In Honor of Memorial Day

Whew, well I blew it!  I thought I had another week until Memorial Day!  Sorry folks, I was really hoping to get some recipes to you.  I will give you another shrimp "just because", it's an easy one and I happened to see it in Bon Appetite!

Buttered Shrimp

Whip 2 T butter with 6 T Sriracha (hot sauce) and melt in skillet.  Saute 3 cloves minced garlic in it and toss in 1lb. head on shrimp.  Just before done, add 1T lemon zest and 2T each minced fresh mint and basil and let them wilt.  Serve as appetizer or piled on steamed artichoke.

Now that's a quickie!

In honor of this Memorial Day, I will give you a true military work out, awesome right?!

THE WORKOUT

Interval — Five “I’m a Star”s (burst into the air with legs jacked out and arms reaching to the sky, like a star)  immediately followed by five pushups. Back up to your feet to repeat.  There is no rest between I’m A Star and pushups. Perform a total of 20 repetitions for each.
Running in Place — 2 minutes
Wide hand position push ups with feet elevated— Get in push up position but place your feet on a chair directly behind you. Place your hands approximately 2 inches wider than shoulder width and perform 12 push ups. If you can’t do these then perform modified push ups with your knees on the floor.
Toe Touch — Touch opposite toe to fingertip place raising your legs as high as you can. Perform 15 reps each side.
High Jumps – Stand with your feet together and keep your knees slightly bent. Jump as far out as you can.  Perform 20 total reps
Lunges — Stand straight with your feet together. Place your hands behind your head. Step forward with the right leg and lower the left leg until the knee almost touches the floor. Contracting the quadriceps muscles, push off your right foot slowly returning to the starting position. Alternate the motion with the left leg to complete the set. Do not let your front knee come past your toes and make sure your head is up and your back is straight. Perform 15 reps on each side.
100's — Sit on the floor with legs in front of you slightly bent. Lean back and elevate your feet. Keeping your back straight, flex you arms, palms down. Quickly flutter for hand up and down in a controlled motion. Keep your abdominals contracted counting to 100. Repeat for a 2nd set.
Flutter Kicks -- Lie on your back with your hands under your hips and chin tucked down on your chest. Raise your legs 6 inches off the floor and then alternately move them up and down in short flutter motions (make sure your legs are fully extended). Perform the exercise for 45 seconds.
Plank - Get in a push up position.  Rock forward on your toes, your face should be slightly in front of your fingertips.  Hold position for one minute.
Lateral Jack — From plank position, jack your feet as you would standing, in and out.  This is a slow and controlled motion for 60 seconds.
Running in Place – 3 minutes

WELL WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GO!!!!!!

Holiday Help

I am so proud of my campers!  I have had several campers continue to come to Boot Camp even in the face of injury, life transitions and aging aches and pains.  Doing fitness together is a great encouragement and whatever the obstacle, we plough through as a TEAM!  And we like to buy shoes together too, lol.  We have great fun and always a great source of joy in my life.

The Patriot Games Mud Run is quickly approaching and several campers have signed up.  I am still doing free camps in Denton every Saturday and I encourage anyone participating to get focused, as there are 18 obstacles along with lots of mud and running!  Make sure that if there are any areas that need tightening up, put them in priority for race day!

How 'bout American Idol folks!  Yup, I am a fan, and while some performances were not really my, uh, cup of tea, I got me some Tim McGraw and now I can die happy!  Steven Tyler rocked the house in every classic way, so it was a good night over all, just had to get my shout out for the fans!

Another weekend is here, the days go by fast and Memorial Day is soon encroaching.  Any big plans?  Will it be a splurge day?  One of the best ways to keep it light is to bring a few of you own healthy favorites.  Chances are someone else will like it too.  Right now I am thinking shrimp.  I know, many others are thinking buttermilk fried chicken and homemade ice cream.  But I saw a recipe that got my attention and cold shrimp is a great picnic day food!

This recipe comes from Best of the Best Cookbook Recipes, compiled by FOOD & WINE magazine.

Florida Coast Pickled Shrimp

Serves 6-8

This would look great served in individual glass wide mouth mason jars!

One 3 oz. bag of crab boil spices (such as Zatarain's)

4 tsp. kosher salt

2 lemons quartered

2 lbs. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2C vegetable oil

1 C red wine vinegar

1/2 C fresh lime juice

2 T Creole mustard

2 tsp. black peppercorns

2 tsp. fennel seeds

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

4 bay leaves

2 large sweet onions (vidalia), thinly sliced

2 large carrots, thinly sliced

2 lemons, thinly sliced

Combine crab boil, 2 t. salt,  lemon and 8 C water.  Bring to a boil and boil 5 minutes.  Add shrimp and cook until pink, about 3 minutes.  Drain and discard all but shrimp.

In a small saucepan whisk oil, vinegar, remaining spices, 2 remaining tsp. of salt and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer for 2 minutes.  Take off heat and add carrots and onion and let cool completely.

Place shrimp in non reactive bowl (non metal) or large ziplock bag, cover with marinade and lemon slices and mix well.  Refrigerate 8 hours, shaking the bag every 4 hours.  Can marinate up to 2 days.

When serving, take out shrimp and goodies with slotted spoon, reserving only enough juice to keep moist.  

I will post a few more recipes next week to help keep it light but tasty.  STAY FOCUSED on ONE THING.  It hasn't been 6 weeks yet!  If you have gotten off track, get back on.  I will post some fitness "rituals" next week to help cut down on cheats and excuses.

Give your body the best!

RACE TO THE FINISH

Are you having a hard time focusing on ONE THING?  Sometimes it can be hard to stay focused because there are other things that we are not satisfied with and the desire to attack everything at once in hopes of "getting it together" can be strong.  When cleaning the house, I can know that the whole place needs a good  scrub.  But if one room at a time is tackled and I can't get to the rest, there is at least one room that I can go too and have peace!  But if I race around, a little here, a little there, and run out of time, it still seems as though nothing got done.

Establishing one good habit can be a safe place when everything else doesn't seem to be working.  Don't let yourself be talked out of what you accomplish!  Many times we can forget what we worked for in the strive to perfect everything.  Don't race to the finish only to find it was a relay.

Often times, the first choice flushes out a larger source.  Let's take a look at that.  There is a boot camper who recently quit smoking after months of coming to boot camp.  Logically, smoking would have been a   clear first choice before endeavoring a rigorous exercise program.  But not if you're a smoker!  It is a huge emotional blind spot.  Thankfully, the exercise program is down, the support has been established, one day at a time, a larger obstacle can be tackled.

The challenge set forth in the Body Cycle is getting 80% raw food into your diet, 10% protein, 10% carbohydrate.   That in itself will unveil some things!  Whether you subscribe to this plan or not, it will definitely challenge your ability to get raw food into your diet.  Once that is established, making other choices will let you know what is and isn't beneficial for YOU.

If there has been any "Aha's", give me a shout.  Or I can just keep shootin' in the dark here! lol  I hope I am hitting on some nerves here.  I could certainly just give you more diet and exercise tips, there is an abundance of those.  But I would love to see a whole person transformation for long term success.  Don't worry, you'll still see plenty of food and fitness here!!

Getting Physical

Let’s get down to brass tacks, focusing on some exercises that will get your at home routine kickin’.  If you have joint issues, these will be great as they simulate a cable workout, which is all muscles and sweet to the joints.  We use many of these exercises at Boot Camp. Many of these exercises will work multiple muscle groups, making it a very efficient workout!

Performance: 30 seconds to a minute per exercise OR 20 per side for split exercises, 20-30 reps per singular exercise / Break up muscle groups to give 2-3 days of workout 

Equipment: Resistance Bands, optional stability ball
Chest
Cross-over
Secure your band around a stationary object like a post.  Stand facing away from post with arms raised to sides, palms forward. Step forward until you feel resistance.  Keeping your arms straight, bring them across your chest.

Alternating Chest Press
Secure band around a stationary object like a post.  Stand facing away from post, feet shoulder width apart in a staggered stance (do not lean forward).  Using a boxing motion, pump arms forward, one at a time.

Upper Back

Row

Fix band around a stationary post (or feet). Stand back so tension begins with arms raised in front of you. Keeping feet planted (or sitting), pull back as you would with a cable row.

Row with Lunge

Fix band around a stationary post.  Face the post, stepping back for resistance.  Lunge forward, when you come up squeeze shoulder blades together as you row back.

Back Flyes

Fix band around a stationary post. Stand back so tension begins with arms raised in front of you. Keeping your arms straight and feet planted, move your arms back so they are extended to your sides.

Lower Back

Good-Mornings

Stand on band so tension starts with hands clasped behind neck. Keeping legs straight or slightly bent, stand up straight, raising back as in a normal good-morning.

Shoulders

Shoulder Press

Stand on band so that tension starts with hands by your shoulders. Hold handles palms forward with bottom part of handle on backside of your hand. Press upward as you would a dumbbell press.

Lateral Raises

Stand on band so tension begins with arms at sides. Keeping your arms straight, raise you arms out to your sides so they are parallel with the floor.

Upright Rows

Stand on band so tension begins with arms at sides. Pull upwards as you would with a barbell upright row.

Biceps
Curls
Stand on band middle of the band with feet leg width apart so you feel tension with your arms straight down. Holding handles palms up, curl as you would dumbbells.

Triceps
Triceps Extensions
Stand on band with leg width set so tension begins at height of your hand with arms behind your back (over your head) and elbows flexed. Extend your arms as you would with Triceps extensions.

Quads
Squats
Stand on bands so tension begins with hands by shoulders and in a squatted position. Stand up keeping hands by shoulders, performing as you would a barbell squat. For added exercise, when you stand, reach your hands to the sky.

Calves
Calf Raises
Stand on band so tension begins with hands by shoulders and standing straight up. (Make sure you are standing on the band with your toes). Keeping hands by your shoulder, stand up on your toes as you would with a barbell calf raise.

Core
Weighted Sit-ups
Fix the band around a stationary post and lie on the floor facing away from the post. Holding you hands by your head, perform sit-ups or crunches.  You can also do this laying on a stability ball.

Lateral Lunge with Diagonal Chop
Fix the band around a stationary post.  Slip one end of the grip through the other and pull through so you are only using one end of the band.  Stand with the post facing one side. Hold the band with both hands, arms straight.  Lunge to the side away from the post bringing the band down and across to opposite knee.  Be sure to keep you arms straight.

4 GREAT CORE EXERCISES TO HELP FLATTEN YOUR ABS

4 Great Core Exercises To Help Flatten Your Abs

Everyone wants flatter abs, and a lot of people try to “spot reduce” by doing ab exercises to try to get them. The problem is, you aren’t going to lose fat from your midsection by doing 1,000 crunches. It’s just not going to happen.
What I like to do instead is Core Exercises. You see, you need to achieve overall fat loss before you will see the results you want around your abs. In order to do this, you need more complete workouts. By doing core exercises, you will find that you are working more than just your abs, which are very small muscles compared to most others in your body. By working larger muscles, and muscle groups, you are far more likely to see the fat loss results you are aiming for.

7 Reasons Core Exercises are good for your personal training routine:

1. Core exercises improve your balance and stability
2. Core exercises don’t require specialized bulky equipment
3. Core exercises can help tone your abs
4. Stronger core muscles make it easier to do almost all other physical activities
5. Core exercises can be done at your own pace
6. Core exercises can be done from the comfort of your own home
7. Core exercises can help you reach plenty of your other fitness goals

Now it’s time for the workout. Perform the following as a giant set. A giant set means you go from one exercise to the next with no rest between exercises. After the last exercise (double crunch), rest 1-2 minutes and repeat. Perform 3 total giant sets for as many reps as possible on each exercise.
Breathe freely and deeply during each exercise. Focus on tightening your deepest abdominal muscle — the transversus abdominis — during each exercise. This is the muscle you feel contracting when you cough.

Click on the exercise name to see a video demonstration of the exercise.


FITBALL CRUNCH
Start – From a seated position on the ball, walk your feet out until the ball is fully supporting your mid to lower back region. Cross your arms over your chest or place your finger tips lightly on the sides of your head.
Movement – Contracting the abdominals, raise your upper body about half way up until you feel a full contraction. Slowly return to the starting position.
Key points – Exhale while raising your body. Inhale while returning to the starting position. Be sure to keep your head and neck relaxed.
Caution – The ball should not roll forward and back – it should remain stationary. For added support spread your feet wide the first time you try the exercise.

REVERSE AB CURL
This exercise is for the lower abdominal region and is very challenging.
Place all your focus on the lower abdominal area contracting. It may be difficult to initially concentrate on the area, but once you master the movement with the correct mental concentration, you’ll really feel the area being worked
Start - Begin on your back on a mat with your back relaxed and your hands on the floor by your hips. Raise your legs into the air and focus on keeping your upper back pressed into the floor throughout the exercise.
Movement – Contracting your abs, raise your butt and gently roll your hips off the floor, stopping when you feel a full contraction of your abdominals and can no longer lift your hips. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.
Key points – Exhale while lifting your hips. Inhale while returning to the starting position.
Caution – Do not swing your legs.

BICYCLE MANEUVER
Research consistently rates the Bicycle Maneuver as one of the most effective abdominal exercises.
Start – Lie on your back on a mat keeping your lower back in a comfortable position. Place your finger tips lightly on the sides of your head and lift your knees up to about a 45 degree angle.
Movement - Slowly go through a bicycle pedaling motion alternating your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee.
Key points – Your legs and shoulders should remain elevated from the floor during this exercise and the lower to the ground that your legs bicycle the harder your abs have to work.
Caution – Do not pull on your head and neck during this exercise. Do not perform this activity if it puts any strain on your lower back.

DOUBLE CRUNCH
I like the double crunch exercise because if performed correctly, you can isolate the lower and upper region of the abdominals. Please note, contrary to popular belief, we do not have separate upper and lower abs.
Start – Lie on the floor face up. Bend your knees until your legs are at a 45 degree angle with both feet on the floor. Your back should be comfortably relaxed on the floor. Place your finger tips lightly on the sides of your head or have your hands crossed over your chest.
Movement - Contracting your abdominals, raise your head and legs off the floor toward one another. Slowly return to the starting position stopping just short of your shoulders and feet touching the floor.
Key points – Exhale while rising up. Inhale while returning to the starting position.
Caution – Keep your eyes on the ceiling to avoid pulling with your neck. Your hands should not be used to lift the head or assist in the movement.

FOOD PARADE

The rain is coming in and no running the hills this morning like I had hoped.  So I am going to focus on some more healthy fuel - FOOD!  If you are following the Fit For Life Body Cycle Challenge, and it IS a challenge at first, I am going to put some more recipes in RESOURCES, so look for them.

Have you ever heard of the children's book "If You Give a Cat A Cupcake?"?  Well, that cat gets off track, but eventually everything leads back to the cupcake.  Let's try to have a weekend that leads back on track if some stumbling has been going on, just not back to a cupcake! lol

With Memorial Day coming, think how you can incorporate some of these recipes onto your picnic table.  I will keep them coming!

FOODS TO REFRESH THE PALETTE!

If food is your ONE THING, I hope that I can dispel any grief that food will now be tasteless and boring.  I shared an easy recipe today with boot campers that is cheaper than the $4 veggie chips at Wal-Mart!  If you are into salty, here's a guiltless indulgence, and I will add a Body Cycle approved dip to match!

WARNING!!! May be addictive!

KALE CHIPS
1 bunch of kale
T olive oil
t sea salt

Preheat oven to 300.  Cut leaves from their thick stems and tear into bite size pieces.  Wash and dry leaves.  A salad spinner works great.  Drizzle with olive oil and salt and mix.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, make sure leaves don't touch and bake until brown on edges, start checking after 10 minutes, may take up to 30 minutes.

WHITE BEAN HUMMUS
1 (15 oz.) can of Great Northern Beans, drain and reserve juice
1-3 cloves of garlic (2 or more will be very garlicky)
T olive oil
1T lemon juice
1/2 t. sea salt

Place drained beans in blender.  Add garlic to taste, olive oil, lemon juice and salt.  Start to blend.  Use the reserved bean juice a little at a time to thin out.  Place in bowl and garnish with paprika and chopped parsley if desired.  If you want to add flavor, try cumin or roasted red pepper when blending.  Make it your own!

BON APPETITE!

BODY CYCLE FITNESS CHALLENGE REVEALED

Several weeks ago I posted a CHALLENGE on Facebook.  There have been some questions so I want to post the abridged version here with some added information that will hopefully help anyone wanting to do this, be able to do so with confidence.  The premise of this lifestyle is foods in combination, so the guidelines will be how to combine foods for maximum health.



All information obtained here is out of the book: FIT FOR LIFE, written by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond.  I recommend getting a copy for detailed information, especially if you have specific ailments such as reflux, hypoglycemia, auto-immune disease or arthritis.  The Diamonds have several titles on Amazon.



I have put a FFL Recipe section in Resources to help you begin this journey!



Benefits:

• More energy
• Overall wellness
• Lose weight
• Keep that weight off

There are three cycles to adhere to for full benefit of this lifestyle. These cycles are based on the daily functions of the body.



ELIMINATION: We get rid of what we don’t use
APPROPRIATION: We take in food
ASSIMILATION: We absorb and use some of that food  



ELIMINATION CYCLE: 4am – NOON FRUIT OR FRUIT JUICE IS TO BE THE ONLY FOODS CONSUMED IF YOU CONSUME ANYTHING AT ALL DURING THIS TIME.  HAVING ONLY FRUIT AND FRUIT JUICE EXCLUSIVELY BEFORE NOON IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACET OF THIS SYSTEM!



DRIED FRUIT: These are extremely concentrated and should be eaten in small quantities.



VEGETABLE FRUITS: These are frequently regarded as vegetables but are actually classified botanically as fruits, because they contain seeds.  They can be eaten as either a fruit (from 8-12) or vegetable (between 12-8, with either a carbohydrate or protein): Avocado, Cucumber, Peppers, Tomatoes


Fruit is the highest water content of any food. All fruit is 80% to 90% cleansing, life-giving water!! By it’s nature fruit affords the body the opportunity to cleanse built-up residue from the system.


HOW LONG TO WAIT AFTER EATING OTHER FOOD BEFORE YOU CAN AGAIN EAT FRUIT?
Salad or raw vegetables: Wait 2 hours before eating fruit again
Properly combined meal, without flesh (carbs & vegs): Wait 3 hours before eating fruit again
Properly combined meal, with flesh (meat): Wait 4 hours before eating fruit again
Any improperly combined meal: Wait 8 hours before eating fruit again.



APPROPRIATION: NOON-8PM AFTER 12:00 WE ENTER THE DAILY EATING PERIOD. THERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT RULES TO OBSERVE HERE. REMEMBER THAT DIGESTION TAKES MORE ENERGY THAN ANYTHING ELSE YOU DO. YOU WANT TO EAT A MEAL THAT WILL NOT DEPLETE YOUR ENERGY SUPPLY, EVEN THOUGH IT WILL DEMAND SOME DIGESTIVE ENERGY. THAT MEANS ADHERING TO THE PRINCIPLE OF PROPER FOOD COMBINING SO THAT A MINIMUM OF DIGESTIVE ENERGY IS DEPLETED TO BREAK DOWN THAT MEAL.


Food combining teaches this: The human body is not designed to digest more than one concentrated food in the stomach at the same time. What is meant by concentrated food: Any food that is not a fruit and is not a vegetable is concentrated.  Proper food combining merely states that because the human stomach is not capable of digesting more than one of these concentrated foods at a time, you should not eat more than one concentrated food at a time.


ASSIMILATION: (8PM-4AM)  TIME TO GIVE YOUR BODY A CHANCE TO EXTRACT, ABSORB AND UTILIZE THE NUTRIENTS. NO ABSORPTION CAN TAKE PLACE UNTIL THE FOOD HAS ENTERED THE INTESTINES. A PROPERLY COMBINED MEAL WILL BE OUT OF THE STOMACH IN APPROXIMATELY THREE HOURS AND READY TO BE ABSORBED AND ASSIMILATED. AN IMPROPERLY COMBINED MEAL CAN REMAIN IN THE STOMACH ANYWHERE FROM 8 TO 12 HOURS OR LONGER. EAT EARLY ENOUGH SO THAT FOOD HAS LEFT YOU STOMACH BEFORE YOU RETIRE FOR THE NIGHT.


Here is a list of concentrated PROTEIN:  Since saturated fats are always to be avoided, pork is the least desirable meat, beef is the second least desirable and duck is the third. Any cured or salted meats or fish are not recommended (frankfurters, sausages, smoked fish) Buy naturally grazed meat and poultry when it is available.


Shrimp, Fish, Beef Tenderloin, Lamb Loin, Tofu, Soybeans, Black Beans, Kidney Beans, Pinto Beans, Lentils, Egg whites, Chicken, Turkey, Cornish Hen, Steak


NUTS: All nuts should be eaten raw. As a source of protein (high quality amino acids) and calcium, they leave no toxic residue in the body as do dairy and flesh sources. Remember, that nuts as a protein source are more difficult to break down than fruits and vegetables, and they are extremely concentrated!


SEEDS: Like nuts, seeds are concentrated source of protein that should be eaten raw, never roasted, and in small quantities. Never combine seeds with any other concentrated food.
Caraway, Poppy, Pumpkin, Sesame, Sunflower


SEED AND NUT BUTTERS: For best digestion combine nut butters with raw vegetables. Whipped with water, they make a great dip! Peanuts are not actually nuts, but legumes. Peanut butter is harder to digest than nut and seed butters.
Almond, Cashew, Sesame, Sunflower


Here is a list of complex CARBOHYDRATES:
Bread, Rice, Garbonzo Beans, White Beans, Oats, Plain bagels, Potatoes, Sweet Potato, Pasta, Barley Flaxseed, Quinoa


GRAINS - To be combined with vegetables
Breads, Couscous , Cracked Wheat, Kasha, Millet, Rice, Cereals, Chips (eat a good quality low-salt or salt free chip with vegetables or salad—if you are craving chips!), Crackers (any whole-grain variety without chemical additives, sugar, cheese or preservatives)


PASTA - To be combined with vegetables


LEGUMES  - To be combined with vegetables
Aduki Beans, Black-eyed Peas, Garbanzo Beans, Great Northern Beans, Kidney Beans, Lentils, Lima Beans, Mung beans, Navy Beans, Pinto Beans, Split Peas


DAIRY PRODUCTS - All dairy products should be unpasteurized (raw) whenever possible.

Butter, Sour Cream, Whipping Cream, White Cheeses (yellow cheeses are dyed), Yogurt (plain, cow’s or goat’s milk, can be sweetened with sweeteners below)


All dairy products except butter are extremely acid-forming! Butter is a fat and is therefore neutral. Since fat retards the digestion of protein, it is best NOT to eat butter with any protein. Butter can, however, be eaten with carbohydrates. The irony is that people are consuming dairy products for calcium and the existing calcium in their systems is being used to neutralize the effects of the dairy products they are eating. The idea should not be to load up the body with calcium but rather to alter eating habits so that less acid is formed in the system. That way calcium will be utilized to it’s fullest potential!


OILS: Should be unrefined--- cold-pressed, if possible.
Almond, Avacado, Corn, Olive, Peanut, Safflower, Sesame


SALAD DRESSINGS, SEASONINGS AND CONDIMENTS: Any that are pure, containing no sugar, vinegar (use lemon juice) or chemicals.


SWEETENERS:
Date sugar, Maple Sugar, Maple Syrup, Ray Honey (Legallly, honey can be heated to 160 degrees and still be termed “natural.” But at 130 degrees the honey is made useless due to its resulting acid nature.)


TEAS:
Celestial Seasonings Herbal Teas

READY, SET - GOAL!

The first thing to remember about goal setting, is that it's personal.  Everyone has their own idea of personal best.

Depending on where you live, your motivation may be harder to drum up.  If you live in sunny California or Florida where everyone is sun tanned and roller blading or riding their bikes, motivation is going to be inbred.  If you live in a town of 800 where Sonic is fine dining, uh, not so much.  You might have to dig a little deeper.

We talked Wednesday about motivating factors.  Let's take a look.  These will be the foundation from which your goals will be set.  When setting your goal, BE SPECIFIC.  If you want to be able to keep up with small children, you will probably want to have more cardiovascular endurance.  So goals will be more in range with walking, jogging, 5K, marathon etc.  I have some jogging plans if you need guidance.  Or perhaps classes are more suited to your temperament, lifestyle.  Try a Zoomba Class, or one of my Zoomba Boot Camps as soon as I get it started!  If you have health issues, depending on what they are, your program will be geared towards that.  If you want to see yourself aging more gracefully in the pictures of your album, well, that is going to take a little more harumph.

When setting goals, you want to be realistic, but you also want to perhaps aim a little higher than you would on your own from the couch.  This makes the achievement all the more sweet.  And if it is harder to achieve, just think about all you achieved just trying to get there!

BE SPECIFIC.  Don't just say "I want to lose weight", how much weight?  Your goals should be measurable.  Step on the scale, take measurements, calculate endurance, track time.  Whatever is necessary depending on your goal.

If your goals seems unattainable when you look at the long range, then set short range goals.  For example, if you are pretty clear that you need to lose 60 pounds or more, that will seems pretty far into the distance.  Break it down into 10 pound increments.  Chart a six week course and focus only on those 6 weeks.

Take a look at your calendar.  There is never really going to be a good time to start.  Life twists and turns and there will be times when something is going to come up and it will feel as though it is the devil himself keeping you from your coveted prize.  Times to delay would be 2 days before a cruise you have been planning for 2 years, surgery, or some other obvious gapping hole.  That doesn't mean go whole hog.  There are things you can do during those times to at least not get yourself farther from your goal.  Smaller perceived sidetracks will need to be overcome.  That is usually negative self talk.  There is no way around it, but through it.  Because those things will always be there.  But they become less and less of a nuisance, the farther you get into your commitment.  You may even find yourself avoiding them altogether for the sake of the bigger picture.

Be prepared, and I mean mentally, physically and emotionally, for set backs.  Just go ahead and put in on the calendar because stuff happens.  It is not the end of the world.  Count each day as a new start.  Get over it before it even happens.  Log it and move on.

If you have a goal in mind or have achieved a goal, we would love to help or hear it!!!

Motivation Defined - Incentive for Action

Let's talk about....motivating factors.

Sometimes we have a very one dimensional view of fitness.  An unexpected event that makes us evaluate the state of "things" in evening attire or swimwear, the doctor politely makes a recommendation,  you get your heart broken, or perhaps just a long slump that begs for some change.

But these are not life changing motivational factors.  They are quick fixes, scare tactics.  Only surface scratchers.  But sometimes they can be the catalyst for deeper commitment.  Is that where you are?

Take some time this week, get alone.  Get out a sheet of paper or a favorite journal,  Start writing.  What would you consider your motivating factors.   Something that makes you say "aha!"  You may have to write a few that fall flat.  It may take more than one sitting.  Try to get through it.

Hold on to that, because later we will evaluate what to do with those motivating factors.  As you write, be aware of how you are feeling.  This is not a "pep talk", like I said, no condemnation here.  Just see clearly how connected your feelings about your body are to everything around you.  This may be helpful in determining what motivates you.  Not what SHOULD, but what WILL.

This exercise will go hand in hand with the next one, so keep it close!