Working out with a young child

Again another great video from fitness blender that gives some great ideas on how you can get your workout in while wrangling children.

Good Workout info for Pregnancy

Small Goals, Big Changes!

I sure you all have notices that I haven’t posted in a few weeks. Well I have to say that I have been a little lazy in that regard and I’m sorry. I have been a little unmotivated lately and I’m now back on track.

Find motivation and keeping it is sometimes hard because the results we want come slowly. We have to be patient with ourselves and keep working. I understand that a lot of us are working on goals that are appearance oriented, and the majority of the rest are general health, but whatever you specific goal is write it down. Look at it every day.

I will caution that if you goal is to look like a movie star or fitness model, be prepared to become independently wealth and then make your whole life revolve around fitness and diet. I have fallen into that same game of comparison, but I realized that I will never have all day to work out for work. I will never have a personal nutritionist that tells me what to eat and then a personal chef that makes it for me.

That being said, I do have control over somethings, like what my goals are. Currently my goals have to do with scoring high on that Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) and returning to what I looked like when I was in high school. Both of these goals are within my grasp. The difficulty for all of us comes when we work out for a week and don’t see any results. I have done this so many times in the past it’s unreal.

I believe the key to goal setting is long term goals, like the ones stated above, and short term goals that are easier to manage and track on a weekly or daily basis. These weekly and daily goals need to be measurable and they have to be something that is completely in your control. A good example of these goals would be: I will work out 5 days a week for 35 minutes a day, by following a workout schedule that I have created. Of course you must then make the schedule, and track the days that you work out. An example of a bad daily goal would be: “I will lose 5 pounds each week for the next 5 weeks.” This is a poor example because you can’t control the rate at which your body burns fat, or in other terms there is no way to calculate on a daily basis your progress toward that goal. Sure you could step on a scale before and after a workout, which I have done, but you will have lost, or gained water weight depending on how much you drink throughout your work out.

Small goals keep me motivated because they show me that I’m on the right track, and I know that eventually they will get me to where I want to be. Make every work out count. Like I have said before if you are just starting out start slow and build. The main thing is building the habit of exercise and proper nutrition. Once you have that foundation established push hard so that you get the results that you desire. If there are any topics you would like me to discuss comment, and I will try and address them.

"I will do whatever is necessary in order to reach my goals."

Motivated by a Superman

On days that I'm unmotivated

Some people are intimidated by people like this but he motivates me. If you don't want the see amazing feats of strength don't watch.

Enter the Dragon

Enter the Dragon

So yesterday kind of started the holiday season, and we all know what that means, FOOD. I don’t know about you but this time of year is always one of the hardest to stay on task at the table and the gym. A lot of people kind of give up this time of year and what to reset on January 1^st. while this might be tempting, DON’T DO IT!

This is year is different. This year you are going to be in control. This year your New Year resolutions start now. It’s time to set some goals and make some decisions. I’m going to show you how to make this happen.

First find a friend or family member to help you. This person should preferable be someone you live with or will be with you for important days such as thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. This person is going to be your bad guy. Now you will ask this person to be your bad guy. Their job is going to be to cut you off when you’ve had enough, or motivate you when you don’t want to work out.

Next you need to set some goals, or make some rules. Make you rules now not later. Now there will be someone out there that is saying, “Why do I need to set goals and make rules now?” the reason why we set goals and make rules now is because we will be able to make those decisions without emotion. Trust me if you wait and try and willpower through the holidays without a plan and rules. It will not happen. Make your friend or family member that was identified in step one aware of the rules.

Write them down and put them in a prominent location in your home. We need constant reminders. We need to see our goals daily. That way our resolve stays strong and our eye is always on the prize. Along with this you need to start journaling and keeping track of things that you do and eat.

Next step is to work your plan and be as cold and business like as you can about your decisions. When you leave emotion at the door and make those decisions based on rules you will have success. Along with this you need to be open and honest to you support person. Tell them when you are having a hard time. If you are on the verge of giving in you need to tell them so that they can help you. They can’t read your mind. They will not know of the battle that is raging in your mind about working out, or eating things that you shouldn’t.

Just small notes before you go and make your goals and rules. Make this measurable so that you can keep track in your journal. Make a goal such as, “I am only going to eat one helping of food at each meal.” “I will work out 5 days a week.” Many people get in the mindset that goals are weight oriented, and they can be, but we are looking to change habits so make your goals habit oriented like the ones above. Then Keep track.

“I am open and honest about all that I do.”

Becoming a Champion

Becoming a Champion

I had two experiences this weekend that made me reevaluate the effort I put in to my workout. I was talking with a co-worker the other day about fitness and nutrition the other day. Not only is he very fit, he helps motivate me. Several times we will do our workout together or at least at the same time.

I was describing how during some of my sprinting runs I would get to the point where it felt like I was running in honey. He asked, “What do you do when your legs feel like that?” I responded, “I slow down.” That was when he very enthusiastically said, “YOU HAVE TO PUSH THROUGH THAT! If you don’t you’re cheating yourself.” I realized he was right. I could have run as fast as I could even though it was slower than my sprint, but I didn’t I settled for something less than I could have done, and therefore for something less that I could have been.

The other experience was my wife sent me an email and I hope she doesn’t mind me using the main points of it. She went to a women’s conference where she was inspired to reach for her dreams. She told me the speech was on natural vision versus vision of the mind. As we age our natural vision takes control of our lives and we lose the child like ambition for the future. I don’t know why this happens but it does for most people. We end up moving slower and falling into what we believe our place in life is but, overweight and sitting on a couch is not our place in life. If you are in that place right now it’s time to change. You are meant to be a participant in life and not watch it go by.  If you allow your vision to be muddled with what everyone else thinks you will fall into the trap of “IF" not "WHEN.”

You have to start thinking in terms of when because that shows your optimism, your resolve, your determination, and strength of purpose. As you do this you will stop settling for a mediocre workout. You will stop settling for just good enough. And you will start being the Champion that you are supposed to be. I will be honest. I may never win a marathon but I will sure try my best, and put forth a championship effort. Effort is the key here. The better the effort you put forth the better you feel about the workout and yourself. When you combine consistency and effort you will become a champion.

“Champions are made one day at a time with Hallmark attitudes, “When you care enough to give your very best”

 

Effectively Changing your Cravings

The Changing of the Buds

When I was a kid, like many children, my favorite food was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I loved opening a new bag of white bread and then spreading liberal amounts of both peanut butter and jelly of jam on either side. While I still love eating peanut butter and jelly I no longer like the white bread. I have heard it said that as a person grow older their taste buds change. I think there is some merit to that idea, but I also think that we have more power of the how our taste buds change than we think.

Until I recognized the truth of the story above in my own life I couldn’t understand how and why people could eat and love some foods.  My wife and I have raised our kids, almost exclusively on whole wheat bread, and when given a choice they choose wheat. 2 years ago I started using spinach on my sandwiches as subway instead of lettuce. Now, I didn’t particularly like spinach, but I knew it was more nutritious for me so I made the switch. I prefer the spinach now.

You can do the same thing, but don’t overdo things. Select a few foods that you know would be good to replace, like maybe soda. Changing that one thing in your life will change how you feel and look faster than any other thing. In fact if you simply started drinking water in place of anything else, you will start to feel better and lose weight. Another idea is start eating carrots instead of chips. Making small changes like this will help you in your quest for a fitter body.

I was recently talking to a friend and he was talking about some of the foods he eats, which are very healthy, and he said that he doesn’t enjoy a lot of foods that mainstream America eats. He has effectively changed his taste buds to the point that he craves healthy foods. This is the goal, but it requires consistently making good decisions until they are a habit. It requires a support system that is willing to change with you. But you can do it. I know you can.

“Leopards don’t change their spots, so it’s a good thing we are humans because they change every day.”