It’s mailbag time!

In this week’s Ask J post I will address an all-to-common and painful question:

What are shin splints and what can I do about them?

If you’ve ever dealt with shin splints you know they just flat out suck!  They hurt like hell and can be a real hindrance on your exercise program.

First, let’s figure out what the heck they are.

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Six-pack abs of steel – EVERYBODY wants them, but so few will do what it takes to get them.

However, every once in a while I meet someone who’s willing to torture themselves everyday, sometimes mutlitple times a day with endless amounts of crunches, leg lifts and sit-ups in their quest for six-pack abs.  But of course, that just doesn’t work so then the question comes, what in the world does it take to have six-pack abs?

And, there you have it – our Ask J Question of the Week is “How do you get six-pack abs of steel?”

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Today’s Ask J post comes from a question I received from one of my die hard Look Great at the Lake Boot Camp members, and one I’ve heard from so many clients before.

“Hey Justin, I have a question for you….. I am going to the city fair this weekend, so would it be horrible to have some of that yummy, but very bad for you fair food….. if it is only one day of it?  How do you control the urge to not eat there….. its not like they have a healthy section;-)”

Great question.  Here’s the harsh answer – I’m really good at that by the way – YES, it’s horrible!

If you’re kid asked you if it would be horrible if they smoked crack just once in a while what would you say?

Now, that may seem a little over the top, but hear me out for a minute.

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OK, Friday is supposed to be dedicated to Ask J.  In other words, I post answers to questions you submit.  This week I’m going to do it a little differently.

I’m going to give you Tips and Tricks to Lose Weight and Keep it Off; which I’m sure is a question of so many of you.  The difference this week is these tips and tricks come from one of my Look Great at the Lake Boot Camp members!  I love this because it’s coming from someone other than me who has struggled with weight and has been successful losing it and keeping it off.

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What are Tabatas?

This is a question that has come up lately, as I use Tabata Intervals in my Look Great at the Lake Boot Camp quite often.

In my opinion, and many other top boot camp instructors and personal trainers, Tabata Intervals are one of the most efficient and effective training protocols to burn fat, tone up and lose weight; not to mention, the  stamina and endurance benefits.

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Before I get into it, let me quickly answer the question, “Should I jog or do sprints to raise my metabolism and lose fat” with two questions of my own:

2.  Have you ever seen a fat sprinter?

OK, now let’s get into it.

We’ll start with the obvious and not so obvious, move into the science and then finish with the practical.  I’ll also lay out my training program schedule for you.

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Everybody likes to throw a few back with friends -

some a little more than others

But, if you’re on a weight loss plan one night of drinking can really set you back.  The obvious reason is the excessive calorie consumption, but it goes way beyond that.

Check this out:

How Alcohol Makes You Fat

-Alcohol first passes through the esophagus as it travels to your stomach.

-From there, 20% of the alcohol is absorbed immediately by your bloodstream.

-The remaining alcohol travels to your intestines and is absorbed from there.

-The alcohol in your bloodstream then travels directly to your liver.  It is here that  the body breaks the  alcohol down, something that is absolutely essential since alcohol is toxic to the body.

-Alcohol brakes down into acetate and acetaldehyde which IMMEDIATELY signals to your body to stop burning fat.  Even worse, another waste product of alcohol, acetyl CoA, actually starts to make more body fat.

If you booze, you WON’T lose fat!

What Does this Mean?

-Your body can only effectively process 0.5 to 1 ounce of alcohol per hour

-How much damage?  A 12-ounce beer contains about 0.6 ounces of alcohol.  If you consumed 5 of these, your body would be inhibited from fat burning for up to 6 hours.  This is aside from the fact that your body will actually be storing fat during these 6 hours!  The more you drink, the longer your body is inhibited from burning fat in addition to a greater fat build up from excess acetyl CoA.  As you can see, one day of binge drinking can set you back days if not a full week when it comes to fat loss!

-What’s the worst-case scenario?  Mixing alcohol with sugary beverages promotes even further fat gain due to the resulting insulin surge that triggers fat storage (e.g. regular beer or cocktails mixed with regular soda and/or fruit juice)

The Bottom Line

If you want to be lean, you must minimize alcohol consumption!

If you must drink:

a.) Choose wine or hard liquor and “light” beer
b.) Limit alcohol consumption to 1-2 days per week with a 1-2 drink per day max

References:

Campbell and Volek, “TNT Diet: Targeted Nutrition Tactics”

I’m not saying you can’t have some fun this weekend.  Just be conscious of what you’re consuming.

Have a great time, but be safe out there…

Have Faith & Take Action!

Justin Yule

P.S. – Do me a favor and leave a comment to this post to let me know how this helped you out or changed your thinking – were you shocked?  Thanks!

“How do I find the time to workout?”

I’ve heard it a million times.

•    The mother who puts all of her time into her kids.

•    The husband who busts his butt all day at work and is exhausted at the end of the day.

•    The wife & mother who juggles a career, kids and a husband.

•    The father who provides all day, gets home late and wants to see his kids before they go to bed.

There’s a bunch of different scenarios, and we all fall into one – one that seems like a good excuse not to perform the much needed and sometimes even desired fat burning and fitness workouts.

But the reality is…there is no excuse not squeeze in a quick fat burning workout to keep you in shape, healthy and performing at your best!

If one mother or husband or wife or father can make it happen than so can everyone.  You’re not the first to feel like you can’t do it all and you won’t be the last.

Trust me.  I’ve been there, too.

Let me tell you something that I’ve learned first hand.

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