|
Published By: Joe Funaro  You know that diet and exercise are important when it comes to creating your best body, but you may be overlooking other techniques for getting into the best shape.
Turn the following 13 simple tips into habits and watch as your body transforms. 1) Eat a Smart Breakfast. Most people load up on carbohydrates and simple sugars for breakfast. Cereal, pastries, smoothies and juice are all poor choices when it comes to starting your day off right. Center your breakfast around protein and healthy fat, and you'll have energy for hours. Try a protein shake, eggs, lean breakfast meat, or a handful of nuts. 2) Get More Sleep. If you're not getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night then you could use more sleep. This is especially true if you've reached a plateau with weight loss. Give your body the 8 hours of sleep each night and make weight loss easier. 3) Just Do It. If you're really ready to achieve your best body ever, then dig down deep and commit. As Woody Allen famously said, "80% of success is showing up." This is absolutely true when it comes to fitness. Show up to your workout. Even if you're tired. Even if you'd rather be doing something else. Just do it. 4) Plan Ahead. Take one day each week to plan your healthy meals for the following week. You don't have to do all the shopping and cooking on that day, simply jot down what you plan to eat. This small act of planning ahead will keep you on track with healthy meals even when the week gets crazy busy. 5) Cut Out Gluten. Many people don't realize that they have a certain level of sensitivity to gluten, which causes intestinal inflammation and bloating. Also, gluten-filled foods are typically high in carbohydrates, which contribute to weight gain. When you cut gluten-filled items from your diet don't fall into the trap of simply replacing those items with other high-carb items. Choose non-packaged, whole foods instead. 6) Believe In Yourself. Do you believe that you have what it takes to transform your body? If you want to succeed in weight loss then you have to believe that it's possible. Give yourself a pep talk and dig down deep for the courage and discipline to apply these healthy changes to your life. 7) Eat Less Dairy. Dairy products like cheese or cream add extra fat and calories to your meals. Pass on the dairy and you'll eliminate unnecessary calories, making weight loss quicker. 8) Sleep and Wake at the Same Time. This tip sounds so simple, and yet it's a powerful way to increase your daily energy. Get your body on a schedule and watch how much more productive and energetic you become. 9) Include Veggies at Every Meal. Most people aren't too crazy about vegetables, and probably eat less than they should. Make it a point to include a vegetable with each of your meals – even breakfast. The increase in fiber and other nutrients will give your body that extra boost that you're looking for. 10) Ditch Packaged Food. Throw out those packaged foods! This is one of the easiest things you can do to achieve quicker weight loss results. Packaged foods contain chemicals and additives that will slow your fitness results. 11) Drink More Water. Being hydrated is key when it comes to creating your best body. Drink water throughout your day and limit caffeinated beverages to once daily. 12) Forget Artificial Sweeteners. Sure, these sweeteners don't contain calories, but they are known to increase your appetite and cravings for carbohydrates. In the quest for your best body, put down the diet soda and reach instead for some water. 13) Exercise With a Pro. Are you exercising as efficiently as possible? Do you challenge your muscles enough during each workout? Are you keeping the routine new and fresh? These are all factors that will be taken care of for you when you work with a trained fitness professional. Working with a pro ensures that you make the most of your exercise time. So there you have it, 13 tips that will take your results up a notch. If you haven't joined one of my programs yet, now is a great time to start. Together we will get you focused on your goals with my results-driven method. Call or email today to set up your first workout.
1 Comment
Published By: Joe Funaro  There's no denying that the holidays have arrived.
Lights have been strung, gifts are being wrapped and holiday treats are everywhere. It's no secret that most people gain 5 to 10 pounds over the next month. With all the parties, special meals and edible gifts, weight gain is pretty much inevitable...right? Not so fast. I've come up with a survival strategy to keep holiday pounds from making a permanent home on your hips. This strategy is very simple. I'm not expecting you to have the time to log all your calories or eat every meal at home. We are going to be realistic... Golden Tip to Avoid Holiday Pounds: Spend the next 4 weeks eating like a caveman, with 2 daily exceptions. Here's why: Holiday pounds are caused by eating too many foods that are high in carbohydrates and simple sugars. You can avoid all that by sticking with an eating plan created by our pre-historic ancestors, while still keeping things fun by allowing for 2 small daily exceptions. This is what you would eat... As many fresh and fiber-filled vegetables as you want.
When you navigate the buffet line at your next holiday party, feel confident knowing that you have a game plan. Stick with salad, vegetables and meats first, then pick out your 2 small exceptions and savor those. Remember, I'm here to help you meet your fitness and weight loss goals. Call or email today to get started on a fitness program that will turn your holiday weight gain into a holiday slim down. Published By: Joe Funaro  The best kind of fat loss is steady fat loss. And while a slow-and-steady approach to weight loss will ensure that you keep the weight off for good, I have a few tricks to help you burn fat as fast as possible.
So if you’re ready to speed up your fat loss (and are willing to do the work necessary!) keep reading... Rapid Fat Loss Habit #1: Bottoms Up! It’s not always easy to get to the water cooler or the sink. But if you’re going to shred pounds, you’re going to have to keep a tall glass of water nearby. There are many perks to drinking down plenty of water. Doing this helps you feel fuller, which keeps you from overeating or thinking you’re hungry when you’re actually thirsty. Drinking water instead of other drinks also keeps you from ingesting additional, unnecessary, and worthless calories. And finally, if your body is going to perform at its peak, it needs to be well hydrated. Drinking plenty of water helps all your bodily functions operate well, which prevents you from holding onto water weight and suffering avoid constipation, while also giving you what you need to push through the final stages of a difficult workout. Rapid Fat Loss Habit #2: Be a Planner Like flying by the seat of your pants? Then you’re going to struggle to shave off pounds in a fast or even slow manner. Burning fat fast requires you to be disciplined. The beginning of discipline is a good plan. Know when you’re going to the gym, how many calories you’re going to eat and what foods the calories will come from, and how you are going to avoid giving in to that tempting piece of chocolate cake. Once you have your plan, you’ve got to do the hard part: stick with it. If you’re willing to do this, your fat stores will burn away in no time. Rapid Fat Loss Habit #3: Get Intense with Your Routine Maintaining a steady pace on the treadmill will help you improve your overall health, but it isn’t the best tool for burning fat quickly. To speed up your fat-burning process, you’ll want to add some HIIT into your exercise regimen. During a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workout, you mingle bursts of intense exercise with lighter exercise. This could involve running, cycling, swimming, or other aerobic exercises. Whatever exercise you choose to do, do it hard for 30 seconds, take it easy for 60 to 90 seconds, and then go full force again for 30 seconds, repeating the cycle for 30 minutes. You’ll be exhausted when it’s all said and done, a sure sign that you’re burning fat! Rapid Fat Loss Habit #4: Lift Weights Think you can burn fat fast by doing nothing but aerobic exercises? You can. But you can do it faster and better by mixing in some weight-lifting sessions. In fact, if you don’t add weight lifting into your regular routine, you may begin to lose muscle. The scale may go down, but if you’re dropping muscle mass, you’re setting yourself up for disaster. When shooting to burn off fat, nothing helps more than extra muscle. Added muscle helps you feel better and perform tasks of daily living with greater ease, while improving your metabolism and ultimately helping you burn more of that pesky fat! Rapid Fat Loss Habit #5: Eat Right You know that what you put in your mouth is either going to fuel you to get through the day or simply add some pudgy inches to your waistline. So choose wisely! Fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats all give you the upper hand on burning fat. But it’s not just the foods you eat. It’s how you eat them. Chew slowly, use a smaller plate, and leave the food dishes in the kitchen. When you’re finished with your plate of food, relax and give your brain time to figure out that your stomach is full. Then take the cue and stop eating. These small steps may seem significant, but they will boost your fat-burning potential exponentially. I’d love to give you more of my expert, fat burning tips – call or email today and let’s get you started on my best exercise program that will get you to your ideal, toned body faster than you thought possible. I look forward to hearing from you! Does Jiujitsu work against a bigger, larger opponent? Yes! Check out this video of Jeff Glover vs a 400lbs BJJ Black Belt! https://youtu.be/xxSr4YiKyFU When it comes to defeating larger, stronger opponents, nothing beats Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for REAL self-defense. Watch below: What is the best martial art for self-defense? Former SEAL and author of "Extreme Ownership" Jocko Willnick recommends Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as your #1 option for realistic, effective and efficient self-defense training. Jiu Jitsu uses leverage & proper technique allowing you to defeat larger, stronger opponents. This makes it the perfect self-defense program for men, women and children of all ages. Here are the main martial arts he recommends in addition to BJJ that should make up the foundation of your self-defense training:
Check out the video below to find out how and why he recommends this amazing self-defense system. P.S. You can learn all of these martial arts in our 30 Day MMA Starter Program in Port Jeff Station, NY. Are you looking for realistic Self-Defense around Port Jeff Station? Check out this article then, it may save your life! Here are 5 reasons you should be training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Fusion MMA! 1. Brazilain Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is the world's most proven, effective martial art. It's true! Not too long ago, martial artists from various disciplines & styles met at Vale Tudo tournaments (such as the original UFC events) to compete in no-rules fights. The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu representatives not only won most of these matches but DOMINATED the combatants from Karate, Kung Fu, Boxing, Kickboxing and more. No other art has stood up to the rigorous testing against others like Jiu Jitsu. 2. Anyone can train in Jiu Jitsu. Women, men, and even children as young as six years old can practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Because it is an art that is designed for a smaller, weaker practitioner to subdue much larger and stronger opponents, virtually anyone of any size, age or sex can practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It is not limited to athletes, men or stronger participants. 3. It builds character. Sometimes you will feel great and training will be easy. Other days, you will be tired, sore and unsure of your ability to step on the mats. Jiu Jitsu will expose you to all of your strengths and weaknesses, teaching you humility, respect and building your confidence through continued training. 4. BJJ is a great workout. If you are looking for a great cardiovascular workout, try rolling for 5 minute rounds, or longer! Cardiovascular health is important and will greatly improve with continued training. You will also see increased muscle, strength and flexibility. 5. It is a great base for Mixed Martial Arts. The top UFC fighters all share one thing in common, a base in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Even fighters who are known for the punching power such as Conor McGreggor, Anderson Silva or Chuck Lidell all have to learn BJJ in order t compete at the highest levels of MMA. Without an advanced understanding of Jiu Jitsu, a fighter is useless in the cage. If you would like to learn more about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu on Long Island then check-out our program! We offer BJJ 7 days a week, morning and evenings. In addition, unlike most schools in our area, our martial arts are battle tested in the cage, ring and on the mat by both our coaches and students. Find out why Fusion MMA is the North Shores largest and premier MMA Academy with our 30 Day Trial Program HERE. P.S. Here's a great video from Renzo Gracie showing you BJJ for Self-Defense: Sometimes, your metabolism works against you even when you think you’re doing everything right. It’s time you took a good, hard look at how your metabolism really works.
Check out the metabolism myths below and then use your new knowledge to put your metabolism to work… Myth 1: Metabolism Works from 9 to 5 Difficult as it may be to believe, your body’s metabolism does not stop working when you do. In fact, your metabolism works all day, every day. If it didn’t, you wouldn’t even have the energy to get out of bed in order to read this article. (You are out of bed, aren’t you?) Also the time of day that you eat isn’t what makes you gain pounds. It’s what you eat. So if you think you can get away with eating that quarter-pounder with cheese, bacon, mayo, and bun; a large order of greasy fries; and a 32-ounce milkshake without any consequences—just because you ate it at lunch and not late at night—think again! Eat smart all day long, have a healthy snack at night if necessary, and then sleep well, knowing your metabolism is doing its thing even while you’re catching some Zzzzs. Myth 2: It Can’t Be Controlled You’ve probably met someone who seems to be able to eat anything they want without gaining weight. You may have even dreamed of having such a metabolism. Well, there’s good news. You may not have the metabolism that lets you do that just yet, but you can work toward it. Help boost your metabolism by lifting weights, getting a good night of sleep, eating enough protein to power you through the day, and drinking plenty of water. Want something more than water? Here’s another smidgen of good news: a little caffeine in your daily intake will help you get rid of calories faster than going without. Just make sure your caffeine isn’t bathed in sugar and unnecessary calories. Myth 3: Skinny Folks Have Higher Metabolism Yes, a high metabolism can help you burn more calories than a low metabolism. But don’t let that fool you into thinking the skinniest people around have the highest metabolism. Quite the contrary. If the thinnest individuals had the highest metabolism, they would likely be dangerously underweight. As it is, when you are very thin, your metabolism will likely be lower, as there’s not much of you to burn away safely. However, you shouldn’t grab the ice cream carton in order to put on extra pounds to up your metabolism. Instead, focus on adding muscle pounds via the weight room. Myth 4: Getting Old Makes Your Metabolism Go Bye-Bye There is a bit of truth to this myth. As you age, your metabolism will drop a tiny bit. Not enough to make a meaningful difference, but it does drop. Much of this decrease (again—it is almost negligible) is due to the typical muscle loss that accompanies aging. Want to curb your body’s age-related drop in metabolism? Include resistance training in your exercise routine. As you age, keep up the weight training and you’ll keep your metabolism strong and steady throughout all the stages of life. In the event it does drop a little, you’ll be in such good shape you won’t notice. Myth 5: You Can Eat Your Way to Higher Metabolism Occasionally, the world is taken by a weight-loss idea that is so simple you’d be a moron not to give it a try. One of these recent ideas is that you can eat or drink certain things to boost your metabolism and lose weight with greater ease. While eating peppers on a regular basis and drinking gallons of green tea each week offers some health benefits, it won’t do more than temporarily boost your metabolism. Approximately half an hour after consuming these supposed metabolism mega-boosters, the boost is over and you’re back to your normal metabolism. A normal, well-balanced diet is a much better option. When it comes to achieving and maintaining your most effective metabolism, a consistent and challenging exercise routine is key. Call or email today and I’ll get you started on an exercise program that will take your metabolism to the next level. Don’t wait around for another year to pass. We are now a 4 months into 2016 – are you any closer to achieving your fat loss goals? When you work with me I make it my personal mission to get you the results that you deserve. Let’s do this! Use the following three tips to bring your routine up to the next level:
1. Be Unstable: Use your entire body, and target your core, by performing exercises that engage stabilizing muscles. To do this use an exercise ball, a balance board, a balance disk, or you could simply stand on one leg. 2. Add Resistance: The more resistance that you incorporate with your routine translates into higher intensity and more calories burned. Some ideas for adding resistance include: carrying dumbbells while doing lunges, wearing a weighted vest while walking or jogging, or putting a weight between your feet while doing leg raises. 3. Use Intervals: Interval training is an amazing tool for creating short yet effective workouts. Don’t worry, it’s not complicated. Interval training is simply alternating between different short bursts of activity.  Port Jeff Kickboxing Open House Hey!
Andre & Joe here and we have some exciting news! As you know by now, Fusion MMA & Kickboxing has quickly become the leader in MMA and fitness training on the North Shore. From our fat-blasting Fusion Kickboxing, muscle-building X-Training & body-toning yoga, we've put a ton of effort into making our classes fun & effective. When it comes to Mixed Martial Arts training, Fusion just can't be beat. We offer Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, Boxing, Catch Wrestling and more. Our unique style is putting out fierce fighters while also giving the average Joe amazing self-defense skills....plus it's an awesome workout! If you'd like to try any of our programs then come down on September 12th! 9am X-Training 10am Kickboxing 11am Kids MMA 12pm Adult MMA  Wrestling in MMA What is Cumberland Wrestling?
Wrestling is the worlds oldest martial art, but did you know that there are hundreds (if not more) styles of wrestling around the globe? Every culture has it's own variation of wrestling or grappling. Many are very similar with minor differences based on region. The majority of styles either focus on clinching & throwing, such as Judo, Greco-Roman and Sumo, or ground-work, such as JiuJitsu, Catch Wrestling and Sambo. (If you're looking for a Mixed Martial Arts School in Port Jefferson Station then check out our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes). The Cumberland and Westmorland style of wrestling was developed in Northern England, which is why it is also referred to as "North Country Style." It is a folkstyle not often practiced but had a lasting impact on the sport of American Folkstyle (along with other modern forms of grappling). The rules of Cumberland Wrestling are simple. Wrestlers are placed chest to chest, grasping each other around the body with their chins on their opponent's right shoulder. The right arm of each contestant is positioned under his opponent's left arm. This is the classic over-under position used in pummeling and should be familiar to even the most beginner wrestlers. A win is declared if any body part other than the foot touches the ground. A win may also be attained by forcing your opponent to lose his grip while still retaining yours (as in getting double under-hooks). How is this style of wrestling important to Mixed Martial Arts? By training in Cumberland Wrestling, students learn to fight for and attain a dominant clinch, learning to control their opponent with an over-under clinch. The over-under position is very common in MMA (as well as wrestling) and is often seen as a 50/50 position. Learning to control, trip and throw from this position will allow martial artists to effectively strike or take down their opponent. Fusion MMA & Kickboxing of Port Jefferson Station is proud to offer a complete Mixed Martial Arts program that combines various grappling styles (such as Wrestling and Jiu Jitsu among others) into a complete system. If you would like to learn more about our Adult Grappling Classes please visit http://FusionKickboxing.com or call us at 631-219-8965. |