Do you lack Motivation?
Here is a great article on getting back on track and rekindle that fire within you!!!
Even the most motivated of us — you, me, Tony Robbins — can feel
unmotivated at times. In fact, sometimes we get into such a slump that
even thinking about making positive changes seems too difficult.
But it’s not hopeless: with some small steps, baby ones in fact, you can get started down the road to positive change.
Yes, I know, it seems impossible at times. You don’t feel like doing
anything. I’ve been there, and in fact I still feel that way from time
to time. You’re not alone. But I’ve learned a few ways to break out of a
slump, and we’ll take a look at those today.
When I fall out of
exercise, due to illness or injury or disruption from things going on in
my life, it’s hard to get started again. I don’t even feel like
thinking about it, sometimes. But I’ve always found a way to break out
of that slump, and here are some things I’ve learned that have helped:
1. One Goal. Whenever I’ve been in a slump, I’ve discovered that it’s
often because I have too much going on in my life. I’m trying to do too
much. And it saps my energy and motivation. It’s probably the most
common mistake that people make: they try to take on too much, try to
accomplish too many goals at once. You cannot maintain energy and focus
(the two most important things in accomplishing a goal) if you are
trying to do two or more goals at once. It’s not possible — I’ve tried
it many times. You have to choose one goal, for now, and focus on it
completely. I know, that’s hard. Still, I speak from experience. You can
always do your other goals when you’ve accomplished your One Goal.
2. Find inspiration. Inspiration, for me, comes from others who have
achieved what I want to achieve, or who are currently doing it. I read
other blogs, books, magazines. I Google my goal, and read success
stories. Zen Habits is just one place for inspiration, not only from me
but from many readers who have achieved amazing things. My Mentor Dr.
Fred Hatfield was the first man to squat over 1,000lbs and I followed in
his foot steps to become one of the few to ever achieve the goal of
being a 1,000+ LB squatter. I listened to his every word and followed
his training cycle to the tee and surprise I eventually achieved success
and hit 1,025.50 lbs and set a world record in the squat.
3.
Get excited. This sounds obvious, but most people don’t think about it
much: if you want to break out of a slump, get yourself excited about a
goal. But how can you do that when you don’t feel motivated? Well, it
starts with inspiration from others (see above), but you have to take
that excitement and build on it. For me, I’ve learned that by talking to
my wife about it, and to others, and reading as much about it as
possible, and visualizing what it would be like to be successful (seeing
the benefits of the goal in my head), I get excited about a goal. Once
I’ve done that, it’s just a matter of carrying that energy forward and
keeping it going.
4. Build anticipation. This will sound
hard, and many people will skip this tip. But it really works. If you find inspiration and
want to do a goal, don’t start right away. Many of us will get excited
and want to start today. That’s a mistake. Set a date in the future — a
week or two, or even a month — and make that your Start Date. Mark it on
the calendar. Get excited about that date. Make it the most important
date in your life. In the meantime, start writing out a plan. And do
some of the steps below. Because by delaying your start, you are
building anticipation, and increasing your focus and energy for your
goal.
5. Post your goal. Print out your goal in big words.
Make your goal just a few words long, like a mantra (“Exercise 15 mins.
Daily”), and post it up on your wall or refrigerator. Post it at home
and work. Put it on your computer desktop. You want to have big
reminders about your goal, to keep your focus and keep your excitement
going. A picture of your goal (like a model with sexy abs, for example)
also helps.
6. Commit publicly. None of us likes to look
bad in front of others. We will go the extra mile to do something we’ve
said publicly. Now, you don’t have to commit to your goal in your daily
newspaper, but you can do it with friends and family and co-workers, and
you can do it on your Facebook or Twitter page if you have one. And hold yourself
accountable — don’t just commit once, but commit to giving progress
updates to everyone every week or so.
7. Think about it
daily. If you think about your goal every day, it is much more likely to
become true. To this end, posting the goal on your wall or computer
desktop (as mentioned above) helps a lot. Sending yourself daily
reminders also helps. And if you can commit to doing one small thing to
further your goal (even just 5 minutes) every single day, your goal will
almost certainly come true.
8. Get support. It’s hard to
accomplish something alone. When I started Powerlifting my goal was to
win a local meet and maybe even a State Championship. As I progressed
and got better and stronger I realized that I needed help to spot me
while lifting heavy weights to prevent injury or even death. As I
improved and started winning National Level shows I recruited even more
help with coaches and mentors to help improve me even more and once I
was ready for the world championships I surrounded myself with guys that
had already been where I was going. The knowledge I received from these
people helped me attain things I never even realized I could do. I
ended up winning five (5) World Championships and a World Record in the
squat of 1,025.50 LBS and yes I was DRUG FREE! Since then I've taken my
experience and my knowledge and passed it on to others with great
success including my daughter Amanda Harris who now is the top female
Powerlifter in the world and a 17 time World Champion with 464 State,
National and World Records. SO SUPPORT IS CRUCIAL FOR SUCCESS!!!!!
9. Realize that there’s an ebb and flow. Motivation
is not a constant thing that is always there for you. It comes and goes,
and comes and goes again, like the tide. But realize that while it may
go away, it doesn’t do so permanently. It will come back. Just stick it
out and wait for that motivation to come back. In the meantime, read
about your goal (see below), ask for help (see below), and do some of
the other things listed here until your motivation comes back.
10. Stick with it. Whatever you do, don’t give up. Even if you aren’t
feeling any motivation today, or this week, don’t give up. Again, that
motivation will come back. Think of your goal as a long journey, and
your slump is just a little bump in the road. You can’t give up with
every little bump. Stay with it for the long term, ride out the ebbs and
surf on the flows, and you’ll get there.
11. Start small.
Really small. If you are having a hard time getting started, it may be
because you’re thinking too big. If you want to exercise, for example,
you may be thinking that you have to do these intense workouts 5 days a
week. No — instead, do small, tiny, baby steps. Just do 2 minutes of
exercise. I know, that sounds wimpy. But it works. Commit to 2 minutes
of exercise for one week. You may want to do more, but just stick to 2
minutes. It’s so easy, you can’t fail. Do it at the same time, every
day. Just some crunches, 2 pushups, and some jogging in place. Once
you’ve done 2 minutes a day for a week, increase it to 5, and stick with
that for a week. In a month, you’ll be doing 15-20. Want to wake up
early? Don’t think about waking at 5 a.m. Instead, think about waking 10
minutes earlier for a week. That’s all. Once you’ve done that, wake 10
minutes earlier than that. Baby steps.
12. Build on small
successes. Again, if you start small for a week, you’re going to be
successful. You can’t fail if you start with something ridiculously
easy. Who can’t exercise for 2 minutes? (If that’s you, I apologize.)
And you’ll feel successful, and good about yourself. Take that
successful feeling and build on it, with another baby step. Add 2-3
minutes to your exercise routine, for example. With each step (and each
step should last about a week), you will feel even more successful. Make
each step really, really small, and you won’t fail. After a couple of
months, your tiny steps will add up to a lot of progress and a lot of
success.
13. Read about it daily. When I lose motivation, I
just read a book or blog about my goal. It inspires me and
reinvigorates me. For some reason, reading helps motivate and focus you
on whatever you’re reading about. So read about your goal every day, if
you can, especially when you’re not feeling motivated.
14.
Call for help when your motivation ebbs. Having trouble? Ask for help.
Email me. Join an online forum. Get a partner to join you. Call your
mom. It doesn’t matter who, just tell them your problems, and talking
about it will help. Ask them for advice. Ask them to help you overcome
your slump. It works.
15. Think about the benefits, not the
difficulties. One common problem is that we think about how hard
something is. Exercise sounds so hard! Just thinking about it makes you
tired. But instead of thinking about how hard something is, think about
what you will get out of it. For example, instead of thinking about how
tiring exercise can be, focus on how good you’ll feel when you’re done,
and how you’ll be healthier and slimmer over the long run. The benefits
of something will help energize you.
16. Squash negative
thoughts; replace them with positive ones. Along those lines, it’s
important to start monitoring your thoughts. Recognize negative
self-talk, which is really what’s causing your slump. Just spend a few
days becoming aware of every negative thought. Then, after a few days,
try squashing those negative thoughts like a bug, and then replacing
them with a corresponding positive thought. Squash, “This is too hard!”
and replace it with, “I can do this! If that wimp Leo can do it, so can
I!” It sounds corny, but it works. Really.
My personal thoughts.....
The energy you put out, is exactly the energy the universe will give
back to you. Please remember to think positive always focus on the
solution, not the problem. Avoid negative people, they will bring your
energy down, surround yourself with like minded people and feed off of
each other. I wish you are much happiness and success!
Mental Attitude for training.
To get the best out of your training every time you prepare to train, make sure you have cleared your mind of all the negative.
Having a clear mind and letting go of daily stress will help you preform better in your training session.
We've all heard that stress is one of the leading causes for heart
attack and stroke but many of us never really think about what else
it's doing to our bodies. Just because your heart is functioning as it
should does not mean you are not effected by the stress.
Stress
produces cortisol and cortisol helps fat stay right where it's at and
locks up fat loss. Stress also causes hypertension, and elevated blood
pressure especially during resistance exercise is very dangerous.
Recent studies have also shown that stress reduces the production of
ATP within the Mitochondria of the cells and limits your anaerobic
endurance. Reduced levels of ATP will make your training session a real
struggle. Cortisol also slows down the healing process and can bring on
symptoms of over-training and cause disruptive sleep patterns making it
even more difficult to train properly.
So when you walk into the gym make sure you take a moment and clear your head of daily stress and focus on the job at hand.
The truth be told, the stress you created is all in your head and only you can allow it to consume you or LET IT GO!
I highly recommend reading a book by Dr. Wayne Dyer entitled,
"There's a Spiritual Solution for Every Problem". This book has
nothing to do with religion, it simply tells you how to let go of the
stress that is effecting your life.
Remember being fit in the
gym is just 1/3 of being totally fit. Remember to exercise the mind and
spirit as well. You are only as strong as your weakest link.
Carbohydrate Addiction is Epidemic........
And the Food Industry Promotes it right along with the FDA & the AMA!
A staggering two-thirds of Americans are now overweight, and one in four are either diabetic or pre-diabetic.
Obesity rates in children in several states are now above 30%!!!!!!
Carb-rich processed foods are a primary driver of these statistics,
and while many blame Americans’ overindulgence of processed junk foods
on lack of self-control, scientists are now starting to reveal the truly
addictive nature of such foods.
Most recently, researchers
at the Boston Children's Hospital concluded that highly processed
carbohydrates stimulate brain regions involved in reward and cravings,
promoting excess hunger.
As reported by Science Daily:
“These findings suggest that limiting these 'high-glycemic index' foods could help obese individuals avoid overeating.”
While I don’t agree with the concept of high glycemic foods, it is
important that they are at least thinking in the right direction. Also,
the timing is ironic, considering the fact that the American Medical
Association (AMA) recently declared obesity a disease, treatable with a
variety of conventional methods, from drugs to novel anti-obesity
vaccines...
The featured research is on the mark, and shows
just how foolhardy the AMA’s financially-driven decision really is.
Drugs and vaccines are clearly not going to do anything to address the
underlying problem of addictive junk food.
Brain Imaging Shows Food Addiction Is Real
The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
examined the effects of high-glycemic foods on brain activity, using
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). One dozen overweight or
obese men between the ages of 18 and 35 each consumed one high-glycemic
and one low-glycemic meal. The fMRI was done four hours after each test
meal. According to the researchers:
“Compared with an
isocaloric low-GI meal, a high-glycemic index meal decreased plasma
glucose, increased hunger, and selectively stimulated brain regions
associated with reward and craving in the late postprandial period,
which is a time with special significance to eating behavior at the next
meal.”
The study demonstrates what many people experience:
After eating a high-glycemic meal, i.e. rapidly digesting
carbohydrates, their blood sugar initially spiked, followed by a sharp
crash a few hours later. The fMRI confirmed that this crash in blood
glucose intensely activated a brain region involved in addictive
behaviors, known as the nucleus accumbens.
Dr. Robert
Lustig, Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the
University of California, a pioneer in decoding sugar metabolism,
weighed in on the featured research in an article by NPR:
“As Dr. Robert Lustig... points out, this research can’t tell us if
there’s a cause and effect relationship between eating certain foods and
triggering brain responses, or if those responses lead to overeating
and obesity.
'[The study] doesn’t tell you if this is
the reason they got obese,' says Lustig, 'or if this is what happens
once you’re already obese.' Nonetheless... he thinks this study offers
another bit of evidence that 'this phenomenon is real.'”
Previously, Dr. Lustig has explained the addictive nature of sugar as follows:
"The brain's pleasure center, called the nucleus accumbens, is
essential for our survival as a species... Turn off pleasure, and you
turn off the will to live... But long-term stimulation of the pleasure
center drives the process of addiction... When you consume any substance
of abuse, including sugar, the nucleus accumbens receives a dopamine
signal, from which you experience pleasure. And so you consume more.
The problem is that with prolonged exposure, the signal
attenuates, gets weaker. So you have to consume more to get the same
effect -- tolerance. And if you pull back on the substance, you go into
withdrawal. Tolerance and withdrawal constitute addiction. And make no
mistake, sugar is addictive."
The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food
Previous research has demonstrated that refined sugar is
more addictive than cocaine, giving you pleasure by triggering an innate
process in your brain via dopamine and opioid signals. Your brain
essentially becomes addicted to stimulating the release of its own
opioids.
Researchers have speculated that the sweet
receptors located on your tongue, which evolved in ancestral times when
the diet was very low in sugar, have not adapted to the seemingly
unlimited access to a cheap and omnipresent sugar supply in the modern
diet.
Therefore, the abnormally high stimulation of
these receptors by our sugar-rich diets generates excessive reward
signals in your brain, which have the potential to override normal
self-control mechanisms, thus leading to addiction.
But it doesn’t end there. Food manufacturers have gotten savvy to the
addictive nature of certain foods and tastes, including saltiness and
sweetness, and have turned addictive taste into a science in and of
itself.
In a recent New York Times article, Michael
Moss, author of Salt Sugar Fat, dished the dirt on the processed food
industry, revealing that there’s a conscious effort on behalf of food
manufacturers to get you hooked on foods that are convenient and
inexpensive to make.
I recommend reading his
article in its entirety, as it offers a series of case studies that shed
light on the extraordinary science and marketing tactics that make junk
food so hard to resist.
Sugar, salt and fat are
the top three substances making processed foods so addictive. In a Time
Magazine interview discussing his book, Moss says:
“One of the things that really surprised me was how concerted and
targeted the effort is by food companies to hit the magical formulation.
Take sugar for example. The optimum amount of sugar in a product became
known as the 'bliss point.' Food inventors and scientists spend a huge
amount of time formulating the perfect amount of sugar that will send us
over the moon, and send products flying off the shelves. It is the
process they've engineered that struck me as really stunning.”
It’s important to realize that added sugar (typically in the
form of high fructose corn syrup) is not confined to junky snack foods.
For example, most of Prego’s spaghetti sauces have one common feature,
and that is sugar—it’s the second largest ingredient, right after
tomatoes. A half-cup of Prego Traditional contains the equivalent of
more than two teaspoons of sugar.
Novel Flavor-Enhancers May Also Contribute to Food Addiction
Another guiding principle for the processed food industry
is known as “sensory-specific satiety.” Moss describes this as “the
tendency for big, distinct flavors to overwhelm your brain, which
responds by depressing your desire to have more.” The greatest
successes, whether beverages or foods, owe their “craveability” to
complex formulas that pique your taste buds just enough, without
overwhelming them, thereby overriding your brain’s inclination to say
“enough.”
Novel biotech flavor companies like Senomyx also play an important role.
Senomyx specializes in helping companies find new flavors
that allow them to use less salt and sugar in their foods. But does that
really make the food healthier? This is a questionable assertion at
best, seeing how these “flavor enhancers” are created using secret,
patented processes. They also do not need to be listed on the food
label, which leaves you completely in the dark. As of now, they simply
fall under the generic category of artificial and/or natural flavors,
and they don’t even need to be tested for safety, as they’re used in
minute amounts.
How to Combat Food Addiction and Regain Your Health
To protect your health, I advise spending 90 percent of your food
budget on whole foods, and only 10 percent on processed foods. It’s
important to realize that refined carbohydrates like breakfast cereals,
bagels, waffles, pretzels, and most other processed foods quickly break
down to sugar, increase your insulin levels, and cause insulin
resistance, which is the number one underlying factor of nearly every
chronic disease and condition known to man, including weight gain.
By taking the advice offered in the featured study and cutting out
these high-glycemic foods you can retrain your body to burn fat instead
of sugar. However, it’s important to replace these foods with healthy
fats, not protein—a fact not addressed in this research. I believe most
people may need between 50-70 percent of their daily calories in the
form of healthful fats, which include:
1. Olives & Olive oil
2. Coconut and Coconut Oils
3. Natural whole fat butter
4. Organic raw nuts, especially macadamia nuts, which are low in protein and omega-6 fat.
5. Organic pastured eggs and pastured meats
6. Avocados
A growing body of evidence also suggests that intermittent fasting
is particularly effective if you’re struggling with excess weight as it
provokes the natural secretion of human growth hormone (HGH), a
fat-burning hormone. It also increases resting energy expenditure while
decreasing insulin levels, which allows stored fat to be burned for
fuel. Together, these and other factors will turn you into an effective
fat-burning machine.
Best of all, once you transition to
fat burning mode your cravings for sugar and carbohydrates will
virtually disappear, as if by magic... While you’re making the
adjustment, you could supplement L-Glutamine (1,000MG) before each meal
and 3,000-6,000 MG at bed time. This will help reduce cravings.
Other tricks to help you overcome your sugar cravings include:
Exercise: Anyone who exercises intensely on a regular basis
will know that a significant amount of resistance exercise is one of
the best "cures" for food cravings. It always amazes me how my appetite,
especially for sweets, dramatically decreases after a good workout. I
believe the mechanism is related to the dramatic reduction in insulin
levels that occurs after exercise.
Organic black
coffee: Coffee is a potent opioid receptor antagonist, and contains
compounds such as cafestrol -- found plentifully in both caffeinated and
decaffeinated coffee -- which can bind to your opioid receptors, occupy
them and essentially block your addiction to other opioid-releasing
foods. This may profoundly reduce the addictive power of other
substances, such as sugar.
Stress is a Choice and so is Success!
Many of us hurry through life going from one place to the next, focused
on conquering the next mountain, making the next deal, running the next
errand, and believing we will never have enough time to do
all the things we need to get done. Yet, there is all the time in the
world if we just realize that we are the creators of this life we choose
to live. That's right. Life is a series of choices and being free from
stress is one of those choices.
Whether your business life is
overly complicated or your personal life (or both), you have chosen this
current system of chaos. The world is a tantalizing swirl of getting
the next "fix," tempting us to fit more and more things, people and
processes into our lives, personally and professionally. And because we
are so busy being busy, it's easy to be lured into the fray, with our
lengthy to-do lists. Yet, the greatest achievements have often come from
the simplest of ideas and in the simplest forms.
To experience
a simplified life, we first have to learn to slow down long enough to
see through all the clutter. We need to realize that we are powerful
magnets that attracted this life to ourselves—no matter what—good or
bad.
1. Take the time to be YOU! Everyone needs (ME) time. If
you don't take care of the ME, how can you expect anyone else to do it
for you. The better you are to yourself the better you will be to
others.
2. Stop setting deadlines that can not be met. Setting
unrealistic goals will cause more stress and disruption in life. Learn
to follow your dreams without setting a time frame around them. Stay
focused on the end result regardless of the time frame it took to get
there. The only way you can fail is to set an unrealistic goal, so learn
to let the time structure go! Remember good things come to those who
wait.
3. Turn on that positive energy! Learn to be grateful!
Create a gratitude list. Make a list of things you are grateful to have
in your life. Feeling gratitude puts you in the right frame of mind and
will allow you to move forward in a positive direction. Focus on the
stress and that is exactly what you will get more of and that's STRESS!
4. Exercise can and will relieve STRESS.
Get into an exercise program and stick with it! Exercise is often the
best medicine for getting rid of stress. Do your best to clear your head
of anything else but taking care of the ME. Exercise to clear your head
and rid yourself of the stress you've created.
5. You can
focus on negative or you can focus on the positive the choice is 100% up
to YOU! The energy you put out is the exact energy you will receive.
Learn to be a positive person thankful for the blessings in your life
and understand that time frames are the trigger points for stress. Rid
yourself of as many time frames as you can and your stress levels will
go away.
Learn to be grateful, learn to enjoy the simple things
in life learn to look at life as a big learning experience and the
stress in your life may very well disappear. The only time you fail at
anything is when you give up! Success can and will happen every time
without fail it just might not be in your time frame. So stop setting
them and watch you stress vanish!
Remember you are only as strong as your weakest link. A complete person is strong of Mind, Body and Spirit.
Just what is a Calorie?
A calorie is a unit of energy. We tend to associate calories with food,
but they apply to anything containing energy. For example, a gallon of
gasoline contains about 31,000,000 calories.
So if you
understand that calories give you the energy to move and the sustenance
to build our bodies lets get a closer look at what these calories really
are!
Take the calories from
21 Big Mac Hamburgers and convert them into energy you would have enough
energy to drive a small car approximately 80 miles! So you see foods
harbor a great deal of energy. Eating the right type of calories at the
right time and your body will respond by building lean muscle and
burning fat. Eat the wrong calories at the wrong time and you will lose
muscle and gain fat.
Most of us think of calories in relation
to food, as in "This can of soda has 200 calories." It turns out that
the calories on a food package are actually kilocalories (1,000 calories
= 1 kilocalorie). The word is sometimes capitalized to show the
difference, but usually not. A food calorie contains 4,184 joules. A can
of soda containing 200 food calories contains 200,000 regular calories,
or 200 kilocalories. A gallon of gasoline contains 31,000 kilocalories.
The same applies to exercise -- when a fitness chart says you burn
about 100 calories for every mile you jog, it means 100 kilocalories.
For the duration of this article, when we say "calorie," we mean
"kilocalorie."
What Calories Do
Caloric Breakdown
1 g Carbohydrates: 4 calories
1 g Protein: 4 calories
1 g Fat: 9 calories
1 g Alcohol: 7 calories
Human beings need energy to survive -- to breathe, move, pump blood -- and they acquire this energy from food.
The number of calories in a food is a measure of how much potential
energy that food possesses. A gram of carbohydrates has 4 calories, a
gram of protein has 4 calories, and a gram of fat has 9 calories. Foods
are a compilation of these three building blocks. So if you know how
many carbohydrates, fats and proteins are in any given food, you know
how many calories, or how much energy, that food contains.
If
we look at the nutritional label on the back of a packet of
maple-and-brown-sugar oatmeal, we find that it has 160 calories. This
means that if we were to pour this oatmeal into a dish, set the oatmeal
on fire and get it to burn completely (which is actually pretty tricky),
the reaction would produce 160 kilocalories (remember: food calories
are kilocalories) -- enough energy to raise the temperature of 160
kilograms of water 1 degree Celsius. If we look closer at the
nutritional label, we see that our oatmeal has 2 grams of fat, 4 grams
of protein and 32 grams of carbohydrates, producing a total of 162
calories (apparently, food manufacturers like to round down). Of these
162 calories, 18 come from fat (9 cal x 2 g), 16 come from protein (4
cal x 4 g) and 128 come from carbohydrates (4 cal x 32 g).
Our
bodies "burn" the calories in the oatmeal through metabolic processes,
by which enzymes break the carbohydrates into glucose and other sugars,
the fats into glycerol and fatty acids and the proteins into amino
acids. These molecules are then transported through the bloodstream to
the cells, where they are either absorbed for immediate use or sent on
to the final stage of metabolism in which they are reacted with oxygen
to release their stored energy.
The Basil Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Just how many calories do our cells need to function well? The number
is different for every person. You may notice on the nutritional labels
of the foods you buy that the "percent daily values" are based on a
2,000 calorie diet -- 2,000 calories is a rough average of what a person
needs to eat in a day, but your body might need more or less than 2,000
calories. Height, weight, gender, age and activity level all affect
your caloric needs. There are three main factors involved in calculating
how many calories your body needs per day:
1. Basal metabolic rate
2. Physical activity
3. Thermagenic effect of food
Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of energy your body needs
to function at rest. This accounts for about 60 to 70 percent of
calories burned in a day and includes the energy required to keep the
heart beating, the lungs breathing, the kidneys functioning and the body
temperature stabilized. In general, men have a higher BMR than women.
Your Caloric Needs
As you now know, there are three main factors involved in calculating
how many calories your body needs per day: your BMR, physical activity
and the thermic effect of food.
The second factor in the
equation, physical activity, consumes the next highest number of
calories. Physical activity includes everything from making your bed to
jogging. Walking, lifting, bending, and just generally moving around
burns calories, but the number of calories you burn in any given
activity depends on your body weight. Click here for a great table
listing the calories expended in various physical activities and for
various weights.
The thermic effect of food is the final
addition to the number of calories your body burns. This is the amount
of energy your body uses to digest the food you eat -- it takes energy
to break food down to its basic elements in order to be used by the
body.
Calories, Fat and Exercise
So what happens if
you take in more or fewer calories than your body burns? You either gain
or lose fat, respectively. An accumulation of 3,500 extra calories is
stored by your body as 1 pound of fat -- fat is the body's way of saving
energy for a rainy day. If, on the other hand, you burn 3,500 more
calories than you eat, whether by exercising more or eating less, your
body converts 1 pound of its stored fat into energy to make up for the
deficit.
One thing about exercise is that it raises your
metabolic rate not only while you're huffing and puffing on the
treadmill. Your metabolism takes a while to return to its normal pace.
It continues to function at a higher level; your body burns an increased
number of calories for about two hours after you've stopped exercising.
Lots of people wonder if it matters where their calories come from. At
its most basic, if we eat exactly the number of calories that we burn
and if we're only talking about weight, the answer is no -- a calorie is
a calorie. A protein calorie is no different from a fat calorie -- they
are simply units of energy. As long as you burn what you eat, you will
maintain your weight; and as long as you burn more than you eat, you'll
lose weight.
But if we're talking nutrition, it definitely
matters where those calories originate. Carbohydrates and proteins are
healthier sources of calories than fats. Although our bodies do need a
certain amount of fat to function properly -- an adequate supply of fat
allows your body to absorb the vitamins you ingest -- an excess of fat
can have serious health consequences. The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration recommends that a maximum of 30 percent of our daily
calories come from fat. So, if you eat 2,000 calories a day, that's a
maximum of 600 calories from fat, or 67 grams of fat, per day.
This is the base foundation for understanding calories and how calories
play an important role in nutrition. Just remember not to get caught-up
counting the calories as much and you look at the nutritional value of
the calories you choose to eat.
Back to the Basics!
Living a healthy lifestyle can sound challenging and sometimes, even a little scary. But, it doesn’t have to be! Here are 7 nutrition principles everyone should apply to their lifestyle in order to improve their health and live a better life.
1. Eat a well balanced breakfast. Taking the time to eat a well balanced breakfast each and every morning will do wonders for your body. It will boost your metabolism and kick start your day. Try some whole grain toast, a hard boiled egg, some fresh fruit, a cup of yogurt and a cup of coffee. This will keep you feeling full and energized throughout the morning.
2. Eat less by eating more.
I know that the rule of thumb is to eat three meals a day, but eating 5-6 smaller meals a day is actually a lot better for your metabolism. Instead of waiting until you’re starving to eat, spread your meals throughout the day. Eat smaller snacks in between your bigger meals to curb your appetite and control your portion sizes.
3. It’s the little things that count.
Between work, cooking dinner, tending to the kids and housework, there isn’t much time left to exercise. But, there are some alternative ways to sneak a little exercise into your schedule. Try parking towards the back of the parking lot as opposed to the front. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Take the kids for a walk after dinner. The little changes you make will add up. You don’t have to train for a marathon to be active.
4. Stay hydrated.
Most people tend to drink water only when they’re thirsty. You should be keeping your body hydrated all day to prevent dehydration. Just because you’re not thirsty, doesn’t mean you’re hydrated. The best way to make sure you’re drinking enough water and keeping your body hydrated is to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water per day.
5. Pack your lunch.
Stay as far away from fast food restaurants and cafeterias as you can! While those are two very convenient options, by packing your own lunch you are guaranteed a well balanced and nutritious meal with a little forethought.
6. Eat fruits or veggies with every meal.
Fruits and vegetables provide you with all natural anti oxidants, vitamins and minerals that will do wonders for everything from your skin and hair to your metabolism.
7. Stay away from processed foods.
Processed foods are like poison for your body. You want to fill your body with whole grains and fresh produce, not trans fats and empty carbohydrates. 100% whole wheat foods such as whole wheat bread, whole grain pasta and brown rice will give your body more stable energy.
Do you lack Motivation?
Don't let the stress and the hustle of the holidays get you down. We
often get side tracked this time of year and ignore our need to
exercise, we just lose the motivation to push through this time of year!
Here is a great article on getting back on track and rekindle that fire within you!!!
Even the most motivated of us — you, me, Tony Robbins — can feel unmotivated at times. In fact, sometimes we get into such a slump that even thinking about making positive changes seems too difficult.
But it’s not hopeless: with some small steps, baby ones in fact, you can get started down the road to positive change.
Yes, I know, it seems impossible at times. You don’t feel like doing
anything. I’ve been there, and in fact I still feel that way from time
to time. You’re not alone. But I’ve learned a few ways to break out of a
slump, and we’ll take a look at those today.
This post was inspired by reader Roy C. Carlson, who asked:
“I was wondering if you could do a piece on why it can be hard for
someone to change direction and start taking control of their life. I
have to say I’m in this boat and advice on getting out of my slump would
be great.”
Roy is just one of many with a slump like that.
Again, I feel that way sometimes myself, and in fact sometimes I
struggle to motivate myself to exercise — and I’ll use that as an
example of how to break out of the slump.
When I fall out of
exercise, due to illness or injury or disruption from things going on in
my life, it’s hard to get started again. I don’t even feel like
thinking about it, sometimes. But I’ve always found a way to break out
of that slump, and here are some things I’ve learned that have helped:
1. One Goal. Whenever I’ve been in a slump, I’ve discovered that it’s
often because I have too much going on in my life. I’m trying to do too
much. And it saps my energy and motivation. It’s probably the most
common mistake that people make: they try to take on too much, try to
accomplish too many goals at once. You cannot maintain energy and focus
(the two most important things in accomplishing a goal) if you are
trying to do two or more goals at once. It’s not possible — I’ve tried
it many times. You have to choose one goal, for now, and focus on it
completely. I know, that’s hard. Still, I speak from experience. You can
always do your other goals when you’ve accomplished your One Goal.
2. Find inspiration. Inspiration, for me, comes from others who have
achieved what I want to achieve, or who are currently doing it. I read
other blogs, books, magazines. I Google my goal, and read success
stories. Zen Habits is just one place for inspiration, not only from me
but from many readers who have achieved amazing things.
3. Get
excited. This sounds obvious, but most people don’t think about it much:
if you want to break out of a slump, get yourself excited about a goal.
But how can you do that when you don’t feel motivated? Well, it starts
with inspiration from others (see above), but you have to take that
excitement and build on it. For me, I’ve learned that by talking to my
wife about it, and to others, and reading as much about it as possible,
and visualizing what it would be like to be successful (seeing the
benefits of the goal in my head), I get excited about a goal. Once I’ve
done that, it’s just a matter of carrying that energy forward and
keeping it going.
4. Build anticipation. This will sound hard,
and many people will skip this tip. But it really works. It helped me
quit smoking after many failed attempts. If you find inspiration and
want to do a goal, don’t start right away. Many of us will get excited
and want to start today. That’s a mistake. Set a date in the future — a
week or two, or even a month — and make that your Start Date. Mark it on
the calendar. Get excited about that date. Make it the most important
date in your life. In the meantime, start writing out a plan. And do
some of the steps below. Because by delaying your start, you are
building anticipation, and increasing your focus and energy for your
goal.
5. Post your goal. Print out your goal in big words. Make
your goal just a few words long, like a mantra (“Exercise 15 mins.
Daily”), and post it up on your wall or refrigerator. Post it at home
and work. Put it on your computer desktop. You want to have big
reminders about your goal, to keep your focus and keep your excitement
going. A picture of your goal (like a model with sexy abs, for example)
also helps.
6. Commit publicly. None of us likes to look bad in
front of others. We will go the extra mile to do something we’ve said
publicly. For example, when I wanted to run my first marathon, I started
writing a column about it in my local daily newspaper. The entire
island of Guam (pop. 160K) knew about my goal. I couldn’t back down, and
even though my motivation came and went, I stuck with it and completed
it. Now, you don’t have to commit to your goal in your daily newspaper,
but you can do it with friends and family and co-workers, and you can do
it on your blog if you have one. And hold yourself accountable — don’t
just commit once, but commit to giving progress updates to everyone
every week or so.
7. Think about it daily. If you think about
your goal every day, it is much more likely to become true. To this end,
posting the goal on your wall or computer desktop (as mentioned above)
helps a lot. Sending yourself daily reminders also helps. And if you can
commit to doing one small thing to further your goal (even just 5
minutes) every single day, your goal will almost certainly come true.
8. Get support. It’s hard to accomplish something alone. When I decided
to run my marathon, I had the help of friends and family, and I had a
great running community on Guam who encouraged me at 5K races and did
long runs with me. When I decided to quit smoking, I joined an online
forum and that helped tremendously. And of course, my wife Eva helped
every step of the way. I couldn’t have done these goals without her, or
without the others who supported me. Find your support network, either
in the real world or online, or both.
9. Realize that there’s
an ebb and flow. Motivation is not a constant thing that is always there
for you. It comes and goes, and comes and goes again, like the tide.
But realize that while it may go away, it doesn’t do so permanently. It
will come back. Just stick it out and wait for that motivation to come
back. In the meantime, read about your goal (see below), ask for help
(see below), and do some of the other things listed here until your
motivation comes back.
10. Stick with it. Whatever you do,
don’t give up. Even if you aren’t feeling any motivation today, or this
week, don’t give up. Again, that motivation will come back. Think of
your goal as a long journey, and your slump is just a little bump in the
road. You can’t give up with every little bump. Stay with it for the
long term, ride out the ebbs and surf on the flows, and you’ll get
there.
11. Start small. Really small. If you are having a hard
time getting started, it may be because you’re thinking too big. If you
want to exercise, for example, you may be thinking that you have to do
these intense workouts 5 days a week. No — instead, do small, tiny, baby
steps. Just do 2 minutes of exercise. I know, that sounds wimpy. But it
works. Commit to 2 minutes of exercise for one week. You may want to do
more, but just stick to 2 minutes. It’s so easy, you can’t fail. Do it
at the same time, every day. Just some crunches, 2 pushups, and some
jogging in place. Once you’ve done 2 minutes a day for a week, increase
it to 5, and stick with that for a week. In a month, you’ll be doing
15-20. Want to wake up early? Don’t think about waking at 5 a.m.
Instead, think about waking 10 minutes earlier for a week. That’s all.
Once you’ve done that, wake 10 minutes earlier than that. Baby steps.
12. Build on small successes. Again, if you start small for a week,
you’re going to be successful. You can’t fail if you start with
something ridiculously easy. Who can’t exercise for 2 minutes? (If
that’s you, I apologize.) And you’ll feel successful, and good about
yourself. Take that successful feeling and build on it, with another
baby step. Add 2-3 minutes to your exercise routine, for example. With
each step (and each step should last about a week), you will feel even
more successful. Make each step really, really small, and you won’t
fail. After a couple of months, your tiny steps will add up to a lot of
progress and a lot of success.
13. Read about it daily. When I
lose motivation, I just read a book or blog about my goal. It inspires
me and reinvigorates me. For some reason, reading helps motivate and
focus you on whatever you’re reading about. So read about your goal
every day, if you can, especially when you’re not feeling motivated.
14. Call for help when your motivation ebbs. Having trouble? Ask for
help. Email me. Join an online forum. Get a partner to join you. Call
your mom. It doesn’t matter who, just tell them your problems, and
talking about it will help. Ask them for advice. Ask them to help you
overcome your slump. It works.
15. Think about the benefits,
not the difficulties. One common problem is that we think about how hard
something is. Exercise sounds so hard! Just thinking about it makes you
tired. But instead of thinking about how hard something is, think about
what you will get out of it. For example, instead of thinking about how
tiring exercise can be, focus on how good you’ll feel when you’re done,
and how you’ll be healthier and slimmer over the long run. The benefits
of something will help energize you.
16. Squash negative
thoughts; replace them with positive ones. Along those lines, it’s
important to start monitoring your thoughts. Recognize negative
self-talk, which is really what’s causing your slump. Just spend a few
days becoming aware of every negative thought. Then, after a few days,
try squashing those negative thoughts like a bug, and then replacing
them with a corresponding positive thought. Squash, “This is too hard!”
and replace it with, “I can do this! If that wimp Leo can do it, so can
I!” It sounds corny, but it works. Really.
My personal thoughts.....
The energy you put out, is exactly the energy the universe will give
back to you. Please remember to think positive always focus on the
solution, not the problem. Avoid negative people, they will bring your
energy down, surround yourself with like minded people and feed off of
each other. I wish you are much happiness and success!
Eat your way to a Leaner Body
Exercise is important when you want to look great in or out of cloths.
However if you don't eat right all the exercise in the world can save
you from eating junk foods and sugar. Here are some simple steps that
will get you eating for a leaner body!
Fish is an excellent source of protein that should be consumed regularly. Varying in fat content, some types of fish are
high in healthy fats while others are low in fat altogether. Unlike
other tissue proteins, though, fatty fish provide a host of benefits to
you.
Salmon and sardines, for example, are excellent sources of
omega-3 fatty acids, which support the immune system and assist with
muscle recovery and growth, in addition to many other benefits. Fish
that are lower in fat, such as tuna, also make an excellent source of
protein. Everyone, regardless of their phase of diet or training goals,
should strive to take in eight ounces of fatty fish at least 2-3 times a
week.
Vegetables are one of the most overlooked components of
our nutrition. Many of us are rigorous about our protein and complex
carbohydrate consumption, but lax about eating a sufficient quantity and
variety of vegetables. Everyone should strive to take in five or six
servings every day.
To meet your needs, include more than one
serving at a meal. Not only do vegetables provide nutrients that other
foods may lack, but they also provide bulk and fiber, helping your body
more efficiently process a high-protein diet.
A very important supplement, L-Glutamine
Known for its immunity-enhancing properties, L-Glutamine is not only
one of the most prevalent aminos in the body, but also one of the most
important for protein absorption. If you're overly stressed from dieting
or training, supplementing with L-Glutamine allows your body to
maintain its storage supply of L-Glutamine in muscle tissue, enhancing
overall muscular growth and recovery. Take 10-40 g of L-Glutamine a day.
The digestion system can not absorb protein without having L-Glutamine
present in the gut. So make sure you keep your levels high all day long!
Anti-oxidants are crucial too
Take a mix of antioxidants; a good cocktail has an anti-catabolic
effect by quenching free radicals formed during and after intense
exercise. In your antioxidant regimen include 400-800 international
units (IU) of vitamin E, 500-1,000 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C, 200
micrograms of selenium (from selenium yeast). Get the rest from five or
six servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
Get your minerals in or you won't get the results you desire!
Take extra calcium and magnesium. If you look at the label of any
once-daily multivitamin, you'll notice a "mineral gap"—a place where
certain minerals should be listed. Even if they're included, most multis
contain only a small percentage of the Daily Value (% DV) of calcium,
magnesium and potassium.
Calcium is important for fat-burning
metabolism, magnesium for training performance and potassium for muscle
cell volume. A once-daily multivitamin simply doesn't cut it. Correct
the situation by taking 1,000 mg per day of supplement-source calcium
(or two to three cups of fat-free dairy products), 450 mg of magnesium,
and five or six servings of fruits and vegetables per day (for potassium
as well as other micronutrients).
