Wednesday, July 16, 2008

What you wished for


I remember listening to an audiobook a few years back on the science of achievement, the author said one thing that really struck home with me. The lesson was something to the effect of " everything that you have in your life, positive or negative you have asked for.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized it was true. All my achievements had been a direct result of what I had either verbally or mentally asked for. Now the obvious retort would be that no one wishes for bad things, so this quote is bull. The truth is most of us do wish bad things upon ourselves, through negative self talk and destructive visualization.

I cant tell you how many times I have told myself something was going to go bad, and it come to pass or how many times I have talked myself out of doing things I later regretted that I did not do.

On the other hand, there have been times where I have wanted something so bad that I could taste it, and sure enough within a matter of months it was mine.

The point I am getting at, is be aware of what thoughts you bring into your life, negative or positive. They will have a direct effect on your success.

Friday, July 4, 2008

The truth behind good exercise selection

You know its funny, everytime I go to the gym I come to a new conclusion about programming for fat loss. This morning I happened to come to my realization by watching two relative beginners attempt a strength training workout.

The two beginners in question happened to be young women in their early twenties. I noticed them out of the corner of my eye when I saw the more experienced of the two begin the workout by performing a specific warm-up that those in the know do. My first thought was hmmmm maybe this girl knows a thing or two. Unfortunately that was proven wrong when she followed the warm-up by laying on the ground only to perform an hours worth of abdominal crunches.

I cant blame the girl for doing what she was doing in the gym, the fact is that most people have no idea what to do to get a lean sexy body. Most of the dvd's and magazines tell woman that to have a flat stomach they must do endless crunches. The funny thing is that for all the crunches that people do, I have yet to see a flat stomach as a result.

The truth about exercise selection for fat loss is this; choose the movements that give you the most bang for your back. Meaning, if I have 45 minutes burn as many calories and put on lean muscle tissue in the gym. My focus should be on big movements like; squats, lunges and presses.

If you want to get lean quickly, forget the ab curls and start focusing on the big movements.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Breakfast options

I have noticed is that the life of a trainer isn't all that different from being a student. University students and personal trainers rarely get enough sleep and must find ways to eat either on the run or very quickly. as a result they resort to fast food to get them through their hunger.

A healthier solution to the easy fast food options is to opt for natural foods that can be created in minutes. One of my favorite quick fix meals before I get to my first 6am client is my cinnamon oatmeal crunch breakfast. The recipe is super simple and is sure to keep you going through out the day.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup slow rolled oats
2 teaspoons almond slivers
1/2 cup organic cream
dash cinnamon
dash splenda or stevia sweetener
1/2 green apple sliced thinly

Directions: Soak oatmeal the night before, in the morning as soon as you wake up, turn the stove to high and boil the oatmeal. Allow the oatmeal to cook for 20 minutes as you wash your face and brush your teeth.

Once the oatmeal is cooked, add the rest of th ingredients and enjoy. It really is that simple.