Here is the theme. Those that have anywhere from decent to great bodies are all hanging out with the free weights doing HARD exercises like squats, bench, lunges, step-ups, deadlifts, db rows and other real compound exercises. On the contrary those that have anywhere from 25,50,75+ pounds to lose will walk in and jump on an elliptical at level 1 for 20-40 minutes without hardly sweating at all and then go over to the machines. Once at the machines they will do some machine chest press, leg curls/ext’s, hip adductors/abductors, calves etc. Golly Gee do you think that will actually burn off over 50 lbs of weight in this lifetime? NO!

So, why don’t people realize this and change there ways?

Because they really don’t notice it. It’s just like that rich neighbor you have that has a ton of money and cars but you never really notice that 70-80 hour work week it takes them to achieve that. We always notice the more materialistic or superficial things because that is just how human nature works and it is very hard to be aware of it consistently.  I know I personally fall victim to this often.

So, the next time you go into a gym notice what people are really doing to achieve their bodies…how hard they are actually working…the exercises they are doing, the intensity in their face…and oh yes the protein shake they chug after they are done.

I know this is just a rant but as a society we never really look at all the work it takes to achieve anything instead we just notice the end result and choose to envy that. So, next time as hard as it may be try to envy the hard work and determination it took that person to really achieve that body they have because that is the only way to achieve it for yourself and to appreciate it and maintain it once you have it.

Till next time have a great Christmas and Happy New Year,
Brian

Weight Loss Motivation-Workout Motivation

This might be my favorite holiday of all…a time to see family, be grateful and yes stuff your face until you pass out on the couch while watching football-I think that may be what heaven is like for men.

The question is how to do that without gaining weight and killing the results of all the hard work you have been doing in the gym and the will power you have been exercising to eat right.

Well, here is what I do for all major holidays…is it the best way? Not sure, but I do know that after the last 5+ years of doing this that I always keep my shape in tack so obviously something is right about it.

What I do is when I know I am going to just give in to every craving I have and probably do so multiple times then I start planning for that “feast” 7-10 days out so that I don’t have to feel bad about it.

So, 7-10 days out I tweak my diet to cut down the amount of carbs I am taking in so that I can lean out a little bit…normally this is not a good idea because you will not be taking in enough carbs to perform at a high level and you will lose muscle if you eat this way consistently but if done in this manner for less then two weeks with a feast planned at the end no muscle will be lost.

Here is a basic template of my pre-feast diet:

Meal 1: scrambled eggs (mostly all whites)
mixed with veggies
coffee and sometimes a piece of fruit

Meal 2: Protein shake / 2 scoops and 1/2 oz of walnuts

Meal 3: Ground chicken mixed w/ veggies
Maybe a small piece of fruit if my energy is low

Meal 4: Protein Shake/2 scoops

Meal 5: Spinach salad with chicken or fish

Meal 6: Protein Shake with smart balance light peanut butter (1 heaping spoonful)

Ok, that is what I do leading up to the big day and then after the big day I go back to the diet for 3 days only to kill those intense sugar cravings that you will be getting from all the pies and other sweets. Those cravings for me last for 3 days and as long as I don’t give in to them for those 3 days then they will go away. However, if you DO GIVE in to them then watch out because you can start to pack on the weight until you STOP.

As long as you do that not only will you not gain any weight but you will keep your exact figure through the holiday season and get back to business after the new year.

Hope this helps you out this season and every other season.

To Your Success,
Brian

Weight Loss Motivation-Workout Motivation

-It is not your wife or husband’s fault
-It is not your friends fault
-It is not your kids fault
-It is not your jobs fault
-It is not your parents fault
-It is not your sister or brother’s fault
-It is not your dog or cat’s fault
-It is not your gene’s fault
-It is not your metabolism’s fault
-It is not society’s fault
-It is not McDonald’s fault

It IS YOUR FAULT and the sooner you accept that and change your lifestyle and mentality the better results you will achieve and the happier and healthier you will become. Some of you may not be willing to accept the blame at this stage in your life and that is fine but DO NOT wait too long to do so because it IS true and once you accept that you will soon be on the right path.

Think about this for a second…Imagine you just lost all the weight you ever wanted to lose and you look the exact way you always dreamed of…what would your message be to those trying to do the same thing?

Would you tell them to stop putting everyone first and take some time for yourself in order to improve your heatlh? Would you say accept that it will take a lot of hard work, determination, and persistance so you might as well get started now? Would you tell them that they are worth the effort and they deserve to achieve all of their goals? OR, would you say that yes it is everyones fault but yours so you might as well be content with being overweight and dying before your time because there is nothing that you can do about it?

Kind of harsh I know but you are worth it and deserve to live a long healthy fit life so you need to accept reality and that your goals will require a MASSIVE AMOUNT OF ACTION so the longer you put them off the harder they will be to achieve.

To Your Success.

Weight Loss Motivation-Workout Motivation

The first wealth is health – Emerson

If you don’t do what’s best for your body, you’re the one who comes upon the short end. – Julius Erving

Those who do not find time for exercise will have to find time for illness.- Earl of Derby

 Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it. -Plato

 Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live. - Jim Rohn

 The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results. - Anthony Robbins

 Time and health are two precious assets that we don’t recognize and appreciate until they have been depleted. - Denis Waitley

 To get rich never risk your health. For it is the truth that health is the wealth of wealth. – Richard Baker

 Money is the most envied, but the least enjoyed. Health is the most enjoyed, but the least envied. - Charles Caleb Colton

 Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. - Thomas Edison

 You have to stay in shape. My grandmother, she started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She’s 97 today and we don’t know where the hell she is. - Ellen Degeneres

 The difference between try and triumph is just a little umph! - Marvin Phillips

The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It’s your mind you have to convince. - Vincent Lombardi

 Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right!- Henry Ford

 If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. - Bruce Lee

 No matter who you are, no matter what you do, you absolutely, positively do have the power to change. - Bill Phillips

 Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness. - Edward Stanley

 Take care of your body, then the rest will automatically become stronger. - Chuang Tzu

 Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever. - Lance Armstrong

 No matter how good you get you can always get better and that’s the exciting part. - Tiger Woods

Weight Loss Motivation-Workout Motivation

Ok, here in Ohio it has been raining for some time and it is dark and gloomy.  I don’t know about you but for me it is very hard to get my workouts in sometimes with bad weather… it just seems to have such an impact on me. 

So, how do you motivate yourself and find inspiration when it is so easy to rationalize your way out of it? 

Well, here is a list of some of the things I do to stay motivated and get my workouts in:
1.  Watch a motivating YouTube video (like the one I posted below).

2.  Look at a picture of a physique I want to have

3.  Look at a picture of a physique I do NOT want to have

4.  Read Motivating Quotes

5.  Read the goals I have written down (yes, you should have your goals written down)

6.  Stop thinking about my workout and just get in my car and go without any thought whatsoever.

7.  I tell myself that I will just do a very short workout so that at the very least I get something done.  However,   once I get to the gym and get going I always end up doing the whole thing.

Those are just some of the things I do to force the issue a little.  If you have any you would like to add let me know. 

Check out the video below by Les Brown, he is an amazing motivational speaker and always brings me out of a FUNK that I may be in.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do and that it inspires you to continue to strive to achieve all that you are capable of.

I probably watch this video at least once every week and I encourage you to find something that will work for you so you can use as your go to when the mood calls.

Weight Loss Motivation-Workout Motivation

Have you ever watched a season opener of the show “The Biggest Loser?”  If so, then you have probably noticed how excited all of the contestants are as they make their arrival to the house.  As they speak to the camera you can see it in their face and hear it in their voice that they truly believe they are about to change their life forever. 

Why all of a sudden do they believe this?  After all they are there because they have failed every single time they have tried to lose weight in the past and have spent boatloads of money on trends and gizmo’s that have failed them time and time again.  However, this will be different…this time it is real…this time it will work.

The fact is that they know it is real this time because they have watched the show and know full well what all the other contestents have accomplished and can’t wait to experience the same results or even a fraction of those results.

But it doesn’t come easy for them now does it…they all go through intense agony and emotional pain along the way as thier lives are changed forever for the better.

Well, that is no different then any other real fat loss training program.  It takes hard work, determination, consistency, motivation, encouragement and accountability. 

Unfortunately, not everyone can get on the show so you will need to face your next program the same way they do and that is with intense desire and belief that you will do whatever it takes to accomplish your fat loss goals and change your life forever. 

Weight Loss Motivation-Workout Motivation