Talking about the basics

OK everyone, so its been 4 weeks of P90x now and although 6 days a week is tough, I feel amazing. I have to admit my mentality is more along the lines of cross fit HIIT (high intensity interval training) but the super setting and intensity that p90x has put together makes for a great routine for those of you who like to workout daily. You know how the infomercials for p90x make it seem extreme? Well I have a few things to say about that: First that it is a intense workout but most importantly that anyone who wants to try the program can! It is literally based on progression after progression of Body weight, Bands and dumb bell exercises, but mostly body weight. I have broken the videos down and you perform 14 exercises for chest (predominately push ups), 15 exercises for back (mostly variations of pull ups and back flys), 34 exercises for legs which consist of squats and lunges, 12 exercises for the shoulders (mostly a combination of overhead presses), 10 exercises for triceps, and 14 exercises for biceps (both a combination of moves that are commonly seen in the gym). So my question is why the intimidation from everyone about how it is to much to start with? I think it comes from ignorance, people are speaking out of fear without knowing what p90x really intails. Well I hope that I can help, keep a eye out for weekly videos breaking down all the exercises in the videos so you can truly understand what this program is all about!!

The Fitness Buster

2 weeks down 10 to go!

OK so two weeks in to p90x and I can honestly say I feel like I'm a athlete again, working out 6 days a week and enjoying every minute of it. Now although this program is designed to transform your body and get you back to the image you have of yourself in your prime (lets just say high school) lets be honest, you have to be pretty serious about getting in shape to workout 6 days a week. But that's the thing, the right fitness program isn't any one program in particular but in fact just the routine you are currently involved in because you don't know if a program will be for you until you actually give it a shot. There's programs made for 2 days a week, 3 days a week, days a week etc. but the 3 key factors that stay the same during every routine are: Consistency, Intensity, and Timing. So if you don't decide to commit then you will lack all three which in return brings no results, so pick a routine that intrigues you and go for it. Ask me questions, leave me comments and most of all never give up short of your goals because anything can be accomplished with the end in sight.

Shawn Guiney

the fitness buster

your fitness critic

First week down 11 to go!

Ok fitness fam,

So here we are 1 week in with P90X, yahoo! This week we had;

Monday: Chest & Back

Tuesday: Plyometrics

Wendsday: Shoulders & Arms

Thursday: X stretch (in place of yoga x)

Friday: Legs & Back

Saturday: Kenpo X

Sunday: Rest day and a chance to tell you how the round up of the week

After looking throughout the internet and what is available in the stores I am confident to say that P90X is the most professional, effective and efficient way to get fit @ home and thats why it gets two thumbs up from me! Lets see how the next 83 days go! And remember, although bringing you my own products is great, I am the fitness buster and I am priding myself in being a fitness critic that doesn't sell you on great marketing but on great results and great programs So it is your responsibility to start being more aware of whats around you and improving your fitness senses, so if you find a program you want my input on shoot me a comment! I will test the program and give you my professional opinion on how I feel it stands against the rest and if it meets my standards you will see it endorsed by me. Remember to ask questions and always strive to better yourself!

My deepest apologies

Okay so I know I am not very good at keeping up with technology and this blog is definitely one thing I have slacked on. So as of today I am making a resolution, now I know its a little early in the year to do this but it is very much needed. As of today 10-3-09 I will be changing that by posting at least once a week about facts and myths in the fitness industry. This will be more effective with participation from everyone so do me a favor and post questions you would like answered by me and other fitness experts that I will be interviewing. By doing so this will assure you the reader are getting pertinent quality information that you feel will help you the most in reaching your goals.

Lets get it on!

I hope everyone is ready to start transforming into lean mean exercising machines! starting Monday will be the first day on a journey to better ourselves. We will be starting with what I call Power Hour, its Five basic movements that will put you on the right path to success by waking up those muscles we have been hiding and that metabolism that has been hibernating and it is very similar to Cindy from Cross fits protocol for those of you who are familiar with that type of training. The rules are simple 5 pull ups, 5 squats, 5 push ups, 5 crunches, 5 Superman's every minute on the minute for as long as possible, the faster you move the more rest you get! No cheating. The ultimate goal in this workout will to be to try and last one hour (1500 reps total) but you decide the rules and strive to be the best you can. I hope you come join in on the sweaty fun!

Knowledge is power

3 days of learning from some of the most experienced internet entrepreneurs on the planet and I made it up for Saturday and that's it, can you believe it. Sometimes I wish work wasn't as important as our passions that we would love to spend all our time doing.

Ok so here's what is going on, I just got back from my 2nd Ryan Lee (check him out, he is hands down one of the most influential people in helping me make my passion a reality, check him out @ www.ryanlee.com) conference out in Stamford Ct. where I learned about how to communicate better through the internet. There was so much information my head is still spinning and this was from only 1 day, I can only imagine what the others who were able to stay for all 3 days feel like.

So with that being said the biggest to lessons I took away from the summit was this 1) building a internet business runs parallel to getting fit and when I say that I mean this "Slow and steady wins the race" which means in order to see success you need to go out there and achieve it. 2) No matter what kinda shape you are looking to get in or business you are trying to grow it always better to get started than to procrastinate because you have this feeling in your gut telling you things need to be perfect in order to get started. Listen perfection is for those of us who are spiritual and religious because God is the only one who is perfect, so stop trying so hard! And that is coming from me, the worlds #1 procrastinator. All you have to do is try your absolute best and learn from your mistakes. So with that being said, from my website from this day forward will be used to reach out and show you exactly what it is you need to do in order to take back control of your weight and health with no fluff or promises that can not be kept.

One day at a time,
Shawn Guiney
the fitness reporter

Weight Loss Myths 101

You’ve tried virtually every “diet” you can think of and still haven’t lose weight. Or, perhaps you’ve lost weight only to quickly gain it back. You feel like you are in a never-ending battle that you just can’t win. Does this sound familiar? Stop beating yourself over the head in frustration!

More than likely you just aren’t armed with the right information to help you be successful in reaching your weight loss goals. There are so many diet misnomers floating about that it’s easy to feel like your drowning. The first step toward success is distinguishing fact from myth and using the power of knowledge.

To help you get started on the path to permanent weight loss and health living read below to learn what’s true and what’s false in the world of dieting. Take the quiz below to test your knowledge and you’ll learn what it really takes to beat the scale. Read each question and answer true or false. Then read below to find out whether or not you guessed right.

1. Skipping Meals Is a Good Idea
2. You Can Spot Reduce Certain Parts of Your Body
3. Eating Late At Night Makes You Fat
4. If Something Is Fat Free, You Can Eat As Much As You Want
5. Eating Less Than 1200 Calories Will Accelerate Weight Loss
6. Salads Are Always A Great Eating Out Choice
7. You Can Lose and Maintain Weight Without Exercise
8. If You Only Lose One Pound A Week You Need A New Diet
9. You Shouldn’t Exercise Every Day
10. You Should Wait To Strength Train Until You’ve Lost Weight

1. False. The idea behind this myth is that you’ll consume fewer calories in the entire day. The reality is that you probably will consume at least the same amount, if not more. Skipping a meal lowers your blood sugar. Low blood sugar usually makes you very hungry. In return you end up eating quickly and probably making poor food choices when those hunger pains come a knocking. Eating several small meals per day helps you stabilize blood sugars and control your appetite.

2. False. If you slave over 200 sit ups a day, it still isn’t going to get rid of your spare tire. Fat is lost evenly throughout the body. You can’t focus on one body part and only work it in an attempt to reduce that fatty area. To help a trouble spot you must focus on overall fitness – aerobic workouts, strength training, good nutrition and more. That’s the only way to reduce extra fat.

3. False. Your body doesn’t determine your weight based on WHEN you eat. It just cares how much you eat. What’s important is determining how many calories are coming in versus how many are going out. You need to find the right balance based on how much your eating and exercising. If you take in more calories than you burn, then the extras will be stored as fat. That’s true whether you eat at night or not.

4. False. For the most part, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Sure, it is a little more complex than that but just keep in mind that for every extra 3,500 calories that you take in and don’t burn off, you will gain a pound. Does it matter if all of those 3,500 calories are fat-free. No! Your body just cares that the extra calories were consumed. Plus, fat makes you feel full. If you don’t eat enough of it, you may find yourself constantly hungry and you may end up consuming more calories than if you had eaten something with fat in it.

5. False. In fact, it may have the opposite effect. Too few calories per day causes your body to adapt to a minimal amount of food, and slows down your metabolic rate. The body may think it’s “starving” and actually hold onto every bit of food to ensure survival. Then, when you begin to eat normally, your calorie needs are reduced and you end up gaining more weight even though you are consuming less food.

6. False. Sometimes you’d be better of eating a burger than a salad. Many restaurant salads are dripping in high calorie, high fat dressings. Plus, they often add fatty toppings like croutons and bacon bits. If you are going to choose a salad, be sure the dressing and extras don’t sabotage your calorie counting.

7. True. When it comes right down to it, weight loss is about the difference between intake and output. As long as you are burning more calories then you are consuming, then you should be able to lose weight. So, exercise isn’t a necessity but it certainly is the best approach. Study after study has proven that groups that both maintain an appropriate calorie intake and also exercise have better weight loss successes and are better at keeping it off. Plus, exercising provides SO many health benefits it would be crazy not to include it as part of a healthy lifestyle.

8. False. Losing 1 – 2 pounds per week is actually an excellent weight loss rate. If you lose more than that, then it’s very likely that it won’t be permanent. You’ll just end up gaining it back. When you lose at rapid paces, typically you end up losing water weight and muscle weight. You want to lose fat. So, even thought the scale may show less, you won’t be as healthy and won’t look as good.

9. True. It’s not necessary to exercise every single day of the week. Sure, it’s great if you can get some type of physical activity in on a daily basis. But, it also is important to give your body rest time to recover and improve. For example, you don’t want to lift weights every day working the same muscles. They need time to rest. And, intense cardio workouts daily can wear you down. Resting one day a week can actually help you.

10. False. Strength training is an essential part of good fitness. Virtually everyone should include some type of strength training in their weekly workouts regardless of whether they are wanting to lose weight, just maintain it, or build muscle. And, muscle actually helps your metabolism (e.g. helps you burn calories), so you should do it as part of a weight loss program.

What We Are About And How To Get Started

This blog is dedicated to anyone that wants to add fitness to there life but really don't know how to get started. I will be spending my time cutting through all the industries myths and get right to the heart of what you need to do.

First we need to ask ourselves two questions; are we willing to accept change and are we willing to learn whats needed to look and feel the way we want? Can you look at yourself and say I want to get fit and healthy, because if you can then you are capable of adding healthy habits to your life and I will show you how! So lets get ready for a better you.

Hello everyone, my name is Shawn Guiney and I am currently a Personal Trainer in Southeastern Connecticut. Whether you have met me personally or have stumbled across this blog on accident you will quickly learn that this website is dedicated to getting results. So lets show you how to get started!