Archive for the ‘Mindset’ Category

4 Habits to Stop and 4 Habits to Start for a Body Transformation

Stop thinking that doing cardio all day is going to get you back into you “skinny jeans” and keep you there. Long bouts of cardio burn muscle. When you burn through your muscle your metabolism goes down. When your metabolism goes down you end up gaining the weight back. Ever hear of the weight loss roller coaster? Exactly!

Start mixing your cardio and weights training together. Research shows that the most effective path to weight loss is by combining the two. When you do resistance training you build or keep muscle tissue, which keeps your metabolism on high. Mix in some cardio and you get a great workout and burn maximum calories. This is why our Fit For Life Bootcamp program works so well!

Stop trying to do it all yourself. Sure, about 5% of the population can stay totally motivated day after day to workout. They have crazy-strong will power and determination to stay consistent with their exercise program. The other 95%, (yes, this probably includes you!) need to be signed up with a program to adhere to your fitness regimen.

Start up with a fitness program. Finding a qualified trainer is a great option. Even better is to get involved in a fitness bootcamp. If you’ve never tried one before, don’t worry, they’re not as bad as they sound. These days, fitness bootcamps having absolutelly nothing to do with the military. They are basically large-group personal training sessions that are WAY more fun and much less expensive than personal training.

Stop eating unconsciously. This is the one thing you MUST do to get on the right track with your body transformation plans. Without having a clear understanding of exactly how many calories you’re consuming, you’ll never be able to make weight loss progress. Trust me on this one. Why do you think Weight Watchers is so popular? It’s because the point system works!!! Why does it work? It’s just a fancy way of counting calories!! Start logging your food today. You can set up a free food log account at www.fitday.com. You can also download the IPhone app LoseIt! for a similar food logging platform that you can use on the go.

Start planning and pre-packaging your foods for the week. Pick a day to shop, cook and prep your food for the week. Yes, this takes time and work. But guess what? There are NO SHORTCUTS! You can’t just wing-it and expect great results. Every single one of my clients that showed great results during their training turned in food logs to me weekly. Don’t think that you are the exception to the rule. You’ve got to take your life into your own hands by planning and prepping your foods each week! Your hard work will be rewarded when you take yourself out at the end of the week for your cheat day, so make sure you earn it!

Hollywood Celebrity Workout Videos

I tracked down some of the hottest Hollywood Stars and put their workout secrets in this blog. Enjoy!

Beyonce Knowles

Gerald Butler

LL Cool J

Angelina Jolie

Jessica Biel, Wesley Snipes and Ryan Renolds

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!

The 6 Step Bootcamp Plan for Fat Loss

Here it is. This is THE PLAN to get you results in your fitness bootcamp!

THE PLAN

Step 1) Log calorie intake DAILY (go to www.fitday.com) and set up a food logging account or get the LoseIt! app for your IPhone. A general caloric goal for weight loss is 1,800 for men and 1,400 for women (adjust calories to suit your needs). See The Diet Solution for our recommended nutrition plan.

Step 2) Exercise, Fit For Life Bootcamp style, 5 days per week!

Burn 700 calories/day x 5 days/week = 3,500 (it takes 3,500 calories to burn off 1 pound of fat).

Step 3) Cardio on the weekend to accelerate fat loss.

Burn 500 – 700 calories with your own cardio workout on Sat. or Sun. (1 hour hike, bike ride, treadmill, etc.). Mix it up, get outside, have fun!

Step 4) Build muscle and accelerate metabolism (this is done in bootcamp, so as long as you show up, it will happen!). This will ensure you burn fat and keep muscle.

Step 5) Choose a rest/cheat day on a Saturday or Sunday. On this day you will rest your body and mind from exercising and counting calories. Have fun and enjoy your cheat day, you’ve earned it, and it will actually get you to your goals faster!

Step 6) Show up on “Assessment Day” every 5th week to see your progress, and make any changes to your program if you’re not seeing results. Give yourself a reward for a job well done by going out to eat, party with friends, or buy yourself a gift!

And that’s it! Nothing motivates better than results. Work hard, and you will be rewarded through your own hard-earned efforts. If it were easy, anyone could do it. Not just anyone trains in Fit For Life Bootcamp, only the brave!!

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!

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