Angie and I have a favor to ask of you today. We are about to record a complete week of behind the scenes video, revealing what we eat, some of our workouts, how we get motivated and inspire each other, and how we live an active and healthy lifestyle.

We would greatly appreciate it if you took a moment of your valuable time to let us know if there is anything specific that you would like to see us reveal in our videos to help you achieve the body that you deserve.

We are asking for your help because your answers will allow us to record the most information packed videos possible and provide you with the REAL solution that you deserve.

Thanks a million! We owe you one

Scott and Angie Tousignant

PS When you leave a comment you will automatically be entered into our draw to win a copy of our Fat Loss Quickie program. This is just one small way to show our appreciation for your feedback.

The first episode of Breakthrough With Tony Robbins aired on NBC on July 27th. If you missed the episode you can watch it online at Tony Robbins Website.

Having read some of Tony’s books and listening to his audio programs I was very excited for the premiere of Breakthrough. By the way, Personal Power II is one of my favorite programs offered by Tony. I’ve adopted and implemented some awesome mindset strategies from that program, which have had a great impact on my life.

Maybe it’s because I’ve already been absorbed in Tony Robbins work that I felt a bit disappointed when the show was done. Frankly, I was expecting that it would be much better and really show some of Tony’s strategies in action.

I know that there is only so much that you can cram into one episode and that there must have been a significant amount of editing to fit it all into a 40 minute program, but in doing so, it appears to over-simplify the process that this first couple must have gone through.

The first task that Frank and Kristen had to go through was to skydive. Tony mentions the task, the couple looks scared, but they put their trust in Tony and next thing you know they are jumping out of a plane.

As a viewer, what we see is the excitement and the rush that this couple experiences by stepping outside of their comfort zone. We see the joy and sense of accomplishment that they experience and we see that glimpse of a BREAKTHROUGH!

This is indeed awesome. It was emotional to witness this breakthrough that Frank and Kristen had just experienced and it was a far cry from the life that they had been living.

What’s Missing?

But what the heck happened between “You’re going to skydive” to the time when they actually jumped out of the plane? To me, that’s where the magic occurs. That’s what I was hoping the show would be about. That’s why I feel a bit disappointed and let down.

I also have a concern about the show and how people are going to perceive these breakthroughs. I’m concerned that some people may think that in order to experience a breakthrough in their life it requires something ‘drastic’ like jumping out of a plane. If you are struggling to lose weight is the answer to jump out of a plane? Should you run with the bulls in Spain in order to adopt an active lifestyle?

A tactic like this does serve a purpose… but like I said, what happens in between? What are the action steps? Now I may be writing this prematurely because on Tony Robbins Website he is going to include a 20-30 minute video on some action steps for us, the viewers to follow in order to create our own breakthroughs. I’m looking forward to watching the action steps video from episode one later today.

The less aggressive task (yet still challenging) for Frank was to play in a murder ball game. What I liked about this is that it was broken down into some baby steps. There was a full week of introduction to the game and practice time before he played in an actual game. But again, there was just so much missing and I believe those missing parts are what people really need to see. What the program airs is inspiring, but there’s no real training to help the viewer. Hopefully we’ll get some great action steps to follow in the bonus videos.

I personally thought there was just too big of a jump from seeing Frank not able to exist without someone by his side and feeding him regularly, to watching him wheel himself down the road to the gym and go off on his own for a week.

Breakthrough with Tony Robbins is a nice introduction to Tony’s work and what’s possible. For some people I’m sure that it will have them craving Tony’s programs so they can learn the actions steps and strategies that he must have been practicing with the participants of the show. I’m sure that’s one of the big purposes of the show… to sell more of Tony’s programs… and there is nothing wrong with that.

Although I was a bit disappointed in Breakthrough with Tony Robbins, I will definitely continue watching the show because it is inspiring. I love seeing people step outside of their comfort zone and begin living the life that they deserve. I love seeing the emotion on their faces when they experience a breakthrough. I love seeing the light bulb go off in their head when they realize that they’ve been holding themselves back and that they have the power to push through and achieve their own personal greatness. I love seeing people overcome great obstacles and challenges while adopting an entirely new belief system that is way more empowering.

Now if only Tony would encourage people to watch the show while they ride a stationary bike, do some body weight intervals, or walk on a treadmill instead of adding to more couch time

These are my thoughts about Breakthrough with Tony Robbins… now I would love to hear what you think about the show. Share your thoughts, your likes and dislikes, what inspired you the most, and your takeaway’s.

I’ll end this post with my last two cents…

Giant leaps of faith and huge steps outside of your comfort zone are great, but I would much rather see you take smaller steps outside of your comfort zone on a consistent basis. Focus on progress. Focus on daily growth. Focus on becoming better today than you were yesterday in one small way. Some steps are going to be bigger than others, but all of them bring you one step closer to becoming the best you that you can be.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

PS If you are looking for a step by step process to help you break through your self limitations, overcome emotional eating, and instill new healthy and empowering beliefs, I highly recommend Program Yourself Thin, which was created by my buddy Jim Katsoulis. It’s outstanding!

Oh my Gosh! I’m now 37 years OLD! I have to admit that the number scares me…I mean, the ‘big’ 4-0 is just around the corner…

I celebrated my birthday this year with many close friends and family. It really was a great day and I did not feel any ‘older.’

Another year older does make me think though about goals and the direction I want my life to take. It makes me realize the many gifts in my life… the people that I cannot put a money value upon. I’ve been feeling extremely grateful lately for the abundance of love, joy, peace, and happiness the fills my home. I have a wonderful husband and two gorgeous kids that have given me so much meaning to my life.

I woke up on my birthday morning to a steaming, hot mug of coffee from my 7 year old daughter. As carefully as she could, she carried the coffee to my side of the bed. She also helped my husband to make my breakfast. I was greeted with shouts of ‘Happy Birthday Mommy!’ and many smiles. I realized, at this moment, that there was nothing else I needed. I had it all right here. I felt loved, appreciated, honored, adored, and cherished.

I had to share this day with all of you because these are the things we take for granted many a day. I want you, too, to take the time to feel grateful for what you have, today, right now, in your life. By doing this, you get yourself into the right mindset to attract more of these positive feelings into your life.

Trust me, there are many days where I feel just ‘blah’ and just confused about what I want out of life. I’ve realized though that those are not questions to be answered. I need to be grateful here and now and from this mindset, direction will follow.

Health and fitness is a HUGE part of my life. When I feel fit, I feel great. Sure, there are days when I feel tired and I don’t want to work out. Actually just now I was relaxing on the couch…just in a funk. I decided to grab an apple and get outside…change the scenery. Wow. My mind is more clear now and I feel like I just got a burst of energy! The apple surely helps too!

Now this is a good moment to write out some goals. A great moment to send out those positive vibes and be grateful for all that I have.

I wish you all many grateful moments too!

Angie – ISSA-C.P.T.

Hi everyone, Angie here. I just wanted to express my excitement about these awesome new recipes Scott and my family have been enjoying this past month. There are a ton to tantalize your taste buds inside of Prograde’s 197 Healthy and Delicious Recipes.

I was laughing at myself yesterday because I had made a 7 day list of meals to stick to. I was just complaining to Scott how I needed a ‘plan.’ I actually wrote out a list and put it on my fridge. I wanted to be more organized…and well…then I discovered the Prograde book and the rest is history! Now I’ve been trying a couple of new recipes per week!

It’s been really fun though. If you have not seen my other posts, check them out because I have the videos of some recipes that we have tried. Sometimes you just get into a slump with your meals and its fun to try something new. Even if its just one new recipe a week…then you can check off which ones are your favorite. The recipes are simple and easy to make, which is why I personally love them. I think you will too!

Here’s one of them that you can try soon. It’s a Steak Wrap and it’s perfect to make if you have left over steak from yesterday’s dinner…

Prograde Steak Wrap

Here’s the ingredients:

Steak
1/4 avocado
1 tbsp salsa
2 lettuce leaves
sprinkle cheddar cheese
whole wheat tortilla

Our kids always love when we have wraps because they know they get to make it themselves! This is just one of those recipes that encourages kids to get involved in creating their own meal… a great way to get picky eaters enjoying their food that they make.

Happy cooking,

Angie – ISSA-C.P.T.

You spend 24 hours in your body, but how much do you really know about it? How much do you actually pay attention to it? Your body is communicating with you constantly, but are you listening to it?

Have you ever found yourself thinking, “This extra 5-10 pounds of fat sure crept up on me.” If this has happened to you, it’s a sure sign that you’ve been ignoring your body. You’re giving it the cold shoulder. Your dissing it. Your body is trying to tell you something, but all that you hear is “blah blah blah”.

It’s time to stop ignoring your body and start becoming fascinated with it!

Your body is a gift. It’s the most prized possession that you have. And as far as I know, it’s the only body that you’ll ever get a chance to live in. It’s time to stop taking it for granted and start appreciating all of it’s greatness. Your body truly is an incredible precision machine and work of art. Now start giving it the attention that it deserves!

Here’s some tips on how to become fascinated with your body and become even more excited to continue your journey of self-growth and self-improvement…

1. The Mirror Is Your Friend

I encourage you to “Check yourself out” when you look in the mirror after you get out of the shower in the morning. Give yourself a thorough look up and down. Take note of all the details… even the details that you’d rather not notice. If there is a crease between your love handles and your lower to mid back… make note of it. If you’re carrying some excess fat above your knees and you noticed that your skin is dimply around that area… make note of it. If you have a pocket of fat around your hip area… make note of it.

IMPORTANT: This is not a time to beat yourself up and wish that you didn’t have these problem areas. In fact, it’s the exact opposite of that. It’s a time to get excited about the body that you are crafting.

Consider yourself a “Physique Artist” specializing in sculpting. Now let’s travel back in time to the early 1500’s when Michelangelo was given a block of marble and commissioned to create the Statue of David. What do you think Michelangelo saw when he first set eyes on the block of marble? I’d like to think that what he saw at that moment was a masterpiece. For a moment I’m sure that he took time to appreciate the block of marble for what it was, but quickly shifted his perspective for what this block of marble was about to become.

My point… appreciate the body that you have now and become excited about what your body is about to become. Your current physical state is your block of marble to sculpt. Appreciate what you have to work with.

As you examine yourself in the mirror take note of any changes that have taken place. Are you beginning to see the outline of your upper abs? Are you noticing more definition in your arms with clearer separation between your shoulders, biceps, and triceps? Are you noticing more definition in your legs? Are your love handles shrinking? Do you see a muscle that you’ve never seen before? Are your arms becoming more vascular?

Allow me to demonstrate this process in a short video…

Tip: If you really want to take this process to the next level, paste your fat loss goal, the reasons why you MUST achieve that goal, how great you will feel when you achieve that goal, along with some positive affirmations and quotes around your mirror. I use sticky tack to put my goals and affirmation quotes on my mirror. I also recommend sticking up pictures of someones physique that looks just as you envision your body will look like when you achieve your goal.

Read your goal, check out the pictures, and visualize yourself living in the body that you desire and deserve. Get super excited in that moment and really enjoy this process!

2. Document Your Changes With Photos

With time you will become very skilled at noticing even the smallest of changes in your physique and these small changes will begin to excite you more and more. But in the beginning, it’s not always easy to notice changes in the mirror. This is where photo’s can be of great assistance to you… plus they are a wonderful way to document your progress.

Try to take your pictures under the same light or outdoors in the natural light at the same time of day each time. Once per week would be great!

If you are taking your picture in a bathing suit, make note of how your body is fitting into it. Are you noticing that the shoulder strap is not making as much of an indentation around your upper back and armpit area? Are you noticing that there is less love handle and tummy flab hanging over your swim trunks? Are you beginning to feel more comfortable in your swimsuit now that it’s becoming looser on you?

But don’t just take pictures in a swimsuit… put on your favorite gown that you would love to fit into again and take some pictures. Are you noticing more definition in your shoulders and arms? Does this new definition make you look even more stunning in that gown?

Take pictures in your favorite jeans that may be feeling a little snug on you. As you progress, check out your butt… Is it looking even better in those jeans? Are you more comfortable around the waist area? Can you actually zip them up now?

All of these changes are coming about as a result of your hard work and efforts. It’s evidence that you are doing the right thing. The workout that you did today may have added a bit of sexy muscle to your abs to help the pop out a bit more or to your shoulders to help shape them and create a noticeable difference between them and your arms. The cardio that you did today has helped chisel a bit of fat from your body and add to your definition. The healthy food choices that you have made today have provided you with the energy to perform the best workouts possible and you’ve created a slight caloric deficit, which is also chiseling away at your unwanted fat.

Your actions and your efforts are producing the results that you see in the mirror. You are in the drivers seat. You are the artist… the sculptor. No one else is responsible. You get full credit!

3. Observe How Your Body Responds To Food

It’s great to become fascinated with how your body is changing in appearance, but it’s just as important to become fascinated with how your body reacts to the fuel that you are feeding it.

When you eat junk food or drink alcohol how do you feel? How does your body respond? Maybe your taste buds are happy temporarily, but how do you feel a few hours later? How do you feel the next day? Are you sluggish or tired? This is your body’s way of telling you that it doesn’t enjoy what you are doing to it.

When I became fascinated with how my body responded to foods I was shocked at the feedback that it was providing me with when I drank milk or ate wheat products like bread. These things make me feel and look bloated and they make me feel sluggish. I had no idea until I really paid attention to it.

How do you feel after a day of eating mostly natural foods including a significant amount of veggies and some fruit? Do you feel full of energy? Do you feel lighter and thinner? Do you feel proud of yourself for making smart healthy choices that are improving your health and body? Did you experience better workouts after consuming healthy foods?

Become fascinated with how your body responds to drinking water. Do you feel more alert, attentive, and less fatigued when you begin to drink more water throughout the day? Do you have more strength during your workouts when you drink more water prior to working out?

4. Become Fascinated With Your Potential

Are you stopping short with reps that you are performing during your workouts? Have you been afraid to push out a few more reps because it’s going to really “Burn”? Have you been staying in your comfort zone?

When you dig deep and apply a few mindset strategies such as visualization, mental rehearsal, or verbal and physical cues to snap you into a focused trance, does this help you push out extra reps that you had no idea that you could do? When you break out of that comfort zone are you even more eager to test your limits the following workout? Become fascinated with your body’s ability to progress.

Become fascinated with how your body responds to certain songs. There was one workout recently where I was about to quit early while doing squats. I was exhausted and didn’t think that I had any gas left in the tank. Then… “Eye Of The Tiger” started playing on my iPod. I immediately pictured Rocky taking the beating of his life and looking like the match was all over. Then out of nowhere he dug deep and unleashed a furry of strength and power. This was where I was at. It appeared that I was defeated by the squat, when out of nowhere I found the energy and strength to push out one of the best sets of squats I’ve ever done.

…There’s always gas left in the tank!

These are just a few examples of how you can become fascinated with your body. You are presented with opportunities to become fascinated with your body all day long. Whether it’s becoming more flexible in your hamstrings, running 5 miles 30 seconds faster than your previous best, performing an extra round of hill sprints, or even your subconscious ability to turn down junk food when everyone else around you is over-indulging.

You truly are a miracle in action every single day. You can’t possibly ignore that.

I hope that you have enjoyed this article. The idea to write it came about as a result of my increased fascination with my body ever since I began following Tom Venuto’s Holy Grail Body Transformation Program. I’ve been witnessing some great changes in my body as well as some awesome strength gains each and every week, which I had no idea that I had in me.

It’s fun to become fascinated with your body. Enjoy this process and be sure to share your experiences with us. You totally ROCK!

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is an outstanding form of exercise to improve your fitness level, conditioning, and burn the fat from your body. This isn’t breaking news for many of our valued readers and fans. But HIIT has been around for much longer than the recent craze that’s been buzzing around the fat loss air waves over the past few years. It’s actually been an effective method of training for decades. It’s been all the marketing hype that’s created the widespread movement… and the controversy to go along with it.

If you’re not totally familiar with my fitness background, I received my degree in Human Kinetics with Honors in Movement Science from the University of Windsor back in 1999. A good chunk of my focus was spent on Sport Psychology and mindset, but a huge chunk of it was spent on Biomechanics, Anatomy, and Sport Physiology.

For extra credit we had opportunities to participate (be a guinea pig), in scientific research and studies. One of those studies that took place within one of my Exercise Physiology classes was on the topic of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). The test was performed on a special stationary bike and we were instructed to go “All Out!” for the speed portion of the interval followed by slow pedaling for the rest interval. At the end of the test a blood sample was taken from us and our VO2 Max was measured as well.

During the test most of us felt nauseous and some of us either passed out, puked, or both. Sounds like fun eh At least it boosted our marks a bit All kidding aside I learned a great deal from this experience.

Since my University days, I’ve spent a fair amount of time reviewing the latest research on High Intensity Interval Training… mainly to clear up a lot of the controversy and go beyond the marketing hype and claims.

Some of the research that I’ve come across has been based on sprint/walk intervals such as a study out of Australia, which found that a 6 second sprint followed by 12 seconds of walking produced desirable fat loss results in their test subjects.

Much of the research on HIIT has been done by using some form of stationary bike. The duration of the work/rest intervals has varied, but some research has shown that the shorter intervals produce greater results, such as a study performed by Professor Steve Boutcher, the Head of the Health and Exercise Science program in the School of Medical Sciences at the University of New South Wales, Australia. (I’m not sure why the Australian’s have performed so much research on HIIT, but it’s great to see that their keeping at it.)

Professor Boutcher’s research found that performing HIIT with a work interval of 8 seconds and a rest interval of 12 seconds produced the most desirable results in their test subjects.

I’m not one to read a single research paper and base all of my philosophies on that one training protocol simply because it was shown to produce the best results. When I perform High Intensity Interval Training I mix up the length of the intervals. For example…

Work/Rest
10/20
20/30
30/30
60/60
120/120
20/10

The bottom line is that you too, should vary your protocol and see which strategies create the biggest impact on your body. With all this variety there is no reason for you to get bored with working out.

Since I brought up the word ‘boredom’, the thought of sitting on a stationary bike for 20-30 minutes may not be very appealing to you. It’s just about as appealing as running on a treadmill and staring at a wall. That’s why I love to perform a lot of my HIIT training on my outdoor mountain bike. It’s so much more invigorating for me to get outside, surround myself with nature, and feel the wind in my hair (oops… the wind over my bald head). I bring along a Gymboss timer to alert me for the interval splits. I set it to beep and vibrate just in case I don’t hear it when a car is passing by or the wind is too loud.

Unfortunately we get hit fairly hard by winter here in Canada and there are 4 months out of the year where I am forced to ride the stationary bike indoors. I don’t mind it too much. I pop in an educational audio in my mp3 player, watch part of a movie, or read a book. This makes it much easier and exciting to get on the stationary bike.

Stationary bikes are fairly inexpensive and you can program your desired intervals so it adjusts the resistance automatically. What I typically do is increase both my speed and resistance when I do the “working” interval on the stationary bike. This gives my legs a great pump.

Occasionally I perform running sprint/walk intervals, but running is very taxing on my joints and my body can usually only handle it twice per month. I do it for variety, but I truly love the bike intervals… plus, high intensity interval training on a bike has shown to be the most effective form of HIIT to burn belly fat.

In general, the HIIT methods that involve a great emphasis on the legs have produced the best results. So even walking up to the squat rack and performing High Intensity Intervals of Squatting/Light Marching can produce great results. Our Fat Loss Quickie members have performed a variation of this squat interval and they’ve had a lot of fun with it: 100 Rep Squat Cardio Challenge

A word of caution… be careful not to over perform these forms of HIIT. If you are performing your intervals on a bike or using exercises like squats and even sprints, your body will be taking a beating and you may not be giving it enough time to recover, especially if you are also performing a leg workout during the week. This is another reason for you to vary your intervals… to prevent over-training and injuries. The short sprint like intervals can be very taxing on your body and I don’t recommend performing them more than 3 times per week.

Ideally, Angie and I love to combine HIIT with long duration cardio throughout the week in addition to resistance training. As great as the claims are when it comes to HIIT, we find that some “Fitness Experts” get carried away and will prescribe that you only perform a 4 minute HIIT session following the Tabata protocol, just 3 times per week. They’ll go as far as saying that you are wasting your time if you train any more than that…

…well I don’t know about you, but speaking for myself, I need to workout a lot more than just 12 minutes per week in order to burn fat and sculpt my body.

Many of the studies that I have reviewed about High Intensity Interval Training have been performed over a 20-30 minute time period. So you’re basically looking at the same duration as you may perform a steady state long duration cardio session, but you are challenging yourself in a different way.

NOTE: Long Duration Cardio does not = Marathon

Angie and I love to perform quick 10 minute workouts, but our workouts are more frequent. We perform a 10-minute workout and a 10-minute HIIT session every weekday in addition to a few long duration cardio sessions. That’s what has produced the best results for us and it’s a small time investment.

This is what our Fat Loss Quickie program is based on… breaking your workouts into manageable 10-minute chunks. You can perform the quickie cardio and quickie workout back to back, but Angie and I, along with our members, have found that splitting up the workout and cardio session produces the most desirable results. For example, you may perform the 10-minute cardio session first thing in the morning and do the 10-minute quickie workout when you get home from work and before you refuel yourself at dinner. For optimal results you can add a few 30 minute bike rides or jogging sessions into the mix.

How Intense Is Intense?

That’s been a question that I’ve received frequently when I discus HIIT. As I mentioned above, when I participated in the research study we were instructed to go all out during the ‘work interval’. In other words, give it everything that you’ve got. The result… nausea, fainting, and puking. I don’t think that’s what you want to do after every HIIT session… correct?

For the past few years fitness professionals have been advising that you push yourself as hard as you can during the work interval, but not completely crazy all out where you are going to puke after. The harder that you push yourself, the shorter the duration that you’ll be able to last. That’s good news if you want to shorten up your workouts, but not everybody is willing to push themselves that hard.

GREAT NEWS…

New research has come about that has revealed that you don’t need to push yourself to the max during the working interval in order to produce awesome results. I must give credit to my buddy Tom Venuto for first bringing this to my attention in a well written article within his Burn The Fat Inner Circle.

Tom also published his insights to this research at on his Burn The Fat Blog, which I highly recommend you read: A Practical Model For High Intensity Interval Training

This was very welcome news for Angie and I as well as our Fat Loss Quickie members because the Fat Loss Quickie programs includes a mix of the Higher Intensity Cardio exercises such as jump squats and burpees, as well as cardio exercises that are not quite as intense, such as jumping jacks and skipping. Previously some “fat loss experts” shunned at the use of jumping jacks in a HIIT protocol because they are not intense enough. All that Angie and I knew was that it sure was working for us and our members and now there’s research to back it up.

Here’s two quickie cardio sessions that you can try out…

10-minute Shuffle Step Cardio

10-minute Outdoor Fun Cardio

So, what is the best way to perform High Intensity Interval Training?

As I have mentioned, it appears that intervals on a bike produce the best results, especially while following a shorter interval protocol, such as 8 seconds of work followed by 12 seconds of rest for a total duration of 20-30 minutes.

But, the best way to perform High Intensity Interval Training is to vary it up and include activities that you really enjoy into the mix. Doing intervals on my bike outdoors in my #1 HIIT activity, but I also enjoy doing intervals on a small hill at a local park. Some of my friends really love performing stadium stair running as their intervals, while others love doing their intervals while running around a local high school track. Rowing is another exercise that you can perform HIIT with and it’s very effective.

There is a group of people in my town that enjoy performing intervals in groups. This is a HIIT method that my coaches had us perform on my high school cross country team…

We would run in single file and the person at the back would sprint to the front of the pack and set the new jogging pace. Then the next person at the back would sprint to the front and set the jogging pace. This is a really fun way to perform HIIT because it’s in a group setting with social support tied into it. Other members of the group will motivate you to push yourself and sprint to the front of the pack. If the pace that you set at the front is too slow, everyone behind you will encourage you to pick up the pace. If you were running on your own, you may experience some times when you want to slow down or stop all together. In a group setting you need to keep up with the group. It’s one way to force yourself to progress and step outside of your comfort zone.

Mix this up with some fun and not quite as intense exercises, such as jumping jacks, skipping, mountain climbers, hip rotations, shuffle steps, cross country ski movement (on the spot), and other low impact exercises, and you have a recipe for success.

Of course, it doesn’t matter how great your HIIT protocol is if you have poor nutrition habits. Following a detailed and precision nutrition plan such as Tom Venuto’s Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle or his more advanced Holy Grail Body Transformation Program will ensure that you are achieving the maximum results possible with your training program and produce the sexy physique that you desire to sculpt.

What’s your favorite way to perform HIIT? Angie and I would love to hear from you. Share your thoughts on HIIT in the comment box below and let’s get a great discussion going.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

We just returned from a very relaxing and fun beach vacation in Turks and Caicos and we wanted to share some pictures and videos with you as well as some important fat loss tips.

First up on the picture list is a great shot of Angie sporting her six pack abs on the beach. I hope that this inspires all of our female readers. Angie is celebrating her 37th birthday this week, she’s a busy mother of two, and our youngest (Noelle) was a c-section delivery, which often times provides women with an excuse as to why they “Can’t” get a flat tummy.

During our vacation I had many people tell me that I have a beautiful wife and children. This was a great compliment to hear even though I feel grateful and fortunate every single day for the amazing family that I’ve been blessed with.

I’m definitely inspired by looking at Angie’s pictures from our trip. Seeing her abs has sparked the desire in me to step up my game. Within the next 6 weeks I promise that you will see some crazy definition in my abs as well as some muscle gain.

Here’s a picture of me holding Angie’s towel and iced cappuccino, which was a nice change instead of having to hold her purse

I’ve got those upper abs showing, but I need to crank things up a notch to really get my abs popping out. I can’t wait to see what my body looks like 6 weeks from now.

I’ll be following Tom Venuto’s Holy Grail Body Transformation Program for the next 10 weeks and expect to see a dramatic improvement in my body composition. I’ve already been following the workout portion of the program for the past 4 weeks and I absolutely, totally love it!!! Now it’s time to follow the nutrition portion of it as well and skyrocket my results.

The Importance Of Rest and Recovery

I embarked on this vacation with the intention of sticking to the workout program as scheduled. I brought along my workout journal and when Monday arrived I performed the scheduled workout with Angie. I noticed that I didn’t have the same energy as usual and I was feeling a little fatigued. When I woke up the next morning I knew that I wouldn’t be able to perform the scheduled leg workout to the best of my abilities, so instead of just going through the motions I decided to give myself the week off from training.

The reason that my legs were so tired is because we were very active during our vacation, walking along the beach (the picture to the right captured a beautiful moment of Noelle and I going for a walk), riding the surf simulator, snorkeling, swimming, and I even jogged along the beach for 15 minutes on 3 occasions.

I didn’t feel guilty about taking a break from the workouts. At the time, it felt like it was exactly what my body needed. I wasn’t skipping the workouts because I was feeling lazy… I was listening to my body.

The GREAT NEWS…

I gained nearly two pounds of muscle with minimal fat gain during our vacation!

While my body was resting and relaxing, it was also recovering and rebuilding… always great news and often an over looked part of training. During our workouts we are breaking down our muscles, but in order for them to grow and our physique improve, it’s necessary to allow adequate recovery time.

That’s one of our fat loss tips… Schedule in adequate rest periods in order to allow your body to recover and rebuild.

How Did We Eat During Vacation?

We followed the basic principal of everything in moderation. I did indulge in a few treats each day, but I never pigged out. We also had a few alcoholic beverages each day… the fruity kind with rum and syrup. They were small glasses with lots of ice at least The only time that we would ever have drinks like those is on an all-inclusive vacation like this, so we didn’t feel guilty and didn’t feel like we were creating a bad habit out of it.

One thing that we always notice when we go on vacations like this, is that we always eat way more fruit and veggies than normal. It seems so much easier to consume fruit and veggies when they are all ready cut up and prepared for you. I had pineapple, muskmelon, honeydew, and watermelon as part of my breakfast and lunch each day.

One of my favorite nutrition tips is to eat your veggies and fruit at the beginning of your meal. Filling up on a healthy salad loaded with veggies, nuts, seeds, and some protein is a great way to ensure that you are consuming quality nutrients and will reduce your risk of over eating on the not so healthy foods.

Overall we ate really well and never felt deprived. Sure the alcohol beverages and calorie dense deserts put us in a caloric surplus, but we didn’t go over board and never felt yucky or guilty. We knew that we would be back to our normal nutrition lifestyle soon.

The Perks Of Living A Healthy Lifestyle

I have mentioned this several times before… when you are living in optimal health you enjoy the absolute most out of your life experiences.

We experienced this vacation to the fullest and it was all possible because of our health and conditioning. It was great to see my dad (who works out regularly and takes care of his health), snorkeling with my kids, playing tag with them in the pool, chasing them around the water slides, and participating in a variety of water sports with them.

My mom isn’t much of a swimmer, but she certainly was active with our kids. I’m very fortunate to have parents who are very involved with my children and embrace every moment that they spend with them.

This brings up another fat loss tip… Your motivation to workout and eat well should be more than just vanity. It’s about living life to the fullest.

I love this picture of Angie and the kids. She’s one heck of a mom and her confidence and zest for life has proven to be contagious with Shayne and Noelle. Angie is an incredible role model who sets an outstanding example for our children.

Family is everything to us. We pride ourselves on being the best parents that we can be and that wouldn’t be possible if we weren’t living in optimal health. We love having loads of energy to keep up with our active kids. Playing with them every day has created an incredible bond and absolutely amazing memories.

That’s another fat loss tip… knowing your most important core values, such as family, and attaching your fat loss goals to them. When I workout the thoughts that are going through my head are, “My health and fitness contribute to my family’s freedom and happiness.” I workout for myself as #1, but my happiness is greatly impacted by the freedom and happiness that my family experiences… that’s why it’s such a great affirmation for me.

Angie and Scott Testing Their Surfing Skills: Video

Here’s a fun video of Angie and I trying the surfing simulator for our first time ever It was a little more challenging in the beginning than I thought it would be, but it’s easy to get use to.

It’s too cute hearing Angie’s little scream when she lands on her butt

I can’t believe that I didn’t wipe out myself. Beginners luck I guess.

One of my favorite activities during this family vacation was snorkeling, which I did just about every day. Here’s a great video that captured some of the snorkeling highlights such as, seeing a Reef Shark, Puffer Fish, Sting Ray, and several Barracuda…

I hope that you have enjoyed a glimpse at some of our vacation experiences. We want the absolute best for you. We want you to live life to the fullest with the body, health, and energy that you deserve.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

PS What’s your goal for the rest of the summer?

I know quite a few people who reached their low body fat goal – some even achieved their lifelong dream of seeing six pack abs…

Now they want to gain some muscle, but they’re scared of gaining back the fat along with the muscle (which is very common… so it’s not an unwarranted fear)

If you want to:

Then check out: The Holy Grail Body Transformation Program. It’s what I’m following and highly recommend!

Hi everyone, Angie here, I have another awesome recipe from “Prograde’s 197 Healthy and Delicious Fat Burning Recipes” This one is called Santa Fe Grilled Chicken Salad. Wow, just a hint of spice to it…so yummy! It’s easy to whip up, especially when you have some extra chicken in the fridge from a previous meal.

Here is my video demonstration of the recipe:

Here are the ingredients and instructions…

4 cups of torn romaine lettuce
1 pkg. Oscar Mayer Southwestern Seasoned or Grilled Chicken Breast Strips
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 cup Mexican Style shredded cheese
1/4 cup Fat-Free Ranch Dressing
1/4 Salsa

Directions:

Toss romaine lettuce, chicken breast strips, and tomatoes in large bowl; sprinkle with cheese. Combine dressing and salsa. Pour over romaine mixture; toss to coat.

This recipe book is filled with easy, simple recipes that are super healthy for you! I love it because the ingredients needed are items that I usually have in my fridge. I am a busy mom and do not have the time to create many ‘exotic’ meals, which is why I love this recipe book. These meals literally take minutes to whip up and, unfortunately, minutes to consume!

Enjoy the recipe and be sure to let us know how you enjoy the taste and how you are incorporating it into your weekly nutrition plan.

Cheers to your health,

Angie Tousignant

Lately Angie and I have been cooking many of the recipes that can be found in Tom Venuto’s Burn The Fat Inner Circle. Today I decided to try the Authentic Greek Salad With Chicken recipe. Angie and I love chicken salad’s and are always on the lookout for recipes to add variety and keep them exciting to eat. Here’s a video that I recorded, which shows how to prepare this totally delicious meal…

Keep an eye out for Noelle’s two thumbs up at the end of the video. She’s become a big fan of Tom’s recipes and she’s consuming much more vegetables as a result of these tasty meals.

Here are the ingredients and calorie content…

2 large chicken breasts (8 oz each)
3 medium (5oz) tomatoes
2 green bell peppers
1 medium red onion
16 pitted Kalamata black olives
4 oz low fat Greek feta cheese
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp oregano
Dash of sea salt

Calories: 428 (232 without the chicken)
Protein: 42.2g (7.6 without the chicken)
Carbs: 11.4g
Fat: 22.1 (17g without the chicken)

In our house this was 2-4 servings and is very satisfying.

These recipes have come in very handy since I’ve been following Tom’s Holy Grail Body Transformation Program for the past three weeks. It’s made it much easier to plan my meals and ensure that I’m receiving the adequate nutrition that my body deserves and requires to build muscle and burn fat at the same time.

Do Angie and I a favor and give this tasty salad a try and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear from you.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

PS Have I mentioned that Tom’s Burn The Fat Inner Circle totally ROCKS! There’s no greater resource out there… especially when combined with his Burn The Fat diet book and/or Holy Grail Body Transformation Program.

It’s time to change up your abs workout program and add some variety to it. Today’s guest post from my colleague David Grisaffi, author of Firm and Flatten Your Abs, reveals many of the big reasons why you absolutely must break out of your boring ab training routine and it includes 5 great stability ball abs exercises. There may actually be a few that you’ve never seen performed before.

I have been following David’s abs workouts for the past six years and have incorporated many of the exercises into the programs that I have designed for my personal training clients.

Firm and Flatten Your Abs is unlike any abs workout program out there. It focuses on training your deep core muscles for a healthy, strong, and sexy midsection.

These exercises have helped my clients flatten their tummies, but the most common feedback that I have heard from them is that they no longer experience lower back pain. That’s the benefit of working much more than just your rectus abdomins muscle (6 pack).

Enjoy today’s guest post and the 5 exercises for your abs…

Multi Dimensional Ab Training

By David Grisaffi
Author of Firm and Flatten Your Abs

In some of my previous articles, I’ve written about why you need to change your ab programs frequently to avoid muscle adaptation, repetitive pattern overload injury, muscle imbalance and of course, boredom!. But those aren’t the only reasons you need exercise variety.

The functions of the abdominal and core muscles are so numerous, so varied and so complex, that entire textbooks have been written on functional anatomy and kinesiology without even scratching the surface.

What this means to you is that since there are more actions and functions of the abs and core than any other body part, there are more possible exercises you can do for abs and core than for any other body part.

With literally hundreds of ab and core exercises to choose from, the irony is that most people are STILL doing workouts that revolve around only a few exercises such as crunches, sit ups, leg raises and maybe some ab machines…

This is what I call “training in only one dimension“… and that can spell “trouble”

One dimensional training leads not just to progress plateaus and muscle adaptation, but also failure to engage all the functions of the core region, to strengthen thoroughly in every plane of movement, or to develop the proper neurological link to the muscle.

The end result is muscle weakness, muscle imbalances, injuries, a distended lower abdominal area and or and a not so impressive midsection.

The Firm And Flatten Your Abs program includes about 50 exercises which allow you to train every muscle in your core region in every “dimension.” These dimensions include:

Flexion
Extension
Stabilization
Rotation
Side flexion
Prone
Supine
Seated
Standing
Quadruped
Stable
Unstable

One way to enter a whole new “dimension” of abdominal training is to start using a Swiss ball – also known as a stability ball because a ball is an unstable surface. Training on an unstable surface flips the switch on your nervous system and activates stabilizing muscles that are weak in most people due to sitting at a desk all day long and or doing too much machine training.

Here are 5 of my favorites:

Here are the exercises and descriptions for the 5 abs exercises:

Prone Ball Roll

Place your breast bone or sternum on the apex of the Swiss ball and wrap your arms around the ball. Slowly roll side to side, holding your end position. As you gain more strength and stability you will be able to roll farther out and hold the position longer.

Supine Lateral Ball Roll

This exercise improves many things in your body at one time.

Lie on your back on a Swiss ball. Position your body so that your head is comfortably supported on the ball, as well as the area between your shoulder blades. Extend you hip upward until your knees , hips and shoulders are all in the same horizontal plane.

Place your tongue on the roof of you mouth just behind your front teeth, a position that can be found by swallowing.

Extend your arms outward and turn the hands so the palms are facing upwards. Place a dowel rod in you hands.

Begin to roll laterally. Throughout the exercise, hold the alignment of you body exactly as it was before moving, with the exception that you may move you feet in a small shuffle keep them in alignment with the body as you shift laterally.

Go only to the point that you can hold the alignment for the count of “one thousand and One”, then return to the opposite side, repeating the sequence.

Swiss Ball Side Flexion

The Side Sit requires simultaneous contraction of the internal and external Obliques, as well as the quadratus lumborum. This exercise is used to improve core strength and your back.

Place a Swiss ball under your hip and anchor one or both of your feet along the bottom of a wall.

Hold your top leg as straight as possible and in line with the torso, shoulders and head, then lie over the ball to stretch the oblique abdominal muscles. Beginners should place their arms at their sides. Progress to placing your arms across your chest as shown, and then to having your fingertips behind you ears.

From the bottom position, initiate the side flexion movement from the trunk.

Side bend the spine one level at a time until the shoulder and head come up.

On the way down, the spine should dies flex over the ball one segment at a time starting from the bottom up.

Prone Jack knife

The prone jack knife is used to strengthen hip flexors, abdominal muscles and the shoulder girdle.

In a push up position, place your feet on the ball

Hold your spine straight and maintain head and neck alignment

Draw your legs under your body over the duration of two seconds

Return to the start position over the duration of two seconds

Repeat the exercise for the prescribed number of repetitions

Forward Ball Roll

The Forward Ball Roll strengthens the abdominal, hip flexors and shoulder Extenders. This exercise is very good for everyone to improve stability in the spine and shoulder girdle.

From a kneeling position, place your forearms on the ball with your palms facing each other.

The goal is to maintain good spinal alignment as you roll forward. Good spinal alignment is indicated by not exaggerating any of your spinal curves.

Take a deep breath and draw the navel toward your spine just enough to slim your waistline slightly.

Begin rolling forward, moving from the hip and shoulder joints equally. The movement should terminate at the instant you feel you are going to lose spinal alignment. You will know you are losing spinal alignment if the curves in your spine increase and the stick falls off.

Just stop at the point at which you start to lose your ability to keep good form.

I realize if you’re not familiar with Swiss ball and core training, that some of these exercises may look unusual or even “weird” at first.

You might look at them and say, “David, it looks to me more like “rolling around on a beach ball than training.”

Yup… that’s what a lot of people said… until they tried them and their abs started showing for the first time!

By expanding your arsenal of ab and core exercises and working them in every capacity and function for which they were designed, you will…

And maybe best of all..

You can learn more about this concept of multi dimensional training and also see dozens of new core and ab exercises in the Firm And Flatten Your Abs Ebook:

About The Author

David Grisaffi majored in physical education and is a certified high performance exercise kinesiologist with the CHEK institute. David holds a total of 6 certifications, he is a high school wrestling and baseball coach as well as an independent trainer and strength coach, known especially for his work with professional boxers and golfers. David is the author of, Firm And Flatten Your Abs an online best seller which teaches you how to lose body fat and develop “six pack abs’ while improving strength, function and athletic power at the same time.

I hope that you learned something new today from David’s guest post and that you are encouraged to try some new abs exercises. In the next few days I’ll share some more abs exercises with you that will train them in a way that they’ve never been trained before.

Until then, keep on ROCK’n!

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant