I just received this update from my partners over at Prograde. Trust me, you want to read it.

I've got their permission to share it with you word for word.

From the Desk of Jayson Hunter:

Simply put, if you're looking to flatten your belly you definitely want to be planning your meals.

Fail to plan, plan to fail. Sorry, but it's true.

And yes, that means you want to plan what you're going to eat a week in advance.

Ummm, yes again, that takes WORK.

But you don't have to do the work. I've already done it for you.

Seriously, I really have.

I've got a 90 Day Meal Plan that outlines in simple language exactly what you need to eat and when.

And I've also got shopping lists and weekly planners for you as well.

I want to hand over to you everything you need to get faster results as easy as possible.

The best part is you get it absolutely FREE when you become a Prograde VIP member!

Get Prograde

Which reminds me, I've been getting some questions about our brand new membership program, so here are some FAQs for you on that:

• Yes, it only costs $47 to be a member for an entire year.
• There is absolutely NO obligation to buy anything else.
• Yes, you get the DONE-FOR-YOU 90 Day Meal Plan FREE of charge with your membership.
• No, your card will NOT be charged again in a year from now.
• There are NO hidden monthly fees or anything silly like that.
• Yes, the 5% VIP discount applies to both sales and Smart Ships.

In other words:

Every month while you are a Prograde VIP your Smart Ship order will be an additional 5% off!

And as an example, when we do a sale for a Prograde product at 15% off our VIPs will get 20% off!

Finally, YES, it makes a heck of a lot of sense to become a Prograde VIP member! But you only have until tomorrow night (August 18, 2010) at 11:59pm EST to do so.

Get Prograde

I get this question all the time:

What is the best time to work out?

The answer I give every single time is whenever you can!

I know that living today's fast-paced, rat-race lifestyle can put a real bind on your training schedule. What with kids, family and business obligations, etc., sometimes you don't have enough time in the today for yourself.

I am a perfect example. I bang away at the computer all day and night, hoping to bring you the information you need and want in order to improve yourself. I have 2 small kids, a loving wife, bills to pay, lawns to mow, cars to attend to, older parents to take care of.

When do I train?

When I can!

Now, I've made it my goal to work out in some fashion every single day. I get in at least 3 weight workouts a week, 6 sessions of "cardio," and a lot of play time. Fortunately, my kids take care of me on that one!

Many days, I stack my cardio on top of my weight workouts since I only want to hit the gym once a day. And I don't spend a lot of time there! Last night, for example, I pounded by back, chest, shoulders, and lower back in the span of 20 minutes. Then I went home because I had a LOT to get done.

So, getting back to the point – exercise whenever you can!

I will say that there probably are IDEAL TIMES to train. I made my best "hardgainer" gains when I worked out in the morning. My energy levels were highest, I could eat before and after my workouts (even during!), and I could spend the rest of the day in a relatively lax state.

Now, I am finding it a little difficult to work out in the late evenings (the only practical time of day for me right now) and NOT eat like a freaking horse afterwards, right before bed. Eating a lot right before sleep is okay when you're on the skinny side. But it's really not conducive to effective weight control, if you know what I mean.

It's clear that when you workout determines when, what, and how much you eat. Here are two charts – one for men, one for women – that lay out the when, what, and how much you should eat depending on when you work out.

Again, the best time to work out is when you can. Just make sure it happens. A workout today is better than none at all, if even only just for a few minutes. And use the charts as a baseline for determining what, when, and how much to eat, especially in terms of supplementation.

Timing really is everything.

Your level of energy every day is determined by how much ATP your mitochondria create so that the proper enzymes can be activated to make our bodies move and function properly.  This can effect your healthy weight loss since you may not have the energy to commit 100% to your exercise for calorie burning workouts.

The amount of ATP your mitochondria create is determined by genetics, exercise level, your nutritional status and thyroid activity.   Of course you can’t change your genetics, but as we always talk about you can dictate and control your exercise and nutritional status. 

More at The Energy and Weight Loss Connection Nobody Talks About.

I will tell you that I’ve been highly skeptical of the lab work Consumer Reports has done over the years, and this one is no different.

This story reminds me of their car seat story they did a few years ago, when they subjected car seats to their “scientific” study, sending the seats through tests that multiplied forces the safety seats were subjected to. And then, of course, child car seats failed the tests, sending parents into a frenzy.

Now, CR has done it to fitness-minded folk. What the heck are we to do if:

• Protein powders aren’t safe?
• We don’t even need protein supplements in the first place?
• Protein destroys your kidneys?

Of course, the 3 questions above are complete BS. Most (like 99.9 percent) of protein supplements are safe, containing much lower doses of the heavy metals called out in the report than ordinary food like spinach and shrimp.

If you want to build muscle, you have to eat a diet higher in protein than your average sedentary pencil-pushing office manager. You just do.

Finally, a high protein diet does not harm your kidneys. Read the article at the end of this post for more details on this one and the others. It’s written by Shawn Phillips, a nutritional industry insider and expert. He’s very candid in his assessment of the test, its results, and its apparent bias against the supplement industry.

In the event you’ve been in a media black out and missed it, there’s buzz about the article “Health Alert: Protein Drinks” featured in the July 2010, issue of Consumer Reports Magazine. The article (links at bottom of post) presents the results of tests done for arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury on 15 different “protein powders.”

I use quotations around “protein powders” to call attention to the fact that Consumer Reports used more than just proteins and powders in their tests. They included meal-replacements, including Myoplex, and some were ready-to-drinks, which are clearly not powders. The first of several oversights in the article.

Dissecting the Consumer Reports “Health Alert on Proteins” [Part 1] | Shawn Phillips | Start Strong Monday

Health alert on proteins from Consumer Reports, supplement safety, heavy metals found in protein supplements

Whether you’re a competitive athlete or committed exerciser, at some point you’ve probably experienced excessive fatigue and muscle soreness following your workout. Sometimes this tiredness can hold you back from working out as hard as you’d like for many days.  In order to reduce this feeling of delayed recovery and allow your body to get back into the game sooner than later, you need to appreciate the importance of proper post workout nutrition.

Research scientists have shown that proper nutrition supplementation is critical for recovery from intense weight-training and endurance exercise. Most recently, the evidence points to a specific combination of carbohydrates and protein as being the most effective for restoring muscle glycogen (the fuel you use while exercising), repairing muscle damage, preventing muscle breakdown, and promoting muscle growth.  All of these factors are important for your timely return to your workout plan.

More here.