Fit Girl Guide Podcast

You'll always get better results when you enter the gym with a plan! The next few podcasts focus on various methods of training to help you reach your goals and stay motivated.  Workout Apparel Training: Method #1 Eccentric Exercise Methods. Warmup with the range of motion for the intended exercise. Do not burnout, over fatigue or do high reps! One or two traditional warm-up sets at 50%-70%

You'll always get better results when you enter the gym with a plan! The next few podcasts focus on various methods of training to help you reach your goals and stay motivated.

Updates, true confessions and new projects! Training-the most effective sets and reps for each level of fitness, Nutrition-Three reasons why you need more protein! Motivation-Simple steps to keep you on track! Training Sets and reps for effects on strength:  1. Novice to Intermediate: loads of 60-70% of 1RM, 8-12 reps, 1-3 sets, slow to moderate contraction speeds, 2-3 min rest between

The Top 3 Best Exercises on the Stability Ball, How to Recognize and acknowledge your successes and three things you must pay attention to when going low carb! Training The Top 3 Best Exercises on the Stability Ball: Ab crunches over the ball Anything that uses the ball as a bench, such as lying triceps extensions, chest flyes or chest press. Lying Leg Curl with bridge for hamstrings

Do artificial sweeteners make you fat? Find out what the research really shows! Met-Con training-what is it and how you can use it to drop fat in less time! Think Yourself Slim-how to adjust your attitude for success! NUTRITION I recently heard on the radio talk about Diet Coke causing weight gain. The DJs said they "heard it caused weight gain because of the artificial sweeteners. Yikes! If

MOTIVATION It's October, entering the holiday time frame! Use these steps for self motivation to Facebook.com/fitgirlusa Page or here on the blog!  Get started now on creating habits and goals for acheivement! QuickFitClub.com Workout Videoskeep your focus on your goals this time of year!  Use one or all of the following eight steps! Invite a friend to do it with you for added support and encouragement. Share your goals on our Define Your "WHY"Choose an Obtainable/Realistic Goal Make a Plan Visualize Get Your Priorities Straight Examine and Overcome Emotional Obstacles Celebrate Every Achievement Forgive Yourself Listen to the podcast for  details on each step! NUTRITION Beware of fad diets and their empty promises! There are a few redeeming points of some fad diets, listen to the podcast and learn which ones have some useful techniques and which ones to stay away from completely!  If you have ever done one of these fad diets, post a comment here or on the Facebook.com/fitgirlusa Page and tell me your thoughts on it! Fad diet categories and names Controlled Carbohydrates Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet Protein Power Sugar Busters The Zone  High Carbohydrate/Low Fat Dr. Dean Ornish: Eat More, Weigh Less The Good Carbohydrate Revolution The Pritikin Principle  Controlled Portion Sizes Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan  Food Combining Fit for Life Suzanne Somers' Somersizing  Liquid Diets Cambridge Diet Slim-Fast TRAINING Thanks for the great response on grabbing the free memberships at QuickFit Club!  If you haven't already, then get over there and sign up! The video workouts are free for the next few months while we finialize the site.  Your feedback is important! Please do the survey after you have completed one, all or after each workouts! I want to know your likes and dislikes! In this episode, I'll tell you what to expect from the workouts and how to use them. You'll also get some insider tips on Lunges and squats! Get all the most recent episodes on iTunes or download this episode here: Fit 216: Quickfit Workouts, Fad Diets, How to Stay Self Motivated!  Now available in paperback: "Mindset Makeover," available at The Book Patch.com.   Amazon.com Widgets

Two new videos for you! Get Fit TV Channel, QuickFit Tips Playlist on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PRvXq7m6F1E or watch below Strong and Powerful Channel on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Z0xulchT734 or watch below. Check out the strongandpowerful.com website!

Be sure to subscribe to the GetFitTV YouTube channel to get these videos when they post! Podcast Update November 2016, Listen here.   

In this episode: Be aware and prepare for urges to quit! Zinc Supplements, part 2 most common causes of exercise related injurie. NUTRITION Zinc Supplements For Your Body What's important about Zinc? Zinc is plays a crucial role with hundreds of processes in the human body. The most prominent Zinc functions include support of the immune system, joints, tissues, along with aiding in cell growth. Zinc supplements have also been proven to eliminate sexual dysfunction, boost sexual function, aid in the health of the hair, and help with skin wound healing. Your body is unable to produce zinc, which is why we need to make sure we eat enough food that contains the mineral, drink enough water, or use the proper supplements that will give cells the Zinc they need. No matter how you look at it, Zinc plays an important role in the function of most of our senses, which includes the ability to taste, smell, and also sight. Research has indicated that zinc can counter vision loss in the event of macular degeneration. Deficiency A deficiency of Zinc can lead to dulling of the taste buds, along with the ability to detect scent. Caution: too much of it can be a bad thing Although Zinc is an essential vitamin for our bodies, taking too much of it can be a bad thing. Research has proven that taking more than 100 mg daily for an extended period can cause damage in the immune system. On the other hand, older people can benefit from taking zinc if they have a deficiency in it. Supplementing with Zinc can actually help older people increase their zinc to proper levels. Co-factors When taking Zincsupplements, you should always remember that zinc can indeed interfere with your absorption of copper. For this reason, a lot of experts recommend that they should be taken together. Anyone who takes a Zinc supplement should take it as part of a well balanced diet, to ensure that other vitamins and minerals work together with the zinc. It's not something to throw in the mix without proper consultation of a professional doctor or nutritionist. What to look for: With most dietary supplements in the U.S. being unregulated, you should always choose a manufacturer who is GMP compliant. Manufacturers that are GMP compliant will always follow the manufacturing standards of zinc, in order to minimize and quite possibly eliminate the risk of contaminants that you could be getting from the supplement. If you choose your supplement wisely, you shouldn't have to worry about any problems. You can buy zinc supplements at reputable nutrition stores, both online and off. It isn't expensive either, which makes it a welcome edition to your diet. You should always consult with your doctor if you suspect that you have a zinc deficiency, so that he or she can tell you exactly how much zinc you need on a daily basis. This way, if you aren't getting enough in your normal diet - you can get the supplements you need. MOTIVATION Become aware of your urges to quit, and be prepared for them. We all have urges to stop, but they are mostly unconscious. One of the most powerful things you can do is to start being more conscious of those urges. A good exercise is to go through the day with a little piece of paper and put a tally mark for each time you get an urge. It simply makes you aware of the urges. Then have a plan for when those urges hit, and plan for it beforehand, and write down your plan, because once those urges hit, you will not feel like coming up with a plan. Example urges to quit: You want to quit cardio early because you feel tired...counter with...just a few more minutes until a few minutes then you're done!You want to quit following your plan because you don't see fast enough results.....counter with....the results you have seen, the habits you have made, the pride you feel in working and accomplishing the little steps so far, those ARE results!Sometimes your body wants you to quit most when you are just about to break thru. See, your body wants to stay at status quo, yo

In this episode: 1-arm row Video, A new look at Problem Solving, and the Big 3 Vitamins: Zinc, Magnesium,Vitamin D and how they influence your fat loss! Check out the "remodeled" FitnessMakeover.com site! TRAINING Many people do back exercises incorrectly. This video will show you, and provide instruction, for the 1-Arm Cable Row. This exercise can also be done with resistance band, however, it is not good idea to do with dumbbell. Your focus and concentration should be on engaging the muscles of the back to complete each repetition, not using your arm! Pull your elbow back as far as possible. You may turn a little in the upper body, but that should be natural, not a forced position.  As you lower the weight or do the "negative" portion, be sure to keep it slow! You may have to lighten the weight you use on this exercise, until you get the form right! You should always feel more of your back working than your shoulders and arms on any back exercise! Download the video (see link below) to add to your iPod-PT colleciton and look for more video workouts at fitnessmakeover.com. NUTRITION You should always consult with your doctor, if you suspect that you have a vitamin deficiency, or wish to add vitamin supplements to your daily routine. Your doctor can order tests to tell you exactly how much of a certain vitamin you may need on a daily basis. This way, if you aren't getting enough in your normal diet - you can safely take the supplements you need. The Big Three: Zinc, Magnesium,  Vitamin D Do Zinc, Magnesium, and  Vitamin D affect your fat loss and metabolism? Yes! Many people are low in one or more of these three nutrients and don't know it!  If you are deficient in any one of these three, your fat loss attempts will be sluggish. Vitamin D You've probably heard much about  Vitamin D lately, especially from Dr. Oz and news sources. Having sufficient  Vitamin D will increase fat burning directly, and inhibit the production of enzymes that make the body to store fat. There’s evidence that higher  Vitamin D intake can actually suppress hunger and elevate insulin sensitivity. This helps people eat less and lose weight. Magnesium Magnesium also makes your cell receptors more reactive to insulin. Magnesium has been shown to be inversely proportional to body fat levels, which means a higher magnesium level contributes to leanness. Besides body composition, there are many other great reasons to increase your Magnesium levels, such as: Improved physical performance Better sleep (due to improved regulation of your heart function) Greater cardiovascular health Calmer the nervous system Research was done with subjects who suffer from insomnia. The research showed that raising daily magnesium intake to 500 mg can lead to less anxiety and thus, better sleep. Better rest means less of the stress hormone cortisol. Remember, high cortisol levels limit fat loss. Zinc  As we learned in Podcast episode 207, Zinc has an important role in insulin and health. Zinc improves the growth of cell protecting enzymes, and helps remove unhealthy compounds that restrict metabolic function. Low zinc can contribute to many other health problems such as: Poor brain function Cancer Heart disease As always talk to your doctor before adding any supplements to your current plan. Do your own research to present an educated reason why you feel you need these “Big Three” supplements or to be tested for deficiency in them. Your doctor may not be an expert on these vitamins, so you are always best to present solid information to help them, help you! In regards to these particular vitamins, its been found that supplementing each nutrient separately works the best. Here's why: Vitamin D: Most people need to build up their levels then maintain. Since many people are low in  Vitamin D, they need to take between 2,000 to 5,000 IUs of Vitamin D a day to ensure their levels are above 30 ng/ml, which

In this episode: How to get lean abs before summer! Vitamin B and fat burning! Patience, do you have any? FYI-I'm using different software and computer for this one, so if things sound funny, please email me! kira@fitnessmakeover.com Check out the "remodeled" FitnessMakeover.com site! TRAINING Ways To Lose Fat and Reveal Your Abs!  Can you lose body fat and reveal your abs by doing specific workout? Yes, and No.  When it comes to burning fat, doing sets of sit-ups, leg lifts and other abdominal exercises are a waste of time. Sure, you want muscle there and you should do abdominal exercises, but you definitely don't need to do as much as you think! I still see people spending 20-30 mintues on ab training daily and never see a change in their body! Listen up! If you really want to change the look of your body, especially if you want to see your abs, then you should focus on full body weight training and sprints. You've heard me talk about this before, but have you changed your workout ways? Multi-joint training burns more calories, increases your metabolism longer and is the way to get hard, cut abs. If you want to see your abs by summer time, start doing a total body training program combined with a sprint program! More intensity, less cardio and less time! Your midsection will thank you! Not convinced? Need proof? Here we go! A study from 2011 showed that six weeks of abdominal training produced no loss of body fat, despite participants spending 4 hours a week doing crunches, bicycles, and sit-ups. Now, we know that training with heavy, multi-joint exercises such as squats and deadlifts will build the abs. So it's obvious that another group of athletes who trained squats and deadlifts had much greater muscle development throughout the oblique abdominals than a control group. Secret to faster fat loss:  In addition to multi-joint exercises, do high-intensity sprints a few days a week. A few, meaning 2-3 times a week. More than that can be counterproductive! Ditch the repetitive 15-minute sit-up and crazy roman chair routine for 15 to 30 minutes of sprint training. Here's some example programs to use: The 30-20-10 model in which you jog/fast walk/bike for 30 seconds, run at a moderate intensity for 20 seconds, and sprint for 10 second. Repeat for a 5-minute interval. Do four sets with 2 minutes rest in between.  Think you're in good shape? Great! Try this: 1 to 1 interval-to-rest program.  Do four x 4-minute intervals of 30-second sprints and 30-second jogging recovery.  Heart rate recovery intervals: Do ten sprints of 15 seconds, increasing to fifteen sprints of 30 seconds. Base recovery off of heart rate—once it returns to 120 beats per minute, do the next sprint. • Do ten 30-second all-out sprints with 90 seconds rest.  NUTRITION Facilitate fat burning by being sure you have an adequate supply of the B vitamins.  There are certainly many fat-burning nutrients I could recommend, none of them would work as efficiently and be as beneficial for results if you don’t get enough B vitamins. What do B-Vitamins do for you? B vitamins are necessary to detoxify environmental toxins and excess hormones, such as estrogen. Many fitness conscious folks who eat a high protein-diet and/or take extra BCAAs increase their demand for B vitamins.  This increase actually detracts from the vitamin needed for detox. This can slow down or even limit your weight loss! Let's talk about a few of the most important the B vitamins. Vitamin B6  Needed for proper protein metabolismHelps the use of muscle glycogen for energy (critical for athletes)Enhances the detoxification of hormones, such as cortisol. Vitamin B9 Folic Acid or Vitamin B9 is a trouble spot for a large majority of the population which is unable to process folic acid effectively. Remedy the intolerance problem by using the methylated form of folic acid.Low Vitamin B9 can cause inadequate detoxification Low Vitamin B9 can cause high

Three ways to find out if you are injury prone, learn to harness the power of your inner support system and how to spot and avoid weight loss scams! Check out the "remodeled" FitnessMakeover.com site! Coming soon....QuickFit Club Each Month You Get: New Video Workouts Menu Plans & RecipesQuick Workouts Fit Your ScheduleAn Easy Way to Stay on TrackGet the Body You Want!Get on the first notice list at QuickFitClub.com!! TRAINING Let's look at three groups of people who could be injury prone, unless they take some precautions before they start to work out. 1. True Beginners: Those starting out.  Improper footwear and even wearing sneakers without socks, can cause problems with your feet! Always wear socks and the right kind of sneakers (or shoes) for the activity. Beginners tend to be overzealous with workouts. They also forget that their muscles are very weak at this stage, and doing too much exercise is just as bad as using the wrong equipment or techniques.You may be an avid cyclist or runner, but that doesn't mean you are ready to do the same weight training program as someone else! Have a trainer teach you the right form and help design an appropriate program for your fitness level. 2. Regular Exercisers:  If you've been exercising for a long time, you might assume that you're less likely to be injured. Not necessarily true! These exercisers, are more likely to become complacent and forget all the basic rules. They may take a short cuts, become lazy in the workout program or use poor form to overcome limitations and the result will be more injuries. For example, the bench press and rotator cuff weakness...you may compromise your form because you don't train your rotator cuff muscles and that weakness prevents you from doing a full range of motion for the bench press...eventually you won't be able to do it at all and will blame a “bad shoulder” when the real cause is a weak shoulder support system, the rotator cuff! My thought is that there are no bad body parts, only weak muscles! The other problem this group faces is the micro traumas they have sustained over time. One slight injury might not make much difference, but when added together there could be various injuries for them to deal with all showing up at the same time! An injury can come from improper form, using too much weight, poor warmup practices and muscle imbalance. If you begin to have symptoms of an injury, do your research and find the cause!  3. Out of shape beginners.  These would include two very distinct types of people. Those who once were fit and healthy, but quit in their exercise program, and those who have never exercised or been active before. If overweight, both groups of people will risk injury from straining and causing stress on the lower body. Specifically, the knee, lower leg and lower back. They should begin with a few basic exercises, even machines, to develop their strength and flexibility.It always boils down to this: Get Instruction! Even if it is just a refresher with a trainer. There might be bad habits that have developed in your workouts. Maybe you want to learn new exercises or learn the proper way to do a exercise that you've seen someone do in the gym. When you see someone doing an exercise, Never assume: That the exercise is being done correctly That the exercise is appropriate for your fitness level, health history or goals. When it comes to learning a new exercise check with a trainer first! MOTIVATION Self-Support:Have you been working on your inner support system? Have you made your I am statements and written them down? Have you made and do you say your mantra daily? Do you have any idea what I am talking about? If you are clueless, then you need to refresh your memory with these podcast episodes: Fit 162: Mantra, Reps and Nutrition Truths Fit166: Glute Training Part 2, Protein Myths "I am" Statements.  Fit 196 Eli

Tips and tricks to get ripped abs!  In this episode, the best ways to burn stubborn body fat, top training tips to kick your program into high gear and three motivational tips that will keep on track to a six pack of abs! News: its not completely ready but the exercise video library is open! Explain my reason for creating it and what to expect. Also, QuickFit Club is in development and moving quickly! Be sure to go to quickfitclub.com to get first notification and news. NUTRITION I've got 16 ways to burn stubborn body fat to tell you about!  But...... I'm going to break into the next four podcasts so you can focus on a few to master and see results! And so that I can hit the other topics in this episode! Let's get to the other stuff you can do to get leaner. 1) Don't diet to extremes. Reducing calories by 15-20% a day will almost exclusively burn fat while larger cuts in calories will burn a combo of muscle tissue and fat. Muscle drives the metabolism and calorie burning. If you're currently eating 3000 calories, reduce to 2400-2550, but do so according to smart guidelines. Quality calories are usually lower in calories than junk. 2) Graze all day. Professional athletes and models eat all day long yet keep their total calories under control. The grazing method, 5-6 small meals, elevates the metabolism. Each time you eat, your metabolism increases, and over a 6-10 week period, that increase can parlay into another 2-3 pounds of fat loss. 3) Increase Protein. Carbs, protein and fat are equal in their efficiency to be stored as body fat, but protein exerts a greater metabolic boosting effect than carbs or dietary fat. When calories drop, protein saves muscle which helps keep the metabolism elevated. Aim for 1.2 grams per pound of body weight daily. Do you know how many grams you are eating? Many people don't and once they track it they can make the change and break plateaus! 4) Play with Carbs.  Carbs help retain your metabolic boosting muscle, yet they can stimulate fat storage. Staggering your carbohydrate intake is one of the most effective ways to jump start your metabolism and to burn stubborn fat fast. Day 1 you have a little more carbs than normal, maybe 50 grams, Day 2 you have your regular amount of carbs and then Day 3 you reduce carbs by 50 grams. Of course, you can mix this up however you like, that is just an example. The point is that your overall calories are reduced but your body doesn't become accustomed to any one carb set point. More Nutrition Tips in the next podcast... MOTIVATION Here are 3 Powerful Motivation Tips to get you to ripped abs! Tip #1: Tell your friends and family about your goals.  Telling your acquaintances about your goals is a great tool. Some will take you seriously and some won't. But the reasoning behind this is that they can help you be accountable and therefore stay on track. People generally respect your goals and when you are honest about your goals with them, they can be willing to help you out. Tip #2: Set goals with a partner or friend.  Often times having a workout partner or a dieting parter will make things better for everyone. Besides a little competition, some encouragement from a workout buddy makes a huge difference. Pick someone that you enjoy being with and someone that you know will help you when you feel a bit down on your self. Friends are incredible at picking one up and making us feel great. If you can't coordinate with a friend, then a personal trainer can be your “buddy.” If you can't afford a trainer for each workout, then remember that Even a once a week workout with a trainer will keep you accountable and one track! Plus, you know that on the other days, the trainer will still know that you did (or didn't) do a workout, since trainers tend to be at the gym at all hours! Tip #3:Three: Write down your goals and visions/aspirations.  Get a notepad right this moment, and jot down all of your goals and visions of success. On a piece of pap

In this episode: More ways to burn stubborn body fat PART 2 (#5-8); Top workout tips part 2 (#6-10); Three Ways To Help Overcome The Fear Of Success! News: The Exercise Video Library is open! I'm still adding videos to it! Also, QuickFit Club is in development and moving quickly! Be sure to go to quickfitclub.com to get first notification and news! NUTRITION Continued... our 16 ways to burn stubborn body fat! (PART 2) Go Backward. One reason fat loss comes to a halt is that your body lowers its metabolism to meet its declining intake of calories. The solution to this: dramatically increase your caloric intake once every 1-3 weeks. The one day splurge helps re-sets your metabolism by restoring the calorie burning hormone that declines with dieting aka your thyroid levels. Skip the Late Night Carbs. Carbs eaten before bedtime are more likely to be stored as body fat, so focus on lean proteins and fiber based vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and salad fixings. Of course, if the carbs are part of your regular program then have them accordingly. Just avoid the mindless munching! The exception: if you train late at night and your goal is to build muscle mass or retain muscle, you'll need the carbs to replenish glycogen and support recovery.   Fish. A study revealed that dieters who ate fish on a daily basis, lost more weight than those who ate fish just once a week. When calories are controlled, the inclusion of omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, trout and sardines may promote speedier fat loss.  If you are not a fish lover, then supplement with omega-3s to improve your fat burning! Spice it up!  Red peppers are the common spicy ingredient found in many Mexican and Indian recipes.This spice contains Capsaicin, which can increase the metabolic rate by effecting the Sympathetic Branch of the Nervous system. Adding some spice to your meals with red pepper or cayenne pepper can be a benefit over time. You can also use a Capsaicin supplement.    MOTIVATION Three Ways To Overcome The Fear Of Success! Do you go through life without getting involved one-hundred percent? Maybe it's because you believe you might fail, or even succeed, at what you set out to accomplish. Do you set yourself up for failure and sabotage your success by telling yourself that you can't perform well? Is it possible that you allow unproductive and negative vocabulary to dominate your thoughts? Negative self-talk takes away your motivation and is an inner barrier that must be eliminated! Here are three ways to overcome fear of success:  Continually tell yourself that you welcome challenges. Stand ready and willing to challenge yourself to your maximum capacity. Move forward in your communication by deleting all negative self-talk. Use your I am statements.  Believe that whatever you set out to accomplish, you will give it 100%. Stop providing excuses to blame yourself, becoming disempowered from achieving your goals and increasing your self-esteem. Believe that your “pride of accomplishment” motivates you to eliminate all the "shoulds", "oughts", and "musts" from your vocabulary.  Be the best you can. Continually see yourself in an evolving way. Stretch every mental, emotional, and physical fiber within you. Believe and feel that you are one dynamite, ecstatic, and powerful person. Remember, your beliefs impact the way you feel and act! This is another reason your self-talk is so vital to success, and why I wrote a book on how to reprogram your self-talk! So many people get stuck because of inaccurate and negative self-talk! And to be your best you must think your best supportive thoughts. If you don't know how, then check the Re-train your brain Daily Focus Program and/ or the "Mindset Makeover," book available at The Book Patch.com. TRAINING Top workout tips continued! Work Out During Your Workday. Sit on a Stability Ball to strengthen your core, and keep dumbbells or Resistance Bands at your desk. It's good f

In this episode: More ways to burn fat and overcome a plateau, workout tips to maximize results, 4 Keys To Creating Successful Habits! MOTIVATION What makes successful people successful? Sometimes the only difference between being successful and being average is having successful habits. Some examples of successful habits could be getting up earlier, doing thing when they need to be done, being prepared, or effective time management. Build Successful habits with this 30-day program! So how do you start to build these success habits in your life? Here are 4 tips on creating successful habits. Identify and Find the areas in your life that need changing. Write down these new habits that need to be formed. Don't become overwhelmed at trying to figure out how you are going to form all of these habits.  Pick 2 -Most people sabotage themselves by trying to change everything at once. Instead, pick one major and one minor habit that you want to form. For the next 30-90 days these will be the success habits that you will create. Start small-Now that you have your two success habits, create a daily or weekly routine that is easy to follow. For instance, lets say that you want to wake up an hour earlier so that you can get more successful things done. Instead of setting your alarm an hour earlier right at the beginning, only set it 2-5 minutes earlier every morning until you reach your goal. This way it would take you 30 days or 12 days respectively to create your success habit. Remember, the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.  Repeat - Once you have created your new habits move on to the next 2 success habits that you want to create. Before you know it you will have created a whole new life full of success filled habits.  Just imagine where you will be in one year if you follow these four keys to creating successful habits. If it takes you only 60 days to create 2 habits, you will have created 12 success habits in just one year! NUTRITION More ways to burn stubborn body fat! PART 3 Don't Be Cardio Crazy! Radically reducing calories slows the metabolism short circuiting fat loss. Same is true with radical caloric expenditure. Excess cardio slows the metabolism, promotes a loss in muscle and even can lower testosterone levels. (You know: 2 cardio sessions a day. ) For real results, stick to 4-6 sessions a week, 30 - 45 minutes at a clip and maintain a high level of intensity. Separate Cardio From Weight Training. What happens when you do cardio first and follow it up with weight training? You don't build as much muscle density. How about cardio after training? You risk overtraining and the negative hormonal environment that can stifle the metabolic rate. The best scenario: hit the cardio in the morning-on an empty stomach then get in a few meals and return to the gym later in the day to build muscle density. Serotonin Control. Serotonin is a brain chemical that helps controls hunger. Guess what? It can take a nose dive with dieting.  One way to prevent a drop; smaller, more frequent meals.Garlic! Mother Earths flavor enhancer stimulates adrenaline and uncoupling proteins (UCP). Adrenaline triggers fat breakdown and UCP, increase calorie burning and are conveniently located in metabolically active brown fat. Garlic also controls cortisol levels which supports muscle retention while dieting. For best results use fresh raw garlic in your salads or on your other meals, but if you can't handle raw garlic then use fresh bulbs in your cooking or give supplements a try. Bet you always wondered what that was for!  TRAINING Maximize your results with these workout tips! Better Crunches- Don't relax your abs as you return to the floor when doing crunches!  Keep them tight all the way down!  Ramp up Your Push-Up - Start in a plank position. If you're strong, cross your ankles; otherwise, jump your feet wide apart. Do a push-up, then jump your feet together or uncross your ankles. Paddle