Tag Archives: Workouts

A Nosy Mom Story About Fitness!

Posted on by

Anyone who has ever worked with me personally or in my group training knows I am about accountability. So one of the things I am having my clients do this month is to make a huge effort to make fitness a priority. To do this, I am asking all of them to put their workouts down as an appointment in their calendar.

Why would I ask them to do this?

Simple. I deal with powerful and busy people. And they are constantly being pulled in different 20 directions.

  • Board meetings
  • Carpool
  • After school activities
  • Family obligations
  • Business trips, etc.

What often gets left off? Exercise.

If you schedule exercise into your week at the beginning of each month, you will see that you are less likely to miss your training.

Think I am nuts? Let me give you an example.

I have one client that changes the way she fills in her Blackberry calendar. Instead of “exercise” or “training”, she writes “MENTAL HEALTH THERAPY”.

In this woman’s world if she does not get her workout in she feels sluggish, out of sorts, and is normally cranky (her words) if she misses a workout.

She tells the story of how someone was looking over her shoulder one day. The nosy mom said “Why don’t we schedule a breakfast meeting for our book club?”

My client said, “Sure when would you like to meet?” As the busybody woman looked at my client’s Blackberry calendar, she was shocked to see that this woman needed therapy 5 days a week. She must have thought she was truly out of her mind and clearly stayed away from scheduling the meeting anywhere around the appointment.

This worked wonders in two ways: 1) She was able to get her workout in and 2) Now she even had time to get cleaned up after her training. Nice!

I have had other clients use similar tactics when scheduling their workouts:

Cardiologist – This reminds him that he has heart issues and if he misses his appointment, he will spend his time in a waiting room instead of a weight room.

Blind Date – One of my clients was a young single woman who had just lost 70 lbs. She used this as a motivator to keep her from putting the weight back on so that she would never need to go on another blind date again.

Plastic Surgeon – This was another client’s way of saying she always wanted to look vibrant. She was deathly afraid of needles and never wanted to go under the knife for surgery. A little vain, but it works for her!

Accountant – Some people consider me an accountant. I keep them accountable and it is easy to say I need to meet with my accountant and people would never think of making you miss an appointment with the tax man.

Got a good one for me?

I would love to hear about it! I am sure there are tons more out there. Post your comments below and and tell me your code words or secrets for exercise.

For now, get your calendar or planner and schedule in your workouts for this month. AND don’t miss any of them. I promise you will thank me for it at the end of the month.

Check out the new Results Only Gym!!

Posted on by

The new gym has been going gangbusters since the last time I wrote to you. It’s been a blast! Clients love the new environment, the extra space, the equipment and all the exciting programming we provide.

Here are two pictures for you to see what the gym looks like.

Jealous? Don’t be!

I will make sure you have access to a lot of the same programming soon enough. Everything we do at Results Only is based on a tried and true proven system.

For over 15 years, I have successfully used time-tested tools including interval training, circuits and food logs with my clients. And over the years, I’ve been able to add a few new tools like iPod workouts to help people with their fitness goals.

The more success my personal training and group training clients have, the less you have to worry about figuring out on your own what works best. I have figured it all out for you. And will make it available to you very soon!

I know that you are a person of integrity and discipline. Why else would you subscribe to my newsletter? However, there are tons of people out there that make excuse after excuse for why they do not make time to eat healthy and exercise.

I know you don’t make excuses, but you may know people who do.

Last week’s feature article, “Negative People Stink and So Do Their Lame Excuses“, addressed 6 of the most common excuses I’ve heard. The language may vary, but I figure if I can equip you with answers for those negative statements you might be able to help the people around you.

Sometimes it also helps to see the answers again and again. Just in case you have a bad day yourself.

Results Only … it’s not just a name, it’s a lifestyle!

Negative People Stink and So Do their Lame Excuses

Posted on by

The only thing I think people should regularly lose in life is body fat.

You want to lose fat, right? You want to win that battle, right? Those that WANT to win never settle and nothing less will do.

I get tons of emails from readers each week and you know what I hear the most? EXCUSES about why they can’t do this and haven’t succeeded at that.

Hey, I know there are people out there who have serious problems. But they are not the people I am referring to. I’m talking about the “I cant’s” or “I don’ts” or “I will never be able to’s”.

I know you don’t normally say these things because you are disciplined and you know what it takes to make a difference in your life. But unfortunately, these excuses hold some people back from getting healthier.

We all know these people. Sometimes even we can have a bad day and slip into a tough frame of mind. Take a look at some of the excuses I hear and learn the answers.

Maybe reading them will stick with you. If you ever have a bad day, it will be easier to get out of that bad space. If you think you might give into an urge to blow off a workout you will think twice. If you are sitting at a friendly or business luncheon and hear one of these, you might be able to steer the naysayer in a different direction. It definitely helps to be armed with good answers.

Excuse #1: “I Don’t have the Time To Eat Right”

Everyone’s busy these days. Some people make eating right a priority. Others don’t and complain about not having enough time to cook healthy meals or prepare healthy snacks.

Do you want it or don’t you?

It takes discipline, organization, and scheduling to prepare your meals and snacks the day before. You need to cook in larger quantities, for a whole week and then refrigerate or freeze the extra to eat at later meals throughout the week. By doing this, you end up spending less time cooking and more time enjoying delicious healthy foods. You will actually find more time in your day than you ever thought. To help you stave hunger in between meals, make sure to carry healthy snacks with you. Keep some at the office. Keep some in your car … Make it easy on yourself so you’re not stuck in a hunger panic at the nearest fast food restaurant.

Excuse #2: “I Hate Exercise/Diets/Water, etc.”

Really? Would you rather be 40 pounds overweight, have no energy, and be a walking zombie? Decide what you hate MORE and then make sure you can live with the answer.

Excuse #3: “I Have No Time to Exercise”

Are you kidding? If you can’t find 15-30 minutes two to three times a week… your schedule stinks. That’s less than 1 hour per week out of 168 hours! If you are overweight, are you even a little bit serious about making positive changes? If your fitness and poor eating habits become a serious issue, I won’t be the one telling you that there needs to be a change. A surgeon will.

Excuse #4: “Healthy Food Is Expensive”

Yes, this one might have a little merit. However, you must realize where your grocery money goes… CRAP. Eat less from a box or a can and more from what comes out of the ground.

If you start eating more nutrient-rich foods, you will need to eat less…which means you will buy less!

Excuse #5: “I Eat Out All The Time”

You can eat out and find healthy substitutes. It’s all about choices. But don’t let eating out become an every day event either or you’ll look like you eat out every day.

Just look around a restaurant. Do you want to look like you just ate the “Grand Slam” breakfast, at the “All You Can Eat” buffet or like, “Boy, I need some Pepto-Bismol??”

MY FAVORITE Excuse: “I’ve Tried Everything…Nothing Works For Me”

Have you ever stuck to a program for 1 solid year? How about 6 months? 12 weeks?

If you did, you would definitely see results and feel better. Often times, people try something for a few weeks, get bored and don’t give the program a fighting chance to see if it really could work for them.

This is where most people end up after trying a fad diet or a workout cut out from some magazine instead of a system that works like the ones we promote art Results Only.

Integrate some of the programming from the newsletters. Read the motivational tips every Monday and put it all together into your daily lifestyle. Next thing you know, positive changes have occurred and you are better for it.

So are excuses like these holding YOU or someone you love back? If so, ask yourself what you are going to do about them right now? What kind of person are you? If you could conquer anything, who would you want to be?

You know the answer. Now do something about it.

Everything You Need To Know In Choosing A Gym

Posted on by

If you prefer to workout at home, make the best of any place available. If you have the choice of a room, make sure it is at least 10’ x 10’, well-ventilated and has enough height and width to move comfortably. It is also important to know that the floor can handle the stress of any impact that may occur and that the floor is properly protected in areas where weights may drop or clubs may impact.

If you have a small budget, I suggest the following equipment:

  • Stability ball
  • Dumbbells from 5– 25 lbs.
  • Mirror big enough to see a full body move
  • Tubing

A larger budget can also include:

  • A piece of cardiovascular equipment (treadmill, bike, elliptical)
  • Weight bench or step bench
  • Abs mat
  • Dumbbells 30 –50 lbs.

If you prefer to workout at a gym, here are some factors to consider when choosing which gym to join:

First, decide what features are important to you.

  • Do you need the comforts of bells and whistles like pools, saunas, spas, nutrition bars, child care and other upscale amenities?
  • Is the gym close enough to your home or office? If you have to drive far out of your way to workout, there is a high likelihood of skipping it when you lack motivation.
  • What are the business hours? If you are a morning or night person, make sure that the facility is open during the hours you need.
  • Next, ask friends and family where they exercise. Odds are they like the facility and can tell you the pros and cons. They can also tell you about current promotions.
  • Visit the facility. Take advantage of free trial memberships. If there are a few gyms in the running try all the free trial memberships in a row. 4 gyms that offer 1 week trial memberships = 1 month of free exercise.

During your visits, take note of the following:

  • Is there an initiation fee?
  • What are the membership dues for the gym?
  • What is the age of the facility?
  • How clean is the facility, especially the weight room, locker room and showers?
  • Is the equipment worn or new?
  • Who are the typical clients that frequent the gym?
  • Is there music in the background? If so, is it too loud or not the type you like?
  • What hours is the facility crowded? What hours is it quiet?
  • Are there certified personnel available if you have questions?
  • What is the overall attitude in the gym?

It should be easy to make the right decision for your needs after you have assessed these factors. If you ask the right questions, the choice for a place to train is right at your finger tips.

Workouts I Use With Celebrities and High-Profile Clients

Posted on by

People love to look at the magazines in the checkout line.  If they aren’t looking at a picture of a celebrity going through some life-altering train wreck, their eyes are glued to some body shot of the newest hunk or the current hottie.

I have enjoyed working with celebrities and high-profile clients from all walks of life.  I have worked with them one-on-one, where they only come to me for training.  And I have also discussed philosophies and collaborated with trainers in New York and Los Angeles to find what works best.
 
No matter what the style of teaching was, the programs all had the following things in common:

1.    They focused mostly on big movements: Pushing, pulling, squatting, and walking lunges.
2.    They used explosive, full body exercises: kettle bell swings, mountain climbers, up-downs, etc.
3.    They utilized core involvement in every movement.
4.    They involved a circuit training workout style.
5.    They included interval training cardio with sprints.
And the most important factor is the use of intensity as the main ingredient.

Intense workouts always burn the most fat.

Long gone are the days of low intensity workouts, where one spends hours in the gym and follows a meticulous diet.  The workouts of today are efficient, precise, power-oriented and fun.

Whether I am working with a mother of three, a famous actress, or a top athlete, my training is all about smarter workouts that are time-efficient and highly intense.  This means that clients see fast results.

Your workouts should be short, hard, and full body.  If you’re spending hour after hour in the gym because you use a low intensity workout, all you are doing is wasting time.

For example, think of those people you see who go over and do a set of straight bar chest presses (I hate this move by the way) then spend 8 minutes talking to the person next to them before they do the second set.  Have you ever noticed that those people never look any different, even though they have been coming to the gym for years and years?

You are smarter than that!  So get out of the gym in 35 – 45 minutes or less.  Never rest longer than 40 – 45 seconds between sets.  Better yet, don’t rest at all.  Just keep changing between core, upper and lower body.  This way, two body parts rest while the other one works.

BOTTOM LINE – Get rid of low intensity workouts and start getting rid of fat.