What to do When you Hit a Wall?!

May 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

You just signed up for a fitness program. You can't wait to see the results. The summer is around the corner.

You selected the right personal trainer to work with you.  She's going to guide you through specific exercises that will help you achieve your weight loss or fitness goals.  And that alone is huge!

Even more than that... you made a commitment to yourself.

Let me ask you this: what influenced you in making that commitment?

-Did you sign up for a new workout regimen out of desperation because nothing else worked before?

-Did you register because your friend reached her fitness goals and you wanted the same results?

Whatever your reason is, it was only enough to get you in the door. But after a little while, it's likely you'll hit a wall.  You'll start cutting corners.  You'll miss sessions, skip your exercise assignments, and minimize consumption of healthy foods...

And at that point, if you still want your beach body, you'll have to confront your own behavior. That's because whatever is causing you to not follow your program as intended is getting in your way.

What else is needed to take this commitment and turn it into a successful plan that produces results?

First, if you haven't done it yet, discuss with your trainer not only your fitness goal but also how it fits in your overall health plan. What difference would clarity about your overall health plan make for you and for the people you love?  It's helpful to voice those thoughts to propel more actions.

Second, you may already be disappointed about hitting the wall.  You may be experiencing negative thought patterns, and those suckers can really get in your way.  There's more you can learn about how people deal with commitments, so you can defuse some of those self-punishing thoughts. The good new is that, if you're reading this, you still have the intention to keep up the good work. That means additional encouragement is in order—good job!

Third, understand that you may need additional support to remove what's getting in your way.

Let's say your friends are going out for some social time while you scheduled to work out... How easy is it for you to firmly refuse the urge to join your friends and then continue with your workout plan?

OR:

You received an urgent matter at work that requires you to cancel your appointment... How likely are you to reschedule immediately, and not just skip your session?

If you find it hard to stick to your plan in the above examples, it's no surprise that you'll be hard-pressed to stay on track and get the results you want on time and without help.

Solution?  It's not about preventing conditions that force you to make hard choices. It's about making the right call even when the choice is tough. And making the right call is totally about how you think, feel, and act.

What helps you make the right call in those moments?  Someone who holds you accountable to your commitments.

To learn more about how your mind secretly supports (or doesn't support) your commitments, check out http://theroundwell.com/why-commitments-so-hard-uphold/ Why Are Commitments So Hard to Uphold.

As a certified professional business and personal coach for http://theroundwell.com/ The Round Well Coaching and Business Development, Tmima Grinvald is an expert in effective communication, effortless performance, and inner peace. Could you use some of that? Go ahead and contact her: tmimag@theroundwell.com.

 

Like her on Facebook www.facebook.com/theroundwell

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3 Tips to Achieve Mental and Physical Focus

May 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

We all know we should do it. (duh!) But sometimes beginning an exercise routine is the hardest step. Here are some quick proven ways to achieve your mental and physical focus to help get you from the starting point to your finish line!

1.       Create very specific goals and write them down. Take your pen to paper and write down specific fitness goals. Whatever your goals are (losing 20 pounds, tightening your stomach, wearing your high school pant size) write them down. Use a visual (a picture, words cut out) that you see on a daily basis to keep your goal in the forefront of your mind. Be very specific about what you want to achieve. Let’s say you want to lose 20 pounds. As the work gets tougher, mentally, physically, and emotionally to achieve this, it is easy to disregard your 20 pound weight loss and accept the bare minimum as you realize that achieving this goal is not always a day in the park. Take the time to write down specific goals and associate how you will feel when you achieve them. Take this step FIRST before starting any fitness plan.

 2.       Schedule time for you to workout. Whether it’s first thing in the morning or after work 3 times a week, figure out where exercise fits into your week and put it in your schedule before the week starts. Treat this time just as you would events, work, and play. Use this schedule as a non-negotiable. Whatever is going on that day or week, stick to your schedule. You wouldn’t blow off work, play, and events, so why would you compromise your body?

 3.       Give yourself a practical timeline. Throwing in the towel because something is hard is for losers. Nobody EVER said that losing weight is an easy goal, but it’s definitely an achievable one. Create a 90-day plan (fitting in weight training, cardio, and extra movement) and stick to it. Re-evaluate yourself at the end of your 90 days and celebrate your successes, even if they are little ones!

 

How you do one thing is how you do EVERYTHING, so start any fitness plan or program properly! Create goals and use a visual (words, photos, or mantras). Schedule your workouts into your week (non-negotiable) and remember practice make perfect!

 

One day at a time. Work hard everyday and don’t let your EXCUSES out-weigh your EFFORTS!

 

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Facts About Cancer and Exercise

March 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Many people with cancer are surprised to hear that daily exercise can help them feel better. Until recently, doctors recommend that patients with cancer should avoid any activities that could lead to fatigue.  The advice seemed sensible. After all, fatigue is a message sent by your body when you feel the need to rest. Therefore, it was thought that exercise could end the limited energy reserves of a sick person.

However, recent studies have shown that exercising at regular intervals can deplete more energy in the patients body. As the muscles and bones become weak, it becomes very difficult for the people suffering from cancer to perform the activities of their daily life.  A short walk from the bedroom to the kitchen can become an almost impossible task. Thus, medical researchers have recommended that whenever possible people with chronic diseases, such as cancer, should indulge in moderate physical activities to increase strength, endurance and energy.

People suffering from all kinds of cancer, including mesothelioma, can indulge in light exercise, as it will be beneficial for them.  However, you should always give preference to medical consultation and consult your doctor first, before following any exercise routine. Each individuals physical condition is different and so a person suffering from cancer should only indulge in exercise, if his or her doctor advices that it will be beneficial.

Consider not only the limitations imposed by the disease but also factors such as problems with knees, back, and others, which could affect the achievement of physical activity. Find as many tips as you can and promptly ask your doctor about the activities you can do and the activities that you should. If you have recently had surgery, or are undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatments, be sure to get specific instructions about the exercises. For example, you should not exercise within 48 hours of undergoing chemotherapy, or until the symptoms of nausea have disappeared completely.

Moreover, not everyone with cancer should exercise, and there may be periods during treatment where one needs to rest. Consult your doctor about finding a workout regimen that best suits you and your treatment’s needs and benefit from all the positives that come along with exercise to improve the quality of your life.

 

 

This post comes from David Haas, guest blogger. David Haas is a cancer support group and awareness program advocate at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. In addition to researching the many valuable programs available to our site’s visitors, David often blogs about programs and campaigns underway at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance, as well as creative fitness ideas for those dealing with cancer, while creating relationships with similar organizations.

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What does your trip to the Supermarket say about YOU?

March 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

This post came from an idea a friend gave me. She told me in passing that she loves to go to the Supermarket with the new men that she meets in her life. I’ve been around, but this one I’ve never heard before. I pressed her to hear why and learn what she learns from simple trips to the local grocery store.

She put it to me like this:

When you watch someone at the grocery store, you can pick about almost ALL of the everyday health VALUES. Just by watching someone shop for food you can pick out priorities, impulses, concerns about the environment, how one views their body and more!

Next time you go to the supermarket watch YOURSELF.

  1. Do you shop with an organized plan of attack? Do you value calculating time spent to maximize your trip with minimal effort? This is a great way to view most things you do in life. Business, fitness, home life…do you look to do the best and most effective job in an educated and organized matter or do you dilly-dally and let time escape you?
  2. Do you buy mainly lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables? Do you think that when you look in your cart it depicts someone who values their health or their mind’s desire to indulge? Look at your shopping cart. Are you PROUD of the foods you are bringing into your home?
  3. Do you pick up any ‘impulse’ buys? Are you easily swayed by treats on sale or candies up by the register or do you stay strong and resist the impending temptation at the supermarket? Using willpower HERE will better prepare you for other events that call on the same Will Power to succeed.
  4. Do you look for locally grown and/or organic foods? How much thought do you put into local business vs. big business? Is genetically modified food of concern to you? Do you think about health risks when you choose processed and engineered foods to put in your body? Being vigilant at the supermarket could potentially save your life and eliminate the risk of terminal diseases, stored fat cells, and your everyday energy.

What does your shopping cart say about you? Have you worked hard enough at the grocery store to make nutritional success in the home possible? If not, what do you need help with?

Don’t let trips to the grocery store sabotage the ideas and plans you’ve set aside for fitness success. What you do in this one store can make even more of a difference of what you do at the gym. Be the judge of your own supermarket experience. If you don’t like what you see, work AGAINST your tendencies to change them! Staying strong at the grocery store will help with staying strong the other 99% of the time. Remember, you can’t eat it if it’s not accessible to you!

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Annie's Awesome Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

March 1, 2012 By 1 Comment

Ingredients:

1 20 ounce pkg ground turkey

1/2 cup finely chopped carrots

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 8 ounce can chopped water chestnuts

3 garlic cloves chopped

2 Tblspn minced fresh ginger

1/3 cup teriyaki sauce

3 Tblspn creamy peanut butter(I used soy nut butter because of food allergies)

1 Tblspn sesame oil

1 Tblspn rice vinegar

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1/2 cup sliced scallions

1 head iceberg lettuce, separated into leaves

 

Cook turkey in skillet until no longer pink and the turkey crumbles. Add all the remaining ingredients(except lettuce leaves) and cook about 4-5 minutes. Spoon into lettuce leaves and enjoy.

 

Easy, delicious, and good for you!

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3 Best Exercises to do while you think of more Excuses Not to Exercise

February 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Pants a little too tight? As much as you’d like to fill your day with excuses as to why you CAN’T exercise, here are three of the most effective body weight movements to do while you brush your teeth, cook dinner, and think of more excuses to NOT fit exercise in.

Bodyweight Squats

Thank to J.Lo butts are in! And thank goodness because men and women alike look silly when their pants are tight in the front and loose in the back. A bodyweight squat is a simple exercise to do that will have your glutes lifted, your thighs tightened, and your lower back strengthened and functioning properly. So easy you literally can and should be doing it while you get ready to start your busy day.

Planks

I watched a video recently of a woman trying the new internet sensation ‘planking.’ She was trying to plank on top of her refrigerator. She undoubtedly fell off the fridge once she jumped on. This is NOT the planking I’m talking about!

90% of the time my clients first begin to see results in their stomachs. They feel tighter and their pants start to fit a little better. And I attribute a ton of this success to planks. Who wouldn’t want that?!

Doing a plank, and not the kind that just requires you to lie face down on your fridge, sidewalk, or floor, is a great to way to begin to build your core strength. It’s another quick yet effective exercise to train your core (which affects your stability and balance – both of huge importance as we age). It’s also easy to progress (make more challenging) so that you’re always training your body to respond and show you results!

Burpees

Burpees, the exercise everyone loves to hate. But don’t let me scare you off! This is one of the most effective ways to get an awesome dose of ‘cardio’ into your day. Don’t have time to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes? (you’re better off not wasting your time anyway…) Do a quick set of 10 burpees. Rest for 30 seconds to a minute and do another. Keep doing rounds like this until you literally can’t do anymore. And don’t worry about the kids! Kids love to do burpees too!

Need Help eliminating your Excuse from Exercise? Call Dena today and find out how exercise fits in your life (and makes it better!)  Reach Dena at 908-839-7768

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Why it's ok to Hate Men for Losing Weight so Fast!

February 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

He laughed when I asked him if he had a tapeworm! That’s right, my boyfriend Mike laughed in my face while eating fast food as he told me that he had lost 8 pounds over the past few weeks. I was pissed. Mike had taken some time off to eat junk over the holiday season and was enjoying every second of it. I remained vigilant for my body and even through the holidays, baking cookies, and more, I kept myself to my nutrition plan. Mike on the other hand packed in the garbage and processed junk that we keep out of our diet 90% of the time. His result? 8 lbs down!

My initial reaction was to get annoyed by this. I try extremely hard to control myself and eat mindfully. I have one of those bodies that if I even smell cookies and cakes, I’ll gain weight. (Not really, but I tell myself that quite often)

I remembered being here before with a client, who , like me, got a little defensive when her male partner lost weight with what seemed like less effort and more ease. Although I strongly ENGOURAGE everyone to support each other while succeeding in their own weight loss journeys, I can relate to the feelings of contempt when your male partner is losing weight without an issue.

It’s Not Their Fault

Men are genetically pre-conditioned to have an easier time with weight loss. Due to their increases testosterone levels, they are prone to gaining muscle faster than women. Muscle tissue burns calories and the more muscle tissue you have, the more calories you will burn every day, even if you just lie in bed all day.

(In Mike’s case, he really wasn’t trying to lose weight. He filled himself up on garbage and couldn’t eat his regular high calorie content – see he’s always trying to GAIN weight. Even more frustrating!)

Conversely, women are designed with higher levels of estrogen, a hormone which receptors aid in controlling both blood fat level and your bodies water/salt balance (retain water during their period? Thank Estrogen)

They have different emotional attachments to food and exercise

Men have a great way of turning certain emotional connections to food off. They tend not to be emotional eaters and usually crave different types of foods than women. Women tend to reach towards sweets and carbohydrates if it is their tendency to be an emotional eater. Men, on the other hand, crave more meats, potatoes, and hearty sandwiches, foods that remind them of Mom’s home cooking.

When men think about exercise, they usually don’t have much of an issue turning to weights and strength training. Women, on the other hand, live with the common misconception that lifting weights will cause them to ‘bulk up’ and waste their valuable exercise time with fruitless efforts like 45 minutes on the elliptical. (refer above. more muscle = more calories burned=more fat lost)

PS – ladies: there are 3% of women who are genetically pre-disposed to ‘bulking up’ when they lift challenging weights. That’s a 97% chance that you WON’T. Besides having witnessed many women lose weight by lifting weights (myself included) if we were betting, I’d stick with the 97%

The truth

Weight loss is hard for everyone. Women tend to create many more emotional attachments to ‘dieting’ and nutrition and forget to focus on a healthy lifestyle. If you are married or living with a male partner, remember their success is yours as well. Instead of being angered by their success, use it to motivate you. Encourage your male partner to continue to live a healthy lifestyle and create that for both you and him in your home. They were designed to struggle a little less than us. However our uphill battle towards weight loss is one that creates so much self-pride and joy that the little extra push that you need from inside makes it all worth it. So hate if you want, but your negative emotion is powerless against the way the human body was designed. At the end of the day, the more support you have for YOUR partner, the better chances of YOUR success too.

Filed Under: Nutrition Tagged With: , , , ,

Fool Proof Nutrition - yours, FREE!!

January 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

My commitment to you this year is to offer as much 'free' help as I can to help you achieve all of your fitness goals. This is the first of many, but sign up now because this offer will not be here for long!!

Kickstart 2012 with this FREE offer

Get out of your own way. Take advantage of this offer and start seeing results!

What you'll receive:

  • Nutritional Guidelines to live a healthy, and BALANCED life! (find out how to fit cookies and cake in and Still lose weight!
  • 7 Day Kickstart Meal Plan
    5 meals a day for a whole week. Enough to choose from to enjoy, or mix and match!
  • Weekly Food Journal. Hold yourself to a new level of accountability. Success starts with paper and pen!
  • Video Tutorial for using this program correctly

The only thing you have to lose is the extra weight!

Sign up by clicking the link below!

HERE

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1 Small Step to make Everlasting Change

January 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

“A Journey of 1,000 miles begins with just one step” – Chinese Proverb

When it comes to adapting a healthy lifestyle, the necessary changes to make can be overwhelming. New tips are thrown at us now second by second thanks to social media, and it’s easy to understand why the road to change gets cluttered with ‘all the things you HAVE to do.’

I had a conversation recently with one of my online coaching clients, ‘Sue’. Sue was struggling to find just 30 minutes a week to fit in exercise in her life. Between ushering her kids around and starting a new business, she seemed just so overwhelmed with making healthy lifestyle changes.  Sue knew that in order to get the long-term results that she wanted, she was going to have to follow my online program 3 times a week, adjust her eating habits, readjust her priorities so that SHE became one, rest, relax, and distress more often, and in addition to that, she also wanted to make it to her local gym twice a week for additional exercise. PHEW!

In talking to Sue for just a few minutes, I could feel how overwhelmed she was with what she thought she needed to add or change to her current lifestyle. I had to cut her off mid-rant.

“Sue…let’s rewind a little bit. Remember, we are focusing on just 30 minutes a week right now! Let’s not bombard ourselves with EVERYTHING we have to do, let’s just focus on one thing.”

One thing…

When we take our BIG goal and break it down into multiple mini-goals, the road to success becomes much more palatable and adaptable.

Sue, excited to begin my Online Coaching Program, allowed her mind to get so cluttered with all the changes that she felt she had to make. In doing so, she didn’t allow herself the time or the room in her life to make any change!

People, by nature, like to make tasks and goals much more complicated than need be. We’ve been told to Dream Big, focus on the big picture, and reach for the stars! While I agree with all of those statements, what many fail to realize is that in order to achieve the ‘big picture’ you have to get there, just one step at a time.

I asked Sue to try to focus on only 30 minutes a week, as a start. And every week I call Sue to see if she was able to complete her 30 minutes a week. I’ve promised Sue that once she masters 30 minutes a week, we will move forward and begin to focus on additional goals.

Since then, Sue has struggled with committing to 30 minutes a week. As we focus on creating the space in her life for 30 minutes, it is a constant reminder of taking it one step a time.

Could you imagine if Sue really tried to adapt all the changes she felt necessary at once? She would have crashed, burned, and lost her identity and control of her life in the process.

My message to you is this: Aim high! but get there one step at a time. If you’re having a difficult time adapting to one change, work on that change until you perfect it. It may take one week; it may take 3 or 4 weeks. Don’t give up on it! Once you perfect your first change, go onto the next. Mastering theses steps one at a time will help you to create the permanent change you wish to see. Underwhelm yourself with just this one thing. Master that and then move on to the next. You’ll never be able climb to the top of a mountain if you don’t allow yourself to get there, one step at a time.

Filed Under: Fitness Tips, Mind Tagged With: , , , ,

6 Tips for Successful Resolutions

December 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Every year the holidays come faster and faster and without fail, our pants get tighter around this season. With the overwhelming joy, stress, laughter, and chaos the holidays may bring, it’s no surprise that come January 1 so many run to the nearest gym committing the New Year as “the year they finally stick to their resolutions.” Anyone who has been to the gym in early January-February knows that this craze will die down by March so what is it that makes people so motivated at the start of the new year, but quickly let it fall to the waist side….literally.

The first step to keeping you resolutions for the New Year is to set attainable goals. Promise yourself to include exercise and fitness 3-5 days a week in your life, instead of focusing on creating a six-pack that you’ve never had.  Promise to eat more vegetables instead of deciding to completely cut out foods that you do enjoy.

Avoid choosing a resolution that you have been unsuccessful at in previous years. This will only set you up for frustration and disappointment. Limit the number of promises you make for yourself so that you’re not flustered and can concentrate on those that are really important to you.

Recruit a solid support team of family and friends. If this is not available to you, put yourself in a situation that allows for it. Places like Weight Watchers offer great support for each member if you take the time to be a part of it. Ask those around you to hold you accountable. It is much easier to slip into old habits then it is to make the positive changes for the new ones.

Break down your goals even further to make it less intimidating for you. Set small goals to achieve on your way to your big picture. Be sure to reward yourself when pass through these milestones. Celebrate your achievements, but be careful on how you do so. If you lose 10 lbs, it may not be appropriate to have a pizza party, but may be more rewarding to your mind and your body if you treat yourself to a massage.

Remember to give yourself time when you embark on the “new you.” Keep fitness in your life for at least 6 months so that it may be solidified as a lifestyle habit. Need be, sign yourself up for at least three months of personal training so that you have no choice but to hold yourself accountable for what you really want. Research studies have shown that assistance from a fitness professional greatly increases your chances of success.

Understand what your motivation is. Who are you doing this for? Why are you doing this? Don’t judge your motivation, just understand and allow it to help guide you through you game plan. Recognizing your motivation is one of the most important steps to help keep you focused and working towards your end result.

Plan for bumps in the road. As in any journey that involves change and growth (or shrinkage in your case) there are hard times. Life can get in the way of personal resolutions but it is important to persevere! If we all stopped when things got tough, we would never make it anywhere. Understand that in order for the body to change, it must be challenged and that involves hard work. Make sure you have someone in your corner that can coach you through the hard times even when you want to quit. Again, remember your motivation and keep the vision of the new you in your forefront.

Most importantly, enjoy your goal. Understand that changing your body can feel like a full-time job with benefits that are life-long. It’s ok to be selfish and reward yourself for hard work and for attaining milestones. This is one resolution that nobody can do for you. It’s a journey that builds character that can never be returned with a body that you’d never want to.

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