Dear Friend,
Thanks for taking the opportunity to find out how you can start instantly looking and feeling better than you have in years.
As a Fitness Professional, it concerns me to see all the mis-information that the media, press and so-called "experts" are sharing with you - the general
public - regarding health, fitness and nutrition. Most of these claims are only to benefit themselves, to market products that will provide NO long-term benefits
to your health and fitness and can actually damage your body.
The information I am going to share with you I've collected over the years through lots of reliable sources. None of these sources sell fitness related
products and therefore are completely non-biased in their guidelines.
I have tried to condense this information to make it more understandable so that you can actually start using it right away - however, even simplified, the real
truth can be a little confusing, so when you are done, if you feel that you would benefit from some more hands-on instruction please contact me.
Again, thanks for your interest - I sincerely hope that the following information will help you understand some of the basic strategies that will help you achieve
optimal health and fitness for the rest of your life.
Regards,
Nikki Steven
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1. Plan your schedule. In the beginning your fitness plan should not be overly aggressive. One of the biggest problems most people encounter when
starting a fitness program is rapidly depleted motivation after only a few weeks due to an overly ambitious fitness plan. Two to four days per week of
approximately 45 minutes of moderate intensity resistance training and aerobic exercise combined with light stretching is adequate in the beginning. As you
become acclimated to the lifestyle "shift" you can add more days and/or higher intensity workouts and get improved results. But beware: if you try to do too
much too soon, you may end up quitting altogether. If you've tried and failed doing it alone, then I suggest you get a training partner or personal trainer who
will help you sustain your motivation.
2. Set realistically attainable long and short-term goals. You must have tangible, quantifiable, short-term and long-term goals for your fitness program so that
you can gauge your progress. It's crucial to have a "baseline" before you begin, so you can measure success. Your health club or personal trainer can give
you a complete fitness analysis (don't be shy - you need this) that will aid you or your trainer in developing a personalized fitness program which addresses
your particular needs. Having goals, particularly short-term ones, allows you to track your progress and keep you motivated when times are tough and you
don't feel like exercising. Keeping a journal of your workouts, as well as tracking what you eat is truly a fitness success "secret". Just remember that your
goals should be realistic and attainable. The best way for you to understand what is realistic and attainable for you (long and short-term) is to talk to a
fitness professional - not to buy into the "hype" of infomercials, diet and fitness products that blatantly mislead.
3. Set exercise appointments with yourself. Use your day-planner to set appointments for exercise - and then stick to them. You wouldn't miss a business
meeting or client appointment would you? So don't miss your exercise appointment with yourself. Nothing is more important than your health. Nothing.
Everything else will crumble around you if your health goes south. So make your exercise appointments a priority. If you find it difficult to keep these
appointments, then consider hiring a personal trainer who will hold you to your commitment. When you have money invested, and someone is waiting for you
to show up - you are much more likely to actually show up!
4. Exercise correctly. So much time is wasted doing, at best, unproductive exercise, or at worst, dangerous exercise. Get educated on how to exercise
correctly. And the absolute best way to do that is to hire a personal trainer to develop a program for you and then teach you what to do and how to do it
right. BUT BEWARE! There are a lot of so-called "professionals" out there. So check out their credentials before you start. Get referrals from their current
and previous clients. A good personal trainer should have those and some good before and after shots of clients they have helped along the way. Personal
training does not have to be an ongoing process. You can hire a personal trainer for whatever length of time you need to learn the ropes. It could be five
sessions or fifteen. It's completely up to you. But statistics show prove that those who understand how to exercise correctly, get better, faster results. And
that's what you want, right? Results!
5. Know your ideal exercising heart rate. This is one of the most crucial nuggets of information you can receive, especially if you are wanting to lose bodyfat.
Ask at your health club if someone can calculate your exercising heart rates use the Karvonen formula - this formula takes into account your resting pulse -
therefore it is more accurate than just age predicted heart rates. A good exercising heart rate for someone just starting out is 60 to 70 percent of their age
predicted maximum heart rate. How do you check your heart rate while you're exercising? You can purchase a heart rate monitor for around $50 - you only
need the most basic model - there's a chest strap which reads your heart rate and a watch which displays your heart rate (or pulse) at all times. Most health
and fitness stores stock them or you can go directly to www.polar.com and order online.
6. Don't waste your time working small muscles with isolated movements. If you don't enjoy doing resistance training or are pressed for time, concentrate on
working the largest muscle groups with compound resistance movements. When I see overweight people doing wrist curls or tricep extensions, I wonder why.
It's generally just a lack of understanding of how their bodies work. Most people want to lose fat and tone and firm their bodies. The way to do that is to use
resistance (weights or machines) to train the large muscle groups. The best compound exercises for legs are lunges or squats (your personal trainer should
show you the proper form and then monitor you during the exercise) and leg press. The best compound exercise for the chest is the chest press, and the
best compound back exercises are the seated row or lat pulldown. Compound movements incorporate multiple muscle groups.
7. Don't eliminate carbohydrates from your diet. Now I know that most Americans eat too many carbohydrates for our lifestyles. However, the high protein,
high saturated fat diet that you hear so much about, well, frankly it's dangerous. Short term, most of the weight lost comes from water and long term, your
body will lose lean mass (or muscle) causing your metabolism to drop even further. That's why so many people end up gaining more bodyfat back than they
originally had because their metabolism becomes damaged because of the lack of carbohydrates. Not to mention how high your cholesterol can become
from all those saturated fats! Carbohydrates, in moderation, will sustain your energy levels and protect your muscles and metabolism. Now this doesn't mean
that you can eat all the cookies and pastries that your heart desires! You should still choose healthier complex and simple carbohydrates found in
vegetables, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, brown rice and fruit. Just regulate your portions at each meal so that you don't consume more than your body
needs at one time. By the way, the body doesn't distinguish between protein, fat or carbohydrate. In short, if you eat too much of ANY of these food sources
in one sitting, the extra will be stored as fat and end up on your hips, waist or butt!
8. Eat regularly throughout the day. Fasting or overly restrictive diets will enable you to lose weight - in the short run. Because the weight you lose is
primarily water weight and lean muscle mass. But in the long-run, it has exactly the opposite effect you want. When you restrict your diet too much, your
body instinctively thinks it's being starved and shifts into a protective mode by storing fat. Energy expenditures are fueled by your lean muscles. Therefore
your bodyfat remains essentially the same and you lose vital fluids and muscle instead. It's the same thing if you skip meals. Think of a Sumo Wrestler. He
eats one time a day, usually later in the day. His body is highly efficient at storing fat! Now, I'm sure you're not planning on becoming a Sumo Wrestler too!
To train your body to efficiently burn bodyfat you should be eating approximately every three hours and it should be a combination of protein, fat and simple
and complex carbohydrates. Small meals often will keep your metabolic furnace stoked, so you burn calories at a faster rate. I know, it's sounds
counter-intuitive, but it's the gospel truth!
9. Drink plenty of fresh, clean water. Yes, I know that you've heard this over and over again. But there's a reason for that - it's the truth! The recommended
amount is approximately eight glasses, or 64 ounces, of water every day. When you are exercising, you need to drink even more. Over 75% of your body is
water (even bone is 20% water). When you don't drink enough water, and substitute diuretics like coffee, tea and caffeinated sodas, you dehydrate your
body, your blood doesn't flow properly and your digestive system doesn't operate smoothly (among other problems). What's more, at only a small level of
dehydration, your body will retain more water, so you will become bloated. Also you will feel more tired than usual. Another important fact is that sometimes
what feels like hunger to you is actually thirst. So you will end up eating more calories than you would if you were properly hydrated - not good if you're trying
to reduce your bodyfat levels! Here's a good rule of thumb regarding correct hydration levels: if your urine is a dark yellow and/or has a strong odor, you're
not drinking enough water. Oh, and here's a fact about another diuretic - alcohol. Not only are the calories contained in alcohol "empty" (they provide no
nutritional value), but in order to digest alcohol the body produces a substance called acetate. When acetate levels rise, the body substitutes acetate for
energy instead of fat, in short, your body's ability to burn fat is compromised for up to 12 hours after alcohol consumption. So limit your partying to maybe
only once a week! Trust me, just avoiding the hangovers alone will make it worth while!
10. Avoid "weighing in" daily on the scale. This is not only frustrating, it's also a very inefficient measure of your progress. Scale weight can fluctuate for
many reasons, for some people as much as 5 lbs! Also, when you begin an exercise program you can gain up to 5 lbs in added water weight and blood
volume. Don't despair though. Use your clothing as a measure of your progress, not scale weight. Most athletes are a lot heavier than they look - remember
lean muscle is heavier than fat also. Remember your baseline measurements in tip #2? They should include bodyfat and girth measurements. Wait at least
four weeks before you re-measure to allow for your body to adjust to it's healthier, more active routine.
11. Remember the benefits of exercise. Remember that feeling of euphoria you experienced after a particularly good workout? You experienced that feeling
because the most powerful "feel good" drug in the world - endorphins - are coursing through your veins. If there is a panacea, it's exercise. Nothing feels
better than the post-workout high you experience after exercising. Revel in that feeling. Let it wash over you and truly experience it. Etch that feeling in your
brain. It will fuel your motivation on those inevitable days when you just don't feel like exercising. Being physically fit affects every single aspect of your life.
Well, that's it. 11 essential fat loss, health and fitness strategies. Are you ready to start implementing them today? Or do you need a little "push" to help get
you started? If that's the case, call or email me today and I will get you on that road to a fitter, better you.
Method Motivation
Activate Your Potential
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