I was at a Corridor Nine Chamber event at the Willows in Westborough on Wednesday night and had a few interesting conversations with a variety of local business people. One particular conversation I had with Rick Roberge. He is someone I have a great deal of respect for as a person, as well as professionally. We were talking about my business and what my goals were for the next year. I told him what they were as far as numbers of members, etc and he said to me that my goals needed to be more personal. He asked me what I wanted to get out of my business.  Then it dawn on me, LIFESTYLE is what I am looking for. Spending time where I want to spend it and work when I want to work.

I sat on that conversation for a couple of days and this morning it struck me that growing a business and weight loss goals have a lot in common.

When I speak with New Members or new Personal Training Clients, I'll often ask what they are looking to accomplish in hiring my club or me as a trainer. Most often the answer I get is "I want to lose "x" amount of pounds." What I get people to think about is what that will do for them. Losing whatever amount of weight will allow a person to have more energy, feel better in their clothes, run a marathon, play on the floor with their grandchildren, live pain free, live with less medications and so forth.  Basically, weight is a just a symptom of what is making a person unhappy. People need to understand what results they need that will make their everyday lives better. So the next Monday you decide to "Start Your Diet". Remember, that the first 3 letters of DIET are "D I E". Maybe what you are really looking for is a new Lifestyle.

I love Halloween. To me, it starts of the busiest time of the year with some fun! It is a time you can become someone or something else for a day! It is a time to be silly and just let loose. My kids are still young, but no so young that Halloween is a headache. We are having a blast getting the costumes ready, deciding whose coming over to go out with us and how will we EVER eat that much candy!! Oh yeah, there's candy involved........... For some people, that can be a real stresser OR it can be the PERFECT excuse to go off your plan for the next 2 months.

Here's what happened to me last weekend and I'll add my advice to follow. Last weekend my husband and I were at our weekly  couples Bible Study group through our amazing church.
We rotate houses and food etc each week. This particular friend had out a large bowl of Candy Corns. Candy Corns are my absolute weakness. I LOVE THEM!! BUT, I CAN'T buy them because I can't (or won't) stop eating them. I'm sure you can guess what happened. I had so many, I couldn't sleep that night   I talked with my friend the next day and I said "Why didn't you stop me?" He said "Sandy, it was so much fun watching you eat that entire bowl, none of us wanted to." and he proceeded to laugh hysterically.

So what do you do on Halloween as well as the rest of the holidays? First, you want to allow yourself some variances in your program. Don't beat yourself up if you completely blow it. It happens, just move on. Second, get a reliable friend (not like mine , who can help to keep you on track when you are faced with those situations, Third, get a workout partner, commit to a class at your gym, or sign up for a Turkey Trott so you'll have to keep training. Lastly, Plan, Plan, Plan!!!!!  If you know that you go out to eat more during this time of year or will be attending lots of parties, get menus ahead of time and plan out what you'll enjoy without feeling too guilty or getting out of control.

The looming holidays can be daunting. Try to remember that they are not really about the food as it is about taking time to spend with your family and re-connect with friends. Enjoy this special time.

Do you have goals you are looking to achieve?  Do you have the guts to achieve them? I mean really......... do you really have the guts to achieve what you are setting out to do??  Everyone has goals, everyone wants to feel better, run faster, look better or have more energy. I hear it all the  time. But when I give honest advice, feedback or direction, I often hear "I can't do that!!!" "You want me to burn how many calories???" "You said I should eat how many times a day??"

Do a "gut check" on yourself. What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of the hard work? The pain you may experience? The results you might get? Do you not think you can change?

In order to get the glory. (And when I say glory, I mean YOUR results, YOUR happiness, YOUR personal glory, not what you feel someone else's should be.), YOU have to work hard.  I have some really great members who are dedicated to getting their results. I see them come in daily early in the morning or late at night. They are tired, they have worked all day, they have taken care of their children, AND are NOW taking the time to take care of themselves. They are showing the guts because the goals are clear. Guess what? IT WORKS!!!

So many people find excuse after excuse and wonder why they "can't" get any results. I wonder have you've done your own "gut check" Are you working as hard as you really can. If you have the goals, and the guts to do the work, then you will achieve your own personal glory.

Join a great health club! Hire a trainer for a month to help you get over the hurdle, sign up for an exercise program dedicated to weight loss, get a workout buddy that is in better shape than you are (that is a HUGE motivator). Do it today before you have the holidays as another excuse to not get started!!

I hear that question a lot in my daily life. People will come in and take a tour of our fitness center and see someone who is "skinny" and ask why that person needs to work out. Or I'll hear that the reason they have not worked out is because they don't want to be embarrassed to be around the "skinny" people.

I look around our center and I see all kinds of shapes and sizes. I don't see "skinny" people, I see people who are working hard to stay in shape and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Many of the "skinny" people may have other issues, such as no strength or muscle tone, maybe their bodies don't allow them to gain weight (yes, that is a huge problem). At 31 years old, I was at my "skinniest".  I was 104 pounds. I was skinny, but man, was I unhealthy! My diet consisted of Pizza, Coca Cola, Gin (yes, the alcohol) in fairly large quantities and lots of Chinese Food. Was I skinny? ABSOLUTELY! Did I look great for having 3 kids? DEFINITELY! Did everyone think I was the life of the party? YOU BETCHA! Was I depressed? WORDS CAN'T EVEN DESCRIBE!

What helped me was the gym. Getting into physical exercise that was good for my body, great for my mind, and enabled me to open up a dialogue with God to save me spiritually. My eating habits became healthier (not stellar), I became a better mother and advocate for my son, a better wife to my husband, and a better daughter to my mom.

Today, my entire life has changed into something 9 years ago, I could have ever dreamed. All because I was a "skinny"person going to the gym. So the next time you look at a "skinny" person at the gym, maybe strike up a conversation, you may have more in common than you think.....

Let me know your thoughts...............

We all hear that it is better to do things right away, than to put it off. Yes, the "to do" list is long and sometimes it seems overwhelming. Many of us just avoid getting started on those big projects, like painting a room, washing the dog, a big report for work.  All these things are not critical to our health and it is easy to procrastinate on those things.

How about your exercise plan? What does it cost you to procrastinate on yourself? Procrastination regarding a healthy lifestyle leads to weight gain which can lead to severe health issues, depression and an overall feeling of hopelessness about turning it around. When people come to us it is usually after a period of procrastination regarding taking care of their own bodies. I hear similar stories about family issues, work issues etc. But the common theme among people is that they knew they were neglecting themselves and just kept putting it off. Many people have woken up one day and have gained a significant amount of weight or are told by a doctor that they have severe health issues. This is not the starting point you are looking for.

If you procrastinate on your job or a house project etc, it may not matter in the long run. But your health and wellness should not wait until it is convenient for you to pay attention. I always tell people that if they wait any longer to get healthy, it's not about death (that's the easy way out), it's really about the burden of needing someone you love to take care of you after having a heart attack or stroke. Those are the realities of procrastination. Is it worth it?

Start today! Call a friend and make a date to take a walk or join a gym. Hire a Personal Trainer. Take a Group Fitness Class. Schedule time for you to exercise and keep it like an appointment you would keep for a very important meeting. You have one body and one life with your earthly family, don't waste time procrastinating. Make the commitment  to your fitness agenda and to your family. You'll be glad you did!!

I got to work today at 4:45am. I had a bit of breakfast on my way because I was planning to workout before my first client at 7:30. My routine to get the day started is to turn on the lights, unlock the closets, get the TV's on, turn on the music and turn on the computer. Well when I turned on the computer, the first thing I saw on the internet was that today was National Donut Day. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised and, quite frankly, disgusted that our country, with all of it's health care issues (i.e. Type 2 Diabetes etc), would be promoting one of the worst foods for your body. What about a "National Respect your Body Day" or a "National Exercise Day"?

Anyway, I decided to Bike my 12 miles, Run 4 miles, do some Weightlifting and Core work. After my 1 1/2 hour workout, I realized that just one donut would have erased all that energy. Glad I don't like donuts........... How about you???

We are hearing a lot about the state of our economy these days. How is it for your personally? How is it affecting your job? Your family? Your mood? How about your health? With many people cutting back on expenses, we are noticing that people are still joining our fitness center. That may seem strange to some of you reading this, but here's the thing, stressful times require an outlet. Your body craves an outlet. Many people have taken an inventory of their own personal health economy and have decided that instead of spending their hard earned money on food that won't make them feel better, or alcohol, which leaves you with a hangover, they will do something good for their bodies and improve their mindset. Exercise gives you a great feeling of accomplishment. Belonging to a place where people care about your situation helps you to know you are not alone. These are the key factors to what is going on in our fitness center today.

Take a Health inventory. Do you exercise 3-4 times a week? Are you on medication for cholesterol, High Blood Pressure etc? Has your health care professional told you to be more active or to lose weight? Do you eat 6 small meals a day? Do you drink enough water? Are you tired all the time? Can you play outside or dance around with your kids or grand kids for more than 5 minutes?

If you don't like your answers to these questions, your health economy may be in crisis. We'd love to be your bail out!

With Summer quickly approaching, there are many people coming to us wanting a quick fix from a long winter of not eating so great and not being as active as they shoudl have been. Here is a great way to set some goals and keep the commitment all year long>

Get SMART to Get Fit

If you want to succeed you need to get SMART about your goals.

SMART is a great way to help you stay on track and achieve your goals.

The S stands for Specific. Be specific about the goals you want to achieve. Forget things like, "I want to get in shape", "I want to add muscle", or "I want to lose weight", or "I want to increase my bench press."

Instead try things like "I want to run a 6 minute mile", "I want to add 10 pounds of muscle", "I want to lose 20 pounds of fat, or "I want to add 40 pounds to my best bench press."

The M stands for Measurable. This ties in very well with specific. You can't measure 'getting in shape", but you sure can measure 'running a 6 minute mile'.

With a Body Scan, you can also measure pretty accurately adding 10 pounds of muscle or losing 20 pounds of fat.

And of course, you can easily measure the poundage increase on your best bench press.

The specific and measurable aspect can be broken down even more to bring you closer to achieving your goals. For example, if you want to add 10 pounds of muscle, what other specific and measurable things must you do to reach your goal?

One could be that you must eat 6 high protein meals a day.

A second could be that you must eat a certain amount of calories and grams of protein every day.

You must train with weights three days per week.

You must add weight to your exercises at least every other workout.

All of these are specific and measurable. The more specifics that you have, the more likely you will add your 10 pounds of muscle as quickly as possible.

You can make a list of your daily, weekly, and monthly goals that you must do in order to meet your top goal of adding 10 pounds of muscle.

Each day, place a check mark next to each measurable and specific goal you achieved that will help you conquer your top goal. Obviously, the more checks you have, the more likely that you will achieve your goal.

In addition to specific and measurable, your goals must be A, or Attainable. The R stands for Realistic. As I've said before, it's important to set challenging goals.

Challenging, but attainable, that is. A goal of a 50 pound increase on your bench press max in 12 weeks would be a challenging goal, but also one that is possible.

However, setting a goal of bench pressing 300 pounds in 4 weeks when you currently bench press 75 pounds will do nothing but set you up for failure and frustration.

Obviously, weight loss is on the minds of many people, which is why so many fall victim to promises like "lose 30 pounds in 30 days without getting hungry and without exercising."

As a reader of this blog, you know that the above is neither timely nor realistic. But many people do fall for such things because they want results NOW! They are setting themselves up for failure. Please don't join them.

The T stands for Timely. If you do everything previously mentioned, it's still not enough. You must give yourself a deadline to achieve your goal. More importantly, if your goal is attainable and realistic, but also long term, break it up into smaller goals.

If you wish to lose 75 pounds, start with losing just 10 pounds in 2 months. Reaching that goal will motivate you further and before you know it, enough time has passed that you've lost the 75 pounds.

But if you focus solely on losing the 75 pounds, which could take a year or more to accomplish, your motivation and discipline could wane, and you could fail to follow through on what you need to do to make your goal a reality.

Making goals timely hold you accountable and creates a positive sense of urgency. You may think twice about eating that piece of cake when you know you are having a body composition test and pictures taken in 2 weeks.

In addition to getting smart, celebrate your successes. And I don't mean that you should allow yourself to dust off a gallon of ice cream in one sitting because you lost 10 pounds. That would be self defeating.

But you could treat yourself to a movie, or a pair of jeans you've had your eye on, or an extra hour of sleeping in on the weekend. Don't sabotage your wonderful efforts by giving yourself destructive rewards for accomplishing your goals.

Welcome to our new Blog site. We hope you like it!!

I had a few interesting conversations this week that have really gotten me to thinking about what motivates people. Our club is, what I consider, very warm, welcoming and helpful. Sometimes I wonder if we are too helpful or too caring. All of my staff wants anyone who joins to succeed in what their health goals are. Here's the question, Do they WANT to succeed or do they NEED to succeed? What's the difference, you may ask? Well the difference is the results. Those that WANT to succeed will usually last longer, work harder and push more than those that NEED to succeed. You would think it would be the other way around, but sadly, it's not. I find that the people that really NEED to succeed due to health risks, serious obesity, various ailments etc, come up with every excuse to not do the work. I find them often explaining to me that they are frustrated by their lack of results and do not understand why the facility isn't working for them. (I'll tell you, it's usually not the facility.) I will often ask them how their food intake has been. Most will say that they don't eat at all, but in the next breathe will be talking about the restaurant they went to the night before and how great the cheesecake was. The NEED to succeed is there but the WANT in definitely not. 

Now here's the flip side. The WANTS are a motivated group of people. Yes, maybe they has a NEED, but they also have the WANT to be better and healthier for their families. We have a lot of WANTS in our facility. As a matter of fact, there are about 6-8 of us who WANT to train for (and are training for a Sprint Triathalon), there are also 3-4 of us who have signed up and are training for the Marine Marathon in DC in October. Now, do the WANTS NEED to do any of these things? Not really, but the WANTS realize if they don't continue on a healthy lifestyle, then at some point there will be a NEED due to a health condition or illness if they don't.

Which one are you?

Anyone who has a NEED and would like to turn it into a WANT, should hire a qualifed personal trainer to get them through the excuses and into the habits of healthy living.