Archive for the ‘Motivation’ Category

How to Stay Motivated to Train

Monday, March 15th, 2010

The best way I have found to stay motivated to train, is to keep track of my stats.

Here are some statistics you can use to measure your progress at the gym:

Motivation
Motivation
  • Pictures of your body.
  • Videos of you posing or training.
  • Measurements using a tape measure:
    • Neck
    • Shoulders
    • Chest/Back
    • Arms
    • Waist at belt level
    • Waist at belly button
    • Hips
    • Quads
    • Hamstrings
    • Calves
  • (more…)

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Weightlifting Tool to Calculate Your 1 Rep Max

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

1 Rep Max Calculator

I had published this post once before, but recently a couple people have asked for such a tool, so I’m busting it out again for all the new Project Swole readers.

There are many strength training programs that involve calculating your 1 rm or 1 repetition maximum. Some programs want you to use a % of your 1 rm, which is sometimes even harder to calculate.

1 Rep Max Calculator
Calculate Your 1 Rep Max

Most of us do not how how to figure out this number without performing the actual rep itself. Use this easy calculator to get a basic idea of how much weight you can lift once.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger Motivational Video

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

The Austrian Oak was the man. If you are feeling lazy you should watch this. It will either depress you or make you go squat 500 lbs.

What do you think about Arnold?

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YouTube Video: Freestyling on Bars

Saturday, June 20th, 2009

This dude Hannibal (no relation to Lecter) does some pretty sick moves on the bars. There are bunch of videos like this on YouTube, but this one is short and sweet.

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Swole in Two Months

Monday, June 8th, 2009

If you are someone who trains for a month then takes a week off because life gets busy, you are just like me.

If you are someone who normally trains 4 days a week and then can only get in the gym once in a 9 day stretch because life gets busy, you are just like me.

And like you, I put together than occasional plan to commit for a solid 3 months, eat right, train 4-5 times a week, and make some real progress.

We are not lazy, we just get busy or have to deal with family situations. Right?

Excuses, excuses…

Lazy Man
Lazy Man – This is not me and it better not be you!

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Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Workout for X-Men Origins

Friday, May 15th, 2009

I saw X-Men Origins: Wolverine last weekend and it was great. Many a-hole fanboys will hate on this movie because it doesn’t stay 100% true to the comic book origin of Wolverine or Deadpool, but those guys should just go see Star Trek or something, because Wolverine was just awesome.

Hugh Jackman: Wolverine
Hugh Jackman: Wolverine

Standing at 6’3, Hugh Jackman is looking pretty large and jacked these days and I was curious about what he did to prep for the Wolverine role. Here is what I could find out about Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Workout.

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Tim Tebow Inspiration

Sunday, August 17th, 2008

Tomorrow I begin my umpteenth attempt to get back into shape. My medical condition is supposedly cleared up and I have been given the OK to start training again. So we’re back to the original plan: 3 days of kickboxing, 2 days of weightlifting.

I’ve run the usual tests: weight; and arm, chest, waist, thigh, calf measurements. I’d also like to get a body fat reading but I can’t find my calipers so it might have to wait until Tuesday when I hit the gym. All I know is that I am slow, weak, and smooth. My weight is 173lbs, but other than that I will not post any of my stats yet, but in due time I shall.

Two things have inspired me today:

  1. University of Florida’s starting quarterback, Tim Tebow
  2. This video here: CrossFitters are Strong

What’s so Great About Tim Tebow?

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Training for the Week of 7/21 – 7/27

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008

Three solid days of kickboxing this week, but Friday was absolutely horrible. I was feeling tired around 4pm so I decided to take a couple fat burner/energy pills. Not good.

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The Gym Preparation Checklist

Tuesday, July 15th, 2008

Home gymWhen going to the gym to train, you can develop a tradition that will help you stay focused on your goals. By sticking to the same regimen each day you will also be assured that nothing is changing in your training or preparation. This will make it easier to diagnose a problem or to pin point the result of a specific planned change in your training, nutrition, or lifestyle.

Consistency is one of the prime factors in your training progress. Following the basic outline below will ensure that you have some consistency in the factors that surround your training. After that, it’s your responsibility to actually get to the gym and train. Now let’s investigate how we can maintain consistency around training.

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The Healthier My Lifestyle The Better I Feel

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

Hey this is a blog right? Well here is a personal post for any who are interested. Over the course of the last month I have really stepped back and tried to examine all the bad habits in my lifestyle. One by one I have started to weed out such things as:

  • Eating the wrong foods or too much food late at night.
  • Working instead of exercising.
  • Watching TV instead of exercising.
  • Having an extra Captain’s and Diet when it’s not really necessary.
  • Staying up too late, then…
  • Getting up too early without enough sleep, or…
  • Sleeping in and getting up too late, thereby wasting the morning.
  • Blowing off taking my vitamins.
  • Pumping myself up on energy drinks, then taking double doses of melatonin to fall asleep at night.
  • Choosing Doritos or candy over fruit or low fat meat.

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Increase the Number of Pull-Ups You Can Do By 50 Percent in One Day

Friday, May 16th, 2008

Pull ups are hard, but they are one of the few true tests of strength. I say this because some powerlifters can bench 600 or squat 800, but they also weigh 300+ and can barely manage 5 pull ups. This is one of the few exercises where you can measure relative fitness by comparing the ratio of the number of pull ups completed to bodyweight. Some of you might get mad at me, talking about powerlifters training for strength rather than endurance, but the fact of the matter is that when I was powerlifting I could still do 15 pull ups at 195 lbs.

BuzzcutNow, let me take you back to high school gym class… the year was 1993, I was 15 years old. Mr. Buatti the gym teacher, who happens to bare a striking resemblance to Coach Buzzcut, called my name to stand up in front of the class and do an many pull ups as I can. The football jocks each knocked out from 10 to 20 and the wiry tough kid with only 3 fingers on one hand completed 14 of them. I got 3. It was humiliating.

Now we come back to the present. Recently I started doing pull ups again after a year layoff. On my first set, I got 5 reps. A week later I was up to 8 reps. Just yesterday I did a set of 11 reps. But I want more. I’ve done 18 pull ups before; I’ve also done 5 pull ups with a 45 lb plate hanging off a belt. So, how can I get back to that place? How can you get to that place?

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No Pain No Gain is Still Sometimes True

Sunday, May 11th, 2008

Weightlifting HamsterI totally live by the mantra, “No brain, no gain”, because, “No pain, no gain”, is essentially a counterproductive philosophy. It is one in which you could easily end up sick, injured, or worse. On recent occasion though, I have found it necessary to dig back into my, “No pain, no gain”, mindset in thai kickboxing class.

The reason I say this, is because there does indeed seem to be a problem with my lungs. I still think they might be damaged from some blood clots a couple years back. The thing is though, is if I push myself, how much bad can actually come of it?

My lungs could get stronger. They could be forced to repair damaged tissue. Maybe I really am just straight up out of shape. Well no matter, because when I feel like it’s time to throw in the towel and huddle in a corner gasping for breath, I just repeat to myself, “No pain, no gain”, because this is how I will make it through the workout… this is how I will force my body to adapt and get stronger.

Thai Kickboxing

In the last 4 days I have attended 2 kickboxing classes and I have completed 6 sets of 10 pull-ups. Today I am sore. Kickboxing seems to be getting better after my month layoff. I am feeling stronger and faster during each class. I do feel like my lungs are working better sometimes, but then other times I find myself gasping, taking 1/2 breaths. For now I’ll just keep pushing it.

Pull Ups

The 10 reps on pull-ups makes me feel OK. At least I’m not a complete sissy anymore. My general goal is to hit a set of pull-ups each morning and each evening, nearly every day of the week. On each set I will maintain strict form, and will always try to get one more rep than I did previously. Right now I’ve been stuck at 10 reps for a couple days, but I intend to hit an 11 rep set on Mother’s Day.

Soon it shall be time for me to start working towards my 10 week, 300 Workout Challenge goal. Once again, the 300 Workout isn’t something that we do every day. It is more of a training goal. You train your body for conditioning, endurance, and a small amount of strength, then at the end of your 10-12 week session, the 300 Workout is a test that you can use to gauge just how successful your training went.

That’s it for today… bring on Mother’s Day!

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Play Games to Increase IQ, Intelligence, Memory, and Problem Solving Ability

Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

A recent study has determined that playing certain games really does boost intelligence, problem solving skills, and memory. These brain exercises are a fun way to keep our brains alert and capable. In the study, a Swiss-American research team reports on how they used a computer based brain-training method to improve general problem-solving ability.

Play chess to improve problem solving skillsGames like Sudoku, crossword puzzles, Scrabble, and memory games all result in improved memory and expanded vocabulary. The young an the elderly can benefit most from these types of games, while the rest of us can use this as a tool to stay sharp and articulate throughout the years.

Many psychologists had thought the only way to improve problem solving ability, was to actually practice the specific problem solving task you wanted to get better at. However, this theory is overturned in the work by Dr. Susanne Jaeggi, Dr. Martin Buschkühl and additional colleagues at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and University of Bern. These experts have determined that anyone can improve general problem solving by participating in unrelated mental exercises and puzzles.

The Experiment

In the experiment, the team gave 35 volunteers a series of mental training exercises designed to improve their working memory, while they also had 35 more subjects who did not undergo the exercises.

Those who underwent the tests were shown a sequence of squares appearing one after another on the computer screen every three seconds. The task was to decide whether a certain square was at the same position as another one previously seen in the sequence. At the same time, participants heard spoken letters and had to decide whether the currently heard letter was the same as one presented two or three steps earlier in the sequence.

If a participant did well the tasks became harder, while if they performed poorly it became easier. This experiment went on for between 8 and 19 days, after which participants’ problem solving ability was assessed and compared to the group who had not taken part in the exercises.

The Results

According to the results of the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group who took part in the puzzles had significantly improved their problem solving ability. In addition, the more the participants trained, the more problems they could solve.

Play sudokuMotivation appears to be an important factor in this exercise. The experts suggest that people have to be committed to mental exercise to reap the benefits. Haphazard gaming will not produce the same effects as ambitious mind training. This finding is no surprise considering the general rule that ‘practice makes perfect’. After all, you wouldn’t expect a couch potato to get up and run a 5k. Nor would a beginning weight trainee walk in the gym and squat 550 lbs. Nor would a football player step out into the national spotlight without daily, hardcore practice and training.

This study provides the first evidence that mental exercise improves intelligence and general problem solving ability. You can now take solace in time well-spent on crosswords, Sudoko, Scrabble, or any other thought intensive games.

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Back to Kickboxing and Back to Weights

Monday, April 28th, 2008

Whew, I have been in a major slump due to income worries, work hours, family problems, and basically being WAY too stressed out. Well today I am taking a step forward by getting back into kickboxing after about 2 weeks off. It should be great!

I plan to be very tight and very slow. My lungs will probably feel close to bursting. Lactic acid just might shut my body down, especially if Roger has us doing duck walks. Oh, and my wrist hurts a bit from lugging around a 200 lb air conditioner whilst cleaning out my garage this weekend, so hitting the pads should be sweet!

Basically though, I have to get back into it. Once I go tonight, I will be psyched, and I will look forward to going back on Wednesday too.

How to Get a Workout and a Clean Garage at the Same Time

Follow these five simple rules to turn garage clean-out into the best workout of the month.

  1. Stock your garage with 5 ft long boxes filled with books and clothes.
  2. Keep several 40+ inch TVs in your garage.
  3. Put a 200 lb air conditioner all the way in the back of the garage, knowing full well you will need to hook it up this summer.
  4. Decide to clean the garage out 100% then reorganize everything and put it back.
  5. Don’t ask for help lifting anything! Do it all yourself.

Just remember that no matter how heavy anything is, you must lift with your legs, not with your back. This is key to being able to move the next day. My garage clean-out took all of Saturday and half of Sunday, and when I was finished I still had enough energy to scratch up 3 inches of dirt and lay down seed and fertilizer in half of my back yard and half of my front yard. So how do I feel today? A little sore, but my back, legs, and abs are perfectly healthy.
Steve circa July 2006

Back to Weights?

I dug out my Powerblocks, my ez curl bar, and all my nasty plastic weights during the garage clean-out. The bar is a bit rusty, but the Powerblocks are still nice. I intend to use them, and the rusty free weights, to ease myself back into weightlifting since I am so busy that I can’t really make time for kickboxing and going to the gym. Every time I attempt I do pull-ups lately I am able to add 1 rep. This weekend I knocked off a set of 8, which is up from 6 two weeks ago.

Man, if I could just get serious about the lifting and the dieting, it I could end up looking like I did in summer of 2006. This type of mindset is what Project Swole is all about; if I could just start making more money than I spend on bills every month, I would have much more free time in the morning and the night… I’d be golden.

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The Importance of Focus When Training

Tuesday, March 25th, 2008

Static-X vs. Britney Spears

When I am in the gym or in the dojo, I make every attempt to bring maximum intensity and pure focus. Throughout my life this is the attitude that I have known to foster success. As an example, most of the local gyms tend to blast Britney Spears music or perhaps some Justin Timberlake. These folks rolls up into the speakers babbling about love and dancing with their crooning voices and loose hips. Well I am not training for love. I am not training to dance. I am training to either lift more weight than you can comprehend or to knock your head off if you threaten me.

Some inspiring lyrics from some rock groups that know how to bring it…
Focus
“Yeah! You push it! Yeah! You push it!”
– Static-X

“Heavy! I want it Heavy!”
– Disturbed

“DIG! Bury Me! Underneath!
Everything that I am!”
– Mudvayne

“Get this or die! Get this or die!!
Get this or DIE!!!”
– Slipknot

So what exactly is your point?

When you are training you need to be in The Zone. Not the Zone Diet, not the Phantom Zone, and definitely not the Game Zone. Too many folks saunter into the gym with Britney Spears’ intensity. They walk up to the dumbbells, sigh, and hit the same number of reps, sets, and weights they’ve been using for the last 5 years. These are the same folks that won’t squat because it hurts their back, they won’t run because it hurts their knees, they won’t use a barbell because it hurts their hands! I feel like saying, “pick a spot on the ceiling, focus on it, grab the bar, do your set, THEN worry about the condition of your fingers”. Your back hurts? Spend a couple minutes figuring out how to rehab that thing back into working condition… then squat! Knees hurt? Try interval sprints, try the elliptical, try kickboxing!

The guy to avoid at all costs

Late in the evening when I’m trying to finish up my super-set so that I can get in one more exercise before the gym closes, I have to listen to, “I like to exercise late because there isn’t really anyone here to watch me. Maybe if I was in a bit better shape I wouldn’t mind so much, you know?” NO! I don’t know, buddy! I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about! I like it when other people are working out around me. Guys like me start up unspoken competitions with other similar athletes. We watch intently to see if our rivals hit their deadlift max this week. We check out the shredded guy’s calves to see if ours are still bigger. But there’s one thing you don’t need to worry about: we do not, under any circumstances, watch YOU. In fact I don’t really care what you do because you add absolutely nothing to my training, but please move away from the decline bench so I can finish my last set of weighted decline sit ups!

Today’s Lessons

  • Focus on the task at hand and nothing else.
  • Strive to set a new personal best or personal record each time.
  • Avoid those that do what you don’t want to do.
  • Avoid those that don’t have what you want to have.
  • Surround yourself with those that do have what you want to have.
  • Use the environment (music, video, pictures, quotes) to keep you on track.

You need to want it more than anything else in the moment

If you want to make progress you need to DIG! You need to want it HEAVY! You need to PUSH IT!! Eat what you know you need to eat. If you don’t know what to eat, read and learn. Lift more weight every single workout no matter what. Kick harder today than you did yesterday. Jump higher! Do more situps! Get in that zone so you can block out the rest of your life, so that the only thing you see right now is that bar on the floor or the heavy bag, and you know that today, right now, you’re about to lift 5 lbs more on this exercise than you’ve ever lifted before, and hell if you can get an extra rep you’ll do that too. Know that you’re about to jump rope for 5 minute straight without it getting caught on your feet. Know that you are about to knock that heavy bag right off the damned ceiling! Get IN that zone, because it’s time to DIG!

“Any coward can fight a battle when he’s sure of winning; but give me the man who has the pluck to fight when he’s sure of losing.”

– George Eliot

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Motivational Support of Friends and Family

Monday, November 5th, 2007

I want to address a real issue here today, and some of you may think I’m soft or catering to those will low self esteem and low willpower. The fact of the matter is this: your family and friends will not always be positive when they hear about your weight loss or fitness goals. They might even belittle you or belittle your dreams when you start to show progress. You need to prepare yourself for this in advance. The reality is that it is important that those closest to you serve as cheerleaders to motivate you and remind you that your hard work has paid off, but that you need to prepare yourself for the opposite.

We all like a little encouragement, especially when the weight loss plateaus or stalls temporarily. However, many of us are not so lucky and in fact might have to deal with hostility toward our weight loss. Maybe they think you are “better than them” by making such drastic changes, which is absurd. Whatever you do, don’t allow their negative energy to dampen your excitement. Plus, this negativity demonstrates that they are simply a poor excuse for a friend.

It is good to have a workout partner, or to have friends with the same fitness interests as yourself. Often times we can find people who share our goals online. Try searching for a popular form or blog, like Project Swole, and begin to post your comments and network with some of the members. This can be very motivating and the competitive aspect can be very good for progress. You could also try working with a personal trainer if you are just beginning, or if you need a supervised, motivational boost to your workouts.

In any case, remember that the weight won’t lift itself and the spare tire won’t get out there and run sprints. Get in the gym or out on the field and motivate YOURSELF to set new personal records today!

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Acai Berry the New Weight Loss Superfood

Friday, August 10th, 2007


In recent years the acai berry diet has quickly become the most popular diet in the world, while the acai berry itself has become the most popular antioxidant diet supplement in world.

Combined with a colon cleanser, a sensible diet, and a moderate exercise routine, the acai berry can help you lose fat faster than you ever thought possible, and its antioxidant health properties will keep you feeling youthful and energized every day.
Beach Woman

  • With just Acai Pills you can lose up to 15 pounds in just 30 days.
  • Combine Acai with a Colon Cleanser to lose an additional 5-10 pounds.
  • Combine Acai with the diet and fitness routines I’ve outlined below and the fat will simply melt off you.

Navigating the Acai Berry Diet Review

What Are Acai Berries?

About Antioxidants

The ORAC Rating

Acai Berry Diet Benefits

Why Use Acai?

Weight Loss Testimonials

Step 1: Acai and Weight Loss

Step 2: Colon Cleansing

Step 3 (Optional): Fat Loss Workout Routines

Step 4 (Optional): The Intermittent Fasting Diet

Order a Free Trial or Full Supply

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Acai Berries?

Acai Berries

Acai berries – acai is pronounced ‘a-sigh-ee’ – are small, black, and round, and they resemble small grapes. There is not much acai fruit on each individual berry. Rather, each acai berry has a large seed that is surrounded by a small amount of pulp.

Harvesting. When harvesting the acai berries, harvesters must remove the pulp from the outside of the berry, and process it immediately into an acai product or flash freeze it for shipping to a manufacturing facility. The acai fruit will spoil if left unprocessed for several days.

Acai Products. The fruit from the acai berry is often used in a variety of dietary supplements, healthy foods, ice cream, sorbet, juices, and other common grocery store items. Best of all, the acai berry is the most important food used with the acai berry diet. With the highest antioxidant concentration of any known food, the acai berry is now known as the most important superfood for a maintaining proper health.

Bad Products. Some common commerical acai products, like Monavie and Amazon Thunder are just juices, which really don’t have a place in the acai berry diet. Juice is, after all, full of sugars and other un-diet-like ingredients. Some of the products like Leanspa Acai, Acai Burn, and Acai Plus are now known as scams. They get you to buy into a 6 month supply, send you an initial shipment, then take the rest of your money and run.

Good Products. One of the best products I’ve had a chance to use is Acai Berry Select, which contains is 100% pure concentrated acai – a complete antioxidant, weight loss powerhouse – plus high effective energy boosters and other great thermogenic ingredients.

Another awesome product is Pure Raspberry Ketone. This has a highly potent combination of 5 popular superfoods:

  • Acai Berry
  • Pomegranate
  • Green Tea
  • African Mango
  • Raspberry Ketone

African Mango and Raspberry Ketone are both fairly new to the super-food world. African Mango extract is really high in antioxidants, while Raspberry Ketone is an effective FDA approved fat loss supplement.

Raspberry Ketone

Sambazon acai juice is the best juice product I’ve tried, but it does contain extra calories so is not the best product for an acai berry diet.

The Health Benefits of Antioxidants

I am psyched because I am always talking about the benefits of antioxidants, and in particular how acai is currently the food with the highest antioxidant concentration in the world. The ORAC rating for acai beats out even that of pomegranate and blueberries!

The antioxidant benefits of the acai berry rival several other superfoods, including:

  • blueberries
  • goji berries
  • mangosteen
  • Amazon mango
  • pomegranate
  • strawberries
  • and pretty much any vegetable you can think of

The super healthy vitamin, mineral, and macronutrient concentrations in acai berries blend together in your diet and in your body, to exert a powerful effect on your mind, body, health and overall well-being. For those of us looking for protection from cancer, weight loss, help with diabetes, better cardiovascular health, or just to look and feel healthy, should consider giving the acai berry a try. Learn more about the history of the acai berry itself on WikiPedia.

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Oxygen Radical Absorbence Capacity (ORAC)

Oxygen Radical Absorbence Capacity, or ORAC, is the measurement of the antioxidant concentration of individual foods. The foods that have a higher ORAC value have a higher concentration of antioxidants, which means they are more effective at fighting the cellular damage caused by free-radicals. We want to load our diet up on fruits and vegetables if we wants to fight skin wrinkles, cancer, and various other diseases associated with toxins and aging.

As you can see by the chart below, the acai berry’s powerful 18,400 ORAC rating is the highest of any known fruit or vegetable. As a side note, I should let you know that the Maqui berry has taken over the ORAC crown, but acai berries are still better for weight loss.

When used in amounts up to 1000 mg a day, acai berry supplements will help to decrease the cell oxidization damage caused by free radicals pretty significantly, even when used for just 14 days. Of course, long term use is recommended since the antioxoidant benefits will cease a couple days after you stop using acai. Even WebMD agrees that the acai berry diet is the healthiest nutrition plan to follow for life.

ORAC

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Acai Berry Diet Benefits

Most people who use the acai berry diet report the following healthy effects:

Acai Ultraberry 160x600
  • Increased weight loss
  • Higher energy levels
  • Faster recovery from workouts
  • Faster recovery from injury
  • More strength and stamina
  • Digestive function improved
  • Full body cleansing
  • Better focus and mental clarity
  • Increased libido
  • Better sexual performance
  • Healthier immune system
  • Younger looking skin
  • Circulation is improved
  • Sleep patterns regulated
  • Better clarity of vision

Other known benefits of the acai berry diet:

  • Important vitamins and minerals
  • Decreased inflammation
  • High in fiber
  • Fights cancerous cells
  • Healthier heart function
  • Helps prevent atherosclerosis
  • Helps control diabetes
  • Anti-aging
  • Normalizes cholesterol levels
  • Helps control blood sugar
  • Helps regulate blood pressure

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Why Use Acai Berry Supplements?

In our generation, the world is full of chemicals, phytoestrogens, pesticides, herbicides, nuclear waste, and other harmful environmental toxins. Personally, I enjoy the acai berry diet because it allows me to maintain a healthy low body fat, and my antioxidant intake is sky-high. Even at age 33 I feel like I am still 21!

Anyone specifically looking to combat the effects of aging, recover from injury, and lose excess bodyfat should definitely looking into using the acai berry, temporarily if not indefinitely.

Other reasons you should try the acai berry diet:

  • again, if you need to lose body fat, and quick!
  • combat the pain and suffering caused by fibromyalgia
  • you are looking for better control over diabetes
  • you live with the daily strain of arthritis
  • if you have a desire to feel and look years younger
  • sexual dysfunction is getting the best of you
  • you have gastrointestinal or digestive problems
  • rehabbing and/or healing from a recent injury

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Acai Ultraberry

Acai Berry Diet Testimonials

Acai Berry Diet Testimonials
Acai Weight Loss Testimonial - Amy Acai Weight Loss Testimonial - Lisa

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Step 1: Speed Up Weight Loss With Acai

I wrote earlier that acai berry supplements are a great weight loss aid, but I didn’t get into all the details. Well, here are the specific details about why the acai berry is so helpful when you are trying to lose fat.

The acai’s natural concentration of fiber, fatty acids (including essential fatty acids – EFAs), raw amino acids, and phytosterols work in unison to assist your body with burning fat more efficiently. All of these nutrients will help your digestive system to process food faster and more efficiently, which will help your body to burn its stored fat quicker than diet and exercise alone.

Acai Ultraberry

Dietary Fiber

85% of the carbohydrate content of acai is dietary fiber. As we all know, fiber helps your body to move food through the digestive tract. Excess food and calories are therefore eliminated quickly, rather than being absorbed into the bloodstream and stored away as excess adipose tissue (fat mass).

A high fiber diet is also known to reduce hunger, curb the appetite, and eliminate cravings. Make sure your regular diet is full of healthy fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; then supplement with acai berry every morning and you’ll be virtually guaranteed to lose weight and maintain regular bowel movements.

Fatty Acid Content

56.2% of the fat content of acai is oleic acid, which in simple terms, is olive oil. Know how nutritionists are always telling us to use olive oil in our recipes because it’s so healthy? Well there you go! Supplementing with acai berry is like supplementing with olive oil. But that’s not the best part…

Additionally, your body is unable to produce Omega 3 or Omega 6 essential fatty acids (EFAs) naturally, which means you’ll have to make it a point to supplement with fish oil or eat foods with high concentrations of those EFAs. Conveniently, these EFAs are plentiful in acai berries, making up the additional 43.8% of fat. That means you can say supplementing with acai berry is like supplementing with fish oil!

Just some of the benefits of supplementing with EFAs include:

  • improvements in the cardiovascular and circulatory systems
  • reduction in the chance of developing blood clots
  • decreased inflammation and relief from arthritis
  • healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels
  • healthy heart, brain, and memory functions
  • decreased insulin resistance, better control over diabetes
  • optimal development of a child’s brain, nerves and eyes while breast feeding and during pregnancy

Amino Acids

Acai berries are chalk-full of amino acids, widely known as the building blocks of protein. In order for your muscles to recover from workouts or even just to function properly, you need an adequate intake of amino acids. I recommend .8 grams of protein in your diet per pound of goal body weight, so that’s a lot of amino acids.

Furthermore, when dieting, a lack of amino acids leads to muscle catabolism (muscle loss), which in turn leads to a slower metabolism, less stamina, fatigue, and loss of strength. Supplementing with acai berry gives you those extra amino acids that your body needs to function at optimal levels, especially when following a regular exercise routine.

Phytosterols

Phytosterols such as ß-sitosterol, which is prevalent in acai, decreases cholesterol levels by inhibiting cholesterol absorption in the intestines. When phytosterols are absorbed in the intestines, they are transported into the cell membrane where they bind to micelles in place of dietary cholesterol. This means that when your diet contains cholesterol, it is more likely to be transported from the body, rather than absorbed into the bloodstream.

There are 2 ways to add acai berries to your daily diet:

  1. Order a free trial of acai so you can test it out for 14 days.
    Click here to order.
  2. Order a 1 month or 3 month supply and get a free bottle depending on how much you order.
    Click here to order.

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Step 2: Accelerate Fat Loss With Colon Cleansing

Colon Cleanse

Disgusting, harmful toxins infiltrate your body at work, at home, in the car, when you eat, when you sleep, and even when you breathe. They are on the vegetables and fruits you buy, they are in your meat, in your dairy products, on your clothes, in your deodorant and perfume, and even in the air.

Furthermore, in westernized culture, we eat more sugary, processed, and fried food than ever. We poison our bodies with a variety of sedatives, stimulants, pain relievers, and a million other medications. A high percentage of these medicine and food toxins build up in our liver, kidneys, and colon. They pollute our body and stress out our digestive systems.

To combat these toxins, we sometimes resort to enemas, detox diets, cleansing drinks, and colon cleansers. Our main goals is to cleanse the colon walls of stagnant toxic waste build up, which we can do cheaply and comfortably by using a colon cleansing dietary supplement.

By using a colon cleanser you will increase your vitality, improve your digestion, and lose weight. When combined with an acai berry diet, using a colon cleanser regularly will help to keep your intestines clean and your body free of toxins. It is recommended to use a colon cleansing supplement for 14-30 days, 4-6 times a year.

While not mandatory for the acai berry diet, using a colon cleanser will make the detox process much easier and faster, and it will help your efforts to lose weight. I’d choose a colon cleanser before I’d choose an enima, that’s for sure.

There are 2 ways to add colon cleansing to your daily diet:

  • Order a free trial of Colon Cleanse so you can test it out for 14 days.
    Click here to order.
  • Order a 1 month or 3 month supply and get a free bottle depending on how much you order.
    Click here to order.

Clear here to read more about colon cleansing on Project Swole.

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Step 3: Fat Loss Workout Routine to Use With the Acai Berry Diet

To maximize your weight loss on the acai diet, you should be working out at least three times a week for at least 30 minutes per session. Exercise is not mandatory on the acai berry diet, but it will help you lose fat even faster.

The best fat loss workout routines on Project Swole are:

These routines prescribe 6 days of exercise per week, and consist of 3 intense full body weight training workouts and 3 cardiovascular routines. Use these workouts to kick your fat loss into overdrive!

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Step 4: Intermittent Fasting to Accelerate Fat Loss Even More

An intermittent fast is the best approach to losing fat quickly on the acai berry diet. Intermittent fasting calls for a 6-8 hour feeding window, where you eat all of your calories for the day in 2 or 3 meals. Don’t eat after 8pm or before noon. Drink only water, tea, or coffee in between.

Like colon cleansing and the fat loss workout routines, fasting is not mandatory for the acai berry diet. However, intermittent fasting is a great lifestyle eating plan if you can get accustomed to it. Whole-day fasts are not typically recommended for those of us looking to build or maintain muscle mass, but intermittent fasting is a great solution.

Click here to read more about intermittent fasting on Project Swole.

How to Order a Free Trial or a Full Supply of Acai and Colon Cleanse

Once again, here are the instructions for ordering the best acai and colon cleansing supplements online. The free trial offers provide you with an inexpensive solution, while a full order will let you stock up and possibly get a couple free bottles. Just click on a link, submit your address, and away you go!

The 2 ways to add acai to your daily diet:

  1. Order a free trial of acai so you can test it out for 14 days.
    Click here to order the free trial.
  2. Order a 1 month or 3 month supply and get a free bottle depending on how much you order.
    Click here to order a full supply.

The 2 ways to add colon cleanse to your daily diet:

Acai Ultraberry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about acai. You can read the whole list here: Acai Berry FAQ

Q: How much acai berry should I take each day?

A: It is recommended to take between 500 mg and 1000 mg (1 g) each day. This can be taken all at once or divided into several doses. See the previous question for more information on timing your acai intake.

Q: How much weight will I lose by taking acai?

A: You can lose between 1-2 pounds a week on a healthy diet and exercise plan. When taking acai you may lose at least twice that many pounds. You could definitely lose up to 12 or even 15 pounds a month by using acai, as long as you continue eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly.

Q: Will I gain the weight back after I stop using acai?

A: As long as you maintain a healthy diet and keep exercising, you will not gain fat just because you stop using acai. You might experience decreased weight loss or a plateau in your fat loss progress, but you will not suddenly start gaining it back.

Q: Can my pre-teen or teenage, son or daughter use acai?

A: Acai berries are fruit just like blueberries, oranges, and apples. It makes sense that if you are old enough to eat other fruit, then you are old enough to eat acai. The one caveat is that the supplement must be 100% pure acai. If your acai pill or juice contains other ingredients like Hoodia, caffeine or another thermogenic compound, I can’t promise it will be good for your kid.

Q: What are the side effects of acai berry supplements?

For 100% pure acai supplements, there are no side effects, just as there would be no side effects to taking a highly concentrated blueberry supplements. Sometimes acai berry pills have added ingredients such as caffeine, green tea, or hoodia, which could cause some acai berry side effects like increased energy and heart rate. This doesn’t make them dangerous by any means, but it should be noted that some acai berry supplements do have added ingredients.

Q: When should I take my acai berry supplement?

A: If you have an acai supplement with added ingredients like caffeine and hoodia, then you should only take your acai berry supplement in the morning. If you have a 100% pure acai supplement, then it is OK to take it in the morning and before bed, however I recommend you consistently take your acai supplement once per day, in the morning with breakfast.

Q: How many calories are in the acai berry supplements?

A: There are a ton of calories in the acai juices. Upwards of 200-500 calories per serving, depending on the product. I don’t recommend the juices for a weight loss diet, although they can fit nicely into a regular breakfast or as a pre-workout drink. The acai berry pills have negligible calories in comparison, and even then the calories are attributed to fiber, healthy fatty acids, and amino acids, as I mentioned above.

Q: Is the acai berry a scam?
A: No! This question frustrates me, because the acai berry diet is now receiving unnecessary negative publicity thanks to a few shady businesses. The acai berry received a bad rap in recent years because some companies took huge orders over the course of several months, shut down their customer service departments, and ran for the hills.

When you consider the health benefits of the acai berry itself, the proof is in the pudding… the acai berry pudding. Antioxidants are very real, and the acai berry is very high in antioxidants. If you ever wanted to take a supplement that could help you lose weight, stay healthy, and feel young, then the acai berry is for you.

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Raspberry Ketone

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Back in Action: A Reflection on Intensity and Recovery

Friday, May 18th, 2007

Awww jeah… I’m starting to feel normal again. I can jump again, my grip strength is coming back, I can lift washing machines and driers again… weight training is good. Of course I still only weigh about 185 and I’m still pretty much weak compared to my previous peaks, but it’s coming back. So why is everything falling into place for me during my fourth week on Project Swole, even though I took it pretty easy for the first three weeks? There are three reasons that I can think of, and I want to explain each of them just briefly. The main reason for my quick recovery is muscle memory, which is assisted by my straight up intensity in the weight room, and I have helped everything along by starting slowly and working up to the higher weights and volume.

Muscle Memory

Since I have been weight training seriously since about 1995, my body remembers how to lift. My muscle fibers and neurons remember how to optimize themselves for power, strength, and performance. The rumor is that for the general athlete, you will lose strength in a quarter of the time that it took to gain it; and it will take twice as long as it took to lose it, to get it back. This basically means that you cut in half the time it takes to get back to your optimal performance level after a short layoff or injury.

Intensity

If you go into the weight room and train like a Sally, you will make about as much progress as a snail on fly paper. The general rule of thumb should be to treat the weights like you would your worst enemy. Those weights’ entire purpose for existence is to stop YOU from moving them. The weights don’t want to move, but if you don’t move them, the world will surely come to an end. This is how you must set your mind before each set. Just remember not to confuse intensity with forced reps, negatives, or overtraining with either too many training sessions or too many exercises. Training smart is the key to making progress.

To help build my intensity, I take a bit of inspiration from two of my favorite lifting songs, which I repeat to myself just before each max effort or heavy work set.

Mudvayne once said: “Dig!! Bury me! Underneath! Everything that I am!!”

Corey Taylor of Slipknot once said: “Get this or die! Get this or die!! Get this or DIE!!!”

I also snag a bit of psych from the great Ronnie Coleman who once said: “Yeah Buddy!! Light Weight!! Light Weight!!”

Easing into It

Whether you are just starting an exercise program, coming back from a layoff, or coming back from an injury, a HUGE facet of getting in shape again is to take it easy for the first 2-4 weeks. Don’t attempt any max efforts, don’t hit up forced reps and negatives on each exercise (actually don’t do this anyway), and don’t start lifting 5-6 workout sessions a week. All you will accomplish is to make yourself so sore that you can’t move around in everyday life. This week’s workouts have been really intense, and I have been paying for it since yesterday. Fortunately I am not too sore today, so I’ll be able to function in the weight room tonight when I try to pull (deadlift) a Project Swole PR.

If you do hit the iron too hard and end up with extreme soreness, you can do some of the following to assist in recovery:

  • Use a foam roller to massage and stimulate your muscle fibers.
  • Deep tissue massage to force blood into your injured tissue and release adhesions.
  • Alternating hot and cold showers.
  • Warm up your body and participate in vigorous stretching.
  • Find some weights, springs, bands, or use isometrics to do some exercises for the sore muscle groups with like 20% of your usual work weight, for 20 or so reps.
  • Don’t forget to eat and sleep properly.

With these tips and tricks, anyone can ease into a new workout program, or come back from an injury or layoff. Always remember to make it fun and be intense, but also remember not to mistake overtraining or unnecessary forced reps, for intense work sets. Lift w8 everyday.

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