I'm going to get right on into it since I'm writing this on 1 hour of sleep and I'm irritable right now. In celebration of the new year that's coming I decided to conduct a little experiment on myself. I had this brilliant idea to see what it's like to eat a little junk food and have minimal exercise for a week. I wanted to see how it felt. I was trying to recreate what it's like for a person that half way does what they are supposed to when it comes to their health and physical fitness. The first couple of days were ok. No major change. I even got out and ran on the 3rd day just for the hell of it. I ran just 3 miles to get the blood pumping a little bit. I decided I was going to take it all the way to the 1st of 2015. Well, I did not make it! Last night was the worst night ever. First, I had a stomach ache, then I caught the mother of all cramps in my foot, then I couldn't sleep, every negative thought or feeling I could think of was in my head. It was so bad I had to get up and pray and hope I could go to sleep. It didn't work. I got up at 4a.m. and put on my clothes and went for a jog in the pouring rain to try to wear myself out. I only made it 3 miles and the time was so slow I'm embarrassed to say how long it took me. I just had to get out and do some form of exercise to try to make myself feel normal again.
Our bodies in my opinion are similar to a car. If you drive it, put proper fuel in it, and keep it serviced it'll last a long time. Now imagine taking that car and sitting it in the back yard and letting it stay there for years at a time. Then when you finally do decide you want to crank it and get it moving you put some fuel in it that has trash or water in it. Do you think that car is going to crank if the battery isn't already dead? If you answered yes then you are fooling yourself. I put bad fuel in my body and let if sit for a week and I feel like garbage. I can just imagine how a sedentary non health eater feels. Look at some of the people that you know around you. Do you know anyone that is constantly in a bad mood or depressed and always in pain and aching? I can almost guarantee that they are mostly sedentary and eat horribly. If they aren't then they just like to complain. In this situation do like I would and tell them to grow up because I'm sure their life really isnt that bad.
The whole point of all this is that bad food and no activity equals a bad attitude and poor health. Good food and activity means better attitude and better health. Plain and simple! Im going to go because I'm starting to feel sick again. Experiment over!!
Monday, December 29, 2014
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
The Recipe
Another year and another Thanksgiving has passed. Did you eat too much? I'm sure some of us did, but to the ones that didn't. Well done! Well done on practicing self control and eating in moderation. I want to touch on something that I see happen a lot with people who are trying to lose weight. First off, you'll hear some people say that you shouldn't focus on losing weight, but focus on being healthy. Sounds good right? Well it is if you don't have that much weight to lose, but if you have been struggling with being obese for a long period of time you are going to want to see the pounds on the scale drop. In the initial stages of weight loss for a thinner person the scale really isn't going to move that much but you'll see the changes in your body. If you're obese and you change your eating habits the scale is going to drop swiftly. Most of this is just water weight that your body has been holding on to. After all that water weight is gone it slows down a lot. Now here is where the issue comes in for most. You're dropping all this weight in the beginning and now hardly anything. You may do a little exercise here and there but you're still not seeing the results you were getting at the beginning. Also, you may go into a little denial about what you're actually consuming and how much exercise you're doing. The problem is your recipe isn't working anymore...
I've been doing a lot of cooking lately and I realized I'm actually pretty good at it. I've made some things from a recipe book and it was great! I tried to do it again and it just didn't taste the same. Has this ever happened to anyone besides me? I followed the same instructions and it came out totally different than the last time. What I realized is that the slightest little error can throw a recipe off. Unless you are 100% perfect every time the taste could be different. The point of me telling you this is to give an example of how your weight loss recipe can be different from the slightest little changes and result in a not so great weight loss. For example, an unexpected meal out, you ran out of food and had to get something from a snack machine, you drink an extra cup of coffee, you ate a few pieces of candy off your co workers desk, you go out for drinks with your friends etc. Those are just a few thing that will cause a shift in your progress. So, what I want to do now is to give you my recipe for weight loss that will ensure you a great week if you're watching the scale.
1: Keep a food journal
Journaling will keep you honest. Most of the time if you have to write down what you eat it'll keep you from sneaking things you're not supposed to have. If you can't keep a journal then you are not ready to face the fact of what you did to slow your own progress. Whatever plan you decide to follow when it comes to a diet will work as long as you stick to it!
2. Drink water
When I say drink water, I mean drink water! Not coffee, milk, iced tea, fruit punch etc... I mean good old water. You need about 64 ounces at the least. If you're not getting at least that, you can't expect to have continued success. You'll just end up retaining water weight instead of losing it.
3. Exercise
This one is very important! I'm about to give you a little truth here and I know some people won't like it but you need to hear it. What do I mean when I say exercise? I don't mean going for a walk out in your neighborhood. To me that is just one step above the couch. I'm talking about getting out there and busting your butt. Lifting weights, doing crunches, interval jogging etc.. Something that is going to make you sweat and tighten those muscles up 4-5 times a week for an hour at least. The only times in my opinion that is ok to just walk for exercise is if you have been injured and you are rehabbing or you are very limited with movement. Otherwise, stop being lazy and do something.
Follow these simple 3 steps and watch your body change and the pounds come off!
I've been doing a lot of cooking lately and I realized I'm actually pretty good at it. I've made some things from a recipe book and it was great! I tried to do it again and it just didn't taste the same. Has this ever happened to anyone besides me? I followed the same instructions and it came out totally different than the last time. What I realized is that the slightest little error can throw a recipe off. Unless you are 100% perfect every time the taste could be different. The point of me telling you this is to give an example of how your weight loss recipe can be different from the slightest little changes and result in a not so great weight loss. For example, an unexpected meal out, you ran out of food and had to get something from a snack machine, you drink an extra cup of coffee, you ate a few pieces of candy off your co workers desk, you go out for drinks with your friends etc. Those are just a few thing that will cause a shift in your progress. So, what I want to do now is to give you my recipe for weight loss that will ensure you a great week if you're watching the scale.
1: Keep a food journal
Journaling will keep you honest. Most of the time if you have to write down what you eat it'll keep you from sneaking things you're not supposed to have. If you can't keep a journal then you are not ready to face the fact of what you did to slow your own progress. Whatever plan you decide to follow when it comes to a diet will work as long as you stick to it!
2. Drink water
When I say drink water, I mean drink water! Not coffee, milk, iced tea, fruit punch etc... I mean good old water. You need about 64 ounces at the least. If you're not getting at least that, you can't expect to have continued success. You'll just end up retaining water weight instead of losing it.
3. Exercise
This one is very important! I'm about to give you a little truth here and I know some people won't like it but you need to hear it. What do I mean when I say exercise? I don't mean going for a walk out in your neighborhood. To me that is just one step above the couch. I'm talking about getting out there and busting your butt. Lifting weights, doing crunches, interval jogging etc.. Something that is going to make you sweat and tighten those muscles up 4-5 times a week for an hour at least. The only times in my opinion that is ok to just walk for exercise is if you have been injured and you are rehabbing or you are very limited with movement. Otherwise, stop being lazy and do something.
Follow these simple 3 steps and watch your body change and the pounds come off!
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
It's a journey
I had a conversation with a person I met in the gym about what it takes to accomplish your goals when it comes to being more physically fit. I explained to this person that for me it was a journey. You not only have to be physically fit but also mentally fit to get to where you want to be. You have to have a strong will or someone behind you who is willing to accept the fact that you are changing and is not threatened by the change that is occurring. Just like any other long journey you would take on foot you will find yourself coming across a lot of obstacles. You just have to keep in mind that at the end of the journey it will all be well worth it.
A lot of mistakes are made when people are on this journey to better their health and fitness. I'm just going to touch on a few of the many that exist. The first one I'm going to talk about is..... "Trying to bring others along for the journey." Only you will know when it's time to make that change to better your physical fitness and health. Until you have made up your mind that it's time to do something it will not happen. You're going to feel so much better about yourself and you're going to want to share that with everyone you know. You may get a compliment or two and people will ask what you are doing. Once you tell peoople what you have been up to you're going to become like an evangelist for what you are doing. You'll invite people along with you to workout and give them advice on eating better but it's not their time yet. It's your journey and not theirs. If you do convince them to follow your lead it won't last long. You'll find yourself on the journey the same way you started.. Alone.
Something else that I see a lot of is.. "Being cheated out of your success by the negativity of others." You want to know if you are progressing on your journey? If you get outside influences trying to stop you from what you're doing. See you may not be able to notice but people around you will. Either your body is starting to change or you're able to move a lot faster or be able to do things physically that some of the people around you can't. All of these things are changes for the better, which ultimately makes you better. Most individuals don't like change and when you start to, for some reason it shakes their worlds up. You may get comments like, "You're obsessed!", "You're crazy!", "You're losing too much weight!", "You need a real hobby!", "When do you have time for fun!", "Why can't you eat this!", "You're starving yourself!", "You workout too much!" and one of my favorites of all time. "Your trainer doesn't know what he's doing!" Yeah ok.. Lol! It's times like this where you need to reflect back on what you were doing prior to making all these changes in your life. If you are doing a lot better than what you were then you need to blow the negativity off you just like blowing a piece of lint off your clothes. If you choose to listen to the negativity and stop you run the risk of having to start all the way back over again with your journey. It's then when you'll realize how far you had come before having to start over again. Trust me, you don't want this for yourself.
Lastly, "Being able to accept what you have accomplished." Once the journey is done and you're a better person, just being able to accept yourself is very important. I've seen some that are more critical of themselves now than before they started. This type of behavior is just pure insanity almost. Instead of seeing yourself as better you try to point out every flaw you have. Not only do you point it out to yourself but to everyone around you. This is where you need to call a time out for yourself. You've spent all this time being beat up by others on your journey and then when you finish and you beat yourself up. How does that make sense at all? I suggest finding an old picture or an old article of clothes. Look at the picture, try on those clothes, and if you see a difference then you have accomplished something. If you can't accept that then all of what you have done was for nothing. Make a vow to yourself that all of your hard work was not in vein and you going to do your best to love yourself and take care of yourself. At the end of the day if you can't love yourself, how can you expect for anyone else to.
There are many other examples I could give but it would take forever to go through them all. One of the reason why I love what I do is because I act as a guide for my clients to keep them on this journey. I've been down this road so I can show you the right way to go. I cant force them to do stay on it, but if you listen you'll get there. It's going to take a while but when you look back you'll be able to tell it was one hell of an awesome journey.
A lot of mistakes are made when people are on this journey to better their health and fitness. I'm just going to touch on a few of the many that exist. The first one I'm going to talk about is..... "Trying to bring others along for the journey." Only you will know when it's time to make that change to better your physical fitness and health. Until you have made up your mind that it's time to do something it will not happen. You're going to feel so much better about yourself and you're going to want to share that with everyone you know. You may get a compliment or two and people will ask what you are doing. Once you tell peoople what you have been up to you're going to become like an evangelist for what you are doing. You'll invite people along with you to workout and give them advice on eating better but it's not their time yet. It's your journey and not theirs. If you do convince them to follow your lead it won't last long. You'll find yourself on the journey the same way you started.. Alone.
Something else that I see a lot of is.. "Being cheated out of your success by the negativity of others." You want to know if you are progressing on your journey? If you get outside influences trying to stop you from what you're doing. See you may not be able to notice but people around you will. Either your body is starting to change or you're able to move a lot faster or be able to do things physically that some of the people around you can't. All of these things are changes for the better, which ultimately makes you better. Most individuals don't like change and when you start to, for some reason it shakes their worlds up. You may get comments like, "You're obsessed!", "You're crazy!", "You're losing too much weight!", "You need a real hobby!", "When do you have time for fun!", "Why can't you eat this!", "You're starving yourself!", "You workout too much!" and one of my favorites of all time. "Your trainer doesn't know what he's doing!" Yeah ok.. Lol! It's times like this where you need to reflect back on what you were doing prior to making all these changes in your life. If you are doing a lot better than what you were then you need to blow the negativity off you just like blowing a piece of lint off your clothes. If you choose to listen to the negativity and stop you run the risk of having to start all the way back over again with your journey. It's then when you'll realize how far you had come before having to start over again. Trust me, you don't want this for yourself.
Lastly, "Being able to accept what you have accomplished." Once the journey is done and you're a better person, just being able to accept yourself is very important. I've seen some that are more critical of themselves now than before they started. This type of behavior is just pure insanity almost. Instead of seeing yourself as better you try to point out every flaw you have. Not only do you point it out to yourself but to everyone around you. This is where you need to call a time out for yourself. You've spent all this time being beat up by others on your journey and then when you finish and you beat yourself up. How does that make sense at all? I suggest finding an old picture or an old article of clothes. Look at the picture, try on those clothes, and if you see a difference then you have accomplished something. If you can't accept that then all of what you have done was for nothing. Make a vow to yourself that all of your hard work was not in vein and you going to do your best to love yourself and take care of yourself. At the end of the day if you can't love yourself, how can you expect for anyone else to.
There are many other examples I could give but it would take forever to go through them all. One of the reason why I love what I do is because I act as a guide for my clients to keep them on this journey. I've been down this road so I can show you the right way to go. I cant force them to do stay on it, but if you listen you'll get there. It's going to take a while but when you look back you'll be able to tell it was one hell of an awesome journey.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Fitness has a deeper meaning??
I'm going to express my opinion on this subject. I'm going to make sure my mom reads this one. My mom is a minister so I'm sure she is going to have a field day with this and I'm sure she is going to want to discuss this with me. I'll be busy though :-)
I got asked a question from someone who was struggling with getting back on track. They had went away on vacation and had a lot of fun but what they saw on vacation really got them thinking. They saw people who were super fit in the gym most of the time working on their bodies, and afraid to eat anything bad. They saw overweight people afraid to join in. The people who she saw having the best time were average looking people. They were the ones out drinking and eating and having the most fun. She said " This must be what it's like when a Christian doubts the gospel." Well, it's funny she brought that up. I've always said that fitness is a part of religion that hardly anyone ever talks about. You're probably wondering what I'm talking about. Well, just take for a minute and look at 1 Corinthians 6:19. It says 19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? Being in the fitness industry that passage really sticks out to me. If you ever listen to any person who is passionate about fitness (trainer, bodybuilder, fitness competitor) you would think these people are a monk, priest, or philosopher. These individuals understand what it means to be one with your body and take care of this beautiful gift from God. We are the holy men/women and our temple is the gym. But just like the church, you have to beware of false prophets in your gym. You got the gym goer that thinks they know everything, and don't know nothing. The trainer who just wants to lock you into a package just to make his monthly quota or the trainer that has no clue what they are talking about. You can't even tell if this person if even certified or not. Some church goers may say you can't feel what we feel by going to church. Well, I beg to differ. I've been in the gym working out so hard that it had blood running clearly through my veins, muscles all pumped up, and chill bumps all over. Was I sick? No, but it felt good and it was like someone there was with me. It's the most awesome feeling ever imaginable. If you've never felt that in the gym then you are doing something wrong. When I left I felt great. The same way most people say they feel after a good church service.
The point of all that was to explain that these "health nuts" are just compelled to take care of their bodies. Taking care of your body in my opinion is one way these people end up getting closer to God. Even if they happen to stumble on to it by accident it doesn't really matter. There is power in taking good care of yourself. It extends life and keeps you out of the hospital if done correctly. People often pray for better health. Well, you've already been given the ability to have it you just need to take advantage of it. Better diet and exercise goes a long way. As for the average looking people enjoying all the food and drinks, it's only a matter of time before the join the ranks of the over weight if they don't change.... Until next time...
I got asked a question from someone who was struggling with getting back on track. They had went away on vacation and had a lot of fun but what they saw on vacation really got them thinking. They saw people who were super fit in the gym most of the time working on their bodies, and afraid to eat anything bad. They saw overweight people afraid to join in. The people who she saw having the best time were average looking people. They were the ones out drinking and eating and having the most fun. She said " This must be what it's like when a Christian doubts the gospel." Well, it's funny she brought that up. I've always said that fitness is a part of religion that hardly anyone ever talks about. You're probably wondering what I'm talking about. Well, just take for a minute and look at 1 Corinthians 6:19. It says 19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? Being in the fitness industry that passage really sticks out to me. If you ever listen to any person who is passionate about fitness (trainer, bodybuilder, fitness competitor) you would think these people are a monk, priest, or philosopher. These individuals understand what it means to be one with your body and take care of this beautiful gift from God. We are the holy men/women and our temple is the gym. But just like the church, you have to beware of false prophets in your gym. You got the gym goer that thinks they know everything, and don't know nothing. The trainer who just wants to lock you into a package just to make his monthly quota or the trainer that has no clue what they are talking about. You can't even tell if this person if even certified or not. Some church goers may say you can't feel what we feel by going to church. Well, I beg to differ. I've been in the gym working out so hard that it had blood running clearly through my veins, muscles all pumped up, and chill bumps all over. Was I sick? No, but it felt good and it was like someone there was with me. It's the most awesome feeling ever imaginable. If you've never felt that in the gym then you are doing something wrong. When I left I felt great. The same way most people say they feel after a good church service.
The point of all that was to explain that these "health nuts" are just compelled to take care of their bodies. Taking care of your body in my opinion is one way these people end up getting closer to God. Even if they happen to stumble on to it by accident it doesn't really matter. There is power in taking good care of yourself. It extends life and keeps you out of the hospital if done correctly. People often pray for better health. Well, you've already been given the ability to have it you just need to take advantage of it. Better diet and exercise goes a long way. As for the average looking people enjoying all the food and drinks, it's only a matter of time before the join the ranks of the over weight if they don't change.... Until next time...
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