Well most of you know me pretty well. I don’t really endorse a lot of supplements for various reasons. That does not mean, though, that I myself am not taking any. I do take supplements, very few and very specific to my training needs. Your training might require different supplements or none at all.
Personally, I use some protein powder for my milk shakes in the morning, especially if I am in a hurry (I am always in a hurry). It seems to work great for me. Throw some fruits in there, some honey and milk and I am ready to roll. I supplement Magnesium as needed, Omega 3-6-9 fatty acids, as well as electrolytes and Hammer Gel on longer runs (15+ miles/run). I don’t take a Multi-Vitamin due to the fact that in recent years more and more studies show that uninhibited supplementation of vitamins can have negative effects on health. I use a recovery drink after my long endurance workouts if real food isn’t readily available.
Basically, what all this means is that supplements should supplement your diet, not replace a healthy balanced diet. They are no excuse to eat fast food and unhealthy crap.
Now that you have got your diet in order you can check and see what your needs are. Good people to talk to are your physician as well as certified nutrition counselors.
The place I go to is Max Muscle. The people there know their stuff and would never try to get you or anyone else to replace a healthy, balanced diet with a ton of supplements. They respect the fact that I am a minimalist. I feel taken care of and that is what matters most. Because I like them so much and I wanted to give them a chance to introduce themselves. Here they are:
I know you guys/gals are all focused on looking leaner, losing weight and getting toned, but do you really achieve what you want to achieve?
I have seen plenty of women run on the treadmill for hours, or guys dripping with sweat as they’re lifting weights and yet, a lot of them fail to achieve some or all of their goals because they don’t know quite how to get the muscle and lose the fat at the same time. The first step to accomplish your goals is an accurate baseline of all your measurements. Here’s what you do:
Height: and I am not talking about the one that you put on your driver licence but the real one. Heels together, no shoes and measure after a deep inhalation, head is level.
Weight: use a balance beam scale. You should be nude or at least minimize clothes.
Body Fat Measurement: The best one, that is still practical is the caliper (pinch skinfolds) and use several sites, not just 3. Another one you can use is BIA, the electrical version that is provided by scales or handheld. Make sure you always measure at the same time of the day, preferably in the morning
Circumferences:
Shoulders (widest point of the deltoid)
Chest (nipple height)
Waist (thinnest point in your torso, you can feel it sliding up and down with your hand alongside your body)
Hip (Where butt sticks out the furthest 🙂 )
Thigh (halfway between the sitting fold and your patella, standing on both legs evenly)
It is always better to have a trained professional, like a personal trainer or coach take the measurements. It will be more accurate. Due to interpersonal discreprancies in methods make sure to always have the same person measure.
If you would like help with your weight loss our personal training can help you achieve your fitness goals fast and safely.
You think I am kidding? Think again, I did not marry the type of woman that loves to exercise, actually quite the opposite. My wife used to hate exercise, she has two bad knees and had a ton of bad experience as a child in her physical education classes. You know what I am talking about: getting picked last for a team, being harassed by the so -called jocks! Yep, I married that woman…the best decision I have ever made.
When we met we could not have been more different: I exercised seven days a week, sometimes twice a day, did not smoke and did not drink. Jessi did not exercise at all, loved to party, hang around people, drink beer and wine and smoke. Usually that is a turn off for me but somehow our opposing characters were drawn to each other.
But I am not writing you today to tell you how much I love my wife. No, I am telling you about her amazing transformation into a fit, healthy person that still enjoys life!
After she quit smoking she replaced the cigarettes with candy and other food, needless to say, eventually she gained a good bit of weight and ended up at 184 lbs. She had started to exercise but she failed to lose weight. The reason for that is simple, she didn’t watch what she was eating. Just the thought of denying herself her favorite foods made her anxious and made her eat more.
You can guess that her weight loss was a difficult topic for us, because being a husband and a personal trainer didn’t make for the easiest combination :). Realizing that she did not get anywhere, she finally listened to my subtle hints (and trust me they had to be subtle to keep my head) that changing her diet would be beneficial. Slowly, over the course of weeks and months, she changed her diet, and started counting her calories. Initially just to get an idea of how many calories she was taking in, which led to her finally finding a healthy balance between weight loss and enjoyment of life. She still had the occasional glass of wine, she still had candy when she really wanted it but she watched the portions she ate. It worked because she knew exactly how much she took in and she ended up losing over 40 lbs. I can honestly say, my wife is sexier now than ever. Now, if you want to achieve that weight loss and be sexier and better looking than ever, here is what you need to do!
Start to exercise (not optional) for at least 4-5 days a week. You don’t have the time? Do you sit in front of the TV or computer and shove food in your mouth? If yes, then you do have the time. What is more important? A silly TV show/ sports show or your own transformation into fabulous YOU? You can even work out in front of your TV, look through my blog I created a workout that you can do while watching TV. So no more excuses!
Get on a well balanced diet! Kick out the crap! You are what you eat… if you eat Fast Food, you look like Fast Food, yuck! Eat fresh vegetables, lean protein (chicken, pork, tofu), whole wheat pasta, etc.
Know how many calories you are putting into your body! Yes, I am sorry, it takes a little work but then again, you need to decide what you want to be: healthy and sexy or overweight and unhappy! If you want to stay overweight and out of shape, that is perfectly fine, but please stop whining about it! Go to www.411fit.com (free food log) or use the weight watchers program. All these things really do work and I have had amazing results with my clients.
Enjoy your sins in moderation. We all like things that are not healthy, I am no exception. I am a chocaholic. I bet you are laughing now, but I can tell you, I can consume 1000 kcal in 20 min without even noticing it. I just don’t buy it anymore but if you cannot go without it, then plan it into your day and only buy as much as you need for that day, not more, because you might find yourself grazing.
Find people who want to achieve similar goals and are all gung-ho about it. Tell the people who drag you down to stop or cut them out of your life. I know it sounds harsh but the most important person in your life should be you. Only if you are happy can you make others happy.
Set yourself a reasonable goal: 1-2 lbs/week fat loss are reasonable, more than that can be unhealthy and unrealistic. You are not on the “Biggest Loser”! It’s not a race, it’s a marathon!
Don’t give up. There will be setbacks. Always get back on track. Try not to have so-called “Cheating Days”. They are usually not days but weeks and people have to recommit over and over again.
Cook your own food (preferred), get on prepared food, or have a personal chef cook it for you. I know you think you don’t have time but you do. Slow-cookers can be awesome! A person eating out consumes on average 240 kcal/day more than a person who cooks themselves.
Drink at least 80-100 ounces of water/day. Flavor it with pure unsweetened lemon/lime juice. Most people consume around 21% of their caloric intake as fluid. Just by cutting that out you can reduce your weight considerably.
Stay the hell away from diet drinks! Diet drinks are associated with obesity. Having one here and there won’t hurt you but don’t make it your main source of fluids in a day.
I know this is a lot to take in, but remember you are what you eat/drink. If you don’t like what you see in the mirror right now then do something about it! Prove to me that you are different, that you can do it, just like my wife. Oh by the way, my wife was okay with me writing this here (I had to make sure because she proof reads my blogs, since my English is not as pristine as I wish it to be).
If you are ready to get your transformation going then let us personal trainers help you! We are 100% committed to your success.
Have a fit and healthy day,
Michael
The wife says: Thank you for your patience and your expertise. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you. Just to echo what you said in your blog, I feel fitter, healthier and, yes, sexier than ever! It was a lot of work but so worth it! Thank you, Honey! 🙂
So I have heard a lot of good things about Omega Sports here in Charlotte from my personal training & boot camp clients. And I finally decided to pay them a visit and let them tell me a little bit more about themselves and what they do. You know me, always trying to find good sources and connections for my clients! Some of them have already used Omega Sports to get a running analysis and followed their recommendations on which shoe would be the best fit.
I thought it might be a good idea to have Adison tell you more about Omega Sports directly and tried my hand at a little impromptu video:
I know where I’m going to get my next pair of running shoes! Not only can I do something for people in need by dropping off my old sneakers but I know that I’ll be in good hands … or feet with my next pair of running shoes.
If you want to know more about Omega Sports visit them at
the Park Road Shopping Center 4271 Park Road Charlotte, NC 28209 or the web @ www.omegasports.net
So, you fell off the wagon. Maybe there was a birthday or a big holiday and you “slacked off” a little and now you cannot get it back on track. It happens to a lot of us, don’t worry about it. Here are some things you can do to get back on that wagon:
Write down and review your goals. If you have pictures of how you would like to look, check them out and imagine yourself successfully losing the weight or achieving your goals!
Make a short-term game plan on how you get back on track–and with short, I mean short. Write down 2-3 things that you are going to implement over the next couple of days! It will give you a feeling of success!
Exercise with the following mind-set: Do more than nothing! Work out for just 10 min, if you feel like more, go ahead. If you don’t feel like more, then you have at least done a little!
Tell your friends and family that you are back on track!
Ask someone to join you on your journey to fitness success!
Find a personal trainer to create a workout for you! Or even better, hire one to motivate and push you on a regular basis!
Go through the events calendar of your local newspaper! You can find awesome activities for little money on the weekends, ranging from boot camps, yoga, to running clubs, etc. They all welcome beginners and they can be great support groups!
Get the food out of the house! Whatever it is that you are dying to eat, where you have trouble controlling yourself, get it out of the house! Instead, if you feel like you need to have some, only buy a little bit of it, so when you eat it, you cannot overeat!
Cook your food and take it with you. Most people who eat out for lunch or dinner eat several hundred calories more in a day than the person who prepares her/his own food.
Keep at it. It is a journey and success does not come over night. There are days it will be more difficult but remember you are making a positive change for yourself, be proud of it and stick with it!
In today’s economy where money is tight, you are still investing in your health and well being. Maybe you even have your own personal trainer. If so, here some ways you can tell if you are getting your money’s worth:
IFYOUR TRAINER…
does not seem focused on your training or is socializing during your training…then he is wasting your money!
does not seem to have a clear plan in mind when it comes to your success…then you are wasting your money!
trains you the way they themselves train. One size fits all doesn’t work for personal training!
does not listen to your needs, pains, aches, etc. …then you are wasting your money and probably getting injured!
does not watch your form, or correct you in any way his lack of knowledge can injure you or at the very least make you give up!
is not motivated at all … he is wasting your money!
constantly shows up late…he is wasting your time and money!
is out of shape…and does not follow his own advice, most likely you are wasting your money!
IF YOU…
are always late … then you are wasting your money!
think that your personal trainer needs to watch you do cardio…then you are wasting your money!
think that you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight just through exercise … then you are wasting your money!
can’t be consistent with your training and eating habits … then you are wasting your money!
push yourself beyond your limits you will get hurt. Let a qualified personal trainer guide you … otherwise you are wasting your money!
don’t get enough sleep every night so that your body can recover… you are wasting your money!
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