| Living Without Fear |
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Researchers have diagnosed over 2000 known phobias or fears. That is a huge number of fears that people struggle with everyday. Here is the interesting part. Guess how many of those 2000 diagnosed fears we are born with. Think about it for a minute, the answer may surprise you. Those same researchers have found that humans are born with 2, that is right, TWO innate fears. The fear of loud noises and the fear of falling are the only fears that we are born with. The rest are learned.
So the question is, how do we learn to overcome our fears? We have to do exactly that, learn to overcome fear. Any habit that is learned can be unlearned. Unfortunately, sometimes unlearning habits is harder than learning them. Often it takes longer and come sometimes be physically uncomfortable but it can be done.
The thing about fear is that it must be faced. We will never overcome fear by running from it. The first step in overcoming a fear, or fears is to identify that fear. Second we must acknowledge that fear and third we need to develop the steps we need to take to beat that fear.
Our minds are like a giant storage cabinet. Inside those files are all of the experiences we have had throughout our lives. When we face a situation we draw form those files to decide how we are going to react. That is the key. WE decide how we are going to react to a situation. If we have operated out of fear most of our lives, we will more than react with fear.
In order to stop living out of fear we must reprogram and refile our reactions. It starts with one act of courage. It starts by decidng that we are going to react to situations differently than we have in the past. After we react positively enough times those old negastive files will be replaced ant thrown out with the trash. It will become easier and easier to react in the way that will move us forward toward where we want to go.
As I said earlier fear and old habits can be unlearned. The process does take longer than initially learning something because we must first unlearn and then relearn the new habit. The act of unlearning takes work. We have to commit to our new thought patterns and choose to implement those new ideas at the appropriate times rather than reacting as we have in the past.
This can be difficult because even though we may know our habits haven't been working they are familiar to us and therefore easier even if the results we have achieved have been less than ideal. In essence, we may have to be uncomfortable as we begin facing our fears. As we relearn our new habits, that uncomfortableness will subside and will become easier and more natural.
Today is a great time to start facing our fears and stop living out of that fear. become fearless! |
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| Comin Home to Vision Quest! |
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I'm sitting in the Las Vegas airport a proud man. I was able to find supper that was healthy and within my calorie range! Sounds like a little thing, but airports have been my place of struggle for many years. I had a salad from Baja Fresh. I asked them to hold the fried tortilla strips and cheese and had salsa instead of dressing. I ate it and am typing this blog completely satisfied. They didn't even look at me like I was a creature from another planet when I asked them to make my salad a little different.
Next stop was to get something to drink. I'm off the pop now and thought maybe a bottle of tea would be good to drink. Guess what the second ingredient was on the "anti-oxidant rich" green tea was. High fructose corn syrup. On the diet it was crystallized fructose and phenylalanine or whatever. I got my water bottle out and filled it up at the fountain. I have worked to hard to start taking shortcuts.
Speaking of shortcuts, today I decided that rather than going on a regular hike that I was going to climb the mountain across from the resort. It really is a mountain. It was a 1 mile hike straight up the side. I found the trailhead and took off. Even though it was steep, the trail was well marked. For a while. As I climbed higher and the terrain got tougher I began to question my common sense.
About 3/4 of the way up I saw an opening that looked like a good way to go, a shortcut. From where I was standing it looked like it would definitely be easier going once I got up a short wall. I scaled the wall and was in a deep crack in the mountain. I continued about 20 feet before I came to a dead end.
I was left with two options. Sit there and wait for someone to get me or turn around and go back the way I came and try and find a different way. Well I wasn't about to wait around for someone to figure out that I had been an idiot and come looking for me. I went back down scaled the face I had climbed up, which was much more intimidating standing on top looking down. I made it down and continued up the way I should have the first time.
When I got to the top of the mountain I thought about what had happened and how that relates to my own life and quite possibly yours. When things got a little difficult I started looking for a shortcut. I knew that if I stayed on the path I was on that I would eventually get to the top. When the good idea buzzer went off in my brain to look for the easier way, it sounded like a good plan. It wasn't.
How many times in life are we on the right path when an easier route seems to appear. We all want to get where we want to go quickly. The problem is that often times our "shortcuts" are anything but that. We start out on the shortcut with best intentions only to find out it was the wrong decision. It is those moments that we have to get real with ourselves. We can sit there and cry and wait to be rescued or we can turn around, go back the way we came and get back on the path that we know is going to take us to our ultimate destination.
Often times when I take a shortcut I will stand there and think "Why did I do this again?' I may stand there paralyzed by the thought of having made a bad call; almost as if doing nothing is somehow better than acknowledging I screwed up and head back to where I went off track.
I couldn't have asked for a better lesson to learn on my last day at The Biggest Loser Resort. Today I know where I want to go and that taking shortcuts isn't going to get me there any quicker. For me it's time to stop taking shortcuts and stay on the path that I know is going to take me where I want to go. How about you?
No More Shortcuts!
In my next blog I will be giving a recap of my entire stay at Fitness Ridge as well as sharing my numbers from my 2 weeks there. (I am not disappointed!)
See you tomorrow! |
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| Snacking |
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Here is some information from a great article I found online.
-It's hard to eat healthily, especially at work. A number of companies have sprung up to supply workers with healthy snacks. But is this really necessary, and are there other options? This article suggests a different approach to eating healthily at work.Healthy Snacks at Work may be Better than Brown-Bag Lunches
Any frugal or green living guide will suggest that employees "brown-bag" their lunches (though to be truly frugal and eco-friendly it's better to bring a reusable container instead). Frequently, however, busy workers either don't have time for lunch, or don't make time. Even cerebral desk jobs leave the employee hungry, since thinking is hungry work. Brown bag or no brown bag, a worker may turn to the vending machine for fuel, then wonder why he's twenty pounds heavier.
At this stage the worker might turn to a snack delivery service. For anywhere from $5-$10 a package, companies will mail customers a snack box containing fruit like cherries and grapes, nuts, and other healthy nibbles.
Snack boxes are definitely better than skipping lunch in favor of cookies and candy, but they're hardly cost-effective or eco-friendly. Not only will the customer spend over $25 a week on these snacks, she contributes to a wasteful habit: The package must be mailed, and the box it came in must be disposed of.
Do-It-Yourself Healthy Snacks For Work
As an alternative to mail order snack boxes, an employee might also exchange a small weekly effort for considerable savings of money and waste. The first step, then, would be to acquire compartmentalized containers--for this method he needs one plastic container per day spent in the office, and the willingness to go food shopping at the weekend.
Each weekend, the working person gathers together and processes (i.e. cuts up) a variety of healthy snacks and arranges them in the containers. The boxes then go into the fridge and one is packed into the briefcase or purse each morning.If not in the habit of visiting the fridge first thing each morning, the worker can place a note near somewhere that he will be (the coffee-maker, for example). The idea is to make it impossible to forget a snack box.Now, for a fraction of the cost and limited waste, the employee has healthy snacks that can sit on her desk for grazing throughout the day.
Where Can Healthy Snacks be Bought?A farmer's market, where available, is the best option. The produce is fresh, local, and can be examined before purchase; visiting a farmer's market is also a fun excuse to get out of the house. Almost everything at a farmer's market will be in season, so the costs are lower, too. Second best is a local produce stand.Supermarket produce and deli sections would be the next choice, and are in most cases more convenient. While specialty health food stores are increasingly popular, prices there are often inflated. If cost is an issue, stick to supermarkets and pick no-frills stores which spend less time on presentation and advertising, passing on the savings to customersThe shopper may also wish to investigate food co-ops and membership-based discount stores, particularly if he wants to buy dry goods in bulk. The trick is to never buy more food than can be used up before it goes off.
What Healthy Snacks are Best?Look for produce that is seasonal, and which comes in bite-sized pieces. Also try to avoid foods that are messy, too juicy or which cannot be eaten in one bite. The exception would be citrus, which can be rested on their own peel and eaten one section at a time.Here are some examples:Fruit: Berries, cherries, cherry tomatoes, figs, grapes, small citrus (satsumas, tangerines, clementines)
Vegetables: Pieces of celery, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes
Nuts: Pistachios, cashews, brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts, shell peanuts
Other: Jerky, dried fruit
Avoid prepackaged items such as granola bars. They are expensive, come with in-built waste, and are often packed with sugar.
Over time, the worker will be able to better gauge how much to pack for a day. By cutting out most sugar he will also likely find that his energy levels are much higher, and that the scales become kinder, too. It only takes a few minutes each weekend to assemble the snack packs, and the end result is far better for the body, productivity, the environment, and the pocket book.This article does have some great tips for the everyday worker. However, always remember to check with your meal plan before adding any snacks into your day......keep watching the emails for more and more information.......
Zach FD Auburn |
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| How Good is Your Excuse? |
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Well, as I anticipated last night, my day was much better today. I started the morning with an 8.5 mile hike in which I set a personal record. When I got done I walked back up the trail to meet some of my group and was able to add another 4 miles to my distance. This was before breakfast so I feel like I got off to a pretty good start to the day.
Today I was thinking about some of the struggles I have had with my weight and other personal things. I was thinking about how I was coming up with excuses as to why I was in the situation. The reasons I had given myself seem pretty good at the time but today all they were were excuses.
We are funny beings. Many of us will think of all of our excuses before we ever begin an endeavor. "I've tried everything" seems to be a favorite for those of us that struggle with weight. As soon as we face a little difficulty we automatically say to ourselves; "See, I knew this would happen.
What would happen if we stopped making excuses? How amazing could our lives be? What could we accomplish? Unfortunately, many people will never know because they are too comfortable making excuses and blaming others for their position in life.
Let me share a couple of stories I have heard this week and then you ask yourself how good your excuses are. On Monday I ate supper with a lady who has a pacemaker. It keeps her heart beating. She has had several struggles with health in her life, wears a pacemaker that is implanted in her body, and she does marathons. Oh yeah, she also tears it up here during the workouts. How good is your excuse sounding now?
Need some more? I had dinner tonight with a gentleman who has survived two devastating car wrecks. He has lived for months in a halo for a broken neck. He has been paralyzed and had doctors he was going to live on pain narcotics for ever. He is here doing every workout and taking care of himself even after the doctors had pretty much written him off. He may have one of the best excuses I have ever heard, but you know what? He chooses not to make any. He simply does the best he can. His goal is to get healthy so that he can be an example to his grown children.
There are other great stories here, but I'm not going to share anymore. If hearing those two don't show that we need to stop making excuses as to why we can't do something and focus on why we can, not much will. I, for one, am going to really think about how I justify any difficult situation I am in before I throw out some lame excuse as to why I am creating my situation from now on.
Next time things are a little tough I want you to ask yourself, "Just how good is my excuse?" I promise I will. |
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| Resturant Rules 101 |
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Summer........Summer.....Summer Time
you may find yourself at a BBQ, a local resturant or even a birthday party or two.
Well here are some tips ( rules ) to live by:
Restaurant Rules 101
We live in a society where families go out for meals at restaurants just as much as, if not more than, they eat at home. Eating out, though endlessly fun, can have negative effects on your family’s nutrition because you don’t always know how your meals are being prepared and what is going in them, and because we tend to order things on menus that are less healthy than the kinds of foods we would make for ourselves at home. But if you know you are the kind of family that will inevitably eat out at restaurants a lot, there are small changes your family can make to help keep your restaurant experiences both clean and healthy. It is your job as parents to make sure your kids are well informed about healthy choices versus unhealthy ones, so that when a menu is handed to them, they are already poised to make the right selection.
It is important to teach kids about the nature of "indulgence,” and the art of balance and moderation when it comes to eating what they like. As much as we want our children to use wisdom and awareness about what they consume, we also want them to enjoy their experience of eating and food, and even revel in some of their favorite tastes and flavors. Eating out is a perfect opportunity to practice this balance as a group, so you should take advantage of these moments to teach everyone about the merits of holding back, alongside the joys of treating oneself.
Here are some basic rules that we like to live by when we go out to eat; we talk about them with our kids, so that the joy of dining out is never taken for granted, and the awareness about food is always present. Let’s take a look.
Restaurant Rules 101
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Avoid anything fried or breaded.
- Avoid eating too much (or any) bread before the meal; we sometimes even tell the waiter not to bring any to the table, which helps keep temptation at bay. Frankly, if you’re about to consume an entire meal, you certainly don’t need to fill up on bread, which is usually white bread anyway. Be warned.
- If you’re going to order appetizers, try to keep them salads and veggies. The last thing you need is a meal on top of another meal.
- Sharing is caring, and we love to use the sharing rule when we go out to eat. Restaurant portions are often huge, especially for kids, so sharing main courses is a practical (and economical) way to not waste food (and money).
- It’s also a great way to try various things at once.
- Avoid "kiddie menus,” which are usually replete with fried foods like chicken fingers and mozzarella sticks.
- Instead, make it a game with your kids to identify the healthiest options, even if these happen to be on the grown-up menu, and encourage your children to think like adults when it comes to ordering their food.
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Avoid ordering soft drinks, and instead opt for water all around.
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Avoid adding salt to your meal, as this is typically not something restaurant chefs hold back on in the kitchen.
- Encourage your kids to find the lean protein on the menu, and look for the vegetable sides that they might like.
- Avoid ordering dessert, and instead suggest that you all eat some fruit together when you get home—if anyone even has an appetite by then.
FD AUBURN - ZACH |
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| Michael Downs |
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Today is a good day... no matter what they say.
My personal client (Sharee) came to our session pretty much in tears this afternoon. She had a very large account at work pulled out from underneath her and lost a very large commission. The account was so large that she was actually afraid she would lose her job.
She tried cancelling her session at the last minute and wanted to go push herself back into work. I told her that she could not last minute cancel and had to stay for her workout. After an angry-ish rant she agreed. We started our session off using the focus pads and boxing gloves. After beating on me for about 20 minutes, her frown began to turn into a smile (apparently hitting your trainer is fun.) We finished off with some weights and ab exercises and then did a cool-down stretch.
While stretching, she once again began to tear up. I asked her what was wrong and she told me "absolutely nothing". She was so grateful I made her stay and helped her workout her anger and frustrations. At the end she gave me a huge hug and thanked me with as much sincerity as I have ever heard. Some times working out with your trainer is a little more than sweat.
That is why I do what I do! How many people can tell a story like that at the end of your workday
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| Matt Hoover |
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If You Think You Can or Think You Can't, Either Way You're Right
After last week, I feel a little bad to report that life isn't a big bowl of cherries here at The Biggest Loser Resort today. It was a rough day and it all started with a genuine compliment from someone.
What are you talking about Matt? How can a compliment mess up your day? Let me explain. Last night I didn't sleep well. I can tell I am losing weight and my body has changed a lot in the past week. I was actually worried that someone might say something today and someone did.
The reason I struggled with this is because for some reason when people tell me I am looking good or that they can tell I am losing weight, I almost always take a day off and go eat. The day turns into two and often turns into a week until I am back where I Started.
I don't know why, but it seems like a positive comment from someone gives me permission to slack off. Rather than going out and feeding my face, I stopped into the office of one of the staff here at Fitness Ridge. As I told her what happened and how I reacted, I realized how out of line my thinking was. Rather than appreciating the fact that someone was recognizing my hard work, I was trying to make it harder on myself.
I set a goal for the day to stick to the nutrition plan and finish all my workouts. I did that. Now at the end of the day, I sit here and realize that if I am going to have long term and lasting results, I have got to change the way I see myself and more importantly the way I talk to myself.
Unless I am willing to accept praise and appreciate the work I am doing today I am always going to go right back to where I started. Things, especially weight loss, don't have to always be hard. I have been making it hard on myself by feeling like I have to be in constant struggle in order to being doing a good job.
These thoughts have led me to struggle in other areas that I don't need to struggle in as well. Today I finally recognized them and on top of that, I verbalized them. I made it through the day and feel that I will pick up where I left off last week tomorrow.
The focus this week. Change the way I talk to myself. I am worth it and don't have to make things difficult on myself in order to acheive success. As one of the trainers said today, "Don't let the only person standing in the way of your success be YOU!" Great advice at a great time.
Success isn't a bad thing. Let's focus on the positives and learn that things don't always have to difficult in order to get positive results! |
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| Matt Hoover |
The Self Fulfilling Prophecy…
Many people have heard the term self fulfilling prophecy at one time or another during their life. Although having heard it, many have never thought about what it is.
Simply put, our beliefs affect our behaviors. Most of the time it is the negative beliefs that will manifest themselves. As I was working out this morning I started thinking about some of my own thought patterns in the past and how almost all of the negative things I said to myself did or began to become true.
Let me give you an example. When I first won The Biggest Loser, I would read the internet and see that people were saying that I was going to gain all of my weight back. I had never met these people, these people didn’t know me, but somehow what they were writing about me stuck with me. At first I would say that they had no idea what they were talking about. After being away from the show for nearly a year, I did begin to gain weight. When I first realized how much weight I had gained, my thoughts weren’t: "I’ll just get back to work.” They were: "Oh my gosh they were right.”
I was letting what other people had said affect me so deeply that I began to talk to myself in negative ways. I remember thinking, "You always do this, do something great for yourself and then try and wreck it.” Do you see the pattern? Rather than appreciate the weight I had kept off and work to re-lose the weight I had gained, I began to behave worse. It is almost like, rather than try and prove the nay-sayers wrong, I has trying to prove them right.
There will always be detractors to your success. People who don’t want to see you succeed. DO NOT be your own biggest detractor. Think about what you are saying to yourself. The more negative things that you dwell on, the more negative things YOU are going to produce. There will always be plenty of people who will tell you that you can’t do something. The only person who can make you not do something is you.
I have had my struggles with weight, but I am going to win because I believe I will. As I have mentioned in some of my past blogs, I have hit a plateau and the numbers haven’t been dropping. I am not going to sit back and say, "Well I guess this is just what I am going to weigh. I’m not going to be able to be as fit as I would like.” I am going to focus on the solutions. I have seen progress and know that I can reach the level of fitness that I desire.
One thing I do know is that having a negative attitude can only hinder my progress. How are you speaking to yourself? Are the words you are using going to help or hinder your success?
I hope you will work with me to change from negative self talk, which will lead to self defeat; to positive self talk which will open doors in life that you may have thought were permanently closed. |
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| Eating Before Exercise |
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I stumbled across a great article which I pasted below for your information. Recently with the increase in temperture and calorie deficit I thought it would be important to share such great stuff......ENJOY!
The TRUTH about Empty Stomach Cardio
by Joel Marion
Over the weekend I hit the gym with my buddy Mikey for a morning cardio workout.
Now, I say "cardio”, but really it was a metabolic resistance training session.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, the simple definition for metabolic resistance training is "cardio with weights”. We’ll cover this more in detail in another update so as not to get too off topic.
So we’re about 10 minutes into the workout and Mikey looks like he’s in pretty bad shape (despite being in really GOOD shape). So I asked him what the deal was.
"I didn’t eat anything for breakfast.”
Me: Why the heck not?
"I thought that’s what you’re supposed to do if you want to burn the most fat from your morning workouts.”
Uh oh.
Perhaps you’re still believing this old myth just like good ol’ Mikey, so allow me to take a moment to dispel it.
The theory behind empty stomach is cardio is simple: supposedly, by doing cardio on a empty stomach, you tap directly into fat stores since glycogen (carbohydrate) stores are somewhat depleted after an overnight fast.
Seems to make sense, but research has proven this to be wrong.
Several studies have shown no difference in substrate utilization (glycogen vs. fat) for those working out on an empty stomach vs. those who eat a small meal prior to their morning workouts.
In fact, one study showed the exact opposite—those who had a small meal first burned more calories and more fat than the empty stomach group.
How can this be?
The reason is rather simple if you think about it. I was kicking butt and taking names with my workout, and Mikey was barely able to get through his. Even if not eating beforehand allowed you to burn more fat (which it doesn’t), the major trade off is performance.
And why does performance matter? Well, if you can’t perform at an optimal level and put forth maximal effort, then you are not going to be burning an optimal amount of calories–period.
The truth is, empty stomach cardio is an outdated philosophy whose theory was proven incorrect by research. Still, there are plenty of people who hold on to the theory despite the available research. Perhaps they’re not aware of it, perhaps they just go by what the fitness and bodybuilding magazines tell them (bad idea); I’m not sure.
Whatever the reason, popular philosophy doesn’t always mean correct philosophy, and this is one such instance.
So I’ll leave you with some practical recommendations:
At the very minimum, have a couple scoops of whey before any morning "cardio” workout.
That said, if it’s still negatively affecting your performance, you need to go a bit further. The meal doesn’t have to be large, but it should contain some complex carbs (oatmeal, etc) along with a small serving of protein.
Give it about a half hour to begin digesting and then hit your workout.
Better performance = more calories burned = more fat loss = improved cardiovascular functioning = even better performance = even more calories burned = even more fat loss.
Don’t be like my friend Mikey and have a crappy workout because you didn’t eat. As I shared with you, the research shows that’s not going to make a difference anyway. Instead, eat your Wheaties (figuratively speaking) and then dominate your workout!
Myths will always be myths and the more you feed your engine the better the car will run .....thats all i got for ya.
Zach - Fitness Director - Vision Quest Auburn |
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| Encouragement for all of those of you who are trying to shed those excess pounds! |
"Until one is committed,
there is hesitancy~
the chance to draw back,
always ineffectiveness.
Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation)
there is one elementary truth,
the ignorance of which kills countless ideas
and splendid plans:
That~ the moment one definitely commits oneself,
then Providence moves too.
All sort of things occur to help one
that would never otherwise have occurred.
A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one’s favor
all manner of unforeseen incidents
and meetings
and materal assistance,
which no man could have dreamed
would have come his way.
I have learned a deep respect
for one of Goethe’s couplets:
"Whatever you can do,
or dream you can,
begin it.
Boldness has genius,
power and magic in it.”
Quotation from:
The Scottish Himalayan Expedition,
By W. H. Murray
JAESEN / jaesenr@visionquestsportandfitness.com |
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| Corporate Wellness Benefits |
| According to the U.S. Surgeon General, nearly 75% of all illnesses are directly related to lifestyle. When you consider the significance of such a staggering figure, it’s easy to understand how an investment in influencing the lifestyle choices of your company’s employees can greatly impact the overall health of your business. A Fitness and Wellness Program is proven to increase the productivity and performance of your company.
Vision Quest Sport and Fitness is dedicated to understanding your business, assessing your risks, identifying your needs and improving the performance of your most valuable asset; Your employees. Vision Quest will design custom tailored programs that enhance your company’s ability to recruit and retain personnel, increase productivity, reduce absenteeism, decrease turnover, alleviate worksite stress and reduce health care costs. Plus we will show you how this partnership can actually provide you with significant return on your investment.
Vision Quest Sport and Fitness will educate and motivate your employees to reach their fitness goals. Our certified personal trainers will complete an assessment and design a program including diet and nutrition advice based on your employees’ specific needs. This benefit includes two sessions with a personal trainer and a follow up reprogram every thirty days.
Vision Quest Sport and Fitness can help your company reduce health related illnesses which are caused by obesity, stress, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Taking good care of your employees diet and fitness needs will have a dramatic effect in lowering health care costs for your company. The Vision Quest Corporate Wellness Team will visit your company for on site enrollments, assessments, benefit fairs and health fairs.
We also provide nutritional and weight management seminars to teach your employees how to successfully combine a balanced diet with an exercise program to reach their goal.
For a complete proposal about this benefit, please contact : Jaesen Rapinan / District Corporate Wellness Director: jaesenr@visionquestsportandfitness.com |
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| New Blog! |
| Keep watching for workout and nutrition tips, coming events, new classes, club updates and MORE!
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