Archive for the ‘Fitness Lifestyle’ Category

Winner of the iPad!!!

We wanted to announce the winner of our recent referral contest in Foster City, Therese!!

We also want to thank the following people for referring their friends during the contest:

Alissar, Lisa, Leah, Elaine, Robin, Tod and Evangaline. Thanks guys!!

Roy and I build our business primarily from referrals. Just so you know, you will get 1/2 off your next months boot camp for referring a friend who participates in our 6 or 12 month bootcamp program. And, If you’re not in the bootcamp and you want to refer a friend, we will pay you $50 cash!

I’m curious. What do you think would be a good prize for upcoming referral contests? Please leave your comment below.

Product Review and Notes – Zero Resistance Weight Loss (Part 1)

The following is what I learned so far from Dr. Robert Anthony’s program, Zero Resistance Weight Loss. I bought his program because I strongly believe it is the mind and your day-to-day thoughts that will ultimately get you results in our bootcamp or any other weight loss, body conditioning or fitness program.

I purchased this program myself so I can review it for you, and I highly recommend it to you because it get’s to the root about the reasons for gaining excess weight, and how if you remove the root cause, you will release your excess weight automatically. You won’t even have to worry about dieting, because the program gets you to naturally pick foods that are the right kind, and in the right amounts, without resistance.

If you really want to lose weight, and you are tired of making excuses, failing or not seeing results fast enough, this is the program for you.

Here are some things I learned from part 1 of the Zero Resistance program (these are my actual notes from the program):

Go for weight release NOT weight loss (if you lose your keys, you want to find them. You don’t want to find your weight again, do you!?)

Your “subconscious emotional weight survival program” is the software you are running inside your mind that keeps you at a subconsciously selected weight. The good news is that you can override this programming!

Normally, weight loss involves a constant struggle, but not if you remove your subconscious resistance first!

To be successful, you need to align subconscious with conscious. Your thoughts might say you want to lose weight, but if your subconscious mind says something else, it will override your conscious mind every time.

Weight loss is more than calories in vs. calories out.

If your subconscious emotional weight survival programming is set for you to be overweight, you will continue to not lose weight.

All diets fail in the long run.

Overriding your subconscious programming doesn’t work in the long run. You can’t simply use “will power”.

Trying to get results with only your conscious mind is like driving your car with the emergency brakes on. (I personally thought this analogy hit the nail on the head.)

If your emotional survival switch is turned off it will be easy and effortless to lose weight.

Addiction is having a lack of choice. Compulsive and emotional eating is an addiction.

Will power does NOT work. This is trying to override your subconscious programming and is the path of resistance.

Stopping smoking by willpower is difficult. However, stopping smoking by having the same thoughts as a non-smoker is easy. You simply won’t be interested or you’ll be repulsed by the idea. This same idea works in releasing your excess weight.

Mental, emotional or spiritual stress is perceived as a lack of something. Brain takes the message of not enough, and turns it into something physical. Food, shopping, alcohol, caffeine, ect. may be what your mind will look for.

Being overweight is serving your emotional needs.

If you believe you were meant to be fat, or born to be fat, you have your emotional weight programming turned on.

Weight loss becomes effortless with the fat switch turned off.

Systematically eliminating the mental and emotional factors.

Emotional eating – eating purely for emotional reasons. Distracts you from what is really bothering you. Cope with negative emotions. Physical tension or anxiety then triggers the physical response to eat. When I’m stressed, I tend to eat, because it calms me down and makes me feel better. Anticipatory anxiety or worry is a stress that can create emotional eating. Associate love, comfort and security with eating. Brain is programmed to use food to fulfill these needs. Ex. Your a child, you get cake for your birthday. Your mom gives you candy when you are good, or to make you feel better. People use food as a treat or a reward. When you’re stressed, the candy bar wins out over the fitness strategy every time. Dopamine is released and leads to patterns of addiction and leaves a permanent identification of where pleasure comes from. We all engage in emotional eating to some degree. Healthy people eat to live. Emotional eaters live to eat. This means your fat switch is turned on.

Emotional obesity – Is the actual need to be fat as an emotional survival mechanism. When you have emotional obesity, you come to the conclusion that consciously or unconsciously being fat makes you feel safer. Not good, but safer. Being fat or overeating becomes the best way to protect you.

No weight loss program will ever be able to work for you. When you turn off your fat switch and emotional obesity you will succeed.

If you do not change this, you will find a way to sabotage your weight loss. Even if I said you will lose weight just by snapping your fingers 30 seconds per day, you would find an excuse, lack of time, etc. why it will not be possible to do this. Your emotional obesity will always win out.

Fat can create an emotional “distance” in relationships or in being harmed in relations with people.

Fear can make people fat, or skinny (anorexia).

Gaining weight can be a way of hiding from the world, almost like a turtle. Retreating inside your body, or underneath your fat.

Some people stay fat to rebel against the people who want us to be slim. “I don’t want to be controlled, and you can’t control my weight.”

If someone else wants you to lose weight, they may stay fat just to resent you, and to maintain control.

You will have people around you that try to sabotage you, and you may want to stay the same just to keep everyone happy.

If people start giving you attention because you lose weight, and you don’t want that attention and it makes you feel out of your comfort zone, you may revert back to emotional obesity to remain in your comfort zone.
Another way we can be triggered into emotional obesity is through death or a loss of a relationship.

You cannot ignore the problem of emotional obesity. Rather than ignore it, address it, and then watch the weight literally melt off your body.

Here’s an important lesson when it comes to emotional eating, and emotional obesity, that you must learn – sometimes in life, you just have to allow yourself to feel bad. This is critically important, so it will be repeated. Sometimes in life, you just have to allow yourself to feel bad.

By bad I mean stressed, upset, dissapointed, frustrated and so on.

To fix the problems in your life, sit with your feelings. This will cause you to get to the root of the problem.

True freedom from being overweight does not involve a lifetime of dieting. True freedom requires getting to the bottom of things, and then dealing with it, so you will be released from being overweight forever.

The reasons diets don’t work, is that they require you to change your eating habits without addressing your crutch.

Food is merely a mirror that reflects what you’re feeling or what you don’t want to feel.

The old behavior was to eat.

The new behavior is to heal and resolve what’s causing you to emotionally overeat.

Another problem with being overweight is because it’s accumulative, and it shows on you wherever you go.

All diets and even healthy eating plans are doomed for failure.

Being overweight is really a disease of MORE. No amount of food is enough. No matter how much you have, it’s not enough.

The need for food is sometimes called the big empty. If you’re spiritually feeling disconnected, this could lead to emotional overeating to fill the void with food.

It’s never about the food, it’s about the emotion behind the food.

Meaning and purpose to our lives gives us “soul food”.

How do you know when your emotional eating issues are gone? You will feel safer, better, more connected. Your fat switch will turn off, then you will have zero resistance and you will naturally drop the weight.

The NEW Bodyweight “300″ Challenge workout!

PREPARE FOR GLORY!

We have developed a NEW fitness challenge for you, and we call it the Bodyweight “300″ Challenge. You may have heard of the movie about the 300 Spartan warriors who bravely fought 10,000 Persians in a bloody battle. Well, to prepare the actors and to get them in phenomenal shape for the filming of the movie, a workout called the “300″ was developed, which is a super-hardcore workout.

This workout we have developed, was inspired by the original “300″ workout, but we’ve changed things a bit so that it has broader appeal, and can be completed by most anyone (without injuries or contraindications).

The reason it can be completed by most people, is because we’ve developed 6 levels, from uber-beginner to advanced. Regardless of level, it’s a timed event. I’ve actually posted the entire challenge below:

Objective: Use the challenge as a way to improve your fitness level, to test your fitness level, and to improve and challenge yourself and others.

Directions: Start by choosing a level. Level 1-3 are beginner to intermediate levels. Levels 4-6 are intermediate and advanced levels.

Next, start the timer and begin the challenge, working your way through each exercise consecutively. You can take as many breaks as you wish, whenever you wish, for as long as you need to. Always rest enough to bring flawless form into your exercise technique.

The goal is to complete the challenge in the shortest time possible. Form is always more important than speed. Supervision of a professional fitness trainer is highly recommended, but not necessary. Write down your time when completed, then use it as a benchmark for your fitness level. Try the challenge again in 4-6 weeks to test improvement in your physical strength and endurance.

Note: Regardless of level, this is an advanced fitness challenge and should be taken seriously.

Disclaimer: You are advised to consult your doctor before beginner this, or any other fitness test, program or challenge. Fit For Life Bootcamp, Fit For Life Enterprises, Fit For Life Solutions and Fit Body Boot Camp and their trainers are not responsible for any injuries, including death, that may occur to you during the Bodyweight “300” Challenge.

Levels Overview:

Level 1: “100” Spartan Intro – Intro Beginner

Level 2: “200” Spartan Apprentice 1 – Beginner

Level 3: “250” Spartan Apprentice 2 – Beginner/Intermediate

Level 4: “300” Spartan Warrior 1 – Intermediate

Level 5: “400” Spartan Warrior 2 – Intermediate/Advanced

Level 6: “500” Spartan Master – Advanced
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Here are the workouts. We will work on releasing a video with the exercises on it soon…

Level 1: “100” Spartan Intro – Intro Beginner

25 Push-ups
25 Squats
25 Hip Raises
25 Crunches to shin touch w/ legs up and straight

Record Dates and Times Here: _____________, _______________, ______________

Level 2: “200” Spartan Apprentice 1 – Beginner

50 Push-ups
50 Step Lunges
50 Crunches to shin touch w/ legs up and straight
50 Hip Raises

Record Dates and Times Here: _____________, _______________, ______________

Level 3: “250” Spartan Apprentice 2 – Beginner/Intermediate

50 Push-ups
50 Step Lunges
50 Tuck Crunches
50 Squat Jumps
50 Hip Raises

Record Dates and Times Here: _____________, _______________, ______________

Level 4: “300” Spartan Warrior 1 – Intermediate

50 Push-ups
50 Burpees
50 Jacknife crunches
50 Straight-arm plank with knee to elbow strikes (count 2 strikes as 1 rep)
25 Shot-in-the-arm triceps press
25 Shot-in-the-arm triceps press (other arm)
50 Jump squats

Record Dates and Times Here: _____________, _______________, ______________

Level 5: “400” Spartan Warrior 2 – Intermediate/Advanced

50 Push-ups
50 Burpees
50 Jacknife crunches
50 Straight-arm plank with knee to elbow strikes (count 2 strikes as 1 rep)
25 Shot-in-the-arm triceps press
25 Shot-in-the-arm triceps press (other arm)
50 Jump squats
25 Bridge kicks
25 Bridge kicks (other leg)
50 Bodyweight rows (use bar approx. 3-4 feet high. Partner can also be used)

Record Dates and Times Here: _____________, _______________, ______________

Level 6: “500” Spartan Master – Advanced

50 Push-ups
50 Burpees
50 Jacknife crunches
50 Straight-arm plank with knee to elbow strikes (count 2 strikes as 1 rep)
25 Shot-in-the-arm triceps press
25 Shot-in-the-arm triceps press (other arm)
50 Jump squats
25 Bridge kicks
25 Bridge kicks (other leg)
50 Bodyweight rows (use bar approx. 3-4 feet high. Partner can also be used)
50 Supermans
50 Coffee grinder kick-ups

Record Dates and Times Here: _____________, _______________, ______________

…and if you’ve never seen the movie, here is a trailer from the original 300 film.

Intro to Zen Meditation

This is a short video I created to give you a brief introductory to Zen practice and meditation. I don’t get into the theory too much, but focus in on how you can start practicing the art of meditation so that the Zen mind will begin to enter into your life. The Zen mind is a mind that is focused, clear, and aware. It can greatly affect the quality of your life at a very fundamental level.

This video is a thank-you to all who joined the short Zen hike we did with Jennifer’s FunFitUnite Meetup.com group, and our Fit For Life Bootcamp group. Thanks everyone who came out and shared the experience! I’ll schedule another one soon!

-Forrest

Also, if you want to understand more about Zen, I suggest learning from the same Master I did. You can find his website here:

http://www.selfmastery.com

Trader Joe’s Healthy Shopping w/ Cassandra and Maggie!

Hi guys,

The other day I went healthy food shopping at Trader Joe’s with two new bootcampers, Cassandra and Maggie. I must say, this was one of the funnest healthy shopping trips ever!

Here’s a video of our shopping. Hopefully it will give you some good ideas and help you with your own shopping.

Please leave a comment below. I’d really like to hear where your favorite place to shop is, and please include the name of your favorite healthy meal!

Thank you Cassandra and Maggie!!!!!!!!!!!

Cardio won’t burn fat like this will!

I get a lot of requests from clients asking how much cardio they should do to burn the most flat, help them sculpt and tone, and flatten their stomach.

The woman in this picture used Turbulence Training. I recommend you use it to help give your training an edge you just can’t get elsewhere.

My advice to burn fat fastest is to do muscle-confusion circuit training with weights and cardio (this is what we do in our bootcamp), keep a food log, and perform interval training on days when you’re not doing circuits with weights.

I’ve been following this guy, Craig Ballantyne, for a while now, and he is on the cutting edge when it comes to fat loss. He is actually someone who I look up to and learn from, and many of my peers who own and operate successful fat loss and fitness bootcamps worldwide follow what he does, too.

If you want the secrets to burning fat fast, even in the comfort of your own home with NO equipment, then you need to check this out:

Turbulence Training for fast fat loss!

Also, if you’re in one of our bootcamps, and want a way to get faster results, you need to click on the link below.

Turbulence Training for fast fat loss!

Your Trainer For Life,

Forrest

Take a Zen day break

Hi there, Forrest here,

Today I wanted to share this video I put together for you on how you can take 10 to 15 minutes during your lunch break and turn it into a revitalizing mini-vacation. There’s no reason to wait all year long before you take a vacation and give yourself a break…I say give yourself a vacation RIGHT NOW!

I’m putting on a Zen hike this weekend to give you a better understanding of how you can do this too. Hope to see you there. Here is the link for the hike this Saturday:

http://www.meetup.com/fitforlifebootcampmeetup/calendar/14313890/

Food Logging for Unstoppable Weight Loss Results

Hi there fitness friends!

Today we’re bringing you 2 videos to get you great results in your fitness program. The first video is from CNN, and it shows you the importance of what we are doing here. The second video is from me, Forrest, to show you how to put this awesome weight loss strategy into practice.

If you’re not doing this, you won’t see results. Trust me, the extra work will pay off!

http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/27/the-more-you-log-the-more-weight-you-keep-off/

Don’t worry about the “Pink Gremlin” walking around in the background…she won’t hurt you!

Overcoming RESISTANCE and finally lose weight!

I’ve found it!!

This is what I’ve been searching for!

…and it’s been a long time coming. I’ve found something that’s really going to help you lose weight, and keep it off, even if you’ve tried and tried again, and failed miserably. I’ll even go so far as to say even if you’re stuck on a plateau and can’t seem to get any results, this solution will work for you!

You see, being a fitness trainer, the name of the game is change. It’s my job to change bodies. I get people to lose weight, to tone up, to get strong, to make exercise a habit, to eat right.

I’m constantly motivating, educating, inspiring people to make change.

But, when people want to change, they are in a constant battle with themselves. Why? They want to lose weight, right? They want to be healthy, don’t they?

Here’s the real deal why summed up in one word…RESISTANCE.

Resistance is the reason why change is so difficult. Resistance is what happens when you have a plan, but just can’t pull it off for some “unknown” reason. Resistance is the thing that tugs you back into your old habits when you try to quit smoking, go on a diet, start an exercise program, stick to a budget.

Remember, resistance is a good thing, because when you overcome it, you grow stronger. We know this in the gym when we lift more weight. We know this in life when we go through a tough time and come out of it as a stronger and better person. We need resistance, but we also need to overcome that resistance, or else we are beaten.

Want to beat the resistance that’s been holding you back?

Want to find out how to kick resistance to the curb once and for all?

Want to find out why you’ve tried over and over to get the same failed result?

Want to start training for results, or take your training to an all new level?

I’ve found something that will help you kick your resistance with weight loss to the curb once and for all here:

Click Here To Overcome The Resistance!

Authentic Loving and Living

I had a cool Friday afternoon today. I went down to Mountain View to meet a woman I was thinking would be good to joint venture with. It turns out, she is. She’s an incredible lady, who’s business involves empowering women, and also showing men and women how to love and live in an authentic way.

Her website, www.theprofessionalmuse.com shows us that there is a way to become authentic in the way we connect with ourselves and others, and that becoming congruent with your mind, body and relationships is something we can all achieve to live in a more meaningful way.

I agree. I think life is about more than a 9 to 5 job under florescent lights and tight deadlines. I think that people who stop there, and work just for the new car, the weekend, and two-week Caribbean cruise are missing out.

Don’t get me wrong. Achieving goals, partying with friends and family and well-deserved vacations are not a bad thing at all. What I’m talking about is putting off living for those things. We need love, life and laughter now. We need to be able to see and feel a sense of harmony on a day-to-day basis.

Meeting Jill Marie got me thinking about how I can be more in tune with myself, my girlfriend, and my kids. How can I live more authentically?

As Jill Marie says, a lot of times we are stuck in our heads. We spend so much time thinking about what we want, but we often times forget about what our body and intuition is telling us. It’s this mind/body connection that has been lost, or perhaps covered up, in many people.

Jill Marie is hearing impaired. She spent most of her life reading people’s body language. When she finally received help in her twenties and was able to hear people, she found that the words that came out of people and their body language were often saying two different things – they just didn’t match up. Because of her unique experience, she is able to help people to get their body and mind “speaking the same language” once again. What a cool concept!

If you’re interested, join one of her Meetup groups below!

MindBody
Medical Intuitive & Authentic Love Coach
Speaker,
Author, Seminar Leader, Muse
Programs:
Love,
Sex
& Gender Alchemy
www.meetup.com/new-empowered-woman
www.meetup.com/new-empowered-divorced-woman

 

11 Strategies to Handle the Tough Times in Life

A big part of fitness, is health. And as Sara (one of our all-star bootcampers) recently reminded me, health is physical, mental and emotional well-being. However, keeping yourself at optimal health can be challenging for many of us, especially when we are dealing with hard times and stress in our lives.

Lately, a lot of people have been going through some really challenging obstacles and tough times. It’s especially difficult when our loved ones are suffering, and we have to stand by feeling as though there’s not much we can do to help.

This blog gives you 11 Strategies to help you stay strong during the “tough times”, because the stronger you are, the more you can give strength to the loved ones in your life when they need it most. Whether it’s for others, or for yourself, here are the 11 Strategies to handle the tough times in life:

1) Decide. First off, you need to decide. Decide you want to stay positive. Decide you want to have the right attitude. Decide you want to help. Decide you want to change, to get better, to heal. Once you’ve made that decision, you’ve picked the side of the fence you want to be on. This alone makes a huge difference, because you’ve chosen to be positive and your mindset alone will allow change and healing to take place, and prevent you from withdrawing from the situation and shutting down.

2) Spend time in nature. The sky, the water, the trees. These simple gifts of nature allow us to re-center and re-connect with what is strong and eternal in us. Spend time in nature and draw strength from it. Going on a hike clears the mind, and allows you to get back to a positive way of thinking. If you’re in a real funk, stop everything you’re doing and just go outside for a walk. You’ll be surprised at how effective this can be.

3) Go shopping for healthy foods. A good strategy for staying healthy during hard times is to eat right. Think of food as medicine to heal and strengthen you, physically, mentally and emotionally. Find foods that are high in Omega-3 fatty acids like salmon and walnuts. Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. When you’re down or depressed, it’s easy to head to your favorite comfort foods like ice cream or hamburgers with fries. Going healthy shopping will help turn this impulse around.

4) Drink lots of water. When you’re depressed, the tendency is to drink less water. You’re worried, and you think less about the hydration your body needs to function optimally. Keep water on you, and drink cups of warm water throughout the day, which my acupuncturist says is really good for keeping your system in balance.

5) Don’t turn to drugs and alcohol. I know that during tough times, the biggest relief is sometimes a total escape. This is why a lot of people turn to drugs or alcohol, and keep themselves “numb”. However, taking this escape route is not without consequences. The first is that you never get a chance to really process the emotions your body needs to feel to create healing. The second is that addiction is very easy to fall into. You might want to think of an alternative escape such as:

6) Exercise. Lifting weights, jogging, and circuit training are all effective ways to help you feel better and keep you strong during the tough times. Remember, the tough times you go through are a lot like lifting weights. In exercise, it’s the resistance that makes you stronger, right? Well, life works the same way. Your tough times make you stronger as a person. Reflect on tough times you’ve had in the past. Haven’t they been a big part of creating who you are today?

7) Find the deeper meaning. Do you just look at the surface and stop there, or do you look for the deeper meaning? Often, we forget that our suffering and the suffering of others is transformative, and is a part of life we cannot turn our backs to. What is the deeper meaning for you? How will this situation affect you 10, 20 or 30 years from now. How will it affect you 1,000 years from now? Seems like a silly question, but it’s really a matter of perspective.

8) Be around positive people who care. During these tough times, don’t go it alone. Leverage off the strength of positive people in your life. They are there to help, and want you to ask them for help.

9) Notice there are other people that are worse off than you. No matter how bad it seems, someone in this world has it worse. Send a donation. E-mail someone who is suffering. Giving can be one of the greatest sources of strength we have in this world.

10) Learn to meditate. Meditation is a terrific way to practice the art of being in the present moment. It relieves stress and anxiety, and is an art form that can help you relieve physical pain as well. I learned at the Self Mastery Foundation. It’s been a great help to me and I highly recommend learning this life skill.

11) Keep the faith. No matter what your religious beliefs, your faith is a powerful thing. Your faith in life, love and happiness is a huge factor and can make all the difference. Keep your faith, and stay strong.

I hope these 11 Strategies to Handle the Tough Times in Life help. Feel free to forward this to a friend, and I’d love to hear your comments below.

Forrest’s Girlfriend: Quinoa (Keen-Wah or Quinn-o-ah) – Golden Grain of the Incas …etc.

Below is a guest post from my awesome girlfriend, Arleene! For those of you who don’t know, we’ve been dating for about a year and on total cloud 9. …And, let me back up a little here, for those of you who haven’t heard about what I’ve been up to for a while, I got a divorce over a year ago, too.

I was married for 7 years, and I must say, it was the toughest time of my life (I’ll spare you the details). But know this…somewhere during that 7 years of turmoil with the “X”, I lost my ability to laugh. Not my conversational laugh, mind you. I’m talking about that deep belly laugh. That laugh where you’re hunched over, tears coming out, and sore the next day kind of laugh. My wonderful girlfriend taught me how to laugh, and love, again. Thanks Baby! Now, without further ado, here’s Arleene:


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Hello Fit For Life Solutions Folks!

I’ve officially taken over Forrest’s blog (for just one entry), not by choice mind you but only …ONLY because Forrest’s requested my guest blog input. Honestly, it’s about 10:10pm on a Friday night and taking a good 7 hour nap sounds way more enticing than Forrest coaxing me to write something witty and entertaining. Ugh. What I do for love, and to get him off my back! =) You guys spend an hour of your lives every day (every other day…maybe even once a week) with this guy anxiously training and being motivated. Lucky for me, I get this treatment 24/7 although let me tell you…sometimes I just need a damn nap!

With that said, I’m going to go ahead and attribute this completely scattered blog to the late hours of which I’m writing it. We’re officially at 10:30pm now folks!!!

So, Forrest granted me the creative justice to write anything I want regardless that this is a fitness and lifestyle blog. He had a few brainstormy ideas in mind but I think I’ll rely on what’s always worked best for me and that is unadulterated, unfiltered, stream of consciousness, ramblings! And maybe just maybe I’ll throw in a list of some sorts. Who doesn’t enjoy reading a good list now and then!?

Hmm… What to write…What to write…tick tock tick tock 10:35pm…

So let’s get to the goods shall we? Forrest and I have been in blissful smitt for almost a year now. Maybe one sweet day you’ll read a blog on the nitty gritty details of meeting at the Foster City dog park, stars aligning, and a perfect three hour conversation leading up to facebook friendage via the iDouche. Until then, let’s just say that because of your Trainer For Life, I’ve never laughed so loudly, smiled so hard, and worked out so much in my life! OH THE IRONY that is life! I should have known from our first date after he’d ordered a chicken sandwich, on wheat, hold the mayo, with a salad on the side that life would never be the same! FYI, I ordered a crab sandwich with french fries…ON WHITE! (Dee-lish!)

With that said here’s a list of healthy/healthful shiz I’ve experienced/seen/felt/partaken in since Forrest “Rice Protein Rules” Folen entered my life:

1) BOOTCAMP!
This should come as no surprise to you all. Forrest and I met in September and I officially became a wannabe bootcamper in December. I dragged a few wonderful co-workers with me for the 7pm class and BAM, I finally got to witness my man in his element! The first day was a mixed bag of feeling awe and pride, sweating my ass off, and contemplating if having a personal trainer for a boyfriend was still a good idea. Sadly, because of the busiest work schedule of my life (and a few admittedly lazy days), I don’t go as consistently as I should, but I’m working on it!! So if you see me, by all means REMIND ME TO GO!

2) JAMBA JUICE SELLS FOOD?
Since when has the king of the fruit smoothies sold meals? No kidding Forrest LOVES this stuff! Not the sugary juices, but the chimmi-churri chicken wraps with jam packed veggies and protein galore. For a girl who’s palate has led her to chicken tikki masala burrito’s, pork belly buns, and truffle fries with a side of sparkling white sangria, Jamba Juice has never been my style. He likes that he knows what’s in it but more importantly he “likes how he feels after eating it” which is something I’d never previously considered in my meal choices. I can’t deny that I do feel much more enthused with life after a veggie wrap than Sunday dim-sum. Then again, dim sum feeds the soul =). In moderation that is. hahaha

3) THIRD DATE PANTING! (Dont’ get excited people)
I do believe that our official third date was one that I’d planned. Anyone who knows me knows that the other love of my life comes in a twelve pound, furry, white, woman’s best friend package lovingly known as Elvis Bojangles. I took Forrest and my dog Elvis to Fort Funston in San Francisco which happens to be one of my favorite places in the world. We walked high above the seacliffs overlooking the city, we laughed amongst other dog walkers and paragliders, we walked down a steep (SUPER STEEP) trail for a walk along the ocean side. You’d think I must have been on cloud nine but I was far from it. I was too busy figuring out how the hell I could walk back up the damn mountain without him noticing me out of shape, out of breath, and unattractively borderline passing out. haha. It’s a funny thought now but hey, almost a year of working out with Forrest later and I can hike up any damn mountain and still make it look cute!

4) HIKES, HIKES, and mo HIKES!
This relates to point number three of which I’ve never hiked so damn much in my life. Coming from a girl who grew up camping with electric generators, roughing it is most definitely not my forte. A few years ago, I’d hiked Bridal Veil Falls in Yosemite and thought I was going to die from the altitude and uphill climb! I’m sure I can take it now after all the weekend hike extravaganza’s with Mr. Folen and the kids.

5) KEEPING UP WITH KIDs
To truly know Forrest, one must know that he is genuine, altruistic, humble and is one of the most amazing fathers you’ll ever in your life meet. His capacity for love knows no boundaries and Jada and Jesus are testaments of this influence. The kids are rad! Though in a past life I might have run quickly in another direction, I couldn’t help but fall for them as well. With that said, keeping up with a 6 and 10 year old is no joke! Swimming, running, jumping, swerving, loving, living. It’s all new, and it’s all pretty wonderful. Just let me catch my breath once and again =)

6) 5K nuttiness!
Back in 2008 I ran (more like jogged/walked) my first ever half marathon (13+ miles). You’d think a 5K would have been nothing but WOW was I out of practice when Forrest, Jada, Jesus, and I ran a 5K at Fisherman’s Wharf last spring. What better way to spend a Sunday morning than to wake up at 6am and drive to the city to run 3-ish something miles. I think my dog ate my ribbon. See below:

7) QUINOA
Hearty, delicious, a great substitute for high carb rice, yummy, and hard to pronounce… Quinoa has it all! Where it comes from, I still have no idea, but thanks Forrest for introducing it to me.

8) AIKIDO Saturdays!
Need I say more?!?!

9) KAYAKING in my BACKYARD!
This is just one alternative way of getting a workout outside of the gym. I have to admit to you that I have a love/hate relationship with Foster City. It’s a nutty little town where people can windsurf from their homes to Safeway. I love how it’s clean, it’s safe, it’s kid/pooch friendly, it’s where I met the love of my life, it also does NOT have one friggin’ bar to save my life. (If i’m wrong, please do fill me in on your favorite Foster City watering hole).

Anyway, I do love how we can jog safely in the middle of the night, kayak and get a massive arms workout right outside my apartment. etc. etc. I’m totally straying from my initial point that should have been Forrest has taught me that fun activities don’t have to cost loads of money, can be tons of fun, and can be health benefitting outside the four walls of a gym.

10) I’m sure there is a ten but I can’t think of one. Ugh, it’s getting late and I’m starting not to make sense (12:55am to be exact!)

So that’s my list of awesome health/life benefits and experiences that I’ve experienced/adopted since Forrest entered my life. I’m not sure who’s reading this but sorry to bore. AND sorry for my punctuation errors, misspellings, and run-on sentences. I’m not a pro. I’m just sleepy. Thanks Forrest for the opportunity to write again. I do feel like a sucker though being that you’ve been sleeping for hours and I’m still typing away at 1:00am!!! Played!

See you at the next boot camp my people!

Hugs and High Fives,

~Arleene

The Shake Weight – SNL, Sooooo Funny!

Here’s the funniest video I’ve seen since I posted that blog with the Richard Simmons video!

I had to post this because I once bought 3 of these things and we used them in our bootcamp for a workout! (I brought them back to Sports Authority since then…we tried, but just couldn’t take them seriously. LOL!)

Please don’t watch this one in front of your little kids! Thanks! : )

21 Tips to Rock Your Fitness Training

If you’re like me, you can sometimes get motivated easily, and other days…well, it’s not so easy. Here’s 21 tips to help you ROCK your fitness training so you get focused and motivated to dominate your fitness goals!

1) Have a plan, and log your foods! It doesn’t do much good to just “jump into it” without a little bit of a game plan. Do some research. Google is a great place to start. There are so many ways to approach fitness, it’s really up to you and what you think will hold your interest, challenge you, and get you to your goals. The people who get the best results are always the people who log their foods. Use www.FitDay.com or the iPhone app, Loseit! to keep track of your calories.

2) Drink lots of WATER! Drinking a bottle of water a day just doesn’t cut it when you start exercising. Did you know 7 out of every 10 people are dehydrated right now! Are you one of them? Keep your house, car and work stocked with water bottles, and invest in one of those BPA free bottles. Staying hydrated will help pick up your energy, aid you in your workouts, and ultimately aid in fat loss as well.

3) Exercise with a friend. Isn’t it much more motivating to exercise alongside a buddy? Challenge your friend to see who can exercise the most days in a month!

4) Form a habit with 21 days. Research has shown that it takes 21 days of doing something to create a habit. Exercise for 21 days straight and it will become a regular habit that you won’t even have to think about, you’ll just do it. Just like brushing your teeth! Hopefully… ; )

5) Use interval training during cardio. If you want to speed up your metabolism, perform interval training. Periods of high and low intensity is the proven method for burning fat and getting toned and lean. (This is one of the tricks we use in our bootcamp…)

6) Grocery shop once per week. Schedule a time and day where you will go to the store and load up with fresh fruits and veggies, nut, lean protein sources and whole grains.

7) Prepare your food for the week. This is important. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. If you take a few hours on a Sunday to prepare some meals and pack them in tupperware, it will be sooooo much easier to grab-and-go with your healthy foods during the week. You won’t even have to think about it!

8) Eating healthy isn’t enough. One of the first things I hear from people trying to lose weight is “I eat really healthy”. Don’t get me wrong, you have to eat healthy foods to feel great and stay lean, but that’s just part of the equation. You can still gain weight and store fat by eating too much healthy foods!

9) Workout with full-body exercises. If you’re doing bicep curls and crunches all day, good luck. You’re likely to get frustrated and quit because of lack of results. Use compound movements like push-ups, squats, back rows and lunges. These movements use the most muscles at once, and burn more calories overall.

10) Stop worrying about bulking up! Trust me on this one. You’re not going to get bulky. If you’re on a caloric deficit, you’ll be losing fat and creating muscle tone. Believe me, you’re lucky if you gain even 1 pound of muscle!

11) Add muscle to boost metabolism. One pound of muscle burns up to 50 calories per day. That means if you add 10 pounds of lean muscle to your body, you’ll burn an extra 3,500 calories per week! (500 calories x 7 days per week.)

12) It takes a deficit of 3,500 calories to burn 1 pound of fat. This isn’t so much a tip, but a fact. This means you can burn 250 calories with exercise and eat 250 less calories and you’ll be at a 500 calorie deficit. This adds up to 3,500 calories and will get you to drop 1 pound by the end of the week.

13) Be happy when you lose 1 pound! Sometimes people tell me, I “only lost 1 pound!” and they sound disappointed. Do you have any idea how big 1 pound of fat is?!? If I put it on a plate in front of you, you’d be impressed! Remember, slow and steady wins the race.

14) Set performance goals. Set a goal for how many push-ups you can do. Or how about going from your knees to your feet? Set a goal for how much weight you can do in a one-arm row. How about setting a goal for how long you can wall sit or hold a plank? These goals keep you motivated and help you get in great shape!

15) Join a fitness bootcamp! It’s a great way to stay motivated when you’re with a group of like-minded people. Bootcamps are challenging and lot’s of fun. Not only that, they get results. Find a bootcamp that has a 100% guarantee. This will let you know that they mean business and have your best interest at heart. Also, try out a class before you commit. You want to make sure you vibe with the energy and the instructors philosophy. Some are more “Army-style” and some are more “positive coaching”. Find what fits you…

16) Don’t set unrealistic goals. An example is, I’m going to Hawaii in 3 weeks and I want to lose 20 lbs! Remember, your body can only lose 3 lbs of fat per week. It’s designed that way as a defense mechanism for starvation during famine. If you lose more than 3 lbs in a week it’s muscle and water. And you don’t want to lose muscle! That lowers your metabolism and will make you gain the weight back…and then some!

17) Avoid starvation diets. You won’t get far with these, and you’re not likely to exercise with low energy from not eating enough. The trick is to be on a caloric deficit, while at the same time eating enough protein and essential fats.

18) Read other peoples success stories. Knowing that other people have been there and gone through the same struggles you have will help you when you are in need of some motivation.

19) Find your “WHY”. Why do you want to get in shape? You say you want to lose weight, but why? Knowing your why, will help you when you come across obstacles in your training. If your why is strong enough, nothing can stop you. Some of the strongest “why’s” are things like being in shape for the family, not wanting to die of heart failure like a parent or grandparent, sick and tired of not feeling like your old self, wanting to get back in shape after a break-up or divorce, an upcoming event like a wedding or a reunion. Do you see how much more powerful these are then just saying “I want to get in shape and lose weight”.

Exercise: Give me your why right now in the “comments” section of this blog below.

20) Don’t give up. Challenges will come up. You will get sick. You will binge eat. You will skip a workout. You will feel like quitting. What are you saying to yourself if you quit? Stay with it, and you will reap the rewards. I often tell people to imagine your life 5 years from now. One version with exercise, and one version without. Where do you want to be in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years?

21) Pat yourself on the back! Don’t forget to give yourself encouragement and a reward every so often. Buy yourself an iPod or treat yourself to a movie after you’ve exercised consistently for a month. And don’t forget to add a cheat meal once per week. You will stick to your plan better if you eat at your favorite pizza or burger joint once per week. Using this as a reward prevents you from feeling deprived and gets you to your results much faster!

There you go, 21 tips to ROCK your fitness training! Have fun!!

Your Trainer For Life,

Forrest

P.S. – Don’t forget to tell me you “WHY” below!! I want to know what motivates YOU!

3 Crazy Ways to Stay Accountable to Your Fitness Goals

You’re about to learn about 3 absolutely crazy ways to make sure you hit the mark on your fitness goals. You and I both know it’s one thing to set a goal, but it’s a whole different ball game when it comes to staying accountable to your goal.

WARNING: These accountability strategies are not for the faint of heart. They may even offend you. But if you put even one of these strategies in place, you will increase the chances of hitting your fitness goals by 50% or more!

Now that you’ve been warned, here are our top 3 Crazy Ways to Stay Accountable to Your Fitness Goals:

1) The Alpo Diet - You’ve heard of Alpo dog food, right? Well, this strategy consists of you calling up your best friend and asking them for help with hitting a fitness goal. Once they say they will help you, tell them that you promise to lose at least 8 lbs in one month (or maybe 4 or 6lbs, or maybe stop smoking or drinking, or whatever health goal you want…), or you will eat a whole can of Alpo dog food right in front of them!

This insane strategy does two things. One, it gets your goals out of your head and into the public eye, in this case your friend, who is sure to talk this up among your entire circle of friends just for a few laughs.

And two, it makes you associate a painful situation if you don’t hit your goals. Think about it. Are you likely to miss that workout or order that scone at Starbucks if you might have to humiliate yourself in front of your friend and down a whole can of nasty, smelly dogfood!

2) The Poorhouse Method – This strategy has to do with one of the most motivating factors in your life…money.

Call a friend, family member, or even your trainer. Tell them you need help with hitting a health goal. Tell them you plan to log your foods and exercise daily. For every time you don’t exercise or log your food, you promise to pay them 10 dollars! Now that’s motivation!!

3) The “Scare You To Death” Method – Yes, this accountability strategy is the craziest of them all. In this one, you take something in your life that scares you to death (jumping out of an airplane, spiders and snakes, a class on public speaking) and you agree that if you don’t hit your goal by the end of the month, you have to do what you agreed to do that will scare you to death!

This method, although incredibly crazy, will undoubtably get you to your fitness goals and beyond!! Have fun!

Your Trainer For Life,

Forrest

Bootcamps on Youtube, and Watermelons?

I went around Youtube today, looking at what other trainers are doing in their bootcamps. Check these videos out!

And don’t forget to check out the “Watermelon workout” at the end. We did something like this in our Foster City Bootcamp before, only with a pumpkin! Hilarious!

Roy and I open our Mountain View Fit Body Bootcamp on July 6th! For those that are signed up, we’ll see you then at 6am! We still have 3 spots left for the 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss program. Call me at 650-771-5149 to get on board with it!

We are also going to be donating $100 to CHAC to help local kids in need, so when you get on our regular program, know that you are doing your part in helping the community!

We also have a few spots left in Foster City as well, and we are close to giving away the iPad for the person who brings in the most friends by July 15th.

Right now it’s Therese in the lead, with 4 friends referred, and Leah and Elaine right behind her in second and third place! Nice job!

So without further ado, the videos…

(It’s always a good idea to see what others are doing, because you can always learn something new…) ; )

Fairfield Fit Body Boot Camp

Omaha Fit Body Boot Camp

Baltimore Fit Body Boot Camp

Watermelon Workout

FREE Weight Loss PDF For YOU!

Here’s our FREE insider secrets report as a gift to you, just for reading our blog!

By the way, we’re now offering our 21-Day Rapid Fat Loss program for only $97!

There’s a limited number of spaces available, so call 650-771-5149 NOW to save your spot!

Win an iPad with our Bootcamp Referral Contest!

Here’s our insider secrets report to download!

You can take it, read it, send it to your friends!

If they decide to join us, you can make some extra $ and even win an iPad! See below…

*SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* Win this iPad!!
We are having our first ever “BOOTCAMP REFERRAL CONTEST” starting now until July 15th!

This is a great opportunity for you to get your friends and relatives healthy and happy while putting cash in your pocket!

For every person you bring in that signs up for our *bootcamp program, we will give you 1/2 off your next months bootcamp (or if you’re not currently in our bootcamp, we’ll give you $50 cash).

This means that you can literally train for FREE next month just by bringing in 2 people!

Also, anyone who brings in 4 people or more during the period of the contest gets an entire 6 months of bootcamp FREE!! Yes, that’s right. You heard it here. 4 people by July 15th gets you one 1/2 a year of bootcamp absolutely FREE!

….AND THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER WILL RECEIVE…(drum roll please…)

…AN IPAD AND A WHOLE YEAR OF FREE BOOTCAMP!!**

We’re starting right away with the contest, so the sooner you invite your friends, family and co-workers to try out a free week, the easier it will be for you to win!

Also, we are going to give you the tools to make it easier to win, such as a free give-a-way CD that includes an “Insider Weight Loss Report” with coupons included for a free week at our bootcamp (we also have it in PDF form so you can e-mail to your friends).

Just e-mail me at forrest@fitforlifesolutions.com and ask me to send you the “Insider Weight Loss Report” PDF and I’ll send it to you right away!

May the best person win!!!!!

Your Trainer For Life,

Forrest Folen

*Sign-ups must continue past their first month to be considered an actual bootcamp sign-up.

**Minimum of 4 people must sign-up to win the grand prize.

OUR NEW ONLINE MAGAZINE IS LAUNCHED!!

Hi there, Forrest here,

I’ve got great news for you today! We’ve just launched our online magazine and it totally rocks! Check it out and forward your favorite articles to your friends or on Facebook!

Don’t forget to check out all the cool exercise videos! =)

Fit For Life Solutions Magazine

Fitness Magazine Articles

Your Trainers For Life,

Forrest and Roy

Hooters Girl Risks Being Fired By Being Overweight

I often think of myself as a trainer who doesn’t really buy into the whole “image is everything” mentality. However, in this video, I found myself wondering this: If someone put’s themselves in the position of being valued by their body, as in…I dunno…getting a job at Hooters restaurant, why would they complain when being judged by their appearance?

I totally agree with anyone saying that looks shouldn’t matter in any job…but in a job that hires only young, pretty girls with big ta-ta’s…I just think that the girl in the video is a little disconnected with reality. Just sayin’!

FIT BODY BOOT CAMP IS HERE!

We have amazing news for everyone!!

Roy and I have recently acquired rights to Fit Body Boot Camp, the most incredible fitness bootcamp business model in the world!

We are sooooo jumpin’ off-the-walls excited that we had to let you know all about it!

Here’s the deal. Roy and I went down to Fitness Business Summit 2010 in LA again this year, and we were so impressed with what they were doing down there, we decided we can make the most impact in this industry by getting on board and joining this world-wide team of trainers that are impacting the world through fitness and positive, healthy life change.

A little backstory on the creators of Fit Body Boot Camp…I have been following, reading, listening, blogging, facebooking, twittering – everything but stalking my favorite fitness guru’s, Bedros Keuilian and Steve Hochman, for years and now, Roy and I have hired them to be our personal business and success coaches! How freakin’ cool is that! These guys are the best in the biz, and they are going to be right there with us every step of the way.

WHO’S THIS BEDROS GUY?

Bedros Keuilian is THE most successful personal trainer in the industry. At one time he was homeless, living in the back of a Toyota pickup truck. Now he’s a multiple 7-figure income earner and personal trainer business coach. Needless to say he commands major respect, and he’s a super-nice guy, too!

What does this mean for you? For those that stick around, be prepared for a wild ride!!

WHAT IS FIT BODY BOOT CAMP?

Fit Body Boot Camp is the craziest, funnest, most energetic, results-oriented boot camp model ever created (not too different from what we’ve been doing actually, which is bringing you incredible variety, energy and results in your training). However, what’s different now is that will be AMPLIFIED! (You’ll see more about what I mean later).

WHERE IS FIT BODY BOOT CAMP?

We have opened a NEW location in Mountain View at Gold Star Gymnastics!

The awesome thing about doing a bootcamp in a gymnastics center is the large, open floor space with a spring-loaded floor so it’s soft on your joints! What a cool place for a bootcamp!

Big thanks to Pam for allowing us to workout in her beautiful location! If you know any kids looking for the best gymnastics facility on the Peninsula go to www.GoldStarGym.com and see the great programs they offer.

ARE YOU STILL IN FOSTER CITY?

Of course we are!! FCAC is our home-base and we hope it stays that way forever. Thanks Mohan, Terry and all you awesome Fit For Life Bootcampers!! We are always working on ways to make the training bigger and better, bringing you more variety, more options, and more results than ever!

Here is a video of Steve Hochman. He is the wild-man trainer and co-creator of Fit Body Boot Camp. Here’ a clip of him giving some good advice on cardio exercise!

We will get back to you soon on the Grand Opening for our Mountain View 6am Fit Body Boot Camp with more info! Stay tuned!

Sacrifice

Yesterday we had a bootcamp class where the theme was sacrifice. It was about sacrificing what we are for what we can become. Every day we are faced with the choice to become better as a person, and unless we understand how to sacrifice, we will never evolve.

“The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.”

- Charles DuBois

I understand what it’s like to sacrifice, and believe me, it’s not easy to accept this thought at first…until you flip the way you think about it.

You see, if you’re going to become better as a person, and you want to make some changes in your life, you must understand this:

Sacrifice is not about what you’re giving up, it’s about what you gain.

When you give up fast food, give up ice cream, give up negative thinking, give up watching American Idol, what do you gain?

You gain more control, more energy, more time, more positivity.

Do me a favor, write in the comments section something you are going to sacrifice for the next 30 days. I’d love to hear your comments!

Here’s a crazy video for you to check out. These guys know what sacrifice is…

Don’t forget to tell me what you’re sacrificing for the next 30 days below!

Forrest Gets Published with Examiner.com!

Hey guys, guess what?!

I applied for a position as a writer with Examiner.com and they’ve hired me as the local bootcamp expert! How cool is that? I’m officially a published author!

I’m thrilled to be able to offer some great insider information through a such a credible channel as the Examiner.

I do have to write everything in 3rd person, which is new for me, but it’s getting there! Check out my first article and let me know what you think?

http://www.examiner.com/x-47372-SF-Bootcamp-Examiner~y2010m5d7-Nutrition-For-Bootcampers

If there are any bootcamp topics you’d like to see covered, let me know and I’ll write about it!

Your Trainer For Life,

Forrest

Training By The Bay

The good part of running an indoor bootcamp is that we don’t have to put up with bad weather. However, yesterday we got outdoors for some outdoor training. I sure do love to get outside when the weather is nice!

This session we met at Seal Point Park along the 3rd Ave waterfront in San Mateo. We ran stairs, did bodyweight rows on the bars near the water, huffed-and-puffed all the way up the stairs with brutal bunny-hops, and did a challenging but fun partner workout on the fake grass. I love the smell of fake grass in the morning (or evening)!

Now that it’s summertime, we will be getting outdoors more often. Here’s some of the cool places we can go!

- Central Park in San Mateo. How cool would it be to run through the park, do sand-sprints, work out on the monkey bars, and stop in at the Japanese Tea garden to meditate at the Koi pond afterward!

-Leo Ryan Park in Foster City. This place has the most awesome outdoor auditorium with large stairs and fake grass where we can do ab-work, push ups, and stair-drills. Afterward, we can run alongside the water on the wooden boardwalk by the gazebo!

- Coyote Point Park in San Mateo. Here we can run steep hills along the cliffside with a view of the rugged Bay waters. Then we can do lunges until we drop out by the yacht club! That’s my idea of a fun time!

If you have any other ideas, I’d love to hear about them! Roy and I are looking forward to a great summer with you!

Your Trainer For Life,

Forrest Folen

Bodybugg Product Review and Kristen G. Great Results!

Today I’m writing to share with you two things.

1) An amazing Fit For Life Bootcamper, Kristen Gansheimer, and her results to help inspire you.

2) Our Bodybugg product review video, starring Kristen.

Kristen started up with us in early January 2010. Here’s what she had to say about us in our Yelp.com review.

(more…)

3 Fitness Survival Tips for College Students

If you want to beat the “freshman 15″ and make your way through college in as good or better shape than when you started, here are simple 3 tips to make sure you come out on top.

1) Do your own shopping and plan your foods for the week. Getting in the habit of brown-baggin’ is the best way to make sure you stay away from the fast food and vending machines while saving some duckets for the weekend.

Yes, I know you’re a super-busy student , and it takes some prep time and extra work, but it’s all worth it. Do you think it’s going to get any easier when you’re an on-the-go working professional? The habits you start now last a lifetime.

If you want to be on your A-game, keep your energy levels up and your mind sharp, make sure you eat every 3 and 1/2 hours to stabalize your blood sugar levels.

2) Join a college fitness class, sport or a bootcamp to keep you accountable and motivated to exercise. You know as well as I do that if you don’t have to do it, you probably won’t. However, if you sign up for something, you’re way more likely to follow through because you’ve made a commitment.

Remember – If you don’t make exercise a priority, it just won’t happen. And the thing is, now that you’re in college, no one really cares if you exercise or not. YOU have to be the one that cares about your body now!

“You’re all growns up!” – Swingers (if you haven’t seen it, make sure you Netflix it!)

3) Keep the drinking to the weekends. Yes, I went there. Yes, I’m a hypocrite, looking back on my college days. But really, if you keep the drinking until the weekends, you’re not only going to be sharper during the week to stay on top of your studies, but you’ll have more energy during your day (which is way sexier than being all hung-over in class), and you’ll steer clear of tons of unwanted booze-and-brew calories.

Hope this helps!

And props go out to Greg Solin and SFSU!!

Your Trainers For Life,

Forrest and Roy

Bonus Tip: I know you need energy for those long nights of studying, but please stay away from those sugary, high-calorie energy drinks like Redbull and Rockstar. A healthier energy drink is the one Lance Armstrong endorses, called FRS Healthy Energy. Another option is to take a good multi-vitamin.

Exotic Dancer, Author and Abs Expert Darren Michaels Interview

I hope no one thinks this blog is too “risk-ay”, because, after all, it is about male stripper Darren Michaels, his abs-o-steel and his exotic dancing. But beyond all that, this is about a guy who took a vision and turned it into a reality, through hard work, dedication, consistency and a passionate determination, he did what some might think impossible.

What did he do? Well, let me paint the picture.

Imagine a chemist with a Masters Degree, working a 9-to-5 in a lab, nothing special otherwise. The guy is shy, and I mean super-shy. He’s got no luck with the ladies (25 year-old virgin?), and his fitness level…average at best.

I was teaching abs classes at the Foster City Athletic Club when I first got to know Darren. He would join in on my half-hour, ab-marathon classes, and each time he’d push himself harder than the time before. He seemed like a man on a mission, and we got to know each other after a while. I could tell he meant business. The quiet people in the gym are always the ones to look out for, because they are the ones who get the job done.

He reminded me of myself during my martial arts days. I didn’t go around telling everyone I was going to become a second degree black belt, I just did it.

After months of taking my class, Darren showed interest in teaching abs classes, and I introduced him to the group exercise director there at the club. Sometime around then, he had an emergency appendectomy, and after the doctor said to lay of the abs training, he came back, more determined than ever to create his 6-pack abs and to teach his abs class.

Somewhere along Darren’s path, he met a professional exotic dancer, got it in his head that he wanted to become one, decided to go for it, and did it! And I’m talking from scratch!

He packed on the muscle, lowered his bodyfat to below 5%, and got the kind of indoor tan any WWE wrestler would be more than proud of. The dude didn’t even know how to dance for Pete’s sake! Not only that, but like I said, he was incredibly shy. I don’t know about you, but in my opinion, it takes a hell of a lot of courage to make that big of a life change.

Whether you agree with his path or not, I’m sure you’ll agree that he has demonstrated the exact kind of mindset it takes to make a real body and life transformation.

These days, Darren is a super-successful chemist by day, superstar exotic dancer by night. He’s found success in all areas of his life, and is sharing his passion about fitness with others. Did he ever get the girl? What do you think!?

If you want to find out more about Darren (and all his crazy stripper adventures!), I suggest reading his book or checking out his website at www.AbMiration.com.

When you break it down and analyze how he was able to pull it off, you can see the steps he took and apply them to your own life. In my view, this is what he did:

1) Desire to change. He had a desire to change because he was frustrated with where he was at in his life. He had a career, drove a Mustang, and had the looks, but no girl! Believe me, that will fuel any man’s desire to make a life change, no matter how successful you are!

2) Commitment to take action. After desire comes commitment. Through his training and mentoring, Darren made a real commitment to the type of people who would hold him accountable to his actions. You can think about something you want to accomplish all you want, but until you make a commitment, nothing ever happens.

3) Consistently taking focused action toward the goal. Although having desire and making a commitment are the first 2 important steps, the steps lead to nowhere without consistency. Darren showed incredible perseverance by coming to the gym almost every day, meeting with his dancing mentor every chance he could, visualizing how he would look and feel when he reached his goal, and never quitting, no matter how impossible things may have seemed at the time.

Great work, Darren! Thanks for being an inspiration to me, and to so many others. Although this may sound cliché, you are living proof that you really can do ANYTHING you set your mind to!

So without further ado, here’s my video interview with Darren and another video of him “doing his thang” at one of his photo shoots.

WARNING: ADULTS ONLY PLEASE. NOT X-RATED, JUST PROVOCATIVE…THANKS!

P.S. – Only cool people leave comments! Put yours below!

3 Simple Strategies to Lose 8 lbs in 28 Days

Would you like to lose 8 lbs from your stomach, hips and thighs in the next 28 days?

This year, year of the Tiger, is the year of taking action. What better way to take advantage of the New Year? In this blog, I help you create a simple plan, go into action, then stick to it. Give yourself a goal to lose 8 lbs of fat in the next 28 days. With these strategies at the heart of your focus, you will get there!

1) Take control of your calorie intake. You need to start thinking in numbers (and once you learn numbers, you can think in terms of portions). It doesn’t have to be forever. Just do it for 3 weeks. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but after 3 weeks a mental shift takes place because you start understanding and memorizing the calories of your favorite foods. (Minimally do it for 3 days…you can’t make excuses about just 3 days!)

Keeping a food log really helps deter you from reaching for a donut when you think of that donut in terms of calories and fat grams instead of just Homer Simpson’s famous phrase, “mmmmmmm…donuts…”

So to take control of your calorie count. I recommend going to www.fitday.com to start logging your food. It’s free, so what have you got to lose? This one thing will be the most important action you take when it comes to understanding how many calories you consume on a regular basis. This is the key to weight loss!

A good, comprehensive nutrition program is the Diet Solution by Isabele De Los Rios. I recommend it highly.

2) Make a commitment to exercise. That’s right, I said that scary word that everyone runs from, “commitment”. I have to admit that I’ve always been scared of that word myself. But the commitments I’ve made have changed my life in incredible ways. Once you make a commitment, it makes things so much easier, and you will be amazed by how good you feel when you do finally commit. So join a gym, or even better, join a boot camp or get a trainer. Your commitment will keep you focused and clear despite the obstacles that are sure to arise.

Think about the word commitment for a second. Now ask yourself, have you ever achieved anything worthwhile in your life without making a commitment at some level? Probably not. I think the best thing to do is to suck it up and sign on the dotted line. When most people have thrown in the towel, you’ll still be moving toward your goals because of the commitment you’ve made to your training.

3) Write down your goals, then set a date of completion. You can do this yourself, or join a weight loss contest to bring in a sense of urgency. Either way, having your goals and a date written down will make you consciously and subconsciously work harder toward your weight loss goals.

Your conscious mind is good for setting goals, but it’s your subconscious mind that gets you performing daily habits that will get you to your goals. Your subconscious mind is like a compass. Once your subconscious mind is set properly, it will continue endlessly to follow it’s course until it reaches it’s goal for you.

Writing down your goals, setting a date on the calendar for your completion of those goals, working out regularly, visualizing how you will look and feel when you reach your goals, taking your vitamins and supplements, eating wholesome and nutritious foods. All of these things align your subconscious mind to get you to your goals. The power you possess by putting this into practice is unstoppable!

Please leave a comment about this post, it really helps me deliver you more content!! Thank-you!!

Thinking about a 5K?

When I mention a 5K to most people, usually their initial response is “I’m not a runner” or “I can’t do that!”.

Not being a runner myself, I can relate.

I’m been a professional fitness trainer for close to 10 years.

I’m a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

I’ve hiked 30 miles in 3 days in Yosemite with giant blisters and a bruised knee, I’ve mountain biked some of the most wicked singletracks in the Bay Area, and I’ve participated in every sport known to man except figure skating.

But I’ve only done ONE running event in my life.

That event was a 5K.

It was the Carneros Valley Vineyard 5K at the Artesa Winery in Napa and it was awesome!!

This was a few years ago, and ever since I’ve really been sold on 5K’s, but haven’t done any…until now!

You see, I want to do something to motivate both myself, and YOU!

I’ve found that anyone can do a 5K. If you don’t believe me, click on this link:

http://www.active.com/running/Articles/6_Reasons_to_Run_a_5K.htm

If you want to join me and the others who have decided to challenge themselves with a 5K, just go to our 5K Club page. Make a commitment. You’ll be surprised at what you can do!

Hope to see you out there!

Your Trainer For Life,

Forrest

Fit For Life Bootcamp Amazing Transformation – Shanon Mah

Here’s a testimonial from an amazing client of ours, Shanon Mah. From the beginning of her training, I knew there was a quiet fire burning inside her to make a change, and that she was ready to grow and develop as a person.

Shanon followed our advice to the letter, attended Fit For Life Bootcamp as much as she could week-by-week, and turned in food logs to us weekly. She pushed herself every class and she got involved with the beta version our “Accelerated Bootcamp” program (which we plan to unveil in spring of 2010!), which helped speed up her results.

Thanks Shanon for your hard-work, sacrifices, and for being a true inspiration!

-Forrest and Roy

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BEFORE

AFTER

I used to be a very athletic person, very energetic, and I noticed within the last couple years a big slump, in a rut, and gaining weight. I couldn’t keep up as well with my kids and with the things I like to do. I wanted to do something about it and change it. I thought I’d try something new, that’s when I tried Fit For Life Bootcamp and I loved it, and I’ve continued on since then.

At first it was just about the “me time”, and not getting caught up in being a mom all the time, and then when I started to see results it fueled my desire to set goals for myself.

What I like most about the training, because I’ve tried personal trainers before, was that training in the boot camp was always different. I don’t think I’ve ever done the same routine, and I feel like there is a lot of individual help and a lot of change-ups so your body is always feeling it. Through the week I’ll know, ok, we’ve hit that spot! It’s just exciting to come and know that there is something different that’s going to happen each time.

Actually, I wasn’t expecting to see the kind of results that I did. I came in with expectations of losing 5 lbs and I didn’t even consider body fat % and inches, but when I saw those results come within the first 4 weeks I was amazed! It made me want to drive, go harder and go for bigger results.

Ultimately, I lost 18 lbs, over 7% body fat, over 4 inches off my waist and over 3 inches off my hips. I went from a size 6 to a size 2, which hasn’t been since high school!

A lot of my friends went away over the summer and when they saw me their response was “Oh my god! What have you been doing? I want to do that, too!” My family has noticed the changes as well.

Mentally, my whole attitude in life is so different. My confidence has been raised. I had sunk into a shell for a while, and now I feel I’m coming out of that, and it’s an awesome feeling. It’s more than just physical, it’s also mental.

-Shanon Mah

Drink, Party and Burn Calories this New Years 2010!

This New Year I am really looking forward to going BIG with everything I do. Bigger focus, bigger fitness, bigger results, bigger business, bigger fun, bigger family, bigger goals. The only thing that isn’t going to get bigger are my clients! HaHa!!

So I’ll let you in on what I’m doing for New Years (especially now that I’ve set up a babysitter…thanks Natalie!).

I’m going to a place in San Francisco called the Coda Lounge to see my brother Tommy’s band play. They are called Dynamic and they rule!! You can check them out at www.dynamicliveband.com.

If you don’t have plans yet, you should go!! www.CodaLive.com to make a reservation. (It’s only $20 without dinner, and I think it’s $60 with dinner.)

I’m looking forward to dancing the night away (I may look like a fool, but hey, I have fun doing it!)

I checked out how many calories a 160 lb person burns in 1 hour of dancing and it’s about 350. (If I dance for 3 hours that’s over 1,000 calories!!) Not bad for a fun night out, eh? I’m sure that a few drinks would cancel that out…but I don’t think I’ll have more than 3 drinks, so I think I’ll come out ahead.

My favorite drinks when I go out are either a Guiness, a Hefeweizen, or a White Russian.

Here are some calorie counts for beers to help you plan your night. (I got this from: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_calories_are_in_beer)
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Calories in Beer

Here are some calorie counts for 12 ounces of different beers:

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale: 175
Sam Adams Lager: 160
Pilsner Uruqell: 160
Michelob: 155
Guinness: 153
Heineken: 150
Corona: 148
Budweiser: 145
MGD: 143
Stella Artois: 140
Bud Light: 110
Coors Light: 102
Budweiser Select: 99
Michelob Ultra: 96
Amstel Light: 95
Miller Genuine Draft Light: 64
Anchor Steam – 153
Bass Ale – 160
Beck’s – 140
Budweiser – 140
Corona Light – 105
Guinness Draught – 126
Guinness Stout – 153
Miller Lite – 96
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – 175
Sierra Nevada Stout – 210

By the way, the average wine has about 275-300 calories per 12 ounces. Of course, one glass of wine isn’t usually 12 ounces. You might drink half as much wine as you would beer, making wine slightly lower calorie.

Mixed drinks are about the same. Gin & tonic or vodka cranberry have about 300 calories per 12 ounces. Margaritas are very bad: they might have about 750 calories!
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Well, there you have it!

So have fun, eat, drink, dance, and enjoy life, cuz come January your butt is mine!

Roy and I look forward to seeing you and helping you achieve your fitness goals this 2010!

Your Trainer For Life,

Forrest

The Cycle of Addiction and Green Tea

I was standing in line at Starbucks once again. I had told myself I wouldn’t do it anymore. “Just one more time” I said to myself, as I stood browsing at the display case of scones, giant chocolate cookies and yogurt parfaits. I wanted to turn and walk out of there. I wanted to run away. But hey, I deserved this. It was my “daybreak”.

“I’ll have a grande caramel macchiato, please.”

“Sure, what’s your name?”

I wanted to tell them it was John, or Mark. Who knows who might be listening in.

“Forrest”, I would say in a low voice.

“GRANDE CARAMEL MACCHIATO FOR FORREST, PLEASE!!”

There it was. The call of shame for everyone within earshot. My sugary, highly-addictive, four dollar caffeine fix had been called out for all the world to hear. But hey, like I said before, I deserved this. It was my “daybreak”.

This caffeine and sugar affair went on for some time. Oh…for a while I would quit. But once something happened to stress me out and my energy felt low, I would get the uncontrollable urge to stop by a Starbucks.

And who can blame me? They were popping up everywhere. I had four of them within a 3-minute drive from my work in Foster City. I lived a five-minute walk from the Carlmont Shopping Center Starbucks in Belmont. Near my kids school, I would sometimes stop at the Crystal Springs Starbucks (it was a nice one, too; fireplace and cozy seating) just before I had to pick them up.

Even my favorite place to hang out and kill time, the Barnes and Nobles Bookstore, had an in-house Starbucks. As did Safeway. As did Target.

With dealers on every corner, it was not going to be easy to quit. I needed help. I had an addiction. No more excuses. Where would I turn?

Then, I found my answer – to replace my addiction with another, more healthy addiction! I was going to drink Green Tea!!

You see, all addictions are cycles. They start with a feeling of unhappiness or a feeling of being un-fulfilled. Then there is a trigger, such as a thought, image, emotion, or a combination, that sets the addict to find his addiction of choice. After the drug or action has been completed, there is temporary relief and satisfaction, followed by a feeling of guilt, which then cycles back to being unhappy, which starts the cycle all over again.

One could be addicted to many different things. Shopping, TV, drugs, gambling, anger, compulsive eating, alcohol, cigarettes, control over others, being a victim, abuse, and caffeine.

Some addictions may even be beneficial. Exercise, reading, practicing music, yoga, dancing…drinking green tea.

So, in my opinion, learning to replace one addiction with another can be an effective way to change unwanted behavior patterns. After all, I had done it before to great effect.

When I was younger and in the “party scene”, I knew I needed a big change. That’s when I found martial arts, and turned to exercise and mind/body training instead of going out to bars, clubs and parties (best thing I ever did, by the way).

When I noticed I was watching too much TV, I got rid of cable (yes, I got rid of cable. It’s not necessary people!) and started reading again. Reading is another great addiction. I read books on motivation, diet and exercise, science and religion, books for entertainment, books for self-growth and inspiration.

And now that I came across another pattern I wanted changed, I knew what to do. I wanted to stop giving my body these sugar/caffeine hits and start giving it a more balanced energy.

Since I’ve been on the green tea kick, I’ve felt much better. I’ve been going with it for a few months now. I still drink an occasional Starbucks, but now it’s more like once per week, not once or twice per day. Not only have I saved a lot of money, but I’ve felt much more emotionally balanced, I’ve had better sleep, and I have longer lasting energy levels.

Green tea has tons of benefits. I’ve been reading about them in the book, Green Tea – The Natural Secret for a Healthier Life, by Nadine Taylor, M.S., R.D.

Some of the great health benefits of drinking green tea regularly are:

Boosts your immune system
Helps prevent cancer and heart disease
Helps metabolize body fat
Slows the aging process
Lowers blood pressure
Fights harmful bacteria and viruses
Helps the body regulate cholesterol levels

If you have an addiction (I think close to 99% of all people do in some form), don’t run from it. Stare it straight in the eye and ask yourself, what can I do to replace my unhealthy addiction to a healthy one? There’s always room for improvement, right?

I’ve included this very interesting video that explains more in depth on why we get involved in habitual patterns that don’t serve us, and what we can do about it.

Your Trainer For Life,
Forrest Folen, MCT

Cure for Type II Diabetes?

As you may know, diabetes is one of the biggest problems with America’s growing obesity epidemic. I personally know quite a few people who are pre-diabetic, people with type II diabetes, and even type l diabetes (I have had 2 cousins with type l diabetes – it really sucks.)

My take as a fitness lifestyle and fat-loss pro is that we need to address the root of the problem. Granted, we can use exercise as a way to combat type II diabetes in a big way. The guys over at WebMD.com (full article at http://diabetes.webmd.com/guide/exercise-guidelines) said this:

Exercise is very important in managing type 2 diabetes. Combining diet, exercise, and medicine (when prescribed) will help control your weight and blood sugar level.

Exercise helps control type 2 diabetes by:

Improving your body’s use of insulin.
Burning excess body fat, helping to decrease and control weight (decreased body fat results in improved insulin sensitivity).
Improving muscle strength.
Increasing bone density and strength.
Lowering blood pressure.
Helping to protect against heart and blood vessel disease by lowering ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and increasing ‘good’ HDL cholesterol.
Improving blood circulation and reducing your risk of heart disease.
Increasing energy level and enhancing work capacity.
Reducing stress, promoting relaxation, and releasing tension and anxiety.

Take a look at this video (keep in mind many, perhaps most, doctors say curing type II diabetes is impossible)

PART TWO…HOW THE BODY LOSES WEIGHT

In part one we talked about how the body gains weight, which is little by little over a period of months and years.

It all goes back to lifestyle.

If you want to create a lifestyle where you are lean and fit, you have to alter what you are doing. It’s the day-to-day stuff that matters.

If you want to lose weight you have to create a caloric deficit, and you have to do it CONSISTENTLY.

In fact here are 6 things you must have to lose the weight.

1) Burning desire. You have to really want it!

2) Catalyst. What is going to be the motivator to get your inner voice to say, “It’s Time!”

3) Commitment. Nothing in life gets accomplished without commitment.

4) Patience. Be patient. It’s a process, and it doesn’t happen overnight.

5) Perseverance. You have to keep at it, despite the obstacles, you must stay focused on your goal!

6) Sense of Urgency. If you don’t say to yourself that you have to get it done NOW, other things will always come first and sabotage your plans.

So if an added 116 calories per day is all it takes to gain the weight (see previous blog), then that’s all you need to do to lose it too, right?

WRONG!

If I told you to go home and count every single calorie to lose the weight, would you?

You might for a few days, or possibly a few weeks, but the chances are you wouldn’t keep up with it. That’s my experience. It’s unrealistic to maintain food logs for a long time.

Over a short time, food logs are great to understand your eating patterns and get a general take on how many calories you are consuming. However, for the long term I recommend a more common sense approach.

In the Part One, How The Body Gains Weight, I talked about a study done by the New England Journal of Medicine that said that of different types of diets such as low-carb, low-fat, and mediteranean, it was the total amount of calories, not the type of food, that led to weight loss.

With that in mind, the question to ask then is: How can I maintain satiety and even blood sugar levels (so my energy won’t crash and I don’t go off and binge) and eat less calories at the same time?

(Keep in mind, that if you want to lose 1 pound a week you have to burn 250 calories a day through exercise and eat 250 calories less per day. A deficit of 500 calories per day is 3,500 over the course of a week, and 3,500 calories equals 1 pound of fat.)

The answer is both simple and complex.

Eat less. Burn more.
You have to create a caloric deficit consistently to be able to create a consistent rate of weight loss.

How can you do it?

Meal by meal.

Workout by workout.

Day by day.

Week by week.

Month by month.

It’s called a FITNESS LIFESTYLE. You have to want it. You have to go out and get it. You have to put in the work. You have to sacrifice.

But the rewards are worth it!

Your Trainer For Life,

Forrest Folen, MCT

My Most Closely Guarded Secret Revealed

Ever feel like you’re a sports car that’s stuck in first gear?

Wouldn’t you like to see what it’s like to go to second…third…fourth or even fifth gear?

Let me explain.

Not sure if I’ve told you guys this before, but I wasn’t always Mr. Positive or Mr. Fitness Guy.

Heck, I was neither!

I used to have low expectations of myself.

I used to need the world to tell me if I was good enough.

I used to have a lot of bad habits…I even used to smoke cigarettes (I hate to admit it, but it’s true).

So what turned me around?

Well, it wasn’t easy but I met someone who turned my life around 180 degrees.

I’ve included a video in my latest blog to show you the exact skill that turned my whole life around.

You’re never going to guess what it is!! It’s my most guarded secret, and I’m sharing it with you here today!

Click here to see my secret: watch?v=wKyXanJYFHY

The man in the video is Daniel Johnson, SBN. He’s a true meditation master and the best life coach around. You HAVE to go to his upcoming workshop and experience it for yourself!

Go to this link for more info on the upcoming workshop:

http://www.selfmastery.com/workshops_center.html

Bowen Therapy to Relieve Your Pain

I think we all know what it’s like to have pain in the body. It’s just not fun. Joint pain, an injury, muscle fatigue, and other bodily aches and pains drain our life energy and prevent us from doing the things we want to do.

We at Fit For Life Solutions have found a local solution for your aches and pains right here in Foster City at the Foster City Athletic Club.

In this 6 minute video, you can learn directly from massage and Bowen therapy practitioner, Liza Laurinkus, about her approach to pain relief. She may be just the person you’ve been looking for to help your body return to a state of balance and health.

Your Trainers in Health,

Forrest and Roy

5 Tips to a Slimmer Stomach!

1. Don’t waste time with crunches. In real life the deeper core used for stabilization and strength are the ones you want to develop. That means that variations of plank exercises are the best for a strong core. If you really wantto cut down that layer of fat to expose those abs of steel that are lying underneath, view #2 below!
2. Focus on compound movements and work them in a circuit. Compound movements such as Push-Ups, Squats, Rows and Lunges use the most muscles AND burn the most calories!
3. Concentrate on eating foods that are in their natural state. I call it “Eating Clean”. Brown rice, oatmeal, salmon, chicken breast, tuna, fresh fruits and veggies, avocados, almonds, egg whites, extra virgin olive oil, salads. In fact, if you stuck with just these foods for 2 weeks I guarantee you will see incredible fat-burning results as long as you….. view #4!!!!
4. Eat 6 small carb/protein meals per day. You want to eat every 3 and a half hours…. even if you’re not hungry! You’ll be doing yourself a favor by stabilizing your blood sugar levels, keeping your hunger at bay, and burning more calories through thermogenesis. But you still have to…… View #5!!!!
5. Stop making excuses for yourself to eat fat and sugar. Look, I like sweets as much as the next person, but if you keep reaching for that after dinner cookie or ice cream despite your desire to lose weight, you’re being controlled by an addiction. Do what i do, eat every 3 and a half hours to curb hunger, then eat a small piece of dark chocolate, savoring it, to satisfy that sweet tooth!!
    
   BONUS TIP!!!!!!
6. Join our fitness Bootcamp! Research shows that accountability and professional instruction are two key factors for success in any weight loss program. In fact we are having a limited time promotion to kick off our NEW Fit For Life Bootcamp membership!!!

You can catch the details here :

www.FitForLifeSolutions.com/bootcamp

Your trainer for life,

Forrest

P.S.- This promo expires Thursday the 25th at 11:59pm. Don’t Miss Out!!!!!

www.FitForLifeSolutions.com/bootcamp

Fitness – It’s gotta be a lifestyle!

Weight loss can be a great motivator to start working out, eating right, and getting in shape.  However, if weight loss is your only motivation, it won’t work out in the long run.  Eventually, weight loss, as a goal, will become a superficial reason for working out and staying disciplined to eat healthy.  Why?  Because weight loss, on it’s own, has no purpose.  You have to have a reason why that weight loss is important to you.

I received an e-mail today from a client thanking me for helping her with her new healthy lifestyle and achieving a bodyfat percentage under 20%.  I wrote her back and asked told her that she is a success story that is sure to inspire others.  Her response was “I am not sure what happened, I guess I just got focused on working out to make me feel better.  As soon as I stopped obsessing about getting back to where I was, it just sort of
happened.”

That’s it!!

When she wrote that I knew that she had shifted her perspective and is now training as a part of her lifestyle, and not just a superficial goal.  That’s why she became a success story!  That’s also why she will continue to gain the great results of more energy, less stress, and a strong body and mind!

I’d like to thank Crystal for inspiring me to continue to help others make that lifestyle switch!

Thanks Crystal!!

Your Trainer For Life,

Forrest Folen, MCT

Amazing Results in April ‘09

The April 2009 Client of the Month is Steve Stirling!

Here’s someone who took his DESIRE, made a COMMITMENT, and applied CONSISTENCY to achieve incredible fitness results!

You have to look at the underlying qualities in order to make a real change.  Personally , I learned how to apply this in my life from studying with my meditation and martial arts Master, Daniel Johnson, founder of the Self Mastery Foundation (visit www.selfmastery.com to learn more about his amazing, life-changing programs).

When Steve first started, I could see it in his eyes, and tell in the enthusiasm in his voice that he was ready to make a real life change.  He had DESIRE, and it burned deep!

However, that desire could have just as easily burnt out, and he could have gone back to the way things were.  Back to the cycle of unhealthy eating habits, back to having low energy, back to feeling sluggish and overweight.

What did he do that made such a big difference in the outcome?

Steve made a COMMITMENT!

Yes, by sitting in the office with me that day in mid-December 2008, and putting down a few hundred bucks for personal training, and filling in the dates to meet with me twice per week on his calendar, Steve made a COMMITMENT!!  That was the big turning point!!

Was it easy?  NO.  Did he just throw his credit card at me and say “sign me up!” NO WAY!

Even with all that burning desire, Steve had to sit down and talk with me for over an hour before he could make up his mind to actually make that COMMITMENT.

That one day in mid-December…that one choice…that one instant…changed his life forever!  Amazing!!

After that, all he had to do was follow through with the CONSISTENCY!

Watch this amazing video to see what happened next…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVOCrfYGNP8

Stay Motivated!  Stay Passionate!  Stay Inspired!

Your Trainer For Life,

Forrest Folen, MCT

Resolutions

Well here we are! It’s January 2009, and it’s a great time to be alive!

It’s also a great time to be healthy, happy and to be in good shape for YOUR LIFE! Life can be demanding, and I’m a firm believer in training to live a higher quality of life. When you train your body and mind, you’re ready to face the challenges that lie ahead, and you can face them with bold courage and inner passion.

So where are we right now? It is New Years time…and everybody knows it’s time for resolutions…and most people’s resolutions have something to do with losing weight or getting in shape. However, I’m hearing from more and more people that they don’t make New Years resolutions any more. Why don’t they? It could have something to do with having done them in the past…and failed.

Do people get discouraged when they’re in their teens to the point where they don’t make resolutions? Not really.

How about in their twenties and thirties. Usually not, although some do.

It’s usually people in their forties and upwards that have given up on making resolutions. They’ve simply seen themselves fail too many times to bother with it. Look…I’m not here to tell you to keep banging your head up against the wall, but you might want to try giving this another chance. New Years is a great time to reflect on the past and move into the future. We all have things we want to improve upon, why not give it a go…only this time, do it with a plan!

That’s right. Very few people actually write down their goals and form a plan, complete with target goals and action steps. A written plan is as crucial to moving forward with your fitness goals as a business plan is to moving forward in building a successful business.

With a written plan, you have defined what you want, what you need, and how and when you will get to your goals. It’s ok to build a castle in the clouds, now put the foundation under it!

It doesn’t have to be ready by the first of the year, but don’t wait until the end of March either. Do it this week if you can. Or even better…do it NOW!
What’s my resolution?

Well…writing this blog is one of them. This year my main focus is YOU! Roy and I have dedicated ourselves to building Fit For Life Solutions to the fullest. We’ve just got our new site up (www.fitforlifesolutions.com), thanks to Bill’s help, and we are now working on all the bells and whistles such as the blog, a discussion forum, online training and videos library.

Stay tuned to this blog for regular tips, fitness advice, videos and articles that will help you achieve the fitness lifestyle you’re looking for!

Your Trainer For Life,
-Forrest