When Should I Start Getting in Shape for Summer?

The short answer to that question would be yesterday.  In fact, the sooner you start, the better.  However, it all depends on your goals and what you're trying to accomplish.

If you're someone who only has about 5-10 lbs to lose and that's all you want to do, you will probably be fine if you want to start getting back into shape a few months before summer starts.  However, if you have more specific goals in mind such as getting those 6-pack abs or shaping your glutes and arms, it's better to start working out as soon as possible.  I'd even go as far to say you should have started back in September.  

After all, we all have our good days and our bad days when it comes to working out.  We all have our cheat days and downfalls.  But by starting to train a whole year in advance, you give yourself more time to accomplish your goals and when you do have cheat days, you don't feel so guilty because you know you have many months to make up for it and to continue to make progress.  

Starting early also helps to create lasting habits that won't just end when the summer hits.  The mindset of only working out during the 3 months before summer starts shouldn't even exist.  Those short 3 months will not outweigh all the pigging out that you do during the Fall and Winter holidays and summer vacations.  It's inevitable that you are going to probably eat more than usual on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, New Year's, and any other holiday parties you usually go to.  These events do not sneak up on you.  They are expected to happen every single year, and yet we still make excuses for why we can't get in shape until after they are over. 

The holidays should not be treated as a road block, but rather, just something that happens like any other normal day.  Think about it this way.  Pretend for a minute that you had three birthday celebrations to go to in one month.  Would you say to yourself, "Well, I know I'm going to eat a lot this month because of those three celebrations, so I'll just wait until they're over to go back to the gym."  Absolutely not!  That would be ridiculous.  They are just events that will inevitably happen and you know you might eat a little more than usual, but it doesn't stop you from going to the gym or doing what you want to do the rest of the month.

The holidays should be treated the same way.  Just a natural occurrence.  You know it will happen, but it shouldn't prevent you from doing what you want to do and deter you from your goals.  Fitness is a marathon, not a race, and change doesn't just happen overnight.  If you're willing to commit to fitness for the long run and make incremental changes over time, then the holidays won't be something that throws you off your game.  The truth is that people who use the holiday excuse generally just don't want to change.  They don't want to put in the work and effort required to look and feel better.  They want to stay stuck, and that's fine, but life should be about moving forward. 

If you want to look and feel great this summer start now! Every day you delay yourself is one more day of progress that could have been utilized.

Here are some small tips to get back on the right track again:

-Drink water!  Many people don't realize how many of their calories they actually drink.  Drinking water will keep you more hydrated throughout the day, start to decrease your cravings for sugary beverages, and also help to decrease your calorie intake.

-Start Small.  If you haven't been back to the gym in a while, don't go hard and kill yourself on Day 1.  Start with some light cardio or take a fun class to get your body familiar again. Even if you only start off by going once or twice a week, remember that any progress is better than sitting on your ass.

-Nutrition First: Did you know that molecules from your food may control up to 30% of your genes?  That's a significant amount!  In fact, "cooked plant foods like rice, wheat and potatoes can collect in your blood and tissue, leading to a number of potential health problems..." possibly even cancer.  Limiting carbohydrates from grains and potatoes, and instead focusing on carbs from vegetable sources will not only boost your immune system, but it will be more in line with what your body and DNA requires to function properly.  Most people think that going to the gym will solve all of their problems, but nutrition is the #1 most important factor when it comes to your health and getting faster results.  Focus more on proper nutrition, and you will definitely see faster results in the gym.

Source


I hope this helps!  If you have any questions or remarks, feel free to leave a comment below!

Feature Friday: Tara Romano

What is Feature Friday?

Every Friday, I will be featuring an amazing individual.  This person could be someone who has seen life changing results through Nutritional Cleansing, or someone I follow for fitness advice/tips.  Today, I will be shining the spotlight on Tara Romano. 

Her Testimonial:

"I have been in fitness for over 10 years and still struggled with maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  Working 3 jobs plus school I used every excuse in the book.  I was a, "Do as I say not as I do" instructor.  Fast forward to today I am happy to say I have maintained my success with Nutritional Cleansing for over 4 years.  I don't have 3 jobs anymore, I look and FEEL better at 35 than I did at 25 and I've never been happier.  I also don't say no to pizza or wine if I want it.  I have found the tools for a healthy LIFESTYLE!  I had to share because this entire program changed my life physically and financially so if I can help one person do the same I'd be happy."

She is currently living out her dreams in California where she teaches Zumba.

Check her out at the links below:

Get Your Fit On With Tara

YouTube

Facebook

The Importance of Switching Up Your Routine

Are You Gym-a-phobic?

Let me start off by saying that exercise should not feel like a chore EVER.  It shouldn't be something you wake up and dread doing every day.  If it is, then sorry but you're probably not doing something right.  Exercise should be something you look forward to every day.  If you work an office job full time like I do, then you should definitely look forward to finally getting to the gym to get your body moving again.  I look forward to going to the gym because not only does it make me feel great afterwards, but it makes me feel confident and happy when I get through a workout.  I wasn't always this way.  In fact, it did use to feel like a chore to me and I never had enough motivation to get to the gym ever.  I think part of the reason for this was that for my whole life from the age of 5 up until my last year of high school, I relied on after school sports for my exercise.  I never really stepped foot in a gym until I got to college.  

When I finally did attempt to go to the gym in college, I would usually just run on the treadmill and maybe get on a couple weight machines.  After 2 weeks of doing the same thing I lost motivation and stopped going altogether.  The truth was, I really had no clue what I was supposed to be doing there.  Throw me into any sport, and I'd be happy to do it and have fun doing it, but the gym was a whole other animal I didn't want to face.  It wasn't until I graduated college and moved back to my home town that I decided to give it another try.  A friend of mine who is a personal trainer had just opened up a small gym close to my house, and I decided to go train with him once a week.  He specialized in strength training and taught me how to properly warm up, do squats, dead-lifts, and other various strength training exercises.  Not only did that help me feel more confident to go to the gym and duplicate those things on my own, but it helped me determine where I was physically and where I wanted to be.  He advised me on what I should be doing on the days I didn't train with him, and after about a month or two of training, I felt good enough to just go to the gym on my own from then on.

Today, I still see a trainer once or twice a week, but now, I don't dread going to the gym on my own because I actually feel confident and know what I'm doing when I go there.  If you're something like me who has rarely stepped into a gym in the past, I would highly recommend hiring a trainer for a month or two or however long it takes you to feel confident enough to go on your own.  With that being said, the gym shouldn't be your only source for exercise.

Switching it Up

Switching up your exercise routine is just as important as switching up the foods you eat every day.  Think about it; if you ate chicken and rice every single day for dinner, you would get tired of it pretty quickly right?  The same thing can happen when you work out.  If you have the same exact routine every day, chances are you will get extremely bored, and going to the gym won't be exciting for you anymore.  Even something as simple as working out your arms one day and your legs then next can be enough to switch it up and make things a little different.  I used to be someone who tried to do a full body workout every time I went into the gym (arms, legs, abs, everything).  Not only is this unnecessary, but it's completely BORING!  

There are so many ways to incorporate exercise and still make it fun.  If you enjoy more extreme/adventurous sports like I do, plan out some days to go snowboarding or skiing in place of your workout during the winter season.  Maybe go rock climbing or try a kickboxing or a parkour class.  Try new things you've never done before.  You never know what you might end up enjoying.  If you have a more low key personality, maybe go for a hike or bike ride one day.  You could even try some dance or yoga classes.  Another fun thing I've done before is go to the Sky Zone Trampoline Park.  They have some great fitness and aerobics classes that are super fun.  Never limit yourself when it comes to physical activity.  It's easy to lose focus and motivation, but if you keep things exciting and fun, chances are you will stick with it longer and look forward to doing those things every day.

What do you like doing to switch up your routine?  Let me know in the comments below :)

Feature Friday: Aristotle Polites

What is Feature Friday?

Every Friday, I will be featuring an amazing individual.  This person could be someone who has seen life changing results from Nutritional Cleansing, or someone I follow for fitness advice/tips.  Today, I will be shining the spotlight on Aristotle Polites.

About:

Aristotle is not only a business partner of mine but a personal trainer as well.  He is definitely someone to look up to for any workout/fitness advice whether.  He has dedicated his life to the fitness world and has seen amazing results over the years just with a few simple changes in his habits and lifestyle.  Even after training with him myself for the past month, I have seen changes and progress that I am very happy with.  He currently trains at City Fitness in Philadelphia, so if you're local to the area, don't be afraid to hit him up!  

You can also follow his fitness videos and tips on YouTube:  Aristotle Polites

Check out the video above from a few weeks ago; the message is perfect for this time of the year when all of you are eager to start your New Year's resolutions and get back in shape for the spring and summer.

He always delivers great content, so whether you're looking to gain muscle, lose weight, or just be healthier, he's someone who can offer some great advice that's personalized for you and your goals.

Why I Hate the Word "Diet"

The word diet seems to have a negative connotation to it.  It assumes you only eat healthy all the time and never let yourself indulge on dessert or anything bad.  It assumes you are depriving yourself of what you want only to sit there and obsess over the number on the scale.  I hate the word diet.  No one likes to be on a diet because you are constantly surrounded by food choices that aren't a part of it, and if you're not eating what everyone else is eating around you, you are somehow left out and feeling guilty.  It shouldn't have to be that way.


Let's redefine the word diet.  How about instead we start using the phrase, "lifestyle change."  While the word diet tends to imply a short term goal, lifestyle changes do not.  They imply a long term goal for your body's greater good.  A lifestyle change can be subtle, slow, fast, or steady.  It is something that is introduced at your own pace.  Rather than beating yourself up over eating that cookie or slice of cake, a lifestyle change can allow you to enjoy those things without feeling so guilty about it.


By slowly introducing more vegetables and healthy foods, the more of it you will start to crave, and the more likely it will be for it to start becoming a habit.  The more you exercise, that more that will start to become a habit too. Once you have it in your mind that you are creating a lifestyle, and not just a short term goal, eating an occasional desert or slice of pizza won't feel like such a horrible thing. Everything in moderation, but make sure the things you want to become your habits outweigh the bad things that surround your life.

Feature Friday: Spotlight on Peter Kaufmann

What is Feature Friday?

Every Friday, I will be featuring an amazing individual.  This person could be someone who has seen life changing results through Nutritional Cleansing, or someone I follow for fitness advice/tips.  Today, I will be shining the spotlight on Peter Kaufmann. 

His Testimonial:

"My whole adult life I've been involved with exercise and nutrition.  But the problem was, I always knew the products I was taking before I started Nutritional Cleansing were not good for me or for my wife- who is a Stage Three Triple Negative Breast Cancer Survivor. I always felt cloated, even though I worked out 6 days a week.  I thought I ate properly, but I NEVER had any energy.  I would also never allow my wife to take the products I was taking, so I also felt like a hypocrite.  That was one of the reasons why we decided to try Nutritional Cleansing, because it was chemical-free and SAFE.  During the first 11 days of the 30 day cleanse, I lost 17 lbs and my wife lost 12 lbs.  By the end of the 30 days, I had lost 30 lbs, and my wife lost a total of 20 lbs.  The great thing about Nutritional Cleansing, is that during maintenance, I lost another 11 lbs= 41 pounds in total: 187 lbs to 146 lbs.  It's been 6 months so far and my wife and I are in the best shape of our lives.  But the funny this is, Nutritional Cleansing has not only transformed our health, but our WEALTH. This is hands down THE greatest business opportunity we've EVER been part of.  Such an incredible company with amazing life-changing products!"

Your Body Type Reflects Who You Attract Into Your Life

Who Are You Attracting Into Your Life?

Take a moment to think about all the people in your life.  Your friends, family, significant other, and ask yourself why you have a relationship with them.  What topics do you connect with them about?  What similarities do you have?  More times than not, we connect with people who share similar views, values, beliefs, motivations, and goals as us.  If you are a motivated, ambitious person, you will tend to be drawn toward other motivated and ambitious people.  However, the flip side is also true.  If you are lazy, negative, and insecure, you will tend to attract other negative, lazy and insecure people to fulfill your need to stay that way.  So what does this have to do with your body weight?

Fit or Fat?

Why is it that when you see a couple, they tend to have the same or similar body shape and look?  Obviously this is not always true, but I'd say that the majority of the time, couples tend to reflect each other when it comes to their body image and physique.  A heavier person will usually be with another heavier or unhealthy person, and a fit person will tend to be with another fit person.  Is this just a coincidence?  Probably not.  Science will tell you that we tend to be attracted to people with similar features as ourselves because it creates a sense of trust and genetic compatibility.  Think of all the couples you know and you will probably start to realize that their facial features, body type, and even sometimes styles are very similar.  

Often times, the media will portray a certain cookie cutter look which then becomes the social norm and the image that everyone strives for.  For guys, it's the 6-pack abs and muscular physique and for girls it tends to change with the times.  One month it might be in to be skinny and the next month it could be having an ass like a Kardashian.  So how do we filter all the changing trends in society? What does this mean for you and what should you strive for?

Are You Your Best You?

If you're heavy, skinny, fit, or flabby and you are happy with the way you look and the way your life is going, then hey, keep doing what you're doing! But if you're reading this and thinking, well shoot, I don't exactly look how I want to look, or I probably could lose a few pounds, or I wish I did have a hot significant other and more motivated and positive friends, it's never too late to change.  My opinion about societal trends?  Don't follow them.  Follow what's right for you.  If you have a certain image in your mind of how you want to look, work towards that goal and don't listen to the opinions of others.  

Many times I've heard guys tell me, "I would hate to be with a girl who had better abs than me." Or " I don't find muscular girls attractive."  Well, 9 times out of 10, those guys aren't very motivated to get in shape themselves.  I've also heard guys who have said they love fit and in shape girls.  Attraction is all objective, so don't let anyone's opinion convince you to stop reaching your goals.  People who talk down to you for trying to lose weight or get in shape do not offer value to your goals; they will only inhibit them from becoming a reality if you listen.  

Just the other day I was talking to a co-worker about a nutritional program I've been on, and he said, "You already look great! Why do you need to be doing that?" He looked at me as if I was crazy.  Well, that person's opinion offers no value to me because he does not have the same goals, motivation, or drive as I do.  Just because I already look great, that doesn't mean I should just stop doing what I'm doing.  I will continue to work toward my goals and push myself to achieve more because it makes me happy and makes me feel great when I push my body to my limits.  The same should be true for you no matter what someone says to you.

Where Do I Start?

If you're ready to make a change and get in better shape, I recommend reaching out to people you look up to for fitness advice.  Start surrounding yourself with people you want to be like.  If you continue to surround yourself with the same people, you will only become more like them.  Don't be afraid to take a chance and ask for help when you need it.  Most people will feel flattered that you are asking for their advice and they will admire your commitment for wanting to make a change.  Start watching YouTube videos on different exercises or fitness advice.  Even starting small with a walk every day can make all the difference in beginning to create the habits for success.  My question to you is this: who are you currently attracting into your life, and who do you want to attract?  Do they match up?  If you aren't surrounded by the people you would like in your life, start making a change.  Your attractor factor is only as powerful as your will to improve.