What you and Michael Phelps have in common

I want to share with you what you and Michael Phelps have in common.

I am lovin this Olympics. And Michael Phelps is Superman. If you didn’t see it, you certainly heard about his gold medal record. He set the record by becoming the most prolific single-Games and all-time Olympic champion in history. His performance has been nothing short of amazing.

I think he really secured the record on Friday night during his 100 meter Butterfly. He won by one one-hundredth of a second! You can’t win by a smaller margin. It’s as fast as lightning strikes. And if you saw the race, you question how the heck he even won. He was behind throughout the entire race. But he out stroked Serbian Milorad Cavic in the last 3 meters.

Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

So how did he do it? I told you I'd share some insights into his training and diet. And then I’ll try and tie it back into to you and your diet.

It first begins with his God given talent. His body is perfect for swimming. He’s 6 foot 4 with a 6 foot 7 wingspan. He wears a size 14 shoe and practically has flippers for feet. He has shorter legs and a longer torso allowing great upper body range of motion and a more powerful kick in the water.

Phelps swims at least 3 miles a day. He’ll burn 4000 calories in a typical workout. His heart will pump 2 times as much blood as you and I. About 8 gallons every minute. His coach Bob Bowman trains him using hypotonic principles. This means that he’ll only be allowed to breathe at certain points. He’ll get in and out of the pool to increase endurance. Bowman also trains horses as a hobby. He said his horses would die if they trained like Phelps.

In between races Phelps will get his ear pricked to measure the lactic acid in his blood and adjust to expedite recovery. This is why they go to the cool down pool after races.

By now I imagine you’ve heard about his diet. In his words, a lot of “pizza and pasta”. Eggs, grits, French toast, chocolate chip pancakes and more for breakfast. He eats everything. But at the level he trains his metabolism is about as fast as he is in the pool. He can’t afford to not eat a lot.

And YOU are the exact same. Just not at his level.

Picture your metabolism like a campfire. You’re looking for a nice fire to heat things up. You want a constant and steady burn. You get that by putting the right amount of logs on the fire. But they also have to be the right size. If you put a dozen tree trunks on, you’ll smother it. If you put a couple of twigs on it will die out.

Your metabolism is no different. It burns just like a fire. Only calories as food are your ‘logs’. If you eat too much, your metabolism will burn out. And on the other side, if you don’t eat enough, you’re metabolism will burn out.

This is why you must eat! Smaller, balanced meals throughout the day are the key to a constant, steady burn. By the way, that constant and steady burn is taking place on the all the soft spots you have.

Build the muscle, burn the fat baby!

It’s not uncommon for someone not losing weight to lower calorie intake or stop eating all together. This is so WRONG! This can be just as bad as eating too much. Your focus should be on re-setting your metabolism. NOT just cutting calories.

All of our clients receive a report called, “Discover The Often Overlooked Secret To Ramping Up Your Metabolism, Burning Fat Like Crazy, And Getting Maximum Results In Minimum Time From Your Health And Fitness Program!” ($27 value) This explains in detail what we teach and preach. Smaller, balanced meals combined with exercise will transform your body quicker than Phelps can swim. (Ok, that’s a stretch:-) You can get this report for f-r-e-e only for the next 48 hours. Consider it a 2008 Olympic Special. Email me with '2008 Olympic Special' in the subject line. If you’d like to skip the report and request a complimentary consultation ($75 value) where we cover this in detail specific to you and your situation click here.

One more thing…

If you’re watching the Olympics I hope you’re finding some inspiration. It’s everywhere. Dara Torres, who I’ve been talking about for weeks now, nearly won the gold medal in the 50 meter free. A silver medal in her fifth Olympics at 41 years old ain’t too shabby. And the women’s marathon yesterday was won by a 38 year old Romanian. Constantina Tomescu Dita ran every mile of the 26.2 mile race under 6 minutes. Another remarkable performance by someone nearly ‘over-the-hill’. I think this just proves the cliché and comment Phelps made at his press conference; you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.

To your constant, consistent burn,

Tim

P.S. Remember to email me with '2008 Olympic Special' in the subject line for your f-r-e-e report. Or click here to request a private consultation.

Elvis is alive, the Olympics, and Flat, Sexy Abs!

As you can see I snapped a picture of Elvis last weekend. I’m pretty sure it was him even though I was far away. You can tell me what you think:-).

I watched the Opening Ceremonies last weekend. Wow. It was unbelievable! The Chinese perfectly executed what is now considered the most impressive opening ceremony ever. I was amazed that so many people could perform in unison and with such discipline. I hope you got a chance to see it. If not, it’s definitely worth a Youtube search.

Now on to why you really opened this email… Flat, Sexy Abs!

In addition to Elvis you'll see the picture of two runners. Two very different runners. One is a long distance runner. And one is a sprinter.

Although a little extreme, which body would you rather have? Maybe neither! But I think you get my point. In order to really maximize results from your health and fitness program you MUST incorporate cardiovascular training. It is one of the three crucial components to serious results. It’s not always fun. But it will add synergy to your entire program and give you the extra oomph you need to burn that unwanted fat.

So what’s the best way to train?

Long distance or sprints?

Sprinters train with high intensity bursts for short duration periods, burning more sugar, and less fat during the workout. “Well, if high intensity burns less fat then I should run long distance to burn more fat. Right Tim?” Not so fast. No pun intended:-). If you notice sprinters body type they tend to look leaner, with more muscle and less fat. The reason for this is because when a high intensity burst of exercise is performed, the body burns more relative amounts of sugar, but burns more fat and calories after the workout. This effect can last from 16-48 hours!

Low or moderate intensity exercise has no after burn effect. “Wow! So for flat, sexy abs I should be doing high intensity exercise. Right Tim?” Yes! You got it.

But there’s even more benefit to this type of training!

Another important aspect of this type of exercise is the hormonal balance that it creates. Low to moderate intensity exercise produces cortisol, which can lead to a catabolic (muscle burning) state. High intensity exercise does this as well, but does so along with growth hormone and testosterone, enhancing fat burning, leading to an anabolic (muscle building) state. Studies have shown the high intensity method to be more effective at burning fat and maintaining, or building, muscle mass than long duration, lower intensity aerobic workouts.

There’s your missing ingredient for flat, sexy abs! Combined with resistance training and good nutrition you’ll be on your way.

To your six pack,

Tim

P.S. Have you seen Michael Phelps!? The dude is absolutely amazing. If you’ve seen him perform, you’ve seen his long and lean body. The guy is ripped. I’ll be telling you more about how he trains and what he eats to achieve his physique.

What I Learned at the CIA

Hi Tim.

A couple of days ago I drove Joella to the CIA.

Not spy central in Langley. But chef central in Hyde Park. She's going to culinary school up there.

The Culinary Institute of America. They call it ‘The Culinary’.

I learned a little bit about cooking while there. On that campus, in that environment, you can’t but help it. But that’s not what I want to share with you.

I want to share with you something else I learned.

It’s called a ‘Carrot Chopping Attitude’.

Allow me to explain.

Every student must go through an externship. For 5 months they must work in the kitchen of a chef to get real world experience. So one student, we’ll call him Joe, decided to work under a world renowned chef. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for Joe.

Joe was excited about his opportunity. But he was also very nervous. This was a BIG TIME chef. And he didn’t want to screw it up. If he excelled for the next 5 months he was a lock for any kitchen he wanted to work in.

So a little nervous showing up on the first day, the Chef came over to his station, dropped a 50 pound bag of carrots in front of him and said, “I need 50 pounds of carrots with a perfect brunoise cut!”

Now, if you’re not up to speed on your chopping terms, a brunoise cut is the smallest of cuts. It’s a little, itty-bitty cube. 1/8 x 1/8 x 1/8 of an inch. It’s tiny!

Not overly enthused Joe got to work and started chopping. And chopping. And chopping. And chopping.

Six hours later he finished the 50 pounds of carrots. He felt pretty good about it. So he presented them to the Chef.

The Chef looked at them. Inspecting them for a minute…then with a handful, throws them in the trash. “Not good enough. You can go home now.”

Joe went home a little defeated as you can imagine. He almost felt like he was dead in the water. But he woke up the next morning positive and ready for work. The Chef comes over to Joe’s station and again drops 50 pounds of carrots and says, “I need 50 pounds of carrots with a perfect brunoise cut!”

Joe gulps and prevents his jaw from dropping to the floor. He musters up some energy and says, “You got it Chef!”

So again, Joe got to work and started chopping. And chopping. And chopping. And chopping.

This time he finished the 50 pounds of carrots in five and half hours. And he felt better about his cuts this time. So he confidently presented them to the Chef.

Again the chef checks them out. Looking at them, studying them in his hand he says, “These are worse than yesterday.” And he throws them away.

Now Joe really feels beaten. And again, as you can imagine, goes home defeated.

On the third morning Joe wakes up and says to himself, “If I have to chop more carrots I will have the BEST cuts ever!” He pumps himself up and reports to the kitchen hoping he doesn't have to chop more carrots.

Sure enough the Chef comes over to Joe, drops 50 pounds of carrots in front of him and says, “I need 50 pounds of carrots with a perfect brunoise cut.”

So Joe goes to work. Chopping. And chopping. And chopping.

He finishes quicker than yesterday. Just five hours this time. And he feels even better about his cuts than yesterday. Chef comes by, looks at them closely and says, “These are the worst yet!”

Now Joe feels down and out. Thoughts of quitting of becoming a chef all together enter his mind. But with some friendly support and his burning desire to be a top chef he presses on.

This goes on for the next four days. His first full week Joe gets quicker and quicker at chopping 50 pounds of carrots. His cuts get better and better. But the Chef still says they’re not good enough.

On the eighth day the Chef comes over to him and says, “No more carrots. You’re knife skills are really good. You’re assisting me today.”

A smile beamed across Joe’s face like a kid on Christmas day. But a little confused he asks the Chef, “For the last seven days you said my cuts weren’t good enough. Why do I get to work beside you all of the sudden?”

The Chef says to Joe, “Would you like to know one of my secrets to success?”

“Yes! What is it Chef?” asks Joe.

“One of the secrets to my success is persistence. My entrées, menus, and restaurants don’t become great without persistence. And because of your attitude and persistence you get to work beside me. I now know you won’t give up. When you fail you won't go home crying. You’ll press on.”

Joe went home feeling victorious! He felt great. And more confident than ever. His hard work and persistence paid off. And he learned a BIG lesson.

I think you get the moral of the story. Hard work and persistence pays off. Always. You reap what you sow. And I hope you agree.

Chopping carrots into a brunoise cut is no fun. And sometimes, maybe all of the time, working out or eating right isn’t either. Even I can admit that. But if you consistently workout (no less than 3x/week) and eat right (5-6 smaller, balanced meals) and you put forth some effort (actually work up a sweat – walking the dog is activity, not working out) then You WILL reach your goals. You WILL get the body you want. You WILL feel good about yourself.

I keep a quote from Calvin Coolidge right in front of my desk. It reads like this…

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

Doesn’t that make you feel good!? Doesn’t that make you feel like you can accomplish anything? I love it. It empowers me. It makes me feel like I have an edge on everybody.

Because I know I’m NOT the smartest. I know I’m NOT the quickest. I know I’m NOT the strongest. But guess what? I don't have to be. Nor do you. And I’ll bet my bottom dollar that I’ll persevere longer than the other guy.

Keep this in mind as you move towards your health and fitness goals. You’re smart enough to know you can’t lose the pounds overnight. You can’t tighten and firm up those areas in a couple days. Your blood pressure and cholesterol levels won’t drop by next week.

And you will likely hit some speed bumps. If you notice in the story the Chef says, “When you fail you won't go home crying.” Not if you fail, but when you fail.

That’s why perseverance is so important. That’s why you must ‘PRESS ON’. Whether it’s 12 weeks or 12 months…YOU can do it! In July's newsletter you can read how Tom Prost is doing it. Kristi Shields is doing it. Mark, Shirley, John, Jim, Debbie, Tammy, and so many others have already DONE it. (If you're not getting the Richly Rewarding Living Newsletter sign up for free here.)

If you would like help sticking to your program or would like a coach to help support, motivate, and empower you, request a complimentary consultation here. You don’t have to go at this alone. We’re here to help!

And remember to keep a positive attitude and always, always PRESS ON!

To your perseverance,

Tim

P.S. Summer is quickly coming to an end. Camps are ending and kids are going back to school. We'll have some exciting back-to-school stuff come next month. So keep your eyes peeled!