Tips to conquer the infamous New Years Resolution!!!

If I had to put a number on the amount of people who picked 'lose weight' as their New Year's resolution, I'd bet %50. Maybe Vegas has that bet? And right about now the sales consultants at all the gyms are going bonkers.  Hey, if you are looking to get in shape, now isn't a terrible time because there are some good membership deals out there.

To help you get on track and to add value on your new membership, here are a few tips for starting a program.

1. Get a workout buddy


We train harder when we have a workout partner. It's our propensity. It is also very easy to say, "oh I'll go tomorrow." Then a month later and you're still talking to yourself. I have a training partner and I can tell you that when he's not around it is extremely difficult for me to train and train hard. We keep each other on track and push each other. Having a workout buddy will lessen your chances of skipping routine and you'll workouts will be intensified and enjoyable!


2. Have a program


Most people go into the gym and do not have a plan. They hop from machine to machine doing 10 reps and call it a day. A program needs to be specific and results driven.  Do some research on your goal (whether it's strength, weight loss, muscle gain, etc) and find programs that complement that. If you need help, email me.


3. Keep a workout journal


This is so underrated. If you went out of your way to educate yourself and find a program then you need to record what you do. How are you going to progress if you do not record what you're doing? Keeping a journal can help you identify workout routines you like, show improvements, and set goals. Also, it keeps you on track and focused in the weight room so you are not wasting time in there figuring what exercise to do next.


4. Perform a life-schedule budget

Just like a financial budget, you have fixed (uncontrollable) and variable (controllable) costs. In a life budget it's time. You have fixed times like your job, commute, religious commitment, etc. And you have variable time. Do a life a budget and find the most accommodating times you can workout. You have the ability to make it as forgiving as possible.


If your resolution is to improve your health then good luck! You have my support and feel free to email me if I can help!!!


Be Elite.

THE BEST EXERCISE FOR LOSING WEIGHT!!!!

Almost everyone asks me at some point, "what is the best exercise(s) for losing weight/burning fat/toning?"

Everyone, today is your lucky day!!

The very best exercise you can do to lose weight are Fork Drops. The more you can do, the more successful you will be! Here is how it works:

Exercise: Fork Drops
Muscles Used: Phalanges Extensors, Cerebrum (will power)
Sets/Reps: As many reps following 4-6 proportionally and nutritionally appropriate meals
Instructions: Release the tightly gripped fork full of food by extending your fingers to an open palm position.

That's it folks! That's the secret. Here are a few alternative exercises if you have trouble with Fork Drops:

Exercise: Mike Boyle's "Table Push-aways"
Muscles Used: Pectorals, Anterior Deltoids, Triceps
Sets/Reps: As many reps following 4-6 proportionally and nutritionally appropriate meals
Instructions: Place hands on the side of the dinner table roughly shoulder width apart and push yourself away by contracting your pecs.

Exercise: Scott Henry's "Get-ups"
Muscles Used: Glutes, Hamstrings, Gastrocnemius, Quadriceps
Sets/Reps: As many reps following 4-6 proportionally and nutritionally appropriate meals
Instructions: In a neutral spine position, squeeze your glutes extending your hips and get up out the dinner chair.

All three of these exercises will help you lose weight and burn fat.

Seriously though, caloric intake is roughly 80-85% of changing body composition. You can lose weight, get abs, and fit into those "high school" jeans. It's about being disciplined in your nutrition. 4-6 well portioned meals a day will give you energy and control the calories.

Of course working out helps. Burning calories helps you get to optimal weight quicker. Follow a few of these tips:

1. Resistance Train

Lift weights people. Try to get full body workouts in. The more muscles you use, the more work produced, which spells burning more calories. Also, the more muscle mass you have, the more you can enjoy the guilty pleasures of life because your metabolic rate will be higher.

2. Cardio is what you make of it
Understand that there is an inverse relationship between Time and Intensity. You can jog on a treadmill for 90 minutes like a lab rat on a wheel or you can do some intervals and bust your ass for far less time. You'll burn more calories in 20 minutes of interval training, increase your work capacity, and get the hell out of the gym quicker.

3. Eat well 80% of the time
The entire point of this article is the importance of nutrition with respects to weight loss. To be really honest, you get real disciplined in nutrition and you don't even need to exercise. It will take a lot longer, but in time you would lose the lbs you want.  Calories are that important. Spread your meals, make them healthy and control your emotional involvement with food.

Be Elite my friends.

"The Routine"

Rou-tine

[roo-teen]

-noun

a customary or regular course of procedure.

Now that I have used dictionary.com to define this word, lets dive into the concept and how you can apply it towards a healthy lifestyle. 

Whether you workout religiously, sporadically or are inactive and don't know where to start, hear is a simple way to motivate and hold yourself accountable. 

Now programming can be simple or complex. It's what you make of it. Because my audience varies, let me set a general fitness guideline I would love people to adhere by based on your activity level: 

Don't work out - Shoot for 2x a week at 30 minutes

Sporadically workout - 2-3x a week for 30 minutes

Good and honest commitment levels - 3x a week for 60 minutes

Athletes/Goal Oriented/Gym Freaks - Email me and we can talk about what you are trying to accomplish and program accordingly.

Regardless of your age, height, weight, etc., the world would be a happier, healthier, and more productive place if everyone committed to 3 hours of training a week. That is 3 out of the 168 hours. I think everyone can manage that. 

The problem is that in today's busy, fast-paced world, people don't make the effort to find the time, nor do they monitor their health. Here is a SIMPLE way to manage yours. 

Print a free calendar of the internet and tape it somewhere where you will see it every day. Bathroom mirror, bedroom door, office desk, your dog's back, I don't care. 

2 things will go on this calendar: Number of times you workout and if you ate well that day or not. 

Here is an example: 

For everyday you get at least a 30 minute workout, mark an X with a fat, black permanent marker.  The same one you would use to draw all over your friends who passed out drunk in college.

In the corner of each day simply put a + or a - on whether you felt you ate well or ate like that drunk friend in college (chips, cookies, McDonalds, etc).

This is simple and a 4-year old could to it. More importantly, it gives you a visual glimpse as to what you are doing with your life as it relates to wellness.

Say this calendar above belongs to me. In week one, I got 3 workouts in and at well 5/7 days. Pretty good week. However, the following week I only got one workout in and ate well 3/7 days. No bueno. With that visual reminder, this was enough to motivate me to get in 4 workouts and eat well everyday in this week.

No trainers, coaches or dr. needed. Just a big fat X or lack of to remind me, "hey, I need to do something."

Now even if your calendar only has a few X's (like my bowling scorecard), at least commit to those +'s. What gets you a +? Here is a general nutritional rule: 80/20

80/20 simply means eat well 80% of the day. What's well? Common sense people. Fruits, veggies, lean meats, dairy, good fats (olive oil etc). All, which exist in the same egyptian structure the USDA published in 1941 compliments of President Roosevelt. AKA the food pyramid.

If the average American (even with no nutritional knowledge) used the current food guide pyramid %80 of the time and worked out 2-3x a week, we would be relatively healthy, happy and productive. Plain and simple.

Hey, I love the simple pleasures in life like pie, ice cream sundaes and beer. However, I can limit these to %20 and so can you. Plus, if you cook it right, healthy food taste awesome and is nutrient dense and calorically slim.

I am almost guaranteeing that you will see changes if you can give this a shot. Just keep in mind, you can have more X's on that calendar than the Montreal red light district, but if you don't have any +'s you will likely not have many results. Nutrition 1st.

Give it a shot and let me know how it goes.

ps- I picked the name of my company with purpose. Be Elite Performance Training. Everyone can "Be Elite." That has nothing to do with being an athlete, rather it means everyday you can feel accomplished and everyday you can have the passion, drive and physical abilities to live life to the fullest.


With that said...


Be Elite my friends