Holiday Calorie Control Tip #1

I know you know this.

You know you know this.

Fail to plan, plan to fail.

You can't just HOPE you're going to behave yourself at holiday parties. You can't just do the same old things you've been doing. You can't just miss breakfast, have a light lunch and then go to a party filled with temptation and not go a little insane on the cheese or cookie platters. ;-)

You have to plan your meals. You have to plan your workouts. You have to set your goals in stone. You don't want to be the person that comes out of the holidays 5 to 10 pounds heavier, do you?

If you don't plan your strategy from preventing it, well, you can PLAN on getting some new clothes that fit your new size. I truly believe that you can still enjoy your favorite foods at parties and that you can still have a great time. But what you can't do is just pull out all the stops and stuff your face with everything put in front of you. You know that.

Tell you what: Plan on taking a nice 30 minute walk this weekend and do some solid thinking about what your plan will be. And when you get back home, put it on paper and commit to it.

And think about how great you'll feel about yourself when January comes after you've followed your plan. Oh, and be sure to reward yourself to by doing something special for yourself.

Press on!
Larry

PS - As a proud Prograde Nutrition partner I have to remind you Prograde is having a heck of a Holiday Blow Out on ALL of their awesome products. Everything you need, including the coupon code (Holiday15) to save 15% on all Prograde Nutrition products is right here:

Prograde Holiday Special

FYI. This sale ends this Friday, December 11th at 11:59pm EST.

http://bodybasics.getprograde.com/specials.html

Get A Jump Start On Fat Loss For The New Year

Do you realize that Christmas Eve is just 3 weeks away? It seems like Halloween was only a couple of weeks ago. Amazing and a little scary how time flies.

And that's my point. Time does fly! If you are training hard, focusing on good nutrition practices, and have your mindset laser focused then I want to congratulate you, as success in transforming your body is virtually guaranteed.

But how many of you find yourself being indecisive and saying things to yourself like:

• I'm too busy right now.
• The holidays are almost here.
• I'm going away in a few weeks.
• I want to go on a diet first.

So you see the pattern? If you are talking to yourself out of prioritizing your health (or anything for that matter) until a later date, you are also telling yourself that your health is not that important. In addition, it's a pretty sure bet that you will keep putting it off and keep putting onweight!

This is one of the peak times of the year when people gain the most weight. It's slow and almost imperceptible. But one day you go to get dressed and in some crazy unbelievable way, like out of nowhere your dress doesn't fit, or your pants are too tight, or your shirt collar won't button closed. And you freak out a little.

When you think about the next 3 weeks ahead and all of the opportunities to over eat and over drink, being involved in a fitness program will help you in many ways.

It will help you set your focus on health.

This alone will pay dividends in calories saved and even more calories burned! The choices you make will come from a brain that is aware of the choices and will help you make better choices.

Take action now!

By taking action now, you are literally programming your mind for success. It's no wonder that people who take action are the one's who accomplish so much. But if you insist on waiting until things are "perfect" you'll never get started.

New Year Jump Start Boot Camp

Nobody get's this perfect.

Perfection doesn't exist. One of my favorite sayings is, "Don't try to get it perfect, just get it going!"

You just have to get started and adjust as you go along. Does Microsoft get their OS perfect when they release a new upgrade? Nope, but they release it anyway and make it better as they go.

You don't have to be perfect. I'm here to help you do damage control and get you on the fast track to fitness success. You don't have to be the expert. That's my job!

You know Lawrence, people think that training and eating right is the key to having a lean and toned body. Sure, they are important components, but the real deal maker is your brain and coming to terms with the following:

1. 
   
2. Desire
3. Knowledge
4. A Plan

If you have the desire, I'll provide the knowledge and a plan.

Are you ready to take action?

I hope so, because starting on Monday December 7th ("A day that will live in infamy"- Thanks FDR) you will be able to do just that.

On Monday 12/7 a select few of you will be able to take advantage of this special offer and those individuals will be on their way to a whole new way of life in 2010.

My recommendation is to take action (as space is limited) and get a jump start on the New Year and quite possibly the New YOU!

All you have to do is click on the link below.

New Year Jump Start Boot Camp

Committed to your fitness success!

Avoid These 5 Fitness Mistakes

It's hard for me to go to the gym sometimes. It's upsetting to me that every time I go, I see people making fitness mistakes. Ultimately these mistakes become habits that waste time, put people in danger, and that are sometimes, well, in a word--stupid. Maybe you even make a few of these mistakes yourself.

By avoiding these common pitfalls, you'll put yourself on the fast track to results. Check out the following 5 fitness mistakes and the solutions you need to avoid danger and to get fit fast.

Mistake #1: Using the wrong weight

The goal is to challenge your muscles, not to simply go through the motions. If you are able to complete 15 repetitions easily, then the weight is too light. On the flip side, if you aren't able to perform an exercise through its full range of motion, and find yourself cheating on form, then the weight is too heavy.

The correct weights will feel challenging by your last few repetitions, but won't force you to sacrifice form.

Mistake #2: Monkeying around with the same boring routine

You may have noticed that most people do the same exercises each time they visit the gym. Maybe you've been doing the same exercise routine as long as you can remember - if it isn't broken then don't fix it, right?

The truth is that exercise routines have expiration dates, and that is the date that they begin to lose their effectiveness. As a rule of thumb never use the same routine for more than 4 weeks.

Mistake #3: Skipping the warmup

Most people consider warm up time to be wasted time - they'd rather jump right into the heart of the routine. What they don't realize is that a good warm up will them to perform at a higher intensity, which means greater results.

The point of a warm up is to increase your muscle temperature. This increases blood flow, muscle contraction and reduces muscle resistance. Your warm up should last 5-10 minutes.

Mistake #4: Improper or bad form

Gyms are filled with people performing exercises with bad form. The two biggest reasons are that they aren't concentrating on the exercise, or they're trying to lift weight that is too heavy. Lifting with improper form too often results in injury.

Take the time to achieve proper form, by doing so you'll avoid injury and will reap the full benefit from each exercise.

Mistake #5: Working out by yourself

People who exercise alone are less challenged, less accountable and typically see fewer results. It makes sense, doesn't it? Why rush to the gym if no one is there waiting for you? Why push yourself if no one is watching? Exercising alone is a recipe for lackluster results.

Not sure where to begin?

The best way to avoid injury and to see results is to work with me, "your trusted source on fitness". I am passionate about seeing my clients achieve results -without wasting time, energy and effort on mistakes.

Call or email today me to schedule a free boot camp trial class. Or, if you want a more personalized program, contact me about one-on-one personal training or my small group training program called "Life Plan".

You'll find my contact info on the boot camp website.
http://bodybasicsbootcamps.com

Committed to your fitness success!

Speaking of Larry Wasserman...

Many of you that know me also know that I'm not shy when the topic is health and fitness. I've been writing and presenting talks for a couple of years now, mostly short presentations for our weekly hiking groups.

I'm now looking to expand and talk to your group or organization, so if you think I might be a good fit, please let me know. If there is an HR contact or club President please send me their contact info. Here's some info about me.

Company Bio:

Larry Wasserman is owner and fitness director of Body Basics Personal Training and Body Basics Boot Camps located in Warren, New Jersey. Body Basics was launched in 2005. Both the personal training and the boot camps share the same philosophy which focuses on developing strength and functional ability in movement, not muscles.

The body works much like a well oiled machine, each part dependent on the other, and needs to be treated as such. This type of training keeps the body ready for everyday tasks that always need strength and balance, especially as we age.

Larry is certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). At Body Basics we continue to study and research the most effective, efficient, and most importantly motivating modes of exercise available.

"Our goal is to not only get our clients into great shape, but to teach them how to incorporate fitness into their everyday lives. Knowledge is power and allows our
clients to take control and implement a healthy lifestyle... a lifestyle where they feel empowered!"

You can read more about Larry and Body Basics at http://bodybasicsbootcamps.com

Here is list of my most popular speaking topics suitable for lunch and learns and other formats.

• Diets Don't Work!
• The Hormone Conundrum (geared for women )
• Oh My Aching Back!
• I'm Not Getting Older... I'm Getting Better
• Help! ... How Did I Gain This Weight ?
• Eat This, Not That! (with Susan Wasserman)

Press on!

Should You Stay Or Should You Go?

One of my favorite bands from the 80's is The Clash. They had a slew of great songs and one was titled, "Should I Stay Or Should I Go?" The song is about a personal relationship, but the title makes me think of many of you who joined our MeetUp.com "Burn the Fat Hiking Group."

I have to admit that I am deeply disappointed that too many peoeple have joined this group and have never been on a hike, not one hike! Hmmmm. But many of our blog readers live all over the world and couldn't come on a hike if they wanted to. So for everyone else think of the hikes as anything you feel that you want to do to improve your health but don't seem to get to, like going to the gym, eating healthier meals, etc.

What's that you say? You have a good reason why.

Maybe so. Do any of these "excuses" resonate with you?

- The hikes are too early in the morning (8:30am)
- I have to work
- I have church at the same time
- My kids have sports
- I live too far away
- Larry, it's Sunday morning for cryin' out loud!
- My pillow wouldn't let me go
- I stay out too late on Saturday nights

I hope these make you chuckle. But then again the truth is that you really just don't value our hikes as something that is important to you. I get that. I just want to make sure that you get that too. Stop pretending that "someday" is going to come and that you will eventually come join us. When you state things in the "future" they tend to always stay in the future, and the futre never arrives.

Be honest. If you can't attend a hike, why join in the first place? Well there's a reason for that too. The reason is because joining makes you feel like you at least made the effort. We all have two things in common. One is our intentions. The other is our actions. So joining a gym or a hiking group means you have good intentions, but actually going is a whole other story.

Let me appeal to your emotional side for a moment. Do any of the following situations fit your life.

- I'm at least 15 lbs over-fat
- I lack energy throughout the day
- I drink 3-4 cups of coffee in the morning to "get going"
- I generally skip breakfast
- I lack motivation
- I'm afraid to start
- I don't know where to begin
- I'll just go back to Weight Watchers...AGAIN?
- I know what to do, I just have to start doing it.
- I work out 3-4 times a week, but I can't lose fat.
- I think I eat healthy?

I could come up with many more, but I think you get my point. Many of us are stuck, but not in what we're doing so much as in what we are "thinking". If you are over fat, it's because of what you are "doing". What you are "doing" is determined by what you are "thinking". You just need to change the way you think. Knowledge is power and applied knowledge is off the hook!

That's what you'll get at a hike. You'll get the information, the motivation, the inspiration, and you'll burn some fat on day one! Get out of your own head. Stop making excuses (okay you call them reasons) but in the end they are excuses. Change your values and make your health a higher priority.

Larry, how can I make my health a higher priority than my kids?

That's a tough one. But if you were stricken with a life threatening disease like CANCER, you'd have to prioritize your health over everything else. I'm just giving you the idea that if you continue on a path of poor habits, one day you may not have a choice.

So choose health now and realize that you ARE actually giving your family a healthier and happier YOU! That's the most loving thing you can do!

So in answer to the question, "Should You Stay or Should You Go?"

The answer is two-fold. YOU SHOULD STAY (in this group) AND GO, (on a hike that is!)

I'll see you on the trails!

Fat Kids Are Harder to Kidnap

Do I Have Your Attention Now?

Be honest. Does this tee shirt's graphic make you laugh? I found it on Google images. I have to admit, the first time I saw a t-shirt like this I chuckled. In the past I have been incredibly insensitive to fat kids. Not out loud, but in the quiet of my own mind. Why is it so easy to make fun of fat kids?

It's easy to snicker and point a finger so-to-speak at anyone who appears different, but over-fat kids are often victims of many varied circumstances that have contributed to their being overweight. And in addition to the food habits they have developed, their health is declining at an alarming rate. As if that's not bad enough, they are the brunt of jokes, ridicule, and prejudice.

Over the years I have worked with many overweight adults. Many have been heavy their entire lives. In their adult years the struggle to lose weight never goes away. I have come to see the child in them that learns to cope. I see what can happen to kids who grow up this way.

To me this T shirt is not funny. Not one bit. In fact, it's the complete opposite. It's message is cruel and insensitive. I just hope I never catch anyone wearing one. If I do, they will get one very unexpected "in your face" moment.

Many kids learn to compensate for their weight, but inside they hurt just like anyone else. Childhood obesity is a problem for all of us, because each one of us has the ability to behave in a way that can help or hinder an over-fat kid.

My business partner in youth fitness is Coach Todd Dattoli. Todd is about as passionate as one can be when it comes to coaching kids. He's a Youth Fitness Specialist through the IYCA (Int'l Youth Conditioning Association). Below is an excerp from one of Todd's articles. Please read and I think you might be surprised at just how bad childhood obesity is. And it's not just the USA either.

Take it away Todd! - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Obesity has become a worldwide problem. Childhood obesity has not only reached epidemic proportions worldwide but poses a serious risk to the health and longevity of children. The over-whelming reason for this global problem that researchers point to time and again is that children and teens are not getting
enough physical activity. This lack of exercise and poor eating habits has concomitantly caused a huge increase in fat mass for children worldwide, where in some countries such as the US, Australia, Canada and the UK childhood obesity has doubled or tripled in the last 10 years.

Here in the United States, children are supposed to get 150 minutes of exercise weekly during school hours, but no one really knows how many, if any, schools actually follow this recommendation. This information was published in JAMA in
July 2008 as well how the US Department of Agriculture proposed a standard of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. However, it appears obvious that so many youth are not meeting this standard and is a clear reason why children's weight has skyrocketed to epic proportions.

Consider this:

--> The prevalence of obesity among children ages 6-11 more than doubled in the past 26 years, going from 6.5% in 1980 to 17% in 2006.

--> The rate of obesity among children ages 12-19 more than tripled in that same time period, increasing from 5% to 17.6%.

--> Fewer than 25% of children in the U.S. get 30 minutes or more physical activity per day.

If this trend continues, we will be burying our children before they have a chance to fully realize their adult lives.

This may sound like a bold statement, but there is a saying that goes "you're as old as your arteries", which means that the condition your arteries are in is more important than your actual age within the evolution of heart disease or stroke.

Case in point is a recent research study conducted by the University of Missouri School of Medicine in which they presented their findings to the American Heart Association stating that obese kid's artery plaque is equal to that of a middle-aged adult. If a child of 13 already has the arteries of a 45 year old and is at such a high risk for heart disease at such a young age, what type of future will this child have? More importantly, will these children even live to see 45 years old if this horrid trend continues and we don't do more to prevent this from happening?

Pretty eye opening, don't you think?

This epidemic is compromising the long-term health and academic achievement of many children. Our youth fitness program, Play On! seeks to help reverse this trend by educating children about healthy food choices and physical activity. Play On! is a unique program that can help enhance children's wellness and give them the tools to live healthy lives!

So from now on, when ever you see an over weight child, don't be so quick to judge them. Don't be so quick to assume that he or she is fat just because they eat too much. There are so many reasons why this happens, it's impossible to know. Also, try to remember that they are just like you. They have feelings too, but unlike you they wear their challenge 24/7. They have to face reality every day and just learn to cope. The least we can do is not make it any more difficult for them.

Committed to your fitness success,


P.S. Please write your comments. Let us know what you think.

Happy Rainy Sunday! A Perfect Day For a Hike!!

( I got up this morning and wrote this email to my list of hikers on MeetUp.com. For those of you not familiar, we have a Sunday morning hiking group that is organized through MeetUp.com.
Here's the link: http://www.meetup.com/Body-Basics-Burn-the-Fat-Hiking-Group/)

Okay, so about 99% of you won't read this until it's too late. Too late for what? Too late for today's hike! The weather is not exactly perfect, but it's clearing and the chance of more rain is very low.

I know what you're thinking.

"It's still crappy out, and staying in with a hot cup of coffee or sleeping in seems like a better plan."

I agree! But. . .

Think about what else may be going on in your life in regard to your physical health. Are you over fat? Sorry to be so blunt, but I don't have much time here. The point I want to make is this. Changing your health also means changing yourself and the way you do things. Becoming "less comfortable" or "leaving your "comfort zone" is where you need to start. So getting up and going out for a hike today is a metaphor for change.

"Be the change you want to see in your life" ~Ghandi

So if you are like me and forgot to set your clock back this morning, (DOH!) or you couldn't sleep and got up early and logged in to check your email. Let me appeal to your inner voice. Let me plant a seed in your mind that today could actually be a pivotal moment.

If you are receiving this message it's because you are on this list, and you actually asked for that. So for starters, you are looking for something. Maybe you are just a casual hiker, or maybe you are looking to meet people. All good! But some of you also want to lose fat weight. What's curious to me is that many of you still haven't taken the next step. There hasn't been any follow through. To be more specific, there are over 175 members in the hiking group, and over 100 have never even been to a hike. That is just plain sad. WTF?

Weekends come and go and you never seem to have the time to come to a hike. Something else always comes up that takes priority. It's not for me to judge, but I will tell you this. If you are fat, and I mean 15 pounds or more to lose, stop and think about what your priorities are. Where do you spend your time?

The truth is that your desire to be leaner is not a major priority. You are in a comfort zone! You may not like it, but you are not doing enough to make any significant changes. If you plan on doing something "soon, eventually, or some day", let me tell you that as long as your plan is somewhere in the future, it will ALWAYS be in the future, and the future never arrives!

The secret to making changes in your health and your life for that matter is to take action, daily action, and to be persistent even through setbacks. Today would be a perfect day to go for a hike because it's not a perfect day at all. If you can get yourself motivated to get up and out on a "less than perfect" weather day, then you have the inner strength and tenacity to get up and out of your old habits and "be the change you want in your life".

I'll see you on the trails!

Larry Wasserman

Trick or Treat? Your Body Will Follow Your Brain

Hi Boot Campers!

First things first. Saturday Morning Boot Camp is Moving: Time and Location Change. Please go to the Meetup site and review the changes that are coming. We're going indoors and starting at 8am at Warren Health & Racquet Club. Beginning on November 14th.

http://www.meetup.com/Body-Basics-Fat-Blasting-Boot-Camp/
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Happy Halloween!

Sure is a dreary and rainy day, and not good for Trick or Treaters. Although the truly determined will done their costumes and go for the bounty! Think about that. It's worth reoeating. The "truly determined" will get their candy today. Maybe not little kids, but 5th, 6th, and 7th graders will get out if they possibly can.

When you think about it, the amount of will and determination one has for trick or treating in the rain is very similar to what one needs to get in great physical shape. Either way you've got to be willing to put up with obstacles, be it the weather, a challenging schedule, or anything else that causes your brain to send you a message that gives you permission to not follow through.

Attitude is everything!

The secret to having a great attitude is having strong reasons why you want or need something. A Halloween trick or treater sees the sack full of candy as the grand prize. When we were kids, my brother and I would walk further and longer than any other time of the year, going from house to house in pursuit of chocolate bars and other delicacies. Yumm! We would start right after school, go home for a quick supper and head right back out after.

The only difference between being grown up and being a kid is that we often lose sight of our passions. With so many responsibilities on our shoulders it becomes difficult to get your motor revved up to go out and do something that requires physical energy. Halloween is also special because it's only one day of the year. Keep in mind that to get in great shape, you'd have to keep that same energy going day in and day out. You have to want great health and a great body as much as my brother and I wanted to see our pillow cases become full of candy!

So where do you find your reasons? In other words, what is it that will help you have that passion? The answer may surprise you. It's your pain. By pain, I mean your emotional pain. Perhaps a better word would be "disturbed". Every day we do things that put us on a potential collision course with being upset about our bodies.

If you step on a bathroom scale in the morning and you
don't like the number you see...Whammo!

If you look in the mirror at yourself just before
you get in or out of the shower and you

don't like what you see...Whammo!

If you get dressed and nothing fits the
way you want it to...Whammo!

There's three opportunities to feel really bad about yourself. What's really "disturbing" is that all three scenarios can occur in the morning back-to-back before you've had breakfast. In fact, you might feel so crappy about yourself, instead of eating a healthy breakfast you just say "screw it" and head for Dunkin Donuts!

It's time to change all of that. It's time to reverse the downward spiral and find your "passion" once again. Make your enemy your friend. Your enemy is the way you feel about yourself.

Get good and mad about the number on the bathroom scale.

Get good and fired up about the naked body you see in the mirror.

Get good and fed up with the way your clothes (don't) fit.

AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

FoodRenegade.com

Stop the old cycle and start a new positive cycle. Remember the passion you had as kid on Halloween, Christmas morning, or when you got a new bike? You still have that passion, you just have to let it out. SO LET IT OUT! The kid in you is alive and well and wants to run and play. It's the tired and frustrated adult in you that is making all the excuses. Find your passion once again and begin to change your life.

My passion is helping people get fit. If I can help you, it would be my pleasure. Please visit one of my websites and see if there's a way I can help you feel and look your best.

Committed to your fitness success,
Larry Wasserman

bodybasicsbootcamps.com
imtiredofbeingfat.com
healthyfitkids.com
bodybasics.blogspot.com

5 Ways To Stop Worrying So Much

We already know that worrying is not good. But we continue to worry...a lot. In fact, we as humans worry so much, it's killing us. Even though we have more technology and resources for a higher quality of life, we also have more psycho-social stress than ever and many of us worry about things that we have little to no control over. Worrying causes added stress which can deteriorate your health and shorten your life.

You know the word "disease"? Well it comes from two words put together, "dis- ease". Think about it. When you have enough "dis-ease" in your life inevitably you'll get "disease"!

And you know what else stress does to you? It makes you fat. Oy!

So read this article and hopefully it will help you find ways to mentally process your stress and worry less.

I found this article on the web and it had no author. I think someone had cut and pasted it from it's original source. So I apologize to the author for not being able to give proper credit.



"Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight." Benjamin Franklin

"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one." Elbert Hubbard

"If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn't ask me, I'd still have to say it." George F. Burns

Worries. They can circle around and around in your head. Becoming louder and louder as they sap your strength and make you feel you weaker. It's no fun.

So what can you do about it? Here are five timeless thoughts to help you overcome or at least lessen the worries in your life. I hope you find something helpful.

1. 80-90 percent of what you fear will happen never really come into reality.

"When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened." Winston Churchill

"If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today." E. Joseph Cossman

This is a big one but one that is easy to forget about. Most things you fear will happen never happen. They are just monsters in your own mind. And if they happen then they will most often not be as painful or bad as you expected. Worrying is most often just a waste of time.

This is of course easy to say. But if you remind yourself of how little of what you feared throughout your life that has actually happened you can start to release more and more of that worry from
your thoughts.

2. Don't make mountains out of molehills.

"Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow." Swedish Proverb

"Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained." Arthur Somers Roche

"If you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you'll die a lot of times." Dean Smith

It's very easy to fall into the habit of making mountains out of molehills. You think and think about a small problem until it becomes something that you believe may ruin your life.

So why do we do it? Why don't strive to make things easy and simple?

Well, one reason I believe is protection from pain. By making the problem huge can you can invent a helpful excuse to convince yourself to not take action.

Another reason is that the ego wants more. It wants to feel better or worse than someone else. By making things more complicated than they need to be you can make them feel very important. And since you are involved in these important things, since you have these BIG problems, well, then you have to be important too, right? Plus, by doing so you can get a lot of attention and comfort from other people.

So how do you get out of the habit of making mountains of molehills? Three tips:

* Zoom out. Ask questions that widen your current perspective. Questions like: "Does someone have it worse on the planet?" The answer may not result in positive thoughts, but it can sure snap you of a somewhat childish "poor, poor me--" attitude pretty quickly. This question changes the perspective from a narrow, self-centred one into a much wider one and helps me to lighten up about my situation and to be grateful about my life.

* Bring awareness to you own thought patterns. Ask yourself questions like: "Honestly, am I overcomplicating this?" and "What is the simplest and most straightforward solution to my problem
that I may be avoiding to protect myself from pain?"

* Realize that much of this is in your head. Your relationships to what you want to achieve are - just like your relationships to people - to a large extent just in your head. Think that something
is easy and simple instead of "heavy" and complicated and your perception of that external thing you want to achieve tends to change too. Experiment and find healthy and effective relationships
to what you want to achieve instead of just seeing something like many people may do.

3. Let go of that familiarity and certainty.

"Worry is like a rocking chair-it gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere." Unknown

"People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them." George Bernard Shaw

Whatever you have been doing perhaps for decades feels familiar and comfortable. Even if it may be something destructive as worrying. Taking a leap of faith and going into the unknown, making a change that may turn out to be positive, can feel scarier and more uncomfortable than what you are used to. Even if what you are used to is worse in the long run.

But at some point you have to make up your mind to start letting go of that old familiar part of yourself. You have to fill up the space all that worrying used take up with new thinking. It may feel
uncomfortable. It is not so intimately familiar as your past thoughts.

It can be scary and exciting at the same time because now you are not just someone who sees him/herself as worrier and that uses some techniques to lessen that. You are instead making a deep change to who you are, to how you view yourself. You are letting go of something that has been a big part of you and are leaving it at the side of the road.

One great tip that I have learned for making it easier to let go is to first accept it. Then to let it go. When you accept something instead of resisting it you stop feeding more energy into your problem and making it even bigger. A bit counterintuitive.

This is useful when it comes to letting go. If you first acceptwhat you want to let go you aren't so emotionally attached to it and still feeding it with your focus and energy. And so it becomes less powerful and easier to just drop. As long as you resist it then it will be hard to let it go.

Another helpful hint for letting go is found in tip #1 in this article. All that worrying in your past may not have been very accurate at all. So perhaps it's a smart choice to let go of that habit?

4. Focus on a solution.

"There is a great difference between worry and concern. A worried person sees a problem, and a concerned person solves a problem." Harold Stephen

"The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work." Robert Frost

"You can't wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time." Pat Schroeder

To move out of worry it's very helpful to just start moving and taking action to solve what you are concerned about. Two tips that have helped me to take action more consistently are:

Using a morning routine.

This is perhaps the most powerful tip I have found so far in this area. You simply set up a routine in the morning that you do as soon as you wake up. This works so well because what you do early
in the day often sets the context for your day. As humans we have a strong tendency to want to be consistent with what we have done before. That's one big reason why a bad start often leads to a bad day and a good start often leads to a good day. Read all about my and other people's morning routines in this article.

Focusing on and taking responsibility for the process, not the potential results.

I use this when I workout. I don't take responsibility for the results in my mind. I take responsibility for showing up and doing my workout. The results have come anyway from that consistent action. And this makes it easier for me to take this action when I know that is all I need to focus on. Instead of using half of the energy and focus I have available on hoping that I "reach my goal real, real soon".

Focus on the process and you will be a lot more relaxed and prone to continue than if you stare yourself blind on the potential results that never come as quickly as you want to and puts you on an emotional roller coaster from day to day.

5. Tomorrow will come anyway. Live and fully enjoy here and now.

"Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy." Leo F. Buscaglia

It may sometimes seem that by worrying we can less the sorrow of tomorrow. But it never works. It only sucks the life out of today and this moment.

To be able to live better today and to be able to take that action to prevent the possible sorrow it's important to learn to live in the present moment. Because it's there that you can do things in the best possible way with your focus fully on what you are doing.

Three of my favorite techniques for drawing myself back to the now are these (the first one is the one I use most often right now):

* Focus on what's right in front of you. Or around you. Or on you. Use your senses. Just look at what's right in front of you right now. Listen to the sounds around you. Feel the fabric of your
clothes and focus on how they feel. Be still right there and just take in the world around you.

* Pick up the vibe from present people. If you know someone that is more present than most people then you can pick his/her vibe of presence (just like you can pick up positivity or enthusiasm from people). If you don't know someone like that then I have often recommended listening/watching to Eckhart Tolle in the past. I still do. I especially like his audiobook "Stillness Speaks". Another guy that I find helpful for picking up presence from is Dr. Wayne Dyer.

* Paraliminals. I reviewed these guided meditation CDs during the spring and they have become one of my favorite way for reconnecting with the present. I just plop down on my bed for 25 minutes or so to relax and listen. Afterwards I feel relaxed and energized and my self-talk tends to shut down or decrease significantly for maybe half a day. This makes it a lot easier to be in the present moment and just focus on what is going on right now.

I'm injured and can't exercise, now what?

One of my personal training clients is out of commission for a few weeks with an inflamed achilles tendon. He was playing with his kids in his back yard and "wham!". In the meantime, he is healing and unable to exercise, so he is traveling for business and also not paying much attention to his diet.

Now I don't want to pick on him per se, but I want to point out something very significant. Injuries are like any set back in life. It's not what happens to you that is significant, it's what you do about it that counts!

When I am unable to follow my normal exercise regiment, I always ask myself this question, "What can I do today?" For example, if I can't get in a workout, I'll set a goal to make sure that I drink my allotment of water for the day. It's always a good practice to differentiate between our intentions and our actions. We judge ourselves by our intentions, so it's easy to not take action. And before you know it one day leads to another and another, and little gets accomplished.

We all have the best of intentions, but few of us are able to carry them out with consistency. A simple way to improve upon this is a two step process. One. Write your intentions into your daily to-do list. By taking this action step, you immediately trigger the brain to be much more accountable. Two. Just like in business, "you get paid for done". Projects in your head don't make money. Projects completed do pay off. Actions completed pay off too!

So put your daily "habits" of drinking water, eating small meals, and exercising in your to-do list (daily) and think of them as paying you big dividends when "done". Health is wealth!

No BS. This is simply a matter of changing your thinking. Powerful associations to things we already do and value can help us make big strides. It's important to get your brain to stop "thinking" that doing these daily activities is time consuming and inconvenient. Get excited about the changes you are making with every small meal, every bottle of water, every push up! It's the little things that add up to make a big difference.

Avoid having a setback take you out of the game. There is always something you can do to move you toward your goals, but it takes an intention and action to get it done. Think of your "intentions" as priming the pump for the actions that are to follow. Get fired up about your intentions and your actions will fall into place like dominoes.

In the end it's a shift of values where you are taking action on things because they are now higher priority because you "must do" them. Without this thought process your daily actions are just "should do" items that you never seem to get to.

Press on!

What Are Your Thoughts? Please add a comment!

Youth Fitness Program Launches Oct 5th in Warren, NJ

Over the years I have been asked a hundred times or more from moms in Warren about offering a fitness program for their kids. But the logistics of creating a program are huge as it requires designing the "right" program, finding the right space and time, obtaining a facility, not to mention being effective. If you actually take the time to look around, it won't take you long to see that there are a lot of over weight kids. They are everywhere. This has been gnawing at me for over two years. A year ago I met a fellow NJ trainer at a fitness seminar in CT. His name is Todd Dattoli and he has been a certified Youth Fitness Specialist for several years. In addition, Todd is a nationally certified personal trainer and like myself runs his own company, Peak Conditioning Fitness in Far Hills, NJ. And also like me, Todd has been wanting to create the right program too. It only took us one meeting to get our main objectives on paper and within a few weeks "Play On! The After School Fitness Challenge" was created. We sent proposals to the Warren Board of Education, the elementary and middle school principals, Dr. Crisfield - the Superintendent, and the Business Administrator. I am happy to report that everyone loved our proposal and we have been given the opportunity to offer Play On as an "after school enrichment program" in the Warren district. http://healthyfitkids.com This initial program is for grades 4 through 8. Although any student can participate, we're looking to attract those students who aren't getting enough physical activity. Maybe they are academic or artistic in nature, or perhaps they are just spending too much time in front of a computer screen. Maybe they are over weight too. These are the students who don't participate in Rec Sports programs and even avoid athletics because they might feel inadequate. We want to create a place where these kids will feel like champions. Our mission is to get them to exercise through creative games. Through "play", they will get moving. The scope of the program introduces tools and equipment they won't use in PE. They will be encouraged, inspired, motivated, and challenged to use their imagination to ultimately create their own games. You see, we are not only looking to get them moving in the present. - We want them to feel good about themselves and to get moving on their own. - We want them to get excited about having fun so that they begin to change their habits and get outdoors on their own and actively pursue physical activity. - We want them to develop confidence in their physical abilities so that they don't feel socially inept. -We want them to associate healthy eating with exercise and having fun. Please go to our website at healthyfitkids.com and look through the program description. Warren Parents, We Need Your Help This program is in it's infancy, but the knowledge education and passion behind it has over twenty years of combined experience in education, fitness, nutrition, and coaching. The Warren schools are supporting the program, but are limited in their ability to get the word out to parents. They have allowed us to use Woodland School and to place fliers in the school offices, but we want to also notify as many parents as possible which is why I am writing to you. I truly want to help kids begin to get the right message at an early age so that as they grow, they make better choices and live healthier lives. It doesn't happen over night, but we have to plant the seeds so-to-speak. We have to start the process and reverse the trend that is sweeping across our nation. We've got more technology, more diet programs, more self help books, more gyms, more health food stores than ever and we are fatter than ever. It's just crazy! We have to start at the beginning and that is with our kids. So if you or someone you know has kids who could benefit from this program, please direct them (and yourself) to our website where you can register online. The program begins on Monday Oct 5th. We've only got room for 50 students, so please don't sit on this. Registration forms and tuition must be received by Sunday October 4th. You can drop them off at the Woodland School by Friday Oct 2nd in the office, or get them to me personally. If you need help, please let me know. If you have any questions, please call or email me directly. With gratitude, P.S. This is not just for Warren kids. PLAY ON is for all kids! http://healthyfitkids.com

What Are Your Fall Fitness Goals?

Okay, so this could be a tough one. I mean "Three" goals? Isn't one goal enough? Well, that depends on what your goals are. If you had one goal to lose 50 pounds, that would be quite significant. But having multiple goals is more in line with human nature. I mean, do you only ever want one thing and "only one thing"? Exactly.

So ask yourself, "what are three things that I could work on to improve myself or my health?" Please know that I am well aware that you might also be motivated to help someone else. And as much as that would be generous and honorable, this exercise is about YOU!

My Goal #1
Last Winter I had a goal to do 100 consecutive pushups without a break. I worked up to 74 and then had a set back as I hurt my shoulder. And as it often happens, within a few weeks I let go and focused my attention on other things. I started that goal at Thanksgiving setting New Years as my target. It's been haunting me ever since. So now that is goal number #1 - 100 pushups! Only now I'm going to start earlier and I'm giving myself eight weeks to complete the task.

My Goal #2
My second fitness goal is to nail 20 body weight pull ups. I can currently only get a clean 10, so twice that is going to be a real challenge. One thing is for certain, I'm going to get a lot stronger as a result and that's not only exciting, it's driving me to want to do it!

My Goal #3
My third fitness goal is to go surfing more often. Although this is a recreational activity, it's about taking time to enjoy life. (I work way too much). There was a period in my life where I spent a lot of time chasing waves along the east coast. My goal is to get out more, enjoy the Fall weather and waves, and share my passion for surfing with my sons...the next generation!

Once the weather gets cooler like it is now, it gets more difficult to be outside and for some reason the Fall is always a busy time of year. I hope that you'll give this some thought and come up with a few goals for yourself.

Consider the many events of the fall season and see if you can't associate a goal with an activity. From football games, holidays, kids sports programs, and how about all those falling leaves? Make a goal to do your own yard clean up this year!

Leave A Reply ~ Go ahead and post your Fall Fitness Goals below!

Not sure what goals are for you? Here's a few suggestions.

- Run a 5 or 10K road race
- Train for a triathlon
- Train to ride a bicycle for 100 miles (a "century")
- Commit to release 10 pounds of fat in six weeks
- Quit smoking
- Learn to prepare healthy meals
- Take up a new sport
- Walk your dog every night after dinner
- Eat breakfast every day
- Join Body Basics Boot Camps (The #1 goal to rule them all!)

This list could be huge if you let your mind go. The point is to "focus on change" and to make progress from where you are now. For example, if your goal is to lose 10 pounds in 6 weeks and you never eat breakfast, then eating oatmeal for breakfast every day will also help you drop those extra pounds of flab. There's two goals that have a synergy between them.

Keep your eye on the prize and find reasons to be 100% committed.

Don’t forget to Leave a Comment
Post your Fall Fitness Goals below!

Just think - by taking action NOW you will be MORE than ready with a new, fit body once the holidays arrive!