Albert K. Park

                  
       It has no sympathy and it's instincts make it ruthless. It will attack anybody regardless of age, body type, skinny, big, tall, blond, and brunette. It doens't care what you look like or what clothes you have on. It preys on the individuals that have been neglecting their nutrition and ignoring exercise. The weak and the vulnerable. It's name is Cottage Cheese.

                          If you have no clue to what I'm talking about, let me be more specific. It is the sight of visible fat that creates a rippling in the epidermis. Another common name for this fat is called cellulite. The name itself runs chills down my spine. Cellulite is excess body fat that gets trapped underneath the top layer of skin. Sexy right?

                         It is nicknamed cottage cheese because the sight resembles the visual texture of the hard to digest but very healthy cheese. Make no mistake, you don't have to be overweight to become a victim of the unsightly misfortune. You can be skinny and still plagued with cottage cheese. This has become such a common theme in many of my clients that I decided to address it to all of you. Don't worry, you are not completley helpless. You can effectively and aggressively fight back.


                        So how do you fight back? It's easier said then done, no doubt about it but it comes down to Nutrition and Exercise. I'm not writing this to mock you with a "tough it out, Chief!" mentality. I understand it's a difficult sight to see, both overwhelming and shocking. So I'm going to give you some aggressive techniques to knock this bastard out and get you back to wearing shorter shorts and smaller bikinis.

1.) Nutrition:
         Don't worry I'm not going to write out a Diet plan that keeps you from eating everything delicious in this world. I am just going to tell you some things to avoid and why.

- Caffeine
- Salty Foods
- Fatty Foods

          All these foods will cause your body to take on excess water. The excess water in turn engorges the cellulite making it appear to become worse, which it will. Start looking for healthy alternatives to your daily diet. Try incorporating these effective ways to destroy excess body fat and increase metabolism.

- Drink lots of water and avoid high sugar drinks such as juice, soda, sports drinks
- Try eating 5-6 smaller protein based meals a day to increase metabolism and regulate hunger
- Avoid carbs late at night, try eating them early in your day to give you more energy
- Shop for ingredients to make meals, not meals or snacks. Stay on the outskirts of the supermarket.


2.) Workout

        For all you ladies who read through the Nutrition info and just told yourself you already new all of that. Good for you. Now try implementing it into your life. Remember fat loss really is 90% nutrition and 10% training. For all you ladies who just skimmed this entire article to get to the workout, I'm a little hurt. (insert sarcastic smart ass smirk here) I'm cool with that.

         There are two ways I target cottage cheese with all my female clients. Weight training and High Intensity Resistance Training. We incorporate weight training to smooth out the skin. By increasing muscle mass, we not only burn fat but make the area more firm with long smooth muscles instead of fat. The nice thing about weight training is we can target the specific area that is effected.



Ex.
- Cellulite on the back of legs, we target the hamstring
- Cellulite on the butt, we target all the glute and hip flexor muscles

          Next we use High Intesity Resistance Training to tap into the excess stored body fat. This has been to be one of the most effective ways to maximize caloric expenditure. We need to send your body signals that it doesn't need to hold onto all the excess body fat and that we need to get rid of it as soon as possible. The main way we manipulate this process is with increasing the metabolism. Higher intensity work for shorter amounts of time will increase the effects of Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption.  This is basically summed up as the amount of oxygen your body consumes after exercise to return to normal. The process will have a dramatic effect on your metabolism and how your body will repair itself for the next couple of days.

The Workouts:

Workout A - Circuit Training
Perform all exercises before taking a break. Rest 1-2 min then repeat for 2-4 sets.

- Jumping Jacks x 20
- Pushups x 10
- Body Weight Squats x 12-15
- Mountain Climbers x 20
- Front Lunges x 8 ech leg
- Jumping Jacks x 20


                                                                       
Workout B - Tabatta Style Training
Perform each exercise for as many reps as you can in 40 seconds, rest 20 seconds, then perform the next exercise for 40 seconds, and so on until you go all the way through. After the last exercise rest 1 min, repeat 2-4 sets.

- Box or Bench Step ups
- Medicine ball Chest Pass or Pushup
- Running High Knees in place
- Burpees
- Lunges alternating

             Ladies! Now you are equipped with some powerfool tools to combat cottage cheese. Maintain consistency and don't worry, that unsightly cellulite will be gone soon. Take a lesson from men on this one. It's not very common in a lot of guys because they maintain a higher amount of lean muscle mass. We are trying to do the same with you Beautiful women as well. Aim high, Pedal to the Floor, Dream Big and live the Good Life.



    

                         Bosu Balls, Cross-fit, Kettlebells, Spin Classes, and Hot Yoga all dominate our fitness world today. In an industry where fads rule the market and demand attention, it's hard to keep up. It's a constant struggle to keep motivating yourself and to stay inspired. We can not continually rely on the "Next Big thing" to be the logs fueling our fire.

                          I sat daydreaming and thumbing the lid to my Americano in a busy starbucks the other day. The complex array of personalities accompanied by espresso machines working overtime created a difficult environment to concentrate. In the cafe cacophony, one conversation rose above all the noise.


                            A man in his late 20's, revealed his goals for the future to a friend. He was dressed like a J Crew ad and seemed to have is head on straight.

"Yeah times are tough, but I still dream of the same things. A 40 hour a week job, a good 401k, the weekends off, and some paid vacation time."

                             His mirror image of a friend fired back in conversation with words that reassured their goals. They both sighed in agreement.

" I need a house in the suburbs, 2 kids, and maybe a boat. Yeah that would be the life!"

                             My standard smart ass smirk turned into a mean mug as my mind revved at maximum rpm's. I couldn't believe what these two young guys were talking about. They used words like "dream" and phrases like "that would be the life". By no means am I knocking their personal choices in lifestyles and there is nothing wrong with a life filled with comfort. But there has to be something more, right? Passion, drive, inspiration, conviction, you take your pick.

                           It's very possible that I am wired differently. They do say I am a little bit like the black sheep of the family. Maybe I have different blood cells that pump through my veins. Maybe I am missing or have an additional chromosome in my DNA, but their conversation didn't sit well in my stomach.

                           I guess Michelangelo said it best,

              "The greatest danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark."

                          That very moment, in cookie cutter Starbucks, I vowed never to settle for comfort like those guys. I mean, they were practically the same age as me, 23. It echoed in my skull. Strive for unrealistically high goals so when you reach them, you can conquer new ones.

                           This is the same mentality and philosophy we should be taking to training. It doesn't matter what your workout goals are. Whether your striving to become a professional athlete or training to lose 30 lbs. It's more than what lies on the surface. I truly feel that we all have an engraved mindset for self improvement and in a chaotic world, that innate thought process is often buried under bullshit.

                            Why do you workout? Is it to lose 30 pounds and look good in a bathing suit. That's probably what your mind will tell you at first but when you sift past societies brainwash bull, you know that training has the power to change your entire fu*king life. Self-confidence, more energy, health, and a revitalization of that innate vigor for life. These things are the very ingredients that sustain us all.


                            I honestly feel bad for the next person to ask me "Why are you training so hard?" or "What are you training for all the time?" because I'm going to lay it down hard with a chip on my freaking shoulder. There are only a few things in this world that I can fully take pride in and put my personal stamp of approval on. In order is God, Family, Friends, Health/training, and your Legacy. These are the very things that ignite the explosion in life for me.
                             Training has climbed the hierarchy mountain to become a lifestyle and not some hobby like collecting snow globes. No offense. I train to maximize my potential mentally, spiritually, and physically. Have you ever been stressed out and decided to go for a run, only to find that you have a certain peace after you physically drained yourself. Or have you ever been on an endurance testing hike, to find yourself standing at the top, overwhelmed with a strange feeling of Joy. It's what we were designed to do, hence the "hunter and gatherer" description of homosapiens. Our bodies are designed to chase down meat and gather food up to 10-12 hours a day in order to survive. Without this physical stimulation we lose something.


                            Don't even let my hierarchy chart influence your thought process. Reject the media's consistent pursuit of defining your reasoning behind working out and training. You need to define your own philosophy for training. It needs to be dangerously personal so that inconsistency and set backs aren't an option.

                           To the two guys I eavesdropped on, I want to sincerely thank you. Next time both of your coffees are on me. Your conversation reassured the way I live my life. Your comfortable vision poured gasoline on my fire and refocused my aim even hire. Your perception of "the good life" reinforced my pedal to the floor mentality. Go big or get the fu*k out of the way.

The innate drive is there, it's just under all the bullshit.