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!