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.

Recovering from your workout? Drink this

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As a performance coach, I’m frequently telling my clients what to drink to recover faster from their workout. Your workout is never done. A common misconception is to think that you’re done with your workout once you step out the gym. 

No my friend, you have only worked the outside of your body, but on the inside is where the real workout begins. Once you put the weights down or run that last suicide then comes the regeneration phase. The regeneration phase is when you work to replenish the fluids you lost, stretch the muscles that you strengthened, repair the damage that you’ve caused to your body during your workout or practice. 

This phase is where many people fail horribly. One of the best ways to grow stronger and recover faster from your workouts is the use of chocolate milk. Drinking chocolate milk after a workout has numerous benefits. One is replenishing your body with much needed amino acids and carbs. 

It is easy to digest and is easily transported through the body, repairs damaged muscles faster, and on top of that, who doesn’t love a cold glass of chocolate milk? Who knew something so good as child would be so helpful in the athletic development of our athletes. 

I love to make smoothies out of chocolate milk myself. To get the most of your workout try this delicious smoothie made full of muscle growing, performance enhancing nutrients. 

1 cup of low or non-fat chocolate milk 

1 scoop of Prograde Workout recovery powder (found at www.capstone-performance.getprograde.com 

1 teaspoon of unflavored, pure creatine monohydrate 

1 small banana 

1 cup of frozen strawberries 

1 tablespoon of flax seed powder 

Ice 

You want to make sure you go through the entire regeneration process which is as follows: 

1. Utilize a foam roll to improve muscle tissue quality. Found at any sporting goods store or www.performbetter.com 

2. Stretch your tight muscles. Many people don’t do very well in this area. I most I see people do is attempt to touch their toes or some funky hip rocking and thats all. Spend five minutes stretching only your problem areas. Many people could avoid a lot of joint/muscular pain if they improved their flexibility 

3. Drink a recovery shake. Use the recipe above and watch your fat loss decrease, your lean muscle increase, and your performance soar to new heights. 

We have to do better  if improving our fitness and athletic performance is important to us and one organization leading the charge is the Got Milk?Refuel America campaign. If you ever seen the commercials with the “Got Milk” slogan then you know that the campaign promote milk and it’s benefits for a variety of reasons. The purpose of the Refuel America campaign is to recognize coaches who promote the value drinking chocolate milk as part of their athletes recovery. I myself am a huge advocate as well. 

The Refuel America representatives, along with basketball legend and former Los Angeles star A.C. Green will be coming to Antelope Valley High School on September 30 from 1045-1145am to present an award to football and women’s basketball coach Marcus Williams. Please note that this event is not open to the public, but it’s important for any coach, parent of an athlete, or fitness enthusiast to know about this campaign. 

 I for one, am particularly excited about this as I am a supporter of anyone or any group who promotes better recovery of young athletes and fitness enthusiasts.  I am all for proper recovery and proper nutrition; through this many injuries can be reduced and athletic careers are enhanced. 

Got Milk, anyone? 

For more info about the Got Milk?Refuel America program check them out at www.bodybymilk.com. 

GOT MILK? CAMPAIGN TO HONOR DESERVING COACH AT ANTELOPE VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL USAB Legend A.C. Green In Lancaster, CA to Recognize Coach Marcus Williams for Instilling Positive Post-Exercise Nutrition Habits Among His Student Athletes         

WHAT:   A.C. Green will visit Antelope Valley High School, on September 30, 2010 to host a school rally to honor Coach Marcus Williams for his outstanding efforts in teaching student athletes about the benefits of post-exercise nutrition. Coach Marcus Williams will be presented with a Refuel Grant worth $1,000 to help further efforts at Antelope Valley High School to teach the benefits of exercise and nutrition.    The Refuel Grant program, sponsored by the “got milk?” Campaign, recognizes coaches who’ve changed their team’s recovery game plan to include lowfat chocolate milk to help give teen athletes the competitive edge.  From September through November 2010, coaches, teachers, students and parents can visit http://www.bodybymilk.com/ to nominate secondary schools that refuel their athletes with chocolate milk for a chance to receive one of ten $1,000 Refuel Grants.   

WHY:     When it comes to performing at the highest level, an athlete’s post-game recovery routine is just as important as their pre-game prep. Experts suggest there’s a two-hour recovery window after a game or workout—the best time to refuel and rehydrate your body to keep it in top shape and help you get back in the game.  Lowfat chocolate milk contains a mix of carbs and protein to refuel and repair muscles, fluids to rehydrate and electrolytes, including calcium, potassium and magnesium, to replenish what is lost in sweat and has the added bonus of bone-building nutrients like calcium.     

  FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information, log on to bodybymilk.com   Media Inquiries Contact: Anna Hellgeth, ahellgeth@webershandwick.com, Direct: 312-988-2083, Cell: 847-927-5767 

Air Force Implements New Fitness Requirements; Top Antelope Valley Personal Trainer Extends A Helping Hand

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As a personal trainer and former airman himself, Ron Kusek knows the value of a great fitness program.
He commends the evolution in the culture of fitness in the Air Force and hopes to be of value in helping
other airmen get “combat ready”
Ron Kusek, top personal trainer at Edwards Air Force Base in California applauds the new fitness program
being implemented by the Air Force and commends the evolution of the culture of fitness within the Air
Force as a needed change. Ron Kusek hopes to be of value using his experience as an airman and as a
personal trainer specializing in tactical fitness for military, police, and firefighters.
Ron Kusek truly believes his skill sets can be a valuable asset to an Air Force that gave him what he lacked
as a teenager. “Back when I was growing up, I never knew what I wanted to do. I never felt really good at
anything. Until I enlisted in the Air Force and found my love for fitness and a want to help others,” said
Ron Kusek.
It was then he that he realized the need for change in the structure of fitness programming for the Air
Force. “We should not just be fit, but operationally fit”, Says Ron. Being fit for battle takes on a whole new
meaning, and requires a different approach to fitness. Ron believes being operationally fit includes not just
training for endurance, but total performance should be included. Total performance means training for
strength, flexibility, mobility, speed, power, and agility. Overall health, disease prevention, and injury
prevention are major benefits towards a structured operational fitness program.
In battle, a person must be able to move quickly and swiftly. Individuals must break the idea of just
training muscles and must shift their focus into training movements instead. The better an individual can
move, the more capable that individual will be in completing their mission. They are also less likely to be
injured when their bodies are trained to work together and not isolated as is the case in traditional
bodybuilding programs.
To truly be “Fit to Fight”, total performance, tactical fitness, and anaerobic conditioning should be a
mainstay within the fitness curriculum of the Air Force. 21st century fitness training must go beyond the
traditional means of being fit. No longer is pushups, situps and jogging enough to ensure today’s airmen are
operationally fit to do what is required of them.
Ron Kusek is offering Air Force leadership at Edwards Air Force Base his services and expertise in
providing today’s Air Force with a structured operational fitness program that is efficient, progressive, and
combat specific. It also integrates tactical nutrition plan with a revolutionary fitness program designed to
increase the functional performance, productivity, and decrease injuries, thus making our Airmen ready to
deploy when our country calls.
On September 24, Ron Kusek will be speaking to the 95th Mission Support Group at their Commander’s
Call in regards to developing an operational fitness plan to revolutionize the fitness programming of
Edwards Air Force Base, and hopefully the entire Air Force.
If you would like to speak further in this matter, Ron Kusek can be reached by email at
capstoneperformance@verizon.net or through his website at www.capstonefitnessgroup.com

The State of Fitness in the Antelope Valley

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Local Antelope Valley fitness pro and creator of the Lean & Sexy Ladies Fitcamp Ron Kusek speaks on fitness and the one thing  that has plagued Antelope Valley residents and lets them know how to get lean for life!

As a fitness pro, I spend a lot of time talking to my clients about self sabotage. Self-sabotage has got to be one of the worst things people do to themselves when it comes to getting into ultimate shape. We give in to our temptations with no regard to what it will do to our body, but then we scratch our heads when we gain five pounds.

We give to the donuts sitting in the break room at work. We give to the ice cream our significant other has brought home. We give in to the sweets, the soft drinks, and the high calorie meals at the fast food and sit down restaurants on a daily basis, but we still scratch our heads when we gain ugly fat.

We want the weight off, but yet we still eat the foods that have made overweight and obese. We want to look good, but yet we don’t want to sacrifice our comfort foods in return. We want a great body, a healthy body, but yet we do things that deter us from being healthy, and looking great.

Have you ever asked yourself why? Why do you continously stop yourself from reaching your goals? What can you do stop jumping on the merry-go-round and move forward in reaching your fitness goals?

Here’s my top 2 tips on getting fit and staying fit.

  1. Change Your Mentality on Fitness- Think of fitness as a journey and not a destination. Don’t treat being fit as something you do before a wedding or a cruise. Waiting two months before an event then doing a crash diet and burning yourself out with exercise is only going to make you miserable, and possibly injured. Make fitness a part of your lifestyle if you want to live longer and happier.
  2. Good Nutrition Can Save Your Life- By eating foods that you are supposed eat; things that were made from the soil of the Earth and not in a factory or a lab can improve your health drastically. Focus on eating a colorful diet full of a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins sources. Each food source has different nutrients that serve a specific function to the body. So don’t be a picky eater. Every person that I have met who didn’t like vegetables or didn’t like one thing or another has always been overweight.

Has anything I said hit home? Take a good look at yourself and your life and make the necessary changes so you can look great, feel great, and live a great life.

Grocery Store Tour slated for Sept 19th at Trader Joe's in Palmdale,Ca

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Top Antelope Valley fat loss expert and owner of Capstone Performance & Fitness Ron Kusek is holding a grocery store tour at Trader Joe’s in Palmdale. If you want to lose weight, flatten your tummy, and fit into your skinny jeans then you want to be there.

Slated for September 19th at 9:30am, learn the latest and greatest tips to maximize your weight loss efforts. When it comes to getting into awesome shape, everything starts with the foods you put into your body. Are you doing the right things to kickstart your metabolism into high gear?

Find out what you absolutely need to have in your fridge and in your cabinets, discover the shams and marketing ploys companies use to get you to spend your money.

Why should you be there? Why shouldn’t you? You need to be there if you really care about your health and how you feel. Discover my biggest secrets to success in weight loss.

Mark this down in your calendars right now: September 19th 9:30am at Trader Joe’s on 10st and Rancho Vista Blvd. Trader Joe’s has to be the most awesome place to find the best, most nutritious fat blasting foods around. Come find the highest quality foods money can buy.

Will you be there? I surely hope so. Invite your friends and let’s have a good time.

Oh, and did I mention it was FREE to attend ;)

Your Trusted Fitness Advisor,

Ron Kusek, Certified Tummy Deflator
Capstone Performance & Fitness LLC

The Darkest Hour of Fitness

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