Be Selfish!

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

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.

Bell

If you are in your later years and new to exercise then Bell is a true inspiration for you.  Like many in her shoes, Bell has dedicated her life to her career and family; leaving little time for herself.

Bell and I met when she was 59 and a stranger to the gym.  Today she is 61 year old “gym rat,” knows almost everyone at the gym, is positive, upbeat, always glowing with a welcoming smile, and best of all she is healthier and fitter than ever.

• 10-12 pounds of body fat lost
• Blood Pressure Lowered from:  152/90 down to 122/81
• Cholesterol Lowered from 253 down to 193
• Resting Heart Rate Lowered From 80’s down to 60’s
• Waist Measurement Reduced more than 5 inches

Bell puts fitness first and participates in group training/boot camp with me in St. Louis at Gold’s Gym which is located in Fenton.

Bell’s Strength:

Truly enjoys the gym.  Enjoyment is always helpful when routinely doing anything and Bell views the gym as her number one form of entertainment.

Bell’s Weaknesses:

Doesn’t eat enough.

Improve your health without blowing your budget by shopping at one of Trader Joes 4 locations in St. Louis using my Trader Joe’s grocery shopping list and referring to my sample meal plans.

St. Louis Personal Trainer:

Click to view the profile of her St Louis Personal Trainer (me)   

Be sure to take a look at my boot camp schedule which operates 12 different times on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Kristi

Among my success stories there are a few who were in need of body sculpting and Kristi is one of them.  As you can see from the before photos she was not over weight; however she was in search of a trim and tone body and is succeeding.

Kristi’s Strengths:

She has been committed to fitness with me for nearly 2 years and is highly functional in all planes of motion when it comes to exercise.  In addition to personal training she attends my boot camps and St. Louis Cardio Club.  The St. Louis Cardio Club meets at various locations in West County.  New comers are welcome.  Listed below are her accomplishments:

• -7 pounds on the scale
• lost 24% of her total body fat
• Sculpted her body so all of her muscles are visable
• Drastically improved eating habits; however she occasionally consumes large amounts of candy that results in scale fluctuation
• More energy
• Eliminated the “cottage cheese” which is her term not mine  Don’t get mad at me kristi (-:
• Kristi has trained with me for about 14 months and continues to do both group and personal training

Kristi’s Weaknesses:

She is human and has her challenges; food journaling is one of them.  She does not track her nutrient intake (calories, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates) granted she could excel even further if she did; but either way I am proud of her commitment which has lead to her accomplishments.

Improve your health without blowing your budget by shopping at one of Trader Joes 4 locations in St. Louis using my Trader Joe’s grocery shopping list and referring to my sample meal plans.

Her other weakness is candy and diet coke.  Read about my candy weight loss diet if you too struggle with candy cravings, it’s not a miracle worker by any means; but it will help if you feel helpless.  I also have an article discussing the negative effects diet soda has on the weight loss.

St. Louis Personal Trainer:

Click to view the profile of her St Louis Personal Trainer (me)   

Be sure to take a look at my boot camp schedule which operates 12 different times on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Evelyn

I have never seen anyone lose weight as quickly as Evelyn.  She would spend 1.5-3 hours a day at the gym 6 days a week and lose 1-5 pounds any given week.  At one point she was 60 pounds down on the scale but for now she is out with a compressed disk in her spine.  I hope we can resume soon, but until then our goal is to keep eating healthy with some weight loss.

Evelyn participates in group training/boot camp with me in St. Louis at Gold’s Gym which is located in Fenton.  She is currently out due to a compressed disk in her spine but I am certain she will return and be ready to finish the job.  Granted her weight loss task is not complete I feel -56 pounds on the scale is worthy of a success story and I cant wait to finish the job!

Evelyn’s Strength:

Loves the gym.  She will often exercise for 3 hours a day, if you attempt this I strongly encourage you to bring a piece of fruit and drink a protein shake half way through.

Evelyn’s Weaknesses:

Dieting.  She will cycle through two extremes.  Eating very clean but sometimes too few calories and then other times she will eat some of the worst possible items.  Either way she is fitter than most skinny people.  When it comes to exercise, Evelyn takes fitness to the extreme and is a role model to all.

Improve your health without blowing your budget by shopping at one of Trader Joes 4 locations in St. Louis using my Trader Joe’s grocery shopping list and referring to my sample meal plans.

St. Louis Personal Trainer:

Click to view the profile of her St Louis Personal Trainer (me)   

Be sure to take a look at my boot camp schedule which operates 12 different times on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Bridie

Bridie has made a significant change in her body and I mean SIGNIFICANT!  Just look at her before photo.  Her pursuit was a difficult one with small but consistent loses on the scale.  Sometimes people do all the right things but achieve slower results.  If you are among those who are “slow losers” then look no further for inspiration because Bride has succeed in the face of similar struggles.  Also check out Cheryl’s Success Story, the transformation isn’t as noticeable but rest assured she is more than 20 pounds lighter than she started.

Bridie participates in group training/boot camp with me in St. Louis at Gold’s Gym which is located in Fenton.

Bridie’s Strength:

Determination.  No matter what obstacle stood in her way she remained determined to overcome it.  Thus far Bridie has accomplished:

• Eliminated 29% of her total body fat and is now in a very healthy range
• Lost more than 17 inches in her legs, waist, arms, and hips
• emplyed about 10 additional pounds of lean muscel and burns and additional  500-700 calories a day no matter what she does
• Recievevd 2 promotions at work
• eats 5-6 small meals daily
• exercises 4-5 time a week

Bridie’s Weaknesses:

I’m not really certain because she keeps her challenges to herself.

Improve your health without blowing your budget by shopping at one of Trader Joes 4 locations in St. Louis using my Trader Joe’s grocery shopping list and referring to my sample meal plans.

St. Louis Personal Trainer:

Click to view the profile of her St Louis Personal Trainer (me)   

Be sure to take a look at my boot camp schedule which operates 12 different times on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Cheryl

Don’t automatically presume you too suffer from hypo thyroidism because the odds are extremely low; however Cheryl was among the few who did.  It took tremendous dedication and strength for Cheryl to remain positive for 6 months of slow progress but Cheryl did it losing .5-1 pound every 1-2 weeks.

In all Cheryl has lost about 21 pounds on the scale and has gained about 5-8 pounds of lean muscle; with that being said  she has lost as much as 29 pounds of body fat.

Cheryl participates in group training/boot camp with me in St. Louis at Gold’s Gym which is located in Fenton.

Cheryl’s Strength:

Eating healthy foods and dedication.  If you are in search of healthy food ideas and a grocery shopping list then I recommend you view my Trader Joes post.

Cheryl’s Weaknesses:

Not eating enough.  There are two ways to speed up your metabolism: frequent eating and exercise. Cheryl has the exercise part down but fails to eat frequently and with too few calories.  Click to calculate your estimated caloric needs.

Improve your health without blowing your budget by shopping at one of Trader Joes 4 locations in St. Louis using my Trader Joe’s grocery shopping list and referring to my sample meal plans.

St. Louis Personal Trainer:

Click to view the profile of her St Louis Personal Trainer (me)   

Be sure to take a look at my boot camp schedule which operates 12 different times on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Christina

Christina represents remarkable dedication!  She was a consistent loser on the scale averaging 1.5 pounds a week and a plummeting body fat percentage.  In the beginning she struggled on the scale but the inches were noticeable.  I am very proud of her die hard success and find her before and after pictures to be remarkable.

Christina participated in both personal training and group training/boot camp with me in St. Louis at Gold’s Gym which is located in Fenton.

Christina’s Strength:

The best food journaler ever!  I only had to tell her once and she kept the most detailed food journal ever.  She even recorded the exact amount of “black listed” food.   If you are in search of healthy food ideas and a grocery shopping list then I recommend you view my Trader Joes post.

In addition to phenomenal food journaling Christina would often visit the gym twice a day.

Christina’s Weaknesses:

I don’t think she had any.  She may have been the closest person to become perfect.

Caution: if you do what Christina did you are sure to succeed, however very few dare to try it (sarcasm but true).

Improve your health without blowing your budget by shopping at one of Trader Joes 4 locations in St. Louis using my Trader Joe’s grocery shopping list and referring to my sample meal plans.

St. Louis Personal Trainer:

Click to view the profile of her St Louis Personal Trainer (me)   

Be sure to take a look at my boot camp schedule which operates 12 different times on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Bill

Bill’s has experienced a remarkable total body transformation.  For those of you approaching your later years you will find Bills success inspiring.  At age 61 Bill came to me for assistance and at age 62 he is fitter than the majority of the population.  If you look at his before photos you will notice he spent the early years of his life working on his beer and “restaurant food” belly yet his after photos represent a lifestyle change with 75% less body fat than he started with.

Bill participates in group training/boot camp with me in St. Louis at Gold’s Gym which is located in Fenton.

Bill’s Strength:

Before we meet he was new to fitness and uneducated in the field.  Bill is now an uncertified professional who is continuously learning.  Today he is committed to fitness everyday at 10 o’clock sharp.

Bill’s Weaknesses:

Beer and dining out; however I do believe he makes wise decisions while limiting his intake.

Improve your health without blowing your budget by shopping at one of Trader Joes 4 locations in St. Louis using my Trader Joe’s grocery shopping list and referring to my sample meal plans.

St. Louis Personal Trainer:

Click to view the profile of Bill’s St Louis Personal Trainer (me)   

Be sure to take a look at my boot camp schedule which operates 12 different times on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Carrie

Carrie came to the gym un-fit and did a complete “180” in a relatively short period of time.  7 months later she is 35 pounds lighter!  Like most mothers, Carrie had a child and never lost the weight.  She tried for several years on her own and even attempted with another trainer.  At the time she was lacking the support and nutritional advice and then she met me; however I cannot accept all of the credit.  It takes two and we make a great team.  Great job Carrie!

Carrie participates in group training/boot camp with me in St. Louis at Gold’s Gym which is located in Fenton.

Carries Strength:

Tremendous outlook on every possible situation.  Nothing will stand in her way in pursuit of fitness.  Carrie often says “I love being fit!”

Carrie’s Weaknesses:

I don’t know of any.

Improve your health without blowing your budget by shopping at one of Trader Joes 4 locations in St. Louis using my Trader Joe’s grocery shopping list and referring to my sample meal plans.

St. Louis Personal Trainer:

Click to view the profile of her St Louis Personal Trainer (me)   

Be sure to take a look at my boot camp schedule which operates 12 different times on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

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