Weight loss is a battle. I don’t care how you look at it. Sometimes in life, you have upper hand. Other times, you give in and happy hour with the boys gets the best of you. The key to gaining the upper hand in the battle on weight loss is to stay consistent in your battle, minimize the losses, and create a lifestyle change that will always win the battles throughout the longevity of your life.

I took a hard dose of my own advice this evening.

Anyone that reads this regularly knows that I am a very keep it basic/keep it real for results type of guy. There isn’t magic potions on this site, no 5 minute fixes. Just basic ways to make lasting changes in your life. I attempted to think outside this box today.

Everyone knows that being active is healthy. Yet people still don’t do it. Obesity continue to go up. People continue to die from heart attacks, type 2 diabetes, strokes, and other factors that could be reverse through physical activity. So in hope that someone reads this, here is what some of the benefits of physical activity, based on the A.C.S.M. guidelines.

I have heard pretty much every excuse in the book. It is amazing what people will say when they are unmotivated or don’t really want to face the truth. I understand it for the most part. I, as a human, am guilty of it some times as well. There are days when you know you need to work out, but you just can’t seem to muster up the will power to hit the gym. I understand that completely. That is human nature. That happens to everyone. The ones that get result know how to develop the mental will power to get themselves to the gym or through a workout regardless of how they are feeling. Those who don’t do that continue to make excuses on why they aren’t getting results.

I read an interesting quote in a book. It said when you are born, you only know one thing: How to cry. Everything else is learned. Now, I am not an expert on what babies know, or don’t know out of the womb, but I like this statement. A baby learns that if he/she cries, they get what they want, whether that is a toy, food, or a diaper change. And as we grow and refine ourselves as humans, we learn to talk and interact rather than crying (thank god).

“Sorry man, I can’t hit happy hour with you. It’s Thursday which means I need to work my supraspinatus at the gym tonight.”

I am a firm believer that results can be very simple to achieve and the biggest thing that does not produce results is the lack of action. There are many trainers out there that are focused on trying to show you they know the human anatomy rather than showing you how to get results. I am sorry, but those exercises to work your rotators cuffs really are not going to get the results you need, unless you are an athlete or a bodybuilder. In the same manner, trying to work the 3 heads of the tri, or the 4 muscles of the quad, or the inner muscles of the abs, won’t really get you the results you need. Yeah, they will produce some results, but how many hours do you want to spend in the gym? Are you really going to dedicate a whole gym session to the quad? Unless you are body builder, the answer is no.

Most people don’t want to spend hours in the gym to get results. Let’s face it, if someone created a workout plan that got you in the best shape of your life in 5 minutes, you would buy that right now. Sadly, there are no plans that I know of that will do that (that work).

So what is the next best thing? Focus your weights on large muscles. These include calf, quad, hamstring, back, back, shoulders, biceps and triceps. That is really all you need to get a good workout.

And when you work out big muscles, just workout the big muscles! You don’t need to do an Arnold Press, lateral raises, front raises and bent over lateral raises to feel the burn in your shoulder. That is honestly just overkill. Grab a weight, and lift it 12-15 times over your head, rest, do it two more times. Move on to the next muscles. Like I have said before, it isn’t rocket science.

Get in. Blow up. Get out. Stop focusing on the little details and you will produce bigger results.

I am a firm believer in “aha” moments. Most times, it takes one instant to realize something big enough to make a lasting change. I had mine in college.

I was a sub 5 min mile entering into college. I didn’t keep up my working out when I entered college. The freshman 15 hit me a few times and I very quickly got out of shape and overweight (a little over 200 pounds for my 5’10″ frame. I was running late for a class one day and had to park in the bottom parking lot at San Diego State University. The only way up to the campus was climbing a significant amount of stairs. I finally found a spot to park, checked the clock and had approximately 2 minutes to get to class. I started running. I hit the first of many staira, no problem – I got this. Half way up I was walking. When I reached the top, I had to sit down because my heart was beating out of my chest and I couldn’t catch my breath. Needless to say I was late to the class. As I sat there trying to catch my breath and bring my heart rate down, I kept thinking “what am I doing? How did I get like this? I am a fitness and health guy and I can’t climb stairs? How am I suppose to preach health and wellness if I am overweight?”.

That was my “aha” moment. It was at the moment that I decided to turn it around. I start working out, eating better, dropped weight and changed my entire lifestyle so I can now talk the talk while I walk the walk.

Most people need that “aha” moment. Some people it is waking up and realizing you cannot see your feet because your belly sticks out. Others it is sitting in the doctors office with the doctor telling them if they don’t lose weight, they are going to die from Type 2 diabetes or heart attack.

It is my opinion that in order to make a lasting change, people need to have that “aha” moment. If people don’t have that moment, they just go through the motions. The implement changes that don’t stick. There is something psychological about an “aha” moment that makes you want to make a change. This is how you will make a change. Sure, you can make changes without an “aha” moment. Those people are determined to make a change. But I bet if you chat with most people that make drastic changes, there was something in their mind that clicked.

Dig deep down inside of you an find your “aha” moment. Find that one thing that makes you realize that you need to make life long changes in you life, whether it is to lose weight, live healthier, or change a bad habit. If you acknowledge the issue (the “aha” moment”) you will be able to find the determination to actually make the changes stick.

You hear it ALL the time in the media. “BEAT THE BATTLE OF THE BULDGE!”. I don’t give a crap about the battle, I want you to win the war.

A general doesn’t care the result of the battles as long as he won the war. The battles mean nothing, but the end result means everything. What is your end result?

Your end result should be a life full of health and longevity. One bad weekend isn’t going to lose the war for you. You may lose that battle, but who cares about that one battle? Focus on your end goal and know you can enjoy Sunday BBQs with the family. You can enjoy Super Bowl. You can enjoy the holidays. But moderate it. Lose the battle, don’t get massacred. Stay focused on your long term goals to live longer and be healthier.

Now I am not saying you can lose EVERY battle and still win the war. If you lose every battle, you lost. As long as you win more battles that you lose, you will win the war. Moderation in everything and everything in moderation. Go enjoy yourself, but know overall, you need to eat cleaner, healthier and get your physical activity in.

Having goals are the best way to get the results that you want. But most people do not set the right goals, which leads to most of the time not attaining your goals. New Year resolutions are a great example of this. People make goals in haste without actually sitting down and planning out what they want and how they are going to get there. Anyone can make goals. But can you make a plan to achieve your goals?

Here are a few ways that you can set your goals and accomplish them.

1. Choose your direction - Really think about what you want. Is it to lose weight? Be more active? Eat Better? Become an athlete? Drop your 5k time? Become more flexible?  Notice I said find a direction, This isn’t your final goal – this is the direction that you are going to be headed. Think of a direction and write it down.
2. Choose Your Goal – Now that you have a direction, choose your specific, attainable goal. If losing weight is your direction, how much? Make sure it is attainable. If you need to lose 70 lbs, setting your goal for 70 out of the gate may not be the best idea. Set it for 30, and then reset when you hit it. If you have to stare at that big number, you can get discouraged. If your direction is to be more active, set a goal to be active 5x a week. If is to drop your 5k time, set the time you want to run.  Make sure that for your goal, it is specific, and it is hard enoug that it will make you work, but make sure it is within reach. When you have your specific,reachable goal in mind, write it down.
3. Now Get MORE Specific: Ok so now you have a goal. This is your long term goal. This is the end result that you want to see. Now set a short term goal. Again – specific and reachable. Set a goal that is going to help you reach your long term goal. For example, if your long term goal is to lose 30 pounds, set a short term goal to lose 1-2 a week for 15-30 weeks. If your goal is to be active 5x a week, set a goal to go to the gym 2x a week and walk around your block 3x a week. If your goal is to run a sub-18 min 5K – set a short term goal of 2x long runs a week, 2x speed works a week, and 1x hill works a week. Again, once you have your short term goals, write them down.
4. Now Get EVEN MORE Specific: Now write your immediate goals. What things are  you going to do RIGHT NOW, day in and day out to help you reach your long and short term goals. If your goal is to lose weight, what things do you need to do day in and day out in order for your to lose that 1-2 pounds a week on your way t0 your 30 pound goal? If you want to be more active, what do you need to do day in and day out in order to hit the gym 2x a week and walk 3x times a week on your way to be active 5x a week? If you want to run a 5k, what things do you need to do day in and day out that will get you to hit your workouts everyday on your way to a 5k under 18 minutes? Again, get more specific and right them down.

What you should have at the end of this is a game plan on how you will accomplish your goals. Now go out and hit these goals! If you need more help or direction on any of these sections, feel free to email me at info@nintemanfitness.com and I will help you set your goals in motion.

In middle school, you more than likely took a health class. In that class, they told you that diet and exercise was the best way to stay healthy. That hasn’t changed over the years, regardless of how long ago you were in school. What does change over the years that people get confused about is how much physical activity you need. The requirement depends on which organization you look at. There are some that say 5-7 days of moderate physical activity and then there are others that say 3 days of low to moderate exercise.

I think the first thing that needs to be done is you need to define what Physical Activity actually is: From an earlier post, Physical Activity is any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that result in energy expenditure. In real life, physical activity is basically anything that you break a sweat doing. Walking the dog, playing with the kids, joining a softball team, anything!

But how much are you suppose to get? Really, whatever you can. 5-7 days of moderate physical activity, according to the ACSM, is optimal for great health benefits. But if you can do 3 days, that is better than zero days.

Honestly, though, you should not really say “5 days” or “7 days” or anything else. You should try to just make physical activity part of your life. If you put to much emphasis on trying to get enough days of physical activity in during the week, more than likely, you will say something like “I will just get my 5th day in tomorrow” or ” If I take today off, I will go the next 5 days”. And due to human nature, you more than likely will not hit what you want to. Instead, just make physical activity part of your lifestyle. Be active. Live active. Start walking every morning. Join a sport league. Start hiking. Whatever it is, just start living a healthy, active lifestyle and you will start living a healthier life. But if you must put a number on it, shoot for 5-7 days of moderate physical activity for optimal health improvement. But also make sure your diet is in check. A good, active lifestyle doesn’t mean anything if you are eating crap. But that is another post for another day. Have an awesome day.