Habits and failure

A commitment to creating a fitness lifestyle is all about establishing habits and lessening the chances of failure. To be successful, a person’s “why” has to be at least partially for him or herself. This is critical to establishing a new self-relationship.

Consider Sandy, who has been featured on previous episodes. Sandy was establishing healthy habits and taking action. She was eating better, staying active, and drinking more water. All of this was allowing her to play with her grandchildren just the way she had imagined when she set out on her fitness journey.

In this call with Sandy, she considered next steps in her journey. She needed to develop her goals for the short-run. What did she want to accomplish in the next six months? These goals were to be measurable and attainable, and she seemed ready to get started.

She also recognized that she needed to drink more water. Sandy had a history of joint issues. Though her increased water intake was helping, but even more would be needed to get her to full hydration. This would allow her to avoid additional pain and problems in her knees. These added fluids would also help to flush toxins out of her system both quickly and efficiently.

Overall, Sandy was making progress. She was losing weight and getting stronger. She had increased endurance and was even getting compliments on her physical changes. However, unexpectedly and unexplainably, she dropped out of the program at Week 7.

Emotional roadblocks can be a tough obstacle to overcome. They have the power to derail previously established habits and threaten failure. This is so very important and will be discussed on the next episode.

Working with a personal trainer

Emotional roadblocks in health and fitness | Ellen Shuman

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3 keys to successful weight loss

In this episode, we cover the three keys to successful weight loss – patience, persistence, and progression.

Patience

You need to understand that nothing significant can be achieved overnight. So, you shouldn’t expect to lose 20/30/40 pounds in a week or a month. You'll have to have patience.
When you want to lose weight, you need to be practical and set an achievable goal, for example, 1 – 2 pounds in the first week. It’s also important for you to set small, specific milestones like 5 – 10 pounds in next month Most people find they lose weight rather quickly at first and then level out.  This is the body's normal state.  Persistence will keep you on track.  Just keep working and it will happen.

Persistence

The whole weight-loss thing is something that happens gradually. You can’t expect to achieve your milestone when you don’t do anything about it.  As we learned in episode 9, you can use weight training as a part of your weight loss program.  Starting small and progressing by slowly adding resistance will

Progression

At any stage of the process, you can’t afford to quit. It’s never going to be easy to get what you want. So, you need to be very persistent. Just after you make the commitment, you need to stick to your commitment and keep doing all that makes your goal achievement easier and a step forward.

Use these three keys, stick to your commitment, keep moving forward, and focus on the end goal. You can do this.

Todd loses over 300lbs

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Patterns of success in weight loss

Terry has a passion for fitness and helping others succeed in weight loss. As the founder of Real Bodies Real Results, he started his career in fitness years ago. He began offering fitness coaching and tips to friends and family, who later asked for his help in losing weight. After working with clients in this area, he knew these success stories would be valuable to those starting on this path.

Enter Real Bodies Real Results, a website with a mission to tell weight loss success stories in a deeper, fuller way to inspire others and share tips to be used by those undergoing their own journey.

A few of these tips include:

It's a lifestyle

Fitness and weight loss is a journey. Hard work is key. Only make the changes you intend to live with the rest of your life. Think of this as the new way you’re going to live your life, not just a diet. Fad diets, pills, and wraps are not sustainable.

Eat less move more

There is no one size fits all solution. You may need to reduce portion size or possibly eliminate some foods entirely. You need to do what’s right for you.

Motivation comes from within

Nobody will do it for you. Desire may be motivated by others, but ultimately it must come from within. You must love yourself enough to make the commitment.

Weight loss is not linear

Don’t let it discourage you. Consider this quote from Brandon on the Real Bodies Real Results website, “Will it be hard? Maybe. Will you be discouraged? Perhaps. Will you slip up at times? Most likely. Will it be worth it? Most definitely.”

The truth is, weight loss is a mental game. The main reasons that people decide to lose weight all have emotional ties. It is this emotion that gives people the motivation to continue or stop.

Remember, success in weight loss is a slow process. Keep at it and you will see success. For more information, check out the website at http://www.realbodiesrealresults.com/ or email realbodiesrealresults@gmail.com.

https://40plusfitnesspodcast.com/secret-successful-fat-loss-fitness/

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Weight training for fat loss

When we decide it’s time to lose weight, we usually think it needs to involve lots of time on the treadmill, or long hours running or some other type of cardiovascular workout. This tends to be the go to option for many of us as we often shy away from weight training.   We tend to think of weight training as something that will make us big and bulky where aerobic training burns fat and helps you lose weight. However, weight training for fat loss can be a powerful tool in your weight loss toolbox.

There are changes we undergo throughout our lifecycle that often lead to weight gain.   Injury, illness, aging, lack of energy, changes in hormones all contribute to the adding of pounds and inches that often go unnoticed for years. The body also undergoes a process called sarcopenia, which is the natural loss of musical mass associated with age.   When we are in this process we burn fewer calories and store more fat.

But our muscles play many important roles, one being that they give the body shape. Fat tissue, on the other hand, is a sort of formless mass.   When we lose muscle, we lose shape and form, but we also lose the metabolism boosting functionality of that muscle.

So how can we apply weight training to our goals of becoming healthier and more fit? Incorporate weight training for fat loss as part of a balanced fitness program. Working your muscles creates active muscle fibers that burn up huge amounts of calories, even when you are sleeping.   And while weight training for fat loss can be a powerful way to lose weight and prevent weight gain in the future, be sure to balance it with aerobic training to improve overall strength and efficiency of your cardiovascular system as well.

Obesity and exercise

Weight machines versus free weights

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Talking hormones with JJ Flizanes

Today we talk to best-selling author, JJ Flizanes. She is an Amazon best-selling author of Fit 2 Love: How to get Physically, Emotionally and Spiritually Fit to Attract the Love of Your Life, and the author of Knack Absolute Abs: Routines for a Fit and Firm Core. JJ Flizanes is also the host of “The Fit 2 Love Podcast.” We’re happy to have her on the show as we talk about the role of hormones in fitness and as we age. .

As we go through life, our hormone levels change.   As we age, we experience decreases in hormones, which have both a physical and emotional impact. Women experience menopause; men experience andropause.   Adrenal fatigue is also an issue we are experiencing in today’s modern society, which can cause an early onset of either menopause or andropause.

We discuss with JJ Flizanes the process of monitoring hormone levels through a comprehensive metabolic profile test that can be completed by your doctor. Blood work testing should cover progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, Thyroid (TSH, T2, T3, T4), Adrenals (Cortisol, DEHA) and also Vitamin D and Iron.

We also discuss the importance of rest, relaxation, lifestyle, and nutrition choices.   JJ emphasizes that physical exercise is very important to your hormone levels. In particular, resistance training is critical as we age for building muscle.

A change in hormones as we age is a natural, human process. For her clients and followers, JJ Flizanes designs customized coaching programs and unique, versatile approaches that harmonize the emotional, the mental and the spiritual.   JJ provided a ton of knowledge for us concerning hormones and other topics, you can find additional information from her in the following locations:

Website:   fit2love.tv

Full show on iTunes:   https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fit-2-love-physical-emotional/id916562580?mt=2

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My client Sandy makes the commitment

Commitment is the first foundation to meaningful change. A perfect example of commitment is Sandy, a client from Episode 2. She has her own approach to commitment, which she described when we spoke recently.

When asked about what commitment meant to her, Sandy revealed that it really stuck out to her because she felt that she hadn’t really loved herself since her heart attack. Though she didn’t really love herself, she did like herself, which prompted her to make the commitment.

Like any relationship, when you meet someone for the first time, you likely don’t know the person well. You have to create that relationship. Sandy realized that perhaps she did not know herself as well as she thought, and it was time to create a new relationship with herself.

In making a commitment, you must have a “why”. Why do you want to have a relationship with yourself? Why put yourself through the strict diet and fitness lifestyle? Sandy’s “why” was to be a better version of herself.

The next question of making the commitment is the “what.” What do you want to achieve by making a commitment to this new lifestyle? Sandy’s “what” is being healthier and more active, which allows her to play with her grandkids.

The final question is “how.” Everyone must have a unique how that fits their lifestyle. Sandy’s “how” involved cutting out sugar, which was a difficult task because she was previously addicted to Dr. Pepper. However, after a few days of cutting out the sugar, she didn’t feel so sluggish. She actually felt more alert throughout the day.

Sandy is living proof of the power of commitment. By making one simple change, she was already feeling better and was committed to moving more. Her body was already giving her positive feedback.

Are you ready to make a commitment like Sandy? Visit Forever Fitness to gain access to resources that will help you stay on track and eat right.

Working with a personal trainer

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For health and fitness, sugar is the devil

So you have made the commitment to your health and fitness. Now what? We’ll need to take a look at sugar, as it can be the single most damaging thing for your health and fitness. Is sugar really that bad? The short answer yes, though we do need some level of glucose in our body to function properly. Unfortunately, though, we get far too much sugar in our daily diets. In short, sugar is the devil.

Excess sugar intake can manifest itself in various ways, such as the onset of diabetes, tooth decay, and an increase of inflammation within our bodies. In addition, and according to a study, consuming 17-21% of our calories from added sugar increases the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease:
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/Added-Sugars-Add-to-Your-Risk-of-Dying-from-Heart-Disease_UCM_460319_Article.jsp#.V7I3pfkrJdi

Keep in mind, when we talk about “added sugars” we are referring to those sugars that are added to foods and beverages during processing and preparation. It is important to read food labels, as sugar can be disguised as:

• agave syrup
• beet sugar
• cane juice
• cane syrup
• high fructose
• corn syrup
• honey
• lactose
• malt
• dextrose
• galactose
• glucos2
• sucrose
• rice syrup
• fructose
• and others..

Keeping a food log will help you track the amount of sugar consumed. Eating whole foods will provide some level of sugar, but will also provide fiber and nutrients. And while sugar is the devil, monitoring and even lowering your sugar intake will help you to look and feel a lot better.

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