Wednesday, May 28, 2008

The Monica 'Jet' Carlson Workout & Diet

I previously wrote about American Gladiators season 1 victor, Jet.

So I did a little homework on the 'Monica Carlson Diet and Exercise' program and I managed to find this video where she tips us off to how she achieved her dream physique.



The second I knew I won, I was in the gym, eating protein, cutting out sugar and carbs, it was a huge transformation.


Notice how she didn't say she popped a magic pill, or did thousands of crunches. Sounds like this 32 year old mother has it all figured out. You know what to do. Intensity in the gym and at the dinner table. So check out these tips on how you can be like Monica Carlson and cut 'out sugar and carbs' from your diet.
  • Replace your breakfast cereal with an egg omelete (feel free to add in copious amounts of vegetables)
  • Replace the sandwich at lunch with a salad. Even a wrap will typically have less carbs than a full blown sandwich.
  • When ordering a meal at a restaurant substitute the starchy carb (typically pasta or potatoes) with vegetables (broccoli, seasonal mixed veggies, or even a house salad) . You do not need to feel obliged to order what is listed on the menu. Any reasonable restaurant will make whatever you order and many allow substitutions. Don't rationalize eating empty carbs because the restaurant won't budge.
  • Skip the bread bowl as well. If you can't restrain yourself tell them not to even put the bread on the table.
  • Drink only non-calorie containing beverages. One can of Pepsi contains 41 grams of sugar. Skip the soda, fruit juice and empty calories by only drinking water and green tea. Get your calories from food!(Gold star for those that get their calories from food that actually contains nutrients)
  • Earn your carbs through exercise. The best times to have carbs are post workout. A workout classifies as any intense physical activity. If you are looking to shed a few pounds, save the carbs until after you've listed some weight.
  • Look for lower-carb alternatives. Replace hamburger buns with portobello mushroom caps. Use spaghetti squash instead of spaghetti. Be creative!
And for those of you that are going to yell at me for not mentioning the 'eating protein' part of her comment, this is for you. Eat lean cuts of your favorite animals (chicken, turkey, beef, salmon, buffalo, ostrich, other wild game etc.). Also feel free to supplement with a protein powder, eat eggs/egg whites and cottage cheese. For those vegetarians and vegans there is always soy, and rice protein powder.

EAT YOUR PROTEIN!

Incorporating some of these tips will surely spark your progress towards the American Gladiator Dream Body. Monica Carlson, 'er I mean Jet said so!

If you want to speed up the process I'd suggest picking up a copy of Precision Nutrition to guide you through your eating and when you are ready to get ripped fast hop on the Get Shredded Diet, which is posted in the forums. Suddenly losing 2lbs a week is not only realistic, but also disappointing.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

From Fat to Wii Fit?

The Nintendo Wii which has gotten a lot of good press for getting people up and moving playing games such as tennis, boxing or bowling. This extends to children, adults and even seniors as many old folks homes engage in what is being dubbed "wiihabilitation."



The wii fit uses BMI(Body Mass Index) to label you as underweight, ideal, overweight, and obese. I've discussed in a previous article my disdain for the BMI as it is far from a perfect measure of fitness.

Will Your Mii be a Fatty?

So will the Wii Fit be the fitness revolution we've been looking for? I'd say it's a step in the right direction, but this isn't going to cure the obesity epidemic. Anything that gets people moving is good in my book, but I hope people don't purchase the Wii Fit thinking it will be the end all to their weight issues. Nintendo doesn't seem to be promising much with regard to that, but the "fit" seems to imply at least something. The media has gotten a hold of it saying things like the Wii Fit will "make a stronger, leaner and generally healthier gamer." Those seem like lofty promises. With all that aside I can't wait to try it out for myself.

I hope the Wii Fit is just a stepping stone to video games being merged with fitness equipment. Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) started the trend, but that was years ago, so hopefully this will spark other video game companies to follow suit.

For $89.99 the Wii Fit balance board and game disk can be yours, if you can find one. They seem to be sold out already and the price is already climbing.

Monday, May 12, 2008

From Rad Mom to Ripped Gladiator

Though I'm not a big fan of television, I do love regular people competing against giants, and occasionally watch American Gladiators. I was intrigued by the season premier tonight, as I was especially curious as to how they were going to work in the winning contenders of season 1 into gladiators for season 2.

Monica Carlson - Female Season 1 Winner

To my surprise Monica Carlson, 32-year old mother of twins was completely ripped. She had to be in great shape to win the first time around, but she's definitely stepped it up a notch. Look how lean she got.

Jet - One of the Newest Gladiators

It's cool to see how quickly she has made the transformation. The changes are drastic and were made in just a short time. I believe she had 6 months or so between filming. The male contender (now named Rocket) looked significantly leaner and more vascular (veiny) as well. I would be curious as to how rigorous their training and nutrition program was. Keep an eye out for them in future episodes as I think they'll be as formidable as the other gladiators.

American Gladiators airs on NBC, Monday Nights at 8pm EST. You can watch missed episodes on nbc.com.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

A Fine Display of Sportsmanship

Just another game? You be the judge...