Lyons Leadership

There is a ton of information written in the field of health and fitness, and a lot of it is simply hyped up empty promises promising you can ‘lose fat fast’, or ‘get ripped abs in 14 days’. Well, I hate to tell you, but no matter how much reading and purchasing you do, you are never going to find a miracle shortcut to a fit lean body. BUT, I am HAPPY to tell you that among all the hype, there is some actual sound fitness and diet advice out there, and if you are willing to put the effort in, then following the proper plan WILL bring results.

The e-book “The Truth About Abs” that Mike Geary has written is more than a guide to getting ripped abs – since the abs are only a small part of the whole picture. This is an easy to follow program that will help you change your eating habits and patterns, and give you exercise routines to boost your metabolism and build core strength and lean muscle. The book covers 3 main topics -

1. An introduction and important general information about leanness, metabolism, body fat %, effective abdominal training, and lean body mass.

2. Workouts, information on how to exercise more efficiently, multi-joint vs single joint exercises, and total body work outs with surprising information on why cardio IS NOT the best way to lose weight; and

3. Diet and Nutrition, including information on blood sugar and insulin, the Glycemic Index, and the thermic (calorie burning) effects of food.

The Truth About Abs training program has two parts : Interval training and Resistance and Weight training. The fitness schedules are easy to follow and are time effective. The program explains how sessions longer than 45-60 are not a good use of your time. The program calls for 3-4 sessions per week, each about 45-6- minutes.

If you are serious about getting a toned body then this schedule should easily fit into your week. You don’t need to be a member at a fancy gym and you don’t really need to have equipment at home. However, Mike suggests having an exercise ball and set of dumb bells at home to most effectively perform the suggested workouts. This basic equipment can easily be purchased for 30-40 dollars and will be worth every penny.

This program advises eating 5-6 smaller meals per day. Mike suggests eating every 3 hours during waking hours. He also suggests that you plan your meals for an entire week, and once per week go shopping only for the items you need for those meals.

Beyond planned, smaller and more frequent meals The Truth About Abs explains how to calculate your daily caloric intake requirements, and use that as a guide line for what we should eat. This section is really enlightening. You can eat regular and tasty meals and still lose weight. I can assure you that this is not a salad diet. In fact, there is an entire section of this book which explains why crash diets actually cause weight gain.

The meal plans provided in the book make it easy to shop for and prepare your food. The meal plans provide more than enough food – you are unlikely to experience hunger pains – however the plans are most likely a change from your current diet, and in order to be successful you need to be disciplined with your nutrition. This will be vitally important to your success. It is clearly stated in this book that to succeed on the Truth About Abs program, you must apply BOTH the training strategies as well as the food strategies.

If you’re like me, you’ve procrastinated on starting a real plan for losing weight for a long time. Mike’s program was just the incentive I needed to get started, and he provides so much information and detailed workout and meal plans, it was a lot easier to stick with my goals.