a trainer tells all ...

•Pushups are the best upper body workout designed….no machine can replace that…you don’t need any equipment and you can do them anywhere.


•It’s easy to become a certified trainer (as I have seen overweight people become certified)….it’s not easy to work as one full time (hence a high turnover rate in many clubs)

•Diet is 85% of where results come from…..for muscle and fat loss. Many don’t focus here enough.

•Working out too much doesn’t lead to good results….hence most people are still struggling after years of hard effort and little return.

•Most people do not lift heavy enough to make stronger muscles.

•It’s never too late to build muscle….and is more important as we grow older.

•The only real cure is prevention….don’t get sick in the first place otherwise you may be in for a long road back to health

•If you eat whole foods that have been around for 1000s of years, you probably don’t have to worry about counting calories

•Sugar is not our friend

•High Fructose Corn Syrup is making people fat and sick

•The biggest 2 threats to our health are inflammation (silent and chronic) and insulin resistance

•Our dependence on gyms to workout may be keeping people fat….as walking down a street and pushups in your home are free everyday…but people are not seeing it that way.

•If I had to pick one sport for a child to start with it would be gymnastics, the strength/speed/balance/body control they will learn can be applied to any sport down the road.

•I hate to jog….I love to run

•Never listen to any advertising telling you what is healthy….as they are just trying to sell you something

•There is no such thing as spot reduction…but there is a great business in selling that concept (Ab-reclining chair anyone?)

•The fittest people I know keep active daily doing what they enjoy

•Fitness and Muscle magazines never got me any real results

•Supplements were are waste of a lot of money for me

•The best performance enhancing thing I know of….is a cup of coffee 30min before a workout/playing sports.

•To build muscle, throw away your Whey protein and eat more steak and eggs

•More people are taking muscle building hormones than will ever admit to you

•The best way to lose weight for most is lower carbohydrate eating/cycling

•I was skipping breakfast long before I ever found out about intermittent fasting (IF)

•It’s a lot easier to stay fit and strong….once you get there

•Meat and Fat are my friends

•Muscle size does not tell a person’s real strength

•Muscle size is mostly glycogen and water

•Whole foods can never be replaced by a multi-vitamin

•Most people need some Fish Oil to control inflammation

•Many brain functions may be vastly improved with a diet of no sugar/higher fats (esp DHA from fish/fish oil)

•Breakfast is the most important meal of the day

•Eating 6x a day provides no metabolic advantage for losing weight than 2-3x a day…it’s still about calories and blood sugar/insulin control

•Mainstream media is 5 years behind research studies….research studies are 10 years behind what people are already doing for health and results

•The eat low-fat advice was the biggest health disaster in the last 30 years

•The greatest learning experience was helping people with autoimmune/arthritis to get healthier…..I never got more appreciation for my own health and how important prevention really is.

•The saddest thing to see is someone crippled by a potentially preventable disease while they are young which keeps them from doing simple daily activities and on multiple medications

•The smartest trainer I know does not have a website or best selling ebook….as he is too busy training real clients

•Apple Cider Vinegar is the only medicine I take if I feel sick

•I can go up and down up to 5lbs in a week depending on glycogen and water balance

•The first big amount of lbs you lose in the first week dieting is mostly water

•If you want to get better at running….you run…..at biking…you bike…….at a sport…you play that sport

•I know a professional athlete making millions and a star on his team…yet he can’t do a pullup…but he doesn’t need to

•There is no one right way for anything…..as 20 different ways can get you results…

•80/20 rule is so true…..80% of your results come from just 20% of the exercises, 20% of the food in supermarkets, and spending 20% of your time working out.

•Results are just the simple yet important things done on a consistent basis

•Losing more than 2lbs a week is probably not all fat

•Gaining more than 2lbs a week is probably not all muscle

•All diets fail over the long run….but lifestyle changes last

•All diets books are saying the same thing in general…they just make a new way to present it

•There is nothing new in health and fitness…..just ideas that resurface that are long forgotten

•Fads are created to sell more specialized equipment/gear, lifting/throwing something heavy and running fast has been around for 100s of years and still works

•Want a strong “core”? Lift something heavy over your head and walk around trying to stabilize it…the motivation to not drop it on your head will work wonders

•There should be a law against selling any dumbbells less than 5lbs….or ones in neon colors

•If your trainer can not get you to lose weight, fire him/her. You are not paying for his/her company or excuses….go find someone who can deliver or knows how to get results

•Squatting to parallel will only give you weak hamstrings and lead to more knee issues….you should be able to go down like you were going to pick something off the ground….as that is the reason our bodies were designed to squat

•The best thing anyone can do for their health/results is to just try new things…see how their body adapts and responds…and learn how to take total control no matter life may throw at them in the future

•Blogging is more effort than I would ever imagine….but I enjoy sharing what I know

•If you like what I write…the best thing you can do is help spread the word…so others can start improving their health and fitness too
 
- fitness spotlight

do work

pound for pound. inch by inch.

• 
  
  “Everybody’s looking for the magic pill. But commitment is an ongoing process. It’s not something you do once. You revisit it.”  Patricia Kyle

• 
  
  ... hard work defeats talent when talent refuses to work hard ...

"This is you...everyday.

There are no days off.

There is no compromise.

There is no compass that comes with this life, just eyes.

So to map it out one must look inside.

Sure books could guide you but your heart defines you".

-s.carter

What Is Bikram Yoga?

Bikram yoga is a precise sequence of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises for all ages and from beginner to expert. The postures will stretch and strengthen your muscles, ligaments and joints, massaging and stimulating your organs glands and nerves. Bikram yoga is performed in a heated room (approx. 105 degrees) to properly warm up your muscles, in order to prevent injuries and allow you to work deeper and safer. The heat helps cleans toxins from the body by sweating. Regular practice of this Bikram Yoga series results in the healing of injuries, loss of unnecessary weight, and peace of mind.

Who's with me?

<3

Kettlebell: Counteract the Momentum

                 

One of the most effective workouts I have done with my trainer would be working out with kettlebells.  Kettlebell workouts help tone your ENTIRE body, muscles you don't even know you have!  The way kettlebells work is the weight is centered below the handle so when you swing it, every single muscle of your body works hard to counteract the momentum.

SNATCH PULL AND PUSH PRESS

Works shoulders, back, arms, hips, glutes, and hamstrings Grab a kettlebell and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned out about 45 degrees. Place the kettlebell on the floor between your feet. Stand up and lift the weight to chest height. Grab the sides of the handle and push the kettlebell straight overhead. Lower it to your chest and assume the original grip before returning to start. That's 1 rep; do 10.

SWING

Works shoulders, back, hips, glutes, inner thighs, and hamstrings Grab a kettlebell with both hands and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Squat down until your thighs are nearly parallel to the floor. Then immediately stand back up, swinging the kettlebell out and up until it's at shoulder height. As the kettlebell begins to arc back down, bend your knees and squat, swinging the kettlebell between your legs. That's 1 rep; continue swinging for 10.

DEADLIFT

Works abs, hips, glutes, quads, and hamstrings Grab a kettlebell and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned out about 45 degrees. Place the kettlebell on the floor between your feet. Squat down and grab the handle with an overhand grip. Push your heels firmly into the floor and stand up, keeping your arms extended. That's 1 rep; do 10.

WINDMILL

Grab a kettlebell with your right hand and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned out. Bend your right elbow to raise the kettlebell so it's next to your right shoulder, then press it overhead. Pause, look up, bend to the left, and try to touch your left toes as you slightly rotate your chest toward the ceiling. Pause, then come back up, keeping your right arm extended. Do 5 reps before lowering the kettlebell, then repeat on the other side. This move is more advanced. Practice without weight until you nail the form.

- Womens Health

BEASTMODE

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU???

Work It GIRRRLLLL ... (or BOY...)

What is a Workout?


A WORKOUT is 25 percent perspiration and 75 percent determination. Stated another way, it is one part physical exertion and 3 parts self discipline. Doing it is easy once you get started.


A WORKOUT makes you better today than you were yesterday. It strengthens the body, relaxes the mind, and toughens the spirit. When you workout regularly, your problems diminish and your confidence grows.


A WORKOUT is a personal triumph over laziness and procrastination. It is a badge of a winner, the mark of an organized, goal oriented person who has taken charge of his or her destiny.


A WORKOUT is a wise use of time and an investment in excellence. It is a way of preparing for life's challenges and proving to yourself that you have what it takes to do what is necessary.


A WORKOUT is a key that helps unlock the door to opportunity and success. Hidden within each of us is an extraordinary force. Physical and mental fitness are the triggers that can release it.


A WORKOUT is a form of rebirth. When you finish a workout, you don't simply feel better, you feel better about yourself.


-George Allen

Fighting My Body Composition

So for the past few years I have been very into working out ... amongst other things.  A myth I would love to get rid of is - Women who lift heavy weights will look like a huge body builder or China from that wrestling show.  That is completely wrong!  For so long before I finally started doing some research I thought that the only way I could lose weight was cardio cardio cardio!  But, what women don't realize is muscle burns fat!  Woman do not produce enough testosterone to have a body builder body.  The more muscle you have the leaner you look!  Your body begins to become smaller and you get tighter.  A lot of the times I see people who just do cardio  ... THEY LOOK LOOSEY GOOSEY!  They have flabby loose skin all over the place.  That is because they don't work with weights! 

I have found that lifting weights has made it quicker for me to lose weight rather then just doing cardio ... I have been fighting my body composition for a very long time.  That is what most people are trying to do when they go to the gym.  Other then the flirting and being social part :)  I pretty much thought I was just "thick" or "big boned."  I mean I looked like a replica of spongebob square pants because I had no shape at all!  Lifting weights helped me change that.

Look at Jessica Beil ... I mean that is my goal body.  I don't want to be some skinny boney girl with no muscle tone.  I love that athletic and still elegant look.  Beast mode started today!  So this is day 1 again and I am sure you will hear me say that again.  I am definitely missing the consistent part!  :)