Getting started.

I'm back.

Sorry for the lack of posts. Its been one week since my last post due to a stressful work week, but that's all said and done now.

So, my theme for today is getting people started on a program/goal. Whether it is to get stronger, strip fat, or just get a handle on your eating habits, you need a plan to reach that goal. People fail before they even start....and I see it more often than not. Failure to plan is a plan to fail, ladies and gents.

First you must identify what you're going for. Don't come to me and say you want to run a sub 1:30 half marathon, while squatting 600 lbs at 3% body fat....get a grip.
I'll get further into this in a future post but you can't have an increase in strength while dropping 40 lbs in fat. It's just not how the body works. So pick a goal, define it, and plan to execute it....and just pick one. If you pick two or three, you're doomed to fail.

Secondly, your behavior must match you actions.
If you're training to get stronger, don't be running 10 km everyday. Pick something heavy up!
If you're trying to lean out, put down the beer and burger and start eating clean. Simple as that....now do it.

Third, don't do to much to soon.
Work your way into your new program or lifestyle. Think of a baby on his/her path to walking. You see the lil gaffer skidding around on their bum, then they crawl, then start standing using furniture to balance them, and finally they start putting one foot in front of the other and the rest is history.
The same goes for a workout program or eating healthy.
I've seen so many people bite off more then they can chew by training 2-3 times a day or drastically cutting their calories in an attempt to meet their goals.
Think baby steps, guys.

I'm going to use eating healthy for the example of this. Again, I've seen way to many people cut calories or drastically change their lifestyle and fail more often than not.
So pick a meal and change it for the first week. My favorite to help people out is changing up breakfast. All to often we think of breakfast as cereal, bacon, eggs, toast etc. Who is putting a gun to your head telling you have to eat like this? Cultural norms? Break it and I promise your eating goals will fall into place. Earlier this week I found this great post by a fellow coach, Jason Seib. He echoes my thoughts too.

Coach Jason Seib:


"Why are there such things as breakfast foods? And why are they mostly garbage? I seriously can't figure this one out. When we introduce someone new to paleo nutrition, one of the most common questions we get is an emphatic plea of "But what will I eat for breakfast??" Seriously? What do you eat the rest of the day? You could start there. This usually gets me a look of disdain. In reality, most of us don't eat breakfast foods (like pancakes, waffles, and hash browns) for lunch or dinner because we know they aren't good for us and make us feel like hot crap, yet we are totally willing to start our day with them. If given a choice, my kids will ask for tuna or leftover steak for breakfast as often as they ask for eggs, but only because we don't associate food with a specific position of the sun in the sky. If real food doesn't sound good at breakfast, weigh your options - don't eat until you are actually hungry, eat real food anyway, or eat garbage and adjust your goals accordingly. And please remember that paleo versions of garbage are still garbage and should be eaten as often as you are willing to eat non-paleo treats."


For more info check out Jason's website http://eplifefit.com/


My personal favorite to help me kick off the day and get my body composition in check is Charles Poloquin's Meat and Nut Breakfast

Details are on this are right here. http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/270/The_Meat_and_Nut_Breakfast.aspx

That's all I have time for today, got to get over to Ma and Pa's house to ring in Mother's Day.

Stay Strong.