Mindset

This is not your usual newsletter article. Normally we’ll talk about nutrition, healthy recipes, how you should be exercising, fun ways to stay in shape and a bunch of other cool stuff. I’m going to go out on a limb and be completely transparent and talk to you about MY mindset when it comes to health and fitness. Now before I start you need to know a few things. I’m not a robot and I’m not perfect. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t live this way all the time, although I try REALLY hard to stay consistent. Consistency and dedication are words that people throw around but don’t really believe in their meanings. I hear all the time “Gary I want to workout but I just can’t find the time”. BS!!!! The one thing that we all have the same amount of is time. If you want to be healthy you have to be consistent and be dedicated to it. I’m not saying that you have to workout every day and be a fitness freak. I’m saying that you need to be serious and work at it and make healthy living a part of your life. Just like you did in school… bombarded with work you still had to make the time to study. If you’re overwhelmed in the work place, you still have to find the time to be great at your work or you won’t have work. It’s the same thing with fitness; you have to make the time. I was asked the other day “if my schedule is always changing how can I stay consistent with workingout?” I asked the guy “what time do you wake up in the morning”? he said 6am. I told him to wake up at 5am and get a 20 minute workout in. He looked at me like I was from the moon. I followed up with asking him “how serious are you”. No reply just a smile. Find the time and stop make excuses!!!!! So, I have said these same words to people for years and it never fails, I get back from someone “it’s easy for you because you’re in a gym all day and you’re fit already”. You’re right I am in a gym for 15 hours a day, so the last thing I want to do is stay there and workout. And let me tell you, if I’m workingout people are trying to ask me work question or talk to me about this or that. I can’t tell you how many times I get “I know your workout out BUT…”.I understand!! Like I said at the beginning I’m not this perfect fitness guy BUT I hate inconsistency. That’s not just with fitness either. I want to be a GREAT husband, dad and fitness professional and CONSISTANTLY get better at all of them. Just ask Jill (my wife and business partner /boss) when I’m inconsistent in those areas I get so bummed and down on myself. I despise that feeling. It all starts with your mindset. If you don’t make the decision to choose to be health and fit you will never stick with it. Sure you may stick with it for 2 or 3 months at a time but then stop for 2 or 3 months. Then when you come back, it’s like starting all over again. That just sucks. You have to do things when you don’t want to do them. I’m sure you don’t want to wake up an hour earlier or train when you get home from work. Sorry, but there is no pill that’s going to get you fit and there never will be. You have to work at it and workout it and oh did I mention you have to work at it.

Interval Cardio VS. Long Cardio

For some time now there has been and still is a ton of talk about what type of cardio is better for the body, interval cardio or long cardio. The new thing in all the magazines is that you want to always do high intensity interval training and that long cardio (running) is bad for the body. We can’t believe everything that we read in the newest edition of women’s health or men’s health. Both interval cardio and long cardio have their pros and cons. Interval Cardio is short sprits of high intensity followed by short recovery time. For example: SPRINTING for 20 seconds and resting for 10 seconds and repeating that 10x. Those sprints are everything you got!!! This type of activity will get your heart rate up quickly and help you burn sugar in a short period of time. Remember, we burn sugar before we burn fat! When doing interval cardio you are putting your body in an anaerobic state. This means that your body is working so hard that it’s not using oxygen to recover. Not a bad thing. These short sprints of exercise are easier on the joints and are a very effective way to shredding those LB’s. If you are short on time I highly recommend you do some type of interval cardio. Long cardio is slow to moderate exertion for 30 minutes or more. For example: going for a 3+ mile run. There is going to be more pounding on the joints the longer you use them. Not rocket science. But is it bad for you? When I go for long runs I drop pounds and it’s a great way for me to clear my head. Your body is in an aerobic state during the long cardio bouts. Aerobic is when your body is using oxygen properly. The body is also using different muscle fibers. That’s why long distance runners look different then sprinters. So, what’s the answer? They should both have a place in your exercise program. This is a VERY simple explanation for the two types of cardio. There is so much more that goes into both. Each individuals body is going to react differently and don’t forget about your diet. You can’t out train or run a bad diet. For overall health and wellbeing, do both. Just be consistent with what you do because what’s the point if you’re not?

Mindset

We have to start off by welcoming Little B into the world. Deb and Brendan had a beautiful baby boy yesterday. Everyone is happy and healthy. He is so darn cute I want to bite his face. Mindset... I haven't written much in a while but I had an experience the other day that I would like to share with you. I went for a run with a friend of mind. This friend is terrified of running long distances because she simply has never ran more then, I think 3 miles at a time. I'm trying to get ready for a running relay race I'm doing in September and my training program called for me to run 5 miles that day. So I asked my friend to join me. Her reaction was heck NO!!!!!!!!!!!! She said that she was really afraid and that there was no way that she could run 5 miles. I basically forced her to try it with me. Good idea? I don't know. We didn't get to 5 miles and the next day she told me that she felt completely defeated. I was crushed. What did I do? Why did I push her? Then I realized that she was defeated before she even started. We talked it out and she said that it was all in her head because she knew her body could handle the miles. She set a goal for herself after the run to complete a 4 mile run without stopping within the next few months. (I'm not 100% sure exactly what the time line was but I think it was a bout 1 month.) Two days later I get an email from her that she ran 4 MILES non stop!!!! She said she had a smile on her face the entire time. I guess what I'm trying to say is don't let yourself give up before you even start. I'm learning that the mind is so powerful. You need to be 100% committed to the task at hand. When you have that kind of commitment your odds of completing that task successfully are pretty high. You need to be confident in yourself. We're not cheerleaders or anything like that we don't try and be enthusiastic so you can reach your goal. We truly believe you can OR we wouldn't ask you to do the task. Its really that simple.

Rev. Al Sharpton's Words of Wisdom

Hi All!

My client was reading the Wall Street Journal this morning, and showed me an article about Rev. Sharpton's workout routine. I thought I would share some of his words of wisdom with you from a 57 year old man who has weighed more than 300 lbs, and is now down to a healthy 176 lbs.

How committed is he?

"You live seven days a week, that means you should exercise seven days a week...My trainer got me on track, now I'm my own police."

Words of advice for goal setting?

"I tell people to practice visualization. See yourself as your best person physically and then chisel yourself into that person. You have to be your own sculptor."
Wall Street Journal. Health & Wellness, D3. 12/6/11

This is some great advice that everyone should keep in mind while working out. While you can read all the health magazines in the world, or stare at the workout your trainer gave you for your days off, it is ultimately up to you to take action and dedicate yourself to staying healthy and looking the way you want. You only have one body, and NOW is the time to do everything you can to stay healthy and happy!!!


Have a good day :)

Elevate Fitness Thanksgiving Workout

Hi all! Here's another workout for you to do before that delicious thanksgiving feast!

Do each exercise for 1 min, and repeat the workout 3 times as hard as you can!

1.) Burpee push up/ pike up
2.) Single leg tuck up
3.) Plank Skaters
4.) Jump squat lunge
5.) Leg superman V's
6.) Bosu mogul jumps

Make sure those shoulders are back, abs are tight, and you work your butt off!

Let me know how you did- Good Luck!!! :)

NYC Marathon

Well we did it!!!!
Congrats to everyone that ran the 2011 NYC marathon!!!!

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