Monday, March 29, 2010

5 Secrets to Losing Weight

Everyone is looking for the magic pill to lose weight!

-TV reports come out with a new supplement that is supposed to "burn fat" and help you lose weight.
-Magazines show great before-and-after photos, if you use their product, pill or shake.
-Internet has thousands of downloads, just click here and pay $19.99 for the latest and greatest fitness fad or information that will change your life. $19.99 a month, that is.

So, what's the secret to losing weight?

Do you need to watch The Biggest Loser or the newest show starring Kirstie Alley to find out the real truth? Do you need to spend money for quick-loss products that never seem to work, but you'll try anything now?

Can I be honest with you? Are you reading this article now because of the headline? Are you waiting for the "5 secrets" that are going to jumpstart your fitness and health NEW life? Be honest, are you? How many articles is it going to take? How many tv commercials, magazines and products is it going to take? Seriously now.

It starts with the inside.

It starts with your heart. WHY do you want to lose weight? Because you are overweight? WHY are you overweight? Because you overeat? WHAT changes do you want to make? WHAT changes are you willing to make?

I deal with issues of the heart. I deal with issues of the head. I deal with weight loss. So let's get started. What are the 5 secrets to losing weight? [you know I had to put something down or you'd leave...]

1. Good weight training routine
2. Effective cardio program
3. Good nutrition program
4. Desire/heart to set goals and make them
5. There is no secret, just shut up and do it

Okay, I started out good. Sorry, got to #5 and kind of lost it. Friends, there is no "magic pill" or "potion" that is going to make you healthy. There is no new workout or program that is going to make you lose weight.

It is a daily battle that you have to face. It is daily choices that you have to make, about your workouts and your nutrition. It is about getting a backbone and fighting back against daily temptations. But, it's a battle you CAN win! You CAN, I know you can. I've said this before, when you need a plumber for your house or a mechanic for your car, you call one. Same thing with your body. If you need help, you need to call a professional. I am here to help you. If you have the desire and you want to learn and you want to change your body, then I can help you. Are you ready to get started?

E-mail me directly at sandi@startwiththeinside.com

Still working on website revamp, but you can visit my on-line store at:
http://www.myfitnessstore.com/startwiththeinside

You can purchase on-line training sessions if you are not in Atlanta area, or gift certificates for those you love. Does it cost? Uh, yes, but how much are you spending on pills, shakes, programs, gym memberships, etc.? I'll make it worth your while. Change your life and change your body. There is no better feeling than being healthy.

Be strong friends, losing weight is not easy, but you can overcome and you CAN do it! Do it the right way, okay? 

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

How Do You Stop Eating the Bad Stuff?

"I was doing fine until I had _______", then it was all downhill after that."


"I just have a hard time with _______" [food]


"I know I shouldn't eat _______, but I just can't stop"

These are common phrases I hear from clients who just can't stop eating the bad stuff. It's a constant battle, one that can set you back from your weight loss goals for a week [or permanently] or derail you all together.

So, how do you stop eating the "bad stuff"?

First of all, what is the "bad stuff"?

Usually, it can be narrowed down to one of the following food or drink items:
• Fried foods
• Sweets, excessive sugar
• Alcohol
• Excessive fatty foods like mayonnaise, heavy salad dressings
• Diet sodas or regular sodas
• Chips and cheese

Oh no, you say, I can't possibly just stop eating all of that!

No, I am not saying you have to. Hang in there with me. These are just some things that may trip you up while you are trying to lose weight. You need to find the emotional attachment to this food and deal with that.

For example, is it just a habit to go out on Friday night with friends and order the same thing each week, fried food and alcohol? You work out all week and eat right, you deserve a break, right? Or a little dessert a couple of times a week, a bite of your child's cookie, a hidden chocolate stash just when you need it? What is your emotional attachment to this food? Do you eat it during a certain time? Do you eat it when you are with certain people? If you KNOW you are not supposed to eat it, then why do you?

These are all things to be posted in your Healthy Journal. Don't worry, you don't have to do this permanently. But you may have to do it temporarily until you see the pattern of how you eat. When I ask a client to write down everything they eat and drink for two days, they immediately groan and inevitably give it to me and say "this is not a typical day, because this _______ happpened". Right. Really? Life is a typical day. Stress is a typical day. Stress eating. Relationships not working out. Frustrations at work.

As Americans, many of us have chosen bad food habits to deal with our heightened levels of stress and make that choice to have food comfort us instead of making changes in our lives to deal with our problems. 

I am not perfect either, not saying I am. But I make choices every day to be healthy, and reap the rewards every day as well.

If you say you want to be healthy, then do it.
If you say you want to lose weight, then do it.
If you say you want to change your life [and your body], then do it.

It starts with the inside, your inside emotional being. It starts with becoming educated, taking steps to correct bad habits, and becoming STRONG.

Strong-willed.
Strong-emotionally.
Strong-physically.
Strong-heart.

You can stop by eating the bad stuff, by just doing it. So will you? There's no better feeling in the world.

Monday, March 15, 2010

How to Get Great Abs!

"I need to work my abs"


"Can you show me an exercise to get rid of this?" [she says as she grabs around her belly with both hands]


"I want to have great abs"

Abs - Abs - Abs - they're everywhere!

You see them on professional athletes, you see them on models in magazines, you see them on TV infomercials flaunting them as they show you the newest, bestest, greatest ab machine that is going to give you flat abs! Yeah, wow!

Feeling pretty honest this morning, so hang on to your chair...you want to see your abs? You want to have a flat tummy?

THEN STOP EATING CRAP! 

I know, you already knew that.

Then, WHY aren't you doing it and WHY are you still eating the CRAP?

There is a misconception out there, esp among women, that there is a "magic" exercise out there that is going to give you good abs. There has to be some twist, some crunch, some machine that will flatten your belly and make it look good. Has to be. Right?

Wrong. Dead wrong.

You already have abs. You may already have strong ab muscles. But you can't see them. They are covered by a layer of fat. So get rid of the layer of fat. That's the hard part. How do you do that?

-By establishing a good weight training routine.
-By establishing an effective cardio routine.
-By eating clean, meaning cutting out foods that are bad for you or learning to live in moderation with them.

If you are consistent with these three things, you will see results in your abs. But you have to be consistent. If you are 20 lbs overweight, then most likely, you are not going to see meaningful results in your abs area until you lose 15-18 lbs. And most people will lose 5-10 lbs, NOT see any results in their abs, and get discouraged and quit. It's not worth it, they say, because it's too hard and I guess that's just how their body is going to be.

That's not how it has to be! 

Great abs come from a healthy diet and exercise program. They come from listening to your body and giving it what it truly needs. They come from battling the emotional food-battles and working out when you really don't feel like it. It doesn't mean that you have to have a die-hard approach, but you do have to be serious. You may have to give up something you really don't want to - like alcohol, or diet colas, or desserts. But the results are well worth it.

As a trainer, it's frustrating to see how many people are uneducated about their abs. The guys go into the gym and all they want to do is bench press, lift as heavy as they can. The gals go into the gym and all they want to do is the eliptical, go as fast as they can. There has to be a balance. Guys need to learn how to do effective cardio. Gals need to learn how to lift weights. And everyone needs to learn how to eat clean. In an effective weight loss program, 20% of effort is in the gym - your workouts, the other 80% is in your nutrition. And the same applies to your abs - 20% workout, 80% nutrition.

So, be mindful of what you are eating. 

If you say "I shouldn't be eating this, but..." - change that to "I shouldn't be eating this and so I am NOT"

If you say "Losing weight is too hard" then it will be.

If you say "I want great abs" then do the work to get them, okay?

I'm always here to help...
sandi@startwiththeinside.com

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

March News = Change

Please read my March newsletter about change...

http://www.startwiththeinside.com/pdf/March2010.pdf