bull$hit that is Bulletproof Coffee.

There, I said it.  

I am tired of the BS that gets thrown around by the folks that have been duped into thinking that: 1. there is some magical 'non-toxic' coffee bean that one man has a special hook up with 2. that the rest of the world's coffee supply is fully of mold and toxins 3. that drinking butter and oil in your coffee is a good idea.

This is an excerpt from his website "Upgraded Coffee is the result of an obsessive pursuit to find the absolute highest performance coffee beans on earth. It's taken me more than 10 years to identify every step of performance-robbing toxin formation in coffee and to find a reliable, perfect source of beans that always make me feel great — even though "normal" coffee gives me a headache and jitters and makes me cranky. This coffee makes you feel noticeably better than anything else you'll find. You'll never go back to Starbucks again. These beans are meant for drinking black or best of all, for making Bulletproof Coffee with coconut oil. "

Really? Your coffee is so good you can drink it black ....or drown it in oil? Ummm, I'm sorry but that just seems kind of silly to me.  If it IS that good, I shouldn't have to add anything to it.

"Performance-robbing toxin formation"-- wow really an extraordinary claim there.

Ok, Mr. Special Guy.  Show me your science! 

What? You don't have any?  

Huh. Didn't think so.  

FYI folks, the very worst coffee in the world- which makes up maybe 20% of the supply may have very small amounts of molds in them.  You would need to drink coffee from almost a kilo (2.2pounds) of those beans to get ANY small amount of insult to your system.  

(**Keep in mind not all mold is 'bad'. What we have here is fear mongering-- nutritional terrorism as a good friend would say.  Heck you EAT mold- blue cheese!!!  Penicillin, one of the most widely used antibiotics, is derived from a fungus and has saved countless people from illness!)

Beyond the claim of his super special coffee is the claim that adding fat to our coffee will somehow make us leaner and even build muscle.  Hmmm... nice thought.  Got any science to back that?

Didn't think so.

MCTs (medium chain triglycerides) sound like a really great idea as far as energy production and glucose sparing goes- but unfortunately all things that sound good don't always pan out in the science.  MCTs are one of these things- just doesn't hold up in the studies. Soooooo, while it may sound good it just doesn't work that way.  

One thing it MAY do is send you running to the nearest restroom.  Have fun with that.  

Drives me nuts.  

C'mon people, you're smarter than that.  When people make extraordinary claims, they should have extraordinary evidence to prove their claims.  This guy does not.  Period.  He alludes to some studies that were done, yet provides no further information or links to them.  

...because he doesn't have any.  His science doesn't exist.

I could've guessed he didn't have much of a science background after reading his musings.  But the fact that he sells a bag of Glutathione really sealed the deal.  News flash- taking glutathione does not lead to increased levels of glutathione in your body.  So sorry folks, but you've been duped yet again.

Your welcome.  

Now it is time for me to finish my cup of coffee :)