You can’t do it.You don’t have what it takes.
It’s impossible for you to lose weight and get
back in shape.

Does hearing that tick you off? You should be if
you’re not. Never let ANYONE tell you that you
can’t do something. But what’s more important than
someone else telling you that you can’t, is
telling yourself you can’t. That should really
make you fume.

Potential is underestimated all the time. Each
time I take a client through a push up test they
moan and groan in the beginning and tell me they
won’t be able to do one push up. Every time,
without fail, they do more than they think they
can.

So why is that? Why do we underestimate
ourselves?

Well, there are many reasons. But we’re very good at
leaving our potential locked up inside us. If we just
unlock that potential (I’ll tell you what the key is in a
minute) we could become so much more. We’d be more
successful. We’d excel in our careers, in our
communities, AND our health and fitness.

But it’s human nature to take the path of least
resistance.

Do you know your own potential? I mean, do you
really know what you’re capable of?

I can tell you with absolute certainty it’s more
than you think.

Just yesterday I was going through my workout
doing tricep extensions. I started with my right
arm and moved to my left, doing 12 reps. I
increased the weight on the second set and did 10
reps. I increased the weight again on my third set
and started extending. My mind began to drift
and by the time I refocused I was on rep 13!
Here I planned to do 8 reps because that was my
“potential”. I was completely wrong! I had the
potential to do more. But my self-imposed limitations
were preventing me.

This is the case with you too. Your mind is very
powerful. And sometimes it does more harm than
good. I call it head trash. Because that’s exactly
what it is.

You have the potential. You just have to unlock
it.

And here’s the key…

The key to unlocking your potential takes three
steps.

1. Decision. This must occur first. Decide comes
from the latin word decidere, meaning ‘to cut off’. You must cut
off all other options. Decide whole-heartedly that you
will lose weight, get in shape, improve your
health, or whatever it is you want to accomplish.
There are times I talk with men and women and
they’re not that uncomfortable with the extra
weight they’re carrying around. If you’re not
disgusted with how you feel or how you look then
it’s likely you won’t cut off everything else. Every
other option. Decide – once and for all – to get your
body and your life back!

2. Commitment. You’ve made the decision. Now you
have to make it stick. And you do this by
commiting. Call it a pinky swear, a promise, or a
vow. Call it what you will. But commit to a
program. Nothing should get in the way of your
commitment. Not sleep, not a rainy day, not even
your coworkers birthday cake.

3. Action. This step is the hardest. This step takes
the most effort. This is getting off your duff and
DOING it. You can think about it, dream about it
and talk about all day long. Till you’re blue in
the face. But nothing, and I mean NOTHING, will
happen until you take action. One of my favorite
quotes is from Dan Kennedy. “Be somebody.
Be somewhere. Do something.” Emphasize the last.

Decision, Commitment, and Action is your key
to unlocking your potential. If you add
accountability and persistence you’ll
exponentially increase your potential. You didn’t gain
weight and fall out of shape overnight. So it will
be hard at first. And it will take some time. But
you CAN do it.

Decide, Commit, and Do.

To your health,

Tim Chudy

P.S. – Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late To Get Your
Body Back! Go here to register for a complimentary
consultation with Fitness Together

P.P.S – Not Ready For A Consultation Yet? No
Problem. Complete the form here and we’ll email you a
complimentary Fitness Information Packet.

Posted under Fitness Tips

I read a lot. And a lot of what I read is on fitness and nutrition.
Recently, I read an article in a  lesser known nutrition newsletter called
Environmental Nutrition. It was on the six biggest
eating mistakes people make when trying to lose
weight. I wanted to share these with you as they
can be helpful to be aware of them whether you
fall victim or not. All with my comments of
course;)

Mistake #1: Going too long without food

A lot of the people I consult with will skip
breakfast or lunch. They don’t understand why
skipping meals still causes them to gain weight.
But the fact is, studies have shown that people
who have lost weight and kept it off eat breakfast
everyday.

The problem is two-fold. First a balanced
breakfast is needed first thing in the morning to
stoke your metabolism. Just as throwing logs on
the fire get it going, so too does breakfast. I
once read that eating a Snickers in the morning is
better than nothing at all! Maybe it’s true.

Secondly, skipping meals throughout the day will
lead to an imbalance in blood sugar and insulin,
and thus cause you to make poor food choices later
on. It’s a vicious cycle that prevents any
possible weight loss.

Mistake #2: Banking Calories

We’ve all done this haven’t we? You have a big
party scheduled tomorrow. And you know they’ll
serve the most delicious desserts! So you just eat
a little less today to ‘even it out’.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it
doesn’t work like that. The calories you save
today almost never equal the calories you’ll
consume at the party tomorrow.

The real way to weight loss is to maintain healthy
eating strategies at the party. Eat a high
protein, low calorie snack ahead of time so you
don’t go to the party hungry, alternate a glass of
water with your alcoholic beverage, and stick to
smaller portions.

The difference is that those strategies work!
Skipping meals before hand only confuses your
metabolism and ultimately does NOT work.

Mistake #3: Skimping on protein

It’s essential. And it can be challenging. But I
have vegetarian and vegan clients that can do it.
So can you!

One study showed that people that started the day
with two eggs consumed 300 calories less during
the day than someone who started the day with a
bagel supplying the same calories as the eggs.

Adequate protein also helps build and maintain
muscle mass. A metabolic enhancing certainty! This
is also why we suggest Cinch meal replacements.
They have added leucine which helps preserve
muscle mass on a weight loss plan.

Mistake #4: Cutting Calories

There is no doubt you can lose weight by cutting
calories. You’ve heard it, ‘less in, more out’.

I’ve dubbed this type of diet ‘The Oprah Nutrition
Cycle’. You will inevitably fall into the classic
yo-yo diet. When calories are restricted to a low
level not only is weight lost, but malnutrition
occurs causing you to ‘fall off’ the diet.
Further, you lose muscle weight (also called
atrophy) which inhibits metabolism. And lastly,
your metabolism slows down thinking that the body
is starving to death! So when you finally crack
mentally and/or emotionally you won’t be able to
handle the calories you once could.

This is a vicious cycle!

Mistake #5: Denying yourself treats

In all my time as a fitness and nutrition coach,
I’ve never suggested someone to deny themselves
something they love. Now, depending on your
current situation and your goals, you may have to
deny yourself a little more than normal. But it’s
not wise to set yourself up for failure.

Most Saturday mornings my dad would bring home
donuts for my siblings and I. I loved it!! It was
my favorite day for breakfast. But we didn’t get
donuts Monday through Thursday. We had to eat
eggs, oatmeal, Raisin Bran, and the other stuff my
parents forced down our throats for breakfast.

It’s ok to enjoy your favorite snacks. Just do so
in moderation and make sure it’s in line with your
goals.

Mistake #6: Taking weekends off

This is similar to banking calories for a big
party or occasion. And it’s sabotaging your
results. Sticking to the plan through the week and
splurging through the entire weekend is setting
you up for failure. If you overeat on Saturday and
Sunday, you’re overeating 29% of the time. It’s
nearly impossible to make up for that during the
week.

Posted under Nutrition Tips