Five tips to stay lean year around

Top Five tips to staying Lean year round;

1.Eat natures natural fat burner:

Eat nature’s natural fat burners: Add cinnamon, grapefruit, and asparagus. Studies have shown these foods to have natural fat burning effects on the body. Cinnamon works by increasing the body’s sensitivity to insulin with 1g per day shown to be an effective dose. One study also showed that grapefruit, even in the absence of exercise lead study participants to lose weight. Similarly, Asparagus has been found to be effective for fat loss, containing the chemical asparagine, an alkaloid that breaks down fat. These are not all of nature’s fat burners. There are plenty of foods that can aid in achieving your best physique – do your research and turn to food first before looking to supplements.

2. Keep carbohydrates low/medium on glycemic index

Keep carbohydrates low/medium on the glycemic index: To stay lean or drop weight quick, limit your carbohydrates to those no higher than medium on the glycemic index. It is a system that measures the effect of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels. The rapid spike in blood sugar levels from carbohydrates in the high range on the glycemic index is a leading indicator of obesity and chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. It is a lot more precise of a gauge than simply sticking to complex carbohydrates.

3.Cardio

Cardio: Physical activity every day is important. If you want to stay lean year round cardio is a must. Not only do you burn calories during cardio but your metabolism stays elevated afterwards – keeping it revved up is important to remaining lean. Remember, I prefer HIIT (high intensity interval training).

4.Superset

Superset: Supersetting is a form of working out in which you perform several exercises at the same time or compound movements. The minimal rest keeps the heart rate and metabolism high further stepping on the gas when it comes to fat burning.

5.Eat 6 to 7 meals a day

Eat 6 – 7 meals a day: We are stuck in this mentality that the less one eats the skinnier or leaner they will be. The problem with this is the lack of food slows down the metabolism and leads to muscle wasting. Eating several times a day keeps the metabolism high and as long as your daily intake of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats are balanced, you will get lean and retain muscle. And don’t forget to drink water and stay hydrated!

success

“Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.”

Zig Ziglar

Dream Big

·         Dream big. Never allow your logical mind to talk you out of pursuing your dreams. Your dreams are made for you. Trying is the only way to know if they are possible to achieve.

 

 

 

 

follow your heart

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011)

Goals

The process of goal accomplishment, like most things in life begins with a decision. You decide what you want to achieve and then you plan how you intend to achieve it. If accomplishing your goal is important to you, your inability to make crucial decisions about what you should do, how you should do it and when you should do it, will waste your time and choke your dream. Make up your mind and stop second-guessing yourself. When your mind is made up nothing can stop you from making progress with fulfilling your goals.

your mind

Your mind thinks thoughts, and those thoughts are broadcast back to you as your life experience. You not only create your life with your thoughts, but your thoughts add powerfully to the creation of the world. If you thought that you were insignificant and had no power in this world, think again. Your mind is actually SHAPING the world around you.

goals

·         When setting goals, make sure they are SMART: S-Specific; M-Measureable; A-Attainable; R-Realistic; T-Time Bound. Use this principle to set smaller goals leading up to a bigger goal and it will help you stay focused and not get overwhelmed and throw in the towel! You can use that towel instead to "wipe the sweat off your face!";)

 

 

 

Your Health is your business

Your Health is your business

Take some of the basic principles from parts of your life where you have achieved success, and then mold them slightly in order to recreate that success in different forms. The same strategy can be used over and over, just restructured to better suit the given idea/goal/or topic. Ex: Family setting, sports, business, health, etc. Being capable of creating balance in one’s life is a fundamental tool in achieving greatness and absolute health. By applying certain principles and balance to your life, you are setting yourself up for great success. You know what works for you, you know how to be happy in all facets of your life (because you have perfected a certain level of BALANCE) and you are able to take steps forward that will undoubtedly accelerate your performance.

I will lay out 7 strategies to help you succeed and find balance, Balance = Success.

1.Develop a written plan

To be successful at just about anything you have to visualize what you are going to do, and then put it down on paper. Planning is a way of pulling you out of the day to day tasks you have set for yourself, and will sometimes enable you to think about the bigger picture. It is all too common that people spend too much time working within the parameters of an outdated plan rather than on producing a better plan. Without this plan, it’s easy to lose focus and instead just take things as they come reducing productivity. Personalize your goals and re-evaluate on a regular basis. You want to set goals for now, midterm, long term, and an end goal. By visualizing and mapping out what you plan to accomplish, you are reducing risk and protecting your investment “YOU”. Know yourself and your capabilities, and make sure your written plan works within the perimeters of your abilities.
2.Get Professional advice
Bankers, Lawyers, and accountants are some of the first people contacted when starting a business. In the fitness realm a trainer, health coach, or even magazine and web content can be helpful. Nobody knows it all, nor will you ever. If you knew it all, things would become boring and stagnant and there would be no need for others advice because you would already have all the answers. But since you don’t live in that world, find someone that can help you get started or perfect what you are already doing. Perhaps you just need to find a way to become more efficient at managing your routine. Having a Personal Trainer is an excellent way to help you remain motivated and dedicated to what you want to achieve. A good health or life coach is also adept at helping you come up with innovative ideas. It is definitely a challenge to formulate solutions to difficulties that stand in your way. Through the advice you receive, you are able to get over those hurdles and back on the fast track of achieving your goals. It is also good to get professional advice because they will look at your plan and goals more objectively as an outsider and give you the advice you need to improve not just what you want to hear.

3.Persistence

We all struggle with discipline; it does not come easily, not even for the most successful. Anyone can give up; it's the easiest thing to do. But to keep moving forward and progressing, regardless of failure, misfortune, or hurdle in your path, that is true strength and is what will separate you from the rest.  Bodyweight and fat fluctuate, muscles come and go, max lifts fade; but with hard work and persistence, you can better previous bests and continue to set the bar higher and higher. There is always room to grow, at 90% capacity you will have mastered your craft, but there is still that 10 % remaining that will take a lifetime to acquire. Persistence takes discipline. Discipline is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.

4.Supplement

By supplementing your income you are able to free up funds and put them to good use. In your business you may only make enough for the necessities; extra income can translate into growth. When you rely on one income stream it’s hard to get your money working for you, and if that one income stream dries up in most cases bankruptcy will follow. The same can be said for supplementing your diet. When you rely strictly on your diet alone, you rely on that one stream of nutrition to get in everything your body needs to live, grow, and recover. When you aren’t getting all the nutrients your body needs you can’t work at an optimal level and achieving your goals will be much harder and eventually your body is bankrupt and depleted. If your diet fails, the supplements that you incorporate into your plan can help fill in the gaps where your diet is lacking. In a recent study it was reported that upwards of 80% of all people don’t get everything they need from their diets alone, so supplementing your diet with even the basics is a smart thing to do. Multi vitamin- multi minerals, BCAA’s, Fish oils, and protein powders are some great basic supplements that can be of benefit to your diet plan and in turn, translate into growth.
5.Lay off the credit

To be successful you shouldn’t rely on the use of credit as a means to make your business work. It’s easy to go overboard and over spend, and before you know it you are laden with debt and work to pay your debt rather than to grow your business. If you have a solid plan in place, with a strong workout regimen and diet, stick to it. Some people incorporate cheat meals into their diet, which is ok, but in doing so it’s very easy to go overboard. You think that because you worked so hard you have built up credit and can use it however you want. What started out as a cheat meal turns into a cheat day and in some cases a cheat week and beyond. You keep telling yourself that it’s ok and that you are capable of reversing what you have done and in a sense pay off the credit you have used to get ahead again or back to par. Some will make excuses and tell themselves that one extra tablespoon of peanut butter won’t hurt, or that they already messed up for the day so why not eat whatever they want that day and they will start back strong the next. This is all a means to an end and a practice you should never let get between you and the goals you have set for yourself.
6.Get rid of Debt
Going into or keeping a business going is always harder when you are burdened with debt. It’s best to keep your debt low to zero and have that capital to work with. In health and fitness, debt would be the equivalent of fat. Having an overabundance of fat will make your journey more difficult and make achieving your goals harder than it needs to be. The most prominent health benefit derived from a low body fat percentage is the reduced risk of heart problems that may arise due to clogged arteries or veins. Studies have shown that people with more fat around their abdomen are more likely to suffer from Type 2 Diabetes than those with lesser body fat around the waist. Low body fat reduces the risk of various types of cancers such as ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, uterine cancer, and colon cancer in females. In males, chances of prostate cancer and colon cancer are reduced. Low body fat is associated with a reduced risk of Sleep Apnea, which can cause shortness of breath and possibly even lead to heart attacks in some cases. So reduce your fat “debt” and live a better life.
7.Save, Save, Save

Nothing happens overnight but accumulates over time. To be successful at anything you need to allow the time necessary to accomplish your goals and let your hard work add up, like money in the bank. Whether it is gaining muscle, knowledge, losing weight, etc.; whatever it is, everything takes time and patience. It takes time to develop the healthy behaviors needed to look or feel the way that you want, but they all add up to contribute to your overall goal and before you know it you have accomplished what you initially set in place as your end goal. After about a month of consistency, you will have developed a habit and you will find that everything you initially may have had a hard time doing becomes effortless and becomes a normal part of your day to day life. You look more how you want to, you have the knowledge to help put your plan in place, and after seeing results your motivation level also increases. Sit down and assess your goals. Look realistically at the time needed to achieve your goals. Then create the best path for you.

best intentions

People always start with the best of intentions and will try and do everything at once. They get overwhelmed and quit before they really even started. Small changes add up and can make a huge difference. Work on one thing at a time and keep adding to it.

Never stop believeing

No matter what happens, no matter how far you seem to be away from where you want to be, never stop believing that you will somehow make it. Have an unrelenting belief that things will work out, that the long road has a purpose, that the things that you desire may not happen today, but they will happen. Continue to persist and persevere.

compare

Why compare yourself with others?

No one in the entire world can do a better job of being you than you.

Past

The past cannot be changed, forgotten, edited or erased; it can only be accepted.

consistency

Consistency is key, regardless of if you're a competitive bodybuilder or simply someone wanting to stay in shape, do not allow yourself to fall off, if you do, get up dust off and start again

Comparison

We are all at different places in our journeys...don't get discouraged by what anyone else is doing...you don't know where they started. Feel good about where you are and what you are doing and don't focus on anyone but yourself...we are all on our own journeys! "To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did."

5 Bad Thoughts That Will Throw You Off Track.

The definition of “thoughts” is “An idea or mental picture, imagined and contemplated by thinking or occurring suddenly in the mind.” I believe if you can harness and channel the right thoughts you will be unstoppable in any walk of life. These 5 thoughts are mistakenly carried out by the best of us at times and may be the reason why you can’t reach that level of Success you have been hoping for.
Break throughs are made when we change the way we think, when we alter our beliefs and open our mind to its full and witty potential.

1.Perfectionism
We have all heard the saying ‘no one is perfect’ and in my opinion……thank god! Could you image a world with total perfection? It would be boring and there would be no thrill of risk and nothing better to strive for or look forward to.
I believe imperfection makes something beautiful, real and different and this is how most successful people in the world get to where they are now, by embracing their flaws/imperfections and putting everything they can into their passion!
Thomas Edison invented 3,000 duds before he invented the lightbulb. He himself did not call it failure. Instead, he said: “Any of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
Taking imperfect action is the best starting point.

2.Comparing yourself to others
There is only one YOU and trying to be like anyone is a total waste of time I say!
Many entrepreneurs push you to follow your passion and to observe successful people and do what they do. I also believed this. Do what they do but do it in your own way; add your own personal flare and passion along with your high energy and action and you will succeed on your own accord and merit.
Everyone is unique so embrace YOU and concentrate on what you can, do not what others can do.

3.Thinking that you’re not ‘good enough’
I truly believe that your mind is the most powerful tool you have and thoughts become things! Start telling yourself that you are good enough, or better yet that you are too good and even if you don’t believe it, you will start to etch this out and create what once was just a vision.
We are all put on this earth for our own personal journeys and success’s and I know that no matter what anyone says, everyone has it in them to do anything they put their mind to! All you have to do is start believing it!

4.Doing too much at once
I read 10 books at a time and yes as thrilling as it is getting lost in 10 different stories and becoming one with all those different characters and adventures, it sure is hard to concentrate and focus on one at a time! How many books do you think I end up finishing? None!
This is a perfect example of why you concentrate on one thing at a time and don’t overload your plate with too many tasks at once. Even though it sounds fun and the excitement of wanting to finish so many things at once drives you to take everything on board, it really isn’t practical and you end up getting ¼ of everything done and finishing none of them.
Focus on one thing at a time and the satisfying feeling of accomplishing and moving forward will be enough of a reward to help you to successfully complete one thing at a time.

5.“But I” (Excuses excuses…)
The 5^th and final rule is a ban on excuses! Everyone can find an excuse to do or not to do something, this is a known fact!
Excuses help us justify the doubts we already have about something so that the risk is lessened by a self belief for why we can’t do something.
However, I have a philosophy that everything works both ways so next time you find yourself making or finding an excuse why not to do something, change your way of thinking and force yourself to come up with an excuse as to why you SHOULD do that something!
Whenever I doubt something or find myself coming up with an excuse I ask myself this one little question:
What’s the worst that can happen?
Usually my answer to this is “It won’t work out the way I want it to” and if this is what happens then you know what not to do in the future or what to do when you try next time!
It’s all easier said than done and no one can help you unless you really want to help yourself  but one thing I do know is that we are all creatures of habit so if you start to forcefully change your way of thinking by following these rules then your body and mind will soon catch on and start to think differently in your favor, automatically!

 

Make it a lifestyle

·         Make it a lifestyle...Be consistent with your training, diet and sleep because they all play equal parts into the equation.

Dedication

·         We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.

Desire

The more clear and definite you make your picture then and the more you dwell upon it, bringing out all its delightful details, the stronger your desire will be, and the stronger your desire, the easier it will be to hold your mind fixed upon the picture of what you want.

Present circumstances

Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.

Ready for next step

·         Start believing that you’re ready for the next step.
You are ready! Think about it. You have everything you need right now to take the next small, realistic step forward. So embrace the opportunities that come your way, and accept the challenges – they’re gifts that will help you to grow.

 

 

 

 

Live now!

·         Don't ask permission, don't hesitate, don't put it off any longer. Live now, live today, go do those things you know you need to do. Toss away any excuses, anything that is holding you back from being the best you. There is only one shot to live life to its fullest. Stop holding yourself back because its comfortable. Go out and take a risk, choose to live boldly, and leave your mark.

 

5 Steps to eliminate self-doubt & fear on your fitness journey

5 Steps to eliminate self-doubt & fear on your fitness journey

1.surround yourself with positive people.

They say that the 5 people you surround yourself with most will ultimately decide where you go with your life. I am sure you have noticed that when you are in a gym you see that the people with the best physiques or the ones with the most motivation are with like people. The same can apply to the business world; successful people are usually surrounded by other successful people. Think about it, if you’re hanging out with people that are out of shape, lack ambition and motivation you’re likely to be on the same path they are on. What’s worse is when you try and separate yourself from that lifestyle and those types of people, they will do what they can to detour you from your goals and try and hold you back. You will be met with negative comments, and they will try and put doubt in your head; don’t allow this. They see the changes you are making and that can incite fear in them that they too will have to make change to be accepted. If you want to be your best, surround yourself with the best and all the positivity you can.

2. We are all on the same path.

Don’t let yourself get intimidated by anyone else in the gym. Realize that everyone there is trying to do the same thing; better themselves. The path to increase one’s performance and overall health can be harder for some than it is for others. This is a journey that we all share, our destinations may be different but we are on the same path to betterment. Whether you are a beginner or advanced; go in each day and do the best YOU can do and leave the intimidation factor at the door. Everyone starts at the beginning and nobody knows it all, so don’t let someone’s knowledge or their physical condition detour you from becoming a better you. If you are a beginner, look to the advanced as inspiration. Ask questions; get advice, ask for a periodic spot and continue to educate yourself. These people were once where you are at, and got to where they are doing the same things.

3.The only person that can tell you that you can’t is you.

Time and time again I hear people say someone told them that they can’t achieve something. CAN’T is a word that needs to be eliminated from your vocabulary. Not only does it bring you down, but it also brings the people around you down. The only person that can tell you that you can’t is you, and the best thing about that is you don’t have to listen. People that are incapable or just too lazy to do what it is that you’re trying to achieve will rebel and tell you that you can’t. They will make you doubt yourself, and make you think that your goals/dreams are not achievable, so you give up. Instead use this negativity as fuel and prove these people and even yourself wrong. With each thing you achieve that you thought you previously couldn’t, you will gain confidence that you can in fact achieve whatever you want in life. If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves. So don’t let others judge you; by them telling you that you can’t, that is exactly what they are doing-judging you. Speak with your actions; and show them and yourself your true capabilities, and in the end your greatness will silence them all.

4. Have a purpose.

When you have a purpose/ game plan set you have a much better chance in achieving what you want than if you didn’t have one. If you go into a gym with no drive, purpose, or motivational factor to drive you in most cases you will fail. The gym can become a scary place and you find yourself wandering around like a zombie with no specific destination or routine. You don’t see any results so you start to doubt everything that you are doing and eventually quit. To be successful and to eliminate this doubt; set goals, and I advise you to write them down. If you only have goals in your head they can change day to day based on your energy level and your mood. When you write your goals down they are concrete, you can hold them, and they are right in front of you rather than floating around in your head somewhere. As you achieve these goals check them off, they will be a reminder of your success and give you that drive you need to continue on your fitness journey. As you achieve your goals continue to set more. Set present, short term, and long term goals. If you’re only looking at the destination and don’t focus on the journey itself, the end goal will seem unattainable and you can become overwhelmed and doubt will emerge and take over. Take joy in your small victories, they build on one another until you reach your destination.

5. The myth; Strength training will make me look like a bodybuilder or power-lifter

This is one that I have heard over and over and mostly from women. “I am afraid if I weight train I will get big and bulky”. It’s important to realize that the amount of muscle a woman can put on is limited by a number of factors. First, women don’t have the testosterone needed to build a lot of muscle, so if you switch over from the light weights which I like to call “pink weight syndrome” or start to strength train, you are in no danger of losing your neck and building quads so big you bust out of your jeans. Many women coming to strength training are eating at a deficit for fat loss, so they won’t be building much, if any, new muscle—the goal of strength training while eating at a deficit is to retain the muscle mass you already have and skew the percentage of weight loss towards fat and away from muscle. The fact is: “Looking like a bodybuilder” doesn’t happen accidentally. To look like or be a bodybuilder, especially for women, requires a phenomenal lifestyle commitment. So don’t be afraid to use weights, and if you are lifting don’t be afraid to go heavier. If strength training causes a female to look like a bodybuilder that would equate to me saying “I don’t want to swim laps today because I don’t want to win the 100m gold next week” and that my friends is not going to happen without an act of God and a boat motor on my back.

For guys you do have the testosterone needed to gain muscle mass, so you will have a much easier time developing size. If you don’t want to get bulky, your diet and supplementation will determine this. If you are lifting heavy all the time, expect to gain some muscle if you diet is geared towards weight gain. Simply put, if you watch your protein, carbs, and fat ingestion then you can manipulate your diet to keep your mass down. If you want to keep lean and still lift heavy keep your cardio up, keep your protein and carbs at a moderate range so that you maintain lean muscle as you drop body fat. So you will transition muscle and fat more than you will bulk up.

share with the right people

The harsh reality is: not everyone will support your dreams.. So find the people that do. Share your goals with the RIGHT people - the ones who will encourage you, motivate you, and connect you with others who will move you forward towards your goals and dreams.

succeed

Those who succeed are unwilling to quit. If knocked down, you will get back up, every time.

Don't wait

Living a healthy lifestyle comes from within yourself, no one can make you want to be healthy.

change

If you want things in your life to change, then you are going to have to change things in your life.