Help Me, I’m Frustrated!

Often times I’m approached by a frustrated person who can’t seem to drop the weight they need to. They tell me that they exercise, they eat healthy, and they drink plenty of water.

“So why can’t  I lose weight?”, they ask.

Not only are they frustrated, but they are getting close to losing hope that they will ever lose the stubborn pounds that plague them.

Do you want to know what I ask them? It is a simple question that usually reveals the problem behind their inability to lose weight.

How often do you eat each day?

The most frequent answer that I get is 2-3 times each day.  Most of us are fooled into thinking that in order to lose weight we should eat as little as possible, this is simply not true.

The problem with going for an extended period without eating is simple: your body thinks you are starving. As a result your metabolism slows to conserve energy and when you do eat usually your portions are larger (because you are hungry for crying out loud!), above your energy requirements. Your body shuttles the excess energy (calories) into storage  – also known as fat.

Want to lose fat? This strategy is a winner!

Eat 4 to 6 small meals a day to easily kick your metabolism into high gear.

Eating smaller meals throughout the day forces your body to burn calories all day long and the results are amazing. When you begin to eat in a “grazing” fashion your body will respond by dropping unwanted pounds.

This is probably not the first time that you have heard this tip – but, if you are like most unsatisfied fitness enthusiasts, then you simply don’t do it.  Why not? As far as weight loss tips go, this is about as easy at they get, so why the resistance? Here are the top 3 excuses reasons that I hear:

1. I don’t have the time

Now you and I both know that, no matter how stressful or demanding your job is, you can still find 5 minutes every few hours for a snack. The issue here is not that you don’t have the time  – it is that you just aren’t making the time. Sure, old habits are hard to break and maybe you have a set time that you like to eat everyday. That is fine – don’t change the usual mealtimes, just add a couple of snacks throughout the day to keep from going hours on end without food, and then eat a little less at your regularly scheduled meals.

2. I tried it and it didn’t work

I simply don’t believe it. While it is in the realm of possibility, it’s not very probable that you followed it consistently (90% of the time) for long enough (at least 2 weeks) to measure results.  The formula is simple: small meals every 4-6 hours. Emphasis on the word small. These aren’t three-course meals.

3. I forget to eat

When you first start eating 4-6 small meals instead of 2-3 there will be a bit of an adjustment time. If your body is used to going hours on end without food, then you may not feel hungry when it is time for your next small meal. The key here is to be as organized as possible. Think ahead and pack small meals so that they are ready to go. With a little effort you will be eating every few hours like clockwork.

Your Fool-Proof Plan:

• Eat small nutritious meals every 3 hours throughout the day. Eat your first meal within 30 minutes of waking.

• Make sure that each meal contains quality protein, fresh colorful produce and water

• Your goal is to eat more often, not more calories each day.

• Keep a food log – write down what you eat when you eat it and take time to review your progress. Fitgoal (click here for an overview) is a tool we have purchased for each Get Fit NH Bootcamp client to use. You have your own account, Use it.

• What should you eat? Fresh fruits, lean protein and bright colorful veggies.

I encourage you to use this powerful weight loss strategy in your own quest for a fit and healthy lifestyle. Better yet, contact me and together we will create a specialized plan for your success. As a Personal Trainer I have been educated and trained specifically in assisting my clients in meeting their fitness and weight loss goals. When you are sick you go to the doctor – so when you have a fitness and weight loss goal you need to visit me – your Personal Trainer. It’s the easiest way to get maximum results in minimum time.

To your best health,

Coach Nancy

Take A Step Towards Change

“Change is not an event.  It’s a tiny decision made over and over again. Change isn’t once. It’s daily.” – Don Kuhl

Improving our lives is a choice. It’s an individual choice. The time, the reason, the motivation, the determination, the path we take to improve is all personal.  Each person has to decide on their own when and how they would like to improve their life. We have to be ready to take the first step.

Research shows the top three ways to make life better are

• Decreasing Stress

• Sleeping Better

• Reducing Pain

Guess what? Exercise can help you do all three.

An exercise routine will be lived out one moment at a time. The quality of our life is the result of the sum of our choices.

Isn’t it amazing how much our thoughts control our actions? “I don’t feel like it” is the number one reason we, as parents, hear our kids give us for not actively playing outside. Don’t do we the same thing? Of course we are so grown up that we disguise our emotions in sarcasm “I worked hard for this big belly, I don’t want to give it up now.” Or behind in difference, “ my great grandfather smoked and drank and he lived to be 101, I’m going to go out like him.” Or even fear, “I don’t think I could survive one day at bootcamp”.

Live in the present, it’s the only “place” where you can be active. Actions happen now, not in the past or future. In-the-moment opportunities, such as taking lunch to work, working hard each training session, planning meals instead of gobbling up fast food, and being active outside of your training program.

Stop looking at what happened yesterday, you can’t change it.

Don’t worry about tomorrow, because you can’t control everything that comes your way.

Make today count – Every Day.

Coach Nancy

It’s Go Time!

By now your body is enjoying the fruits of recovery week and is getting a little bit antsy to get back in the gym and get back to work. You have reaped the rewards of hard training, and staying out of the gym too much longer is out of the question. Hang in there – Tuesday is almost here!

The best thing is that over the last few weeks you know why you are getting better. You are seeing the benefits of feeding your body premium fuel – lean protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. You have cleaned out your cupboards of junk food, because you know that even if the kids “like it”, it’s not good for them either. You start every day with a healthy breakfast of lean protein – eggs, yogurt, or in a pinch a protein shake. Your new habit of drinking only calorie free beverages has taken a few hundred unwanted calories out of your nutrition plan, and you don’t even miss it.

Your habit of eating every few hours has stabilized your blood sugar and you aren’t having the late morning/early afternoon energy crashes anymore. Your forays around the perimeter of the grocery store has led to the discovery that there are hundreds of tasty fruits and vegetables available. How come mom only fed me corn and peas, you wonder?

You have established the habit of planning your splurge meals, knowing that strategically relaxing your nutrition leads to better progress and less craving. You are in charge of your eating, and you have stopped letting your emotions plunge you headlong into overeating and regret.

You never miss a bootcamp class, and it shows. You are earning the strong, lean and healthy body you have always wanted. Your friends want to know your secret, and it spurs you on to making even better progress.

Only a few more days until you keep making all this happen – Can’t Wait!

Your Goals Aren’t

“What do you mean my goals “aren’t? My goals aren’t what?”

Well for a lot of you reading this, they probably aren’t existent. You don’t have any (and if they aren’t written down, posted and reviewed regularly, stop kidding yourself – you don’t have any).

Dr. John Berardi of Precision Nutrition fame breaks goals into two separate and distinct parts, and the distinction is critical to success.

1) Outcome Based Goals are the objective or objectives that you hope to accomplish. “I want to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks” is an outcome based goal, as is “I want to earn $100,000 a year by the age of 30”. You can’t directly control the outcome, rather the outcome will be the result of things you have to do.

2) Behavior Goals represent the steps that need to be taken to accomplish your desired outcome.  This is where the rubber hits the road. When you want to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks, your behavior goals will likely include “I will reduce my total calorie intake by 500 calories a day for the next 10 weeks”, and/or “I will not miss training at bootcamp for the next 10 weeks.”

See the difference?

You directly control the behavior goal.

You choose to take action on it…

or you don’t.

Behavior goals for a 10-week fat loss program might include some of the following (which are familiar to many of you):

“I commit to eating breakfast every day for the next 10 weeks”.

“I commit to taking 3 grams of fish oil and a multivitamin every day for the next 10 weeks”.

“I commit to planning my “splurge meals” and eating junk food only during these 2-3 meals a week”.

“I commit to exercising 4 hours a week, with at least 2 being with my trainer at bootcamp”.

Building Behavior Goals does not have to be complicated. These are regular daily and weekly action steps that will positively and immediately impact your Outcome Goals.

Following is a real world example from a client that we received just yesterday. It is an outstanding example of behavior goals that are sure to contribute to her desired outcome (fat loss). She has already shared how establishing these goals with a end point (she set them for the month of August) has helped her overcome the feeling that she was somehow depriving herself. She just has to keep them for a month, not the rest of her life. So turning down the blueberry waffles wasn’t that hard, because it’s only for a month. Great lesson there as well!

Here are her behavior goals for the month of August.

***

1. I will keep my list of guidelines in a spot where I can easily
see them, and I will read them every day.

2. I will exercise 4 times every week.

3. I will write down specifically what I am eating.

4. For the rest of August, I will . . .

a. eat protein and vegetables at every meal.

b. drink a minimum of 80oz. of water each day.

c. eat no more than one whole grain bread serving each
day (and no later than lunch time).

5. For the rest of August, I will not . . .

a. eat any dessert items except for perhaps on special
occasions.

b. eat any pasta, rice, white potatoes, or white bread.

c. eat any more than one serving of cheese and one
serving of nuts or nut butter each day.

***

Now there is a lot on this list, yours doesn’t necessarily have to be this long. In fact here is what I want you to do. Establish one outcome goal for the next 8 weeks. It could be “lose 8 pounds in 8 weeks” or “drop 2 inches off my waist in the next 8 weeks”. Note there is a specific time period involved, don’t skip that part!

Now that you know your desired outcome, establish 3 behavior goals that support that outcome. You have some great examples above, and your trainers can help you if you are stuck.

Once you have your outcome and behavior goal(s), post them to the comments below.  Hold yourself accountable to meeting both categories of your goals. We look forward to seeing what you come up with, as well as coaching you to get there.

Now Make It Happen!

Dean & Nancy

Action Plan + Daily Habits + Supportive Activies = Reaching Your Goal

It’s not what you know…

…it’s what you do.

Knowledge is *not* power.

Applied knowledge is.

There are plenty of people that buy every diet book going, read every blog and grab the latest copies of fitness mags the minute they hit the shelves…

…and never lose a pound.

Plenty of people buying every new internet marketing product as soon as they’re launched…

…and have yet to put up a site of their own.

The truth is this: it’s rarely a lack of ideas, opportunity or knowledge that prevent people from accomplishing big things.

It’s a lack of action.

It doesn’t take a world class plan to be successful.

It doesn’t take an MBA to run a business.

It takes getting up and doing something – every day.

Figuring out what you need to improve upon along the way.

Then doing even more.

It’s not rocket science, but it will set you apart from the crowd

because when it’s all said and done – more is said than done 😉

To your success,

Coach Nancy

What’s Your Bootcamp Motivation?

Guest Post by Get Fit NH Bootcamp Member Helen Dutton

This morning at boot camp, someone joked with me, “Why are you in this class, anyway?” Good question (on some days, more than others as I struggle through an exercise) and it’s caused me to look again at my fitness goals.

Ask anyone why they are exercising or watching what they eat and chances are the answer is “I want to lose weight” or perhaps “I want to get in shape.” Those are great goals, but what is the reason for wanting to lose weight or to get in shape? Without a reason, we lack the incentive to reach the goal.

Think about it this way: if you decided to take a trip and randomly chose a location, with no reason for randomly choosing a location, how motivated would you be to start driving? For example, the city name that just popped into my head is “Tulsa.” I don’t know anyone there and I don’t know of any historical landmarks or cultural significance. Before you send this off to your cousin in Tulsa who will be outraged, let me say that I’m not saying those things don’t exist, just that I don’t know of any. How motivated am I to pack up, put my New Hampshire life on hold, and drive to Tulsa? Don’t count on seeing my bumper leave our state. If my reason for visiting Tulsa is adventure or to discover new places, this trip would be fun – and it would be fulfilling my underlying goal of adventure or discovery.

So back to why am I, and you, at boot camp? Complete these sentences to find your deep-down reason:

I am at boot camp (or taking Metabolism Makeover) so that…(fill in the blank – answer A);

—And I want (A) so that … (fill in the blank – answer B);

——And I want (B) so that … (fill in the blank – answer C);

———And I want (C) so that … (fill in the blank – answer D).

It might look something like this:

I am at boot camp so that I lose weight;

—And I want to lose weight so that my clothes fit better;

——And I want my clothes to fit better so that I don’t have to worry about what to wear every day;

———And I don’t want to worry about what to wear every day so that my days start out easily;

————And I want my days to start out easily so that I have plenty of mental energy for the day.

So for me, my reason for doing squats, lunges, crossover push-ups (seriously, Dean?) is all about having more energy. Now THAT is motivating to me and keeps me going.

Try this exercise out – you won’t be sore and you will be motivated at a whole new level.

Helen Dutton, A Vision of Your Own LLC, has been coaching business owners since 2000 to achieve business and personal excellence with ease. By clarifying goals and intelligent focus, her clients discover  more accomplishment and higher satisfaction in their thriving, energetic business ventures. In her spare time, she discovers more energy at boot camp.

Fat Loss Check List – 10 Reasons Why You Are Not Seeing Results

Here’s a sneak preview of one of the tools in the “Fat Loss Toolbox”, which is included in the “Your Metabolism Makeover” nutrition coaching course.

Many times people will give me a ton of “reasons” why they just “can’t lose weight”. Sometimes there are legitimate medical challenges that make weight loss difficult, but that is a very small percentage of us

More than likely…

1. You are eating TOO much. Even if you are carefully measuring and planning your main meals, extra calories can sneak in during snack. It is VERY common to significantly under-estimating the number of calories you are consuming on a daily basis. If you’re not sure, write down everything you eat for one whole week.

2. You are not eating enough. You need to create a caloric deficit by reducing you calorie intake slightly. If you go too far below your maintenance calories, your body goes into starvation mode; sheds muscle and stores calories as fat, for a future energy source. Not eating enough supportive foods also lowers the amount of calories you burn….less thermic meals = less body fat burned.

3. You are not lifting weights: Cardio burns calories but it doesn’t boost your metabolism. Resistance training is *critical* to maintaining your muscle and tone. If you’re not lifting weights while trying to lose body fat, you will lose muscle and tone and your metabolic rate will decrease causing you to burn fewer calories 24 hour-a-day!

4. You are simply not exercising anywhere near enough! You can only decrease your caloric intake so much before you start losing your fat burning muscle. The only other alternative is to increase calories out. VERY FEW people are successful at losing weight AND keeping it off without exercising almost everyday!! Make it a rule to be active at the very least 30 minutes a day.

If you’re having trouble losing weight, 20 minutes of exercise three times a week isn’t going to cut it! Most people who tell me they are *really serious* about losing weight are not willing to do what it takes to get where they want to be. If you’re not willing to make exercise a *serious* priority in your life, your chances of succeeding at losing weight and keeping it off are VERY small!

5. Are you impatient? Are you looking for *instant* results? When it doesn’t happen, you may give up. You HAVE to be resolved to the fact that it takes the integration of the Factors of Fat Loss and change WILL be slow yet steady! Try focusing on progress, not perfection.

6. Are you any skipping meals? If so, do not expect to see results.  Skipping meals slows your metabolism causing body to store calories rather than burn them

7. Are you eating sugary foods or simple / refined carbohydrates? White rice, white (non whole wheat) flour products, white pastas, soft drinks , sweetened drinks – like juice, and the hundreds of products that contain added sugar that’s deceptively listed on ingredient lists with names like sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, etc. turns off the hormones responsible for releasing your body fat and instead turns ON the hormones that store fat.

8. How many alcoholic drinks do you have each week? Alcohol stimulates your appetite, slows your metabolism, and it’s loaded with empty (sugar) calories!

9. Are you having fruits and/or vegetables EVERY time you eat? Are you taking your multivitamin supplements every day?

10. Are you planning and preparing your meals ahead of time? If you have not planned your meals, you are more likely to cheat and find yourself off track.

As you can see, fat loss can be VERY difficult……and can seem very confusing! Too little, too much, do this, do that…UGGHH!

Don’t stress out!

We offer the nutrition coaching you need to get it all figured out and achieve permanent fat loss. It’s up to you to get on board.

If you are ready to take the next step and get serious about your nutrition, the next 12-week “Your Metabolism Makeover” nutrition coaching course begins June 9, 2010 @ 6:30pm.

Sign Up Here!

This Picture Lives Up To The Hype

You have heard the saying over and over.

“A picture is worth a thousand words”

Much of the time I hear that and think to myself  “I can think of plenty of pictures that weren’t worth saying any words”

This is NOT one of those pictures.

And while I am not going to write one thousand words, I am going to offer a few and let you fill in the blanks.

You see every time you walk in the gym you have a choice.

Give it your all, every ounce of effort you have, or not.

Pick up the heavier weight.

Do the burpee instead of the jumping jack.

Grab the Green Bands for partner band rows.

That’s what these ladies did.

You may not see them all clearly, but there are 8 ladies in total – 4 partners.

They are all using the heavy green bands to perform their rows.

You know the best part?

They went and got them on their own!

No arm twisting or convincing – they were ready for the challenge, and they went for it.

So when you see Deb, Mary, Barbara, Stacey, Kristin, Becky, Tracy and Karyn, you better hold on…

You better suck it up…

You better get ready to get thrashed…

Because these ladies take no prisoners and never back down.

Now it’s your turn.

Make It Happen!

Are You Pounding Nails With A Screwdriver?

Before you read this post, I want you to head on over and read Gretchen’s blog on “results” from a couple days ago. She is writing as one of you, someone who isn’t a coach or trainer, someone like Nancy or me you may perceive as having an “unfair advantage”. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Done? Alright then let’s get to it.

The main point I want you to come away with from that post is this – Give Yourself Some Credit!

If you are headed in the right direction, if you have lost even 1 pound, you need to embrace the progress. It is possible that some are doing better than you, and if so I would encourage you to ask them what changes they have made to get where they are at. In fact here are some recent stories we have from your fellow team members. Ask one of them.

Robin writes: “So you may have already heard of my dressing room story. If not I can share it again. I recently visited one of my favorite clothing stores in the mall. I went to the dressing room with my clothes to try on in my usual size. I put them on and I looked like a bag lady. I had to go out and get a smaller size in everything, shirt, skirt, and yes even pants. I was excited.  I am making better choices, preparing my foods ahead of time and not just crabbing things just to eat. I feel better, and people say I look better also. I also love how I can just grab a pair of pants in the morning, after bootcamp of course and they fit, they are even loose. No more imprint of the button in my belly after I have been sitting.”

Or how about this one from “Bride To Be” Amanda

I’m getting married in August, so a little while ago I picked out my wedding dress and they took my measurements, I really didn’t like what they were. So I came to bootcamp and stuck to eating healthy while at home and at work (which was hard) and last Wednesday I went for a dress fitting and I had to hold the dress up because it would have fallen off! I was so proud of what I accomplished and thankful for the support I got from everyone I go to bootcamp with! I now know anything is possible!!

Stories like these two demonstrate that it is possible to make your goals happen, when you are dedicated and persevere.

You must get past the “What If’s”.

“What if I fail?”, or even more insidious “What if I succeed?”

Remember that old song “Free your mind and the rest will follow”? In many ways that is exactly right, and  you need to get your head in the game.

So at the four-week mark of our S3 contest, I want to give you some more tools. Tools that will help us, you and your coach, find some potential trouble spots that are possibly keeping you from where you want to get.

Many of you know of our relationship with Dr. John Berardi and the folks over at Precision Nutrition. We have begun using the assessment tools they have provided as a way for us and you to gain insight in to how to more quickly, easily and painlessly reach your goals.  There are 3 short questionnaires that will just take you a few minutes and will no doubt make a big difference.

Here’s the rub. I am not going to post these on the website. I don’t want any anonymous downloaders. Send me an email with your name and let me know you want to complete the assessments, and I’ll send them to you. Your coach will then be expecting the assessments back to review and then discuss with you. Don’t miss this opportunity to crank it up a notch. I am expecting a bunch of emails.

We have also recently received feedback from Dr. Berardi regarding the one thing our members can do that is extremely easy to do plus will make the biggest difference in fat loss progress. In other words, what is the maximum return on effort that you can possibly get.

Here’s the formula he provided:

Fish Oil (1g / %Body Fat) + multi-vitamin daily

In other words, Dr. Berardi recommends taking 1 gram of high quality fish oil for every percent of bodyfat you carry, plus a multivitamin every day.

So if your bodyfat is 18%  you will take 18 grams of fish oil, spread out evenly between meals, plus a multivitamin, on a daily basis.

Here are a couple simple online calculators that will give you a general idea of what your current bodyfat is so you know how much to take.

http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/bfb

http://www.csgnetwork.com/bodyfatcalc.html

Now some of you may be thinking that sounds like a lot of fish oil, but I assure you science backs this recommendation up over and over and over again. I personally have started taking between 10 and 12 grams a day and am a believer. There are some very good fish oils out there, Nordic Naturals has a great reputation among others, but the one I am currently taking is “Members Mark 1400mg w/ 900 Total Omega 3” from Sam’s Club. I researched this particular product to make sure mercury was not an issue, and as far as I can tell it is a good product, and it is very inexpensive.

As far as multivitamins go, my recommendation is sticking with a “whole food” vitamin such as the VGF 25+ from Prograde Nutrition. Most vitamins in the average superstore are synthetic varieties and the research is mixed at best on these formulas. Take a look at the research and decide for yourself, but you need a multivitamin your fat-loss arsenal.

So there you have it.

Now it’s up to you. You have a choice to make. Do you take advantage of these “new tools” or are you going to keep beating on that nail with a screwdriver?

Post your questions below, then Make It Happen!

I’m Not Listening

I’m tired of the excuses. I don’t want to hear why I can’t do something. I’ve never liked hearing the word “Can’t” I think it has something do with being surrounded by brothers. I’m competitive. Yes, I like to win. I like the challenge being thrown out there and then stuffing it in their face as I accomplish the task.

So I hate hearing my doctor say your weight is great for someone over 40, or your muscle tone is fine for someone with six kids. Why the qualifier? Why can’t I have a reasonable weight for my height and body type? Why can’t I have the same muscle tone as someone with one child or no children?

The competition was on. In my own mind the challenge was thrown down. I will have my doctor eat their words. I can be a healthy weight not for my age but for any one my height and build. I can have muscle tone again!

Don’t listen to everyone else tell you that you can’t eat healthy in this fast food world. Don’t believe the lie that you can’t lose the pounds you’ve carried for 15 years. Don’t let anyone else rain on your parade. You can have what you set your mind too. There are challenges along the way. Just don’t let those challenges whether they are people or circumstances stop your progress. Often the biggest foe we face is those dear people we call family and friends. Instead of fighting against them use their energy to fuel you on towards your goals.

Here’s are some things you can do to help turn them from destroyer to determination:

• Talk to them. Be clear and concise on what your goals are and how they can help. If you don’t want to be tempted with chocolate ask them not to bring it in the house.
• Be realistic. Sometimes communication backfires and you get more heat and grief after telling your family about your desires. Use that energy for fuel. When you hear them talking negatively, know they are throwing the challenge down. That is all they are doing. They want to see how badly you want your dreams.
• Don’t react to their comments. Often times they are not sure of what lies ahead. Few of us like changes in our daily routine. They might feel things will be 180 degrees different from last week’s lifestyle. Be patient with them. Continue to talk it out.
• Plan, plan, plan.

I want to hear I am a healthy weight and fitness level without a small sign hanging around my neck informing others “its okay how she looks, she is over the hill and had more than one kid.”

Here’s To No Signs,

Coach Nancy