Personal Training Five Towns

4 Tips to Starting 2012 On a Healthy Foot

4 Tips to Starting 2012 on a Healthy Foot

By SouthWest Fitness on January 26, 2012

Get Organized. Getting and staying healthy requires you to seamlessly integrate a LOT of things into your life. That’s why being organized is the key. You’ll need to plan and prepare your meals in advance… get your gym clothes ready for the following day… make sure you allow yourself time to get your workout in, etc. It sounds basic, but so many people fail to do this, subsequently, they never reach their fitness goals.
Create a ‘success’ environment . Clear you kitchen and living space of any temptations. If you have high-calorie foods you love that are accessible with just a few steps, chances are you will give in. Avoid this in the first place by making sure your house only has healthy, body-transforming foods.
Find ways to deal with stress. Stress can literally put a screeching halt to all your goals. It can cause you to emotionally eat, skip workouts, and more. So start now by learning better ways to cope with and deal with stress. Better yet, incorporate a daily stress-reduction program that works with your schedule.
Get accountability and support. No big journey should be undertaken all alone. Getting help along the way is critical to staying the path, even when things get tough. Find friends who can keep you accountable. Join a group of like-minded people you can go to for support when things get a little hetic. Every mega-successful person you read about had a little help along the way. Give yourself the same advantage.

Best Way To Gain Weight?

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Michael Stephens here, I’m doing a little research and I was hoping you could help me out.

Here is a question for you:

Do you know the absolute Best way to Gain weight?

Please post your answer(s) below.

Make it a great day!

Michael Stephens

Five Towns Thanksgiving Calorie-Busting Workouts

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November 21, 2010 Fitness Boot Camp Gives FREE

“Thanksgiving Holiday Calorie-Busting Workouts”

To Help Bring Food And Joy This Holiday Season!

(all food will be donated to the Salvation Army)

Dear Five Towns Resident,

Just bring 5 non-perishable food items and you can work out at the leading Five Towns Boot Camp on November 21st for FREE. Michael Stephens of S.W.A.T Boot Camps calls them “Calorie-Busting Workouts” because of they burn off those monstrous calories we all consume during the holidays.

“Our Thanksgiving Food Drive is an annual tradition here,” says Stephens, “because the Holidays season is such a wonderful time for family and friends, a time to show appreciation for all we have, especially our health.

S.W.A.T Boot Camp is open to all Five Towns residents and their family and friends on Sunday, November 21st … The cost of admission is just (5) food items (non-perishable), otherwise it’s completely free to everyone who wants a great workout with fun people.

Click here for more information or to register.

The 10 Deadliest Mistakes Most Exercisers Make Without Even Realizing It!

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Discover the 10 reasons why most exercisers waste time and get slow if any results from their workout program! Within minutes you could uncover and remove stumbling blocks that may double even triple your results from fitness!

Dear Exerciser,

Have you been disappointed with the results you’re getting from your workout program?

Are you frustrated with scale?

Are you having a hard time losing fat and looking the way you want?

Have you been trying to reduce your waist to no avail?

Are you taking supplements with hardly any results?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, this may be the most important report you may ever read. Millions of exercisers all over the world literally waste hours and hours exercising and get very little results. Some due to lack of instruction, some do to lack of effort, many silly mistakes every day! Don’t get robbed of the fitness and appearance you deserve and want to achieve!

Five Towns Fitness Expert Michael Stephens Reveals The Truth About Most Exercise Programs.

Click On Banner Below To Read This Full Report.

TRX Group Fitness

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What is TRX?

TRX is a type of training that uses your own body weight and gravity, to build strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, core and joint stability, all while preventing injuries.

What are some of the advantages of using the TRX system?
You can minimize your training time by working your whole entire body switching from one exercise to the next in just seconds. Do you know what the best part is? Every exercise you have to engage your core. Now you may think that your core is just your abdominals, however it is more than that! Your core includes the pelvis, abs, back and chest muscles. It is this core that offers your body stability, balance and flexibility. Everything you do in your life starts with your core, whether it is bending over to pick up the pen you dropped on the floor, washing your car, playing basketball with your kids, or participating in an Ironman. A strong and stable core is important to help prevent injuries, not just in your low back but in your entire body.

Just think of how developing good core strength and stability will only enhance your performance and way of life! Another advantage is by using your own body weight and gravity you are able to adjust to your own personal fitness level just by walking yourself closer or further away from the anchoring point. That means you do not have to go grab a different set of dumbbells or add more weight to the machine, you just simply adjust your foot placement. This keeps you constantly challenging your body through every exercise, minimizing wasted time switching weights.

Why should we train on the TRX over traditional styles of training?
Traditional styles of training are performed in what we call Saggital plane of motion meaning moving forward, backward, push, pulling type of exercises while seated. An example would be a seated chest press, a seated cable row, and leg press, none of these challenging the core. Do we always move in our daily routine only forward and backward? The answer is NO! We move left, right, forward, backward, diagonal, reaching, and twisting. Don’t you think we should train our bodies the same way? This is exactly why the TRX helps prevent injuries. Besides by developing a strong and stable core, you are moving in multi-planes through different exercises, training your body for daily activities and reducing chances of injuries.

What are some of the exercises I can do to enhance my performance?
Chest Press, Row, Lunge, Squat, Plank, Tucks, Pike, Side Lunge, Oblique Twist, Back Extension.

See how TRX Suspension Training Can Help You Reach Your Fitness Goals!

Click On The Link Below To Sign-Up For A FREE TRX Group Class At The SouthWest Fitness Club

http://www.trxsouthwestfitnessclub.com/

5 Stupid Things Healthy People Do

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You are not a stupid person. Not by any means.

In fact, it’s my guess that you’re healthier than most.

You probably exercise regularly. You watch what you eat. You keep up-to-date on the latest health concerns. You don’t binge on sugar.

And you never – ever – eat fast food. Well, almost never.

But you do have a few unhealthy skeletons in your closet -ones that you probably aren’t even aware of.

The following 5 Stupid Things are frequently committed by health conscious people. Once you break these bad habits, you’ll find that achieving your weight loss goals just became a whole lot easier.

1. You’re Dehydrated

It has been said that 75 percent of the population is chronically dehydrated. Would you disagree? When was the last time that you actually drank 8 glasses of water in a day?

Dehydration occurs when more fluid leaves your body than is taken in. Symptoms include: fatigue, irritability, headaches, nausea, rapid heart rate, and, in extreme cases, even death.

Dehydration also slows your metabolism, which hinders weight loss.

You shouldn’t wait until the feeling of thirst or dry mouth hits you, at that point damage has already been done. Instead, constantly rehydrate throughout your day to avoid dehydration.

The best way to do this is to incorporate water into your daily schedule. Have a water bottle at your desk and train yourself to sip on it often, and get into the habit of drinking a full glass of water with each meal and snack.

2. You Eat Out Too Often

Research suggests that most people eat out one out of every 4 meals and snacks. That’s an average of once a day.

Restaurant food is designed to do one thing: to taste good. In order to increase eating pleasure, each item is loaded with fat, salt and sugar. This causes you to eat way more calories than you actually need.

Even when you order ‘healthy’ items, you’re still taking in more calories and fat grams than you would if you had prepared the item at home. Imagine the last salad you ordered out. Didn’t it come with cream dressing, croutons, cheese sprinkles and a piece of butter laden bread on the side?

The main reason people eat out is for convenience, so with a little organization you’ll find that preparing your own meals takes less time than you thought it would. On the weekend sit down and plan out your meals for the week. Then go to the grocery store and stock up on everything you’ll need for those meals.

Pack your lunch and snacks each night before bed, then grab it on your way out the door in the morning. When you prepare dinner at home, make enough for at least the next day as well. Your efforts will pay off both in terms of weight loss and in money saved.

3. You’re Sleep Deprived

In Gallup Poll surveys, 56% of the adult population reported that drowsiness is a problem in the daytime. That’s more than half of us that clearly don’t get enough sleep.

Healthy adults require 7-8 hours of sleep each night. When you fail to meet this need your body goes into sleep debt, which continues to accumulate indefinitely until you catch up.

A lack of sleep negatively affects your immune system, your nervous system, and interferes with healthy hormone release and cellular repairs.

The best way to combat sleep deprivation is to set a scheduled bedtime. Your body will benefit from a consistent sleeping and waking routine, and you’re sure to get all the rest you need.

If you have trouble falling asleep once you’re in bed, then try these two tips. First, make sure that you don’t drink any caffeinated beverages after lunchtime. Second, don’t eat for three hours before you go to bed. This helps eliminate sleeplessness due to indigestion, and will also turbo-charge your weight loss.

4. You’re Stressed Out

I don’t have to tell you that we are living in a fast-paced world and that most of us have stress levels that are through the roof. But what you might not realize is that your stress levels are making you fat.

Stress creates an increase in the hormone cortisol, and chronic stress creates a chronic increase in cortisol. This is a problem because is slows your metabolism, leads to cravings and is linked to greater levels of abdominal fat storage.

The vicious cycle of stress and weight gain goes around and around. Stress causes you to eat emotionally, and your raised cortisol levels cause that food to be stored as fat.

One of the most effective ways to instantly eliminate stress is to sit down and write out a list of all the things that are bothering you. This should include things that you need to get done, issues that weigh on your mind and anything you believe contributes to your stress level.

Once it’s all down on paper, organize it like a to-do list and start resolving each item. Doing so will get the stress off of your mind and will put your body into the motion of resolving each issue.

5. You’re on Exercise Autopilot

You do the same thing each and every time you exercise. Same machines, same pace, same duration. While your routine sure feels comfortable, your results have long since halted.

A plateau occurs when your body adapts to your routine and weight loss stops. It is incredibly frustrating, and totally avoidable.

You don’t have to increase the amount of time that you spend exercising in order to see quicker, faster results. It’s all about challenging your body.

There are two simple ways to instantly increase the effectiveness of your exercise routine. First, increase your pace. Secondly, increase your intensity. Constantly vary your speed and intensity in order to keep your muscles guessing and adapting.

Another way to break through the exercise plateau is to do something totally new. If you regularly use weight machines then start using free weights. If you normally jog on the treadmill then start using the bike.

Are you ready to break the plateau as you take your routine to the next level?

Would you like to know without a shadow of a doubt that you are going to lose weight in the coming months?

It’s my goal to see you achieve greatness. I believe that you’ve got what it takes.

It’s so simple. Call or email today to get started on a program that will improve your health and well being, and will get you amazing results.

Has Your Motivation Sizzled Out?

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Have you made progress or did your motivation sizzle out?

Most people wait around for motivation to strike them like a lightning bolt. Well, I’ve got news: motivation isn’t something that happens to you – it’s something that you create for yourself.

If you don’t feel motivated to achieve your goals, it is likely due to mental roadblocks that hold you hostage. Read the following 21 Mindset Tips and prepare your mind for success.

1. Success comes first in the mind, so visualize yourself accomplishing your goals.
2. Remember, you are the only person who can hold you back.
3. Forgive yourself and love yourself despite past failures.
4. Decide what is important in your life, and focus on that.
5. Conquer each negative thought the moment it enters your mind, when it is weakest.
6. Give up the idea that things won’t go right unless you worry about them.
7. If you bring the body of your dreams to the point of resolve, then you’ll soon be living in it.
8. Look towards your future, if you believe the best is yet to come then it will be.
9. You become what you think about most.
10. The margin between success and failure is very small and easily bridged by determination.
11. Start your day by accomplishing your hardest task first.
12. Set small attainable goals, rather than one monumental goal.
13. Convince yourself that exercise is fun, and it will be.
14. Know your big reason why.
15. Create a motivating play list of songs to use as the sound track to your workout sessions.
16. Every decision you make leads you either closer toward achieving your goal, or farther from it.
17. If you think you’re a fat person, then you’ll stay fat. If you think you’re fit, then you soon will be.
18. Once you’ve set your goal, your attitude either pushes you toward accomplishment or failure.
19. If you don’t know exactly where you want to go, you will likely end up someplace else.
20. You can have the body of your dreams, but first you must give up the belief that you can’t.
21. You can only have two things in life: excuses or results.

If you’re sick and tired of making excuses, then contact me today to get started on a results-driven fitness program.

Are You Making This Mistakes In Your Gym?

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The 5 Biggest Fitness Mistakes

Take a walk through any gym, and you’ll notice many mistakes. Mistakes that waste time. Mistakes that put people in danger. And mistakes that are just plain stupid. Maybe you even make a few of these mistakes yourself.

By avoiding these common blunders, you’ll put yourself on the fast track to results. Check out the following 5 fitness mistakes and the solutions you need to avoid danger and to get fit fast.

Mistake 1: You use the wrong weight

The goal is to challenge your muscles, not to simply go through the motions. If you are able to complete 15 repetitions easily, then the weight is too light. On the flip side, if you aren’t able to perform an exercise through its full range of motion, and find yourself cheating on form, then the weight is too heavy.

The correct weights will feel challenging by your last few repetitions, but won’t force you to sacrifice form.

Mistake 2: You do the same routine

You may have noticed that most people do the same exercises each time they visit the gym. Maybe you’ve been doing the same exercise routine as long as you can remember – if it isn’t broken then don’t fix it, right?

The truth is that exercise routines have expiration dates, and that is the date that they begin to lose their effectiveness. As a rule of thumb never use the same routine for more than 4 weeks.

Mistake 3: You don’t warm up

Most people consider warm up time to be wasted time – they’d rather jump right into the heart of the routine. What they don’t realize is that a good warm up will allow you to perform at a higher intensity, which means greater results.

The point of a warm up is to increase your muscle temperature. This increases blood flow, muscle contraction and reduces muscle resistance. Your warm up should last 5-10 minutes.

Mistake 4: You use bad form

Gyms are filled with people performing exercises with bad form. The two biggest reasons are that you aren’t concentrating on the exercise, or you’re trying to lift weight that is too heavy. Lifting with improper form almost always results in injury.

Take the time to achieve proper form, by doing so you’ll avoid injury and will reap the full benefit from each exercise.

Mistake 5: You workout alone

People who exercise alone are less challenged, less accountable and typically see fewer results. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Why rush to the gym if no one is there waiting for you? Why push yourself if no one is watching? Exercising alone is a recipe for disaster.

The best way to avoid injury and to see results is to work with me, your trusted source on fitness. I am passionate about seeing my clients achieve results – without wasting time, energy and effort on mistakes.

Holiday Calorie Busting Tips

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You don’t have to succumb to weight gain this holiday season. Escape the time crunch excuse in three easy steps:

Step One: Schedule Your Workouts: You’ve heard this before, and it makes so much sense. If you treat your exercise time with the importance of a work meeting then you’d never skip a workout and you’d be in amazing shape.

While the scheduling concept is brilliant in its simplicity, you have to put it into practice to reap the benefits. Pull out your calendar and a pen. Don’t laugh, I’m serious! Just do it. If you want to get into shape it starts with committing to a revised
schedule with a set exercise time.

Identify three 40-minute time slots and mark them on your calendar. That is when you’ll exercise.

Remember this: if the thought that you should exercise this week is floating around in your head, but you haven’t anchored it down to a specific time and date, then it will quickly disappear.

Step Two: Get the Most from Each Minute: The days of endless, mind numbing cardio are over. A great workout can take place in under an hour, when done correctly. The idea is to burn more calories each minute. This is done through short, intense bursts of exercise.

Use the following three tips to bring your routine up to the next level:

1. Be Unstable: Use your entire body, and target your core, by performing exercises that engage stabilizing muscles. To do this use an exercise ball, a balance board, a balance disk, or you could simply stand on one leg.
2. Add Resistance: The more resistance that you incorporate with your routine translates into higher intensity and more calories burned. Some ideas for adding resistance include: carrying dumbbells while doing lunges, wearing a weighted vest while walking or jogging, or putting a weight between your feet while doing leg raises.
3. Use Intervals: Interval training is an amazing tool for creating short yet effective workouts. Don’t worry, it’s not complicated. Interval training is simply alternating between different short bursts of activity.

Here’s an example: Let’s say you want to focus on your legs and abs and to also get an effective cardiovascular workout. This would be a great interval routine for your goals:

Lunge while curling dumbbells, 15-20 repetitions

30 seconds of intense cardio: sprint, jump rope, or jumping jacks

Squat while pressing dumbbells overhead, 15-20 repetitions

30 seconds of intense cardio: sprint, jump rope, or jumping jacks

Crunches on an exercise ball, 15-20 repetitions

30 seconds of intense cardio: sprint, jump rope, or jumping jacks

Leg raises off the end of an exercise bench, 15-20 repetitions

Step Three: Twice the Results in Half the Time: What if I told you that I have a proven way to deliver twice the fitness results in half the time? It’s simple really…

When you attempt to lose weight or meet a fitness goal on your own, the odds are stacked against you. Sure, you could do it over time – but it’s a long and lonely road. A road lined with detours that threaten to undermine your progress.

When you start a program with me, you suddenly have the upper hand on weight loss. You have me in your corner, coaching you each step of the way, keeping you accountable to workouts and giving you that dose of encouragement went the going gets tough.

And I’ll be the one congratulating you when your goal is met.

21 Universal Rewards of Exercise

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21 Universal Rewards of Exercise
The number one reason that most people are out-of-shape is that they don’t exercise enough.

I’ve often wished that I could give each and every one of you a personalized pep talk to get you up off the couch and into the gym, day after day. So here’s my pep talk in bullet form – 21 rewards that you will gain from regular exercise.

Do yourself a favor and print this list and post it where you’ll see it every day. When you need motivation or encouragement simply read over this list and feel your motivation soar.

1. You’ll reset your body: Exercise has been described as a giant reset button. A good workout will block appetite swings, improve your mood and even help you sleep.
2. Your clothes will fit better: Consistent exercise will tone and tighten your body, causing your clothes to not only fit better but to also look nicer. Also exercise ensures that soon you’ll be trading your clothes in for smaller sizes.
3. You’ll be less stressed: You have enough stress in your life – it’s time for a break. A good workout invigorates your muscles, leaving you relaxed and less stressed.
4. You’ll have more energy: WebMD tallied research studies and concluded that 90% of them prove exercise increases energy levels in sedentary patients. Next time you feel fatigued, fight it will the most powerful tool available: exercise.
5. You’ll be stronger: Exercise improves muscle strength and endurance, two things that you use throughout each day. When you exercise consistently you’ll be pleasantly surprised when difficult tasks begin to seem easy.
6. You’ll be less likely to binge: Exercise has a powerful anti-binge effect on the body. This is due in part by an increase in sensitivity to leptin, a protein hormone, which has an appetite-taming effect.
7. You’ll burn calories: You know that excess body fat is made up of stored and unused calories. Fight back by burning loads of calories with fat-blasting workouts.
8. You’ll be more confident: Who doesn’t wish they walked and talked with more confidence? A consistent exercise program will do just that. As your body becomes more fit, watch as your confidence sky-rockets.
9. You’ll have fun: Believe it or not, exercise can be extremely enjoyable. Remember how fun it was to run around as a child? Tap into your inner child as you find a mode of exercise that gets you excited.
10. You’ll reduce your blood pressure: Exercise has been proven more effective than medication in reducing blood pressure to normal levels. A single workout has been shown to reduce blood pressure for the day and regular exercise reduces overall blood pressure in the long run.
11. You’ll lose the jiggles: Regular exercise tightens flabby arms, legs and waistlines. So wave goodbye to the jiggles with a solid exercise program.
12. You’ll increase insulin sensitivity: Researchers at Laval University in Quebec discovered that exercise improved insulin sensitivity dramatically. Peak after-meal insulin levels dropped by more than 20 percent after as little as 3 weeks of consistent exercise.
13. You’ll sleep better: Do you toss and turn for hours before falling asleep? Exercise is a powerful sleep aid. Your tired muscles encourage your body to quickly fall asleep so they can get their overnight repair work done.
14. You’ll lower your risk of heart disease: Regular exercise strengthens your heart and makes it more resilient against disease. A sedentary lifestyle is a major risk factor for heart disease, so rest assured that consistent exercise is your ally against disease.
15. You’ll feel great: Vigorous exercise releases natural endorphins (happy hormones) into your blood stream that dissolve pain and anxiety. You’ve probably heard of ‘runner’s high’, this can be achieved by any great workout.
16. You’ll lower your risk of diabetes: Studies show that exercising as little as half an hour each day can dramatically reduce your risk of diabetes. If you are at risk of diabetes, or already have diabetes, regular exercise is the most effective treatment for reversing the disease.
17. You’ll meet cool people: You could benefit from a group of new, energetic friends, right? Gyms, bootcamps, workout centers and even the jogging trail are all great places to connect with fun new friends.
18. You’ll improve your BMI: You know that maintaining a healthy BMI is key in disease prevention. Exercise is the best way to keep your BMI under control.
19. You’ll increase your endurance: Do you ever get out of breath when walking up stairs or through the mall? Regular exercise builds your endurance for everyday activities.
20. Your doctor will be impressed: How many times has your doctor given you the lecture about losing weight and exercising more? Exercise regularly and get your MD off your back!
21. You’ll look amazing: Are you happy with the shape and size of your body? Regular exercise works wonders on your physique. Within a few weeks you’ll see shape and tone in all the right places.