The FitAndBusyDad

TT Kettlebell Revolution V2.0 2 day SALE!

2011-10-21T06:03:00.001-07:00

http://kettlebellworkouts.com/happybirthdayq/

2011-10-21T06:02:00.001-07:00

Today and tomorrow ONLY, TT Kettlebell Revoluation V2.0 is ON SALE for $39.99
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Bringing Sexy BACK

2011-10-12T12:25:00.001-07:00

http://kettlebellworkouts.com/kettlebell-training-bringing-sexy-back/

2011-10-12T12:16:00.001-07:00

Kettlebell Training: Bringing Sexy BACK
http://ping.fm/3l6GV

2011-10-11T05:43:00.001-07:00

Getting a sprinter's body http://ping.fm/Xq0lr

Getting a Sprinter's Body

2011-10-11T05:37:00.001-07:00

http://kettlebellworkouts.com/franzsnidemaninterviewpart1/

Relaunch of the TT Kettlebell Revolution!!!!

2011-09-28T06:41:00.001-07:00

Get it today until 11:59pm EST
Learn how to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time!
http://kettlebellworkouts.com/fatloss/

2011-09-28T06:34:00.001-07:00

The TT Kettlebell Revolution V2!!!
Get it today until 11:59pm EST
http://ping.fm/3406H

2011-09-14T10:32:00.001-07:00

Busting Through Plateaus in Your Kettlebell Workouts

http://ping.fm/L9tXW

Busting Through Plateaus in Your Kettlebell Workouts

2011-09-14T10:20:00.001-07:00

http://kettlebellworkouts.com/busting-through-plateaus-in-your-kettlebell-workouts/

2011-09-08T14:33:00.001-07:00

You can't out train a bad diet!

2011-09-08T14:10:00.001-07:00

You can't out train a bad diet!

The best KB exercise you can do that does, well, EVERYTHING...

2011-09-06T17:35:00.001-07:00

http://kettlebellworkouts.com/the-one-kettlebell-exercise-you-should-master/

2011-09-06T17:26:00.001-07:00

The best KB exercise that you shoul do;
http://ping.fm/0YPZQ

2011-08-30T07:39:00.001-07:00

Ladders, Home Gyms, Crappy Gyms & KB Certification http://ping.fm/tULbo

Ladders, Home Gyms, Crappy Gyms & KB Certification

2011-08-30T07:36:00.001-07:00

http://kettlebellworkouts.com/fridayqna25aug2011/

2011-08-22T13:11:00.001-07:00

Squats - The one exercise you should always do http://ping.fm/yFyoA

Top 5 Conditioning Exercises

2011-08-17T15:55:00.001-07:00

http://kettlebellworkouts.com/top-5-conditioning-exercises/

2011-08-17T15:48:00.001-07:00

http://ping.fm/GQnzd

2011-08-17T10:37:00.001-07:00

Great Quote from Coach Mike Boyle:

"The truth is I would love for my daughter to get a college scholarship just like the rest of the parents in the world. However, I think her best chance is to be a great athlete. I also want my daughter to be healthy and to enjoy the ride. Early specialists are often not healthy and, not passionate. They are often injured and often resent Mom and Dad. I’ll take health and a great relationship with my kids and then I’ll pay for college."

20s are Too Light...

2010-11-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

The weekend started off right for me with a great "digital disconnect" day. Once per week, just like how I fast and take a break off food, I like to do the same with social media and communication.

My digital disconnect day just involves me fasting off the computer, blackberry and telephone. I usually do this when I know that everyone that I need to communicate with at that given moment is with me (ie. Rozanne and my 5 kids).

I also did the heavy day of Geoff Neupert's Kettlebell Muscle and found that it was really easy using 20kg kettlebells.

According to Geoff, the 3rd day of lifting in this program is supposed to be - and I quote directly from page 62 - "MURDEROUS".

I was expecting my heart to be beating out of my chest, my grip to be completely smoked and my legs and shoulders to be screaming in submission...but they weren't. So I'm going to amp things up and use the double-24s.

Next workout day is on Tuesday...although my week is pretty light this week, so I may get some time tomorrow to start early. We'll see.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Go Giants.

-Chris

"Off" Day and "Light" Training

2010-11-04T13:21:00.001-07:00

I took the day off yesterday, so nothing to report other than this cool article that I read on my buddy, Brad Pilon's Blog...

An ESSENTIAL DIET HACK by Brad Pilon

Seriously, if you have kids, you should read that article.

I got a lot of sleep today getting up at 6:30am, which is about an hour and half later than when I usually wake up. I guess when your body tells you that you need it, you have to listen.

Day 2 in Kettlebell Muscle is a "Light" Day. Only 3 exercises, pretty basic, using the same sized bells (so for me the double-20s).

To tell you the truth, today almost seemed too light because I wasn't straining by the end of the last set. But I assume that's why it's called a "Light" day. I'm trusting this program nonetheless and will be following it to a "T".

Besides, Day 3 is the "HEAVY" day so I assume I'll be pretty taxed after that.

I've also decided to alter my training schedule. I'd like as much rest as possible between Day 3 and Day 1, so I'll train heavy this Saturday and then start my training again on Tuesday.

I like this idea for a few reasons...

1) Mondays are hectic in our house with everyone getting set for the week. If there was one day when my workouts get pushed to the side (and that's not often), it's Monday.

2) Tuesdays are relatively light days for me (I usually don't take clients on Tuesdays and focus instead on working on my websites - KettlebellWorkouts.com and FitAndBusyDad.com). This included filming at the gym, so if I'm there, I may as well train.

3) Sunday morning workouts will by my heavy days from now on and I like the idea of training heavy and then usually not having to worry about anything else business related for the rest of the day ... it's like a "me" day.

So, here's what I anticipate the week to look like....

Monday - OFF

Tuesday - KB Muscle "Medium" Day

Wednesday - OFF

Thursday - Bodyweight Training and/or Deadlifts

Friday - KB Muscle "Light" Day

Saturday - OFF

Sunday - KB Muscle "Heavy" Day

We'll see how the next few weeks pan out.

Chris

Bodyweight Training Junkie

2010-11-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

It's a cold day in Toronto today, so I made sure I layered up and got out my "lobster claw" cycling mittens. Even though it's frosty outside, I still love being on my bike and plan on riding throughout the winter. I have one of those "dutch" bicycles that was engineered and made in Copenhagen and is meant to withstand the snow, ice, slush, etc.

Now onto the musclehead stuff...

Kettlebell Muscle requires you to do your workouts 3 days per week. That's it.

But, much to Geoff's chagrin I'm sure, I'm adding an additional day of just bodyweight training.

See, I'm a bodyweight training junkie and I like the idea of knowing that I can bang out 20 chin ups or 20 pistols. An added bodyweight day will also allow me to mess around with new training programs and exercises.

So today, I did a bit or an unstructured workout and then hit the foam roller and the stretch bands pretty hard for some much needed soft tissue and flexibility work.

Here's how today's workout went down...

1) Chin-Ups - 5, 5 @ 25lbs, 5 @ 35lbs, 5 @ 45lbs, 10

2a) Dips - 2 x 15
2b) Pistols - 2 x 8 per leg

That was a pretty quick workout but my biceps and lats are feeling it from the chin-ups.

On my bodyweight days I'll mess around with the rings and probably start incorporating some handstands and maybe some TGUs.

Tomorrow is an "OFF" day, so I won't be doing much - maybe the foam roller again.

Then it's back to work on Thursday with Kettlebell Muscle.

Chris

New Program: Kettlebell Muscle

2010-11-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

Since it's November 1st today, I'm starting a new program. I'll be training at home (for the most part) doing my buddy, Geoff Neupert's Kettlebell Muscle.

So as to not divulge the intellectual property of the book, I can't post exactly what I'm doing (you'll have to get the book for yourself), but I'll give you some of the training breakthroughs that I experience over the next 6 weeks (maybe more).

Check out Kettlebell Muscle HERE
I'm using double 20kg bells (the program requires that you start with bells that you can comfortably press for 10reps) for the first few weeks and then will re-evaluate after the first phase.

As a trainer, I can't tell you how nice it is to use someone else's program. To not have to think and just do the exercises is a breath of fresh air. Mind you, you need to use the program of someone you trust (and there are less than a handful that fit that bill for me - Craig Ballantyne, Jason Ferruggia, Pavel & Geoff being among the few).

My starting measurements and "before" picture are as follows...

Weight: 167.2lbs

Waist: 32.75"

L Arm: 14"

Shoulders: 46"

The first workout took only 25 minutes and that includes foam rolling, static stretching my hips & pecs, activation and warm-up with double 16kg bells!

I did 4 rounds of the first workout with 2 minutes rest between sets.

The beautiful thing (aside from finishing in 25 minutes) is that I did the workout in my living room (with no kids around).

After the workout, I had this shake....

1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup almond milk
1 banana
1 cup each of berries, mango & frozen spinach
cocoa nibs, chia seeds, maca pdr
1.5 scoops sun warrior protein

My goals are to get up to 175lbs and drop my waist line to 31". I'll do this by eating as much as I want but focusing on fruits, veggies, healthy fats & protein. I'll eat grains, but only around the workout window and/or in the morning. We'll see how that works out.

I'll also fast once per week using Brad Pilon's Eat-Stop-Eat program.

We'll see how it goes over the next 6 weeks or so.

Tuesday C & P

2010-06-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

I took Monday off (both online & off-line) because it was our anniversary (10 years, baby!). So now I'm kind of playing catch-up with my workouts.

Today's workout...

1a) KB Clean & Press (3 x 5/side)

1b) Blast Strap Scarecrows (2 x 10)

2a) Renegade Rows (2 x 20)

2b) Windmill (2 x 10/side)

2c) See-Saw Press (2 x 12)

3) 100 2-Arm KB Swings

Tomorrow I'll probably get on the hill at 6am and then practice some handstands and handstand push-ups.

I also made an incredible high-protein potato salad (with homemade mayo) that was so good that I almost ate it all at one sitting! I'll have the recipe for you sometime in the upcoming days.

Chris

Hill Sprints at 6am

2010-06-23T04:44:00.000-07:00

For some reason last night, Mikey, my 3 year old, found her way into our bed.

So in our queen sized bed was Mikey, Q (our 8 month old son who sleeps with us - apparently it's called "attachment parenting") and my wife Rozanne who sleeps diagonally.

The last time I tried to move Mikey and put her in her own bed, all hell broke loose and she woke up the entire house at 3 in the morning.

Lesson learned.

The problem was that there wasn't anywhere for me to sleep, so I ventured into the girls room to sleep in Mikey's spot on the bottom "double" bunk (there's a single bed on top). I end up almost crushing Joey (my 7 year old) as she climbed down to sleep with Frankie (5yrs) on the bottom bed.

So here were my final options....

1. Sleep on the living room couch - the "nice" couch - which my wife would hate. Seriously, this is the couch that she'd leave the plastic covering on - a la grandma - if she could.

2. Sleep on the basement couch which has some clean, unfolded laundry that I was going to get to tomorrow.

Or

3. Sleep on the top bunk - Joey's bed - over my 2 peacefully sleeping children.

I went with #3 - sleeping on the top bunk. And once I got over the fear that this bed was not going to collapse and crush 2 helpless sleeping children while trying to hold a 180lb man, I slept like a baby.

Seriously, it was the best sleep that I've had a in a long, long time.

I got up at 5am and got some writing done. Then at 6, I got my Nike Frees on and drove over to the Riverdale Hill and ran some sprints.

When I got home I practiced doing some handstands while Joey timed me and made some breakfast - bacon, eggs and a smoothie - for everyone.

Good times!

-chris

Tuesday's 10 Minute Workout

2010-06-22T02:18:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those days when you know nothing's going to get done?

I had one of those days today. But I promised myself that I would make it a priority to get a workout in...and I did. Albeit it was a quick one.

Here's what went down.

1) Turkish Get-Ups x 20 per arm

I just took my 16kg kettlebell and did 40 TGUs. That took me about 10 minutes.

My shoulders were still sore from yesterday's workout (with the C & P's and the see-saw presses), so I needed something light today (with my limited time and my needed recovery).

Eating was great.

Breakfast shake - coconut milk, berries, mango, banana, spinach, maca powder, cocoa nibs, chia seeds & pea protein (I don't like pea protein as much as I like brown rice protein).

Then I snacked on nuts and fruit and chopped up veggies all day.

Dinner was delicious. I made lettuce wraps (the kids had actual homemade burritos) with black beans, homemade guacamole, red pepper and grass-fed steak that I marinated last night in lime, Braggs, garlic, pepper & bay leaf.

The baby had pureed avocado.

I'm hoping to at least get more done tomorrow - which includes getting up at 5am and doing some writing and then hitting the Riverdale Hill for 6am.

Have a great day!

-Chris

"Real regrets only come from not doing your best. All else is out of your control. You're measured by results only. Trade excuses and "trying" for results, and expect half-hearted results from half-hearted efforts. Do more than is expected of you. Life's easy when you live it the hard way... and hard if you try to live it the easy way."

-Dave Kekich, Kekich Credo #4

Keeping Things Simple...

2010-06-21T06:49:00.000-07:00

Simple workout today...

1) 36" Box Jumps

2) KB Clean & Press

3a) Close Grip Chin-Ups

3b) KB See-Saw Press

4) 100 KB Swings

Without really knowing it until I re-read the book, I've been following the Warrior Diet (by Ori Hoffmekler). I've been having a good shake at the beginning of the day and then snacking on fruits, veggies & nuts throughout the day. Then at the end of the day I've been having a bigger meal.

The last meal isn't a "cheat" meal (although last night I did have a hamburger after my daughter's soccer game). I just eat significantly more than I would throughout the day. Lots of protein, lots of vegetables, some (if any) starch and then usually a piece of fruit for desert.

It's worked out well so far because I'm leaner and my energy levels are up.

Outdoor Workout on My Deck

2010-06-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

I've been getting kind of bored of the gym lately. Last week was the straw that broke the camel's back. It was a beautiful day outside and I was in the gym doing Bulgarian Split Squats with 100lbs across my chest.

It's time for some variety. So I'm taking it outside and going back to doing strictly KBs, bodyweight and some sandbag work and tire flipping for fun.

Here's what I did today...

1a) TGU 3 x 3/side

1b) Chin-Ups 3 x 10, 10, 10

2a) Renegade Row 2 x 16

2b) Ab Wheel 2 x 15

2c) Rev Ab Curl 2 x 15

3) KB Swings @ 24kg x 100 - 50, 50

4a) Close Grip Push-ups - 20, 10

4b) Towel Curls @ 24kg - 10, 10

After that I meditated for 30mins using my

My food intake today was alright. I had Ezekiel cereal with coconut milk for breakfast with water and an espresso.

Then I had some mixed nuts and dried fruit followed by an apple and more raw walnuts.

Post-workout I had a shake with coconut milk, almond milk, rice protein, blueberries, spinach and a banana.

For dinner I'm making some broccoli coleslaw with sunflower seeds, raisins, bacon & chicken. I'm also pureeing some avocado for Q's dinner so I'll probably use the leftover for some guacamole.

How the heck do I NOT use my upper body?

2010-05-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

Great night last night!

After picking up the rest of the crew, we chilled out in the afternoon and then packed up the van and headed to a double bill at Drive-In Movie Theatre...all 7 of us. It was fun. We saw both the new Shrek movie and the new Iron Man.

The kids ended up falling asleep in the back and we didn't get home until 1am, but it was all worth it because it was one of those nights that you know they'll remember.

It was tough getting up at 5am this morning (yes, I even do it on Sundays), so I hit the snooze button a couple of times and finally made it to my feet. I got some work done early and then went to the gym to train a client.

I also managed to get in a lot of foam rolling and stretching and a mini-workout/ab circuit. The gym that I train at has a "land mine", so I can do one of my favorite ab exercises - a Full Contact Twist - without wrecking the corner of a wall. Here's what went down...

1) Ab Wheel x 15

2) Reverse Ab Curl-Up x 15

3) Full Contact Twist x 15/side

4) Tricep Extensions on the rings x 15

5) DB Bicep Curls x 15

I repeated that circuit 3 times and then went home.

The back is feeling much better, but I still won't really do any upper body lifting until Tuesday.

Chris

I Got A Chiropractor For My Daughter's Birthday

2010-05-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

Today is my #2 daughter, Joey's, 7th birthday.

I spent the morning taking my wife through a workout (she's looking really good and has lost a lot of weight doing only KB & bodyweight exercises - NO CARDIO!!!) and then we took Joey out to her favorite restaurant for breakfast.

Last night, we dropped AJ, Frankie & Mikey off at my parents house to spend the night because Rozanne and I like to spend one-on-one time with each kid on their birthdays.

I also managed to reconnect with a friend of mine on Facebook who also happens to be a chiropractor. Thank goodness for Dr. Waj because I was able to see him in the morning and get my back & neck worked on and my rib popped back in (although I had 3 ribs out on my left side and he could only get 2 back in).

The bad news is that I need a few more treatments and the left side of my back is - and I think this is a medical term - "royally messed up".

No workout for me today on the recommendation of Dr. Waj. My back will be pretty tender for a while so I'm going to lay off the upper body workouts for the next couple of days.

Luckily I'm on a deload week this week, so I'll be lifting really light and will just focus on doing hills and lots of full body abdominal work.

Popped Another One

2010-05-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning and my upper back was really bothering me.

Remember back on Tuesday how I said I popped a rib? Well it feels like another one popped. I really need to find a chiropractor to see over this long weekend (it's Victoria Day weekend here in Canada).

My lower body feels good and I was scheduled for a lower body workout today anyway, so I went down to the gym to finish off week 3 of my 3rd phase of 5-3-1.

Here's what I did...

1) Bulgarian SS w/the bar in the racked position (3 x 5-3-1)
2a) Pistols (3 x 10)
2b) GHR (3 x 12)
3) 2 arm KB Swings x 100 (24kg KB)

The kb swing s at the end of the workout was a bonehead move on my part because now my upper back feels even worse.

I need to find a chiro to pop this rib back in!

Thursday Upper Body Workout

2010-05-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

Upper body workout today. I've been using Jim Wendler's 5-3-1 system that I picked up over at elitefts.com.

After speaking to a few people about the book and reading a few reviews about it, I decided to invest $20 and pick up a copy for myself.

The verdict? It's probably the best $20 that I've spent in a long time. I'm big on simplicity and making the most of my time and this book really forces you to keep things simple and do only the things that work.

If you're looking to increase your strength and are willing to put in some good, hard work. Then I suggest you pick this book up.

So onto my workout...

1) Military Press (3 x 5-3-1+)
2a) 1-arm KB press
2b) DB Row
3) Seated Row (1 set x 40 reps)

My ribs and upper back are still bothering me. It's not like it's painful, it's just an annoying kind of feeling. I'll hit the foam roller hard and do lots of t-spine mobility. Hopefully that will alleviate the pain a little.

An Off Day

2010-05-19T17:54:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in my family room watching my 2 year old do her version of prisoner squat and push-ups. Pretty Cute.

It's the absolute truth that kids do what they see, so hopefully my wife and I are on the right track when we exercise in front of the kids.

No workout for me today. I'm still sore from the cleans, deadlifts and ring pull-ups. I also think I popped a rib on my left side.

Popping a rib is one of those annoying pains that eventually go away. Although I should try to get in to see a chiro tomorrow because I'm scheduled to be back at the gym and doing military presses as my main lift.

Nutrition today was alright...

7am - 3 free range eggs (scrambled) with chives cooked in butter, black coffee, an apple muffin (it's got squash & spelt flour in it - my wife baked them), water & a teaspoon of coconut milk

10am - Walnuts & an apple

Here's where stuff started to get interesting...

I took AJ (my 12 year old) to the dentist to get 4 teeth removed to accomodate her new braces. So, I spent an hour walking around the swanky Yorkville area of Toronto with a 6-month-old strapped to my chest and a 2 year old either in my arms or holding onto my left-ass jean pocket.

****A note to all the single guys out there...Kids are chick magnets. NO JOKE. I got stopped 6 times in less than an hour by women who just wanted to coo at my kids. If you want to pick-up, borrow a niece or nephew and take them out!****

She was hungry and I was famished. She wanted a hotdog and I wanted nothing to do with it. I bought her a hotdog, she ate 1/3 of it. I ate a the rest.

We also found out that my wife needs (another!!!) root canal.

Chris

Coconut Oil, Training & Burritos

2010-05-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

I had a good workout & eating day today.

7am Breakfast - steel but oats, oat bran, cinnamon, coconut milk & dried cranberries

9am - big teaspoon of coconut oil

11am - apple & walnuts

1pm - Training...

1) Cleans 3 x 3 @135, 140 & 145

2) Deadlifts 3 x 5 - 3 - 1

3) Snatch Grip Deadlifts 1 x 20 @ 135

4a) TGUs 2 x 5 @ 24kg

4b) Pull-Ups on the rings (10, 8, 6)

Then I did some "arms". What can I say, it was a slight resurfacing of my inner-meathead.

2:30pm - Barbacoa Burrito from Chipotle (I love this stuff).

My wife, Rozanne, is making dinner tonight, so I'll look forward to having the night off from the kitchen.

I also hit the grocery store and bought some celery, broccoli & red peppers to chop up for the rest of the week.

If you haven't yet, check out Today's Sign that The Apocalypse is Upon Us on my Tumblr blog...

=>FitAndBusyDad's Sign The Apocalypse is Upon Us

Enjoy the rest of your day,

Chris

The Rebirth of The Original Blog

2010-05-17T10:27:00.000-07:00

So I'm going resurrect this blog and call it the home of my daily ramblings. This will be more for me to store my training and nutrition journal and to help direct you to the various places that I post.

My day got royally messed up because of a cancelled dentist appointment for my oldest daughter. Because today was meticulously planned, I had no intention of getting a workout in. Instead, I scheduled my workouts for yesterday (squats) and tomorrow (cleans & deadlifts).

Now, I've got all this time on my hands, so I made it home early, picked up some swiss chard and some navy beans for lunch from the Big Carrot and am eating all of it with some homemade guacamole.

Prior to that, I did manage to get a workout in....

1) Foam rolling, T spine mobility & stretching for hips, hams & pecs.

Then I did an ab circuit....

2a) Ab Wheel x 20

2b) Reverse Ab Curls x 20

2c) Side Plank x 45s/side

and then some Convict Conditioning...

3) Isometric Handstand x 2 minutes

That was it. I think I'm saving myself for deadlifts tomorrow.

Chris

p.s. Make sure to check out my wife's workout over at the KB Blog...

=>Kettlebell Training For Women

Wednesday's Breakfast and Training

2009-07-22T12:51:00.000-07:00

Great day today. Got up at 6am and went through my morning routine.

Then had some breakfast and started writing and working on a few projects that are coming up.

Here's how today's gone down thus far...

7:30am: The NEW Breakfast of Champions (see the video HERE)

10am: 2 homemade buttermilk pancakes w/farm fresh maple syrup (made by my beautiful wife)

12:30: Apple & pecans; 2 double espressos & lots of water

2pm: WORKOUT - Ran hills at Riverdale Park in Toronto (13 reps)

2:45: 500mls coconut water, bowl of berries

4pm: Late Lunch - spinach, red peppers, wax beans, black beans cooked w/tomato, onions & garlic

AJ's got a game tonight, so I'll be with the family for dinner. Not sure if I'll eat anything though b/c the beans filled me up. I may have a shake later on.

CL

Tuesday's Journal

2009-07-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

Got to bed really late last night. My wife was up working on a project, so on those nights, I like to stay up with her and get some stuff done as well. It helped that I didn't have an early client this morning, so I slept in until 7:30am.

Here's my nutrition for the day...

7:45am Breakfast: Ezekiel cinnamon & raisin cereal, banana, cocoa nibs, coconut, pecans & strawberry kefir

11am Early Lunch: Brown rice, (more) lentils & green beans; lots of water & 3 fish oil caps

1pm Snack: apple, more pecans & a double espresso (from Dark Horse Cafe in Toronto)

4pm workout....

started with some joint mobility and upper back stuff then...

1a) Chin-ups (on my door gym) 15, 12, 12
1b) Decline Push-ups (with my feet on a chair) 35, 25, 25

2) 5 minute KB Snatches: Finished with a total of 88 in 5 minutes (then did another 12 to get to 100)

3a) Towel KB Curls 3 x 10
3b) Close grip push-ups 3 x 20, 18, 23

5:30pm Dinner: Black beans cooked with onion, garlic, wax beans, red pepper & spinach; 3 fish oil caps and more water

6pm DESSERT: 1 scoop of President's Choice "Loads of Chocolatey Almond Bark" ice cream

That was a great way to finish off dinner...although I think my stomach will be paying for it in a few hours.

Weekend's Workout and Today's Nutrition and Training

2009-07-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

I ran hills this Friday and then hit the KBs on Saturday for this workout...

Plank: 2mins

Side Plank R:60s L:60s

Hip Bridge: 3mins

Walking KB Press: 16, 16, 20 (w/24kg KBs)

OH Walk Back x 3

Inverted Rows: 12, 15, 15 (using my blast straps attached to the frame of the gate in my backyard)

KB Swings x 100: 50, 50 (w/32kg KB)

That was it. A nice light workout.

Sunday, I focused on just doing some yard work and some demo on the old shed in the backyard. Very unstructured.

Nutrition today...

7am - Breakfast - Green Tea; Bowl of Ezekiel Cereal w/banana, walnuts, cocoa nibs, coconut & kefir and then I downed 3 fish oil caps

11am - Bowl of Lentils cooked in low-sodium chicken broth and then sauteed with onions, garlic, tomatoes & tomato paste.

Then training. Today's workout...

1) KB Push Presses 5 x 5 @ 24kg

2a) KB Front Squats 10, 12, 16 @ 2x16kg KBs

2b) KB Windmill 6, 8, 8 @ 16kg KB
2c) Renegade Rows 16, 20, 20 @ 16kg KB

3) 2-Arm Swings x 100 @ 32kg KB

Post workout: coconut milk, banana, vega supplement

Dinner: chicken breast, steamed green beans & lentils

Baby #5 is a.......

2009-06-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

Check out the video that I just posted to find out the gender of FitAndBusyBABY #5....

=>The FitAndBusyDad BIG Announcement

It's our 9th Wedding Anniversary this weekend, so that my mean that I'll be indulging in some cheesecake.

I'll keep you posted.

Happy Friday!!!!

CL

Wednesday Training & Nutrition

2009-06-25T05:56:00.000-07:00

I packed my trunk this morning with my 40lb rope, a 70lb sandbag, a 24kg kettlebell and my blast straps and now I'm off to Oakville, Ontario (about an hour outside Toronto) for the day to meet with some of my fitness business buddies to go through a crazy outdoor workout and then some business brainstorming.

It should make for a good workout and a great day.

Any chance you get to train (and meet) with a group of like-minded individuals, I suggest you take it. It could make the difference in your obtaining results and acehieving your goals or just staying where you are right now (both in your fitness efforts and your business success).

Yesterday's training day went quite well. I didn't have a lot of time (surprise, surprise), but was still able to get a great workout in. Here's what went down...

1) BB Push Press - worked up to 2 sets of 8 @ 135lbs

2) DB Row - 8 x80, 8 x90, 8 x 100 (my gym doesn't have anything higher than 100lb dumbbells, so it looks like I'll be trying to rep out with the 100s until I get bored)

3a) Close grip chin-up - 4 sets of 6
3b) DB Tricep Ext - 4 sets of 6 @ 35lbs

4) 200 KB swings w/a 36kg kettlebell

Nutrition yesterday was pretty routine as well.

6am - apple, blueberries, peacans, cocoa nibs & 2 cups of green tea

9am (post workout) - 2 sweet potato pancakes w/butter & maple syrup; 1 bowl of Ezekial cereal with 1/2 cup coconut milk & a banana

Then I FASTED until I woke up this morning and had a 3 egg omellette w/mushrooms, onions & peppers and 1/2 an avocado w/salsa. I also had a lot of water and a double espresso.

I'll be sure to film some video of the crazy stuff we're doing for our workout today.

Stay tuned for that, I'll post it for next week.

Have a productive day. I'm off to MASTERMIND now!

Chris
the FitAndBusyDad

California Sandwiches

2009-06-24T05:16:00.000-07:00

OK, so in an effort of full disclosure and transparency, I'm not going to hold back and I'm telling you EVERYTHING that I ate for dinner last night.

No back ground story.

No excuses.

Here's what I ate...

-1 full spicy steak sandwich loaded with tomato sauce, hot peppers, mushrooms & onions on a big a$$ kaiser bun from the famous California Sandwiches in Toronto.

-Then I downed about a cup of chocolate milk (it was Frankie's, she didn't finish it, and I like chocolate milk).

It was delicious.

I ate it absolutely guilt-free without hesitation. It's nice actually having a good relationship with food and to not be stressed about what I eat.

I've seen too many clients (women especially) stress themselves out about eating a rice cake or a piece of FRUIT(!!!!) that it makes them crazy.

The last thing I would want my girls (by that I mean my 4 young daughters) to see how stressed we are about eating. That doesn't really pave the way for a good food-self relationship for them later on.

There's enough concern today with eating disorders and self-image issues, that the last thing I would want is for my kids to see their healthy, fit, lean parents fretting over eating a sandwich.

So, I enjoyed a great family meal (my kids love California Sandwiches) after AJ's game (she lost unfortunately) and then we headed home.

I finished the night off with some carrots & hummus while I tied up a few loose ends.

Up this morning at 6am. I had some blueberries, walnuts, coconut & cocoa nibs for breakfast and am ready to hit the gym early for a quick upper body session.

More nutrition and the workout summary later today.

Enjoy your day!

Chris

E

Tuesday's Eating For Energy

2009-06-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

Up early again this morning (although it was really tough getting out of bed). Tuesday mornings are always hard because there's usually a boat load of stuff I need to do...

-get breakfast ready for myself, Rozanne & the kids
-get lunches ready
-pack my snacks
-get the garbage sorted and out to the curb

I did all the above this morning EXCEPT the garbage (the city workers here in Toronto are on strike, so nobody's collecting garbage right now). Just in time for the summer weather. Now the entire city will smell great.

On a brighter note, I just put a downloadable interview up on my other BLOG with my friend Yuri Elkaim where we really break down plant-based diets. You can download that interview for FREE HERE...

=>FitAndBusyDad Interview with Yuri Elkaim

I've implemented several of Yuri's strategies to get more plants (fruits & veggies) into my diet with great success. I suggest you listen to the interview (you can download it onto your iPod) and see what you can pull out of it.

No workout today. AJ's "5th Grade Graduation" is this afternoon, so my day is cut short. I've done a lot of walking and am on my bike today (it's beautiful outside), so that'll count for my activity.

Here's what I've eaten today so far...

5:30am - Bowl of Ezekial cereal w/1/2 cup organic cocnut milk & a banana

8am - handful of pecans, an apple & green tea

11am - double espresso from Dark Horse Cafe in Toronto & lots of water

I'll be heading home as soon as I finish some studying and then I'll have lunch before we head over to AJ's school for graduation.

Tonight will be challenge because AJ has a game and we always go out afterwards to celebrate (it's also my father-in-law's birthday today). Either way - if I eat crappy or not - I'll let you know.

Have a great day,
Chris

PS Don't forget to check out that interview...

=>FitAndBusyDad Interview with Yuri Elkaim

Monday's Workout & Nutrition

2009-06-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first workout back in the gym after a couple of weeks of bodyweight, kettlebell & sandbag workouts.

I really focused on taking things nice and easy really "re-introducing" my body to squatting again.

Here's what went down...

1) Front Squats - worked up to 3 x 8 @ 135

2) Chin-ups - 5, 5 @ 35lbs, 4 @ 45lbs, 10

3a) Dips - 2 x 12
3b) BB Bicep Curls - 2 x 12 @ 75lbs

Done.

Training time (including warm-up) = 32 minutes

Here's what I ate yesterday...

530am - Organic sprouted grain cereal w/coconut milk & banana; 2 cups green tea

730am - 1 tsp coconut oil

1030am - apple, cashew butter, coconut flakes, cocoa nibs, pecans

1pm - 1 banana, 1 double espresso

330pm - 500mLs coconut water

5pm - carrots & hummus

Tonight, I get a treat because Rozanne's making dinner -
Lasagne from Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook (I think it's got cauliflower & sweet potato in it?). I'll have that w/an arugula salad and 1/2 an avocado.

Practice with AJ's team tonight and then an early bedtime. Up again at 5am tomorrow.

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

17 Exercise Hacks.

2009-06-22T04:43:00.000-07:00

I got up extra early today because I was supposed to take a client earlier than usual. I wake up and the gift of time is given to me because I check my email box, and he's cancelled for the morning.

Sweet. I just gained an hour.

So, at 5am this morning, I make myself a nice breakfast of whole, sprouted grain cereal with coconut milk & a banana and a cup of green tea and I write this article...

=>Exercise Hacks: 17 Ways to Get Results FASTER

I'll have the rest of my nutrition and training information for you later today.

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

Happy Father's Day, Guys

2009-06-19T06:10:00.001-07:00

I got nothing today.

It's been a tiring week full of ups and downs.

Just watch this video...

=>FitAndBusyDad "no-pitch, no-sales, no-gimics" Father's Day Video

Enjoy and relax this weekend.

You deserve it, Pops!

Happy Father's Day!

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

What Do You Guys Want For Father's Day?

2009-06-18T08:23:00.000-07:00

I just posted my "wish list" for Father's Day on my NEW BLOG.

It's nothing huge, and there's nothing out of the ordinary. Hopefully my wife will read it and get some ideas. (Although, somehow I don't think she'll be able to transport the 300lb tractor tire). Check out the list HERE...

=>FitAndBusyDad's Father's Day Wish List

Yesterday went as expected. No workout, just a nice 30 minute walk in downtown Toronto while I was running some errands.

Nutrition-wise, I had an apple, some berries, a banana and a couple of handfuls of walnuts for breakfast.

Lunch was a chick-pea salad that I made in 5 minutes.

I had a snack of carrots and hummus around 4pm .

And then my father-in-law took us out for dinner where I had 3 fish tacos with fresh guacamole and I split a steak with my oldest daughter.

Good stuff. REAL Food. Nothing Better.

Today, I'm experimenting with a new workout. I'll be back on my regular schedule of workouts next week.

Enjoy Your Day!

Chris, the F&BDad

P.S. Apparently there are a lot of wives out there that haven't bought a Father's Day Present for their husbands yet. As a result (and a request) I've extended the FATHER'S DAY PROMO until tomorrow at midnight!

=>Pick up your copies of the EXCLUSIVE BONUSES for the FitAndBusyDad Father's Day promo!!!

Kettlebell Workout for Fat Loss

2009-06-17T05:28:00.000-07:00

Well, things yesterday didn't shape up quite the way I had planned. But truthfully, when does it ever when you've got kids?

<***That's one of the things about being a parent...You can plan and prepare and ready yourself for the day, but nobody knows what kind of pitch you're going to get. It's just a matter of being reactive sometimes and just rolling with the punches. We don't have "help" (re: a nanny) at home (nor do we want one). So when someone's sick, I luckily have some flex in my schedule to stay home with the kids if Rozanne has an important appointment.***>

It turned out that AJ and Joey got bit by some flu bug and as a result, I ended up staying home with them (and Frankie & Mikey who aren't in school yet) while Rozanne went to the ultrasound appointment by herself.

It was nice spending time with the girls. After a few stories in the afternoon, they all ended up taking a nap in my bed...all 4 of them in one bed.

When the baby arrives in November, we're going to need a bigger bed.

While they were napping, I was able to get in "Day 1" of the KB Crusher Program. You can watch a video of Day 1 on my NEW BLOG HERE...

=>The EXCLUSIVE FitAndBusyDad KB Crusher Program: Day 1

Nutrition yesterday was pretty good. I woke up and had an apple & banana with some pecans and washed that down with a really good Organic Jasmine Green Tea that I got from the Tea Emporium here in Toronto. Then I made myself and Frankie a veggie omelette and took some fish oil caps with it.

For Lunch (and after my workout) I had some of the left over spaghetti from the night before.

And then for dinner I had one of those Organic Grass Fed burgers from the Burger Shoppe on Queen East here in Toronto.

Today, I think I'll take it easy. I'll probably go for a walk with the family later on in the day and maybe do some work on the deck when I get home.

Enjoy your day!

Chris, The F&BD

P.S. Today's the LAST DAY for the Great Father's Day Giveaway Promo on FitAndBusyDad.com. Make sure to grab your 3 Bonuses before they go back in the vault at midnight tonight!

=>Grab the FitAndBusyDad Father's Day Giveaway EXCLUSIVE Bonus Package!!!

Monday Training & Episode 2 of My Home Gym DIY

2009-06-16T04:38:00.000-07:00

Training went well yesterday. I'm in the process of revamping what I'm doing for training these days so I'm messing around with a bunch of different things. Yesterday's workout was pretty unstructured. I did it outside (it was beautiful yesterday)...

1a) Sandbag Clean, Squat & Press x 45s x 3 sets
1b) Chin-ups using my blast straps x 3 sets (16, 12 & 12)

2a) Decline Close Grip Push-Ups x 30s x 3 sets (37, 30 & 26)
2b) 100 KB Swings with a 72lb KB (50, 30, 20)

Afterward, we took Frankie to the doctor to get a shot (ouch!) and then I enjoyed a nice lunch of fresh PEI mussels in a really spicy tomato sauce with garlic bread & a salad on the side.

Dinner last night was homemade spaghetti in meat sauce (the beef I used was grass-fed and I loaded the sauce up with red peppers, mushrooms, zucchini & shredded carrots).

We're off to the hospital today for an ultrasound to see the new baby!

The backyard project is going well. Here's how the progress is coming along...

=>My Home Gym DIY Project: Episode #2

Enjoy your day!

CL, The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. Have you picked up your EXCLUSIVE FATHER'S DAY BONUSES yet? Go get'em because they're gone on Wednesday @ midnight!

=>Pick-up the FitAndBusyDad EXCLUSIVE FATHER'S DAY BONUSES

Father's Day Comes Early!!!

2009-06-15T03:55:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weeks have been crazy for me. My workouts have suffered a bit as far as performance and consistency is concerned. It's all because of the various projects that I've been working on.

Nonetheless, my nutrition has been good and I still have been able to get my workouts in.

For example, Saturday afternoon, outside on the new deck I did the BRAND NEW FitAndBusyDad KETTLEBELL 300 workout. This workout combines some of the toughest kettlebell exercises in a high-rep timed workout format similar to the original 300 workout. I did...

-Turkish Get-Ups (or TGUs)
-Front Squats
-Snatches
-1 and 2-arm swings
-Windmills

It was pretty tough and I wanted to quit...but I didn't.

And it felt great!!!

You can get the KB 300, in addition to 7 other new FitAndBusyDad Workouts, in the new FitAndBusyDad 300 (& Beyond) workout manual that I released today.

From now until Wednesday at midnight I'm offering the FBD 300, the new Kettlebell Crusher workout and the much anticipated FitAndBusyDad Meal Plans Book for FREE when you get the complete FitAndBusyDad Workout Package!

=>Pick-up the FitAndBusyDad Father's Day Package with the 3 EXCLUSIVE BONUSES!!!

So now it's back to regular workouts trying in an effort in trying to add some meat to my frame.

I'll let you know tomorrow how I do with it all. It should be an interesting week!

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. Don't forget that my EARLY FATHER'S DAY PRESENT giveaway ends on Wednesday at midnight, so...

=>Grab your copy of the FitAndBusyDad Workouts today!!!

Video Friday!!! My DIY Project - I'm Building a Home Gym

2009-06-12T05:10:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting at Darkhorse Espresso this morning enjoying my first (and only) espresso of the day.

It's been a hectic week because I've had several projects on the go and one major one is just coming to completion.

As a result, I haven't been able to get to the gym. Nonetheless, I still managed to get my workouts in yesterday and on Tuesday using kettlebells and the cool sandbag that my buddy Josh Henkin from Arizona gave me. (I'll have a video up of what I did with the sandbag next week).

Nutrition has been great as well. Because I've been working so much, Rozanne (my wife) offered to make "breakfast for dinner" last night. So we enjoyed a feast of pancakes, blueberries & farmer's sausages and pure maple syrup from our friend's farm! It can't get any better than that!

Anyway, one of my major projects has been turning my backyard into a livable and functional space for our family. Check out my NEW BLOG and see what I'm doing with my backyard...

=>The FitAndBusyDad DIY Backyard Home Gym Project: Episode 1

Have a great weekend, guys!!!

Make sure to check back on Monday for an early Father's Day Gift!!!

Chris

23 Rules for Living a FitAndBusyDad Life

2009-06-08T04:41:00.000-07:00

We just finished another crazy weekend. AJ had a soccer tournament. We took the kids out on Saturday night to watch fireworks. Frankie had a huge birthday party yesterday.

Family life is fun...but it's tiring! My weekends seem to be busier than my work week!

Over the past 11 years, I've noticed some things. Observations, if you will. Things that I have had to learn the hard way, but eventually have led to a somewhat successful life. (Keep in mind that success is defined differently for different people. My definition of success is a little unconventional).

Over this time, I've compiled a list of 23 things that are now almost a manifesto on how I live my life. I haven't mastered life by any means. But these 23 "rules" are what have lead to me living a happy, healthy and somewhat sane life as a FitAndBusyDad to a beautiful family.

I'd like to share these things with you now...

23 Rules for Living a FitAndBusyDad Life

1. Train with intensity and don't waste your time with cardio if you want to lose weight and stay healthy.

2. Eat REAL food.

3. Your family comes first. Not money, not work, not unnecessary things.

4. Years 1 thru 5 are the MOST IMPORTANT in your child's life (developmentally). Make an effort to be there as much as you can and to build their self-esteem and character. These years will determine who they are as a person.

5. Always continue to learn and enrich your mind with good books, continuing education courses and seminars...try to spend at least 30mins per day reading (you should always try to have the answers to questions your kids will ask you).

6. Practice short term intermittent fasting...it is, by far, the best way for FitAndBusyDads to eat.

7. Make time for personal relationships - especially the relationship with your wife/spouse/partner. It's too easy to get caught up with family life/commitments...you'll need these relationships as life goes on and the kids get older.

8. Drink only water and organic tea & espresso limiting or eliminating unnaturally sweetened and preserved drinks & juices and alcohol consumption.

9. Eat the majority of your food from plants, but don't give up meat entirely if you don't have to.

10. Read to your kids so that they can learn to enjoy the benefits of reading.

11. Make sure your kids bare witness to you being active, they in turn, will be active themselves.

12. Master bodyweight exercises (chin-ups, push-ups, dips, pistols, lunges & squats) before picking up weights. Teach your kids these exercises too.

13. Master some form of deep breathing/mediation or stress relieving exercise that you can turn to when things start to get hectic...trust me, you'll need it.

14. Be conscious of everything you do because someone is always watching.

15. You are a role model to your kids, empower them and build their confidence through encouraging words and actions.

16. Walk everywhere or ride a bike for transportation. Conserve energy as much as possible.

17. Give your kids more time and less "things".

18. Train outside when you can and as often as you can.

19. Lift heavy things and get stronger. You want your kids to think you're Hercules or Superman.

20. Enjoy what you do for a living. If you're passionate about work and love what you do, the money will come.

21. Train when you are in the fasted state (don't eat 2-3 hours before training). There's something primal and intense about lifting/training when you're hungry.

22. Don't drink or eat anything from plastic containers. There's too much research out there on the dangers of this.

23. Smile more...it's old school thinking that smiling isn't "manly". This is the New School.

So what do you think? Did I miss anything?

Or even worse, did I completely get anything a**-backwards?

I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions and hear what some of your "rules for life" are!

Please leave a comment and let me know.

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. The SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT for today was the supposed to be the launch of my new blog over at FitAndBusyDadBLOG.com . I'm having some technical difficulties right now, but would love for you to check it out and let me know what you think.
=> Go To The NEW FitAndBusyDad Blog - www.FitAndBusyDadBLOG.com

Monday Deadlift Workout & Nutrition

2009-06-08T04:30:00.000-07:00

***My NEW BLOG is now up and running at FitAndBusyDadBLOG.com. Please excuse the mess as it will be a constant work in progress. I'll be posting articles and videos there quite often, so please check it out HERE. I'll still be posting on this blog, but it will be more of my everyday stuff - mainly workouts & nutrition - just so I can stay accountable to you guys. So, make sure to bookmark both so that you get the most out of your FitAndBusyDad Experience***

I just got back from the gym and am about to break my 24hr fast.

I like fasting on my deadlift days because I always seem to be able to go heavier on no food. Huh?

Hey, I'm no rocket scientist so I won't bother explaining why. It just works, so I do it.

Nothing, obviously, to report on the nutrition front today other than a cup of green tea in the morning around 5:30am while I was sitting on the porch writing an article. And then a double espresso @ 2pm from my favorite cafe Dark Horse Espresso Bar on Queen East here in Toronto.

After that, I hit the gym for this workout...

Hang Clean - 5 @ 135; 5 @ 155
High Pull - 7 @ 165; 7 @ 175
Shrug Pull - 7 @ 225; 7 @ 245
Deadlift (mixed grip) - 5 @ 315 x 2
135lb Deadlifts - 1 x 25

Then I finished with some facepulls and some dips for fun...just 2 sets each with no rest in between.

I'm home now and just made myself a shake...

-1 cup organic coconut milk
-1 cup blueberries
-1 banana
-1 tsp maca powder
-1 tsp cocoa nibs
-1 scoop Vega vegetable protein
-water

Now I'm going to hit the road to pick-up Rozanne and the girls and then I'll take AJ to soccer practice. Maybe grab some gelato with her afterward. I'm packing some carrots & hummus for the drive.

CL
the F&BD

Day 4 Video And My Futrue Hollywood Star

2009-06-05T05:01:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting at the car dealership this morning waiting for service to get done on my car.

It's been a fun morning. (Literally. I'm not being sarcastic this time.)

I got up at the usual 5am this morning to get some project work done. As I was finishing my first article of the morning, I hear the pitter-patter of feet running to the bathroom, giggling and then running back to her room. Then, tiptoeing in stealth, ninja-like fashion, I hear someone slowly creep down the stairs.

"It's my birthday today", she whispers.

"Are you sure", I say.

"Yes. I counted my sleeps and the sun is up and now it's morning, so today is my birthday. I'm 4 now, so you have to do everything I say today!"

So today is Frankie's (my #3 daughter) 4th birthday.

We affectionately call her "Sparkles" or "Frankie Goes To Hollywood" or "Frankie From NYC" or, her latest nickname "The Meal Ticket".

See, this kid's different. My oldest, AJ, seems to be the jock. My 2nd daughter Joey is somewhat shy, but is an intellectual marvel. Mikey, the baby, we can't quite figure out yet. But Frankie... well let's just say that she memorized the lyrics and dance moves to "Boom, Boom, POW" by the Black Eyed Peas 2 days after the song was released.

(****As an aside: I don't label my kids or pigeon hole them into certain roles in our family. My wife and I just believe in driving them towards their strengths and what they're comfortable with at any given point in time in their lives. AJ's shown a propensity to sport, Joey is picking up a 2nd language right now like she putting her socks on and well, Frankie...Frankie believes that they will re-do the movie High School Musical and cast her as "Gabriella". That just the way we roll in our house.)

Happy Birthday, Frankie!!!!

Here's the last installment of June's program for Busy Dads...

Have a great weekend and make sure you check back on Monday for a special announcement!

Chris, The FitandBusyDad

Day 3 Video of The Fat Loss Stimulus Package

2009-06-04T05:59:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys, short post today. Frankie's got a bladder infection, so we're off to the doctor this morning. In the meantime, enjoy today's workout. This is Day 3 of our 4 day program.

I'll have the full program layout and the last video of the program tomorrow.

Have a great day!

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

No More Back Pain, Better abs & a Perfect Golf Swing

2009-06-03T03:29:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, I added an exercise to every client's warm-up that I thought was incredibly essential for their success. It was called "the Scorpion". What it involved was having my client lay on his/her front, extend one leg in the air (while they were squeezing their butt) and then rotate their leg across their body to touch the floor on the opposite side.

I thought this was cutting edge. I thought I was doing stuff that nobody else was doing and that it could have been the missing link in getting my clients mobile, injury free and free of back pain.

Boy, was I wrong.

In fact, after reading Dr. Stuart McGill's "Ultimate Back Fitness And Performance" and attending one of his seminars, I realized that what I was doing was not only wrong, but dangerous. Needless to say that I changed things right away.

What I learned is that the vertibrae & discs in your lumbar spine (your lower back) are only meant to take 2-3 degrees of rotation. More than that is excessive, creates sheer force and could potentially harm your lower back later on in life.

OK, so what does this all mean?

It means that...

-We need to focus more on bracing our abs and keeping our lower back as stable and rotation free as possible.

-We should be using our abs the way they were meant to be used - for stability and as ANTI-rotators - not as a means to bring our chest to our hips (as in a crunch or sit-up).

-We should be focusing more on rotating through our UPPER BACK and HIPS as opposed to our fragile lower backs.

-And that a poorly executed golf swing is a chiropractor's and orthopedic surgeon's wet dream
(See above: Felxion & Rotation is a recipe for disaster. Stick to gambling & basketball, Charles.)

The solution?

First, do ab exercises like planks, side planks, and hip bridges to keep our abs strong and stable.

Second, work on the mobility in our hips.

Third, focus on keeping our upper backs - and the muscles surrounding and supporting them - knot free and mobile so that our lower backs don't make up for it.

Here are a couple of exercises that you can do to keep your upper back loose and mobile...

This one uses a foam roller and is great for posture...

This one teaches you how to rotate through your upper back while keep your lower back stable...

If you do anything to keep your low back healthy, make sure to let me and everyone else know and leave a comment below.

Enjoy your day!

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. You can get rid of your low back pain, get ripped abs and get a better golf swing all with one program...

=>Get Started with FitAndBusyDad Workouts Today

June 2009 Workout - Day 2

2009-06-02T05:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a dreary past few days here in Toronto. It's been cold and rainy...feels more like fall than it does spring.

Nonetheless, it's June and we've only got 31 days left until the July long weekend (Canada Day for my fellow Canadians, 4th of July for our American friends).

I'm putting together a full month's worth of FitAndBusyDad Workouts for you guys to do and get yourself in gear over the next 4 weeks (that's 4 workouts per week for 4 weeks...not 30 days of new workouts, sorry!). If you missed yesterday's workout, you can find it HERE.

=> FitAndBusyDad June Fat Loss Stimulus Package - Day 1

Have you written your GOALS down yet? Have you made 3 copies and put one copy each on your fridge, your dashboard and in your wallet?

If not, why not? Make sure you do it today!

Today, we've got a bodyweight based workout that will get your heart rate up and get your blood pumping. It's the perfect compliment to yesterday's strength/resistance based workout.

The beauty of bodyweight training is that it can be done ANYWHERE. At the park, in your basement, in the living room, at the office. All you need is an 8 x 8 area and the drive to work hard and get it done.

Our workout schedule for this week looks like this...

Monday - Strength Workout 1
Tuesday (today) - Bodyweight Workout 1 (see below)
Wednesday - optional foam rolling/mobility or DAY OFF
Thursday - Strength Workout 2
Friday - Bodyweight Workout 2
Saturday/Sunday - Active Family Lifestyle Days!!!

I filmed today's workout in the park with Joey (she's on the swing in the background) and AJ (she's holding the camera). I love doing anything active or exercise related and having my kids around to watch or to participate. I think that is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing to having an active family lifestyle - having your kids witness you and your healthy and active habits. Kids learn more through example than they do through verbal instruction.

Here's today's bodyweight circuit...

Enjoy your day and workout!

Chris
FitAndBusyDad

Today's The Day

2009-06-01T04:17:00.000-07:00

It's Monday, June 1st 2009.

It's the first day of a new month and it's a Monday. The weather is better, the days are longer and with the new season, you feel a refreshed and ready to go.

There's about 4 weeks until the July long weekend (the "official" start of summer, in my opinion, if you live on the East Coast).

So why not set your sights on that weekend, take the next 4-5 weeks to work your tail-off, and get in great shape - lose some fat, put some muscle on, get your strength up and just feel better and more energetic overall!!!

Here's your SIMPLE 4-Step Action Plan...
1. Write your goals down. Pick 2 or 3 REALISTIC and SPECIFIC goals that you'd like to achieve over the next 4 weeks, write them down and make 3 copies...

-stick one copy on your refrigerator door
-stick the second copy on the dashboard of your car
-put the final copy in your wallet

Your goals could be anything from...

"Over the next 4 weeks I will exercise and/or be active every day" to

"I will lose 2 inches off my belly" to

"I will spend at least 1 hour of devoted time with my son everyday"

It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it's specific and it's something that you feel passionate about and motivated to accomplish.

Review these goals daily, if not more. Come back to them as often as you can to keep you focused with your eye on the prize.
2. Tell somebody about what you're doing and why you're doing it. Tell your wife, your boss, your best friend or tell US. You need a support system to hold you accountable and to help you get through those times that you don't want to do things even though you KNOW you should.

Having that support system will pull you through.
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP.

If you need to turn to a group of like-minded individuals, sign-up for the FitAndBusyDad Community. We're just a bunch of busy dads, just like you, who focus on staying in shape, living healthy and being there for our families.

=>Sign-Up for The FitAndBusyDad Community

3. Get your nutrition in check. When you get home from work tonight, go through the pantry and the fridge/freezer and get all the indulgent crap out of your face. Fine, if you want to give the kids a treat now and then.

But if it were me, I'd just throw it all out. Teach your family how to eat well too.

Ice cream, chips, cookies, crackers, gummy bears, rice cakes (yes, even rice cakes)...get rid of it. These types of foods WILL NOT help you achieve your goals over the next 4 weeks.

Instead, you'll be focusing on eating a lot of fresh fruits & vegetables, lean protein (chicken, fish & some red meat) and healthy fats (like nuts, avocados, seeds, olive & coconut oil).

Try to buy whatever's fresh and in-season. Peppers & asparagus are great this time of year. Strawberries & blueberries are good, and if you really want a treat, grab some mangoes from the supermarket. They are ridiculously sweet this season!

Over the next 4-weeks (and hopefully the rest of your life), you'll be focusing on eating REAL FOOD. Nothing packaged, no GMOs, nothing processed or unnatural. Eat foods the way Mother Nature intended and you will lose weight and be healthier.

Guaranteed.

4. Do this workout. It will take you about 21-minutes. If you like it, come back tomorrow and I'll give you one to do for tomorrow (Tuesday)...

Helping you get your best phsyique this summer!

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. Want more workouts like these? Check out the entire FitAndBusyDad System

=>Get Started with FitAndBusyDad workouts today

Living With The Essential: A FitAndBusyDad Interview with Author, Blogger and Father of 6, Leo Babauta

2009-05-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

I've been reading ZenHabits.net for over a year now and I get great and RELEVANT information each and every time I read a new post.

So, when Leo Babauta came out with a book, The Power of Less, earlier this year, I was there the Tuesday it came out to pick-up a copy. Since then, I've bought copies for several of my family and friends.

I've been using it as my guide for 2009 to SIMPLIFY my life and to teach me how to FOCUS ON JUST THE ESSENTIAL.

Check out this review that I did for the book, and then make sure to download the NEW interview that I did with Leo where we apply THE POWER OF LESS to living as a FitAndBusyDad (it's FR*EE)....

Download the FitAndBusyDad Interview with Leo Babauta HERE...

=>FitAndBusyDad Interview with Leo Babauta

Enjoy your day!

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

How to get 6-Pack-Abs....That Actually Work

2009-05-11T04:20:00.000-07:00

The gym that I train at here in Toronto doesn't have any foam rollers. So, prior to my squat and deadlift workouts, I have to head over to the "abs & stretching" area of the gym to use a medicine ball to knead out my glutes & IT bands.

Without fail, every time I get to the open floor area, I've got to step over or around some poor trainee trying to chase his abs by doing crunches (or even worse, sit-ups) until he "feels the burn" - what is this, 1983?

If only he knew that there was a better way to get those six-pack-abs and burn fat that is actually safer, less boring and more effective.

I wish I could have told him to use big, bang-for-your-buck exercises like squats, deads, lunges, chins, rows & dips that require more abdominal work than your average crunch or sit-up.

I wish I could have told him that his 6-pack will come a lot faster if he were to limit his sugar intake and eliminate all junk food and just focus on eating fruits, vegetables, lean protein & healthy fats.

I wish I could have told him to make sure he gets enough rest and manage his stress to reduce the amount of cortisol (a belly fat loving hormone) he produces.

I wish I could have told him all those things, but I made a pact to myself never to give advice to another trainer (yes, he was a trainer that works in the gym that I go to) unless I actually know him or unless he asks....long story short, the last time I "made a suggestion" to another trainer, I almost got my a$ kicked because he thought I was being arrogant.

So, in dedication to all crunch-happy gym-goers who are in search of that "burn", here is a great ab exercise circuit "finisher" that I did on Friday after my squat workout.

It's called a "finisher" because...

1. You should always do your ab exercises at the end of your training session and

2. After you do a few of rounds of this circuit, you will be "finished".

Make sure to give this one a try and let me know how you feel tomorrow! If you do this right, I guarantee you'll be so sore that it'll hurt to cough.

FitAndBusyDad Intermediate Ab Finisher

1a. Ab-Wheel Roll Outs x 15

1b. Lower Ab Reverse Curl x 15

1c. X-body Climbers x 20 total

Repeat the above circuit 3 times with NO REST between exercises, then finish with...

2. 100 x KB or Dumbbell Swings (Complete the swings in as minimal sets as possible resting 45s between sets...remember to brace your abs HARD on these)

This circuit should take you about 6-8 minutes to finish and uses so many muscles that it could be considered a workout by itself!

Tack this onto the end of one of your FitAndBusyDad workouts and you'll be shedding the fat and getting 6-pack-abs that work in no time.

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. Stop wasting your time with useless crunches and sit-ups. Stop buying $50 ab-gadgets. Stop looking for the magic bullet. Work hard, train hard, eat REAL FOOD - and use FitAndBusyDad Workouts!

=>Get started with the FitAndBusyDad Lifestyle

Video Friday: 2 LAST MINUTE Mother's Day Gift Ideas

2009-05-08T04:30:00.000-07:00

By this point, I hope you know NOT to buy your wife a vacuum cleaner for Mother's Day, right?

You do know that Mother's Day is this weekend, don't you?

Forget the nice clothes, the pearl necklaces and the household appliances. I took a survey of all my Twitter Followers, all my Facebook Friends and all the folks that subscribe to my Newsletter and asked them what "the absolute best" Mother's Day present they have ever given or gotten was.

Surprise, surprise...most moms don't want the fancy things.

The 2 most popular answers will cost you little to NO MONEY AT ALL!!!

Just watch the video, and then head back to WalMart and return the frying pan set, will ya.

I hope you kept the receipt!

Happy Mother's Day!

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

Injury Management for Busy Dads: How to Make Yourself UNBREAKABLE- An Interview with Physical Therapist, Keith Scott

2009-05-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you guys, but as a result of years and years of competitive sports, I've got some nagging ailments that have really annoyed me over the past 5-7 years.

My right shoulder is incredibly volatile from about 15 years of playing indoor and beach volleyball and being a baseball pitcher (with a wicked fastball, I might add...although my mound dominance ended when I was about 14:-).

My left knee has a tendency to get a little sore every now and then because of some degeneration due my obsession with being able to dunk a basketball...that obsession still continues today (in highschool I dunked once in a game and several times in practice...I haven't dunked a basketball in the past 11 years).

And just recently, since I've been dabbling a little on the "interwebs", my upper and lower back haven't been feeling as strong...probably from sitting at my computer for hours on end.

Sound familiar? I know it does. Nagging injuries are something that plague us as busy dads.

Before I really started to educate myself on how to alleviate (and then prevent) my nagging injuries, I used to just "LIVE WITH THE PAIN" thinking that it was just a part of life and of getting older.

All of that changed when I met Keith Scott, a physical therapist from New Jersey, at conference a while back. Keith convinced me to pick-up a foam roller and taught me how to incorporate soft tissue, mobility and injury prevention techniques INTO MY CURRENT LIFESTYLE AND TRAINING PROGRAM.

Since then, I've managed to stay (relatively) injury and pain free and in the instances that I do start to "feel" anything, I know exactly what to do.

It was a no-brainer, then, for me to interview the man, Keith Scott, himself and get him to divulge some of the secrets he gave me that's allowed me to be a FitAndBusy - and Injury Free - Dad for the past few years.

Read on and learn how to be UNBREAKABLE...

CL: Keith, having chronic or nagging PAIN (as in low back, neck, hip, shoulder, knee, etc) is so common today that people think it is normal. Why is this such a dangerous way of thinking?

KS: First of all, people have to stop playing the “victim”, where they think they’re supposed to have pain and that it is just a “normal part of life.” Once you give in to that kind of thinking, you lose the ability to do the things you want to do, because you are a prisoner of your body.

Having pain is a normal thing when you have physical issues; however living with it is not.

When people “give up” and just figure they have to deal with it or ignore it, more problems are sure to begin. For example, if you hurt your lower back, and just think “well, I am getting older, this is just part of getting old” you will automatically stop doing anything that causes low back pain, or might cause low back pain. I see dads do this all of the time. They can’t play with their kids, they have to stop working out, and they just wind up living on the couch. Pretty soon, they lose important strength, lose their mobility everywhere, sustain other injuries and the cycle continues. In no time at all, they just feel “old!”

Most dads just want to be healthy, look decent and take care of their families. You can’t do that unless you are physically healthy. I work with dads that come to me just because they want to be able to play with their kids, work in the yard and look good too. Their knees, low back, shoulders, etc… are hurting them so badly, they had to give up on doing all of those things. There is no need for that, and no need to think that way. Within a month of working with my UNBREAKABLE system, they get their lives back and can start doing all of the things that are important to them.

CL: OK, so one of the obvious symptoms of being injured is PAIN. What is pain really? And why is popping pills for pain not a viable solution to the problem?

KS: Pain, simply put, is just your body’s way of telling you that you’ve got a problem. It's a signal that is put into place so you don’t do anything to mess yourself up more. The important thing to remember is that pain is also the body’s way of letting you know that you need to do something to correct this issue. Some people tend to skip that part. They feel pain, and just stop doing things and never address the problem.

The solution for a lot of people out there is to just pop some over-the-counter medication until the pain goes away. There are many problems with doing this, but the biggest problem is that taking pain medication is only treating the symptoms, and doing nothing about the problem. Even if they do take away some of the pain, the problem(s) is still there and will eventually come back…usually worse.

The other problem with using pain meds all of the time is that it will start to mess up your stomach and cause other side effects that are very serious. Not something anyone wants or needs. Finally, I have witnessed many people use so much pain medication that it totally masks the pain to the point where the person injures him or herself even more because they could not feel anything. Remember, pain is there for a reason. Without it we would be hurt all of the time. You have to address the issues.

=>Click HERE to become pain-free and UNBREAKABLE

CL: One of the biggest things that plagues us is having bad posture. Why do you think that is and what can we be aware of/fix in our everyday lives to help us stand/sit more erect and alleviate the strain that bad posture has on our bodies?

KS: I think the biggest reasons are sitting so much. Dads tend to sit at work all day, come home and then sit some more. Go to bed and repeat. The low back and hips get tight, the shoulders get rounded, and those things pull the body into really bad posture. Having bad posture is a marker for a lot of pain and problems.

A big way to correct some of these issues is just to get up from your desk every 20 minutes and stretch. It doesn’t have to be long either. Just a quick break to stretch out the back, hips and shoulders, and that can prevent a lot of the stiffness and tightening that occurs. The other thing that dads can do is to make sure they are aware of their postural problems in the first place. You would be surprised at how many dads out there think they have NO issues with their posture, until you do an assessment on them and show them just how bad it is.

Until you become aware of it, you cant fix it. That is the biggest step. I have fixed a couple of postural things in some dads and in a matter of minutes pain started to disappear.

It is really that simple sometimes.

CL: OK, last question. A lot of guys, when they think about "injury prevention" work, they think that they have to put everything else (ie. their muscle-building and/or fat loss goals) on hold. Is there any truth to that? Can you prevent injuries and still go hard with your goals without suffering any set backs in either?

KS: Absolutely! That is the whole point of my UNBREAKABLE system. Too many people separate the rehabilitative side of things with their regular fitness programs. I don’t know too many people that never have pain or physical problems. So when they do, most people stop their program completely until the pain goes away and then resume in a few weeks, only to have the same issues again. Why? Because they never really solved the problems in the first place.

Its important to understand that you can continue to train AND work on your physical issues at the same time. Actually, this is the best way to go about things as long as you do it the right way.

Lets say you have a shoulder issue. Why should you have to stop training completely just because one joint in your body is injured? You shouldn’t...and it really doesn’t make sense to do that. However, this is exactly what most people do. My system is set up so you can address the shoulder problem AND continue to workout, around your problem. That way you are still burning fat, still building muscle and you are taking care of your issues at the same time.

I spent 15 years dealing with athletes and their injuries. Athletes don’t have the luxury of taking a lot of time off…the season is only so long. It was my job to find a way to get them back in the game as fast as possible, while keeping them strong and fit. I was able to do that by combining a sports medicine approach with a conditioning approach. They were training while rehabbing. There is no reason that “non-athletes” cant do the same.

CL: Awesome info, Keith. Man, I'm glad I sat beside you during that conference! I think I learned more chatting with you than I did during the actual presentation that we were there for!

Chris Lopez
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. If you're looking to 1. Take care of those nagging injuries that keep on flaring up on you and 2. Stay on track with your Fat Loss Goals, then using Keith's "plug and play" UNBREAKABLE system in conjunction with your FitAndBusyDad Workouts is probably the best and safest way to stay healthy and get lean for the summer.

=>Become an UNBREAKABLE DAD!!!

Friday Video: What're You Making For Dinner Tonight?

2009-05-01T03:33:00.000-07:00

Since it's Friday and we've probably all had enough of reading long-winded posts and are maybe suffering from a bit of information overload, I've decided to post my "Simple Salmon" recipe video.

"Simple" because you need 4 ingredients - salmon, olive oil, salt & pepper.

Remember, the key to eating well and enjoying it is to get GREAT QUALITY food (if you're making this tonight, pick-up either SASHIMI GRADE or WILD CAUGHT salmon.

If you're food is of really good quality, then you don't have to overwhelm it with added flavors or sauces, etc. It'll be delicious on its own with just the basics.

Happy Friday. Have a great weekend!

CL

P.S. Let me know how it turns out!

Do Cheat Meals Really Work?

2009-04-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

My stomach is turning. Not because I'm nervous or anxious or anything like that...although, I have every reason to be freaking out.

No, my stomach is literally turning, because I had a cheat meal last night - Penne a la Vodka from a small Ma & Pa Italian eatery around the corner. They use really fresh ingredients - flavorful olive oil, ripe red tomatoes and fresh cream...YES, CREAM.

Big deal right? Well for me, yes it is a big deal. I'm lactose intolerant (so if you see me on the street today, it's best not to come within a 5ft radius...if you know what I'm sayin').

Anyway, back to my point...As far as cheat meals are concerned when it comes to getting a strong and lean body, I think they're very necessary.

There are physiological benefits to cheat/REWARD meals (which I'll get to in a second), but for me, it's all MENTAL. It's a HUGE mental strain for anybody to be dieting and cutting your calories for long periods of time (even the most pleasant of folks can get a little cranky on 12-weeks of calorie restriction). So allowing a cheat meal of some food that I enjoy once per week really allows me to mentally reset my efforts in staying clean with my diet. (And by clean, I mean fresh fruits & veggies, healthy fats, lean protein and minimal, if any, grains, dairy & crap food products).

Mind you after years & years of eating healthy fresh food - I was telling AJ this yesterday - my body can really tell when I'm eating crap by giving me really bad stomach pains and indigestion.

So even on my cheat meals, I still eat relatively well opting for a grass-fed beef burger & some fresh cut sweet potato fries from my favorite burger shop (ironically called "The Burger Shoppe"), rather than something from a big chain fast food restaurant.

As far as the physiological benefits go, I received an article from my buddy, Joel Marion, a nutrition expert in New Jersey, explaining the physiological benefits of cheat meals. Please take a few minutes to read on and listen to what Joel has to say about the benefits of cheat meals and how they affect your hormones...

*********************
The Most Important Hormone You Never Heard Of By Joel Marion, CISSN, NSCA-CPT
LEPTI-WHA??

It’s name is Leptin (derived from the Greek word leptos, meaning “thin”), and it’s without a doubt the most important hormone you probably never heard of.

You see, leptin was only first discovered just over 10 years ago, and as far as weight loss is concerned, that’s extremely recent.

Leptin’s function? To communicate your nutritional status to your body and brain.
Leptin levels are mediated by two things. One is your level of body fat. All else being equal, people with higher levels of body fat will have higher leptin levels than those with lower levels of body fat and vice versa.

Because leptin is secreted by fat cells, it makes sense that under normal conditions there is a direct correlation between leptin levels and the amount of fat you are carrying.

Unfortunately, when you’re attempting to lose fat and begin to restrict calories, conditions are anything but “normal” and the body responds accordingly by lowering leptin levels.

This is because the second mediator of blood leptin levels is your calorie intake. Lower your calorie intake and leptin will fall, independent of body fat.

So, yes, you can be overweight and still suffer from low leptin levels – just go on a diet.

So what happens when leptin levels fall and why the heck does it matter?

Again, under normal conditions leptin levels are normal and the brain gets the signal loud and clear that nutrition intake is adequate. Metabolism is high and the internal environment of the body is one very conducive to fat burning.

Until you start dieting.

Go on a diet and leptin levels quickly plummet (by 50% or more after only one week), sending a signal to the body that you’re semi-starved and not consuming enough calories.

This puts the breaks on metabolism and creates a hormonal environment extremely conducive to fat storage. Thyroid hormones (hormones extremely important to metabolism) respond by taking a dive and the abdominal fat-storing stress hormone cortisol skyrockets measurably.

HELLO belly fat.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, the appetite stimulating hormones ghrelin, neuropeptide-Y, and anandamide all hop on board to make your life even more miserable.

You don’t have to remember any of those names, just remember that when leptin drops, you get seriously hungry.

Despite having a pretty good reason for its reaction, it’s pretty ironic that our bodies are primed for fat loss at every other time except when we are trying to burn fat.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could maintain high leptin levels and a body primed for fat burning while dieting? It would seemingly solve all of our problems.

But in order to do this, we’d have to somehow keep leptin levels high as we attempt to lose those extra pounds.

“HOW ABOUT “SUPPLEMENTING” WITH LEPTIN?”

A couple of problems here: First, leptin is a protein based hormone, which means that it can not be taken orally (otherwise, it would simply be digested). So that rules out a leptin pill.

This leaves the method of “supplemental” leptin administration to injection. And leptin injections DO indeed work, reversing the metabolic adaptations to dieting and “starvation” even while continuing to restrict calories.

In 1996, Ahima et al. used leptin injections to reverse starvation-induced neuroendrocrine adaptations in mice.

“Well, that’s nice and all, but I’m human.” Point taken; research with rodents doesn’t always correlate to similar findings in humans, however…

In 1999, Heymsfield et al. performed a double-blind placebo controlled study analyzing weight loss over a 24-week period in 73 obese humans. Subjects either injected daily with leptin or a placebo (i.e. bogus alternative). At the end of the 24-week period, the leptin group lost significantly more weight than the placebo and a higher percentage of fat vs. muscle.

In 2002, Rosenbaum et al. administered low-dose leptin to subjects (male and female) who had dieted to a 10% decrease in body weight. During the diet period, thyroid hormone levels, 24-hr energy expenditure, and other metabolic markers substantially decreased. The result of the leptin replacement therapy?

“All of these endocrine changes were reversed…”Thyroid output and daily calorie burn increased back to pre-diet levels.

In 2003, Fogteloo et al. showed that leptin injections “tended to reduce the decline of energy expenditure associated with energy restriction, whereas the tendency of energy intake to increase back to baseline levels in placebo-treated subjects was largely prevented in subjects treated with leptin.”

Yeah, that’s a mouthful. Let me put in simple terms: not only did the leptin group experience less of a decline in metabolism, but they were also less hungry, allowing them to more easily stick to the prescribed diet.

In 2004, Welt et al. reported that leptin given to a group of women with thyroid disorder immediately raised circulating concentrations of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4.

In 2005, Rosenbaum and company were at it again, again showing that energy expenditure and circulating concentrations of T3 and T4 all returned to pre-weight-loss levels with regular leptin injections.

So, as theorized, keeping leptin levels high during a diet does indeed solve our dilemma by avoiding the negative metabolic (and perhaps behavioral) adaptations that calorie restriction perpetuates.

The problem?

Daily leptin injections are far too expensive, costing thousands and thousands of dollars per week. So, we can pretty much forget about supplemental leptin as a solution (which is probably moot anyway considering that not too many people are going to voluntarily plunge a needle into their skin daily).

A REAL Solution

Now that we know that leptin injections aren’t going to save us, let’s talk about the possibility of manipulating your body’s natural leptin production.

And I’ve got good news – this can indeed be done, and without involving needles or thousands of dollars. In fact, we’ll swap the injections and mounds of cash out for two things I can guarantee you’re absolutely going to love: more calories and more carbs.

We know that leptin levels decrease by about 50% after only one week of dieting, but fortunately, it doesn’t take nearly that long for leptin to bump back up with a substantial increase in caloric intake.

In fact, research has shown that it only takes about 12-24 hours.

So, the answer to the fat loss catch-22? Strategic high-calorie, high-carb CHEATING.

By strategically cheating with high calorie foods (and yes, even stuff like pizza, ice cream, wings, cookies, burgers, fries, etc), you can give leptin and metabolism a major boost mid-diet which sets you up for plenty of subsequent fat loss when you resume your reduced calorie eating regimen.

This means greater net fat loss week after week, and ultimately, a much more realistic, maintainable way to bring you to the body you truly want and deserve.

So what’s so special about carbs?

Well, leptin, carbohydrate and insulin have been shown to have very strong ties.

Calories alone don’t get the job done, as research shows that overfeeding on protein and fat has little effect on leptin.

In order to get a strong leptin response from overfeeding, there needs to be plenty of carbs in the mix. In fact, the relationship is SO strong that research conducted by Boden et al. at the Temple University School of Medicine shows that leptin levels will not fall even in response to all-out fasting so long as insulin and blood sugar are maintained via IV drip. That’s CRAZY.

Because of this carbohydrate/insulin-leptin relationship, it makes sense that foods combining both carbs and fat (like pizza, burgers, cookies, ice cream, etc) work best for reversing the negative adaptations caused by dieting because of the BIG-TIME insulin response they produce.

THIS is why strategic cheating with your favorite foods is so powerful. THIS is why you truly can use your favorite foods to lose fat faster than you ever could with restrictive dieting. THIS is freedom.

Essentially, it’s everything “typical” dieting isn’t.

With regular dieting, come week two, you’re screwed.

With strategic cheating, you can literally use ANY food you want to *ensure* that you never go a single day without a body primed for fat loss.

The cheat or not to cheat? I think the choice is clear.
*************************************

To learn more about how to strategically use cheat/reward meals to your advantage and lose weight, you should DEFINITELY check out Joel's Cheat Your Way Thin program.

In fact, it's available for 1/2 price until tonight at midnight!

=>Joel Marion's Cheat Your Way Thin Program

If you haven't used cheat/reward meals yet, you may want to consider it.

Who knows? This could be the game changer in your quest to lose those last 10-15lbs.

-Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

7th Heaven

2009-04-29T04:27:00.000-07:00

People said we were crazy.

They said it couldn't be done.

They said that our house was too small, that we couldn't afford it, that life was already nuts and that we weren't thinking things through.

Great advice from a business coach and mentor immediately came to mind...

"To be successful, find out what the general population is doing right now AND DO THE OPPOSITE".

OK, so we didn't do it to spite people. And as complete as we were already feeling, we still felt like something was missing. We both wanted to be done by 30, but big deal, we'll be 32 and 31 respectively.

Our family mantra has always been: WE'LL FIND A WAY.

And now, we'll have to find a way to fit another little baby into our hearts, lives and mini-van!

Yes, Rozanne & Chris Lopez are expecting #5....

In November, the Lopez Family 6 will be THE LOPEZ FAMILY 7.

That's right, we're expecting our 5th (and FINAL) installment.

Truthfully , I had a vasectomy booked last summer...3 TIMES! And I'm proud to say that I didn't chicken out at all, for any one of those times...

Booking #1: My Dr. cancels last minute because he has to go to Japan to speak at a Urology conference (they actually have those?).

Booking #2: Rozanne ends up with some crazy skin infection that has her in the hospital for 4 days being pumped full of anti-biotics through IV!

Booking #3: The infamous plumbing fiasco in our basement where we got flooded and needed to call in Butt Crack the plumber himself to tear up our basement and reinforce the sewage pipes. Lovely.

So this time around, I'm definitely getting snipped...and have absolutely no issues about it at all!

I'll book it for some time late this summer when the schedules start to die down and I can afford to take a weekend off work and full week off training.

It might make for an interesting/funny video series..."The FitAndBusy-BlankShooting-Dad" or something like that.

Truthfully, after the initial SHOCK of it all, we're really quite excited. Frankie is busy thinking up names for the new addition...I think her last suggestion was "Rainbow Cupboard Espresso Machine Lopez"...I think we'll have to sit on that one for a bit.

Happy Times.

Chris
the FitAndBusyDad

P.S. Maybe it'll even be a boy.

Are You Doing This Yet?

2009-04-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems the post from yesterday struck a bit of a nerve for some folks, huh?

If you have an opinion, make sure to leave a comment after you read yesterday's post HERE.

Now, back to some fat burning advice.

I filmed this video this past Saturday @ about 630am just before Rozanne and I took the kids to Canada's Wonderland for the day.

It was early in the morning so please excuse my 1/2 open eyes and swollen lips...

...And here's a video of the dinner we had the night before!

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. Let me know if there are any other exercise/health/fitness/nutrition videos you'd like me to film! Hit me up at info(at)fitandbusydad(dot)com!!!

PPS You can also do interval training using kettlebells or just your bodyweight! Click HERE to find out how and to get started with FitAndBusyDad workouts!

=>FitAndBusyDad Interval Training For Fat Loss Workouts

The 3 Foods Busy Dads Should Never Eat. EVER.

2009-04-27T02:33:00.000-07:00

I got into a heated discussion with some of my clients after one of my bootcamps last week. The topic of "discussion" was healthy food OR what one perceives to be healthy food.

Big business does a great job of running genius marketing campaigns telling you what you should eat and what you shouldn't eat. As a result, we've relied less on logic and more on commercialism to decide what we put in our bodies.

It makes you wonder if the goal of some of these food companies is to really provide us with the best quality nutrition (probably not) or to just push mass amounts of FOOD PRODUCT on us by telling us we need it so that we can pad the wallets of their share holders (most likely).

The next time I see a commercial that says that some boxed, preservative-laden, high-fructose-corn-syrup cereal has "7 Essential Nutrients" and is "part of a daily healthy diet", I think I'm going to puke!

In saying that, I've outlined below the 3 Foods that us Dads should NEVER, EVER consume. EVER. (Oh yeah, and DON'T feed your kids this stuff either!)

1. Soy. Soy is a phyto-estrogen ("phyto" meaning plant based) and can be found in pretty much EVERYTHING - hot dogs, breakfast cereal, processed cheese, cookies. In ancient Japan, soy was used as fertilizer before big business got a hold of the stuff and started turning it into food products. Now it's found everywhere and, next to coffee, is the most sprayed and chemically treated crop.

The problem with soy is that if consumed excessively, strapping virile men like you and I start to turn ESTROGENIC - both from the natural estrogen from the bean itself and from the reaction that our bodies go through when we consume the food products with all the chemicals it's been treated with.

And when I say ESTROGENIC, I mean Man-Boobs and Belly Fat and a prescription for little blue pills because certain things don't function properly.

Now I don't know about you, but with a wife and 4 daughters there's already enough estrogen in my house and I don't need any more.

Let me make a point here to emphasize that this isn't a knock against vegetarianism. Quite the contrary, I've recently been learning the benefits of consuming a plant-based protein diet and supplementing with animal protein here and there. However, many vegetarians believe that soy is one of the ONLY ways to get protein in their diets. Not true, as there are many legumes, vegetables & nuts that contain adequate amounts of protein for our diet.

Also, there has been some speculation as to HOW MUCH PROTEIN we actually really need...long story short...WE DON'T NEED AS MUCH AS SUPPLEMENT COMPANIES & BODYBUILDING MAGAZINES LEAD US TO BELIEVE (surprise, surprise).

2. Commercially raised meat. If you've been reading my blog, you probably know how and why I feel this way already, so let's look to Dr. Johnny Bowden, Author of "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth", and see what he has to say....

"The hormones in factory-farmed (feedlot) meat can have all sorts of effects on the body, none of them fully understood and almost certainly none of them good. And it's not just the hormones. These miserably treated animals are shot full of antibiotics and fed an unnatural diet of grain, which makes them sick and tilts the balance of their fat towards inflammatory omega-6's."

OK, I understand that with the state of the economy more people than less are struggling financially and when regular meat goes on sale at your local supermarket you probably stock-up because it's cheap. Just remember, it's cheap for a reason.

Cheap meat = cheap (low quality, mass produced) meat.

Cows were meant to graze in a pasture and eat grass, not be cooped up in a barn and fed saw dust and grain fillers to fatten them up. Even beef that claims to be organic usually means that the cows were fed some type of organic grain/feed. When choosing your beef, choose GRASS-FED CATTLE.

Same goes for chicken & their eggs. Chicken were also meant to run around and get some exercise and lay their eggs wherever they darn-well please. When buying chicken or eggs, FREE RANGE is best.

For fish, go for the WILD/CAUGHT variety and not farmed fish that get fed grains and anti-biotics and live in closed tanks no larger than the size of my bathtub with 5000 other fish.

3. NON-organic Coffee. (You know I HAD to have coffee in here somewhere). As mentioned above, coffee is THE MOST COMMERCIALLY PRODUCED SPRAYED CROP in the world. The coffee industry is a booming business and the pressure is on for farmers to produce, produce, produce!!! But at what cost? Our health?

It's reality that 3 out of 5 North Amercians drink coffee daily. So for me to tell you to give up your daily cup of joe wouldn't be very realistic. Heck, I enjoy my daily double espresso more than most people.

My tips?

Try to get your coffee ORGANIC from a specialty shop where the baristas (the cool folks behind the bar who make the drinks) actually CARE about what they do. Have you ever tasted the difference between freshly pulled coffee that comes right from the bean and coffee from the corner store that's been sitting on a burner for 1/2 an hour? You can actually taste hints of caramel or blueberries in finely pulled espresso by people who know what they're doing.

OR

Buy ORGANIC coffee beans yourself and brew your own coffee at home. Everyone is trying to save money these days, so buying a 1/2lb bag of good organic coffee beans and then grinding them and brewing them at home will actually save you about $25-$35 a week if you usually indulge in a Venti-1/2 caf-no foam-2 raw sugar-latte at the local big chain coffee place.

My point to all of this is that we should be demanding better, high-QUALITY, REAL FOOD for ourselves and our families. I'm not saying that we shouldn't indulge here and there and be so anal about what we eat that we end up driving ourselves crazy...BUT, I just think that our primary focus should be on eating REAL FOOD the way Mother Nature intended...no preservative, no pesticides, no anti-biotics, no crap.

CL
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. Are there any foods that you feel strongly about that I should have put on this list? Weigh-in, leave a comment and let me know please!

Who's Got Your Back?

2009-04-20T04:55:00.000-07:00

If you're a busy parent then you can understand the importance of having a great support system.

We have 4 kids. All are relatively low-maintenance in that they enjoy playing with each other, are independent in their own little ways and each is incredibly self-sufficient.

***Case in point...When my 18-month-old, Mikey, is hungry she has now taught herself how to get a bowl (our dishes are in a low cupboard), open the door to the pantry and grab herself a snack of Whole Grain Cheerios. And she is able to do that with minimal collateral damage.***

Back to my point....Sometimes, trying to do everything can really take it out of you and you'll need a break. You'll need to go into the bullpen because your starters are getting banged around or are just on short on fuel from having to pitch on minimal days rest (how's that for a baseball analogy!?!).

If that's the case, then we go to our support system (our bullpen, if you will) - my parents and in-laws.

This weekend, the kids stayed over at my parents house and that gave Rozanne and I time to catch-up on laundry, housework, reading, sleep and R&R. So now today, we feel refreshed, rejuvinated and ready to take on the organized chaos that has become our lives!

So let's apply this support system to your fat loss goals and take a look at its importance.

Who do you have in your bullpen?

Days will (or have) come when you don't feel like getting out of bed 30-minutes earlier to do your workout.

Or when the kids the don't finish their chicken nuggets and you're tempted to not wrap them up for later but to eat them all yourself.

Sure, we're grown adults and we make our own decisions. But it helps us that much more when we're accountable to another person (or people) whose goals are congruent with ours.

Fat loss is easier in a household when both partners are involved in the process. When both you and your wife have each other's back.

Fat loss for dads is a lot easier when you can share your experiences with other dads who also want to lose weight.

So with summer right around the corner, isn't it about time that you took control and made sure all your stars are aligned?

Get your fat loss workouts together and know what you're doing in the gym today.

Plan your meals and snacks for the week so that your better prepared if you get thrown a curve ball.

AND

KNOW who your support system is and don't be afraid to call on them for help if you feel you're getting knocked around too much.

We've got 2 months left until the official FIRST DAY OF SUMMER.

That's more than enough time to get your butt in gear and be confident when you take your shirt off at the beach.

Need help, encouragement and support?

We can be your bullpen....

=>Sign-up for the FR*EE FitAndBusyDad Community on Ning

Chris Lopez
The FitAndBusyDad

p.s. With 2 months left until summer, do you have your workouts all lined-up?

=>Get started with FitAndBusyDad workouts

Lower Body Workout

2009-04-14T09:22:00.001-07:00

I'm going to be doing this weight gaining/muscle building workout until the end of the month and then switch gears and really amp up the fat loss workouts with some fun stuff outside - running hills, pulling a sled, doing some wave training (w/an old tug-of-war rope that my dad used to bring to family picnics), Blast Straps, kettlebells and SANDBAGS!

My buddy from Arizona, Josh Henkin who runs SandBagExercises.com, just sent me one of his famous sandbags. I'm going to Home Depot tomorrow to get it filled and I'm adding to my arsenal of unconventional equipment that I'll be using over the spring and summer to get super lean.

In the meantime, here's what went down with my workout today...

1) Front Squat - (5 @ 175, 5 @ 185, 20 @ 110)

2a) DB Shrug - (12 x 80lbs, 12 x 85lbs)
2b) Pistols (see left) - (12, 13, 10 per leg)

3) 150 KB Swings w/a 72lb Kettlebell

I hope you enjoyed your day.

We're doing homemade pizzas for dinner tonight. I'll have a video for you tomorrow with how they turned out!

Chris Lopez
The FitAndBusyDad

4 Reasons Why You Will NOT Experience a Set-Back If You Ate Too Much This Weekend

2009-04-13T04:46:00.000-07:00

I hope you enjoyed the Easter/Passover Break.

It seemed like the girls, Rozanne and I were everywhere over the past 3 days spending time with family and friends and enjoying the fresh air and sunshine...after all, that's what a long weekend is about isn't it?
(To the right is a picture of my protein-junkie 18-month-old, Mikey, enjoying a hard-boiled egg...don't worry, she had about 6 chocolate eggs after!)

Amidst all the pizza, pasta, ham, dessert and all the little chocolate eggs that I ate, I still managed to get to the gym couple of times and stayed on track with my workouts.

Even though there was a lot of distraction (my in-laws have this knack for breaking out the poker chips at just the right time), I stuck to my schedule and was disciplined enough to cut out from the family stuff for a quick 45 minutes (traveling time included) to get to the local YMCA.

And even though I got kicked off the Smith Machine while I was doing Blast Strap Push-Ups because a trainer wanted their 40-something-out-of-shape-female-client to do some Smith Machine bench presses (!?!?!), I was still able to get a great muscle building workout in...

1a) 3 sets of weighted Chin-Ups
1b) 3 sets of Standing Military Presses

2a) 3 sets of DB Rows
2b) 3 sets of Blast Strap Push-Ups

Holiday eating can really throw you off your stride if you can't quickly get back on the horse. I’ve seen many a client just throw away all their fat loss efforts and completely fall off the wagon because of one indulgent weekend.

But that’s not going to happen to YOU (or to me)…

4 Reasons Why This Past Long Will NOT Set You Back From Your Fat Loss Goals
1. The weather is getting better. It's spring time and that means more family bike rides, hikes, playing in the park and NO STUFFY GYMS that make you feel trapped and clausterphobic. Being outdoors and doing your fat loss workouts outdoors will make you feel vibrant and alive. Your body relishes the Vitamin D that it's been missing over the winter. So get outside, take a kettlebell and and head over to the playground and do some chin-ups with your kids! ***Remember, no kettlebell swings while the little ones are around.
2. You will stick to your plan. The best part about your FitAndBusyDad workouts is that it allows for flexibility. If you miss a workout, it's not that big a deal because you can stack the missed component onto the end of another workout. And with each workout only being 20-minutes of less, you won't be caught in the gym or away from the family for very long at all.

3. Your diet could use the break. Chances are, if you've been eating well for the past few weeks, you're body could be reaching a plateau. Just like how our workouts need to be changed every few weeks to give our body a different stimulus to change, the same holds true for our diets. If you've been eating a lot less than normal lately, then a sudden "re-feed" could be just what your body needs to say, "whoa, what the HE** was that?" and restart your fat loss metabolism! Just make sure to go back to your clean eating ways starting today.

4. Don't sweat the small stuff. Truthfully, if you enjoyed yourself this weekend - spending time with the kids and your friends, family and loved ones - then in the big picture of things, if you ate a little too much this weekend, IS IT REALLY THAT BIG OF A DEAL? The answer of course is NO. We just need to jump back on course and continue with the healthy lifestyle that we've been living and teaching our kids. One long weekend of indulgent eating will not hinder our results if we've committed a lifetime of healthy habits to ourselves and our family. Now, it's just a matter of getting back on track and continuing what we started.

I hope you guys had as enjoyable weekend as I did. I'm off to the farm now (it's my day off) for a children's birthday party. Then it's off to the gym.

Enjoy your day!

Chris Lopez
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. Speaking of indulgent eating, my good friend and fellow author Joel Marion just finished recording some REALLY eye opening videos on the pitfalls of dieting and how you can actually use your favorite foods to lose fat *faster*. I'll be sending you a direct link to check out these powerful videos tomorrow, so make sure to keep a close eye out on your email. Believe me when I say you're definitely NOT going to want to miss these!

The ONE Change I Made In My Workouts To Lose An Inch Around My Belly in 10 Days

2009-04-08T03:14:00.000-07:00

I've been on a muscle-building quest for the past 3 weeks.

I've been recording my workouts and have been getting better and lifting heavier EACH AND EVERY TIME!

It's been great and I feel like I have more energy, I feel better about myself and, from an esthetic standpoint, I look a lot better and I've gained 3lbs.

The biggest surprise is that in 10 days, I've dropped an inch off my waist...without doing ANY cardio at all and not really watching what I eat.

My current muscle building program is based on Jason Ferruggia's Muscle Gaining Secrets Program (with a few tweaks).

The major tweak that I made was to try to be even more efficient and to add a small metabolic element to my workout. Truthfully, I thought the grip-work aspect was boring and didn't want to do wrist curls, so instead, I substituted heavy kettlebell swings.

The truth is, swings with a 72lb kettlebell is really tough on my grip AND it gives me the added metabolic effect that was probably responsible for me losing that inch of fat around my waist.

I finished each lower body workout (either a squat or a deadlift was the main movement) with 100KB swings. The goal was to do 100 in as little sets as possible. Once I reached the goal of doing 100 in a row without stopping, I upped the rep goal by 25.

Well guess what? In addition to working my grip (because it's damn hard holding on to a 72lb KB when you're swinging it 100 times), I was also out of breath and sweating like I had been running hills.

A double whammy. Fat loss & muscle building. Who said that it couldn't be done simultaneously?

I love Jason's approach to building muscle and his philosophy towards training is similar to mine - low volume, using only bang-for-your-buck exercises, break records, work hard, eat clean and get enough rest & recovery.

Plain. Simple. Uncomplicated.

In fact, the 2 Big Daddy Muscle Building Programs that I've written were based on those principles above. You can get those workouts HERE.

=>Get Big Daddy v1.0 & v2.0

So I've got 3 more weeks on this muscle building quest. Hopefully by then this last hit of winter in Toronto would have cleared up and I can start taking my kettlebells & sled outside for some workouts!

Have a great day guys!

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. For more information on the muscle building programs that I've been using, check out Jason Ferruggia's Muscle Gaining Secrets program at www.MuscleGainingSecrets.com.

Eleven

2009-04-03T05:05:00.000-07:00

Eleven years ago I was a 21-year-old junior in university about to embark on a journey that could only be described as "scary as %#@*!"

Still baby-faced and pimply, I had no idea the road ahead me and what it would entail.

The sacrifices that would have to be made.

The sleepless nights.

The shift in thinking - from "me" to "we" - that would prove to make or break our success.

Eleven years ago today, I became a father for the very first time.

Eleven years ago, with minimal support, Rozanne and I were living in student family housing as an unwed couple. I was working full-time, she was a new full-time mom and we were both trying to finish school.

With no real sense of "how" to do things and all these obstacles and stereotypes to overcome, the one thing that pulled us through, the one thing that remained constant, the one thing that made us stronger was our newborn baby daughter - Angelica Jordan.

It is no doubt that I am a young father and that I will always be THE young father.

I listen to 90's hip-hop music.

I wear hoodies & jeans.

A fitted "Abercrombie & Fitch" T-shirt doesn't look ridiculous on me.

I don't look like the other dads standing on the sideline of the soccer pitch.

And I LOVE IT!

Being a young and fit dad allows me keep up my athletic daughter. It allows me to somewhat relate to what she's going through because I can recall what I went through. It's allowed to forge a really close relationship with her.

The most amazing thing that I've noticed in my 11 years of fatherhood is being able to recognize little pieces of me in HER.

Her DRIVE in wanting to master any physical task.

Her COMPASSION & SENSITIVITY towards others.

Her willingness to GIVE as much as she can to those she loves.

So to all DADS out there...

Soak up everything you can with your children.

Be there as often as you can.

Work isn't that important. Money isn't that important. The latest in toys and gadgets aren't that important.

Happy 11th Birthday, AJ.

Daddy Loves You.

CL
The FitAndBusyDad

Wednesday Workout & The Problem That I Have With Training Child Athletes

2009-04-02T05:21:00.000-07:00

I survived a crazy-busy day yesterday.

Morning clients, some writing and then taking the remainder of the afternoon off to take Joey, my 5-year-old, to the dentist.

Joey had to get 3 cavities filled. After a brief discussion, it was determined between myself and her dentist, Dr. Laurel, that the best route to go to help Joey through the agony of getting cavities filled was LAUGHING GAS.

After it all, she felt nothing and just remembered feeling like she was floating on a cloud. Too bad :-), I had brought my Flip Camera hoping that the experience would be something like this...

After the dentist we headed home and then my night really began.

I whipped up dinner in about 30-minutes and then AJ and I headed over to her soccer practice. I stuck around for a little bit only to watch her coach make the team run around a 400m track several times.

It was painful to watch. Partly because I can remember my old high school basketball coach force laps on us in the gym (more for punishment than for conditioning), but mainly because I don't think running around a track at sub-maximal effort for 20-minutes is congruent to the demands of soccer.

Soccer, and any other team sport for that matter, is a series of sprints and start-stop actions. You don't just run straight. You go forward, backward, side to side and every other direction.

The duration of these MAXIMAL EFFORT activities lasts only a matter of seconds. So, to force your athletes to run at slogging pace for 20-minutes is teaching them nothing.

The whole "building a cardio base" theory is a bunch of crap.

Sometimes I wish coaches would use logic when they put their practices together. Young athletes should be focusing on short sprints and agility drills to build power and speed.

Practice SPECIFICALLY to the demands of your sport.

After having enough of watching my daughter kill-off her fast twitch muscle fibers by jogging away, I hopped over to the gym for my own workout.

Here's what went down...

1a) Pull-ups (5 x 230, 6 x 230, 15 x bodyweight)*
1b) Standing BB Military Press (5 x 135, 6 x 135, 15 x 95)

2a) DB Rows (12 x 80, 15 x 80, 25 x 60)
2b) Blast Strap Push-ups (27, 22)

3) Dips (15, 12)

***I weigh 175lbs, so for the pull-ups, 230lbs = 175 (my bodyweight) + 55lbs on a weight belt

A good workout. But, I'm not used ot training at night, so I felt that my energy was relatively low. I find that mid-afternoon is my ideal/optimal time for training.

After the workout, I headed back to the soccer pitch to pick AJ up. We got home and started to bake some cupcakes for the kids in her class.

It's her birthday tomorrow!

Have a great day,
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

What's YOUR Reason For Training?

2009-03-31T06:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got a great "pulling/deadlift" workout in.

Here's how my workout went down...

1) Rope jumping x 120s, glute activation, bodyweight warm-up
2) Hang Clean (5x135, 6x135)
3) High Pull (6x175, 6x185)
4) Shrug Pull (6x225, 6x245)
5) Deadlift (5x275, 5x285, 20x135)
6) Face Pull (20x60, 15x70)

I've been doing this workout for a few weeks now and really enjoy it because I've seen my results carry-over into everyday life.

I've noticed a big increase in my vertical jump - going from barely nicking the basketball rim with my finger tips to fully grabbing the rim and swinging on it like a monkey.

I've noticed how my back pain (which usually occurs the day after I play basketball or volleyball) has virtually disappeared.

I've noticed that my posture is a lot better, my shoulders and traps are looking "meatier" and I'm down an inch around my waist.

I've also noticed that my wife is slapping me on the rear end a lot more...BONUS!

All of these benefits from a workout whose purpose is to get me stronger and more athletic.

I'm not training for the "looks"...although, believe me, I know looking better is a bi-product.

I'm not training specifically for fat loss...but I have lost an inch around my waist.

As busy dads, because our priorities have evolved since we've had children, our workouts need to evolve as well.

Gone are the days when we can open up some bodybuilding magazine and copy the high-volume workouts that are meant for 20-year-old meatheads.

We should be training for performance - to get better each and everytime.

We should be training for health - eliminating back pain, increasing Growth Hormone production and increasing energy so we can keep up with our kids!

We should be training for strength - so we inspire our kids, keep the fire burning in our marriage and be the figure of strength in our family.

Those are the reasons I train and bust my a** each time I'm in the gym.

What are YOUR reasons for training?

CL
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. Get started on your quest for strength and pick-up the FitAndBusyDad Workouts!

http://FatLossWorkoutsForDads.com

Chris Lopez

FitAndBusyDad.blogspot.com

Fueling for Competition, Fueling for Life

2009-03-30T03:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I did something that I haven't done in a long time.

I got asked by a friend of mine to play in an all-day competitive tournament this past Saturday. It was fun. And tiring. And it made me realize that I'm not a young buck anymore.

Because although I'm still relatively young, I'm not 23 anymore. So now it takes a little more "umph" to jump a little higher and a little more effort to dive after a ball.

One thing I did have a leg up on though was how I take care of myself. While these young cats were busy consuming chocolate bars and pizza, I had managed to pack myself some healthier alternatives.

If you took a look into my cooler, you'd find...

-a small bag of carrots
-a tub of organic hummus
-3 apples
-a container of cashew butter, coconut flakes & pecans
-3 big bottles of water

Towards the end of the day, you could tell who was going to be able to push a little harder and who just didn't have anything left in them.

With soccer season fast approaching and with AJ already starting to practice with her travelling team, I know that the all-day tournaments are just around the corner.

With that in mind, while I was preparing the night before, I made sure that my athletic soon-to-be-11-year-old helped me pack my cooler.

I've said this many times before, but I think it's worth saying again....KIDS LEARN THROUGH EXAMPLE.

So if she sees me packing my cooler and fueling my body with healthy foods that will fuel my body to endure a 7-game-in-one-day tournament, then chances are that she'll remember our little father/daughter moment of her helping me and will make similar healthier choices for herself.

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

12 Weeks

2009-03-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

A young man (he was 10) asked my daughter for her phone number over this past weekend.

And so it begins. My 10 year old is in her final year of elementary school and will start middle school next September.

With middle school comes school dances, the beginnings of raging hormones, mouthy teenagers and B.O....oh the joy. I can't wait.

So now is the time for me to start putting a little more (QUALITY) weight on my 180lb frame.

When the boys come knockin', they need to know who's in charge...and it's not going to be a skinny, unintimidating push-over.

I've got goals over the next 12 weeks to put 10lbs of muscle on and lose 10lbs of fat.

I'm also going to focus on spending more individual time with my wife and each of my kids.

AND, I'm going to focus on getting to bed earlier for myself.

TODAY is the day it all begins.

What about you?

12 weeks from now, how lean, muscular and fit will you be?

Will you have dedicated time to yourself and to your family and have MADE yourself a better dad?

Will you have set the example for your kids and have shown them your new found commitment to health & exercise, thus paving the way for them to live a healthy and fit life?

Will you have taken yourself out of YOUR own personal comfort zone to force your body and mind to change and become better, stronger?

If not, why not?

12 weeks to create new habits.

12 weeks to create a new physique.

12 weeks to your wife whistling at you as you mow the lawn with your shirt off this summer!

12 weeks to BE A BETTER DAD.

Enter the FitAndBusyDad Transformation Challenge for FR*EE and transform your body and your life...

Pick-up a couple of FitAndBusyDad Workouts, get peer support and access to my advice here...

http://FitAndBusyDad.ning.com

Check out the Rules and how to win the $750 Grand Prize here....

http://FitAndBusyDad.com/Contest

Get the complete FitAndBusyDad Lifestyle Package here...

http://FatLossWorkoutsForDads.com

Chris Lopez

The FitAndBusyDad

My BIGGEST Transformation Obstacle

2009-03-19T05:41:00.000-07:00

When it comes to changing my body, I know what to do.

My workouts need to be intense and I need to be breaking records everyday.

My diet needs to be tight - meaning that I should be sticking to the 90-10 Rule focusing on eating fresh, unprocessed, HIGH-QUALITY foods. I should be eating at least 1-2 servings of fruit and/or vegetables at every meal and should be eating lean protein like chicken, fish, eggs & lean cuts of beef and pork AND consuming good fats like olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocados and saturated fats from naturally raised animals.

But, for me, that's the easy part.

In fact, I attribute my slight gain in belly fat to stress and lifestyle factors. And the biggest culprit, I believe, is me not getting enough SLEEP.

I've written about what I need to do to make sure I have a productive day when I'm SLEEP DEPRIVED. But that's just a band-aid solution.

In order for me to get to where I want to be, I need to tackle the problem head-on.

It's tough, because as soon as I get home, I'm on point - pick-up the kids, get dinner ready, help with homework, feed them, bath time, story time, bed time...when it's all said and done, it's about 9pm.

After that, I like to spend time with my wife (whom I haven't seen all day) and sometimes there are miscellaneous things to get done at home - paying bills, filing, laundry, clean-up, etc.

When that's all done, it's usually 11/11:30pm. That's not a bad bedtime when you get up at 7am...but I wake-up at 5am (sometimes 4:30). 5-6 hours of sleep per night is NOT going to cut it if I want to lose 5-6 inches off my waist.

Lack of sleep causes your body to produce the hormone cortisol. High levels of cortisol are directly related to the storage of belly fat.

So I need to create a better routine and better habits.

Over the next 12-weeks, for my FitAndBusyDad Transformation Challenge, I'm going to form the habits of...

-Getting to bed by 10pm
-Watching less TV (with the NCAA tournament going on, that'll be tough)
-Reading 1hr everyday
-Shutting the computer down between 4pm and 9pm so I can spend dedicated time with the family
-Spending at least 1-hour of alone time with each one of my girls individually (that includes my wife) once per week
-Avoiding "eating out" at all costs, EXCEPT once per week (which will constitute my reward meal)

What are you going to do to help TRANSFORM your body and BE A BETTER DAD?

(make sure to leave you comments below!)

Chris Lopez
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. Are you up for the CHALLENGE? Get on board with the other guys in the FitAndBusyDad Community and start your Transformation Today for your chance to win $750 CASH!

=>Get Started with FitAndBusyDad workouts and join the FitAndBusyDad Challenge!

Can I Win My Own Transformation Challenge?

2009-03-17T17:45:00.000-07:00

It's March Break (or Spring Break as my American friends would say), and we took the kids to the Art Gallery.

As I was getting dressed this morning, I noticed something that I've never seen before...

Check out my "BEFORE" pictures by becoming a member HERE.

->Join the FitAndBusyDad Community

Follow me on Twitter to get updates of what I'm eating, how my new habits are coming along, and what I'm doing for my workouts. Click HERE.

->Follow @fitandbusydad on Twitter

Chris Lopez

P.S. I'll be using these workouts to build muscle and get my 6-pack back. Click HERE to get started with my workouts!

->Get Started With FitAndBusyDad Workouts

Have You Seen This Yet?

2009-03-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

Today's a travel day for me, so I'll try to get to you this evening when I'm at my hotel.

For now, take a look at this and enjoy!

Chris Lopez
The FitAndBusyDad

A NEW 18-minute Workout

2009-03-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

So just as I expected, the weekend was as busy as ever and I found it tough to get myself to the gym.

That's why I started the Weekend Workout Challenge...because it uses minimal equipment and it's a great way to get some friendly competition in with the other dads over at the FitAndBusyDad Community thus allowing us some incentive to get that ONE workout in on the weekend.

Since this week's challenge was a lower body workout, I added a chin/pull-up ladder to give myself a full body, bodyweight workout. You should try this workout as well. It killed me and it took me about 18-minutes to complete the whole thing! Here's what went down...

1a) Ladder: 5 reps each of pull-ups, close-grip chin-ups, neutral grip pull-ups and regular chin-ups

1b) Leg Crank from the FBD Weekend Challenge x 4....Times Completed - 1min 22sec, 1m 16s, 1m 7s & 1m 34s

So basically, I did 5 reps of each exercise of the ladder, then a Leg Crank.

Then 4 reps of each exercise on the ladder, then another Leg Crank.

Etc, etc, etc.

All in all, I finished 4 total Leg Cranks and a grand total of 60 chin-ups of various grips...in 18-minutes.

A Great Workout...and on to a NEW Program tomorrow.

Enjoy what's left of your weekend.

CL
The FitAndBusyDad

Weekend Workout Challenge - Fri, March 6, 2008

2009-03-06T06:27:00.000-08:00

OK guys, let's try this again.

Last week, it was only myself and one other member (out of 60!) that posted a time for the first WEEKEND WORKOUT CHALLENGE.

So I'm going to have to make things a little more enticing for you guys.

So here's the deal, the TOP 3 times of each challenge will have their names entered in a draw. The draw will happen on the Monday AFTER the last weekend of each month.

Prizes will vary, but we'll start with FitAndBusyDad T-shirts and then move on to things of more value as the weeks go by and participation increases. Sound fair?

So here's what you need to do...

1. Sign-up for the FitAndBusyDad Community on Ning

=>Sign-up for FitAndBusyDad.ning.com

2. Do the challenge below.

3. Post your time.

Get up off your butts this weekend and try the CHALLENGE!

Here's this weekend's workout...

The JC Santana Leg Crank

(All exercises MUST be done in the "Prisoner/Hands Interlaced Behind your head" position)

24 x Squats
24 x Alternating Forward Lunges
24 x Split Hops (Jump Lunges/Strides)
12 x Squat Jumps

Remember, you can perform the circuit as many times as you like throughout the weekend. Top 3 times go into the draw.

That's it. Your legs will be screaming when you're done!

Post your times HERE and let us all know!

Chris

P.S. An impressive time to shoot for would be in the 60-75 second range!

4 Ways to Bust Through Your Weight Loss Plateaus

2009-03-02T05:18:00.000-08:00

***I got 3 hours of sleep last night, so instead of a blog post, I'm going to give you an article that I got from a very successful nutrition expert and author. Today's post comes courtesy of my friend Mike Roussell from NakedNutritionNetwork.com. If you don't know Mike, you can read about him at my post HERE. But to sum it up, Mike's got a PhD in nutrition from Penn State University, runs a successful nutrition consulting business and is the father of 6-month-old twins.
Mike is......a FitAndBusyDad.***

==========================
Busting Through Weight Loss Plateaus
by Mike Roussell

Weight loss plateaus are the bain of every dieter's existence. There is nothing more frustrating than doing everything that you are 'supposed' to do but for whatever reason the weight loss just stops.

Before we get into how you can smash through your weight loss plateau it is important to determine if you have actually plateaued OR perhaps you haven't actually been following your diet and/or training program.

The first step is to do a gut check and make sure your compliance to your program is where it needs to be. If you haven't been 90% compliant then stop reading this article and get back to focusing on doing what you actually said you were going to do.

If you have been sticking to your program but have stopped losing weight then we have a problem.

Homeostasis.

The human body is all about achieving homeostasis (check out this article in regards to homeostasis and weight loss), so what we need to do is shake things up and get our systems un-homeostatic (not sure if that is a real word). Here are 4 ways that you can disrupt homeostasis and blast through your weight loss plateau. You aren't meant to do all of them instead just pick one at at time.

1. Increase Calories for 7-10 Days
This doesn't mean go off your diet. Instead, increase your calories (no more than 500 calories per day), mainly from carbohydrates to give your system a 'break' from calorie restriction. After the 7-10 day period cut your calories back down and your weight loss will start back up. This strategy works well if you have been dieting for a long time.

2. Crank Up the Intensity
Often times we find ourselves perpetually dieting (see the Lifetime Fat Loss article for a great example) and can just never seem to get those last 10 pounds off. In these situations cranking up the intensity on all fronts (diet and training) for a set amount of time is a great way to blast through a weight loss plateau. With this method we are basically shocking your system out of homeostasis. This is a great situation for Warp Speed Fat Loss (and one of the reason's we developed it.)

3. Change Your Training Program
Sticking to the same training program for too long used to be a very common problem. Now with all the training resources on the Internet, being on a program for too long isn't an issue for many people (but it may be for you). You need to be switching up your program (set, reps, exercises, how many days a week you train, etc) every 4-6 weeks. If you do need a new program we have a large archive of 4 week fat loss workouts and a new one every month in the Faster Fat Loss Zone.

4. Reduce Your Carbs
This tip is the opposite of the first one, but works just as well. Dropping your carbs down to a ketogenic level will strongarm your system into using fat as its primary fuel source. This metabolic fuel switch works best if your carbs aren't too low already (>100g/d). To further enhance the effect of this technique use the induction protocol where you eat 20g/d of carbs or less for 2 weeks.

Weight loss plateaus are frustrating but don't let them discourage you or stop you from reaching your goal. If you have truly reached a plateau pick one of the techniques above and put it into action. When you hit another plateau, pick another one. Continue doing this until you have reached your goal. Remember that for the most part weight loss is not a linear process. Plateaus are a normal physiological occurrence but using the strategies in this article you can beat homeostasis and achieve the body you want.

==============================

Thanks Mike!

I'm going to take a nap now.

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

The FitAndBusyDad WEEKEND WORKOUT CHALLENGE

2009-02-27T06:25:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you guys, but I find it kind of tough to get my workouts in on the weekends. I've always said that, with 4 kids, our weekends are always busier than our days during the week. So to find even just 20-minutes some time is tough.

But I know that if I just got 20-minutes in, it would probably make a huge difference in my energy levels throughout the busy Saturdays & Sundays to come (in addition to giving me a big fat-burning, metabolic boost). So I've given myself and the boys over at the FitAndBusyDad Community some incentive.

I've created the The FitAndBusyDad WEEKEND WORKOUT CHALLENGE!

Every Friday, I'll post a NEW timed workout challenge. The idea is for you to perform the workout -even several times throughout the weekend - and try to get the best time possible.

After you've established your BEST time, post that time on the member forum. Whoever (honestly) posts the best time WINS! (OK, so you'll win bragging rights for now, but later on as participation increases, there will be prizes).

Since this is the first time around, I'll post this weekend's workout below. But every week after this, the workout challenge will only be available to members.

FitAndBusyDad WEEKEND WORKOUT CHALLENGE for Feb 27, 2009

40 x Jumping Jacks
20 x Push-ups
20/side x Split Squats
30 x Jumping Jacks
15 x Push-Ups
15/side x Split Squats
20 x Jumping Jacks
10 x Push-Ups
10/side x Split Squats
10 x Burpees

Good luck, Guys!

Remember, if you want in, then become a member at FitAndBusyDad.ning.com for FREE!

=>Sign-Up for the FR*EE FitAndBusyDad Community on Ning

Happy Friday!

Chris Lopez
the FitAndBusyDad

Tomfoolery & Shenanigans: The Story of Our Lives

2009-02-25T10:43:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes I get emails and or comments about whether or not the stories I tell are true.

Is my household that much of a circus on some nights (or early, early mornings)?

As much as I would like to say that some of it is, in fact, fabricated...I can't.

I tell the truth each and every time I recount the ridiculousness that goes on in our house. It's part of me trying to be as transparent as possible for you so that you know that you're not alone in the Busy Dad world.

BUT, just in case you need another perspective or just don't believe me when I tell you that, for example, my 5-year-old threw-up ALL OVER my 3-year-old at 4 in the morning, you can consult my wife and her new blog - Tomfoolery & Shenanigans.

It's just our life from a female perspective that I find quite entertaining - not because she's my wife, but because I enjoy her humor and writing style.

Take a gander and check it out HERE.

=>Rozanne Lopez' Tomfoolery & Shenanigans

And if your wife ever complains about how bad she has it, send her over to Rozanne's blog for a quick laugh...at our expense.

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

The First Guy To The Dessert Table

2009-02-24T03:00:00.000-08:00

So I'm sitting in a conference and the facilitator calls for a lunch break.

I don't really know anyone, so I tag along with the only 3 other people that I know are Canadian (birds of the same feather, right?). One guy is a gentle giant trainer from St. Catherine's, one is a strength coach with my alma mater (the University of Guelph), and the other is a nutrition scientist in great shape.

So we all grab lunch and I'm quietly observing what these guys are eating - sandwiches, salads, greens, soup...nothing out of the ordinary.

But when you're at these "fitness industry" events, you always wonder if anyone is going to touch the dessert. Taking a look at my table, I think "OK, the trainer is jacked, so he'll hit the dessert first because he'll probably burn it off just by walking back to the conference room. Or will it be the strength coach with the traps the size of the Golden Gate Bridge?"

Then the nutrition guy pipes up, "This is ridiculous. Every time I come to these 'fitness events' there's a bunch of trainers staring at the dessert table but nobody has the stones to get up and grab a piece of cake. Why do I always have to be the first one?"

So Mr. Nutrition gets up and slaps not one but 3 pieces of various desserts on his plate.

"Now this is a guy I can hang with", I think to myself...and we've been friends ever since.

That 3-piece-of-cake-eating-nutrition-expert is none other than Brad Pilon, author of EatStopEat and the NEW controversial book "How Much Protein?".

I managed to track Brad down for an interview last week. Here's how it went down...

CL: Brad, since meeting you and reading your book over a year and a half ago, I've been living an ESE lifestyle. I still get a lot of questions about fasting and whether or not it's really healthy. How long after your first fast do you reap the actual benefits of living an ESE lifestyle?

BP: I think if done properly you should be able to 'see' benefits on the first day. By paying close attention to the cues to eat while you are fasting you are going to have a much better understanding of when and why you eat. This little thing can a have a huge effect on how you eat while you are eating.

CL: As busy dads who are slowly getting older, how does fasting benefit our production of growth hormone and do you think fasting may have anti-aging benefits?

BP: The aging thing is tricky. The only way you would ever be sure is to follow one diet for the rest of your life and see when you die...Obviously not a very fun study. That being said, I think the combined effects that fasting and resistance training have on your hormones can go a long way in preventing the typical age related declines in hormones like testosterone and GH. There are no miracles, but when you are battling age, every little bit helps.

CL: OK, let's shift our discussion onto protein. The mass media has led us to believe that protein is the new "wonder macronutrient" - thus the advent of Atkins, the Zone and South Beach. As busy dads can we ensure that we get enough protein without having to carry around a scale to measure our food? Without being Obsessive Compulsive Eaters?

BP: The easiest way is to realize exactly how much protein you need to eat. The second part is realizing that there is no such thing as a protein food.

Traditionally, we've been lead to believe in the idea of protein foods, like eggs as an example. However, a piece of 7 grain bread has roughly the same amount of protein as an egg. So does about 3/4 of a cup of pasta, even two tablespoons of Parmesan has an impressive amount of protein. Infact, 3/4 of a cup of pasta with a 1/2 cup of pasta sauce and some parmesian cheese has as much protein as a 3 egg omelette! So by eating a balanced diet with lots of variety, it's actually very difficult NOT to get enough protein in any given day.

CL: OK, so what about post-workout nutrition? Have you found any research supporting a specific amount of protein we need to ingest after a workout to get the maximum benefits? What about timing?

BP: The most important thing to remember is that if you are training consistently then EVERY SINGLE meal you eat is both pre and post workout nutrition.

The hormonal and structural changes caused by resistance training last for up to 48 hours, so every meal you eat while you are following a training program will have some sort of effect on your muscle recovery. That being said, I think the idea of a 'magical' period 1 hour after your workout where you make or break your muscle building is GREATLY over-exaggerated and is more marketing than science. It's an area of nutrition were we can definitely relax without seeing any noticeable change in our physique.

CL: Brad, thanks for dispelling a lot of common misconceptions about food, fasting and protein for us. Next time you're in town, dessert's on me!

Don't forget to pick-up a copy of EatStopEat and receive a FREE copy of Brad's new book "How Much Protein?"...

=>Get EatStopEat and receive "How Much Protein?" for FR*EE

See you at the dessert table!

CL
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. Following an ESE Lifestyle in combination with consistent FitAndBusyDad Workouts has allowed me to eat whatever I want while staying consistently under 11% Body Fat. Could this killer combo do the same for you?

=>Get Started with FitAndBusyDad Workouts

Waking-Up to Last Night's Dinner

2009-02-24T02:43:00.000-08:00

This is a story I just couldn't pass up telling you about.

Fast asleep Sunday night after an eventful weekend (I took AJ, Joey and a couple of our cousins to York University to watch the Bronze and Gold medal women's volleyball matches), I am thankful that the bout of sickness and colds that had run rampant through our family is now over.

Everyone is well. Everyone is healthy. This will be a good week.

Deep into my sleep and now into the wee hours of Monday morning, I get a nudge from my wife who says that she's dreamt of paint splattering.

"That's great", I say. "Thanks for waking me up for that". WTF?

Moments later, the pitter-patter of little feet come to our door. I see a faint silhouhette and then hear a voice...

"I just threw-up".

It's Joey, my 5-year-old.

I struggle out of bed to examine the damage. Not that bad. Her shirt isn't wet, there's a little in her hair, but that's about it.

"Did you throw-up a lot?"

"Maybe you should come into the room", Joey says in the most innocent of voices.

So I walk in and the stench is overwhelming. Then I glance over at Frankie who's still fast asleep and I see her COVERED in Joey's puke (I'm really sorry for that mental picture).

Right now, Joey & Frankie have developed such a good relationship that they enjoy sleeping the same bed together leaving the top bunk open...maybe not so much anymore.

I wake Frankie up and then she says to me, "What smells?" Then she runs her fingers through her hair and shouts "EEEEEEWWWWWWW!" and starts crying.

Great.

I put the 2 of them in the bath (again, it's about 4:15am) and proceed to bathe them until I can't smell anything. Then I put Frankie to sleep with Rozanne and set "Pukey" up on the couch downstairs (complete with plastic bag). I strip the bed and start the laundry while Joey lays on the couch about to fall asleep again.

The next time I look at the clock, it's 5am. TIME TO GET UP!

Can anyone out there top that night? Please comment if you can so that I'll feel better!

CL
The FitAndBusyDad

8 Simple Rules...

2009-02-23T07:58:00.000-08:00

...Well, not quite rules, but 8 Simple Reasons Why I FAST on a weekly basis.

I get at least 3 emails per week asking me about why I enjoy fasting for 24hrs once or twice per week.

I had heard about flexible intermittent fasting before, but hadn't tried it until about a year and a half ago when I met Brad Pilon, the author of the controversial Anti-DIET book EatStopEat.

Brad is a big science geek (and I mean that in the most affectionate way), and his approach towards food and nutrition is a breath of fresh air.

No stringent eat THIS, not THAT rules.

No carrying around a scale to measure how much protein/carbs/fat I'm eating.

No BS.

Here are 8 Reasons Why I enjoy FASTING and why I think ALL BUSY DADS should take advantage of fasting as well...

1. Growth Hormone - There are 3 factors that will positively affect the amount of HGH that you produce. 1) Sleep - get a good quality 7-9hrs per night; 2) INTENSE Exercise - notice how I said "intense"...lift weights and break records - cardio may actually have an opposite effect on your HGH levels; 3) FASTING - HGH levels start to increase the longer you are into your 24hr fast.

2. I hate counting calories. - I think it's stupid. Don't call yourself a busy dad if you count calories because you wouldn't be so busy if you took that time counting and spent it doing more productive things. If you focus on eating QUALITY foods the way mother nature intended - raw fruits & veggies, meat & fish and healthy fats - and just stopped eating before you get full, then you'd lose weight. I'd bet the house on it. Sorry, guys. That's the truth.

3. It lets me eat whatever I want. My consciousness of health has changed over the years, so when I say "eat whatever I want", that still means that I eat healthily. Rarely do I ever "want" fried crap like fries, onion rings or egg rolls. I'll eat the occasional burger (not from a fast food place, but from a good burger shop...actually called The Burger Shoppe). I eat pasta because I make it at home. Ditto for pizza.

4. I'm more productive. Imagine a life where you don't have to worry about food. You don't need to worry about what you're eating next. You don't have to prepare snacks/meals for your work day. If I know that I need to get some good, quality, uninterrupted work done, then I'll fast on that day. It's usually a Wednesday.

5. I break records in the weight room. Fasting seems to trigger something PRIMAL in me that just really increases the intensity of my weight workouts. When I lift on fasting days, I've broken records in my dead lift, push press and chin-ups.

6. I appreciate food more. When you fast, you really examine your relationship with food. Fasting has allowed me to demand more quality in the food I eat. It's made me appreciate food more and has deterred me from settling for "convenience crap". My family and I buy, prepare and consume only GOOD QUALITY food...and we appreciate how lucky we are to be able to eat and have access to such good food.

7. It allows me to stay between 9 - 11% body fat year round. I'm not a bodybuilder (surprise, surprise), so I don't go through "bulking" phases and "cutting" phases. I'm a busy dad who knows that my kids are watching my every move, so instead, I choose to eat healthy (but not restrictive) 365 days a year.

8. It's ridiculously simple. It's a lifestyle where I don't have to worry about what, when or how much I eat. I've got 4 kids...4 daughters at that! I run a business. I enjoy spending time with my wife. I have laundry to do. Volleyball & soccer practices to run. I have mouths to feed. ONE LESS THING to worry about is a welcome luxury.

Interested in trying out an EatStopEat Lifestyle?

Now's the time to try. Brad is having a special promo where you'll also get his latest controversial book "How Much Protein?".

=>Start living an EatStopEat Lifestyle Today!

Chris Lopez
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. Adding FASTING to you life is the perfect compliment to living the FitAndBusyDad Lifestyle! Click HERE to get started with FitAndBusyDad Workouts today!

How ATHLETIC is your child?

2009-02-18T05:51:00.000-08:00

I'm so proud of my daughter.

Tuesday we watched AJ play in the Toronto District School Board's volleyball conference semi-finals. She was great - saving a couple of balls, getting her fair share of service aces and making a nifty little play of popping the ball up as it careened off the net.

Truthfully, volleyball at this level is just a matter of which team makes the least mistakes. Nonetheless, it's done wonders for her and her team's confidence.

I sat there quietly as I always do (I like to shout words of encouragement, but it's not my demeanor to go nuts in the stands - unlike Rozanne who get right into it). Sitting in the bleachers, I was observing some of the parents and how they would yell instruction at their kids while they were on the court.

In my experience, making any attempt to coach a child or try to give them technical pointers while they're in the midst of competition is futile. So yelling things like "spread your fingers" or "bend your knees more" will only frustrate or even worse diminish your child's confidence.

My view is, that at this level, whatever isn't practiced or taught in practice will not miraculously appear in game play...so don't bother...enjoy the game and keep your kid's confidence up with words of encouragement.

But my post today isn't so much about coaching, but about determining whether your young sports participant is an ATHLETE or a PLAYER...

What's the difference?

Well, here in Canada for example, parents are rabid about hockey.

I see it everywhere - kids playing in their competitive leagues during the season, going to skills camps on the weekend, doing hockey specific conditioning after school, doing summer skills camps in the off-season, playing in Summer hockey leagues.

Basically it's hockey 48-weeks per year, non-stop, all in the hopes of "creating" the next Howe, Gretzky or Crosby.

And it's not just hockey. AJ has teammates on her traveling soccer squad that have similar schedules for soccer.

It makes you ask the question...do you want to create a kid that is good at one sport so early? Should kids be so specialized at such an early age?

Is playing and being dedicated to ONE sport year-round for years and years on end good for your child?

Going around and asking colleagues and experts who have been in the game for a number of years, the answer seems to be a collective - NO.

Studies have shown that early specialization in sport (before puberty) results in a higher likelihood of overuse injuries and athlete burnout in addition to other social aspects of playing only one sport.

(For more information on early specialization and on guidance as a parent of an athletic child, check out www.educatedsportsparent.com).

I think our goal as parents of children who participate in sports is to develop ATHLETICISM and NOT specialization.

Athletes are developed through participating in a myriad of activities and sports - both structured and unstructured.

Michael Jordan was a baseball player before he took up basketball full time.

Wayne Gretzky couldn't wait for hockey season to be over so that he could go outside and play with his friends in the summer.

When I was a kid I played baseball, basketball, ran track and eventually fell in love with volleyball. Prior to the age of 14, I only participated in community leagues with the bulk of my time being spent, riding my skateboard or my bike, playing stick-ball in the street or having crab walk races with my friends up someone's driveway.

These days I think kids need to just play more in an unstructured environment. Swinging on monkey bars, having foot races down the block, playing "tag" all develop athletic skills that will carry over into most team and individual sports.

And if you're a parent with the hopes of gunning for that college scholarship to ease your financial burden later on, I've got news for you. Speaking from a coach's and former varsity athlete's perspective...scouts and varsity coaches will usually take an ATHLETIC kid over a kid with better than average skills at one particular sport.

They're out to pluck the athletes that run fast, jump high and are able to stop on a dime and change direction with lightning quick efficiency.

So here's what you can expect with AJ (and then with her sisters to follow)...

-Volleyball season is over at the end of the month. After that, chances are that she won't touch a volleyball (unless we "pepper" on the beach or something in the summer) until September when the club season starts.

-From March to May we'll try to get in as much family activity as we can. We're a bit limited because of Rozanne's broken ankle, but don't be surprised if we book a weekend to go snowboarding/skiing, go on some nature walks or get a bike ride in when the weather gets better. She'll also have soccer practice once or twice per week come April, so we'll be there for her to get her "soccer legs" back.

-she'll also participate in track and softball (although, I don't know how keen she'll be with softball considering I broke her nose playing catch with her this past fall...see LEFT)

-And of course, throughout the summer we like to head over to Withrow Park in Toronto's Riverdale neighbourhood to shop at the organic farmer's market and then play in the field or playground.

I guess the point that I'm trying to make is that kids need to be kids and need a VARIETY of activities help promote and support an active lifestyle.

I love competitive sports and it's a dream of mine to have one of my daughters be so successful at it that it could warrant her getting an athletic scholarship to a top school and thus receive a world class education. But my job right now as a parent and as an expert in the field of exercise and health is to make sure that she develops as an ATHLETIC KID and not as a soccer or volleyball player.

That she develops a HEALTHY LOVE FOR SPORT & COMPETITION and doesn't feel pressured to have to succeed early on in her athletic career.

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. I'd love to hear your comments on this post - both for and against. I think it's an important topic that parents need to understand and recognize.

What the He is a Kettlebe?

2009-02-17T05:59:00.000-08:00

I was introduced to kettlebells about 16 years ago when I picked up a fitness magazine, read it cover to cover, and then got lured into the advertisements in the back of the magazine.

At first, like many of us, I didn't get it. What's a cannon ball with a handle on it going to do for me?

Boy, was I wrong.

Now, I have 7 KBs and I use them every week. Come the summer time, that will increase to everyday because I can't stand to be inside a gym when the weather's nice.

I asked my friend Troy Anderson, a coach in Tempe, Arizona why he uses KBs as his primary training tool. Here's how that conversation went down...

CL: Troy, first, tell us a little about yourself and your general philosophy when it comes to training.

TA: Sure, Chris. I’m a fitness coach located in Tempe, AZ working in the profession for 11 years. I’m the owner of Anderson Training Systems. We operate by 2 primary principles:

1-Ductus Exemplo (leadership by example)
2-Fitness Ain't Pretty, Results ARE!

Personally I am a life long under-sized, under-talented athlete that used strength and conditioning to achieve beyond my natural means and currently play Australian Rules Football as sport of choice.

I am brand new dad to a baby girl and I am looking forward to being a sporting/physical activity role model for her.

I have been using kettlebells for 5 yrs to help those from 16 to 60. Regardless of their goal(s) they are the only tool that all my 1 on 1 clients touch every single time they come in.

CL: OK, I’ll bite. Out of all the little “toys” that are available to you in a gym, why kettlebells?

TA: 2 reasons:

1-versatility you can use them anytime anywhere and get great workout in. Just last week I did a quick workout with a KB that I had in the back of my truck in the hospital parking lot, like 4 hours after my little girl was born. It was great. Sure you can do lots of bodyweight stuff but ultimately we need a way to progress or overload, and as guys don't we all really want to put weight in our hand(s)

Like in the example of my hospital workout, I would much rather - for the time, overall benefit and general enjoyment - snatch a kettlebell 100 times vs doing 50 bodyweight squats and 50 push-ups. It is just a better full-body workout

2--As a professional especially as someone who focuses on working with everyday folks I know I need to get people doing big bang for the buck full body movements; in order to help them sculpt and carve their bodies to the degree they desire. The problem is, as adults they likely have mobility issues and /or have very little lifetime exercise or athletic experience which plays a significant role when it comes to teaching some of these more athletic full body movements like squats, cleans, presses, etc...

Basically, what it comes down to is that I can teach/make the complex movement simple in a matter of 2 or 3 workouts vs 2-3 years. End result is that my clients get better results faster.

CL: Great point, man. Congrats on your little girl, and great job on just finding the time to get a workout in. I’m sure people were staring at you in the hospital parking lot. That happens to me a lot when I hook my blast straps up to the roof rack of the minivan while I’m waiting in the parking lot for my kids to get out of school!

So T, tell us what some of your favorite exercises are.

TA: We banter about this topic an awful lot I will give you my top 3 though.

#1 Snatches--most athletic and total movement out there it is a full-body strength, power, coordination movement, if you can snatch you are good to go. Peform these with high reps and you'll have a killer fat loss workout

#2 Turkish Get-up/TGU - If someone held a gun to my head and said Troy you can only use 1 exercise for the rest of your career to get clients top results this would be it.
There isn't an aspect of the body that doesn't take a beating; while not as explosive as a snatch it does take some serious focus. Which I think is very cool side benefit for most trainees it actually forces them to 'get in the moment' and quit thinking about all the BS that goes on in their day.
You can't do a TGU with out focus.

#3 Double Front Squat--I have squatted with a lot of different implements and I must say that a double KB front squat really works your legs because you get such a great and natural range of motion but it also scorches the core because of the placement of the KB's. You'll be pleasantly surprised how much your core gets worked.

CL: TGUs are one of my favorites too. You’re right, it does take a lot of concentration and mental focus. Especially when you’ve got 72lbs over your head and you need to ensure that it doesn’t come crashing down onto your skull. OK, let’s get into some conditioning stuff.

What’s a “smoke session”? There's some urban kettlebell legend that a "smoke session" is one of the toughest workouts on the planet. Can you confirm or deny these rumors?

TA: Yeah funny that term came to me from a supressed memory of military training. We had this mean, little drill sergeant who dragged us out into the sand pit one Saturday night when we were supposed to have a weekend pass, and 'smoked' the crap out of us for like 90 mins. So that is where the legend of the smoke session came from. They are tough but in the program they are progressive, so they aren't just intended to be brutal for the sake of being brutal. I mean really fat loss and fitness aren't supposed to be easy.

As a kick off for the Meltdown Program launch I am thinking of doing a live smoke session, if I can figure out the technology. Ultimately a smoke session is a kettlebell specific, pretty intense interval training session. Again it’s the flexibiltiy of the kettlebell!

CL: OK, here’s a question/comment that I get a lot and just really pisses me off. What's your response to the skeptics that say "whatever you can do with a kettlebell, you can do with a dumbbell"?

TA: I would say they are full of crap. I can say that with confidence because around 6 yrs ago I was that guy and now I can admit I was 100% wrong. Here's something to think about… I would bet anyone that I can take the average or even untrained person and teach them how to effectively and safely perform a squat, deadlift and overhead press faster than anyone can do that with a dumbbell.

CL: Great challenge. I wonder if there are any trainers out there that would have the stones to take you up on it? So Troy, you’re a new dad, so I’m sure that you’re just starting to find out what all of us dads already know…that finding time to stay lean, eat well and maintain a healthy lifestyle becomes a challenge.

Can you give us some FitAndBusyDad nutrition tips?

TA: Ok a couple quick ones for you

1) You must have prepared protein source available at all times, the moment you don't you are set up for making bad decisions. Generally for me this means have some fish, polutry, pork or beef that has been grilled in my refrigerator, that way I can just warm it up and add the necessary ingredients for a complete meal.

2) Prep your veggies don't be lazy once you have purchased your veggies spend the extra 30mins are so prepping/chopping them in to usable forms so you can have them at the ready during the week.

3) Beans - Use them. They add volume, texture, fiber and some protein too. I love black beans personally

4) Flax meal and Metamucil - Add either or both help to make your protein shakes more filling and a little more complete.

CL: So, with the Kettlebell Meltdown, you’ve proven that you can get a great fat loss workout with kettlebells. But, are kettlebell workouts good for developing strength, power and/or endurance?

You can get all of the above depending on the protocol you use with your kettlebells as much as they are unique they are still a resistance training tool.

However, if you want to get into specifics, during my in-season training I pretty much exclusively use kettlebells to keep lean strong and explosive. At nearly 35 I compete and prevail against players that sometimes are more than a decade younger than I am. I attribute a lot of that to the kettlebell work.

Another instance would be my colleague Ken Black he trains almost exclusively with KB's he came down to Josh's facility a couple years ago and loaded a 300lb stone and flipped the 900lb tire. I also used the KB a lot during a train-up for strongman contest.

As for endurance I am currently using them to train a couple first time ironman competitors. While not specific to barbell sports like powerlifting and olympic lifting, KB's can definitely assist them and for an athlete, weekend warrior, or fat loss enthusiast they have more than enough fire power to provide benefit in those areas.

CL: Awesome stuff, Troy. You really know what you're talking about when it come to training with kettlebells!

To check out Troy's new Kettlebell Meltdown Fat Loss Program, click HERE.

=>Kettlebell Meltdown Fat Loss

Chris Lopez
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. I'll be using Troy's Smoke Sessions for my FitAndBusyDad Transformation. Have you signed-up for the Challenge yet?

=>Get started with your FitAndBusyDad Transformation!

25 Things I DIG...For Now

2009-02-14T15:28:00.000-08:00

This is a response to my wife's post HERE.

She calls it "25 Things I LOVE Right Now"...but us "manly-men" don't say "love" (out loud), so I'm saying DIG.

(You can say "DOWN with" or "JONESIN'", whatever. You get the point)

Don't worry, I'll spare you from all the cheesy, sentimental stuff (like saying that I dig/love my wife, my kids, my family, etc, etc.). There are things in this list that I think you'll actually find useful.

So, in honor of Valentine's Days, Here are (in no particular order)...

THE 25 THINGS THAT I DIG - FOR NOW...

1. Fish Oil - I talk about this one in my book. Here's what my boyz Keith Scott and Mike Roussell have to say about...The Wonders of Fish Oil on TheNakedNutritionNetwork.com

2. Old School Hip Hop - A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Special Ed, Grand Puba, Chubb Rock, Beasties, Biggie, LONS, Black Moon, Public Enemy...the list goes on.

3. Kettlebells - Take a look at your fireplace. Does it work? Some people have soot in theirs. Some people have nice decorative logs. Some have it completely closed off. We, have KETTLEBELLS in ours.

4. NYC - The city that doesn't sleep. From the time that I was a young buck going on long drives with my brother and my parents in the GM Caprice Estate Station Wagon (complete with the fake wood panelling on the side) to this past summer when we loaded up the mini-van and took the girls for the first time - I DIG NEW YORK. I can't get enough of this city. Two of my closest cousins live there. I've already planned to fly back (on business) next month and again at the end of May.

5. Organic Coconut Milk - It's never been a better time to be lactose intolerant! I use 1/2 a can, a scoop of pea protein, throw in some frozen berries, some maca powder, some cocoa nibs and a little bit of water and I've got breakfast-on-the-go. It tastes amazing and it's all thanks to...

6. Jason Ferruggia's Blog - This Jersey boy knows his sh*t. I get his blog updates on my RSS feed and can't wait to see what he says next about subjects ranging from Old School Gansta Hip Hop to Meditation. Between Jason and my buddies Vince Delmonte and Zach Even-Esh, I'm set for Muscle Building advice.

7. The way my 3-year-old dances -

8. Watching my 10-year-old play volleyball - I can't explain it. Pride just comes over me. Maybe because I played. Maybe because I know she's growing up. Either way, I'll always be the proud papa in the stands and will never miss a game - even when she's playing for UCLA on a full ride.

9. www.MakeMoreMoneyOnline.com - Want an incredible amount of information on how to succeed while living the "Internet Lifestyle"? You need to check out my good friend Craig Ballantyne's blog on how to succeed with an online business. Read the interview I did with him HERE.

10. The way my 5-year-old says things in the past tense - She does the right thing by adding an "e-d" to the end of any verb that occurs in the past EXCEPT she pronounces it phonetically as, "ED" (as in Mr. Ed). For example, yesterday she said that I "push-ED" her in the snow bank (which I did) or that yesterday I "cook-ED" spaghetti. It's really too cute to correct right now. She's in French Immersion and learning 2 languages at once, so I don't want to mess with anything just yet. Let's just hope she gets rid of it by the time high school rolls around. Otherwise, she'd be really piss-ED off at me (sorry, couldn't resist).

11. BOOK: The Power of Less by Leo Babauta - A book that really changed the way I do things. Reading it made me realize that it's not about how much you have, but the quality of things you do in your life that make a huge difference. It's an incredibly powerful book for anyone who has a tendency to get caught-up (like I did) and feel the need to pare down and focus on the essential. Read more from Leo at his blog ZenHabits.net.

12. Waking-up at 5am - You probably think I'm mad because I don't get a lot of sleep to begin with, but my house is chaotic at all other times during the waking hours. The only time there is real silence is at 5am when everyone is still asleep and I can actually have some peace to be alone with my thoughts and do some writing. Therefore, I love waking up at 5am, except on...

13. Sunday Mornings - We stay in bed and then they slowly start to trickle in (one by one) until the bed is packed and my a** ends up on the floor...which is their signal to me to get downstairs because they want breakfast.

14. Tomfoolery & Shenanigans - My wife's blog that completely cracks me up. Not only because she's a very captivating & humorous writer, but because what she writes about (the madness in our house) is all, 100% TRUE.

15. Blast Straps - I take these everywhere. It's as close to a portable gym as you're going to get.

16. March Madness - College hoop is the PUREST sport there is. Guys diving on the floor, taking charges, making last-minute buzzer beaters. There's nothing better than the dramatics of a Cinderella team knocking off a national powerhouse. It's the best thing to watch on the tube, except when the powerhouse team is...

17. UNC Basketball - No other program has ever produced better NBA players. Icons like Michael, Worthy, 'Sheed, Vince, Antawn and Stack made it cool for guys to wear baby blue. Imagine a team where Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse started while Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter came off the bench...sick!

18. Fasting - I think I talk about this enough. If you haven't tried it, you MUST. Read about it HERE.

19. Espresso - I can't talk about this enough either. My favorite is Intelligensia's Black Cat Organic.

20. My 1-year-old's hair -

21. "Chucks" (Converse All-Star High Tops) - I wore a pair of these in an 8th grade elementary school basketball game and dropped 30-something points on our opponents (yes peoples, I was BAD back then). At the end of the game the opposing coach got pissed off and thought I was making a mockery of his team. I just wore them because I forgot my Nikes and didn't want to go home to get them. Now I rock'em with jeans or squats and/or deadlifts.

22. BOOK: Tribes by Seth Godin - If this isn't a motivational book to get up off your a**, take the reigns and lead, then I don't know what is.

23. The Ab Wheel - By far, this is the best "ab" contraption ever made.

24. Moleskine Notebooks - My tool of choice. I have 3. A reporters' book that I take everywhere (it's my "A-Ha" book), a graphed one that I use as my training log and a planner that I'm using to replace my Blackberry.

25. My Bike - I bought a Gary Fisher urban bike last spring and now ride it everywhere. In the busy city streets of Toronto, it's the smartest method of transportation. From downtown to home it takes me 12 minutes in rush hour...it would take me 30-minutes in a car or 45-minutes on public transit. If you don't have a bike, get one. You'll love it.

There you go guys.

Don't forget to tell your wife that you "DIG" her.

It's Valentine's Day.

CL
The FitAndBusyDad

A 4-Step Approach To Overcoming A Sleep Deprived Work Day

2009-02-12T06:02:00.000-08:00

Well, it happened again. With Rozanne (my wife) out with a broken ankle, I've really had to pick-up the slack getting dinner and clean-up done, evening baths, bedtime stories and at least 1 load of laundry every night. I'll tell you one thing, it's made me appreciate her a lot more.

Last night was particularly tough. With tax season coming up fast and furiously, I was up last night until 2am getting some receipts and tax stuff organized for a meeting with my book keeper. I hate not finishing a job, or leaving things to the last minute (my meeting is on Friday), so I was adamant on getting at least 1/2 of the job done.

So this morning, when I got up at 5am - 3 hours later - needless to say, I was a little groggy. Having been through this many times before (nightmares - not mine; bed wetting - again, not mine; major presentations/projects/articles), I've developed a (somewhat) regular routine to battle the grogginess and low energy that I know will plague me throughout the day.

So since I know that it's virtually impossible for us to be fully prepared for everything in our busy dad/busy parent lives, I'd like to share with you my 4-step approach to GETTING THROUGH A SLEEP DEPRIVED DAY:

1. Water - Hydration is hugely important in this scenario. I just fill up my 1L SiGG water bottle (it's one of those new fancy aluminum ones) and make sure that it's done before I leave the house and then fill it up again before I get in the car (or get on my bike). Water seems to give me clarity and several experts suggest that it sparks creativity which is especially helpful in the early morning when I'm trying to write an article or blog post. Water usually ties me over until I start to feel like I need some...

2. Espresso (or Green Tea) - Yes, there he goes again talking about coffee. On a 3-hour sleep night, if you can avoid caffeine and get by, well then you're a better man than me, my friend!

The fact of the matter is that coffee is the #1 source of anti-oxidants in an average North American's diet. I'll fully admit that I'm an espresso junkie. Why? Well, because it's HEALTHIER THAN COFFEE.

- Espresso has less caffeine in it than regular drip coffee (50mg in a double shot as opposed to 135mg in a reg cup of coffee).

- It's less acidic (drip coffee loses all its benefit after the first cup is passed through the grounds, after that, all that's being extracted is pure caffeine and acid...ever wonder why you feel like you have to go to the bathroom after a cup of coffee?)

- Espresso is a HIGHER QUALITY product because it comes directly from the bean. If you go to a coffee house that takes pride how they "pull" their espresso or brew their coffee, you'll actually see them grind up the beans right before your eyes before the put it in the portafilter and pull your espresso.

3. Think FRESH, Eat FRESH - It may seem like logic to grab the fastest thing you can scarf down your throat - usually in the form of some "energy" bar/drink, or a bagel/piece of toast or some other sugary crap, but that is probably the worst thing you can do.

But when you're sleep deprived, your immune system is already compromised. White sugar (in the form of simple/processed/unnatural carbohydrates) has been proven to suppress the immune system even further. So that bagel with cream cheese that you just ate will probably end up making you feel crappier later on.

Instead, opt for fresh and natural...apples, berries, any vegetable, eggs or a healthy shake/smoothie are better choices than any fast food.

In fact, I usually save myself the guesswork by just taking 5 minutes before I head off to bed (I guess that meant that I actually went to bed at 2:05am) to make sure I had something prepared for this morning. I ate a baggie of sliced red peppers, an apple and 3 scrambled eggs this morning - the apple and peppers were ready to go and I made the eggs while my girls were eating their oatmeal this morning.

4. Energy Recovery Workouts - Here's the truth about workouts when you're sleep deprived. If sleep deprivation is a constant thing in your life these days, chances are that your immune system is a little depleted from it - you're stressed.

Since training is also stress, then adding more stress to your body isn't always the optimal thing to do for the day after a long night....

HOLD ON, I'm NOT giving you carte blanche to skip your workout just yet.

Rather than doing one of those long, marathon-like workouts where you pound your body for an hour straight (like running on a treadmill or doing some type of cardio exercise where you don't take breaks, or trying to break the squat record in the weight room), what you should be doing is some energy promoting stuff that won't tax your immune system making you sick the next day.

My solution is bodyweight circuits that won't take more than 2 to 3 minutes to complete one circuit. Go through each circuit 4 or 5 times resting 1 minute between each circuit. If you do that, that's a total of only 12-15 minutes of quality work (as opposed to regular cardio that's usually 30-60 minutes of total, non-stop stress on your body).

Doing the BW circuits will get your metabolic rate up and help you with those low energy moments that you'll have later in the day.

Here's a link to a couple of my favorites....

=>FitAndBusyDad Intermediate Bodyweight Circuit

=>FitAndBusyDad Advanced Bodyweight Circuit

If you've got the time, Yoga, Tai Chi or Qi Gong would also be great forms of energy rejuvinating exercises.

Remember, sleep deprivation, pulling "all-nighters" or just not getting enough shut eye on any given night is, unfortunately, a part of parenthood. We all work. We all need to get things done.
And sometimes, we need to sacrifice some sleep to play catch-up.

Just try not to make a habit of it, and follow the steps above and you should be able to survive without any negative effects.

Have a Great Day Guys,
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. For more Energy Rejuvinating Bodyweight Circuits, pick-up your copy of the FitAndBusyDad Training System!

=>Get Started With FitAndBusyDad Workouts!

Yesterday's Workout & I'm Taking the Day Off!

2009-02-10T05:28:00.000-08:00

I got a great Lower Body Workout yesterday. Got in and out of the gym in 34 minutes!

Here's what went down...

1) Front Squat (2 x 8)...worked up to 185lbs

2) Rack Pull (2 x 8 @ 325)

3a) Advanced Ab Circuit x 2
3b) Behind the back BB Wrist Curls (2 x 12)

4) 200 KB Swings w/a 72lb Kettlebell

I got up this morning at the usual 5am and wrote a quick article for DiscoveringDad.net that will hopefully be up this week.

Then I got some quick breakfast together and headed out the door to train a client.

I got home and dropped AJ off early and now I'm taking the rest of the day off to watch AJ at her volleyball tournament.

This one's a big deal to her because it's her first school team tournament.

I remember when I was in school going to play tournaments. My favorite part was sitting up in the bleachers with my teammates scouting the other teams playing while listening to our Walkmans!

It's rare that I'd ever miss one of my daughter's tournaments. I think it's important that she knows that I support her athletic efforts 100%. That's why I'll always make the effort and take the day off to watch her play.

So I'm downing my 2nd espresso here at Dark Horse Espresso Bar in Toronto as I'm finishing this post off.

I'll break the Flip Video Cam out at the tournament and hopefully have some film for you tomorrow.

Enjoy your day!

CL
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. Have you started your FitAndBusyDad Transformation yet? Click HERE to get started.

P.P.S. Did I mention it's FREE to participate?

Who's Supporting Your Fat Loss Efforts?

2009-02-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

I can't stress enough the importance of accountability when it comes to your goals - health, fitness or lifestyle.

Being accountable, not only to yourself, but to a group of like-minded peers will propel you towards success.

It will give you motivation on those days when it seems just too hard to get out bed 20-minutes early for a workout.

Or when the kid's fries are staring you in the face daring you to dip them in ketchup and stuff them in your mouth.

Accountability to a group with a similar focus and set of goals is what will take you from good to GREAT!

That's why I spend good money joining coaching groups and masterminds and have a set of colleagues/friends that won't hesitate to call me out when I don't live up to my promises or fall short of a goal.

There are a number of ways for you to find a group of people who share the same passions and goals that you do and that would welcome the opportunity to share ideas, motivational tips and, most importantly, hold you accountable.

I just started our new FREE Ning Community Site at www.FitAndBusyDad.ning.com and we'll be using this community as FitAndBusyDad TRANSFORMATION CENTRAL!

There, you'll find other dads like you and me who want to share our goals and our hardships & struggles of being busy dads who want to get or stay in shape.

I'm on the forums TWICE daily to answer any questions or concerns or to provide any tips when needed.

I'll also be putting up EXCLUSIVE videos and workouts for MEMBERS ONLY. So those of us who are on there already will have already reaped the benefits of some of the stuff that's on there.

To join, just answer a few (not so) personal questions and click submit. That's it. It's FREE. No payment. No hassles. To catches.

Just me and you and a bunch of others like us who want to share experiences or are looking for support.

=>Join the FitAndBusyDad Community TODAY

Another great tool is the (relatively) new micro-blogging site called TWITTER.

I use Twitter as a way to let my "Tweeps" know what I'm doing, what I'm eating and what I did for my own personal workouts. Thankfully, I've got a pretty active and responsive group of Twitter followers who will hold me accountable if I haven't posted for a while.

I'm getting all the participants in the 1st EVER FitAndBusyDad Transformation Challenge to follow me on Twitter and post their diets and workouts to keep them on track. By putting themselves out there, they'll feel some accountability not only to themselves, but to me and their group of followers.

If you're not on Twitter yet, click the link below to sign-up and follow me...

=>Follow @fitandbusydad on Twitter

REMEMBER...After diet & exercise, having the support of a group of like-minded individuals with similar goals (ie Social Support) is the BEST tool to help you reach your fat loss & muscle-building goals.

Success is just around the corner. Don't fall off the wagon! WE won't let you!

Chris Lopez
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. Don't forget to enter the 1st Ever FitAndBusyDad Transformation Challenge!

=>Get Started with the FitAndBusyDad Lifestyle TODAY!

P.P.S. The last day to enter the challenge to get a FULL 12-WEEKS of Transformation is March 9, 2009. Don't delay!

What a Weekend!...Now it's time to get back to work!!!

2009-02-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

What a game yesterday, huh?

I honestly thought that after Larry Fitzgerald took it right up the middle and straight to the house, that the Cardinals had it in the bag.

Leave it to the relentless Steelers to create a championship drive in 2 minutes that was capped off by what was probably the best catch in Superbowl history (no disrespect to Dwight Clark and David Tyree from last year's champs the NY Giants - my team!) to take the crown away from Arizona.

Incredible!

I stayed home yesterday and watched the Superbowl with Rozanne and the girls (well, the girls kind of just played while we watched the game).

We made it a family event and ordered pizza and some hot wings. The kids had a blast.

If I remember correctly, I ate about 4 slices of pizza and had about 10 wings. Clearly, I'm still able to pack it down. I can to treat myself to some of that stuff once in a while because I still maintain a great activity level.

Aside from my structured 4-day-a-week workouts, I also do a couple of fun kettlebell recovery workouts per week in addition to getting out to play basketball once a week.

I eat a "clean" diet.

I practice Flexible Intermittent FASTING once or twice per week.

I don't count calories.

And I make sure that I demand QUALITY in what I put in my body...well, except for last night's chomp-fest.

So how's your Superbowl hangover going? Are you recovering from your pizza and wing night?

It's great to treat yourself every now and then provided that you eat great quality stuff on "the regular" AND stick to your training schedule.

So now that your "nosh" day is over, what are you doing to get back on track?

If you remember last Thursday, I announced the 1st EVER FitAndBusyDad Transformation Challenge!

Well, I put the OFFICIAL RULES up today, so feel free to go check them out...

=>FitAndBusyDad Transformation Challenge

You've got nothing to lose now.

The Superbowl is over.

Enjoy your day guys. No more wings until after May 30th, alright? :-)

Chris Lopez
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. The days are getting longer and spring is on it's way.

What better way to get ready for the nice weather than to get in shape and not feel like you have to keep your shirt on in 90 degree weather while you're mowing the lawn!

=>Get Started with FitAndBusyDad Workouts and Enter the Transformation Challenge!

And The Winner Is...

2009-01-30T06:48:00.000-08:00

You guys didn't make it easy.

We received 27 total entries in the Flip Cam Contest and everyone was incredibly open and honest with their stories.

First, the HONORABLE MENTIONS...

A big shout out goes to Steve from Ohio who lost over 160lbs in 12 months while looking after both of his sick parents and grieving the loss of a brother. Steve writes...

"I did it the old fashioned way...no tricks, gimmics, or surgery. I used faith, accountability, personal responsibility, and hard work."

Great job Steve! You've secured your place in the good Karma books, man.

Kudos goes to Tom (who has 4 kids just like me) and is starting his own fitness business this year. A quote that stuck out from Tom's entry was...

"I feel more energy and life when I am committed to a business goal and physical goals and I can see the effect on my family in a positive way as well. I know that I am committing to the pain of discipline in myself this year because I do not want the pain of regret"

And to Ellis, the father of 11 (8 of them are daughters!). And I thought I was busy!

The Winner of Flip Video Camera is...

Andy, who wrote this entry:

"3 things I'm going to concentrate on coming into 2009:

#1. 3 words: Keep the balance. Balance is everything. Family, Work, Workouts...the whole deal. Being a father of 2 twin pre schoolers and a 1 year old isn't easy since 2004 and before that. I've been asked: "How do you keep up?"...well, starting off, I didn't. I blew up to 225 lbs (maybe more) at the time my twins were born. I focused too much on family and work and not anything else.

#2. Make the time. If you can sacrifice 45 minutes in a gym...you can sacrifice 45 minutes or more with your kid's homework, at the dinner table, at the park, reading them a story at night or just plain teaching them the facts of everyday life to a point that they would understand. We're all busy but I don't believe there isn't time for everything in life. If family gets in the way of your workouts...do your workouts in the morning or when they are tucked in bed.

#3 Focus on quality and not quantity with your family and your workouts...and everything in general. In everything you do, make it worthwhile. Savor those little moments with them...it doesn't have to be in the form or a trip to Disneyland or what have you. Give them a hug everyday...make them feel special. Your family yearns that from you. I remember going to a volleyball game just the other night and you can just see in their eyes who they look up to. Make them proud that you are their dad and live by example that healthy habits are a good thing and not all about a trip to Chuck E Cheese running around with a pizza in their hand. Introduce them to healthier eating habits such as an apple or a banana. HIt them when their young and they'll carry those good habits when they get older."

Congratulations Andy!

Please send me an email at info(at)fitandbusydad.com so that we can chat about how to get you the goods!

Oh, BTW the most comedic entry goes to Michal who said...

"And all I'm doin' in 2009 is tryin' to BECOME a dad and I think it's one of the best workouts out there !! :))"

Nice try, buddy. You get an "A" for effort.

Good Luck on your Transformations guys!

P.S. You have less than 12hrs left to get your FitAndBusyDad Deluxe Package at the Basic Package Price!

=>Click HERE to get started with FitAndBusyDad Workouts!

P.P.S. The Official Rules of the 1st Ever FitAndBusyDad Transformation Contest will be posted on Monday, February 2nd so stay tuned for your chance to win the $750 GRAND PRIZE!

The 1st Ever FitAndBusyDad Transformation Challenge - Are you "DAD" enough?

2009-01-28T21:23:00.000-08:00

OK, I know I'm a day late with this last announcement, but I had some loose "legal" ends that I needed to tie up just to make sure that I can do what I'm about to do.

So here's BIG Birthday Announcement #3...

I am launching the 1st EVER FitAndBusyDad Transformation Challenge!

***Notice how I didn't say "Contest", I said "Challenge". A contest is something that you do to compete against other people. A CHALLENGE is something you do to compete against YOURSELF.***

There are 2 things that you need to do to enter and to make it as a finalist in the F&BD Challenge:

1. Submit BEFORE and AFTER photos (taken on Day 1 and Day 84, respectively) showing the dramatic changes you made to your physique.

AND...

2. Write a 300-500 word essay on the steps you took to BECOME A BETTER DAD throughout your 84-days of transformation.

(*FULL Contest Rules and Details will be posted on Monday, Feb 2, 2009)

That's right, guys.

THIS IS NOT YOUR AVERAGE TRANSFORMATION CONTEST.

I still believe that a lot of us ("us" being Busy Dads) still get a lot of flack for being "secondary" caregivers.

People's first instinct when they see us with our kids at the park or at a ballgame or at the mall is "Oh, that's cute. They must be babysitting." That initial reaction is changing now that more and more of us are taking an active involvement in our kids' lives, but it still happens.

(BTW, if you're watching YOUR kids, it's not "babysitting"! It's called PARENTING.)

And that's why the essay portion of this contest counts for so much.

How, in your busy life, are going to improve being the type of father that your kids will want to be proud of for the rest of their lives?

Sure, it's relatively easy to ignore our families, focus totally on ourselves, eat boiled chicken breasts & steamed broccoli everyday and spend countless hours in the gym trying to get our bodies better for an 84-day challenge...but who really wins in the end? If we take this approach, what do we sacrifice and at what cost? Are we really being a better dad?

This challenge is meant for you to go beyond fitness and really dissect your lifestyle. To go deep and make yourself ask HARD questions like...

Am I being a shining example of health to my family?

What kind of impact am I putting on their lives?

Thirty years from now, what will my kids remember about me the most?

Or, even more importantly...

Given my current lifestyle, am I even going to be around 30 years from now to see my grandchildren?

This isn't just a body transformation challenge...it's a LIFE TRANSFORMATION.

And if your family and your health isn't incentive enough, here is the prize line-up:

Grand Prize - $750 Cash, 1-year telephone coaching & personalized program consultation with me & LIFETIME products from FitAndBusyDad.

Runner-Up - $500 Cash, 6-months telephone coaching & personalized program consultation

3rd place - $250 Cash, 6-months telephone coaching & personalized program consultation

Prizes will also be given to the contestant who best BLOGs about his experience(s) throughout the contest AND to the contestant who best VIDEO BLOGs his experience(s).

So, are you up for the challenge?

Are you ready to step-up and be a better man, a better parent, a better DAD?

I think you'll be just fine AND you'll have my support 100%.

So don't wait, make the decision to change and get going!

=>Get Your FitAndBusyDad Workouts NOW

Your Coach,
Chris Lopez
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. You have until Friday (tomorrow) at midnight to get your NEW FBD workouts at the promotional price of $39. Click HERE to get started FitAndBusyDad Workouts!

P.P.S. Today is the last day to enter to WIN the flip video camera. All you have to do is leave a comment. Click HERE for your chance to win.

Big Birthday Announcement #2: The FBD Deluxe Package Launch

2009-01-27T06:23:00.000-08:00

Well, I had a pretty good day yesterday. In addition to all the well wishers and a nice birthday sushi dinner with my family, I was able to bring out some amazing and inspirational stories on the blog post from yesterday.

You should really check it out and leave a comment if you haven't already. Remember, a brand new Flip Video Camera is yours if you leave the most entertaining and inspirational story of how you're going to make 2009 the best year for you and your family!

Now, onto BIG BIRTHDAY ANNOUNCEMENT #2...

I have just released 3 BRAND NEW workouts, and for the next 3 days have made them available to you when you buy the Original FitAndBusyDad Workout Package.

These workouts are like nothing you've ever seen before. Each one holds consistent with the FitAndBusyDad Principles of INTENSE, TIME EFFICIENT and NO-FLUFF workouts that will get you out of the gym in less time than ever!

These workouts (with the entire FitAndBusyDad Package) are only available at this price ($39) until 11:59pm EST Friday, January 30th, 2009.

After that, they become part of the Deluxe Package ($79).

Here's a sneak peak of what you'll get:

1) The 8-Week High School Reunion Prep Program (Value $47)

High School, for most of us, were either the most traumatic years of our life or the most triumphant. Have you ever wondered what everyone looks like now? Well your old buddies and/or girlfriends are probably wondering the same thing. Show them that you're even better than you once were and get ready to knock their socks off. This intense program will get you ready in 8-weeks so that not only will your old flames take notice, but your wife will not want to let go of you.

2) Big Daddy v2.0: The Gym Issue (Value $47)

Due to popular demand, this spin-off from the original Big Daddy was created for the Busy Dad who can get to the gym at lunch time. This 12-week program will allow you to get to the gym on your lunch break, get an intense and growth stimulating work out and get you out of the gym and back to the office in time for that 1pm meeting - shower and post-workout meal included.

3) Time Efficient Bodyweight Circuits for Busy Dads (Value $37)

Not having time to train is really NO EXCUSE anymore. This collection of bodyweight circuits will enable you to get a quick intense workout ANYWHERE. I designed each one of these workouts to be done in an 8 x 8 space - about the size of an elevator. So, no matter where you are - hotel room, cubicle, office or bathroom - you'll be able to get your workout in.

So, even though it was my birthday, I'd like to give YOU the presents!

Get these 3 BRAND NEW workouts for FREE when you purchase the Original FitAndBusyDad.

Act now, because it all goes away on Friday night!

=>Get ALL the FitAndBusyDad Workouts HERE

All the best,

Chris Lopez

The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. Don't forget I have the final and BIGGEST announcement coming tomorrow!

Big Birthday Giveaway #1: What Are You Doing in '09 to be A Better Dad?

2009-01-26T04:05:00.000-08:00

Today, Monday, January 26th, 2009 is my 32nd Birthday.

I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than to thank all of you for your kind and supportive emails and notes of encouragement over the past year and a bit.

So to show my thanks, I'm going to be making 3 BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS over the next 3 days where everyone can take advantage of some incredible prizes, giveaways and special offers.

So here goes...

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT #1: I'm giving away a
BRAND NEW Flip Video Camera.

Here's how you can win...

With January almost done, I'm wondering how everyone is keeping up with their "dreaded" New Year's Resolutions.

Have you been able to stay on track with eating well and keeping a consistent exercise schedule?

Have you resolved to be a better dad and make sure that you're reading a bedtime story to the kids every night?

Have you been a shining example of health to your kids by showing them that you make time to exercise and choose what you eat carefully?

To WIN the Flip Cam,

JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN 2009 TO BE A BETTER and HEALTHIER DAD?

Your entry must be submitted by commenting on this blog post by no later than
Thursday, January 29th, 2009 @ 11:59pm EST.

The winning entry will be judged on creativity, specificity of goals and how entertaining and/or inspirational your story is and will be announced on Friday, January 31st, 2009.

Don't be shy. Step out of the shadows and let everyone know your story and how you resolve to be the best you can for your family's health and your own.

I look forward to reading and being inspired by you!

Sincerely,
Chris Lopez
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. There's another BIG ANNOUNCEMENT coming tomorrow!

Yesterday's Afternoon Workout

2009-01-21T05:17:00.000-08:00

I've been on a quest to build some muscle lately so I've been eating a little more than usual and have really been trying to hit the weights hard.

So my plan is to get to the gym (I'm lucky in that I work in one...kind of) and hit the weights 3 x week and then do one recovery workout at home with some fun kettlebell stuff (see my post from Monday).

Yesterday, here's what went down...

1) Weighted Chin-ups, 5 sets (I worked up to 5 reps w/a 60lb DB attached to my waist)

2a) DB Incline Press, 3 sets x 8
2b) DB Row, 3 sets x 12

3a) Full Contact Twist, 3 sets x 15
3b) Face Pull, 3 sets x 15

Why is it that a 60lb DB attached to your waist feels lighter than doing chins with a 45lb weighted vest?

A lot of experts say that I should constantly have food in my mouth if I want to really pack some muscle on.

But, I'm still following my buddy Brad Pilon's EatStopEat plan by fasting once per week because I feel it plays a huge role in regulating my hormones (mainly HGH) and because I just seem so much more productive when I'm fasting.

So TODAY is a fasting day because I have A LOT of work to do.

When I get home tonight, I'm making steak with some brown rice and black beans...a little Mexican flavor today! Can't wait!

Enjoy your day,
CL
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. My muscle building workouts still follow the FitAndBusyDad principles. My workout yesterday, from start to finish, lasted only 32-minutes!

=>Get started with FitAndBusyDad workouts!

What's the BEST Cardio Machine to Use?

2009-01-20T08:39:00.001-08:00

As much as I hate doing cardio and would never tell you guys that it's a necessity for fat loss, I know that some of you just love it.

So I wrote an article ranking THE BEST CARDIO MACHINES suggesting which ones you should use and which ones are just a complete waste of time.

You can check my article out on TheFatherLife.com by clicking HERE.

=>The FitAndBusyDad's Ranking of the BEST Cardio Machines

Just do me a favor though, OK?

Read Men's Health or Men's Fitness or GQ while you're sitting on the recumbent bike. Leave the People Magazine to the Cardio Queen with the liatard on.

CL
The FitAndBusyDad

p.s. The best way for Busy Dads to lose fat WITHOUT doing cardio can be found HERE.

=>Get started with FitAndBusyDad Workouts

The FitAndBusyDad

TT Kettlebell Revolution V2.0 2 day SALE!

Bringing Sexy BACK

Getting a Sprinter's Body

Relaunch of the TT Kettlebell Revolution!!!!

Busting Through Plateaus in Your Kettlebell Workouts

The best KB exercise you can do that does, well, EVERYTHING...

Ladders, Home Gyms, Crappy Gyms & KB Certification

Top 5 Conditioning Exercises

http://kettlebellworkouts.com/top-5-conditioning-exercises/

20s are Too Light...

"Off" Day and "Light" Training

Bodyweight Training Junkie

New Program: Kettlebell Muscle

Tuesday C & P

Hill Sprints at 6am

Tuesday's 10 Minute Workout

Keeping Things Simple...

Outdoor Workout on My Deck

How the heck do I NOT use my upper body?

I Got A Chiropractor For My Daughter's Birthday

Popped Another One

Thursday Upper Body Workout

An Off Day

Coconut Oil, Training & Burritos

The Rebirth of The Original Blog

Wednesday's Breakfast and Training

Tuesday's Journal

Weekend's Workout and Today's Nutrition and Training

Baby #5 is a.......

Wednesday Training & Nutrition

California Sandwiches

Tuesday's Eating For Energy

Monday's Workout & Nutrition

17 Exercise Hacks.

Happy Father's Day, Guys

What Do You Guys Want For Father's Day?

Kettlebell Workout for Fat Loss

Monday Training & Episode 2 of My Home Gym DIY

Father's Day Comes Early!!!

Video Friday!!! My DIY Project - I'm Building a Home Gym

23 Rules for Living a FitAndBusyDad Life

Monday Deadlift Workout & Nutrition

Day 4 Video And My Futrue Hollywood Star

Day 3 Video of The Fat Loss Stimulus Package

No More Back Pain, Better abs & a Perfect Golf Swing

June 2009 Workout - Day 2

Today's The Day

Living With The Essential: A FitAndBusyDad Interview with Author, Blogger and Father of 6, Leo Babauta

How to get 6-Pack-Abs....That Actually Work

Video Friday: 2 LAST MINUTE Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Injury Management for Busy Dads: How to Make Yourself UNBREAKABLE- An Interview with Physical Therapist, Keith Scott

Friday Video: What're You Making For Dinner Tonight?

Do Cheat Meals Really Work?

7th Heaven

Are You Doing This Yet?

The 3 Foods Busy Dads Should Never Eat. EVER.

Who's Got Your Back?

Lower Body Workout

4 Reasons Why You Will NOT Experience a Set-Back If You Ate Too Much This Weekend

The ONE Change I Made In My Workouts To Lose An Inch Around My Belly in 10 Days

Eleven

Wednesday Workout & The Problem That I Have With Training Child Athletes

What's YOUR Reason For Training?

Fueling for Competition, Fueling for Life

12 Weeks

My BIGGEST Transformation Obstacle

Can I Win My Own Transformation Challenge?

Have You Seen This Yet?

A NEW 18-minute Workout

Weekend Workout Challenge - Fri, March 6, 2008

4 Ways to Bust Through Your Weight Loss Plateaus

The FitAndBusyDad WEEKEND WORKOUT CHALLENGE

Tomfoolery & Shenanigans: The Story of Our Lives

The First Guy To The Dessert Table

Waking-Up to Last Night's Dinner

8 Simple Rules...

How ATHLETIC is your child?

What the He** is a Kettlebe**?

25 Things I DIG...For Now

What the He is a Kettlebe?