Can you do it? YOU BET!

beleive you canToday I plan to get on my soapbox about how to change your way of thinking. I personally have a great deal of experience here since mental focus has always been my downfall. I have always had the physical abilities to excel in my workouts and runs, but lacked the mental fortitude to push through the “I Want To Quit” times. I still struggle at times, like this morning when I faced a daunting hill on my run. I am not perfect, but am making progress because I understand the following.

Basically everything we do in life comes from a need to avoid pain or gain pleasure. If you take a hard look at what you do each day, you will find you do it to satisfy one or the other. For example, your job…if you hate your job, you still go to it every day because the discomfort (pain) of having to find a new one or not have one at all is less than the gain (pleasure) you will get from making that change…or so you think.  Along these sames lines, you choose to NOT workout because the pleasure you get from sitting around on your a** is greater than the pleasure you would get from a healthy, lean body. The satisfaction (pleasure) that you get from high fat foods is greater than the discomfort (pain) of eating nutritionally dense foods.

For most of us, the fear of loss is much greater than the desire for gain. Does this make sense? What you link pain and pleasure to will shape your destiny. I have people tell me how unappetizing oatmeal is all the time. However, the momentary discomfort (pain) that I get from eating it each day, twice a day, is worth the gain (pleasure) from having a fit, healthy body. The reality is, now I am completely comfortable with this change in my life. Now my pleasure/pain outlook toward food has changed. The pain I get from a poor day of food choices is much greater than the pleasure I get from making these poor choices.

You have to BELIEVE you are able to make a change in your life. Work on developing the pleasure/pain principals in your life. Apply this to everything you do and see if there are some improvements you can make. Don’t forget…YOU are in control of your destiny!!

“The only true security in life comes from knowing you are improving yourself in some way EVERY DAY. Don’t worry about MAINTAINING the quality of your life, work on IMPROVING IT.” Anthony Robbins

Q & A: May 2013

question markQuestion: How do you manage healthy eating while on vacation?

Answer: There’s no doubt that eating healthy can be very tricky when you’re on vacation. Whether you’re short on time or you want to experience all of the different foods available, it can be difficult to stick to a particular diet plan. And you may not be as familiar with the local foods, so knowing how nutritious they are becomes a real challenge. If you’re traveling by car, you can certainly bring your own snacks for the ride. This may help you avoid the need to pick-up costly convenience foods. If you’re traveling by plane, asking the flight attendant for low-fat or heart-healthy options can also help. It might be wise to book hotel rooms that have kitchenettes, and if that’s the case, you can always visit the local grocery store to get some fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthful items. And if the hotel has a continental breakfast, you can try to fill up on fruits or yogurt before you head out on the town. Be sure to visit sit-down restaurants instead of fast food establishments, since servers are generally better equipped to educate you about the food they’re serving. But in the end, just do the best you can, and remember that you’re on vacation. If you do deviate from your normal eating habits, just be sure to get back on track once you return home.

Question: Is it alright to start an exercise program at the age of 50, and if so, what types of exercise would be advisable?

Answer: First of all, it’s clear that individuals may need to do different exercises depending on their activity levels and overall health. And the sooner you start exercising, the more beneficial it will be in the long run. Being active can increase bone strength, improve cardiovascular function, and prevent numerous chronic diseases. Structured exercise can also increase mobility and stability, which can help prevent falls as you age. If you’re just beginning a workout program, it’s important to start slow and begin with the basics. It is also important to listen to your body. If you start to sense physical pain, make sure to stop immediately. And don’t forget to do a proper warm up and cool down. Keep in mind, it will take older individuals a bit longer to recover between workouts. As a result, light to moderate intensities are recommended. I would advise resistance training 2-3 times a week, along with some basic aerobic exercise as well. Walking and jogging are certainly reasonable exercise options, but swimming and biking will put less stress on the joints. In the end, it may be best to speak with a personal trainer so that he/she can create a customized workout program for you.

Question: I have trouble remembering to stretch after my workouts. Is it really that important, and if so, what am I missing by not doing it regularly?

Answer: Yes, stretching is a very important part of an overall fitness routine. In fact, it’s just as important as strength training and cardiovascular conditioning, though many individuals don’t adhere to a regular program like they do with these other forms of exercise. Stretching offers numerous benefits, including injury prevention, an increased efficiency of movement and improved blood flow and nutrient delivery to the joints. It also improves muscle coordination, overall balance and postural alignment. It can even help to alleviate muscle soreness and stress after a workout. These are pretty impressive results for just a few minutes of relaxation. Unfortunately, people always seem to be crunched for time, and stretching is usually the first thing to go. In order to make it a consistent part of your training regimen, you need plan for it. Reserve the last ten minutes of your session for stretching, and try not to let your schedule get in the way. After all, you wouldn’t normally cut your lifting or cardio sessions short, would you?

 

Success Is…

success is the sumDo you feel like success alludes you? Do you feel like everyone around you is luckier than you? If so, I question where is your focus?  Success is all about focus and commitment.  

Tony Robbins once said, “Controlled focus is like a laser beam that can cut through anything that seems to be stopping you.”  Are you focusing on items that will positively impact your success or letting other items sideline you?  Even if you have failures, success lies in learning from these mistakes.  There is not one successful person that has never experienced a set back.  The difference between the average person and the successful person is reflection on these set backs; what they can learn from them and how can they apply this to their journey to success.

The truth of the matter is, that person you feel is “lucky”, gets up and works hard everyday to achieve that “luck”.  He BELIEVES he can make it happen.  He makes a COMMITMENT ON A DAILY, and sometimes hourly, basis to go after what he is striving towards.  He puts the commitment into ACTION.  He burns the bridge behind him so that he has no option but to move forward.

Take a few moments right now to determine what it is you dream about “one day”. Take that dream and make it reality.  Focus on how are you going to get there? What will it take on a daily basis to make that dream come true? What positive actions can you do today to get you one step closer? Do you have the belief to make this dream come true?  What is your time frame for making it happen?  No matter what, that time is going to pass whether or not you are making strides to your goal…why not be productive and KNOW you are getting one step closer each day??!!

Success is…

  • BELIEVING YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOUR DREAM.
  • COMMITMENT TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES, AS LONG AS IT IS LEGAL AND MORAL, TO GET THERE.
  • TAKING ACTION DAILY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Begin today. Begin right now. Make this the first day of the rest of your life!  Once again Tony Robbins said, “When we consistently focus on improving in any area, we develop unique distinctions on how to make that area better.”  Be a better you…TODAY FORWARD!

The Power of a Morning Workout!

wake up and be aweseomThere is something so empowering about being up for a workout before most of civilization.  I cannot stress enough that when you get to the gym early, 5 a.m. or earlier, you are starting your day with a huge advantage over the rest of the people around you. [By the way, if your gym is not open before 5 a.m., you need to look into Anytime Fitness, a worldwide fitness franchise which provides 24 hour access to its' members.]

There are so many reasons to exercise in the morning and I have listed several below:

  1. Of the people who exercise consistently, 90% of them exercise in the morning. Cherish your life and future enough to take care of yourself before your day begins to close in around you.
  2. Exercise jump starts your metabolism.  You will continue to burn calories for several hours after your workout.
  3. It makes you feel empowered and like you can conquer the world.
  4. Many people who workout in the morning feel like it helps regulate their appetite throughout the day.
  5. If you get into a regular habit of doing this, your physiological systems will adjust and it will become easier to get up each day.  The first couple of mornings prepare yourself by going to be early enough to get at least 7 hours of sleep and mentally by telling yourself you WILL get up in the morning. Lay out your clothes and shoes and don’t give yourself any reasons to stay in bed or wuss out of the workout.  Trust me, the sleep you have after hitting the snooze button will never feel as good as you will after a morning workout.
  6. Research has demonstrated that morning workouts enhance mental function. On average it lasts 4 – 10 hours. Imagine the promotion you can set yourself up for just by working out in the morning.
  7. By exercising in the morning, you are avoiding the excuse filled afternoon/evening hours when there are so many reasons you “cannot” get your workout done.
  8. It is easy to find time in your schedule for the morning workout because you simply get up one hour earlier.

I encourage you to try to make the morning workout routine part of your life. When you are walking to your car before everyone else is awake, take a moment to enjoy the birds, the darkness, the moon if it is out.  You will never know the sense of accomplishment that comes with an early morning workout until you do it! Have fun and good health!!

The Best Fitness App Is…

I am being told about Fitness apps constantly and asked my opinion on which one is best.  There are numerous gadgets on the market as well that promise the hourglass shape that so many of us dream about. There are various supplements that say they will burn fat, increase your metabolism and ultimately get you skinny.  The one thing these all have in common is the ability to reach the majority of people who are unhappy with their bodies.

According to a study done at Brown University on Body Image, 74.4% of women were preoccupied with th

eir body even though they were considered “normal weight”. Women aren’t alone in this, the study also found that 46% of normal weight men felt the same way. This is why there is such a huge market for gizmos, gadgets, fat burners, and apps.

The best app on the market however, is [drum roll please]….

THE ONE THAT MAKES YOU MOTIVATED TO MAKE LIFESTYLE RELATED CHANGES THAT STICK.

If that is FitnessPal or LiveStrong or AnytimeHealth or Weight Watchers, do it.  If you have success doing NutriSystem, Jenny Craig, etc and need to lose more weight, do it.  You do not have to eat like a bodybuilder or fitness competitor unless you are a bodybuilder or fitness competitor.  Find something that you can sustain and, like Nike said, JUST DO IT!

Anytime-Fitness-F-C4BP-May-Referral-Facebook-Flyer

 

Five rules for a healthy “diet”

Here are the 5 simple rules to help you stay on track and choose the right “diet”.

  1. Eat all your calories every day.
    You need a certain amount of calories to survive. You need even more if you want to have fun things like muscles, an active life style and to burn excess fat. You can go to Anytime Health to find out how many calories you need to have coming in each day.
  2. Eat carbs and proteins together every time you eat.
    Generally speaking, carbs grow from the ground or are made from things that do (fruits, veggies, oatmeal, bread) and protein comes from animals (fish, poultry, red meat, eggs).
  3. Eat food as close to the source as you can.
    We’re designed to eat what we find in nature, not labs or factories. An egg is better than egg beaters, honey is better than white sugar, whole grain bread (you should be able to see seeds and grains) is better than white bread.
  4. You MUST have a plan and plan to make it happen.
    If you want to really make healthy eating part of your life, you must have a plan to make that happen. You cannot get up in the morning, walk out the door for work without knowing ahead of time what you will have for your meals. Plan your days meal ahead of time and prepare them to take with you when you leave for work.

  5. A diversion from your plan will not tank your life!
    If a friend surprises you with lunch, ENJOY YOURSELF! Don’t be “that girl” that gets celery and water at a great sushi place. Even if you go over by 1000 calories on your day, you can make it up. For the next 5 days, eat about 100 calories (or half of a snack) less and burn about 100 calories (or about 10-15 minutes extra at the gym) more. If you do that over 5 days, you’ve made up that 1000 calories! You can also use this method to plan ahead for those big events like weddings, grad parties and barbecues!

Remember, you did not put on the extra weight overnight. Don’t expect it to be immediate when you finally decide you have had enough. Do it right, make it a lifetime commitment and the weight you do lose will never come back.

The “acid-test” for your diet…

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”
― Hippocrates

steak tacosAs I have said before, not all calories are created equal. If they were, a diet of 2000 calories and 100% sugar would be equal to a diet of 2000 calories of lean protein. However, we all know this is not the case.  Junk food has little to no nutritional value and they DO NOT boost your metabolism. What they do is poison your body.

In the quote above, Hippocrates hits the nail on the head.  We need to get away from looking for a quick fix diet and eat food that looks like…well, food.  The “acid-test” for whether a food is natural or not is…”Did this food come out of the ground or off the tree this way?”.  If the answer to this is YES, proceed.  For example, vegetables, potatoes, fruit, rice and oatmeal are less processed and more nutrient dense, and therefore, more nutrient dense that putting these same ingredients into crackers, bread, pretzels or bagels.

Don’t take on a new diet as a short term change. If you are going to change your way of eating, commit to a lifetime change. What that takes is making positive changes slowly. Don’t go diving into the deep end. Unless you are 100% committed, that is a recipe for failure.  Start by putting more vegetables on your plate. Do that for four weeks and you will see slow changes.

Best of luck and good health!

 

It’s not about the Weight!

As I walk through life each day, I see so many people wanting to get to their own personal “If Only”. For example, If Only I was 30 pounds lighter. If Only I made $100,000 a year. If Only I could afford my dream house.  The sad fact is the If Onlys in life keep us from enjoying the present.

It is hard to remain in the present tense. We tend to eat compulsively, drink alcohol, surf the Internet, spend hours in front of the TV, all to forget our current situation. What we need to learn is that we are here for a reason. The Right Now has been planted at our feet for us to learn from. God put us here, Right Now. Enjoy the Right Now.

The truth of the If Only is that once you do lose those 30 pounds, make $100,000 a year or live in your dream home, your happiness will still be set on the next If Only. It’s not about the weight. It is about living in the here and now. Enjoying every moment, even the frustrating ones.

It’s a habit learning to be awake and alive because we are so used to distracting ourselves.  Be present with your spouse, your children, your job, your boss. It is amazing when you begin doing this how much enjoyment you get out of life. Laugh at the little things. Pay attention to the people around you when you shop. Smile and say hello. You can brighten someone else’s day just by being pleasant and smiling.

Pay attention and notice there is nothing missing in your life. It’s all here…AND you don’t have to wait to get it; you don’t have to achieve anything to be in it.  Allow yourself to have the messy imperfect life you have, even if it’s just for today. Stop waiting for your life to begin and realize that it’s already begun!

Born Without Excuses!

americas-obesity-epidemicI recently had the opportunity to listen to someone I respect very much talk about the obesity epidemic of America and the impact it has on our future.  The impact of obesity has not only become a National Healthcare crisis, but is now also threatening our National Security. Obesity is the most common reason that potential recruits are disqualified for service. Currently one out of every four Americans ages 17 to 24 does not meet the height and weight standards for military service, according to the report “Still Too Fat to Fight“.

I look at the world around me and see the waistlines of our nation growing.  Most of us were “Born without Excuses”. What this means is there is no physical reason for our being overweight or obese. There are people like Kyle Maynard who could use any number of excuses and choose to excel despite the challenges presented.  We need to follow Kyle’s example and stop making excuses for ourselves when there are no excuses big enough to keep you from being healthy.

Are you prepared to be part of the solution? If so, what can you do? The first step is to take care of yourself and your health. In past blogs, I have alluded to what I call the “ripple effect”.  This is what happens when you effect the people around you with either positive or negative behaviors. Typically when it is negative behavior we call it “peer pressure”. Think of the ripple effect as you being the stone that is thrown into a pond. The rippling out is your positive lifestyle having an impact on those around you.

If you were Born Without Excuses, I want to you to become determined to become part of the solution. Make changes today that reduce your waist line, increase your life expectancy and increase your quality of life. These changes will ultimately affect those around you.  If you have children, you will be impacting the childhood obesity epidemic in a positive way. Get moving, choose your food with care and drink lots of water.

Good luck and good health!

Can overweight be healthy?

gratefulThere has been a lot of media coverage lately criticizing people who have criticized people who are overweight. The Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, constantly gets opined about his weight.  Lately, Melissa McCarthy was the target of a scandalous review that was personal against her weight.  Both Governor Christie and Ms. McCarthy have stipulated that although they are overweight, they are very healthy.

That leads me to question, can you be healthy and be overweight or obese? It is my experience that the answer is YES, in the short run.  I personally am 40 pounds overweight but know I am extremely healthy per all the tests I had run last April. However, that is not to say that should I continue to be 40 pounds overweight, I will not have future problems. Obesity is a risk factor that can potentially lead to heart disease, et al.  However it does not guarantee an obese person will develop these problems.

There is a reason that doctors recommend a certain weight range per height (BMI). Most of us in the fitness industry believe that the BMI is a bogus number because it does not take into account fat level versus muscle. However, doctors need a quick way to judge whether a patient has certain risk factors, such as being overweight.  Thus BMI works for this reason. The fact of the matter is that we continue to tip the scale at higher and higher weights which is leading to more and more heart disease, diabetes and stroke.  It is no longer just a vanity problem; it is a national health concern and a potential financial crisis for our health system.

My personal suggestion to all who are interested in being the best person they can be, no matter what they look like or the scale shows, is to eat right and focus on fitness.  If you are eating right, which can be determined through a committed 30 days of food journaling, and exercising at least 30 minutes 3 times a week, your insides should be healthy.  However, I do not believe that if you do this, you will continue to be excessively overweight.  My experience is a lot of people are in denial about proper nutrition and exercise. So get real! Take a challenge to do 30 days of honest journaling and structured workouts.

Just remember, it goes beyond vanity. I personally don’t care what you look like, I just want you to be healthy.  Eat right and exercise, it gets no simpler than that!

No matter what you choose to do, good luck and good health!