Monday, November 15, 2010

Newsletter - That Was Simple

Update on the 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Challenge
Each and every morning I walk into a group of guys and girls ready to BRING IT!
And you know what, these members are KILLING IT!
Is it hard?
YES!
It is challenging?
You Bet!
It is impossible?
Not for these Champions!!!
They show up each and every day, and yes, all 5 days per week!!!  And they give me their all!  Through the grunts, the sweat and sometimes even dirty looks I get (which is absolutely fine by me) they get it done! 
And then it sets in, The PRIDE, The ACCOMPLISHED and the RESULTS!!!
I am seeing NEW men and women come out of this 21 Day Challenge and I'm sure they'll be the first to tell you, this was not easy, but well worth it!!!
Who's ready for the NEXT Challenge?  Starting November 29th, 2010.  But you don't have to wait that long.  Get started today with a FREE WEEK!  Contact Sean today to get in on the FUN!
I kid you not... despite the grunts and moans, I still get laughing and huge smiles in each and every class because we are having so much FUN!!!  WHO WANTS THIS???
Don't Complicate Things
The main reason that you're not happy with your weight is because of what you eat.

It's hardly your fault.

Have you ever stopped to notice how many times you're bombarded by food marketing each day?

Ads come at you from magazine pages, T.V. commercials, on websites and billboards, each boasting of cheap, convenient and tasty ways to cure your hunger.

The question "What's for dinner?" has never been more complex than now.

Extensive menu options and large entrees have distorted your concept of a proper meal, and before you know it you've fallen into the trap of the chain restaurant, the drive thru, and the take-out line.

But wait – truly healthy eating is simple.

First you need to block out the blizzard of food marketing around you.

Remember that advertisers want your money, and they don't stop to consider if the food they promote will expand your waist – that's your job.

It's safe to say that, with few exceptions, any food that you see marketed should be avoided. When was the last time you saw an ad for grilled white fish, steamed broccoli and a side of brown rice?

So what does truly healthy eating look like?

A healthy meal contains lean protein, fresh vegetables and a modest serving of whole grains.

Just as importantly, a healthy meal does NOT contain:
  • Refined sugar / corn syrup
  • Fried / fatty food
  • Full fat dairy food
  • Processed food with chemical additives
Healthy Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. What you decide to eat when you first wake up will set the tone for the rest of your meals that day. Try these healthy options:
  • Scrambled egg whites, sliced tomato and whole grain toast
  • Whole grain oatmeal, sliced fruit and a protein shake
  • Homemade breakfast sandwich: Multi-grain English muffin with lean turkey slices and egg
Healthy Lunch

It is important to plan your lunch ahead of time in order to avoid turning to a fast food joint or vending machine. Pack your lunch the night before and carry it with you. Try these healthy options:
  • Dark baby greens topped with chopped chicken breast and diced tomatoes
  • Albacore tuna (packed in water), mixed with finely chopped cucumber over brown rice
  • Homemade sandwich: Sprouted grain bread with lean turkey slices, lettuce, tomato and mustard
Healthy Dinner

Dinner is the meal where most people splurge and eat far more calories than they should. Eating at home is the first step in reducing your dinnertime calories. Try these healthy options:
  • Grilled white fish, sautéed spinach and whole wheat couscous
  • Baked chicken breast, steamed broccoli and brown rice
  • Try the recipe for Chicken Quinoa Stir Fry below
While healthy eating is a huge factor in achieving your ideal weight, exercise is the other half of the equation.

Your exercise routine should be challenging and should be done on a regular basis.

I know that you have more than enough in your life to think about without having to plan your own exercise routine. Leave that job to me—call or email today to get started on a personalized fitness program that will leave your body no choice but to shed those unwanted pounds.
Not Another Diet
When you eat a simple, healthy diet you'll never again be tempted to try the latest fad diet to drop a few pounds. Choose to eat lean proteins, seasonal vegetables and whole grains and avoid sugar, fried food and processed carbohydrates on a daily basis and enjoy living life at your ideal weight.
Chicken Quinoa Stir Fry
Here is a simple, wholesome meal that is ready in 30 minutes – perfect for busy weekday dinners. There's no reason to hit the take out line when you have this quick and delicious recipe on hand. Eating simple, wholesome meals like this and exercising regularly will get you to your goal weight.
Servings: 4

Here's what you need:
  • 1 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 ear of corn, kernels cut from cob
  • Handful of asparagus stalks, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 2 cups baked chicken breast, cut into small cubes
  • 1 can of organic black beans, drained and rinsed
  • splash of lemon juice
  • splash of lime juice
  • dash of salt and pepper
  • splash of soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
  1. Cook the quinoa and set aside. Place a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil, onion and garlic. Sauté for about 3 minutes. Add the bell peppers, corn and asparagus, cook until the vegetables are tender. Add the chicken and beans, cook for another 10 minutes, adding the rest of the ingredients.
  2. Place a serving of quinoa on each plate and top it with the vegetable mix.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 293 calories, 5g fat, 32g carbohydrate, 4.6g fiber, and 29.4g protein.

HELP! I only have time for a 30 Minute Workout...

So, I got this question today and I felt it would make an excellent post for this website.

The question I received was, “Hey Sean, I only have time to get about a 30 minute workout in today. Should I do cardio or weight training? Which is most effective for my goals.”

This question came from one of my clients who has been working with me for a little while now and knows the importance of strength training and cardiovascular training.

Now, truth be told, our workouts generally last one hour but you truly only need 30-45 minutes of exercise 3 days per week for results when you train correctly (high intensity).

But, I still get hit with this question a lot so lets settle this once and for all shall we.

Now, typically, when someone inexperienced is trying to lose weight the first thing they decide to do is cardio. I mean after all, we have all heard that cardio is the best thing to do to burn fat right? Well, that’s not exactly the truth.

If you missed this on my post Cardio Sucks – here is the info again…

It is true that you must burn off more calories than you consume over the course of the day to burn off body fat but there is more than one way to go about doing this.

Yes, you could use your actual calorie burn during the workouts to expend the extra energy or you could format your workouts in such a way that they cause you to expend more energy all day long.

Which sounds better to you? Which do you think will get you the fastest RESULTS?

The best way to boost your fat loss success is get your body burning more calories 24/7. When you do this, you can’t be beat. You’ll be melting off fat in your sleep (dream come true, right?).

This is the big reason why resistance training is so effective for fat loss. Because it causes the body to expend numerous calories after the workout is done while you’re recovering, you’re going to find that it really moves along the rate of progress you see.

Traditional cardio, on the other hand, really doesn’t cause much of a post-workout calorie burn, however as you’re about to find out, there is one form that will change that. Be sure to see my other post, Cardio Sucks!

That form is High Intensity Interval Training or H.I.I.T. Interval training is by far the superior form of a workout, especially if you want to get lean, get in shape, and see the best results possible from your time invested, and of course when your time is limited!

And besides that, who really enjoys spending hours and hours on cardio equipment? I sure know I don’t and I’m willing to place a very large guess that you don’t as well.

What if I told you that you could be in and out of the gym in twenty to thirty minutes with interval training and still see SUPERIOR fat burning benefits?

Well, that’s precisely what H.I.I.T. is going to do for you. What you’ll be doing during interval training is combining your strength training along with your cardio – this is one of our exact formulas used at MXT.

Start with compound movements during your strength training that will work at least two or more muscles in a given set of an exercise. Examples of this are Push-Ups, Pull-Ups, Squats, Lunges, Bench Press, Rows or even more aggressively full body movements such as Squat with DB overhead press.

Select your exercises so that you are hitting every muscle in the body moving from one exercise straight to the next. For example: 

Push-ups
Squats w/ DB Overhead Press
Pull-ups
Bent Over DB Rows
Lunges w/ DB Curl

Complete your resistance training for 1-2 working sets then immediately move to the cardio. You can use machines, such as treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike to do this or hit plyometrics (fancy word for jumping around) mixed with speed and agility exercises. Some of my favorite movements include box jumps, interval running (like suicides) and burpees.

If you choose to use machines, follow the H.I.I.T Cardio training prescribed in the blog post CARDIO SUCKS! You will be working your cardio for 5-10 minutes at a time.

If you choose to do plyometrics and agility training, you will find that going at full intensity for 30 seconds up to 2 minutes (depending on your fitness level) is gonna blitz you out hard! Your goal will be to hit different plyometric drills for up to 5 minutes with no rest, full intensity!

After finishing your first round of cardio, jump right back into your strength training. You can repeat the first exercises you did for another 1-2 sets or select new exercises. Once finished, do your Cardio for another round.

You’re goal will be to complete 2-4 TOTAL working sets of strength training along with the cardio within 30 minutes. If you find yourself only being able to complete 1 or 2 rounds that’s A ok.

This routine is very challenging but its the absolute BEST way for shedding Fat, building muscle and increasing your stamina and endurance all in one sweat pouring, heart pounding workout! Give it a try next time you are short on time!

Sean "Mayhem" Murphy


Wednesday, November 3, 2010

When Life Gets Heavy...

Hey Crew,

Sean here and man I gotta tell ya, when you put your mind in the right place and strive on with everything you got, positive things occur and your life can literally change in an instant!

You see, I coach my MXT members with lots of positive energy and reinforcement and one thing I coach very strongly on is positive mindset. Where your mind is strongly influences where YOU are and where you will go!

 Don’t believe me? Well, let me speak to your from experience…

About a month I got hit with some really bad events in my life. To put it bluntly, I lost my personal training facility and my business for that matter and it hit me HARD.

This was something that I put a lot of time, money, sweat and even tears in to and it almost made the full 6 year mark of being in business.

How bad did I feel? Well, to be honest there were days I did not want to get out of bed, answer phone calls, ignored text messages and really had my own little pity party.

 And my attitude, self-worth, motivation and drive all suffered and went way down to a new low that I had never experienced before in my life. (You can read more about in my last blog post, “When its time to fight back.”)

And where did my negative attitude take me?...

Further down into deeper depression and I even found myself doubting my abilities and wondering if I should just give up entirely.

Now, for those of you who know me and work with me every day I ask you; could you see me giving up in the fitness industry and doing something else?

Well, I thought about it and was close to quitting but then something happened…

In an instant, I changed my mind, I changed my attitude, I got my courage and I faced my fears and doubts head on!

I did EXACTLY what I coach to my clients. I put myself back into a positive mindset and said ENOUGH, its time to GET UP and FIGHT BACK!

And that’s just what I did and now fast forward just one month later…

More and more new MXT members are joining our classes each week. Some are coming all 5 days per week! They are getting killer workouts and they are giving me their positive feedback! 

They LOVE it here and they love the results they are getting and we are ALL having FUN every single day!

I am doing what I LOVE to do! 

I get to work around positive men and women each day, jump around, act a fool and get in shape while doing it!

AND! I get to be that positive role model to these guys and gals where they look up to me and ask for guidance, direction and motivation!

I truly believe NO ONE does the job that I do here in my area BUT it all started with the right mind-set! 

Knowing that I have something unique to offer and a true gift to motivate and lead my members to ULTIMATE results with tough but FUN workouts and sound nutrition.

 If I didn’t believe that, if I had let fear and doubt and the obstacles take me down… well… look at all these new members I wouldn’t have had the chance to work with.

Here is the thought I want to leave with you today...

If you are facing an obstacle that seems like a GIANT and impossible to get past don’t get down and out.

Instead, start by putting yourself in a positive place! KNOW that you will find a way through it and that life really isn’t all that bad.

Start TODAY - RIGHT NOW by picking yourself up and saying, this is the day I fight back.

I am positive, I am strong, I have faith and I have value to give to others!

My friends, I still have a long way to go to rebuild what I have lost BUT with a lot of drive, determination and a Champions Positive Attitude, I WILL achieve all the goals I have laid out for myself.

No one will stop me but me, and guess what, no one will stop you but you!

Will there be more surprises, obstacles and struggles?

YES! I guarantee there will be.

Will you keep a positive attitude no matter what and find the solutions to those challenges?

I know I will, and I will have fun every single day doing it!

Till next time gang, this is Sean “Mayhem” Murphy saying you got this!

And ALWAYS Remember…

You ARE a Champion!!!



Monday, November 1, 2010

Newsletter - Your Daily Dose

The 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Challenge Has Begun
Holy Smokes Guys and Girls!
These Boot Camp members are SERIOUS when it comes to getting in SHAPE and taking charge of their health and fitness goals!
The Crazy Energy, the pouring sweat and the laughter that is happening at each class is absolutely AMAZING and I get so PUMPED working with these guys and gals!
They truly know how to BRING IT and I couldn't be more proud of them.
Stay tuned to see their progress and WATCH as their bodies transform right in front of YOU!
YES!  They will be FIRM, TRIM, TONED, STRONG and CONFIDENT!
These are MY CHAMPIONS!!!
Are you Next?
Sean
The Exercise Prescription
Dr. Joseph Mercola, a well-known health advocate, has an interesting take on exercise.

He believes that it should be prescribed, like any other medication, in daily doses.

"The simple act of writing out a prescription for exercise is an excellent approach to being proactive in regard to your health. It's also far more logical, inexpensive and actually radically reduces your risk of most every chronic disease known to man. A daily exercise routine is one of the main factors in achieving optimal wellness."

Whether you think about it or not, each day you are faced with the option to get your daily does of exercise or not.

Will you find the time to hit the gym today, or will the busyness of the day leave you exhausted on the couch? Quite frankly, you don't have reasons to not do it - you only have excuses.

If you are like most then exercise isn't at the top of your list of favorite things. You'd rather be immersed in a bowl of ice cream, enjoying their favorite TV show or dining out with friends instead of sweating in the gym.

But the fact is that your favorite things add inches to your waist, and you know that a larger waist equals an increase in health problems, not to mention an overall decrease in your quality of life.

It's time to get serious about exercise.

You could start by changing your attitude toward exercise. If you go into it with a bad attitude, chances are you won't enjoy it. It's time to accept the fact that you can enjoy exercise.

Consider the following:
  • Have you written off exercise based on a particular type of routine – maybe you would enjoy something different. The truth is that no one can deny how great it feels to accomplish a challenging workout. It's rewarding, invigorating and feels great. You simply need to find the right form of exercise for you.
  • Try to pinpoint the main reason that you dislike exercise. Is it the uncomfortable workout clothes that you own? Maybe it is time for a new style. Is it trying to decide what machine to use at the gym? Maybe it is time for a personal trainer (more on that later). Is it the pain that you feel in your shoulder when swimming? Maybe it is time to find a new form of cardiovascular exercise - one that won't aggravate your injury.
See, the truth of the matter is that there are many different forms of exercises that will give you the results that you want. Don't like the gym? There's a program for you. Don't like running? There is an alternative. Don't have the time? There are time friendly exercise routines that will give you incredible results in under an hour.

Like I said, when it comes to exercise you have tons of options. But it all starts with ditching the excuses and asking a qualified fitness expert like me for the right program for you.

Is it really that easy? Yes.

So where do you begin? Just pick up the phone and give me a call or simply reply to this email and let me know that you're ready to get in the best shape of your life.

Exercise is your new prescription medication - don't forget to take your daily dose!
The Healthy Food Trap
Do you eat healthy, exercise regularly and yet haven't been able to achieve your goal weight? You're not alone.

You've fallen into the healthy food trap. This is the faulty belief that as long as the food you're eating is healthy then you don't have to worry about portion size.

Weight loss always has and always will be a numbers game. If you eat more calories than you burn, you'll gain weight - even if those calories are healthy.

Reduce the size of your portions and watch as the weight falls off.
Creamy Carrot Soup
Most creamy soups are filled with fat – but not this one. Indulge with this healthy carrot soup. Serve with a side of lean chicken breast or grilled fish and a small salad for a balanced meal.
Servings: 2 Here’s what you need:
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 small onion, diced
  • Dash of sea salt
  • 4 cups carrots, diced
  • 5 cups filtered water
  • 3 Tablespoons White Miso
  1. In a soup pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion with a dash of salt and cook for 4 minutes. Add carrots and stir, cook for another 4 minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Use a hand blender to process the soup until smooth.
  3. Remove 1 cup of the soup and mix the miso into it until dissolved. Add back into the soup and simmer for 5 more minutes.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 187 calories, 4g fat, 27g carbohydrate, 5g fiber, and 5g protein.