1% is all you need. NOT MORE

I recently found out this “1% rule” for not being in shape from Mike Geary and I wish I had come up with this kind of thinking myself. This makes me realize that most of the reasons people are not in shape or even worse, can not do much effort to be in shape are basically lame and unreasonable

Like I said in my first note, we live in a busy world. So, we often “don’t have time” to plan our meals regularly or to do some workout.

Let me give you different perception on this NUMBER ONE reason. For an effective workout, all you need is basically 30-45 minutes per session. Let’s take the minimum 30 minutes since time is the BIG PROBLEM here. How many times do your workout per week? Probably 3 to 4 times for optimal results (Definitely not more 5. Otherwise this will lead to overtraining, which will be explained in my next note). Again, let’s take the minimum one, 3 times per week for total 90 minutes per week.

If you compare this 90 minutes with the total minutes you have per week (10,080 minutes. That’s right, I calculate it). The total time you spend for your workout per week is LESS THAN 1% of your total minutes per week.

IT TAKES ONLY 1% OF YOUR PRECIOUS TIME TO BE IN SHAPE. You certainly can’t get any better than that. It is now just the matter of how you use that 1% time for exercise. If you use it for intense workout, definitely good body shape will be yours

So now, is time really the problem here? Isn’t it ridiculous now to hear someone say, “I don’t have time for exercise”?

Let me tell you how I utilize my PRECIOUS TIME and “somehow” find time to workout regularly.

I work out 3 times per week. Each session is roughly 45 minutes (even longer than the minimum but “somehow” I still can make it). I do my workout during the evening when I have no appointment with any clients. Here is my schedule on my workout day.

I wake up at 7.00am, eat my breakfast prepared the day before, go to office at 7.45am (I work as an engineer during the day), and reach office at 8.30am (quite hectic isn’t it? Just like your life).

I finish my office work at roughly 5.30pm, reach home around 6.30pm. Cook my dinner and eat it, 1 hour gone. It is 7.30pm now. Relax for a while, do some grocery shopping. START MY WORKOUT AT 8.30pm until around 9.30pm. Take a rest for a while in front of TV/PC while enjoying my post workout meal and also chatting with my flat mates. Around 10pm, I start to prepare my last meal of the day while also preparing my breakfast, healthy snack to eat at the office, and my lunch for the next day. Finish everything around 11pm. Sleep around 11.30pm, which means 8 hours sleep (just nice).

Hectic isn’t it? But I still can make it (even I can maintain my relationship with my girlfriend and other friends). It’s all about commitment, discipline, effort, and determination. If you don’t really want to give the effort, certainly you will NEVER HAVE TIME to workout, which means, YOU WILL NEVER BE IN SHAPE.

Till the next newsletter, be discipline and determined and you will find time to move forward on the road to six pack.

Tobias KG
AMFPT Certified Personal Trainer
AMFPT Certified Sport Nutritionist
Creator of RoadToSixPack.blogspot.com

Fast Food is Healthy?? Give me a break -> The REAL CRIMINAL in our food chain

HEYYY!!! It’s been quite some time, eh? I hope you are still on the RIGHT road to six pack., still pumping up the iron and true to the healthy and natural diet. By the way, have you tried my breakfast recipe? It is simple, easy to prepare, but most importantly, it is DELICIOUS, HEALTHY, and FULFILLING. If you haven’t already, give it a shot and let me know what you think.

Now, here is the story I wanna share with you.

Yesterday, on my way back home from my office (that’s right, I have office work too), I took a public train. It was very crowded, which means so many people closely surrounded me. Among them, there was a couple; talking about the food they took that day for lunch (I was not really listening at first, but because they stood pretty close to me, I could overhear them).

As far as I can recall, this is the conversation:

(They were talking about something else before this but their topic was not really interested to me….until….)

Girl: “What did you eat today for lunch?”
Guy: “I ate Subway” (Subway is a fast food franchise. Sandwich is their main product)
Girl: (shocked) “Wah, you ate subway again??”
Guy: “Yeah, no choice” (I don’t know why. You always have choices for food)
Girl: “Yeah but subway is so unhealthy” (This is where it became more interesting)
Guy: “But it is definitely healthier than KFC or McD” (Gotta agree with this one)
Girl: (insisting) “But still it is unhealthy”
Guy: (stay quiet)
Girl: “Try to eat the normal one tomorrow, ok?” (By “normal” I presume any usual food from Asian-cuisine-loaded food court)

(Their conversation continued but I already had something else in my mind after what the girl said)

Here is what was in my mind. You think subway is unhealthy?? Think again. You might not believe this but I eat Subway (tuna, footlong) like almost 2-3 times per week because that is THE ONLY outside food I find “healthy” enough for me. To be more specific, tuna sandwich is the ONLY ONE HEALTHY enough among other choices they have. That’s right, even the “normal” food in Asian food court is not as healthy as that tuna sandwich.

I can say this because I know what most people don’t or they think they do but they are wrong (just like the girl). Don’t blame yourself. This is partly because of millions of misleading advertisement out there, claiming their products are healthy, etc, etc. (Just for example: Check this article, http://www.truthaboutabs.com/the-canola-oil-deception.html, by Mike Geary, an expert in nutrition, about “Healthy” Canola oil)

Let’s think about it. What do you buy in Asian food court? Fried rice? Deep fried meat/chicken/pork/fish? Chicken/beef sausage? Nuggets?

Let’s take a look. Deep fried? Fried rice? It needs cooking oil. For lower cost, CERTAINLY they use the cheapest available cooking oil in market which means, “normal” hydrogenated oil (that is probably why the girl said normal food, because it uses normal cooking oil). Here is the deal with any normal oil. IT HAS TRANS FAT. Trans fat is the real criminal behind obesity, fat gain, high cholesterol, hypertension, heart attack, and the list goes on. That is the truth. Too bad not so many people know about this truth (just like the girl)

How about chicken/beef sausage and nuggets? They are PROCESSED FOODS. That’s it. You never know what have been added to those sausages and nuggets (most probably, harmful chemicals/ingredients that potentially turn to TRANS FAT). That is why I said not all Subway sandwiches are healthy, depends on your choice (To verify if tuna is healthy, just go to supermarket and check the ingredient of canned tuna chunk in water. It is just tuna, water and salt. What is unhealthy about that??)

I am not saying that you can replace your healthy diet entirely with Subway tuna sandwich. I am just saying, subway tuna sandwich is WAY better than “normal food” with “normal” trans fat (that is why it is “normal” to have obesity, hypertension, heart attack, or high cholesterol in today’s world)

I can go all night talking about this “conflicting” statement I have presented here. You might think, “This guy is a nutritionist? I can’t believe it. He actually recommends fast food over usual food. IT’S INSANE.” I tell you this, because I am a nutritionist, I know what you don’t know and I know what is right/wrong when it comes to food and nutrition.

So here is THE POINT here. The real EVIL ENEMY is not the fast food itself, it is THE TRANS FAT hiding behind the processed foods or the cooking oil used (except extra virgin olive oil).

Finally, SAY NO TO TRANS FAT!

Tobias KG
AMFPT Certified Personal Trainer
AMFPT Certified Sport Nutritionist
Creator of RoadToSixPack.blogspot.com

MY SECRET right from my PERSONAL DIET PLAN (Part I)

I see SO SO SOOOO many people underestimate the power of breakfast (By breakfast I mean a meal taken within one hour after waking up).

On one hand, it is quite understandable because you need to rush to the office, school, or wherever you need to be early in the morning. Or even worse, because you can't prepare the breakfast yourself, you buy your breakfast in fast food stop you find on you way (which is usually INCREDIBLY UNHEALTHY). You might also have mindset, "Breakfast is so small, so I can skip it. I wont feel hungry until lunch time even if I miss it". YOU ARE DEAD WRONG

This kind of excuses has NO PLACE on the ROAD TO SIX PACK. Breakfast is, in my opinion, the MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY. As far as I know the road to six pack, you can't get six pack without taking breakfast EVERYDAY.

You might ask, "Why? Doesn't taking breakfast increase my calorie intake?". Yes it does. BUT, once you take breakfast, your body metabolism will be stimulated. Your body metabolism will be TURNED ON. You can think of breakfast as an ON/OFF Switch of your body metabolism. If you don't take breakfast, your body metabolism will not be as high as you would like to lose fat. By taking breakfast, your metabolism will be at high level the rest of the day (This fact easily outweighs the calorie you take during breakfast)

On top of that, higher metabolism means more muscle building and repairing going on in your body and as I said in the previous note, muscle is a calorie-burning machine. So by skipping breakfast for the reason to reduce calorie intake is definitely COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE. In short, there is NO BENEFIT AT ALL to skip breakfast

SO HAVE YOU TAKEN YOUR BREAKFAST THIS MORNING? If you haven't, start a habit to take it THE VERY NEXT DAY

Alright!! This is the moment you have been waiting for, MY BREAKFAST, taken directly from my PERSONAL DIET PLAN (3270 calories daily)

1 Banana (25.37gr Carbs, 1.12gr Prot, 0.52gr fat, 100cal)
2 Apples (36.6gr Carbs, 0.46gr Prot, 0.86gr fat, 140cal)
2 Whole Eggs (1.23gr Carbs, 12.19gr Prot, 13.5gr fat, 180cal)
1 tbsp 100% NATURAL peanut butter (2gr Carbs, 5gr Prot, 8gr fat, 100 cal)
2 slices of cheddar cheese ( 3gr Carbs, 8.1gr Prot, 5gr fat, 90cal)

Total = 68.2gr carbohydrate, 26.87gr protein, 27.88gr fat, 610cal)



Sounds plenty of food for breakfast, doesn’t it? Believe it or not, this is equal to typical egg and tuna mayo sandwich (3 slices of white bread, one layer of tuna mayo, one layer of scrambled egg and butter). This explains why the reason “you can't prepare your breakfast, so you buy it on your way” SHOULD BE OUT OF THE WINDOW.

So, till the next newsletter, don’t forget to have your breakfast, and stay on the road to six pack

Tobias KG
AMFPT Certified Personal Trainer
AMFPT Certified Sport Nutritionist
Creator of RoadToSixPack.blogspot.com

How many crunches per day?? -> NOT IMPORTANT

I have received many, many, MANY questions asking me, “How many crunches/sit-ups per day required to get six pack?” Most of the time, it will be followed by a statement similar like, “I have been doing 50/100/200 sit-ups per day but still I don’t see any result. Still, I don’t see my six-pack. I still have this fat-pocket or beer belly.”

Well, this is not a difficult question. I know exactly what the answer is, but I just don’t know how to answer it. Because I don’t want to discourage the person asking the question, but I also feel that I have to tell the truth (that’s right. I’m not like those in health magazine and supplement industries who simply hide the truth for their benefits)

So, here it is. If you want to lose fat and make your six-pack visible, crunches and sit-ups are the least important thing to do. Instead of asking how many crunches per day required, a better question will be, “How many calories per day or how many weight training sessions/cardio sessions per week required to have six-pack?” BUT, DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED. Whatever crunches/sit-ups you have been doing, how many times you do it per day are NOT USELESS. If you do crunches/sit-ups regularly, you should be certain that your mid-section is well trained, your six-pack lies somewhere beneath your belly fat. More importantly, your back is strong and more immune to injury, which is REQUIRED for the real exercise to show that six-pack.

In most cases, people can’t see their six-pack abs not because they don’t have big enough abs muscles. It is because the belly fat covers the abs-muscles. Now you know where I am going. What you need is not to build up your abs muscles. What you need is to REMOVE THE COVER of your abs muscles, the belly fat. You HAVE TO reduce your overall body fat percentage first before you can see the abs you have been dreaming about.

Now, we have come to the ultimate question which anybody with correct understanding and high desire of six-pack should ask. “How do I reduce my body fat?” Surely you have seen many supplements and “miraculous gadget” advertisements promising XX% reduction in body fat in 2 weeks. Again, this is JUNK. If it is so, why are there still so many people live in obesity today?

To reduce body fat, high intensity and efficiency workout routines combined with proper diet IS REQUIRED. No way around it. In general, high intensity and efficiency workout routines should comprise MOSTLY of high intensity weight training/cardio training, since this will stimulate MASSIVE fat burning in your body by putting yourself in high metabolism mode throughout your workout and also 7-8 HOURS AFTER TRAINING (No typo there, it is really 7-8 hours). Crunches/sit-ups should only take MINORITY of your workout time (believe it or not, I only do 100 crunches/sit-ups…..PER WEEK….it is less than 15 PER DAY)

On top of that, high intensity training will force your muscles to grow. Muscle is, the way I call it, a calorie-burning machine. Our bodies require A LOT and I mean A LOT of calories just to maintain the muscles. So, the more muscles we have, the more calories will be consumed. When our bodies need extra calories, where do they go? YES, YOUR STORED FAT (only as long as your calorie intake from food is not too high). Therefore, focus on high intensity training (cardio/weight). FOR LADIES, do not be afraid of weight training. You WILL NOT become like a HULK with just 2-3 times of weight training per week (More on this in the next newsletter).

Till the next “road sign”, stay on the road to six-pack.

Tobias KG
AMFPT Certified Personal Trainer
AMFPT Certified Sport Nutritionist
Creator of RoadToSixPack.blogspot.com

ATTENTION GUYS: The truth about women

Ever wondered which part of man’s body that woman think is the most attractive??

Too bad for guys who love to face the mirror for hours just to get their hair done, using tons and tons of hair gel and conditioner. Let me tell you, women DO NOT seek “pretty” guy. They seek masculine guys whom they think can protect them. So, hair is definitely not the answer.

I even have more pity for those who love to wear tight shirt or even worse, tight-sleeveless shirt just to show up their chests and biceps, but in the same time, put their stomachs in the spotlight (Those who are big and bulky).

Time for the truth.

IT IS YOUR SIX-PACK ABS

How do I know?? Well, a survey on television once revealed that 90% of women think that ripped abs (that means six pack abs) is the most attractive part of a man’s body. In fact, more than DOUBLE of the number of women voted abs as the sexiest body part on a man compared to biceps and THREE TIMES the number of women voted abs as sexier than chests (ATTENTION TO tight shirt lovers). Seriously, no way I can come up with these statements myself.

That’s it! There is nothing more attractive to women than six pack abs. Come on be honest. Do you really think Brad Pitt will be one of the sexiest men alive of this decade if he has that “beer belly” or “fat pocket” on his stomach? Do you really think Matthew McConaughey will have a huge female fan base without his “ideal beach body”?

You and I know the answer. Let’s face it.

So, I suggest you to stop wasting your time getting your hair done or picking up the right “tight” shirt to attract ladies. Instead, use that time to work on your six pack abs. That’s the way to attract ladies. Let your abs steal the show and be the “woman-magnet” and after that, YOU WILL BE THE MAN.

That’s it for now. Here is for all of us, guys. Let us BE THE LADIES’ MAN.

Tobias
AMFPT Certified Personal Trainer

Don't get lost on your quest to six pack. Stay on the REAL one

Once you have taken your first step (see the previous post), you might ask, “And then what?”. You might have looked around in the Internet, trying to find the best workout routines and diet to get the abs of your dream. Let me guess, you find that each of them saying different things. Now, you don’t know where to go, which one to believe.


You are at the intersection and don’t know which way is heading towards six-pack abs, which one is the real “road to six pack”.


It is totally common to be confused at this point of time. Let me assure you this, There is actually ONLY ONE road to six-pack. It is with PROPER NUTRITION and CORRECT WORKOUT STRUCTURE. That’s it.


But conspiracy between body-building/health magazine and drug supplement manufacturers, with their multi-million marketing campaigns, keeps you from finding the right way. Even worse, they keep creating new “road to six pack” and claim that it is the only way.


It is their intention to make you confused and frustrated so that you don’t find the abs you want and keep buying their products, thinking their products are the way to your dream abs.


Still don’t believe me? Well, let me ask you this, do you really think professional athletes and coaches read body-building/health magazines and follow the advice in the magazine? HELL NO. If they don’t even follow it, why should you? Still not convinced? I will tell you the ultimate proof personally if that’s what it takes to convince you (because this proof is quite sensitive).


The road to six pack is actually only one and it is easy. But they make it looks difficult for you, INTENTIONALLY. You do not need drug supplement such creatine, DHEA, or liver tabs like they say.


All you need is guidance, so that you won’t step into the false “road to six pack” and I AM READY TO BE YOUR GUIDANCE.


I have been to the false road before, probably just like you. But now, I have found the right one and I will make sure, you don’t take the false one.


The picture above shows you the result of the REAL road to six pack (10% body fat reduction in less than 3 months. ABSOLUTELY NO DRUGS. Now the key is, WHETHER YOU LET ME BE YOU GUIDANCE. And IF YOU DO, LET ME KNOW. If you don’t, I hope you can find other guidance yourself and stay on the true road to six pack.


Till the next newsletter, don’t get lost on your quest to six pack. Stay on the road to six pack

Tobias KG
AMFPT Certified Personal Trainer


PS: If you like this notes, you can pass this to your friends or people you think might find this useful.

Take your first step towards six pack & lean body

We live in a busy world. We all know that. All of us are extremely busy with our things. Family, school, jobs you name it. So busy until we can’t (though we do) care about our health and how our bodies look like. In other words, we give up, we sacrifice our own health just to keep in pace with the world. No wonder obesity keeps increasing as the world getting busier.

Well, I was one of those people who give up on personal health just to follow the world (see my picture above, 19% body fat). Guess what? I was no different than any other people. Eating more fast food/junk food, getting fatter, slower, lower in energy, easier to get sick, building up fat, and all that. Not that I did not care about my health, I just couldn’t because of my jobs, schools, etc. At least I thought I couldn’t. And ironically, this is the common believe people have nowadays. They just don’t have time/strength to take care of their health.

The key is not whether you can or you can’t. Everyone can care and do something about their health, given the time/energy constraints. That’s the fact. Now, it’s just the matter of effort, courage, and discipline. It took quite a while for me to have enough courage to say to myself, “Dude, you are getting fatter. It has to stop. Something’s got to change.” There you go. That is the turning point everyone needs. Courage to say to oneself, “I have to make a change”

So now, collect your courage and say to yourself, “I have to make a change. I must not give up on my health and just accept this lifestyle because this is just NOT ACCEPTABLE” Make commitment to yourself, “I am gonna make a change. No more excuse. No more I can’t do it, no more that’s the way it is, no more I have no time excuse, because I CAN do it, and I WILL” And to this I would say, “YES YOU CAN and YOU WILL. Take that first step towards the healthy lifestyle with six pack and lean body as the prize”.

Till the next post, stay on the road to six pack and lean body.


Tobias KG
AMFPT Certified Personal Trainer

PS: If you like this post, feel free to forward it to your friends or people that you think might find this useful