Having Your Cake and Eating It

"To me, having your cake and eating is too is being healthy and fit enough to eat it without suffering the consequences that come with eating it." - SeanB

To the untrained mind, this could easily be misconstrued as,

"if I workout, I can eat whatever I want."

No, that's false. You can't and you'll NEVER be able to out train a bad diet.
What this means is, the people who "get it" can eat the cake and still have the cake because:

1. They earned their cheat day by putting hours in the gym with weights and cardio while keeping a clean diet during it

2. Because they know what will happen if their eating gets out of control. They understand the consequences of "letting yourself go"

People don't understand that being healthy, being active or being fit isn't a fad and it damn sure isn't a phase of life. It's a complete lifestyle. It's a lot more than being in the gym, eating with common sense,  or investing in your body. To be healthy and fit is to achieve a balance in your life that juggles your "needs and wants" of your physical being.

For example, we NEED to have a strong body forged by weight training for the sake of a strong immune system, stronger bones and a higher capability

We WANT to have a strong body because muscle tone and muscle, in general, is sexy. It's a physical power that screams confidence and capability and we all want it. Women want to look fit and good in anything they wear, as do men.

We NEED to have a strong heart benefited from cardiovascular exercise for the sake of our longevity and our personal safety

We WANT that strong heart so we don't have to worry about high cholesterol, early stroke or bad sex. We want that so we aren't embarrassed because we walked up a single flight of stairs and we're gasping for air while others around us are a hair away from calling EMS because they think we are going to pass out.

So what is to have your cake and eat it too? Well, I'll put it to you like this: having your cake and eating it too is taking pride in your body, both inside and out, and molding it into a sexy and strong physique while being able to indulge in that delicacy once a week and not worrying about it because, come Monday, you're back on the daily grind.  Day in and day out and during it, looking better and better and getting stronger and stronger as the weeks go by. We can have that cake because we EARNED that damn cake.

SeanBFit In Home Personal Training

SeanBFit is an "Home Style" personal training business in Texas. Providing the highest quality of personal training, attention to form and detail and injury prevention that you can find. SeanBFit provides ALL the equipment necessary, will drive to your location and train you at your convenience. We have a pricing structure to help the customer pick the best package to suite their needs and we offer many discounts along the way.

We give back to customers who remain consistent and give more of an investment to their health and fitness.

we also provide at 15% discount for the men and women who serve our country and for students.

Feel free to Email us at SeanBFitPro@Gmail.com or find us on Facebook Here and give us a " Like "

Workout in Studio 222

Workout at Studio 222 on YouTube

So I had a chance to get a pad session in with James Wong of Studio222 out in Las Vegas, NV  Needless to say , I got served.

However, I will say that any form of full body cardiovascular exercise (Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Etc) is extremely beneficial to anyone's fitness goals. I strongly recommend getting a class, checking out a gym that specifies in that field, or getting a one on one session with a coach. It's an awesome way to relieve stress and test your fitness level.

I also did an interview with James after the workout, I've included it below.

Anyone who has kept up with the sport of MMA within the last 10 years knows this brand by heart; Fairtex.  Fairtex is a Muay Thai equipment company that started in a back alley warehouse in San Francisco, California. James Wong helped start off Fairtex, create by Alex Gong, and helped bring it all the way to Vegas. Now, James owns Studio222 off Flamingo Rd. in Las Vegas, NV and is still practicing the true meaning behind the Muay Thai sport and displaying it through his energy, his life and his passion to make a difference. The Las Vegas Informer had a chance to talk to Sean about his experience with James and how it has made a difference in his life.

LVI: Tell us about James and how we made an impact on your professional life.
SB: When I first met James I was a student at PFI who took a tour of his studio and listened to his story. He had a lot of struggle as he did success. That’s what made him more significant. A lot of professionals don’t speak of their struggles as passionately as their success. James knows that his struggle in life plays just as an important role, if not the most important role, in determining how successful he will become. I saw this and I knew immediately to listen to everything he says. After I decided to start my own thing in San Antone, I kept in contact with James and made it a point to pick his brain every chance I could. His insight was virtually priceless.

LVI: Why did you choose James to interview for the Las Vegas Informer?

SB: As I said, James’ way of thinking is something I cannot find in many different leaders and business owners anywhere I've looked or been. He understands that things happen for a reason and that you must give up something good to get to great. His energy displays that and you can hear the passion in his voice when he speaks. I feel people need to be reminded of what leader of his caliber sounds like.  Along with that, he has some awesome stuff happening in Vegas and I thought it would make for a good interview piece

LVI:  Before this, have you ever trained in Muay Thai?

SB: I never have. This workout kicked my butt big time. I have trained in boxing before and, like every kid, took karate and Tae Kwan Do when I was younger but nothing on this level. Muay Thai brings whole body along with knees and elbows into play. The kicks take time to get the technique down and the movement will wear you out a lot quicker when you’re expected to move and hit simultaneously. I will say after I was finished that I was sore for days. It shows me where my weaknesses are and where I need to improve.

James Wong and Studio222 have been serving Vegas since 2008 and is still going strong. He makes it a point to keep it environmentally friendly and effective for his clientele. He can be located at 8645 W. Flamingo Rd #104 and can be reached via Email at James@Studio222@lasvegas.com

Where's Your Investment?

I want to ask all of you who are reading this a question.

" what is the one thing you're investing in that is benefiting you on a daily basis?"

What are you doing with your time and hard earned money? Are you saving it for a rainy day? Putting it in retirement? Putting it towards your health and wellbeing?  Or are you wasting it?

Yes, WASTING it. Are you buying clothes that you look horrible in because your stomach is hanging over or out? Eating out constantly and just adding the weight by the week? Buying cars or jewelry or designer handbags? What is all of that going to do for you? Your Dr sure isn't going to care what you have materially when he tells you that your borderline diabetic or on the way to an early death. Your family and friends sure as hell don't care about the car you drive or the clothes you wear when you look like a slob or if you're in bad health either.

Investing in your personal health and daily well being is an investment that pays off daily and It makes everything better. It makes your clothes look at dit better,  your body better in every way, and it even helps your self confidence improve on a daily basis. My question is, " why wouldn't you invest in yourself daily?"

Trust me, if you're spending your cash on wasted nights in the bar, clothes that you don't look good in because you're fat or cars or commodities that try to compensate for your lack of self confidence, you're not fooling anyone. Just yourself. 

It literally SICKENS me to see unhealthy people blows hundreds of dollars on material possession and barely a few dollars on their health and fitness and complain how they don't like being fat or losing weight is hard. It's all about priorities and if you don't want to be fat, unhealthy or ugly anymore, it's time to check your priorities and set them straight. No one's going to do it for you but there are people to help you.

Take all that money you waste on going out to eat bad food, buying clothes, shoes, handbags, iPods, etc and invest in :

A health coach

A nutritionist

A personal trainer

A bootcamp

Any of the above will make a difference that will bring a sense of satisfaction that no purse, car or piece of clothing will bring to you.

Happy Training

SeanBFit In Home Personal Training

Don't Like to Exercise?

So you don't like to exercise? Do you like being fat? Do you like being unhealthy? How would you like to walk into your Drs office in a year or two and him tell you that if you don't start taking care of your body, that things will only get worse and you have a risk of dying early?

Don't get me wrong, I know what it's like to be fat. I was damn near 300 lbs when I was between 12-13 years old and I was only 5"5' and some change. That was one of the harshest times of my life. All I could look forward to was the next fat joke at my expense. I CHOSE to make a change for the better and if a kid can tell what's best for him in the long run, then I don't know what you're waiting for. You don't have an excuse big enough to overshadow what's really important; your health

So took a look in the mirror and ask yourself if you like what you see. No? Then do something about it. I'm not saying going kill yourself for hours in the gym and eat like a rabbit.  I'm asking you to take some pride in your health, how you look and how your body performs. It's the only one you get and, financially speaking, it's a lot cheaper to maintain then repair. Think about it.

Happy Training

SeanBFit In Home Personal Training

Eating and Stress

This is some of that harsh reality that you need to realize as soon as possible. I know life is stressful. Hell, everybody does. Be that as it may, you do NOT need to make things worse for yourself in the long run by ruining it with some immediate satisfaction.

You save your cheat meals for your cheat DAY and leave it at that. There is nothing more self destructive than putting something in your mouth that is going to kill your long-term fitness goals because you had a bad day. You harden up and you bulldoze through all that BS and save it for that one day a week that you EARN. I say earn because if you aren't working your ass off 6 days a week and you aren't putting in your time, you don't deserve a cheat day because you didn't earn it.

Remember, this doesn't come easy and it doesn't come fast. If you want it, you need to work for it. Either work your ass off and do the best you possibly can or don't and stay fat. It's all up to you.

Happy training

SeanBFit In Home Personal Training

Change

Look what has to happen before someone will take the initiative to change their ways.  People have become so ignorant of their own well being, they won't accept responsibility for their own degenerative actions.

We eat with no common sense and don't take care of our bodies until a Dr tells us if we don't do something, we're going to die early.

Why? Why do we wait until it's to late or when our only hope lies within surgeries that do more harm to us than good?

If you don't like something about your life, change it. Don't like your body? Change how you treat it. No one can help you unless YOU are ready to change.

There is no better time to start than NOW

There is absolutely NO excuse for you not to start now.

You CAN Have To Much of a Good Thing

That age old tale of having too much of a good thing is bad couldn’t be any further from the truth, when referring to ones diet that is. People tend to focus so much attention on what they are eating and they tend to forget how much of it they are eating. Portion sizing is a key strategy to lose a good amount of weight and it is a fairly simple strategy. I will show you how to make it work for you.

                Would you like to know the reason why people praise the Weight Watchers premade frozen meals? Because of its portion sizes, that is it’s key to success. The calorie count is precise and can make a difference in your physique, even thought you may not be eating the best things available to you. How is it possible to eat processed foods but still lose weight? The answer is still,”Portion Size.”  So this could, in fact, be beneficial strategy if you tend to lack discipline to keep your portion sizes in check. Also, don’t think for a second that you can eat whatever you want after you eat something that says “healthy” on the box. This applies to frozen healthy foods or whole foods.

                Another way to keep your portion sizes in check goes as follows:

·         When going out to eat, ask for a box from the waiter/waitress when ordering to box and bag up half of the food on your plate and get it out of sight. “Out of sight. Out of mind.”

·         When cooking at home, if you’re unsure about what portion size you should use and lack a food scale to measure, cut the amount of food you eat in half. Base it off of your past and go from there. This way it will be better to be safe with the portion than sorry you ate too much.

·         As said before, if you don’t have a scale for your food and measuring cups, buy them. Some scales now days can even tell you how much Carbs/Protein/Fat/Calories are in whatever you are measuring.

·         Splitting plates when going out to eat is an easier way to keep portions down and save money as well.

·         Purchasing plastic containers and spreading out meals in separate containers is an easy way to not only keep track of meals, but keep the portions in check as well.

Amongst many other strategies, the main idea is that you do not allow yourself to lose control of the diet. Diet is 80% of the game and it is important. Remember, just because it is important doesn’t mean dieting has to be hard. If you work hard, diet hard and keep focused, you still get your one day when you can go all out with your food. I am willing to bet once your diet goes from being a choice to a lifestyle; it will be much easier to stick to. Not to mention when you see what results it yields, you will want to skip a cheat day or two. 

Quality or Quantity?

I want to propose a question to all of you. If you spent hours upon hours of your life trying to make enough money to be able to retire comfortably, would you waste it on something other than what you had intended it for? Would you spend all that money on lottery tickets instead of putting it towards your main goal? I think we all know the answer to the question. So now that you answered that, let me ask you this, “ Why would you eat food that you know is bad for you , when you say you’re trying to do everything you can to lose weight?”

                Far too many times during my career as a personal trainer in corporate fitness would I see someone who spent an hour on the treadmill, an hour in the weight room, or in and out of many group classes and I see that exact same person driving straight to a McDonalds or a Jack in the Box on my way home. The only thing I can honestly think to myself is,” What are you doing?!?!”  When I ask people why they tend to do that, they always come back with the same response. “I earned it. I did my hour of cardio so I can eat whatever I want.” The truth of the matter is that after all that hard work and time spent on building up that foundation you are trying to get, you’ve just broke it down to pieces with that McDonalds or Jack in the Box. Please take note that it takes a lot more than a single workout in one day to earn the food you really want. In fact, it takes numerous workouts over many days to be able to say you’ve earned that cheat meal. Drasin and the guys from the 70’s followed a strict diet 6 days out of the week and had that one day where they ate anything and everything they wanted when they wanted. Of course, they were also working out twice a day.

                There are many different ways to overcome this diet trouble. Here are a few things you can try to keep yourself more consistent on your diet than you are now:

1.       Train hard and eat clean 6 days out of the week and use that 7^th day to eat anything you want

2.       Train more than once a day to increase calorie expenditure throughout the day. The best way to do this is to develop a split of some kind. Upper Body in the AM and Lower Body in the PM, Check in the morning and then Back later at night. This is a good way to make some gains, increase calorie use and be able to slip by with cheating on your diet every now and then.  * On a side note, if you decide to do this, keep your workouts at an hour or a little more. That includes: Warm up, weight training, cardio, abs. anything more than that, your Cortisol will rise and that won’t help either.

3.       Get a bite of something you are craving to tie you over. 1 small bite to satisfy that beast and keep going on with your diet.

These are a few things you can try to keep you going. Don’t forget, diet is 80% of the whole game. Sure, weight training, cardio and supplementation help, but the diet is every single hour of every single day. If your diet is spot on, your results will be that much better.

I want to propose a question to all of you. If you spent hours upon hours of your life trying to make enough money to be able to retire comfortably, would you waste it on something other than what you had intended it for? Would you spend all that money on lottery tickets instead of putting it towards your main goal? I think we all know the answer to the question. So now that you answered that, let me ask you this, “ Why would you eat food that you know is bad for you , when you say you’re trying to do everything you can to lose weight?”

                Far too many times during my career as a personal trainer in corporate fitness would I see someone who spent an hour on the treadmill, an hour in the weight room, or in and out of many group classes and I see that exact same person driving straight to a McDonalds or a Jack in the Box on my way home. The only thing I can honestly think to myself is,” What are you doing?!?!”  When I ask people why they tend to do that, they always come back with the same response. “I earned it. I did my hour of cardio so I can eat whatever I want.” The truth of the matter is that after all that hard work and time spent on building up that foundation you are trying to get, you’ve just broke it down to pieces with that McDonalds or Jack in the Box. Please take note that it takes a lot more than a single workout in one day to earn the food you really want. In fact, it takes numerous workouts over many days to be able to say you’ve earned that cheat meal. Drasin and the guys from the 70’s followed a strict diet 6 days out of the week and had that one day where they ate anything and everything they wanted when they wanted. Of course, they were also working out twice a day.

                There are many different ways to overcome this diet trouble. Here are a few things you can try to keep yourself more consistent on your diet than you are now:

1.       Train hard and eat clean 6 days out of the week and use that 7^th day to eat anything you want

2.       Train more than once a day to increase calorie expenditure throughout the day. The best way to do this is to develop a split of some kind. Upper Body in the AM and Lower Body in the PM, Check in the morning and then Back later at night. This is a good way to make some gains, increase calorie use and be able to slip by with cheating on your diet every now and then.  * On a side note, if you decide to do this, keep your workouts at an hour or a little more. That includes: Warm up, weight training, cardio, abs. anything more than that, your Cortisol will rise and that won’t help either.

3.       Get a bite of something you are craving to tie you over. 1 small bite to satisfy that beast and keep going on with your diet.

These are a few things you can try to keep you going. Don’t forget, diet is 80% of the whole game. Sure, weight training, cardio and supplementation help, but the diet is every single hour of every single day. If your diet is spot on, your results will be that much better. 

Learn How To Work Smarter; Not Harder

I want to propose a question to all of you. If you spent hours upon hours of your life trying to make enough money to be able to retire comfortably, would you waste it on something other than what you had intended it for? Would you spend all that money on lottery tickets instead of putting it towards your main goal? I think we all know the answer to the question. So now that you answered that, let me ask you this, “ Why would you eat food that you know is bad for you , when you say you’re trying to do everything you can to lose weight?”

                Far too many times during my career as a personal trainer in corporate fitness would I see someone who spent an hour on the treadmill, an hour in the weight room, or in and out of many group classes and I see that exact same person driving straight to a McDonalds or a Jack in the Box on my way home. The only thing I can honestly think to myself is,” What are you doing?!?!”  When I ask people why they tend to do that, they always come back with the same response. “I earned it. I did my hour of cardio so I can eat whatever I want.” The truth of the matter is that after all that hard work and time spent on building up that foundation you are trying to get, you’ve just broke it down to pieces with that McDonalds or Jack in the Box. Please take note that it takes a lot more than a single workout in one day to earn the food you really want. In fact, it takes numerous workouts over many days to be able to say you’ve earned that cheat meal. Drasin and the guys from the 70’s followed a strict diet 6 days out of the week and had that one day where they ate anything and everything they wanted when they wanted. Of course, they were also working out twice a day.

                There are many different ways to overcome this diet trouble. Here are a few things you can try to keep yourself more consistent on your diet than you are now:

1.       Train hard and eat clean 6 days out of the week and use that 7^th day to eat anything you want

2.       Train more than once a day to increase calorie expenditure throughout the day. The best way to do this is to develop a split of some kind. Upper Body in the AM and Lower Body in the PM, Check in the morning and then Back later at night. This is a good way to make some gains, increase calorie use and be able to slip by with cheating on your diet every now and then.  * On a side note, if you decide to do this, keep your workouts at an hour or a little more. That includes: Warm up, weight training, cardio, abs. anything more than that, your Cortisol will rise and that won’t help either.

3.       Get a bite of something you are craving to tie you over. 1 small bite to satisfy that beast and keep going on with your diet.

These are a few things you can try to keep you going. Don’t forget, diet is 80% of the whole game. Sure, weight training, cardio and supplementation help, but the diet is every single hour of every single day. If your diet is spot on, your results will be that much better. 

www.Facebook.com/SeanBFit 

Work Ethic

                Now a day’s people seem busier than they have ever been. Whether it is because they’re playing both mom and dad roles, working multiple jobs or have a career with school on top of that. It is amazing to see what we, as people, can handle all at once. Unfortunately, some of us tend to spread ourselves to thin and then something eventually gives. What determines what gives is our priorities. This is a good time for you to think about what you consider a priority while you read.

                Work Ethic plays a lot in the role of priorities. Some of us who have it tend to own the day or,” Carpe Diem” if you will. Some of us do the exact opposite. Some like to day dream and wish on a star that something awesome happens and they will go from there. Sadly, they’re wishing and waiting for the rest of their lives. Your work ethic determines a lot about you and how your future is going to look like, no matter what you’re doing at that time. It separates people who have jobs from people who have careers. It rolls over into everything we do. Doing work is what brings the success you want; nothing else. It doesn’t matter how much money you have, what excuse you have for today or what you say. All that matters is the work you put in. You get what you gave. If you gave it your all, you’ll get it all. If you gave nothing, you will get nothing.

                What I do want you to realize is that work ethic isn’t something that can be taught or bought. Work ethic is shown by example for your own interpretation alone. We all cannot do or have what everyone has, that is impossible. However, we can interpret our own situations and example however we decide to and go from there. The idea is to take the example, take a page out of it’s’ book and then apply it to your life. Don’t duplicate what someone else did and hope it works, make your own way while using others situations as example to learn how it can benefit you and your life. 

I am a big believer that everything that happens to us happens for a reason, whether it is good or bad. People, events, and situations all happen to us for a reason. Whatever the reason is, it is up to us to figure out why it happened and take a lesson away from it.  I believe people come into your life to show you something about yourself. I also believe the situations and events that happen to us, be it good or bad, help show us what we are really made of. That is how our own work ethic is established. We learn from what happened, and it makes us either better or, in some cases, worse than before. That decision is entirely up to you.

                

Why Not Weights?

When you think weight training, you are most likely picturing Arnold holding up both arms and flexing them or a flashback to a huge bodybuilder that you once saw in a magazine and thought,” Oh my … gross! Why would you want to do that?” I have seen women stray far away from the weight room and often wondered why. I know they want to get in shape and they want a body they can be proud of, but they are skipping a big part of what it takes to help them reach their goals. They know that, right? Truth be told, I know many of women who turn down the weight room for a few of the same reasons. After a while, I’ve boiled it down to about 3 main reasons why women choose to stay out of the weight room.

The first reason would be because there are many myths about weight training that women hear from someone who knew someone who worked with someone who had saw this for his or herself. One of these common hearsay myths is “You will get bulky or look manly if you lift weights.” On the contrary, women lack the amount of testosterone for this to actually happen. I am sure you have seen bulky or “manly” women in magazines or on TV. Rest assured that it takes more than you can imagine making it to that point. Food intake plays a significant role in the amount of size you will get or lose in the gym. It’s not uncommon for people wanting to get “bulky” to eat anywhere from 10,000 – 15,000 calories a day just to maintain, recover and grow. This is obviously an outlandish number that you more than likely make in a full seven day week rather than a single day’s worth of food intake.

 Women often choose to skip the weight room is because they don’t completely understand the benefits of weight training.  Resistance training has been shown to be the “Fountain of Youth” by many standards due to its many benefits. The following benefits are:

·         Weight loss – Weight training has shown to fire up the metabolism for longer periods of time than regular cardio sessions. This means you’re burning calories longer than you would by just doing cardio alone. For a massive metabolic boost, do your cardio after your weight training sessions.

·         Immune system Improvement – the body’s immune system gets a hefty boost with weight training due to the fact that your body’s muscle tissue is being torn down and rebuilt. This causes your body to develop a stronger immune system foundation to handle this and keep yourself healthy. For an extra boost, try a L-Glutamine supplement to keep your immune system in excellent condition.

·         Lower Risk of Coronary Artery Disease - Weight training has shown to decrease blood pressure, lower cholesterol, strengthen the heart and help strengthen the immune system. A healthy combination better than any prescription your Dr. will write for you.

·         Strength Gain – the strength gain you will achieve from resistance training is something that can come in handy if you have a family of little ones or if you require lifting on a daily basis. This will also help you if you should ever need to pull yourself up or pick someone else up to help them.

·         Strengthening Bones – Women have a higher risk of osteoporosis and weight training is something they should consider no matter what age. Weight training will build better bone density to fight off osteoporosis. For a little extra, take a Vitamin D and Calcium supplement to aid.

·         Lowering Risk of Injuries – Weight training will keep your body strong enough to keep injuries at bay by building stronger bones, healthy muscle tissue and strong joints.  Bad knees, bad backs and hurting joints will be something you will never have to deal with if you have a consistent workout routine.

Resistance training programs have also done wonders in fighting depression or anxiety while increasing confidence. It’s the only thing you can do consistently that will cure many medical diseases, prevent many more medical diseases and keep your body strong while looking great. There is no pill that will make it happen for you and there is no magic diet out there. There is only you and the gym that will make your goals a reality and also make anything possible for you. All it takes is a little hard work and commitment for some magic to happen.

Think of this, you’re new to working out and you walk into a weight room full of a bunch of guys and maybe a few other ladies. How are you feeling? Scared, Out of place or Insecure? Who wouldn’t? You’re stepping into a new environment and you may not know where to even begin. Everything seems new or complicated at first, but its okay. We all of us have been in your shoes and we know exactly what you’re feeling standing there looking around. The best way to keep this from going bad is to make a plan and go in prepared. I understand it can be uncomfortable working out with a bunch of men around, and if it bothers you or you think it will bother you, bring a girlfriend along for a workout buddy. Some gyms have a workout area specifically for women, so that can be an option as well. Write your goals out and keep them in your line of vision at some point of the day. Tape them to your bathroom mirror so you see it first thing in the morning. That phrase,” Keep your eye on the prize” means everything here. Meet with a fitness expert or an experienced friend to set up a game plan learning the basics of exercise form and how to establish your own personal program. We are all unique as we are the same so not every program is going to work for us. Think of your new workout routine as a dress tailored just for you.

 When you are ready, step in the weight room with your best foot forward and make it happen. We are in this together because we all have done it. We know you can do it to. Train hard, eat well and keep pushing until you cross the finish line.

Check us out at Facebook.com/SeanBFit for more !

There is NO Time Like The Present

Far too often than not, I have seen too many people get caught up in the trails and demands of a full filling life and they tend to lose sight of where they're going or where they came from to get there. Some see this as an opportunity to acknowledge their strengths but be aware of their weaknesses, if any are present. Others see this as a "mistake" or a mere results of a bad decision made since they aren't where they want to be. Whichever way you may take this crossroads in life, depending on whether your glass would be half empty or half full, the most important thing to keep in mind during this is that it is never too late to make a change in your path and there is no better time to do it than in the present.

                We all make mistakes and the results are as unsatisfying and they are inevitable. We can't be expect to always make the best choices at every hour of every day, that defeats the purpose of free will. However, it isn't the mistakes you make, it is what you decide to do after the mistake is made. Maybe you cheated more often on your diet than you would like to admit. Maybe you cut your workout short because the guys are going to the bar to watch the fights. So now what can you do to make up for this? You can stay extra strict on your diet for the following few weeks to make up for the calories. You can increase the number of workouts you have in a weeks' time to compensate. There are many ways to make up , but one thing you do not want to do is to have the mind set of, " Well, I always ruined it for the day so why not just go all out since I'm already here?" That mindset leads to all the bad things that can happen when trying to keep your weight in check and your health in order. Slowly , but surely, the weight starts to come back up as your health declines. Soon after you notice your clothes aren't fitting well anymore and then that's when the depression kicks in. The point is, the further down you let yourself slide, the harder it is to get back to where you were and progress from there. In my opinion, there is no such thing as "maintaining " You're either gaining or losing in this game. When you accept that there is some sort of "Maintenance" phase that you are in, you have begun to accept the regression that is bound to come. 

While on the other side of the fence, there are those who sort of " Re-Evaluate" themselves and their progress while trying to get where they want to be. Those who find themselves doing this are the ones learning how they react to certain situations that can hurt their progress and can deal with them better or avoid them entirely. For instance, if they knew the wanted to see a fight with their buddies on a certain day, they will adjust their workout schedule and diet accordingly to make it over this minor speed bump. If they feel they will be in a position to cheat on their diet, they'll eat something before the temptation sits in, so they will eat less of whatever is in front of them. Their mindset of constant re-evaluation and progression is what keeps them in shape year round, keeps them healthy without "Trying",  and it also displays leadership in the best way possible; by example.

                Whatever side of the fence you find yourself on, take a look at yourself and decide if you like where you are at this point in your life. If you can't say you are happy honestly, than obviously there is need for a change. If you do, give yourself a credit for your hard work and know that someone somewhere is looking to you as an example. Despite where you are, there will never be a time when you can say," I can't change it. It's too late" and say it honestly. There is always time to hit the E-brake and make a hard left and change the direction you're going in life. Remember, it's not about finding time, it's about making time. The choices you make today with inevitably make you in the future.

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The Solution to the REAL Problem

An up and coming former high school drop-out and now proud holder of a PhD had once said,” If you have tried or haven’t tried different things in your life and you’re still in the same place, then the problem is not your life; the problem is you. You are the only common factor in every situation you find in your life.” His point comes with great merit, not only with turning ones’ life around, but with anything you could set out to do with your life.

                In my opinion, and in a few others that I have been consulting with, the biggest problem with us as an unhealthy society is the lack of education. We come into contact with so many “lose weight fast” gimmicks, new home equipment to get you ready for the beach, or a supplement company that eventually turns into a part time job doing multi-level marketing. I’m not saying that none of these can help you get to where you want to be, I’m saying that they’re nothing new to the world of people who had the knowledge of what was needed to be done before any of this came out. Yes, people have lost weight very effectively and quickly before: P90X, The Adkins Diet, The Gazelle and before Richard Simmons. There were/are supplement companies that do as much if not more that these multi-level supplement companies that throw a masterpiece in the form of a sales pitch to you just to get you to buy into them.

                Be honest, you know as well as I do that your home fitness equipment is nothing more than a glorified clothes rack in your home. I am willing to bet that 1/10 people who have treadmills at home actually use them consistently. It doesn’t stop there either. Millions of people have gym memberships that don’t even use them, have supplements they have bought but aren’t consistent with so they throw them out, or have invested into some lose weight quick gimmick or surgery and ended up further back than where they were from the start. How does this happen to people so often? You would think that they would learn from the beginning right?

                The reason we, as a society, are so over weight, unhealthy and unhappy is due to the lack of education and knowledge that is needed. “Ignorance is blissful, yet it is disastrous” couldn’t be any more accurate. Some of us don’t take the time to think, and act purely on an emotional state of mind and end up more disappointed than anything. Those who bought into gastric bypass or lap-band surgery without understanding and knowing that if their lifestyle doesn’t change, the surgery won’t work and will do more harm than good. Then again, if they possessed that knowledge, they probably would have solved the problem before it got to that point, don’t you think?

                There is a saying that goes, “Change occurs when the pain of remaining the same is greater than the pain of changing.” To me, this is ignorance personified in us. We know that something isn’t conducive to our good health, yet we continue until it gets too bad that we have no choice but to change. We eat ourselves to death until we become so huge we cannot walk, and then we are forced into a weight loss surgery. We ignore our personal health and fitness until it gets to the point where we need to move quickly and we are a victim of our own laziness. Why would we wait for the “pain” to get so profound that we cannot bear it? Blame it on fear or blame it on laziness, the real issue is your lack of accountability. You knew the aftermath of eating horribly or not taking care of yourself was. As I said, you are the problem with everything concerning you. The best thing about you being the primary factor in your life is that you can turn it around. Knowledge of yourself, knowledge of how to change and knowledge of what to change will make all the difference in your world. It can all start right now, if you tell yourself that you’re ready to stop hurting and you’re also ready to start working.

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The Dr. May Not Always Be Right

Back in the 1970’s, a young martial artist had severely over strained nerve tissue in his back due to an improper warm up. After his visit to the hospital the Dr begin to tell this young man that he may never be able to kick again, and reaffirmed his previous cautions to not over strain his body. Before this accident, the martial artist told his Dr in paraphrase, “The body will endure what the mind decides for it to do.” This martial artist not only began to walk 6 months after surgery, he became a better martial artist and retained his ability to kick fast and hard. This man is known worldwide and his legacy still lives within his movies today. That man’s name was Bruce Lee.

                Even thought doctors pay their dues and their time into medical school, they will not always be spot on accurate 100% of the time, which is normal. I bring this issue up because just recently I had an interesting conversation with a current client about what her doctor had said about the reasons for her plantar fasciitis and his recommendations for a cure. In a nut shell, this well educated man told my client to not walk around barefoot, never wear flip flops and wear special insoles to help with her foot. Apparently she began feeling this pain after last marathon. I am not saying  that I know more than a well educated doctor, but I will make my point this,” No matter what a current doctor may say or recommend, it is always best to get multiple opinions before you make a choice of what you are going to do regarding your physical ailment.”

                The reason I was questioning his notion is due to the fact that “Barefoot” running has been something different civilizations of people have been doing for years and years. Not to mention that if you are wearing shoes that offer “Too much support “ will , in fact, weaken the muscle in the foot and cause issue within. This goes with many different things we try to depend on too much while working out. If you are accustomed to wearing a welt belt through your entire workout, you are “Crutching” your lower back; weakening it and make it more susceptible to injury. The same thing goes with wrist wraps, knee wraps, etc. The body has been designed to survive and adapt too many different stressful situations. Any type of stress you put on the body, the body will overcome and adapt to it. That’s what it does.  If you’re sick, your body fights the illness off and becomes slightly stronger. If you break a bone or tear a muscle, your body mends and fixes it. Your body is stronger than you may think, have faith in it.

                In my opinion, when it comes to physical ailments, the last thing you want to do is take a single opinion and run with it. That single opinion mind set has sent many people into knee surgery without needing it, into gastric bypass surgery without needing it and rehab prescriptions that do more harm than good. It is always best that you get two or three different opinions before you make up your mind. Obviously if you have three of the same opinions, then it’s obvious. If not, take your time. Take your time because it is your body and it is the only one you have. 

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Your Fitness Checklist

When it comes to fitness success, there are many different things we must take into consideration before attempting to pursue. These are things that we must all know and understand because there so many different speed bumps in that road to success. After talking with many different fitness professionals and leading names in the industry, I’ve found five common areas of interest across the board and I want to relay what it is to be expected directly to you.

1.     Education

Education is the number 1 issue a lot of different professionals have agreed on that is a big issue in this lifestyle. The education on the consumer’s side and professional’s side. Not all of us, but many of us tend to jump head first into something exciting and don’t really know exactly what we are doing or what to do when our body stops responding to our exercise routines and diet. That’s where our education comes into play. We need to learn how our bodies respond to Weight Training, Cardio, CrossFit, Zumba, and the many other ways we can exercise. We also need to learn what diet suits our exercise choices and how to make the most out of it. As far as the professionals, I want to say there are a lot of different trainers out there who are all promising the same thing. However, not all trainers are created equal by far. I suggest you, as a consumer for personal training, do your research on whoever you are interested in hiring and trusting with your health and fitness. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, ask to see testimonials or interview them for the position to help you. In short, pay attention to how you feel and how your body responds to different exercises and don’t hesitate to interview a fitness professional for the chance to be your fitness professional.

2.     Consistency

I cannot stress enough that consistency is a valuable key ingredient to success in this health and fitness lifestyle. You cannot stop or slow down just because things get a little hard or you don’t see what you expected to see so soon. Trust me, you will a lot farther slowing down a bit than completely stopping all together. I won’t lie , this lifestyle can be challenging and it can be frustrating to put so much work in and see the scale move slightly if not at all. Don’t worry, it’s a process and if you stick to it, you will get what you want out of it. That is guaranteed. The body is stubborn, but it will give in and give up that last stubborn 5-10lbs.

3.     Accountability

People love to try and blame their genetics, lifestyle or any or everything else they can to justify why they don’t work out or why they look the way they look. I’m going to be honest with you and say that, in the case of not working out or being out of shape, it’s not your genetics. Obesity is not a disease and no one is destined to be overweight or out of shape for the rest of their life. It’s all you. You are the only sole source of direction that leads whether or not you fit well in that wedding dress or that you drop those 15lbs and keep them off for good. No one else and nothing else can stop you if you really want it and work hard for it. 

4.     Variety

Variety is the key to spark your body into new progression and get yourself out of those plateaus that you may have been stuck in a while. It could be the smallest variety that makes all the difference. If you occasionally run for longer periods of time and you aren’t losing weight, shorten your runs up. If you’re normally lift weight for higher reps, lift heavier. If you constantly are eating nothing but chicken and broccoli, change your protein sources up to turkey or fish. The smallest little change can make all the difference in how your body looks in a few weeks from now. Don’t be afraid to step outside of your box because that’s where the magic happens.  The body responds to new stimulus and it’s usually ready for something new when it stops responding to the old. Many would agree it is beneficial to be open minded when concerning your workouts and exercises of choice.

5.     Patience

This is probably the most, if not one of the most, important things to keep in mind when you’re working for a healthier you. You have to learn to be patient with your body and your progress. It comes and goes in spurts. You will see slight progressive loss, but the biggest and most noticeable progress comes in spurts. Don’t’ get frustrated if your weight isn’t coming off as fast as you want it to and don’t get upset if you haven’t dropped a size yet. If you are doing everything right and putting in your time, you will get to where you want to be. You will see a better looking you soon. You will reach your goals.

       Along with many different professionals, I encourage everyone to take a personal interest in their health and fitness for whatever reason. Whether or not you want to feel better, look better or just be a better version of you in general. I know you have what it takes and I know you will succeed if you keep these 5 key points in mind. 

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The Buddy System

Taking a look at all the greats in our history, it always seems that they did it all themselves. I’m willing to bet that they didn’t. Every great champion has a great team behind him or her. Muhammad Ali had an amazing trainer with an amazing team in his corner. Arnold has a gym full of men and women who all wanted the same thing. Even though they may have competed against each other, they helped each other both physically and mentally. Your situation is no different. Look around you. Where is your team? 

                Your team may not consist of knowledgeable trainers, an investor and an elderly gentleman with a beanie screaming,” I didn’t hear no bell!” However, your support comes from your: Family, friends, co workers, acquaintances, neighbors, girlfriend/boyfriend or your teachers/mentors.  Unfortunately, I believe that we don’t always have the luxury of having this support group. Maybe it is the people we are associating with or maybe it is our situation in life

                We know that some of our support can be obtained financially. Maybe a trainer at the gym? Maybe the support group from Weight Watchers can help your progress. Believe me when I tell you that they are there for a reason. We all lose motivation from time to time. It is inevitable. Whenever that happens is when our support team helps pick up the slack. Don’t think of it as you can’t do it on your own. You can do it. You are doing it. Just know that from time to time, even the best need a push. I’ve always said that no one can stay on top forever. You can’t always pitch a perfect game and you can’t always run the table every time.

                I do want to mention that I know some of us don’t have this support system. A lot of us may be treading to success by ourselves. Even worse, we may be associating with the wrong crowd as we try to get where we want to be. I see this a lot more in my profession. Know that as like attracts like, success brings success. You want to surround yourself with people who know what it takes to achieve and who have succeeded in their past. This will get you further than what you have going on now. 

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The Battle of The Bugle!

Ladies and gentleman, let’s get ready to rumble! Here is one of the oldest questions since the health and fitness fad has hit mainstream. What is the best way to determine your results? Is it what the scale is telling you or is it how your clothes are fitting and how good you are looking in them.  This, in my opinion, has been one of the more difficult measurements to establish accuracy. We all know muscle weights more than fat, and the scale doesn’t exactly tell you that. It just shows that one number that will either make your day or not. So how do we measure with accuracy?

                The scales now days are coming out with body fat readers and BMI calculators. I want to make one point before continuing by saying do not ever go by BMI. In my opinion, the BMI (Body Mass Index) is not only horribly inaccurate; it is very out of date. This is a sure fire way to lose motivation and just increase frustration. So never do that. Let’s take a look at what the scale provides. A body fat reader can be accurate, but it is based on hydration of the body. So it will misread if you’re dehydrated or have eaten a lot of salty foods and such. To be honest, the only way to be the more accurate body fat measurement is by doing a Hydro Static Weight in a laboratory. So unless you want to pay that much money for an accurate body fat measurement, then let’s just do our best with the reader as we can. Muscle weights more than body fat. When starting a new weight training program, you will experience an initial weight gain due to the body acclimating to the stress it is dealing with. This is normal and the weight will go back down soon, depending on your own metabolism.  Now after this, you will experience a progressive weight loss. A healthy weight loss is averaged to 1-2lbs per week. That’s on a healthy average.

                I always tell my clientele that the scale isn’t something to go on all the time. The best way to determine if you’re losing or gaining is by referring to your pants sizes. You can lose inches and sizes without dropping a lot of weight, hypothetically. Again, this is because the muscle you’ve developed and the fat you have lost are basically,” Meeting in the middle” or “Cancelling each other out” so the scale remains the same but the pants are getting baggy or loose. The mirror is a good side reference when it comes to the pants and shirt sizes. If those are getting smaller, then you’re most likely looking way better in the mirror. Give it a look and see for yourself.

                So when you start a program, do lean towards one side only. Use both to your advantage. Again, if you aren’t seeing the scale change much but the pants are falling off of you, then you’re doing a good job. Keep going! Happy training. 

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Take it Fast or Go Slow?

When it comes to getting the most out of your workouts, variety and consistency is what it is all about. Under these two variables, they both work in synergistic fashion.  Meaning they complement each well to achieve the main goal, which is more muscle. Who wouldn't want more muscle? More muscle looks good, feels great and fires your metabolism more than anything else in your body. When we talk about variety, we mean changing it up as much as humanly possible.

                Over time your muscle tissue grows stagnant after the same routines. Just like you get bored watching the same movie over and over again, then you leave it alone and after some time, you watch that same movie and it’s awesome all over again. The best way to avoid this, “Training plateau “is to add this variety. One way to achieve this is the speed or tempo of your exercise. Lighten up the weight and lift it slow throughout the movement while focusing on the muscle you’re working and keep that in your head while working it. This is that Mind to Muscle connection that you hear the old school lifters talk about. You can also press or pull the movement in an “explosive” fashion to develop power throughout the movement. This is a great way to recruit a good amount of muscle fiber while developing power through the lift and “shock” the muscles into a growth mode.

                You can change your routines as often as you life, there is no single way to exercise. The more variety you put your muscles through, the better result you will get out of it. Variety doesn’t always have to come in the training part; it can also be applied to the diet portion. Diet is 80% of the game, when it comes to your health and fitness. Think about this, you’re working out anywhere from 30mins – 2 hours. What are you doing with the other 23.5-22 hours? You should be in recovery. You don’t grow in the gym; you’re tearing your muscle tissue down and putting the body through stress. Your time out of the gym is when you begin to grow. Eating a variety of foods can make a difference in your physique as well.

                You hear a lot about “Fast carbs and slow carbs” currently in the fitness world along with many other new things trending today. The one thing you need to keep in mind is what you fitness goals are. If you’re trying to lose weight, then you shouldn’t be eating a lot of carbs. If you’re training for a marathon or some other endurance event, carbs are your best friend. You can utilize both to your advantage, but you have to take the timing of these foods into account. Carbs after a workout is a must, as long as you keep in check the amount of carbs you’re taking in. Remember, there can be too much of a good thing. Too many carbs will make you fat.  Protein is something that can be ingested throughout the day , but make it work for you. Fast proteins (Whey) should be utilized either first thing in the morning or right after a workout, while a slower protein (Casein) can be utilized through the day or before bed.

                So next time you walk in the gym to get your workout started, think about how long you’ve done this current workout and think about how you can change it on the fly. Your body won’t know what hit it and it will respond with some awesome gains. Variety and Consistency are your best friends. Consistent variety is also. 

Take A Look at The Bigger Picture

I want to begin by telling each of you readers I respect and applaud all of you for taking your personal health and fitness into consideration on a daily basis. Even though some of us find it crazy or implausible for someone to simply not work out, I understand that life takes a toll on all of us somehow and we all react differently. We all may make our way to the gym for different reasons, but sometimes we need to be reminded that the reasons we take our health into consideration on a daily basis are bigger than what we may give them credit for.

                Don’t forget that it is your health that you are working to improve. That is the most important thing. I know a lot of us want to look as good as we feel, but unless your genetics allow it, looks will fade. It is just part of life and unless you are indulging in plastic surgery or have the best genetics in the world, that is the truth. It is what going on inside you that you need to remember. Your health is priority. What good are your looks if you won’t be healthy enough to enjoy them? So just remember, you may not lose weight as fast as the other person, but your blood pressure is good, your heart is strong and working well. That is the most important thing to remember when you don’t see that scale change the way you would like it to.

                I think it is safe to assume that we all have someone who looks to each of us for something. Whether it is for inspiration, support or an example of what it is like to win, there is someone in our lives that holds us to a high standard because they like what we are doing. You’re surrounded by a group of people on a daily basis. They may be your family or your co workers. Whoever it is, they’re looking up to you for some reason. Don’t think that because you may not be seeing the results your want so soon that you are not making a difference. You could be the one thing that a single person has to get moving and get in shape. Maybe your children look to you as their “Hero “and want to follow in your foot steps in whatever you do. Someone is watching you achieve. Don’t stop. If you did, they might stop to.

                As always, the one thing you should never do is give up. Sure, seeing the scale drop or the pants sizes go down is something we all can be impatient for from time to time, but the one easy way to guarantee that it never changes is to give up. If you ever feel like giving up, just remember why you started in the first place. You’re achieving something worth having. You’re inspiring others to move and become healthier. Your friends and significant others/children are looking up to you. You can’t give up. You want this. All of your supporters want you to have it. Because you’re earning it and you deserve it. Never give up. Keep going. You’re doing a good job. 

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Safety First !

Everyone has decided to get off the couch and workout for one reason or another. Even though they may not be the best reason, it is still doing the best thing. That is getting people moving and performing towards a better life that is healthier and, not to mention, happier. Along the way to achieve our health and fitness goals, we tend to become a little lost in translation as to what we want and what we need. What I hope to accomplish in this message to all of you, the readers, is to keep what is important in priority.

                Safety should be the ultimate concern in your training programs and should always be kept into consideration no matter what you are doing. What good would all your hard work and commitment do if you become weaker in your attempts to become stronger and have a better functioning physique? The thing I see the most among the gym goers is they let their ego lead the way to their fitness success. Lifting far too much weight with improper form or doing way too much cardio to the point where it causes more harm to the immune system than good. Dieting is no different to this either.  People who are constantly going on what is known as,” Yo-Yo Diets” deal with the repercussions of this. It is going from one diet fad to another. Starving yourself to achieve a slight weight loss and then to gain twice the weight back as soon as they go to a normal eating routine. Do not become a victim of your own ignorance or arrogance. Always keep in mind that your safety is important if you want results that last a life time.

                Performance comes very easily if your body is ready to be taken to that level. Skipping step one would only set you back even further. My training philosophy makes it clear that performance is just as important, but always after safety has been established in every session during every exercise.  I know it is nice to look good but I believe it is more important to be able to jump when you need to, run when you have to and be able to lift yourself if it meant saving you from serious harm. What performance means to the casual person would mean something different from a trained athlete. That goes without saying. Although it would be nice to run a 40 in a 4.5 flat, it isn’t very important to the average Joe or Jane. However, being able to do full pushups, hold a full plank for a minute, or even being able to jump and land properly without hurting yourself could make all the difference in a very bad situation. Imagine this for a second. You and your family are out in the park having a family day and your son/daughter who is younger is wondering about. He or she isn’t paying attention and you’re sitting on a park bench because you’re tired from the walk from the house to the park. Your child walks out of your eye sight and then ends up falling and hurting themselves to the point where they begin crying. Now, you don’t work out very often, if at all, and it takes you a while to make it over there while your child is hurting. Now, how do you think you would feel knowing that if you had just made it to the gym more often, you could have been there faster or even prevented it if you weren’t so tired from simple walking around? Think about it.                

                Last but definitely not least, your looks always come with the territory of working out. A lot of people at the gym or anywhere for that matter will tell you that life is a lot better when you look good. When you look good, you feel good. Clint Eastwood was quoted in the January 1988 issue of Muscle and Fitness and said,” One of the most important things in life is feeling good about yourself. And when you’re in decent shape, you like the way your body looks and feels, and your energy levels are at their highest. It’s a lot easier to feel good about yourself.(When your energy levels are high and you like how your body looks) I honestly don’t see why we, as people, would not want to change the way we looked if we weren’t satisfied with what was looking back at us in the mirror. Some people are happy not being fit and that is their choice, you have to respect their happiness. A lot of others aren’t and they love to express how unhappy they are however they can. I say, “If you don’t like it, change it. If it works for you, don’t change it.” 

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Not All Trainers Are Created Equal

When it comes to needing a little extra help in achieving your fitness goals, the most common thing that anyone will tell you is,” hire a trainer.” Even though your chances of success increase significantly when you take on a fitness professional, there are a few things you really want to consider before you starting writing big checks for a service that depends on maximum efficiency on both parties.

Don’t always base your judgment on looks alone.  Yes, I agree that your trainer needs to at least look like he/she works out and is in shape, but don’t mistake their physical capability for their educational capability. I’ve worked with many trainers who look the part but couldn’t correctly demonstrate proper form for a squat if their life depended on it. Be sure to do your research by asking the potential trainer questions before investing your money. Ask such things as:

1.       How many years experience do you have?

2.       What is your specialty?

3.       How much weight do your clients lose per week on average?

4.       What certifications do you currently hold and/or do you have a degree? If so, what is it in?

5.       Do you have any testimonials that I can read?

It may seem mundane but if you are going to invest your hard earned money into someone, you need to make sure you are getting the value of every dollar back from your fitness professional.

               

                Check with your spouse before beginning a fitness program with a professional. As ridiculous as it may sound, some people see a fitness professional as a threat to a relationship. For whatever reason, it is a significant enough issue to be discussed. During my career as a professional, I have lost a few clients due to this issue. Avoid an unnecessary issue and make sure your spouse is in full support of you seeking professional help. Be it financially and emotionally.

               

                Find a trainer that knows how to motivate you. We all respond to things differently. I am not considered a “Nice Trainer” because of my training style. I make clients work harder when they try to stall between sets or exercises and if they are late to a session they are rewarded with a session harder than what it would have been if they were on time. Let me put it to you like this,” It is your money and I want it to work for you. We can talk after the session. Now it is time to work. So let’s work.”  Some people like to be motivated in a softer approach. Make sure whoever you hire knows how you respond. This will help the sessions become more efficient for the both of you.

               

                The last part is more for the client than the trainer. Make sure you, the client, are ready to hire a trainer. A lot of trainers have a No Refund policy and in my experience, I have had some people invest a lot of money in me all at once and they had completely abandoned their training for whatever reason. Ask yourself, “Am I ready? Do I really want this? Am I ready to pay this amount of money and will it help me stick to the program and make a change for the better?” If you are ready, get to it immediately. If you have doubts, please wait on it until you know you are ready. It is one thing to spend money and it is another to spend a lot of money and not get the results you want. 

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It's All A Matter of Time

                There are so many different reasons why we should take time out of our day to keep our personal health and fitness in check, but with all those reasons, everyone seems to find a different excuse to justify their poor health and poor fitness levels. In my experience as a fitness professional, the most common issue I have heard is,” I just don’t have the time.” I am willing to bet you know someone that has said that exact same thing. There is one of two ways to interpret that excuse. Either you literally work 16-20 hours a day and cannot find the time for it, or you just don’t make the time for it. Whichever way you interpret it, how the outcome plays out will depend entirely on you and how you choose to overcome this minor obstacle on your road to a healthier, leaner and fit you.

                It amazes me how important time management can be when pursuing something you’re passionate or concerned about. Juggling; your daily tasks, family, friends, work and money. It is mental nightmare that many of us would much rather pay someone to handle that deal with ourselves. It’s a nice thought, although it is very unrealistic. Regardless, the excuses remain the same. “I don’t have the time.” is as common as excuse as,” It takes to much work” and it doesn’t end there. So what is the solution since we know the problem? First, you have to understand that it’s not that you don’t have the time; it’s that you don’t make the time. That’s the real issue. We have 24 hours in a day to make the best of what we can. 8 hours of work and 8 hours of sleep leaves us just enough time to spend at least one hour a day in some sort of fitness facility or outside being active. So it’s hard to believe out of those spare 8 hours of time, some of us cannot make it to the gym. The time is there, it’s just not being used to its fullest.  A lot of people don’t set time aside in their day to do anything to help improve their personal health and well being, and only when it becomes severe do they begin to get their feet moving on this. Please understand that this procrastination has led some to the point of no return.

                I know that you do not want to be that person that waits until you are too far gone to do something to save yourself. There are many ways you can get your exercise in on a daily basis and here are a few ways you begin improving your health and a daily basis:

·         Park further away from the entry to your place of employment and skip the elevator/escalator rides. Take the stairs because all of those steps add up.

·         Discover early morning workouts, whether or not you’re a morning person or not. Exercising first thing in the morning is a very good way to start your day. Most people who do feel more energetic and awake throughout the day without needing a few cups of coffee to get going.

·         If you have a gym membership, pack up your gym bag with your workout clothes and supplementation if you use them and get to the gym before you head home. Many people find it difficult to get to the gym after getting home and taking care of the house chores and duties.

·         Take advantage of your lunch break and make it work for you. 30 minutes of exercise a day will make a huge difference and if that’s the amount of time you have for lunch, go for a brisk walk and eat your lunch either before or after you’re finished.

·         If pressed for time, try High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T.) This form of exercise basically takes all the intensity of an hour workout and shoves it in a 15-20 minute time frame. It has shown to be just as effective as longer exercise durations.

Here are a few ways you can take care of time before it becomes an issue to your health and fitness goals. If all else fails, just get to the gym and get it done. Remember, the outcome of your results depends all on you.  It’s all just a matter of time and if you really want this to happen, you’re going to have to make the time for it. Believe me when I say that if you do what you can for it, you will love what you see looking back at you in the mirror. At this point, it’s all just a matter of time. 

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