Treadmills are a great way to stay in your comfort zone, but a BAD way to lose body fat.
~Brad Pilon
People will do almost anything to end pain or cure a disease after they have it, but they usually won't lift a finger to prevent it. Only when debilitating pain or illness strikes them down or threatens them does changing their unhealthy ways even appear on their radar.
~Tom Venuto
Compound exercises recruit more muscle, allow you to use bigger loads, and burn more calories than isolation exercises. That's why you want to build your program around them, and why your workouts should start with exercises like deadlifts or squats, the ones that produce the best results on a rep-by-rep basis.
~Alwyn Cosgrove
It is how you fit into your clothes and look in the mirror that counts. NO ONE wears a scale around the neck or a t-shirt with their weight on the back. It's just a number. Don't get hung up on it.
~Craig Ballantyne
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Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
How to Keep Losing When Its Boring by Leigh Peele
We're almost through January. Are you hanging in there, moving toward your goals?
If you're on a fat loss journey, are you still plowing ahead or has your progress slowed, or even stopped.
Here's an article to help keep you on track.
How to Keep Losing When Its Boring
by Leigh Peele
Ah the two week slump.
Anyone who is a trainer or works with clients knows all to well about the two week slump. The first week of dieting down and training was exciting. You lost weight almost everyday, you felt great, you felt inspired and like you could take on the world! Global warming? Chump change! Problems with your Mother-in-Law? No fly’s on you! That new co-worker that you wanted to beat with a shovel? The two of you are the best of friends now! Yes, it is safe to say that in week one you were conquering the world!
Week two…not so much.You hate your Mother-In-Law again, you don’t have the time nor the energy for recycling your bottles, and your "new best friend" not only deserves a shovel in the face but you are thinking of joining a support group for murderous thoughts. Did I mention the diet and training? Your montage just couldn’t hold up and you are about to buckle big time, if you haven’t already. What to do? How do you get past this rut, this slump, this dip!?
The Top 4 ways to get through the Two Week Slump!
#1 Keep it real
The biggest problem for most people is they expect the same results they had the first week to happen in the second week. Sure this can happen sometimes, especially with those who have a larger amount of fat to lose. However, you have to be realistic!
Did you really burn 12,000 excess calories than what you ate this week? If so than fantastic for you but for most of the world it looks more like 3000-5000 even with the best of dieting down efforts. Take into account the water loss and glycogen depletion you already had in the first week and you should be at a break even or slight loss the second week.
Did you know though that if you can hang on there is usually a fantastic drop and rev up the third and fourth week if you stay perfect on track? Trust me, the course may be a little slower, but it comes. Even if you watch shows like the Biggest Loser where they are burning loads of calories a week and eating a few pudding cups, they have a great first week and a crap second week.
Don’t get so caught up in the scale, it is the trend that matters. Trust the process and don’t let the doubt of “this doesn’t work” set in. It works, it is what it is. Trust it and keep it up.
#2 Keep motivated
This is the time to pull out all the inspirational stops. Here are a few ideas/items to stock in your inspire box…
* Music: I don’t care if it is New Kids or New Order. If it pumps you up listen to it and often.
* Clothes: Women AND guys find an outfit, bathing suit, etc and keep it in your constant view.
* Books/Audio Inspiration: Don’t be ashamed of a self-help section, sometimes you are all you have. Inspiration can come in many forms and text.
* Message Board/Support groups: Find people that are on the same journey and use them for help during the tough moments.
#3 Go do something you wouldn’t
You want to change? You want to be a different person or more so a better you? How exactly are you going to do that if you are playing it safe in your comfort zone?
You have got to do something different! You have to keep yourself in constant reminder of why you want to change. It is pretty easy to fall back into old patterns when you didn’t keep yourself uncomfortable to make a difference in the first place. It is easy to hide out in you safe spots with people who love you. At the core of this though you want some bigger and more. Be it a physical goal or a mental breakthrough, you have to start working for it NOW instead of when you are “done.”
#4 Everyday you must question
Why?
Everyday you must sit through and start the process all over again. Ask yourself these questions…
* What is my goal?
* What do I want?
* Who do I want to be?
* Why am I really doing this?
* Why do I really want this?
* How do I feel when I am winning at this?
Asking yourself daily important questions is going to be key to providing yourself with a lifetime of giving yourself the answers.
About The Author
Leigh Peele is a professional author and trainer who specializes in fat loss and metabolism damage. Leigh Peele received her certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine in training. She also has a Nutritional Consultation Certification and in training Special Populations and Weight Management.
A nationally published author in both magazine and online, Leigh Peele is continually raising the bar on her ability to achieve fat loss under any conditions. A leader in research and study in metabolic behavior and recovery she has been deemed the Fat Loss Troubleshooter.
Her clients range from college athletes and professional fighters to housewives and obese seniors. She has led those to figure wins and been the champion to those with personal battles especially with eating disorders. She is who you go to when nothing else has worked.
The Fat Loss Troubleshoot
If you're on a fat loss journey, are you still plowing ahead or has your progress slowed, or even stopped.
Here's an article to help keep you on track.
How to Keep Losing When Its Boring
by Leigh Peele
Ah the two week slump.
Anyone who is a trainer or works with clients knows all to well about the two week slump. The first week of dieting down and training was exciting. You lost weight almost everyday, you felt great, you felt inspired and like you could take on the world! Global warming? Chump change! Problems with your Mother-in-Law? No fly’s on you! That new co-worker that you wanted to beat with a shovel? The two of you are the best of friends now! Yes, it is safe to say that in week one you were conquering the world!
Week two…not so much.You hate your Mother-In-Law again, you don’t have the time nor the energy for recycling your bottles, and your "new best friend" not only deserves a shovel in the face but you are thinking of joining a support group for murderous thoughts. Did I mention the diet and training? Your montage just couldn’t hold up and you are about to buckle big time, if you haven’t already. What to do? How do you get past this rut, this slump, this dip!?
The Top 4 ways to get through the Two Week Slump!
#1 Keep it real
The biggest problem for most people is they expect the same results they had the first week to happen in the second week. Sure this can happen sometimes, especially with those who have a larger amount of fat to lose. However, you have to be realistic!
Did you really burn 12,000 excess calories than what you ate this week? If so than fantastic for you but for most of the world it looks more like 3000-5000 even with the best of dieting down efforts. Take into account the water loss and glycogen depletion you already had in the first week and you should be at a break even or slight loss the second week.
Did you know though that if you can hang on there is usually a fantastic drop and rev up the third and fourth week if you stay perfect on track? Trust me, the course may be a little slower, but it comes. Even if you watch shows like the Biggest Loser where they are burning loads of calories a week and eating a few pudding cups, they have a great first week and a crap second week.
Don’t get so caught up in the scale, it is the trend that matters. Trust the process and don’t let the doubt of “this doesn’t work” set in. It works, it is what it is. Trust it and keep it up.
#2 Keep motivated
This is the time to pull out all the inspirational stops. Here are a few ideas/items to stock in your inspire box…
* Music: I don’t care if it is New Kids or New Order. If it pumps you up listen to it and often.
* Clothes: Women AND guys find an outfit, bathing suit, etc and keep it in your constant view.
* Books/Audio Inspiration: Don’t be ashamed of a self-help section, sometimes you are all you have. Inspiration can come in many forms and text.
* Message Board/Support groups: Find people that are on the same journey and use them for help during the tough moments.
#3 Go do something you wouldn’t
You want to change? You want to be a different person or more so a better you? How exactly are you going to do that if you are playing it safe in your comfort zone?
You have got to do something different! You have to keep yourself in constant reminder of why you want to change. It is pretty easy to fall back into old patterns when you didn’t keep yourself uncomfortable to make a difference in the first place. It is easy to hide out in you safe spots with people who love you. At the core of this though you want some bigger and more. Be it a physical goal or a mental breakthrough, you have to start working for it NOW instead of when you are “done.”
#4 Everyday you must question
Why?
Everyday you must sit through and start the process all over again. Ask yourself these questions…
* What is my goal?
* What do I want?
* Who do I want to be?
* Why am I really doing this?
* Why do I really want this?
* How do I feel when I am winning at this?
Asking yourself daily important questions is going to be key to providing yourself with a lifetime of giving yourself the answers.
About The Author
Leigh Peele is a professional author and trainer who specializes in fat loss and metabolism damage. Leigh Peele received her certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine in training. She also has a Nutritional Consultation Certification and in training Special Populations and Weight Management.
A nationally published author in both magazine and online, Leigh Peele is continually raising the bar on her ability to achieve fat loss under any conditions. A leader in research and study in metabolic behavior and recovery she has been deemed the Fat Loss Troubleshooter.
Her clients range from college athletes and professional fighters to housewives and obese seniors. She has led those to figure wins and been the champion to those with personal battles especially with eating disorders. She is who you go to when nothing else has worked.
The Fat Loss Troubleshoot
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Are you 5% towards your goals?
Excellent blog post from Alwyn Cosgrove...
2009: 5% down, 95% to go...
Today is January 22nd.
That means 21 days (3 weeks) have already passed in 2009. That's a little over 5% of the year gone already.
So let's do a quick "goal review" or a Resolution recall.
Are you 5% towards your goals?
If your goal was to lose 50lbs of fat - you should be down 2.5lbs right now if you're on track. If your goal was to increase your income by $10,000 this year - you should already have made an extra $500.
Read the rest here.
2009: 5% down, 95% to go...
Today is January 22nd.
That means 21 days (3 weeks) have already passed in 2009. That's a little over 5% of the year gone already.
So let's do a quick "goal review" or a Resolution recall.
Are you 5% towards your goals?
If your goal was to lose 50lbs of fat - you should be down 2.5lbs right now if you're on track. If your goal was to increase your income by $10,000 this year - you should already have made an extra $500.
Read the rest here.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Free Hormone Report
I think most of us would agree that life is all about balance.
And that includes hormones.
It's an important but often neglected topic. If you are an Oprah fan, she's recently done shows about it and plans to do more. Millions of women are suffering unnecessarily.
Today I'm offering you a free excerpt from hormone expert Dr. Holly Lucille's "Creating and Maintaining Balance" book.
Holly's idea of balance goes beyond day-planners and schedules. She talks about "internal" balance: balance between your natural hormones which helps create energy, lower bodyfat, and improve sex drive.
You can pick up your free 26 pages of Dr. Lucille's book here ==> Creating and Maintaining Balance excerpt
Let me know what you think.
And that includes hormones.
It's an important but often neglected topic. If you are an Oprah fan, she's recently done shows about it and plans to do more. Millions of women are suffering unnecessarily.
Today I'm offering you a free excerpt from hormone expert Dr. Holly Lucille's "Creating and Maintaining Balance" book.
Holly's idea of balance goes beyond day-planners and schedules. She talks about "internal" balance: balance between your natural hormones which helps create energy, lower bodyfat, and improve sex drive.
You can pick up your free 26 pages of Dr. Lucille's book here ==> Creating and Maintaining Balance excerpt
Let me know what you think.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Body & Soul Is Now On Facebook
Body & Soul now has a Facebook page. Check it out here
I'm not very savvy with the social media stuff. Please leave a comment and let me know how I can improve the page.
I'm not very savvy with the social media stuff. Please leave a comment and let me know how I can improve the page.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Could There Be A Real Fat Loss Supplement?
I'm constantly getting calls from people trying to get me to sell "fat burning" supplements or drinks or whatever here at the gym. Sure, I could make some money but I refuse to promote some worthless miracle potion just to make a buck.
I don't do hype or false promises; sorry. If you want to drop fat, wear a smaller size, get stronger and healthier and/or get 6-pack abs, you'll need to put some effort into it. Solid nutrition and a well designed, challenging exercise program are the keys.
That being said, there is some very promising research out there in regards to a dietary supplement you've probably been hearing a lot about. Namely, Essential Fatty Acids, usually referred to as Fish Oil pills.
In a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 136:2965-2969, University of Georgia researchers reported something pretty amazing about Essential Fatty Acid supplements containing DHA. Researchers found that they actually caused pre-fat cells to die out before they could turn into fat cells.
Why is that a big deal?
Once a pre-fat cell becomes a fat cell, there's no turning back; you've got it for life. Fat cells can shrink but you'll never reduce the number your body contains.
So it's exciting that the University of Georgia research shows that you can actually decrease the accumulation of fat by taking an Essential Fatty Acid supplement that contains DHA.
In other studies done at the University of South Australia, people that combined exercise with Essential Fatty Acid supplements containing DHA experienced greater fat loss than the test group who only exercised and did not take the supplement. That research was reported in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 85:1267-1274
If you're interested in dumping body fat, that's pretty exciting news.
I know a lot of people hate the fish oil burp that comes with many fish oil pills. And, as with any supplement, quality can be an issue.
At Prograde Nutrition, they use Krill Oil, which has been found to be a superior source of Essential Fatty Acids containing DHA. It's called EFA Icon. Plus, with EFA Icon there are no fish burps.
There are also other amazing health benefits from this superstar supplement.
If you're interested in accelerating your fat loss results and improving your health, I recommend you check out EFA Icon at ProGrade.com
Remember, EFA Icon is NOT a miracle pill. For fat loss benefits, it needs to be combined with good nutrition and regular exercise. That being said, this is not some acai berry / calorad / colon cleanse / ab gadget weight loss scam. The research is there; it's definitely a supplement with powerful fat loss properties.
Since I started selling the ProGrade Cravers a month or so ago, Body & Soul members have raved about how good they are. Totally different from the other nutrition bars that are glorified candy bars or taste like cardboard. If you use nutrition bars for times when you're unable to get in a regular meal, you might want to check the Cravers out, too.
ProGrade EFA Icon
ProGrade Cravers
I don't do hype or false promises; sorry. If you want to drop fat, wear a smaller size, get stronger and healthier and/or get 6-pack abs, you'll need to put some effort into it. Solid nutrition and a well designed, challenging exercise program are the keys.
That being said, there is some very promising research out there in regards to a dietary supplement you've probably been hearing a lot about. Namely, Essential Fatty Acids, usually referred to as Fish Oil pills.
In a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 136:2965-2969, University of Georgia researchers reported something pretty amazing about Essential Fatty Acid supplements containing DHA. Researchers found that they actually caused pre-fat cells to die out before they could turn into fat cells.
Why is that a big deal?
Once a pre-fat cell becomes a fat cell, there's no turning back; you've got it for life. Fat cells can shrink but you'll never reduce the number your body contains.
So it's exciting that the University of Georgia research shows that you can actually decrease the accumulation of fat by taking an Essential Fatty Acid supplement that contains DHA.
In other studies done at the University of South Australia, people that combined exercise with Essential Fatty Acid supplements containing DHA experienced greater fat loss than the test group who only exercised and did not take the supplement. That research was reported in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 85:1267-1274
If you're interested in dumping body fat, that's pretty exciting news.
I know a lot of people hate the fish oil burp that comes with many fish oil pills. And, as with any supplement, quality can be an issue.
At Prograde Nutrition, they use Krill Oil, which has been found to be a superior source of Essential Fatty Acids containing DHA. It's called EFA Icon. Plus, with EFA Icon there are no fish burps.
There are also other amazing health benefits from this superstar supplement.
If you're interested in accelerating your fat loss results and improving your health, I recommend you check out EFA Icon at ProGrade.com
Remember, EFA Icon is NOT a miracle pill. For fat loss benefits, it needs to be combined with good nutrition and regular exercise. That being said, this is not some acai berry / calorad / colon cleanse / ab gadget weight loss scam. The research is there; it's definitely a supplement with powerful fat loss properties.
Since I started selling the ProGrade Cravers a month or so ago, Body & Soul members have raved about how good they are. Totally different from the other nutrition bars that are glorified candy bars or taste like cardboard. If you use nutrition bars for times when you're unable to get in a regular meal, you might want to check the Cravers out, too.
ProGrade EFA Icon
ProGrade Cravers
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Bad Economy? You Can't Afford To Quit The Gym
A couple of Sundays ago, my local newspaper ran a story about whether the economy was affecting gym memberships. You can read it here ==> Sweating through tough times
Resolutions to stay healthier keep clients rolling in to fitness centers, but will the economy let them stay?
In response, I wrote a Letter to the Editor, which they ran this Sunday, after I edited it by half. Here's the full version:
"If exercise could be packed into a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation."
That’s not marketing hype; that’s a quote from Robert N. Butler, M.D. former director of the National Institute on Aging.
Although I own a fitness center in Lancaster, I certainly know that you don’t need to belong to a health club to exercise. That being said, through the years I have discovered that many people find they maintain a consistent routine better in a gym setting.
Are people really considering dropping their health club memberships to save a few dollars? What will it take for Americans to fully understand the physical, mental and financial value of regular physical activity? Frequent exercisers enjoy better health and lower medical costs, which is even more important in challenging economic times. Employees are paying an ever increasing percentage of their health care costs and many of these expenses are associated with treating diseases that are primarily caused by our lifestyles. Regular exercise is preventative medicine.
If you think times are tough now, what if you get sick and can’t work for a while?
Layoffs are a fact of life. Hopefully, you won’t lose your job but if you do and you’re overweight, your search for a new one could take longer. Like it or not, employers often discriminate against those who are obese. Fairly or unfairly, they assume that overweight workers are less productive, will miss more work due to illness, and will incur higher insurance costs than leaner applicants. On top of that, studies show that overweight people, especially overweight white women, make less money than those of normal weight.
I’m totally confused by some people’s priorities. Healthy, fresh food is “too expensive” but they eat out multiple times a week. A $20 - $40 gym membership gets the ax but they continue to pay over $100 for cable TV. People are absolutely entitled to spend their money any way they see fit but shouldn’t health take precedence?
Getting and staying fit should not even be close to the top of the list of budget cuts. I was happy to read that few people were actually dropping their memberships at the gyms in your article. That’s a good sign because we all need to take more control of our health.
You can’t afford not to, in any economy.
Mickey Glick
Owner, Body & Soul Fitness Studio
Lancaster, PA
Resolutions to stay healthier keep clients rolling in to fitness centers, but will the economy let them stay?
In response, I wrote a Letter to the Editor, which they ran this Sunday, after I edited it by half. Here's the full version:
"If exercise could be packed into a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation."
That’s not marketing hype; that’s a quote from Robert N. Butler, M.D. former director of the National Institute on Aging.
Although I own a fitness center in Lancaster, I certainly know that you don’t need to belong to a health club to exercise. That being said, through the years I have discovered that many people find they maintain a consistent routine better in a gym setting.
Are people really considering dropping their health club memberships to save a few dollars? What will it take for Americans to fully understand the physical, mental and financial value of regular physical activity? Frequent exercisers enjoy better health and lower medical costs, which is even more important in challenging economic times. Employees are paying an ever increasing percentage of their health care costs and many of these expenses are associated with treating diseases that are primarily caused by our lifestyles. Regular exercise is preventative medicine.
If you think times are tough now, what if you get sick and can’t work for a while?
Layoffs are a fact of life. Hopefully, you won’t lose your job but if you do and you’re overweight, your search for a new one could take longer. Like it or not, employers often discriminate against those who are obese. Fairly or unfairly, they assume that overweight workers are less productive, will miss more work due to illness, and will incur higher insurance costs than leaner applicants. On top of that, studies show that overweight people, especially overweight white women, make less money than those of normal weight.
I’m totally confused by some people’s priorities. Healthy, fresh food is “too expensive” but they eat out multiple times a week. A $20 - $40 gym membership gets the ax but they continue to pay over $100 for cable TV. People are absolutely entitled to spend their money any way they see fit but shouldn’t health take precedence?
Getting and staying fit should not even be close to the top of the list of budget cuts. I was happy to read that few people were actually dropping their memberships at the gyms in your article. That’s a good sign because we all need to take more control of our health.
You can’t afford not to, in any economy.
Mickey Glick
Owner, Body & Soul Fitness Studio
Lancaster, PA
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