Intensity reigns supreme in strength training…

intensityBecoming leaner and stronger is not just about what exercises you do…it is how you do them that matters. It’s about your form, your focus and your intensity level.

Intensity may be the most important factor in any efficient strength training program. It is your best friend when you exercise and the key factor behind creating the body you want without spending hours and hours at the gym.

It is important to find the right balance between being careful when you are exercising to prevent injury and continually progressing to increasing strength but for the most part, the higher the intensity the better the strength gain. [Read more…]

Exercise Releases the “Happy Hormone”…

endorphinsPerforming tasks, eating better, being physically active and even being a better parent, friend and partner all profit when we are feeling good and suffer when we aren’t.

Hormones are primary players dictating everything from how good we feel to when we need to stop eating or even begin eating. They control much of how our mind and our body functions day to day.

They also have the power to lift our spirits and our moods and keep us emotionally and mentally stable. Such is the role of the mighty endorphin.   [Read more…]

SMART Goals Can Help You Lose Weight

SMART GoalsIf you struggle to keep weight off possibly you struggle to take it off…it may very well benefit you to explore using SMART goals.

SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound in relation to accomplishing your goals and is the perfect process to use when trying to lose weight.

Let’s break down the process into measurable and doable steps:

Specific: The first step in the process of SMART goals is to be specific. So, for example if your goal is to “lose weight” then be more specific about your results and imagine yourself having accomplished the goal already. How do you feel at this new weight? What are some of the benefits you are enjoying after reaching your weight threshold?

Create positive affirmation such as “I feel vital and strong…so full of natural energy now that I’ve lost weight by paying attention to what I am eating and counting the calories I consume, eating smaller healthier portions and adhering to an exercise program. [Read more…]

What Triggers You to Eat?

eating emotionalEmotional eating…food traps. Emotional eating is when we turn to food for comfort when we’re not hungry…something every one of us has done at one time or another.

Becoming aware of your emotional eating triggers puts you in control. It allows you to know what situations and emotions trigger you to eat when you are not hungry and you can steer clear of those dangerous traps.

Most often food triggers can be filed into distinct categories:

  • Social: Peer pressure and eating to fit in. Caving to the pressure of others.
  • Thoughts: It always begins in your thoughts. Your whole world is created in your thoughts. If you’re self-image has been damaged, your low negative image can trigger emotional eating. [Read more…]

Conquering the Dreaded Weight Loss Plateau

weight loss resistance bookAre you frustrated and discouraged with dieting? Have you reached the dreaded weight loss plateau where it doesn’t seem to matter what you do you can’t seem to budge, burn or coerce your weight down any farther?

You don’t need to be discouraged any longer. There are steps you can follow that will help you to break through your weight loss plateau.

First you need to understand that weight loss plateaus are to be expected as long as you are actively losing weight. Our bodies naturally resist change. Most people who eventually reach their ideal weight challenged many plateaus that lasted for several weeks along the way to their desired goals. [Read more…]

The Subconscious Role in Weight Loss

subconscious_weightFirst things first. Why do we so often “get it backwards?”

The journey to “slim” is an inside job. Weight loss can only happen from the inside out and yet we continually focus on outer conditions as our cause.

It’s important to understand that you must never underestimate the power of your mind in its ability to assist you in the healing and repair of your body and its systems. Employing the mind/mental concept is a new, unique and productive approach to losing weight and keeping it off.

How many times have you told yourself to just do it but it never happens? It doesn’t happen because you have not changed the cause which lies deep inside your subconscious. Until you change the cause the unhappy results will keep appearing. [Read more…]

Never Underestimate the Power of your Mind in the Weight Loss Battle

two girlsMainstream diets and exercise programs are a dime a dozen. They are splashed on TV, in our magazines, advertised across our computer screens and even make their way into local newspapers. But as good as some of these exercise programs may be, the truth is there is one factor that is too often overlooked and missing from mainstream diets and exercise programs and that is exercising the power of the mind.

Even though this mental concept is relatively new and unique, the mind must never be underestimated when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off and if you are experiencing “weight-loss resistance” the mind is the first place to look for the problem.

Facts are facts and studies reveal that 95% of the people who go on a diet fail to lose any significant weight for the long term. They may experience temporary weight loss but unless their mind has been included in their formula for losing weight, their weight loss is temporary at best. [Read more…]