Brain Science And New Year's Resolutions by Tom Venuto

If you're not just going through the motions of making New Year's resolutions; if you're really serious about making changes this year, read Tom Venuto's article below for tips on effective goal setting.


Brain Science And New Year's Resolutions
A Study in Goal Setting By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS

Motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said, "I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they plan their lives. Perhaps it's because escape is easier than change."

Success psychologists say that 95% - 97% of the people in the world do NOT have written goals and fail, while 3-5% have written goals and succeed.

If these statistics are correct, then Mr Rohn's observation really IS quite fascinating isn't it?

Unfortunately for most people, the odds for success are actually even lower, because out of the few people who do set goals, most don't take goal setting seriously, they don't do it scientifically and they only do it once a year.

Goal setting is so important, that I always teach goal setting and mind dynamics first, and only THEN, do I teach nutrition and training second.

It doesn't matter how much you know about nutrition or exercise. Until specialized fitness knowledge is linked with goals and directions, the knowledge is useless and you won't accomplish very much or keep the changes long term.

In fact, I devoted the entire first chapter of my book, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, to the subject of goals and constructive "mind programming" for successful, permanent behavior change.

I've also studied neuro linguistic programming (NLP) for many years and more recently spent many months researching the latest information about neuroscience to see just how much of the traditional self help and goal setting wisdom is actually backed by brain research.

As you start thinking about your goals for 2007 right Now, I'd like to help you start the year off right by sharing two very valuable, science based tips on achieving your goals:

SCIENTIFIC GOAL SETTING TIP #1: Repetition is an effective way to "plant" a goal in the non-conscious mind

Why don't most resolutions stick? Psychology and neuroscience today are giving us the answers.

Thanks to new technologies in brain imaging, such as PET scans, SPECT scans and functional MRI's, we can now actually see your thoughts as electrochemical impulses and we can see the formation of new neural connections in real time right before our eyes.

We can also see where, geographically, in your brain, a particular type of thought is occurring.

Most importantly, we can see how long it takes to form strong neural patterns and what types of stimuli cause the patterns to form more quickly

Here's what we've discovered:

Setting a goal once is a conscious activity. Willpower is also a conscious activity. But research has shown that at least 5/6 of your brain power is in the non conscious mind and that the information and instructions that reach the non conscious mind are responsible for your automatic behavior.

Some psychologists believe that 95% of our behaviors are unconscious and automatic... more commonly known as habits.

Long term behavior changes don't take place when you set goals one time as with most new years resolutions. There's an old saying in "self help" circles that it takes at least 21-30 days to form a habit. This has now been proven to be fairly accurate on a neurological basis.

New neural patterns begin to form only after they've been repeated enough times. They continue to strengthen with further repetition. If you make resolutions on January 1st and you don't continue to repeat and reinforce your desire for those "goals," no new neural connection is formed, no new habits are formed, no new behaviors are formed....

Your resolutions wither away and die and any results obtained through willpower (trying to force the new behaviors through conscious effort), are quickly lost when you slip back to your old ways.

What you repeat over and over again is programmed into the subconscious mind and begins to take root. On a practical level, this means RE-writing your goals everyday and thinking about them in positive terms and in mental pictures, every day, repeatedly until the habit is formed and turned over to "auto-pilot."

In 1956, when Earl Nightingale wrote "The Strangest Secret is that we become what we think about most of the time," we didn't know what we know now about the brain.

Nevertheless, Earl was right.

You don't change your body by trying to change your body. You change your body by creating new habitual patterns of thinking and visualizing.

Trying to force new behaviors with willpower while continuing with your old ways of thinking will always fail because your automatic behavior is mostly under non-conscious control.

It's not the resolution you set once... it's the goals (mental thoughts and images) you focus on all day long that create the long term (and automatic) behavioral change... when you change your behaviors, you change your body and your life...

SCIENTIFIC GOAL SETTING TIP #2: Emotion is a goal-turbocharger

Is there any way around this tedious process of "mental programming" through repetition? Not really. The fields of NLP and hypnosis have given us some tools for creating more rapid changes, but ultimately you have to begin to "run your own brain" and change your habitual way of thinking. No one else can do it for you and there's no way around it.

There is however, a scientifically proven way to to speed up the process and that is with the use of strong emotion.

Since modern imaging technology can see activity in the brain and scientists have located the seat of emotions in the brain, we know that the strength and number of neural connections associated with a thought or behavior are increased when you're in a highly emotional state.

The neuron connections are also stronger, longer lasting and it takes longer to lose a neural connection when it was formed with great emotion.

With this knowledge, we see another reason why new years resolutions fail: They are set casually with no emotion and no strong emotional "reason why" that gives you the leverage to you need to make a change permanent.

On January 1st, you may think you're setting "real" goals, but if you're like most people, you're not only doing it a mere once a year and then losing focus, you're also likely to be making flimsy, wishy-washy, emotion-less "resolutions."

Zig Ziglar once said that, "A goal casually set and lightly taken will be freely abandoned at the first obstacle."

You might want to back up and read that quote again, maybe even write it down or print it out, because this one hits the bull's-eye!

This truly explains why New Year's resolutions almost never work, and why so few people can keep off the pounds after they get rid of them.

Goal setting should not be casual or lightly taken. Goal setting is an important and serious matter. This is not a game - this is your life, and you only have one life to live.

Goal setting is also not a one time event - it is an ongoing process of literally "re-wiring your brain." With the discovery of brain plasticity, we now know that this is science fact, not self-help fiction.

Make the time to set REAL goals, today! Take it seriously, do it scientifically, re-write your goals every day, think about them constantly, and then take massive action

Do it and this will be the most successful year of your life!

Tom Venuto, CSCS, CPT, is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal tainer, certified strength coach, certified master practitioner of NLP and author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat Burning Secrets Of The World's Best Bodybuilders And Fitness Models". Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and turbo-charge your metabolism by visiting: http://www.burnthefat.com

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Are You Smarter Than A 5 Year Old?

No fitness or health related info today. I simply wanted to share the story below with you. The insight, empathy and grace displayed by this 5 year old child amazes me.


Five Year Old Cancer Patient Leaves Hundreds of Notes for Her Family
by Susan Wagner

When five-year-old Elena Desserich was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer, she set out to help her family deal with her death in a truly remarkable way. The kindergartener started writing -- she created "The Kindergarten Survival Guide" for younger sister Grace -- and drawing.

When Elena's cancer robbed her of the ability to speak, she used drawing and painting to communicate with her family. One of her paintings, titled "I Love You," was hung in the Cincinnati Art Museum, next to a painting by Pablo Picasso, one of Elena's favorite artists.

But she also wrote hundreds of notes for her family and hid them in various places around their home in Wyoming; her parents didn't know about the notes until after Elena died. "We were moving some boxes around one day and in between some of the books a note fell out," recalls mom Brooke Desserich. "Each time I would read one of those notes, it was like a little hug from her."

You can read the rest of the article here.

22 Diet Secrets by Bonnie Lefrak

Bonnie Lefrak is a former pro-natural bodybuilder and owner of Punch Kettlebell Gym in Worcester, MA. She's compiled a list of 22 nutrition and training secrets.

22 Diet Secrets

Secret #1 There are no secrets.

Hmmm.. How will I get you to read the rest? I am not trying to depress you, but bottom line…there is NO super special workout or diet that is THE ANSWER.

Generally there are a few factors that people need to address, to unlock the secret to their personal success. Maybe you are not strength training? Maybe you eat processed foods?

Maybe your hormones are out of control? Maybe you are not getting enough sleep.

Often it is a few factors that can be addressed for ultimate success.

Secret #2 “Fat Burners” are generally money burners!

Sorry to say, there really is no magic pill that dissolves fat. The supplement industry is a billon dollar industry and growing. With the internet and magazines, these companies can appeal to us with their consistent advertising and false promises. Think about it. If a pill could melt fat, why is everyone struggling to lose weight, why is obesity at epidemic proportions?

If anything a fat burner will have caffeine (usually 200-300mg!) and therefore you may feel more energetic and perhaps work out harder. But you could also add more stress to your body and end up with a host of medical maladies, and still be fat.

Save your money. If you are a bit pooped and need a cup of coffee, ok get it- but beware you will build a tolerance to caffeine and need more and more and more.

This could give you problems when trying to fall asleep. Poor sleep will add to your problems.

If you already are very stressed out, adding “fat burners” could further tax your adrenal glands causing what is known as adrenal fatigue, which could lead to thyroid disorders as well.

Our bodily functions and systems do not operate in isolation. Even in terms of healthy weight loss our bodies will often make shifts and changes to protect us from what it perceives as famine or starvation!

In the end, save your money.

Secret #3 Whatever seems to be working now will stop working.

Our bodies are wicked cool! They adapt as part of our ability to survive. (As mentioned above in Secret #2, when losing weight the body fears famine!)

So, when you start a new workout program or a new nutrition program you often see changes right away… and then as your body adapts (literally it figures out what you are up to!).

The progress you were experiencing will slow down until it stops and you have reached the dreaded “plateau”.

Every 4-6 weeks it is a good idea to make at least one small change. You do not have to change drastically or EVERYTHING in order to keep your body guessing.

If you are doing 3 strength workouts a week, see what happens if you add an extra day. Or if you have not been doing any cardio, add some…

But beware, we cannot keep adding and adding and adding to infinitum.

There are only so many days in the week, so many hours in the day.

You will also have to back off some weeks, and change the program up, rather than Add more work! (see Secret #4 for MORE…)

You can read the other 19 secrets at 22 Diet Secrets

You Want The Secret To Fat Loss?

Craig Ballantyne's Secret to Fat Loss

You want the secret to fat loss?

Well, you're not going to like it.

It has nothing to do with Green Tea, acai berry gummy berry juice, or the Master Cleanse.

Instead, the secret to fat loss is a state of mind. Once you're in it, you can't fail.

So here it is...

"Once you accept how HARD it is to lose fat, then it becomes easy."

Do you understand what I mean?

It's like saving money.

Once you understand and accept how much discipline is required to save money then it's easy and becomes 2nd nature to do so. You understand the difficulty but just do it automatically.

It's the same with fat loss.

Once you understand that you must...

- Plan, shop, and prepare your meals in advance...
- Do three high-intensity workouts per week...
- Keep yourself active on off days and keep your butt off the couch for at least 30 minutes...
- Develop rituals that help you avoid night-time eating...
- Take time to set goals and to plan solutions for every obstacle that gets in your way each week...

Only then will fat loss become 2nd nature to you, so much so that you couldn't get fat if you tried!

Seriously, once you "get it", you literally couldn't get fat if you tried, because your mind is on autopilot to stop you from binge eating or from skipping workouts.

So work on that...apply that secret mindset and you'll succeed. You'll lose as much body fat as you want.

Heck, you can apply this to any aspect of your life and you'll experience success beyond your wildest dreams.

If only you accept the reality of the situation.

The secret doesn't come in a pill, potion, or powder.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training


Craig is graciously offering FREE 10-Minute Turbulence Training Workouts. You can get them here --> 10 Minute TT Workouts. Try them out and you'll see for yourself why I highly recommend Craig's program.


The 4th Turbulence Training Transformation Contest has officially begun but you can still sign up. Craig has now split the contest into Male and Female categories so the best male and female success story will each win $1000! You can check out previous winners' before and after photos, read their stories and sign up here --> Turbulence Training Transformation Contest

Merry Christmas

Have a wonderful Christmas and a healthy, happy new year!

Ditch the Dips

The Bench Dip is a very common exercise in many workout routines. Because you can use a park bench, an aerobic step, a short wall or even a chair, it's a staple in many group fitness classes as well as bodyweight and bootcamp programs.

There are also ways to make it harder or easier depending on the participant's fitness level.

We used to do it with our hands on one bench and our feet on another; the guys did it with a 45 pound plate on their legs.

Up until 3 or 4 years ago, I still had some clients doing Bench Dips but I don't anymore. I'm sure that some people could do them occasionally with no ill effects but why take the risk? When the guy called "the smartest man in fitness" by many other fitness pros talks, I listen. I even named my blog based on a post he wrote. You can read it here.

Anyway, regarding this exercise, Bill Hartman says:

The bench dip requires about 90 degrees of shoulder extension which exceeds normal shoulder extension by about 25 degrees.

To achieve that much range of motion the scapula must tilt forward which is a pretty unstable position. This also means that the shoulder joint is unstable and increases demands on the rotator cuff especially the subscapularis.

Over time this is a lot of undesirable stress leading to impingement of the cuff. This doesn't even consider the stress on the AC joint. It's also a crap exercise for overload.

Try Parallel Dips or Close Grip Pushups instead of Bench Dips.

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No More Pink Dumbbells

I recently came across the post below on the Fit Freshman blog.

Although there aren't a lot of posts there, much of the info is worthwhile.

No more pink dumbbells

I am about to go on a rant regarding how fat loss and weigh training is usually depicted to young women.

Fat loss follows a pretty simple formula, here goes.

1: Eat higher quality foods more often
2: Engage in moderate to high intensity conditioning a few times a week for at least 20 mins
3: Train with weights at least 3x a week with a focus on progressively increasing the resistance or intensity
4: Rest properly

Thats it.

Now if you have noticed , the majority of books, tapes and magazines have women doing the exact opposite. They recommend:

1: run or engage in low intensity cardio like jogging
2: Eat small portions of foods that will stop your fat loss like granola and yogurt
3: Train with weights a few times a week with (you guessed it) pink dumbbells
4: No mention of rest

Remember the body needs to be constantly challenged if it is going to change. Pink dumbbells are not a challenge.

That's all