Good afternoon everyone! I’m currently on a family vacation at Clearwater Beach in Florida. (Seeing as though I’m from Boston, this 85-degree weather is totally hitting the spot right about now.) So far, we’ve sunbathed, wined and dined, went out for a fresh seafood dinner, shared a drink by the water and ran on the sandy beach. Let’s just say I am 100% in vacation mode, and taking advantage of every little moment to the fullest.

But it wasn’t always that way. You see, back in my days of obsessive dieting and restriction, I used to fear vacations as they made me extremely uncomfortable. What would I eat for breakfast? What if I gained weight from going out to dinner every night? What if (god for bid) I missed a workout? How am I going to track my calories? How will I ever avoid the temptation of the beautiful buffet breakfast spread? What if the hotel room doesn’t have a scale? Do I look super fat in this bikini or what?

I was so busy worrying and obsessing about the “what ifs” that I missed out on simply being…on actually enjoying the fact that I was on “vacation.” And this wasn’t just limited to family vacations either. It’s pretty much how I lived my life. Put simply, I didn’t know how to take a break or turn myself “off.” I strived for perfection, and anything less than was simply not enough.

Can any of you relate to this type of behavior? If you struggle to give yourself (and your body) a break you’re most definitely not alone. Women in particular can be ridiculously hard on themselves, especially when it comes to their bodies. That being said, I find it extremely important–necessary even–to let go from time to time. Below, I share my top 5 insights on how I learned to give myself a break (and why you should to).

1. One Week of Imperfection Isn’t Going to Make You “Fat”: This is something that took me years to learn, but once I did I felt quite the relief. If you follow a healthy lifestyle filled with wholesome food and a good dose of exercise most of the time, one “off week” isn’t going to negate all your hard work. The first time that I tried letting go (and gave myself a real vacation) I actually lost a couple of pounds! Trust me, all the stress and guilt doesn’t do anything for your waistline either!

2. Cutting Back on Gym Time May Actually Make You Stronger: Have you ever taken a few days off from running, only to land yourself a big fat PR the next day? Or skimped on the gym for a week and returned feeling stronger than ever? Sometimes our bodies need these breaks to repair, restore and even build muscle, especially those go-go-go fitness buffs out there. Allow yourself the occasional vacation from exercise, and you’ll be surprised by how much stronger you return. On your “rest week,” feel free to go for a light jog, walk or even take a restorative yoga class. Just don’t stress out about it if you miss a day! It’s going to be OK.

3. Taking a Break Allows For Mental Clarity: Some of my best ideas and articles have come to me during a vacation week. That’s because I’m not inundated with emails, texts or all technology for that matter. When we allow ourselves to fully let go and wind down, the creative juices begin to flow. Go ahead…try it. Even if you aren’t going away on a magical tropical getaway, make an effort to “unplug” for an entire day to see how it feels.

4. You’re Able to Turn Inwardly & Listen to Your Body: When we’re not stressing about food, weight, calories, our next workout (or our next meeting), it forces us to look within. In turn, it allows you to pay attention and really listen to your body. Instead of worrying so much about being “perfect,” you can make decisions based on what’s right for you in the moment.

5. It’s More Fun!: You’re on vacation, for goodness sake! Go ahead and have some fun…live a little! Have that chocolate martini (if you really want it), pass on your daily treadmill run (if you feel like it), ignore your 100+ emails, and don’t be afraid to indulge. No need to feel guilty about it either! That’s the beauty of vacation.

Do you have trouble giving yourself a break? What was your #1 takeaway from this post? If you struggle with compulsive dieting or the need to be  ”perfect,” my new 90-Day Program “Ditch Dieting, Fall in Love with Yourself” may be for you! I’d love to schedule a free info session with you today to learn more. 

A body like this isn’t made by using one of those “toning” workouts you saw on the cover of a magazine.

When it comes to starting a new workout or fitness plan, there are certainly an abundance of options to choose from.  With enough varieties and variations out there to make your head spin, does finding the “right” plan feel like an overwhelming challenge in and of itself?  Naturally, you want something that works – there’s nothing worse than starting a plan that ends up being little more than a time-waster; crafted by some teenage meathead living in his mom’s basement, and passed off as expert knowledge.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, just because a fitness plan is emblazoned in bold ink on the front of a magazine or is coming from a celebrity trainer, doesn’t mean it’s going to work.  You’ve got to pay attention and read between the lines, and one such catch-phrase you’ve got to be weary of is the classic “Toning Workout”.  Today, we’re going to look at what a “toning” workout really is, show you want to avoid it at all costs, and give you something in its place.

What “Toning” Really Means

First and foremost, you’ve got to understand what toning really means.  Poorly educated trainers and snake-oil salesmen/women will often tell you toning is the result of light weights and high reps.  Alternatively, they’ll mention heavy weight and low reps add bulk.  This is bullshit.  If someone tries to tell you this, stop listening, divert their attention, and make a quick escape.  What they’re feeding you is nonsense fitness information that continues to leave people confused, frustrated, and left with poor results.

First off, all “toning” really means is a reduction of body fat.  When someone says they want to look “toned”, they really mean they want to look more defined.  They want shapely arms, legs, core…fill in the blank.  To achieve this defined appearance, there needs to be a reduction of body fat covering the muscle.  The arms of a person with 12% body fat look a heck of a lot different from a pair of arms dangling off a body covered in 30% body fat.  And no, it’s not because they are doing different strength exercises….it’s because the body fat covers up any definition, or “tone”.

Why Toning Workouts Suck Reason #1: They’re Single-Minded

While strength exercises will go a ways in helping you spike your metabolism, they don’t do much for immediate caloric burn or reduction of body fat.  In order to get that “toned” appearance, one must include consistent (and intense) bouts of cardio into their routine.  It’s amazing how many “toning” workouts fail to include any element of cardiovascular work – far too often they focus on simple, isolation exercises (think tricep kickbacks).  This is a sure-fire way to put in a bunch of effort and get little to nothing in return.

If you want to get lean and defined, you’ve got to burn more calories than you currently are.  Adopting a HIIT themed cardio plan, adding in a couple of intense lift days a week, and maintaining a clean diet are three great steps you can take towards achieving the appearance you want.  Isolation exercises which focus on one tiny muscle group at a time do little for your immediate caloric burn OR your long term metabolic spike.  In short, they’re wasting your time.

Why Toning Workouts Suck Reason #2: They’re Too Simple

These “toning” workouts you see plastered on the front of magazines or on infographics around the web are created to be easy to understand, easy to complete, and easy to share with a friend.  Unfortunately, all this ease is designed to suck you in, get you to stick with the program, and pass along to another unfortunate soul.  They are NOT designed to produce real results.  These workouts are created for people with little to no fitness knowledge, who assume because it’s coming from an authority figure, it has to work.

It’s much easier to tell someone to do 15 bicep curls followed by 15 tricep kickbacks than it is to instruct someone to superset 8 heavy deadlifts with 10 upright rows.  The job of these eye-catching “toning” workouts is to sell more magazine copies or land more page views.  When things are clean, simple, and easy to complete, they’re more likely to catch on with the masses – but please don’t mistake this for thinking they’re more likely to actually work.

Why Toning Workouts Suck Reason #3: They Forget Your Metabolism

The “toning” workouts you come across more or less concern themselves with the things they know YOU are thinking.

“Well, if I do lots of bicep curls, I’ll have toned arms”.

Like clockwork, they give you lots of bicep curls.

But these type of workouts forget an important piece of the puzzle – your metabolism.  As I briefly mentioned above, while strength training won’t do a ton for immediate caloric burn, it more than makes up for that with the effects it has on your metabolic fire.  This comes with one caveat – strength training needs to be done RIGHT to have any sort of effect on that metabolism.  Doing little isolation work isn’t going to get it done.  What you need is a series of compound lifts, preferably performed with a weight that brings you to the brink of all out muscle fatigue.

Exercises like deadlifts, squats, bench presses, and bent over rows are all examples of compound exercises.  These movements target more muscle groups in your body, contribute to elevating your heart, and when mixed in with some uptempo cardio, can do wonders for your EPOC.  Bottom line, if you’re looking to get ripped up and looking great, you’ve got to include a healthy dose of heavy, compound lifts in your fitness routine.

Why Toning Workouts Suck Reason #4: They’re All Fluff

As I’ve alluded to above, these “toning” workouts are designed to look pretty and be incredibly easy to follow.  No serious exerciser would genuinely follow along with any one of the workouts found in on the cover of those health magazines that line the shelves of your grocery store check-out lanes.  Now, being a “serious” exerciser doesn’t mean you’re fit – it simply means you have a base of knowledge that allows you to steer clear of the nonsense that is the modern-day “toning” workout.

Heed the actions of people who know better – if they’re staying away, you should too.  While there are few black and white answers in the fitness world, it’s safe to say you should probably follow the lead of those who know better.  You’ll never see a professional fitness competitor using a “toning” workout to get cut up before a show.  Nor will you see that really fit guy or girl at your gym using this bogus crap.  Find yourself a fitness source you can identify with and trust.  Maybe it’s here on our blog, maybe it’s somewhere else.  The point is, you need to vet whoever you take your fitness information from very carefully, and be sure to steer clear from the quacks.

Why Toning Workouts Suck Reason #5: They Forget About Diet

These toning workouts are often paired with low-calorie/low-carbohydrate diet plans that again, play on the sensitivities of their audiences.  A bunch of easy, light lifts, couple with a low-calorie diet is key to spinning your wheels and absolutely going nowhere.  Sadly, this is what a bulk of women WANT to see.  They want someone to tell them doing their easy at home strength exercises with their dinky 5 pound weight will make a difference.  They WANT someone to tell them not eating will help get them toned up.  More often than not, people simply want their personal choices validated by a seemingly knowledgeable authority figure.

This is the trap so many fall into.  When it comes to your workout plan, whatever it is, you must understand it needs to be paired with a great diet.  A great diet means avoiding the crap you know you shouldn’t be eating (sugar, fried foods, simple carbs) and loading up on the good stuff (lean protein, veggies, fruit, fiber).  Remember, muscle doesn’t grow out of thin air – if you want to see some results from all the lifting you’ve been doing, you’ve got to fuel yourself properly.  The greatest workout in the world is worthless when paired with a poorly fueled body.

So for all you guys and girls out there wanting to get “toned”, ripped, lean, shredded, defined, or whatever buzz word you like to use, we’ve got you covered.  Consider this a general, anti-toning workout, which will lead to great muscular definition, defined abs, and an overall improvement in your health and fitness levels.

• Day 1: HIIT Cardio/Hill Sprints – Switch between :30 sprints and 1:30 jogs.  Gradually bump the incline of your treadmill or find a nice hill and continue with the back-and-forth tempo for 20-40 minutes, depending on your current abilities.
• Day 2: MetCon Challenge
• Day 3: Do something awesome to help add flexibility and strength – YOGA.  Check out our OnDemand library of full-length yoga classes.
• Day 4: HIIT Cardio/HIIT Biking – Let’s go with that :30/1:30 sprint interval for 15 minutes.  Next, jump on a stationary bike and go for something a little shorter interval – use a :30 sprint/:45 second relaxed pace interval for an additional 20-30 minutes.
• Day 5: Take a look at this list of The 8 Best Exercises you Should be Doing, but Probably Aren’t.  Combine these eight movements into one killer workout.  Shoot for 8-10 reps of three to four sets per exercise.

Take in enough protein, give yourself ample rest time, and stay consistent.  You do those things, in conjunction with the above sample plan, and you’ll be well on your way to that tight and “toned” body you’ve been seeking.

Fat and happy…or just fat?

It’s a problem that’s all too common.  When people are single and still on the hunt, they’ve got motivation to keep in tip top shape (or at least, their version of tip top shape).  While you’re mom may think your squishy little beer belly is adorable, I’d be willing to bet the fairer sex has other thoughts.  So you’re working out, doing your thing, heeding the call of your inner beast, generally trying to position yourself as the highest quality mate.  Congratulations, you’re making at least half an effort.

But then it happens.  Maybe it’s by chance, maybe that intensive 3-day serial dater bootcamp seminar is paying it’s dividends, or maybe you’re actually not half bad; in any case, you’ve landed yourself a significant other.  What a relief, you think to yourself – now you don’t have to worry about dying alone, pathetic, and miserable! Ehhhh…maybe, maybe not.

So things are going great and life has never been better.  But around the sixth month mark, things start to get a little comfortable….some may say, a little too comfortable.  You’ve backed off going to the gym five days a week.  Your meals have gradually moved from being mostly green and fresh to whatever comes out of that box in the freezer.  You’re slowly losing your desire to stay in that “top dog” shape.

Sloth’s are cool and all…but I don’t really want to date one…

But it’s not all your fault.  Perhaps your boyfriend/girlfriend also shares some of the blame.  Are their bad habits rubbing off on you?  Did her mostly salad diet turn into mostly carbs after she met you?  Does he/she like staying in bed until noon every weekend?  Well, there goes your early morning bike rides.  Is he/she okay ordering off the bar menu when you go out to watch the game…rather than waiting for a healthier option elsewhere?

For many couples, the problem only gets worse as time wears on.  As you head into year two, the gym may be a distant memory of the past.  Fried sampler platters at T.G.I.Friday’s are becoming all too familiar.  Your significant others poor taste in food has you eating at the Cheesecake Factory or P.F. Chang’s more than you’d like to admit…….and what’s worse, you’re actually starting to think their food is good too.  What’s become of you?  You’ve become a slovenly, pathetic ghost of the happy, fit, and healthy person you used to be.

Fortunately for you, this isn’t the end of the road – you’ve still got time to get things under control.  You’ve got a couple of options.  First, you could slowly, but surely guilt them into changing.  Call them fat, make them feel bad about themselves, mention how great his/her friends have been looking lately, disapprovingly look them up and down and then say “oh, nothing…” when they ask what you’re looking at.  Over time, this passive aggressive approach will either produce the results you want or completely blow up in your face.  I’m making no guarantees, so let me know how it works for you.

If that approach doesn’t fit your fancy, there may be another way to bring about a little change in your relationship.  Check out these 5 tips to get things moving in the healthy direction again….

1. Make a plan together.  By virtue of having a significant other, you’re always going to have that workout partner, or at the very least, someone to hold you accountable.  Come up with a plan and do your best to hold each other accountable for what you set out to do.
2. Go shopping together.  When one person goes shopping alone, far too often they’ll end up buying a bunch of crap they know they shouldn’t….and you’ll end up eating it anyways.  When you go shopping, it’s like having a little checks and balance system – discuss each purchase and decide if it’s going to help or hurt you reach your goals.
3. Seek out new things to do.  Challenge each other to break free from old routines.  Pick up some new (active) hobbies and get out there and do them.  Sleeping until noon every Saturday and Sunday is lame, and you know it.  Don’t let your boy/girlfriend bring you down.  Get them excited about something you’re interested in, and go at it full force.
4. Hold mini-contests. Doesn’t matter what they are, just do something to keep your competitive juices flowing.  Maybe it’s a little weight loss challenge, or clean eating test.  It doesn’t matter.  The point is, when you’re living with someone else it’s easy to create a little healthy competition which may end up getting your lifestyle back on track.
5. Dump them. Yup, that’s right.  Dump them.  Kick them to the curb.  If you’re with a person who constantly brings you down, lazes around all day on the couch, enjoys eating fried stuff that used to make you cringe, and is generally a living, breathing, landfill….ditch the dud.  Of course, you should probably give them a chance to change, but if they won’t, you know what to do.  You’ll be so much better off once you free yourself of that unhealthy mess, I doubt you’ll miss them once they’re gone.

At the end of the day, you’ve got to take your life in your own hands.  Don’t let a sloth of a significant other bring you down.  You are your own person – and just maybe seeing you improve your habits will light a fire under your significant others squishy butt.  Take change, get your life back, and do what you’ve got to do to be the healthy and happy person you once were.

She knows what she needs to overcome to be successful….do you?

Have you ever wondered why some people are so successful and others are stuck wading through a sea of mediocrity?  What is it about them that allows them to make the jump from average to awesome?  As we examine today, that something is very small, very subtle, and very hard to accept…but once it’s been engrained in your mindset, it will help you unlock your fullest potential.

It’s something we all hit.  From the wildly successful to the abysmal failures, no one is immune.  It is the reason most people fail to reach their goals.  The difference between the wildly successful and the abysmal failures of course, is how they deal with it.  And how you deal with it is simply the product of your mindset.

But let’s back up a second – what the hell am I even talking about, and more importantly what is, “it”?  If you’ve ever attempted to lose weight, you’ve experienced “it”.  If you’ve ever tried to increase your bench press, you know all about “it”.  If you’ve tried to pass a tough class, get better at shooting a basketball, or cook meals your family doesn’t want to feed to the dog under the table when your head is turned, you’ve experienced “it”.

“IT” is the feeling that the efforts you’re putting in aren’t doing you any good.  Have you been stuck on a certain weight, or plateau for a while now, and feel like you’ve “maxed out” your progress?  Does each gym session feel as if it’s not making a difference – as if you could go to the gym, or not go to the gym, and nothing would change?  This is what I’m talking about.  And this feeling is the reason so many people burn out, abandon the set course, quit, and ultimately fail.

It’s understandable after all.  Who wants to kill themselves in the gym, or maintain a strict diet, if in the end it’s not going to make one lick of difference.  “Screw it, I’m not losing weight anyways.”  Ever have that thought?

When confronted with this feeling of helplessness, most people will do one of two things:

• Get so frustrated and completely quit altogether.
• Jump from plan to plan or diet to diet, looking for the one that “works”

Obviously if you’re simply quitting, you’re failing.  Not much more needs to be said there.  For the impatient group that is constantly jumping from one thing to the next, failure comes because nothing is given enough time to work.  This leads to a very important concept in all of this – and something very successful individuals realize…

Your efforts are going to deliver diminished returns – know this, expect this, prepare for this.

Going from coach potato to someone with an average fitness ability is going to come quickly. Recall the TV show, The Biggest Loser for a second.  Ever notice how much weight these people lose at the very beginning? Dropping 10, 20, or 30 pounds in a given week isn’t completely uncommon.  That’s because they’ve got a LONG way to go.  As you progress, making noticeable changes takes more time and effort.

More Work, Less Return

Four years of training didn’t teach him to double-check his shoelaces were tied.

Those that forget this very important fact are the ones who feel as if their efforts are useless.  Your efforts aren’t useless, the results are just more minute; harder to recognize.  Nonetheless, consistent and sustained efforts will eventually lead to noticeable change.  Whether it’s a gradually improved physique or an ability to shoot a basketball better, the work you put in is contributing towards that goal, even when it doesn’t seem like it.

Think about this – at the highest of levels, the difference between an Olympic champion and a last-place no-namer can literally be separated by hundredths of a second.  These people work years to make up a few hundredths of a second.  Remember THIS the next time you “only” lost half a pound in a week, or increased your bench press by a “measly” 5 pounds.

This all boils down to mindset.  How you deal with the diminishing returns of your efforts will become the greatest indicator of your successes.  Do you get frustrated and disappointed your progress has stalled, or do you focus on the fact you’re slowly but surely pushing the ball in the right direction?  This is what separates the physical specimens you see walking around the gym from everyone else.  I admit, great genetics helps too, but let’s not lose sight of the point at issue.

Have Some Faith

What I’m telling you to do, is simply put faith into the science behind what you’re doing.  If you started off on our Total Body Blitz workout and have now progressed to something like our HIIT Training Plan, but are getting slightly annoyed your progress isn’t moving along as fast as you’d like – take a step back, take a breath, trust the science behind what you’re doing, and recommit yourself fully.  Keep at it, and over time, you’ll gradually notice the results of your sustained efforts.

This is where one big caveat that comes into play however - trusting the science won’t do you a bit of good if it’s bad science.  Sticking to any plan isn’t going to work if the plan sucks.  Or the diet sucks.  Or your study habits suck.  Be mindful of where you’re getting your information.  Make sure it’s a trusted source and not a fly-by-night personal trainer or “nutrition expert” dishing out shoddy recommendations.  Assuming you’ve weeded out the nonsense and have found something of worth, revert back to the previous paragraph and simply put your faith in the system as it has been designed.  No more jumping from one game plan to the next – pick one that works, follow the plan, and be consistent.

That’s it.  That’s all I’ve got for you today.  It really can be that simple.  Overcoming the “burn out” feeling or desire to bounce from one thing to the next is what’s going to unlock your true potential and help you realize your dreams.  I admit, easier said then done.  There are times even I question what I’m doing, or wonder if I should mix things up.  Fortunately, I’ve been able to put my head down and continue to do work, and that’s why I’ve been able to achieve the things I have.  Once you figure out how to do the same, you’ll truly understand the meaning of “the sky’s the limit”.

The French don’t stress about what they’re eating….in fact, the French don’t stress about much.

The doors opened and I casually walked out.  No more than ten steps, and the situation become very obvious; I was completely surrounded.  Every which way I looked, there it was.  The harder I looked, the more evident it became.  There was no avoiding it.  I had never noticed it like this before, which was surprising, even to me.

Double-chins. Muffin tops. Legs that did the “wave” with each passing step.  Where the hell was I?

No, this wasn’t some personal trainer’s fantasy land, this was North Carolina. Specifically, Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, where I had just arrived after a 10 hour flight from Paris.  Faced with a four-hour layover on my way home to San Diego, I looked around in amazement.  We frequently hear about the obesity epidemic in America, but truthfully, it’s easy to get desensitized to it when you’re living in midst of it.  Nearly two weeks in Europe provided a new frame of reference, and opened my eyes to the dark and ugly side of our nation’s health crisis.

Is Diet Really 60% of the Battle?

I’m sure you’ve heard it before; diet is 60% of your weight loss battle.  Hell, I’ve even reported this myself in previous posts on the issue.  My time in Paris really had me second-guessing this notion.  Let me elaborate…

Standard breakfast…it’s got fruit, it’s kind of healthy right?

Being the unashamed glutton that I truly can be if I allow myself, Paris was a fantasy land.  The best butter you’ve ever tasted, used in everything.  The tastiest, sweetest, creamiest pastries (usually several), every single morning.  Rich, fatty meats, for lunch, topped with even richer, fattier sauces.  More of the same for dinner. The lightest, fluffiest, breads imaginable, and served by the (several) basket full at every meal.  Fatty foie gras, served frozen, warm, braised, shaved, seared, on the top, on the side, even as ice cream, all the time. Everywhere.  Multiple bottles of red wine at every meal.

Simply put, there was no shortage of indulgence when it comes to food in France.  And these type of meals weren’t just for the food-obsessed tourist.  Ordinary business people at lunch, locals at a neighborhood bakery, families out to dinner….they all ate these traditionally “unhealthy” foods, and they ate them often.

That’s right, the French seemingly eat loads of white flour pastries and bread products, refined sugars, rich, high-fat meats, and NEVER pass on dessert.  But you know what?  They’re all slim.  No muffin-tops.  No bulging bellies.  No double-chins.  I was hard-pressed

Succulent and oh-so-fatty duck breast cooked to perfection with…GASP…white potatoes.

to find even modest examples of obesity during my entire stay in the country.  This of course runs directly against the conventional wisdom you’ve probably heard a thousand times over; maintain a diet heavy in complex carbs, limit sugar, choose lean meats, blah blah blah…..right?

They’re Skinny, We’re Fat.  Why?

So what gives?  How can an entire country, which eats so “badly”,  maintain such lean, slim figures?  What I discovered during my time in France, was eye-opening.  It occurred to me that just maybe, we’ve obsessed too much about the foods we’re eating here in the States, and have lost sight of the true factors responsible for our weight gain.

After a while, I began to notice some commonalities amongst the French that we largely absent over here.  I’m under the impression that THESE are the true reasons the French can eat the way they do and still maintain a healthy body weight.  I’m going to break these down, in hopes of giving you a new way to look at how and what you eat, and shine some light on the weight loss battle so many of you struggle with.

• They are their own transportation.  It really is remarkable how much the French physically move.  Virtually no one uses a car to get around.  Transportation usually includes walking, biking, or riding public transport (followed by more walking).  And these are 4 block walks up the street.  We’re talking mile walks, to and from the grocery store, on a very regular basis.  When’s the last time you opted to walk/ride a bike instead of taking the car for anything over a mile?
• They rarely snack. There really isn’t a culture of snacking in France.  There is light breakfast, heavy lunch, lighter dinner.  The constant grazing, visiting vending machines, filling themselves with processed junk simply isn’t going on over there.  When they do snack, it’s largely on a small bowl of olives and crackers, or a few slices of unprocessed cheese, before dinner.
• They stay busy. Granted, this is much easier to do in Paris than Topeka, Kansas, but the French are always doing something.  How often do you eat out of boredom?  When you find activities to fill your time, you’ll find yourself less likely to eat simply for the sake of eating.
• Lunch is the biggest meal.  And by virtue, this curbs appetite later in the day, so they eat less for dinner.  A study examined caloric intake of workers in Paris and Boston.  Parisian workers consumed 60% of their daily calories by 2PM.  This lead to smaller intake in the evening.  Americans often starve themselves all day then binge at night.  While there has been some conflicting reports on the matter, binge eating at night has been shown to contribute towards greater weight gain in some studies.
• They know stress kills.  In several studies, quality of life in France is considered to be #1 in the world(1).  They’re entire system is set up in a way that vastly differs from American society.  They take time to smell the roses, savor an espresso in a cafe, and know how to keep their work/life balances in check.  It’s no secret that high levels of stress are directly responsible for weight gain and/or disease later in life.  The relatively care-free life of the average Parisian plays quite a part in their maintaining a healthy body weight.
• They eat differently – literally.  They sit to eat. They hold their fork like a fork, not a shovel, in their non-dominant hand.  They chew one bite before taking another.  This may seem like insignificant bits of advice, but it all contributes to savoring your meals, and consuming fewer calories each time you eat.
• They indulge cravings.  It’s easy to over indulge when you feel like this is going to be your last bite of cake for a month.  Instead of taking a small portion, you want to make the most of your “cheat” meal and end up devouring the entire thing….then are overcome with feelings of guilt.  Stop feeling guilty about food and cheat meals – it’s not healthy.  Remember when I told you the French never say no to dessert?  It’s because they’re eating smaller portions.  It’s easy to have only a few bites of something breathtakingly delicious if you know the next time you meet is only 24 hours away.

High-fat and high-taste organic duck sausage, two ways.

In retrospect, a lot of this does have to do with “diet”, but not in the same way “diet” has been pounded into our heads.  It would appear, based on my time in France and the observations I made, that it’s less about the foods they are eating and more about HOW they eat them, WHEN they eat them, and WHAT they’re doing between meals.

I do believe, above all else, finding ways to increase activity is the number one reason the

The single best thing I’ve ever eaten…and I’m not even entirely sure what it was.

French are able to eat the way they do.  I cannot impress upon you enough the importance of daily exercise.  An exercise plan designed to help you lose weight, build muscle, or achieve any other sort of goal is great, but it often isn’t enough.  Five hours of exercise a

week is great, but there are still plenty of other hours remaining for activity.  Get out of the cycle of hopping in the car to ride to the grocery store.  You’ll be completely shocked by how many additional calories you can burn each day without having to exercise more IF you start living a more active life.

Take time to smell the roses, take a yoga class or whatever works to help you de-stress, find enjoyment in taking the time to prepare a fresh, home-cooked meal, savor a glass of red wine, and realize there is more to life than simply making another buck; you’re happiness and health are the most precious gifts you have.

[1]: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/02/11/france.quality.life/index.html

Realization is just around the corner.

For almost anyone who has been actively involved in fitness or exercise for a significant period of time, there eventually comes a moment of great realization.  This realization may come after only a few month or it may take many years; there is no prescribed time-table.  But when it hits, you know it.  You’re now seeing things more clearly.  Gains come about faster.  You start knocking down goals like bowling pins.  You begin to see fitness and exercise in the simplest way imaginable.  In essence, the cloud of illusion that has hovered over “getting in shape” has lifted.  You now see the light with a crystal clear clarity you never imagined.    

This “light” is the understanding that fitness, in its essence, is actually quite simple.  Going from point A to point B (your defined goal) doesn’t involve 21 steps, a faddy diet, and a magic pill.  Fitness and exercise is a multi-billion dollar industry, which has conditioned us to think we can’t get into shape on our own.  As if some mysterious force is standing in our way from realizing our true potential.  This cloud of deceit is the reason millions willingly shell out their hard-earned cash for flash-in-the-pan advice that is more trendy than effective, and products that over promise and under deliver. 

The Before/After Effect

Part of this great realization is the understanding that fitness isn’t an exact science.  What works so well for one person, may have little effect on another.  The uninformed don’t realize this.  Humans are impressionable.  Flashy pictures, good sales copy, and a personal connection They see the before/after results of people who have used product X, and immediately conclude product X will deliver the same results to them.  Next time you see some insane looking before/after pictures, check closely for fine print at the bottom of your screen or packaging label.  The oft-repeated line, “Results not typical” will almost always accompany these inspirational stories.  For every person who has achieve insane results from a specific fitness or nutritional product, there are probably 10 others who we’re left with nothing more than a lighter wallet.

Unfortunately, misleading customers isn’t the worst of it.  Often times, companies pushing the latest and greatest fitness product or supplement are using completely phony before/after shots, often with the aid of Photoshop, or other editing software.  A wide range of fitness and nutritional products, from highly popular DVD series to weight loss supplements, are using the techniques exposed in the documentary, “Bigger, Stronger Faster”.  Check out how easy it is to doctor a before/after shot…

Personally, I think you should view before/after shots with a grain of salt.  If they’re even legit, you’re not being shown what an average user looks like.  It would be foolish to assume because it works so well for maybe 10% of all users, it will work that well for you.  Next week, I’m going to do a little before/after photo shoot of myself to further drive this point home.  I’m going to show you how it’s possibly to look 25 lbs lighter, more ripped, and generally like a fitness all-star in a matter of 2 hours.  Be sure to check back because this is something you don’t want to miss.

Realization Revealed

When the cloud has lifted and you see fitness for what it really is, you’ll no doubt become empowered.  Understanding there isn’t a magic bullet that will eliminate all of the obstacles standing between you and your goals should be uplifting.  I’ve seen far too many clients and users over the years stress about unlocking the perceived fitness puzzle.  Rather than make the wrong decision and “waste their time” by picking the wrong workout, they did a little of this, a little of that, refusing to fully commit to anything.  Their search for the “perfect” workout or fitness plan had them constantly changing gears for fear of following the wrong advice.  Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of these people never got anywhere. 

The reality of it is, there are hundreds of ways to achieve your goals.  There isn’t only one specific workout or plan that will completely change your body and health.  Again, for those in the know, this isn’t news.  But for the many more out there who are still falling for old tricks and deception, the endless search for that magic bullet continues. 

The person who has attained realization knows several things you probably don’t.  For starter’s…

• Committment and consistency are far and away the most accurate indicators of potential success on a fitness plan.
• Training all three components of your fitness being (strength, cardio, flexibility) is the key to achieving your optimum body and health.
• Varying the formats and methods of your workouts is key to maintaining measurable and sustained progress.
• Varying sources of fitness information is key towards becoming an informed and
• No plan will be successful without a proper diet; nutrition is king.

Above all, the fundamental understanding that there is no ONE specific way to get fit and healthy, should pervade all that you do in regards to your fitness program.  Fitness is a great deal trial and error, and while no one likes wasting their time, especially when it involves physically taxing work, it is often the best way to find what works for you and your body.

Putting Realization to Use

This is the reason you see such a wide array of fitness plans and workouts on Share It Fitness.  We completely support the notion of trying different things until you find something that works.  While we’ve had thousands of people have great success on our Total Body Blitz workout plan for example, we’ve also had others who didn’t achieve the results they were looking for. 

The informed exerciser should know by now that simply because so many have had success with our Total Body Blitz plan, it may still not be right for them.  Rather than getting discouraged, they are motivated to continue seeking out new workouts that may be what their particular body needs to achieve a set of goals. 

For those of you who haven’t already drank the Share It Fitness Kool-Aid, one thing we often preach is our Body Diversity Training methodology.  BDT is our unique method of fitness training, which we feel fully encompasses all that a realized exerciser should understand.  We use a variety of fitness disciplines and methods to help you achieve optimal health and success.  Training plans utilizing BDT may have you performing explosive plyometric work one day, followed by a power lifting complex workout the next, before an uptempo yoga session on day three, etc.  This rounded approach to fitness is what we feel produces the best results, in the fastest amount of time, while staving off burn out as effectively as possible.

The time is now for you to understand the game and see past the deception that shrouds the fitness industry.  The only thing you need to get fit, get healthy, and achieve the body of your dreams is yourself, a little knowledge or food source of information, motivation, consistency, and a healthy diet.  That’s it.  The components of your workouts don’t need to be highly complex or one size fits all.  Each of you is an individual, with specific needs and physiological response system.  Getting in tune with the inner workings of your body.  Really pay attention to how a workout makes you feel, during and after.  It may take some time, but you’ll quickly develop a sixth sense for knowing whether a not a workout or fitness plan is a right fit for you.

Bottomline, three aspects of any realized exerciser must develop will include:

• Learning how to analyze what works and what doesn’t.
• Finding ways to stay committed in the face of adversity
• Continually striving to educate yourself about exercise, nutrition, and health

Striving to improve upon these areas, while putting some faith into yourself and your ability to succeed will knock down the great wall and open your eyes to seeing fitness and exercise in an entirely new light.