I wrote a similar version of this several years ago for a fitness newsletter. It still seems appropriate.

Have you noticed that New Year’s Eve makes liars out of many normal, honest, upstanding citizens?

Close to the end of the year, you’ll catch them say things like,

“This year will be different” or “I’m going to do better this year.”

Perhaps I’m talking about you.

The clock strikes 12:00 am and for a brief moment you believe it will be different; this will be your year!

Maybe it’s the champagne?

January 1st rolls around and you start thinking,

“I don’t need to start right now.”

Besides, you might have a hangover from the celebrating you did the night before. By January 2nd the New Year bells are silent, and now those big plans are starting to fade.

Reality sets in and you start saying things to yourself like,

“Those were silly thoughts. I can’t do that.” At this point, you begin making changes to your goals. Some you might scratch completely.

Others you modify to make them fall within your comfort zone. Next you experience procrastination. It’s the first of the year, and you convince yourself you don’t have to start right away. You’ll get comfortable with the beginning of the year and get settled, and then you’ll start on your goals.

Does all of this sound familiar?

Why do you think it will be different this year?

It’s starting out just like the last one. And if you don’t do something fast, you’ll end up at the end of 2010 feeling just like you do right now.

In order for your life to change, you have to change.

The bigger the changes, the bigger the commitment, and the bigger the commitment the bigger the results!

There’s no quick and magical way to get out of life what you want unless you have a plan to get it.

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, he will achieve.”

Napoleon Hill

There is absolutely no thought or idea that you have that cannot come true.

We are born with the ability to think and create anything. From airplanes and space ships to electricity and automobiles, there isn’t anything in our life that wasn’t first created in someone’s imagination first.

2010 - The starting line... GO!

Starting today, make the effort to set, track and achieve the goals you have for this year and your life!

You’re going to live out this year just like 2009, this time why not be, do and have more!

“When you develop yourself to the point where your belief in yourself is so strong that you know that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to, your future will be unlimited.”

Brian Tracy

Posted under Motivational

ATTENTION – this is a disclaimer before you read today’s post. I’m taking off the gloves on this one.
For those of you who know me, this isn’t going to be shocking. But, for you new to my blog, my philosophy on training and how we do things, you’re either going to be pleasantly surprised by my “no holds barred” approach to fitness and weight loss or you’ll unsubscribe to protect your bed wetting and cry baby ways.

So, if you’re really ready, read on…

A new report, “F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America 2009”  just released that there are 4 states in the U.S. that have reached an obesity level of 30%.

For the last five years, Mississippi has won the “Fattest State in the Union” award. (That’s not a real award. I thought it was appropriate.)

Mississippi has the highest rate of adult obesity at 32.5 percent. Now added to the “Plus Size” category is Alabama (31.2 percent), West Virginia (31.1 percent) and Tennessee (30.2 percent)

Two thirds of the adult population, in the U.S., is considered obese or overweight!

This is freakin’ ridiculous!

When are people going to get it?

If you keep shoving Twinkies, doughnuts, sodas and other fast food items into your chubby little mouths, you’re going to get fatter!

It’s similar to the saying, “the rich get richer and the poor stay poor.” If you keep doing certain things in a certain way, you will continue to see the same result. Whether it’s good or bad, the end result is what you’ve been putting in.

We see these statistics and think “WOW” that’s scary, but we do nothing about it.

What’s it going to take to get people to turn off the television, off the couch and to start moving?

The first step is action! And I don’t mean the actions people have been taking up to this point.

I mean get out and start moving.

Even if it’s only walking in the evenings, riding a bike to work or taking the stairs, this is better than nothing.

This will increase blood flow, oxygen will be pumped throughout the body more efficiently and will also burn some extra calories.

You will need additional exercise and a structure workout routine to achieve an overall goal of weight loss and see real change, but to start the ball rolling, moving around more will be a great start.

The second step is nutrition.

We have to stay away from fast foods and start cooking meals at home again.

Yes, I said again.

Unless you’re one of these new parents, from the XYZ generation (or whatever they call it now) that have only fed yourself fast food and now feeding your children the same crap, you had to have had some home cooked meals growing up.

If you can’t cook, learn. There are so many easy recipe books out there, including Trinity’s Fit Eats! And Fit Eats! 2 cook book series.

You can find these cook books at Fit Eats! and Fit Eats! 2

This is only the beginning, but it’s a great start!

Get moving TODAY,

Start eating better TODAY,

And you will see significant changes in the way you feel and the way you look!

Guaranteed!

If you’re interested in a structured program that can assist you with a fast and easy jump start to your fitness and nutrition routine, Trinity’s Take 21 – 21 Day Transformation program is where you should start.

Check it out at Take 21.

Posted under Fitness Routines, Programs and Courses, nutrition

AJC article pic.

Last night was the first of our 5 week self-defense program. I’m really excited about this group. Everyone is extremely into the course and has a specific purpose for being here.

We usually don’t have an AYP? course this close to summer. With vacations and summertime fun, many people can’t find the “commitment level” necessary to complete the entire program.

I felt it was necessary to have another course, due to the overwhelming increase in crime in the Atlanta area.

Although this group is smaller than our normal class, they will definitely get their share of hands on training with the instructors.

I’ll keep you posted on their progress throughout the next 5 weeks.

Posted under Are You Prepared?, Programs and Courses

“I never set out to beat the world. I just set out to do my absolute best.”

Al Oerter, Winner of four Olympic gold medals in the discus

Al Oerter 1971

The Olympic Games are a perfect representation of what many people go through everyday in life.

Just as we have struggles and fears in our everyday lives, people also show their struggles and fears in the Olympic Games, but they do it in front of the entire world to see.

What we also see, though, is how these athletes are able to achieve a break through and then success. We can learn from watching this process.

If we continue to focus on our fears and don’t continuously work on overcoming them, we will never see success.

We can all be champions!

Everyone has a dream, a goal, or an ambition.

What are you waiting for?

Start now.

Start where you are and go get out of life what you desire in your heart.

Believe in yourself.

You can do it.

It may not be easy, but who wants to settle for mediocrity?

Olympic Gold Medal Winners, Misty May and Kerri Walsh

Posted under Motivational

Kris, Wins American Idol!

This is what I’ve heard several times this morning. It was plastered on the televisions at one of the corporate classes I taught too.

Some people had such huge smiles on their faces. You would have thought they won the lottery, landed a promotion or happy to see me teaching class.

But, none of this was what caused such happiness in these people’s lives. It was, Kris on American Idol that caused such feelings of great joy.

SO, what does this mean for you and me?

NOTHING!

Absolutely, positively nothing!

Yes, it’s great that Kris (I only know his name because everyone keeps saying he won) won American Idol.

He had a goal, set his mind up to win, took the necessary “action steps” to see it to completion and WON!

But just think, while you sat on the couch in front of the television night after night waiting, watching and maybe even calling in a few votes for the show, your life, your goals, were pushed aside so you could watch someone else accomplish theirs.

If you took half the enthusiasm I witnessed this morning and applied it to your life goals, just imagine how much farther you’d be.

It’s great to see others succeed. If you can show gratitude towards them for their accomplishments, you will be in the right mindset to achieve/receive yours.

But, remember, you have to take action!

Finish Strong!

Posted under Media

Brittany Spears, Kirstie Alley and even Oprah Winfrey have been an inspiration and motivation for women to get in shape. But the disappointment is that even these high profile celebrities can’t get it right when it comes to nutrition and exercise and that’s a disappointment.

Each one of these women have shared their secret to successful weight loss tips and shown off their super attractive looks, only to show us months later that in reality they really didn’t have a secret formula and have gained back all the weight they started with and a little more!

We are in such desperation to look like supermodels we’ll follow anyone out there to get this mysterious body that seems to always be far off in the distance.

Once we try these diet and exercise plans referred to by these beautiful people and fail, we blame them, the program, the food, the media everyone.

Is it these celebrities’ faults that they let you done or is the person to blame looking back at you in the mirror?

When their contract is over for pushing or let’s call it what it really is and say “pimping” these products and potions they’re no more accountable for their actions than you and I on a regular bases.

Which seems to have happened to Kirstie after her Jenny Craig contract expired.

So let me ask you a couple questions…

Would you take your car in to be repaired by the local dog catcher?

Would you ask your broke, out of work neighbor for financial advice?

What about trusting your next hair cut to a chef?

I hope the answer is no to all of these, right?

Well, then why trust “movie stars” for exercise and nutrition advice?

We see them for an hour on a sit com or 2 hours during a movie and think, “wow, they’re in great shape. I want to look like them.” But, in actuality, they know nothing about exercise, nothing about nutrition and do really dangerous stuff to get their bodies to look “perfect” for camera.

They hire trainers, full time chefs and workout several times per day if necessary to get a role in a film.

WAKE UP, PEOPLE!

This is the real world we live in.

If you want exercise and nutrition advice you seek out a fitness professional with a proven track record and system for success!

If you are looking for sound nutrition information sign up for Trinity’s 3 Week Nutrition Boot Camp. If you want to see in the mirror the image you can only find in your mind right now, this is the place to start!

Posted under Fitness Routines, Programs and Courses

The key to optimum fitness is diversity. Cardio, weight training, and timed drills are part of the variety of exercises I recommend to my personal-training clients; kickboxing, self-defense and boot-camp class members; and the fighters on the tae kwon do team my company, Professional Training Systems, sponsors. Focusing on only one activity can lead to too much attention to one skill set or muscle group. Mixing it up ensures that you’re working to your body’s maximum potential, and reduces the chance of injury because you’re not always stressing the same areas. Diversifying your workouts has an added benefit: you’re more likely to keep to a fitness plan that’s not always the same. Sameness can get boring, and when you’re bored, it’s easy to make excuses not to work out. So mix it up to stay fit, stay focused, and stay on target for your fitness goals.

If you need assistance with variety in your workout routine, check out our TAKE 21 program at www.trinitybody.com/take21

Posted under Fitness Routines