Yesterday was very very interesting.  A couple of things were repeatedly brought up to me and I had to finally blog about it.  At first, I thought maybe it  was pure coincidence, or maybe we were all on the same page?  So, out of the many conversations, comments, and eavesdropping in the gym,  I heard two main topics:

- My Blue shirt looked good and I should wear blue more often as told to me by 5 different people.  The 6th one (Allen our new trainer) said it was weird on me because he was used to seeing black and red.  Whatever…hehe.

- “My schedule is too busy.  I can barely eat or even drink water!  I’m rushing to work and so I skip breakfast!”  Blah blah blah

Well, the blue shirt did look good and it represented our ultra sound body fat testing device by Bodymetrix.  But that’s not why I am writing.  That’s a different topic.

I’m writing because people are telling me that they go four to six hours without eating because they are BUSY.  I had a long talk with a client yesterday about eating every 2-3 hours and that it was a struggle for her!!  The work environnment doesn’t allow for her to eat on a regular basis.  I scolded her and now she is taking a stand for her health and going to talk to her boss about getting some time to actually take a break and eat some food and drink water.  Hey, I’m not responsible for what happens if her boss reacts differently.  But Good For Her!

SIDE NOTE: A message to employers, bosses, managers, and all those who make those decisions; “What the Hell?!”  You want happier healthier employees? Geez

Seriously?!

Ok so these clients are busy.  I understand.  And to put it in perspective for those who gave me an excuse…  Let me give you an insight how my “BUSY” day went.

Tuesday Night:

I finished training a client who barely eats because she is “busy”.  We talk about shakes and quick healthy snacks.  I don’t give her any excuses so I gave her my personal jug of chocolate powder shake, flax seed, and organic fiber.  Ah ha! Now she can’t say anything. hehe.  I then lecture her about making time to workout outside of meeting with me; but I myself haven’t worked out yet that day.  Cmon, It was a BUSY day right?  I have an excuse.  I was about to walk out the door when Willie (Element 5 Fitness Master Trainer) suggested we do a workout that entails:

ANGIE WORKOUT:

100 double Kettlebell squats, 100 pushups, 100 pullups, 100 hanging abs. 

Instead we were inspired by a member doing some boxing so we boxed for 45 minutes and perform thai  kicks in the combo.  Boy that was tough!  As we ended, Willie and I both agreed that it was well worth the time to stay an extra 45 minutes to get that workout in because it reset and renewed our spirits!

SO here we are to Wednesday:

YOU WANT BUSY?

4:00 am – wake up and get ready

4:45 am  – drive to Redmond from Bothell.  Pound a shake and an apple while driving

5:30 am to 6:00 am – measure bodyfat for two clients using Ultrasound device

6:00 am to 7:00 am - Strong and Sexy Bootcamp

7am to 7:30am – Measure Bodyfat again

7:30 am – Train the “Welcome back from Vegas” format for this client. HA!

8:30 am – Train the “Welcone back from Palm Springs, San Diego, Mexico, LA, was just sick, and leaving again to LA” format for these two clients. Double Ha

9:30 am - Train the “Just came back from San Diego, gained 10 pounds but lost 5 since coming back and then heading to China WORKOUT” format; but client and I call the session 15 min early as he is BEAT! Good work.

SIDENOTE: Is there a pattern here? hmmmm

10:15 – Run to QFC and Starbucks and grabbed turkey, zuchinni, squash, snap green peas, oatmeal at starbucks. ARGH have only 15 minutes till 10:30 appointment!

10:30 am - Train and talk to client about boss who wont allot time to eat and replenish fluids.  Encourage client to talk to boss.

11:30 am - Leave to Noon Strong and Sexy Bootcamp at Downtown BellevueFirst Street Fitness with Water Babies Crew.  Yes EAT and DRIVE! Turkey and veggies.

12:00 pm – Train noon crew in “They didn’t go to vacation” format

1:30 pm – Train and gave client the  frustrated look.  Suddenly she wasn’t “trying” she  just DID IT!!

2:30pm – Train, Nutrition talk, uh oh…stopped exercises to perform Muscle Activation Techniques Jump Start low grade exercises.  Talked with client about Red Carpet event she is preparing for Bobby Engram Foundation to fight sickle cell disease.

3:30pm – Head to Woodinvilleto train Basketball crew on Strength Format.  Finished Turkey and veggies and ad some grapes from a friend’s cute daughter who offered me some.  Was reminded to wash grapes first to make sure they are clean.  She was too cute.

4:30 pm – Head to Downtown Bellevue for Strong and Sexy Bootcamp evening class and new client. 

5:00pm   – Arrived earlier so I grabbed a Labrada Lean Body shake at Emerald City Smoothie about 4 blocks away.  Water base, adams peanut butter, fiber, calcium, glutamine, amino acids, flax oil, and a small stick of Ostrich jerky.  Popped open computer and sent some files (SSbootcampmanual) but wireless died and I didn’t want to deal with it, so I WORKED OUT! 

5:30 pm – class time…

6:30 pm – New Client, 15 yrs old.  I call him G35 because thats the car he wants.  His mom came to watch…Um NOT on my watch! (sorry for the pun) I put her on a bike and had her do 35 minutes while she watched.  Don’t think she liked that very much in the beginning.  She was loving it later though.

7:30 pm – wrapping up

UGH TRAFFIC

8:00 ish pm – Brown Rice chicken and an orange.

Popped open computer and still did some more work. 

So essentially I went from 4am straight till 9pm ish.  Don’t give me this “I cannot eat” crap and “I cannot workout”.  I have used that before.  You just saw my day.  ‘Nuff said…

If you need some great information on quick exercises for you BUSY folks… Go to

http://www.fitinahurry.com/

Your Fitness Coach,

Belton Lubas

Do you keep a fitness journal?

Are you serious about your fitness goals? If you are and are maintaining some kind of journaling then keep it up! If not, what are you thinking? Seriously, let me ask you this. Within your occupation if you have an important deadline for a specific task you would formulate a plan of action and track progress wouldn’t you? Because if you didn’t you’d probably be in a world of hurt from your superiors and you can say goodbye to that possible promotion.

Over the years I’ve noticed that 8 maybe 9 out of 10 people maintain a fitness journal successfully. I’ll admit it’s hard, but when it comes to your health and fitness it’s going to be your secret weapon to finally achieving your goals. Most of my clients respond with, “How can a fitness journal be my secret weapon?” Here are my reasons,

* Accountability
* Tracking and monitoring nutrition and how certain foods make you feel
* Tracking milestones such as measurements, weight lost, muscle gained, etc.
* Monitoring workouts that actually deliver results
* Monitoring recovery

As you take notes and monitor everything you will find that you will reach your goals in an efficient manner, which translates into achieving results without having to spend too much time on your fitness regimen. No matter what the goal you should never be without a fitness journal. Here are five tips to doing it right.

1. KEEP IT PORTABLE & SIMPLE – I keep a small spiral notepad in my gym bag at all times. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy like the ones you buy at the bookstores. Stick with a simple notepad and don’t try to overanalyze it.

2. RECORD EVERYTHING – I like to record all of my nutrition on the left or front side of the sheet, and my workouts on the right or back side of the sheet. I also record how I felt after each workout, and sometimes on specific sets that just seemed harder that day. Tracking the details allows you to monitor the need to change your routine, stress and the possibility of overtraining, or undertraining (which is the unfortunate reality of most gym goers, not enough intensity).

3. PSYCHE YOURSELF UP – It’s always good practice to look at your accomplishments from the previous week to decide how much more you’re going to try to do this week. Maybe it’s increasing your weights by 5-10lbs or using the same weight as last week, but doing more reps. Just as long as it still fits within the overall goal of the program.

4. YOUR WORKOUT ENCYCLOPEDIA – Using previous journals as workout encyclopedia’s in order to study which workouts produced certain results is key in maintaining a “fitness lifestyle”. The human body typically adapts within 3-4 weeks to most workout routines (some more, some less) so referencing previous journals, and then planning out which workouts to use over then next 3-6 months is a great way to accomplish new goals.

5. KEEP IT GOING – If you’re serious about achieving your fitness goals then this should be easy. Especially, when six months from now you read it and notice how much you’ve improved. Keeping it going won’t seem like such a hassle anymore.

So again I ask, “Do you keep a workout journal?”

Like/hate what you read? Have a reaction? Please share your thoughts below!

- Rommel

View my blog

Do you keep a fitness journal?

Are you serious about your fitness goals? If you are and are
maintaining some kind of journaling then keep it up! If not, what are
you thinking? Seriously, let me ask you this. Within your occupation if
you have an important deadline for a specific task you would formulate
a plan of action and track progress wouldn’t you? Because if you didn’t
you’d probably be in a world of hurt from your superiors and you can
say goodbye to that possible promotion.

Over the years I’ve noticed that 8 maybe 9 out of 10 people maintain a
fitness journal successfully. I’ll admit it’s hard, but when it comes
to your health and fitness it’s going to be your secret weapon to
finally achieving your goals. Most of my clients respond with, “How can
a fitness journal be my secret weapon?” Here are my reasons,

* Accountability
* Tracking and monitoring nutrition and how certain foods make you feel
* Tracking milestones such as measurements, weight lost, muscle gained, etc.
* Monitoring workouts that actually deliver results
* Monitoring recovery

As you take notes and monitor everything you will find that you will
reach your goals in an efficient manner, which translates into
achieving results without having to spend too much time on your fitness
regimen. No matter what the goal you should never be without a fitness
journal. Here are five tips to doing it right.

1. KEEP IT PORTABLE & SIMPLE – I keep a small spiral
notepad in my gym bag at all times. It doesn’t have to be anything
fancy like the ones you buy at the bookstores. Stick with a simple
notepad and don’t try to overanalyze it.

2. RECORD EVERYTHING – I like to record all of my nutrition
on the left or front side of the sheet, and my workouts on the right or
back side of the sheet. I also record how I felt after each workout,
and sometimes on specific sets that just seemed harder that day.
Tracking the details allows you to monitor the need to change your
routine, stress and the possibility of overtraining, or undertraining
(which is the unfortunate reality of most gym goers, not enough
intensity).

3. PSYCHE YOURSELF UP – It’s always good practice to look
at your accomplishments from the previous week to decide how much more
you’re going to try to do this week. Maybe it’s increasing your weights
by 5-10lbs or using the same weight as last week, but doing more reps.
Just as long as it still fits within the overall goal of the program.

4. YOUR WORKOUT ENCYCLOPEDIA – Using previous journals as
workout encyclopedia’s in order to study which workouts produced
certain results is key in maintaining a “fitness lifestyle”. The human
body typically adapts within 3-4 weeks to most workout routines (some
more, some less) so referencing previous journals, and then planning
out which workouts to use over then next 3-6 months is a great way to
accomplish new goals.

5. KEEP IT GOING – If you’re serious about achieving your
fitness goals then this should be easy. Especially, when six months
from now you read it and notice how much you’ve improved. Keeping it
going won’t seem like such a hassle anymore.

So again I ask, “Do you keep a workout journal?”

Like/hate what you read? Have a reaction? Please share your thoughts below!

Goodness gracious!! Element 5 Fitness clients are psycho! I’m afraid as a trainer. Be very afraid if you plan on joining our fitness minded group. I don’t think my safety is compromised, but let me tell you why I think our clients are psychotic!

It all started on Thursday snow day at 4:45 a.m. There was ALOT of snow. It actually started early that morning and filled up the landscape and caused numerous problems all over the Northwest. I received numerous emails and texts about concerns whether class or training sessions are still on that morning. Never mind their safety, these people are fitness focused and passionate about working out! They wanted their Strong and Sexy Bootcamp to continue. Wow! I was impressed. Although we did cancel our class as the gym eventually closed, I was keeping people up to date like a weatherman/fitness newscaster. These people were determined.

It reminds me of a phrase I saw at my martial arts training studio…”SEVEN DAYS WITHOUT TRAINING MAKES ONE WEAK!!!” It sure seemed like they absorbed that mantra as their motto for the week. (Feel the pun?)

On Friday, I sent out a home-based workout for those who wanted to stay active while they were cooped up. They had their mini at home Strong and Sexy Bootcamp. I called it the P (1/2 of) 90X workout. (Hehe, must be because it was only 45 minutes instead of 90 and just as hard if not harder) Finally, Rommel and I gave in to the peer passion pressure and decided we were going to brave the weather and road conditions to fulfill our clients’ fitness cravings for Saturday 8am Strong and Sexy Bootcamps.

As saturday rolls around, and previously closed roads in Redmond and Bellevue open up and the chaos SLIGHTLY clears up, I decide to roll out with my All Wheel Drive to the gym for the 8am class. It was slick, icy, and scary watching others try to attempt to drive beside you, in front of you, and behind you around turns, and up or down hills. I honestly did not expect that many people to show up on that dreadful morning, but six people turned up! It was quite the morning. Let me explain:

Out of the six people, Theresa who was pregnant, worked out with galoshes for the first 30 minutes due to forgetting her shoes. We had her friend Sandra drive from Seattle, swing by her house, and pick up her shoes before coming to the gym to join in on the workout. Heather walked to the gym as a warm-up to get her workout in and walked home afterwards. Dena came in slightly sick, but dedicated herself to taking on the workout. Molly came in to join the fun, and later switched vehicles with her husband and the kids so he can then workout with me after her bootcamp class. Matt braved the snow to be the only gentleman representing the males and kept up with these hardcore females!

Wasn’t I right? Our clients are Psycho…in a good way! Maybe I should say Psycho Passionate! It was fun and quite the laughs.
Here is that workout I sent out. It may be somewhat modified but here it is. On a sidenote, did you know back at Oregon State University we did a segment on home workouts? We took some film and radio class to learn how to produce a show. Originally we were going to call it the Beaver show spinning off that Comedy Central ”Man Show”. We sent out the proposal but it got turned down. Weird… But we created a fitness show instead. Anyways, on with the quick workout:

- A1 Pushups 20 reps

- A2 Bent over Rows using Gallon jugs of water or milk

- A3 Tabata Squats 20 seconds fast, 10 second rest, and repeat 3 times

- Repeat the above three A exercises 3 or 4 sets…its a nonstop fast sequence

- B1 Step out alternating lunges 30 total 40 max with water jug vertical press

- B2 Plank hold 60 seconds

- B3 20 Crunches

- B4 Reverse crunches aka butt lifts aka reverse curls aka you know!

- Repeat B exercises 3 or 4 sets Nonstop fast sequence!

- A and B should take 30 minutes

Cardio Time:

- 30 seconds split shuffles

- 30 seconds ice skaters

- 30 seconds jumpsquats

- 30 seconds in place high knee runs

- 30 seconds jumping jacks

- 30 seconds slalom hops

- 30 seconds wideouts (jump in feet together and jumpout wide while staying low and hands behind head)

- 30 seconds wall sit

- Rest 30-60 seconds and repeat 3 times the whole cardio series ALL 8 OF THEM IN A ROW!!!

Be Safe, Have Fun, Happy Holidays, and the next time your indoors…Try the above workouts. No snow can stop you! In fact you might burn so much calories and core temperature reach a pretty high level you can stand out on your driveway and melt the snow!

Belton Lubas

I’ve been a fitness professional in the Eastside since 2004 (with 10 years in the industry), and many of my clients and people who know me well understand that I don’t agree with most people’s New Year’s Resolutions in regards to their fitness goals.

There are many reasons why I don’t agree, but I’m going to share my top three with you today. First, allow me to ask you a really big question: What is honestly going to be so different in your life next year that you cannot take action today? Maybe I’m being a little harsh during the holidays, but seriously, I think most resolutions are an excuse and a means to justify and delay action steps that we all know deep down should be acted on today.

Here are my reasons:

1. Psychological justification.
Most people will do whatever they want for the rest of the year in order to justify that next year they’ll be focused and finally achieve the fitness goals they dream of. The unfortunate reality is that the average weight gain from Thanksgiving till Christmas is 12lbs. That’s enough weight gain to ruin your whole year’s efforts. Is it really worth it?

2. Not revisiting your health and fitness goals every 2-3 months.
It’s a good idea to make the necessary adjustments to your health and fitness routine with the changing of the seasons. We tend to decorate our homes with the change of the seasons and it’s great for the psyche to do the same with your health and fitness goals. Restructure and reorganize your routine to meet the daily needs of the upcoming season.

For example, just about everyone is out and about during the summer months reaping the rewards of our efforts in the earlier part of the year. When fall comes we tend to slow down because the year is winding down and then when winter hits we pretty much proceed into a mental hibernation. However, this mental hibernation is usually not supportive of their fitness goals. This is why it should be a priority to revisit your goals with each season to make sure you restructure it accordingly for you to manage and engage appropriately so that you always stay on track.

3. Because you ALWAYS have an opportunity this very moment.
It really doesn’t take much effort to make a dramatic difference in your health right now. If you haven’t exercised in a while, start with a 15-minute walk three times per week for 2 weeks, and then crank it up to 30-minute workouts including strength training starting the third week. Don’t be fooled by the “Exercise at least 5 hours/week of cardio and 2+ days of weight training”. Anyone can easily become more fit in just 15-30 minutes three times per week. That’s 1.5 hours per week at the most! Who wouldn’t want that kind of fitness schedule?

Anyway, there really is no reason to wait until the New Year . You’re good enough RIGHT NOW, and you’re worth it!

PS…Click here to learn some damage control strategies for the rest of the holidays.

Here are two quick 4-exercise circuit for an effective total body fat-loss workout!

Circuit 1a
1)Incline Pushups
2)Body Rows
3)Alternating Lunges
4)Core Band Twists

Perform 5 rounds of 10-12 reps of each exercise.
Rest 10 seconds between each exercise.
Rest 30-60 seconds rest between each round.

Circuit 1b
1)Bar Squats
2)Pullups
3)Alternating Lunges
4)Hanging Reverse Crunch

Stay Tuned for more from the Element 5 Fitness Team

Visit our sites
Element 5 Fitness
Strong & Sexy Bootcamps

Being snowed in these past few days has been quite fun, and productive. Playing in the snow was fun, and the productive part was Julie and I did some needed housekeeping which also allowed us to catch up on a few things from the chaos of our professional lives. We’ve been reading “It’s All Too Much” by TLC’s professional organizer Peter Walsh. Peter Walsh is considered an organizational guru and has appeared numerous times on Oprah.

I’ve only read one other organizational book, but this one is unique in that Peter’s approach focuses on helping people let go of the emotional and psychological clutter that drains the life out of your home. His book shows you how to face a BIG question: What is the vision for the life you want to live?
I don’t know about you, but that’s the first time I’ve ever heard that from a professional organizer and it was refreshing. If you are struggling with organization in your home or office and you feel consistently drained by just looking at the unnecessary clutter, I encourage you to go get this book. The techniques are easy to implement in a step by step plan.

So with the advice from the book we shredded tons of old mail and other junk, filled up close to 10 large garbage bags of stuff to give to Goodwill, and rearranged our office and the kitchen. The result was feeling a new sense of energy from all the freed up space and new organization to meet the function of the spaces we worked on.

Asides from the massive housekeeping, Julie and I trekked about 10-15 minutes from our home to the nearest shopping area everyday since last Wednesday. That’s roughly 30 minutes of walking up and down hills in the snow for each trip, and we did that twice today because we forgot something at QFC! It was great because we were definitely burning calories, especially being bundled up in thick jackets.
These past “snowed in” days prompted me to do a follow-up post to our “Post-Thanksgiving Workouts” segment. I recorded two quick workouts that can be performed at home with some bands, stability ball, and a weighted bag (in the video 2 I have a 50lb sandbag) just in case you can’t make it to the gym due to our fabulous weather.

Focus on performing all exercises in a fast manner with GOOD FORM. Intensity is key with home workouts or you’re just wasting your time. Choose a challenging resistance, do these workouts right, and you’ll easily burn 300 calories!

Work hard, stay strong!
- Rommel

View workouts

Yesterday I received a blog entry from another fitness professional by the name of Dax Moy. Dax has quickly become a trainer to trainers, and is the most sought after fitness professional in London. His blog “What I believe…”, hit home with me and I’m sure with many other fitness professionals. He came to a realization on the importance of being crystal clear on your own beliefs, and to share those beliefs with others whenever and wherever you can for real success to happen.
The reason it hit home with me is because I just came back from a long business trip at a very beautiful resort during which I had a lot of time to reflect on what beliefs and actions were holding me back from true success. Let’s just say I experienced a life transforming event.
Anyway, Dax issued out a challenge to all fitness professionals reading his blog to move towards a more “transparent” approach to sharing information with our clients. I agree with him and I accept his challenge to share with you my beliefs, especially with regards to my profession.
Here it goes…
“What I Believe”

• I believe that my purpose in life is to make a difference in other people’s lives through health and fitness. And through this medium I am able to not only enable a client, but help empower that client to make lasting changes. Nowadays, I’m always reminded of a quote from a mentor of mine: “Find your purpose in this lifetime and PURSUE it, and DO IT with EXCELLENCE…and fall SO IN LOVE with what you do and fall SO IN LOVE with what you’re a part of, that the lines blur!”

• I believe that true success in life is to make your vocation your vacation.

• I believe and agree with Dax Moy that fitness professionals have played the role of poor cousin to the medical community for too long. As Dax stated, “Doctors are, in my opinion, at their most valuable during trauma, but that they have no place in the promotion of health to the general population as long as they remain dependent upon pharmaceutical interventions. To this end, health and fitness professionals need to stop taking orders from medics who, despite having HUGE budgets and a global empire to support them are failing badly. They are more educated but less qualified for this role.”

• I believe that optimum health requires the harmony of these elements: strong mindset, supportive nutrition, proper cardiovascular and strength training, proper education on physiology and body mechanics, and accountability/professional assistance. These are the five elements that embody my company “Element 5 Fitness”.

• I believe that as a fitness professional/coach, you must take full responsibility and not only be qualified, but also have the experience to help empower clients to reach their desired goals. Just because you’ve read and educated yourself about fitness modalities doesn’t mean you know how to teach it. There are too many “fitness enthusiasts” who give our industry a bad rap by becoming certified personal trainers, and hurt clients because of their inexperience and inability to produce results. These individuals eventually get weeded out in the process, but it still leaves a negative connotation to the client they were unable to service.

• I believe in staying true to your “worth” in regards to your fees. Too many fitness professionals “sell out” in that they try to please everyone. Figure out what type of clientele gives you the most satisfaction and charge what you’re worth as long as you’re providing exemplary service and value. Create more value by becoming more valuable.

• I believe that just when I’ve given enough, I need to give more. The times that I have given more and provided ten times the value, I’ve positively affected those individuals lives, and they’ve rewarded me in ways that I didn’t expect or ask for. Give more!

• I believe in contributing positively in some way to your local community.

• I believe in practicing what you preach, and as a new friend and colleague of mine, Valerie Waugaman proudly states, “Live It to Give It!” In the fitness industry you must be a product of your product.

• Lastly, I believe that in order to leave a good legacy, you must first transform and develop yourself to your highest potential.

So now I extend the challenge to any fitness professional or any individual reading this to blog or comment with YOUR beliefs. Do you accept? Or do you feel uncomfortable and choose to remain in your comfort zone? What have you got to lose?

With the holidays around the corner, it’s hard to keep your head on straight when you’re constantly surrounded by sugary sweets, fattening dishes, and calorie-busting entrees. Some might say, “It’s not my fault I gained 20 pounds over the holidays. My kids, my co-workers, and even the ads on TV were always shoving food in my face!”

This reminds me of an article we wrote earlier this year entitled Seattle Eastside’s Top Personal Trainers Say “You’re Not to Blame for Your Weight Problem!”

“What if you’re not to blame for your weight problem?” The February 3, 2008 edition of Seattle Times posed this question in an article entitled It’s Not My Fault I’m Fat? Not surprisingly, this immediately caught our attention. What if it’s not your fault if you’re overweight? You may as well cancel that gym membership, re-stock your cupboards with potato chips and cookies, and call it quits. Because according to this article, until the government starts regulating our environments by getting rid of vending machines, outlawing “Super Size Me” meals, and black-listing certain deep-frying, calorie-busting restaurants, you won’t be able to change your habits and get healthy. It’s just too hard. Here’s a quick outline of the main points in the article and our thoughts on each:

“Eating is an automatic behavior that has little to do with choice, willpower, or even hunger…Automatic behavior can be controlled, but only for a short time.”

True. Many of us have hard-wired programming that makes us reach for that doughnut for breakfast. Old habits die hard. However, they can die and be replaced by new habits. With enough persistence and with the right mindset, choosing the right foods in the right quantities can become automatic as well.

“Changing routine behavior is painstaking and slow. It sometimes takes years to change one little thing.”

True. No one said that adopting a healthy lifestyle would be easy. But if you keep selling yourself short and convincing yourself that change is too hard, you’re absolutely right! And it will take years to stop reaching for that doughnut. It comes down to how bad you want it and why. It comes down to your mindset.

“If people rely on willpower alone, they are expecting too much of themselves..It’s easier to change the environment than it is to change people.”

False. This statement frankly depresses us. Are we really giving in to our own weakness and taking the coward’s way out? Pointing fingers and putting the responsibility for our own lives in other people’s hands? We believe that willpower – or “energetic determination,” as defined by Merriam-Webster.com – can accomplish anything. Granted, we do give some credit to the above statement by admitting that willpower should be accompanied by knowing what the right foods are, by a deeply compelling purpose driving the willpower, and by a belief in oneself and one’s worthiness. However, blaming anything or anyone else for our shortcomings is still just a “good story.”

We, personally, have more hope in the human race than this, and we hope you do too. This article drastically sells us short as human beings. If we told a 3-year-old not to take his sister’s toy, but he did anyway, is it entirely not his fault because she was sitting there playing with it right in front of him? We’re afraid this is the message this article would give to our kids: It’s not your fault. You’re a victim to your environment.

We’re not saying that government restrictions on the use of trans-fats or requirements to label restaurant foods with nutritional information wouldn’t help. But we can’t sit on our rears and wait until the environment around us changes before we change ourselves. A wise man once said, “As within, so without.” Real change won’t come until we decide to change ourselves. Then the food manufacturers and marketers, restaurant operators, and food vendors would have no choice but to conform. It all comes down to personal accountability. In the words of Dr. Wayne Dyer, “If your problems were the result of others in your environment, you would go broke sending everyone else to the psychiatrist.”

If you truly want to enjoy the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner and holiday festivities without dealing with added weight on your belly, it is all in your hands. The key is having a strong mindset. ??Most people approach the holidays with the mindset of “I deserve to indulge and I shouldn’t have to workout – it’s the holidays and I deserve it”. This is fine if you don’t mind entering 2009 with an added spare tire, a little less healthy, and with lower energy than ever before. Believe you deserve better, because YOU are more than that! Believe that you don’t have to wait until 2009 to get into better shape than you are today. Believe that you deserve to have a healthier lifestyle and have more energy NOW than you ever thought possible!

I’m always available to help – call or email me to set up a fitness consultation and let’s get started on making lasting changes over the next few weeks to come.

Contact info:

Phone: 425.296.9305

Email: rommel@element5fitness.com

Website(s):

http://www.element5fitness.com

http://www.strongandsexybootcamps.com