A Fitness Dream Deferred

Langston Hughes, the African-American poet, wrote a poem in the early 20th century entitled A Dream Deferred. The poem is as follows:
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like as raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore-
And then rot?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over–
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

The word deferred is define as to exempt temporarily from induction; to put off action or delay; keeping something from occurring until a future time; decide to do something later on; procrastinate; postpone; yield respectfully in judgment/ opinion; to refer.

I propose What Happens to a Fitness Dream Deferred? You may ask how this relates to fitness or wellness. The theme of this poem has to deal with postponing one’s deepest desires can lead to destruction. This can be seen in the clients that I work with on a daily basis. They come in with a goal i.e. weight loss, performance enhancement, or muscle mass gains; however, during the course of the journey, the goal becomes postponed never to be reached.

The questions in the poem are all rhetorical questions, because they intend to answer themselves. The question “What happens to a dream deferred?” appears to be answered with nothing but more questions. But if we analyze each question we get an idea of what the speaker really believes about dreams/goals being postponed. At the same rate, clients who have a goal may experience a dream deferred. The “dream” that the speaker is describing can be translated to a fitness goal, not just dreams experienced during sleep. The dream is important to the client’s life. But what dream is it exactly? The poem does not choose the dream but leaves it up to the reader. Nevertheless, the speaker’s position is clear that any important goal that must be delayed can have serious negative affects. As we look at each question we find out what those affects are. With each question the speaker offers a possibility of each negative affect.

The first stanza “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun”: a raisin is already dry, and as a raisin, it is a good thing, useful and nutritious, but if a raisin is left in the sun to dry up, it becomes hard and impossible to eat; its value sucked out, it no longer serves its useful, nutritional purpose.

The goal is central to what makes the client a valuable member of society, their self-worth. But suppose that person with the goal is told they cannot fulfill it just yet; they must wait until the trainer decides when they can lose the weight, or the nutritionist decides when it is time for them to change their diet.

What if the client has to take some other fitness goal that he/she lacks interest in i.e. the client comes in wanting to loss weight but the trainer decides for the client that they will work on functional training? What if they have no idea how long it will take to lose the weight (which usually is the case when most clients come in)? And what if they feel that perhaps they can never lose the weight or reach the goal? What happens then?

Surely, their aspiration to attain their goal will dry up, if they are not allowed to develop it. If the goal does not dry up, maybe it will “fester like a sore-/ And then run.” If you have a sore, you want it to dry up so it will heal, but if it festers and runs, that means it is infected and will take longer to heal. The goal that festers becomes infected with the disease of restlessness and dissatisfaction that may lead to gaining more weight, dropout, burnout, doubt, self- worthlessness, resentment, or even striking back at those who are deferring their goal.

Perhaps a goal put off too long is like meat that had rotted. Dead animal flesh that some people use for food will turn rancid and give off horrible odors if not used within a certain period of time. If the goal is not realized in a timely fashion, it may seem to decay because it dies.

The goal may “crust and sugar over-/Like a syrupy sweet?” If you leave pancake syrup or honey unused for several months, and you go back to fetch the bottle, you might find that there is crusty accumulation on the top of the bottle and the contents are no longer unable. Lack of use had formed that crust, that hard material that is no longer useful because no longer pliable. The goal forced to sit idle hardens into an unusable substance of thoughts that have separated themselves from the goals, and formed idle destructive thoughts that are crusted over to despair, doubt, anger, and hatred.

The second stanza is not a question bet merely a “maybe” suggestion: maybe the goal just sags like trying to carry something heavy. A heavy load makes one walk slowly, makes one clumsy as they try to move under the load. The goal not realized may become heavy to bear, because it still weighs on one’s mind with musing like “what might have been”, “if only”, “I guess I’ll never know”, “the one that got away.” All these useless thoughts that dip back into the past, weigh heavy on the mind that has had to defer a goal. This sagging under a heavy load might lead to depression and mental lethargy.

The last stanza returns to the question again, but this time instead of a simile, the speaker employs a metaphor of an explosion. What explodes? Bombs explode and cause great destruction. If all the other possibilities of a deferred goal are bad with some worse than others, then the last possibility is the worst. If the person whose goal is deferred loses all hope, they might “explode” with their despair. Never to revisit or accept whatever the current outcome of fitness has left them or more importantly festering over to other areas of life in which they want to achieve but associate the failure from this goal into those areas of their life.

If you liked this article or any that are posted here please leave us a comment for we enjoy to read your comments.

Episode 4: Xtreme Makeover Bootcamp In home Series

This week's workout uses the old trusty chair. Real simple piece of equipment from around the house.

You will alternate between 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for each station followed by a 1-minute rest and transition. Perform this 5-minute sequence up to four times for 20 total minutes.

1. Sumo Deadlift
2. Tri side push ups-right
3. Tri side push ups-left
4. Rear foot elevated- right
5. Rear foot elevated- left
6. Corkscrew
7. Mt. climbers
8. Sumo Deadlift



No Xcuses, Just Xtreme Xercise for Xtreme Results

Season Two: History in the Making

Xtreme Makeover Bootcamp makes history by crowning its first ever Xtremers of 2010. Here is what they have to say about the program, "But you don't have to take our word for it!"




Let's congratulate Tani Marshall of Charlotte Xtreme Makeover Bootcamp location and Anita Rainey of Gastonia location.

No Xcuses Just Xtreme Xercise for Xtreme Results

An Alpha 2 Omega Experience: The Secret Behind Weight Lost

You wanted it so now you are getting it, the secret that most fitness gyms and personal trainers don't and probably pray at night before going to sleep that you don't get. But like I said before, Alpha II Omega Sports Performance and Xtreme Makeover Bootcamp is pulling out all the stops. I was once on the other side of the table weighing a whopping 225 lbs with a 5'6" frame, not knowing how to and what to do to get the weight off; frustrated with myself and the clothes that I had to buy because I couldn't fit in the clothes that I once could. Turning off the lights before taking a shower and avoiding the mirrors in department stores and windows outside of the stores because I hated the way that I looked when I walked by them.

It all boils down to the process. What is a process you may ask? Webster dictionary's defines process as:

1. A series of actions, changes, or functions bringing about a result: the process of digestion; the process of obtaining a driver's license.
2. A series of operations performed in the making or treatment of a product: a manufacturing process; leather dyed during the tanning process.
3. Progress; passage: the process of time; events now in process.


In the Greek alphabet the first letter is alpha and the last letter is omega. Which in essence is what a process is. A beginning and a end.

What is a process?

Isn't it just a series of things that have a start, a middle, and an end (in its simplistic form)? A process. Everything in life is a process. There's a beginning, a middle, and an end to everything. Let's look at a few examples to see if this is true!

For example movies and books have the plot, the climax, and then the end of the storyline. Likewise, songs follow the same format as a story unfolds through melody and rhythm. Even life is a process, we are born into this world. We grow and develop, and then return to the earth through death. Everything is based off of the alpha to omega principle.

With that said, in the process there are usually ups and downs, pitfalls and advantages, triumphs and disappointments, wins and loses, and even sometimes plateau moments as well. We go through a bunch of tests that are graded upon rather we grasp a concept. The downside of it is if we fail, we have to repeat it until with grasp it. Most of the times the mistakes that are made are looked upon in a negative manner; however, its the mistakes that helps us learn what or how we should be doing to move through to the next level in order to obtain whatever desire or goal that we have set forth. Life is set up so that we have to accomplish one level before we move on to the next. Even if a person cheats or tries to cut corners in the process, somehow they are forced to either have to start from the beginning and do whatever it was correctly, or they may get lucky and have to just repeat the missing step that was overlooked or taken out. Regardless, there are no shortcuts to this principle.

If one is trying to make a cake. There are certain steps that must be adhered to in order for the cake to come out successfully. However, there are some steps that could be replaced or substituted which would not be detrimental to the outcome, i.e. adding less sugar. Yet if a person was to overlook or omit the main ingredients flour, milk, eggs, and (the most important) the oven- the whole process won't work.

If we agree that life is a journey- a process, that requires us to follow steps to our endpoint, then why is it that when we approach weight loss or our health we view it in a different manner? We try to cheat our way through by thinking that weight loss or even muscle gain is a smorgasbord full of ideas and concepts that we can pick and choose leaving some by the wayside. Yet that is not the case. What we do find is that we leave those by the wayside only to find out that we have to make a U turn to come back and get them after being frustrated time and time again with the same results. Now there are some leeway when it comes to the choice of modalities such as running on the treadmill vs taking a aerobic class, or using body weight exercise/ calisthenics vs machines and free weights, or picking up a sport vs just going for a walk or eating an apple vs eating a banana. All these examples follow under a specific category:

Treadmill and aerobic classes represent cardio exercises
Body weight and free weights represent strength exercises
The apple and the banana represent nutrition

Just like the cake analogy there are things that you have a choice on rather you want to do them or not; however, there are others that are imperative that must take place in order to have a successful outcome. With weight loss and weight management everyone knows that the three concepts listed above (cardio, strength training, and nutrition) must be in place in order for you to get the desired outcome that a person is looking for. Yet, majority of the times, individuals try to cheat the system by picking some of the equation without the other parts (in order to achieve addition you have to have all the parts added up to make the sum correct). Society, especially America, has sold its people a false sense of security when it comes to the concept of weight loss and management. That's why the fitness industry will be a multi-billion dollar industry in the next couple of years due to this concept. They have told us that we can take pills that will make us lose the weight without having to workout, or use some type of equipment for a couple of weeks to make our stomach look a certain way without having to go through the painstaking process. And again, that could be true for a while, but remember in a process if one important step or steps are overlooked usually you have to go back and repeat that step or you have to start from scratch and repeat the whole process. This leads to frustration and the possibility of burn out which results in the individual quitting.

If we were to, in the beginning, accept the fact that the journey to weight loss will be a long journey then I think that more people would succeed with obtaining their goals because they have the right mind frame going in! Here is the foundation for success in obtaining your desired weight loss:

1. You have to have a passion for what you want to accomplish
2. Must be willing to work your butt off
3. Learn from all failures no matter how painstaking they may be

If a person takes these steps and apply them to their weight loss journey, there is no way why they shouldn't be able to succeed and accomplish their goals. Also there are 3 more steps that I forgot to mention:

4. Stop putting strict time lines on obtaining the weight goal
5. Make the goals realistic and obtainable
6. Quit keeping up with the Joneses

The last 3 are very important. As a personal trainer, what I have found is that the majority of people I train or give advice fail to adhere or omit these principles because they feel the need to rush through the process. You should never try to rush through anything. When you rush through you miss out on so many levels. The process only when finished and done right is cherished because you are able to look back and enjoy the accomplishment of it all in its totality (with both the setbacks and lessons learned). Some cases the process itself and the things learned are taken and used in other areas of a person life.

My final thought is this. Look at the metamorphose of the caterpillar. Scientist say that caterpillars have to go through a lot in order to become a butterfly. They say that caterpillars have a long struggle within the cocoon and breaking from it in order to become that beautiful creature that we appreciate and are in awe over. If we take that story and remember it when we are going through the process of weight loss or management then we would approach the whole process differently. We must understand that weight loss is Alpha To Omega-beginning to end. It is a process. We must embrace the fact that during this process there will be a lot of mistakes made, but there also will be a lot of lessons learned. And when its over, when its over you will be just as beautiful as that butterfly.


Personal Trainer and Sports Psychologist Consultant in Charlotte, NC

Season 1 : More testimonials from Xtremers at Xtreme Makeover Bootcamp

Here are 2 more testimonials from our Xtreme Makeover family taken in 2009.





Stay tuned after these messages.

NO XCUSES, JUST XTREME XCERCISE FOR XTREME RESULTS

Extreme Makeover In home workout Episode 3: Week of January 17-23

This week's workout uses simple equipment from around the house. You will use a sturdy chair to perform some of the exercises prescribed.

You will alternate between 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for each station followed by a 1-minute rest and transition. Perform this 5-minute sequence up to four times for 20 total minutes.

1. Strait leg bridge
2. T push ups
3. Total extension
4. Single leg wall sits (right)
5. Single leg wall sits (left)
6. Russian twist
7. Forward/Backward hops over the line
8. Strait leg bridge

Modified



Advance


NO XCUSES, JUST XTREME XERCISE FOR XTREME RESULTS

Season 1: 2009 Xtreme Makeover Xtremer of the Week

Congratulations to Rhonda Walton for becoming Xtreme Makeover Bootcamper of the Week. Keep up the good work Rhonda.



NO XCUSES, JUST XTREME XERCISE FOR XTREME RESULTS

Don's Sweat the Scale- Nancy Churnin

Taken from Chicago Tribune Health section- January 3, 2010

Trying to get fit? Stop worrying about being up or down a few pounds.

That's the consensus of doctors we asked to help us wade through the bewildering and sometimes conflicting number of ways to measure your fitness level.

BMI

What is it? Your most important number, according to all the doctors surveyed. Body Mass Index is your weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Intimidating as that may sound, you can find BMI calculators online, including at cdc.gov (search for "BMI calculator.")

Your target: A BMI of 18.5 to 25 is ideal. A BMI of 25-30 is overweight. A BMI of over 30 is obese and brings a substantially increased risk of health issues, ranging from diabetes to depression.

Doctors warn that professional athletes may have a BMI that would be considered obese in an average person. Dr. Riva L. Rahl, preventive medicine physician and medical director at the Cooper Wellness Program in Dallas, estimates that tennis superstar Venus Williams may have a BMI that would classify her as overweight. Dr. Nick Nicholson, bariatric surgeon on the Baylor Plano ( Texas) medical staff, estimates that by BMI standards, many professional football players would be considered morbidly obese.

The doctors agree that you shouldn't judge your fitness by the standards of a professional athlete. At the same time, Nicholson adds that exercise is such an important component of fitness that people with a BMI of 30 who exercise four days a week have a lower risk of a heart attack than people with a BMI of 24 who don't exercise.

WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE

What is it? The number of inches around your waist as calculated by a tape measure at the smallest area above your belly button and not by your pants size.

Your target: For men it should be less than 40 inches and for women under 35 inches no matter what your height is.

WEIGHT

What is it? Your weight on a scale.

Your target: You can plot your goal according to your height and gender, but this is the least useful measurement, according to the doctors. Nicholson says he would rather see a patient focus on losing sizes rather than losing pounds.

FITNESS NUMBERS FOR KIDS

Dr. LeAnn Kridelbaugh, pediatrician and physician nutrition specialist at Children's Medical Center Dallas, says you can't apply adult fitness numbers to kids because kids are still growing.

"With kids these numbers are moving targets," she says. "A normal BMI or waist circumference for a 10-year-old would be horrific for a 5-year-old. Although there are some norms for waist circumference, we don't focus on them. Instead pediatricians plot a child's height, weight and BMI on a curve."

Kridelbaugh says pediatricians should establish on each visit what percentile a child falls in according to his or her age and gender. In general, if the BMI is between the 85th and 95th percentile for weight, the child is considered overweight, with over the 95th percentile being obese and over the 99th percentile morbidly obese.

But for most children the key is to see whether their percentile changes from year to year.

sunday@tribune.com

The doctors' favorite numbers

150: Dr. Riva L. Rahl says if adults would log 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week, they would significantly reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease, according to the Physical Activities Guidelines for Americans released last year (available at health.gov). And if they would mix in two weekly sets of strength training for 10 minutes at a time that would be even better, she says.

10,000: Dr. Nick Nicholson says adults could improve their fitness greatly by taking 10,000 steps each day, as recommended by several national societies. "Wear a pedometer," he recommends, noting that it can be fit easily into an ordinary day. "People who pace when they talk on the phone or are thinking have lower BMIs."

Testimonials from Xtremer at Xtreme Makeover Bootcamp: Episode 1

Xtreme Makeover Bootcamp is the best program in Charlotte hands down. Our system is so sophisticated that we put our money where our mouth is literally. We give you results in 1/3 of the time that other programs claim to do or your money back.

But as Lavar Burton use to say "But you don't have to take our word for it". Here's what some of our Xtremers had to say about our program.



Stay tuned for more great videos and testimonials from the Xtreme Makeover family.

Xtreme Makeover Bootcamp In home workout: Week of January 10-17

This week's workout only involves one piece of equipment other than yourself, a chair. There are two videos so that you can modify the intensity of the exercises if they are too hard for you to accomplish.

Here are the exercises
1. Full body weight squats
2. Chair dips
3. Bent over T raises
4. Single leg bridge right
5. Single leg bridge left
6. Side plank (right side)
7. Side plank (left side)
8. Jumping jacks

Modified Version


Advance Version


NO XCUSES, JUST XTREME XERCISE FOR XTREME RESULTS!

Alpha II Omega Explains How to Turn Your New Years Resolutions Into Results Part 3

We continue this 3 part series of discussing a successful strategy to assist you with turning your New Year's Resolution into results. The first two parts we looked at the why as well as the what and when with regards to this strategic plan.

Today we will be looking at how to put in place what I like to call fire drills. If can you remember when we went to school every so often we had fire drills that we had to participate in. Remember? What was the purpose of the fire drills? For me it was to get out of reading out loud in front of the class LOL.

But the main reason behind those fire drills were to properly prepare us for unforeseen circumstances i.e. a fire.



Step Three- Planning and Preparing for Roadblocks:What are the big obstacles that will prevent you from having the success you desire? What’s contributed most to past failures?

Now that we know what you want to accomplish, it’s time to plan and prepare for any obstacles that might get in your way of getting the job done based on your own personal schedule.

In general, the number one thing I hear is that people are too busy and tired and don’t have enough time to get their workouts in or make their meals. Well, I don’t care how busy you think you are, there is always hidden time throughout the day and week that can be freed up if your re-prioritize. Again, think back to why you wanted to do this in the first place and then examine what’s most important to you. Make your workouts and your meal times just like work appointments. Either you make the appointment or you don’t. And if you want to keep your job (or get your dream body) then you better make that appointment.


Another big obstacle is alcohol. People like to drink and unfortunately alcohol is about as detrimental to burning fat as it gets. Again, what’s more important to you, looking sexy or getting hammered. The choice is yours. Remember, once you achieve your goal(s), alcohol can be added back in with moderation. But know this, lean people just don’t get wasted unless they are genetic freaks. Low to zero alcohol consumption is needed if you want to look your best year round and that’s a fact.

Finally, many people deal with boredom eating or emotional eating. Boredom eating means just that, eating to fill up dead time when you have nothing better to do. The best way to deal with this is, you guessed it, to do something! Find an active hobby to keep your mind off of eating when boredom strikes and you can beat this trend. Emotional eating describes the use of food to cope with stress or to reward for accomplishment. Food is not unlike drugs or alcohol in this regard, it can be very addictive. There is no quick fix for emotional eating other than avoiding trigger situations (bars, parties, etc.) and trigger foods (starches, sugars, fast food, etc.) in the short term to break bad habits.

At the end of the day, whether your roadblocks are very individual or if they fall in line with the general roadblocks our clients encounter on a regular basis, the key is to be honest about them and to plan and prepare for them.

And that’s where social support and accountability come into play. The clients who have had the most success with us have undergone their transformation with the support of other friends or family members. This is so critical, especially since most of the poor food and drinking choices that sabotage one’s progress occur on the weekend, when most people hang out with their friend and family. If they are committed with you and your goal to get fit and look better, you can put yourself in a much better position to realize the success your desire and deserve. The last thing anybody needs is sabotage or peer pressure from those closest to you, so get them on board and get them on board early.

Now that you have the steps to following through for your New Year's Resolution I leave you with this final thought.

Ask yourself What If?

What If this is the year to lose the weight that you have been talking about for years?

What if this is the year to stay on track with your goals seeing them through to the end of 2010?

What if this is the time to be fully committed to your health?

And if this isn't the year (as I play devil's advocate) if now isn't the time, when?

Charlotte Personal Trainer

Transformers- Episode 1: Results from Xtreme Makeover Bootcamp

"Transformers More Than Meets The Eye." We here at Xtreme Makeover Bootcamp have made it our goal in 2010 to help as many people as possible transform their body into whatever sexy image they have for years inspired to achieve. This is part 1 of many in which we will be following different people on their journey of weight lost. We will take a sneak peek at those who have and are continuing to transform their physique to getting their SEXY BACK, YEAP!

Here is one of the campers that goes to our program.

Tracee on a hiking trip last year. Before ever knowing that we exist.


The date that this picture was taken Feb 2009. Tracee weighed 212.

Before picture

We took Tracee measurements on December 18th, 2009. Here were her measurements
Waist 40 1/2
Hip 46 1/2
Right Arm 13 1/8
Right Thigh 23
Body Fat 41.5%
BMI 37

21 DAYS LATER


After picture

We took her measurements 21 days later January 8, 2010. Here are her measurements
Waist 39
Hip 44 1/2
Right Arm 13
Right Thigh 23 1/4
Body Fat 39.4%
BMI 34.2

Tracee lost 1 1/2 inches in her waist. 2 inches in her hips. A 2.1% decrease in her body fat. And 2.8 decrease in her body mass index (BMI).

Tracee weighed 193 when she started with us, and now she weighs 183. That's 10 pounds! All of this happened in a matter of 21 DAYS by following our bootcamp system!

GREAT JOB TRACEE! Keep up the good work. You can continue to follow Tracee's powerful transformation here or at My Get Fit or Die Trying Journey.

Want more information about our program? Email us at xtrememakeoverbootcamps@gmail.com.

Until then Carpe Diem!

Charlotte Bootcamps

Alpha II Omega Explains How to Turn Your New Years Resolutions Into Results Part 2

We continue our series on How we can turn the New Year's resolutions into results by looking at two more w's what and when.

Step Two- The What and When: What do you want to accomplish and when do you want to accomplish it by?

So we already figured out the obvious: you want to look better and maximize your sexy! So, now we need to establish what objective goal(s) need to be accomplished in order to realize this subjective dream.

Well, from a logistics standpoint and keeping things as cost effective as possible, there are three major ways I track “look better” progress with my clients, in order of importance from least to most important:

1.)Scale Weight: This is by far the least important goal, but it gives a number that’s worth tracking. Though body fat percentage would be a much better method of tracking progress, it is simply too inaccurate on a small scale and too costly on a large scale. The key is to taking your initial weight before you start and then not weighing more than every 2 weeks. I have found most people to do better with tracking their weight every month. There are simply too many variables for controlling your body weight and the natural fluctuations based on diet (and for women, their menstrual cycle), means the less frequently you do this the better. If the scale is just too de-motivating for you in general, then just skip this one altogether if you must, because the next two markers are far more important.

2.)Dress/Pant Size: This is probably the most simple and effective unused method of tracking whether or not you look better. I think it’s safe to say that if you are dropping dress and/or pant sizes that you will be looking better, right? Your best bet is to also select one dress or one pair of pants that you really want to get into since that is the true end goal in mind. I tell my clients to assess how they are fitting in their preferred dress/pant size tracker on a weekly or bi-weekly basis since our clients that follow our program exactly as outlined typically lose a dress and/or pant size every month (until they get to their ideal dimensions). For those of you would want to argue that every outfitter has different sizes, well that’s a mute point if you use the same pant or dress size to track. There’s nothing more powerful than being to literally being able to feel yourself comfortably get into clothes that use almost rip when you put on.

3.)Digital Pictures: Pictures don’t lie, that’s the bottom line. If you want to look better, what better way is there to assess this than pictures? I cannot begin to tell you how important this is. Taking a before picture is essentially you telling the whole world that you are ready to change and that you are ready to do whatever it takes to make those changes. They key is take pictures wearing exactly what you want to look your best in. Now, don’t be sending me nude pictures of yourself, ha (though you can keep these for yourself to track if you’d like). Maybe it’s taking pictures of you in the dress or pair of pants that you are using to track your dress or pant size. Or maybe it’s a sleeveless shirt and tank top that you want to wear during the summer. And if you want to see your abs, then you best believe that you need to take pictures of your abs to track how much more definition you get. Take a front, side, and rear view picture and be sure to note the exact conditions in which the picture was taken (lighting, distance from camera, time of day/week, etc.) to be as accurate as possible in your assessment. The clients whom failed to take before pictures in the past have nothing but regret about it. Your before pictures will become your trophy and they are an absolute must if you really are serious about getting results that count. We tell our clients to take new pictures either bi-weekly or monthly until they reach their goal(s).



We will finish up this series to help you get better results with regards to your New Year's Resolutions by looking at planning. You know the old adage goes proper planning prevents piss poor performance. Until them CARPE DIEM.

Charlotte Personal Trainer

Alpha II Omega Explains How to Turn Your New Years Resolutions Into Results Part 1

Over the last several years, I have helped countless people maximize their overall health, performance, and body composition faster than ever before. Put bluntly, I know how to help people lose ugly, unwanted body fat faster than most people can fathom. Now, make no mistake about it, a big reason for this is because our integrated rapid fat loss training and nutrition system is second to none. I have done the countless hours of research and trial and error and I have had hundreds of people as real world case studies to prove that our system flat out works. A sidebar to this is that I am not only the trainer but I too have used the same techniques and strategies on myself as well to lose the weight and keep it off!

But, today I am going to share something more powerful; something that must be set in place before you can even start to think about following a fitness program.


So, let’s just get right to it. What do you think is the real secret behind my client success?

Well, if your answer was my aforementioned training and nutrition system, then your answer is wrong. Yep, it’s an incredible program, but unfortunately it’s useless if someone is unwilling to start it AND stick to it, right? So, it appears that the most important component of changing your body is finding the motivation to achieve your goals, and that’s the main focus of this article today. I am going to literally walk you through the initial consult and three step goal setting process that each one of my clients undergoes before they start working with us. This is so important to weight loss success that I now require it for any new client to be considered for joining our program.

Before I get into this goal setting process, I just need to get something off of my chest. I know a lot of people think goal setting is just a cheesy, useless thing. Unfortunately, these people just don’t get it and frankly if you are one of those people, please do us both a favor and stop reading this article and go buy another useless weight loss book or pill because I simply cannot do anything for you.

I can only help people who want to learn. I simply cannot help people who already think they know it all and think they are too good to take some time to figure out what the hell it is that they actually want to accomplish. The bottom line is that the most successful people out there, and I mean not just weight loss success, I am talking business, lifestyle, etc., are shamelessly goal driven. They know exactly why they want to do something and harness that super motivation to figure out what and by when they want to go about accomplishing that. Furthermore, they plan and prepare for every possible roadblock they will encounter in their path to success. This is what I want to teach you how to do today, so let’s get to it!

Step One- The Why: Why do you want to do this?

This is where it’s time to get real. In almost every initial consult I do, when I ask why they have contacted me today, here is the typical blanket response that I first hear:

“Well, I just want to get healthy and lose weight I guess.”

Nope, I don’t buy it. Sure, I know they want to lose weight and be healthy, I mean who doesn’t, but really WHY do they want to do this? I mean, what is it that’s going to get them up at 5 am to get their morning workouts in or take a couple of hours on Sunday to plan and prepare their meals for the upcoming week? It sure isn’t “being healthy” because for some reason this just isn’t a very powerful motivator for most people (though it should be).

Let’s face it: everybody, including YOU, wants to look better naked. Stop giggling, you know it’s true and frankly that’s okay because the desire to improve one’s appearance is the most powerful motivator there is. This shouldn’t be such a big surprise since the main life mission of humans, or any species for that matter, is to procreate. This is instinctual. And obviously, looking better makes this more of a reality.

So, after a little digging, I find out the real reason why they want to do this; I find their past or pain and then establish their current and future ambitions. Some people want to be able to mow the lawn in the summer with their shirt off and not feel self-conscious. Others want to get back into their favorite pair of pants that they haven’t been able to get one leg into for the last five years. Then there are those who want to look and feel more attractive to ignite some passion back into their relationships and/or put for their best image at work. And of course, my personal favorite is preparing for big events that have built in deadlines. Wanting to get as lean and tight as possible to rock that dream bathing suit in Argentina, or get off the plane in Texas when visiting family you haven’t seen in two years to blow them away with your new body, or being a classic beauty in your wedding dress on the big day, it all works! This is the stuff that gets people jacked up and ready to commit to making some real changes. How do I know? Well, I just shared with you verbatim the exact “WHY’S” of some of my own clients.

So, the first thing you have to figure out is your personal WHY. To make this even simpler for you, just answer this question: what are your physical dreams? Once you establish this, everything else is easy baby.

We will continue this series tomorrow in which we look at other strategies to help you turn your New Year's resolutions into results.

Charlotte Personal Trainer

This Is My Body or Is It?

As I sit here in front of this computer after finishing one of the most grueling workouts that I have ever gone through (for some of you that are reading this and come to my classes know that I practice what I preach), I stood in the mirror drenched in sweat admiring my body and this blog post came to me all at once. I hurried to grab pen and paper to pen this because I knew that if I didn't write it now it may forever be lost.

This one, in my opinion, is one for the ages.

I have been through a lot in the 30 some odd years while on this earth. I have battled weight loss, gain the weight back, to then loss the weight again, to gain the weight back. I have watched as well as worked with some great people over the years that have gone through this same dilemma- this yo-yo of up and down up and down. This roller coaster ride of hills and valleys, highs and lows, successes and failures (more failures than successes). This stop and start-quit and begin-frustration and triumph and back to disappointment (some never pick back up and start again).

Weight lost does not start with exercise nor does it end with eating healthier or doing more cardio. In my opinion the whole crux of the matter to weight lost comes down to your attitude how you feel about yourself. It starts with your mind how you see yourself-your self image your self worth. The mind is so powerful. The body will only produce, regurgitate, or reproduce whatever the mind tells it to. So as I stood in the mirror admiring my body- feeling good about how I look-looking at the scars and battle wounds that I have accumulated over the years. Some physical, some emotional, some intentionally, some accidentally this post came to mind. Before you continue to read on I must warn you that it is strongly penned with religious undertones so if you are an atheist or someone that doesn't believe that there is a higher power well first I feel sorry for you and second this article may not be for you. However, for the rest of you please read, re read, and read this again. Meditate on it and start today reciting this over and over (out loud and in your mind). Really try to read this slowly not like a pleasure read, but read it as if your life depended upon it because it does if you ever want to accomplish that image that you are chasing after. If you grasp this concept what you about to read then you will never have to worry about how you currently look or how you are going to look in those favorite jeans or if you will fill out that favorite shirt the way you would like. If you get this, watch how you will have a new outlook on your challenges, obstacles, trials, and struggles that you face with your self image. ASK YOURSELF IF NOT NOW, WHEN?



My Body

This is my body that God has made in His image
It is unique, beautiful, flawless perfectly designed by Him to bring Him glory
When others see me, they see Him because they see a wonderfully accomplished work of art
There are no mistakes on my body-everything everything is put in its place for a purpose
I love everything on my body from head to toe because God made it
I am the apple of God's eye
My body is not mine it was purchased at an expensive price because He loved me so much
God has entrusted this body to me
I will do my best to be a good steward (manager) over it
It is the only body that I will ever have
It is a holy temple that should not be destroyed, mistreated, abused, or misused
I will only consume and do things that will only develop and improve my body
This is my body that God has made

Again if you understand this concept everything else that you are facing with your weight loss, transformation, or image that you want to accomplish will be easily obtained.

Carpe Diem.

Lamail Spain

Charlotte Personal Trainer

Xtreme Makeover Bootcamp Xercises for Week of January 3-9: No Space No Non-sense

This year we are pulling out all the stops for you at Xtreme Makeover Bootcamp. We want you to know that you don't have to have fancy equipment or a lot of space to get an effective workout. All is required for this week's workout is a living room, hard work, and your bodyweight.

This week's cardio bootcamp will consist of supersetting body parts. You will do a push exercise followed immediately by a pull exercise. Make sure that you keep your stomach tight by pulling your navel in towards your spine.

You will alternate between 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for each station followed by a 1-minute rest and transition. Perform this 5-minute sequence up to four times for 20 total minutes.

1. double leg bridge
2. push up
3. prone row
4. split squat on right leg
5. split squat on left leg
6. front plank
7. airplane
8. running in place

NO XCUSES, JUST XTREME XERCISE FOR XTREME RESULTS!

Study Shows Regular Exercise Might Prevent Onset Of Diabetes In Black Women

Taking a brisk walk several times a week for exercise appears to reduce black women's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study published this month in the American Journal of Epidemiology, Reuters Health reports. Few studies have been conducted on the benefits of exercise among black women, according to Reuters. For the study, Julie Palmer of Boston University and colleagues used data from the ongoing Black Women's Health Study that followed 45,000 black women from 1995 to 2005.

Researchers found that those who said they walked for a minimum of five hours weekly for exercise were one-third less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who did not walk. The risk of being diagnosed with the disease was significantly lower among women who said they regularly took a brisk walk even when taking into account possible contributing factors such as age, income and diet. The study included a large number of obese women and they too appeared to have a lower risk for developing diabetes if they exercised regularly.

Palmer said, "This is important, because it suggests a way to reduce diabetes risk even among the women who are at highest risk of the disease," adding, "The finding that brisk walking for a few hours a week or longer reduces diabetes risk may be the most important finding of all. This is something almost all women can do in the course of their daily lives."

Researchers also found that women who watched television for five or more hours a day were 86% more likely to develop diabetes than those who watched less than one hour per day (Norton, Reuters Health, 12/18).


An abstract of the study is available online.

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

Personal Trainer in Charlotte, NC