I need to be clear about something.

I'm not long slow cardio "hater", really I'm not.

But I am about getting results in the shortest amount of time,

results in the real world.

Listen, when I was single, back in college, with nothing

better to do than to spend hours in the gym, extended cardio sessions were just fine.

Now days, with my wife, 2 baby boys and a busy life...

seriously, who has that kind of time to spend running on a treadmill?

I sure don't. My guess is that you don't either.

So let's look at this from another angle.

If I had two options for optimum fat loss: interval training or long steady state cardio training, I would always use the interval option.

Why?

Well, I'm a big believer in maximizing time and accelerating benefits for my clients, and the majority of my clients (heck the majority of the world's population) is always short on time.

So realistically, long slow cardio sessions don't work in the real world.

Not to mention the increased results that interval training brings to the table!

But once the weight training and interval training is completed, there is no problem with doing long slow cardio sessions (if you have the time).

Long slow cardio is not evil and it will not compromise your results, if your nutrition is on track and you are performing the proper strength training first.

Just don't make these "cardio-thon" sessions the focus of your fat loss efforts.

Make today better than yesterday and enjoy!

A colleague of mine, Craig Ballantyne, recently shared 3 Olympic Predictions:

Have you caught any of the Olympics yet?
Have an amazing week!

...it's tough to stick to an exercise regimen and a healthy diet. Pushing yourself makes these tasks seem like a chore, and your ultimate goal seems to get further and further away. However, when you allow your goals - a healthy, beautiful body and a longer, better-quality life - to pull you toward the finish line, you accomplish these daily milestones with ease. You're inspired - not forced - to stick to your diet and work out. Find your passion, and I guarantee you'll cross the fitness finish line!

Stay strong and motivated, I'm right there with you...

Curtis

Here is a new story from http://www.ktar.com :

Bad economy equals bad eating habits, bad health

June 26th, 2008 @ 9:23am
by Hanna Scott/KTAR

The economic downturn can be bad for your health in a lot of ways and it could affect your waistline.

Eating healthy is getting expensive, with the costs of fruits, vegetables and a lot of other food items rising. Some people are looking to fast food as a cheaper alternative.

"There's no question about it, starchy foods are cheaper," says Dr. Sam Benjamin, host of a Saturday health show on News/Talk 92-3 KTAR. ``And when you buy them, in fast food stores for example -- because they use large amounts of product being transported from state to state -- the cost is either more stable or increases slower. The result is that it's more attractive financially. From a health point of view, it's a disaster."

Benjamin sees some serious consequences for people who opt for cheaper diets.
``Some people are going to get fat, we're going to see more diabetes, we're going to see more heart disease, we're going to see more hypertension, we're going to see more kidney disease, and we're going to see more ocular, or eye, disease."

Not only eating habits, but exercising habits, change when the economy slows, Benjamin said.
``When we see more economic downturns, we tend to spend more money going to movie theaters, watching television, drinking beer and having a bag of potato chips."

----

It's Curtis again...this is scary. Obesity, heart disease, overweight children...they are all ALREADY at incredibly high levels in the United States.

Make no mistake about it: this IS reversible, this IS manageable, this IS within our control.

Choose your regular food intake wisely and have a wonderful week!

To your continued health,

Curtis Hoekstra, Certified Fitness Instructor

Phone: (623) 486-6622

Web: http://www.ArizonaFitnessBootCamp.com

Email: Curtis@ArizonaFitnessBootCamp.com

Blog: http://arizonafitnessbootcampblog.blogspot.com

Nutrition: https://curtis.getprograde.com

Just thought I would remind everyone of a healthy (even sexy) snack, something I found in the book "Eat This, Not That".

Ants on a Log (celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins)

It might be kids foods, but it has some very grown-up implications.

Here's why: Celery Every stalk of the stuff is packed with androstenone and androstenol, two pheromones that can help men attract women the way Tom Brady attracts tacklers (or ways to cheat, however you view the subject LOL)

Celery:

Every time you chew on a stalk of celery, you release these odor molecules, which helps boost your arousal, turning you on and causing your body to send off scents and signals that make you more desirable to women.

Peanut Butter (NOT Jiffy/Skippy/etc...the good kind without HYDROGENATED oils):

Research shows that men with diets high in monounsaturated fat—the kind found in nuts—have higher testosterone levels than those who don't eat enough of the healthy fat. Plus, nuts are also the best food source of arginine, an amino acid that improves bloodflow throughout your body—including below the belt.

Raisins:

Raisins are loaded with lignans, phytoestrogens that play an important role in balancing hormones for women. They’re also a potent source of antioxidants, which help encourage bloodflow to the nether regions.

Hello everyone,

How would you like to be stronger than you ever imagined?

Not "strong", like big, bulky "Incredible Hulk" muscle strong...but strong, lean and fit muscles.

The kind of "strong" that means you can carry your luggage,

pick up a big bag of groceries, accend a huge flight of stairs,

or chase your kids around and pick them up high into the air...

all without feeling-like-you're-going-to-pass-out-sort-of "strong".

Real strength. Real world use. Real people like you and me.

Getting stronger and healthier everyday.

That's part of what we accomplish with our fitness boot camp training.

That's exactly what one of our campers, Kim Popkey accomplished this morning.

3 weeks ago (Thursday June 5, 2008) I tested her ability to do pushups.

She could do 12 "traditional" position pushups. That's pretty good.

3 weeks later, today (June 26, 2008) I re-tested her pushup ability.

In just a few short weeks of our fitness camp training, she improved to a total of

30 PUSHUPS.

That's not a typo.

She did 15 "traditional" pushups (increase of 3), followed immediately by 15 "knee" pushups.

Impressive, to say the very least!

The rest of the campers will re-test next week.

I am so proud of this whole group of dedicated individuals.

Way to go, Kim!

Now, don't start with the "oh, I could never do that...I'm not that strong...that's too hard"

stuff...believe me, if you want to do improve your strength / improve your endurance and

create more muscle tone and definitiion...I will help you do it. Guaranteed.

See you all soon!

Your Fitness Coach,

Curtis Hoekstra, Certified Fitness Instructor and Proud Daddy

623-486-6622

Web: http://www.arizonafitnessbootcamp.com/

Email: Curtis@ArizonaFitnessBootCamp.com

PS: Ready for a healthy snack? Try these 100% Organic Dark Chocolate "Cravers".

A colleague of mine, Mike Geary, sent me this...I have experienced it first hand many times, but I figured I'd let you see it for yourself.

If you have ever grabbed a protein bar hoping for a quick, healthy snack...you gotta see this:

There are so many types of "health bars" on the market today, how do you know if you're actually buying something healthy or junk food in disguise?

Again, just as I've talked about grocery store food choices, you really need to know how to read labels if you're going to stand a chance at finding a truly healthy food bar. To be quite honest, most of the bars out there are pure junk... candy bars disguised through labeling as a health food bar.

Just recently, I was going on a mountain bike ride and needed a quick bar to make sure I had enough energy for the ride.

Well, I didn't have any bars on me, so my friend gave me an extra Slimfast bar he had. Keep in mind that this Slimfast bar is marketed as a "health food", that is supposedly appropriate for someone trying to lose wt.

What a freakin joke these bars are!

In my opinion, these Slimfast bars are WORSE for you than a candy bar! The 1st ingredient in these bars is corn syrup!

Then the 2nd ingredient is sugar (yay more sugar!), followed by hydrogenated oils (trans fats), and then the list went on with nothing but junk such as artificial flavors, colors, more hydrogenated oils, nasty artificial sweeteners, and rounded out with some highly processed soy protein isolate just to give your body some more junk.

Back to these "worse for you than candy bars" Slimfast bars... not only are they a disaster nutritionally, but the bar tasted horrible... it tasted like chemicals and was way too overly sweet (not a surprise with all of the corn syrup, sugar, sugar alcohols, AND artificial sweeteners).

This is a prime example of "over-engineering" of food. So how do you determine a healthy bar?

I look for simplicity in a good bar.

Many of the healthiest and tastiest bars I've found have only a couple basic ingredients such as nuts, seeds, and fruit. I also look for organic ingredients and raw ingredients if possible. A couple of my favorite truly healthy bars:

1. Organic Food Bars - This is actually the brand name. Depending on which flavor, these are usually a base of organic almond butter (or cashew butter) with a certain type of fruit, organic seeds, organic biosprouts (quinoa, etc), and some organic rice protein. Some flavors include an organic dark chocolate as well. They also have a line of bars that use exclusively raw ingredients.

Not only are these bars extremely nutritious, but I think they are delicious as well and have a lot of flavors to choose from such as blueberry, cranberry, chocolate chip, high protein, and more. You won't find these bars at your local grocery store, but I have found them at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and several health food markets.

2. Larabars - These are even simpler in ingredients than organic food bars. Usually larabars are just 2 or 3 ingredients, and mostly raw... a blend of crushed nuts along with a type of fruit is the usual combination, but they have a lot of different flavors so it can vary. These are also delicious and you will NEVER see a list of chemicals a mile long in their ingredient list...usually just nuts and fruit, and that's it!

Simple IS better.

I don't know who this Lara is, but she made a great product. Again, I've found these at various health food markets.

3. Prograde Cravers - These are made by Prograde Nutrition. I know the founders of this company personally, so I have a high level of trust in their products. These are definitely some of the tastiest bars I've ever had (especially the peanut butter flavor!)... and they are also made with all organic ingredients using nut butters, rice protein, organic dark chocolate, etc.

You actually can't get these in any stores, but you can get these online at the following site: https://curtis.getprograde.com

When you actually find truly healthy bars like these examples above, they make great quick snacks while you're traveling or while you're at work. I carry some on me almost at all times, just to make sure I have healthy options to eat whenever I need a snack, so that I'm not tempted by fast food joints or junk food vending machines.

That's it for today. Please fwd this email on to your friends, family, and coworkers if you think it would help them make healthier choices.