We have two new success stories!
March 1, 2010 by mbluestone94
Many of you know that on Sundays (weather permitting) a small group of my very committed clients meet me at the Rockwood Summit High School track to conduct various cardio routines. Yesterday, Sunday, February 28 both Byron Keelin and Becky Litherland meet me at the track to train for the St. Patricks Day 5 Mile Run. Typically we do a series of interval training; but today I decided it would be best to train for distance, so we ran at a medium pace for 1 hour.
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- Becky (4 miles)
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- Byron (5 miles)
Both Becky and Byron ran the furthest they have ever traveled on foot! Byron ran 5 miles in 1 hour and 2 minutes and Becky ran 4 miles in 55 minutes. I’m proud to be a part of their accomplishments and I know they will have many more!
For those of you who are hesitant to run the St. Patricks Day Run with us you must look at these two for inspiration. Neither of them are athletes, nor do they look like distance runners; but they did it.
Stop whining and start winning! I know that every single one of my clients can travel 5 miles on foot. Of course it’s tiring! All of you have survived an hour with me conducting a high intensity total body resistance training workout which is much more difficult than running 5 miles, yet it takes the same amount of time.
I hope to see more of you at what I refer to as “cardio club” on Sundays and I expect all of you who have not reached your ideal weight to attend the St. Patricks Day Run unless your kid has soccer and no one can drive them or you must work and will get fired if you request off. I trust you to be honest with your excuses. Remember, you don’t have to attend every single soccer game but you do need to live to see your grand children.
Religion and Exercise
March 1, 2010 by mbluestone94
On occasion a client will ask me about my faith and I respond with “I don’t have one.” I get this look of “God bless that poor man” in response. God is a grand idea but so is Santa Clause, the tooth fairy, and Super Man. Why are so many stuck on only one among many mythological people?
FEAR is the reason.
Death is scary because the possibilities are endless, but it’s likely just the end. Shabam! We no longer exist! That seems to be the most logical conclusion. Why do you believe we are higher beings? Is it because we are innovators?
As I see it we are on earth to destroy it. Do you believe in doing what benefits the greater good? If so then you need to wake up because religion harms more people than it helps. War occurs for one of two reasons: religion and resources.
Rest assured I did not write this to criticize, in-fact I’m here to praise one aspect of religion. Oh yes, that’s right I believe! Even though religion is not for the greater good it does serve the believers as a support system.
Due to human emotion, life can get pretty tough and at times we feel alone even when in a room full of people, but those who have a faith and use it tend to prevail and excel in life’s pursuits.
Something that baffles me is that if you truly believe in God then why don’t you use that support to help you with your health and fitness goals?
It’s not selfish, if you’re truly a “giver” then the world will benefit having you around longer.
Use your faith to find strength for willpower and discipline when it comes to your diet and exercise. Use your belief system for something that really matters. Your existence! Your health!
I am very acceptant that people want to believe in whatever and I think they are predominantly good. I respect the beliefs of others and feel there is room for all of our beliefs. Although prayer can be helpful in gathering and focusing on what we want in life, our actions will be responsible for the results derived, prayer will not solely be responsible. So if you are a believer then I recommend two things.
- Be accountable for your actions or lack of
- Ask God for help “If you ask you shall receive”
A wise person once told me “god watches after those who watch after themselves.”
Be Selfish!
February 21, 2010 by mbluestone94
Selfish is good! When you put yourself FIRST you will be better at everything else that matters to you. You may be asking “what the hell are you talking about Mike? How will putting my-self first benefit my children and family? I need to be the best mother in the world!!”
Slow down there super star! I do not mean you must hog the appetizers at dinner or eat all of the ice cream sandwiches in the freezer without sharing. Nor do I suggest never attending your kids soccer game or spending the household’s discretionary income on clothing that you may never wear.
All I am trying to say is that if you put your health and fitness goals before everything else you will substantially increase the odds of you living long enough to be an even better mother, husband, sibling, and child. After all if you are in and out of the hospital frequently at age 45+ due to obesity or other disease related issues then how do you suspect this will impact your family? They will miss work to see you. They will have to help with the insurance bills because they will continue to climb and they will be emotionally exhausted.
If you put your health and fitness first you will project positive energy and look more attractive and people respond better to both characteristics.
A healthy and fit lifestyle will enable you to have a greater influence on those you love most.
I am discussing this today because too often I hear someone say something like “I wont be able to workout much for the next 4 months because I have to see every soccer game my kids play.” Or in some cases a client is back in school and will only exercise 3 days a week because they have a family and school to focus on. The truth is you don’t have to attend every single soccer game to be a supportive mother and if you manage your time better you can still exercise 5-7 days a week while in school, but you don’t necessarily have to got to the gym to do so.
Let me ask you a few questions “silly goose:”
1) Do you look and feel the way you desire?
Don’t lie now….Odds are your true answer is NO. 67% of the population is overweight and nearly all women who are not self absorbed believe they are fat even if they are thin. If you eliminate this constant emotional stress you will function exponentially better in all aspects of life.
2) When you do not look or feel the way you desire, are you emotionally happy?
I can answer this for you. NO you are not emotionally happy. Sure you experience joy at times, but what about when nothing joyous occurs? Greater levels of happiness are dependent on looking and feeling great. Granted appearance is not everything, it is something.
How often do you say to yourself “do I look fat in these jeans?” How many times have you bought something you absolutely loved in the store and returned home to try it on again and came to the realization you were delusional because the jeans make your hips look big?
As a personal trainer in St Louis who deals primarily in weight loss I know that physical appearance plays a significant role in your “emotional wellbeing.” When it comes time for measurements or simply steeping on the scale I can almost see your pulse rise from a distance and then when a client has worked their butt off for a week and has not lost a significant amount of weight they often reach a breaking point and begin to cry.
I understand why this has a significant impact on you and I am not making a joke but I am trying to make a point. BE SELFISH by putting your fitness and nutrition before everyone! I promise you will be a better someone if you do.
3) Why did you not lose weight or inches yet you worked your butt off at the gym?
One word… DIET.
Diet and exercise complement one another. If one is lacking the results will NOT show and you will be sad, not happy but SAD. BE SELFISH!
Okay, so what do I mean be selfish? Make diet and exercise a priority. Every day you should plan ahead and have most of your meals already made, packed, and ready to eat.
You do not need to exercise first thing in the morning but you should schedule it without failure to complete the assigned task.
Really I’m not even asking you to be selfish, all I ask is for you to devise a plan and stick to it.
If you are a client of mine then frequent exercise is not the issue, however a balanced and scheduled eating regimen is. It is imperative you get this “in check” immediately!
When I ask the client “Why did you not eat correctly?” I get various answers, but in the end there is only one solution. BE SELFISH and plan ahead! Typically I receive two different responses to “Why did you not eat correctly?”
1) I seldom get to eat breakfast because I have to get my kids off to school in the morning and my husband is not much help in this department. Stop blaming others for your faults! The real answer should be “I did not prepare Mike. I should have awoken 20 minutes earlier and made my breakfast before I prepared my children for school because my # 1 goal is too look and feel fabulous! When I look and feel fabulous I will have a greater impact on all of those I care most about and I will no longer be a crabby mother when my kids are behaving like kids. I will be orderly and structured and best of all I will be HAPPY! In addition you may even be a better wife and in turn your husband may be a better husband. This is not because he is more attracted to you but because you are more emotionally stable.
2) I’m not hungry in the morning so I just can’t eat. Let’s think about this, it is likely you almost never eat in the morning and then you go about your day for 3-6 hours without eating and then you are starving! So hungry that you could eat everything in sight and you have likely done this for years.
Okay I’m going to be a smart-ass and highlight that this is the exact behavior that made you overweight or obese so don’t you think it’s a good idea we do something different? I do, and if you choose not to offset this pattern you will remain overweight or obese. BE SELFISH and stuff that face with 300-400 healthy calories every morning and then continue to do so every 3 hours for the remainder of the day. If you remain consistent for 2 weeks you will begin to awake hungry and eating will no longer be an option.
You know what!? It’s not even a matter of being selfish; it’s a matter of self development. Obesity and being financially illiterate are caused by the same thing. Lack of discipline and awareness. It is time you create plan with a calorie budget, scheduled exercise, scheduled eating times, and less complaining.
Are you a whiner or a winner? Winners have a plan to overcome the difficulties and whiners complain about how difficult it is.
Stop whining and start winning!
Michelob ULTRA St. Patrick’s Day Parade Run
February 7, 2010 by mbluestone94
Local events are a fantastic way to promote your health and fitness ventures and St Louis has many to offer. We train in the gym almost daily and now its time to hit the pavement with the rest of the St Louis community to put our cardio respiratory fitness levels to the test. Lets lose some weight together at the 2010 St. Patrick’s Day Parade Run!
Remember that your not competing against the others, your competing against yourself.
The 2010 St. Patrick’s Day Parade Run takes place on Saturday, March 13, at 9:00 AM. One of the largest events of its kind in the St. Louis area, with over 9,000 participants, the 5 mile Run travels the streets of Downtown and Midtown St. Louis.
Date: Saturday, March 13
Time: 9:00 AM
Distance: 5 miles
Race Website: St. Patrick’s Day Parade Run
Race Registration: St. Patrick’s Day Parade Run Registration
Cost: $19
Comment below if you would like to join me.
Service Quality Survey
February 2, 2010 by mbluestone94
I encourage every one to email any suggestions at any time. All answers in this survey are anonymous.
Trader Joe’s Four Cheese Jumbo Ravioli
January 19, 2010 by mbluestone94
Are you in search of new food ideas while maintaining the caloric intake recommended for weight loss? Trader Joe’s Four Cheese Jumbo Ravioli toped with Trader Joe’s organic tomato basil marinara sauce makes for a filling dinner with reasonably low calories.
One serving of both the Jumbo Ravioli (about 5 ravioli = 300 calories) and marinara sauce (1/2 cup = 60 calories) totals 360 calories and 15 grams of protein. Perhaps your budget doest have room for 360 calories, in this case you can figure one ravioli is equivalent to 58 calories so all you must do is eat 4 versus 5.
The solutions are there. All we must do is use our brains and do the elementary math. If you truely want to lose weight but continuously fail and refuse to count calories then do not complain. You must use that brain of yours to calculate the calories. Yes I know, I’m a smart ass, but this is the reality of the situation. Many people think they do not need to count calories, however they have been struggling with weight problems for many years.
It is highly unlikely genetics are hindering your weight loss, but your lifestyle likely is.
Destructive Eating Behaviors Resulting In Devastation
January 17, 2010 by mbluestone94
We know his excuse but what is yours?
As a personal trainer who specializes in weight loss I have witnessed four common eating behaviors, three of which are close to perfect with exception to one or several devastating flaws. If you are struggling to achieve your weight loss goal then it is likely you represent one or more of the listed eating behaviors.
Before I begin I would like to note that the first scenario is the only one among the four which is far from the ideal. The others are close but need adjustments.
Eating Behavior: Eating 3 meals a day with 6 hour gaps between every meal.
When you finally ate, your body was depleted of energy and you were STARVING! So what did you do when it was time to eat? You stuffed your face with the tastiest and most convenient food available because you were SOOOO HUNGRY you couldn’t stand it anymore! Makes senesce, I would too. In fact I have and periodically repeat this behavior. The difference between you and I is I prevent this behavior from happening the following day, while you have likely done this for years.
I know that when I eat poorly such as in this scenario given, I will eat out and consume on average 1,000 calories each meal, totaling 3,000 calories for the 3 meals in that day, and then when Im at home relaxing in the evening awaiting sleep I will snack on XXL bowls of cereal or ice cream which will add an additional 300-600 calories for the day.
Because I am skinny and have consistently maintained high levels of activity since I took my first step as a child, my appearance has not suffered. In contrast it is likely you are older and have not been physically active for the entirety of your existence. Possibly you have kids, a career, and bigger bills to pay; all of which render you from high levels of activity and the frequent eating of controlled portions.
Countless years of this behavior will put your metabolism to sleep resulting in weight gain regardless of how many calories you consume. If this eating behavior is similar to yours and you don’t experience starving sensations don’t for a second think that your in the safe zone. All this means is that you have been doing it for so long that your metabolism has adapted and conservatively expends energy. You must put an end to this behavior now.
Eating solution: eat 6 properly portioned meals daily. Have no more than 3 hour gaps between meals. What are your daily caloric needs?
Eating Behavior: You eat 6 healthy meals a day however you refuse to measure the serving sizes.
Do you know what kind of damage this could result in? Imagine if every time you thought you were consuming 1 serving you were actually consuming 1.5 servings. What does this mean? Well, if your goal was to consume 1,500 calories daily you would actually be consuming 2,250 calories daily because 1500 X 1.5 = 2250.
What’s the result? It is likely you do not see a gain or a loss on the scale. It’s just stagnant. This can be discouraging and result in giving up, don’t let it happen to you and if it is we must make a change.
Do you know how one pound of body fat is lost? <—Click on the question for the answer.
Eating solution: get out the measuring cups and use them for EVERYTHING.
Eating Behavior: Eating perfectly 5 days a week, however you slip on Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday.
If you had remained focused on the weekend and ate well you may have lost 1-2 pounds for the week; however that is not what happened. Perhaps you ate out for 3 meals between Friday night and Sunday. Warning!!! When you dine out it doesn’t matter where you go, consuming less than 1000 calories each meal at a restaurant is unlikely no matter the size of the plate due to the consistency of the food. If you do this 3 times in a week you will consume 3000 calories in 3 meals when you should have had on average 200-400, totaling 600-1200 calories in 3 meals. This means you had 1800-2400 calories too many.
Another reason the scale didn’t represent a weight loss is because when you dine out you will consume an absurd amount of sodium resulting in extreme water retention, which results in extreme discouragement upon reading the scale.
Too often I will have a client who busted their butt in the gym and ate reasonably well all week, but when they return on Monday and step on the scale to see a fraction of a pound lost since last Monday they have a look on their face representing that of a person who just found out their dog died. This person is then overwhelmed with discouragement because like I said, they performed considerably well all week and they are rewarded with -.2 pounds. At this rate the person may lose a pound of body fat in a month.
In contrast those clients who behave 24/7 all month will lose 4-10 pounds.
Eating solution: Ask your family and piers who you spend your time with for their support. Typically speaking they will understand and lend their support. Perhaps the problem is not the social setting but it is something similar to activities and events with children or work. If this is the case then you must plan. There are options such as meal replacement bars, nuts, fruit, supplements; and you can even go as far as packing a cooler with yogurt, cottage cheese, salads, sandwiches, beans and tortilla chips. Remember there are always options, the question is: Are you willing to take the extra step and prepare? If you are not willing to, then do not whine and complain about not losing weight. No one wants to hear it if you are not willing to make a change. If you are willing to make the change but continuously fail, it is okay; I understand the difficulties and will remain supportive. What you must do is assess the challenges and fix them. Do not give up!
Eating Behavior: You eat 6 perfect meals all day every day; however your a sugar addict.
This particular challenge drives me crazy! I lose sleep over it because I think it is ridiculous that a grown adult can’t resist crap candy and soda; but I too have my favorite, I just find it easy to say no. Anyhow I will remain supportive in your time of need. Lets discuss common vices in regards to this particular dieting challenge.
Perhaps you love those cute, squishy, and oh so tasty gummy bears that I eat until my stomach hurts. Or maybe its liquorice or skittles. Ohhh how I love skittles!
- 17 itsy bitesy little gummy bears contain 17 grams of sugar; however I like to eat about 5 times that amount when I have gummy bears. That’s a staggering 85 grams of sugar which will be transformed immediately into body fat, unless you’re working out at a high intensity while stuffing your face with gummy bears. If I’m with you when you are choking I can guarantee I will not be giving you mouth to mouth resuscitation should you stop breathing; because when I open your mouth to begin the resuscitation process I will see a pool of colorful, jelly like saliva blocking the airway. Sorry, we will miss you. RIP
- liquorice (I hate liquorice). Every 3 pieces contains 15 grams of sugar. I suspect those who enjoy these nasty pieces of “plastic” have a difficult time stopping at 3 measly pieces. Eating tip: If you like plastic so much then get a pacifier.
- Skittles oh how I love skittles! 10 pieces of the smallest candies in the world are packed with 10 grams of sugar. I like to eat no less than 100 of those fruity luscious, glossy balls of chew. One gram per piece doesn’t sound like much; but remember that one gram is not one morsel of sugar, its probably hundreds, if not thousands of morsels per gram.
Moving on from my rant… Do you drink soda instead of coffee? One 20 oz of Coke has 65 grams of sugar! I don’t even get 65 grams of sugar in a day. Worst of all, those sugars will go straight to your fat stores since they are “simple sugars.” The only way you will avoid getting fatter is if you are working out at a high intensity while you drink your favorite carbonated beverage. Eating tip: It’s going to be difficult to exercise rigorously while you’re burping and attempting to breathe all at the same time.
What bothers me most is when I’m at the gas station and I see an overweight person filling up a GIANT cup with fountain soda. I just want to yell at them. Okay sorry…moving on
Maybe you’re among the many whom only drink diet soda and think it’s okay. It has not been declared factual, but dieticians, doctors, and scientist are highly suspicious of artificial sweeteners and their affect on the metabolism. After all, they should be since artificial sweeteners are chemicals.
If you told me you were so thirsty for a soda but can’t afford the calories and I replied with “drink this battery acid, it taste just like soda and best of all it is sugar free!” Would you drink it? I think not! So when the soft drink manufactures say “drink this diet soda, you can’t tell the difference” why do you say…? “Oh okay! J” They’re both comprised of chemicals. Just because the government permits the consumption doesn’t deem it healthy. After all, the government also approves alcohol and tobacco even though alcohol is proven to cause liver failure and smoking is the culprit of countless cancers. In addition to destroying the metabolism, who’s to say artificial sweeteners are not responsible for the spike in cancer rates in the USA?
So if you insist on drinking that crap diet soda then I say “enjoy your cancer while fantasizing about weight loss.”
Okay….Im sorry, I was kind of mean L If I help you will you forgive me?
Read this article —> Candy Weight Loss Diet.
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Candy Weight Loss Diet
January 14, 2010 by mbluestone94
Okay ladies, you drive me crazy with your daily emotional candy cravings which you undeniably satisfy; but I have some good news for you. For several days I have contemplated sharing this with you because I would like to think you can live without candy; however some seem incapable of self discipline. My observations have indicated that those who fail to resist and eliminate temptation are those whos husbands “work too much.” FYI making your ass fatter is not going to get him to stay home more, perhaps the opposite will though 
Okay here is my secret but before I share the candy weight loss secret with you I recomend you do not abuse it. Deal?
Eat your sweets after a hard workout, imediatly after, and do not over eat. Be sure to count those calories.
Why can you eat your sweets post workout (intense workout)?
Sugar is a simple carbohydrate and simple carbohydrates enter your blood streem quickly while complex carbs require exponentially greater time. Post workout your body is depleted of glycogen and glucose (energy). If you workout with me, you will often find yourself depleted of all energy, trembling to the kids club to retrieve the very person you blame for your increased waistline.
There you go candy craver’s! Reward yourself by satisfying your candy craving immediately after an intense workout only!
Comment below if you like this eating tip
Animal Cruelty
January 11, 2010 by mbluestone94
Here is why I haven’t eaten meat in 2 or 3 months. Share you thoughts below in the comment section please!
Trader Joes Meal Plans & Grocery List
January 8, 2010 by mbluestone94
My experience has “shined a light” on a common problem with too few solutions, the problem is “Grocery Shopping Confusion”. What is grocery shopping confusion? Do you find yourself wandering the grocery store looking at 30 different brands for one product without knowing which one is the best choice? Perhaps you know which the best choice is but you don’t know how to plan your meals while meeting basic nutritional needs. No longer will you need to go into the grocery store without a map and a plan because I have done the work for you. Product selection and weight loss meal planning will no longer be the biggest challenge among those in pursuit.
What I have prepared for you is a grocery shopping list with the exact product brand name and all products are almost guaranteed to be at one store, Trader Joes. Hopefully you have one in your neighborhood and if not I am sorry. You can still find similar product at your local grocer.
Before you begin I would like to highlight that the meals are lacking vegetables, I recommend you add 2-4 servings throughout the day.
Trader Joes Grocery Shopping List:
Click here to download Trader Joes Grocery List
I recommend you print the grocery shopping list and bring it to the store with you. I would also recommend you record the prices of each item if you are one who takes their budget serious. In addition I would also appreciate if you emailed me a copy of the list and the prices of each item, also include the store you went to so I can provide future readers with the estimated cost for their Local Trader Joes. You may email me at mikebluestone@missionpossibledp.com.
Meal Plans:
Click here to download Trader Joes Weight Loss Meal Plans
By now you should have downloaded the Excel Spread Sheet Titled Weight Loss Meal Plans and have it open. Take note that in the columns titled “Item” contain the generic name for the product, such as milk is listed as milk, not “Trader Joes Fat Free Organic Milk.” I did this because the full name clutters the spread sheet.
There are 3 sheets in this work book:
- Daily Weight Loss Meal Plan 1
- Daily Weight Loss Meal Plan 2
- Daily Weight Loss Meal Plan 3
I designed it so you can have variety in your diet. I recommend you continue to cycle through the weight loss meals, for example:
Sunday: Daily Weight Loss Meal Plan 1
Monday: Daily Weight Loss Meal Plan 2
Tuesday: Daily Weight Loss Meal Plan 3
Wednesday: Daily Weight Loss Meal Plan 1
Thursday: Daily Weight Loss Meal Plan 2
Friday: Daily Weight Loss Meal Plan 3
Saturday: Daily Weight Loss Meal Plan 1
In time I will have a new grocery list and weight loss meal plans available but I will make no promises on a date.
How to use the spread sheet:
Its quite simple because I have locked all of the cells with exception to the column titled “servings.” Adjust your servings to obtain your calorie goal. For example you should try changing an items serving to a strange number and see what happens…plug in 1.657 for something. Notice the totals adjust and you do not have to do any thinking. Cool?
Be sure to adjust the serving to satisfy your calorie goal
How many calories should I consume each day?
Good question! Refer to my post titled “How many calories should you consume according to your goal?” by clicking on it. Remember that I am not a dietician or nutritionist, the information I have presented in the post is from the American Dietetic Association.
How many proteins fats and carbohydrates should I consume each day?
Another great question! Refer to my post titled “Macronutrients: Protein, Fat, and Carbohydrate” Once again the information I have presented in the post is from the American Dietetic Association.
Suggested websites for calorie lookup:
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