5 Stages of Fitness

 

MAKE PROGRESS - NOT EXCUSES!

(The next 12 months will go by whether you're making fitness progress or not. Where do you want to be in 12 months? Do you want to be at square 1, or would you like to be a fitness fanatic with a year of training under your belt? The choice is yours!!!)

Do you want to make a change? Do you want to create the physique that YOU have always wanted? Do you want to get back into the shape you USED to be in?

Well, if any of this interests you, there is a way. If you genuinely want to make meaningful progress, on a consistent basis in your training, all you need to do is follow the process.

I will show you the way. It is simple, and it is logical. Unfortunately, too many people are in a rush, and they try to skip important stages.

I believe that is a mistake. I believe that this is why most people fail in their fitness pursuits. This is also why people quit before they really get going.

So, if you're ready to succeed, in the pursuit of your fitness goals, here is a great place to start.

Here are the 5 Stages of  Fitness:

1. Creating a habit of going to the gym: 

Start by simply going to the gym every weekday. Stay for one hour each day. Don't miss days and do your best to focus on training.

(NO PHONES!!!)

Watch the people with phones at the gym. They accomplish nothing. Leave your phone in the locker room. You're here to work!

2. Building strength:

In the beginning, you won't be able to SEE your progress. This plays on people's psyches. They work out. They look in the mirror. They get on the scale and they get depressed.

Look, this will take time. Even though you don't see (Visible) progress right away, you ARE making progress. You're changing your habits. You are working out regularly and this WILL yield results . . . in time.

The good news is, if you focus on building strength, you will be able to see, measurable, strength gains relatively quickly. These gains will continue and that will give you the confidence and motivation to continue.

3. Building muscle:

This is where things being to become enjoyable. During the strength-building portion of this process, you won't see much change. That is because muscle is more dense than fat. Therefore, it takes up less space. (It's smaller)

You won't see this in the beginning. Your body will look the same, but it will be getting firmer. Now, one word of warning (at the strength-building stage) - your weight will, most likely, either stay the same or increase. Again, this is simply due to the dense nature of muscle.

The fun part is, that this is the stage where you will now begin to SEE your progress! You will begin to see your body changing shape. This is a great time. Your confidence will really begin to grow. Going to the gym had become a habit, but now it's something you look forward to.

4. Adjusting your diet:

Ok. Now it's time to really get to it. You're going to the gym every day. You're training hard and getting stronger and more fit. You've started to see some visible improvement in your body. Now you're ready to move to the next stage.

It's time to begin to focus on your diet. You may have been trying to do this early on. That can be a bit of a mistake. You don't want to try to change too much too fast. This can be overwhelming. It can cause failure. (Check out other posts on this blog.)

The wise thing to do, is to begin with training first. Then, when you're in full swing of working out, SLOWLY improve your diet.

Begin by adding healthy foods first. Then, over time, reduce the bad foods. That way, you will be easing yourself physically, and psychologically, toward a healthy diet. You will reduce the stress factor this way.

5 Begin sculpting your body:

This is it! You're a fitness beast now! At this point, you will want to begin to assess your physique and decide on how you wish to proceed.

This process takes time. Be patient and wise. Everyone is different. We all move at our own pace. Just be mindful of what stage you are in and what you should expect. Once you recognize you have reached a stage, prepare to move to the next.

Have fun with this!

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5 Easy Diet Hacks

 

In this blog post, I will share with you the basics you need to reach your fitness goals. If you want to get lean and develop six-pack abs, this is the place to start. I know this because I have already done this myself. After reaching my goals, I taught others my methods.

They reached their goals as well.

I have other posts sharing these, so-called, “secrets.” Although, they are just fundamentally sound, and easy, tactics. All of this is basic and simple. If you want to take a science class, I can’t help you.

We will not be talking about amino acids, insulin spikes, or complex supplementation of any kind. Why? Because we’re talking about a simple lifestyle change to make your life a bit healthier, and more enjoyable. OK?

So, if you’re ready, here are 5 simple, diet “hacks” that can help you reach your fitness, and weight loss (if that’s what you want to do) goals.

1. Addition before subtraction: This is where most people wreck their diet immediately. Their first instinct is to eliminate all the foods they have been eating (and love) for years. This is too much of a change to make so abruptly.

Try this instead. Begin to add the healthy foods you need, before you begin to remove the unhealthy foods. This is a process, and it takes time. If you rush, you risk total failure. As you keep adding healthy foods you will subtly begin removing unhealthy foods. This will make the transition easier.

2. Food shopping: Ok. Let’s keep this simple. Forget that zero-carb B.S. In fact, run fast from any EXTREME diets. I don’t trust them. I worry about the long-term effects. We’re going to keep this simple and healthy. Try to lower your carbohydrate, and fat, consumption while raising your protein intake. As before, do so gradually.

When you go to the store, simply look at the nutritional info on the packaging. Focus on buying foods higher in protein and lower in fat and carbohydrates. It’s a simple method, but one I have found to be very helpful.

3. Since we’re talking about shopping: Have you ever heard the old saying “Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach?” That’s because you’ll come home with a bunch of junk. You’re hungry and everything looks so good.

Whaddya, say we crank that one up a bit? Here’s what I do. I eat a “cheat” meal before I go shopping. (I’ll explain cheat meals next) I eat my tastiest, most calorie-filled meal of the week, right before I go to the store. Rather than shopping “hungry,” I go shopping feeling guilty.

(One warning – you may end up going back to the store. It’s hard to eat nothing but raw broccoli all week. 😉)

4. Cheat Meals: This is an old bodybuilding technique. When you’re training hard and eating a strict diet for an extended period of time, it can be a tough haul. So, bodybuilders typically build in a cheat day. There are different ways to do this. I, of course, made up my own. You can do this however you want, but try to stick to it. A schedule will become a routine. Routines are easier to stick to.

Now, I never had a cheat DAY. In other words, I wouldn’t let myself eat freely for an entire day. I could do too much damage that way. I scheduled two “cheats” per week. I would eat healthy all week. However, I could have one cheat on Wednesday, and a floating cheat on the weekend.

That way, I only had a few days to go, at any time, before I could have a treat. The weekend floater was because you never know when you’ll be at a cookout, or whatever. Wednesday was firm, though. As far as “What was my cheat?” I never got carried away. It was usually a donut, or ice cream, after a healthy meal. Or, I would have a burger and fries as a meal. Sometimes a slice or two of pizza. It’s a great method once you get used to it.

5. How to beat cravings: This is not as difficult as you might think. When you get a craving (and drinking water doesn’t help) simply eat something healthy BEFORE you eat the unhealthy snack.

Here’s a simple example. Let’s say you have been good all day, but you’ve been thinking about pizza all day. It’s just been on your mind and you can’t shake the craving. Today isn’t a cheat day. Ugh! What do you do? I’m glad you asked! I’ll tell ya!

First, eat something healthy. Drink a lot of water. If that doesn’t help, ok. Get pizza.

WAIT A SECOND!!! You didn’t think I was going to make it THAT easy, did you? No. So here’s HOW you should eat your pizza in this situation. First, you go to the pizza. DO NOT have it delivered! Why? Two reasons.

First, you don’t want cheating to be too easy. Second, you won’t be buying a whole pizza. (If you have a whole pizza at home, you’ll eat a whole pizza. (Has a slice of pizza ever made it to the trash can?)

Go to the pizza restaurant and order one slice and a drink. I said ONE! Slice! Why? Because, you have already eaten a healthy meal and drank some water. You still crave the pizza, but if you order 2 or 3 slices, you’ll eat them. It’s just possible, that by filling your stomach with healthy food and water first, one slice might satisfy your craving.

See? By the way, if you MUST have a second slice, do not order it until AFTER you have eaten the first. Give your stomach a chance to let you know it's full.

Try these 5 simple diet hacks. They have worked very well for me in the past. They have worked for others as well. If you like these hacks, check out my other posts. (I discuss some things more than once. I REALLY want people to give my methods a try. They work!!!)

If you want, even more, click on the image of my book. (People seem to like this one.)

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How Your Diet Has Failed YOU

 

If your diet isn't working, YOU are NOT to blame. Your diet has failed YOU!

I am determined to FIX this problem. YOU deserve that much. Let's start from the beginning.

The reason I say that your diet has failed you (if it hasn't worked) is that diets are set up poorly. Even if you have found a safe and healthy diet, if the process is implemented improperly, failure is very likely.

I know you have seen many diets fail. But, why? How are they poorly implemented?

There are two BIG problems at work here.

The first problem is, that much of this is due to how diets are perceived and used.

Diets have been used as tools. They have been used (as a tool) to do a job. Use the tool until the job is done, then put the tool away.

Well, that's a terrible idea.

The second problem is that most people want fast results, and so they try to do too much, too soon.

This is the biggest diet killer of all. Here's why:

Imagine that someone spends thirty years eating junk food and getting little or no exercise. One day, their doctor says that they must make immediate changes, or their health will be at serious risk.

This person begins thinking that a change would be good. They decide that they want to look and feel healthier and more energetic. They miss doing the things they used to enjoy when they were younger.

"Yes!" they declare. "It's time, and I'm ready!"

While this is good, their next steps are usually ill-advised.

Even if they choose a safe and healthy diet and a new exercise plan, they will most likely make the BIG mistake.

They will attempt to go from their thirty-year, unhealthy lifestyle, to the lifestyle of an Olympic champion.

They believe they will cut out every food they enjoy, and limit portions to those acceptable to bunny rabbits.

Then, they believe they will now train like a Marine in boot camp.

No. Just, no.

Both plans lead to failure. This is too much of a change, and it is happening too fast. It will be overwhelming and it will lead to failure, and lowered self-esteem.

BUT, there is a better way!

If you decide you want to make a change in your nutrition and exercise habits, try this instead.

First, see your doctor and tell him/her what you want to do. Do some research first. Ask your doctor if what you want to do is safe. Then, you may begin . . . in a NEW way.

New way:

START SLOWLY!!!

For nutrition, rather than immediately eliminating all of the foods you love, begin by adding the foods you know you should be eating.

While this seems counterintuitive, as you keep adding healthy foods to your diet, you will be slowly moving unhealthy foods out.

Begin to slowly decrease the portion size of your meals. This will be a far easier adjustment. It will be maintainable.

With regard to exercise, use the same method. Begin slowly. Add a little at a time and become consistent.

Lastly, I want to give you the best advice possible:

DO NOT treat this process as a means to an end. Make this a true lifestyle change.

If you can do this, you will be amazed at, not only, what you can accomplish, but how easy it can be. You may also find that you love your new lifestyle. It can lead to a lot of fun and joy in your life.

Give it a try. What have you got to lose?

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5 Reasons Why New Year's Resolutions ALWAYS Fail

You CAN reach your fitness goals this year. Would you like me to show you how to make that happen? If So, Read on. It's not very complicated.

The first thing you need to do is, avoid the most common and destructive mistakes. You have probably made these mistakes in the past. Everyone but you will make them this year.

5 Most Common Mistakes:

1. Decide to eliminate all favorite foods
2. Decide to only eat 100% healthy foods starting on Jan. 2
3. Attempting to train too hard on day 1
4. Poor choice of training techniques
5. Improper use of training

This is a small but destructive list. We need to start somewhere. Once you read this, you can find more help in the other posts on this blog. Everything you really need is right here.

Let's address these issues in more detail.

1. Decide to eliminate all favorite foods and 2. Decide to only eat 100% healthy foods starting on Jan. 2

This is an unreasonable move to attempt and it will derail most people within 24 hours. You don't want to try to make such dramatic changes all of a sudden. People do this because they want a quick fix. That nearly always fails. You can't change who you are, or your fitness, overnight.

The fix: Rather than removing your favorite foods, right away, add healthier foods into your current diet a little at a time.

Adding foods will be an easier adjustment. Slowly add healthier foods into your diet. Add a little each day. As you do so, it will be easier to begin to gradually remove the foods that are keeping you from reaching your goals. Soon, you will be eating a healthy diet and enjoying your meals.

(Extra tip - slowly begin eating smaller meals. Your stomach will shrink, and you will feel full on less food.)

3. Attempting to train too hard on day 1

Like a drastic change in diet, this will not work. People who do this are in a rush. They push hard for a few days. They keep getting on the scale and find the results to be nearly non-existant. This has a destructive psychological effect.

People who do this will quickly begin to second-guess and hate their workouts. (Traing should be and can be fun!) Once they doubt themselves, they will find an excuse and quit.

The fix: Add training to your life slowly. Don't be in a hurry to see immediate (and usually short-lived) results. Begin by building strength and some endurance. Make your first goal to exercise daily. Then, make a goal to exercise for up to one hour each day.

This will make your training less like work and more like a simple, and enjoyable, lifestyle change - which is what it should be.

4. Poor choice of training techniques and 5. Improper use of training

Nearly everyone decides to do cardio and abdominal workouts. They typically choose these workouts because they want to lose weight (that should actually be body fat, not weight.)

People incorrectly believe that cardio exercises, such as running or stair-climbing, are the exercises that burn the most calories. NOT TRUE! There are far more efficient ways to burn calories. (You can find those in my other posts.)

Also, people train their abdominal muscles in a misguided attempt to trim their waistlines. #worstmistakeever

The fix: As for choosing your training, read more of these posts. This is a large topic that requires a lot of explanation. However, when it comes to trimming your waistline, sit-ups and crunches do almost nothing.

WHY?

The reason that training the midsection doesn't trim the midsection is because there is no such thing as spot-reduction.

In other words. Training your abs won't remove fat from your abs. What you want to do is burn more calories. Crunches burn few calories, yet they are an unpleasant exercise.

As you burn calories, your body decides where that fat will come from. For instance, did you ever notice that runners stay trim? Why? Because they do a TON of running. It's not just their legs that have no fat . . . right?

Closing:

So. Ease into training and nutrition. Add healthy foods first, then, begin removing unhealthy foods. Start your training program by setting the goal of training every day. Then, set the goal of making your workouts 1 hour long.

Remember, there is no such thing as spot-reduction. Choose training methods that improve your strength and flexibility. Opt for methods that train all of your muscles and burn many calories (Training your legs with heavy weights is the VERY best.)

If you want to learn more, read my other posts for greater details. If you feel that you are ready to make your fitness goals a reality, check out my book:

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Women's Fitness Re-Imagined

It's happening. Can you feel it? Something is about to change. Everything is about to change.

I'm not talking about the turmoil swirling around us. I'm talking about YOU! Your time is here. Your time is now!

We stumbled, haphazardly into what we had hoped would be a new, Roaring-Twenties. Yikes! Where's the reset button. Unfortunately, life offers no reset button . . . or does it?

When it comes to fitness, I have hit the reset button a number of times. Life had thrown me some curve-balls and I flailed helplessly. I let my life get away from me and my fitness paid a grand price.

I gained weight and felt terribly about myself. And then, I reversed the effects. I learned a new way.

Look, 2020 has been rough for all of us so far. It came with promise and then yanked the rug out from under us. Many of us fell, hard. That's OK. We all fall from time to time. What builds character is how quickly we rise up.

Are you ready to rise?

If you are ready, I would like to introduce you to a new and amazing way to reach fitness goals faster than you could have ever imagined.

WARNING:
These methods may seem radical and even counter-intuitive. Yet, isn't that what it takes to make a great breakthrough?

WARNING II:
Your friends will hate you. You will achieve so much, so fast, that your friends will think you have been cheating. (#Haters)

If you are ready for something new, something better and something that will help you create a you who truly breaks the mold then . . . What are you waiting for???

Let's change the game! Now YOU make the rules and everyone else will line up to follow!
Start here!
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Losing the COVID-19

During this unprecedented time, many  people (all over the world) have suffered devastating losses. For some, these losses were economic, for others the losses were far more tragic. My heart breaks for all who have suffered.

For most of us, we will get through this difficult time and life will go on. We are strong and we will recover. We have each other and that will be the source of our healing.

Once we get back to living our lives, there will be changes and challenges. During the outbreak of this virus, we have learned the importance of maintaining good health.

Those in poor health were the least able to fight this terrible virus. This time has made me more acutely aware of the importance of  health and fitness.

Before this outbreak, I was beginning a fitness program to get myself back to the condition I was so proud of when I was in my 40's. Now in my 50's, I wish to regain that physique.

I was doing well with my program just before the shutdown. My gym closed and I found myself stuck at home. Yep, it was just me, my TV and my refrigerator. Long story short, I gained nearly 20 pounds. (AKA: the COVID-19)

Once again, I am hitting the reset button on fitness. I know many of you are in the same boat. We are in this together. We will win this together.

I will begin my journey back to my ideal body-weight and more importantly, to my ideal body. Today is Sunday. I will begin my journey tomorrow.

This is a challenge and I will prevail - so will you, if you join me.

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I share this to hold myself accountable. I promised myself I would get back to my 160 lb. frame. I am close to 190 now. (I am 5'7" tall) This is the heaviest I have ever been.




Return to this blog for updates, ideas, tips and encouragement. Together we will recover our lives and our fitness.

By the way, during a five week span where I was unable to work, I used the time to write my first novel.

The book is called "Badger's Magic."

This is a young adult novel, written to inspire young teens to overcome challenges. The focus is on bullies, but there is some magic, fun and an interesting twist.

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To Inspire a Teen:

You CAN Have the Body (and anything else) YOU Want!

“You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough people get what they want.”

Zig Ziglar

I believe Mr. Ziglar’s statement with all my heart. I also find it a noble pursuit. That is why I have adopted and applied this ideology to my life.

I want:

1. Security

2. Success

3. Purpose

4. To help as many people as possible for the rest of my life

5. You, to get what YOU want! 

If I can help YOU get what YOU want, I will get the things above. So, let’s get started, shall we?

Each of the books below, was written from real-life experience. The lessons within were learned through years of struggle and pain. 

I want to help you reach your goals without spending years of your life, learning these same lessons in such a difficult manner.

You CAN avoid the suffering. You CAN avoid years of struggle to reach your goals NOW!!!

So, what do YOU want? Look below and find your way. Believe in yourself as much as I believe in you.

Remember, I won't get what I want unless you get what YOU want. Let's begin!!!

If You want to transform your body-

(For Women AND Men)

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If YOU Want career success then-

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If You seek a spiritual connection-

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If You want better grades in school-

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If you wish to help a bullied child-

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