I can remember growing up how I loved that cup of hot chocolate in the morning or on a cold wintery night! Rich, tasty, sugar-sweet with that deep-rich chocolaty flavor. Boy that satisfied my sweet tooth…at least for a while. It never surprises me any more when my diet is filled with sugary carbs…my waist size has always bulged a bit. My blood sugar surges upward and I am no longer burning fat at the cellular level like I would be ordinarily.  I am now accumulating fat around my belly just like all the guys who eat too much and rarely exercise. Your diet, including your daily calorie intake, and your exercise make a huge difference determining your body size.

Getting back to your food choices…how many people do you know that are addicted to or affixed to carbohydrates? You can include me in that group because the more bad carbs (refined and sugar added) I eat…the more I crave and it makes me feel lethargic and uninspired. When I limit my sugars and I am so much more balanced. (at least I would like to think so <smiling>) I just finished reading an article where the author Ryan Andrews stopped eating desserts and “extra sugar” for an entire year. That’s pretty amazing! I’m not sure I would want to do that, but I respect the fact that someone could resist desserts and added sugar for an entire year. Fruits and vegetables are good, but would you really want to go an entire year being so disciplined or restrained?

Needless to say, Ryan Andrews who wrote: Sugar Daddy: A Year Without Desserts says after the 1^st month he wasn’t even missing desserts. So Ryan stayed on his path for 11 more months and turned down desserts for holidays, birthdays, and special occasions. Mr. Andrews also walked away with quite a few powerful lessons for saying “no” to desserts. The obvious lesson is that desserts are addictive.  (Could have taken a wild guess on this one) But some of the other interesting take homes include: 1) We don’t eat sugar “in moderation.” Our society takes in primarily “processed garbage.” The majority is in the form of refined flour/sugar. Ryan says “nearly 90% of the carb-dense foods we consume are highly processed.” Not only do we eat crap…we are full of crap!

Another lesson Ryan shared is 2) “it’s hard to get fat on whole foods, particularly plant foods.” In fact after going a couple of months without desserts Ryan lost weight unintentionally. Ryan says he just wasn’t as hungry, so you might be surprised how your appetite changes if you’re giving up desserts for a while. Sugar is well-known to drive and stimulate appetite; I think we can all recognize that. When we open up the flood gates to sugar, we usually crave and desire more, right?

3) Ryan also noticed that some foods just became too sweet for him. His taste buds “re-calibrated” and Ryan didn’t want sweet food as much. I notice this myself when I curb sweets. Foods with “added sugar” tasted like candy, but his friends who were still eating desserts couldn’t tell the difference. “Sugar added” foods tasted perfectly normal to his sugar eating friends. Ryan’s point is that if you eat sugar all the time that is what you will become accustom to. On the contrary, if you eat fruits and vegetables all the time (for a month without desserts and “added sugar” like Ryan did) that is what you will desire.

Of course there are always exceptions for a few of us. Some people just don’t have any desire to eat sweets, but the large majority of the population love to indulge in decadent fashion. If you are taking the time to read this post, I imagine sweets and sugars might or could be addictions for you. I know carbs are my fuel of choice, but I have to admit I am so much more satisfied by protein. It takes those hunger pains away and I feel like I have sustained energy. I think it’s important to recognize our “weak links” and apply strategies that improve our current situation. Are simple and refined carbohydrates in control of your eating?

Every one of us can make improvements in our lives and hopefully you are practicing a lifestyle that is constantly evolving and improving. Sugar cravings and addictions along with excessive calorie intake is the reason so many Americans are fat and overweight.  Most of us don’t learn how to eat properly from childhood, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn and apply new strategies as we grow up. There is an abundance of good information at your fingertips, but you have to put down the milk chocolate. It’s processed anyway…no wonder it tastes so good! Sugar and chemicals is a potent combination…wouldn’t you say?

If your ready to take back control of your life and achieve the lifestyle and body you know you desire click here: http://personaltraininginmarin.com/personal-training-in-marin-consult.html

 

I haven’t heard any New Year’s Resolutions talk lately. It’s not even February yet, but I bet a lot of us are already disregarding or having a hard time implementing our resolutions. Things tend to change quickly in our lives…don’t they? No worries because this is exactly the right time to get serious with your goals for the next 12 months. All the hype for 2012 is now being trivialized. The serious people are now going to rise to the top if they haven’t already. Where do you stand? Well, lets get down to the basics…did you even bother to write your 2012 goals down? If you didn’t… take the first step towards real change. I’m not surprised if you’re feeling frustrated or complacent about earning some real life results in the upcoming 12 months. You have to outline what you want, right? What is the life you want for yourself in the upcoming year? Remember, only about 5% of the population writes down their goals. You have to make your commitment…you have to write down your goals…NOW!

Your goals need to go down on paper as actions steps. I have my goals on my fridge now that include: health, career, financial, travel, charity, and relationship goals. I’m also copying a set for my bathroom mirror so I have to see them in the house regularly. You can put down what’s important to you in action oriented words like: I will and I am going to. You have to be SMART when detailing out your goals. That means your goals must be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time limited. Believe me…you will be empowered by just writing your goals down and deciding what you really want. Remember you just went to the head of the class…only about 5% take this step. You can modify your goals accordingly as you go through the next year, however you have to make the decision to commit to your goals, read them often, keep them where you can always see them, and remember that you can do whatever you set out to do! It’s only a matter of how badly you want to achieve your goals. Are you hungry? I know you have the power to achieve amazing success and not only with regards to your health and fitness.

One of your key components to mastering your mind so you can achieve all the goals you have listed is to work on your personal development in 2012. Keep reading, learning, and asking questions as often as you’re able. Minimize the noise and confusion in your life and stay focused. Think about being active with your life instead of being passive…turn off your tv and get excited about learning something new or something that truly excites you. Your body of knowledge will grow immensely. You will be developing your lifelong process for learning. If you haven’t found your passion yet…you will as you continue learning and applying what you learn…and your list of goals you’ve detailed out will become easier to achieve because you actually love and have a passion for what you’re doing.

Another key component of your success in 2012 and well beyond is your belief system. Your belief system can make or break you. Your life experience has a direct influence on how powerful or weak your belief system is. As an example… when your life is just clicking along and everything seems to be going right… your confidence level is up and so is your belief system. You know you can do whatever you set your mind to. On the other hand… if you’ve been struggling…maybe lost your job or failed at something important to you recently you lack confidence. Your belief system is weak and your confidence is causing a bit of uncertainty in your life. You have to know you can do things if given the opportunity. Even if you aren’t given the opportunity, a strong belief system will help you get through the tough times. Your belief system should be your best friend because if you don’t have confidence in yourself and what you can achieve… how do expect others to have confidence in you?

Even though I began to speak with you about your resolutions for 2012, you can see a much more complex process to programming yourself for success. It takes a lot of initiative and follow-up, but if you chop it up in steps it’s all digestible and applicable.  There are many types of goals you may have but don’t have so many goals they become unattainable. Your goal setting should challenge yourself and you shouldn’t worry about failing because your energy needs to be applied into outcomes you have control over not the ones you don’t. Every high-achiever fails…it’s part of the process. You will learn the most from goals you failed to achieve, but most likely you will make them SMARTer the next time around. You will make them more specific, more measurable, more attainable, more relevant, and more time limited. You will learn unique strategies and be able to modify your steps so ultimately you will increase your success and most definitely enjoy your life more.

Action is the name of the game though…you have to want this…you have to prioritize your goals. Your commitment level has to be high in order to be successful. I hope you noticed I didn’t speak specifically about health and fitness goals in this post. The process I’m sharing with you is more about life and not just health and fitness. When you take massive action in your life and you are organized and focused… your achievements are amazing! You will grow so much as a person. You will be able to help others be more successful too. I always like to see my friends more successful because it influences me to work harder and achieve more as well. It’s contagious and it’s a habit we can all benefit from. You have to take time out of your day though. You have to block time out so that you will learn the proper discipline to “get things done.” You can’t let anyone get in your way and compromise your schedule. The blocked time you make will enhance your life personally as well as professionally. Don’t be one of those people who say “there just isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done.” This is an excuse for a person who didn’t map out and commit themselves to what they really wanted. You don’t want that to be your excuse…do you?

If you need help don’t be afraid to ask. The most successful people in the world get support from professionals and find the right coach to work with. Approach this next year in steps… day by day and week by week and so on. Practice habits that reward your desires (your goals) and that reflect the kind of person you want to become. Don’t forget to review on a regular basis because we all get off track at times. It’s the ones who get back on track the fastest who attain their goals the quickest or who accomplish them at all. Ups and downs are a part of life, but ultimately you decide your attitude and outcome. What will the next year bring you? How bad do you want it? Are you ready? Are you committed? What are you committed to? Post your commitment above and I will hold you accountable. Don’t forget to have fun and enjoy each day you live.

Motivation, coaching and education will help you move to the next level: http://personaltraininginmarin.com/personal-training-in-marin-consult.html

 

 

 

Ok…it’s 2012 now…are you playing the annual resolution game? I hope not because you have a lot more important and useful actions you can be implementing in your life. What I mean by that is…resolutions are for the weak and easily distracted. However, if you’re “Mastering Your Mind and Programming Yourself for Success” then you’re a part of the doers…the movers and the shakers. You see…if you have mere resolutions you are hardly scratching the surface of your amazing potential. Resolutions are for those of us that were never taught or never learned key concepts for self-improvement. But it’s never too late for any of us. Did you know that less than 5% of the population actually write down their goals? Do you care to guess why we are such good procrastinators? We don’t fully commit to achieving the results we think we want…it’s really that simple.  In other words, we haven’t learned to master our minds and program ourselves for success. As you continue to read on, I hope this becomes evident.

In reality, I could write for hours about how to empower you and educate you to achieve all kinds of important personal development. More importantly though, I want to share with you 5 key components of developing your mind and setting yourself up for success well beyond your 2012 resolutions. You see…it’s quite a process to sit down each year, review and analyze your goals and results, and make more SMART goal setting for the upcoming year. SMART goal setting is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time limited. In fact…you can begin this process any month of the year. You hear about resolutions all the time for the 1st month of the year…and then resolutions quickly fall by the wayside because most of us were never fully committed to reaching those goals. With these 5 key components I’m going to share with you… you will have the tools to achieve amazing results and not just with your health and fitness.

The 5 simple key components I am speaking of are:

1. Your Personal Achievement
2. Your Belief System
3. Your SMART Goal Setting
4. Your Fear of Failure
5. Your Massive Action Implementation

Sounds pretty simple doesn’t it? You might even say…”I do all those things now. Why don’t I have more to show for it? Let me elaborate further…In regards to personal development… how often do you study and devote time to reading and learning? It takes time and effort to grow and learn. If I learned anything from college which I hope I did…I would say it’s helps you become a better learner…. practical application that is. Are you continually increasing your knowledge? Do you like to learn? I happen to love it! Your personal achievement is a lifelong process.  It should never bore you.  Your personal achievement is the 1st step towards mastering your mind and programming yourself for success in every aspect of your life. Hobbies and interests are great, but your personal growth and education will empower you and inspire you for your entire life.

What about your belief system? I’m not talking religion here. I’m speaking about what makes you who you are. You have to stand for something…believe in something. A strong belief system will help you progress quickly with any task or goal you set for yourself. A solid, well developed belief system is all encompassing, it’s the total YOU, and you can depend upon it in all types of circumstances…good and bad. A poor belief system will set you up for failure while a strong belief system will empower you to great achievements. A belief system is an intellectual process that must be built upon slowly and methodically. Take for an example something in your life you had to slowly learn and build upon…think about the  confidence you experienced. The more confidence you built up over time the greater your belief system became. You can do anything you set out to do with a powerful belief system!

I must be honest, I did not learn goal setting as a youngster. I am still working on mastering my goal setting, but it is so worth it. Goals must be written and prioritized. Work on the most important goals first, the ones that will provide the most benefit to you. Put your goals in a conspicuous place where you can see them and read them often if not daily. Along with your goals being specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time limited you need to set different types of goals like: health goals, career goals, relationship-family goals, fun-travel goals, and even material goals if that’s important to you. Don’t get me wrong, you don’t want to have too many goals so as to stress you out, but if you’re not being challenged to grow and develop from where you are today, then you haven’t set a big enough goal. You can develop weekly, monthly, and yearly goals with present tense affirmations. Put emotion and power into your goal setting and visualize successful accomplishment of your goals.

Don’t be afraid to fail when setting your goals because this will distract you from setting goals you really want and need. You will most likely learn the most from goals you failed to achieve.  It takes a lot of courage to focus on the goal, when the path of how you’re going to get there is unclear. Sometimes you don’t always get it right the first time. I know I don’t, but I learn new strategies and more useful applications by going through the process. Perhaps you need to develop your personal achievement further or improve upon your belief system for strength to achieve your goals. Learn what it will take to achieve your goals because fear of “going for them” when you’re not sure how it’s all going to work out is something every successful person experiences…it’s perfectly normal. You will grow and become a better person for it.

It doesn’t matter how much planning and detail goes into mastering your mind and programming yourself for success you have to take massive action! You have to block time out to accomplish the specific tasks to achieve your goals. By setting aside a specific time on specific days of the week in your calendar you will learn the proper discipline to “get things done.” Don’t allow compromise in your schedule. Blocked time is sacred. Blocking time is the one big step you can take right now to start improving both your professional and personal life. If you don’t block time you will become one of the many who say there just isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done. It’s all about growing as a person. The rest of your goals being health, career, relationship-family, fun-travel, or material type will take care of themselves when you take massive action…the most successful people will confirm this.

Now do you see my point about New Year’s Resolutions? They’re a waste of conversation. No one I know really takes them seriously and it shows…every year. However, if you took the 5 key components of “mastering your mind and programming yourself for success” how do you think you would fare? Remember, I haven’t even mentioned the most successful learners get support, have accountability, and find the right coach to accomplish their goals. Your daily and weekly habits will help provide the foundation for your successes. As I’m sure you’ve heard before, you will become what you think about most of the time, so think about productivity and having the right people around you to succeed. Also, you must review on a regular basis…that is…weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly. If you’re smart you will put the review process and time right on your calendar each week and month. As I mentioned before blocked time is sacred and it will help you progress and grow. Your potential is unlimited and I hope you recognize that you can achieve whatever you desire so long as you have a well mapped out plan.

To step into action and help develop your plan click here: http://personaltraininginmarin.com/personal-training-in-marin-consult.html

 

 

The Intelametrix’s BodyMetrix Ultrasound scanner will tell you your true fat thickness whether you like it or not. That’s why you want the most accurate, technologically advanced, easy to use, and non-invasive body composition tester available. It’s as easy as using a few drops of ultra sound gel on the hand held scanner.  No pinching like the typical calipers that have been used for years. In fact, the BodyMetrix is so easy and accurate to use the main reason you don’t see it in widespread use is the initial cost of the device. I’m happy to let you know that Personal Training In Marin is now implementing this new state of the art technology…click below for more details.

http://personaltraininginmarin.com/2253.html

I’m sure many women have experienced the use of ultrasound.  It’s painless and can provide a lot of vital information. In this case, the ultrasound waves rebound off different muscle sites giving you exact measurements in millimeters. Your thickness of adipose tissue (fat) is measured subcutaneously for each measurement site. Ultrasound bounces sound waves through dividing lines of fat, muscle, and bone which is extremely important. Remember that muscle is metabolically active, so the more muscle you are able to build the more calories you will burn around the clock. When you have an accurate level of fat and muscle you can improve your health and optimize your performance.

Lets face it…weighing yourself doesn’t tell you if you’ve lost fat or muscle. Also, skinfold measurements can be very unreliable because of fat underneath the skin and the skill level of the practitioner. Since your muscle is metabolically active, you do not want to lose lean muscle. You want to preserve muscle and continue to build muscle to burn more calories while remaining fit and strong. The BodyMetrix helps you to track whether you are making real improvements in your health or just losing vital lean tissue.

The Bodymetrix software allows you to track your progress over time to see if your training and nutrition is effectively working. Your calorie needs are calculated including your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) with the option of including exercise or not. There are 3 types of body choices you can use for measurements: athletic, non-athletic, and elite.  The non-athletic body type will find the BMI (Body Mass Index) useful in determining a healthy waist to hip ratio, but the athletic and elite body types will wamt to use the lean mass to fat mass differences to improve health and optimize performance.

There are primarily 3 top body fat measurement devices: the DEXA (X-ray absorptiometry), BodPod (air displacement), and BodyMetrix (hand-held ultrasound). The DEXA is a $20,000 machine which does emit radiation. The Bod Pod is also extremely expensive around $25,000+, but the BodyMetrix Ultrasound machine is just as accurate as the DEXA and Bod Pod yet a fraction of the cost….usually around $2,000.

This is the most accurate portable device available and is the ideal way to assess and monitor your body fat levels. Ultrasound measurements offer 3 great benefits:

1. Simple, quick, and comfortable to operate.
2. Is not affected by hydration levels, exercise, or caffeine intake.
3. The BodyMetrix will detect the true fat thickness at each measurement point

If you have the opportunity to test drive the BodyMetrix you will appreciate the ease of use. Yet, more importantly the data that you collect will provide a baseline for improving your health and fitness. You will have the capabilities to monitor, measure, analyze, and record body fat and circumference measurements. You can even scan a specific site and compare those scans on a quarterly or semi-annual basis. The customize reports include: body fat percentages, weight, BMI, BMR, recommendations, disease risks, weight and body fat trends, and thickness point trends. Your BodyMetrix ultrasound device will elevate your health and help optimize your performance and goals.

 

Yep…it’s that time again. Picture yourself bellied up to the table, loading your plate up, indulging in your favorite desserts, and maybe even putting down a few cocktails and drinks you wouldn’t normally partake of. Lets bring in the holidays, right? How much weight gain really takes place over the holidays? Well…according to most experts 1 pound is gained by the bulk of the population over the holiday season. No big deal right? Unfortunately the 1 pound is compounded annually because the majority of the population never loses it.  Imagine that! Lets stack it on year after year.

No one and I mean no one has to gain weight over the holidays…it’s a choice just like putting on your clothes every day. I think most people would be happy to “maintain their weight” over the holidays though and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. Can you lose weight over the holidays though? You bet…but it’s not easy and you have to be consistent…duh! Here are some action steps you can take to “Survive the Holiday Weight Gain.” It’s as easy as pie! Oops!

1. Move your tail-exercise is a great way to counteract those extra calories you take in over the holidays.  In other words… work harder and work longer. By the way if you don’t like to exercise no worries…just go out and have fun for a longer period of time doing what you enjoy.  Both of these action steps work…plain and simple.
2. Make a point of increasing your vegetable intake…I dare you! I don’t know of anyone who overeats vegetables…it just doesn’t happen, right? If you eat a plateful of raw vegetables you will not be overeating. If you eat a plateful of turkey, stuffing, mash potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy, rolls and butter you will be stuffed, uncomfortable, and over fed.
3. Don’t put the cookie under your nose! Of course if it’s in your reach your going to munch on those sweets or your favorite “bad” food. Keep it out of your sight if you know yourself well enough and control the risk for temptation. No, your not going to be able to control every situation, but focus on the ones you can…there are lots of them. Apply this step and save yourself thousands of calories over the holidays and a lot of unwanted weight gain.
4. How about a limit to your indulgence? A limit to one-a-day is simple and it works. You can control how much food goes into your mouth. Don’t be a party drag…allow yourself one small serving of a treat or special dessert. You might have to reduce your total caloric intake but since when is the holidays about deprivation? Enjoy yourself and indulge a bit…but keep it in check and be realistic.
5. Definitely plan ahead-don’t go to a party starving! The same principle applies going to the supermarket famished. You buy all kinds of crap…and at parties…you eat all kinds of crap. Head to the party planning on snacking and tasting a few foods that perk your interest. Don’t sabotage your great choice prior to the party by pigging out unnecessarily. Eat a healthy food or snack ahead of time will satisfy your hunger.
6. You control your party choices…go for the smallest plate…it still looks like a lot when the plate is full, right? Don’t go for the heavy sauces either…they are always loaded with fat and calories. Broth-based or vegetable sauces will serve you well. You don’t have to sacrifice taste…there is a ton of healthy and tasty foods and snacks out there.  Find them.
7. Desserts are plentiful this time of year…if you’re easily drawn to sugar and carbohydrates…don’t open the flood gates! Dark chocolate with a high level of cacao and low level of sugar will satisfy you. Fresh fruit, angel food cake, ginger snaps, and pudding are lower calorie choices as well. Limit yourself to a small portion of this or that…remember that small plate?
8. Keep an eye on your alcoholic beverages…2 drinks is plenty. Light beer and wine goes along way compared to high-fat eggnog. Sparkling water and unsweetened ice tea are pretty much calorie free drinks…knock yourself out.
9. There is absolutely nothing wrong with politely saying “no.” Don’t overeat just because everyone else is overeating. A lot of times you might feel forced to eat foods because friends and family keep sticking them in front of your face. No problem. Just say, “everything was delicious, I’ve had enough.” Or “everything tasted great…I couldn’t eat another bite.” You planned ahead right? Your not starving…you set yourself up for success.

It’s really about the socializing anyway. Have some great conversations with family, friends, and newbies you find interesting. Standing around the food table will probably just over tempt you, right? Keep working the room and catch up with all the new faces. There is no question that conversation is calorie free.

Hey…the holidays are truly a great time of year. This is your opportunity to give thanks, celebrate good times, catch up with family and friends, and enjoy some fantastic food! Don’t miss out, but don’t find yourself making the same weight gains year after year. It’s not that difficult to practice a few strategies that will empower you to achieve your weight loss goals any time of year…but keep it real over the holidays. What is your actual goal? Write it down and make it known to family and friends what you’re trying to achieve in regards to your health and nutrition…a little support goes a long way. If you’re looking to get a head start for 2012…come see me…your best is just a few steps away.  Happy Holidays!

If you’re food is holding you back from getting the results you desire…you have to seriously address your nutrition…learn more here: http://personaltraininginmarin.com/why-nutrition-is-almost-always-the-answer-in-marin.html

 

 

For starters… an inspiring fitness coach and health motivator can quickly identify why you’re not getting the results you want and help you to get back on track and moving forward. Is your diet a mess? Do carbs rule your day? Is exercise a drag for you? …even if you’re retired…it just seems too much like work? Does stress just eat you up inside and tire you out? Don’t really have the time to exercise and take care of yourself properly? Do you feel like your too out of shape to ever really get back in shape? Does your back ache most or all of the time and you say to yourself “it just doesn’t matter what I do.” Are you pre-diabetic or insulin dependent and feel it’s just too late for you and no ones willing to help? Do you have medical issues that have interfered with your ability to improve your quality of life? Do you have a hard time following through on what you know is actually good for you? Are you fat? …and sick and tired of looking at yourself?

The right health and fitness professional can empower you to work through your roadblocks.  An issue or two that interferes with your real progress and success is very common. The best coaches and motivators know that asking the right questions will help provide you the right insight into your specific situation and give you strategies and solutions to your problems. If you haven’t taken the time to sit down and consult with a health and fitness specialist you’re wasting a lot of your precious time. If I knew years ago what I know now about health and fitness, I could get you back in shape 10 times faster! I’m sure you can seriously benefit from my experience while I help you feel significantly better about yourself. In the long run though…it’s a about You and getting You serious results…the quicker the better. In all honesty…most clients don’t want a trainer…most clients just want the results a good coach can provide them. And seriously…you can have lots of fun getting your body and life back…no doubt about it.

 

How do you know if you’re hiring the right trainer? Good question. This is paramount to your success and unless you sit down and learn more about the process of how your trainer is going to best provide services to you…your missing a key component right out of the gate. Let me give you some questions that are best asked in advance of hiring your coach and fitness educator…

• Will your prospective trainer perform a health screening, conduct testing, and evaluate your current fitness level? Will they re-access?
• Does your trainer have a network of other health professionals such as physicians, physical therapists, nutrition specialists, and other fitness leaders?
• Can they provide a list of of clients who have a similar type of exercise program? Can they show you proof of results from their client base?
• Are they willing and advertising to guarantee results for their clients with a money back guarantee?
• What type of nationally recognized organization are they certified by?  Does the fitness professional have a degree in a health or fitness related field?
• How does the trainer keep current on research in strength training and conditioning?  How long has the trainer been professionally training clients?

Lets face it…proper screening, assessment, and evaluation has to be apart of your comprehensive program. How else will you measure your progression? Your trainer also needs to be respected for the results he or she provides for their clients, otherwise they’re most likely not very good at what they do. A strong network of health professionals confirms you are working with a leader in the field. How many success stories do they actually have? How many testimonials? You should speak with some of their clients to get a better sense of the services you will be receiving. If a prospective fitness coach will not guarantee results, you should look for someone who is confident and will provide a guarantee…just so long as you meet your requirements for achieving success as well. Normally the best trainers are highly experienced and credentialed. A national cert from the ACSM or NSCA is a good sign you’re working with a lifelong learner. Continuing education is required by all nationally recognized organizations, but a great coach is constantly learning nonetheless.

 

Remember, a top quality coach does more than just “take you through a workout.” Any moron can count reps and look important by holding a clipboard. Look for a fitness pro who will educate you about all the components needed to achieve your optimal health and fitness results. Your trainer should review nutrition education with you, educate you about proper supplementation, review resistance training (whether that be power training, kettlebells, medicine balls, core work, stability balls, dumbbells, or body weight training). Based on your needs… competent professionals will maximize fat burning while implementing the correct dose of cardiovascular conditioning. Expect your “mental development” side of training to flourish with the right educator. Goal setting, putting together a plan of action, and then holding you accountable and supporting you through the entire process is absolutely critical to your success.

Look for someone who will empower you for life! A great fitness coach will do more than just help you to achieve your goals. A true professional will teach you the foundation of knowledge so you will no longer be lost in the “sea of confusion” when it comes to all the diet and exercise hype. Your health and fitness pro will communicate well and explain nutritional components and also explain the exercises and methods to your understanding. Your trainer will listen to what you tell them about your body and the way the exercises feel. Your feedback about exercises and how your body is adapting is huge! The foundation of knowledge, tools, and correct techniques you’ll learn will allow you to maintain your results for the rest of your life. That is what a top health and fitness professional can do for you!

Click here to take your next step forward and see what you’re really capable of: http://personaltraininginmarin.com/personal-training-in-marin-consult.html  Or call 415-891-8787 for your consult

 

How you doing?

I hope your answer is “great!”

Because the better you feel overall, the easier time you’ll have sticking to your eating and exercise program.

After all, food and your emotions ARE linked.

In fact, very new and recent studies I’ve just come across show us that food can in fact be addicting – and can DIRECTLY affect the way you feel in general.

This is very timely research, as I think nowadays most issues people have with losing weight is more psychological than it is physiological or not knowing what to do in order to win the “battle of the bulge.”

So without further ado, relax, sit back and enjoy today’s issue!

Yours For Health,
John Spongberg
Personal Training In Marin San Rafael’s Premier
Health & Fitness Expert

 

Put An End To Emotional Eating

For the longest time we’ve all known that food can comfort us.

Anyone who’s dived in spoon first into a pint of ice cream after a breakup or some other kind of highly emotional experience knows how true this is.

But one question has always remained… is it the sensory experience of eating that’s comforting us, or is it the food itself?

Researchers at the University of Leuven in Belgium decided to find out the answer.

This study, published in the August 2011 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, recruited 12 healthy, non-obese volunteers.

The volunteers underwent functional MRI (fMRI) scans of their brains while watching sad and neutral facial expressions, along with listening to sad and neutral music.

While all this was going on (I’d never volunteer for this kind of a study!), the researchers also fed the volunteers either fatty acids or a saline solution directly into the volunteers’ stomachs using a feeding tube. This was to bypass any sensory stimulation like taste, smell, etc.

The volunteers did not know what they were getting (the saline or the fats).

Those who were fed the fatty acids reported feeling less sad or depressed than those who received the saline. [1]

What’s more, those who had the fatty acids showed less of a brain state change than the other group.

The researchers concluded that, “Eating fat seems to make us less vulnerable to sad emotions, even if we don’t know we’re eating fat.”

What can you take from this?

Well, if you’ve ever felt like you just didn’t understand why you felt like eating whenever things get stressful, now you know why.

Putting an end to overeating first requires awareness. You have to understand why you do it in the first place. Once you know why, then you can create solutions to remedy the behavior.

That’s why this study is important. It gives us new insight as to why we might gravitate to these kinds of fatty foods.

Another study also shows us that overeating and bingeing on junk food is actually more of an addiction for some… which may be why it’s so hard for many to “kick” the habit of eating what they already know they shouldn’t.

The study, conducted at The Scripps Research Institute, suggests that compulsive eating shares the same addictive biochemical mechanism that’s triggered with heavy-duty drugs like cocaine and heroin. [2]

“These findings confirm what we and many others have suspected, that overconsumption of highly pleasurable food triggers addiction-like neuroadaptive responses in brain reward circuitries, driving the development of compulsive eating,” said Paul Kenny, the study’s lead author.

So if you suffer from overeating and/or emotional eating, how do you put an end to it, once and for all?

These tips may help:

1. Avoid triggers. A trigger can be anything – an environment, people, places, things, etc. Whenever you find yourself wanting to overeat or eat junk, where are you? What’s going on around you? Are you around certain people? Make a note of this because these are the people, places and things you want to start avoiding.

2. Gain more awareness. Obviously, if you aren’t aware of what causes you to eat emotionally or eat stuff you shouldn’t, then you can’t change it. So whenever you get the urge or you’re already in the act of “comfort” eating, observe your thoughts and emotions. Are you feeling stressed? What are you thinking about? Do things feel overwhelming? Are you angry? Frustrated?

3. Substitute the behavior. Once you have awareness, it’s time to substitute a new behavior in place of the behavior you’re trying to stop. So if you know that when you’re feeling anxious and overwhelmed, you’d rather dig into a pint of ice cream, switch up the behavior. Become aware of the fact that you want to eat to comfort yourself, and instead of eating, drink water. Or, go for a jog. Get creative here. Do something that will take your focus off of how good eating that food will make you feel.

This isn’t by any means a comprehensive list, but it will get you started on the right path. So make sure you take action on it!

And by the way … if you’re serious about taking your health and fitness to the next level, why not take advantage of your FREE Fitness Consultation? (an $87 value)

During this consult, you’ll receive detailed information on how to get fit and trim that’s tailored to YOUR body.

There’s no obligation and it’s totally and completely free. To sign up, click here

References:

1. Lukas Van Oudenhove, et. al. Fatty acid–induced gut-brain signaling attenuates neural and behavioral effects of sad emotion in humans. J Clin Invest. 2011;121(8):3094–3099.

2. Paul M Johnson, Paul J Kenny. Dopamine D2 receptors in addiction-like reward dysfunction and compulsive eating in obese rats. Nature Neuroscience, 2010; DOI: 10.1038/nn.2519

Quote Corner

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James

Eat Yourself Thin

Chicken Tikka Masala

(Serves Four)

1 cup greek yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 long skewers

1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Preheat a grill for high heat.

3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.

4. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 50 mins
Ready: 2 hr 20 mins

Amount Per Serving – Calories: 404 / Total Fat: 28.9g / Cholesterol: 143mg / Sodium: 449mg / Total Carbs: 13.3g / Dietary Fiber: 2.5g / Protein: 24.6g

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I had the pleasure of attending the Perform Better Training/Workshop Seminar the last week in August. Great speakers/presenters/professionals sharing their best “stuff.” Among those attending and presenting…Gray Cook, Mark Verstegen, Mike Boyle, Todd Durkin, & Alwyn Cosgrove to name just a few. People come from all over the country to meet, converse, and educate at the Long Beach Convention Center about how to help and inspire our country back to health, fitness and prosperity. Since our nation and other countries are engulfed in an obesity epidemic, I will focus this blog post on how we can help the many…those suffering from an abundance of fat.

We don’t become fat overnight…it takes years of practice! It also takes time, commitment, & proper action to transform our mind and bodies back to a healthy state. Do we need to educate ourselves and learn practical nutrition? Definitely! For something humans do every day we are severely lacking in supportive nutrition. Don’t expect the big food producers to come to your rescue either…many would love to keep you fat and eating their products! You have to take a personal interest and intense conviction to help yourself…as you hold the key to your health, fitness, & prosperity.

But this post is not going to deal with your nutrition; this blog will inform you about the type of exercise you should be doing to lose your fat most effectively.  If you already know that nutrition or lack thereof is your weakness, then please contact me so that we can get you the education and strategies to lose fat fast. Your nutrition is clearly # 1 as to how much success you will have in ridding your body of excess fat.  As far as your exercise is concerned, the correct fat loss programming and coaching will empower you to take control and accelerate your health and fitness and completely turn your health around.

Have you ever heard of metabolic acceleration resistance training? In plain language… we are speaking about heavy resistance, time under tension (about 60 secs.), short/incomplete rest periods, and the use of alternating sets/mini-circuits to maximize work density according to Alwyn Cosgrove. In other words…you’ve got to move baby and you’ve got to keep moving.  The great aspect of this concept is… you don’t have to abuse your joints and body…you just have to challenge yourself! You have to work on what Gray Cook refers to as “self limiting exercise.” A self-limiting exercise as defined by Gray “requires mindfulness and an awareness of movement, alignment, balance, and control. Self-limiting exercise requires engagement.”

Examples of self limiting exercise include: jump rope, cross country skiing, obstacle courses, medicine ball throws, climbing activities, and goblet squats to an overhead lift just to name a few. Remember to differentiate between challenging versus difficult. The best training and conditioning is as much about learning as it is about energy expenditure. Learning opportunities are all around you… which will provide you with better mechanics, better coordination, better breathing, improved alignment, and better recovery between bouts of exercise. You will naturally push your limits, but your adaptations will provide you the fastest results with the least amount of abuse and breakdown on your body. What is the fastest way to fat loss results? Two to four metabolic acceleration and strength training sessions per week with a strong bias towards self-limiting exercises.

Remember, you can get fantastic results in a short amount of time.  Three to six hours a week of effective exercise can produce amazing results when supportive nutrition is in place and practiced.  I’ve helped many clients lose more than 50 lbs. of fat even when high intensity exercise has to be limited. For someone like you who has no exercise limitations like serious prior back injuries or heart conditions 50 lbs. of fat loss can be achieved in 4-6 months.  Considering it probably took years to pile it on and only months to lose it…that’s not a bad deal. Now, you have the latest and most effective information on how to lose 50 lbs. of fat or more.  I specifically did not get into the scientific evidence that supports these practices because most people find it boring and typically just want results…fast! I understand that. Now…it’s up to you…what are you going to do differently to stimulate your desired results today and the years ahead? Anyone can do it… including you! If you need help there are many health and fitness professionals that will support you…including me.

For more information on how you can get your body back right now…click here: http://personaltraininginmarin.com/personal-training-in-marin-consult.html