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.

Fighting Holiday Cravings

Every year people tend to get into a mindset of screw it around the holidays.
"I'm just going to gain weight and deal with it afterwards" they rationalize.
Then usually after the holidays they feel guilty. Media sources report that the
average weight gain around the holidays is 7 to 10 pounds. Now all of that probably is not
fat but water retention from eating foods high in salt and processed ingredients.

Well, what do we do? Do we say screw it and just accept this or do we do some damage control? Well, if you are already overweight studies show that you will gain twice as much weight as someone who is at a healthy weight. Thus putting yourself further in the hole.


"How can you then enjoy the holidays without going further in the hole?" Here are a few things I would recommend that I find can keep the weight gain minimized or even at zero.

1.)The weekend rule. Only eat treats on the weekend and stay solid Monday through Friday
2.)Pre-empt treats with a high fiber meal. If you know that you will probably be eating some treats eat something high in fiber before you indulge. This will keep your blood sugar from spiking (i.e.)eliminating cravings.

3.)Drink more water. Extra water can actually help flush out excess water retention. Also
distilled water really helps flush you out so you do not feel as bloated.

4.)Up you calorie burning. It takes 3500 excess calories to gain 1 pound of ugly fat. So if you
eat 500 in excess per day it would take you a week to gain 1 pound of fat. So if you can
add 10-15 minutes to your cardio sessions and increase your workout intensity you can cancel
this out. Kick your workouts up to match your increased caloric intake. Remember Michael
Phleps ate 12,000 calories per day and burned it all off. You can kind of do the same.
It will also give you an outlet for the stress that comes with the holidays as well!

5.)Try to eat a good breakfast consisting of whole foods and protein this will help manage blood
sugar for the rest of the day thus keeping your cravings down throughout the day making
it less tempting to grab for that cookie. An example would be an omelet with fresh fruit and
slow cooking oatmeal.
6.) The 5 day RESET- We have a kit that you can spend five days detoxing your system and re-stabilizing your blood sugar. It's a short detox but we have seen people lose an average of 5-10 pounds after doing this for 5 days. You could fit one of these in between thanksgiving and Christmas. Contact us at our website www.puravidafitness.com for more info on how this works.

To sum it up don't just wave the white flag and bloat up this holiday season and backslide. Get in the mindset of maintaining and not losing ground. Hopefully these tips can give you some ammo to fight the good fight of "the battle of the bulge".

'

"Bailout" Mentality With Fitness

Isn't it funny that right now in our country we are constantly talking about bailouts??
It seems every company that has made a bad business decision wants the government to bail them out. Just look at yesterday our top auto makers' CEOs flew in on their private jets to talk about how they are hurting and need money. Then why don't they fly coach if money is so tight??

I see this mentality as a snapshot of much of our country. We make decisions and then want someone to fix them when we get in a bind. It is no different with fitness and weight loss. People spend years and years eating poorly and sitting on their butts always making excuses why they can't exercise or eat right. They finally come to a point and decide to lose weight and get in shape but when they realize it takes work and time they get frustrated and look for something that will "bail" them out. Whether it's diet pills or the latest shitty diet or surgery they want to fix years of abuse and neglect on the body in a few weeks or months. They also many time think hiring a trainer guarantees them results.

Wrong!!

Hiring a trainer only guarantees someone is going to draw you a road map to regaining your health and they are not going to do it for you. You will be with your trainer a few hours per week but what you do the rest of the time is completely up to you!! The trainer's job is to draw a good map it you job to follow it! You can't skip exercise sessions with your trainer or on your own and expect it is just going to magically happen. You also cannot eat healthy 50% of the time and expect your body to change. Last time I checked 50% on a report card was an "F" that means failing! You need to shout for 90% of the time making good nutrition choices that's how it is done!! That means the vast majority of what you eat is what you should be eating and it still allows for an occasional indulgence or slip up.

You have to realize you got yourself there and it is not the fault of your spouse, friends or George Bush. Take responsibility for getting yourself out of it. Recognize that trainers and other wellness professionals can help you but you need to do the work that they give you.

If you are consistent but not perfect you will see results!

I'm afraid we are getting into a mentality of passing the buck in this country and blaming others or circumstances for all our problems. It's not your age, not your kids fault, not your genetically slow metabolism quit kidding yourself and don't buy into this poisonous mindset. It will get you zero results. If you keep making excuses on why you can't do it or blaming others for your lack of success , you will continue to go where you've always gone and in the end no one is to blame but you.

Barack Obama The Most Fit President??

There was recently an article on Barack Obama in Men's Health where they interviewed about his notion that health and fitness can drive your success. Some of his opponents called him elitist claiming that the average guy doesn't have 90 minutes to spend in the gym and his response was
"I wish I had 90 minutes to spend in the gym" but stated he rotates 45 minutes of weight training one day with 45 minutes of cardio on the other six times per week. He does this in the morning before his hectic days begin.

I liked his response that opponents will always turn your strengths into weaknesses during a
campaign. Like him or not I think everyone would agree that Obama's days are very full dealing with the issues of running for president and now that he's elected , what he is going to do to deal with all of the issues our nation faces. His average day is probably best described as stressful to say the least.

So my question is why is it that so many people say "I have no time for exercise" use this excuse when someone who is running for office can find time daily to take care of their health? It really shoots down that excuse because really in my mind they are saying "it isn't a priority to take care of myself." I would venture to say that Barack's schedule is crazier than most of ours by a long shot.

He has no doubtingly had some great success in life and attributes being fit as a contributing factor. I wholeheartedly agree with that because I find that exercising in the morning is a good way to get your body going to face the challenging day ahead and also gives you an energy boost for the rest of the day. It also seems to clear your mind and give you more focus throughout the day. And let's not forget it's an outlet to the stress we all have in life. Without out some sort of outlet we can really become a basket cases!!


Personally, I had a hard choice voting for President and actually went with McCain at the end but one thing I do respect is what Obama has accomplished and the fact that he does seem like an intelligent and well-balanced human being. I know the power of being fit and attribute it to being able to function at a high level in my own life.

The final say I have to say is about leadership. I want whoever leads our country to be disciplined and focused and being fit encompasses both of these things in my mind. That is why I
feel good about our new president regardless of what others might say.

Winning your own gold medal

We all probably watched the Olympics this past summer, marvelling at the athletes, admiring their dedication, wishing we were as dedicated. Well, we can't all go to the Olympics our jobs and families demand too much of our time making it difficult to train like these athletes do.

Well, why can't we find an event and train for it?? Sure, we won't be swinging from the gymnastic rings anytime soon but we could run a 5k, do a mountain bike race, compete in a local bodybuilding show, or like one of our client did, climb a mountain!!

(Susan Peters crossing the finsih line of her first 5k after being

in a wheel chair for 12 years )

Life can get to be the same old thing day after day after day after day after day...

Why not shake it up??

Do something that stretches your boundaries and gets you out of your comfort zone. I know when I did bodybuilding getting up on stage in skimpy little suit was not in my comfort zone. I don't even like to wear tank tops. When I committed to doing those competitions, I knew that if I didn't stick to my training and nutrition plan that I would embarrass myself up there. It forced me to focus in and really give 100% effort.

The cool thing was that as challenging and difficult as the training and nutrition regimen was, it was so rewarding to challenge myself in a new way and actually see it through. I know many clients who have done the same.

One of my clients, could not walk and was in a wheel chair but had a goal to do 5k. Three years ago she did her first one in 3 hours and 20 minutes and last week she did her fourth one in 1 hour and 38 minutes. I'd say that initial goal was really outside the comfort zone of someone who had not walked for 12 years but she did it and has not looked back ever since. Each year she gets better and better. She truly has won her gold medal!!

What could be your gold medal? What it actually is, is not important but will it challenging you in new ways and will it be rewarding if you do it. If you have never done this, now is a better time than ever!! The doldrums of life are always going to be there so quit making excuses.

You'll find that setting a goal and actually accomplishing it is addicting. Identify your gold medal and write out your plan to achieve it. If you need help contact us at info@puravidafitness.com
we can help you set up a plan that is doable and workable.

Life should contain experiences that shape and build character , even though work, laundry, and house cleaning are important they don't do much in this category.

Look for some video on our 5k client coming up in the next few days. It is truly inspirational and the highlight of my career as a trainer.

Cardio addiction

One problem I have seen over the years as a trainer is "cardio addiction." This is where people get the mindset that they need to do tons of cardio everyday to stay lean and keep the fat off. This is simply in my opinion an urban legend in the fitness realm.

What we have to remember is exercise is a form of stress on the body and we need to treat it like medicine. A moderate form of stress is good just like a moderate dose of medicine is in most cases. However, if we overdose on exercise i.e. cardio just liek medicine we see negative side effects start to occur that will sabotage our best efforts. We will overstress the body and it will start to break down from the inside out. We will become overtrained and produce large amounts of the stress hormone cortisol which can cause inflammation and impede muscle recovery and fat burning two things we need to build lean mass and get that lean look that most people strive for.

If you have ever seen a serious marathon runner you will notice that many times they are skinny but not really toned. Alot of this is because they are constantly stressing their body and it is breaking down on the inside. They are dipping into protein(muscle) for energy which takes away from the lean look. Their muscles many times look like "flat tires." This is not always the case. Some runners who cycle their training properly and get optimal nutrition do look more toned.

Do you think it's coincidence some of these great marathoners have been having heart attacks i.e. Alberto Salazar? It's really simple why this is happening, too much stress on the body and not enough recovery time.

Another thing I feel is a big problem is doing the same type of cardio over and over and over. In my mind this is very counterproductive. One way is the fact is if you don't "rotate your tires" by crosstraining you will wear down your joints much like the tires in your car if you don't switch them up. I have a big problem with running programs drawn up by running coaches because they have you running 4-5 times per week which can be murder on your knees and low back especially if you are running on pavement. I like to have my clients do 2 running days a week versus 4-5 and have them crosstrain with non or lower impact cardio on the other days(biking, swimming, eliptical).

The other way is that your body will adapt to these modes fairly quickly and if you are trying to lose weight and burn calories it is essential to keep switching it up every time you change your strength phases (4-6 weeks). Keep the body off guard so it will continue to be challenged and burn calories at a high rate.

To sum it all up cardio is best done in moderate doses(3-5 times a week), I even promote a 2 days on 1 day off concept where you do 2 days in a row and take a day off . Also keep mixing it up so you don't wear down your joints. Another thing is keep you sessions under 60 minutes in one session per day(unless you are training for a marathon or triathlon) don't tax your body more than once per day as this can also lead to over training as well. Think quality versus quantity. I personally like to do 3-4 days a week of 20-40 minutes. 2 days are interval days shorter and more intense interval training for 20-30 minutes to really push into my anaerobic system and the other two are long pace maintaining my heart rate at 70-80% of my max to challenge my aerobic system.

I feel this works well and it allows me to get it done in conjunction with my strength training so I keep a balanced routine and have time to stretch as well. Remeber exercise is like medicine the right dose is effective, an overdose causes negative side effects, an too little yields no results.

Fitness Retreats A New Trend!

Recently, we held our first fitness retreat on Minnesota's beautiful North Shore. We had a small group but it was a great way for us to connect with some of our clients and spend some time educating them. I think one of the problems that clients have is relying too heavily on the trainer to do all the thinking.

When it comes to personal training, the clients who have the most success are usually the ones who decide to get educated and not just follow blindly what the trainer says. They ask questions, they read assigned articles and books to really gain an understanding of why they are doing what they are doing. These people really tend to outshine clients who just show up and do their workout and listen to the trainer's advice but never really apply it outside of the gym.

This is why I believe these retreats can be a vital offering for fitness professionals. We all have several irons in the fire distracting our attention daily so it's hard to internalize alot of the information we receive when it's mixed in with other junk throughout the day.

I know it's the same for me trying to do continuing education for my recertifications. I always attend at least one big out of state education conference each year. Even though there are seminars and events on town, I feel getting out of my hectic environment to really focus on educating myself is much more effective when it comes to retaining the information.

The same goes for people trying to learn how to make major lifestyle changes. If they can really spend a few days focusing on developing a new plan and mindset without interruptions, I think that will greatly elevate their chances for success. Therefore going forward we are going to plan to do at least two of these events yearly. The focus will be on developing a customized wellness plan and educating clients on different components of wellness. Subscribe to this blog or contact us through our website at http://www.puravidafitness.com/ to get on our mailing lists so you know when the next one is.

We plan to make the next one even better with more helpful content that helps change lives for the better

Please send us controversial topics to cover in this blog that are related to fitness or nutrition. We'll give you our two cents on it.

My Reaction to another bullsh*t "miracle" pill!!

Recently scientist think that they discovered another "miracle pill" that people can take that will supposedly help them burn fat without exercising. Great just great give people more excuses to be lazy. When will people wake up and realize staying in shape takes work and it is not easy!! When has anything in life that is truly worth it ever been easy??

Why is our society at 70% of the population overweight. I'll tell you why we eat more and move less. There is no magic cure. Remember phen-fen in the 90s. It was touted as miracle fat loss drug. Guess what it helped people lose fat but also did some nasty things to the heart in the process.

Take Alli, you can lose weight with the threat of crapping your pants. Sounds insane, right? People are still buying it though.

We will never lower that 70% number until people give up on quick fixes and take personal responsibility for their health. I've seen so many of these "promising" pills come out and end up being to good to be true every time. Sp if you are waiting for that perfect pill give it up it is as about as real as Santa Clause(hope I didn't burst any one's bubble by revealing Santa is a fraud).

Wake up America. This country was built on hard work and discipline. That is what it takes to really get fit and healthy. Quit dieting, quit whining about not being able to lose weight when you give a half assed effort and quit making excuses!!

I guarantee this will be another promising drug that lets everyone down just like the rest of them. I wonder if there is a bet in the sports book in Vegas for that? I could probably make some money on that bet.

A perfect 10

Recently I have been doing a coaching class for myself where I am working on screening potential clients better and asking them questions in order to get them committed to really making changes and not just making a half assed effort which yields half assed results.

The most profound one is "where is your commitment on a score of 1-10. They say if you are not at a 10 than you should not proceed with this potential client until they are a solid 10. I agree with this because I have seen to often people come in with big goals and we create an action plan but when it comes down to it they are all talk and no action.

If I had asked this question earlier we could have avoided either wasting both of our times or really made the person more committed. This is something that I am trying to improve as a trainer and business owner. People who are committed get results and refer friends. Ones who say for example I want to lose 20 pounds but show up one time a week for a workout and eat healthy about half the time, continue to spin their wheels and never lose weight. They bitch how they've tried everything but don't realize that they are the problem not the programs they are doing.

If you only showed up for work half the time and expected to get paid for full time, people would say that this is a ridiculous expectation. The same goes with exercise, especially weight loss. You really need to be doing all of the following to really make progress
1. Strength training
2. Cardio Exercise
3. Flexibility
4. Following a healthy eating plan and logging your intake if you are trying to lose weight
5.. Finding someone or a group to be accountable to
6. Just having some good old fashion discipline. Learn to Say "NO" to junk food alcohol and treats!!

So if you are in a funk you need to look at your level of commitment to your fitness program right now. Do something to refocus. Sign up for a 5k join an exercise group. Register to be part of our You Lose, They Gain challenge see our website at www.puravidafitness.com for details.

For God's sake don't continue to sit around and feel bad about yourself and complain. Do something about it and quit making excuses. There are always excuses not to and the
stoplights in life will never all be green.

If you need help contact us or someone you know who is a great coach to help you design
a workable but efficient plan just for you.

You can do this!! Today could be the first day you turn it around or you could just stay in the hamster wheel of hating how you look and feel but not REALLY doing anything about it even though you kid yourself that you are and it's hopeless. It's your choice....

The power of assessments

Recently I have been doing alot of reassesments on clients on how they are doing in terms of weight management and body fat percentage. It seems at the end of summer clients lose motivation and tend to slide a little on their eating and exercise because of trips up north and trying to enjoy those last sunny days.

Heck, I'm even guilty of it as a trainer. That is why it is important to do regular reassesments to make sure you don't backslide too far or if you are sticking to your plan to make sure it is working. The numbers don't lie!!

I remember one time my scale weight was down so I thought wow my body fat percentage will be lower when I test it. Well, I tested it and guess what it was up 3% from the last time even though my weight was down. How was that possible? I'll tell you how, I had been half assing my strength training workouts and my lean mass had dropped which gave me a higher ratio of bodyfat to lean mass.

This was a wake up call for me. It made me step up my workouts again to increase my lean mass and strengthen my nutrition.

I can't tell you how many times we have prevented a total backslide by doing a reassessment of measurements and bodyfat with a client who has been slacking on their workouts and eating plan. It literally renews a sense of urgency in them. I prefer to do this before they backslide too much so they can recover fairly quickly.

Many of us don't want to know the truth but seeing the numbers really hits us emotionally and will spur us into action if we have been sliding. If we have been working hard it reinforces ourt hard work and motivates us to keep going. In the case we have been working hard and we don't see the numbers move like they should it allows us to troubleshoot so we are not wasting time or effort on a plan that is not getting us results.

The bottom line is if you are involved in an exercise and nutrition plan it is important to evaluate your progress or lack of every 1-2 months to revaluate and tweak your program's components. On the other hand if you have been lazy it tells you to get off your ass and "git er done."

Please "Fix Me!!"

Here I go on my soapbox again. Why is it that there seems to be an attitude of "fix me." A lot of people want to lose weight,get healthier, or get rid of pain but really do not want to do the necessary work. It's much easier to take drugs or have someone else do the work. The reality is that drugs may take away pain temporarily, drugs may help you lose weight initially and drugs may trick your body into feeling healthier but it's not a long term solution. You must take an integrated approach to health and fitness by doing much of the work yourself. Here is an example you see a chiropractor and can't seem to hold your adjustments maybe you should look at an exercise program that conditions the spinal stabilizers so that they hold the vertebrae in place better.

Now I do believe drugs can help with certain conditions but they should not be the only form of treatment or the only thing you use to lose weight. I'm going to pick on ALLI because it's a good example of how far people will go to lose weight without exercising. If you take ALLI and eat junk food guess what you could crap your pants!! It even says a warning about this in a more discreet way on the manual that comes with it. I heard a woman being interviewed when it was released, she said "I don't have time to exercise so this is what I'm going to do!" So she would rather risk having an accident in public than start exercising and eating better. How pathetic!!

Really the best thing we can do to alleviate pain, lose weight and start to feel better is start to move more, learn to move better(shameless plug for personal training) and eat less crap and more whole foods. The more I train the more I realize that God really made the best machine ever designed when it comes to our bodies. They are set up to work efficiently but we screw it up by letting ourselves go. It's no different than maintaining a house or car if you don't keep the parts in good working order the structure or engine will cease to function.

People need to get this through their heads. They often say "I have a bad back or bad knee" really when you observe them you can usually see the following:
(All which lend to more stress on the joints)
1.)They are overweight
2.)They have poor core stability and balance
3.)Their muscles are out of balance from sitting all day
4.)Their movement is faulty

All these things can be improved with exercise and nutrition. Does that mean you can completely cure post surgery joints or degenerative discs? No but you can definitely get the body to move more optimally and restore function to a high level. Having surgery isn't death sentence and neither is growing older. I have a 77 year old client who is in better shape now than 10 years ago.

The bottom line is doctors, chiros, massage therapists and trainers are great at assisting you to get to your goal whether it be pain management, weight loss, or general fitness but you need to do some of the work on your own. My dad used to say "do it the hard way, and you get it done right." I used to scoff at that but now I realize that maybe he was right and we as a society need to take more responsibility for our health, and get off out butts and start taking a proactive approach to our health versus a reactive one by eating better and getting more active.

Response Doing It Your Own Way

This is SO true! There is nothing more frustrating than feeling like a gerbil on an "exercise wheel". Doing allot of work and hardly seeing any results. When you decide to get some help, scrutinize whom you're asking for the help. Make sure that they "practice what they preach". It is also important to remember that nothing good comes easy! It's always good to have another "set of eyes". Doing it on your own and at your own pace is great and admirable, but nobody's perfect so you should check in with someone.

I've had the fortune of being fixed (operated on) by some of the best orthopedic surgeon's in the country. I believe that they are at the top of their game because they have to "answer" to someone (the American Medical Association). They're continually at workshops and conventions learning new techniques and exchanging ideas. Obviously everyone's not a Dr.. But if it's really important to you, get someone to instruct or coach you on how to make a plan to achieve your goal. When they outline a fitness or diet plan for you.....STICK TO IT!! Cheating only hurts you and your efforts to meet your goal. Whining and complaining will do nothing for you. It's great to wish for things, but actions speak louder than words. Nobody that I've ever met wants to help or offer advice to an individual who won't make the effort to change. Until you've had every ability taken away and had to relearn what used to come naturally, please don't complain and follow the advice if Nike....."Just do it"!
-Susan Peters

Doing It Your Own Way

So many times in life I see people who are struggling with their exercise and eating keep trying to do do it on their own. Many of these people continue to struggle with the same barriers and make the same mistakes time and time again. Others realize the futility of this and ask for help.

Wouldn't you seek out help on trying to invest money or start a business because these things require expertise and important decisions to be made. Why is exercise so different? If you do it incorrectly you can end of damaging your back, neck , shoulders or another part of your body. You can also waste precious time slaving away and getting zero results!!!

I can't tell you how many times I've had conversations where people tell me what they are doing and I almost cringe at their thought process or sometimes they ask me for my advice on an exercise or nutrition related topic but give me the "that's not the answer I wanted to hear so I won't do that" look. These are even close friends and family members. I have several overweight and poorly functioning family members who will openly talk in front of me about some stupid diet plan or exercise routine that is "the best" and yet the next family gathering or function 6 months down the road, they look the same or worse.


I personally believe if you want to accomplish something big you need to have coach. That coach needs to have knowledge in the area of the goal that you want to accomplish. They should also have a track record of practicing what they preach. That person will draw out a strategic plan of execution to get you to your goal in lot less time than you could on your own.

That is really what a personal trainer is. They are someone to draw out a plan to help get you there faster thus saving you alot of the precious commodity we know as "time." I view myself as a coach and also buy what I sell which is essentially coaching.

I pay to be in a business development coaching company because no one ever taught me about marketing, business ownership and how to really run a business. These guys have done it successfully and they keep me challenged and motivated. On my own I tried doing these things and it was pathetic compared to what I am doing now with my business. I've learned so much in a short time. I still have a long way to go but feel I've made drastic improvements as to how I run my business. It has given me back time and allowed me to work smarter not harder so I can keep my life more in balance. This is just one example. I have always looked at buying coaching as an investment versus an expense.

If you have struggled with exercise, weight loss, or something else health and fitness related, quit wasting your time!! Bite the bullet and hire a good trainer or get involved with an exercise group or coaching program. Quit trying to do it on your own. You have to come to the realization that you suck at it. And that's okay, we can't all be good at everything. Get off the hamster wheel of starting and stopping exercise as well as dieting and hire a good trainer to get you on track and keep you there.

This shouldn't require you to take out a second mortgage on your home. The more often people come they do see results quicker but not all of us can afford to do that. If you are on a tight budget I would suggest you start with a couple of initial sessions to get you going on the right foot and then checking in for 1-2 sessions once per month. This will keep you challenged and motivated as well as allow you to monitor your progress. The clients I see that get the best results generally do alot on their own and utilize a trainer to tweak and change their plan to avoid plateaus and keep them progressing as well as interested. Don't we all get bored of doing the same thing over an over again?

So if you are a doitonmyowner , I would like to ask you " are you getting results that are moving you closer to your goals?" if you can't answer a resounding yes than it's time to suck it up, throw aside your pride and get a better plan for success that will get you there quicker.

Discussion Question Of The Week...

What has been your biggest barrier to hitting your fitness goals??

The Importance Of A SMART Goal

One thing that seems to be consistent with people that have success with their fitness program is that they have a SMART goal. We always ask people during consultations what their goal is? When they respond "To get more toned" or "to get in better shape" it can be recipe for failure due to the vagueness of their goal. There is no timeline, no specific and objective result to measure with that kind of goal.

That is why we direct them to a SMART goal that is described as the following.

S-Specific(weight to lose, bodyfat percentage, inches of butt, waist etc.)
M-Measurable(we need something to measure bodyfat, pants size, weight lifted etc.)
A-Attainable-(You can't drop 30 pounds in 30 days regardless of what the garbage magazine in
the checkout line says)

R-Realistic-(Most of us will never get the body of a pro-athlete or supermodel so get real!!)
T-Timely- (We all work harder and are more focused when we have to get something done
by a certain time)

A good goal would look something like this "I would like to get my bodyfat to 10% by my
class reunion on October 11th. Currently I'm at 12% so I need to lose 1% per month to get there"

Exercise becomes more motivating when we have a purpose to it. I know one of my secrets is to plan different phases throughout the year and base my training schedule much like athlete in training. For example before a big beach vacation I do more bodybuilding workouts so I look good on the beach. Before my annual ski trip out west I do more functional training to get my knees ready for bump skiing and tackle Vail's toughest runs. This makes it more purposeful and enjoyable to go to the gym instead of just to "work out"

I would suggest making a yearly plan and base training around what you have to do. A good trainer could help you create this and I know of some. I write this entry because I currently am floundering a little trying to find a good goal now that I've hit my other ones. I notice I'm slacking a bit on my eating and discipline so today I'm going to plan something new to kick myself in the ass and get focused for the rest of the year.

So to sum it all up find a purpose to your train pretend you are elite athlete and map out entire year. You can always change things but having plan and purpose makes all the difference towards keeping exercise fun and motivating

Response To Victim Mentality Entry

BRAVO!! There is NO magic pill, food, supplement, or trainer that will take weight off or tone you up. You're the only one who can do that! Diets don't work!! It needs to be a lifestyle change. Start simple and keep a daily log of what and when you eat for a week. Be HONEST and accountable to someone. Analyze what you're about to eat. Is it a want or a need? When I first started to keep a log of what and when I ate, I was shocked at all of the junk and fast food that I ate! Do cardio 3-4 times a week. Start simple. (i.e. If you work on the 12th floor, take the elevator to the 11th floor and use the stairs to go the rest of the way. The next week, get off on the 10th floor, etc..) Walk to the mailbox or the end of the block daily. Gradually increasing the duration till you can walk the entire block. If the weather's bad, use the stairs in your house.
As for exercise there is no good excuse to not exercise. I was in a horrible head on collision that put me in a 3 month coma. Because of no movement for that length of time, I suffered severe muscle atrophie and was told that the chances of my being able to walk again were slim to none. I've completed 3 -5K's and am currently working towards my 4th, despite recent foot surgery. The secret to my success is just taking one day at a time. Celebrating the smallest achievement, learning from my mistakes, and not beating myself up when I goof.
-Susan Peters

Victim Mentality

One thing that seems prevalent in today's society is a "victim" mentality. Many people react to setbacks or negative things with the attitude of "poor me" I just can't get a break or I can't succeed at this because this person won't let me. This type of thinking prevents and sabotages people's ability to achieve their potential in life.

I look at Walt Disney whose business plan was rejected by the bank over 360 times and say "what if he would have had that attitude. There would be no Mickey Mouse or Donald duck. Instead he had a goal he was passionate and an attitude of "whatever it takes." We all know what the results are.

Having worked with many different types of clients I've seen a common ingredients that result in success. One of those key ingredients is ATTITUDE. They don't make BS excuses when they have setbacks and blame others or life's circumstances. What they do is take ownership of their behavior and correct anything that is detrimental to them hitting their goals.As Charles Swindoll a famous author , speaker and pastor says ATTITUDE is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.So let's relate this to exercise. If your someone who constantly struggles with weight gain and dieting. It's time to check your attitude. Quit blaming your kids, spouse, friends etc. Quit using the excuse that it is your metabolism. Please quit saying that you have tried everything and nothing works. It's all crap!!

We find almost all people who say this come up way short when we do an HONEST account of what they have been eating and how much as well as how much exercise that they are getting.So if this blog entry and it hits a nerve please understand it's meant to be harsh in order to change the way people who chronically are failing to change their mindset that causes recurring failure to one that generates success.I've had enough of our media telling everyone there is a new drug or scientists have found a reason why we are so obese a "fat gene" We need to realize that reason we have a high percentage of overweight people in this country is that we eat too much junk and do not move enough it's that simple. If you don't believe me go to a country where people have to walk and bike everywhere and there isn't a fast food joint on every corner. You will be hard pressed to find an overweight person.

So please check your attitude if you are one these people who struggles over and over with getting fit and/or losing weight. You will find when you quit blaming others and circumstances for your lack of success that you start owning the real reasons why you can't lose weight that you will be taking a very big step towards success.