Wednesday, January 30, 2008

10 Tricks for Sticking to It


Now you’re exercising again, and it feels great. Of course, it felt great last year, too, when you went to the gym every morning for almost the entire winter! If it feels so great, why do you keep quitting? You may be able to make your physical activity more consistent by using some of these tricks.

1. Start Looking at Exercise Differently. This is the big one, from my perspective, says James Gavin, PhD, sport psychologist and professor at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. All movement is exercise. People need to give themselves more options. Take the dog for a walk, bike to the store, take five-minute stretch breaks. If you don’t count something as exercise unless it happens in the gym, goes on for 40 minutes or requires a shower afterward, you're missing some of your best opportunities to stay active.

2. Think Small. This advice can be hardest for people who expect the most from themselves. Why bother walking around the block when you should be running your usual four miles? Because when you don’t have time to do all four miles, a brisk hike can keep you from feeling that you’ve failed.

3. Set an Agenda. It helps to challenge yourself with a learning or performance agenda, says Gavin. Set a goal, such as increasing the speed, frequency or duration of your activity. Maybe it's time to train for a marathon--or take a walk up the hill in the backyard without getting winded. (It’s perfectly fine to think small for your performance agenda, too). Your trainer can help you determine appropriate goals.

4. Get off the Beaten Path. Have you ever tried snowboarding? Bowling? Swing dancing? Body surfing? Chi kung? How about reversing your power walk route? Exercising at a different time of day? Physical activity isn't boring, but how you participate in it can be.

5. Use Your Brain. The active mind needs to be engaged, says Gavin. If you're new to exercise, dissociate tactics, such as listening to music, watching TV or playing computer games may help you stick with it--but stay aware of sensations that could signal injury or overdoing it. As you become more experienced, associative strategies, such as focusing on your breath or concentrating on the movement of your body, can help you enjoy exercise more.

6. Get an Accountability Partner. Minneapolis lifestyle coach Kate Larsen suggests finding a friend, mentor or coach to keep you honest. You can either exercise with your partner, or simply check in with him or her to report your progress.

7. Plan to Stay Active. Don't decide in the moment if you can make the choice beforehand, says Larsen. Plan to park farther from the office and put your walking shoes in the car the night before. Plan to take that new yoga class next week, and call the babysitter now.

8.Face Your Fitness Foes. Does vacation throw your exercising schedule out of whack? Do projects at work overtake your activity time? Do injuries sideline you? Boredom? Fear of success? Fitness foes can be beaten once they've been identified. You can change your vacation style, set work limits, get guidance for injury-free activity, find new challenges, or face your fears with counseling and support.

9.Go Tribal. Even if you are introverted, the presence of others in your exercise environment can be motivating. We pick up on other people's energy, Gavin points out. We get into the tribal rhythms of being fully alive. Choose places and times to exercise where there will be other people who are actively involved in exercise.

10. Use a Script. We tell ourselves things like, Skipping this one little walk won't matter all that much, according to Larsen. Next time, be prepared with an answer for this excuse. Use images of past successful experiences to remind yourself of how good exercise makes you feel. Or repeat a simple phrase to yourself, such as, Every little bit makes a big difference. If you use planning, flexibility and imagination, you won't ever need to feel like a dropout again.


=VF

Monday, January 28, 2008

Guest Blog - Craig Ballantyne "A Letter From Your Belly Fat

We call this self talk...I wish I could be in better shape. Only if I had more energy. I wish I could lose some weight. Sound familiar?

Now, what if your fat had a voice? Ok, I haven't lost it, stay with me now. What if your fat your carring around didn't want to part ways with you?

Think about that? You have full control of your body and the way you feel and look. But, by doing nothing about it, guess who has the upper hand and is indirectly controlling you?

Ok, all this talk about losing weight and getting rid of fat can be stressful and challenging. So, I wanted to put a little spin on things and throw you some humor to all this by sharing with you a letter from my friend Craig Ballantyne which is pretty creative and funny. Your going to enjoy this:) It' a good one!!

A Letter From Your Belly Fat










By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS


Dear Friend,

This is a letter from your ol' pal, belly fat. We had a great run this summer, didn't we? Lots of good times, great food, and plain ol' sitting around eating too much.

Well, I'm thinking about sticking around another year if you don't mind. But you might need to get a bigger pair of pants, as I was thinking about expanding my place down here.

So do me a favor, avoid that interval training you were thinking of doing. The last time you did that stuff, I nearly had to look for a new place to live. I felt like the Wicked Witch of the West in the land of Oz. Did you hear me yelling, "Help me, I'm melting!"?

Instead, stick to that slow cardio stuff. Sure I get a little sweaty, and the ol' brain up there thinks it's doing "a real fat burning workout", but it's never enough to melt me outta here.

Another thing, keep listening to those experts who say strength training doesn't burn body fat. Since research shows they're wrong, if you added strength training to your program, you'd practically need to throw me a going away party!

After each one of those superset workouts you tried last January it felt like someone lit a match under our collective butt. I was burning up down here!

But boy oh boy, I sure was glad you gave that up and went back to just lifting utensils and not dumbells. Otherwise we wouldn't have been able to celebrate another summer together this year.

Sometimes I wonder, what did you ever do in college without me, your trusted belly fat? Back then, you were probably one of those people that couldn't wait to get to the beach to show off your body, not like these days.

Nope, stay in the shade and keep the cover-up clothes on, that's the way to go now. Besides, its a lot closer to the cold beer and the BBQ when you're sitting in the shade avoiding all the fun down on the beach.

Well, it sure was good catching up with you. I'm sure we'll be in touch more often, as long as you stay away from that Turbulence-Training workout routine.

Brings a tear to my eye whenever I even think about that workout program and all the belly fat it's burned. Heck, it's fried more belly fat than a frying pan!

So again, if you want to keep your dear old belly around for another year and another summer, don't use Turbulence-Training - otherwise, its all over pal, and you'll never see me again.

Belly Fat says, "Don't use this" =>Turbulace-Training

Your friend and spare tire,

Belly Fat

PS - Seriously, don't go near that Turbulence-Training program unless you want to see me, Thunder Thighs, Manboobs, Jigg Lee Arm Fat, and Luv Handles pack our bags and hit the highway.

It will be a sad farewell, and you'd be stuck with ripped abs, gorgeous glutes, and toned arms, and you know how much attention those guys get from the opposite sex. Who needs it, I say.

-----

Great stuff Craig. Thanks.

-----

=VF

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Never Give Up!


Believe it or not, but we
are already on the fourth week
of January. Are you like many
who started off the New Year
with the sizzle of starting on
a new fitness program?

You have your "out of shape picture" on the fridge. Your
bikini is hanging in your closet as a reminder of your goal
to wear this summer. You've got a long awaited trip/vacation
coming up that requires you to be strong and active to have
fun and enjoy every moment of the trip.

Than life throws you a curve ball and you miss a workout,
you miss a meal or two. You start thinking whats the use or
you can't or don't want to continue. And so your drive and
excitment that was so evident and lively in the beginning starts
to fizzle.

Trust me, I can't tell you how many times that has happen
to me...yes, despite I live, breathe and practice fitness and
health, I am human too:)

Here is a poem that has given me guidance and strength to
help me through those tough and ruff times.


Don't Quit


When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.


Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.


Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are.
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.


Stay Strong!

=VF

Monday, January 14, 2008

Ancient Japanese Sport



I remember growing up
as a kid, my father who
is a second generation
Japanese use to watch
Sumo wrestling.

Sumo is the traditional national sport of Japan.

To enjoy the combat sport of Sumo, there are
only a few things to know. Two men meet in
a ring that is 4.55 meters across. They wear
thick silk belts around their waists.

The object is to force your opponent out this
ring (dohyo) or to make any part of his body
(excepting the soles of the feet) touch the
playing surface.

Now, if you are sumo wresltler in Japan, you
are looked up at as this hero. And to become
a sumo wrestler, your goal is to gain weight.

Therefore, they have a sumo diet.

For hundreds of years they have figured out
the science of how to gain weight. I am going
to share with you the science of getting fat.

Are you ready?

The first thing the sumo wrestler learns
is don't eat breakfast. You want to slow
your metabolism, don't eat breakfast.

The second thing they teach the sumo
wrestler is to go long periods of not
eating. So they are not grazing throughout
the day.

Third, when its time for Mr. sumo to
eat, he really eats. Alot. And they
will do this within an hour of going
to bed.

So, if you want to gain weight this is
what you have to do.

Think about that for a second. Alot of
people in the united states and abroad
are on a sumo diet.

Now, to get off the sumo diet, the first
thing you need to do is eat breakfast. That
will optimize your glycemic profile, giving
your metabolisim a boost.

The rest of the day eat small frequent meals
every three hours. That will continue to keep
your metabolism healthy, helping you burn fat
throughout the day.

=VF

PS - Combine that with a consistant and
effective strength training program and
you'll be burning more fat.

Starting Back After a Layoff


When starting back after a long layoff, it may be advisable to perform only one light set during the first workout(s). A warm-up and moderately intense workout set can be performed during subsequent workout(s). It will take longer to recuperate between workouts if you become too sore by performing too many sets and exercises. The body may adapt more efficiently with less chance of injury if the initial workout is brief and volume and intensity is increased
systematically.

Train Hard, but Smart;)

=VF

Friday, January 11, 2008

Assessing your 2007 progress (Guess Blog Alwyn Cosgrove)

What New Year's resolutions did you set for 2007?

What goals did you want to achieve? And where are you now? How big is the difference?
If your goal included fat loss this year -- how much fat did you lose? Are you leaner than you were one year ago?
  • If your goal was a strength increase -- what lifts did you improve? And by how much?
  • If your goal was muscle increase -- how many pounds of muscle did you gain?
  • If your goal was to make more money -- what is the difference in your bank balance?
  • If your goal was to change jobs -- did you?

Be honest.

Did you achieve what you set out to do? Did you get lean -- or did you spend too long looking for the perfect program? Did you gain muscle -- or did you spend more time discussing what to do on an internet message board than you did training? Did you gain strength -- or did you jump from program to program searching for something magical? Did you change jobs - or did you spend more time watching TV than sending out resumes?

In other words - as Dan John has said: "What are your goals? What are your behaviors? Do your behaviors match your goals?

Remember - if you missed the target, never in history has it ever been the tagets fault'.

Regardless - what happened in 2007 no longer matters - it's done. Just be aware of how effective your behaviors were in reaching your goals. And be aware that can always be improved upon.

The question is -- what will 2008 hold for you? Set a new goal. Decide what it is that you want to accomplish. Decide what plan you will follow to achieve that goal. And finally - adjust your behaviors so that you achieve the outcome you're looking for.

--AC

www.alwyncosgrove.com

PS - One of the best articles I've ever read on Goal-Setting was by Dan John and can be found HERE

PPS - the best actual "Take action" program for those of you that need a little help with this area (i.e. all of you) - can be found at: Magic Hundred

-----------------------

Thanks AC.

=VF

Thursday, January 10, 2008

What type of exercise shoes are you wearing?


If you play basketball, you need basketball shoes. Run track? Get some track and field shoes. To play tennis you need tennis shoes right? Right! To workout in your local health club do you need running shoes? Yes and No.

Let me explain, I was training one of my clients and we were (I mean she was:-) doing a lateral movement (side to side) exercise and she lost her footing and fell. She's ok. Luckily there were no objects in the way of her fall. Hint: Always make sure your workout area is safe.

As I was making sure she was ok, I noticed she had running shoes on. Your probably asking yourself, yah! So? Well, when it comes to the type of training you are performing, you need the proper shoe. Not only it improves performance, but it also can prevent injuries.

Now, in my clients particular case what shoe do you think she could've used?

Or let me ask you this...What shoe would be best for exercising to cover all planes of human movement?

If you guessed Cross Trainers. Your RIGHT!

You see, human movement occurs in three planes of movement.
There is...
  • front and back
  • side to side
  • and rotation.

Running shoes are specifically made for running straight forward. NOT side to side.

So, if your training requires you to train in different directions, go with a Cross Trainer. It covers all three planes of movement.

What type of Cross Trainer is best for you? The best Cross Trainer is the one right for you--fits well, performs for you, and most important, it is comfortable and does not give you problems.

When you find the Cross Trainer that is right for you, buy two pairs, and use them on alternating days. Continual sweating will hasten a shoe's eventual breakdown. Alternating pairs of Cross Trainers will allow them to dry thoroughly before the next wearing, extending their life.

It is important to use sport-specific shoes. It's a simple thought, but makes a big difference.

=VF

P.S. - Can you guess what type of shoes these guys are wearing ?

Monday, January 7, 2008

Here is a very unique book by Ryan Lee that I believe is one of the best on the market for building a better body and having optimal health. That is not all...It not only gets you fit, but also gives you ideas of possibly making money on the internet with a hobby or interest of yours. You need to check it out...Think outside the box;)

I have read Ryan's book and found it very helpful with reaching my fitness goals and giving me some good exercises to share with my clients as well as giving me ideas on effectively buiding my business. Click onto Ryan's book to learn more about how he can help you too.





There is never a better time to get started with your fitness program than NOW! Take it from the great Jim Rohn...

"Indecision Is The Thief Of Opportunity!"

=VF

Saturday, January 5, 2008

So you think you have excuses...





Don't think...

JUST DO IT!!

=VF