I hesitated to title this post with that quote.
I thought you might think that’s me making that
claim. But I assure you I’m not.

I was probably just as shocked as you to see that.
I saw it on the back of a minivan driving into the
studio today. Call Harriette for more details. Or
to tell her she’s blowing smoke!:-)

3 dress sizes in 10 minutes is really what we want
isn’t it? We want immediate results. Our entire
society is built around speed. Everything is
faster. From computers to kids growing up.
It all happens fast.

But fitness results are not. It takes time to lose
weight and get in shape.

One of the most often asked questions I get is,
“How long will it take Tim?” That’s the
question everyone wants to know. But usually it’s
not what you want to hear.

It’s why my finace dislikes fitness. You may know
she’s a chef. She loves planning, preaparing,
and cooking a meal. Lucky me:-) But her final
result is instant. At the end of all that work
her meal is complete. My taste buds are wowed and
there’s a big smile on my face. She see’s the
result.

It’s different with fitness and weight loss.

Your fitness and weigtht loss takes time. A long
time for some. As frustrating as that may be it’s
just the way it is. And I have to continually
remind Joella of it. She’s looking for immediate
results. She expects to change after 2 workouts.
But it just won’t happen.

What are your expecations? I mean, really and
truly, when are you expecting to look and feel
good? One month? Three months? One year?

It’s different for everyone. But I’ll
try and give you a better idea.

When it comes to fitness the body works through 3
phases. Neural, muscular, and lipogenic. (That’s a
fancy word for burning body fat.)

The first phase, neural, is what I like to call
your initial hump. When you start an exercise
program you are in essence adding a stressor to
the body. (Ironically this stressor helps decrease
stress.) In the beginning it’s hard. The weights
feel heavy and wobbly. You sometimes feel akward
and unsure, and overall weak.

As you begin to
workout you actually breakdown your muscle before
you build it. Lactic acid builds up in your
muscles and causes soreness. Ah yes, the dreaded
soreness. Sometimes you find out about muscles you
forgot you had. Or maybe you didn’t even know you
had them! Walking up and down stairs, squatting to
the toilet, and other daily activities can become
gruelsome. This inital hump usually lasts about
two weeks.

The second phase is muscular. After your body gets
past neural and systemic changes you’ll begin to
build muscle. You start to feel stronger. You’ll
notice increases in your energy and your
metabolism starts to raise.

I love this phase. And it always reinforces how
important strength training is for you. Because
lean muscle contributes so much to your body. Your
metabolism increases, your energy stokes, you
start to firm up and notice lines in your arms and
legs. You’re looking and feeling good like you
should!!

With the increase in metabolim and lean muscle
leads you into the last phase. Body fat burning.

This is where it counts. This is when you’re
turning your body into a machine. You metabolize
calories like a well oiled piston. It just
cranks!!(Hence my favorite saying, “Crank it!”)

You use up needed carbs, protein, and fat. Food
becomes fuel to your body. No longer do you eat
just because but it has an entire new meaning!

It takes roughly 12 weeks to go through these
phases. Some may go through them quicker. Some
slower. If you have 40 or 50 pounds to lose, it
will take you longer. If you’re looking to lose
that last 10 pounds you might do it 8 to 10 weeks.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. There’s one more thing.
Your body goes through these phases with one BIG
catch. Your diet! If you’re diet is not supportive
to these phases then you will slow the process.
You can’t out work a bad diet.

Set yourself up for success. Don’t put ‘Lose 3
dress sizes in 10 minutes’ into your mind. It
won’t happen. Give yourself realistic expectations
and set incremental goals along the way. Enjoy the
little victories and you’ll have one BIG victory
at the end.

P.S. Want to lose 3 dresses the right way? There’s
no better, faster way to results than our boot camp.
But don’t take my word for it. Investigate, then decide.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Weight Loss Tips

NBC’s Biggest Loser Finale Analysis

A disclaimer first. I have watched all of 12
minutes of the Biggest Loser. In fact, last night
was the first time I tuned in. So I can’t say that
I have the full story. But…

…I don’t need it. When I get home at night I’m
usually famished. So I go straight to the kitchen
to start dinner. I also use this time to catch up
on the news. Well, as I was flipping to the news
channel I passed NBC. I knew The Biggest Loser was
on because one of our clients was super excited
about the finale. So I watched.

It took all of 12 minutes to make 2 conclusions
about this show. Now, if you’re a fan of the show
I think that’s great. I think this show does a lot
for Americans in regard to motivation,
inspiration, persistence and hard work. Because
there is no doubt that those contestants work
hard.

1st conclusion: Trainer Jillian Taylor

What a poor representation of a personal trainer.
I first laughed out loud watching her. But then I
got a little ticked off. Jillian was standing over
Shay(?), who I believe was the heaviest contestant
to date, yelling at her not to stop her exercise
while asking her personal questions that were
making her cry like a baby trying to fix her past.
This is just not reality. Trainers don’t yell AT
you and we most certainly don’t ask you questions
about your past and try to remove  huge
psychological barriers to losing weight. Bullies
and therapists do that. It’s complete nonsense.

However, we do raise our voice WITH you, and
motivate and encourage you to do more than you
think you’re capable. If I had a dollar for every
time a lady has told me they can’t do a pushup,
I’d be a very rich man. If I had another dollar
for every time a lady tried and did 5 pushups with
a trainer by her side supporting her, then I’d be
a very very rich man.

You see, trainers help pull out the best in you.
That’s why I like to refer to my team as Fitness
Coaches. We don’t yell at you and demean you. We
partner with you. We educate, motivate, and
support you. We coach you through a proven fitness
and nutrition program to get results.

And that leads to my 2nd conclusion: The Doctor

When the doctor stood up to tell Shay about her
medical progress he said one thing that stuck out.
I’ll paraphrase… when we’re in a society that
tells you gastric bypass surgery is the answer,
you have shown that exercising and eating right
works.

Great stuff Doc! That was the one thing I liked
about the show. That doctor reinforced to America
what I’ve been saying for years. Strength
training, cardiovascular training, and supportive
nutrition is THE key to lasting and permanent
weight loss and fitness results. Forget about the
pills. Forget about the diets. And you can
definitely forget about the surgery. The doc also
said there was a 1 in 10 chance you could die from
surgery – yikes!

My advice is watch The Biggest Loser for
motivation and inspiration only. But realize
nothing on that show is reality. Not the trainers,
not the fitness program, and not speed at which
you lose weight.

I’d love to hear your comments about this one. Post them below.

To being a Loser,

Tim

Posted under Fitness Tips, Weight Loss Tips

I’ll go out a limb (a sturdy one) and say you’re going to indulge at some time during the holidays. Don’t worry, this isn’t a guilt trip email. In fact, I too will eat, drink, and be merry!

So at some point you will over indulge. And human nature tells us what happens next. You’ll realize what you’ve done and desire to be better and not do it again. That’s a fact. Once you feel bad, you’ll want to feel good. If you have a beating heart you will feel these two emotions. 

So here’s the tip…

When the second emotion strikes… when you have the desire to lose weight, to get in shape, heck just to feel better – about yourself and your health… take action. Immediately. Do not delay about this.

You see, you must act before the feeling passes and the idea gets dim. ASAP. If you don’t, then you suffer from the Law of Diminishing Intent. If you don’t translate your intent into action it wanders. And in one day, one week, one month… you won’t be able to find it. Soon, you probably won’t even remember it.

Develop your ability to take action. Do NOT lose time. Strike while the iron is hot. Act when the idea is fresh and the emotion strong. Otherwise the idea is wasted and the emotion passes. Disciplined action equals results. And I mean ‘lose weight and inches, tone and tighten, feel good, see it in the mirror’ results!!

Now go take action,

Tim

P.S. I was away from my email over the weekend and had 2 emails in my inbox on Monday with upsetting news. Jim Rohn passed away last Saturday from his battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Jim Rohn, America’s foremost business philosopher, influenced hundreds of thousands of people, myself included. In fact, I learned the tip above from him.

He had an extraordinary gift at making success easy and understandable. He turned success into common sense. If you’ve listened or read any of Jim’s material you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, I would encourage you to do so. Your life will be better because of it. Thank you Jim. May you rest in peace.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips

Ever heard someone say “No pain, no gain”? Or “You gotta use it or lose it.”

Both are true.

I just finished reading a business newsletter and the author talks about achieving goals should be tough. He says, “If anybody ever gets everything aligned exactly as they’d like, with no unintended consequences, no price tags attached to their achievements and rewards, no downsides to the upsides, I’d like to meet him or her.”

He’s basically saying that to get what we really want we’ve gotta work at it. Sometimes, we’ve gotta scratch and claw and let nothing get in our way. And when it comes to your fitness, to looking good and feeling good, it’s no different.

The hardest part is always getting started isn’t it? I mean, who likes doing pushups and squatting lower than your legs will allow you? And not to mention waking up the next day and having it hurt to walk and making sitting down on the toilet painful. It’s hard stuff! But the payoff is worth it.

You see, I believe all the success we work for in life comes with a price tag. You won’t get smarter without putting in the time to read. You won’t climb the corporate ladder without putting in time and effort at the office. You won’t look good in your swimming suit without breaking a sweat. So as the saying goes… no pain, no gain.

And being comfortable is the worst. Remaining in your comfort zone is what I call the ‘Jackpot of Mediocrity’. It’s easy. That’s why so many people do it. It’s a piece of cake to, well, eat a piece of cake. Sorry for the punJ. It’s easy and comfy to indulge during the holidays. But I hope you’re not OK with mediocrity.

It takes being uncomfortable to achieve some results. Debbie Miersch does not come in everyday of the week for her strength AND cardio sessions because it’s fun. But her time and effort are worth it. And with a little pain comes gain. She’s lost 40 pounds to date! Way to go Debbie.

No pain. No gain. Simple as that.

But there’s more.

You gotta use it or lose it. Thankfully this is the easy part. Once you go through the pain and suffering…once you get past your legs being so sore it hurts to go down the stairs…once you get past eating the right foods at EVERY meal…once you get past only having one alcoholic drink a week…that’s when it gets easy. Because maintaining a healthy and fit body is a lot easier than getting one. You can afford to indulge a little here and there. But you still gotta work at it. You never want to stop because you’ve reached your goals. That’s the worst thing to do.

If you don’t use it, you WILL lose it. That’s why maintenance is just as important as getting started.

If you’re not currently exercising or need help with a maintenance program come in for a complimentary fitness consultation. I’ll help you get on a plan that works for you.

Regards,

Tim Chudy

Posted under Fitness Tips, Weight Loss Tips

Here’s something to fear… ”Cancer Group Finds Excess Body Fat Alone Causes More Than 100,000 Cancers in U.S.” That was an article I read from Reuters. A colleague told me he saw an article in the USA Today on the same study. By now it’s been picked up by other reporting outlets and you may have seen a similar article. It was fitting since I wanted to write to you about cancer.

And a quick note about the quotation above… the key word is ‘Alone’. The study found that body fat alone caused cancer. Not body fat, physical inactivity and lack of nutritious foods cause cancer. Your excess body fat alone.

As many of you know October was breast cancer awareness month. I can thankfully say none of my immediate family or friends have suffered from this cancer. And obviously, it does not pose a threat to me. But recently I talked with breast cancer survivor and client, Maria Mallonee the other day. And I thought her advice was well worth sharing.

Maria is quite interesting. She’s a medical mystery. She has no genetic disposition for breast cancer. She’s a runner and has kept a healthy weight throughout the years. But after a regularly schedule mammogram they found a lump. “I would say the NUMBER ONE tip I would give is do self breast exams, but HAVE YOUR MAMMOGRAM!!!  Don’t put it off for any reason!!”

Breast cancer among other cancers is a killer. And if you choose to stick your head in the sand about it, you could be in for a rude awakening. Had Maria not taken the necessary steps to watch for this she might not have been a survivor. You MUST take the necessary steps to ensure you remain healthy and well. I’m going to give you specific steps to follow in a minute.

You probably know 60% of Americans are overweight. Maybe you are, maybe you aren’t. But apply the study to you. If you have some extra fat on you, even just ‘that last 10 pounds’, then maybe you need to ask yourself how at risk you are.

Could losing an extra 10 pounds save your life?

Wow, that’s a powerful question. How hard would you try to lose weight if you knew it would prevent you from having colon cancer? A heart attack? Or another deadly disease?

It’s a good question for self inventory.

A lot of times people call me when they have a wakeup call. Hopefully it’s an early sign that gives them time to take some action. Unfortunately not everyone’s wakeup call comes early enough.

So it’s time to take a self inventory. And action! If you don’t care about your health, no problem. Stop reading and delete this email. But since you’re still reading I’ll venture to say your health and well being are important to you. If you want to be in control of your health, and not bounce through life crossing your fingers hoping and praying to avoid cancer, then now’s the time to take action.

Here are 7 tips for cancer prevention straight from the Mayo Clinic. Oh, and keep in mind every bit of effort counts. Picture yourself putting dollars in the health bank every time you do something good.

Maintain a healthy weight – as I mentioned earlier, there is a clear link between excess body fat and cancer. Endometrial, esophageal, stomach, pancreatic, kidney, gallbladder, breast, uterus, and colorectal to name a few. By now you should know being overweight can lead to A LOT of health issues. Overweight is synonymous to smoking. You know it’s bad for you, so don’t do it.

Stop smoking – see previous sentence. Tobacco puts you on the fast track to cancer. Quitting smoking is one of the best decisions you can make for your health.

Physical activity – this will obviously help you keep a healthy body weight and as a consequence aid in cancer prevention. Make sure to incorporate strength training and cardiovascular training as part of your program.

Lower the fat in your diet – studies show a decrease in risk of cancer with those that maintain a low fat diet. Shoot for less than 30% of fat from your total calories and stay away from saturated and trans fats. And eat plenty of fruits and vegetables which have shown to reduce the risk of cancers.

Limit alcohol – experts aren’t sure how strong the link between drinking and cancer is, but they know it exists. And it doesn’t matter which kind of alcohol. Go with my rule of thumb, 1 drink twice a week, or 2 drinks once a week.

Limit your exposure to the sun – skin cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer and also one of the most easily preventable. My siblings and I were all lifeguards and my mom would punish us if we got sunburned. No lie. Do the same for your kids.

Get screened – Ok, this won’t prevent any cancer, but a screening or self exam will help you discover cancer early. And the earlier the better. So please heed Maria’s earlier advice. Talk to your doctor to determine which screenings are appropriate for what age and interval.

There are your 7 tips. You can’t control genetics, but YOU CAN control other factors. Take a self inventory of your health and think about the next 5, 10, or 20 years. What do you want them to look like? Do you want to be plagued with illness? Or do you want to have the freedom to do what you desire? The choice is yours.

To your health and wellness,

Tim

P.S. Wanna join a group of women that are losing weight and having fun while doing it? Click here for your free class.

Posted under health

I’ll get to the big news in a minute. But first, the secret…

I just implemented a Corporate Wellness Program with an insurance firm in Clayton. We’ve put together an 8-Week Challenge to help everyone get motivated and in their best shape! It’s a ‘Biggest Loser’ Challenge in-a-box if you will.

Last week as we were going through their Fast-Start Orientation we covered goal setting.

This step is often overlooked with an exercise program. But it’s so important! If you don’t have anything to work towards, then you’ll end up just spinning your wheels. And that’s not productive.

To help ensure weight loss and fitness results you must set goals.

As I spoke to the group of 20 or so, most hadn’t heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Your goal must incorporate each category. I’ll break them down one by one and give you a few examples.

Specific – Your goal must be specific. “I want to lose weight” is not a goal. That’s simply a wish. But, “I want to lose 18 pounds” is a specific goal. Now we know where you are (your current weight) and where you want to go (your current weight minus 18 lbs.).

Measurable – Goals must have some form of measurement. Weight is easy. You step on the scale, and then you step off the scale. What about getting in shape? How do you measure that? Maybe it’s walking up a flight of steps without panting. Maybe it’s to run 30 minutes without stopping. Whatever it is, make sure your goal can be measured.

Attainable – I’ll admit this is my least favorite. I like to be aggressive with my goals. And I hope you do too. But keeping a foot in reality is important. For instance, a goal for me “To make it in the NBA” would not be realistic (no matter how much I would like it to be . I’d be setting myself up for failure. Make your goal aggressive, but attainable.

Realistic – This one is somewhat like attainable. Losing 30 lbs. in 30 days is not realistic. Nor is it safe! Give your goals some boundaries. When setting health and fitness goals you must keep physiologic abilities in mind. When losing weight, 1-2 pounds of weight loss per week is a safe estimate, but having a resting heart rate of 30 or doing 1000 pushups in a minute is not realistic.

Timely – Last but certainly not least. I heard someone say once, “Nothing would ever happen without a deadline.” And you know what? It’s true. Without a deadline or some sort of timeline, the chances of follow through are slim to none. Adding a time element creates a sense of urgency. Going back to the goal of “I want to lose 18 lbs,” adding “in 12 weeks” now gives you your deadline. Always, always, always have a deadline.

Goal setting is always our first step when setting up a health and fitness program. A SMART goal is one that works. Take out a pen and paper now and write down some goals. Make sure each one includes each category. (If you have an ipod, stay tuned… my brother’s company is putting together a SMART goal App as I write. I’ll keep you posted!)

To your health and fitness success,

Tim Chudy

P.S. If you think your company might be interested in the “8-Weeks to Your Best Body” Corporate Challenge please call me directly at 314.863.7799.

P.P.S. Hope you had a great holiday weekend. Over the past couple of years you may remember me mentioning my girlfriend Joella. Well, I took a surprise trip to New York City over the weekend and popped the question. She said, “Yes!” making me the happiest guy in town!  I couldn’t be more excited and thought I’d share the awesome news with you.  I love you Jo.

Posted under Fitness Tips, health, Personal, Weight Loss Tips

[USA Today] Is child obesity child abuse?

That was on the front page of yesterday’s USA Today’s Life section. A headline like that sparks immediate attention.

Jerry Gray of Travelers Rest, South Carolina is being charged with criminal neglect of her 14 year old, 555 pound son Alexander. This is a HUGE case (no pun intended) given childhood obesity has been on the rise and this could set a precedent for criminal action against parents with morbidly obese kids.

I’m not going to get into the legality of an issue like this. I’ll leave that for your opinion and the courts. But with most issues like this, the problem is to the left.

According to the CDC 40% of kids 12-15 years old, and 50% of teenagers 16-19 years old have been told by a doctor or health care professional that they are too heavy. THIS is a serious problem. And in the case of Alexander it’s gone way too far.
Obesity and in this case, morbid obesity, is a gushing wound with no bandage. At what point does it become a concern? A child weighing 555 pounds is absurd. This is a child’s life we’re talking about. And to me, the worst part of this is Alexander’s future. Aside from the teasing and taunting I’m sure he’s getting, his health and quality of life will suffer tremendously as he ages.

Something MUST be done now!

Sorry if I’m going on a bit of a tirade. But seeing this on the front page just fires me up. I work with women and men that want to lose weight and improve their health. Sue D. joined the FT family yesterday morning by deciding to lose weight and get back into shape. Her choice to make a change in her life will pay off. BIG time. I know that becasue our FT clients prove that day in and day out.

But there’s so much more to losing weight and improving health. Not only do you change your body but you transform your life in the process. You become alive and more energetic. You’re able to give more of yourself to family and friends. You’ll work with more passion and productivity. Everything in life becomes richer, fuller, and more enjoyable when you look and feel fantastic!

Alexander is now in foster care while the case waits to be heard. I hope, for his sake, he’s on a proper nutrition and exercise plan. Whether it’s you or your child, you must sit and take a good serious look at reality. You’re either moving closer or farther from good health. That’s an everyday move. Eating a twinkie moves you farther. Eating fruits and veggies moves you closer. Where are you going? Where is your child going? If you need help or information please request a consultation here. There is also a ton of free info at our site you can get your hands on.

If your child needs help losing weight, being active, or improving his or her health please let me know. If there’s enough interest I’d like to have a kid’s fitness class before school starts. Send me an email and tell me about your kid(s) and their situation. Or feel free to call the studio, 314.863.7799, so we can talk by phone. Regardless, decide today – one little choice – to lose weight, get in shape, and live a healthy life.

To your health,

Tim Chudy

P.S. Click here to request a consultation. We can talk about your situation and what it’s going to take for you to reach your goals.

P.P.S. A lot of times people struggle to lose weight because of their nutrition. Specifically with stress eating. Keep your eye out for specific steps to stop that emotional and sometimes uncontrollable urge to eat.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Weight Loss Tips

Summer is here! And it’s never too late to get that beach bod.

We’re half way through 2009. Can you believe it?! Did you have a New Year’s resolution? If you’re like 90% of Americans you had a resolution to lose weight and get in shape. But if you’re like 90% of Americans, that resolution went bye-bye long ago.

But do not fear. Boot camp is your answer! Women are getting fantastic body changing results faster than ever. And they’re having a blast while doing it! Just look at what some of them have to say…

“I really look foward to class. My body craves the feeling! My clothes are fitting differently. I’m seeing and feeling muscles in place I never have before.” Kilinyaa, St. Louis, MO

“I had tried to lose weight and start working out on my own, but had been unable to stick to a plan. I feel better overall. I love the supportive environment and my clothes are fitting better!                          Cindy – St. Louis, MO

“I love the variety and the positive attitude of everyone. I’m seeing my body change into a more toned and healthy one!                               Anne – Frontenac, MO

The fact is, boot camp is a FAST, FUN way to get FIT!

Now it’s your turn. Register for Summer Boot Camp here. But you must be proactive about this. Spots are limited and you’ll want to claim yours before they’re gone! Click here to register.

To your beach bod,

Tim

P.S. We added an evening time slot too. You can workout at 5:30am OR 5:30pm. Click here to register.

Posted under Fitness Tips

I bet if I were to take a look at a couple areas in your life, I know how successful you’d be at accomplishing your health and fitness goals.

If you read anything on personal development, experts will say that if they look at the 5 people you surround yourself with and the last 5 books you’ve read, they’d be able to determine your success. Financially, mentally, emotionally, etc…

I think that’s true. One of my favorite authors and speakers Nido Qubein says, “Trash in, trash stay in.” He’s talking about head trash. And it’s not a matter of IFyou have it, but how much. The right people and information, i.e. friends, coworkers, books, TV, will either lead you toward success or failure.

So what does that have to do with me knowing how successful you’ll be with health and fitness results? A lot really. Keep in mind I get to work in a health and fitness laboratory. I see what works and what doesn’t on a daily basis. And I’ve been doing it for awhile now. So here are the 4 areas I would look at to determine if you’ll be successful or not.

1. Commitment. It begins and ends here. When I sit down in a consultation I don’t take this step lightly. It’s everything. I always say, if you’re interested you’ll fail. But if you’re committed you’ll succeed.

Think about it. Everyone wants to look and feel better. Everyone is interested in losing weight and feeling stronger. Who doesn’t want to be proud looking in the mirror every morning? But not everyone is committed to it. Ann Hynes, our Client of the Month, gave this advice, “I’d say the struggle is hard, but the results are worth it.” The struggle IS hard. If it wasn’t, everyone would do it.

So what gets YOU committed? Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Or just a little bothered by it. Think about this and get emotional with yourself. Sit down and have a little private talk with yourself. But for Pete’s sake, GET COMMITTED!

2. Your friends and family. Support is key. That’s one of the reasons why clients of Fitness Together do so well with losing weight and getting in shape. Every time they workout they step into a positive and supportive environment. We’re constantly reinforcing they’re good behaviors and helping them fix the bad ones.  Further, we help get their friends and family on board.

Peggy is in her 6th week of training. Her spring vacation hit right after the third week. This is a slippery slope for some. But Peggy’s husband has been supporting her every step since she started training with the FT family. From her nutrition to her cardio he has helped her stay committed. And it shows. She’s down 12 pounds in 5 weeks and can’t keep her pants from falling down!

3. Nutrition. You are what you eat. And it’s true. If you eat well, you’ll do well. If you eat like crap, you’ll feel like crap. As we tell our clients, nutrition is the foundation. It must support your exercise.

4. Your inner voice. Just like head trash we all have an inner voice. Sometimes it’s the devil on our left and sometimes it’s the angel on our right. But it’s constantly talking. And whether you realize it or not, we listen to it!

I believe we create our own environments. And we do so through the power of our minds. Picture your mind like a garden. You’re constantly planting seeds of thought in your subconscious. Most of the time you don’t even know you’re doing so because of habitual thinking. But sure enough you reap what you sow. Good or bad. So if you’re constantly saying to yourself, “I’ll never lose this weight.” then you will outwardly live that thought and never lose weight.

If you want to be your best, you need to plant positive seeds. Keep a positive affirmation at the top of your mind throughout the day. Since nutrition is your foundation, start there. Try saying to yourself ‘Nothing tastes as good as fit feels!’ Reinforcing your behaviors with positive beliefs is a secret of the successful. And if done consistently, there is no telling what you can accomplish!

Take a look at these four areas and rate yourself. You probably have room to improve in at least one of them. And that’s good. We should always always strive for constant improvement. Pursue progress, not perfection.

To your fitness results,

Tim

P.S. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Do you have any affirmations you like to use?
Would I win the bet? Post a comment below.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips

I was having dinner last night with some friends
when my buddy’s wife said that he actually did the
grocery shopping this time. And that’s a big deal.
Because Andy hates the grocery store. When they go
shopping together he complains because she takes
such a looooong time. But so do I. In fact, I
like going to the grocery store. But I also know
what I’m doing, what I’m looking for, and what I
should avoid.

Maybe you like it. Maybe you hate it. But unless
you have a loving spouse that does it all the
time, there are a few tips to stick to when
heading out for your food.

1. Shop the perimeter. The aisles have fresh
produce, meat, and dairy. The aisles in the middle
contain boxed, packaged, and wrapped stuff, which
is a lot of times highly processed and not good for you.

2. Keep a list. And stick to it. A list gives you
boundaries to work within. It also prevents you
from grabbing random food items – particularly
ones that are bad for you. Make a list at home
when you have a clear head. This will save you
time and money.

3. Don’t shop when you’re hungry. This is the
BIGGEST mistake of all. What will you do in a
store with food of ANY choice when you’re hungry?
You’ll buy it! And buying Fruity Pebbles or Ding
Dongs may sound good at the moment, but will only
make you feel bad later. Go shopping once you’ve
had your meal. And if you have to go on an empty
stomach make sure you have a list!

4. Take your kids. After a nutrition consultation
with our clients we provide them with a ready-to-
go grocery list. This is a great time to bring the
kids along to teach them and instill good habits.
The earlier you do this the better.

I remember when I went to the grocery store with
my mom and dad I would try to sneak Froot Loops
into the shopping cart. I was always caught and
told to put it back. I didn’t like it at the time,
but I learned what a good breakfast was. And what
a good breakfast was not.

The next time you go grocery shopping keep in mind
these tips. They’ll help you stay on track and
stay healthy.

Now go eat something healthy,

Tim

P.S. If you’d like some help with your meal
planning and grocery shopping send me an email or
request a nutrition consultation here.

P.P.S. Our next Spring Boot Camp for Women
starts next Monday 5/25. We’re now offering
morning and evening classes! Go here for more
info or call 314.863.7799.

Posted under health, Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips