High-Protein Fat-Burning Snacks -- or mid-meals

Before I tell you one of my favorite high-protein fat-burning snacks that I absolutely love... just a quick announcement today...

If you want fat-burning meal plans in a "done-4-you" manner, which can eliminate the confusion of trying to plan everything yourself... you should check out the site below.

I reviewed a lot of the meal plans in this program and they're pretty damn good! They even have calorie levels that can be adjusted to your individual level needed to lose fat. Plus, it makes grocery shopping a snap because the quantities are all laid out for you without guesswork.
Lot's of good variety too... Check it out:

http://www.MealPlansForYourGoal.com

My high-protein, fat-burning snack:

Ok, here's one of the simplest high protein snacks that I've used a lot over the years. I like this as a small meal either late at night (due to the high protein, low carb content or even sometimes for a midmeal during the afternoon between lunch and dinner.

Vanilla-Cinnamon Nut Cottage Cheese...

Even people I know that say they don't like cottage cheese have told me that they loved this!

Here's what I mix together:

• mix together 2 to 1 ratio of cottage cheese to vanilla yogurt (that makes this higher in protein than in carbs)
• vanilla extract to taste
• cinnamon to taste (don't be shy with cinnamon...it's one of the most powerful antioxidants you can get...even more than most berries)
• handful of raw nuts (pecans, almonds, or walnuts are my favorites...but just about all nuts are packed with nutrition and healthy fats to keep your cravings at bay)
• just a touch of stevia to sweeten (stevia is a non-caloric natural sweetener that I believe is much safer than artificial sweeteners). I've ordered stevia (and yerba mate too, btw) at this site in the past:
  http://www.Naturally-Stevia.com

This is such an easy and quick recipe, but it's REALLY good... at least I think so, and a lot of people that I've had try it really liked it too. Simple, easy, and packed with craving-ending nutrition!

Like I said, it's also great for a late-night snack because of the healthy fats, relatively low carbs, and the casein protein content (which helps your body prevent catabolizing muscle tissue overnight because of the long-lasting casein protein).

Feel free to fwd this email to any of your friends or family that might want to try this recipe.

Til next newsletter,
Don't be lazy... be lean.

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - TruthAboutAbs.com & BusyManFitness.com

3 tips for building muscle faster

Don't fall for the "1 Rule of a Flat Stomach" Scam

Even my own MOM fell for this scam recently!

And worse yet, the problem has spread beyond just acai products and "miracle pills" into muscle building products, teeth whiteners, wrinkle erasers, and dozens of other categories...

You'll want to see this article and exactly how they trick you (pass onto your friends and family to protect them as well):

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/the-flat-stomach-acai-scam.html

Looking out for your safety and true health and fitness,

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - TruthAboutAbs.com & BusyManFitness.com
http://AvalancheSkiTraining.com

my famous healthy chocolate peanut butter fudge recipe

Can the sun actually give you a better body?

Can the sun actually improve your body? or is it "deadly"?

Before I get into today's article on the sun and the load of crap that's been beaten into us by the media about the sun's "deadly rays", just a quick announcement...

As you may know, although I don't use many supplements (since 95% of them are typically bogus), I'm a big fan of Krill Oil for it's numerous benefits even more powerful than standard fish oil.

My friends at Prograde Nutrition are having a 10% summer discount sale on their Krill Oil this week only. Check out the short video at this page that shows some of the research behind the power of Krill Oil vs normal fish oil:

http://natural.getprograde.com/specials

The sun's "deadly rays" or healthy rays?

One thing that never made sense to me over the years was how the media and other sources have always tried to portray sun exposure as "the sun's deadly rays".

It's as if they would have you believe that we need to live in caves and never see the sun to prevent cancer and stay in good health.

But this is absurd if you think about it...

See the real story on both the positives and negatives of sun exposure, and how it can actually give you a better body

If you liked todays article, feel free to email this article on to any of your friends, family, or co-workers that would enjoy it.

To your health,

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - TruthAboutAbs.com & http://BusyManFitness.com

New article below (please note this is a 3rd party site that I post articles on, so I don't endorse any of the advertisements on the site...but the article itself is mine, so if you enjoy, please give me a good rating at the bottom):

The 2 worst foods that many falsely believe are "healthy"

Cool Exercise Ball Trick & the "1-ingredient" food rule

Before today's quick fitness tip, check out this exercise ball trick... this is pretty cool... it's a 15-sec video (don't try this at home!):

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/cool-exercise-ball-trick.html

Today's Quick Fitness Tip:

A common theme I've noticed lately with people that think they are eating healthy is that they're still eating too much processed foods, but being duped by clever food labels into believing that the processed food they are eating is somehow "healthy".

So let's take a step back and re-visit the MOST important thing you can do to eat truly healthy and lose as much body fat as you want, easily...

And that is...

Choose only foods at the grocery store that have 1 ingredient!

So this means that eggs, fruits, vegetables, meats (from healthy animals raised correctly), nuts, seeds, and other 1-ingredient foods should comprise almost your entire diet (except for cheat meals if you go that route).

Obviously there are exceptions to this, and there are foods you can buy with more than 1 ingredient that I can still give the thumbs up to (guacamole and hummus being a couple quick examples that come to mind)...

But the point is that if you can revisit this very simple method of choosing healthy foods, it can be a huge shift for most people that have been struggling to choose healthy foods because they are constantly deceived by food labels that claim to be healthy but are really processed junk in disguise.

This may be difficult for many people that are so addicted to processed foods... but give it a try for a week. The next time you do a week's worth of grocery shopping, try to make sure that everything in your cart are only 1-ingredient foods.

I'm willing to bet you'll see a better body after that 1 week!

Feel free to email this link on to any friends or family that will enjoy it.

Til next newsletter,
Don't be lazy... be lean.

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - TruthAboutAbs.com & BusyManFitness.com
http://AvalancheSkiTraining.com

My take on bogus protein bars - are they good for you?

Weird Hotel Workouts -- bodyweight and gym exercises

I hope your summer is off to a great start!

You gotta love the barbeques, pool parties, days at the beach or lake...all of the outdoor fun that comes with summer... and this is the best time of year to be happy and confident with your body.

My own workouts have been going great lately and I've been making some good progressions in the gym.

But last week, I was traveling most of the week in Vegas with some of my other fitness author buddies -- Vince Delmonte (of http://buildcrazymuscle.com/ ), Craig Ballantyne (of http://beyondcardioworkouts.com/ ), and Joel Marion (of http://cheatyourwaylean.com/ ).
Since we were in Vegas the entire week, we had to improvise with whatever workouts we could get in at the hotel gyms, which are typically not that well equipped...

You know how it is for most hotel gyms -- barely any dumbbells and never heavy enough, a couple machine-based exercises, and some crappy cardio equipment, which I still refuse to use.

Since I'm usually so consistent with using almost entirely free weights (workouts with dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells) and using multi-joint movements at my hometown gym, sometimes these hotel workouts can actually be good for variety because I'm forced to do some inferior exercise machines and lighter dumbbells, but still try to combine them together into an intense workout...

...and that requires some creativity.

I hate using machines instead of free weights because they are typically just not nearly as effective. However, I've found that if I can combine the available machines together into circuits with whatever dumbbells they have available, and move through them with almost zero rest between sets, a high intensity workout is still possible, even at these lame hotel gyms.

For example, here's a circuit I blasted through at the Vegas hotel last week:

a) Dumbbell step-ups

b) Machine horizontal back rows

c) Machine chest press

d) Dumbbell lunges

e) Dumbbell squat & presses with heaviest dumbbells they had

f) Pullups

g) Bent over reverse dumbbell flyes


I went through this circuit 3x... and it was a great high intensity circuit that still worked the entire body really hard despite the fact that I typically don't like to use machines and that the dumbbells this gym had were too light for me for most exercises... but working all the exercises together with minimal rest still enabled me to challenge myself despite limited equipment.

2 nights later, I wanted to get another workout at the hotel gym but when I showed up, realized the the gym had closed early. Instead of making excuses and not working out at all, I decided to do what I could in my hotel room.

I wanted to make sure I at least got some good exercise in before one of our big nights out to a big dinner and the nightclubs.

Here's the hotel room workout I improvised since I had no other options...

Bodyweight circuit in hotel room:

a) bodyweight jump squats - 12 reps

b) bodyweight jump lunges - 6 reps each leg

c) pushups - close grip - 15-20 reps

d) 1-legged romanian deadlifts (bodyweight) - 12 reps each leg

e) bodyweight speed squats - 20 reps

f) pushups - wide grip - 15-20 reps

I did that circuit 3x and it was a pretty killer workout considering I had no equipment and was stuck in the hotel room for the workout. But at least I felt I accomplished some sort of workout before going out for the big dinner.

If any of these ideas can help you the next time you're traveling or find yourself without your normal access to your gym, then go for it. I hope it gives you some ideas.

If you missed my newsletter the other day with the motivation from Will Smith himself, check it out.

If that doesn't inspire you to work hard, check your pulse!

Don't be lazy... be lean.

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - TruthAboutAbs.com & http://busymanfitness.com/



PS - if you liked todays article, feel free to email this link on to any of your friends, family, or co-workers that would enjoy it.



new nutrition article: Top 3 (surprising) fat burning foods

Motivation to exercise hard, from Will Smith

I have noticed that many people lack the motivation needed to workout hard enough and eat right to lose weight... some clients I have worked with in my personal training business over the years are extremely motivated and work their butts off, while others just want a "quick fix" and whine and complain about working hard.

I don't work with whiners and complainers. Whiners are losers.

I recently heard a quote from Will Smith, an actor who I admire greatly for his hard work ethic, both in the gym and in his career. It went something like this:

"I will NOT be outworked. Period... You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, you might be all of those things. You got it on me in nine categories. But if we get on the treadmill together, there's two things: Either you're getting off first, or I'm gonna die. It's really that simple."

-Will Smith, on his work ethic

Yes! Now THAT'S the way to get motivated! You gotta love it.

He was obviously talking about much more than just working hard during exercise... this was about life... but if you think of that quote before you go to the gym, you'll be pumped and ready to blast through your next workout!

It's about WAY more than just mindlessly going through the motions in your workouts... it's about getting in the mentality that you are working to be the best you can be, and that you are unstoppable!

It's about visualizing your body being as lean and sexy as you want it to be... and your health so vibrant and energetic, that nothing is getting in your way to achieving everything you set out to achieve.

Like I have said a million times before, true life-long health & fitness starts in your mind... and your exercise and diet follow once your mind is in the right place.

Share some motivation with your friends & family today and email this link on to anybody that you think will enjoy it.

Here is a previous article I did on energy drinks and how they could be all in your mind too:

Are Energy Drinks All in Your Mind?

Til next Lean-Body Secrets newsletter,
Don't be lazy... be lean.

Mike Geary

Certified Personal Trainer
Certified Nutrition Specialist

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