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Our mission is to empower individuals who wish to lose weight and/or improve their health with knowledge and internal, sustainable motivation to transform into the person they deserve to be. We do this by providing articles, tools, products, and services from industry leaders that share easy to understand information and guidance. Our core values are honesty and integrity so that we may offer value by giving our customers a comfortable and convenient place to find everything needed to achieve their fitness and lifestyle goals.
Lose Fat, Not Faith e-Zine Volume II Issue 9 September 9, 2005
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) 1552-6151
It is now September. This closes the third quarter of the year ... only one more remains.
Where are you going, and what are you doing? Sometimes it is necessary to create a
sense of urgency to help drive you closer to your goals ...
Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value. — Jim Rohn
I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do. — Leonardo da Vinci
While the rest of the country was focused on Hurricane Katrina,
my wife and I were practically isolated in the Black Hills of South Dakota. We closed on our
home there, and flew out to pack up the remaining items. There was no TV, Internet, or radio in
the house, and we barely had cellular reception. It was peaceful and quiet, except for the
occassional grunts and groans as we moved the heavier items onto the truck.
Every move is an opportunity to decide what from our past will
remain, and what it is time for us to let go of. We donated many items to the community, as
Alyssa had outgrown her bike, books, and many games. She chose the stuffed animals that we would
pass along to other children to enjoy. We did our own spring cleaning as well, bundling up
books and clothes and other items we would no longer need to pass on. We actually sold quite
a bit of the furniture with the house.
Some of our friends and family were surprised that we let go
of so much "stuff." Many people focus on how much we paid and think of letting go as "losing"
or somehow "missing out." What we've discovered in life is that if we lighten our load, we can
fly farther. We never really lost anything ... we only created win-win situations. For example,
a coach from a Christian school in Minneapolis drove ten hours to load up our weight set. It
did not sell at the auction, and he asked if his school could benefit. He and a friend made
the long drive and we all worked together to load the set in less than an hour. Everybody won,
because we saved the additional investment of having to ship it down to Florida to a home that
is not large enough to hold the set, the school received new equipment to enhance their strength
training program, and we also may receive a substantial tax benefit for the charitable donation.
Everybody wins ... the weights do no good in storage, here we set them in motion to make a
difference (not to mention, I won by not having to lift and load all of those weights ... the
entire set is about a ton and a half, and I had plenty of other heavy lifting to do).
During our process of sifting and sorting, my wife found a
picture that had been lost for years. Many of you are familiar with my transformation, and there
are a few "before and after" pictures that I have on my site. However, this was a "before"
picture taken before I entered a challenge in 1999 and snapped a picture of me holding
a newspaper to prove the date. I don't know how much I weighed in this picture, but I put it
next to my favorite "after" to see just how much physique transformation can make a powerful
difference. Here is the new before and after, never before published:
I made a few donations through our business before we flew out. No
doubt, you've received an onslaught of emails asking you to contribute to various causes. I
decided that one way I could create a win-win situation is to donate my own products and services.
For a limited time, I will post items on e-Bay and pay 100% of the sales proceeds to charity (in
this case, Red Cross) ... you can search for the items here
(note that if you are reading this weeks after September 9th, the auctions for charity may no
longer be active). I also will contribute 10% of your investment for coaching to a charity of
your choice when you hire me in the month
of September.
The quotes this month related to urgency because the end of the
year is coming to a close. It's time to stop dreaming about what can be done, and to start doing
it. Remember, ideas can only turn into reality if you have the courage to make them. This is
why I'm taking my own ideas, like a seminar on losing that last stubborn few pounds of fat or
an audio version of the popular "10 Fat Mistakes" eReport, and making them real for you.
What do Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle
author Tom Venuto and M-Power creator Jon
Benson have in common? Besides co-authoring the fabulous e-Book, Fit Over 40,
they will both be live guests on our weekly Become Your Best Coaching Podcast/Teleseminar! You
can listen live for FREE (long distance charges may apply) by dialing +1 212 990 8000 with PIN BYBC# (2922#)
every Monday at 7pm PST, 8pm MST, 9pm CST, and 10pm EST. Visit our Become Your Best Coaching Podcast
site to view the upcoming call agenda, listen to previous calls, and learn more details.
Do you Have What it Takes to Experience the Power of Transformation?
We are coming to a city that may be close to you. Click here
to learn more about our upcoming seminars in Chicago, IL (October) and Orlando, FL (December).
Imagine being able to tap into the power of your mind to transform your own beliefs
Learn nutrition techniques that
have assisted people around the world to lose hundreds of pounds of fat
Connect with like-minded individuals who each have a unique
story and approach to share with you
Learn once and for all exactly how to correctly squat, stretch, and perform other physical activities
Learn
how to keep yourself inspired and motivated to follow-through and stop giving up
and of course, much more!
"I attended a Become Your Best coaching seminar recently and I am really glad I made the decision to go. I have been struggling with weight and self esteem issues for about 24 years now ( I'm 41 ) and feel that I am finally really getting a handle on the problem. I have been working with Jeremy for a couple of months making good progress with fat loss, mindset, nutrition and exercise and the seminar really helped tie things together. It was good meeting other people in different and similar situations who helped shed light on some of the issues I'm still dealing with. Physique transformation is an enlightening experience - your body doesn't lie. I feel I can now put energy I didn't have before into what I really want to do with my life. Thank you Jeremy."
— Robin Otto.
This is a great series and I think it is essential for people to "crack the code" and obtain
low body fat. I thought I had heard/read it all by now — but there is some very valuable
information in there and the way you explain it is as usual done in a way that makes you
want to listen and it is easy to understand.
Particularly when one is reaching the point where you are not looking to lose weight anymore
but going for that last bits of fat which I know for one is VERY hard ...
—Klaus Lovgreen, United Arab Emirates
Learn more about the online audio series, Shocking
Fat Loss Secrets Revealed, and how to receive TWO WEEKS of free e-mail consultations from
Jeremy Likness.
Still Taking Contributions: Mail us your success story and/or favorite healthy recipes for inclusion in the upcoming book, "Lose Fat, Not Faith: Recipes for Success" (all contributors who are selected will receive
a free copy of the e-Book) — you must confirm the submission (an e-mail will be sent with instructions) before we can receive it
Nutrition: Changing Your Diet, Facts You Should Know (by Tim Henry)
To say that Americans are obsessed with dieting is an understatement! Pick up any magazine,
tune-in or turn-on any source of advertising and you're bombarded with the latest diet
schemes and food fads. More often than not, they are endorsed by some familiar Hollywood
celebrity, or promoted using some other clever technique.
It's no mystery that the weight-loss industry has built a thriving empire.
In America, for example, we spend about 35 billion dollars every year on an assortment
of weight loss products and plans. In addition, we spend another 79 billion dollars
for medication, hospitalization, and doctors to treat obesity-related problems.
Even with this, the obesity epidemic continues to spread. Sadly, we have become the
heaviest generation in our Nation's history.
The National Center for Health Statistics reports that we have some very good
reasons to be concerned about our weight-gain. Americans, for example are packing on the
pounds faster than ever before and weight-related medical problems are taking center stage.
Diseases like heart disease, diabetes and yes...even certain forms of cancer have
all been linked to obesity.
Here are a few of the surprising statistics about our weight:
A whopping 64 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese. That's up approximately 8 percent from overweight estimates obtained in a 1988 report.
The percent of children who are overweight is also continuing to increase. Among children and teens ages 6-19, 15 percent or almost 9 million are overweight. That's triple what the rate was in 1980!
Nearly one-third of all adults are now classified as obese. At present, 31 percent of adults 20 years of age and over or nearly 59 million people have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater, compared with 23 percent in 1994.
(The BMI is a number that shows body weight adjusted for height. For adults, a BMI of 18.5 - 24.9 is considered normal. A BMI of 25.0 - 29.9 is overweight and 30.0 or above, is considered obese.)
Modern life both at home and at work has come to revolve around moving from one "seated" position to another: whether it's television, computers, remote controls, or automobiles, we seem to be broadening the scope of our inactive endeavors.
At times, life seems to have gotten almost too easy! For entertainment, we can now just sit-down, dial-up our favorite TV program or DVD movie and enjoy hours of uninterrupted entertainment...
And all those simple calorie burning activities that were once a normal part of our daily routine not so long ago? Long gone! You know the ones I'm talking about...activities like climbing stairs instead of using escalators and elevators. Or, pushing a lawn mower instead of riding around on a garden tractor. And what about that daily walk to school? Now, our kids complain when the school bus happens to be a few minutes late getting to the bus stop!
Along with the convenience of our affluent lifestyle and reduction in energy expenditure, have come changes in our diet. We are now consuming more calorie rich and nutrient deficient foods than ever before.
Here are a few examples of what we were eating in the 1970's compared to our diet today (information is taken from a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture survey):
We are currently eating more grain products, but almost all of them are refined grains (white bread, etc.). Grain consumption has jumped 45 percent since the 1970s, from 138 pounds of grains per person per year to 200 pounds! Only 2 percent of the wheat flour is consumed as whole wheat.
Our consumption of fruits and vegetables has increased, but only because the U.S.D.A. includes French fries and potato chips as a vegetable. Potato products account for almost a third of our "produce" choices.
We're drinking less milk, but we've more than doubled our cheese intake. Cheese now outranks meat as the number one source of saturated fat in our diets.
We've cut back on red meat, but have more than made up for the loss by increasing our intake of chicken (battered and fried), so that overall, we're eating 13 pounds more meat today than we did back in the 1970s.
We're drinking three times more carbonated soft drinks than milk, compared to the 1970's, when milk consumption was twice that of pop.
We use 25 percent less butter, but pour twice as much vegetable oil on our food and salads, so our total added fat intake has increased 32 percent.
Sugar consumption has been another cause of our expanding waistlines. Sugar intake is simply off the charts. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, people are consuming roughly twice the amount of sugar they need each day, about 20 teaspoons on a 2000 calorie/day diet. The added sugar is found mostly in junk foods, such as pop, cake, and cookies.
In 1978, the government found that sugars constituted only 11 percent of the average person's calories. Now, this number has ballooned to 16 percent for the average American adult and as much as 20 percent for American teenagers.
The days of the wholesome family dinners so near and dear to our hearts, where we all sat around the kitchen table to discuss events of the day, are now a part of our sentimental past. They have been replaced by our cravings for take-out and fast-food. We have gradually come to accept that it's "OK" to sacrifice healthy foods for the sake of convenience and that larger serving portions mean better value.
And, since I have been throwing-out statistics, here's one more: Americans are consuming about 300 more calories each day than we did twenty years ago. We should actually be eating less because of our decreased activity level, but instead are doing the opposite!
Decide TODAY that healthy eating and exercise habits will become a permanent part of your life!
Begin to explore your values and thoughts and other areas of your life where change may be required, and then take action. Begin slowly, but deliberately to make improvements in the areas you identify. And remember, it has taken a very long time to develop your habits, and it will take some time to undo them... so be patient!
Training: How to Avoid Using your Home Gym as a Clothes Rack (by John Phung)
So here's the situation...
You have a home gym, treadmill, elliptical trainer, or some other piece of home fitness equipment. But it's sitting in the corner of the room being used as a clothes rack. You haven't gotten any use out of it for months, and you might be thinking of selling it off.
There's a reason why you initially bought this piece of equipment, and I can bet that it wasn't meant to hang your clothes on (there are much cheaper alternatives than that).
It was probably along the lines of "toning up" or "losing weight" or "getting fit" and so on and so forth. You know it's probably a good idea to start exercising again, but you might be thinking:
1. "I'm too busy with (insert your reasons here), and I just don't have the time right now."
2. "I'll do it later."
3. "I'm not too sure what exercises to do."
4. "I just don't have any motivation right now. Maybe in the future when I get fired up I'll start again."
5. "I'm feeling pretty tired these days with everything going on. I'll get to it once I have some energy."
But what were the reasons that made you buy this machine? How long did you actually use this machine? Why did you stop? And why aren't you using it now?
What you'll do is examine your reasons why, and give you an actionable guide to get you off your couch, take the clothes off your home gym and start using it the way it was meant to be used (and start achieving your goals!)
Here is a Solution...
You need to set some goals, and you need to set a plan to get to those goals. That's right, just like what all the self help guru preaches, this is what you need to do. The reason why you need to set goals is that then you'll have something to work towards.
And I'm not talking about some up-in-the-air, vague goals like, "I want to look toned", or "I want to lose weight".
I'm talking about detailed, specific goals. Something along the lines of, "I will lose 10 pounds of fat in 60 days".
Also, along with setting goals, you need to write down your "reasons why" you want to achieve this goal. Losing 10 pounds of fat in 60 days is fine and dandy, but you'll be way more motivated to exercise if you're constantly reminded that your wedding is in 60 days!
Here's an acronym that will help you set and attain your fitness goals:
S.M.A.R.T-R (pronounced "smarter")
SMART-R stands for:
S-Specific
M-Measurable
A-Action oriented
R-Reasonable
T-Timed
R-Reasons why
Let's go into details of each point:
Specific
"The more specific and measurable your goal, the more quickly you will be able to identify, locate, create, and implement the use of the necessary resources for its achievement." — Charles J. Givens
"I want to lose weight" is different from "I want to lose 10lbs of fat and gain muscle mass by doing 3-5 cardio workouts and 3-5 resistance training workouts per week at the gym over the course of the next 3 months."
Your fitness goals should be detailed, clearly defined, and stress exactly what you're going to do and you want to achieve.
For example, instead of setting a goal to lose weight, set a specific goal to lose 3 inches off your waist, lost 5% body fat, or lose 3 pounds of fat.
Measurable
"Make measurable progress in reasonable time." — Jim Rohn
If you're not keeping score, you don't know whether you're winning or losing! And keeping score is all done with numbers. Do you want to lose 3 inches off your waist? Do you want to drop down from 20% to 12% body fat? Do you want to lose 10 pounds?
Whatever goal you choose, make sure that you can measure it. You need to do this so you can see and measure the progress over time. For example, losing 1 pound per week would be a goal that is measurable over time.
Also, the things that you can't measure (happiness, etc.) will come along with achieving your goals.
"You'll always achieve more through movement than meditation" — Gary Halbert
Virtually no goals can be attained unless there's some action taken. If you plan to lose 10 pounds of body fat, you have to figure out the "action" that you need to take the attain this goal.
What resistance training exercises are you going to do? What cardiovascular exercises are you going to do? How often should you do them?
In this step it's helpful to recruit the assistance of a fitness professional who can provide you with their expertise and advice to help you reach your goal.
Reasonable
"Every noble work is bound to face problems and obstacles. It is important to check your goal and motivation thoroughly. One should be very truthful, honest, and reasonable. One's actions should be good for others, and for oneself as well. Once a positive goal is chosen, you should decide to pursue it all the way to the end. Even if it is not realized, at least there will be no regret." — Dalai Lama
Now that you might have started to think of some goals, you have to remember to keep them reasonable. Losing 30 pounds in one month is not reasonable! In fact, this could be potentially dangerous to your health and be detrimental in the long term. In this case, you would probably be losing water weight and muscle mass, and in the long run, you would gain all that weight back, and have less muscle mass (its your muscles that burn fat...the more of it you have, the more fat you can burn. But the less you have, you'll be burning less body fat).
Keep your goals reasonable or you might find that you'll be putting your health at risk, or at the very least, you'll be disappointed.
Timed
"A goal is a dream with a deadline." — Napoleon Hill
Set a deadline. Deadlines move us to action. There's nothing worst than having a goal, working towards it, but never finishing it! It's almost like a major school project that's assigned to you. Imagine if this project didn't have a deadline, and you're asked to complete it whenever you want.
Do you think you'll complete it soon?
Probably not! If there's no deadline, there's no pressure to finish a task.
It's the same with exercise and fitness. If you set a goal to lose 10 pounds of body fat, but you don't set a deadline, you'll probably be trying to lose 10 pounds of body fat forever!
Set a deadline for your fitness goal, and try to achieve it. Once the deadline passes and you've reached your goals, set a new one and a new deadline, and strive to achieve that!
Reasons Why
"Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to; all they need is one reason why they can" — Willis Whitney
This is probably the most important step in the goal setting process. Not only is your "reason why" the motivation for you to achieve any goals, but it's probably the reason that caused you to buy a home gym or home exercise equipment in the first place!
You must define your reasons for wanting to achieve a goal. If you lack clear reasons why for doing so, all the goal setting and planning might just go to waste (if you don't have a reason to do something, why would you do it?)
Spend some time and give some serious thought to this step. The more compelling your reasons are for exercising, the greater your odds will be for meeting your goals.
Every person has a different reason for exercising. Some people just want to lose a few inches off their waist because of an upcoming event (such as a wedding, a high school reunion, a day at the beach to impress members of the opposite sex), but for others, exercising could mean the difference between life and death.
Whatever your "reasons why" may be, make sure that they're compelling, and accurately represent your reasons for your desire to achieve your goals.
Some Tips To Keep On Top of Your Fitness Goals
Grab a pen, a few pieces of paper, and prepare to do some writing. Use this formula to form your goals:
"I, _________ (name) WILL __________________________ (specific, reasonable, and measurable goal) by doing _______________________ (action oriented) by ______________ (timed-date).I will achieve this goal because ___________________________ (insert your reason why)Signature: _________________ (your name) Today's date: _____________"
Write this down and make photocopies if you want to. Now, post your goals everywhere (bathroom mirrors, in your home gym, in front of your toilet...anywhere that is highly visible), and read it everyday. The more often you come across seeing your goals in writing, the more likely it's going to be in your daily thoughts, and the more likely you're achieve your fitness goals.
Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. So, if you've been leaving your home gym equipment to collect dust or to hang your clothes on, start with the single step of writing down your goals by following the methods above. Trust me, you won't regret it.
"Jeremy, I can't finish my cardio workouts because I get dizzy and nauseous when I do them first thing in the morning, but I can't eat food because they said I have to have an empty stomach to burn fat."
"Jeremy, I know I need a ton of protein, but I just can't seem to get it down. I get ill eating so much protein. How will I ever build muscle?"
These questions are common, because instead of listening to their body, many people are giving up their power by following the current trend or diet program. Your body has built-in mechanisms that can teach you a lot about what you are doing and if it is working. A healthy person knows when it is time to eat, because they get hungry. A healthy person also knows whether or not they require protein. These instincts are built in, but the S.A.D. diet (Standard American Diet) is so loaded with processed food that has no counterpart in nature, it's no wonder the signal is getting lost.
What happens when you are next to a busy intersection with a constant buzz of cars going by? Eventually, you will tune out the noise. It becomes part of the background. If you are standing next to a deserted road, however, the occasional car whizzing by will attract your attention. You'll be "in tune."
The typical diet is so loaded with salt that it completely nullifies your sense of taste. When you try to eat something that is low salt or salt-free, it tastes bland and disgusting. You reach immediately for the salt shaker or at least grab a bottle of Mrs. Dash and cover it with herbs and spices.
Try going without added salt for just four weeks. This is an experiment I experienced first hand, as did my wife, and so do many of my clients. The first few weeks are not fun, because everything is so dull. Then, just like a smoker who has stopped sucking on smoke for a few weeks, something amazing happens. Slowly but surely, your taste will return. Suddenly, you become aware of the subtle flavors in vegetables, fruits, grains, meats, and other foods that just tasted like salt and seasoning before. It's an amazing experience, if you let it happen.
By removing the additives, preservatives, refined sugars, processed grains, and other artificial components of your diet, you can start to sense your needs for protein and carbohydrates as well. I don't follow the traditional "slab of meat at every meal" bodybuilder diet. I know it's popular, but I choose to listen to my body.
I've force fed pounds of protein and the end result might be a little more muscle mass, but it also leaves me staring at a block of steak wishing I was somewhere else and hoping I never have to taste a bite of meat ever again. That's not living ... it's dieting, and I'd rather live healthy than diet miserably. So, I stay in tune. If I crave protein, I eat it. If not, I might just have a vegetarian dish. I listen to my body.
If you have the most energy on an empty stomach first thing in the morning, go for it. If you're one of those who feels dizzy and weak, then listen to your body. Stop worrying about what "they" say about an empty stomach. Instead, get some food, let it digest, and then get to work. Whatever fat-burning benefit you might have from training on empty will be negated by your lack of energy. Add some fuel and then push down on the accelerator and go full throttle. In the end, it's calories that are king, not whether or not you time the meal before or after your workout.
If you thrive on high protein and lower carbohydrates, that's great. Personally, I get extremely irritable when I reduce my carbohydrates and get sick of eating protein when I raise my protein intake. So instead of giving up my power to the almighty diet, I listen to my body. I figure it knows what it wants. Of course, the trend is that you have to cut carbohydrates to lean down, so I made certain I lost 35 pounds and cut down to 7% body fat while eating 300 grams of carbohydrates and 90 grams of protein per day to prove that, first, you can lose fat even with carbohydrates in your system, and second, it doesn't take pounds of meat and tubs of protein powder to maintain a muscular physique. The proof is in the pudding — you can see my menus and my progress here:
Bottom line, get comfortable with you. Stop ignoring your body. Listen to it. If you find that your "splurge meals" are making you sick, think about the message your body is giving you and decide if you are going to continue it week after week, or if it's time to take off the training wheels and grow up. You don't have to have pizza every week to enjoy life.
Key #6: Control your rewards
You've heard it before.
"Have a free day. Eat cheat meals."
It sounds exciting, doesn't it? For several days, you focus on ultimate discipline. You eat perfectly "clean" and don't deviate from your diet ... not even a little bit. But that's because you have a great motivator ... the promise of a day or meal where you can literally go "no-holds barred" and eat anything and everything in sight!
If you start to feel a twinge of guilt about your plans to assault the nearest buffet, you can simply flip to the pages of your favorite book and reassure yourself with the claim that this meal is necessary because it will boost your metabolism. It's okay. Have it all. Chow away. Stuff yourself. You earned it, and it won't make a difference, right?
Well ... maybe, and then again, maybe not.
Cheat meals, free meals, reward meals, or whatever names you choose serve their purpose. I know that I would not have jumped headfirst into my first physique transformation if I did not know I could dive back into my binge habits once a week. And it worked ... for awhile. I stuck to the program and was losing weight.
As time progressed, however, I noticed a few disturbing trends.
Monday to me was simply a countdown to the day I could eat anything I wanted. I was obsessed with it. Sure, I was eating clean throughout the week, but I could barely focus on anything else other than the idea that one day I would be going crazy. When that day came, I would actually plot out a course through the city so I could hit as many fast-food and donut joints as possible. We went to buffets and then hit the store and bought pounds of junk food to bring home and consume before midnight.
I realized that this wasn't control. It wasn't even reward. It was addiction. I thought back to when I quit cigarettes. How did I do it? Did I stop smoking six days out of the week, and then have a day where I smoked as much as I possibly could?
My body was giving me a few clues as well. I would feel bloated, disgusting, nauseous, and would often get sick after a free day with a cold or sinus infection. I felt like I spent the first half of the week recovering from the last day and the next half barely holding on to make it to the next splurge festival.
That's when I decided it was time for things to change. I did not want to remain a slave to food. I could not imagine going on like that for the rest of my life, but this was supposed to be a permanent change, right? So I put my foot down.
I started with only allowing myself one or two reward meals per week. I called them reward meals because cheating is not what I was doing ... I planned them, and deserved them. After several weeks of this, I noticed a significant change: I was no longer desperate for those meals, I was enjoying my healthy meals more, and when it was time to have a reward meal, I didn't "waste" it on junk food or fast food ... I'd go to a nice restaurant, sit down, and truly savor it.
Then I began to focus on my portion control. I was still over-eating that one meal, and I would feel like I had a hangover for the rest of the evening. So I made a pact with myself that I would never eat so much that I couldn't have my other meals that day ... in other words, even with a reward meal, I'd control my portion sizes so that I was still ready to eat again after a few hours.
This is when I suddenly found myself in the driver's seat. The food was no longer in control, I was. I still enjoy pizza, ice cream, and many other treats. But now I control my rewards. I don't have to go overboard. I don't have to use one meal as an excuse to jump into a pattern of binge eating for the rest of the weekend. I can decide, ahead of time, what and when I will enjoy my reward, and then eat just enough to satisfy my psychological craving without going overboard. I switched from a free day festival (like smoking a carton of cigarettes) to controlled indulgence (like enjoying a nice cigar).
Here's some final points to consider ...
People are 250% more likely to suffer a heart attack after overeating
Most of the people I know who successfully lose weight and keep it off control their rewards and do not have a splurge meal
Your metabolism takes more than a day of splurging to kick into high gear ... you are better off having a planned week of eating more calories, but from healthy foods
Key #7: Consistently refocus goals
This last key is perhaps the most important.
When I was digging through some old documents, I came across my original goals list. This was in 1999 when I began my fitness journey.
My main goal was to reach 40" and I made a little side note, "if possible?"
Imagine that. A 44" waist and I wasn't even confident that I could lose four little inches!
After my first 12 weeks, I did not have a 40" waist. I had a 38" waist. I blew past my goal. So my new goal became a 36" waist, which I new was my limit because I was "big-boned." 36" gave way to 32" and at 6% body fat I was able to slip on a pair of 30" jeans ... over a foot (30 centimeters) had been trimmed from my waistline.
Goals can change, and that's okay. Constantly refocus your goals. You may be capable of more than you imagine or currently allow yourself to be. Some of my goals that I created after learning the power to transform include running a half marathon and starting my own business, both of which I have accomplished and neither of which I would have thought possible in 1999.
To refocus your goals is to learn who you are. Maybe you thought you could lose 40 pounds of fat in three months, only to discover you lost 20. That's fine. Set a new goal to lose 20 more over the next three months. Maybe you thought you would never bench press more than 100 pounds, but just did 110 last week. Great! Set a new goal to bench press 150 pounds. As you learn your limits (or rather, how to move past them) don't be afraid to set your goals higher.
Don't make the mistake, however, of falling into the trap of not having goals. This is what many people do ... "When I reach 150 pounds, I'm going into maintenance." That is an excuse to settle, and settling means going backwards and ultimately falling back into your old patterns. By consistently raising the bar, you are able to remain fit. Fitness is about action and movement, not about complacency and "settling."
If you want to live a fit and healthy lifestyle, you must realize you are not on a journey to trim fat or increase your running speed. Ultimately, you are in pursuit of greatness.
Conclusion
These points that were created by people just like you have illustrated that permanent weight loss success is a process, not an event. It relates to the people you interact with, the mindset you adopt, and your core beliefs — even how willing you are to transform them. Studying these points is not enough. You must internalize them and take action. Only then can you become the journey to become your best.
16 Vital Traits Shared by Successful Entrepreneurs (by Michael Brassil)
The first step in deciding whether to start a business is to ask yourself this
important question: "Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur?" A
variety of experts have documented research that indicates that successful
small business entrepreneurs, whether male or female, have some common
characteristics. How do you measure up? It will be up to you — not someone
else telling you — to develop projects, organize your time and follow
through on details.
Contrary to conventional opinion, an entrepreneur can be either an
introvert or an extrovert. The basic difference is, introverts tend to
focus their energy internally and often work better by themselves.
Extroverts focus their energy externally. They usually work better
in groups, or teams. Very few people are completely one way or
the other. Most fall somewhere in between. True entrepreneurs:
Have a passion for what they do.
Have "street smarts." They don't stay locked up in their ivory towers.
Have the capability of excelling in at least one area of business.
Become an authority on what they do, and monitor the progress of their
endeavors.
Are team builders. They excel at bringing people into the enterprise who
are smarter and more skilled in specific areas.
Ask for what they want and need and are relentless and tenacious at
problem-solving.
Realize the need for the help and support of others.
Understand that success rarely comes without total commitment. The
only limitations they face are the ones they impose upon themselves.
Have high energy.
Have extraordinary self-confidence.
Set long-term goals.
Perceive money as a measure of accomplishment.
Persist in problem-solving and have a knack for getting more
accomplished with less.
Take initiative and moderate risks, learn from failure, and seek and use
feedback.
Accept personal responsibility, and use all available resources.
Believe that success or failure lies within their personal control or
influence.
The most successful entrepreneurs are certainly not the most intelligent or
the most highly educated. But they are creative, highly motivated, intuitive
and possess the ability to recognize opportunities when they spot them.
Many people fear change. I know what it is like, because
I spent most of my life operating from "what if." I was paralyzed from
making decisions because I could only ask myself, "What if this happened ... or what if that
happens?" I learned quickly that free enterprise is more challenging than a job,
even one with a high level of responsibility, because I am more directly responsible
for my success in free enterprise. It's not about how I perform for management, and
I don't have the tasks delegated to me ... I am fully responsible, and it is my
whole value on the free market that determines my level of success.
What I've learned, however, is that it is taking
on more responsibility that creates contentment in life. This doesn't necessarily
hold true for everyone — I am speaking strictly from my personal experience
and belief — but I receive greater rewards when I take charge and embrace change.
If you watched me walk up to the table covered with
products at the back of a seminar my business coach presented over a year ago, you would
have watched my hesitation. There was a fear of walking too close to the table, because
I might get "sold." This fear came from not being able to make decisions myself: I lacked
confidence, and the choice to purchase a product was something I wasn't ready or willing
to be responsible for. Today, you'll find me invest in a seminar that is ten times what
I would have spent at the table, not including the cost to fly and stay in a hotel,
because I no longer over-analyze or operate from what if. Instead, I've learned
to trust my instincts and intuition. If it doesn't feel right, I can confidently step
to the table and say, "No!" If it feels perfect, then there is no hesitation
to commit because I know I will create whatever is necessary to complete the investment.
I no longer spend money; I invest it. The money goes into circulation and impacts the
economy while I receive value that in turn creates more abundance.
It's this ability to follow my heart, not my head,
that allowed me to join my wife in our decision to make the dramatic move from South
Dakota to Florida. I realized that I was not enjoying the mountain, but was hiding on
it. I wish I could bottle the quiet nights and clean mountain air and peaceful lifestyle,
but the truth is that my business is about people and I have so many more to connect
with and through here in St. Petersburg. One evening, we sat down and discussed the
possibility of the move. We no longer had to operate from fear, but only anticipation
of the abundance we would create. Two weeks later, we were living here. That was July 4th,
the official release date of my book in paperback. One year previously, I had a similar experience
when we packed up and moved from Atlanta, Georgia and I released my book in electronic format
from the hotel room in St. Louis.
You don't have to wait for the stars to align correctly,
rearrange your sock drawer or take out twelve forms of insurance to make a major decision.
You really only require two things: enough heart and courage to commit to your choice,
and then a simple yes or no. That's all it takes to choose a restaurant,
a new place to live, or a new way of living. There is a great book I am currently reading
about the power of choice, called Blink!.
I'm not finished with it, but already enjoy it.
Many people around the world don't have choices. Some
countries don't allow them. In our country, natural disasters can appear to take the power
of choice away. Nature sometimes decides for us. But many of you reading this have the
power of choice. It's not being restricted by the government and hasn't been washed away
by floodwaters. The real tragedy is that many of you will take that choice away by allowing
fear to interfere, when fear is not real. Instead of worrying what might not happen, why
not celebrate the freedom to create what you will choose to happen? In closing, I ask
that you honor those who are not able to make a choice by embracing your own freedom to
choose. Whatever decisions you have been delaying, postponing, or are simply afraid of ...
choose to tackle them now. I've learned it takes tremendous courage to walk through
door number one, and then door number two ... but now I realize there are infinite doors
beyond, and look forward each year to stepping through new ones as I strive to be my
very best.
