SMART Goals for 2010!

It’s a whole new year and you are looking ahead to what you want to accomplish this year. As your trainer, I need to get an idea of what you want to do and how I can best draw a map to assist you on that journey to your “holy grail” of fitness and wellness.

 Take some uninterrupted quiet time to really work on this so 2010 is an awesome year of accomplishments and take you to new levels of optimum performance and fitness that can last a lifetime!




Use the SMART Method when setting resolutions and goals. This will clarify
where you want to go and what you need to measure to track yourself. "

"We can’t improve what we can’t measure."


S=Specific-
Determine exactly what you want versus a vague idea

Examples: “I want to get in shape”-vague

“I want to lose 3 dress sizes and 15 pounds”-specific



M=Measurable

Examples: “I’d like to get lean for my beach vacation coming up”


This doesn’t define lean. What do you consider lean?
“I want to weigh 200 pounds at 6-8% Body fat.” Right now
I’m at 12% weighing 213. Now there’s something we can track!
It is also important to track your goals.
We check in along the way to make sure you are on track to
achieve your goal.


A-Attainable

Set yourself up for success. To say “I want to lose 40 pounds this month”  is not realistic, regardless of what some ads say.  Make goals so you have to work hard for them but not kill yourself and get discouraged or give up your life to hit them.



R=Realistic

This goes hand in hand with A. If you are 5’ and weigh 200 pounds don’t set a goal of looking like a 19 year old supermodel or Arnold Scwartzenager. Stay away from the land of make believe that’s for people who watch Mr. Rogers.


T= Time Specific

Let’s face it, we work better and stay on track when facing a deadline. When I was bodybuilding I knew I had to get up on stage in Speedo-type posing trunks soon. That was motivation for me to stay on track with eating and training because I didn’t want to embarrass myself. I’m not saying run out and do a bodybuilding show but pick personal events such as reunions or trips to use as your deadlines. Good examples are: “I want to lose 30 pounds by Memorial Day weekend so I can wear a 2 piece and feel good about myself” Or maybe “I want to eliminate my back pain so I score in the no disability range on the pain scale by April 1 because that’s when golf league starts this year.”

Checkpoints/Short Term Goals

It’s important to have checkpoints along the way to keep you motivated. If you say “I need to lose 40 pounds by May” that’s a big number and a long time from now.


In addition to setting your final goal, set smaller goals such as “I need to lose 8 pounds each month. This will help you keep on track and gives you victories to celebrate along the way!

Make Your Goals Juicy!!!

As well as making SMART goals, it is important to add a little salsa to the mix and spice those babies up.


Which sounds better?


Example A: “I’d like to lose 20 pounds this year to feel better about myself”




Example B: “I’d like to discard 20 useless pounds so I’m a well oiled machine that
can kick some butt in tennis and at the same time dazzle my spouse
and turn heads in the room when we go out for dinner. This will
give me self confidence and energy to excel at my job and will
allow me to do active things that I couldn’t do before such as
hiking and snowboarding.” 

Happy New Year!!

Our mega cool holiday campaign to provide potable drinking water for a village!

1 in 8 peopl in this world do not have potable drinking water available to them so we want to do our small part to change that.!  We have teamed up with a cool organization called Charity Water that build wells in these places that can provide whole communities and villages with potable drinking water.

Check  out this video below where I get out of "Grinch mode" and actually wear a Santa hat. Beth Dean of Kaizen Fitness and I talk about our joint venture to raise $5,000 this holiday season in order to make this all happen.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjsdZwyfFeE


Click the link below it to go to  our special charity website and help us provide drinking water for a village in Africa.

http://mycharitywater.org/p/campaign?campaign_id=2605

Top 4 most clueless people I've seen in the gym

Have you ever gone to the gym or local health club and been annoyed at the cluelessness of some of the other members there? I have seen some of the most idiotic and rude practices there.  These are people that probably hold down professional occupations but for some reason go brain dead when they arrive at the gym.

Anyway here are the top 5 of my biggest annoyances at the gym.

1.) The camper outer- This person usually has a newspaper or appears to be taking nap on the equipment. They seem oblivious to others wanting to use the equipment that they are on.  When you ask them to work in they tell you they have some insidious number of sets left like 10 and make it clear it isn't okay to work in with them in but laying on the equipment like a couch for an hour or so is.

2. The screamer- This is usually some meat head who is trying to feed his ego by yelling so everyone can watch him lift.  The funny thing is that when you really look at these guys lift their form is pretty lousy and many times they cheat.  I'm no psychologist but I think these guys must be filling some need for attention that they do not get elsewhere. Unfortunately for them most of that attention they get is negative and really they impress no one.

3. The robo-lifter-This guy usually has every strap, wrap and belt known to man on him. He spends an hour just getting on all his "gear".  I'm sorry but if you have to wrap and strap for every weight you are lifting guess what it's too much weight!!   Like the creamer thus guy is a poser he justs wants to look like he knows what he is doing but really he doesn't.

4. The player- This guy seems to focused on one thing and one thing only picking up women. He does a few sets of curls here and there but most of his time is spent talking to various females. Someone needs to tell him that this is not a singles bar. Sometimes this guy can become a camper outer as well if there is an attractive lady on the next piece of equipment.

5. The thief-This person can be male or female.   They will take over a piece of equipment that you are using even if you put your towel, workout book and engrave your name on it.   As soon as you turn your back your stuff is flung off so they can get their sets in. You probably would have let them work in had they asked but they don't ask they just swoop in and commandeer the equipment like pirates taking over a ship. 

Well, I don't like to be negative but I'm human there are things that bother me. I wish every health club and gym would make etiquette classes mandatory. Think of it this way. If you went golfing, would you talk loudly on your cellphone while someone was teeing off or would you budge in front of another foursome? No way. So there is no reason for anyone to behave this way in the gym. 

My top 4 meal replacement bars

There are a lot of  meal replacement bars on the market. Many make claims such as "zero net carbs" and "perfect ratio" etc. but there are some I really like based on cost, ingredients and overall nutritional breakdown. A good meal replacement is useful for filling gaps between meals so you don't get into starvation mode and overeat during your next meal. They are easy to transport and use while you are out and about. 

Here are my top 4 that I recommend and why:

1.)USANA Peanut Butter Crunch Bar-I'm  a little biased here because I'm a USANA distributor I admit, but that is exactly the reason that I carry their products.  I feel they are top quality. The peanut butter tastes great, has low sodium(135mg), fiber, a good mix of carbs protein and fat (50% carb, 30% protein, 20% fat).  It is only 150 calories and contains no high fructose corn syrup unlike many other other bars that can spike your blood sugar. 

2.)Zone Perfect Bars-I used to be down on these guys but have recently changed my tune. These bars taste great and have a great ratio of carbs proteins and fats(40% carb, 30% protein, 30% fat). . They have lowered their sodium to 200 mg down from 250 mg. and have 2g of fiber as well.

They have low calories at 190 calories per bar and are also very cost effective; sometimes less than $1 a bar. In addition, there are a lot of flavors to choose from.

3.)Balance Bars-Very similar to the zone bars a little higher in calories at 210 per bar but a good ratio of carbs protein and fats(40-30-30). Low sodium at 140 mg per bar, no high fructose corn syrup and very cost effective. They also have a lot of flavors to choose from.

4.)Supreme protein bar-These taste great but are little more expensive. The protein content is a little higher in relation to the carbs

but this is okay for those trying to lose bodyfat and increase protein. They contain high quality whey protein and are low in sodium
(150 mg) for the small bar. The original is version is300 calories and 300 mg sodium for athletes and bodybuilders but the new carb conscious bar is only 150 calories.  It was voted "Protein Bar of the Year" in 2008.

So there you have it.  Four bars I feel are good choices for meal replacement bars. Try them all and rotate so you don't get bored with them. Each company keeps coming out with different flavors for variety. I don't believe that you should live on protein bars but they can be a great tool to keep you on track by adding them in for your 2-3 daily snacks along with 3 meals. This is much easier than carrying food with you all day. Give them a try!

Also you if you have a favorite please reply to this post and let us know what it is and why.

My Top 4 Eating Out Choices in the Area

Eating out can be game of food roulette. When you are trying to lose weight or stay lean it is always good to plan ahead, especially when it comes to eating out.  Here are my top 5 top choices in the area. Please feel free to share any of the good options that you find so others can benefit. I've included the restaurant and why I like each of these:

1.)Walnut Gorgonzola Salad-(Chianti Grill)-A tasty salad with a light dressing, good fats from the walnuts  fresh, chicken(protein). Overall good mix of nutrients!

2.)Cranberry Chicken Salad-(Doolittles)-Another yummy salad with good fats from almonds, light but delicious dressing,  good crunch to it as well.     Plenty of good protein from chicken.

3.)Chopped Chicken Salad-(Jakes)-This salad is one of my favorites. Jake's is awesome for watching a game and has awesome salads as well.  Good balance of vegetables and protein. A nice crunch with scallions , craisins, feta cheese and sweet poppyseed dressing to really give it some taste.




4.) The #3 Unwich Tuna Lettuce Wraps-Jimmy Johns- This is my favorite on the go meal. Unlike a lot of other fast food places the tuna here tastes great and there the ingredients fresh. Many clients have told me these have been lifesavers. Although I am not  a huge fan of fast food this one gets my thumbs up!

These are just a few of my favoirtes but please post any healthy choices you may have found so we can share it with others. Eating out definentely does not mean you have to blow your plan!

Prep the body properly!

For many people a warm up simply consists of 5 minutes on a cardio machine and just a few stretches. This is not always very efficient or effective. One warm up that we employ at Puravida Fitness was developed by Chuck Wolf,  a guru in the fitness field, called the "Flexibility Highways".  You are basically stretching every muscle in your body in every direction in 5 minutes!  Unlike static stretching which can actually shut the muscles down (not something that you want to happen before exercise) the "Flexibility Highways" warmup utilizes active stretching which prepares the body to move.  We made a short video detailing the 4 exercises involved in this warm up.  Check it by clicking the link below and go to the multimedia training center under videos to see this warm up. Give it a try before any exercise that you do.

http://www.puravidafitness.com/

kare11.com | Twin Cities, MN | Woman told she'd never walk again picks up the pace

kare11.com | Twin Cities, MN | Woman told she'd never walk again picks up the pace