Everyone loves their hotdogs and cheeseburgers, especially during those summer grills, but did you know that some condiments can actually significantly make you gain weight? In this post I’m going to list the condiments you should stay away from or eat less of, and which ones are healthier to eat just about every time you make yourself a hotdog.

First lets talk about the condiments you should stay away from. First one on this list is:

Ketchup!

It’s full of sodium and usually comes packing high fructose corn syrup, a definite no-no ingredient. I know I’ve talked about high fructose corn syrup before and you guys should already understand why I highly recommend you stay away from this ingredient, but for those who do not follow my blog (and you should, please subscribe ^^), high fructose corn syrup is a man-made sugar, which the body does not recognize as an energy source, so our bodies have a tough time breaking it down.

Honey Mustard

A lot of fast food places that serve mostly chicken offer honey mustard. But honey mustard is full of sugars, and mostly doesn’t contain honey at all. Sometimes honey mustard packages will have high fructose corn syrup in it instead of real honey. Reduce your honey mustard servings and you’ll notice a thinner waistline.

Syrup

You love those pancakes, right? Not only are the pancakes a source of unhealthy calories, it can lead to high cholesterol and a big waistline. Syrup, being derived of mostly sugar and some water, is also very unhealthy. About 1 teaspoon of syrup can contain as much sugar as a pepsi or a coke, and most people drench the stuff on their foods almost daily. I’d say drop syrup altogether and use all-natural honey instead.

Vegetable Oil

Full of bad fats, this oil should not be used as a cooking oil is it’s highly refine and processed with chemicals.

Here are condiments you can be confident will not add to your waistline:

Mayo derived from olive oil only.

Mustard, because it’s natural and has very low sugar.

Slices of Avocado, packed full of healthy fats, this ingredient is tasty and has the effect of keeping you full longer.

For more in-depth information about healthy condiments to foods, check out Mike’s post about healthy condiments.

Thanks, and if you liked this article, please subscribe.

Popularity: 1%

So how’s everyone doing so far in getting lean and fit after the 2011 holiday season? I for one am glad all of the holiday feasting has come to an end, and it took me a short while to get back onto my healthy and fit ‘lifestyle.’ Because guys we all know diets don’t work, we have to improve, not change, our lifestyles for the better.

This past week I was still in that “eat whatever” phase, but I’m back to eating my oatmeal for breakfast, my light sandwich for lunch, my all-natural yogurt for a snack, and lean meat dinners. If you guys are still in that “eat whatever” phase 2 weeks into 2012 but need some suggestions, refer to my top 10 foods that burn fat article, and also check out Isabel’s free weight loss video to learn about the healthy foods that will get you lean in no time!

I gained a bit of weight during the holidays, I’m sitting at about 160 pounds when my ideal weight is 137 pounds! Most of this extra weight is fat, but I’ve been doing power cardio and resistance exercises this past week, and I’m going to be giving my all to get into my “shirtless and happy” body by March!

Get a Head Start to Losing Weight and getting Six Pack Abs in 2012

The key thing to work on is your motivation, without motivation, you will probably just push this “getting in shape thing” to the side.. Staying motivated is key. What I like to do to stay motivated, especially for my intense workouts, is use an mp3 player to keep my adrenaline going and give me energy. I find music is great to keep us in line with succeeding in losing weight and getting six pack abs. I personally like the SanDisk Sanza Clip +, which I wrote about a little while ago. It’s amazing as an mp3 player and keeps me energized to do my workouts. If you enjoy music I’d say get one for yourself!

Write down your goals. If you want to lose 15 pounds within 2 months, write it down! I find myself doing more of what I set out to do if I write my goals down. Another key note is to stop wasting time doing the wrong exercises, such as regular situps, as these will not help you lose weight or get six pack abs. Browse this blog and you’ll learn about great exercises you can do at home or at a gym that will help you get results fast.

So how are you doing so far in 2012? Please leave your comments below ^^.

Popularity: 1%

It’s getting cold again, and it’s getting to be the season where most people do not exercise; winter! But you should still remain active and in this article I’m going to give you 10 tips to get six pack abs fast during the winter and pretty much all year.

Tip #1: Grab yourself some tea in the mornings

This should come to no surprise, drinking green tea can speed up weight loss which is the biggest obstacle when working towards getting a nice six pack. For those who don’t know about green tea, this tea is full of anti-oxidants and the aroma makes your body use up fat instead of storing it by speeding up your metabolism. Drink green tea during the cold season and you’ll stay warm and lose weight faster.

Tip #2: Do smart exercises

I say ‘smart’ because most people tend to do situps, which actually don’t really target your ab and core muscles, situps target your hip flexors. Exercises such as medicine ball crunches, reverse leg crunches, and weighted declined bench crunches will really bust out that stomach fat in no time. For quick and easy exercises to these and more fat-busting workouts, check out Mike Geary’s Six Pack Abs Program for just $1.

Tip #3: Fast food menu

Wait! Did I just bring up fast food!? Yes I did. People tend to get a lot of fast food during winter because it’s very convenient and they don’t want to do much home cooking during winter. But since you’ll be eating out more often this season, choose menu items that are low in saturated fats, and low in carbs, as  restaurant meals are super loaded with a lot of calories. Foods like chicken sandwiches with no mayo, and caeser salads w/little to no dressing are okay choices. You’ll get your cravings out of the way and remain slim so you when you exercise to get six pack abs, you’ll make progress.

Tip #4: Reduce alcohol intake

To just 1 or 2 drinks per month. Alcohol keeps your belly looking full even when it’s not. It’s okay to drink casually during special family events, but for the most part you should drink very little alcohol so you can get six pack abs fast.

Tip #5: Say no to cereal

And instead opt for some oatmeal, you get the same great whole-grain taste, without the high fructose corn syrup, a synthetic compound that doesn’t digest well. However, there are some cereals that don’t have high fructose corn syrup or gluten, if you find them then those are okay to eat sparingly. For a complete list of healthy foods to eat, check out Isabel’s free instructional video here.

Tip #6: Be vocal about your goals

If people around you know you have a priority to get six pack abs, they’ll try and encourage you. This also keeps you motivated and headstrong to follow through and achieve success.

Tip #7: Get a lot of sleep

Sleeping well keeps your body functioning properly, lacking sleep can make you irritable and unhappy, which leads to uncontrollable eating behaviors as well as not doing any exercise.

Tip #8: You are not hungry

Lots of times when you think you are hungry, it’s usually just thirst. Grab some water next time you feel an urge to eat something and you might find yourself pleasantly surprised to have “quenched” that hunger.

Tip #9: Keep a daily journal

Of the activities you take part in, the foods you eat, the goals you set for yourself in terms of caloric intake and usage. I keep one myself and helps a lot with maintaining proper nutrition and doing my exercises. These are great because you document your achievements.

Tip #10: Be persistent

Did you know that getting six pack abs is probably the hardest of the muscles groups to achieve? It’s because in order to reveal your smashing stomach muscles, you need to be at certain body fat percentage; very low. In order to do that, you need to put out a significant amount of time and effort, lots of working out. It’s one of the reasons people just quit, because they don’t get results fast. If you truly want that nice rock-hard stomach, then it will not be hard to stay motivated and follow through with your goals.

Popularity: 1%