Saturday, January 24, 2009

Take the Path of Greatest Resistance

I know we know this.. we've heard it time and time again, but it is scary how much of an epidemic obesity is in this country. We tend to take the path of least resistance, which can be a good thing. But it can also mean we avoid learning new things or challenging ourselves. We only grow with challenges.

A couple years ago, I was terribly overweight. I would constantly say ok, this is the last week I overeat. This coming up week will be different. Or I worked so late tonight, I just need to pick up something quick. The problem is that the next Monday never came, and it was always one excuse after another. It's like when you want to quit smoking. There's always a reason to keep going but, intuitively, we know that the truth. It is life threatening.

Both smoking, being obese or any addiction really are all the same thing. We choose to take immediate satisfaction over what is truly better for us; because immediate pleasure is easy. Being obese and smoking don't cause immediate pain. They are like ninja killers. We can buy bigger clothing or that next smoke or piece of pizza may make us feel better in the short run, so we don't concern ourselves with it now. Now if, God forbid, something happens as a result of uncontrolled habits, such as having a heart attack or find out we have cancer, that changes our lives. Why? Because it's an immediate, tangible threat.

My observation, and I include myself in this, is that we are a culture of immediate gratification. To See is to believe. If I don't see results instantaneously, then I'm doing something wrong or I lose interest. The truth is that this attitude is as ridiculous as a child who crys because he can't find his toy. It's bullshit, plain and simple.

Most things that happen to us are a result of our doing, but usually we are so caught up in day to day stress that we can't see the forest for the trees. It's as if all of a sudden I'm wearing 38" pants, or wow, how did I get in such terrible credit debt? In fact, immediate gratification is one of the major causes for our financial crisis. Those types of profits are not sustainable or realistic. But hey, when you can get rich quick, throw truth out the door.

Getting in shape is not easy, but it is not difficult either. It just takes presence of mind.

1. Balance: Do not get fanatical. Fanaticism works in the short run, but after a bit it gets tiring and we can no longer meet the outrageous goals we set for ourselves and others. In fact, it isolates us from others; we begin to believe ourselves separate from those around us. The truth is we're just all people. Tony Horton says, "Do the best you can on any given day." So your sore and tired. Do what you can. The important thing is that you are moving.

2. Willpower: True willpower is not saying you are going to do something. That is the ego's form of willpower. True willpower is having the presence of mind to turn off the inner voice. That inner voice will say you are too tired, or too this or too that.. not good enough. On the other side, it may say you are great, you are the best... Either case is a case of extremes. You need to have a plan and stick to it... disregard the mind. Use the mind as a tool.. don't let it wander off.

3. Have a plan, and stick to it no matter how you feel (unless you are physically ill of course):
You've got to have a plan, and once you get into this you've really got to stay focused. The difference between a goal and a dream is that a goal is rooted in reality with a concrete strategy reaching it. I happened to choose Beachbody products. They provide nutrition advice, workout plans. They have a workout community. All in all, it is a winning formula to get in shape. You can check out their products on my web site: http://www.beachbodycoach.com/getupnmove.

4. Pace yourself: The truth is that anything worthwhile takes effort and is hard; if it wasn't it wouldn't be as valuable. It is hard to work out at first. It is hard to eat right at first. But you are what you think you are. If
you are an athlete, if you are a champion, then you will face adversity with grace, and you will succeed and stay the course.

4. Stay consistent:
Another thing to keep in mind is that 90% of people who lose weight gain it back. This is because, at least I think, loss of focus. After you achieve a large weightloss, it's an ego boost to get compliments and to
fit into clothes better, etc. It's easy to stay motivated when you see changes; on the other hand, it's easy to slip back into old habits, especially if you are maintaining a healthy physique when changes aren't
as apparent as they used to be.

Again, reign in the mind. Eating right and working out is not a 3 month plan. Sure in 90 days, you can get great results... Using Beachbody's P90 Master Series I lost over 30 pounds. This is a lifestyle change. As long as we are living we are never done growing, so keep pushing yourself.

5. Eat well and exercise (diet without exercise or exercise without a good diet will not bring the results; both must be done together):

"Diet Vigilance" is something I motivate on a lot. A couple of summers ago, my wife and I watched an episode of Oprah where her guest was Dr. Oz; he frequently comes on the show and discusses issues focused on health and nutrition.

In this episode, he listed the top 5 things we should avoid in our diets. Get rid of these things! I'm not a nutritionist, but after research and experience removing these things from my diet made all the
difference.
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They are specifically:

A. Refined Sugar

B. High Fructose Corn Syrup
You may have selected a whole wheat bread, but check closely. It likely has high fructose corn syrup. A lot of the major cereals that you think are healthy have it, e.g. Total and Special K. Look for cereals with
evaporated cane juice instead.

This stuff is bad; in fact, it is worse than refined sugar. It's a thick, clear syrup, and it ages your arteries. It saps your energy. It's absorbed faster than sugar and is a leading cause for this country's type 2 diabetes epidemic.

C. Enriched Flour -- there is no nutritional value at all by eating this. Go for whole wheat flour.

D. Animal Fat (aka Saturated Fat) -- This is just fat in meat.

E. TransFat (aka Partially Hydrogenated anything) -- Everyone knows this stuff is bad; oils should be in liquid form @ room room temperature. These are things like Olive Oil, Sesame Seed, Flax Seed, Soybean Oil.
These are good for you in moderation.

Transfat (things that are partially hydrogenated) are solid at room temperature; food manufacturers do this, so foods last longer on the shelves. These are man made fats that your body does not know how to process.

You've got to read the ingredients for this. Per the FDA, an item may have transfat, but it does not have to be declared if "the amount of trans fat in the product is 0.5 gram or less per labeled serving". Powdered coffee creamer has transfat, but it has less than .5 grams per labeled serving. But if you use several servings, you are getting transfat, and this is the type of stuff that you do not want to eat
(even in moderation).

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Removing this along with the other bad things, and replacing them with the good foods, is key to change.

6. Nutrition is 75% of the battle -- Think about it, you eat all day. You exercise maybe 45 minutes a day.

I used to think that exercise alone was the key. I believed I could eat whatever I wanted, and as long as I exercised it would be ok. The truth is that the door to a badass, healthy life has 2 locks (at least 2):
Diet and Exercise. One without the other will not work.

7. Lighten up

You know, in order to see change, it takes a lot of effort, but we are all human and it's impossible to eat perfectly all the time. In fact, so many of us diet without success because we enjoy eating. After all,
that's why we have tastebuds! So it all goes back to having a plan and being consistent.

First, Don't beat yourself up about failing at your diet. That's real important. Change irritates the mind, so when you relapse into old habits, you beat yourself up instead of encourage yourself. This can lead to quitting, which is what the mind wants because it hates change.

Second, there's nothing wrong with some sweets now and then. It's all about portion and control. If you are having a pint of ice cream a couple times a week, then that's obviously a problem. But having a couple scoops a week is no big deal, assuming you are on a regularly healthy eating schedule.

You see it's more about consistency than anything. Consistently being active and consistently eating right are the 2 keys. At the same time, you've got to have balance. So my advice is, have a cupcake once in a while. Have a couple slices of pizza a week, but make sure you are still working out and eating right the majority of the time.

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If you want to talk or have questions or disagree, feel free to contact me: cyrilgcoombsiii@yahoo.com

http://beachbodycoach.com/getupnmove

Monday, January 19, 2009

Change For the Better and Giving Back!

A couple of years ago, I had to turn my life around in terms of my physical condition. I was overweight and run down all the time. I would always push off some workout goal until next Monday.. I would start eating right and working out next Monday. Guess what? That next Monday never came. Fortunately I decided to stop waiting for the next Monday, and actually did something about it.

Since I work 10 -12 hours a day, the ideal program would be something I could do when I came home from work. I'd heard of Beachbody from my sister-in-law who had done it and had unbelievable results. So I tried a program named P90 Master Series, although I was reluctant it would really work. You've probably seen their infomercials on TV --they sell P90X, Hip Hop Abs, 10 minute trainer, etc. In any case, how often does an infomercial product do what it says it will?

I can tell you (at least in terms of this company's products): 90 days later, I was 30+ pounds lighter and felt fantastic!

I lost weight and continue to stay in shape using Beachbody products, and now I'm an independent Beachbody Coach! I love it! If you are thinking about losing weight or you see a Beachbody product on TV that you'd be interested in trying, please let me know so I can show you how to get the lowest price and the fastest results.

You can also make money while you get in shape by becoming a Beachbody coach like me. It takes no experience, and you get great discounts on their products. Let me know if you are interested in getting fit and earning extra money helping others do the same. I can show you how easy it is to be a Beachbody Coach and we can build an income together!
In either case, feel free to contact me via email if you are interested or have any questions. Also, check out my website, so you can see all of the different fitness programs and products that are currently offered.

My web site address is: http://www.beachbodycoach.com/getupnmove

You've got to check it out. It's life changing!

Change For the Better and Giving Back!

A couple of years ago, I had to turn my life around in terms of my physical condition. I was overweight and run down all the time. I would always push off some workout goal until next Monday.. I would start eating right and working out next Monday. Guess what? That next Monday never came. Fortunately I decided to stop waiting for the next Monday, and actually did something about it.

Since I work 10 -12 hours a day, the ideal program would be something I could do when I came home from work. I'd heard of Beachbody from my sister-in-law who had done it and had unbelievable results. So I tried a program named P90 Master Series, although I was reluctant it would really work. You've probably seen their infomercials on TV --they sell P90X, Hip Hop Abs, 10 minute trainer, etc. In any case, how often does an infomercial product do what it says it will?

I can tell you (at least in terms of this company's products): 90 days later, I was 30+ pounds lighter and felt fantastic!

I lost weight and continue to stay in shape using Beachbody products, and now I'm an independent Beachbody Coach! I love it! If you are thinking about losing weight or you see a Beachbody product on TV that you'd be interested in trying, please let me know so I can show you how to get the lowest price and the fastest results.

You can also make money while you get in shape by becoming a Beachbody coach like me. It takes no experience, and you get great discounts on their products. Let me know if you are interested in getting fit and earning extra money helping others do the same. I can show you how easy it is to be a Beachbody Coach and we can build an income together!
In either case, feel free to contact me via email if you are interested or have any questions. Also, check out my website, so you can see all of the different fitness programs and products that are currently offered.

My web site address is: http://www.beachbodycoach.com/getupnmove

You've got to check it out. It's life changing!