What weights should I use?
So I get asked all the time by clients, what weight should I use?
A challenging and heavy one!
My answer is always “A challenging one!”
No matter what rep range you do, you want to select a weight that makes those last few reps of every round a struggle.
If you aren’t using a weight that truly makes you struggle, you aren’t going to get near as much as you could out of the workout.
So how do you determine if the weight is the “right” weight? How do you know if you are struggle “enough?”
Well for one, as you workout more and more, you will begin to understand what weights feel challenging.
You will also be able to track your weights and then add more weight based on what you did the week before. Small incremental changes are best. Don’t do a drastic jump especially if you are new to lifting.
BUT if you haven’t done a lot of working out and don’t have a great idea of where to start, I suggest you first perform the exercises with bodyweight to get down the form.
Then ask yourself, “How easy did that feel?”
If it was super easy, add weight. Try to perform the same number of reps. If you can easily do the same, up the weight again. If you can only do fewer reps before form breaks down or you can’t do any more, you may want to drop the weight just a bit until you can perform your desired amount of reps.
If you felt a burn on the last couple of reps and stopped at 10 reps BUT at the same time felt you could have done a bit more, maybe try doing 12 reps with the same weight and see if that is more challenging.
While you do want to pick a rep range to work in based on your level and your goals, the reps you plan to do shouldn’t be set in stone. (Here is a great post about rep ranges.)
If you pick a weight that is a bit too easy for the reps you chose to do that round, do a couple of more.
It is more important to feel the weights challenging you than it is to do 12 reps instead of 15 even though those numbers are technically in different ranges (hypertrophy vs. endurance).
When I workout, even though I track my numbers I sometimes still have to play around with weight depending upon how I feel that day.
And a lot of the time, I will go up as I do sets or rounds even though I started with a challenging weight. I will usually try to increase each round until I hit a weight where I can no longer perform the desired amount of reps. And then I will either hold at that weight or drop down to the one right below it for the next round.
It all depends on what rep range I’m shooting for. Say I’m working in the hypertrophy range of 8-12 reps. I may start out with a weight and say that I’m going to shoot for 10 reps.
That weight may be easier than I thought on that day, so I’ll do 12 or even 13 or 14. I’ll go until that last rep is really a struggle.
Then the next round I’ll go up to the next weight. I’ll again shoot for as many as possible in that hypertrophy range. If I hit 12, I’ll go up again.
I’ll keep going up through all my sets UNLESS I find a weight that I can barely do 8 with (a weight I don’t think I can add to without falling below my desired rep range). If I hit a weight that is a struggle for 8, I will hold at that weight for the last set (or two) and even try to force out a 9th or 10th rep if I can.
The point is that rep ranges are only as beneficial as the weight you use. If you do 5 reps with easy weight or 15 reps with weight you don’t even feel, you aren’t going to get results.
The weights you use should challenge you if you want results! The “heavier” the feel to you, no matter what weight they actually are, the more likely you will be to reach your goals of fat loss, muscle gain, muscle tone, strength, endurance, weight loss…..ANYTHING!
NOTE: If you are a beginner, increase weight slowly even if it feels easy! Your body needs to adjust to the new demands. And even though your muscles may be able to handle the weight, your joints and connective tissues might not be ready!
Summer time – Farm fresh food
So I love the start of summer and all of the delicious fruit that starts being in season.
I don’t really eat much fruit during the winter so when summer comes around and the farmers market is loaded with fruit, I feel like a bear coming out of hibernation that sees a berry bush and just devours the entire thing…and then lays out in the sun just relaxing…(Not really sure if this analogy even makes sense…Didn’t look up if bears eat berries….)
But anyway, I love when certain fruits are “in season.” And I love it even more when those fruits are local and organic.
So I won’t go on about fruit and I won’t even spend a long time RAVING about farmers markets and how much I love them, BUT I do just want to clear up a few misconceptions about farmers markets that I’ve encountered when talking to clients about them.
For one, THEY ARE CHEAPER THAN REGULAR STORES especially if you were to try to get the same quality product. Everyone seems to think that farmers markets are super expensive, but they aren’t. And what you get at the farmers market is extremely fresh and naturally raised. (Shoot we even get way cheaper fish at the farmers market than we do at any other market and it is caught fresh that day!)
Two, I’ve encountered people who say they only buy ORGANIC and therefore won’t buy from the stands without the label.
UHM…ORGANIC is a label you have to BUY! Many small farms can’t afford to do that but follow all organic processes! So at a farmers market, don’t worry about the label unless you are going to a super commercial one.
Three, local matters most. If things are local that means everything was picked at the peak of freshness. It is honestly better to buy something local and fresh than it is to buy organic from a foreign country. That organic produce has to be picked and shipped a far distance, which means it can’t be picked at the peak of ripeness – AKA it isn’t going to have near the nutrients that a local piece of produce has!
Doesn’t get any more local than that! Like 5 minutes away!
So honestly, if you can, support your local farms and get the best possible quality food for a very reasonable price! Your body will thank you!
Do you shop at a farmers market? What is your favorite food in-season right now!?!
Protein Powder Recipes – Coconut Mocha Protein Shake
While I love to get all my nutrition from whole natural foods, I do love the ease of protein powder.
You can make a ton of pretty healthy snacks and treats like bars and cookies and shakes and smoothies.
It is a great if you are on the go as long as you still make whole natural foods your top priority.
Anyway, today, I made a little caffeinated shake with coffee. Let me just say right now, I really don’t like coffee.
I love the idea of coffee – that morning beverage to get you going. To drink while you do your morning work.
But the only way I drink coffee, or espresso, is with a ton of sugar and lots of cream. It is more like cream and sugar with a hint of coffee, but whatever. So because I only like horrible-for-you coffee, I try to restrict it to only cheat days.
BUT I sort of miss the “treat” of coffee in the morning on the days when I don’t feel like consuming a ton of sugar. Because even though I don’t like coffee, I like coffee-flavored things.
So today I decided to try to satisfy my non-coffee, coffee cravings with a coffee protein shake.
So while Ryan sat at his desk drinking the most disgusting black coffee (I don’t understand how anyone likes it that way), I got to indulge in this…And yea…ok it doesn’t look that great but it was GOOD!
So the recipe…
Coconut Mocha Protein Shake
Ingredients:
1 scoop Chocolate Whey Protein (I used Gold Standard Whey for this)
1/2 cup chilled coffee
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp heavy cream (I used the organic cream from Trader Joe’s)
1 tbsp coconut butter (We actually found this for a great price at TJ Maxx home goods store!)
So brew your coffee however you normally do. Ryan makes french press for himself so he just made some extra for me. Chill that until nice and cold.
Then mix coffee, protein powder, water, cream and coconut butter in a protein shaker. My shaker has a little strainer like thing at the top which really helps break up the coconut butter and protein powder chunks.
Then pour into another glass and enjoy!
You can also make this into an iced beverage by pouring it over ice OR you can make the changes below to turn it into a “frappuccino/blended ice beverage.”
CHANGES FOR FRAPPUCCINO PROTEIN SHAKE: Sub in whole milk for cream and water…So instead of the 1/2 cup water and 1 tbsp cream, use a little over a half cup of whole milk. ALSO, add ice to the mixture in a blender instead of using the shaker and pulse till the ice cubes are broken down and the mixture is combined. I would use anywhere from a 1/2 cup to a full cup of ice depending on the size of your ice cubes.
Enjoy!
P.S. Everyone gets freaked out when they see HEAVY CREAM. They think “Oh no! So much fat and so many calories!” So below is the basic nutritional breakdown for the shake.
Coconut Mocha Protein Shake nutritional facts:
Calories: 273
Fat: 16g
Carbs: 6.5g
Protein: 25g
AND…Soon to come Ryan’s amazing deconstructed Shepard’s pie!
Deconstructed shepard’s pie with grass-fed beef and cauliflower mash!
How to build a COMPLETE home gym
Here is how to build a COMPLETE home gym in five pieces:
- The five essentials!
1. Pull up bar – I love pull ups. And while I almost considered excluding this and instead including foam rollers, I felt that the pull up bar was just too essential (and it is too easy to foam roll with a ball you just have lying around the house). Even if you can’t do pull ups YET, a pull up bar can be used to do all the isometric holds to work up to being able to do a full pull up. You can also do scapular retractions on the bar as well as ab exercises. While the least necessary piece for beginners on the list, it is really probably the best piece for core and back work.
2. Jungle Gym straps – Best way to work your ENTIRE BODY. Honestly as long as you have a door or another place to hang them, this is the single best piece of equipment to have for your home. They are just like the TRX straps but a bit cheaper and in my opinion just as good if not better. You can literally work every muscle using these straps. And these straps can be used to make moves easy enough for the beginner or difficult enough for even the advanced lifter. Balance lunges with your foot up in the strap or single leg squats with only one of the straps for assistance can be extremely difficult! So don’t think that you need a ton of weights to get in a gnarly workout at home. There are always ways to progress moves for any body part on the Jungle Gym straps!
3. Sandbag – Since I love lifting heavy, I did want to include some sort of weight equipment on this list….and sandbags won out. They can be used to work any part of the body and the weight can be easily adjusted by pulling out some of the filler bags or not filling the bags completely full. They are also an extremely functional weight since they are awkward. They also really don’t take up that much room and you won’t really have to buy more pairs, like you would dumbbells, as you progress. Not as necessary for the beginner, but a great way to start lifting some weight.
4. Sliders – Sliders can be used to progress exercises for any part of the body and can be a good substitute for weighted activities. They make exercises more difficult because they create a more unstable environment. For example, there is no traction when you slide out to do a side lunge and then try to drag the slider back in toward the standing leg (I always tell people NOT to go out as far as they think they can the first time because they won’t make it back in). Sliders are also fairly cheap and a small piece of equipment that you can basically store anywhere. They are a great way to progress moves without needing weights. And shoot, if you have hardwood floors you can even make your own sliders out of socks!
5. Resistance bands – While I was at first hesitant to put these on the list because you can basically strengthen the exact same body parts with the Jungle Gym straps, they did end up making the list because they are probably the easiest and best piece of equipment to carry with you if you travel a lot. Also, I had considered putting on mini bands for glute activation exercises (since glute activation exercises are extremely important yet everyone skips them) BUT you can make modifications so that you can sub resistance bands for mini bands! Anyway, the point is resistance bands are super versatile, easy to store and can be used by everyone from the beginner to the advanced lifter. Also, unlike dumbbell lifts, moves done with resistance bands have a lot more tension and resistance throughout the full range of motion of the lift, which is an added bonus.
So now you know the only five pieces you really need for a COMPLETE home gym.
BUT what if you can’t get all five?
If you can only get two items from this list, I would suggest getting only the Jungle Gym Straps (or resistance bands) AND a sandbag. HOWEVER, if you want to spend less, resistance bands and sliders can be a great way to increase the intensity and add variety to any of the bodyweight or home workouts you may be doing.
As I mentioned before, foam rollers almost made the list. And it was a very hard decision NOT to put them on there.
They honestly didn’t make it because a tennis ball or rolling-pin will work 95% of the time and most clients I’ve encountered have one or the other (or would rather spend the few dollars on one of those instead of shelling out $50 to $100 bucks for a true trigger point tool). However, if money isn’t an issue and you have space for a bit more equipment and are serious about getting great results, I would suggest investing in some trigger point tools to target exactly your problem areas!
What are your favorite pieces of home equipment? Need some help creating your home gym and designing workouts? Let me know!
NOTE: In posts to come, look for exercises using each of these pieces.
Dieting – The Binge Eating Cycle
Let’s face it…Self control isn’t infinite and if you feel deprived on a regular basis, eventually you are going to binge. And then that binge usually leads to guilt, which in turn leads to another binge and then guilt….and then potentially another binge until you finally go back to restricting what you eat.
But you can’t eat healthily and eat exactly what you want all the time. You simply can’t eat burritos and frozen yogurt every night no matter how good it tastes.
But you also can’t DEPRIVE yourself of the food you love for too long because if you do, at some point you are going to give into deprivation and go and eat it anyway. You also most definitely can’t starve yourself because not eating enough is also going to lead to binging and won’t get you results any faster (For all you women that eat only like 500 calories a day, I wrote a post for you about how you may actually be HINDERING your progress because you are STARVING yourself!)
So if you can’t eat exactly what you want any time you want it, but you also can’t deprive yourself of the food you love, what the heck do you do if you want to be healthy?
You don’t restrict yourself…Or at least you do so as little as possible.
I’ve mentioned this before, but when making diet changes, you really have two options – go all in or make small changes.
Which one you do is really dependent on you.
For some people, it is best to go all in at the beginning because any temptation at the beginning away from the clean eating habits they want to instill will lead to a binge.
For others, “going all in” leads to feelings of deprivation, which in turn leads to binging.
So when starting to make healthier choices, you need to decide which one will work best for you.
Then you also need to figure out what triggers your feelings of deprivation. What makes you feel like you are restricted and can’t indulge?
Is it not having dessert at night? Is it that you miss that salty snack in the afternoon? Is it when you get stressed and just want to eat?
Once you figure out your triggers, you can PLAN for them.
You can have healthy alternatives on hand when you know you may need them.
Like for me…I grew up eating dessert every night so when I’m stressed or tired or just not in the right frame of mind, I start craving dessert.
But instead of completely depriving myself, I’ve found healthy alternatives that satisfy me. Like a piece of dark chocolate or some delicious fresh fruit. And honestly for me this works because I physically feel way better and SATISFIED.
It’s not that a pint of ice cream doesn’t still sometimes sound good, but for me most of the time it just isn’t worth it. I would rather my chocolate bar.
Basically what you need to do is nip the craving in the bud. If you let that craving fester, you are doing to feel deprived and eventually not care what you eat and binge.
If you just deal with the craving, you are going to be way better off.
And right now your probably thinking…”Ok well sometimes a healthy alternative isn’t good enough.”
This is where I say…”Well it’s not about perfect…It’s about eating well 80% of the time and indulging 20%. Dealing with the craving could be indulging occasionally when you really really want something or it could be planning in a cheat.”
There are definitely times when you just really really want that cookie, that bag of chips, that snack that everyone else at the office is indulging in.
And sometimes it is ok to give in.
But if you indulge in that thing that you truly want, don’t allow it to be an excuse to binge.
Indulging and enjoying things you love isn’t bad!
You shouldn’t freak out if you eat a calorie that isn’t on your “diet program!” (Shoot you shouldn’t freak out if you go on vacation and indulge for a week because you’ve got to enjoy life!)
It isn’t a big deal!
If you stress about not being perfect with your diet, that stress is what will TRULY lead to binging. Because that stress is what makes you feel restricted and turns one little indulgence into a year-long binge.
If you really want to eat well, you’ve got to realize healthy living is a LIFE-LONG PROCESS. It isn’t about perfection day in and day out. It is about trying to simply eat whole natural foods as often as you can while STILL enjoying life!
So don’t stress yourself out about dieting. Don’t make yourself feel deprived and completely restricted.
If you LOVE Thanksgiving food or Christmas food or have one restaurant you go to occasionally on a Friday night, indulge on that day! Don’t deprive yourself of things that you love! That one day, one meal isn’t going to destroy all your hard work! What will destroy your healthy lifestyle is stressing about the indulgence and NOT enjoying to the fullest! Feel satisfied when you indulge, not guilty, because satisfaction leads to adherence in the long run, which is what truly matters!
So now the question is…Are you caught in the binge eating cycle? What do you do so that you ENJOY eating well and don’t feel deprived?
Stronger Than Yesterday
So yesterday I participated in a team mud run with a few clients from the gym.
One of the women I convinced to participate was super nervous…and I mean super nervous.
She kept saying, “I don’t want to get hurt. I don’t think I can do this. I’ve never done anything like this…”
But guess what!?!
She did it!
Post run haha
She even said to me at the end that she had to work on certain things for NEXT TIME.
NEXT TIME!
She had been so scared that I basically had to beg her to show up today and now she was talking about NEXT TIME.
YES!
While I was glad she had fun, I was even more excited that she had gained a new respect and confidence in her own abilities. She had done something outside her comfort zone and became more empowered because of it.
Very often, like in Patti’s case, we hold ourselves back. We tell ourselves we CAN’T do it so we don’t. We feel way more COMFORTABLE in the safe little realm we’ve built for ourselves.
We shy away from things that may leave us exposed and vulnerable – that may bring failure and defeat. Many of us fear failure and a blow to our ego more than we enjoy success.
But if we never risk failure, we will never truly know success.
Plain and simple.
Which is why I always push myself and those around me to push the boundaries of their comfort zone…
Just like Patti did.
Just like Patti has done since she started at the gym as an intimidated newbie because she didn’t want to end up like her aunt who was immobile and ill.
Patti, you are an inspiration to us all! Fifty three and looking sexy and strong!
Does size matter?
So I’m definitely a bit perverse because when I thought of calling this post “Does size matter” I made myself giggle.
Anyway…..
Yesterday Ryan and I moved…again…
I’ve literally moved at least every year for the past seven years and I must say, I’m pretty sick of it! (Although I must admit that every time I move I am inspired to write a post about something that happened, like IKEA last year…and this time is no different.)
Every time I move, I think about how grateful I am that I lift heavy on a regular basis because carrying awkward and heavy pieces of furniture up and down flights of stairs is by no means easy or fun.
Like yesterday carrying our gigantic TV stand, which takes up a whole wall and looks amazing, but is a pain in the butt to move.
The stand is taller than I am and most definitely weighs more. It is also extremely long so that it doesn’t easily maneuver through doorways or around corners. Ryan and I were even afraid that it wouldn’t fit through the front door of the place because of the stairs and a very tight turn at the top.
But we also didn’t really want to take it apart before we moved because then we would have to put the bazillion Ikea pieces back together.
So we risked it.
We managed to get it out of our first place and into the truck fine. We also didn’t even struggle with a few other big (and cumbersome) pieces that we feared might not make it down the stairs.
So of course we were super worried that the stand would be impossible to move at the next place since the walk from the truck to the apartment was double the length and up two long flights of stairs (and we’d had such great luck already that something had to go wrong….right?)
When we get to the new place, we first remove all of the boxes and lighter furniture…up and down the stairs.
There is no workout that exactly compares to carrying awkward and heavy things up and down stairs…
This is what the stairs looked and felt like when moving yesterday.
And then we got to the TV stand.
Ryan and I had debated on who should walk backwards up the stairs and who should push from the bottom.
I’ve heard before that the stronger person should go in the back and push up the stairs…So of course, I went to the back to push…
Just kidding.
But I actually DID end up on the back-end after we experimented with the desk, but not because I was stronger.
I found that being a bit weaker and shorter than Ryan, I struggled to lift as well in the very awkward position of walking backwards up the stairs.
My strength and height served me much better when I was in the less awkward position pushing up on the heavy furniture from the back.
Which got me to thinking about SIZE when it comes to lifting.
People often try to say that they CAN’T do something because of their size – They are too tall or too short. Their arms are too long. Or they are too heavy.
And while I usually get annoyed by those comments because really they are just simply excuses, there is something to SIZE.
How you are built can positively or negatively affect certain lifts and exercises.
That doesn’t mean you have an excuse not to be able to do a pull up just because you have long arms. Or that I have an excuse to not lift heavy awkward furniture just because I’m shorter.
But it does mean that I can’t compare myself to someone else more easily lifting the small box that I just struggled and dripped sweat over the minute before.
And that right there is exactly my point.
We can’t compare ourselves to anyone else because everyone truly is different. We are all different shapes and sizes and that does factor in to our workouts.
So stop comparing yourself to the woman next to you lifting. Stop comparing yourself to how fast she is running.
Start focusing on your own goals and what you CAN DO.
Crawl, Walk, Run
So I’ve encountered a lot of people recently who are doing exercises and weights way beyond their current abilities.
And they feel entitled to do the workout moves even though they really aren’t doing them correctly.
They feel entitled because they believe they are in shape. Because they’ve been doing intense stuff for years. Because another trainer let them do it.
Well, I’m sorry, but you don’t just get to do an exercise, you have to earn it.
I mean think about it right now…Do you actually do a full push up? Is your push up perfect?
Is your body in a perfectly straight line? Do you touch your chest to the ground and then completely lock out at the top?
Or does your chin jut forward? Are you’re arms at 90 degrees from your body? Do your hips sag toward the ground or is your butt up in the air?
Be honest with yourself because I can tell you now after hours of watching push ups that 95% of the people out there can’t do a push up worth SHIT.
Sorry to curse, but seriously I am just fed up. I saw all these men and women deciding that they deserved to do the toughest push up progression when they honestly weren’t even near ready.
Is it pride or bragging rights or just that we want to be “bad-ass” that make people stupid enough to do something truly beyond their level?
Or do people really just not realize how bad their form is? Do they not equate their nagging injuries to the fact that they are trying to run when they haven’t even learned to crawl properly yet?
And the funniest part is that I don’t consider myself a stickler on form. I believe that there is a scale of “acceptable” form aka form that is good enough that the person won’t get injured, BUT that as the person gets stronger will be worked to be improved.
However, the form I’ve seen is just completely unacceptable especially since people keep pushing to do something harder than they should.
Why does everyone believe they are above progression!?!
SLOW DOWN PEOPLE!
FORM is important to the extent that it PREVENTS INJURIES! And usually correct form means that you are doing something in the most efficient and functional way possible – the way that will truly give you the most power and STRENGTH.
So why waste your time on incorrect form and just keep pushing ahead when you won’t get near as much out of the move as you could if you just slowed down and took the time to properly engage the correct muscles?
Maybe you never thought of it that way…huh?
Stop trying to run before you can walk and walk before you can crawl. If you take the necessary time at each stage, you are going to find that not only will your lifts be stronger but that you will also suffer from fewer injuries!
So try a push up. Before you do that hard variation you saw in the magazine, ask yourself if you can really even do more than one round of 20 perfect push ups in all of the levels leading up to that new variation.
If you can’t, spend some time EARNING that new variation! It may be a great way to motivate yourself to work hard over the next few weeks or months!
Check back soon for a post about how to do a perfect push up…And in the meantime learn how to do a pull up!
I LOVE MYSELF – When did we lose the courage to believe?
When was the last time you did this? When was the last time you looked at yourself in the mirror and was like, “I love everything about myself.”
Heck when was the last time that you looked in the mirror and didn’t instantly start focusing on all the things you would like to change?
Probably never or at least not very recently I’m guessing.
And that is just sad.
So often as adults all we focus on are the things about ourselves that we want to change – the things about ourselves that we don’t like.
When did we lose the courage to say, “I love myself?”
Because, honestly, I don’t believe it isn’t that we don’t see our good points. We do recognize our good points, we just don’t focus on them because we are afraid that everyone else sees our flaws and will think that we are cocky or full of ourselves or delusional if we say we love something about ourselves.
When in reality, we focus way more on our flaws than ANYONE else out there does.
We are our own harshest critics. And I firmly believe that.
We set our own limits. We push ourselves down.
We can say that magazines present unrealistic body images. We can can say society presents unrealistic standards.
And yes, those societal standards do seep into our brains as we age so that we can’t, with the same abandon as Jessica, say we love ourselves.
But despite what society tells you, I guarantee that there are traits that aren’t deemed beautiful or wonderful by society that you love about yourself. Yet, because society doesn’t value them, you are too afraid to admit your beauty out loud.
YOU hold yourself back.
When will it stop?
When will you muster the courage to admit that you love yourself? Flaws and all.
When will you stop picking and pushing and start enjoying and celebrating?
When will you stop setting boundaries and limits and instead look at the world and yourself for all that you have to offer?
Society isn’t going to change. Magazines. TV. Ads. Aren’t going to change….
Until we do.
So start creating change by changing your opinion of yourself. Tomorrow, look in that mirror and focus on what you LOVE not what you’d change…
And if you happen to do a little dance while looking in that mirror…well that is fine too!
No one’s judging except you.
Are they all just excuses?
Let’s face it, if you want something bad enough, you are going to do whatever it takes to get there.
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
End of story.
And I’m getting really sick of all the excuses that we make about why we CAN’T live a healthier lifestyle.
Not enough time. Too tired. Too busy. It’s not working quick enough. Stress. I NEED the bad food. I NEED the cheat. Healthy food is too expensive. There aren’t options easily available. I don’t like it. I don’t know how. I’m just not one of those people. At least it is better…Right? I can’t do that…..
I’m pretty sure everyone out there has said at least one of those at some point.
And frankly, they are just all excuses.
We all make them, myself included, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are simply excuses – they are simply us letting ourselves off the hook for something we know we SHOULD be doing.
And we only seem to make excuses when we don’t value our goal enough. Because let’s face it, if you have a powerful reason WHY you want to accomplish something, you are going to make it happen. As I said before, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
So if you figure out WHY your goal is truly important to you, your WILL will be strong enough to find a way.
Oh but…You DO really really want to feel like you are in better shape. You really do want to workout 3 times a week.
There just truly isn’t time for you to go to the gym.
HA!
For one, you don’t need to go to the gym. Here is a body weight workout you can do at home.
Two, you don’t need that much time to workout! Really you don’t have 15 minutes three days each week to workout!?! Really!?!
Come on!
That’s right…You DO actually have time. You just haven’t sought out a way to make it happen.
Instead you’ve just made excuses.
Same goes for healthy eating. People tell me they don’t have time to cook. Or that eating healthily is just too expensive.
Honestly, those excuses are both CRAP.
For one, it doesn’t take that long to cook especially if you just take one day and prep meals for the entire week.
Two, there are LOTS of places to buy great, healthy foods that aren’t that expensive. Even Walmart is now carrying local produce! And farmer’s markets are another great less expensive option.
Three, you can do lots of quick fixes to make things healthier without spending more money.
Can’t spring for grass-fed beef?
Fine…But make your traditionally farmed meat better by cooking it in grass-fed butter, olive oil or coconut oil.
There are small little changes you can make, that aren’t more expensive, that can make a big difference!
So take a couple of minutes this weekend and think about all of the reasons WHY you CAN’T do something.
Then make a decision…
Do you really want to accomplish your goal?
If the answer is truly yes, they buckle down and find a way to overcome the excuses.
Stop giving yourself the option to fail. Buckle down and DO IT!
Man Bicep 