Author: alwayshungrypt

Warm Weather Running

Posted on by alwayshungrypt

Spring is my favorite time of year.  Winter is finally over and the snow and terribly low temps that sweep the Midwest are gone, and with warmer weather comes the time to exercise outdoors again! Not only is Vitamin D severely lacking in most Americans, but physical activity outside is invigorating! The warm sun; the cool breeze; the feeling of pushing yourself in whatever you’re doing is second to none.  One of the most popular things you’ll see people doing this time of year is hitting the pavement to log some miles walk, jog, running.

Though Running is widely criticized for it’s impact on the ankles, knees, hips and it’s over used as a way to lose fat when there are much better ways, it’s still a popular go-to exercise for those looking to get their lungs burning and heart pumping in the beautiful spring weather (myself included).

It’s still a relatively new hobby/exercise for me to partake in seeing as the first 25 years of my life, I could hardly run ¼ mile without feeling like everything internally was going to explode, but over the last 5-7 years as I’ve made it a part of my spring, summer, fall training, I’ve picked up a few key tips for making the best of my workouts.

These are my Top 3 tips for running in warmer/hot weather

  1. Un-Dress Appropriately

One of the downsides of training outdoors in the spring – especially here in the Midwest – is that it can be 40 degrees in the morning and quickly jump to 70… it’s hard to tell where the weather is going to settle.  Which makes it tough to know what to wear.  Do you bundle up with a hoodie/light jacket and pants; or risk it with a t-shirt and shorts?  Either way, you’re screwed.

 

But you don’t have to be!

 

A rule of thumb I learned while training for my first 5K (which took place in January!) was to dress as if the weather is 20 degrees warmer than the thermometer states.  It had me curious so I looked into it more and found that the reason for this estimation is that when your body starts moving, the movement creates energy.  Energy naturally warms up our body temperature, and if you’re starting out in cool weather with too many layers, your warmer body temps might climb too high. 

 

It may be a little uncomfortable with a chilly start, but once you get your feet moving and the heart starts pumping blood around, you will naturally feel your body temperature rising.  Keep it regulated and avoid it getting too high by dressing like it’s 20 degrees warmer than it says when you head out for your next jog.

 

Keep in mind the intensity of the workout.  If you’re going for “all out sprints” or a lengthy trot around the neighborhood, your body temp will rise and sustain much higher/longer than if you’re just doing a mild-brisk walk around the block.

 

  1. Slow Your Pace

If you’re like me and want to get the run over as quickly as possible, one thing I have to remind myself is that I need to S-L-O-W my pace down in the beginning.  It’s too easy to want to bolt down the road, especially if you’ve been training through winter and early spring when it’s still chilly out.  The colder weather typically makes for better runs because – as discussed in the clothing section – our body temperatures rise and when it’s cold out and our internal temps rise to a comfortable level, we don’t get overheated and burned out. 

 

Slowing your pace – especially at the start – can help you maintain for longer exercise durations and keep you feeling better upon finishing.  It will help avoid overheating; dehydration; and burn out.

 

The nice thing is, like when you get used to colder temperatures, your body will re-acclimate to the warmer climate and you’ll be able to withstand running at your normal pace again in no time.  For regular runners, it should only take a week or two for Stella to get her groove back.

 

  1. Hydrate

Always important – don’t forget to hydrate.  2-4 glasses of water about 15-30 mins before your run can help you avoid dehydration as well as regulate your body temperature.  This will help keep you in the game longer and aid in quicker/better recovery afterward.  Don’t slosh down too much or you might have a full belly or have to use the restroom way too often.  Handsfree water bottle belts and vests are a great investment that minimally adds weight but helps keep you going even on the hottest of days.

They sound simple enough but forget one of these tips and you might be in for a rough day after a warm weather run.  As you can see, regardless of what you do – the overarching concept is to keep your body temperature regulated.  It will naturally rise as you expend energy through movement – going beyond running, this could be cycling, sports, swimming, any other outdoor strenuous activity – so keeping these tips in mind will help you mitigate the pitfalls of overheating – heat stroke, heat exhaustion, dehydration, etc. – that go along with outdoor running in warmer temperatures.

What’s your favorite outdoor activity and how do you prep to beat the heat?

6 Tips for New Trainers

Posted on by alwayshungrypt

Not everyone is cut out to be a personal trainer, just like everyone is not cut out to be a doctor, or plumber, or desk worker, etc.  But if you want to give it a go, it’s a booming industry with a lot of potential for growth and a job position that should be sticking around for a while.  People are becoming more sedentary and unhealthy – but many are REALIZING this and seeking help from professionals to get their lives in control to be happy, healthy, and stress free. 

Beyond getting certified and deciding if you’re going to work for yourself or for someone else as a trainer, there were a few tips that got passed along to me early on that when taken to heart, helped me grow leaps and bounds for myself and my clients and I’d like to pass them along to you!  Here are my 6 tips for new personal trainers that will help any personal trainer new to the game.

  1. Train Everyone

Most literature you will read will tell you to “find your niche” and maybe you’re entering the fitness world with one in mind and that’s great!  But when you’re starting out, cast a wide net and try working with anyone and everyone you can.  This will help you learn how to work with different types of people; work through problems you might not know you could solve; really confirm or discover your niche community; and just help you gain experience on the fitness floor helping people work toward their goals.  When I first started, I thought I would help people work through transformations – turning their bodies from flab to fab, because that’s what I did.  I lost the weight and put on muscle and thought I could help them do the same.  But as I worked with different people, I found that my best clients are either men/women over the age of 50 who are just trying to stay healthy and active for themselves and their families; and 25-35 men who were seen as “scrawny” and looking to “bulk up”.  Though I’m confident to help people outside of those goals, those are where I seem to thrive.  I wouldn’t have known that if I tried to only stick with “fat loss” or “transformation” clients.  Working with a little bit of everyone helps uncover who you work best with and can set you up for long term success.

 

  1. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know”

Being a personal trainer comes with a lot of bravado and ego.  Typically you work out to keep yourself healthy and one of the best non-scale victories of working out is confidence.  But it also comes with one of the biggest catches – you THINK you know everything, but if you’re honest… you don’t. 

 

AND THAT’S OKAY. 

 

As a new trainer, you’re going to do your best to help answer every question your client has and you’ll be compelled to maybe even lie when something comes up that you’re not sure about.  DON’T.  Not only can people smell BS, when it comes out that you’re wrong, it looks terrible on you and you’ve lost trust right then and there.  They came to you and chose you because they trust you know what you’re doing and if that trust is lost, good luck finding it again.  But when someone asks you a question that stumps you, and you say, “That’s a great question, I’m not really sure….”  What that does is allow you to follow up with, “…but let me do some research and let’s discuss further when you come in for your next session.” Which does a couple of cool things…

  1. It establishes that you’re human and you can set aside your ego. Being open and honest and showing some of our own flaws like that can help solidify trust and the bond between you and the client.
  2. It gives you the privilege of doing some research to learn more – which is one of the best things about this profession. I’m still relatively new at only about 2+ years as a trainer, but I feel like I learn something new every day.  And learning something new means not only being able to discuss with the client who asked but sharing with others who might have the same questions!

Saying, “I don’t know” can be a huge benefit to help you establish trust and learn something new to expand you, your client, and your communities’ horizons.

 

  1. Other trainers are NOT your competition

You should not be afraid to watch what other trainers do or ask them for advice or help.  We are all in the industry of helping people better themselves through training and nutrition.  Helping people is our number one priority and helping each other is a very close second.  If I can help you learn a new exercise variation or discuss ways we help clients work toward similar goals, and you can apply them to your clients, then that’s a big win for them, you, me, and everyone around. There are 7+ billion people on this planet… there are plenty of clients for all of us – let’s learn from each other and help them all become the best version of themselves possible!

 

  1. Don’t chase dollars, chase change

Money is cool and allows you a lot of freedom to do cool things.  But if you’re new and start charging top dollar… good luck.  There are a number who can succeed at this, but the best are those who focus on helping clients reach their goals.

“If you build it, they will come.”

Put in the reps of helping those around you that will work with you at a fair price get results and as you grow, build on your systems and PROVE you know what you’re doing… and the cash will follow. 

 

Helping people become their best should be your top priority.  If you can do that, the cost to them won’t matter.

 

  1. Don’t fret about name, branding, logo, etc.

Piggybacking number 4 above here, don’t fret about branding and logo and image.  Get results!  It doesn’t matter if you’re name is Eric Does Training – as long as your name is Eric and you train people, not only is it spot on, but it will avoid any sort of confusion about who you are and what you do.  What’s more important is the helping people.  Like I mentioned, without tangible evidence that what you know and apply to help people actually works, the flashiest logo, brand name, content, etc. will be found out and left behind.

 

As you grow and find who you are, what you believe and stand for, and what kind of person you want to work with, the rest of that will follow.

 

  1. Be Yourself and have fun!

Like it or not, you’re not just selling a service to help people.  You’re selling yourself.  If people don’t think you’re being genuine or see that you’re putting up a front, they’ll avoid it like the plague.  Be true to who you are and know who you want to work with, and you will attract the clienteles that are the right fit.  As Jonathan Goodman of The PTDC once said, “People don’t buy training, they buy the trainer.”  If they don’t trust or like who you are and what you bring to the table, it’ll never work.  Who you are is just right for someone and if you put it out there, you will find each other. 

 

On top of that – have fun!  You are helping people change their lives for the better.  They have taken the time to look in the mirror and say to themselves, ‘Fuck whatever is happening right now – I am ready to become my best damn self!” and they came to you and chose you to help them do that.  There is nothing cooler (to me) than having someone come to you who has no idea what their doing, and being able to help them not only learn what to do physically, but watch that internal lightbulb click on in THEM when they reach a goal they thought might never happen.

Being a personal trainer is hard and it’s not for everyone.  It’s grueling hours and can be frustrating with clients who push back or don’t give their all like you wish they would… but it should rank in the list of most rewarding jobs you can do.  We get the opportunity to help people become their best selves and share knowledge that we continue to learn.

If you’re just starting out, know that you have what it takes and you can be wildly successful, and it starts with following these few simple tips.

 

If you’re a new trainer, what are some tips you’ve been given outside of these that have helped you grow into the best you around?  Drop them in the comments and let’s spread the good word across the industry to help others.

Fat Burners

Posted on by alwayshungrypt

One of the most popular goals for anyone entering training, working out, nutrition, etc, is to lose weight.  With that, supplement companies have been falling all over themselves to create products that they claim to be THE ONE to help you shed that fat once and for all.  The supplement market is flooded with pills, powders, and shakes that promise to melt away the stubborn fat you can’t seem to nix, but in truth, they are all snake oil.

As someone who battled with his weight and eventually went through his own weight loss transformation before becoming a personal trainer, I would be lying if I said I have never used a fat loss supplement in the hopes that it could help me knock off those extra lbs. 

But I will honestly tell you also, that none of them worked. 

Looking at an ingredients list for fat loss supplements can be as daunting as looking at a box of cereal, full of words and things you can’t pronounce and probably shouldn’t allow yourself to ingest, but almost every bottle you pick up will most likely boil down to 2 main components.

Some sort of Caffeine + a Diuretic

Caffeine

  Probably one of the highest consumed ingredients in America (behind just sugar), caffeine has been in the spotlight for a long time thanks to the benefits of increasing our energy levels and helping us get through those midday slumps.  It’s in coffee, energy drinks, pre-workouts, and is a large component of pre-workout supplements.  Because it increases our energy levels, part of that process is increasing our heart rate our bodies natural functions.  With our body moving more, it slightly increases the thermodynamic effect of our body – the ability to burn energy.  That energy being burnt, it is claimed, is the fat cells we store.  By causing our body to move more – even if just internally – the idea is that it’s burning fat for that energy.  This can be seen as ingredients such as: Purcaf, Caffeine Proprietary Blend, Caffeine Anhydrous, or Green Tea Extract*

*Green Tea Extract is essentially caffeine specifically sourced from green tea – thought to be a naturally occurring energy source (similar to coffee beans).

Diuretics

  The other thing to be aware of is the use of diuretics.  Most fat loss supplements include ingredients that cause the body to shed water.  Many people who start taking these supplements and see a steep drop in weight at the beginning are really just seeing that their body is flushing out water that has been retained.  This may be helpful if you’re competing in some sort of physique/bodybuilding competition, but if you’re an average Joe like myself, you want water in your body to help it function optimally.  Diuretics are hard on your kidneys and since our bodies are made up largely of water – cutting it out can have other detrimental consequences.

I’m not here to tell you not to try whatever you can to lose the weight if you feel it’s necessary, but I want to try and give a testimonial, that they may provide some sort of aid, beyond the caffeine boosting energy and diuretic components dropping water, these supplements rarely work to the effect that they claim.

True fat loss comes from focusing on the hard things you don’t want to do – cleaning up your nutrition; exercising regularly; prioritizing rest and recovery; and managing stress.

Take care of those things and the fat should melt away the way no supplement can.

Do the un-fun things now and enjoy the fruits of your labor later. 

Trust the process and reach your goals!

 

What’s your favorite fat loss myth you’ve heard?  Let’s start a thread below.

Weight Loss Plateau Tips

Posted on by alwayshungrypt

There comes a time in every journey where we hit a plateau.  You broke through the initial hard parts of creating new habits by addressing the things you needed to change.  You adjusted your schedule and made them easier to perform while limiting access to the detrimental norms that were keeping you from your best self.

You’ve put the cookies away; stopped buying fast food (as often); steer clear of the chip aisles at the grocery, and you’re seeing the results of your increased veggies and protein in addition to the weight training that’s turned from enemy to friend.

But you’ve hit the wall.

The number on the scale isn’t falling anymore.

Your workout progression has stagnated and you’re not seeing progress.

Aggravation sets in and you feel like throwing in the towel and picking up that cheeseburger you saw on the sign on your way home from work.

But you also know that you’ve put in so much work and it’s not worth giving up when you’ve come as far as you have.

What can we do to break through the plateau!?  Let’s look at a few ways to breakthrough training and weight loss plateaus.

  1. Adjust the program

This is probably the easiest way to bust through a plateau!  One thing people don’t realize is that when you’ve been doing the same thing for a while (4+ weeks) in regards to training and nutrition, your body adapts.  As much as we think we want variety and change all the time, the body is naturally designed to run as efficiently as possible.  When you go through your training and keep your nutrition at a certain level, yes you will see progress and change initially, but that adaptation is the time when your body is basically screaming, “Woah, something’s different!  We have to work harder!  Let’s go boys!”  But as you continue on the program, it recognizes that it’s doing similar workouts; it’s taking in similar calories; it learns and builds itself into an efficient machine that is able to perform that work with those calories and doesn’t require as much energy to do the same work.  Therefore you hit a plateau. 

This will be the time that you go through your log to see if it’s time to change the program – adjust your training plan; adjust your nutrition schedule; work on a new habit you’ve been putting off.

 

No one is ever going to be 100% efficient in their nutrition and training and there will always be something you can adjust to work on.  Heck, after a while, it can be re-visiting a habit that worked and now that you have a new baseline to work off of, it may benefit to re-introduce back in for new results.

 

  1. Take some time off

Another reason we plateau is when we’ve been running on a program or diet for so long that our body has reached its efficiency limit.  You can only handle so much before your body needs rest.

 

Similar to an athlete, they have “in season” training and “off season” training.  They don’t go balls to the wall all year – they would burn out.  Sometimes the best way to break through a plateau is to eliminate the rigidity of the structure and enter a period of maintenance in which your goal stays in place, but you back off the strict structure you’ve been following.  Allow your body and its systems a chance to relax and reset before diving into the next phase of your training.  This doesn’t mean stop by any means, but release the gas pedal a little bit and lower the intensity to a manageable point.

 

  1. Prioritize rest/recovery – De-Load Week

Along the same line as adjusting the program or taking time off, maybe you enjoy keeping it going despite the lack of results, one of the most often neglected facets of a training or nutrition program is rest/recovery.  It is during the down time that our body repairs itself; utilizes the nutrients we’ve fed it; and creates the progress we’re looking for.  If you’ve been going Hard AF for weeks or months without a break, it may be time to prioritize rest and recovery for a week or two to allow the body to re-achieve its homeostasis.

 

  1. Re-visit Your Goal

Beyond adjusting the program, maybe it’s time to re-visit your goal as a whole.  You’ve been pushing to lose weight and you’ve seen results but the scale isn’t going down anymore.  Maybe it’s time to shift your focus from weight loss to building muscle.  One of the benefits of building muscle is that it tends to use fat stores as energy.  The adjustment to your goal could be the key to unlocking that next step in your evolution.

 

  1. Remember the Non-Scale Victories

You’ve taken names and kicked butt so long and been so focused on that scale number and not seeing it go down has been ruining your mental health.  WHY WON’T IT JUST GO DOWN?!  After taking a deep breath, let’s remember that the scale is a single tool in our belt.  Sit down and take stock of yourself.  How do you feel on a day-to-day basis?  How are your energy levels daily?  How do your clothes fit?  How is your confidence?  How is your sleep?  What things have others noticed or complimented? How is your training? How is your mental health?  Taking stock of the non-scale victories is a great way to help break through plateaus and keep your mind on what’s actually happening and keep from falling into a “woe is me” rut.

 

You are a kick ass person who puts in a lot of hard fuggin work.  But like I mentioned, your body is literally designed to be as efficient as possible.  You may want to burn calories, but it’s trying to keep them as best it can.  It will develop ways to be efficient, which is why when you do the same workout; eat the same meals; etc; over time your body learns how to burn the least amount of calories and your progress hits a plateau.  When this happens keep these tricks in mind to help you bust through to the other side.

-Adjust the program

-Take some time off

-Prioritize rest/recovery

-Re-visit your goal

-Remember the non-scale victories

What are you going to do to break through your plateau?  Sound off below and let’s keep the progress moving forward!

You Are Unstoppable

Posted on by alwayshungrypt

If there was one wish I could have come true above all else, it would be for everyone to inherently believe to their very core that they are unstoppable.

The world will try to break you.

It will throw the shit at you time and time again.

It will do everything in its power to stop you.

But it can’t.

You are unstoppable.

As much as it sucks in the moment, and there may be many moments depending on a litany of external factors beyond what I can type here, there’s one thing to keep in mind.  You have survived 100% of your worst days – and that is something we can all smile about.

“But Eric, I have it WAAAAAY worse than you or anyone else does.”

That may be true, but I’m not here to argue levels of struggle.  Struggle is struggle and adversity is adversity as it pertains to you.  We are all in different circumstances but have the same strength to rise above the situation we’re in to become our best selves and live our best lives.

It’s easy to look around and see people that seem to have it all together and are on top of the world, but what’s great is that you can be that person too.  You ARE that person too!  The only difference between you and that person is that when faced with whatever challenge was standing in their way, that person stood up and found a way around it. 

They found light in the darkness.

They found a new way to deal with an old problem.

They found ways to prioritize their goals.

They. Did. Not. Quit.

Because they know they are unstoppable.

If you are struggling to stay the course or light your fire, grab some paper/a pencil and try a little exercise that has helped me time and time again over the course of my own challenges and adversity:

Start by thinking about and writing down what it is you want in this life– where you want to be; who you want to be; what you want in this life – with as much detail as possible.  The more detailed, the more real it will be in your mind.

Now, if you’re not there yet, break it down into what kind of person it takes to be to get there.  What kinds of things does that person do every day?  What kind of things does that person value in life? Who are they to themselves/ their families/ their community?

Next you’ll take stock of your current situation and note all the things currently standing in your way.  All the adversity keeping you from becoming that person.  This is where we get out ALL the negativity.  All the bad juju about our families, our jobs, our social circles, etc. and really get into all of the things that we think of as being out of our control.  All the things that happen in our day-to-day life that take us away from that “best self” image from earlier.  As hard as it can be, get ALL of it out.

This step may be best to do in a list form as it will lead into the next one…

Take a second here and let’s re-cap.  Go back to the start of the exercise and re-read through all the things you’ve written down.  Remind yourself of that future you; who that person is; and all the things standing in your way right now.

Once you’ve come back to the current spot, it’s time to take that list of all the adversity in your way and time to write out what you can do to control that environment or situation in a way that lines up with that person you want to become.  It doesn’t need to be super in-depth, but it needs to be real, obvious, simple to implement, and in line with you are and who you want to be.

Go over that list again.

Go over it a third time.

Forget triple checking – QUADRUPLE check it.

Now that you can see in front of you all the things you want to become; who that person is; and what you can control in a world trying to control you, it’s time to act.

Act on that final list.  Chip away one at a time at all the things standing in your way by implementing the ways you’ve come up with address it and watch your best self unfold before your eyes.  Spend 2-3 weeks at a time focusing on one task at a time and continue building layer upon layer until you reach your goals!

Re-visit this list as often as needed until it’s engrained in your brain, then revisit it again!  Keep it fresh, handy, and build on it as you go.  As you begin to become your best self, chances are that your values and vision may change as well when you start to dial in toward those goals.  Feel free to amend as you need, but the practice and steps remain the same.

By taking a look at all the things standing in our way (external and internal) that are keeping you from becoming who you’re supposed to be, only then can you start to address how to take control and lead life instead of letting life lead you. 

You are amazing.

You are full of abundance and wealth.

You are unstoppable!

Best Self

Posted on by alwayshungrypt

Do you have what it takes to create your best self?

I mean REALLY light the fire to become your best self?

Whenever someone asks me what I do (professionally) and I tell them I’m a personal trainer, they immediately go into a spiel about how they have a gym membership and don’t go; or used to go and need to get back into it; or started but then life got in the way; etc.  My first reaction (after, “what did I ask?”) is internally thinking that it’s not that these things got in the way or stopped them from keeping up.  My first thoughts are that they didn’t approach the situation as well as they should have.

If you want the results, you can’t just say you’re going to do it and never do it.  We’ve talked before about scheduling your workouts; prepping your meals; setting goals; etc. but too often this goes without action.

I know you’re as tired as I am of making excuses or continuing the same path you’re on now and want to make a change, but you can’t just want to make it – you have to take action.

Set Your Target – whether it be a number on the scale; a level of strength; a new dress size; etc. you must set your target.  A specific end goal that you want to work toward with a realistic time frame of both starting and stopping is the best framework to helping you succeed.  It gives you a concrete idea of what you’re working toward and the timeframe in which you’re working to reach it.

Create Your Plan – Including workouts, nutrition, recovery, schedule, etc.  This may be the most detailed aspect of the journey, but if you keep it simple and consistent with progressive and challenging phases to reach the goal, you should be on your way to reaching every milestone!

Find the Drive – We have the drive within us, but you must light the fire to become your best self.  Watch it rage and build and burn through this challenge.  You must build the mindset that during this time, nothing else matters but creating your best self.  Everyone will try to derail you, but if you REALLY want or heck NEED it, then they can wait.  Happy hours are fun, but so are happy years on your life.  Cut out the distractions and keep your mindset here and on your target.  Envisioning each workout; meal; the end result; the person you become at the end of this journey; can all help you stay on track and maintain the flame that burns within you.

Though the steps are easy, the work is hard.  But everyone is strong enough to take on their mountain if they want to.  Set your target; create your plan; light your fire and get to work building your best self!

Need help to light the fire to become your best self!?  Comment below on what your goal is and let’s connect to create that roadmap to the top!   

Daily Habits

Posted on by alwayshungrypt
Daily Journaling

Reaching our goals is a product of showing up every day.  What we get in life is a direct result of our daily habits One of the hang ups is that our days are filled to the brim with chaos and chores that pull us from what we truly value and want to focus on for our own health and wellbeing. 

If you’re tired of running around like a chicken with their heads cut off every day and regularly thinking about how you’ll fit exercise or meal prep into your busy schedule – which creeps into your bedtime routine regularly causing you more exhaustion and frustration, then maybe it’s time to start finding a way to track your day.

Whether it’s daily post-it notes; scheduling tasks on your phone calendar; an actual planner; or some other method of the thousands available in your smart phone store – creating a way to track your daily habits not only alleviates stress, but can help take off the weight of remembering what you need to do for you.

I personally favor the “Power List” and Calendar time-blocking methods and since applying them over the last 2 years, I have seen productivity skyrocket while stresses drop. 

Taking 5 minutes either at the end of the day before or first thing in the morning day of, to write out or list the top more important tasks of the day is one of the best ways to set yourself up for success.  With my Power List, I write down the top 6-10 things I NEED to get done that day focused most on work with a few personal tasks sprinkled in.  In completing each task, I physically cross them out and give myself a “W” or an “L” for the day depending on if I’m able to complete at least 75% of the tasks of the day. 

The time-blocking it helps me map out when I will use my day to complete those tasks and allows me to better streamline getting things done – which also allows me to address spontaneous events that arise and decide if I can actually do it; may need to wait until later to partake; or need to say “no” because something else more important is already planned.

There is always flexibility because life is fluid and not black and white, but having some sort of daily task list or schedule is one of the best ways to alleviate stress; keep your mind on what’s important to you; and helps accomplish goals we set out for ourselves.

In addition, with the craziness of life, feel free to split your list into personal and professional tasks.  I started doing my daily habits while working an office job and had separate notebooks – one on my desk at work; and one in my backpack – where I would power list my professional projects and tasks that required my immediate attention and only looked at that notebook; and then my personal tasks that helped me work on myself outside of the office.  It was a lot to keep track of, but kept me from overstretching in the office with projects outside of what NEEDED my attention; and also allowed me to focus on what was important to me outside of the office and avoid procrastination and laziness.

Daily habit trackers can be as large or small scale as you want – it can be for your profession; it can be directly for your health/fitness goals; it can be for daily errands – there’s no limit.  But keep in mind, the more you list, the more you have to do.  Keep your lists to under 10-12 items per day to avoid continuing to be overwhelmed.  The best part about this practice is that it should help you identify what things are REALLY important to you, and what things you can do without or be comfortable saying “no” to because they don’t align with who you are or working to be.

Feel free to save the image of this tracker for your own planning or copy the layout in your own way to help get you going in the right direction.

Remember, What we get in life is a direct result of our daily habits.  What habits will fill fill up your daily tracker?

6 Steps to Writing a Training Program

Posted on by alwayshungrypt

Life is complicated enough.  Your training program shouldn’t be another stressor on the list.  It should take no longer than 15-20 minutes to outline your training program and another 5-10 minutes to write the specific workouts that will fill it.  In under 30 minutes you can write a plan to get you from where you are to a totally new you.  And if you can’t find 30 minutes in your day, then that’s a whole other topic for a whole other post that we need to talk about.

If you need help in coming up with ideas for exercises and blueprints for your training plan, drop a comment with what your goal is, and let’s connect to create a plan that leads you to the top of your mountain.

Keeping it simple, here are the 6 steps to writing a training plan.

  1. Choose your goal

What should be the easiest step in the process, but can often leave people feeling anxious and more frustrated than any other step… identify what goal you’re going to work on.  The reason this stresses people out is overthinking.  Too often do I hear things like, “well I want to work on my [belly, arms, legs, etc]”; “I just want to get toned”; “I want to get healthy”.  Which are all great, but extremely vague goals.  Like I said, I’m not asking you to make it extremely detailed or granular, but you should be more specific than that.  Here’s a quick list of the most common goals I’ve seen pop up in consultations and conversations:

“I want to lose weight – 15-20 lbs.”

“I want to build muscle.”

“I want to compete in [event name].”

“I want to fix an injury.”

“I want to build my stamina.”

“I want to get toned all over.”*

 

*If you choose this goal, what ‘getting toned’ means is that you want to build strength in your muscles to the point that you can see them visibly from the surface.  This would basically be a sub-category of “I want to build muscle.”  Your focus is creating strength and size in your muscles so that they are visible.  To make a muscle visible, you must build it.*

 

  1. Choose your rep range

Now that you’ve identified the goal, here comes the easy parts.  A quick google search of your goal and the term “rep range” can help you identify what range of repetitions you should be applying to the exercises you will perform in your training sessions.  For reference, here’s my list for the top goals seen in the gym:

-Fat Loss: 12-18 reps per set

-Muscle Building/Toning: 8-12 reps per set

-Strength and Power: 2-8 reps per set

 

I personally like to start at the lower end of the rep range for my goal for my first 2-4 exercises of a session as it’s when I’m most energized and “fresh” to move heavier weight.  Then as my session progresses, I increase the reps because I know I won’t have as much strength, so I’ll be able to still perform more work, at a lesser weight.  This also comes into play for the next 2 steps.

 

  1. Pick 1-2 Main compound movements

A compound movement is an exercise in which more than 1 joint action is being performed.  Compare these 2 exercises:  A) The Bent Over Dumbbell Row – in which you are bending the arm at the shoulder and elbow to lift a weight from the ground, toward your body.  That’s at least 2 joints being used (shoulder and elbow) vs. B) Dumbbell Biceps Curls – where you hold a dumbbell and lift it to your shoulder by bending your elbow.  Here you are lifting TO your shoulder, but the only joint MOVING is the elbow.

 

Compound movements use the most energy and can generally move the heaviest load/weight.  These should be the primary focus of your training sessions regardless of goal and be the starting point of each session.

 

I like 1-2 compound movements minimum for a workout that can include:

-Squat

-Chest Press

-Deadlift

-Pull Up

And any variation of these.

 

Or you can go a little crazy and combine exercises into a big ol’ multi-joint full body movement such as:

-Turkish Get-ups

-Squat to Overhead Press

-Dumbbell Curl and Press

-Jumping Lunges

Etc.

 

  1. Pick 3-5 Accessory movements

After you’ve finished your compound movements, choose from the nearly endless list of additional exercises (which may still be compound) that are known as “accessory” movements.  These will be in the higher rep ranges and should be chosen to compliment the compound movements from earlier.  For example: If I were to start with Squats, I would add a single leg squat variation such as Bulgarian Split Squats and maybe the always fun Hip Thrusts.  These both build muscles of the lower body and will help in different ways to benefit my squats the next time I come back to them.

 

  1. Create a Dynamic warm-up

By now you’ve created your workout session that should have probably between 3-8 exercises on it.  Knowing what you’re going to do can help you create a dynamic warm-up to start the session that will help you get the body ready for the work ahead.  If your program is split into specific body parts, you can warm-up those areas with specific dynamic movements that wake up the joints and muscles with light/no weight so they can prepare for the work they will do during the training session.  This should be about 5-15 minutes and increase the heart rate, but only enough to “wake up” the body.  This should not be strenuous or energy sapping.  A dynamic warm-up will help prevent injury, prepare the body, and help get the mind set on the session ahead.

 

  1. Schedule It and Show the heck up!

Finally, probably the second hardest part of the whole sequence – planning and showing up!  Though it’s not difficult to do, the mental aspect seems to overwhelm.  There’s a saying that you wouldn’t skip a meeting with your boss, so don’t skip a meeting with yourself.  There are so many ways to set an alarm/reminder/appointment/etc. in this world that there is literally no excuse for planning the time for you to work on you.  Put it on your calendar and show the heck up!  Not only will you thank yourself in the moment, but even more so after the workout and program are finished, and you see the results of all your hard work!

 

Creating a training program doesn’t have to be difficult if you don’t allow it to be.  Follow these 6 simple steps to writing a training program and stop making excuses and start kicking butts.

Success Beyond the Scale

Posted on by alwayshungrypt

According to legend, it’s physically impossible to discuss fitness or nutrition with someone – anyone – without mentioning the scale!

Okay, so that may NOT be true, but be honest, it comes up in MOST health conversations and it’s a piece of hardware that plagues us all.  It brings us some of our highest highs and our lowest lows.  Somehow this small piece of equipment has evolved into one of the most controversial topics of health in the world… and all you do is stand on it.

Because it is so widely recognized as the staple piece of equipment for measuring change or progress in a fitness/nutrition/health program, it has been given more power than it ever intended to receive or should be allowed to have.  Too often and easily, we misplace stock of our progress in the number that a scale spits back at us – some to the point of letting it become their main focal point of self-worth, which is very unhealthy.

The scale must be taken down a peg or two and we must remember what it truly is.  The scale is simply a tool in our belt of measuring progress.  It is not an evaluation of who we are or what we are about or the efforts we put into our body.  It is literally a measure of your weight – right now, at this very moment.  Which means it is meant to change and fluctuate over the course of weeks, days, or even hours!  There are so many factors that impact how much we weigh at a given time, including:

-Time of day

-Hydration

-Hunger

-Stress

-Amount of sleep

-Daily activity

-Hormone levels

-Did you just poop or are you backed up?  (yes…this can really cause fluctuation)

And so many other possible factors that could throw off your weight.  Any number of these could cause it to go up or down at any moment.

These are reasons why it’s crucial to remember that the number on the scale is simply another tool in our belt as we move forward on our health journeys – regardless of the target you’re shooting at.

Take stock of your success beyond the scale and celebrate each victory you reach on our journey to a happier and healthier you.

Increased Energy Levels

Combining regular exercise in any form, with nutritious whole foods, and managed sleep/stress levels come together to boost your energy to levels you could only dream of.  Your body wants to move and by moving, it creates energy.  That’s why activity when you’re doing it, may be tiring, but the release of hormones, the blood pumping in your muscles and breath firing in your lungs takes us to a higher level of energy beyond the exercise and carries through to our daily life activities.

Fit of Our Clothes

When I was embarking on my own transformation journey and started seeing results, one of the best, but most frustrating results was that my clothes fit better… then loose… then too loose.  It wasn’t a bad problem to have for my self-esteem, but my wallet wasn’t super happy about it (but I’ll take that trade off).  My sister would even give me grief because I was wearing “skinny” jeans and they were PRETTY tight, I will admit.  But as I told her then – I wear them not just because I like the look, but because I couldn’t wear these before!  I’ve gotten questionable looks from my friends I play hockey with when we won our league championship and the prize was a t-shirt and I asked for a Medium… because I knew it fit a little snugger, but I wanted it because it wasn’t a Large or X-Large which I had to wear for about half my life.  We all know what it’s like trying to find clothes that fit – both up and down – but there’s something about slipping on a t-shirt that A) used to be too loose and now you fill it out with those big strong muscles; B) you have to change out of because it’s now a parachute; or C) was one you’ve been avoiding because last time it was JUUUUUST a little tight but you try it and it fits PERFECTLY!

Injury Pre/Re-Hab and Prevention

We are flimsy skeletons of bones connected by thin tissues that are protected by meat and skin and we live in a crazy world that is trying to hurt us all the time.  Injury is a step away almost always.  Regular exercise and nutrition can not only help prevent injuries that may potentially occur, but it can also help correct imbalances or problems you’re experiencing to eliminate pain all together.  How many people do you know in the office or family or friend circles that occasionally complain about lower back pain and you know are more sedentary people?  Chances are you’ve seen those people try and try to stretch the pain away or talk about chiropractors, pills, massages, heating pads, etc… everything in the world to mitigate the pain… except exercise, nutrition, lifestyle changes.  What people don’t realize is that most general lower back pain can be resolved by strengthening the area directly – purposefully working those muscles to get stronger – rather than stretching it.  I have seen this happen with a number of clients – one of whom had been seeing a chiropractor weekly for 3 months prior to working with me, and within our first month, has yet to go back to them (it’s been over a year we’ve worked together).  Fixing an injury or even preventing one you can see coming is a huge victory that often gets overlooked though it should be given much more spotlight.

Relieving Reliance of Medications

Maybe the most highly overlooked success of following a proper fitness/nutrition/health program is its ability to relieve us of reliance on many medications.  Type-2 Diabetes, Blood Pressure Meds, High Cholesterol, Anti-Depressants, etc. Working on your health can have immense benefits to relieving of you of reliance on these medications as you physically get your body in a healthy position, internally you’re healing problems of hormone imbalances and toxicity levels that plague our society today. 

The scale is a useful tool in measuring progress, but it has been given too much power.  Don’t let it rule over your journey to happy, healthy, fruitful life by holding your focus to it’s number and remember to celebrate all of your victories along the way – especially the non-scale victories such as increased energy; better fitting clothes; injury prevention; and relief of medications; along with a whole host of others.

 

I shared a little story about better fitting clothes, if you’re comfortable – please share a little anecdote of your success beyond the scale below in the comments and let’s hype the hell out of each other!

Action > Motivation

Posted on by alwayshungrypt
Too often we put off starting something new [diet, exercise, hobby, etc] because we feel like we need the motivation to do it.  What we don’t realize is that often TAKING ACTION will lead to motivation.  
Think about a time when you started a project with intent to only do about 5-10min worth of work, only to look up and see an hour has flown by!
You took action and that action led to more and more and pretty soon you end up 10 steps ahead of where you thought you would.
Here are the 2 best ways to make taking action effortless!
1. 5 Minute Timer — Turning your phone to DND or Airplane mode, set a timer for as little as 5 minutes.  As soon as you hit “start” put the phone down and begin working on your task.  In this instance – working out.  Whether it be 5 minutes of 1 exercise; a mini-circuit of 2-3 exercises or whatever you want – just focus on 5 minutes of exercise.  When the timer goes off, take stock of how you feel.  Want to do another 5 or even 10 – do it!  If you get through the 5 minutes and still feel “meh” about it… that’s fine too.  You’re still 5 minutes ahead of where you were when you hit start.  
2. Schedule on Your Calendar — There’s a saying that you won’t miss appointments with your boss, so why would you miss appointments with yourself.  Every smart phone has a calendar app that you can set appointments on that send reminders to you prior to the event.  Take a look at your day or week and put your workouts on your schedule ahead of time and know that you won’t miss that time.  You’re a damn boss, so don’t miss an appt with yourself.  Plus this is a great way to manage your time and help you say “no” to things and people that don’t align with your goals and help avoid distractions that knock you off track.
It won’t be easy, but even on the hardest day – when everything seems to be going against you, it’s doubly important. Don’t fret about intensity, just make moves; even the smallest.
Take action when motivation is fleeting. Always.  
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What’s something you’ve been putting off for “the right time” that you’re going to start doing today?