I've written several posts dealing with ways you can get motivated, inspired, and dedicated to living a healthier lifestyle. A few weeks ago I think I've realized what the most motivating way to lose weight and get in shape is....
Join a contest!
I joined the 2nd Annual MuscleTech Transformation contest. This contest has a grand prize of $25,000 plus some other gifts! Now, my motivation from joining this contest is not solely on how much money I can receive, it's the challenge and the accountability that goes along with it.
Before joining this contest, I was already pretty motivated and dedicated to fat loss and weight loss, but I tell you, this is definitely the most motivated I've ever been! What makes it even better is that I have my whole family behind me cheering me on.
Now, I was already pretty strict with dieting and fitness, but after just three weeks into this transformation contest, I realized that I wasn't strict enough! I made some adjustments to my current diet and fitness routine and the results are staggering. I'm gaining more muscle at a much more accelerated rate than I was before, I'm burning off fat much more faster, and my weight is going down quicker.
Why is the above happening? Simply put, I want to win and reach my final goal of having a lean muscular physique!
One word of caution if you join some type of transformation contest: do not become obsessed, and do not do anything that is detrimental to your health, i.e. dramatically reducing calories, popping diet pills, intense fasting, etc. It's pointless and ironic to join a contest to get healthy, only to end up more unhealthy than you were when you first started.
Well, wish me luck! The contest ends in May. I'll keep you updated between now and then.
Hey guys!
I just received an e-mail from Craig Ballantyne (creator of the popular at-home fitness program, Turbulence Training), and it reminded me of something I wanted to share with you guys....carefully choosing a personal trainer! This is of course if you need one.
A little while back I mentioned in a post that I was going to be getting personal training to help me strengthen my lower body so that I can heal my patella tendinitis in my knees. The training and the advice I received was very questionable. My knees felt unbelievably bad....even worse than what they felt beforehand!
Because my knees were hurting worse, I decided to go back to my doctor to see if there is something that can be done. My doctor prescribed me a stronger pain medicine and gave me a referral to a physical therapist (which I had seen before about a year ago).
When I told the physical therapist what the personal trainer said and had me do.....he had some very censored words of choice I'm pretty sure that personal trainer wouldn't want to hear. Apparently, the personal trainers comment of "your knees are going to hurt before they feel better" was a bunch of bologna! Boy did I feel like a gullible fool after the physical therapist explained to me what it is I SHOULD be doing to get me knees better and how wrong that trainer was!
Listen, not all personal trainers are questionable, and is the reason why I said choose wisely. I highly recommend that you ask a ton of questions and see if you can get referrals first. Learn from my mistake! This is your most precious possession we're talking about here.
Check out the e-mail from Craig talking about when he ran into a personal training session at a gym:
"So this morning I hit a great workout in the gym. 2nd best hotel gym I've ever used. Heavy dumbbells, bench press, pull-ups, awesome.
But...even though there were 25 people in the gym at 6:00am, I was the only one lifting. They were all on the elliptical...you know what I think about that...
However, that wasn't the worst thing I saw in the gym...Instead, it was another classic case of the well-meaning, but incompetent trainer. He was working with a beginner, overweight woman and they went through a round of machines first. That's fine. I won't grumble too much about that. But then he had her do lunges.
Why, why, why do trainers insist on making unqualified folks do lunges?
My favorite line was when he told his overweight, beginner, un-coordinated client that, "it's okay to fall over doing lunges, it means your muscles are doing more work"
Right, just like its okay to get in a car crash, because now you get to use your bumper!
Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh."
Have you had any positive or negative experiences with personal trainers? Share with everyone by commenting below....
Diet and exercise at the comfort of home (no gym memberships, no commute) with Craig's popular at home training program...Turbulence Training. Click here to learn more.
Image Courtesy: www.backtoformfitness.com
The Kellogg's company was kind of enough to send me a few new healthy snacks to review and share with you.
I must say I was shocked with how much stuff they sent me. I was actually expecting little sample packs.....instead they sent full boxes!
Okay, one of the most common problems we have as far as dieting is concerned is snacks. Meals are pretty easy when dieting. Quick snacks on the other hand....not so much! The problem is, is that most "healthy" quick snacks that are satisfying (especially for those sweet/carb cravings) are not really that healthy. Has Kellogg's come up with snacks that are actually satisfying AND healthy? Well let's take a look...
- Kellogg's Fiber Plus Chewy Bars (They sent me the chocolate chip and dark chocolate almond flavors):
- Nutrition (1 Bar): Calories (120-130) Total Fat (4-5g) Cholesterol (0g) Sodium (50-55mg) Carbs (24-26g) Fiber (9g) Protein (2g) Minerals (Calcium, Iron, Vitamin E, Zinc)
- Taste: Both tasted exceptionally good. Kind of tasted similar to rice krispie treats.
- Opinion: The calories is not so bad given that you have one or two a day (be careful...they can become addictive), the amount of carbs is a negative, however the amount of fiber is excellent. Overall, I recommend these snack bars provided you enjoy them in moderation....as with anything else!
Kellogg's Special K Snack Crackers (They sent me the Sun Dried Tomato and the Multi-Grain flavors)
- Nutrition (24 Crackers): Calories (120) Total Fat (3g) Cholesterol (0g) Sodium (260mg) Carbs (23g) Fiber (2g) Protein (3g) Minerals (Iron)
- Taste: In my own personal preference, I liked the multi-grain brand more so than the sun dried tomato brand. The sun dried tomato crackers would taste excellent with something like a fat free dip, etc.
- Opinion: Again, the amount of carbs is a negative (1 gram of carbs per cracker). However, the calories are not so bad given that it's 24 crackers.
Have you tried any of the snacks above? Share with everyone your opinion by commenting below....
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One of the biggest concerns those who have a lot of weight and fat to lose is getting loose skin after the weight and fat is decreased. In today's post, I would like to talk about 3 simple and quick principles to avoid getting loose skin once you lose weight.
Also, with doing cardio exercises, make sure you do not do long cardio sessions without having enough calories consumed. Doing so will cause muscle loss....and muscle loss will obviously lead to loose skin. The best type of cardio exercise I recommend is short high intensity cardio exercises such as the incline treadmill and sprinting. You can get a good gut busting workout with those workouts in just 10-20 minutes!
Principle #3 - AVOID FAD DIETS - Fad diets are typically those types of diets which promote fast and easy weight loss by dramatically reducing calories (starvation), liquid dieting, etc. Attempting to lose weight on fad diets can not only cause loose skin, but can also cause a myriad of other health concerns such as a slower metabolism, and more.
So, if you want to avoid getting loose skin, I recommend for you to eat frequently through out the day(this will help boost your metabolism) (here is a good nutritional plan that can will create a customized meal plan for you), do not dramatically reduce your calorie intake, try not to lose no more than 3 pounds per week, and make sure you build lean muscle.
When beginning on a diet and fitness plan, one of the biggest fears most have ( I know I did ), is the fear of giving in to temptation and eat and/or drink something you should be avoiding. How do you develop self control/discipline to avoid giving in to temptations? Should you join the military? Become a Buddhist Monk? Become a ninja? Read on...
Okay, first things first. Identify your biggest temptation. Is it cookies? Candy? Cake? Ice cream? Alright, now that you have that in your mind, do the following:
Step 1. Get up from your computer.
Step 2. Go into your kitchen.
Step 3. Open your cabinet or fridge.
Step 4. Pull out the one thing you love so much.
Step 5. Drum roll please..........................................now take 1 cookie, or 1 piece of candy, or 1 small slice of cake, or 1 scoop of ice cream, and eat and enjoy!
Step 6. You have passed the test on avoiding temptations! Congratulations!!
Seriously, the definition of self control when it comes to dieting and weight loss is not entirely giving up the foods you love, it's learning how to eat a little once in awhile.
I'm not going to lie to you, the above sounds easy, but it's not really that easy in the beginning. That is why I always recommend that you don't have any kind of bad food for at least the first week of your diet and exercise routine. Why? Because you are still mentally weak in the very beginning, and are at a higher risk of going back to the old ways if you have a little "cheat" food during this time. This happened to me once. I remember I had 1 piece of my Mother's fried chicken at a cookout once............and let's just say I was feeling very guilty the following day! lol
So, once you are starting to get used to your dieting and fitness routine, don't feel so restrained from having a little bad food once in the blue moon. If there is an office party at your job one day and they have some delicious chocolate chip cookies out, go ahead and grab one, enjoy it, and don't feel guilty about it. Just make sure you stop enjoying them at 1 or 2!!!!!!
Taking diet pills can not only be bad for your physical health, they can also be bad for you mentally as far as motivation is concerned.
Good morning guys! Sorry I haven't posted for awhile. I've been extremely busy the past few days with my offline business, taxes (HELP!!!!), and we also just got a new kitten that we have to "break in". Whew.....I need a vacation! lol
Okay, today I would like to talk about genetics in relations to your body composition with fat loss, weight loss, and gaining lean muscle.
If you have been following my blog, by now you should know the core components to successfully burn fat, lose weight, and build muscle (water, sleep, exercise, proper nutrition, and staying 100% consistent). However, there is another component often overlooked that has a tendency of making people lose motivation with their efforts. That component would be genetics and trying to achieve a body like someone else.
You see the ads, the websites, the magazines, in person, etc. of folks who have a body that you wish you had. The problem is, due to genetics, chances are you may not achieve their actual body composition. I'm here to tell you....there is NOTHING wrong with NOT being able to achieve someone else's body shape and size.
Why?
Because YOU are YOU. When you lose that weight, burn off that stubborn fat, and tone up to get those ripped muscles, you are going to achieve a body NO ONE else has.....now what's wrong with that? You are going to then have a body that someone else is going to wish they had and on and on.
Don't have goals to LOOK like someone else, if anything, have goals to follow someone else's determination and will power to reach the promise land of better health and a better body. For example, for my own personal motivation, I love reading about and watching videos on Ronnie Coleman (8 time Mr. Olympia). His dedication is UNBELIEVABLE!! Ronnie gives me so much motivation to stay 100% consistent with my efforts to lose weight and build muscle.
I would say it's okay to follow someone else's "plan", but even that may become a conflict due to the same point of this post.....everyone is different. If you need a diet plan that will provide you with a CUSTOM nutritional plan, then I recommend for you to check out the Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet plan.
So, in closing, don't be upset if your body isn't going to look exactly like someone else's body. Be happy with who you are, and what type of body YOU have, and what type of body YOU are going to achieve.
