With summer vacation quickly approaching, you’re
probably planning your next getaway.

Whether you go on a cruise, an African safari or a low-key trip to
the beach, warm summer days are the best time to get away from it
all.

But wait – did you know that the average person gains almost a
pound a day while on vacation?

Between missed workouts, extra large restaurant meals and indulgent
snacks, lazy vacation days will quickly add inches to your
waistline.

So before you pack your bags for your next adventure, read the
following 6 Vacation Tips and come home fitter, not fatter.

Vacation Tip #1: Make a Decision

Before you leave home, make the decision that you will NOT gain
weight while on your trip.
This is the easiest step to take to make sure that you avoid weight
gain, but it is also the most overlooked. Instead of leaving things
to chance, harness the power of creative visualization that has
been proven time and time again by go-getters such as
Michael Jordan, Einstein, Napoleon and Andrew Carnegie.

Visualize what it would be like to return home fitter than when you
left. Take a moment to let yourself feel the excitement that you’d
experience.

Remember what accomplishing your goal feels like – this will keep
you motivated throughout your trip and will help pull you through
the inevitable tempting situations that you’ll face.

Vacation Tip #2: Get Moving

It’s easy to spend vacation days sprawled out by the pool, but the
inactivity will quickly add up to extra pounds.

Choose to be active and you’ll burn calories all day long while
indulging in fewer unnecessary snacks. The following ideas will get
you moving:
• Go on a brisk walk each day of your trip. You’ll see new
sights while burning off excess calories.
• Always take the stairs rather than the elevator. Talk about
bonus calorie burning!
• Go on a jog in the mornings before your daily activities,
or jog in the evening after the day winds down.
• If your hotel has a pool, swim a few laps each day.
Swimming is a fun way to get in a full body workout.
• If your trip takes you to a place of natural beauty then
go on a hike. Even while hiking at a slow or moderate pace
you’ll burn plenty of calories.
• Play some sports – beach volleyball, a game of hoops,
Frisbee, or bike riding are all great ways to have fun
while keeping fit.

Vacation Tip #3: Indulge with Portion Control

You have no choice but to eat out while on vacation. Whether you’re
enjoying 5 star restaurants or fast food diners, you’ll be met with
the same problem: huge portions.

While it is tempting to simply eat it all – you are on vacation
after all – this will quickly lead to extra pounds. Use the
following tips to keep your portions under control:
• When you order your meal ask for a to-go box. Take half of
your meal and place it into the box before you even begin
to eat. This will force you to eat a healthy portion.
• If you would rather not carry around a to-go box, ask that
your entrée be made into a smaller portion. If it is
dinnertime don’t be afraid to ask for the lunch-sized
portion.
• Pay more, and eat less. Take quality of food over quantity.
• Eat meals. Cut out snacking, stick with structured meals.
• Eat slowly, and eat foods that have been prepared
slowly – that means no fast food.

Vacation Tip #4: Eat Natural Sweets

One of your biggest enemies when it comes to vacation weight gain
is…sugar.

The average modern person consumes 46 teaspoons of sugar every day.
The average person on vacation consumes even more than that.

Even though sugary calories taste great, the sweet pleasure comes
at a high price. Here’s what I mean:
• Sugar creates false hunger (as a result of the insulin rush
and then ensuing plummet in blood sugar levels), which
causes you overeat.
• Sugar promotes aging (due to the advanced glycation end
products, or AGEs, that occur when insulin levels are
consistently elevated as a result of eating too much
sugar). Sugar has even been dubbed the negative fountain
of youth!
• Sugar weakens your bones -making you vulnerable for
osteoporosis, and weakens your teeth – making you
vulnerable for cavities (both due to the calcium being
pulled from your bones and teeth in order for your body to
process sugar).
• Sugar in excess is stored as fat (after your liver has no
more room to store it, sugar is converted to fat and
deposited on your belly, thighs, hips and the backs of
your arms).
So instead of eating that ice cream cone or chocolate éclair,
satiate your sweet tooth with a piece of juicy fruit.

Vacation Tip #5: Don’t Eat Fried Foods

While fast food restaurants are definitely convenient, with their
low prices and quick service, it’s really not worth the additional
pounds brought on by chips and fries. As you enjoy your vacation
keep this in mind: don’t eat fried foods. While this is always a
good plan to follow, it is even more important to abide by while
traveling.

A gram of fat contains 9 calories as compared to the 4 calories
that proteins and carbohydrates carry – so you can see that
consuming fried foods will drastically increase your caloric intake.

Take an average potato, bake it and you have 110 calories and 0
grams of fat. Take that same potato, turn it into French fries and
you have 380 calories and 18 grams of fat.

Frying food is the easiest way to dramatically increase the calorie
and fat content. And you know that extra calories and fat end up as
extra body fat.

Other disasters that fried foods increase your risk for include:
• Heart Disease
• Diabetes
• Clogged Arteries
• High Blood Pressure
• Obesity
• Acne
If I still haven’t convinced you to pass on the curly fries, keep
in mind that heartburn and indigestion are not fun…especially
while on vacation. Need I say more?

Vacation Tip #6: Do this Hotel Room Workout

If your hotel doesn’t have a gym, or if you’d simply prefer the
privacy of your room, do this hotel room workout:
• Body Weight Squats: Stand with your feet shoulder width
apart. Lower down into a squat position. Make sure that
your knees do not go past 90 degrees. Exhale as you
straighten your legs and return to the starting position.
Complete 12-15 repetitions.
• Do Jumping Jacks, High knees, or jog in place for 30
seconds.
• Body Weight Lunges: Stand with your feet shoulder width
apart. Exhale as you lunge forward with your right leg.
Make sure that your knee does not go past 90 degrees.
Inhale as you return to the starting position and repeat
on the other side. Complete 12-15 repetitions.
• Do Jumping Jacks, High knees, or jog in place for 30
seconds.
• Push Ups: Get into the push up position (depending on
your fitness level choose to go off your knees, push off
of the wall, or assume the traditional position). Inhale
as you lower your chest down. Exhale as you return to the
starting position. Complete 12-15 repetitions.
• Do Jumping Jacks, High knees, or jog in place for 30
seconds.
• V-Ups: Sit on the edge of a chair or bed and lean back.
Exhale as you drive your knees in toward your chest,
squeezing your abdominal muscles. Inhale as you lower your
knees back down with control. Complete 15-20 repetitions.
• Do Jumping Jacks, High knees, or jog in place for 30
seconds.
Well, now you have 6 tips that will keep away the unwanted vacation
pounds. You may even end up losing a pound or two while away.

But let’s be honest, you want to lose more than a pound or two. You
want to lose all of those extra pounds.

You may feel that the secret to achieving weight loss is just
that – a secret. A mystery. You try, and try, and try but your
goals are never met. Your dream body continues to stay out of reach.

In my experience the people who are unable to lose weight aren’t
failing due to laziness. In fact, those frustrated with their weight
often put in a lot of effort – but on the wrong things. A fad diet.
The latest exercise gizmo. An ineffective routine at the gym.

It’s not that you aren’t willing to put in the effort – you’re just
doing the wrong thing.

Think about this for a moment…What if this was the summer that
you took control of your body? The summer that you threw your fat
clothes away…the summer that you were proud to put on a bathing
suit…the summer that your doctor congratulated you on your
improved health…the summer that your family and friends – and
that special someone – showered you with compliments.

It’s possible. Even more possible than you think.

The thing is that you need to direct your effort in an effective
way.

This is where I come in.

You see, for me weight loss isn’t a mystery. It’s my passion. I
have a proven method that will dramatically transform your body
into one that you are proud to be seen in.

However, I can’t promise that it will be easy. You’ll work hard,
you’ll sweat and you’ll even feel sore. And before you know it you
will be telling everyone you know about the amazing results you’ve
achieved.

So as you plan your next vacation, why don’t you also give yourself
the gift that you really want – a new body. A tighter body. A
stronger body. A healthier body.

I am here to help you do just that. Call or email now to schedule
your F.R.E.E. 1 week trial.

Together we will come up with a fitness plan that is uniquely
yours, one that fits your lifestyle and brings you promptly to
your goals – something that you will appreciate while on vacation
and at home.

You deserve it.

Coach Blair
http://amblerbootcamps.com

I can’t believe trainers still do this…

I’m amazed how many of  you work out with trainers day after day, month after month without ever having an evaluation done.  Not only that, your trainer doesn’t  keep any records of what you do.

At my gym, everyone that walks through the door gets a thorough evaluation before they ever touch a weight.  We also track not only the standard sets and reps, but also track rest periods (crucial yet typical ignored), exercise order, and even note client quotes about particular exercises.

For example, if you LOVE a certain exercise, I have a shorthand note that tells me that so we’ll be sure to do more of that one in future workouts.

If you hate an exercise, I’ll ignore you. Just kidding. I’ll note it and do my best to come up with an alternative that accomplishes the same goal.

Any asymmetries, that come up as a result of the evaluation are tackled at the beginning.

So why are these steps so important?  Because times have changed.  In today’s society, the gym is usually the only form of physical activity the average person gets.  With that said, we must be sure to write work out programs that will help you in everyday activities outside of the gym as well as in it.

But if your trainer does not do an assessment, he is just guessing which means you will get the same workout everyone else received that day.

The workout program, which is written based off of the assessment is very important.  Without it, there’s no plan and no scientific progression. And without planned progression, you cannot get optimal results.

One of your goals for your workouts HAS to be to do more over a period of time.

Research on what’s called “periodization” tells us you don’t want to increase everything in every workout, but over the course of a month (or two weeks, or one week, depending on your model) you should be increasing your weights, increasing your total reps (or volume), and/or decreasing your rest time between sets.

In short, today’s workout should be more of something than the workout you did a month ago.

In my almost 10 years of fitness coaching, I’ve found that the most common problem keeping people from getting results despite consistently showing up to the gym is that people don’t understand the importance of progression.

It’s this simple:

Same workout = same body.

Progressively more challenging workouts = Progressively better looking body.

An effective fitness coach will help you develop a progressive workout program.

If, however your fitness coach doesn’t keep records, then you know he doesn’t have a scientific program, and it’s time for you to get a new trainer.

3DFitness Coaching Studio is setting bar that the other gyms will have to follow or fall by the wayside.

How Bad Do Do You Want It?

Blair

http://3dfitness.net