Here at our personal training studio in the Lakeville/Burnsville/Apple Valley area many of our personal training and group training clients have major weight loss goals but into one big hurdle. ALCOHOL.

“What’s wrong with having a few drinks? There are studies that say alcohol can be good for your health. ” You might say.

Here’ the deal. The last thing I want to do is take something someone likes away but my job is to get my personal training clients results not lie to them so they feel good about doing something that sabotages their efforts. To me that is lack of integrity on my part.

“You might not always like what I tell you but I’ll always tell you the truth.” I tell them.

So why is alcohol so bad for people trying to lose weight and get healthier?

Here are the reasons why.

1.Excess calories. Alcohol is 7 calories per gram but unlike carbs, proteins, and fats it is really not a macro nutrient it is just putting empty calories into your body. Each beer can be 60-250 calories depending on what you are drinking. So  if you are having a few brewskis eah night you can be adding up to 500 extra calories per day excess.  On the flip side cutting 500 calories out per day will yield an extra pound of fat loss per week. What about wine and hard liquor? Wine is 50-125 calories per glass and hard liquor can be up to 200 calories and add in your sugary mixer with let’s say a margarita and you can have up to 150 calories or more with a lot of sugar.

2.)Blood sugar instability-Drinking booze creates an environment similar to eating a high carbohydrate meal and lowers blood sugar making you feel hungry. Why do you think Perkins and Dennys are packed on Friday and Saturday nights. Remember we’ve addressed this over and over unstable blood sugar program your body to store fat and makes virtually impossible to burn it.

3.)Liver stress-One of the liver’s main roles is fat metabolism. When you put alcohol into your system it forces the liver to basically shut down the fat metabolizing switch and turn on the detox/processing switch.

4.)Poor sleep. Sleep is important for recovery for workouts and the everyday stress of life. Alcohol affects valuable REM sleep we need to recharge our brains and our bodies.  Plus when your lack quality sleep Ghrelin levels raise this is the hormone that tells you your hungry adding more cravings. Not good for trying to stay on your eating plan.  So having that drink before bed to relax is hurting not  helping you.

5. Neurotransmitter disruption. Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that are important to keep you mentally sharp, focused and motivated. When you consume alcohol it inhibits the response of these powerful chemicals. So now you know why you might feel lazy and unmotivated after a night of tying one on.  This will also affect your ability to push yourself in your workouts.

There you go five reasons not to drink.  Personally you have to decide what is more important. Is having a few drinks to appease your friends more important than conquering your goal? Is that glass of wine more important than looking your best and feeling good about yourself at the beach this summer? You have to decide but if you think you can get result and drink alcohol regularly quit lying to yourself.  If you are truly serious you will severely limit or ditch the booze.

If you are going to drink limit it to once per week and follow these guidelines:

• Consider low calorie or calorie free mixers. Request soda water, diet soda or light fruit juices that may only contain up to a few calories per serving.
• Budget your calories. If you’re on a diet, you might want to substitute a nutrient sparse, sugary cheat snack with a drink later in the day/week. By no means should you exchange entire meals or a day’s worth of eating for a night of binge drinking

• Before you embark on your night of drinking, be sure to eat a balanced meal to slow the rate at which your body absorbs alcohol. Also, eating beforehand will provide a sense of satiety that may prevent overconsumption through rapid drinking.

I’ll leave you with this. Sometimes we get bummed thinking we miss out on social stuff and fun but this quote really sends it home.  “The pain of discipline now is far less than the pain of regret later.”

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Many people think of me just think of me as a personal trainer in the Lakeville, Burnsville, Apple Valley and Prior Lake area. Really I do more than just personal training and group training. I actually feel like what I do is a lot of psychology. We deal with so many people and I see a lot of different personalities in my profession.

Lately I have been observing people more closely and how they feel their lives are going. Basically I’ve broken people into two categories Eeyores and Tiggers. Yes a Winnie the Pooh reference. If you remember two of the characters in Pooh where Eeyore and Tigger. Eeyore was a donkey who was always in a bad mood and negative whining and bitching about this or that and life always sucked for him. Tigger was always happy, energetic and happy.

Do you know people like Tigger and Eeyore? Which one are you like?

My observation is Eeyores like to whine, bitch and complain and never do anything to change their situation. All they do is bitch and blame everyone and everything else for their problems, lack of success etc. With them the glass is always half empty.

Tiggers on the other hand always have a positive outlook and bring good energy to the environment around them. Bad things may happen to Tiggers but their attitude always overcomes those bad things. They have the glass half full mentality.

Anyway I know I’ve been both. When I’m an Eeyore it’s usually because of several things lack of sleep, watching crappy TV and hanging around the wrong people.  I really try not to be an Eeyore but I still backslide sometimes.

So here are some things I do to be less Eeyore and more Tigger.

1.)Spiritual work and devotions in the morning. I get up each morning and spend time working on my faith and reading my bible as well as in prayer and journal. Yeah this will probably offend some people but I don’t care. My relationship with God is important it really gives me peace and directs my day and mindset.  Many people get up and start their day with news media or the paper both of which are negative. I look at this part of my life much like fitness but it’s my spiritual workout. The more I’ve grown here the stronger I have become in other areas of my life.

2.)Exercise in the morning. Not everyone has this option but for me I am able to do this. It is as much mental as physical. Exercise not only wakes up my body but it stimulates neurotransmitters like dopamine a chemical that positively affects your brain by increasing your focus and motivation.

3.)Daily goal review and plan of attack. What are your goals and what are you going to do that day to move closer to hitting them? Do you know this and why are they important to you? If you don’t know these things than each of your days will fly by with you reacting to everything and not being proactive about taking action to accomplish the things that really matter.  The old adage if you fail to plan you plan to fail is true. I plan my weeks and days and always ask myself what things do I need to do that will make the biggest impact on me hitting my goals. For instance I might need to go to the bank or follow up on a hot lead. To me that’s an easy choice following up on the lead is more important because a new customer can be worth thousands of dollars to my bottom line. So one again what’s important and why is crucial to your success with any goal. If you are trying to lose twenty pounds and say it’s important but put things like doing the laundry, going to the store and happy hour in front of your workout than forget about seeing results you are just deceiving yourself and giving the goal lip service. So each day I recommend you spend some time planning on what exactly you plan to do to move towards your goal and when. I say when because if you do not block time something else will fill it in. So block time to work on your goals or it will never happen. Hope is not a good strategy.

4 Sharpen the Saw. Abraham Lincoln once said it would only take him 4 hours to chop down a tree. He would spend three hours sharpening the blade and one cutting down the tree. How many of us are trying to cut the tree down with a dull blade. This simply means we keep trying the same thing and getting nowhere. Another important thing to do is work on personal development and gaining knowledge in the areas you want to improve. Instead of watching unreality TV or facebooking pick up a book and read. This is a foreign concept to most people these days. If you want to be extraordinary than do things ordinary people don’t.

5. Hang out with the right people. I want to be fit and successful in business so I hang out with people who are successful entrepeneurs and people who know fitness and implement it. If I wanted to be a drunk I would hit happy hour and be a barfly. We all know  there are many “experts” and “philosophers” hanging out in bars sharing their “knowledge.”  How can you say you want to be fit and hang out with lazy overweight people with zero motivation. It’s harsh but true.I’m not here to be “politically correct.” I’m here to speak truth if you disagree then you can quit reading now and go live in your denial.

I’m by no means perfect not even close. I have a lot of work to do on myself but I do know this. I want to live a significant life in my short time here not just take up space. In order to do that I have to make each day count.That means working on the things I want to get better at each day not taking any day for granted. It also means doing things outside my comfort zone and that are not always convienient or easy. Sitting on my ass complaining and blaming others does nothing. In my opinion it’s a huge problem in our nation today. We blame the economy, the government, a certain group of people or just whine about how we never get a break.  I like to ask people how that plan is working for them,

So if you are a Tigger then God bless you the world needs more of you. If you are an Eeyore here is the good news you can change that if you want but it’s up to you.  Your choice a sucky life or a significant one? If you want sucky than get out of my way and go sit in the bar with other Eeyores and solve all the world’s problems.

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Personal training really is as much about the mental as the physical. It doesn’t matter if you are from Lakeville, Burnsville, Prior Lake, or Apple Valley people are basically all the same when it comes to setting and achieving goals for weight loss, fitness or business. It’s really all the same.

Last weekend I was at a business development conference for fitness business owners so I could work on running my personal training business in Lakeville. One night after the conference we had a special event called breakthrough. The speaker was another fitness business owner much like myself. He talked about his struggles through life and how he had overcome them. It’s hard to capture his intensity in this post but the main thing that had helped him overcome the challenges in his life and persevere was mindset. At the end of the seminar we were each given a board and told to write our goals on it as well as our purpose for wanting these goals and action steps we we were going to do to accomplish them. We were then told to flip the board over and write our obstacles.

Do you know what mine were?

I list them out for you..

Head trash, Shiny objects, Fear, Doubt, Fatigue, Control Freak, Bad Time Management, Poor Communication, Limited Beliefs

Notice anything in common about all these things. They are all me. I’m my biggest obstacle. I get in my own way of success. And I’m not the only one.

Well back to the story. Anyway after writing on both sides we were then told to break through the board with our bare hands(after some instruction as to how).  Funny thing is when I went to break it the first few times it didn’t work. One of my business coaches was holding the board and apparently wasn’t holding it right. So she rotated the board 90 degrees and it snapped the next time I struck it.

What a great analogy. How often when the board doesn’t break the first time or second time we decide to quit. What we need to do is keeping striking and it maybe is not that we can’t break the board but are going about it the wrong way as was my case.

Here at our  personal training studio in Lakeville I see many of our clients do the same thing.  It’s not their kids, job or spouse holding them back it’s them!  Mindset is the key to success not the best exercise or nutrition program but how you think and react to what is going on around you.

Any big goal is going to have setbacks. How you deal with those setbacks is key. If you whine and complain saying crap like “see nothing ever works out for me” or “I can never get ahead.” Than you are right because you are creating a self fulfilling prophecy. On the flip side if you say “nothing can stop me” and “whatever it takes.” Once again you are right.

We are almost halfway through 2013. What have you accomplished? Why or why not have you accomplished these things? I know the answer without maybe even knowing you. It’s your own head trash. Take it out like you would the garbage each week and start speaking from a position of strength not weakness.

Make the decision this year that you will break through your board of BS that’s been holding you back from being all you can be. No matter what happens you will win. Believe it and speak it out. Expect resistance because any goal that is truly great is going to take some blood, sweat and tears.

My broken board sits on my desk to remind me of the commitment I made to myself to truly breakthrough in 2013 and when I start feeling sorry for myself I will have it to keep my mindset in check. No pity parties allowed.

Now if you are serious find something to visually remind you of where you want to go and why and put it up where you can see it each day so you to can have a breakthrough(I wouldn’t recommend breaking board without some instruction). Just make sure it is something that stirs up emotions and fires you up.

And finally… go out and kick the goal’s ass!

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Fat loss is a like minefield let’s face it. There are a lot of things that can blow up our efforts. There’s things like stress and emotions which can cause us to eat things we probably shouldn’t if we are trying to drop fat.  There are also social functions and events which put us in a tough spot sometimes when it comes to good choices. I pour through people’s food journals weekly and I see certain “mines” that knock people off course constantly so here are some tips on how to avoid these “mines.”

1.)Night Time Eating.  70% of Americans eat 70% of their calories at night. This is exactly the opposite of what we want for ideal fat loss conditions. So to avoid this from happening here is what I suggest.  Always have an afternoon snack that contains both protein and carbohydrates it doesn’t have to be anything big. something like a handful of almonds with an apple  or a good protein bar that is low in sugar.  Even if you are not hungry. Eventually if you skip this your blood sugar will drop low enough that you will be more ravenous when you get home and more prone to night time eating. Also ook at your nightly routine TV watching seems to bring on night time snacking more often than not.  Look at all the food commercials on and the fact you are sitting there not really mentally engaged.  Try working on a project around the house or reading a book something that forces you to focus and not sit there thinking of food.

2.)Blood Sugar Spikes. This can happen if you do not choose carefully what you eat. Many starches and snacky foods break down as fast or almost as fast as sugar. Avoid eating out even at so called “healthy” places like subway. Pack your own lunch with fresh whole foods. Fruits, salads, lean meat like chicken breast. For bread or wraps I recommend Ezekiel brand products. This is more work but hey if you want great results your efforts have to match. Avoid crackers, pretzels, coffe drinks loaded with sugar from Starbucks or Caribou, and treats like candy. If they are a temptation don’t even buy them and put them in your office or your house. To control blood sugar every meal or snack should contain protein(10 grams minimum), fiber, healthy fat and whole food carbohydrates like fruit, whole grains(oats, barley, quinoa) and fiber to some extent.

3.)Social situations. Sometimes it feels like we are back in high school. People try to pressure us to drink or eat certain foods. Peer pressure is a real thing. So here are some tactics you can use to navigate these tough situations. Offer to bring something to the event or bring 2 things you can make that taste good and are on your plan.  Preempt their pressure by letting them know you are on a special fat loss plan and do not plan to drink or eat offer even to be a designated driver. Alcohol is one of the worst enemies of fat loss so avoid it like the plague. Also eat something before you go the event so you are full and will not be hungry upon arrival thus being more likely to eat more when you get there. It’s hrd but you have to think of your purpose when people come down on you. What’s more important your health or pleasing them. Many times they want you to break to justify their own bad habits. It’s one of our human tendencies to bring people back down to our level when they are trying to rise above. It sucks but it’s true. When going to restaurant look at the menu ahead of time on the internet to create a plan. Always have a plan. Those who fail to plan. Plan to fail.

Utilize these practices and have a proactive versus reactive mindset so you are ahead of the game.  Shop one day per week to load your house with healthy choices so you won’t run out and be tempted to eat out or order in. Spend time preparing food ahead of time and planning your nutrition each day. Yes it is extra work but the results that come are truly worth it.

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So often when working with people they try to stay on their nutrition plans but end up having days where they eat way too much. They not only feel awful physically but mentally as well because they feel like they have failed.

What if these high calorie days could be  legitimate part of the plan. Really?

Yes. Really.

Recently I’ve been doing my own little investigation into the feast/fast concept. Not on;y have I been reading about it I’ve been implementing it. I have literally been having days where I purposely eat like I did when I played college football. Trying to jack up my calories.

The theory behind this is that the high calories stimulates metabolism and important hormones such as thyroid. You then follow that day with a fast which allows all the consumed calories from the day before to be utilized and it allows your body to get rid of toxins from all those calories plus it lets the digestive system catch up.

There have been numerous studies done on this type of eating which show an improvement in blood lipid profiles, increase growth hormone(major player in fat burning) as well as an improvement in overall insulin sensitivity. Which is crucial for not only losing fat but avoiding type II diabetes.

So like I said I have been trying it. And in the few weeks I hve done it I have seen a weight loss of about 5 pounds.  My strength has stayed great even on fasting days. People have been telling me I look leaner. I really have to get a body comp test done so I can really track results.

Usually I pic my busiest day of the week to do the fast since my mind will be preoccupied most of the day I won’t have to think about the fact I’m not eating. I also don’t have to plan meals or journal on those days. I’ll typically eat breakfast in the morning and get some protein in me after I work out in the morning and then I won’t eat until breakfast the following day. Typically Sundays have been my feast days. Even with Easter I ate my fair share of chocolate and cake. I still managed to keep seeing progress.

Oh yeah and the morning after the fast I’ll do some low level cardio like eliptical for 30-35 minutes before my meal that breaks the fast to get a little more fat burning in before eating.

This is what I’m shake it up and try this thing first hand and it seems to be working. The only way to know if it works for you is to get measured and try it and then reassess. If it works you now have a strategic way to implement free days.

One last disclaimer the fast days will suck at first but hang in there. Each time you do it it will become easier this is essentially your body getting better at metabolic flexibility meaning it is getting more efficient at going from burning sugars to burning fats. This is a good thing so stick with it. Just like a hard workout  nutrition shake up can be  a shock at first but thoe of us who are willing to step out of the their box and do things other aren’t willing to do will find we get results that others will never get.

Sounds too good to be true? The only way to know is to test drive it for yourself and see. If it works it will make your nutrition plan a whole lot more fun.

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This isn’t fitness post but it is what is on my mind. I guess it is fitness it is about having balance in life. So if you are looking for a new fat loss tip or arm routine try me next week.

This past week I attended a memorial for one of my teammates from my college football team.  It made me put things back into perspective which often moments like these do. Going to that event reminded me how  quick life is. Sometimes we can get caught up in trying to make a bunch of money or have the perfect body. The truth is at the end of it all what really matters is a life of significance versus success.

No one is going to put your net worth or body fat percentage on your tombstone. Personally I would rather have beloved father, husband and friend. People will remember you more for how much you impacted their lives.

I don’t know about you but I get more out of someone telling me that I changed their life for the better. Money, status, and being fit can all fade quickly but your contributions will stick around well after you have gone. Look at Martin Luther King and Mother Theresa they were known for the lives they lived not for their financial success or important status. This is what drives me. I want to make the most out of my time using the skills, knowledge and abilities that God gave me.

I may never be 5% bodyfat and ripped again or be a millionaire. What I do know is in this life I have had some great experiences and developed some great relationships. Those things matter most. I look at this past Monday and realize how tight knit our football team was. We are like a family even though we are all living are own lives whenever something happens to one of us or when we get together that lifelong bond is obvious.

Balance is that holy grail we all search for and in this society it can easily be skewed by work and unimportant tasks which eat up our time and leave us feeling empty. In Stephen Covey’s “First Things First” there is a story of a professor putting big rocks in a jar and asking his class if anything else can fit. They reply “no” but then he put s in some small rocks in the jar and they fit. He then asks again if there is any room again they reply “no” then he fills the jar with sand. He then proceeds to explain his demonstration. The big rocks are the important things in life relationships, spirituality and fitness. The small rocks are things that are things that need to be done but don’t give you a ton of fulfillment. Things like a work assignment or taxes etc.  The sand represents busy work like going to the store and dropping off dry cleaning. Then he says what if I filled the jar with the sand first then the big rocks would have never fit.

This analogy is unfortunately how many Americans are living their lives. The sand comes first leaving them feeling empty.  Make sure you put your big rocks first and all the other stuff will fit in after. Approach your days and weeks with the mindset of  “who can I help” “what can I do to make a difference in my community.”  I guarantee you will get more out of life and be more motivated to tackle each day.  That my friends is a powerful perspective and will lead you to a purpose filled life that energizes you and keeps you going even with all the negativity out there you will be the shining light. Go for it.

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Are you finding your workouts are sporadic or
just plain boring. Do you go to the gym just to
go to the gym. What you are lacking is purpose.
Time to stop being a spectator and get
into the game of life.
Here is my step by step tips on how you can
get some purpose and focus back into your
work out and become a player versus a spectator.
1. Find a challenge that interests you or something
you have never done or attempted.
2. Make an announcement, post it on facebook
and let everyone know what you are
doing. Now your integrity is on the line either
see it through or spend countless hours explaining
why you didn’t, your choice.
3. Pay the entrance fee if there is one and register.
No backing out now.
4. Train and prepare with relentless focus,
enthusiasm and intensity.
5. Do the event or challenge and give 100% no
matter what the outcome.
6. Now give yourself a pat on the back for
setting a goal and seeing it through. Very few
people ever do this and will never know how.

If you are looking for a challenge. Try our 8-week  jumpstart challenge starting on April 13th. Teams of two complete challenges and self workouts for points.  The top teams win prizes and bragging rights.

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Want to know the ―invisible‖ secret to being healthy all around?
What’s that you say? You had no idea there’s an invisible secret?

There absolutely is.

Do you ever feel tired all the time? Bloated? Joint pain? Poor skin? Headaches? Aching muscles?

ALL of this can be a result of not using the ―invisible‖ secret to being healthy.
What on earth am I talking about? Well, it’s something most people DON’T want to discuss and is usually, well… invisible to them:
their colon.

If not taken care of properly, a toxic colon can lead to serious health problems like cancer and even heart disease. Plus, it contributes to all the symptoms I described above.
The reason your colon is so important is that it’s responsible for A LOT in keeping your body healthy. It acts like a filter that separates and breaks down water and the ―waste‖ in your body. It also aids in nutrient absorption, removes harm-ful toxins and is responsible for keeping you ―regular.‖

The bad news is that the typical American diet is HORRIBLE for your colon health. Trans-fats, re-fined sugars, high fructose corn syrup, antibiotics and hormones in the meat supply, and artificial sweeteners, etc are all contributors to an un-healthy colon.
Of course, you already know the one nutrient that’s key to colon health: FIBER! Fiber is what helps ―flush‖ out all those nasty toxins and useless waste. But here’s the thing — very few Americans get enough fiber. One study found if folks who barely ate any fiber in their diets, doubled their in-take… their risk of colorectal cancer would drop by a whopping 40%!.

Eating more fiber and ―cleansing‖ your colon can lead to lowered risk of cancer, more energy, being more vibrant and feeling lightness and comfort in your abdominal region.

Good sources of fiber include nuts, fruits and seeds (i.e. pumpkin and sunflower). But you’ll also want to cleanse your colon with one or more of these all-natural ―waste‖ removers:

Marshmallow Root– This acts kind of like a ―glue‖ that helps stick to waste and flush it out. It also helps protect and coat the intestinal lining.

Cascara Sagrada – Meaning ―sacred bark‖ in Spanish, this natu-ral laxative has been used for around 1,000 years to treat intesti-nal problems. It helps to stimulate the muscles of the colon to contract, effectively pushing out waste and toxins that have been stuck for years.

Rhubarb—This is a total colon ―super food.‖ It stimulates your colon to keep you regular, it slows the growth of bad bacteria, and it neutralizes tox-ins that may still be lingering around. Stay away from the leaves, however, as they can be toxic.

Colon health is VERY important to your overall health. DON’T ignore it.
If you have questions about this article, or would like to know more about detoxifying your body and the supplements we recommend to our clients, just give us a call at 952-220-2448 to schedule a free, no obligation detox consultation

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Night time is always the most challenging time for most people when it comes to eating right. Especially before bed because we might feel hungry but don’t want tones of calories and carbs sitting in our bodies that can be converted over to fat. So what do we do?

The answer is a high protein low carb snack. The protein will control blood sugar keeping hunger down and helping you sleep better through the night. It is also less likely to be converted into fat storage. So one of the questions I have recently got a lot of is “what are some good evening snacks that will help control night time cravings without ruining my nutrition plan?”

Here is a list of what I feel are the best snacks that accomplish both of the above issues.

Beef Jerky. Beef Jerky is actually one of the best snacks to have if you want a lot of protein without the carbohydrates. Beef Jerky will provide you with 11 grams of protein, 1 gram of fat, for only seventy calories! Be careful when purchasing beef jerky from convenience stores because they are usually extremely high in salt which is unhealthy. If you want to eat beef jerky as a high protein snack you should get it from a health store.

Egg Whites Or Hard Boiled Eggs. Egg whites are also an extremely healthy high protein low car snack that you can have without eating a lot of calories. Egg whites are only fifteen calories and will provide you with four grams of protein. Try throwing in a few egg whites into a pan and mixing it with some peppers and seasoning for a quick mini meal. I also like whole eggs because the fat in there is a healthy fat that can also provide satiety.

Garbanzo Beans. Whether whole tossed with veggies in a salad or crushed up into hummus, garbanzo beans are a versatile high protein food that makes a great snack. Combine garbanzo beans with cucumbers, carrots, celery, peppers and walnuts with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. FitnessMagazine.com also recommends hummus as a great mid-day snack. Dip carrot sticks, red and green peppers, cucumber slices, celery stalks or grilled zucchini slices into the hummus for a high-protein, low-carb, low-calorie satisfying treat.

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