One of your fellow body balance participants had some questions and a great idea to setup this blog for some open dialogue. Many of you may have similar questions and this way you can post whatever you are curious about. I can then respond and hopefully everyone can get benefit from the answers. Everyone can say thank you to Bonnie Martin (smart lady!).

Here are a few of the questions I have received so far:

1. How many servings are in the Tex Mex dinner? There are 4 servings in that dish total. My calories were off just slightly on the chili powder, so there are actually about 20 more calories per serving. Nothing to stress out over, just wanted ya’ll to be aware.
2. If you don’t like the pancakes for breakfast, can you have the muffin every day? Definitely you can, the nutrients are fairly similar so feel free to switch out breakfast on the Sun, Tue, Thur, Sat meal plan for the Mon, Wed and Fri breakfast if you want.
3. Can you replace the salmon, as ya’ll taught me on Saturday… the L is silent , with tuna? Yes you can. A better option would be something like Tilapia to still get some of those good Omega Fatty Acids, but tuna is fine.
4. Can you add mustard or pickles to the Arnolds sandwich? You can, just keep it in moderation. There are not hardly any calories in either one, just a little sodium to consider. Again, not a big deal at all and it can add some flavor to that meal.
5. Will there be any Meal Replacement Packets from Advocare on next weeks meal plan? Some people are wanting to know if they should order them in advance for next week. There will be those and a bar called Fruit and Fiber on next weeks plan. I will actually have individual packets and bars for purchase on Saturday. You can purchase enough to fill your meal plan for next week instead of an entire box of each one. Packets will be $3.50 each and bars will be $2.50 each. There will be 4 days of the meal replacement packets (with a packet of spark to make a protein and energy smoothie for breakfast) and then 3 days of the fruit and fiber bar for a snack. If you would like one of these either email me or post on the blog. I am suggesting people purchase the vanilla protein and then whatever flavor of spark they want, but Mandarin Orange makes it taste like a Creamsicle. If you decided you wanted 4 packets of spark, 4 meal replacement shakes and 3 fruit and fiber bars it would be $29.50 to get all of these (cash or check please).

Questions from Saturday 1/28/12:

1. Can you replace the Pistachios on the meal plan for the almonds you might still have from week one? YES you can, the almonds are even better for you. I was just trying to give a little variety is all.
2. When will we see more fruits and veggies on the meal plan? Next week, but remember you are still eating a couple of each almost every day depending on what you use before your workout and then the dinners have a couple of servings 4 days of the week and one serving the other three. Plus the serving of carrots with lunch. Sun, Tue, Thur and Sat have the three recommended servings each day. BUT… there will be more veggies on next weeks plan. We are really going to dial in those fat grams starting next week and we will use more veggies for this. I know everyone loves Fruit (and so do I) but keep in mind our goal of better balance in the carbohydrate department.
3. How much fiber is in the meal plan? Someone we mentioning they were having a little trouble with being consistent in the “bathroom”. The mean plans have at least 25 grams of fiber each and every day, but part of that could be the body trying to adjust to the added protein intake (and for many probably a decrease in fruits). When you calculate the 4-day plan there is at least 27 grams of fiber if you eat exactly what is on there and more if you eat the Almonds instead of the pistachios. The 3-day plan actually has over 35 grams of fiber.

If anyone can think of other questions (either ones that were asked or not) post them to the blog here and I will respond for everyone to see.

One last thing for now… I have a quote for you from one of my favorite motivational speakers Zig Ziglar . I think it is perfect for when you are trying to make some changes in your life; “Your attitude determines your altitude”

If your heart and mind are in this 4 week program you are going to fly high and see amazing results.

I hope everyone is having a great week so far and really focusing on good food choices.

Your Coach

Jeremy

I started to think to myself how great that both of those things are. People are making an effort to get to church and to the gym. Heck, one of my “resolutions” was to attend a certain number of times this year to keep myself and my family on track. Okay, I did realize at this point I should re-focus and pay attention so I did. But before I got re-engaged I wrote a note for later. On this note I wrote one simple thing; “Consistency”

You see, I’m an all or nothing kind of guy. I’m either completely 100% into something, or not at all. My mom calls me the “Man of the Hour” because I can sometimes get blinders on and forget about other important things. One of the things I want to improve on as a coach, a friend, a father and a husband is to be more consistent with what I do and how I am day in and day out.

That is why I’m writing to you today, I want to extend the same challenge to you. Now that real life is setting in and obstacles are coming at you trying to derail your New Years Resolutions, you are going to have to be determined and CONSISTENT with what you do, what you eat and when you exercise. Have you broken one of those resolutions yet? If so, read on because you need to see this.

Here is my challenge to you (in two parts):

1. Share your goals with someone close to you. This can’t be just anyone though, it has to be someone who will hold you accountable to your goals, not someone who will let you slide or not have the guts to tell you to get your butt back to the gym. Did you know that your chances of succeeding with your health and fitness goals go up by more than 300% if you have someone to hold you accountable. Not sure who to tell… How about a professional? Myself or one of my coaches can consult with you and guide you with a specific plan to reach those goals. Perhaps more importantly we will hold your feet to the fire when you “backslide” a little. I have seen to many people get amazing results and then quit a program, only to save a few bucks per month. While I respect and understand the importance of budgeting, this is an investment in your health and it just seems crazy to me for someone to cheat themselves out of something so important. If you want to stop this “yo-yo” up and down of weight loss, email me to find out how you can get a free consultation (if you are not already an active client). It’s an $85 value, but I would ask that you do so as quickly as possible because this time of year (as I already shared) is extremely busy.  jeremy@grittonstraining.com
2. Reverse engineer your goals (either by yourself, with someone you tell, or with one of our coaches at A Cut Above Fitness/Myself). Just meaning, if you have 30pounds to lose break that down into smaller more short term goals. Take those 30 pounds and say, I want to lose 4 pounds by February 1st and then another 4lbs by February 15th. This way you can stay motivated and feel a stronger sense of urgency to accomplish the first goal. Sometimes if all you look at is the big goal, it can seem to daunting and to far off so you say to yourself… I give up… or… I’ll start again on Monday (sound familiar).  Again, if you want someone to simplify this process email me today for a free consultation to discuss how you can once and for all kick this nasty habit of not being CONSISTENT.

Consistency for a more confident healthier and leaner you:

“Small things done consistently over the long haul are what make the difference”  by Dan John

Small things… we don’t have to flip your world upside down and uncover all the skeletons in the closet (or pantry). Lets meet and figure out what small things we can change that you can live with everyday. Doing this consistently will make changes in your life you never knew possible. jeremy@grittonstraining.com

I want you to look back on this blog, after you take action of course, and say that was the turning point. While I don’t pretend this is the greatest email/blog ever written I do think this concept can be life changing. Not only for a month from now, or when you are on the beach for Spring Break, but when you look back 10yrs from now and realize that this CONSISTENT approach is what started a revolution in your life.

For as low as $145 per month you can get personal training to force you to be CONSISTENT and finally get and KEEP the results you want. Email me ASAP: jeremy@grittonstraining.com

All the best

Jeremy

P.S.

Did you know that we now offer Boot Camp, Kettlebell Training, Nutritional Coaching, Private and Semi-Private training options? With so many offerings and so many coaches, we are sure to have a program that fits your budget as well as ensure you reach your goals.

I’ve written a blog about this before, so I won’t go any further than that. You can read that previous blog here Failure is Fun Blog  if you want more info on “how to fail”…  And have fun with it of course.

So I have been wanting to come up with a new workout that included the track and a Kettlebell, my introduction to the blog above is my warm-up for the picture you see below… I sure did have a lot of fun this past Friday – FAILING!

Me + Kettlebell + Track = "Humble Pie"

Yep… That’s me last Friday over at the track behind Peachtree City Elementary. A guy was over there flying some model airplane and asked me, “Why are you doing this?” and I said… It’s fun man! He thought that was hilarious so he took a picture of the end result of the “fun” workout.

I’m sharing this with you today so that you: #1 know that I practice what I preach (I fail a lot)… but more importantly #2 is that I TRY. I fail or come up short a lot, but I never stop taking my shots.

I want to encourage you, wherever you are right now… Take your shot at fitness! If you have tried and failed with a weight loss program, don’t let that stop you. Try again, and again and again until you get it! This thing is a journey friend and it’s the failures that get us closer to success.

Brush off that failure, take your next shot at fitness and health/weight loss. You know what… I have a pretty good place you can have some fun. It’s called A Cut Above Fitness

If you are reading this and you’re not a current client, I want to offer you a one hour private session with me (I promise we won’t go to the track and do that workout) this is an $80 value to discuss some of the new exciting programs being offered withing our company. Here is a short list (but I can’t reveal everything just yet):

1. Newly designed Boot Camp that includes Kettlebell training, traditional training and competition style workouts.
2. New Kettlebell classes being offered (including some at our Studio inside Better Bodies Fitness) and a couple of classes that just opened up slots after some sell out months.
3. A brand new, never done before in all of Fayette County model of training that is gonna be really really special (can’t give any more info until later, or when we meet)

Obviously we have been making some serious changes within our company and I would love to have you discuss those with me, it’s free and there isn’t any obligation.

Take your next shot, have some fun at failing and email me to reserve one of the few available spots I have left. I promise you won’t regret it. jeremy@grittonstraining.com

Your Coach

Jeremy Gritton

P.S.

Did you know we are offering several free classes coming up this month? Some for Boot Camp and some for Kettlebell, each one is a $25 value so you need to email me before those spots are gone as well.

100+ People at 2011 Turkey Buster

It always amazes me how generous everyone is in our Fayette and Coweta community. Each time I ask for people to support a worthy cause I am so humbled to see the huge response. The true character of our counties come through with flying colors. I have the privilege to love in one and work in the other county and I can honestly say, there is no better place on earth to live (except for perhaps Kentucky). If you don’t know, I bleed Kentucky blue

This is our third charity event and I  must admit the best one to date, thanks to everyone who supported the cause. I can hardly wait to deliver all those canned goods to Fayette Samaritan.

I know I speak for everyone from A Cut Above Fitness when I tell you, we had an absolute blast. I’m already thinking about next year and looking forward to needing a new spot since we just about filled up the World Gym parking lot.

As I was reflecting on the event I have to admit I was so moved by the generosity seen and the overall enthusiasm it reminded me of how lucky and how thankful I am to have such amazing clients (and hopefully soon to be clients).  I love our A Cut Above family and the positive energy of every single member.

Thank you again to everyone who came and either worked out or made a donation. We helped so many people less fortunate and for that I am so appreciative.

If you were visiting and want to find out more about A Cut Above Fitness, don’t forget to call Shelly in our office (678) 364-6800 to book your FREE private consultation (that is a $80 value). The deadline for that offer is Friday December 2nd. As I shared yesterday morning, we offer a little bit of everything to help people reach and then exceed their goals. I am personally giving you an hour of my time to discuss if and what program would be best for you. If you think you can’t afford high quality personal training, I encourage you to explore the options because you don’t know what you don’t know. PLUS, the consultation has no obligation. I’ll be honest if we are not a good fit for your goals. Just please hurry and call Shelly before it’s too late (678) 364-6800.

Thank you again to everyone involved and I hope each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day (and took my advice on the food control).

All the Best

Your Coach

Jeremy Gritton

P.S.

Even if you weren’t there and you want to find out about A Cut Above Personal Training then feel free to call Shelly in our home office (678) 364-6800.

Remember, we moved the location to World Gym parking lot off of HWY 74. We start at 8:00am.

Just put your name down and if you have any friends or family coming have them register on the

Turkey Buster Workout Website

Bring as many canned goods as you can please. We are supporting our charity, Fayette Samaritan.

Thank you and I hope to see you there.

Jeremy

I thought it was a really interesting exercise and one that we could all share together, not only does it give a lot of insight into each person it can be thought provoking personally.

If you don’t have ten books that’s okay, you can still participate by giving as many as you can. Maybe yours is a top 5 and then you can choose a few of the books from everyone else or from my list. I make it a goal to read as much as possible, but this past year I set a goal to read 12 books (one per month). It was really cool, because part way through I was way ahead of schedule so I decided to go for 24 books in 2011. Not there yet, but currently I’m on #18 “Onward” by Howard Schultz the CEO of Starbucks and how he can back to CEO after several years off and struggles from the company. Not sure how I would rate it yet… Point is, we find time for the things that are important to us. And… I ain’t reading big thick books like War and Peace…

So without any further ado, here are my Top 10 Books and Top 10 Movies All Time:

Top 10 Favorite Books: (In no particular order)

1) Never Let Go – by Dan John

2) Born to Run – by Christopher McDougal

3) The Noticer – by Andy Andrews

4) Good to Great – by Jim Collins

5) Rich Dad Poor Dad – by Robert Kiyosaki

6) Younger Next Year – by Chris Crowley (although I must note… I do not agree with his entire philos0phy)

7) The Bible – by… The Big Man Upstairs

Go-Giver – by John David Mann and David Burg

9) 7 Keys to the Magic Kingdom – by Tom Connellan

10) Psycho Cybernetics  – by Maxwell Maltz

As you can see with books, I read a lot on motivational type stuff and about business. I firmly believe that reading is one of the best things on this planet and does more for us than anything. I know personally, it makes me think about myself… how to improve in all areas of life as well as a leader. It’s also why I read to each one of my kiddos individually (plus, their books are just more fun than ours anyways). You will also see, there are non of the all time classics on my list like “To Kill a Mockingbird” but that is probably because someone TOLD ME to read them, that’s probably why I didn’t enjoy reading back then. Now that I can choose of my own free will I love to read and get a lot out of each book.

Top 10 Movies: (in no particular order) 

1) Gone in 60 Seconds

2) Rocky (all of them, except #5)

3) Thomas Crown Affair

4) Indiana Jones (all of them)

5) Dumb and Dumber

6) Gladiator

7) Terminator (all of them)

Ocean’s (11,12 and 13)

9) National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

10) Transformers (the first one)

I’m sure this gives a lot of insight into the fact that I like action movies and comedies and not much for the deep thinking movies or scary movies. I figure there is enough sadness and scary stuff in this world, when I watch a movie I want to laugh or be totally entertained by action.

So here is why I wanted to send this list to all of you… Number one it’s so you get to know me a little better and number two so that you will think about your list and maybe share it with the rest of is. I’m sure there will be some great books out there that ya’ll have read that someone else could benefit from. This list can take some time to compile and trying to narrow down the movies is brutal, so even if you only share 2 or 3 of your all time favorites it might be fun.

PLUS… You never know what might inspire  you get motivated, eat better, feel better… who knows. I often times discover something or get an idea, or just get motivated to take care better of myself and dial in my nutrition by reading some biography on a historical or innovative person like Benjamin Franklin. When you are reading, its amazing what can pop into your head.. It helps though when you head is pretty empty like mine though

If you have a moment, please post your favorites.

Your Coach

Jeremy Gritton

P.S.

I have been receiving tons of questions about Turkey Buster Workout… Last year we did a big food drive on Thanksgiving Day where we gave a free workout to anyone who brought in a canned good. It was a huge success and we will be doing it again this year. More to come on that in the next few days. Go ahead and mark your calendar for 8:00am Thanksgiving morning.

The main purpose of this article is that you understand why that is what you should be eating. Let’s face it, dinner is the hardest meal of the day to eat healthy. There are tons of reasons why it would be easier just to order a pizza or throw in some pasta and be done with it.

• You’re tired from either working all day or taking care of your family/kids.
• The rest of the family doesn’t want to eat chicken and vegetables.
• You want something that tastes good so you can look forward to it (comfort food).
• You don’t have much time because of some activity you are committed to.

I’m sure one of those comes up in your house all the time, I know they all come up in my a lot.

The first question you have to ask yourself is, “What are your Goals?” then you must ask yourself, “How Important are those Goals to You“. When you have a clearly defined goal, such as lose 5lbs by Thanksgiving or drop your body-fat 2% by the end of October it goes a long ways in helping you overcome those obstacles listed above. If it’s really important to you then you need to do whatever it takes to eat what you need to and stay on track towards your goals. Without clearly defined goals it is too easy to give in to the “difficulty” of life.

Now, the WHY… Why exactly should you be eating lean meat and vegetables at dinner? To make it easy to understand I will list the most important reasons (for weight loss and body-fat reduction).

1. Your metabolism is slowing down at night so you want to avoid too many carbohydrates.
2. The old saying of You Are What You Eat, is never more accurate than dinner (or post dinner if you are a snacker). You just don’t have time to burn off anything in the evening.
3. When your body is sleeping (it’s deepest sleep) you are in an anabolic state which is repairing and rejuvenating your body. The thing your body needs is protein and nutrients. Nothing will help you repair, be stronger, more rested and leaner than lean protein sources and nutrient dense vegetables.

If you have a bowl of pasta at night you can undue a lot of good choices throughout the day. When you are in a routine of work or running kids around often times it is easier to make good choices. When the evening hits and you are off schedule and have more temptations, it’s much easier to blow it. That is why it all starts with your goals… Do you have clearly defined goals right now? If not, get with either myself or your coach and let’s put them on paper. Then it becomes our job (your ACAF coaches) to hold you to those, and if we don’t shame on us.

To help you understand that chicken and vegetables don’t have to be boring, here is a delicious recipe to help you stay on track while keeping the family happy as well.

Blackened Chicken with  Zucchini and Squash: (serves two) 

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/8 tsp ground white pepper

1/8 tsp onion powder

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet (with a spray… not butter or oils). Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat for 5 minutes until it is hot.
2. Mix together the powdered ingredients above. Oil the chicken breasts with the same spray above, on both side, then coat the chicken evenly with the spice mixture.
3. Place the chicken in the hot pan and cook for 1 minute. Turn, and cook 1 minute on other side. Place the breasts in the prepared cooking sheet.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 5 minutes.

Then, while those are cooking us the same pan to prepare the zucchini and squash.

Ingredients:

2 Large Zucchini and 2 Large Squash

Directions:

1. Slice the zucchini  and squash “long ways” so that they are the full length of the vegetable (instead of short circles like normal). You want them about a 1/4 inch thick. Thinner cuts will be softer so you can adjust accordingly.
2. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on the pan (only takes a tiny bit to cook the vegetables in).
3. Lay the slices in the hot pan and let sit for about 90 seconds each side and flip. They should be somewhat firm, but you can cook longer if you want them softer.

Once both dishes are prepared you can enjoy… Or if you are like me… I like to lay the veggies over top of the chicken so that I get a taste  of each on every bit.

Here is the nutrition on an unbelievably good tasting lean meat and vegetable that you can enjoy and still stay on track towards your goals:

Calories: 314

Fat: 3

Carbohydrates: 23

Fiber: 8

Protein: 42

Next time you go to the grocery store print this recipe out and pickup the dry spices that you need, and enjoy.

Remember, nothing is more important than what you eat at dinner. Your body holds onto everything late at night so give it only good stuff and watch the body-fat drop and the pounds melt away. Because, if you had to do one thing right every day it needs to be dinner.

If you have a healthy recipe you would like to share with the group, post it here so we can all enjoy.

All the best;

Jeremy

P.S.

If you are running the Peachtree City Classic your T-Shirts are in. See me or your Fitness Camp coaches to pick those up. Only rule is this… You have to wear the shirt to the race next Saturday, otherwise I think we might have to do some pushups for each person missing the shirt

But the worst enemy, the one that is slamming into your gates with one of those battering rams is actually YOU. Nothing is more deadly than your own mind saying its okay not to reach your goals, its okay to start over again when the timing is right. The mind is a powerful thing ya’ll, it can either be your strongest asset or your strongest ENEMY.

Over the past few years I have heard every reason in the world for someone not to pour themselves into healthy choices, heck I have made them myself saying things such as “Vacation is too hard to eat Healthy“, or “Since I’m blowing my diet, I might as well REALLY BLOW IT“… There is always Monday to start over. Either of those sound familiar?

I firmly believe that often times it is simply fear, fear of what life would be like if you didn’t have TOO MANY drinks with friends or you don’t turn to food every time something emotional comes up. FEAR of what life might be like as a different person, maybe you don’t even know what you want to achieve and there is fear of this unknown YOU.

Here’s the thing though, that enemy is human nature and that enemy of fear and self-doubt is going to bang on your door forever. You can not let fear of what might be, fear of crashing off your new healthy lifestyle stop you from beginning every day with the right attitude, you’ve got to get back in there and fight for the healthier life you deserve. Self-doubt, the enemy ramming into your goals, is just waiting for someone to tell you “You can’t live like this can you?” You gotta eat right? You can not and you will not win against the daily battle of fear and temptations unless you decide to dig in, invest yourself in the right support group and every time the enemy makes a dent in your fortress of results and happiness you got to slap that fool back down and begin again. Go on the aggressive and never ever stop trying to strengthen your mind against thoughts of failure and demise or your hopes and dreams.

Here is the million dollar secret… Share your goals! If you have a weight loss goal, tell your friends and tell them you need their support (as opposed to them ramming you with that tree trunk) tell your colleagues and your coaches. Support groups, and more precisely “Accountability Partners” are more powerful than any fad diet, any dvd workouts, and any membership to the greatest online nutritional coaching program ever designed. It’s gotta be someone who actually cares if you reach your goal… Even the greatest people in our nation’s history had support groups to hold their feet to the fire, our most acclaimed athletes had a coach or trainer to push them when the enemy came knocking.

There is a reason trainers and coaches help transform peoples lives, its because we all need someone to look us in the eyes and know if we are full of it or not. Look yourself in the mirror and tell yourself you can and will do it. Even if you don’t believe it right now, do it anyways. If you tell yourself something enough times it will become truth and then become a reality. Start talking friend, and don’t ever let yourself give in to the enemy banging on your gate. It’s just you

The enemy is coming knocking so make sure you have the right bullets to fire back… Lets call those bullets… Kettlebells, Boot Camp and Fitness Camp. Not sure where to begin? Call our office and we can set you up with a FREE consultation to help determine which bullet is needed to defeat the enemy at the gate. (678) 364-6800

If you are currently a client how about putting yourself out on the line.. Post a goal you might have to the entire A Cut Above Fitness family. Nothing motivates more than exposing yourself to a large group. See my goal below.

Your Coach

Jeremy Gritton

P.S.

How about this to “lead by example”… Here is my goal that I have been afraid of… Telling people of one of my goals. I am going to run a marathon this November and I want to set a PR (personal record for anyone not familiar with this slang) of 3:30 or less. Now its out there and I have all of you to hold my feet to the fire

I was in Orlando for two days speaking at an event and then learning from some of my fellow fitness business owners and while I was there I was able to find a couple of hours for a run. I didn’t really have the proper gear and really hadn’t planned on running until I noticed a park near my hotel. To make a long story short I went out and had one of the best runs of the year circling this lake filled with wild animals, other runners, restaurants and just a ton of awesome scenery.

Then I flew home and Brandy and I loaded up the kids for a trip to a lake house in Tennessee. This house was so far in the mountains everyone in the car was getting pretty sick by the time we got there. Inside the resort I kept thinking how fun it would be to run on the steep hills. So one morning I did so, only ran about 45 minutes but it was probably the most exhilarating run I’ve ever had because of the nearly impossible hills to not only climb, but then run down.

At this same lake house we had a private two-story dock with a huge upper level. Of course I had my two favorite kettlebells with me (44lbs each) and so I thought to myself how cool it would be to do a workout on that dock overlooking the lake. Getting the kettlebell’s down there, from the house, and up on the top level was probably more of a workout than the actual routine. I can tell you, however, it was so awesome to do something in the fresh mountain air, overlooking a beautiful lake and fighting every second of the 30 minute routine to keep my balance. This little cove was getting rocked by other boats, which made the workout even more challenging to balance and stabilize. I swear my abs hurt for three days.

Here is a picture my sister took of me doing front squats (be sure to notice the sign in front of me and what I’m doing in the second picture): It’s not a very flattering picture, but I love how the sign is in it.

Check out that sign...

Of course, the best part of a workout on the top level of a dock is the proximity to the water. I have always been a rule breaker, why change now?

Remember that sign?

It was a little higher than I realized, so I won’t show you the next picture with panic on my face

The reason I am sharing all this with you is because I found myself realizing that I had unconsciously found ways to make exercise fun and different. Between the lake run in Orlando, the Mountain Run and the Kettlebell Dock Workout I was able to find joy in a change of scenery, a new challenging workout and I still think about how awesome they were.

Do you get joy from exercise? Are you able to improvise when you are traveling and find ways to get in some beneficial workout? How about when you come to the gym, are you doing the same thing every time? Do you dread the actual act of the workout?

I want to tell you that the key to long term, consistent commitment to exercise is to find something you can enjoy. If you hate running on the treadmill, then don’t run on the treadmill… if you hate a workout with machines, then don’t. Hate boot camp,kettlebell, fit camp… Urgh…too bad then Just kidding of course. Seriously if you can not find some reasonable amount of joy or fun in your workout then you need to find something else! Stop wasting your time on something that you know won’t last, find a workout or exercise that you begin to look forward to and that is where the magic can happen and you can find a lifestyle of exercise that will last a lifetime.

This thing is a journey, not a destination and you should always be enjoying the scenery as you go. Take a look at your surroundings (your workout routine) perhaps it is time to try something different. Mix up your cardio workouts this summer by getting outside and walk, run, ride a bike swim or just possibly even a morning workout outside before the heat sets in. There is something powerful about being outside and doing exercise, it just seems to put you in a good mood no matter what it is you do. (unless you go out at noon and our 95 degree temperatures that is)

If you are stuck in a rut or if you have hit a plateau maybe its time for a change, whatever it is keep an open mind because you just never know. The first time I was exposed to Kettlebell’s I thought the guy looked like an idiot and now I can’t get enough of it.

Find joy in your fitness and I guarantee you will find joy in other areas of you life. Its amazing to me how much better I feel when I am in good shape and exercising/eating the way I should be. Heck, when I am in a bad mood Brandy will often times tell me to go workout because she knows it will make me such much more pleasant to be around.

If you have a favorite routine, post it on the blog:

For Example: One of my favorite cardio workouts is 1/2 mile repeats on a track or treadmill. Warm-up 5-10 minutes and then run all out for 1/2 mile recover 1/2 mile and repeat as many times as you can before you start cooling down.

If you have a favorite routine, workout or specific exercise be sure to post it on the blog so everyone can try it out.

Your Coach

Jeremy

P.S.

For anyone wanting to have group and personal accountability for nutrition as that change of pace, make sure you visit the body balance website, there you can watch the video and read about our newest program where someone will win $700. If you don’t believe me, try it out for two weeks for only $5.00.

Body Balance Nutrition Program

Summer time is when we all wear a little less clothes and tend to have more barbeques, which is not a very good combination. Weight gain is creeping just around the corner just waiting for the chance to make those jeans a little tighter and those swim suits slightly uncomfortable. I wanted to give ya’ll some advice that I think will help not only this Memorial Day weekend but throughout the entire summer.

What to eat and not eat to hold that Barbeque Weight Gain at bay:

• Start with a salad and that does not mean potato salad either. At every barbeque someone brings a salad so load up on this and “just say no” to the dressings. Ranch is a place where cowboys live… Not something you should cover your salad in.
• Don’t snack on the big bowl items, avoid the open containers of chips and dips because they are nothing but dead calories and you probably do it out of habit more than anything.
• Eat plenty of vegetables like corn on the cob, another “good ol” boy tradition at barbeques.
• If there aren’t any good healthy meat options, try eating a hamburger without the bun.
• When it comes to desert try bringing a watermelon or fruit bowl to share. Avoid the pies and cakes at all costs.
• When you are consuming an adult beverage, I believe the key here is to “limit the damage“. Set yourself a one or two drink maximum and stick to your guns. None of those fruity drinks with umbrellas either. Try a glass of white wine or a beer. A little word to the wise: If it comes with ice, you might want to avoid it and avoid the weight gain that accompanies those icy cold drinks. Ice = Calories

I love a good old fashioned barbeque as much as the next person, but if you want to avoid the summer weight gain, that is so common, try out a few of these tips this weekend and for all those barbeque or pool parties you attend. Come fall you are either going to have the “pain of discipline or the pain of regret“. The difference is (as stated by the late Jim Rohn) the pain of discipline weighs ounces while the pain of regret weighs tons.

Enjoy some relaxation with friends and family, but don’t blow all your hard work and de-rail your progress towards a healthy lifestyle. It just isn’t worth it in the end.

Have a plan and then implement that plan, friends are the worst about tempting you to “have fun” with them but stick to your plan and you will be the healthier happier person.

Everyone be safe and enjoy the holiday.

Your Coach

Jeremy

P.S.

Don’t forget there are no classes (Kettlebell, Boot Camp or Fit Camps) on Memorial Day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do some active stuff at home. Go for a bike ride, walk around the neighborhood anything to keep yourself moving.