90 Days-90 Pounds, True or Poo?

I hope this blog finds you all having a great end of the work-week, with Mother’s Day weekend preparations all coming along well. This blog is somewhat different from our nature of topics, but I felt the strong urge the brag on someone else’s behalf (We’ll get to him later). I’ve been fortunate enough to have phenomenally motivated clients throughout my career as a Fitness Professional-Personal Trainer, all of which end up being my closest friends and confidants. Regardless of gender, goals, roadblocks, life, or career, my clients and I always seem to find a strong common ground and immediately begin building a friendship.

(Here’s a quick tid bit other fit pro’s won’t tell you about)

One thing nobody else will openly tell you about the fitness industry is much like other industries, these so called “industry experts” tell you to pick a niche within the fitness arena, and become the “go-to person” for that niche. But see, I have never been a conformist and have thoroughly enjoyed making my own choices that pave my own path of life. Although I clearly see the value in those “expert recommendations,” I realized I enjoy the fact that each and every client I work with is 110% a different person, with a different story, coming from a different walk of life, in a different career, with different challenges and roadblocks.

Why? Two very easy reasons:

First, this means I get to help each and every person who makes that choice to get fit and change their life. The roadblocks they face are completely different from the client I had in the previous session, meaning I get to teach and train in a totally different fashion.

Second, as selfish as this reason is, I am most definitely a person that can get bored very easily. By working with different people/clients/friends with different challenges each session, I have a varying day of varying people, with varying challenges, and it is literally my job to accomplish the previously thought “un-accomplishable.” The only thing constant in the type of clients I have: that the type of client and their challenges are changing.

I absolutely love this! Yes, it is not recommended by “experts.” No, it is not the best decision if you want recruitment to be easy. But to be honest, none of that matters to me. What does? You guys/gals do more than you all will ever know!

But that is enough about me and my reasons for doing things differently. This blog is about a client of mine, of whom I want to tell you about. He can tell you about my different ways of doing things, as it caught him off guard from the first day we spoke.

Those of you who keep up with Fitness Mastermind on Facebook and/or
Twitter have probably seen or watched his progress over the past months, via the frequent pictures and captions telling his story and accomplishments along the way.
(If you're not currently following us on Fbook or Twitter, you can find our pages via the links above)

So without further adieu…

Meet “Big Mike” McKinney! When I first heard Big Mike’s story it rang true to my ears, because I personally have been in exactly his shoes, right down to the current weight he WAS at and on down to his goals and determination to achieve them.

Big Mike started out with myself and Fitness Mastermind in late January 2011, at 388 pounds. At 6’3” and with a muscular frame, Big Mike has a body type combination that most would know as a mix of Mesomorph and Endomorph.

QUICK INFO ABOUT BODY TYPES
Mesomorph	Has a large bone structure, large muscles and a naturally athletic physique. Mesomorphs are the best body type for bodybuilding. They find it quite easy to gain and lose weight. They are naturally strong which is the perfect platform for building muscle.
Endomorph	Body type is solid and generally soft. Endomorphs gain fat very easily. Endo’s are usually of a shorter build with thick arms and legs. Muscles are strong, especially the upper legs. Endomorphs find they are naturally strong in leg exercises like the squat.

Big Mike was ready to rock and roll right out of the gates, with all aspects of what I had/have planned for him. He started out three days a week with me, and on a very specific diet of clean food choices including lean meats proteins and decreasing carbohydrate intake as the day progresses. Within the first few weeks and 20+ pounds later, Big Mike was ready to start getting his additional days outside of training too!

As days turned to weeks, weeks turned to 3 months, Big Mike is turning quickly surpassing previous images/goals we set forth for this point in our program, and even after setting even higher goals for him in the coming months-he takes it with a protein shake and says “light-weight baby, get some!”

Stay tuned to Fitness Mastermind’s social pages via Twitter and Facebook, to keep up with Big Mike as his success story continues to be a prime example of when determination meets education!

If you’ve been struggling to get results in your path to fitness, or simply don’t know where to start, contact Fitness Mastermind NOW! Who knows, maybe the next success story blog will be yours!

Until next time!

Keep it fit,

Fitness Mastermind, LLC

Stuck In The Rutt of A Growing Gutt & Butt!

How do you see it... A Mountain or a Molehill?

So you have a weight problem. Pounds have added up over the years, slowly accumulating on your hips, thighs and belly. When you look in the mirror you don't like what you see. Yet you feel stuck.

You're stuck because...

·         You've gained too much weight to ever lose it all.

·         You feel like your "too old" to make a change.

·         You'd be lost in a gym.

·         You simply don't know where to start.

And so, if you are like most people, you give up on yourself before you ever shed a pound. The enormity of your goal paralyzes your ability to even begin. The way we see it, we believe you can end this cycle of self destruction by simply focusing on the mole hills that make up the mountain – rather than focusing in on the mountain itself.

Don't get us wrong, we know that weight loss can seem like an enormous task, especially when you have 20, 50 or even 100 pounds to lose. However, rather than being discouraged by the mountain of fat you need to lose, conquer the mole hill of losing a few pounds each week. In fact, make it your weekly mole hill to drop one pound a week.  Doesn't that sound easy? If you did this consistently for one year you would lose 50 pounds.

So how do you shed a pound a week? It’s simple really, just burn 3500 extra calories.  Create a negative 3500 calorie deficit each week by a combination of increased calorie exertion (exercise) and a decrease in calories consumed (eating less).

Take every opportunity to exert more calories by increasing your physical activity and to decrease your calorie consumption by eating fewer calories (within reason) and by making healthier choices.

It helps to record your progress in a notebook and refer back to it. You will be surprised how encouraging it is to see your weekly progress written down on paper.

Remember, if you lose 500 calories a day you will drop a pound in a week

 (500 calories X 7 days = 3500 calories in 7 days).

“A person's health can be judged by which he takes two at a time, pills or stairs." –Joan Welsh

Here are some practical ways to lose calories:

If You Normally…	Do This Instead:	Calories Lost?
Drink a Mocha	Drink plain coffee or tea	250 calories lost
Eat a vending machine snack	Enjoy an apple	180 calories lost
Hit the snooze button in the A.M.	Jog for 30 minutes before work	150-200 calories lost
Skip your workout	See the Fitness Mastermind trainers to create a workout you’ll enjoy going to	Changing your life

Weight loss doesn't have to be a mountain. Each molehill you conquer will take you one step closer to a healthier, fitter you. Small changes to your lifestyle over time will make the difference.

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Big Burners-Turn Up The Heat!

Looking for the best exercise to shred calories and help you reach your weight-loss goal? Running and your common boot camps top the charts, but there are at least a half-dozen other physical activities that can burn over 500 calories per hour.

Knowing the calories burned by your favorite exercise as well as others can help you design the most effective workout regimen for your fitness and weight-loss goals. The top 10 calorie-burning activities are listed below. Mix up your workouts and give a different type of exercise a try! Not only will the variety help you burn calories, but it will keep you motivated to keep working out.

Big Burners:

Calories burned per hour*
Calories Based on a 160-pound person

Calories Burned (descending order)	Activity
986 calories burned	Running at 8mph
954 calories burned	60 minute cross-training/boot camp class
913 calories burned	Rollerblading
730 calories burned	Jump Rope
657 calories burned	Stairmaster
643 calories burned	Indoor Rowing
584 calories burned	Jogging at 5mph
511 calories burned	Racquetball
511 calories burned	Cross-Country Skiing
504 calories burned	Elliptical Striding
Please Note: All data given above are based on a 160-pound person, performing the activity for 60-minutes.  Calories burned can vary with such aspects as intensity, height/weight, current fitness level, etc. Above data is a general guideline meant to demonstrate the descending order of calorie burning activity.

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We're always available to help – call or reply Fitness Mastermind today to set up your free consultation.

Until Next Time!

Keep it fit,

Fitness Mastermind, LLC