Whoever Said It Was Easy?
This past week was a great week for me. As much as my clients say I help them, they don’t realize how much they help me. To start with, I was voted one of Chicago’s top 7 Personal Trainers by the Chicago Sun Times, pretty cool stuff. Not to mention I was in a group of other trainers that I have always admired, so I felt very, very honored. Second, I started working with Anthony this week and getting him going with exercise. Many people have asked me, “So how’s Anthony doing?” (If you don’t know about Anthony, here’s some background.) Anyway, here is how Anthony is doing.
Anthony and I had our first workout on Wednesday and he did an amazing job. His nutrition has been going really well and his biggest fear is sweets, he’s got a great sweet tooth. I kept reminding him that losing weight is not easy, but it’s also important to keep things in check and not stay in the “all or nothing” mindset. I reminded Anthony that every diet he has ever been on has only been about deprivation and weight loss. I want Anthony and all of my other clients to realize that yeah, there are habits you definitely need to change but if anything is to stick, you’ve got to move away from the “all or nothing” mindset. Developing a healthy lifestyle is not a black or white proposition, you’ve got to be in the center, the gray if you will.
We had a great workout, Anthony is great to work with, willing to try anything and very good with cuing changes in form. I sent him home with a few exercises to do on his own and he felt great after his workout. I think more than anything he was surprised that I didn’t yell at him and tell him to, “Drop and give me 50 push-ups.” Nope, instead we got his body used to movement and got his muscles prepped for future work, I think he’s ready and so is his body!
Today when Anthony came in, he said he really struggled with sweets. His wife cleared out anything in the house that might trigger a splurge, so he really felt frustrated. I let him know that it’s not going to be easy. Sweets are like a drug that gets your brain to think that you can’t survive without them. Given that our diets are full of sugar (and not the obvious kind) getting rid of a lot of it is very hard. So we talked about options that he can use in an effort to get past those really tough cravings.
The truth is that changing years of habits is VERY hard, but it’s important to note that it won’t be that way forever. Think about anything that you had to learn, a language, a new sport, a new job, etc. Remember how hard it was and you thought to yourself, “Oh, I am never going to get this.” Eventually you did, you figured it out and moved forward. That’s why I tell people all the time, “Stop FIGHTING weight, rather LEARN how do work with your body.” Learning to live a healthy lifestyle is very much that way. You have to BELIEVE that you are able to make changes. You have to BELIEVE that you are worthy of making positive changes. You have to BELIEVE that what is hard today, will get easier as you learn about the myriad of choices available to you. Unfortunately, years of dieting prohibits finding your own personal route to a healthier body.
When seeking to lose weight and develop a healthy lifestyle, PLEASE be patient with yourself and find a solid source of support. Anthony knows that he has no choice about changing his eating habits and activity level, he must change his lifestyle and his body if he is to move into the future with endless positive possibilities.
What is your motivation to change? Do you have a solid source of support? I invite you to join me and Anthony as we forge ahead in to a new world that offers endless opportunities and a healthy lifestyle that will eventually become the norm. Here’s to Fit Anthony!
Here’s to your healthy life and endless opportunities!
Holiday Parties Sabotaging You? Plan Ahead!
The season is upon us, parties, clients bringing well intentioned “gifts” of food and on and on the food frenzy goes. So, if you’re trying to stay on track and maintain a dedication to healthy living, what do you do? Simple, plan, plan plan.
1. Always eat breakfast and make it a protein filled breakfast so you’re full and not likely to nibble on the office treats that people bring in.
2. Stay hydrated. Remember, often times when we think we’re hungry we’re likely dehydrated. So get in your water, especially if you’re going to a party where alcohol is involved. 2 glasses of water for every glass of alcohol.
3. Bring your own dish to a party. If you’re going to a party where you know the food is not going to be at all healthy, bring your own. There are some fantastic holiday dishes you can make that will not leave you feeling deprived.
4. DO NOT SAVE UP CALORIES! Biggest mistake people make is saving calories and thinking that calories are insignificant. In truth, most people who “save up” their calories for a party are more likely to eat more calories at that one party than they would have eaten throughout the day.
5. Get over the “it’s the holidays” mentality. The problem is, foods that actually used to be reserved for the holidays are around 24/7 and it’s not just holiday food anymore. Sure, if there is something you don’t normally have, go ahead and have a piece or a bite or whatever. But don’t use the holidays to eat in excess, it’s tough on your body and even tougher to deal with come January 1st.
Here’s hoping your holidays are as healthy as they can be, as often as they can be.
Be sure and check out our store for some great “healthy living” gift ideas! Free T-shirt for orders placed BEFORE December 15th!
Change Comes From Wanting It
I started training a new client and as new clients often do, he asked me about nutrition. He started off his question by saying, “I know what you’re going to say, but what do you think about diet soda?” I smiled and asked, “Well, what do you think I’m going to say?” He responded, “Well, you’re going to say it’s bad for me, right?”
The truth is that most people know what is healthy to put in to their body, while others, not so much. When people are looking to lose weight or change their lifestyle, almost ALL of the people I have worked with know what they need to do but the truth is that, they simply aren’t willing to make the changes.Why? Because they’re over the top, unreasonable.
I believe the reason weight loss efforts are often unsuccessful is due in part to not wanting to change. After all, due to the diet mentality many people have, they feel that healthy living must be an all or nothing proposition, not true. Diets don’t work because they ARE all or nothing. Healthy living works because it’s real life. It’s good days with not so good days. But one bad day doesn’t deem you a failure, unfortunately, diets have instilled that belief, hence the short lived weight loss efforts.
So here’s my quarters worth. If you really want to lose weight, really want to make some changes, WANT the changes you’re making. For example, if someone told me I could never again eat pizza, I don’t know if I could do that, seriously. But if I knew that a couple of times a month, I can have some pizza, that’s cool. If changes are practical and will ultimately provide a return, you’re going to want to do it. But if you’re setting yourself up to make some over the top changes, you’re really not going to want to because you’ll feel deprived and know that ultimately you’ll fail. How is that enticing?
Bottom line, make changes that make sense for you so the changes are what you WANT to do. The more changes you make, the better you’ll feel, providing they’re reasonable. If you make realistic changes, you’ll stay consistent. My 80/20 rule is best. 80 percent of the time, eat well and exercise, 20 percent is life. You can make changes, just make sure they are changes that you’re willing to make, for the long term. That’s the secret to success!
BE SURE AND CHECK OUT OUR STORE FOR SOME GREAT GIFT IDEAS. FOR EVERY PURCHASE I WILL RECEIVE A FREE “DIETING SUCKS” T-shirt! ALL BOOKS WILL BE SIGNED PER REQUEST!
Sometimes Old Ground Needs to Be Covered
I was recently having an email conversation with a reader.
Biggest Loser Risking Health of Contestants Reprehensible
I don’t know about you, but my hunch is that you know someone that would risk the reputation of someone else so they could make themselves look better. It has never been more apparent than on the recent
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