Why You're Fat

The main reasons you're fat are:

• You want to be fat. Deep down you've become comfortable with where you are. I hope this makes you mad because that's what it's going to take for you to do something different than you've done in the past.
• You think the stuff you read in fitness magazines is real information. The fact is the best info is in books. Yes those things you used to read in high school. It takes real research to get a book published. Any joker can put stuff in a magazine or the internet. Even me.
• You think that you can exercise yourself to weight loss. Wrong… real weight-loss is like 90% diet, it has very little to do with exercise.
• You think low fat foods are good for you. Congratulations you believe and spend your money on exactly what advertisers want you to spend money on. They don't care if you are healthy. They have only one goal. To separate you from your money.
• You think that there is a simple one size fits all way to lose weight and it's run by someone like Jenny Craig or WeightWatchers. I can't stand these programs. They use psycology to get your money. It goes like this "Losing weight is hard. But we can make it easy… for a small fee."
• The fact is losing weight is not hard and you don't need to spend a bunch of money.
• What you need to do is take it seriously and start learning. "teach a man to fish…"

Ok I've beat you up enough. Don't go getting all upset yet. Here are the facts:

• You need to get out of the mentality of a "normal" person. Normal people are content with the way they are and do whatever everyone else does. Extraordinary people live extraordinary lives. It's really easy to do. Quit looking around and seeing what everyone else is doing. Do whatever you want to do. The best way to be like everyone else is to act like everyone else.
• This is called Social Proof and it's a dream killer.
• I hate to say it but most of the stuff you read in magazines and the internet(yes I know) is garbage. Real info is in books. When you really take an interest in something you should learn from the experts. Real experts write books and they sell. Look for books with high ratings on Amazon. This is a great way to find experts at anything.
• Seriously, the moment I quit worrying about my workout and started actually, really, seriously, no really, paying attention to my diet was the beginning of my quick trip to ripped up land.
• The old saying "Abs are made in the kitchen" is legit. Seriously…
• When you eat fat it doesn't turn into fat. When you eat fat it doesn't turn into fat.
• When you eat fat it doesn' t turn into fat.
• Ok, I think you get the idea. But this is by far the hardest thing for folks to accept.
• When you eat sugar it turns into fat. Huge difference.
• 100 percent of diets have failed for you. I know this because you're reading my article. Diets failed you because you were basically tweaking a few things but just doing what you've done in the past. You think "maybe this time will be different" It won't be. You want a different result then try something radically different.

I will be putting together my suggestions and direction for you as we go along. There is nothing to buy. I have a real job. I do this for fun. Subscribe and hang in there. There is hope and it starts now.

Here is a few tips to get you started.

• Start learning about food and eating. Start looking at food as fuel and not just an indulgence. Indulge in other stuff. Great place to start is to read about Paleo. I'm not even a huge Paleo fan but it is a great way to get exposed to some real info about food.
• Stop eating bread. Bread is by far the largest source of carbs in the American diet. Just cutting back on bread is a great place to start.
• Start tracking what you're eating. Don't worry about counting anything yet. Just what and when and how you feel.
• Learn about blood sugar and how it affects your hunger level. Control your blood sugar and you control your hunger. Control your hunger and control your calorie intake. Control your calorie intake and you know what happens next.

Subscribe for more articles. Coming soon.

Tony D.

Let's Go For A Run - Battle Mountain, San Diego CA

Put your big boy pants on if you want to run with me.  This is my daily short run.  About 4 miles total from my house and back.  Battle Mountain is a great example of how crazy running in San Diego is.  Always an adventure to be had.  I love it.

Don't Fear the Heat - Running in high temperatures

Don't fear the Heat. Just because it's hot outside doesn't mean you need to sacrifice your run.  Just adjust a little bit and you can get a great workout in half the time.

10 Quick Tips for running in the heat.

1. Drink water... Duh... yeah but make sure you bring water with you and plan to stop for more water if you can.  On a hot day, 90 degree +, you will cook through water about twice as fast as you expect. Don't ration water. Drink when your thirsty and if your getting low, then shorten your route.

2. Slow down. Remember you're getting twice the workout than your body is probably used to. Don't be afraid to walk. I walk all the time and I'm in pretty good shape right now. On a long run if you start to get tired, slow down or walk. Most likely your cardio is fine, it's your body temperature that is rising too fast. Get your body temperature back down by taking it easy.

3. Watch your heart rate. Your heart rate rising is a good sign that your overheating. You don't need a heart rate monitor for this either. Simply listen to your breathing. When your breathing increases it means your heart rate is increasing. A simple way to monitor your heart rate is to monitor your breathing. (bet you wish you knew that before you blew 200$ on a FitBit.)

4. Don't be afraid to wet your shirt before you leave and during your run, but don't use your water supply.  This is an awesome trick but don't do it at the expense of using your carried water supply.  Water does much more good in you than on you.  Even if the water you find is warm, the evaporation will cool you off. This is how a swamp cooler works.

5. Wear sunscreen. The easiest way to overheat is to start to get sunburned. If you skin doesn't start to burn and get red then that blood is not on the surface getting hotter and hotter.  Always wear sunscreen on a hot day, even if you're tan.

6. Bring your cell phone. I always bring my trusty CamelBack on hot runs. It gives me a great way to carry my cell phone in case I get hurt or can't make it back.

7. Make a decision before you run on what your rules are for distance versus bringing water or not. I have a rule of thumb: Anything over 3 miles in the summer, I bring water.  I don't wing it on the way out the door either. This has kept me out of trouble many times. Remember the weather can change very quickly and go from overcast to crazy sunny and hot very quickly.

8. Drop a note to someone on your basic route.  I usually text my wife that I'm going running in a general location. That way if I do break my leg I know help will get there in a few hours, not days.

9. Bring an energy gel just in case.  Running in the heat tends to cook through your glycogen levels much faster than a cool day. I'm a low carb athlete but I still carry high carb energy gels with me in case I hit the wall and start to feel sick.

10. Slow the F down if you start to feel sick or dizzy. Most people never remember the moments before passing out. You will not see it coming if you ignore the basic signs.  If you start to feel sick to your stomach or even a little dizzy, then start walking and sipping water.  Wait for about 5 min after you start feeling better to start running again.

Don't fear the heat, you get a great workout and usually don't need to put in as much time as a cool day.  Slow down and enjoy the increased fat burn.  Just be careful and take care of yourself.

Self Defense for Runners

When you are out for a run the last thing on your mind is fending off an attack.  Runner's get attacked more often than you think. Using a few simple techniques you can fend off about 99 percent of attacks.

1. Situational awareness.

   By far the easiest way to win in a self defense situation is to not get in it in the first place.  This is usually not a problem for the seasoned runner because they most likely are running becasue they love it and they are generally very aware of their surroundings.  For the novice runner however it's easy to get lost in thought or start to focus on the ground right in front of you. This leaves you in a very vulnerable position. Stay aware and stay alive.

2. Get off the X.

   I loved this saying the first time I heard it. If you remember Wiley Coyote is always standing on the X right before he get's smashed. The Road Runner is always able to avoid the trap because he gets off of the X.  If you are remaining situationally aware you should spot that something is up.  Foil an attacker's plans simply by not walking into the trap. Change sides of the street. Turn around and start running the opposite way.  Don't hesitate to change your route or plans quickly.  Don't be an easy target.

3. Out run your attacker.

   Run as hard as you can. When your running for fun you're generally in better shape than about 90% of Americans, so put it to good use.  Push hard and outrun your attacker.  Don't worry, that burst of speed costs you a lot less than it does most attackers.  An attacker is looking for easy prey, you take off like a gazelle and the attacker's drug use and bad habits will catch up to them very fast.

Of course these are the basics but they are a great place to start.  Remain vigilant out there and stay off of the X.

Obstacle Racing 101

Obstacle Racing 101:

• Don't wear cotton socks
• You can wear synthetic or no socks
• If you do wear socks wear really really short ones
• As soon as your socks get wet your feet get heavier and it sucks
• Practice the basic obstacles
• Learn to jump over a wall
• Learn to low crawl
• Learn to get over double bars
• Practice monkey bars
• Wear as little as possible
• If you are going to wear a shirt make sure it's not cotton
• Don't be afraid of a tighter shirt, as soon as it gets wet it will loosen up
• Have fun and don't be afraid to fail at any obstacle
• Try every obstacle
• You will usually surprise yourself
• The obstacles are designed to be mentally intimidating but not that hard

These are just a few tips I learned from running my first Spartan Sprint Race.  I look forward to crushing my next one.

Obstacle racing is super fun and is a great goal to work toward.  Not only do you want to build endurance but looking buff enough to go shirtless is a great motivator. I still have a few pounds to trim but I'm more motivated than ever. 

Get to 20 pullups easily - The 25 to 60 plan

Attaining the ability to 20 pullups at one time seems like no easy task but it can be.  The 25 to 60 program is super easy and the quickest and most efficient way to achieve the ability to do 20 pullups.

The plan is simple and only takes 8 weeks. Simply do 25 pullups a day for a week and then add 5 pullups a day each following week.  Split your sessions into sets of whatever is comfortable for you; sets of 3 or 5 or 10.  Spread your sets throughout your day.  The more spread out the better. Test yourself no more than once a week to avoid tendinitis and sore arms. You can integrate this into your current workout or add it to it.

Week 1: 25 pullups a day
Week 2: 30 pullups a day
Week 3: 35 pullups a day
Week 4: 40 pullups a day
Week 5: 45 pullups a day
Week 6: 50 pullups a day
Week 7: 55 pullups a day
Week 8: 60 pullups a day

The advantages of the 25 to 60 plan:

• Easy to remember and easy to follow
• No need to worry about a missed day or 2 during the week (missing a day is not going to set you back)
• No need to worry about getting tendinitis, you body will adjust slowly to the requirements 
• This program works well with any other current training program you are doing, no need to adjust your current workout program
• The brilliance is in the simplicity: It works! 
• If you can do 60 pullups in a day, you can do 20 in one set. 

Why it works?

• Doing a bunch of pullups is not the problem... you can probably do 100 in a day right now. Tendinitis (straining of the tendons) is the problem. You have to condition your joints to handle the strain of doing a bunch of pullups at once. You can only do this slowly... Too fast and you'll strain the tendons in your elbows and shoulders.
• Repetition is the key to muscle endurance.  You are also slowly and progressively conditioning your biceps, forearms, and shoulders to handle a longer duration of contraction.
• This program will increase your grip strength over time.  Grip strength is also a progression that is slower than your larger muscle groups. 

Extra Tips:

• Small losses in your overall body weight make big performance differences in pullup endurance.  Losing 5 lbs of body weight means not having to lift 100 lbs over the course of 20 pullups. 
• Vary your grips to work different stabilizing muscles throughout your back and shoulders.
• Pushups are a great addition to this program because they strengthen your shoulders.  Don't over do it though. Pushups will add to the overall daily strain on your joints.