30 Day No Sugar Challenge Results

So that 30 days went by pretty quick. As you may know I participated (along with about 25 other people at my gym) in a 30 day no sugar challenge. So for 30 days I did not eat anything with added sugar or sweetener in it. I did eat fruit some but not a lot. I also did not eat grains, dairy, alcohol or processed food. Guess what? Contrary to what some people thought I was going to do when I told the about this, I didn’t fall over dead. Nor did I starve. Instead, I just kept plugging right along.

I’ll admit though that I had some cravings, mostly in the form of carbs. I literally put a piece of pizza in my mouth that one of my kids didn’t eat and licked on it for 10 seconds before I spit it out and threw it away. My wife saw me do that and thought it was gross but mostly pathetic. I also wanted to eat a huge plate of nachos. But I really did resist everything and completed the 30 day no sugar challenge on Wednesday the 27th. So what were the results? Here’s some numbers, pictures and observations.

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HIIT Training: Fat Doesn’t Stand A Chance.

One of the most effective ways to get in shape fast and burn off excess fat is to use HIIT Training. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is to fat what kryptonite is to Superman: Deadly. You will burn fat faster and get in better shape when you perform HIIT instead of just steady state cardio. Plus you can do it in less time. What’s not to like about that?[You can bet the house that this guy uses high intensity interval training to get that ultra lean Hollywood look. He doesn't look like a marathon runner, more like a sprinter. That's the look you're after.]

When you perform HIIT, you vary periods of low intensity to periods of high intensity for different time intervals. For example, you would jog at a slow pace for ninety seconds then sprint all out for thirty seconds. Then you would jog for ninety seconds again at a slow pace followed by another thirty second all out sprint. You would keep that up for anywhere from fifteen minutes to twenty minutes. You will be absolutely spent when you are done. Here’s some examples of HIIT Training that you can do:

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Posted in Getting Fit, Losing Weight | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

3 Ways To Add An Edge To Your Fitness Training

Hey guys and gals. I got a quick guest post today from Rafi Bar-Lev. Rafi is a fitness fanatic and founder of the community fitness site Passionate Fitness. It’s a pretty cool place for other fitness nuts to share ideas, workouts and their enthusiasm for health with one another. Here’s what Rafi had to say:

If you’re training for sports or just to get in amazing shape, chances are you’re looking for some exercises to give you an “edge” with your body weight training. Well, look no more – because here are 3 ways to add an edge to your fitness training:

[Here's me after my latest trip to the grocery store. My kids were wondering where all the cereal was - it's still at the store! Fruits, veggies and some meat, fish and eggs. Good eating awaits!]

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Posted in Tips, Workout Tips | 21 Comments

The 30 Day No Sugar Challenge: What’s Going To Happen?

So today (September 27th, 2010) is day one of the 30 Day No Sugar Challenge. The challenge is not to eat any sugar/sweetener for 30 days. But of course that is not enough for me. I am going to kick it up a notch too. Not only am I going to eliminate sugar for the 30 days, I am also cutting out some other things. And by other things I mean a lot of my favorites.

[Random Picture of Awesomeness: David Grim wins the Heisman Trophy! Considering I never played football that's a hell of an accomplishment.]

Why am I doing this? Why not. I want to see how my body responds when I eliminate something that we all know is bad for us. I mean come on. Sugar is not healthy or needed for optimal health. Don’t get me wrong though. I love chocolate, ice cream, candy and other sweet things. But I know that they are bad for me and I generally feel like crap when I eat them. So if I cut them out for 30 days I should feel better. At least that is the plan.

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Stay In Shape By Exercising Less And Eating Smarter.

Once you attain the level of fitness you desire, you want to stay in shape* for as long as you can (*by shape I mean that you have a decent amount of muscle tone and look visually appealing to yourself and others). And you probably think that you have to continue to work as hard as you did to get there to stay there. But you’d be wrong. How can that be? How can you stay in shape if you aren’t in the gym 24/7? By exercising less and eating smarter, that’s how.

[I just thought this picture was hot. At the beach with someone you like and you look good. What more could you ask for? But why does she have jeans on?]

It seems outrageous though. How can you do less exercise and still stay in shape? Won’t your muscles waste away and your cardio capacity go poof? Well, they will if you completely stop exercising and start eating at every fast food joint that you drive by. But they won’t if you exercise and eat smartly. So how do you do that? Here’s what I would do. Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Fit, Tips | Tagged , | 9 Comments