Summer "Miracles"

Summer is approaching as we all know....most of us are thinking it is time to shed some weight for beach body season.

However, the approach of attack is vital.  Don't let those eye appealing, sounds amazing fad diets draw you in.  It will only be a temporary fix, it will probably ignite starvation, and it is not sustainable.

Instead, DO THIS.  I will explain this to you with basic terms and little to no nutrition jargon.

Calculate your BMR.
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

This will give you a certain number. That number is very important.  This number is what your body would burn in a coma.  Easy so far right?  Plug in your stats and get your BMR.

Once you have your BMR, I want you to subtract 300-500 from your original BMR. 
For example,    1900  (original BMR)
                       -   500
                    __________
                          1400 

Whatever that number is say 1400 in this case, is the amount of calories you can consume in one day.  If you go over, you will get nowhere. By the end of one week, you will shed a pound.  By the end of two weeks, you will shed another pound. And so on.  

HERE is what most people, fail to do.  This is crucial.

We all heard of Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrates.  Most of you think eating fat will make you fat. WRONG. Get that nonsense out of your head now.  Most people will eat 1400 calories and disregard fat, protein, and carbohydrates.  (and say i ate 1400 calories today!) good, but not good.  Were those 1400 calories mostly carbs, little fat, and little protein?

Fat, Protein, Carbohydrates make up your calories.


Fat: 1 gram = 9 calories
Protein: 1 gram = 4 calories
Carbohydrates: 1 gram = 4 calories

ohhhhhh, okay now i'm starting to understand. Good. 

Calories are needed to provide energy so the body functions properly. The number of calories in a food depends on the amount of energy the food provides. The number of calories a person needs depends on age, height, weight, gender, and activity level. People who consume more calories than they burn off in normal daily activity or during exercise are more likely to be overweight.  

 Next step.  This step will make or break your diet. 

TRACKING YOUR CALORIES (FAT, PROTEIN, CARBS)
Log into myfitnesspal.com and make your own account. It will ask for information and you will provide basic stats, the calories you want to eat per day, and so on. Remember to give them your BMR - (300-500).   


Then you will customize your protein, carbs, and fat numbers. 


Protein: 1 lb bodyweight/ gram.  if you weigh 120lbs, you will eat 120 g of protein. 
Fat:  .45-.5 bodyweight/grams.   if you weight 120lbs, you will eat 55-60 g of fat.
Carbs: THE REMAINDER LEFT WILL BE YOUR GRAMS OF CARBS PER DAY. 

THIS WILL WORK.  IT IS BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF NUTRITION. ENERGY IN VS ENERGY OUT. 


you can eat essentially whatever you want.!  yes, you  don't have to eat rabbit food and eating too much yogurt because you think yogurt is good for you might make you go over your carbs for the day.  

Hit your daily goals in PROTEIN, FAT, and CARBS.  Do not go over.  And track everything you eat. 

Only use this tool for tracking purposes. DO not input your exercise.  Why would you want to eat back what you burned on the treadmill? 




Easy, right?  

Some of you might be shocked when you start tracking and see that last week your breakfast was 800 calories and you would have no more carbs to eat because you ate them all at breakfast.  

This will prohibit that from happening.  Choose wisely what you want to eat.  Stick with real food.  Foods that grow from the ground/ animals. 

Chicken
Beef
Eggs
Vegetables
Tunafish
Brown Rice
Oatmeal 

However, you are not limited to those foods.  If you want to eat 'more' those foods will allow that.  But you can go eat a cheeseburger from mcdonalds. If it fits into your Macronutrients (FAT, CARB, PROTEIN) then chow down.  But that will just give you "less" to eat.  Because of the high content of fat.  


Now, as far as exercise...

Cardio: moderate speed 30-40 minutes 4x week. you don't have to run a 6 minute mile.

Weights: Please refrain from 5lb dumbbells. Research a weightlifting program that is desirable for you. Don't be afraid to lift. 

Jamie Eastons  Live Fit 12-week trainer might be a good starting place.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-easons-livefit-introduction.html


depending on how familiar you are with lifting.  if you are new, you don't have an excuse.


It is one hour out of your day.  It is one hour out of your day. It is one hour out of your day. It is one hour out of your day.  It is one hour out of your day. It is one hour out of your day. It is one hour out of your day.  It is one hour out of your day. It is one hour out of your day.








AND YOU'LL NEVER GO BACK.  





 

Saying it vs. Doing it

Questions like where should I begin? What should I be doing? How do I get that body? What should I eat? probably all sound familiar to you at some point...but the real question is DID YOU GO AHEAD AND DO IT?

saying something and actually doing it are two completely different things... especially in the world of fitness and nutrition.  For instance, lets say you play golf and you are telling all your buddies, "I shot an 80."  Great, if you actually shot an 80.  Cool, that is believable. Wow, that's awesome.  Whether or not you shot an 80, there is no proof unless you were on the links with that individual.

However, saying you are lifting, nutrition is in check, you are tracking calories and you are gung-ho about this workout routine...but you  are not seeing results. Are you actually doing, what you are saying you are doing?  See the difference.  You can not lie. Ultimately, you are cheating yourself.  Are you eating that extra scoop of peanut butter and saying "oh it's just one scoop," and you are failing to track it?   Does your work out routine look great on paper, but you are not getting to the gym?  The truth is, you have to want it.  You can't cheat yourself.  People who claim they are working out for a couple months and are not making any progress are the people who need to take a step back and actually ask themselves, am I doing everything that I am suppose to be doing. Chances are they aren't.  Chances are they think they are in the "groove" but when you miss 3 work outs in a week and cheat on your meals every weekend but you are SUPER STRICT  during the week.....guess what? You failed.  You will never see/ make any noticeable progress.

 MEAN WHAT YOU SAY.  DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU ARE GOING TO DO. SEE IT THROUGH.

• Commitment: How bad do you want it?  IF WE CANT COMMIT TO OURSELVES, what can we commit to?
• Set a goal: Make today valuable- pick a future date. (run a marathon, transformation contest, wedding) AND SAY at this date I WILL BE WHERE I WANT TO BE.
• Track Your Calories: myfitnesspal.com
• Track Your Progress: take a notebook with you to the gym and jot down your progress/take pictures. SEE THE RESULTS, it will keep you motivated. 
• Get a work out partner: motivation, pushes you harder, gives you advice. Feed off each other.
•  New Environment: Mental outlook change.  New gym, new pair of running sneakers, new outfit, new workout routine. Switch it up.   

THE PROBABLY ONLY THING WE HAVE FULL CONTROL OVER IS OUR BODIES. TAKE CONTROL. BE CONSCIOUS ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE INGESTING IN YOUR MOUTH.   YOU WILL START TO SEE TRANSFORMATION. DON'T GIVE UP. DON'T CHEAT YOURSELF.  IF YOU CHEAT YOURSELF, WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT YOU?  DON'T BE THE WEAK. PACE YOURSELF.  SEE RESULTS. TAKE A HONEST LOOK AT YOURSELF. CREATE THE NEW YOU.  NOW.

HAVE BALANCE. HAVE DISCIPLINE.

What is Your Motivation?

what has motivated others, maybe can motivate you or keep you motivated.  Once you've lost motivation, you've lost the desire to succeed.

• You hit the gym 3/5/6 times a week, constantly hitting it as hard as you can. Constantly striving to get bigger, faster, stronger. It's always on your mind, everything you do you do it because you want it so bad.

YOU ARE THE CREATOR OF YOUR OWN DESTINY

Mind is everything, achieve a strong mind and you WILL achieve a strong body

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"for me, its the guy next to me trying to lift heavier, train harder and get more gains than me, its that guy who motivates me to push myself further"

"when i wake up and see that i have made changes,but still crave more thats what really makes me wanna go to the gym"

"knowing that things could be a whole lot worse!"

"time-the fact that if i miss a workout, then its gonna take that extra time to get where i want to be"

"Knowing there's someone out there trying to be better than me"

"Knowing that in the end I'll look better, be in better shape, and be stronger."

"i just lost a friend that was in horrible health, so i'm doing everything i do so i can live a long time."

"My motivation is that time is running out"

"For me my tomorrows are getting smaller (in the sporting sense) and i want to give it my all."

"That's a pretty wide question, but for me, its easy to answer. I find something I want, and do whats needed to achieve that goal. It may be something small, or a large long term goal. Either way, I figure out what is needed to accomplish it, and put the steps in motion."

"Other peoples doubt in me "

"I think of who I was, then I think of who I am, then think of what I want to be. there should always be an incline between the 3, and there is always something you can improve on, whether in work, education, your body, your personal accomplishments, your personal attitude and traits. I stay motivated because I dont allow myself to be content."

"Being better tomorrow than I am today"

"what motivates me is the desire for being different."

"what motivates me is my attitude. become aware of what you can improve in yourself. wake up every morning and say, today, i am going to fix this, this and this. DO IT."


"I missed out on so many opportunities because I was/am fat. Whether I was honestly unable to take advantage, or if I was too scared from lack of self-esteem doesn't matter. I got sick of missing out. If I can't take advantage of an opportunity now, I know that I will be able to soon and others will come."

"Knowing that there are thousands of young people who have lost limbs or now have other physical limitations that prevent them from doing what I am able."

"To achieve a strong body, one must have a strong mind."

"There's a 22 year old out there right now praying to God that he would be able just to walk again. Get up and use what you've been given."

"Simple - Nobody's gonna do it for me, and as much as I like to sit around thinking of how much I can achieve, it's not happening on it's own"

" looking at other's at the gym isnt going to help me any, i have to squeeze my own muscle"

"to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift"

"Remembering where I came from, and the hell of a journey I've gone through. There was no certainty when I started, no guaranteed results, just desire"

"You make your own life, you make every single one of your decision. If you are making excuses for something you did, you aren't living in reality. At one point you consciously made the decision, whether you like it or not, to act or not act. Start taking responsibility for your own thoughts and control your mind, don't let it control you. The mind is way more powerful than any of your muscle could ever be developed. You can measure how powerful certain muscles are like how much you bench, squat, curl... you can put an exact number on it. Our brains cannot... our mind is beyond powerful measure.

Think about the capabilities it has... REALLY think about it. YOUR brain controls your whole body, when you want to walk, you tell your legs to move... one foot in front of the other. You brain controls EVERY SINGLE ASPECT of your body: body temperature, heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, processes your sights, sounds, tastes, feelings and smells. It gives us the power to dream, to visualize things.

Most people do not realize or fully appreciate their brain. Conquering your brain will allow your body to do what you tell it. What do I mean by conquering it? Having the ability to control your thoughts 100%. Having the confidence in your actions, to not second guess yourself. Having the determination and perseverance to achieve your goals, despite facing great adversity. Having the burning fire inside you to not give up when you get knocked down 9 times, you stand up 10 times. You will face obstacles. You will face difficulties. It is our biggest struggles, tests of our true selves and ability, that you will grow to someone you weren't before.

To keep moving forward (towards the person you want to be), you must keep forcing yourself forward... IF YOU DONT BELIEVE ME it is defined in physics, by the law of inertia (Newtons First Law) "An object at rest will stay at rest, forever, as long as nothing pushes or pulls on it. An object in motion will stay in motion, traveling in a straight line, forever, until something pushes or pulls on it." Everything in this world is working against you. Everyone wants to tell me what I can't do. Everything that isn't helping you move forward are distractions (AKA OPPOSING FORCES). These things, no matter what they may be, are trying to hold you back. They are the friction slowing us down, preventing us from remaining in motion.

So what am I trying to say? The key to success is having the right frame of mind. That is the single most important factor that will determine your success. If you can have the mindset that "failure is not an option" and you will do anything to win, no matter what the consequences, then you will succeed. Winning, being the CHAMPION, is not a one time effort, but rather a culmination of your best efforts consistently."


Keeping the Fire Alive

http://vimeo.com/19304556

     NOW GET UP AND DO SOMETHING.

you don't want to lose weight

 what has been said about weight loss vs. fat loss


Lose Fat, Not Weight.

It isn't weight most men want to lose, but bodyfat. What's the difference you ask? The difference is that managing your calories and exercising for weight loss is not the same thing as managing your calories and exercising for fat loss.

Go into it with the idea that all you want to do is lose weight and it's entirely possible to start off at 30% bodyfat, lose 20 pounds and still end up with your 30% bodyfat. What's more, you won't have developed the nutritional skills to keep the fat from accumulating.

  Most "rebounds" in weight are due to exactly that: people concentrating on losing weight, not bodyfat. Losing bodyfat is a lot more challenging and the folks who succeed at it tend to stick with it, whereas the folks who just cared about losing weight, usually end up putting the weight back on.

Working to lose bodyfat may not leave you looking like a bodybuilder, but it's a far healthier objective than blindly setting out to lose weight, only to discover that all you did was burn off what little muscle you had.

My advice is to grasp the difference and develop a nutrition and exercise plan that will eliminate bodyfat without sacrificing all your muscle.


take this two fellows.

• both are five foot eleven inches and both weigh 220 in these photos

pink dumbbells

what has been said about pink dumbbells, misconceptions about lifting heavy, and women who lift...

pink dumbbells = light weight. 

"the weights women use because they don't want to be too muscular. weights used by cardio queens who don't lift often or regularly, and when they do "lift" they use the "little pink dumbbells" often found in the "girl" part of the gym. they are light weight and brightly colored and made to appeal to females who want to lift something pretty and look pretty while doing it. women who want to "tone" use these.

women are still being told even by personal trainers to lift light. women are told they will get big muscles if they lift heavy. the majority of women are ignorant, largely due to the large amount of crap and misleading info out there and the fact most personal trainers don't know their butt from their elbow. girls in the gym don't know any better and haven't had the proper training. many women aspire to look like the models in magazines, Victoria's secret etc. they have no muscle whatsoever and therefore, thier goal is to stay 'small'. women think if they lift heavy, they'll bulk up and look "big".

people automatically assume these women are scared of getting bulky and are falling victim to a myth. Nobody ever seems to consider that light weight is all these women CAN lift. Not every woman using light weights is an ignorant lifter, she may just be weak. the majority of women don’t like the look of muscle on themselves or others. the majority of women feel that men prefer the lack of look of muscle on the body. the majority felt that Jessica Biel and Hilary Swank (in MDB) define “bulky.” the majority of the women expressed little interest in lifting weight, even if it didn’t result in a “bulking” effect. a large majority of women would rather be too thin than either too fat or too muscular. more women choose to be fat over muscular. based on the actress looks, women prefer softer and trim over too lean or too muscular."
 
Why should women lift weights?

muscle is hot. most female celebrities lift weights, and that's how to get the 'toned' look that most of us want. also, muscle burns calories just to sustain itself, so it's easier to keep your weight down if you have more muscle.

I don't want to be a muscle freak

Yeah, neither do I. Luckily, it's not gonna happen. Female bodybuilders (the muscle freaks) got that way by following a specific training regime where they:

1. Do steroids
2. Eat 5000+ calories a day to put on muscle
3. Have rare genetics that allow them to build so much muscle
4. Have been doing 1 and 2 for at least 5 years



Leave the pink dumbbells in the door jam and lift. (start there, do not stay stay there.)



i promise you and i can not stress it enough, lifting heavy weights will not cause you to look like this.........

if you still don't believe me take a look at this... women can be strong and not look like that.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2XEI2InseCg