Your Comfort Zone Could Kill You

It's been a while since I've had a chance to share with you some Tips, Tricks, and Info to keep you on Track and making progress. I had quite a few major changes going on on this end over the past couple of months, that literally demanded my attention.

But that aside, let's get to it shall we.  

This past week it has become painfully apparent to me that your Comfort Zone Can Kill You.  I know, you think I'm probably overstating the problem for shock effect, right?   

Wrong!

I presently have a client, a former triathlon competitor, that originally came to me with concerns about his increasing cholesterol, as well as nagging hip and knee pain. As you would expect it was the usual suspects, tight quads and hip flexors, rounded shoulders from way too many hours in front of the computer, weak glutes from little to no activity since he stopped competing, and of course a weak core.  He regularly attended sessions twice per week.  In addition to those sessions, he was given homework to do so that we could rid him of pain as quickly as possible.  

Then life happened.  His job began to require him to travel 2 weeks out of the month and POW, the progress we had made slipped backwards. 

As you might have guessed, the homework he had been doing went out the window, the amount of sitting he was doing had almost doubled, thanks to plane travel, and on top of it all he was not able to keep his regular sessions.  So in essence he had gone back to the comfort zone that had originally created the pain and increasing cholesterol. 

After reviewing what had transpired we agreed that taking care of himself couldn't be something he would find time for, taking care of himself would something he would have to make time for.

You see we all have crazy busy schedules.  I completely respect that.  But what I also know without a doubt, is that if you don't make time for wellness, you will be forced to make time for illness.  Whether it's in the form of physical pain and discomfort or other more serious issues of health.

 Our plan was simple.  I created a program for him that would take no longer than 15-30 minutes to complete.  We agreed that while it was important to make his scheduled appointments, equally important was that he follow through on his homework each and every day.  That he make time to take care of himself -- whether he was traveling or not.

And honestly, I believe that is the difference between getting to your goal or just taking 3 steps forward and 2 steps back.  You've got to make time each and every day to do something for your health. Because just keeping with your same old comfortable routine, could kill you. 

Need a quick and easy stretch program to make sure you keep on track?

Try this one on for size. (Stretches to Keep You Out Of Pain).

 7 Most Important Stretches if You Spend Your Day at a Desk

No more reasons, only results!

3 Way to Sabotage Your Goals For The Year

Wow, here we are at the end of February.  It's almost time to turn the page again.

 How are you doing on your goals? 

 Are you finding it harder and harder to keep those original commitments that seemed so easy to do in January?

It's interesting because you're not the only one.  Every year right around the second week of January there is a HUGE increase in activity at the gym.  I mean a serious increase in new members committing to making a change -- whether it's the typical lose a few unwanted pounds, or those looking to get out of pain. 

But guess what?

If you're like most people, right about now is when they begin to abandon their commitments and begin to lose traction.  Simply put, they start to give up or make excuses. And right now I am noticing a HUGE decrease in those new members that started out with such energy and commitment.

Let's be honest, it's WAY TOO EARLY to throw in the towel. 

You started with good intentions, you made some solid efforts. But for some reason are still not seeing the progress you would like, and quite honestly -- deserve.  Not seeing results has a lot to do with how you set up and go after your goals. 

To be blunt about it, it's the difference between success or giving up.

I figured if you were like some of my clients, you could use a little pick me up and perspective overhaul.

Well here is a little piece I came across that I thought was right on target.  It's written for big business, but when I read it through and listened to some of my clients, I realized it was right on target for all of us. 

 Check it out and let me know what you think. 

3 Ways To Blow Your Goals For The Year

You've got to think of this way.  If you were traveling to work or taking any journey and for some reason a certain freeway or street was blocked, you would just make an adjustment in your plan and continue forward. You wouldn't just quit. Your goals were worth making and they are worth following through!

More Tips, Tricks, and Info for That Summer Body

So it's Monday again.  Where does the time go?  No matter, it's time to give you some more information that will give you the transformation you're looking for before the summer ends.

The first important article I want to share with you is about motivation.  Yes, I realize that is typically my Wednesday topic, but this article came across my desk and I was impressed.  It basically talks about the importance of being clear why you want to transform your body.  Just wanting to be thinner is too vague.  Wanting to look good and fit into a bathing suit, while motivating, may not be quite enough to get you to change the habits that are holding you back.

Check this one out:  How to Give Purpose and Vision to Your Workouts

The second article I would like to share is about getting better results, and who doesn't want that, right?  I can't tell you how many people I see day in and day out, come into the gym, go through a half-hearted workout and then wonder why they don't see their body changing.  It takes more than just showing up to get the results.  Sure, showing up is half the battle, but the other half is putting in the work necessary to make those changes happen.  Coming to the gym to socialize won't give you the changes in your body you're seeking.

Here's 5 Tips To Get More Results From Your Workouts

And as you know me, I've saved the juicy one for last.  Thankfully over the past few weeks I've had several emails and a few personal inquires about how to safely do interval training.  I've always said anyone can do it, but it does take a bit of moderation to get the process started off correctly.  I think this article does a good job of giving you the quick and dirty on how to get started safely.  And then look out -- cause you're going to start seeing massive results when you apply interval training as your cardio of choice. 

Should You Be Trying High Intensity Training?

Quick, short and to the point!  Information you can use to make sure you see the changes you deserve.

Get On Track and Stay On Track!

Mid Week Motivation: Don't Get It Perfect, Get It Started!

Your success is based on 2 things:

1.) A Plan

2.) Commitment to that plan

No matter how you slice it, it boils down to those 2 things. 

I know time and time again you've heard me share, encourage, scold, and even preach the importance of those 2 simple items.

Why?

• Because I continue to run into 2 types of people it seems.

• One is the group that feels they need more information to get the process started. 

The other is the group that tends to often feel overwhelmed because of the long lists they continue to make for themselves on their daily tasks lists.

Let's start with the people I know who fall into the first group.  These friends and clients of mine always seem to have questions about some new product or training philosophy they just read about.  They want to know does it work, how does it work and will it work faster than . .

Be clear, I do understand why we all do this at times.  We live in the information age.  A time when our typical Sunday paper contains more information than the average person in the middle ages would consume in an entire lifetime.  So it actually makes sense that we all want to be informed before we go out and just do it! 

But sometimes there is such a thing as paralysis through analysis. I believe most of you out there reading this already have enough information to get started transforming your body today.  You know the importance of a good warm-up, the importance of using rollers and tubes for self massage to alleviate pain and tight muscles, as well as how resistance circuit training and cardio intervals can speed up your body transformation process.  All that's really needed is for you to make a realistic plan and commit to it.  I suspect you don't need more info before you get started, you just need to get started.

Then there's the second group, the group of long list makers.  No matter when you run into them they don't have much time to talk because they are rushing off to do such and such, the next item on their long list of "to-dos". For some reason these people seem to feel that the only way they can reach their goal is to over schedule themselves.

You know what I've learned?

All it does is make you feel frustrated and overwhelmed.  The true secret to accomplishing your goals, making serious changes, is creating a reasonable plan. Trying to make it happen faster by adding more things to your list is just a recipe for disaster and frustration.  Don't beat yourself up.

• First get clear on what your priorities are, what you want to accomplish in the next 30, 60, or 90 days. I urge you to be fair and realistic about what it is that you want to change.

• Second, make a plan -- with a timeline (timelines work wonders for making you accountable).  Chances are you have enough information to create a good plan.  You can modify it along the way, but it will get you started and making progress.

• Third, do your absolute best to follow this plan no matter what!

I'll let you in on a little secret, I've been a member of both groups at one time or another.  But with practice and focus you can accomplish anything.

Now Go Out and Get It Done!

Mid Week Motivation: I'm Not Losing Weight, Am I Still Making Progres?

I have to apologize right up front.  I realized today, after thinking a little deeper on the issue, I may have mislead and confused some people. I claim that I want to give all of you accurate, practical information that will help you achieve your goals.

So for the record, let's get this specific issue clear.

Over the past week I have received several questions asking, "If I'm not losing weight (on the scale) am I still making progress in my training?"  This is an excellent question and a great one for Mid-Week Motivation.

The short answer is Yes!

Remember, a pound of feathers weighs the same as a pound of fat, which both weight the same as a pound of muscle. 

The difference is one of space.

Think of body fat as taking up the space of a grapefruit, while the same weight of muscle would only take the space of a tangerine.  So while you may not see the numbers change on the scale, you should notice a difference in how your clothes fit -- because your muscle takes up less space, you should see the progress in inches first, not weight.

What I mean by that is, you may not see your loss of body fat on your typical bathroom scale, but that does not mean you haven't gotten rid of some unwanted body fat.

When you begin a good nutrition and exercise program it is not unusual to initially see the overall body weight number on your typical bathroom scale actually go up. 

Why?

Because if you're like most of the population, chances are you've been under-eating.  Meaning, you've probably been consuming way too many carbohydrates and not near enough protein to feed your muscles properly.  So when you start eating properly, your muscles soak up all those extra calories because they have been starving all this time.  And in most cases, the muscles soak up the good nutrients a bit faster than you are able to burn off the extra body fat (stored sugar for energy).

To take it one step further and hopefully make this a bit more clear, think of it this way.  From what I've gathered from my research, we are all born with a certain number of fat cells and a certain number of muscles cells.  The amount of each of these does not change!

What does change is the size (volume, amount of space they take up) of each of those types of cells.  You can shrink your fat cells through exercise and good nutrition, thus creating a "smaller", healthier you.  While at the same time slightly increasing your muscle cells (which take up less space) which thus allow you took look smaller, feel better, and live longer, all without seeing much change on your typical bathroom scale.

So again, YES, you may still be making progress even if you don't see the number decreasing on your typical bathroom scale.

Lastly, I've been saying "typical bathroom scale" throughout this blog, because technology has now advanced to a point where you can buy a bathroom scale that will provide you with a body composition number (body fat compared to lean muscle).  They are relatively inexpensive and do a decent to good job of giving reliable information on which to base your progress.

So don't get down on yourself just because you don't see the number decreasing on your typical bathroom scale.  Instead, get a better bathroom scale, keep planning your meals in advance to stay on track, and get your exercise in consistently with no excuses.

Now Go Out and Get It Done!

Mid-Week Motivation: Do Less Cardio, Get Better Results

I'm slightly keeping with the theme from Monday this week -- don't waste time doing the same old thing that's not getting you results.

Ask yourself these 3 questions:

1.)  Are you happy with what you see in the mirror?

2.)  Do you have too much free time on a daily basis?

3.)  Do you believe in Santa Claus?

Now, if you answered "yes" to any of these questions then this post is not for you. 

However, if you answered "no" to these questions, then please stop doing the same old routine and getting less than exciting results.  You can get the body you want in less time than you can possibly imagine.

Let me be plain and clear --

I am asking you to stop doing steady state cardio since you already know it will not give you the results you want. 

I am asking you to spend less time doing cardio.

I am asking you to put more effort in getting your nutrition in order.  And lastly,

I am asking you to be willing to challenge yourself to do something different (that has been tested and I know works)

Now Go Out and Get It Done!

Mid-Week Motivation: Pizza?

Yes, I'm back from vacation.  Needed the downtime. Definitely feeling refreshed and ready to get back into the thick of things.

Even on vacation I can't seem to escape the marketing machine's grip.  I found some interesting facts about Pizza in one of my "poolside" reading magazines.  At first read I thought, "Wow, this is some good information to consider". But something just didn't seem real.  Then it hit me.

It almost made me pull out my hair, but then I remembered -- I don't have any.

Check out the short video below and see what I mean.

Mid Week Motivation: Keeping it Real

I don't care how you slice it, if you don't make a plan, you cannot effectively achieve any goal!

Yes, it's that simple and the real. 

My commitment to you is to make certain that I share valuable, useable/practical, scientifically reliable information that will assist you in achieving your body transformation goals . . . . .  or any goal for that matter.

I can't express to you the importance of choosing a goal and making a plan to achieve that goal.  Yes, I know I sound like a broken record.  I'd ask you to excuse me, but the truth is, if you're not doing it, then you needed to hear it again.  Hopefully this time you will take it to heart.

I've spent a great deal of time reading and investigating all sorts of self-help books, motivational articles, CD's, DVDs, seminars, etc.

I've taken that information and shared it with my clients for over 2 decades. I've watched carefully at who achieves their goals and who tends to struggle.

You know what they all have in common?

You guessed it, yes, virtually all of the clients that achieve their goals make a plan, and some even utilized my suggestion to use visualization of themselves already achieving the goal.

Why visualization?

Remember last week's post and the term reticular activation.  Well, visualization is another very important aspect of reticular activation. Athletes use it all time to improve their performance on the field.  Seeing yourself already achieving a goal is a powerful tool.

But it all starts with a plan.

Often times clients ask how to make an effective plan.  Here are two very helpful ways:

Daily_Planning

How to squeeze the most time out of your time


And just in case you need some good old fashioned video motivation -- here's one of my personal favorites:

Mid Week Motivation: What Are YOU Thinking About?

I remember an old phrase someone once shared with me that has given me a great deal of insight through the years and I want to share it with you:

"That which you resist persist"

I'm sure there are many different interpretations, but to me the phrase basically means, the more you time and energy you spend on something, often times the more you will experience it.

Think about it for a second.

When something really gets on your nerves, whether it's traffic, a disagreement with a friend or loved one, or a situation at work, have you ever noticed how much time and energy you spend re-playing the event over and over in your head.  And then wonder why the situation seems to continue coming up in your life?

I'm beginning to believe in this world of instant gratification we all get a bit too easily frustrated and distracted when it comes to getting things done.  When a situation doesn't go our way, we spend so much time re-telling the story to anyone who will listen, we constantly replay the event in our minds, and then wonder why we are continually running into these types of situations over and over again.  Why me?  We sometimes ask ourselves.

Maybe a better question is, why are you spending so much time and energy preoccupied with the very thing you don't want in your life?

Be clear, I'm not referring to some new age spirituality, but instead something that we all know as scientifically true .  Remember my post on reticular activation?

Why not try a different approach.  Try spending more time and energy focused on the things you do want instead of the things you don't want.  Yes, it sounds oh so simple, but try monitoring how much time and energy you spend on the things you don't want in your life versus the goals and plan you have to achieve those goals.  Which one wins out?

Here's a simple example I think we can all identify with to make the point more clear.  You've decided you want a certain outfit or a certain type of car.  Ever notice how it seems that every place you look you see that car or a similar outfit?  That's because your mind is tuned into that stimulus and has increased your awareness of it.  It's an oversimplified example but I think you get the point.

If you're sincere about wanting to transform your body, get out of pain, or just improve your day to day experiences, start paying attention to how you spend your energy and what you let affect your thoughts and grab your attention.

Need a little help nailing this down?  Check out these two:

Liberate_Yourself_from_the_Opinions_and_Judgments_of_Others.doc

Eradicate the poison that kills dreams

The bottom line is, if this year is going to be better than last year, you have to be better than last year.  Start paying attention to how you spend your time and energy. 

Now Go Out, Practice, and Get It Done!

Mid Week Motivation: First Things First

Just Do It!  We all know the slogan.  And we all know what product it belongs to.  Truth be told, those three words say tons about how to get anything accomplished in life.  Just Do It.

Just getting in there and doing it has its merits without a doubt.  But it's been my experience that it's often times challenging to just do it when you don't have a decent grip on the present state of affairs -- work, family, personal responsibilities.  Part of being able to Just Do It, has a great deal with being able to see yourself doing it.  And it's been my experience that it's awfully hard to see yourself doing anything if you're constantly feeling overwhelmed.

So first things first shall we.

Let's first get you to a mental space where you can start seeing yourself just doing it. 

And the first step in the ever changing, fast paced, immediate gratification world, is to get your stress under control.  Yeah, Yeah, I know, everyone is stressed out beyond belief.  But if you're going to change your present circumstances you're going to have to get your stress under control.  Otherwise you're just running in a circle and not making any progress.  And that's no way to live your life.

So to get you started, let's have you start by practicing these 3 everyday, starting now:

Three_Rules_For_Turning_Stress_Into_Success.doc

OK, so you'll start practicing those 3 starting today.  But let's be honest, just getting your stress under control is easier said than done -- right?  I mean you can say all the affirmations you want, listen to your motivational CD's in the car on the way to work all you want, but if you don't actively apply what you're learning, it's just a process of going through the motions. 

No, you'll need one more vital tool if you're truly going to get your stress under control and be able to see yourself just doing it.

LEARNING_FROM_YOUR_MISTAKES.doc

Motivation is great!  Heck, that's why I spend each Wednesday giving you tools to use to keep you on track and moving forward.  But giving you tools is only as good as you are ready to apply them. 

Think of it this way. You can't grow a garden if you don't first prepare the soil -- right.  You first have to get rid of all the weeds, turn over the soil so it's soft and ready to nurture the seeds you plant.  Otherwise you might as well try planting a garden on concrete for all the good it will do you -- make sense?

So first things first.  Get your stress under control, learn from your mistakes, and as you're practicing these tools (see how I'm preparing you for the seeds of your own greatness), then you'll be ready to envision yourself doing or achieving the goals you have set for yourself.

You have the tools --

Now Go Out and Get It Done!