The Power of the Mind vs. Fat Loss

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Get your mind right. Thats the only way to successful fat loss. Too many times people harbor negative thoughts that affect their ability to lose fat. Lack of mind control will leave you feeling weak, unmotivated, and without purpose. You must learn to filter out those negative feelings before they manifest into unhealthy behaviors.

While the benefits of consistent physical exercise are clear, we neglect to exercise our minds. My brother and pastor, Tommy Pickens has spoken about the power of the mind and I was listening to one of his cds this morning about your guarding your mind and it moved me to write to you about it.

I understand what he says about your guarding your mind of negative thoughts. Over the years of being a fitness coach I have worked with many emotional eaters that struggled with excess weight and the common denominator was a weakness of the mind. These people are in a battlefield of knowing that shouldn’t eat as much as they do, but negative thoughts are controlling their behaviors and they are losing the battle miserably. They try exercising, but to no avail, they try dieting, but the weight comes back with a vengeance.

Does this sound familiar?

They allowed every negative thought to lead them into overeating which led them to gaining more weight and this only added to the negative thoughts. Work to guard your mind of negative thoughts & feelings. You’re always going to battle with negative feelings, but you can learn to filter them out and win the battle.

A few ways to filter out negative thoughts is to replace those thoughts with positive feelings of thankfulness, being grateful, and developing a better relationship with God.

You must also cut out other negative people in your life who may reinforce the negative feelings you’re already having. Spend more time with people who are going to lift you up, not bring you down.

Wake up each day with the purpose to succeed in all you do. Yes, things won’t be perfect, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be insistent on achieving your purpose. Learn to outweigh the negative feelings in your mind with positive thoughts and feelings. If you have a bad day at work, remember there is always something worse that could be happening. If you have lost a loved one or in the process of losing a loved one you should be celebrating the life they had, not mourning the life that is gone. When turmoil is all around you, don’t surrender.

Continue to fight.

When you win the battle of the mind, you will win the battle of fat loss

P.S. I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Is this familiar to your situation? What do you think? Please leave a comment, I would surely appreciate it.

Also, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter on the website homepage.

Advanced Training Series: Bodyweight Cardio/Core Circuit for Fat Loss

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Want to burn off some extra fat before summer?

Of course you do!

Well, check out this new video series of some Lean & Sexy Fitcampers doing a circuit of Lunge Runs and Incline Planks with an Arm Lift. This will help you burn a ton of calories as well as tighten your legs, abs, and arms. We did ten seconds of work with 5 seconds of rest between each exercise.

Use it as a finisher after a weight lifting workout or early in the morning for a quick metabolic boost.

Bodyweight Cardio/Core Circuit for Fat Loss

 

Amazing Body, Amazing Life!

 

Ron

The New Laws of Fat Loss for 2011

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Hi everybody, I hope you’ve had a great start to the new year. I’m sure a lot of you have renewed motivation into losing weight and getting into the best shape of life (finally, right?) and I have high hopes that you’ll succeed where you and others have failed in past. No more starting then stopping your fitness plan. It seems like every time you feel ready to get to work on shedding off the excess blubber something (or somebody) wants to throw a monkey wrench into your game plan, doesn’t it?  

But what I say you should do is persevere anyway; obstacles will always be there, it’s just a part of life. Plenty of things will stand in the way but only if you allow it to control your health. You are more powerful than you think. You have more control than you think.  

It’s time you realize that.

I challenge you to persevere through it all; loved ones being sick, stress on the job, finding time to exercise, etc. These are all things you should want to push through.   The past few years have been rough for a lot of people, but I believe that through positivity, support, and great health amazing things can happen. I believe that a positive mindset is contagious.   When people see you pushing past your own obstacles and making great things happen despite the roadblocks in front of you, they will follow suit. And since losing fat and transforming physiques is my specialty here are the laws that you need to set in place for your life in order to see the results you’ve been searching for.  

1. Have a positive mindset- This has to be number one. Look at your life and ask yourself what negative behaviors are creating obstacles that could be prevented. For example, stress eating is common cause of obesity and other health related issues, but it is preventable.

 If stress eating is a problem for you then try enforcing more positive behaviors like going for walk, prayer, reading a book.   Just do something that will allow you to relax. One thing I do know is that a negative mindset will stop anybody in their tracks from achieving anything. Want a lean physique, or even financial success, remaining positive against the odds will be key.  

It’s good to have a vision of what you want your health outlook to be and how having a leaner physique would improve your lifestyle. So write down what your vision is, then outline what goals you will accomplish to achieve your vision. Then write down the obstacles in your way and your areas of strength that will help you navigate your way through those obstacles.  

Without a a clear picture of what you want, how you’ll get it, and what stands in your way, it will be hard for you to achieve significant fat loss. You may see results, but they will be limited and they will be short lived.    

 2. A Supportive Nutrition System is Key- Without it, all is lost. You cannot out-train a bad diet, I don’t care how much you exercise. Achieving a lean body is next to impossible you believe you can eat whatever you want and expect to still lose weight. I can be the best fitness coach in the world and have the best training programs ever invented and still not be able to help you AT ALL.  

You don’t have to diet. The word “diet” to me just has too many negative connotations that come along with it. That’s why I prefer to use “supportive nutrition”, eating supportively just sounds for positive and healthier to follow. To eat supportively means giving your body what needs to live and function properly. I associate dieting with the word “restrictive” or “to go without”,   So eat supportively whatever your goal is, whether it be losing 20 pounds of fat (maybe more), or gaining lean muscle. The main principles of eating supportively are these:  

  • If you can’t grow it, kill it, or pick it, it shouldn’t be eaten
  • Anything that has to be processed with tons of unpronounceable ingredients is most likely bad for you
  • Eat more carbs around the time you are likely to be active. Today’s sedentary lifestyles just don’t allow us to eat carbs in excess and still lose weight.
  • Eating after 6 o’clock will not make you fat, over-eating will. If you’re hungry at 8pm then eat something, just keep the meal light. A piece of fruit, a protein shake, a colorful salad with light dressing are all great options to keep you full throughout the night
  • Food additives are horrible, so are preservatives and pesticides. Stay away from these as much as possible
  • Drink nothing but water throughout the day and nothing else (with the exception of green tea). Liquid calories are usually empty calories and empty calories are usually fat calories. Water in it’s purest form is the greatest thing for you, not vitamin water or anything else these companies try to past as healthy.
  • Eat more often for greater fat loss, at least 4-5 meals a day every 3-4 hours for an elevated metabolism and rapid fat loss.
  • Stop eating the same fruits and vegetables. Switch it up and a rainbow of colorful fruits and veggies. Each fruit or veggies has different, but significant nutrients that another will not provide, so being picky about your fruits and veggies is just a bad choice.  Keep a plethora of organic produce available for your consumption. The weight scale will thank you.

3. Logging in long hours of cardio is not the answer to fat loss. While low intensity cardio is certainly great for improving your health and reducing stress, is does not, however, do very well for reducing body fat. You’ll achieve more success in reducing excess body fat by doing shorter higher intensity cardio sessions at least 2-3 times a week. Try doing 15-30 minutes of 30 seconds of high intensity cardio work followed by 60 seconds of active recovery for the best results in reducing body fat and losing inches.  

4. Metabolic Resistance Training is magic for reducing body fat. You can’t create a leaner physique without some form of lean muscle training in place. MRT creates and afterburn effect which is technically called EPOC which stands for Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption. It is defined as the recovery of the metabolic rate back to pre-exercise levels. It’s like a fan in an automobile that doesn’t shut off right away after a long drive. It takes time for your body to recover from a hard workout, which means that after an intense workout, you’ll be still burning calories long after your workout is done.

In contrast, light workouts do not produce EPOC so once your done with your workout so is your body.   It order to accelerate fat loss you really want to produce the “afterburn effect”, otherwise you’ll be spinning your wheels, but not going any where. EPOC is great for fat loss, you’ll be burning calories for days after a good workout, combined with some high intensity cardio, a supportive nutrition plan, and a positive mindset, achieving your fitness goals in 2011 is very possible!  

Please let me know what you think by placing a comment. Is there anything you would add to the list? What do you feel helps you? I’m always learning and improving and I sure like to know how I can help you achieve your goals this year.

Your Fitness Coach,

Ron

Amazing Life! Amazing Body! Dedicated to those who want a fitness program that will add value, quality, and happiness to their lives. Results Guaranteed!

To Be Fit or Not to Be…That is the Question

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To be fit, or not to be fit. What does that mean? People struggle day in and day out with losing weight or improving their performance in sport.  It doesn’t have to be that way though.

To be truly fit requires motivation, persistence, and positive thoughts, even when you don’t feel like being motivated, positive or persistent. That’s what separates those who get results and the people who don’t.

I cannot stress enough how important positive thinking is to your results. Think about it for a second, call yourself a pig long enough and you’ll find yourself eating like one. Keep telling yourself that you’re ugly, fat, and disgusting and I’ll bet my life that your actions will become that of a ugly, fat and disgusting person.

On the other hand, fit people may have bad days, but it will never effect their thinking. They’ll say, “I’ve had the worst day today, but you know what? Tomorrow will be phenomenal!” Even during turmoil, fit people don’t allow their health to be affected. This is because they know that if they allow their health to falter they are of no good to anyone.

Fit people are not born with this trait; this trait of persistance, motivation for success, and positive thinking is trained every day.We hone this these traits as if it were a skill, much like a sniper who must hit their target with just one shot. Much like exercise for the body you must train your mind ten times as much.

A strong mind equates to a strong body. Without a strong mind, without mental fitness, your physical fitness will most definitely suffer. This is because weaker minded people are more likely to cancel sessions in the gym. They are more likely to be emotional eaters, turning to food in any stressful situation.

Negative thoughts lead to negative behaviors. My friend, I implore you to change this. Change your way of thinking, find ways to overcome stress, grief and out of control emotions. You will thank yourself for it and your body will thank you as well.

Don’t train your mind with reinforced negative behaviors. Don’t be stuck in body that feels like a trap. When you’re overweight or obese, things always look more gloomy than what appears. You must continue to fight even when you feel like giving up on it all.

You cannot fail yourself. Wake up everyday not looking forward to what horrible things can happen, but look forward to how you can touch somebody’s life that day. Train yourself to look forward to your training sessions. You must feed your subconscious mind with positive affirmations every day.

Every day you must tell yourself that I’m the best, that no one will stop you from reaching the gym. No one can stop you from having a smile on your face. Tell yourself that I will be lean, I will have a flat stomach, and I will eat healthy every day. Say to yourself that the person I see before me is not who I really am. Tell yourself that I am not overweight, I am not disgusting, I am not a ugly, fat pig.

My friend, you are better than what you think. Now you must go out and prove it to yourself. Train your mind and the body will follow.

Yours in Fitness,

Ron Kusek

3 Fruits and Veggies Tips (Important)

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Fruits & Veggies.... Are you getting enough?

It’s recommended that we eat 6-10 fruits and vegetables a day. Here in the States it is reported the actual average of fruits and veggies eaten each day is just 2.

Yup, just 2.

Now, I don’t know where you stand on this, but overall, it really is a sad state of nutritional affairs.

But do not despair! It’s not that tough to get more fruits and veggies in each day.

Here are some super simple tips to get you started:

1) Buy ‘em pre-chopped

Look, I can be lazy, too ;-) There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to go through the hassle of having to chop up fruits and veggies. If you want to buy them pre-chopped go ahead. It’s much better for you than not eating them.

2) Carry ‘em with you

Load up a plastic baggie with your pre-chopped veggies and bring them to work. Seriously, see how easy this can be!

3) Add real fruit to your yogurt

Have some yogurt for breakfast and add some fresh blueberries, raspberries or blackberries. It’s that simple!

Bonus tip: A great way to provide your body with the nutritional foundation you need each day is a Whole Foods based multi-vitamin. I’m a proud Prograde Nutrition partner and they have a terrific product called VGF 25+ that is made from 25 veggies, greens and fruits.

The best part is you can try Prograde’s VGF 25+ for FREE! (There’s just a small S & H charge)
http://capstone-performance.getprograde.com/vgf25-free-trial.html

Be sure to use these tips and let me know how they help you out. Or send me some of your own!

Yours in health,

Ron Kusek
PS – You can see all the whole food ingredients they use to make VGF 25+ at http://capstone-performance.getprograde.com/vgf25-free-trial.html

Six Pillars to Great Nutrition and Enhanced Fat Loss

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Losing fat is done by following a system, not a diet. You don’t need to follow every trend that comes out every six months.

There are six simple, but effective rules that will lead you to long lasting happiness and great health.  Do these and getting lean will be easier than it has ever been.

And here they are:

1. Eat five to six meals every day.  some people may think this is blasphemy, but eating small meals allows you to digest your food better, it allows your draw in more nutrients while minimizing fat storage.

Only eating 2-3 meals a day is disasterous on belly fat. I implore you to embrace the more frequent meals every 2-3 hours. Your metabolism will benefit greatly (not to mention your waistline)

2. Eat a reduced carb diet. By reducing your carbs you’ll benefit in lowering your weight very fast.  It’s not that all carbs are bad for you, it’s just that carbs are designed to fuel activity and let’s face it, we not as active as we think we are. Another thing to point out is this; Carbs are your body’s primary fuel source, so eating too many carbs deprives your body of releasing fat as energy source.

By reducing your carb intake to only vegetables, fruits, and some whole grains, you’ll force your body rely on stored fat for energy throughout the day and during exercise, your bodyfat will fall faster than you thought possible.

3. Control your cheat meals. The honest truth is that people cheat more than they realize. So be accountable, don’t be a diet adulterer. Stay faithful to your supportive nutrition plan. Your cheat meals should be a reward, not a right.

If you’re feeling stressed out and need to let off some steam don’t reach for the ice cream. Trying talking to a close friend, go for a walk, or read an interesting book. Don’t rely on food, it’ll just keep you from reaching your goal weight. You must overcome your emotions at all costs. Don’t grieve through food, you’re only going to add to your own sadness by doing this. Emotional eating will trump exercise not matter how hard you work.

When it comes to cheat meals, realize what’s important to you. After a week of eating very well, let your hair down and enjoy a little desert, but don’t ever get out of control. It only takes a few minutes to gain weight and it takes weeks to take back off, so always be vigilant with eating. Don’t sabotage your own success.

4. Eat for nutrition first, taste second. The problem I see with most people is that they are more concerned with the taste of food than what it provides nutritionally. Now, I’m not telling to eat wheat grass and tofu or anything, (unless you like that sort of thing, me, I’ll pass, but that’s just me). But there are ways to make food taste great while avoiding excess calories. Cut out the dressings, the gravy, and all the sauces if you want to continue to see success in losing pounds of fat. Focus more adding herbs and spices to foods for flavor.

One thing I want to note is I eat healthy every day. I have my cheat meal, but I eat healthy, but I don’t eat nasty food. Everything my wife and I make is healthy, but very flavorful. We enjoy our food, but we never put taste over our nutritional needs. It’s very important that keep your eyes on the prize and not whats on your plate.

5. Supplement wisely. Taking certain supplements will make your fitness more successful. I hate all the miracle fat burners and magnificent muscle builders they have out there. The supplement industry has a lot of fakes and frauds out there ready and willing to take your money, but with a smart fitness coach like myself at the ready to point you in the right direction, you’ll have no worries in purchasing the right stuff to help you get in phenomonal shape. For better health I like Kyani and Prograde. These are my favorite go to companies for the healthiest, purest, most bang-for-your-buck supplements you can find in the market today.

The essential supplements you must have are whole food multivitamin complex such as the Kyani Sunrise and Prograde VGF +25, you also need a highly concentrated Omega 3 supplement also made by Kyani and Prograde. The third supplement is a recovery shake made by Prograde called simply “Workout”. These three super supplements will give you what you need to ensure your body is working at optimal function. Taken consistently your health and lean muscle will skyrocket when you train under a high intensity program like mine. You can find more info about these companies and their products at www.kyani.net/capstonenutrition and www.capstone-performance.getprograde.com, respectfully.

6. Minimize excess liquid calories. It’s not just the snickers bars or ice cream that make you pack on the pounds, it’s the soda, alcohol, and fruit juices that expanding your waistline like a balloon. Restrict yourself to green tea  and plain water throughout the day. You’ll perform better in exercise and at work, plus your body function so much better when you’re properly hydrated.

There you have my rambling is over for now. Stay tuned for more great fitness and nutrition tips to make as lean and as sexy as you want to be. If have anything to add please leave a comment below.

Ron, Antelope Valley’s Top Fitness Expert

There Might Be Something VERY Wrong With Your Salmon

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Is it safe to eat?hmmmm....

Salmon is supposed to be “good for you”, right?

It’s one of those foods you look at and say, “I’m going to eat healthy, I think I’ll have the salmon.”
You’ve heard they’re a great source of protein and essential fatty acids.
That’s true.
But trust me, what you’re about to read is very disturbing.
Very.
Before you know it you might be eating a genetically modified fish that’s, well, kinda like salmon, I guess.
I know I won’t be eating it, that’s for sure!
Check out this article to discover the latest bad news about our food supply:
http://capstone-performance.getprograde.com/genetically-modified-salmon.html
And by the way, if you want an ultra-potent and pure source of essential fatty acids, well, my partners over at Prograde have their awesome EFA Icon on sale this week. That and a couple other products, too. Check out the savings at: http://capstone-performance.getprograde.com/specials.html
Yours in health,
Ron Kusek
 
PS – Next week Prograde is releasing their Brand New Chocolate flavor and Orange flavor Prograde Proteins! Stay tuned for details.

–
Amazing Life! Amazing Body! Dedicated to those who want a fitness program that will add value, quality, and happiness to their lives. Results Guaranteed!

Lose Weight Faster With More Sleep

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My partners over at Prograde just put an awesome new article up on their site.

It’s all about the correlation between sleep and quick weight loss.

I really think you’re going to love this one. It’s possible this may be a big problem for you or someone you know.

http://capstone-performance.getprograde.com/lack-of-sleep-stops-quick-weight-loss.html

Yours in health,

Ron Kusek

Ron Kusek, Antelope Valley's Leading Performance & Fat Loss Expert

A Dose of Enthusiasm Helps You Lose Weight

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Dear Friends,

I hope this message reaches you in good spirits. For those of you shaking off the flu right now, I hope you have a quick recovery.

The subject of today is Enthusiasm: Do you have any? When it comes to fitness, you really need a big helping of enthusiasm to maximize your weight and fat loss results.

Those of you who lack enthusiasm will not go very far because all you’re going to do is “wing it” when you exercise, just going through the motions just to say you did something. That my friend, just will not do. How can you expect to lose 30, 40, or 50+ pounds if you don’t feel good about what you’re doing? I can promise you that you won’t lose an inch from your waist if you are not enthusiastic about adopting an active lifestyle. And unless you want to go under the knife, don’t expect to lose 30 pounds in 2-3 months without being excited about what the future holds for you. Focus your efforts on the future and what you could look like if you were motivated, accountable, and enthusiastic about looking better, feeling better, and being fit.

In my professional experience as a fitness coach, my clients who were truly commited, excited, and positive achieved the most. They always lost the most inches, they lost the most amount fat within the shortest amount of time.The others always found better things to do, didn’t eat right because of this or because of that, but at the same time they still wanted to see massive changes.

You have to make a positive change to see a positive change, and you have to stick with the changes to see a positive result. You wanna lose weight? Lose the excuses today; continue to find ways of bettering yourself for the long term. Stop giving in to your negative self-talk. Don’t be discouraged so easy; don’t be made of glass, but be made of stone. Stay strong in your efforts to lose weight, and become healthier. It will pay off for you, but you must give it chance. You owe it to yourself don’t you think?

I think that every single one of you has the opportunity to achieve your greatest body ever. Are you willing to make the necessary sacrifices to achieve your greatest body? What are you willing to give up to lose 20, 30, 40 or more pounds.

Try doing something out of the norm, break out of your comfort zone. To see a difference in your weight, you have to do something different. Your body responds to new stimulus. Are you expanding your mind and body on a continual basis? Or, are you doing same things you’ve always done?

Doing the elliptical for 30 minutes every day at the same speed, with no changes, nothing different is not going to cut it. Walking two miles all the time with no change in pace, speed, or intensity just will not work out, but yet I see people still doing the same things over and over, but are frustrated about their minimal results. I want to see you all successful; you can make this happen. You can achieve with courage, belief, and perserverance

Have a positive mindframe. Do away with negativity. Stop looking for excuses. Focus on the positive at all times. Stop focusing on how hard an exercise is, and starting focusing on what the exercise can do for you. Focus on how an exercise program is going to shape your body. Focus on how you will look in the near future. Focus on buying new clothes because your jeans are too big now. Focus on all the compliments you will receive from the opposite sex, and your close friends and family that love you and want to see you happy with yourself.

Now let’s get enthusiatic and start losing some fat.

The Five Characteristics Fit People Don't Possess

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Hi there, Ron Kusek back again with another great post for you to help you get in the best shape possible in minimal time. Today I’m going to share with you my top 5 traits that will absolutely kill any chances of you getting into the best shape of your life.

These are the worst characteristics you can have and if you recognize any of these in yourself, you had better do everything you can to shake these habits as soon as possible if you aspire to improve your health, self-image, and muscle tone.

My top 5 fitness killers are listed as follows:

  1. The “Denier”- People who are in denial always struggle to lose weight because they can never face the music. They always overestimate their compliance with the exercise and nutrition plan set before them. They’ll never admit to overeating, skipping workouts, or anything else that will force them to accept responsibility for their lack of results. Recognizing where you fail is key to getting fit permanently. Admit where you are wrong and work to change it.
  2. The “Procrastinator”- This one is obvious. These people are always “getting ready” to start something, but can never get around to it. Procrastinators know they are overweight, out of shape, and unhealthy, but always find a reason to not to start their exercise plan. They are dreamers (another bad trait); people who want to be in shape, be attractive and have an extremely awesome body, but they never start anything to reach that goal. They constantly complain about their weight and how they can find clothes that fit, and that they feel so depressed about how they look. The problem is they can never get anything going, it’s always “I’ll start on Monday” or “I’ll start my diet in two weeks”, but when the time comes they have better things  to do. If you want to make changes to your health and appearance you cannot fall into the trap of tomorrow. You’ll be getting heavier and heavier and your self esteemwill continue to dwindle down.
  3. The Follower- Followers allow others to influence them into doing things outside of their best interests. Instead of them worrying about disappointing themselves, they are more worried about what someone will say about them if they don’t follow the crowd. You must be resilient in accomplishing your fitness goals despite what others think. If anybody pressures you into falling off the wagon, they obviously are trying to sabotage you into being overweight and out of shape just like they are. STAY AWAY from saboteurs who want to see others fail.
  4. The Sometimer- The sometimer is totally motivated to start exercise program for all of but two seconds, then they suddenly become disinterested in anything that has to do with fitness. This hot-cold behavior will leave you frustrated, overweight, and just plain sad over time. Find ways to stay motivated and perservere through any of life’s struggles.
  5. The Needy- Needy people can never do things on their own. They always need someone to workout with, and to eat healthy with. As soon as their buddy gives up so do they. They will use the excuse that they don’t have a workout partner as a reason why they are overweight, but you’re not getting in shape for social reasons are you? If you depend on your friends you are in for a tough ride. Find your own internal motivation to continue and if your friend decides they want to give up then that’s fine, you’ll just look that much better when you hang around them. Always stay strong.

I would love to hear your opinion on this article. Please leave a comment about your own personal experiences, be sure to let us know which traits you possess and what you’re doing to break them.

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