If not, then you might wanna keep reading 
So, what are main three goals people want to achieve in the gym?
- Get “toned”
- Lose weight
- Get stronger and put on more lean muscle
I don’t know about you but if you ask me those seem like some solid goals.
What if I told you that whatever you’ve been doing for you goals probably isn’t the best way to go about achieving them?
If you REALLY want to get in shape once and for all and look your best in the mirror
Instead of doing hours of cardio.. restricting yourself to only salads, and trying the next “get ripped quick diet”
Follow these Hurricane Fit TipsÂ
- Start a HIIT program and workout 2-5 times per week
- Eat mostly whole foods and drink at least 4 bottles of water daily
- Find someone or something to keep you accountable with your goals
If you’re stuck and want the fastest/ easiest blueprint to shred that belly fat off for good,
Click HERE to schedule your complimentary assessment at Hurricane Fitness today!
]]>Who’s THEY you ask?
The Fitness industry that’s who!
So let me ask you a question..
What do you see as soon as you walk into any gym?
Cardio equipment right?
They do this on purpose
The gym knows only about 10-20% of gym members actually USE their membership
Most people that go to a gym are probably looking to “tone up” or get rid of their dad bod
No matter the goal people usually expect to hop on these cardio machines 2-3 times a week and magically shred all their fat off
If this ACTUALLY worked, we wouldn’t have such a big obesity issue in America
So what IS the most efficient way to lose weight and build lean muscle if you ask me?
Summer is here and you’re probably looking to get your Summer body dialed in.
Remember these four things
FOUR THINGS
1) Know Your Caloric Intake & Maintenance Weight
2) Eat a Flexible Diet
3) Have a Structured Workout plan and Deadline for your Respective goals
4) Measure Progress with Pictures and Weigh-ins Every week
You can’ get to your destination if you don’t know where you’re starting from and it’s no different when shredding body fat!
Stop subtracting and ADD more components to your diet instead
Flexible Nutrition is key
Knowing what you’re doing and why when working out is something most people don’t do
You also need a deadline or you’ll fall off real quick
What can’t be measured can’t be managed!
If all you’re doing to track progress is looking at yourself in the mirror, you WILL be deceived and disappointed
Losing weight is such a simple concept but yet so complicated at the same time!
Especially with all this info getting thrown at you nowadays I get it trust me
If you want help with your weight loss goals, click HERE to book your complimentary 1 on 1 training session today!
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I know it may be easy to grab a quick snack when you’re on the go or just lazily shuffle through your pantry and grab the sweetest thing there to watch a good movie. But I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to make those terrible unhealthy options and more importantly you don’t have to sacrifice flavor and taste.
Eating healthy has gotten much easier these days with so many new snack ideas and awesome meal replacements. They don’t make you feel like your starving yourself, let alone on a diet! When choosing the ideal snack it is very important to look at the nutrition labels and understand what we are putting into our body. The 5 main points we should be looking at are #1 calories, #2 protein, #3 fat, #4 carbs, and #5 sugar
Pre-packaged snacks are packed in sugars and artificial material. A good example would be swapping a granola bar for a half cup of natural oatmeal. For about the same amount of carbs and fewer calories, you can get a similar experience with better quality and healthier oats & grains.
Another brilliant swap is frozen fruit like bananas and strawberry and blending it with some non-dairy milk for a low-calorie ice cream option. It already has natural sugars and none of the artificial content or preservatives, one of my favorite treats.
Fruit juices are another way that most people tend to consume their calories mindlessly. Instead of drinking a glass of orange juice the healthier more calorie friendly option would be to eat whole orange fruit with a nice glass of water. The reasons this swap makes sense as it does for any fruit juice is nonetheless backed by science itself. “Most notably, compared to a whole orange, a serving of orange juice has significantly less fiber and about twice the calories and carbs — which are mostly fruit sugar.”
You can swap out any carb and fat-packed cream cake for some fresh fruit next time to fulfill that sweet tooth and ensure you are ingesting the recommended amount of fruit for the day. Studies show that “Nearly 80% of Americans fall short of the recommended daily fruit intake, which is two cups daily for the average adult”
Lastly, the consumption of fruit is far superior to that of fruit juice because the juice may leave you feeling less full since it is quick to drink and may put you at a higher risk to overeat and gain weight.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/orange-juice#juice-vs-fruit
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This hearty dish from Eat the Gains is packed with fiber and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Sweet potatoes, which are rich in vitamin A and potassium, serve as a comforting, gluten-free base for this simple six-ingredient pizza.
Sweet Potato Pizza
Ingredients
- 4 large round sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3/4 (170g) cup pizza sauce
- 1 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese (112g), grated
- Crushed red pepper (optional garnish)
- Fresh basil, chopped (optional garnish)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375ÂşF (190ÂşC). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Toss the sweet potato slices with avocado oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread evenly on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between slices.
Bake for 20 minutes, flip and bake for 10 for minutes more, or until golden brown.
Top each slice with roughly a tablespoon of pizza sauce and a sprinkle of cheese. Bake for another 3–5 minutes until cheese is melted.
Top with fresh basil and crushed red pepper, if desired, and serve.
Serves: 8 | Serving Size: About 2 slices
Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 179; Total Fat: 8.5g; Saturated Fat: 2.2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3.7g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 9.4mg; Carbohydrate: 20.5g; Dietary Fiber: 3.4g; Sugar: 8.6g; Protein: 5.2g
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This stir-fry is not your average take-out: A generous amount of basil, fresh ginger and the sharp heat of Fresno pepper make it bright and fragrant. If you do not have a 12-inch skillet or wok, then sear your chicken thighs in two batches. Crowding the pan prevents the chicken from browning. This stir-fry comes together quickly, so stay close to your stove. Luckily, chicken thighs are quite forgiving, but you want your broccoli to be vibrant green and crisp-tender.
Active time: 30 minutes Total time: 30 minutes
Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 pound (454g) boneless skinless chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed and meat cut into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
- 1 large head broccoli, cut into small florets and stalk peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 inches (5cm) peeled and julienned fresh ginger
- 1/2 Fresno pepper, thinly sliced (seeds discarded if sensitive to heat)
- 1 cup (12g) lightly packed basil leaves
Optional for serving
- Torn basil leaves
- Steamed brown rice
- Lime wedges
Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk the low-sodium soy sauce with the oyster sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, cornstarch and 1/4 cup (60ml) water. Set aside.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt. In a 12-inch skillet or wok, heat the grapeseed oil until shimmering. Add the chicken and cook over high heat, stirring once, until browned, 2–4 minutes.
Add the broccoli, shallot, ginger and Fresno pepper. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the broccoli is crisp-tender, 3–5 minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken and broccoli and cook, stirring, until the sauce begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and fold in the basil.
Divide between four shallow bowls and garnish with torn basil leaves. Serve immediately with steamed brown rice and lime wedges.
Serves: 4 | Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
Nutrition (per serving):Â Calories: 321; Total Fat: 10g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 95mg; Sodium: 628mg; Carbohydrate: 32g; Dietary Fiber: 8g; Sugar: 11g; Protein 31g
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Mini Bell Pepper Nachos
This delicious recipe from Love & Zest reimagines a classic comfort food. Serving nachos in bell peppers gives the dish a tasty crunch as well as extra fiber and nutrients. Mushrooms add vitamin D and give the dish a hearty texture. It’s a great make-ahead lunch or dinner for just 303 calories per serving.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (230g) baby bella mushrooms, minced
- 1 pound (450g) lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 pound (450g) mini sweet bell peppers, sliced lengthwise and deseeded
- 1 cup (90g) shredded Mexican cheese
- 1 avocado
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/4 cup (40g) sour cream
- 1 jalapeno (optional)
- 1/4 cup (40g) red onion, minced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large food processor, add mushrooms and process until minced.
In a large sauté pan, cook ground beef over high heat until brown; add taco seasoning to coat beef. Stir in mushrooms; remove from heat.
Place mini pepper halves on the baking sheet and stuff each with beef and mushroom blend. Top each pepper with cheese and bake for 15 minutes.
While the peppers are baking, add avocado, lime juice, sour cream and jalapeno (if using) to the bowl of a food processor; process until smooth and creamy.
Once nachos are done baking, garnish each with red onion, avocado cream and cilantro.
Serves:Â 8 | Serving Size: 1/8 recipe
Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 228; Total Fat: 13g; Saturated Fat: 7g; Monounsaturated Fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 47mg; Sodium: 232mg; Carbohydrate: 11g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 4g; Protein: 18g
]]>This matters because not only is muscle key for helping you perform everyday tasks (i.e., carrying groceries, putting away heavy bags and boxes overhead), but muscle is also metabolically active tissue; this means muscle burns more calories at rest than fat. Maintaining a good amount of lean muscle mass keeps your basal metabolic rate (i.e., the number of calories your body burns at rest) elevated, which may help you lose fat in the long-term.
So, how do you know if you’re losing fat or muscle? Here are a few ways to tell:
One of the best ways to know whether you’re losing fat or muscle is to examine your exercise routine. If you’re doing a lot of cardio, but you’re not adding strength training, there’s a good chance any weight you lose will be about 50% muscle and 50% fat (though you’ll lose some water weight as well), says Heather Milton, MS, certified strength and conditioning specialist and board-certified clinical exercise physiologist at NYU Langone’s Sports Performance Center.
Assuming you’d like to keep your muscle, make sure to lift weights a minimum of two days per week, and hit all the large muscle groups (e.g., glutes, quads, hamstrings, back and chest). “When you use those muscles, you generate greater recruitment of muscle fibers, and you get a better bang for your buck in terms of energy cost,” Milton says. In other words, prioritizing larger muscle groups over smaller ones (like the biceps and triceps) results in more calories burned — both during and after your workout.
Another way to tell if you’re losing muscle instead of fat is if you notice greater levels of fatigue than usual or if you’re easily tired doing activities that don’t usually make you tired, Milton says.
The only trouble with using energy levels to gauge whether you’re losing fat or muscle is there are many other factors that influence energy, including sleep, diet and medications. Make sure you’re taking other measurements (like those below) into consideration.
One easy — albeit subjective — way to tell if you’re losing fat or muscle is to take progress photos every 2–4 weeks. “See if you notice any patterns or trends of how things are reshaping on the body,” says Mike Clancy, certified strength and conditioning specialist and personal trainer in New York City. If you’re only losing fat, you’ll likely notice a smaller waist and hips, while the rest of your body may start looking shapelier. “For example, a person at 120 pounds with 22% body fat will have shape, curves and leanness, while the same person at 120 pounds with 35% body fat will look wider and looser,” Clancy says. Just keep in mind that any changes you may notice depend on where you tend to store fat.
As with any measurement, consistency is key. This means you should aim to take progress photos at roughly the same time, in the same clothes and using the same lighting each and every time. Take a front-view and a side-view photo of yourself in your underwear. “You can keep a photo album on your phone to survey that progress,” says Chris Ryan, certified strength and conditioning specialist, a personal trainer in New York City.
This method sounds fancy, but it’s pretty straightforward. In fact, many standard bathroom scales already have them built in, and you can order a bioelectrical impedance scale online.
Essentially, you step on the bioelectrical impedance scale just like you would a regular scale, and the device measures your body composition through electrical impulses. “Muscles are highly conductive compared to fat,” Milton explains. Therefore, if the scale registers faster electrical impulses, you likely have a higher amount of lean muscle mass. You can check in from time to time to see how your body composition changes and ensure you’re not losing muscle mass.
However, Milton warns that to get an accurate reading, you have to take the measurements at the same time of day. Even if you take the readings under similar conditions, other factors — like how hydrated you are — can throw things off, she says.
For an objective, low-cost measurement, try a body fat caliper (also known as a skinfold caliper). This is a classic, old-school tool that measures the thickness of your subcutaneous fat (i.e., the fat beneath your skin) in different areas of your body. Typically, women are measured in the triceps, hips and either the thigh or the abdomen, while men are measured in the chest, abdomen and thigh, though this can vary. Then, the various measurements are plugged into an equation that offers an estimated breakdown of your body fat and lean muscle percentage.
One downside to using body fat calipers is that they’re not 100% accurate, “so I wouldn’t use that as my measure of success,” Clancy says. By all means, use body fat calipers to gauge fat loss, but be sure you’re also using another measurement.
Another drawback to body fat calipers is they’re tricky to use on yourself, so you may need a fitness professional to help you. Thankfully, many gyms have body fat calipers available, and you may be able to set up a quick skinfold test with one of the trainers. Keep in mind the accuracy of your measurements depends largely on how much experience the trainer has in performing skinfold tests.
If you go the body fat caliper route, try to get measured on the same day at the same time, roughly every 30 days. And be sure to take the measurements pre-workout, since your muscles will be temporarily tighter post-workout, Ryan says. The results will likely look better post-workout, but they won’t necessarily be accurate.
Lauren is a freelance fitness writer who specializes in covering running and strength training topics. She writes for a variety of national publications, including Men’s Health, Runner’s World, SHAPE and Women’s Running. She lives in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, with her husband and their three dogs.