My top three lame excuses for not getting it done.



Recently I've noticed how people like to complain about not liking the shape they are in or the way they look but when it comes to actually doing something about all they have are excuses. I'm sorry but excuses mean nothing to me. Don't cry and tell me how bad you feel about yourself and then turn around and go out for a night or drinking or decide to spend all your free time watching crappy reality TV when you could actually be doing something productive. Not that these things are totally bad but I see people spend countless hours at this and barely any working towards what they say is important to them.

As a friend of mine recently said in life there are whiner, weiners and winners. Which are you??

Yeah I know I'm going to get some kickback from this but sorry the truth hurts and some people need to hear it instead of that same old BS lines like "it's okay" or "try harder next time." Try to me implies I'm going to fail and okay implies mediocrity. If you want to be mediocre go ahead just don't bitch about it.

So to continue on my soapbox here are in my mind the top three lamest excuses for not getting it done. Notice I'm not talking just about exercise it can be applied to anything that takes work your relationships, your spirituality, or your profession.

#1- I just don't have time. This is the lamest of the lame. Who isn't busy. What you should really say is it isn't a priority. Be honest with yourself. If you are serious about improving something you make time. Whether it means getting up later in the morning or staying up later at night.  I know plenty of people who have a full time job, family and volunteer work but still manage to find time to get after a goal whether it be getting a degree or training for a marathon.

#2-________(fill in someone's name a spouse, kid) won't let me. Hello are you an adult?  You are ultimately in control of your discretionary time. People can only control you if you let them. Quit passing the buck to someone else and take responsibility. It starts with you and you only.

#3-I'll do it when ____happens.  Another favorite. Guess what _______ won't happen for awhile if at all. When in life will the stoplights all be green.  There will never be a perfect time. Opportunities to accomplish great things don't come around often so take them when they do.  My personal favorite is when people tell us trainers they will come see us when they lose 10 pounds. That's putting the cart before the horse.

Bonus lame excuse. It's too hard!  What in life that is worth it is easy. Having a good marriage is hard work, raising kids is hard work, getting or staying good shape is yes you guessed it hard work. If you don't work for it you don't appreciate it. Think of something you had to bust your butt for like getting an  grade in a class, a job promotion or making a sports team. Face it when things get east they get boring. Facing challenges and overcoming them is what develops character. Whining, complaining, and blaming do nothing except annoy those around you and it doesn't get you anywhere.


Go back to my friend's question "are you a whiner, weiner or winner."  Be honest what has your attitude been lately?  Are you just getting by or are you making the most out of life? The good news is that if you are either a whiner or weiner, you can become a winner. It's as simple as saying no more excuses and making the decision to do whatever it takes to accomplish the things in life that you really want to.

As they say in the world series of poker then an only then are you truly " all in."

Learning how to manage life's obstacles from kids

Last night I had the privilege of meeting with and coaching the Jumpstart participants at Puravida, and can I just say WOW? What an inspiring group! They are in the 6th week of their 8-week program, and motivation is still high as they achieve their goals, even though many hit a few bumps along the way. Congratulations for staying the course!

Adversity is a funny thing. Why do some people seem to sail through it and others get stuck in it, only to once again be derailed from meeting their goals? This was a big part of our discussion last night and we decided that we could learn a lot from children when it comes to challenges.

How kids tend to deal with obstacles:

They SHOW UP!!

They don’t question and over think everything

They don’t beat themselves up

They don’t think the grass is always greener

They don’t dwell on poor me, or become a victim

They are in the moment…in the flow…engaged in living

They keep keepin on

They are eternal optimists by nature

They smile, laugh and make new friends

Kids, do what comes naturally to their souls they know how to just “BE.”

So when did it get so complicated for the rest of us?

Life is continually trying to knock us off the course of bliss, fulfillment, and contentment. But what if we don’t let it?

Where can you adopt some childlike mind-sets when it comes to adversity in your life? Get curious, like a 5 year old; be in the moment and just show up!!



"I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death." Thomas Paine

Coaching Groups Starting Now!

What are you sick of tolerating in your life?

Unhappiness? Unfulfilling career? Extra weight, unhealthy habits?

Reinvent yourself and your life in 6 months or less.

Nancy Von Horn
Chartered Destiny Coaching
(612) 221-6191 cdestinyco@yahoo.com

Training inpiration from Yvonne

Tell me, why do you exercise, work-out? Why do you spend endless hours at the gym,

or beat yourself up for not going enough. Why do you eat healthy, or scowl at the empty bowl of

ice-cream in front of you?


Actually don’t tell me. It doesn’t matter why. Everyone has their own reasons. What

matters is that you get to where you want to be. Who you want to be.

Who are you setting goals for? Not your friends, your co-worker, the neighbor down the

street, or your trainer :)

You are doing it for YOU.

Do what it takes and go all the way. Don’t

give in, just watch the transformation unfold. Watch how empowered you will feel once you’ve

reached your goal/s. Start with small ones and then challenge yourself.

Go where you want to go, because you want, you can and you will. Because, you are:

poised, driven, fired-up, sick-of-it, determined, inspired, encouraged, positive and you are tough!


“The whole idea of motivation is a trap.

Forget motivation.

Just do it.

Exercise, lose weight, test your blood sugar, or whatever. Do it

without motivation. And then, guess what?

"After you start doing the

thing, that's when the motivation comes and makes it easy for you to

keep on doing it.” (J.C.Maxwell)

Come on, do what it takes. For you.

Yvonne

Lose Those Last 10 Pounds With This Simple Diet "Trick"

Everyone faces it at one time or another...



The dreaded fat-loss plateau. That's when things are going great, you're making progress and then BAM! -- your body leaves you scratching your head, wondering why it won't budge that last little bit.



Today, I'd like to give you a fun little "trick" that works with your body's biochemistry. This trick helps get your body moving in the direction you want it to... a fitter, trimmer YOU!



Ready to say goodbye to those last 10 or so stubborn pounds that won't come off?



Great. Let's get started...



The key to losing that last bit of fat has to do with a hormone called leptin.



Right now, you're probably thinking, "lepti-what?"



Let me explain.



Leptin is a fairly recent discovery as far as hormones go (it was first discovered in 1994).



It's main job function is as a "starvation hormone."



Basically, when you're body senses it's starving, leptin kicks in. It sends a signal to your brain that tells your body to be VERY hungry and start eating like a bear.



It also lets your body know that it needs to hang on to fat at ANY cost. So the majority of the calories you eat are then programmed to go to fat storage during this "starvation" phase.



Once your body reaches what it thinks is equilibrium, leptin tells your brain to stop eating and stop storing fat. Then it shuts off -- only to be awakened once starvation mode kicks in again.



So leptin acts kind of like a fat "thermostat."



When your body senses it's starving and it's not getting enough calories like it's used to getting, leptin kicks in to make you hungry and get you to eat. Once you've had enough, it shuts off and tells your brain to give you the "full" feeling.



Now here is how it's responsible for stalling your fat loss efforts...



When you're dieting, the calorie deficit causes your body's leptin levels to plummet, triggering the starvation mode. It then sends the signal to your brain to be hungry and hang on to fat at all cost... (do you see where this is going)?



So your own body is working against you -- especially if you've been dieting for a while and reached a plateau.



How do you break it?



You have a cheat meal, once a week. Eat ANYTHING you want for this meal. Hamburgers, fries, pizza, ice cream... whatever you're craving.



Now, don't make yourself sick. Don't binge eat. Eat plenty, but when you're full, stop.



Cheating like this raises your leptin levels naturally. Leptin then sends the signal to your brain that everything is "a-okay" and allows your body to start burning fat freely again.



Also, make sure your cheat meal includes plenty of carbs. Research suggests that leptin levels and carb intake are somehow closely linked together.



By eating plenty of carbs, you ensure that your leptin levels rise naturally.



So there you go. The simple act of cheating and having whatever you want once a week could be just what you need to lose that last little bit of stubborn fat!



And stay tuned, because later this month I'll be sending you ANOTHER diet tip that'll raise your leptin levels so you can melt fat off like butter. In fact, it's the secret behind how many top fitness models and bodybuilders are able to get such fantastic results.

Two steps forward one step back

Many times in fitness we find ourselves motivated and in the zone. We get to the gym , we watch what we eat and everything is hunky dory. Then something happens good or bad to throw us out of our routine.  Sometimes it's a vacation which gets us out of our routine and we eat too much and lay around. Other times it might be an injury, sickness or stressful event such as a death in the family.

I've been involved with fitness over 25 years. It started as a skinny 15 year old kid which transformed into a 270 pound football player bulked up to the max an rebounded to a lean 205 pound bodybuilder and now a 210 pound cross training athlete. Yes I've gone through many metamorphosis and I have had some successes an failures.  

Many people think I am always on the ball. I never miss a workout, never eat bad, or drink alcohol. Nothing could be further from the truth.  I have had my workout funks just like the next guy. Ask me about my love for cake which to me is like crack.   

Yes I admit it I'm not perfect even though I'm supposed to be a personal trainer. And you know what that makes me a better trainer. You see I figure if I'm so out of touch with my clients because I never eat anything unhealthy or always make my workouts then I'm not able to relate to my clients very well.  I feel trainers like this often try to make their clients be like them versus relate to them and understand their struggles.

Bottom line is if everyone could kick ass with their fitness and nutrition than I'm unemployed.  `Fitness is not about perfection and doing everything right. It is about consistency and doing the right things regularly.

Ever heard of the 80/20 rule which basically states by doing the right 80% of the time you will see results. It is true.  The 100/0 rule is a recipe for disaster. I know personally.

You see when I did my first bodybuilding show I ate and trained perfectly for 14 weeks. No cheating. Perfect the same perfect food at the same time of day day in and day out.  Also I never missed any workouts. What happened. I got ripped and looked great for my bodybuilding show. It was a great accomplishment. 

But what happened after was I was so sick of being perfect I went on an eating binge of all the foods I had been denying myself from for a about 2 weeks. I blew up from all the water retention an felt sick. I also looked like crap.  

The second bodybuilding show I  did I gave myself some intermittent breaks in the training plan having a few cheat meals with some beer. The end result was the same I got ripped but this time there was no binge on the back end. Lesson learned.

So the next time you get mad at yourself because you fell out of the zone, missed a workout or gave into temptation and downed a box of treats. Realize this fitness, eating the whole thing is really a two steps forward one step back.

You will have your two steps forward times when you are kicking ass in gym and dialed in with your nutrition. You will also have those one step back periods where you lack motivation, are stressed out or just need to back off. This is normal and a good long term strategy. 

What happens if you continually take two steps forward and one step back you end up ahead not behind.  Life is meant to be enjoyed an that might mean having the occasional dairy queen blizzard or blowing off your workout to meet your friend you haven't seen for awhile for happy happy hour.

So be consistent not perfect and enjoy a healthy lifestyle just don't obsess over it.

My ephinany turkey hunting last year

Lately I've been seeing people give up all to easily when met with challenges in the face of accomplishing
goals. That is why they are goals because they are challenging.  So I was reminded of a particular eblast I sent out last year drawing a comparison of my turkey hunting trip to accomplishing a goal. It was really popular so I pulled it out of the archives to rerun it here on the blog. 

Even if you don't like hunting I think you can get something out of it.




This past weekend I went wild turkey hunting with my dad in South Dakota. I know a lot of people think that it should be easy to get a wild turkey since they are all over the place. Well, it isn't. Those things have super sharp sight senses and seem to know how to avoid danger plus you can only shoot 1 adult male turkey it is illegal to shoot a hen or more than one. So you really have to not only find the turkey but also the perfect shot.




Anyway, back to the story. The first day we went out it poured on us and we tried calling the turkeys in but they didn't gobble back but instead they would sneak up on us and see that we were waiting for them and then they would run and disappear like ghosts into the woods. We chased them all over that day and it was pouring rain. I even fell partway into a creek. By the end of the day I was soaked, tired, and turkeyless.



Day two I started out sitting in a turkey blind braving the howling wind which really sucked. My hands were numb and I was freezing by 6am(we got up at 4am to get to the blind). No luck so we set out on foot into the hills to find the turkeys. We did find the turkeys and after an hour of crawling, spying and positioning to get the perfect shot I ended up missing a shot and the turkeys once again got away.



Our hunting party regrouped and decided to cover another area of the ranch. I was starting to doubt if I would bag my turkey and thought I'm going to be out here until dark and have nothing to show for it. I was getting negative in my mind. So I set out with our guide down a ridge.



We passed over two hill and came to a ridge and I looked over the ridge to see a huge Tom turkey strutting around. I quickly ducked down and came up with a plan to sneak up on the turkey. So I creeped along the upper edge of the hill staying out of sight. I was able to get behind a tree and slowly peeked over the ridge.



And there it was...



A perfect shot and this time I did not miss. I nailed a trophy sized turkey. I was so pumped and it immediately erased the other stuff that happened prior to getting the turkey like getting wet, being super hungry, freezing my butt off.







As I was cleaning my turkey it came to me why I like hunting so much. It is not about killing things. It's about a goal and the hunt is the exciting journey to get there. It is much like many things we come up against in life. We have a goal in mind such as losing weight and the goal is like the turkeys tricky to get and many times so difficult that we feel like quitting.



However we only fail if we decide to quit! We might have setbacks and challenges but those things are what shape us and give us character. Believe me when I was chasing turkeys in the howling wind and rain a part of me wanted to say screw it and go warm up in the truck. I'm glad I didn't. I accomplished my goal and it reminded me that the best things in life come from working hard and persevering.

We are your guides in life's "turkey hunt" when it comes to fitness and weight loss. Don't give up! Good things will happen as long as you make the conscience decision not to quit.

6 Steps To Go Where You Have Never Gone

No I'm not a Trekkie  but I want to talk about exploring new frontiers and the line from Star Trek

pops into my head. "Going where no man has gone"

Do you ever go somewhere that you have never gone before.

No I'm not talking about science fiction or Trekkie conventions.

I'm talking about your fitness program.

Is it refreshing and always evolving or stale like the beer after college frat party??



Are you finding your workouts are sporadic or


just plain boring. Do you go to the gym just to

go to the gym. What you are lacking is purpose.

Time to stop being a spectator and get

into the game of life.



Here is my step by step tips on how you can

get some purpose and focus back into your

work out and become a player versus a spectator.



1. Find a challenge that interests you or something

you have never done or attempted. A new frontier to try.


2. Make an announcement, post it on facebook

and let everyone know what you are

doing. Now your integrity is on the line either

see it through or spend countless hours explaining

why you didn’t, your choice.


3. Pay the entrance fee if there is one and register.

No backing out now.


4. Train and prepare with relentless focus,

enthusiasm and intensity.

5. Do the event or challenge and give 100% no

matter what the outcome.


6. Now give yourself a pat on the back for

setting a goal and seeing it through. Very few

people ever do this and will never know how

sweet the feeling is to see something through

Why I like adversity

When I think back on my life to experiences that changed me and gave character I always think of mt football career.

You see I started out playing as a young kid and when I got to high school I was a freshman screw off. Luckily I had a coach who encouraged me and got me focused on something other than being a royal pain in the butt.  In 9th grade I was on the B team and didn't take football seriously but in 10th grade that special coach came in and gave me a shot. It was that year of my life where I learned to focus and work hard towards a goal. Well when I got into my junior year it was the big step up to varsity where I played a back up role behind someone who wasn't getting the job done but nevertheless he remained the starter.

That didn't stop me I was more determined to start my senior year. Well after another  year of hard work I became a starter as a senior and had a decent season. I felt I had more in me so I walked on at Mankato State where I had 2 goals
1.)Earn a scholarship
2.)Become a starter on a college team.

For the first 3 years I toiled on the scout team taking my lumps from the starting defense who were all borderline psychotics. Anyway the same scenario came up as in high school. I was working my butt off beating up on scholarship players who were playing ahead of me. At one point I decided to quit but that only lasted until the next morning when I showed up for the morning workouts without my teammates.

That spring I earned my scholarship and that following fall I became a starter. Had I quit I would have missed out on some special times and the privilege of playing college football and even the honor of making the national playoffs. Wow that was a crossroads in my life!

When I am having challenges in my business or life in general I think back to those days.  The ironic thing is I don't think about the scholarship or starting. No I think about the extra hard work and dedication it took to accomplish those goals and see them through.  I think about the journey to get there.

Here are some of the times I remember most..

• The nights running on track in rain with my special strength shoes that made me jump higher and run faster
• The extra hours I logged in the weight room after most of my teammates were long gone
• The strict attention I paid to nutrition an supplementation while others subsisted on beer and fast food
• The  extra reps I would take in practice so I could get better

My point is that adversity is what makes character. Today I face it all the time running a small business and raising a family. I often wonder had I had given up and quit back then how would I have ended up. Maybe I would be where I am at but I doubt it.

Adversity and challenges are part of life. Sadly many people cave when it comes up while others deal with it and come out stronger.  That one decision to stick out football and see my goals through I feel has shaped the rest of my life.  Had I not gone through those challenges back then I know I would not be able to be where I am today.

So my question is what challenges are you facing and how will you deal with them. Will you cave in and take the easy road out or will you face them head on and develop true character.

4 Foods You Should NEVER Eat

You know what foods are good for you… but do you know what foods you should absolutely, never eat? These foods aren’t just artery-clogging… they’re horrible for your overall health and well-being. So do whatever you can to stay clear.



Trans-Fat. This is known as a complete heart killer. It’s a man made fat (hydrogenated oils) originally designed to increase the shelf-life of most foods (think peanut butter, margarine, cookies, etc.) Health organizations all agree that no more than 2 grams of trans fats should be consumed per day. Why? It’s linked to increasing LDL or “bad” cholesterol… it increases triglycerides… and causes inflammation. Basically, it’s a power-packed artery blocker. So make sure you read ALL food labels. Make sure there are no trans fats. Also, look in the ingredients. If it says “hydrogenated oil” then don’t buy it. Even though the label says it is free of trans fats, it still contains them due to the hydrogenated oils in the ingredients.

Margarine. Avoid this one, since it has trans fats and is not good for you. You’re better off eating real butter. Avoid the marketing hype that it’s good for your heart. It’s not.

“Chinese” Food. What we here in America call Chinese food is absolutely horrible for you. It’s loaded with MSG (a form of salt) and boatloads of fat. The sodium content alone will provide you with about a week’s worth of the recommended daily allowance. If you absolutely love it, I’d recommend having it no more than once a month.

Diet Soda. Believe it or not, these calorie-free concoctions can actually make you fat! A study at Purdue University found evidence that the artificial sweeteners used may mess with your body’s metabolism, inducing you to overeat! Either way, you should probably just stick to water and tea. And if you absolutely must have soda, have the sugary kind… but sparingly!

How Many Of These Toxins Are In YOUR Body?



Did you know that your body gets exposed to HUNDREDS of toxins every day?




If you’ve ever wondered where that headache came from… or why your mood sometimes swings… or why you can’t seem to think clearly, it’s probably because these toxins made their way into your bloodstream — without you even realizing it.



It’s scary, I know. The worst part is these toxins can be found everywhere. In the water you drink… the food you eat… even on the clothes you wear. Where do they come from? Practically everything — the chemicals used to make plastics… vinyl… laundry detergent… household cleaners, you name it.



Seeing how big of a problem this is, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) set out to see just how big a threat these toxins are…



And in one study, they analyzed the blood of newborns in American Hospitals. The scanned these newborn blood samples for KNOWN and hazardous metals and chemicals (some used in “heavy” industries)…



They found 287 DIFFERENT toxic metals and chemicals in the newborns’ blood.



Of course, the babies got it through their mom’s bloodstreams… which means that toxic pollutants are everywhere. What’s more, they have a very easy time getting absorbed through your skin.



The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also knows how prevalent these toxins are. In one study, they took blood and urine samples of 2,400 people. They found around 215 toxic pollutants in

These pollutants include everything from lead, mercury, pesticides, to aluminum and the fire retardant BDE-47.



That’s why it’s so important to detox your body on a regular basis. Detoxing leads to increased energy, a strengthened immune system, less allergies and more efficient fat-burning.



Here are 4 ways you can detox naturally and avoid getting these toxins in your bloodstream in the first place...



1, Reduce your exposure to plastics and heavy cleaners. Heating your food in plastic containers, for example causes the release of PCBs which then leak into your food. If you’re cleaning the house, use “natural” cleaners that are not laden with heavy chemicals to do the job, as these can seep into your skin.



2. Eat cruciferous veggies. These are veggies like broccoli, kale, cauliflower and bok-choy. They contain compounds that help regulate the negative hormonal effects toxins can have on your body.



3. Milk thistle. You can find this at any health food store. It is believed to help cleanse your liver (which is highly important for great overall health.)



4. Chlorella. This usually comes in powder form. You can find it at your local health food store as well. Chlorella is special, in that it literally “grabs” onto heavy, toxic metals in your bloodstream and “flushes” them out, through a process known as chelation.



This Spring, don’t just clean your house. Clean out your body!

The straight truth and nothing but the truth about gaining muscle part 3



Here is the final piece on my gaining muscle series. 

You are eating right and hitting the gym hard but is that all there is to it??

No you also have to make sure you are doing everything possible to maximize recovery which equals maximum muscle gain. 

So here is a quick laundry list of other activities to help you improve your results.


Sleep at least 7 hours a night-Sleep is where the majority of recovery occurs. Too many Americans lack in this department.   This is where you can optimize your hormonal environment for muscle growth. Deep sleep promotes increased growth hormone production. Higher growth hormone leads to more muscle mass and less bodyfat.    Lack of sleep affects performance on the gym and increases cortisol levels which will sabotage your muscle gaining efforts.

Here are some tips to help you enjoy a more restful sleep

• Not TV or computer near bed time they stimulate your brain to relax it.  Try reading before bed instead.
•  Eliminate noise and light
• Take in some protein before bed to keep blood sugar stable. When blood sugar drops it can cause you to wake up.
•   Use a ZMA supplement which will research show induces deep sleep and increases natural testosterone production.  I recommend Adovocare's nighttime recovery.
• Create a ritual nightly and try to go to bed and rise at similar times each day

Do static stretching post workout-After an intense workout muscles it is essential to get muscles into a relaxed state so they can begin to recover. An easy way to do this is throughly stretch the muscles you worked out holding each stretch in for 30 seconds or until the muscles relax. This will help improve circulation to the muscles that will basically help blood get rid of metabolic waste in the tissue and pump in nutrients for recovery.

Post Workout Hot Cold Shower Technique-This is an old eatern bloc technique used create a natural pump in the blood. Similar to contrasting which is used in sports medicine.  It helps get your body into a relaxed state as well.  Here is the sequence Cold-Hot-Cold-Hot-Cold do cold for 30 seconds and hot for 1 minute. Sounds silly but it really works I've done it and felt super relaxed afterwards. That is one of the keys to recovery is getting your body into a relaxed state ASAP after an intense workout.

Take a good multivitamin/mineral and fish oil supplement- I hear it all the time "I can get all I need from my diet." Well the truth is most people don't have time or put the effort in it takes to do this optimunally.  So taking good supplements is a good insurance policy that makes sure your body is getting everything it needs for optimum health, recovery and muscle growth. I won't go into all the science but these should be foundational supplements everyone should take.  Vitamins and minerals help your body use nutrients much like spark plugs help your engine run.  They also alleviate free radical damge that occurs from intense exercise as well.   So in a nutshell by taking these you are focused on keeping all the cells in your body healthy. A healthy body is one that doesn't hurt or breakdown and is one that performs well in the gym.

One quick sidenote. Make sure you use supplements that are USP Pharmaceutical grade. Don't just grab some botte off the shelf at Wal Mart.  Look on the label and make sure that it is a supplement with this grade to ensure it is made at the same quality as our pharmaceuticals. That way you know you will be absorbing high quality nutrients and not peeing them into the toilet.



So there is a three part blog to get you going. Now you can sit and ponder it or like Yoda said in Star Wars there is no try just DO."  No paralysis by analysis please.  Get going and be consistent. Give yourself 2-3 months and if you implement these strategies you will see a bigger, more muscular you.

The straight truth and nothing but the truth about gaining muscle part 2



When it comes to training let's face it there are a lot of weenies out there.  They make a lot of noise and draw a lot of attention but their training is weak. 

I've talked to many so called hard gainers but really the other problem aside from poor nutrition is a weak training plan. 

So here are some fundamentals you need to have in place if you want to see muscle gain.

Train your legs. Make them a priority.
Doing the leg extension machine supersetting with leg curls does not count.  That's the poser workout.  Do you want to be the stereotypical guy with a big upper body and tooth pick legs.  This means you do squats and I mean real squats not smith machine squats and or hack squats. Real get under the bar , gut buster squats.  No they won't hurt your back and knees if you do them right.  A good flexibility and mobility warm up will make you squat better and safer.

When I was first lifting weights I was 150 pounds soaking wet. My first year I tried to do leg extensions and leg curls with leg press. Yeah I know pathetic. Anyway I gained 15 pounds mostly in my upper body and still had toothpick legs.  I got smart and added squats in my second year of training. I gained 4 inches on my thighs and 25 pounds of solid muscle. 

Squats also stoke up your anabolic hormones in your body.  So you promote muscle growth all over.  Also throw in some unilateral leg work such as single leg- leg press or split squats.  Stiff leg deadlifts are good for hamstring and glute development as well.  I also like to do some plyometrics like hops on one leg holding  a dumbbell along or box jumps for calf development.  After all those things then you can throw in some leg extensions and leg curls as icing on the cake.   Train your legs hard and you'll see your whole body change you will also be able to wear shorts without looking like an asymmetrical freak.

Use split days that promote recovery not overtraining
Another thing that is counterproductive is training back one day and then biceps the next or chest one day and shoulders the next day.  Really your delts get taxed with chest work as do your triceps do so do them all on one day so that they can recover together. 

Remember muscle gain is about putting the hurt on your muscles and allowing them to recover.  Work your biceps with your upper back and delts and triceps with your chest so you are not tearing them down the next day.

Here is a split I like to use:

Day 1- Push(Chest, Delts, Triceps)
Day 2-Legs(Remember make them a priority so give them their own day)
Day 3-Pull(Back, Biceps, Throw in abs as well)


Prioritize Compound Movements Over Isolation Movements
Always start with multi joint movements such as squats, presses, rows and finish with single joint isolation exercises like bicep curls, tricep pushdowns, leg extensions etc.

Increase Training Volume Workout To Workout
Volume is the key to muscle growth to accomplish this use 3-4 sets and 6-12 reps for each exercise.  Keep a training log so you make sure you are always increasing the total volume of the workout.

Here is how you figure out volume for each exercise
Sets x reps x reps= volume for that exercise

Example  Bench press 200 lbs 3 sets of 10=  6,000(total volume)

Add up the total exercises so you can figure out the total volume per exercise. Every workout you should see this number increase.


Limit Cardio
Keep focus on what the goal is. Muscle gain. Don't rob Peter to pay Paul. Too much cardio will work against your muscle development efforts.  If you must do cardio limit it to 3x/week for 20-30 minutes keeping the heart rate under 120 beats per minute.  Intense cardio will break you down and interfere with your body's ability to recover


There you go those are some solid tips to get started. If you need more guidance on setting up this type of  phase you can email me at info@puravidafitness.com  I'll be happy to lay out a routine for you. 

The bottom line is train hard,  allow time for recovery and don't try to skate around the tough exercises. The hardest exercises yield the best results.

Next week I will go over the X-factors in part three of this blog series.

The straight truth and nothing but the truth about gaining muscle part 1

So often run into other guys who want to put on muscle. They express their frustration about lack of progress and use lame phrases like "I'm a hard gainer" , "I have bad genetics" or my favorite "I've tried everything and am about ready to get on steroids.

After listening to them rant on why they can't gain weight I usually ask two things:

1. Give me an overview of your training program
2. Give an overview of how you are eating

100 percent of the time when they lay these things out for me there are more holes in their methods than swiss cheese.  Their methodology for gaining muscle just plain sucks and here is why:

They aren't willing to put in the work with their eating and training necessary to add lean mass.

So I'm going to lay it on the line here. What makes me such an expert? You might say. Back when I first started lifting weights I was 150 pounds soaking wet at 6 feet tall.  Basically a pencil neck you might say.

Anyway through proper eating and training I went from that as a sophomore in high school to a 270 pound offensive lineman in college.  Now I wasn't ripped not too many offensive lineman are but I did put on a lot of lean mass in the process.  And when I peeled off the bulk after football for bodybuilding there was a lot of muscle there.

So no I'm not a physiology professor and I don't have PHD in exercise science but I do have real life experience combined with the science of the human body.  I also made enough mistakes to tell you what doesn't work too. 


So here are some fundamental concepts needed to truly add muscle. This week I'm going to cover nutrition and next week I will cover training.


#1 -Eat enough to gain mass. Too many guys want to stay really lean and aren't willing to gain a some bodyfat. Higher calories help your body stay in a positive nitrogen balance, raises anabolic hormone levels(insulin, IGf-1, testosterone).  Generally you want to shoot for around 30% more calories than your maintenance level. So if you need 2,000 calories to maintain you need 2,600 to get this effect.  You cannot I repeat cannot be worried about gaining a little fat. It goes with the territory.  Generally about 60-65% of the weight you gain will be lean mass and you can peel the fat off by adjusting your diet and cardio.  So if you gain 10 pounds after a mass building phase 6-6.5 pounds will be solid lean mass. 

As with cutting you do not wan to skip meals. You have to keep your body in an anabolic state at all times to maximize recovery which equals more muscle gain.


As far as food goes I love to eat things like pancakes/waffles, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, beef, and throw in some fat as well(butter, nuts).   By doing this you will create a great anabolic environment fore growth.   This doesn't mean eat fast food all the time. Focus on eating quality with your quantity. 

Once again don't worry about maintaining washboard abs. That isn't the focus of this phase. The focus is adding lean mass so stick to the focus. We'll talk about the abs later.

Here is an example of what I do

Breakfast: 4:30am
8 eggs 4 whole 4 whites
1-2 large bowls of cereal or oatmeal
1 piece of fruit

Post-Workout 7:30am :  Recovery shake from advocare

Snack  9:30am
2 Meal Replacement Bars

Lunch  12:30pm

Omelet with cheese
3-4 pancakes with butter and syrup
Potatoes or hash browns

Snack  3pm

Peanut Butter And Jelly Sandwich
1 Protein Bar

Dinner  6:30pm
8 oz beef
pasta
salad
nuts


Evening snack  9pm

Greek yogurt
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich


#1- Take a good post-workout recover shake within 30 minutes of finishing your workout-
After giving your body the beat down it is screaming for nutrients and is in a primed state to absorb them. Kind of like a dry sponge in the middle of a bath tub.  So you need to take full advantage of this short window of time which is essential for your body to switch from catabolic(breaking down) to anabolic(building up).  You should take in a good post workout shake which contains high quality whey protein which has a full spectrum of amino acids as well as carbohydrates to refill taxed glycogen stores and prevent your body from breaking down protein(muscle) for energy.   The protein provides branch chain amino acids leucine, valine and isoleucine as well as glutamine to help enhance growth and repair of muscles damage from intense training.     Carbohydrates can be higher on the glycemic index to spike insulin which will increase of nutrients into the muscles cells an enhance absorption.   

A few products I recommend are Max ARM from max muscle or Adovcare's post recover mix.  You can also throw together your own mix using whey protein powder with fruit and juice or yogurt blended up.  I choose liquid because it gets into the system faster.  Timing is crucial when it comes to nutrition.

Take protein in just before bed
At night it essential to get quality sleep as well as stay in an anabolic environment where muscles grow and recover so it just makes sense to take in protein before turning in for the night.  This is for two reasons.

1. Give your body something to digest throughout the night which will prevent it from going into a catabolic state. If you don't eat after 6pm like a lot of "experts" preach and you get up at 6 am then you have gone 12 hours without feeding your body forcing it into a starvation mode which will cause it to break down protein and is counter productive to muscle growth.

2. Keep blood sugar stable so you stay in deep REM sleep cycles where growth and repair occurs.  One of the big reasons people wake up is low blood sugar which can interrupt sleep patterns that are essential to you recovering from training.  Carbs tend to break down quickly(20-45 minutes) but protein takes much longer(1-4 hours) thus holding blood sugar stable for much longer than carbs would.


There are three solid eating tips that will put you on the way to gaining muscle. Whether you are eating to gain muscle or lean out 70-80% of the battle is eating to match your goals so take this part seriously and you will see serious results.



Next week I will discuss training concepts for putting on muscle mass.

 So your first assignment is to stockpile your fridge with food an you will need a lot of it as well as get yourself a good protein supplement for night time and post workout formula for optimize recovery.

Three exercises you should never do.

To me going to the gym many times is like watching a car accident about to happen. I see so many people doing exercises that put themselves at risk for injury.  I have to admit I used to o these exercises but haven't for years because I  know train smarter than I did back then. 

So here are three of the biggest offenders in my opinion.

#1-Smith Squats
People think by doing squats on this machine that they are safer from back injuries which can't be further from the truth. The smith machine creates more compression on the spine by limiting your ability to flex your hips back and adjust your body underneath the bar. You're better off doing regular bar squats which allow you to adjust your hips and spine to take on the stress from the weights much like shock absorption system. Plus regular squats force you to fire up your core and balance which is something you don't get from smith squats. I had a friend who tore a disc in his back doing these a couple of summers ago.

                                                                         

 #2-Upright Rows

People use this exercise all the time to build up their shoulders.  This exercise is puts your shoulder in an impinged position that basically cranks on the glenohumeral joint which is your ball and socket joint of the shoulder.  By throwing your shoulder into impingement you are asking for shoulder problems down the road. Impingement many times leads to rotator cuff problems.  If you want to build up your shoulders stick to overhead presses(to the front) front and lateral raises with dumbbells.  Always weigh out risk to benefit. The risk of doing these far outweighs the benefit. One quick side note.  They are useful as a progression to Olympic lifts like cleans but these type of upright row don't require you to pull so high which is where the joint impingement occurs.

#3- Behind the neck military press

This is another popular exercise for shoulders. Here are the two reasons why they make the list. Number one this exercise forces the neck forward into a protracted position which places undo strain on the cervical spine and neck. Number two it places the shoulders in a close pack position which puts a ton of strain on your glenohumeral joint which can lead to an AC joint sprain on the shoulder.  Also by sitting straight up you compress the discs in the spine.  You are better off doing presses to the front on a slightly angled back bench which will greatly reduce the stress on the spine and shoulder joints.  Standing in a stride stance and pressing to the front is also a better option. These variations allow you to blast the shoulders without putting your spine, neck , and shoulder joint at great risk.

Juan Carlso Santana a popular presenter in the fitness field once said something years ago that stuck with me.  Always weigh out risk to benefit. Does the risk of doing this exercise outweigh the benefit. Ask yourself this question. Many times you will find yourself saying it does not. We all get emotionally attached to certain exercises but reality is we can't really justify why we do them other than we think they are the necessary when really there are other safer exercises that will get the job done just as well without the added risk.

10 Reasons Why Most Exercise Programs Fail

Has this ever happened to you?



Every year around this time millions flock to the

health club, join a diet center, or make a pledge to

get fit this year.



Yet by February 1, 90% have failed in their resolution

and have returned to their old ways.



Sure they're frustrated, discouraged, and miserable

with their current condition... but feeling that way

about your health and your body does not determine

whether or not you will be successful this year in

making a real change.



Why?



Well, there are many reasons for fitness failure. And

as a fitness professional I see them all the time.



Here's my Top 10 list of why fitness programs fail:



1. Incomplete programs- starting a strength training

program, with no attention paid to nutrition. Or

beginning a cardio program without addressing strength

training, etc. I could go on and on. But chances are

you can identify with one of these scenarios.



2. Failure to address nutrition first- starting an

exercise program, and failing to address nutrition

FIRST is just plain dumb. You've got to feed your body

the right "fuel" to exercise, have energy, keep up with

the increase in activity, and furthermore really get

your metabolism movin'.



3. Incomplete nutrition- with all the wacko diets and

'well-meaning' but 'uneducated' friends giving you

advice in this area, it's no wonder there is so much

confusion. All protein. No protein. All organic. Low

glycemic. High glycemic. Good fats. Bad fats. If you're

confused when it comes to how to really put together a

nutrition program that will get you to your goals,

you're not alone.



4. Avoiding endurance- mostly a mistake made by men.

You know the guys I'm talkin about. They're over 40+

and get back to the gym to work on their "big arms"

when they really need to be working on gettin' rid of

their "big gut". That means making cardio a priority!



5. Push too hard, too soon- this one is really sad, and

it happens because most folks begin exercising with no

instruction. And also because most folks are IMPATIENT,

and they have nobody to help them establish realistic

goals on a timetable, with a plan to accomplish them.

So they workout like an animal for a week, then can't

move their body for three, and lose all the motivation

they had when they started. Totally unnecessary.



6. No warm-up, cool down- Whether you haven't worked

out in a while. Or you've been exercising regularly.

MOST folks do not put anytime into preparing their body

for exercise. And this is essential... especially as

you get older! You've got to warm up the car, before

you put the 'petal to the metal'. Otherwise you're just

asking to break somethin' and be in the repair shop...

and trust me, you DON'T want to go there.



7. No stretching- not stretching is asking for injury.

And it's not "if", it's "when." Stretching and

attention to flexibility must be part of your warm-up

and cool-down routine. And the more you exercise, the

more you have to stretch. I preach this all the time,

but some folks just don't listen until it's too late.

Don't let this happen to you.



8. No post workout nutrition- why is it important to

feed your body a certain way after exercise? Because

the right nutrition after exercise will accelerate your

recovery dramatically, refuel glycogen (gas in your

tank) and reduce soreness dramatically. Anytime you

perform intense exercise, or strength training,

attention MUST be paid to nutrition after the workout.

And there is a VERY specific formula for maximizing

this. Use it and succeed, ignore it and suffer.



9. Lack of professional guidance- go into any health

club this week and you'll see it all over the place.

The "blind leading the blind." Often well-meaning and

intentioned, but incredibly misinformed and uneducated

folks will sink your fitness ship faster than you can

say "Titanic." You wouldn't ask just anybody to give

you financial advice, nor would you have just anybody

just you legal advice. You invest in experts to get

expert guidance. That's why anyone serious about

getting results from a fitness program should invest in

working with a professional coach. As the saying goes,

"you get what you pay for."



10. Lack of accountability- you cannot be accountable

to yourself. Read that statement again. No matter how

good your intentions are, if left to your own devices

you will almost always revert to old lifestyle

patterns. I call it the "rubber band effect." You start

to stretch out, make changes, then before you know it

you're pulled right back to your old form. And that

ain't where you want to be. You've got to work hard to

break free and adopt new lifestyle patterns. Having a

coach hold you accountable to your plan and

IMPLEMENTATION is essential. Without somebody to hold

you accountable, you results will almost always be

little to nil.

Are you not eating enough to lose weight??

Are You Eating Enough To Lose Weight?

Posted By Lu Herbeck, Puravida Fitness Nutrition Coach

In my experience, as a weight management consultant, working with predominantly female clients, I find that weight loss is an elusive goal for many. I hear the same issues raised time and again; “I watch my calories or my fats or my carbohydrates and I still can’t lose weight.” Does this sound familiar?



You may not have considered that some of these clients, and maybe even you, are not eating enough! Your body needs a consistent level of healthy, adequate nutrition. Cutting calories to less than about 1500 for women and about 1800 calories for men per day may actually discourage weight loss in favor of retaining body fat. Prisoners in concentration camps were emaciated due to chronic lack of calories and nutrients, but actually maintained a relatively high body fat. It’s a survival of the fittest principle that encourages our bodies to consume its own muscle mass in order to maintain enough body fat for emergencies. That is not a healthy lifestyle.

Just like a camp fire needs to be stoked periodically, your body needs fuel (food) about every 2-3 hours. Going too long without eating encourages your metabolism to slow down to conserve energy. Eating large amounts of food at one sitting encourages some of the excess calories to be stored as fat. Both of these scenarios are your body’s normal physiological response to food intake or lack thereof.

To break the chain you need to be conscious of eating every 2-3 hours and eat protein with each meal or snack. The protein slows down the breakdown and absorption of carbohydrates, which keeps your blood sugar on a more even keel. Following this one principle will help you reduce (carbohydrate) cravings, increase your satiety and encourage muscle tissue growth and maintenance. Making sure you are consuming enough calories throughout the day will encourage your body to run like a well oiled machine and provide you with increased energy and vitality. Consider the fact that it takes at least 800 calories to support life functions in a 50 year-old woman to just lie in bed. Once you add the energy it takes to carry out daily activities, exercise, digesting etc., it takes an absolute minimum of 1200 calories just to keep your body functioning. If you chronically consume too few calories your body will have to adjust to fewer calories just like we have to adjust our budgets to cover a decrease in income.

I know it’s counterintuitive to consume more calories (within reason) to lose weight but it’s been demonstrated time and again to be true. Plus, eating an adequate amount of calories is a healthier and longer term lifestyle change that will ultimately result in slow, permanent weight loss/management.

Those voices in my head

Many times the alarm goes off in the morning and it's hard to climb out form under the covers and get going.

I get these voices in my head.

I promise I'm not crazy so keep reading.

You probably know them they say "skip your workout today sleep in" or the infamous  procrastinator voice that tries to bargain with me and says "you can always do it tomorrow."

Once I get to the gym there is another one that chimes in " go light today or skip weights and do cardio." There always seems to be some voices that tell me things that are contrary to my goals.

Then when it comes to eating the one that always tries to sucker me in with "just one won't hurt." Many times when I listen to that voice one ends up being 6, 8 or 10.

As crazy as it sounds I believe we all have these voices inside telling us to take the easy route and justifying. The problem is that these voices don't have our best interest in mind when it comes to being successful in whatever endeavor we are pursuing.

Sometimes it pays to listen to them. Like when you are sick or overtrained but the majority of the time they are saboteurs. 

Almost every time I ignore those voices and push through I feel better and have a great sense of accomplishment.

Why do I push through these things.  Why is why. No I'm not trying to confuse you.  I'm talking about my WHY.  My WHY is what gets me up it is more powerful than all those voices.



So if  you are struggling to get up and stay committed to your fitness goals you are not alone. Most people are starting to abandon their New Years resolutions goals. 

Here is your first step to sticking to those resolutions and being successful.

Find your ‘why.’




When you find your ‘why’ – which is your personal, underlying motivation for getting healthy and fit – then you tap into real commitment – and your fitness success becomes a foregone conclusion.



Because when your ‘why’ is strong enough, you’ll show up for your training sessions, every time – without fail. And, as Woody Allen says, “80% of success is just showing up!”



But one thing we know for sure…it’s easier to remember WHEN to show up if you’ve got it scheduled on your calendar, smartphone or whatever!



And here’s something that’s profound…



The irony of commitment is… it sets you free!



Nothing has the power to eliminate stress, anxiety and worry like commitment. Commitment sets you free – it liberates you. Because we all recognize, at some level, commitment is inevitable if we really want what we say we want. And it’s commitment that empowers us to get what we want. Intention is where you start, the goal is where you finish – but it’s your commitment that carries you through the race.



I hope that doesn’t sound ‘hokey’ to you…because it’s not. Commitment is the cure. Because commitment produces action, and action produces results.

More meathead urban myths from the weight room...

This past week I thought of some more dumb urban myths you frequently hear in gym.  Most of them are from meatheads who liken themselves to be philosophers. Just ask them the next time they spew one of these stupid laws of the gym what is the scientific rational behind their "law."  Chances are you'll get the deer in the headlights look or  the "I read it in Muscle and Fiction." 

Here are some more that make me cringe...:

1. During bench press touch the bar to your chest.  This is great if you are short an stocky and have a barrel chest. Most people that try to do this bring their shoulders into a dangerous position that puts a lot of stress on the glenohumeral joint and connective tissue versus the muscles. A good good general rule of thumb is go slightly past 90 degrees at the elbow. Always retract and pinch your shoulder blades when lowering to keep good rhythm between your shoulder blades and glenohumeral joint thus preventing injuries.

2. Squat to parallel. I used to go beyond parallel which looked cool but gave me some sweet tendinitis.  We do tons of movement screens. Many people don't have the flexibility, mobility or stability to get to parallel especially with a load on their back.  Our rule of thumb is squat to the depth where you have good form and can maintain a neutral spine. A good place to start when trying to get lower on your squats is improving calf flexibility and foot mobility which will instantly add depth to your squat. 

3.)Machines are king because you can do more weight.  Get out of the stone ages!  I hear guys brag about their leg press all the time. Big F***in deal ! Get under the rack and squat than I'll be impressed anyone who has done a free weight squat will attest that it is way more difficult than a leg press. Free weights challenge stabilizers and core musculature. Machines don't do any of this! If you are trying to build muscle they have their place but as finishing movements. Like icing on the cake. Start with basic compound movements like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, pull ups, rows and overhead presses. Add in things like leg curls, leg extensions and tricep pushdowns when you have done the big movements. 

4.)High reps tone,  heavy weights bulk you up!    This is another piece of BS I hear all the time. Higher weights build endurance.  Moderate to heavier weights add hypertrophy i.e. muscle bulk.  Using reps of 6-12 is generally what has been shown to build muscle.  Also look at tempo which has to with time under tension for the muscle.  Keeping the muscle under tension between 40-70 seconds is a good guideline to use. We recommend using a tempo of 3 sec lowering 2 sec pause and 2 sec hold this would be about 7 seconds per rep.  Doing heavy weights will add alot of intensity to your muscles but won't necessarily add much size. 

Women fear bulking up but let me reiterate they don't have the hormone levels to bulk up like men and it also depends heavily on caloric intake.

In Prescription Alternatives, Professor Earl Mindell and Virginia Hopkins detail these findings: "In a recent study on bone density and exercise, older women who did high-intensity weight training two days per week for a year were able to increase their bone density by one percent, while a control group of women who did not exercise had a bone density decrease of 1.8 to 2.5 percent. The women who exercised also had improved muscle strength and better balance, while both decreased in the non-exercising group."

Notice it said high intensity weight training not light weights for toning. Being strong doesn't mean being big.

I have soccer moms who are lean, athletic, and feminine who can flip tractor tires in back of my studio.  That's strong!

Here is a breakdown of good rep ranges we use for different adaptations:

12-25 Endurance

6-12   Hypertrophy (building muscles a.k,a "toning)

1-5     Strength

So there you go. The next time the local gym "expert" starts ranting all his knowledge you'll now have a different perspective. 

Urban fitness an weight loss myths

Here we are in the New Year and people are going crazy trying to undo months of bad habits in a few weeks.  The infomercials are in high gear promising to fix all your problems with one little gadget.  There all kinds of celebrity diets surfacing out there my personal favorite is the HCG Diet where you literally starve yourself and take HCG in a oral compound this is the same thing steroid users take when coming off their cycles.  You go on their site and they have a doctor (which is probably an actor who is a doctor on a soap opera) to make it look all official and they have a testimonial with a woman but let;s see how she looks this time next year.  It's crap like all other diets. People get it through your heads the word DIET is a short term solution to a long term problem.


Anyway while at parties or social gatherings people approach me with "urban myths" about working out and weight loss. So  I decided to list my top four and what I think about these.


1.) There is no magic do hickey or device that is the magic bullet.  Your body needs frequent change and variation to keep changing and improving.  I have found that using a variety of training equipment works when applied correctly. People get into these camps thinking one things is the answer when really it all is. I know there is a kettlebell infomercial out there and people think that they are the best  but the problem is there are many people who aren't' ready to do kettlebells. My wife's cousin got this system hurt herself and ended up trying to sell them Ebay.   You need to vary your resistance training and make sure you know what you are doing when using equipment especially kettlebells. Here are all the types resistance we use free weight, cables, kettlebells, water filled pvc pipe, ropes, TRX, sleds, bodyweight, rubber tubing, stability balls, body blades, throwing bags, bosus and of course our tractor tires out back. That's quite a list! My point is keep varying it up and your body will never get too comfortable and plateau.

2.)By doing  X diet  I can lose so much more fat.I'm sick of hearing  how this diet proves to increase fat burning 5 time more than typical diets or how Paris Hilton did this diet and lost 20 pounds in 2 weeks. The supermarket line is loaded with BS.  Here's a reality check dieting doesn't  work.  We are pushing 70% for the amount of adults who are considered to be overweight and the diet industry is worth 100 billion dollars. So we keep getting fatter as they get richer. Sounds a little fishy to me.   Quit fooling yourself.  Get with a nutritionist or dietitian that knows there stuff and learn how to eat for the long haul. Quit going on and off diets.  If diets worked why are you on another one?   Think long term not short term. Learn about low glycemic eating, learn how to read labels, educate and empower yourself instead of listening to some sell out quack doctor who is peddling his medically approved system  or following the routine that some celebrity who resembles  the skeleton we had anatomy class recommends. What the hell are her credentials anyway?

3.)Running is the only way to lose weight. I hear this one alot. People are obsessed with running. What they don't realize is 70-80% of weight loss is nutrition.  They can go out and run burning 500 calories or so but come right back to the house and erase that calorie burn with a few pieces of pizza or that White Mocha Sugar Supreme Whatchamacallit from Starbucks.  Besides many people should not run because their structure is messed up and the impact will only damage them more. Try biking, elliptical, swimming, circuit training or boxing. There is more than one way to skin a cat.

4.)If I train with weights I bulk up to much. Women say this one all the time. The truth is they don't have the testosterone levels to add muscle like men do.  There levels are usually one fourth of men's. Plus if you aren't eating too many calories you can't add bulk. So once again it comes back to nutrition. Also if you do not want to look like a bodybuilder don't train like one. I like to use circuits with my women and mix it up with high intensity exercises that get the heart rate up and crank up the metabolism as well as shape the body. Check us out on face book where you can find some of out circuit videos. To see what I mean.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Puravida-Fitness-LLC/94822718190

Don't Play The Prevent Defense

Don’t Play The Prevent Defense”

I’ve been a Vikings fan since I was a little kid. One of things they seem to do no matter who is the coach is play the prevent(a win) defense. Whoever designed this defense is a moron. Because it never works. For those of you that aren’t football scholars here is the premise of the prevent defense. When you are ahead let the offense keep gaining on you but do it so that they run out of time before they can score enough points to tie or beat you. So basically instead of playing to win it’s playing not to lose. Well guess what happens when teams go in the prevent.. THEY LOSE.



Why am I babbling about football theory.



Well, I think many people go through life playing the prevent defense that is not to lose. They complain about being overweight or not having enough money but when called out to do something about it they make excuses why they can’t succeed. I’ve been in this field for a long time and have seen and heard it all. I see who makes progress towards their fitness goals and who constantly struggles and never makes progress.



The ones who achieve do whatever it takes to get it done. If that means they have to get up earlier to work out they do it if that means they can’t eat sweets every day they say "no.” most of the time. They are consistently showing up and making good lifestyle choices.



Then there are the ones who consistently struggle and never make any real progress. They use any excuse not to work out like “it’s snowing”(we live in Minnesota deal with it) or I’m too busy(everyone is busy) winners focus on how they can get it done and losers like to fixate on all the reasons they can’t do it.

There is always excuses not to and there will never be a time in life when the stoplights are all green. So quit sitting back playing the prevent in life and play to win. Pick a goal that you want to accomplish this year and pursue it with relentless passion.