The Magic Behind Getting Ripped: Nutrition!

By Team eLifestyle Fitness and Lifestyle Specialist Robb Armstrong

In last week’s Fit Tip we put the focus on your core for achieving a ripped midsection.

This week we’ve got a great fool-proof trick up our sleeve to help better your morning nutrition know-how.

Nutrition Counts: Timing

Your morning meal can ensure that adequate glycogen stores (the source of energy most often used for exercise) are available for optimal performance and focus to start your day.

A.M. Tip:

Upon waking, consume a 20g protein shake consisting of whey (an isolate preferably for best absorption) plus some fruit, providing 20-30 grams of fast-digesting simple sugar carbs. Add in 30-50 grams of a slow-digesting carbs (whole wheat toast or oatmeal can do the trick) to provide you with a source of long-lasting energy.

Fact: This meal will put the breaks on the overnight breakdown of muscle mass that occurs while you sleep and gives the green light for your testosterone to get to work boosting muscle growth. It will also act as a tool to maximize fat burning throughout your day!

Remember, the key to healthy living and exercise is that you MUST focus your nutritional intake on what you need, when and why you need it, and how it can work to your advantage to accelerate results.

Up Next … The science behind post-workout nutrition. Learn it next week!

Note: Check back every week for more helpful health and fitness tips from eLifestyle's Fit Tips by Robb!

Core Focus – Great Abs Fast!

By Team eLifestyle Fitness & Lifestyle Specialist Robb Armstrong



In last week’s Fit Tip we helped you champion your cardiovascular capabilities during the remainder of February's Heart Month celebration.

This week we put the focus on your core with 3 great tips for achieving a head-turning ripped midsection when it counts the most – right now!

911 Abs

When it comes to getting great abs it always seems to be “crunch time," literally. It never fails that when you least expect it your number is up -- a wedding invitation comes in the mail, your friends want to head off on a winter retreat to a sunny beach in the Caribbean, or worst yet, the warm weather of summer is wafting in – all situations calling for you to bare some skin.

Whatever the occasion, you need abs that demand attention as fast as humanly possible. But don’t panic. eLifestyle’s Crunch Time Tips will act as your emergency hotline for defining a tight, head-turning midsection when timing is down to the wire.

Crunch Time Tips

1. Make ab training your prime objective whenever you train. Most people treat abdominal training as a mere after thought, hitting them for only a couple of easy sets at the end of their workout, then calling it a day.

2. Eat the right way to a great six-pack, don’t drink it. It’s no coincidence that those who adhere to proper diet and nutrition are the same ones who can peel back the layers revealing have rock-hard abs with greater ease.

3. Choose and perform ab exercises that are challenging. Bragging that you can do 1000 sit-ups each session implies that they’re far too easy. If they did work, hey, you’d have great abs, right?

eLifestyle Bonus Tip

Consistency is key. Like any body part, building beach-worthy abs takes time and diligence. So plan ahead. Incorporate all muscle groups, not just your midsection, when you train because you cannot "spot reduce."

Revealing each toned muscle, along with your abs, is a result of consistently burning more calories than you consume daily throughout each week.

Your Homework

Learn these advanced ab-defining exercises: 1) Jacknifes, 2) Hanging Leg Raises, 3) Stability Ball Knee-Tucks (facing floor, using a stability ball under your ankles).

Adding all the techniques of this week's Fit Tip into your planning process will arm you with better focus and the ability to showcase all of your hard work faster than you thought possible!

Up Next … The Magic Behind getting Ripped. We tell you next week!

Note: Check back every week for more helpful health and fitness tips from eLifestyle's Fit Tips by Robb!

Maximize Your Heart Health

By Team eLifestyle Fitness and Lifestyle Specialist Robb Armstrong

Last week we helped you maximize the use of your elliptical to bolster more synergy between your goals, limited time, and your efforts.

February provides an extra 29-day-long incentive to champion your cardiovascular capabilities during Heart Month. So for good measure, this week we have three great ways to tax your ticker while you train. What's more, they'll also help dial in your mid-section!

Your Training Focus

When it comes to upgrading your heart health, employing training techniques outside of your traditional cardio routine that enhance your resistance-training program is the best way to bolster better results.

Your heart health is affected right from the onset of any type of physical activity. And not only do we want to assist you with fine-tuning your mid-section, we also want to help you live longer. So here are three superior strength-training must-haves that are proven to not only build lean muscle and burn fat, but also totally tax your ticker while you train …

Ticker-Taxing Trio

While training your abdominals ...

1. Shorten up your rest periods to 15-20 seconds to a) maximize calorie expenditure while b) challenging your cardiovascular output at the same time. Leaving less time for recovery between sets forces your heart rate up faster as you complete your set, rather than letting it drop and allow you to fully recover.

2. Employ extended set options, which lengthen the workload during an exercise:

Example: Super Sets – Two or more exercises back-to-back (same target muscle or different), then a rest break.

3. Active rest such as jumping rope, jogging on the spot, or step-ups for 15-20 seconds keeps your heart rate stoked while isolated muscles recoup for the next set, keeping intensity high.

Train Heart-Smart!

Whether you train at the local gym or in the privacy of your own home, employing these cardio-intense moves while training your mid-section will have you realizing big returns both on your physique and on your most important asset – your heart!

Want to guarantee faster results?

Following the training tips above will set you in the right direction. However, for a goal-specific program design customized to meet your specific needs and complete with all the necessary techniques and intensities, contact Robb @ www.elifestyle.ca!

Up Next … Core Focus: Creating your ab-solute best physique. Get the head-turning tips next week!

Note: Check back every week for more helpful health and fitness tips from eLifestyle's Fit Tips by Robb!