With summer vacation quickly approaching, you’re probably planning your next getaway.

Whether you go on a cruise, an African safari or a low-key trip to the beach, warm summer days are the best time to get away from it all.

But wait – did you know that the average person gains almost a pound a day while on vacation?

Between missed workouts, extra large restaurant meals and indulgent snacks, lazy vacation days will quickly add inches to your waistline.

So before you pack your bags for your next adventure, read the following 6 Vacation Tips and come home fitter, not fatter.

Vacation Tip #1: Make a Decision

Before you leave home, make the decision that you will NOT gain weight while on your trip.

This is the easiest step to take to make sure that you avoid weight gain, but it is also the most overlooked. Instead of leaving things to chance, harness the power of creative visualization that has been proven time and time again by go-getters such as Michael Jordan, Einstein, Napoleon and Andrew Carnegie.

Visualize what it would be like to return home fitter than when you left. Take a moment to let yourself feel the excitement that you’d experience.

Remember what accomplishing your goal feels like – this will keep you motivated throughout your trip and will help pull you through the inevitable tempting situations that you’ll face.

Vacation Tip #2: Get Moving

It’s easy to spend vacation days sprawled out by the pool, but the inactivity will quickly add up to extra pounds.

Choose to be active and you’ll burn calories all day long while indulging in fewer unnecessary snacks. The following ideas will get you moving:

• Go on a brisk walk each day of your trip. You’ll see new sights while burning off excess calories.
• Always take the stairs rather than the elevator. Talk about bonus calorie burning!
• Go on a jog in the mornings before your daily activities, or jog in the evening after the day winds down.
• If your hotel has a pool, swim a few laps each day. Swimming is a fun way to get in a full body workout.
• If your trip takes you to a place of natural beauty then go on a hike. Even while hiking at a slow or moderate pace you’ll burn plenty of calories.
• Play some sports – beach volleyball, a game of hoops, Frisbee, or bike riding are all great ways to have fun while keeping fit.

Vacation Tip #3: Indulge with Portion Control

You have no choice but to eat out while on vacation. Whether you’re enjoying 5 star restaurants or fast food diners, you’ll be met with the same problem: huge portions.

While it is tempting to simply eat it all – you are on vacation after all – this will quickly lead to extra pounds. Use the following tips to keep your portions under control:

• When you order your meal ask for a to-go box. Take half of your meal and place it into the box before you even begin to eat. This will force you to eat a healthy portion.
• If you would rather not carry around a to-go box, ask that your entrée be made into a smaller portion. If it is dinnertime don’t be afraid to ask for the lunch-sized portion.
• Pay more, and eat less. Take quality of food over quantity.
• Eat meals. Cut out snacking, stick with structured meals.
• Eat slowly, and eat foods that have been prepared slowly – that means no fast food.

Vacation Tip #4: Eat Natural Sweets

One of your biggest enemies when it comes to vacation weight gain is…sugar.

The average modern person consumes 46 teaspoons of sugar every day. The average person on vacation consumes even more than that.

Even though sugary calories taste great, the sweet pleasure comes at a high price. Here’s what I mean:

• Sugar creates false hunger (as a result of the insulin rush and then ensuing plummet in blood sugar levels), which causes you overeat.
• Sugar promotes aging (due to the advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, that occur when insulin levels are consistently elevated as a result of eating too much sugar). Sugar has even been dubbed the negative fountain of youth!
• Sugar weakens your bones -making you vulnerable for osteoporosis, and weakens your teeth – making you vulnerable for cavities (both due to the calcium being pulled from your bones and teeth in order for your body to process sugar).
• Sugar in excess is stored as fat (after your liver has no more room to store it, sugar is converted to fat and deposited on your belly, thighs, hips and the backs of your arms).

So instead of eating that ice cream cone or chocolate éclair, satiate your sweet tooth with a piece of juicy fruit.

Vacation Tip #5: Don’t Eat Fried Foods

While fast food restaurants are definitely convenient, with their low prices and quick service, it’s really not worth the additional pounds brought on by chips and fries. As you enjoy your vacation keep this in mind: don’t eat fried foods. While this is always a good plan to follow, it is even more important to abide by while traveling.

A gram of fat contains 9 calories as compared to the 4 calories that proteins and carbohydrates carry – so you can see that consuming fried foods will drastically increase your caloric intake.

Take an average potato, bake it and you have 110 calories and 0 grams of fat. Take that same potato, turn it into French fries and you have 380 calories and 18 grams of fat.

Frying food is the easiest way to dramatically increase the calorie and fat content. And you know that extra calories and fat end up as extra body fat.

Other disasters that fried foods increase your risk for include:

• Heart Disease
• Diabetes
• Clogged Arteries
• High Blood Pressure
• Obesity
• Acne

If I still haven’t convinced you to pass on the curly fries, keep in mind that heartburn and indigestion are not fun…especially while on vacation. Need I say more?

Vacation Tip #6: Do this Hotel Room Workout

If your hotel doesn’t have a gym, or if you’d simply prefer the privacy of your room, do this hotel room workout:

• Body Weight Squats: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Lower down into a squat position. Make sure that your knees do not go past 90 degrees. Exhale as you straighten your legs and return to the starting position. Complete 12-15 repetitions.
• Do Jumping Jacks, High knees, or jog in place for 30 seconds.
• Body Weight Lunges: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Exhale as you lunge forward with your right leg. Make sure that your knee does not go past 90 degrees. Inhale as you return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. Complete 12-15 repetitions.
• Do Jumping Jacks, High knees, or jog in place for 30 seconds.
• Push Ups: Get into the push up position (depending on your fitness level choose to go off your knees, push off of the wall, or assume the traditional position). Inhale as you lower your chest down. Exhale as you return to the starting position. Complete 12-15 repetitions.
• Do Jumping Jacks, High knees, or jog in place for 30 seconds.
• V-Ups: Sit on the edge of a chair or bed and lean back. Exhale as you drive your knees in toward your chest, squeezing your abdominal muscles. Inhale as you lower your knees back down with control. Complete 15-20 repetitions.
• Do Jumping Jacks, High knees, or jog in place for 30 seconds.

Well, now you have 6 tips that will keep away the unwanted vacation pounds. You may even end up losing a pound or two while away.

But let’s be honest, you want to lose more than a pound or two. You want to lose all of those extra pounds.

You may feel that the secret to achieving weight loss is just that – a secret. A mystery. You try, and try, and try but your goals are never met. Your dream body continues to stay out of reach.

In my experience the people who are unable to lose weight aren’t failing due to laziness. In fact, those frustrated with their weight often put in a lot of effort – but on the wrong things. A fad diet. The latest exercise gizmo. An ineffective routine at the gym.

It’s not that you aren’t willing to put in the effort – you’re just doing the wrong thing.

Think about this for a moment…What if this was the summer that you took control of your body? The summer that you threw your fat clothes away…the summer that you were proud to put on a bathing suit…the summer that your doctor congratulated you on your improved health…the summer that your family and friends – and that special someone – showered you with compliments.

It’s possible. Even more possible than you think.

The thing is that you need to direct your effort in an effective way.

This is where I come in.

You see, for me weight loss isn’t a mystery. It’s my passion. I have a proven method that will dramatically transform your body into one that you are proud to be seen in.

However, I can’t promise that it will be easy. You’ll work hard, you’ll sweat and you’ll even feel sore. And before you know it you will be telling everyone you know about the amazing results you’ve achieved.

So as you plan your next vacation, why don’t you also give yourself the gift that you really want – a new body. A tighter body. A stronger body. A healthier body.

You deserve it.

After thinking about it, I came up with Six Reasons the Gym SUCKS:

1.) Everyone else is going to the gym. And they suck.
Did you ever notice that when you look around the gym, everybody is doing the same thing? Like so many sheep, mindlessly plodding away with the misinformation from fitness magazines. People just go to the gym and do whatever everybody else is doing.

Have you ever noticed that when you walk into the gym and you see the same women on the same treadmills, doing the same 4 mile run, that they STILL look the same as they did 5 months ago.

I am sure you have seen the women spending hours at a time on ellipticals, bikes, and treadmills- sadly getting nowhere fast. Listen up ladies- you NEED to start doing some resistance training and cut those cardio sessions down to 20 minutes of intense interval training to get rid of the hip, thigh, and belly fat that is spilling out of your jeans.

And then there are also those wanna-be meathead guys trying to build their mirror muscles (abs, chest, biceps) with the Mr. Gargantuous (professional bodybuilder) routine and super supplement. “I switched my routine up from 4 sets of 10 to 5 sets of 8. Muscle confusion!”

Did you notice that you are exactly the same as you were a year ago? It ain’t the muscle that’s confused, son.

2.) No sunshine sucks.
I am still trying to wrap my cerebellum around the act of driving to a building, parking your car, going inside and getting on a machine to walk for 30-45 minutes. Get outside! If you want to walk, walk around the block, go to the park, whatever, but please stop your hamster wheel!

3.) Gym Memberships suck.
Paying money for a place to work out isn’t a bad thing, but the way gyms set up their business model is designed to sell you a membership, not get you the results you want. If you want personal guidance or a program, you have to pay extra.

Epic Boot Camp doesn’t hold you to a contract because we believe that you should have the freedom to make your own fitness choices. Furthermore we are confident that we provide the best fitness programs designed to meet your needs and for you to see the best results.

4.) Machines suck.
They lock you in to a path that is not a natural movement. I don’t care if it is “state of the art”, if it is not a movement that you use in everyday life, it could be more effective. Plus, do you really want to be sitting in some dudes sweaty butt print?

Machines force you to create a dependence on them and the gym. If you are used to using machines, you feel lost if you travel and can’t access the same equipment. In most cases, people figure “what the hell, I’ll just take some time off until I get back home since I don’t have any gym access out here.” Next thing you know it is 6 months later and you have gained 12lbs.

5.) The music sucks
Most of the time, the music in the gym makes me want to throw up. I don’t know which is worse- an endless loop of the Rocky IV soundtrack or Coldplay, but neither one of them works to get me gassed up for a workout.

6.) “Personal Trainers” suck.
OK, not all personal trainers suck, I know a lot of very good personal trainers, but I consider them to be coaches or instructors, not trainers. I have said it before: You train a dog not to pee on your rug, you coach or teach a person to reach a physical goal.

When you go to the typical gym for personal training, you enter a factory. They don’t really care if your reach your goals, nor do they have the desire to build a lasting relationship with you. They need to hit their quota- and YOU are just another number for them.

Our trainers are dedicated to you, your results, performance, and happiness. If we can’t show you positive results, then we have failed you. Your body is our walking billboard of success. Nothing is better than hearing mothers talk about how they have reverted back to their pre-baby weight, or campers who have made life changing weight losses like 65lbs.

With no clue about physiology or effective program design, many personal trainers are ineffective at best and counterproductive at worst. I know of trainers who get their routines for clients from the current muscle magazine!

If you are a “personal trainer” and you put a client on a treadmill during the time they have paid you for, you are stealing that person’s money and violating their trust. If you take offense to this, you are probably one of the sucky trainers. Prove me wrong.

If you need the support and motivation of a workout buddy or don’t want to work out on your own, the typical gym falls WAY short in providing a results-based, cost-effective solution. So how do you get in the best shape of your life if it isn’t by joining a gym?

Find a fitness boot camp (like Epic Boot Camp) in your area that creates a fit community- a culture of success. It’s like a support group of like-minded people focused on success. You become like the people who surround you. I know a bunch of great boot camp and kettlebell instructors all over the world- people that I do business coaching for that can get you better results for less than a third the cost of typical personal training rates.

Get out of the gym. Bust out of your comfort zone. Live it up!

I borrowed and edited this article from the Nashville Kettlebell Bootcamp.

1. Reach for the raw. Raw fruits and veggies are loaded with nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Stock up on these and aim to eat at least 2-3 throughout the day. Raw foods are great for a boost of energy, and can give you much more nutrition than processed foods any day!

2. Pick those greens. Leafy green vegetables are a great addition to your diet year round, but are much easier to find during spring and summer. Head to the farmer’s market for kale, fresh spinach, and even fresh lettuce (which are high in magnesium, a mineral that helps release stored energy) right from the farm. Just wash and dry the leaves at home, and even consider adding some to stir fry or steamed vegetable platters for variety.

3. Drink up! Water, water, water is still the mantra for healthy living, so make sure you’re getting at least 8-10 cups of water each day – and even more if you’re working out. Water itself can give you plenty of energy and keep those cells clean and clear of toxins.

4. Change Your Breakfast. Eating the same meal every morning can limit the range of nutrients you get. Try something new, like a whole-grain cereal with complex carbs and protein, such as Kashi GoLean. Scramble eggs and serve on sprouted-wheat bread, which is slightly higher in protein than regular whole wheat.

5. Drink Something New. Studies show that by changing the flavor of a beverage, you’ll be inclined to drink more. If you usually drink green tea, try white—it’s higher in catechins that may reduce heart-disease risk. Switch from orange juice to pomegranate-cranberry for antioxidants that reduce inflammation.

6. Stroll the Aisles. If you are going to stay in the grocery store, they often get new products daily, so budget 15 extra minutes for your next trip to find healthy options. Check out whole-grain pastas made with added fiber or flaxseed. Look for tasty frozen fruit blends in the freezer aisle. Stock up on convenient 100-calorie packs of healthy snacks, such as nuts and pretzels. Also, all that walking in the aisles is burning calories.

7. Tend a Garden. Studies show you’ll eat more vegetables on a daily basis if you grow your own. Pot a single tomato or herb plant in a container to keep on your patio; turn a small section of your backyard into a vegetable garden; or, if you want to plan a more substantial garden, consider enlisting the help of a neighbor so you can share the tasks of weeding and watering.

I want you to eat a serving of protein, a serving of carbs, a serving of healthy fats and a vegetable at every meal, every 3 hours, 5 – 6 times a day. Now, I know what everyone is thinking “Holy crap is he nuts? That is a ton of food!” The truth is if you stick to the portion sizes I will outline below then you WILL be in your calorie range of approximately 1200 – 1500 calories a day. This is the ideal amount for women trying to lose weight. You should never go below the 1200 mark as not eating enough is also a bad thing.

Your body goes into starvation mode and stores everything you eat in order to keep you alive. It needs a certain amount of calories(energy) to function on a daily basis. Here is the plan; Breakfast(meal 1): an omellette made with:

3 whole eggs

1 cup of veggies(any kind)

1 med piece of fruit(any kind)

water

snack(meal 2)

1/4 cup of nuts

1/2 cup of cottage cheese

1 cup of strawberries

water

lunch(meal 3)

4 oz grilled chicken breast

1 cup of steamed veggies(green preferabley but any)

1 med piece of fruit

1 tbs olive oil(sprinkle on veggies)

snack(meal 4)

yogurt

1/4 cup of nuts

dinner(meal 5)

4 oz of fish(any kind)

1 cup of steamed veggies

salad made with mixed greens and any vegetables(except carrots)

1 med piece of fruit

1 tbs each of olive oil and apple cider vinegar as a dressing

snack(meal 6)

1/2 cup of cottage cheese

1/4 cup of almonds

1 cup of strawberries

If you attend camp in the morning I would suggest an additional meal at  least 45 minutes before. What I usually recommend here is an apple with a tbps of natural peanut butter(no jiffy, skippy or peter pan).

A serving of protein is 4oz of chicken, fish, meat(on occassion), you can also get your protein from a serving of dairy(1/2 c od cottage, 1 cup(8oz)of milk(this counts as your carbs too)

a serving of carbs is a medium piece of fruit

a serving of fat is yolks in the eggs of 1/4 c of nuts(read the labels)

Never eat a cartb by itself. Always eat it with a protein. Do not combine carbs. For example, oatmeat with granola, yougurt with granola, fruit and rice at the same meal. Milk and fruit at the same meal. Also, if you want to have juice with your breakfast DO NOT have the piece of fruit.

Making sense. Eat only one carb per meal. I recommend staying away from ALL grains and getting all your carbs from fruits and vegetable. If you eat a fruit with every meal you will get plenty of carbs and sustain energy levels. You can eat all thevegetables you want with the exception of corn, peas, carrots and onions. You want to limit these as they are a higher starch. I am not saying do not eat them just in moderation. Stick more to the greener ones and you will be fine. But you can use them in salads and such. The reason I suggest staying away from grains is it is hard to find true 100% grains. Most are processed in some way. This is not a good thing. Unless you are going to chew on a piece of wheat you picked yourself from right in the field you cannot guarentee it has not been altered in someway.

Fruits and veggies are as natural as they come. You want to eat as many foods in their natural state as possible. If it does not grow, fly, swim, walk or crawl DO NOT EAT IT!!! You cannot go outside and find a bagel tree.

BAGELS ARE PROCESSED. Your best bet is to stay away from them. You will not even miss them. I never have cravings and never feel I “need” them. Yes, I am well aware of the no carb, low carb, low fat, no fat diets and they do not work. You body needs all the nutrients in order to function properly so you never want to elliminate anything. You just need to eat only what you need to function and that is eat.

You should eat when hungry and stop when full.It is that simple really. If your portion sizes are correct you should be hungry every three hours. If not then the meal before was too large and if  you are starving by the next meal then the previous meal was too small and you should adjust the next meal accordingly. Do not worry about counting anything(cals, protein, carbs, etc) it is not that complicated and should not be. Do not stress over it. Just eat.

One more thing, there are three supplements I feel everyone should take every day. They are a good multi vitamin, a joint  supplement(glucosamine/MSM) and fish oils.

Trust me ladies if you follow these rules you will lose weight. The proof is in the pudding

In our fast-paced society, eating is often done with little or no thought as to what exactly it is being ingested. Excess body fat is a direct outcome of this hurried, poor nutrition. Even if you have the best intentions with your diet, you are likely frustrated and fed up with extra pounds.

I don’t blame you for being confused about what you should eat. The media surely doesn’t help. One day the talking heads want you to give up all fats. The next day carbs are the culprit, and then acai berries become the holy grail of weight loss.

The food manufacturers increase confusion by printing misleading labels and bogus health claims.

Sometimes it seems like the whole system is set up to confuse and frustrate us into buying the latest and greatest packaged food.

The bottom line is that your physique is largely a result of what you eat, so the foods that you put into your body should be carefully selected.

It’s time to re-examine what you eat.

It all starts with reading nutritional labels. The nutritional content and ingredient list will give you everything you need to know about the quality of the food item.

I’ve outlined 5 ingredients that should raise a red flag when you turn over that package and find them listed:

Red Flagged Ingredient #1: High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
HFCS is a manmade sugar, derived predominantly from genetically modified corn. The sweet concoction has been shown to promote binges and hysterical hunger, and wrecks havoc on your blood sugar levels, promoting fat storage.

The introduction of HFCS into our food supply directly paralleled a 47% spike in Type 2 Diabetes cases as well as an 80% increase in obesity. Food manufacturers use HFCS in many mainstream products, including the following:

• Sauces (including ketchup)
• Yogurt
• Energy Bars
• Soft Drinks / Fruit Juices
• Processed baked goods
• Cereals
• Crackers
• Ice Cream
• Salad Dressing
• Most packaged snack foods

Red Flagged Ingredient #2: Hydrogenated Fat / Partially Hydrogenated Fat (Trans Fat)
Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats have undergone such extensive processing that the chemical structure has changed from a “cis” shape, which the human body recognizes and utilizes, to a “trans” shape, which is foreign and destructive to human physiology.

Check each food label for the word ‘hydrogenated’ and avoid it diligently. Cutting out hydrogenated fats is a simple set towards looking and feeling your best.

Red Flagged Ingredient #3: Aspartame
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that was denied 8 times by the FDA before being approved in 1973. Many scientists objected the approval, claiming that aspartame hadn’t been proven safe for use as a food additive.

MIT neuroscientist, Richard Wurtman, researched the effects of aspartame and concluded that it promotes cravings for foods high in calories and carbohydrates. Though aspartame is calorie-free it still causes insulin to be released, which job is to stow away sugar – when this sugar is not available, the result is often hypoglycemia and severe hunger. Not exactly a recipe for weight loss.

Red Flagged Ingredient #4: White Sugar
White sugar comes from the juice of a sugar cane plant that has undergone an intensive refining process. In this process all of the enzymes, fiber, vitamins and minerals are destroyed, rendering it nutritionally void. White sugar is also extremely high in calories, which your body loves to store away in fat cells.

Refined sugar has been linked to a weakened immune system, hyperactivity, ADD, mental and emotional disorders, dental cavities, hypoglycemia, enlargement of the liver and kidneys, and an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain. All that and it leads to weight gain.

Red Flagged Ingredient #5: White Flour
White flour comes from natural whole wheat that has been stripped of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. This results in a nutritionally void product that is packed with calories that release quickly into your system, creating a spike in blood sugar. As you know, this promotes fat storage and leads to hysterical hunger and cravings. You don’t need that.

Once you cut these 5 items out of your diet, you’ll be pleased with the results. Expect to lose weight, to have more energy and to feel better than you have in a long time.

If you’re serious about looking and feeling your best through purifying your diet, then focus on eating real food items. Real foods include lean meats, vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds.

Would you like to expedite your fitness and weight loss results? Call or email today to get started on a fitness program that will quickly transform your body.

Remember, while nutrition is vitally important for weight loss, true results are achieved through a combination of both nutrition and challenging, progressive exercise.

The point is, it is time to make a healthy, permanent change to your lifestyle. Stop saying you are going to go to exercise and eat right, and actually do it!

Binge eating sucks. But what drives us to do that? And how we can stop it?

Disclaimer: Now let me get the legal beagle mumbo jumbo out of the way…I’m not a doctor, and if you have a serious eating problem you should talk to a trained health professional…there’s probably even a medical definition of binge eater that I don’t know about…

…so for our purposes, we’ll refer to binge eating as anything that involves eating too much junk and making you feel guilty.

…And if you are just one of those folks who goes 37 days in a row without binge eating and then – POW – it shows up and kicks you in the butt…leaving you feeling guilty, frustrated, and upset, then let’s help you out.

Personally, there is no better common-sense tip for avoiding binge eating than…

Keeping the junk out of the house.

Easier said than done in most homes, I know, and heck, I find myself with my hand in the cookie jar more than I’d like. But hey, how else am I going to eat ice cream other than by making home-made ice cream sandwiches?

So do your best on that one, but if you can’t keep ALL the treats out of the house, here are some more tips…

This is another superficial one…but you just need to stay active and find something else to do besides look through the cupboards for the 3rd time this evening.

Don’t use food as a reward or just something to do out of boredom.

Go for a walk. Run some errands. Treat yourself to a bath or download some tunes. Buy a punching bag. Put on some music and dance.

And a couple of other practical tips…if you are going to binge, do so by overeating fruits and vegetables. And also, when you are done eating, brush your teeth, makes eating less appealing for a while.

Okay, those are good, but it is time to get a little deeper.

You are probably binge eating for some emotional reason.

One person recommended keeping a diary and writing down how you feel when you eat. I think this is great advice that most folks should do even if they don’t binge eat. Just do this for a week and you’ll get a really good understanding of why you are eating.

Were you hungry? Bored? Tired? Stressed? Anxious?

The May 2009 issue of Men’s Health magazine reports that anxiety causes many people to overeat sugar. If that is the case with you, then you need to find a way to deal with the anxiety…and that will take care of the overeating.

I’m also reading an interesting book called, “The Culture Code”, and the author argues that most overweight folks overeat because they are mentally “checking out”. Something emotional is driving them to turn to eating so they can escape other problems.

If that is the case, and its serious, then again, professional help is in order. Either way, I think tracking your mood when you eat is a great way to identify the source of your binges, and you’ll be able to build some powerful routines and possibly overcome binge eating.

Some other “deep” responses I received on twitter had to do with the relationship we have with food. How do we view food? As a fuel? As something to be enjoyed with others? As a necessity? Or as one of the major comforts and joys in our lives?

Do we have the POWER over food or does food have the power over us?

Do we practice extreme self-denial that ends up being counterproductive because it leads to binge eating? And if so, then how can we get into a balanced eating lifestyle that allows treats but without binge eating all the time?

Another reader recommended “Intuitive Eating by Tribole and Roesch”. I haven’t read it, but they said it was a great book that touches on all aspects of unhealthy food habits. Definitely a good resource for those of you who want more info. If you read it, let me know some big lessons.

And if you have any tips on avoiding binge eating, please let me know below.