Pre-empt holiday cravings

I am going to keep this entry short and sweet because so may people are in stress overdrive during the holidays. So I just thought I would share a quick but timely tip for the holidays.
We all probably eat too many sweets and treats during the holiday season.

I know I've preached damage control in other words trying not to go too far off the deep end.
One way to do this is to "pre-empt" your holiday eating. How does this work? Here is something you can do do prevent over indulging to the point of a virtual sugar coma.

When you know you are most likely going to be eating some treats simply eat a fiber food beforehand this will help slow cravings and also prevent a huge blood sugar spike and crash.
You will typically not eat as much and won't feel as hungry.

Some good examples would be an apple, pear, fiber bars, natural granola, or a high fiber cereal. Do this an hour or two before eating and your blood sugar will thank you.

Happy Holidays!!

Our vision for 2009!!

This month has been largely dedicated on planning for 2009. I always ask myself how I can do a better job as a husband, father, trainer, business owner, friend etc. I reflect back some of the things I have done well over the past year and some things that I did not do so well. One common thing I always tell myself is that there is always room for improvement and growth.

I do not like to get complacent. That's what kills people. Whether it be a relationship or a business I have seen people take the relationships be it a spouse or a customer for granted. I constantly tell myself that I'm blessed to be in the business I am and have such great clients and trainers to work with. I always remind myself of that and it's important going forward to keep working on all the relationships in my life. Personal training is really a relationship business!

So looking ahead into 2009 I'm not going to buy into this circle the wagons mentality some businesses are doing. Which to me is like playing not to lose much like our beloved Vikings who used to build a lead and then play the "prevent " defense where they would let other teams move down the field hoping they could outlast them by trying to let them score slow enough while hoping the other team will run out of time before they can catch up. In the end they always seem to blow the game. I think this also goes for business. As soon as you pull back and behave with fear you start to lose.

This year we are going to increase our offerings to clients with monthly fitness activities such as moonlight cross county skiing, rock climbing walls and other monthly fitness outings to build camaraderie and relationships within our own base. We will also hold more client appreciation events to say "thank you, we appreciate you." We will have more seminars and clinics available for clients to come and get educated. We are aiming to be on I-tunes with podcasts and you tube with videos. Our website will also become a source of multimedia content. We will also be doing more giving back to the community with habitat for humanity projects and fundraisers like the two wellness events we did last year.

The bottom line is we are going to step up our level of service and commitment to our clients and our community. We want to be shining light in a world of negativity. I'm sick of hearing how bad everything and everyone is. I was planning our marketing calendar last night and getting energized by all the things we can offer and do this upcoming year. It really made it hard to go to bed afterwards.

Screw the recession! We are planning to not just try to survive(the Vikings prevent defense) but instead thrive this year! i plan on dedicating myself to higher level of service to all my client and clients of our studio. From thank you notes to recognizing birthdays and accomplishments more readily(thanks to a database manager finally) this can be done. We need feedback from you who read this blog and come to our facility. Because what we think will make it better doesn't matter if it doesn't jive with what all of you think. So please fill out our survey and help us plan for an awesome 2009!

Get your chins up!!

The other day I was having a pity party feeling down because I had started buying into all the negative crap being fed to us through the media and news. I'm usually very positive and upbeat but for some reason I was feeling down and worried about the economy, my business, my ability to provide for my family etc.

I finally decided to put a stop to it all. I got back to doing the things that have helped me succeed. I got an attitude adjustment real quick. I started reading, listening to and watching things that bring me up versus put me in a funk.

I truly believe the radio, TV, magazines etc. are all like the nutrition of the food we eat. If you are constantly eating junk food you will feel like crap and function poorly. The same goes with what you watch and listen to.

If you start hanging around positive people, listening to music that motivates you, watching good TV instead of sensationalized spin about how the sky is falling, then you will start to feel better.

I made a decision today. I decided that I want to step up the positivity with my business and personal life. We always have fun here at the studio with crazy workouts, fun clients, razzing each other etc. I want to more of that in this upcoming year and offer activities and get togethers that people can connect, have fun and bee around other positive people. Laughter is truly good medicine.

I'm sick of negativity it is like a cancer! I want to be an energy giver not an energy sucker. Starting today I'm going to make an extra effort to make people laugh and smile. Screw the media and their doom and gloom.

We are going to start having more fun this year regardless of what is going on. Ultimately we can't control much what goes on. So why waste energy worrying and bitching.?

Start looking at who you are listening to and watch your watching. Surround yourself with positive people and things. You will feel better and it will become contagious.

Being personal trainer to me is not about always kicking people's butts in the gym. It really is about making people feel good about themselves, improving their health, reducing their stress and being an overall positive influence on their lives.