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Fitness BLOG

Does Personal Development Help You Lose Weight?

4/30/2015

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Can personal development accelerate your weight-loss?

Darren Hardy, Publisher of Success Magazine told a story that illustrates this:

“There’s an old Cherokee tale. A grandfather is talking to his grandson and says, “Grandson inside each of us are two wolfs. They are at war with each other and one wolf is a bad wolf. It’s angry, it’s fearful, it’s nasty, it’s lazy. And then there is a good wolf who is giving, and loving, and abundant, and disciplined”

The grandchild looks up at the grandfather and says, “Well which wolf is going to win?”

The grandfather smiles and says, “Whichever you feed”

We have to realize that we have the capacity for both. And for some of us one of these has been fed way too much compared to the other.

Which one have you been feeding? Obviously we all want to aspire to the one but... 


Where Have You Honestly 
Been Playing At?
If you have not been on the right track, use this as an excuse to course correct just like a plane does when it’s not going in the right direction. 

Use this as a new opportunity to recognize you have not been as focused and deliberate about feeding the side of you that is going to give you the body, the energy, the freedom, the vitality that you want. 

When it comes to weight-loss one of the biggest realizations in my life working with hundreds of clients is that it is so much more than knowing the right exercise and nutrition information. It’s by far more than that…


It’s About Developing Ourselves. 
It’s mastering ourselves, mastering our psychology, mastering the parts of ourselves where we do our absolute best work and pushing aside the parts of us that hold us back and do not lead to fulfillment or accomplishment.

Take time today to write out what kind of person would I have to become in order to accomplish my weight-loss or fitness goal? 

Is that person someone who is determined? Passionate? Organized?

 I don’t know what it is for you but what I do know is that if you start living into those qualities you will accelerate the results you have by several fold. 

"The ultimate reason for setting goals is to entice you to become the person it takes to achieve them." -- Jim Rohn

Take That Action Today 
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Are Fruits Stopping You From Losing Weight?

4/29/2015

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This is a question that always comes up. “Should I be eating fruits?” “Are they what is causing me to gain weight?” 

In a previous post I talked about how at any given time something is getting demonized for being the root-problem but over time blame goes to something else. Fruits are no different and unfortunately they are getting blamed quite a bit. 

If you were to look at the nutritional information on fruits you would naturally see more sugars than most vegetables and protein. Most people draw the conclusion from this that they are bad.

This is an incomplete picture though. Foods are NOT just fuel, they cannot just be seen as “x” amount of calories or ‘x’ amount of sugars. They do so much more. They literally impact organs, disease, metabolism in so many ways that a simple nutrition label cannot express!


Fruits Have Been Found To Reduce...

  • Breast Cancer
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Cervical Cancer
  • COPD
  • Colon Cancer
  • Diabetes
  • Gastric Cancer
  • Heart disease
  • Lung Cancer
  • Osteoporosis
  • Pancreatic Cancer
  • Prostate Cancer
  • And much more…

They Also Contain...
  • Phytonutrients 
  • Vitamins
  • Minerals
  • Fiber
  • Antioxidants
  • High percentage of water (great for hydrating the body)
  • Produce alkalinity in the body (more about that here) but basically it becomes is easier to lose weight and build muscle when this happens. 

Here’s the thing
: And I am not alone in this finding. In my experience training hundreds of people from wide ranges of ages and skills..
I Cannot Think Of One Single Time Where The Person’s Limiting Factor to Losing Weight Was Eating Too Much Fruit!

I really can’t. 

The only time I can think where this would be the case is if someone was competing in bodybuilding and had to get extremely lean.  For the rest of us though: the culprit is almost always…

  • Too many poor quality starches
  • Too much processed food
  • Too much alcohol
  • Too much eating out
  • Too many desserts
  • Not moving enough
  • Not doing the “right type” of exercise

Start focusing on the big things. The list above is what we need to be focusing on. The list above once mastered is what will get you crushing your fitness goals. Master those and you are going to be impressed with the results that you get!  

No need to go any deeper until those are mastered. Don’t just take my word for it, go try it for yourself and you will see.  

Here are some fruits that you should be focusing on getting each week. 


Superfood Fruits

  • Tomatoes
  • Mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.)
  • Oranges

Other fruits to consider (And yes these are considered fruits by definition.)

  • Coconut (There are so many amazing benefits from this)
  • Avocado 
  • Cucumber
  • Eggplant
  • Pepper
  • Squash

The other fruits that you know of are by no means “bad for you” but these are where your focus should go when it comes to getting the best. 

Fruits do so much for our body in terms of keeping it healthy and also in terms of keeping us functioning at optimal levels. Do not make the mistake that so many do of thinking they are the enemy. Focus on the things that matter and then go from there.

“Nothing can add more power to your life than concentrating all of your energies on a limited set of targets.” – Nido Qubein


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What You Don't Know About Vitamins

4/26/2015

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It is estimated that 1/3 of the US population takes a multivitamin. Do you know why you are taking it? Better yet, how do you know it's working? 

Most people will just assume that it is. But really, how do you know?

"If you are not assessing, you are guessing" – Gray Cook

There is a lot of truth to that. Unless you are doing regular blood tests or a symptom subsides, it's very difficult to tell if your multi-vitamin is actually doing anything for you. 

In Fact, They Could 
Actually Be Harming You!


There are different types of vitamins, one of which is synthetic. This means that the nutrients were created in a lab using various chemical processes. 

For example, very often, synthetic vitamins will use coal tar to create vitamin B1. 

Let me ask you a question. Do you think that is the same as the vitamin B1 found in Fish, Nuts, or seeds? Do you think we were meant to get vitamin B1 from coal tar? I don't think so...

Vitamin D3 is another one. Manufacturers typically will use wool oil to create it. 

How about Calcium? Many of these supplements use calcium carbonate. You know what that is used for? Creating concrete! 

These are just a small handful of examples, there are many more out there. 

But just for a second let's say you were taking a trustworthy multi-vitamin.  We've all heard the old adage "you are what you eat". Unfortunately research has shown us this is not the case. 


You Are What You Digest!

We assume that the vitamin we are taking gets digested. 

However, each year thousands of pounds of multivitamins are found in sewage. 

That means a multitude of people are just "passing" their multi-vitamin without the body getting any benefit from it. 

Money well spent, right?
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According to the Los Angeles Times, part of this has to do with how the pill is constructed.

“If the pill is compacted too tightly when it is manufactured, or if the coating is too thick, it will pass through your system without dissolving.”* 

So what needs to be done? To start, we need to recognize that now-a-days, every food and supplement company is trying to appear “healthy”. We need to dig deeper than that.  When a vitamin says natural, all that means is that 10% of it comes from natural ingredients. That’s it! Here are some better tests:

1.       Do the ingredient test: Can you pronounce the ingredients? If not, it’s probably not a good choice. 

2.       Look on the label for "Naturally occurring food sources." This will be much more reliable and trustworthy than simply “natural”. 

Now, there are instances where vitamins need to be taken.

If you are pregnant, folic acid is something that you probably need to be taking or if you are anemic an iron supplement is going to be something you do need. These are just a couple examples of times vitamins are essential.

For the rest of us though, maybe we need to shift our focus and start relying on true natural sources of our nutrients instead of hoping that they are safe and that our body is actually getting value from them.


Want To Learn More Nutritional & 
Weight-Loss Secrets?
We have a unique road-map for you to help you get started on your journey, for no cost. 

Request this free special book here. 

In it you’ll learn the biggest myths and the best approaches exercise, nutrition, and lasting change. 

Click Here to Download A The FREE GUIDE
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What You Don't Know About Wheat Grass

4/21/2015

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Have you ever had the pleasure of drinking this dark green concoction called wheat grass? 

If you ask most people they will not give you very good feedback in terms of what it tastes like. Some will say that it tastes like dirt and that’s a nice ways of putting it…

However, despite the pungent taste this is one super supplement that we need to be aware of for a variety of reasons. 

For one, the vast majority of us are not getting enough fruits and vegetables in our diet. The gold-standard is 10 servings  of fruits and vegetables but most of us are nowhere near that… 

We know from research that when we are consuming enough of these it has been shown to...
Reduce Heart Disease, Osteoporosis, Obesity, Stroke, and Many Others Diseases! 
 
Wheat grass and other greens supplements provide us with a way to boost the number of vegetable servings we are getting each day.

There is even more to what wheat grass offers us though
 
For one it provides alkalinity to the body – this is a topic in itself but this is incredibly important for bone density, increasing muscle mass, general health, and weight-loss!

Also contains:

Minerals: It is said that there are 102 minerals in the soil and wheatgrass absorbs 92 of them! These include magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron, and calcium.

Vitamin A – important for bone development and eyesight

Vitamin B – important for the nervous system and digestive system, also for brain health

Vitamin C – important for skin, gums, teeth, muscles, joints

Vitamin E – heart and reproductive health

It also has over 17 different amino acids!


Recommendations 

You can find this supplement at most health food stores. In terms of drinking it you may find at first it’s easiest to just throw into a protein shake. 

Try to drink 1-4 ounces per day. Alternatives to this include the supplement greens plus berry blend (personal favorite). It offers similar benefits but is not quite as strong for flavor.

Give this a try and see how it impacts energy, levels, vitality, and general wellbeing. 
Want to Learn More Strategies for Mastering Nutrition?
We have a unique road-map for you to help you get started on your journey, for no cost. 

Request this free special book here. 

In it you’ll learn the biggest myths and the best approaches exercise, nutrition, and lasting change. 

Click Here to Download A FREE Product
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What You Don't Know About The Willpower Trap

4/17/2015

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Have you had the experience of having your favorite dessert in the house – maybe it was chocolate cake, ice cream, or pumpkin pie?

It was almost as if it was calling your name from across the house. At first we kind of shrug it off but as the day goes on stressors start hitting us and that voice becomes much more influential… Until finally we succumb to having some. 

Being able to delay instant gratification is a powerful skill that we all have to be able to master. Everything on television and the internet is calling our attention to be the instant cure! 

We have become extremely conditioned to believing that...
 We Need Something 
And We Need It Now!
There was a study done by psychologist Walter Mischel that looked at this skill and the impact it has on people.  Imagine as a kid you had to sit in a room and placed right in front of you was a delicious marsh mellow.

The experimenter tells you not to eat it and then leaves the room. You think he is going to be back but he doesn’t return for fifteen minutes!

Are you able to fight the urge?

What they found was about 1/3 of the children could resist and 2/3 would succumb to eating it.

This was a test of the child’s ability to delay gratification.

Here’s where it gets interesting: They followed these kids over the years and found that the ones that were able to delay gratification were later in life happier, promoted more, scored better on testing, and had better relationships compared to the ones who weren’t able to.

One Test Predicted A Lot!
There’s a problem though: People will say that it was simply a difference in willpower. 

It’s a similar conclusion a lot of people draw about why they cant’ stick to a diet or an exercise program. 

“I just don’t have the willpower” 

What if there was something more to it though?

In a follow up study they had the same setup as the previous one but this time the kids were taught a distraction technique. The kids were taught to simply turn away from the marsh mellow and begin mouthing words to a story. 

The Result?

50% more kids were able to delay gratification when that happened! 

This game is not one of simply willpower. It’s easy for us to start believing that but there is so much more going on. 

It’s about learning a multitude of skills including coping techniques, identifying hunger cues, motivation, breaking habits, and adapting new ones.  It’s those skills that if we begin to master, will allow us to stay on track more and be better equipped for cravings hit. 
Want to Learn Some of 
These Skills and More?
We have a unique road-map for you to help you get started on your journey, for no cost. 

Request this free special book here. 

In it you’ll learn the biggest myths and the best approaches exercise, nutrition, and lasting change. 

Click Here to Download A FREE Product
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  • What We Do
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    • Movement Articles
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    • Healthy Hips and Knees
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    • Fitness Motivation
  • Blog
  • Contact