Weight Loss Motivation and Support

Biggest Losers. Losing weight, gaining illness.

Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook which eventually leads to success.

- Bryan Adams

When the infamous weight loss reality show The Biggest Loser premiered in 2004, I will admit I was a huge fan. I loved the premise, the trainers and the motivational inspiration. As a trainer myself I found the weight loss expectations and the workouts to be realistic and contestant appropriate…in season 1. Fast forward 6 years and my opinion has changed dramatically, so much so that I know entirely discourage my clients or anyone else for that matter from watching it and feeding into the propaganda. Over the years the show has completely lost it’s focus and has gone from being a positive, health conscious public service announcement to an overly dramatized (Jillian), sponsorship sick, dangerously unhealthy hour of unrealistic expectations based solely on shock value.

Post Vegas weight loss

My apologies for the number of days since my last post. My schedule has been jam packed for the past 2 weeks in preparation for my wedding which took place in Las Vegas last Wednesday!! Yes I married the man of my dreams in sunny, hot Nevada at the Valley of Fire national park on Cinqo de Mayo. It was the perfect day and a week filled with love, romance, food,  mushiness, food, booze, shopping, booze,  gambling, food, shows, booze and…more food.

Who would you trust with your physique?

If the world today was as abundant in brotherly love, kind thoughts and world peace as it is in weight loss ‘advice’, it would most certainly be a perfect place! Every day we are bombarded by the latest, greatest, headline newsworthy ways to be lean, ripped and free from the ‘muffin top’. Everyone has their opinion whether it’s the gym rat with the huge pipes working out next to you or the Grandma behind you in queue at the Starbucks. These days everyone is an expert (and their dog too).

You say you’re fat and out of shape. Why?

We all have our reasons. It’s simply a matter of acknowledging our excuses and justifications. I hear them every day, all day long some much more than others. Just when I think I’ve heard them all, a new one pops up and I have to think of a way to stomp on it.

Here’s a few of the most popular…

Excuse #1

“I don’t have time to work out”

My response

“Really? Because you just went into a detailed account of what happened last night with the Desperate Housewives. Seems to me you had an hour to spare there.” OR “you hit the snooze button on the alarm clock 4 times this morning. That’s 36 minutes that could have been spent far more efficiently.” OR “If you don’t have time to work out then how did you have time to read and forward me those 7 joke emails yesterday?” You see where I’m going with this…it’s all about priorities.

Excuse #2

“I have kids and I can’t work out with them around because I have to watch them”

My response (and I have a MILLION for this one)

“You know children are mobile right? If they are old enough they can walk with you, or put them in a stroller and find a hill to walk up and down numerous times. Some of them nap…work out then. Some of them are in school..what are you doing while they are there? Find a friend to exchange an hour of daycare with you…they can watch your kid while you work out and then you can return the favour. Worst case scenario…join a gym and take advantage of the daycare!”

Excuse #3

“I’m so busy it’s impossible to eat healthy because I’m always on the go”.

My response

“That’s a lame statement. We’re all busy. The best option in this case is to take 5 to 10 minutes in the morning (or the evening prior) and pack some healthy meals and snacks to take with you. It’s very simple…throw some veggies, nuts and/or fruit in a ziplock. Grab a yogurt or a cottage cheese cup, maybe a piece of fruit with cheese or peanut butter. Simple. If you do find yourself out on the road with nothing to eat, there are healthy choices. Even fast food restaurants and convenience stores have healthier options now. You’ve got a choice…Big Mac or garden salad with grilled chicken? There’s no room for excuses there.”

So how are your excuses working for you? Are the justifications you make helping you lose weight and tone up? The definition of insanity is doing the exact same things day after day but expecting different results. I suggest you have a good long talk with yourself and be brutally honest about what you can and can’t do because that old saying is true…”Whether you think you can or think you can’t…you’re right.”

**Stop making excuses and find a training program that works for you exclusively from WorkoutBOX!**

Performance as opposed to vanity

I’m sure it won’t come as any surprise when I say that the majority of the clients I see in my personal training business have one common goal…weight loss. Sometimes they want to shed a few pounds to improve their health, lower triglyceride levels or see some relief when their blood pressure is taken but usually the main objective is a little more shallow. Most often, my clients want to see themselves in a smaller pair of jeans with a little less junk in the trunk.

It’s been my experience however that those with the goal of solely earning a sexier physique find that the motivation to get the aforementioned ‘trunk’ into the gym dwindles rather quickly.  We all want a hot bod but let’s face it, what would make you put the twinkie down faster…the dream of  squeezing into a size 4, or having the bejeezers scared out of you by your physician warning you of an impending quadruple bypass if you don’t do something about that spare tire? I know what my answer is.

So my advice to maintain motivation and momentum in your healthy lifestyle is to choose a goal instead of, or at least in addition to, weight loss for improved appearance. If your blood pressure is on the high side, make lowering it your reason to work out. Maybe you want to be around to dance with your Granddaughter at her wedding or participate in a charitable 5km run for the first time. Perhaps you’re planning a once in a lifetime vacation and you want to be fit enough to walk all day and really see the sights, or maybe it’d just be nice to sprint up the stairs when the phone rings without gasping hello when you answer. Vanity is fleeting so set your sights higher and make your quest for optimum health really mean something!

Enjoy your next workout!

Break through your weight loss plateau

If you just started your fat loss workout on the first of January, I’m sure you aren’t experiencing the frustration of a plateau just yet, but without a doubt you will at some point. As long as you’re prepared for it you’ll be able to sail right through with the least amount of hair pulling. Here are a few tips that will come in handy when that number on the scale just won’t budge.

Be honest with yourself

Have you been keeping up with your food log? It’s normal for us to get so accustomed to our diets that we become complacent with journaling our meals and snacks. Be honest with yourself and take a good look at everything that goes into your mouth. A little bite here or a taste there can really add up at the end of the day. Get your pencil and paper ready and start being as detailed as possible. You may be surprised by how much is overlooked.

Make your fitness resolution stick in 2010!

Are you already struggling to stick with those health and fitness resolutions you promised yourself only 5 days ago? You’re not alone! As a personal trainer and nutrition consultant I see the exact same pattern every January! Good people, with great intentions pack the gyms and line up in health food stores for a solid three weeks, determined to stick with their goals this time! By the end of the month though, they’ve somehow fallen off the horse and the only people that remain at the gym are the ones that are there all year long! So how do they do it? How is it possible to stay focused on a diet plan and workout program when so many other things get in the way? Once again, it all comes down to the plan. Use the SMART technique to keep yourself on the right track and really achieve success this year!

What’s YOUR New Year’s Resolution?

Happy New Year to everyone!

Hopefully 2010 is already off to a fantastic start for all of you!

Along with a potential pounding headache and a craving for a Peptobismol smoothie,  January 1st often brings feelings of hope, inspiration and re-birth. There’s a sense of freshness in the air, knowing that this year may bring change and redemption as we wipe past behavior and old habits from our newly cleaned slate.

Weight Loss Help

Do you want weight loss help?

Here are the key things that must be done if you want to have weight loss success.

Support - We all know what we SHOULD be doing to lose weight.  But very few people do the things required! This is because of a lack of discipline.  So its essential you get your self a support person. Someone who will make you accountable for your actions, so you can get the results you want.

Training programs – Get your self a comprehensive training program……

Maintaining Diet Motivation is all about positive thought

Believe it or not, the first step to successful fat loss has nothing to do with food, exercises, calorie counting or gym memberships. It’s actually all in your head. That’s right; it’s a matter of perception and changing your way of thinking. The attitudes and opinions we hold towards healthy eating and fat loss need to adjust to certain realistic terms before anything else is even considered.