I ran across this article the other day and thought it shared some great ideas on how to keep your fitness mind-set strong. I know most of us can relate to having a difficult day but when you’re working on something as important as your health then it is crucial to your results to have the right mind-set. -Kelly

By: L R Goodman

Keeping with a fitness program can be very hard, especially if you don’t start seeing the results you want right away. Many people quite within a month of beginning their fitness programs and have to psych themselves back into a fitness mindset before they will begin again.
If you are one of those people, know that there is hope that even you will be able to break free from the start/stop syndrome of your routine.

don’t give up!

Tip #1: Determine to Press Ahead

Admit it. You want to quit because you feel like you are wasting your time and you would rather be doing…. (fill in the blank). Whether it is eating a big bowl of ice cream, sitting in front of the TV all day, or just a fitness failure feeling, something besides dieting and workout sessions has caught your attention.
So STOP. Think about what you REALLY want. Fitness is not easy, but you chose to start down that path for a reason. Was it to lose weight? Was it to regain your health? Was it to build your core so that you could be stronger? What was it?
Once you have remembered your goal, write it down. Go… do it NOW. This hub will still be here when you get back. Write it as many times as you need to so that you remember that goal. Stick it on your fridge, write it on your mirror, put a post it on your TV and do whatever it takes to get yourself back into the fitness mindset.
Pushing through the difficult moments when you don’t see what you want right away will put your body into gear and you will be grateful when you do start seeing results. Determination is a strong quality, and don’t you want to prove to the world that you have it?

Tip #2: Get a Second Job

No, no, don’t start looking through the employment ads. Put that newspaper down and pay attention.
View your fitness program as your second job. Make sure you show up to your shift on time, do your required work and the benefits will follow.
Do you enjoy your job all the time? You may like is most of the time, but ALL the time? When you are not enjoying your job, you can’t just decide to avoid it until you feel like working again. You have to work and stick it out and eventually things will be smoother again.
The same goes for fitness. You are not going to enjoy working out all the time, but you need to press on and you may even end up loving your second job!

bored yet?

take a breath

Tip #5 Slow Down

If you are experiencing pain or find yourself exhausted, slow down your workout sessions instead of quitting all together. A common problem with fitness programs is that people jump into them fully instead of slowly getting into it. Doing this could wear you out quickly and cause you to give up.
As you workout, your body will get stronger and you will be able to increase your workout sessions to allow you to build more endurance and stamina. Taking things slow in the beginning may just help prevent injury.

This last weekend was very physical and enlightening.  My martial arts group had the world-famous Grandmaster Richard Bustillo up here from L.A. for a seminar.  It was fun, physical, and a great learning experience.  I learned some things from Sifu Bustillo and from my teacher Mr. Kamara.  It’s funny how people think Martial Arts is all pounding fists and kicking things in.  It’s an outlook, a way of life, a dedication to something.  It shines with the warrior in us who fights the battles in life, that attacks us from all realms.  

Now most of you know who Bruce Lee is.  He was a phenomenal man.  He was a great martial artist, and a strong human being (and I’m not just talking about the physical sense).  Well, my teacher asked Sifu Ted Wong once a question that impacted him greatly.  He asked Mr. Wong ”Sifu, how do I achieve Bruce lee like moves?”  Sifu Ted Wong simply replied “If you want Bruce Lee-like-moves, you have to put in Bruce Lee-like-time and effort.” 

So many people want results quick, fast, with no real effort put into it.  This applies to business owners, clients, fat loss programs, trainers, our strong and sexy bootcampparticipants, or inquiries about them.  I get phone calls from people asking about our Bootcamps and training programs in Bellevue, Redmond, and Woodinville.  I get asked by trainers how to maximize their business and get more clients.  I get pre-qualification phone calls or evaluations from people who want to achieve certain goals.  On our website, we have pictures and testimonials of others who have achieved phenomenal results and people want them NOW NOW NOW!  Just last week, someone showed me a picture of a woman they WANT to LOOK like!

Reality check – You cannot get the results if you do not have the quality time put into it.  You think Bruce Lee showed up to train once a week?  You think he magically landed film roles and made millions accidentally?  Success didn’t fall from the sky and Bruce Lee just so happened to be there.  In the same way, Element 5 Fitness did not achieve a level of success without hard work.  Our clients with their tesimonials did not lose all that bodyfat without hardwork.  If you want to emulate their success, or anyone for that matter, well Success leaves clues.  Pick it up and be a student of the masters.  Learn from them and be diligent.  I never said achieving your goals was going to be easy.

Sifu Bustillo ended the seminar with a story about Bruce Lee (who was his teacher).  He said that Bruce Lee made a statement in 1969:

Here is the ultimate aim of Bruce Lee, as he stated in 1969:

I, Bruce Lee, will be the first highest paid
Oriental super star in the United States. In
return I will give the most exciting
performances and render the best of quality in
the capacity of an actor. Starting 1970 I will
achieve world fame and from then onward till
the end of 1980 I will have in my possession
$10,000,000. I will live the way I please and
achieve inner harmony and happiness.
- Bruce Lee
Jan. 1969

That all happened in about a year’s time. Wow……

So for those Eastside Trainers out there reading this who need more business, or the clients who want to reach their goals, or the business owner who is struggling, I have one last thing to share with you.

Yeah it’s tough out there.  I am pretty sure that you have a legitimate REASON why you can’t “invest” in your health, your business, your education in growing your business, your workouts, your nutrition, your dedication to self-growth, etc.

In my eyes, sometimes….and I say this cautiously sometimes, it’s just an EXCUSE.  So, because I believe you when you say that you have a legitimate reason why you can’t start today, I am renaming your reason to REXCUSE.

What’s your REXCUSE TODAY?

Belton Lubas

Co Founder Element5 Fitness

http://Element5fitness.com

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!

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.