The Six Firming Moves I Swear By!

You want firm musclesand fast? There are six firming moves that I do almost every session with all my clients that are there to firm & tone up their muscles. Here they are...



1) Squats
2) Push-Ups
3) Lunges
4) Pull-ups or Lat Pull-downs
5) Pelvic Tilts
6) Triceps Dips

These six firming moves or exercises are by far the best I've ever come accross that do the trick every time, but only when done consistantly over a long period of time. You will feel these in your muscles the next day, however, that's only because it worked. And if you keep doing them the less sore you'll be. Try performing these six firming moves every other day for 2-3 sets of 15-20 reps each.

Chad Cannon is the owner of Shaping Concepts in Bluffton, SC.

Beat Belly Bloat! Drop Pounds Fast!

Many women like to talk about their belly bloat or their muffin top. One of the biggest things holding them back is too much sodium, and not enough water.

Just by cutting as much sodium as possible each day for just a week or two, you'll notice a huge difference with your belly bloat. Also make sure you are drinking lots of water, at least eight 16oz. glasses every single day.

You'll be so surprized how much sodium you take in each day once you start keeping track of it. It's usually a big shock!

Click on this link Lower Your Sodium Now to download your very own free meal planning system and start getting rid of your belly bloat!

Chad Cannon is a Fat Loss Expert and owner of Shaping Concepts.

How A "Coach" Showed Me The Way!

So everyday I dish out a little abuse, if you will. Meaning I put people through fitness workouts. That's what I do day in and day out...get people into shape. So, I guess you could call me their "coach".

Well even I, a coach, needs to be pushed a lot. Even I, a coach, needs a coach. I need the help just as much as anyone else out there.

Two of my biggest goals I have set for myself are, one...to grow my business (only I need to know the specifics), and two finish a half marathon in October.

I have learned throughout my life that trying to achieve things on your own never works. We all have "coaches" the first part of our lives in all the teachers we had. They were"coaches" that helped us learn and grow to achieve a goal...educate ourselfs as much as possible and graduate.

We've all had sports coaches, mentors, business leaders, etc. to help us get where we are today. Think about it... if you didn't have all your teachers to help educate you, would have passed high school? No! Of course not. That's what they are there for.

So what have I done to help myself reach those two goals I mentioned before? I have surrounded myself with "coaches". I have a running coach to help me train for my half marathon, physically, and mentally. I have a few different business coaches to help me and mentor me in growing my business.

I could easily try to do all this on my own, but I've never had a multi-million dollar business before. I've never been an All-American distance runner before. So I have surrounded myself with those types of people. They have been through it. They have learned through trial and error how to do it. And they have done it. I have not! So it's pretty simple. I'm going to follow their advice!

Perfect example: two days ago, I was on my long run of the week with my running coach. I was supposed to run 90 minutes that day. Well my pace is a bit slower than his, however, for the first six miles he really pushed me, hard. I was hurting after just three miles. He then decided to throw in some sprints in the second half of the run. I wouldn't expect anything less from him. I just wasn't expecting sprints at that point.

So he knows that my goal for this half marathon is to break 2 hours. At the end of our run which was 98 minutes by the way, and 11 miles, he says "see, you're going to kill the 2 hour mark". If I were to keep my regular pace, and not do the sprints, I would have demolished two hours running 13 miles. He was just proving a point to me...in a very painful way!

My point to you is that he was coaching me and proved to me that I can do it better than I imagined. A "coach" will help you out in those ways and more. Surround yourself with coaches to help you reach your goals.

I'm a coach to many others trying to improve their health. Use the help from others that know what they are doing. Use it! It doesn't make any sence to "try it" on your own, if you know you could "do it" with the help of others.




To use Chad's services as a fitness or health coach, he offers a free, no obligation consultation and trial session to help you get started today. Click HERE for your free consultation and trial session now!

Losing Weight Is Not Easy, But It Is Simple

How much of getting a tight tummy is
cardiovascular training? How much is Abdominal work? What about nutrition? How much of having a nicely toned stomach depends on what you put in your mouth? And does working out the rest of the body have anything to do with how sleek your six-pack is?

I have a saying I've used quite a lot over the years...

It's not easy to lose weight, but it is simple.

I know that talking about doing all that I mentioned above seems like a whole lot to do in order to lose weight, but in actuality it really is not. Losing weight is simply this...

• Eat healthier than you have been, and do it every 3-4 hours in smaller amounts until it's bed time.
• Do a combination of resistance training and cardiovascular training 3 times per week, and do it consistantly forever, not for just 3-4 weeks.
• Do a little more cardiovascular exercise (walking) on the off days of resistance training.
  It doesn't have to be 2 hours. Just 30 minutes will do more than you can imagine for trimming the tummy.

Now there are other little things that will help you too. I mean specific stuff with nutrition, and interval training, and other things, but really, just keep it simple. Simple works.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Make it fun, and realize that just because you might not like exercising now, doesn't mean you will later after you do it for a while. You might actually begin to like it.

Lastly, be willing to change. Because losing weight is all about making changes.


Chad Cannon is the owner of Shaping Concepts in Bluffton, SC. He can be reached at chad@shapingconcepts.com

4 Secrets To Success

There are four secrets I live by, four secrets I try to teach my clients in my personal training studio, four secrets that you should know about and follow yourself...

1. Train hard!

2. Dedicate and commit FULLY to reaching your potential.

3. Eat healthy, wholesome , natural foods.

4. Be honest with yourself about doing your FULL part in reaching your goals.

I can't promise magic. I do however expect you to bust your a_s and commit to your training, nutrition and an attittude of success.

Chad Cannon is the owner of Shaping Concepts in Bluffton, SC, and is known as the low country Fat Loss Expert.

No Time For Fitness?

So I received an email the other day from someone asking me for help with their fitness level and motivation. I gave her a few tips to follow and some nutrition advice as well. She emails back saying that she has no time to workout and that she thinks she should only start with a 10-15 minute workout, twice per week.

Alright, this to me honestly sounds like excuses from someone that doesn't have any motivation whatsoever. Someone that thinks they'll be doing something good for their body from those twice per week workouts. Honestly doing fitness only twice per week doesn't do a whole heck of a lot. So this is what I replied back to her...

I told her that if she has 10-15 minutes, she could get an enitre body workout in with both resistance and cardiovascular training involved by performing "Burst Training", but instead of doing it only twice per week, do at least 3 times, if not 4 or even 5 times each week.

Burst Training is performing a few different exercises, let's say three, but could be 5, 8, or whatever you want, about 10-15 times each, and do as many sets of that routine as you can in your 10-15 minute time slot.

Here's an example: 10 jumping jacks, 10 push-ups, 10 squats. Repeat these for 10 minutes, non-stop.

You'll be out of breath. Your muscles will be tired, and you'll feel like you worked out for an hour.

Another thing I told her is that she really needs to set some goals. Something that is out of her comfort zone, such as signing up for a 5k in 2 months (notice I said, signing up for it, not just saying you'll do it -make the commitment!), or give yourself 30 days to be able to do 50 push-ups (modified or not) in a row, without stopping.

Everyone needs a goal. Once a goal is reached, set new goals. I signed up for a half marathon a few weeks ago, which will take place almost 4 months from now. I also signed up for a Mud Run a month after that, which is running 4 miles in the mud through military obsticles, and is a team oriented thing. I've never done either of these before. They are both way out of my comfort zone. Once I finish these, which I know I will, I will feel a sence of accomplishment like never before.

Fact is...Make the commitment to get your fitness in. If you only have a few minutes, which EVERYONE does, then make those few minutes work for you. And continue making new and challenging goals to keep the motivation strong.

Chad Cannon is the owner of Shaping Concepts in Bluffton, SC, and is known as the low country Fat Loss expert. He can be reached at chad@shapingconcepts.com

Continuing Your Workout During An Injury

Last week I was competeing in an 8k road race, felt great on race day, warmed up really well, and was very ready to set a new personal record. The gun went off and I was going strong. I mean I was feeling awesome...for about 2 and a half minutes! That's when I felt a little twinge in my right calf. I've been through this before and I warmed up well, plus it was 95 dregrees out, so I knew my muscles were warm, so I thought I would keep going and try to get it to work itself out. I slowed down my pace a little and stopped pushing so much off my toes. Well, it only got worse...and worse...and worse. Then my ego got in the way because it was a race. I don't like to quit, so I didn't. I should have though. I barely made it accross the finish line. The next day I could hardly walk. I was so mad at myself that I didn't stop when I should have.

Here's the bad thing...I had the best training the previous two weeks and really felt that I had broken through a plateau and was about to do great things in my running.

Now, I can barely walk, and can no longer train like I want to. So the big question is...what do I do now?


I can stop everything to let it heal, and lose all the training I've done. Or I can figure out how to keep doing what I was doing before in a different way. I had to stay off my leg and no pushing off the toes at all. So on Monday, even though I was limping pretty badly, I road a recumant bike for about 15 minutes very slowly, no resistance. Then iced the calf afterwords, and a couple more times that day. On tuesday, my normal interval training day, I did my intervals on the bike. I did 1 minute hard on that bike, with resistance training (mostly seated) between each minute on the bike. I ended up doing 15 intervals on the bike with about 2 minutes of resistance training between each. It hurt like crap, but I knew I wasn't putting any stress on it, as I was pushing the peddles with my heels, not toes. I aslo made sure I iced it a few times that day.

I continued to do get other cardio workouts in that entire week with the bike and an arm ergometer (that's a bike for the arms, not the legs-great cardio!). Plus I still did my usual resistance training, just not much on my legs.

Basically a week later, yesterday, I attempted to run. I really thought I wasn't going to be able to make it very far. I didn't even know if I could make it to the corner and back. I went slow and steady, and ended up going 4 miles. Lungs felt good due to the bike training, and calf felt pretty good. I iced again, and just this morning I went out for another run. I was just going to see how it felt, no plan or anything. I ended up going six miles. I couldn't have done that without the cardio training I did when I was injured.

So when you are injured, which we all are at some point or another, don't stop your training. Just made simple modifications according to your injury and keep going. I could have given up. believe me I wanted to last Sunday when I couldn't walk, but I kept going because I knew I could come up with other ways of doing the same thing.

Chad Cannon is the owner of Shaping Concepts in Bluffton, SC, and is known as the Fat Loss Expert throughout the low country. he can be reached at chad@shapingconcepts.com

De-Jiggle Your Middle - 5 Ways To Help This

Don't you hate it when you jump up and down, and all you feel is "jiggle" in the middle? I hate that feeling. Yes, even I know that feeling. I used to know that feeling...up until I started doing these 5 things on a permanent basis.

1. Stop eating out. Limit it to once per week. This way YOU have control over what is in your foods. When you eat out, you never really know how it's cooked.

2. Eat every 3-4 hours no matter what. This will increase your mtabolic rate substancially! Any longer than that without eating automatically slows down the metabolism and makes you gain fat.

3. Start eating every meal/snack with both a protein and a complex carbohydrate. The protein will help make those muscles stronger so they will burn more fat at a higher rate. The complex carbohydrate will give your system and your muscles the energy it needs to keep your metabolism burning at a high rate.

4. Do at least 3 days of resistance training each week. Each time must include all the main muscles in the body.

5. Do cardiovascular activity (no, yard work does not count...I don't care what you say!) at least 3 days a week of at least 30 minutes. No Matter What!!! Get it in!

There you have it. Once I incorporated those 5 things, and started making it a part of my lifestyle on a consistant basis, there was no more jiggle in the middle. I'm not just saying this to try to convince you to do it. I actually did this. I made the concious decision to do these things and it has worked great.

P.S. Notice I didn't say anything about cutting out this or that in my diet. It's not about what you "cut out", but more about what is needed to be added.

Chad Cannon is the owner of Shaping Concepts in Bluffton, SC, and is known as the low country Fat Loss Expert. He can be reached at chad@shapingconcepts.com

Keep Track of Your Calorie Burn

I like to use the word "Burn" quite a lot when speaking to my clients about losing fat. What does "burn" mean? Well, it's simply the amount of calories burned during exercise.

There is an easy way to keep track of your burn compared to how much fat you want to lose. Of course losing fat has a lot to do with what and how much you eat, but as far as exercise is concerned these numbers are what you want to remember...

To lose 0 pounds or maintain the body fat that you have, your goal is to burn 100 calories each day through exercise or 700 calories each week.

To lose 1 pound per week you need to burn 250 calories through exercise each day or 1,750 calories each week.

To lose 2 pounds per week you need to burn 500 calories per day through exercise and 3,500 calories each week.

So always remember what your goal "Burn" number is according to how many pounds you prefer to lose each week. Again, I cannot stress enough how important your food intake is. If you are not eating the correct amount of calories for your body or not taking in the correct kind of calories, your burn numbers won't matter too much.

Chad Cannon is the owner of Shaping Concepts in Bluffton, SC, and is known as the low country Fat Loss Expert. He can be reached at chad@shapingconcepts.com

9 Ways To Help You Meet Your Fitness Goals

When starting a fitness program do it the right way. Don't waste your time just going through the motions. Do it right! Here are nine ways to help you get started, maintain and achieve your fitness goals.

1. Take before, during and after pictures of yourself. Front and side views.

2. Take before, during and after weight and body fat measurements.

3. Keep a nutrition log since eating is the hardest and most important part of weight loss.

4. Keep a daily weight loss journal of everything you are going through, or start a blog and put in a post each day to keep yourself accountable to others.

5. Write out a pledge to yourself to start, and follow through with all your goals. Make sure you sign it.

6. Find a weight loss buddy to go through the journey with.

7. Enter a local or national weight loss contest, or make up your own.

8. Make a goal to achieve something you don't think you can do every two months such as finish a 5k or 8k run/walk.

9. Before you do anything...get the guidence needed from a trainer or fitness professional with a consultation. Most consultations are free. Use professionals. They are called professionals for a reason.

Chad Cannon is the owner of Shaping Concepts in Bluffton, SC. Chad is known as the local fat loss expert. He can be reached at chad@shapingconcepts.com

Two Ultimate Fat Burning Workouts! Trim Your Waistline Today!

Below are two awesome fat burning workouts that involve NO EQUIPMENT. Just your own body weight and 30 minutes. You will burn more fat than you ever imagined!

Fat Burning Workout #1

30 Jumping Jacks;
Run (or walk) up/down stairs 3 times;
15 Tricep Dips on bench, chair, or curb;
10 each leg step ups just below knee hight;
15 incline push-ups on bench, back of couch, or counter top.
Complete as many rounds as possible in 30 minutes today.
On Thursday try to complete more rounds than today.
On Saturday complete more rounds than Wednesday.

Fat Burning Workout #2

Jumping jacks for 30 seconds
push ups for 30 seconds,
squats for 30 seconds,
wide push-ups for 30 seconds,
squats jumps for 30 seconds,
staggered push-ups for 30 seconds,
burpees for 30 seconds,
rest for 2 minutes,
repeat again for a total of 5 rounds.

These are major FAT BURNING workouts that will shred inches from all over your body, like crazy!


Chad Cannon is the owner of Shaping Concepts in Bluffton, SC and is known as the low country Fat Loss Expert.

Jillian Michaels On Carbs

I wanted to share this Jillian Michaels Video with you on what she thinks about "carbs". I'm always telling people that you need carbs in your eating plan. See what the "Biggest Loser" weight loss guru has to say about it.




Chad Cannon is the owner of Shaping Concepts in Bluffton, SC, and is known as the low country Fat Loss Expert.

6 Ways For Flatter Abs

I'm going to give you 6 ways to achieve that flat stomach you truly want. I want you to notice that there are no abdominal exercises involved. None whatsoever!

1. Eat 2 servings of complex carbohydrates for breakfast with 1 serving of protein.

-Eat 2 servings of protein for a snack exactly 3 hours after breakfast.

-Eat 2 servings of protein and 1 serving of complex carbohydrates for lunch exactly 3 hours after morning snack.

-Eat 2 servings of protein for a snack exactly 3 hours after lunch.

-Eat 2 servings of protein and 2 servings of complex carbohydrates for dinner exactly 3 hours after afternoon snack.

-Eat 2 more servings of protein for late sanck exactly 3 hours after dinner.

2. Complete 5 days of cardiovascular training for an average of 30 minutes. Hard! In other words, make your body want to be done after 30 minutes.

3. 2 out of those 5 cardio days are interval sessions. 1 minutes very, very fast, 1-2 minutes easy for a good strong 30 minutes.

4. Complete 3 days of a total body resistance training program, all in 20 minutes or less. Example: 20 assisted pull-ups, 20 push-ups, 20 squats, 20 dumbbell shoulder presses, 20 tricep chair dips, 20 bar biceps curls, 20 walking lunges.

5. Drink 8 bottles of water each day.

6. Have an AdvoCare Multi-Nutritional System for overall health and wellness support.


Chad Cannon is the owner of Shaping Concepts in Bluffton, SC and is known as the low country Fat Loss Expert. He can be reached at chad@shapingconcepts.com

50-200 Calorie Good Choice Snacks

Don't be afraid of eating carbs. Carbs are your main source of energy you get from food. Yes, protein will help fuel your muscles which helps burn more fat, but fueling your body with carbohydrates will help speed up the metabolism so your muscles CAN burn more fat. Here are some easy under 100 calorie snacks and 100-200 calorie snack to choose from, both proteins and carbs.



Snacks 100 Calories or less
Food Portion/Size/Calories

Apple................................................. 1 medium............................... 60
Apricots.............................................. 3 medium............................... 53
Bean Salad......................................... ½ cup..................................... 88
Applesauce......................................... ½ cup..................................... 60
Banana............................................... 1 med..................................... 65
Blackberries........................................ ½ cup..................................... 39
Cauliflower......................................... 1 cup...................................... 25
Blueberries......................................... 1 cup...................................... 80
Bran Cereal........................................ ½ cup..................................... 65
Broccoli.............................................. 1 cup...................................... 25
Asparagus........................................... ½ cup..................................... 25
Green Beans....................................... ½ cup..................................... 25
Carrots................................................ ½ cup .................................... 25
Peppers.............................................. ½ cup..................................... 25
Cantaloupe......................................... 1 cup cubed............................ 60
Cherries.............................................. 12 large.................................. 63
Grapefruit........................................... ½ large................................... 61
Grapes................................................ 17 .......................................... 61
Honeydew.......................................... 1 cup cubed............................ 60
Nectarine........................................... 1 small.................................... 57
Orange............................................... 1 med..................................... 72
Peach................................................. 1 med..................................... 63
Peaches.............................................. ½ cup canned or frozen.......... 60
Pear.................................................... 1 med..................................... 65
Pears.................................................. ½ cup canned or frozen.......... 65
Plums................................................. 2 small ................................... 60
Raisins................................................ 2 Tbsp..................................... 57
Strawberries........................................ 1 ¼ cup.................................. 58
Cottage Cheese................................... 4oz ........................................ 96
Reduced Fat Cheese........................... ¾ oz....................................... 50
Fat Free cheese................................... 1 slice..................................... 31
Fiber One........................................... ½ cup..................................... 60
Puffed Kashi....................................... 1 cup...................................... 70
Whole grain total................................ ¾ cup..................................... 97
All Bran.............................................. ½ cup..................................... 80
All Bran with extra fiber...................... ½ cup..................................... 50
Post Bran Flakes.................................. ¾ cup..................................... 99
Quaker Crunchy Oat Bran.................. ¾ cup..................................... 90
Poached egg....................................... 1............................................. 75
Hard Boiled egg................................. 1............................................. 75
Gazpacho soup.................................. 1 cup...................................... 56
Onion soup........................................ 1 cup...................................... 58
Vegetable soup................................... 1 cup...................................... 72
Chicken noodle soup.......................... 1 cup...................................... 75
Minestrone soup................................. 1 cup...................................... 82
Chicken, rice & vegetable soup.......... 1 cup...................................... 90
Tomato soup....................................... 1 cup...................................... 85
New England Clam Chowder............. 1 cup...................................... 95
Refried Beans..................................... ½ cup..................................... 92
String cheese...................................... 1 ounce.................................. 80

Snacks 100-200 calories
Food/Portion/Size Calories

AdvoCare Chocolate Nougat Snack Bar...1 bar..................................140
AdvoCare Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Bar...1 bar................................200
Cream of Wheat................................. 1 cup .................................... 123
Oatmeal............................................. 1 cup..................................... 145
Corn Flakes with ½ cup 1% milk........ 1 cup..................................... 151
Bran Muffin........................................ 2.5 inch diameter................... 153
Fiber One with ½ cup 1% milk.......... 1 cup..................................... 171
Black Bean Soup................................ 1 cup..................................... 116
Lentil and Ham Soup.......................... 1 cup..................................... 139
Beef Soup........................................... 1 cup..................................... 170
Black Beans........................................ ½ cup.................................... 100
Kidney Beans...................................... ½ cup.................................... 104
Brown Rice......................................... ½ cup.................................... 108
Soy Nuts............................................. 1 ounce................................. 110
Yogurt, nonfat..................................... 8 ounces................................ 120
Trail Mix............................................. 1 ounce................................. 131
Mixed Nuts......................................... ¼ cup.................................... 190
Almonds............................................. 1 ounce................................. 172
Cashews............................................. 1 ounce................................. 164
Peanuts............................................... 1 ounce................................. 165
Cottage Cheese 1%............................ 1 cup..................................... 163
Cottage Cheese 2%............................ ½ cup.................................... 102
Baked Sweet Potato............................ 1 large................................... 162
Kashi GoLean Crunch......................... 1 cup..................................... 170
Multi-Grain Cheerios.......................... 1 cup..................................... 110
Wheat Chex....................................... 1 cup..................................... 180
Walnuts.............................................. 1 ounce................................. 185
Raisin and Nut Trail Mix..................... 1 ounce................................. 130
Trail Mix with Chocolate Chips.......... 1 ounce................................. 137
Cranberry-Nut Trail Mix...................... 1 ounce................................. 120
Pumpkin Seeds................................... 1 ounce................................. 148
Sunflower Seeds................................. 1 cup..................................... 168


Chad Cannon is the owner of Shaping Concepts in Bluffton, SC, and is known as the low country Fat Loss Expert.

Do You Have A Positive Impact?

Take This Test To See If You Have A Positive Impact On Others

Answer the questions below to see if you have a positive impact on others. The more times you answer YES, the more of a positive impact you have on others.


I have helped someone in the last 24 hours
I am an exceptionally courteous person
I like being around positive people
I have praised someone in the last 24 hours
I am more productive when I am around positive people
In the last 24 hours, I have told someone that I care about her/him
I make it a point to become acquainted with people wherever I go
When I receive recognition, it makes me want to give recognition to someone else
In the last week, I have listened to someone talk about his or her goals and ambitions
I make unhappy people laugh
I make it a point to call each of my associates by the name she/he likes to be called
I notice what my colleagues do at a level of excellence
I always smile at the people I meet.
I feel good about giving praise whenever I see good behavior
I have developed a knack for making other people feel good.

Chad Cannon is the owner of Shaping Concepts in Bluffton, SC, and is known as the low country Fat Loss Expert.

The Best Valentines Gift Ever!

Is there such a thing as a great Valentines present that is fitness oriented?

Let me tell you a great present I received 11 years ago from my girlfriend,who is now my wife. I truly knew she was the woman for me when I received her Valentines gift.

I was the typical guy and spent 2 hours buying crap (as she calls it), like candles and heart shaped stuff, and nice smelling this and that. Pretty much a bunch of junk, just like she said.

Well when I opened my Valentines gift from her, I was shoked, but like I said before, I knew it was true love right away.

What did she give me?

A great, well padded, pair of boxing gloves.

She said it was for me to workout with, but to this day she still uses them on me!

Have you ever received a fitness related Valentines gift?


Chad Cannon is the owner of Shaping Concepts in Bluffton, SC, and is the low country Fat Loss Expert. Chad can be reached at chad@shapingconcepts.com

What Should I Eat?

Every meal should contain these three things;

 First you need to eat a PROTEIN source, such as meats and dairy.

 Second, a good source of complex carbohydrates, such as a sweet potato or brown rice.

 Third, a nice big serving of vegetables. A good blend of all the colors of the rainbow.

The protein will fuel the muscle in the body so it can burn more fat. The carbohydrates will be the main source of energy for the body to handle its everyday function and work you put it through day in and day out. The vegetables are the most important source to get all the vitamins and minerals the body needs to sustain life.

I highly recommend meal replacement shakes and bars at least once per day to give the body what it needs that we don’t provide it as we should. The best meal replacement I know of is AdvoCare Meal Replacement Shakes. It’s got a 1:1 ratio of proteins and carbohydrates with the perfect amount of good fat the body needs, and it’s formulated by the best medical scientists in the world.

(Go to www.advocareconcepts.com to get your shakes and bars)


Chad Cannon, owner of Shaping Concepts in Bluffton, SC is the low country Fat Loss Expert, and can be reached at chad@shapingconcepts.com

Five Non-Negotiable Rules With Eating When Trying to Lose Weight

The five biggest nutritional things to concentrate on when trying to lose weight are things that everyone can easily do on a daily basis. Without doing these five non-negotiable things, the results you are looking for might stay hidden for much longer than you want.

1. You Must Eat Every 3 hours

2. You Cannot Miss A Meal

3. Plan Your Meals (all of them) One Day Ahead

4. Drink At Least One Gallon Of Water Each Day

5. Avoid Sugar And Alcohol


Chad Cannon, owner of Shaping Concepts in Bluffton, SC, is the low country's Fat Loss Expert and can be reached at chad@shapingconcepts.com

Thanksgiving Day Workout - Done With Only 3 Exercises!

3500 Calories

Do you know how many calories you need to burn in order to lose just one pound?

Most people actually know this answer, but don't really know what that means.

The answer, in case you don't know, is 3500 calories. You need to burn off 3500 calories in order to lose one pound of fat.

Here's another question for you...

How many calories, on average, do you burn on a treadmill going one mile?

Answer: About 100

What does this mean exactly?

This means that to lose one pound of fat, by walking or running, you will need to go a distance of 35 miles.

My personal goal is to lose about 1000 calories every time I workout. I do this in a combination cardiovascular/resistance type workout. An example would be walk/run for 30 minutes, then move onto an total body resistance workout that incorporates fast cardio segments such as jumping rope, or step ups, or jumping jax. That's just me. You don't have to do that type of workout, but that's what I enjoy. It makes me feel good.

So, if I'm getting 3 workouts like I just described each week that burns about 1000 calories each, plus 2 more cardiovascular workouts each week that burns between 500 and 1000 calories each, this means I'm burning about 4000-5000 calories each week just during my exercises. Now I'm also eating about 2000-3000 calories each day so I can sustain that workout level. By doing this, my metabolism is running at a higher, more sufficient rate, therefore burning even more calories while at rest when I'm not working out, even while I sleep.

my goal is to get at least 3500 calories burned each week during exercise. Remember 3500 calories burned equals the loss of one pound of fat. This is why I stay lean and toned.

I know that 3500 calories burned in one week sounds like a whole lot, especially when you only burn 100 calories by walking one mile. It really is easy and once you get into a workout pattern that works for you, you will start seeing the results.

I have an online Meal Planning System that anyone can use that can help you with your calorie intake at http://www.blufftonpersonaltraining.com/ultimate_meal_planning.htm.

Now you know one BIG reason why cardiovascular training is so important when it comes to losing weight. So go hit the treadmill right now!

Fat People Allow Failures of The Past To Hold Them Back!

Believe that it is very possible to use past failures to succeed in the future! Is this something you believe?

You see most fat people allow past failures to hold them back from future endeavors, whereas fit people use their past failures to push forward to a better life.

You cannot and should not assume that that the future will be the same as what happened in the past. The future has not happened yet! You control and make a decision towards everything that happens next. Nothing that has happened yesterday should happen again. Instead, use what happened yesterday to springboard you to a different and better future.

Everyone fails sometime or another.

In fact the most very successful people have failed more often than those not so successful. The only difference is the very successful people learned from their failures and changed to improve on them.

Most people see failure as proof that they are not good enough, educated enough, even smart enough to achieve greatness. Only a few "world-class thinkers" use past failures as learning experiences to start over at a higher level. Nothing is different with the failures. A failure is a failure! The difference is in the thinking after the failure.

This is what we call "Mental Toughness"!

So decide right now to let go of all your fear of failing, whatever it may be and carry on or move forward thinking like a champion.

It is completely up to you.

To experience what world class thinking is all about just for one day, act like it is impossible to fail all day long.

You just might like the way it feels and continue on with that everyday.

Chad Cannon is a speaker, author, fat loss expert, and owner of Shaping Concepts Fitness Studios of Bluffton/Hilton Head, SC.

I'll Start Tomorrow

"I'll start over on Monday"


Is this you?

Are you one of those people that have used this action step over and over again that never has action to it?

Wake up and realize that your Monday is never going to come. There is no waiting. TODAY is the day to start the first day of the rest of your life to better health and fitness.



Ask youreslf "When am I going to stop starting over?" It's not like your cholesterol started over. Your diebetes didn't start over. Your high blood pressure didn't start over. What makes starting over every time better? What makes tomorrow better than today to get fit?

The fact is, if you continue starting over every time life gets in the way, you WILL eventually die fat!

Starting over is an endless loop that keeps people fat foever.

Whatever you are planning to improve your health and fitness, stop planning and go do it! TODAY!

Chad Cannon is a speaker, author, fat loss expert, and owner of Shaping Concepts Fitness Studios of Bluffton/Hilton Head, SC.

Losing Weight With Carbohydrates

To LOSE WEIGHT you must reduce carbohydrates! UNFORTUNATELY this is what people all over our great nation believe is to be true, but are VERY WRONG! Most people cut down on bread, cereals, and sugars, etc.

Many of these are very important energy sources which your body consistantly needs. Plus, if you cut down on carbohydrates, which by the way is cutting calories (not a good thing when trying to lose weight!) you will lose weight, but you will also be shrinking yourself. This is because tissue won't be replaced and repaired the way it should. ONLY when the body has enough carbohydrates will it allow protein to build new tissue. When reducung the amount of carbohydrates, protein is used to provide energy which in tern leads to tissue losing the ability to repair and rebuild.

Foods that contain larger amounts of refines sugars and starches (bad carbohydrates) promote a sudden rise in blood sugar levels, providing an immediate source of energy that is spiked by insulin and is rapidly followed by low blood sugar levels. This can cause more craving of more bad sugars, fatigue, dizziness, nervousness, and even headaches. In this ongoing process the body surpresses other nutrients that are very essential to everyday living, which results in becoming obese. Most diets are high in refined sugars (bad carbohydrates) and low in vitamins and minerals.

Most carbohydrates with white flour, white sugar and polished rice are lacking the essential Vitamin B you get from good carbohydrates, which comes directly from the sun.

Eat carbohydrates for more energy, resulting in a higher metabolism, but only the good carbohydrates!

Chad Cannon is a speaker, author, fat loss expert, and owner of Shaping Concepts Fitness Studios of Bluffton/Hilton Head, SC.

Fat People Hang Out With Other Fat People. Fit People Hang Out With Other Fit People. MAKE SENSE?

In your "inner circle" of friends, how many of them are fat and how many are fit?

I've always been taught to hang out with people that I want to be like. Rich people hang out with other rich people. Great business owners hang out with other great business owners, great athletes hang out with other great athletes, happy people hang out with other happy people. And guess what? Fat people usually have fat friends that are just as unhappy as they are.

Try to build good relationships with fit people who will have a positive impact on your life, your thinking, everything you do. Don't cut out the others, but start spending less time with them and much more time with fit people.

Who's in your inner circle?

Chad Cannon is a speaker, author, fat loss expert, and owner of Shaping Concepts Fitness Studios of Bluffton/Hilton Head, SC.

How Digestion Effects The Metabolism

The metabolic process is different for all individuals. It all starts with Digestion. Digestion starts directly in the mouth where food first touches the body. Digestion then moves from the mouth to the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and the large intestine. This is where the mechanical and chemical phases of the metabolic process happen. Most people think that metabolism is determined just from what they eat and how much they exercise. While those two are very relative in helping the metabolism, digestion is a big determinent factor in your metabolism. If your digestion is not running smoothly, your metabolism might be slower than you think.

Your body is about 55% water, 20% protein, 15% fat, 9% minerals, and 1% carbohydrates and vitamins. These basic blocks must be replaced on a consistant basis through the foods we eat. However, each individual will have different proportions of each component.

Some foods are used as fuel and are burned right away for fast energy. Other foods become building blocks of tissue and fluids.

Chad Cannon is a speaker, author, fat loss expert, and owner of Shaping Concepts Fitness Studios of Bluffton/Hilton Head, SC.

Being Over-Fat - Not Over-Weight

So many health problems can arrise from having excess body-fat. A few to name that you may have are Hypertension, which increases the risk of Stroke. Being over-fat can also increase the percentages of having Disbetes, which can bring on other illnesses. Heart Disease majorly increases with having too much body-fat, which makes a much higher percentage of Atherosclerosis. Also associated with high body-fat are Abdominal Hernias, Varicose Veins, Gout, Cancers, Respiratory Problems, Arthritis, Complications during Pregnancy, Labor and other forms of Surgery. Wait, that's not all. Being over-fat can also lead to a High Accident Rate and even Flat Feet.

Chad Cannon is a fitness professional, certified trainer, author, motivational speaker, and fat loss expert. He owns Shaping Concepts Fitness Studio in Hilton Head, SC.

The Fit Games - Part 3

The Fit Games - Part 2

The Fit Games - Part 1

How Long Have You Tried To Lose Weight?

If you have quit in any weight loss program before then you must listen to what I have to say in this video!!!