Motivation stems from having a goal. What is your goal? Why do you want to get into great shape?
Once you uncover your personal motivator you’ll find that motivation flows quickly your way.
Take a minute to really uncover the reason that you want to lose the weight. Don’t say something vague like you want to ‘Be thinner’ or ‘Look more attractive.’ Dig deeper – there is a very specific motivator in your life, you simply need to uncover it.
Here are some possible motivators…
I want to have more energy to keep up with the kids.
I want to improve my health through weight loss to extend and improve my life.
I want to lose 15 pounds before my vacation.
I want to restore my confidence to wear sleeveless shirts.
I want to regain my figure to impress and attract my significant other.
2. MAKE IT OFFICIAL
When you write something down it suddenly feels official, doesn’t it? Write down your motivator for getting into great shape, and post it where you will see it often—next to your alarm clock, on the bathroom mirror, or in your car.
Each time you see your written motivator take a moment to visualize yourself accomplishing your goal. Try to make the scene as clear in your mind as possible. This is a powerful tool for maintaining your focus and direction.
3. BE PRACTICAL
It’s game plan time. You know what you want, and now you need to map out exactly how you’ll achieve it. It is important to be practical in your planning, rather than throwing out ideas that you know you won’t stick with.
With any weight loss goal it is important to 1) maintain a healthy low-calorie diet, and 2) participate in a consistent and challenging exercise program.
Plan a routine that will fit into your schedule and you’ll be more likely to stick with it. Also, choose an exercise program that you enjoy—don’t force yourself to jog every day if you hate jogging.
4. CALL FOR BACKUP
Enlist the support of your friends, family, and co-workers. Tell everyone about your goal to lose weight and get fit, you’ll be surprised how supportive most people will be. By being open about your goals you’ll likely be an encouragement to others to make healthy changes in their own lives.
The most effective way to ensure that you meet your goal is to enlist my support, your personal trainer. Together we will identify what really motivates you. Together we will design a workout routine that fits into your schedule and into your life. And together we will see it through until your goal is met.
Fitness Buddy
5. KEEP TRACK
Your willingness to track your food intake is equal to your desire to lose fat. Being serious about losing fat means taking note of every calorie you consume, making sure these calories contain enough protein, and stopping when you meet your daily allowance.
6. EAT BREAKFAST
Possibly the most fundamental eating tip of all time, a healthy breakfast with a good protein source will help your body have good calories to burn throughout the a.m. hours, letting you get to lunch without being tempted by that mid-morning doughnut.
7. AVOID GETTING TOO HUNGRY
Dieters often fast until they can’t take it any longer. Unfortunately, many poor choices are made in the heat of the hunger moment. Keep healthy (high protein and low carb) snacks nearby to stave off hunger and drink plenty of water to avoid eating when you should be drinking.
drink water
8. UNDERESTIMATE YOUR ROUTINE
Yes, you just pumped iron for an hour and ran six miles. But you probably didn’t burn as many calories as you think. To keep from overeating after a workout, grab a bite immediately after, but make it a small bite. And drink plenty of water. Then wait. Your brain needs time to tell your body it’s full.
9. STAY HOME
Your favorite restaurant may be calling your name, but don’t listen! By cooking your own dinner at home, you’ll sidestep a variety of pitfalls that occur while eating out.
10. REDUCE ALCOHOL INTAKE
It helps you relax and—if you drink red wine—can offer health benefits. But alcohol also comes with a lot of negative hormonal effects on your body. It taxes the liver, spikes fat storing hormones, and dehydrates your muscles. To avoid having to remedy all of this damage, skip the bar and grab another glass of water.
11. GOODBYE SUGARY SWEET
Everyone needs a quick sweet on occasion. Make sure yours is natural, whole fruit rather than regular old sugar. Every day, it seems more research is showing that refined sugars and high-fructose corn syrup increase your likelihood of weight gain more than anything else.
NOT Healthy
12. REDIRECT
Sticking with a fat loss plan gets hard. The next time it gets unbearable, grab your phone and walk out of the danger zone (your kitchen) and call a friend or loved one. Ask how life is going or plan a movie night—just talk about whatever will take your mind off the temptation that will ruin your efforts.
13. HIT THE HAY
Remember when your parents gave you a curfew because “Nothing good happens after midnight”? This is particularly true when fat loss is your goal. Get to bed to allow your body to recover, reduce stress hormones that cause fat gain, and help your body function its best!
14. MOVE NOW!
Maintaining a consistent, challenging exercise program is essential for your fat loss, but don’t let that be your only exercise. Build 15-minute windows throughout your day during which you can take a brisk walk. You’ll be more alert at work and the pounds will keep dropping.
15. DON’T GIVE UP
You may think it’s too easy a tip to list, but very few people have the willpower necessary to keep with a program long enough to see the desired results. Commit yourself today to being one of those few. If you’re not yet one of my esteemed clients then now is the time to join in and experience a whole new level of fitness and fat loss. Reply to this email to get started.
Most people overestimate how healthy they really are, be sure to avoid these common fitness mistakes. Watch the video below and learn as I break down the top 5 dumb fitness mistakes that even healthy people make. I have also written them all out in this blog post.
You’re not the type of person to make many mistakes. And certainly not dumb mistakes. In fact, it’s my guess that you’re healthier than most.
You likely exercise regularly. You watch what you eat. You keep up-to-date on the latest health concerns. You don’t binge on sugar.
And you never – ever – eat fast food. Well, almost never.
But you do have a few unhealthy skeletons in your closet – ones that you probably aren’t even aware of.
The following 5 fitness mistakes are frequently committed by health conscious people. Once you break these bad habits, you’ll find that achieving your weight loss goals just became a whole lot easier.
TOP 5 FITNESS MISTAKES
1. YOU’RE SLEEP DEPRIVED
In Gallup Poll surveys, 56% of the adult population reported that drowsiness is a problem in the daytime. That means that more than half of the population doesn’t get adequate sleep.
Healthy adults require 7-8 hours of sleep each night. When you fail to meet this need your body goes into sleep debt, which continues to accumulate indefinitely until you catch up.
A lack of sleep negatively affects your immune system, your nervous system, and interferes with healthy hormone release and cellular repairs.
The best way to combat sleep deprivation is to set a scheduled bedtime. Your body will benefit from a consistent sleeping and waking routine, and you’re sure to get all the rest you need.
If you have trouble falling asleep once you’re in bed, then try these two tips. First, make sure that you don’t drink any caffeinated beverages after lunchtime. Second, don’t eat for three hours before you go to bed. This helps eliminate sleeplessness due to indigestion, and will also turbo-charge your weight loss.
2. YOU’RE DEHYDRATED
It has been said that 75 percent of the population is chronically dehydrated. Would you disagree? When was the last time that you actually drank 8 glasses of water in a day?
Dehydration occurs when more fluid leaves your body than is taken in. Symptoms include fatigue, irritability, headaches, nausea, rapid heart rate, and, in extreme cases, even death.
Dehydration also slows your metabolism, which hinders weight loss.
You shouldn’t wait until the feeling of thirst or dry mouth hits you, at that point damage has already been done. Instead, constantly rehydrate throughout your day to avoid dehydration. The best way to do this is to incorporate water into your daily schedule. Have a water bottle at your desk and train yourself to sip on it often, and get into the habit of drinking a full glass of water with each meal and snack.
3. YOU’RE STRESSED OUT
I don’t have to tell you that we are living in a fast-paced world and that most of us have stress levels that are through the roof. But what you might not realize is that your stress levels are making you fat.
Stress creates an increase in the hormone cortisol, and chronic stress creates a chronic increase in cortisol. This is a problem because is slows your metabolism, leads to cravings and is linked to greater levels of abdominal fat storage.
The vicious cycle of stress and weight gain goes around and around. Stress causes you to eat emotionally, and your raised cortisol levels cause that food to be stored as fat.
One of the most effective ways to instantly eliminate stress is to sit down and write out a list of all the things that are bothering you. This should include things that you need to get done, issues that weigh on your mind and anything you believe contributes to your stress level. Once it’s all down on paper, organize it like a to-do list and start resolving each item. Doing so will get the stress off of your mind and will put your body into the motion of resolving each issue.
4. YOU EAT OUT TOO OFTEN
Research suggests that most people eat out one out of every 4 meals and snacks. That’s an average of once a day.
Restaurant food is designed to do one thing: to taste good. In order to increase eating pleasure, each item is loaded with fat, salt and sugar. This causes you to eat way more calories than you actually need.
Even when you order ‘healthy’ items, you’re still taking in more calories and fat grams than you would if you had prepared the item at home. Imagine the last salad you ordered out. Didn’t it come with cream dressing, croutons, cheese sprinkles and a piece of butter-laden bread on the side?
The main reason people eat out is for convenience, so with a little organization, you’ll find that preparing your own meals takes less time than you thought it would. On the weekend sit down and plan out your meals for the week. Then go to the grocery store and stock up on everything you’ll need for those meals.
Pack your lunch and snacks each night before bed, then grab it on your way out the door in the morning. When you prepare dinner at home, make enough for at least the next day as well. Your efforts will pay off both in terms of weight loss and in money saved.
5. YOU’RE ON EXERCISE AUTOPILOT
You do the same thing each and every time you exercise. Same machines, same pace, same duration. While your routine sure feels comfortable, your results have long since halted.
A plateau occurs when your body adapts to your routine and weight loss stops. It is incredibly frustrating, and totally avoidable.
You don’t have to increase the amount of time that you spend exercising in order to see quicker, faster results. It’s all about challenging your body.
There are two simple ways to instantly increase the effectiveness of your exercise routine. First, increase your pace. Secondly, increase your intensity. Constantly vary your speed and intensity in order to keep your muscles guessing and adapting.
Another way to break through the exercise plateau is to do something totally new. If you regularly use weight machines then start using free weights. If you normally jog on the treadmill then start using the bike.
Are you ready to break the plateau as you take your routine to the next level?
Would you like to know without a shadow of a doubt that you are going to lose weight in the coming months?
It’s my goal to see you achieve greatness. I believe that you’ve got what it takes.
Let’s do this! Email today to get started on the fitness program that will improve your health and well-being, and will get you amazing results.
Don’t make a fitness mistake…contact me today!
I started Lapeer Fit Body Boot Camp 3 years ago. I met Brian and Kristen Kalakay at a Spring Expo at our local High School in March/April. I told them I needed something more permanent than temporary programs/walking groups that I can make an excuse not to be there. They explained their Boot Camp program and told me anyone can do it….yeah right!
I was sent an email invite to come see what Boot Camp was all about for2 weeks. 3 months later I contacted the gym to see if the offer was still available. ABSOLUTELY!!
Brian greeted my nervous self at the door. I proceeded to tell him every reason I can’t be here: back knee, out of shape, too heavy and I’m sure more things too. He assured me that I would be fine and teamed me up with a “veteran” (someone who has been with Boot Camp for more than 6 months and knows the routine).
I’m not going to lie, it kicked my butt and I was shaking at the end of the session. I could not even text my husband Jon to tell him how I did. When I got home I told him exactly that, that Boot Camp kicked my butt but that I needed it!
A couple of weeks later, I became a member. Best decision I ever made!I have accomplished so much in the last 3 years that I ever dreamed I could. Just two examples are pushups from my toes and pull ups/chin ups from the high bar. I have dropped 22 pounds, went from a 14 pant to an 8 pant….and they bought me my new pair of jeans at my 1 year anniversary! Woohoo!
The best part of all is my husband thinks “tone” is sexy!!
Thanks so much Brian and the entire Fit Body Boot Camp Family 🙂