The Summer Dress Workout Series: Toning up the Butt, Legs and Thighs For the Summer

Forget complex weight machines and endless leg lifts. This workout will have your legs looking like Tina Turner and your butt like Beyonce'. Explosive, multidimensional exercises target your inner and outer thighs, quads, and hamstrings in one dynamic shot. This workout is a fusion of martial arts, yoga, dance, and strength training that can be done anywhere — no equipment required! These moves demand focus and balance, engaging your core as well as your thighs.

Do this routine three or four times a week (12 to 15 reps and two or three sets per exercise, except where indicated)

1. Roundhouse Kick/Squat
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees soft.

Hold fists under chin, palms in and elbows near rib cage, shoulders relaxed.

Pivot 45 degrees to the right.

Extend left leg out to side, pointing toes to the floor.

Do a roundhouse kick: Lift left knee as high as you comfortably can, turning outer thigh to face ceiling.

Extend leg, then retract it, keeping toes pointed.

Lower leg and pivot back to start, so toes point forward.

Squat down, keeping knees aligned with ankles.

Switch legs and repeat

2. Hip Extension with Circles
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, shoulder blades squeezed together, hands on hips.

Keeping right leg straight, knee soft, lift left leg behind body, pointing toes, until you feel a contraction in your glutes (don’t arch your back).

Draw a four-point clockwise circle with your left toes, then repeat the circle counterclockwise.

Do all reps on left leg, then switch sides and repeat

3. Chair Pose/Back Lunge
Stand with legs and feet together.

Push hips back and squat as if you were sitting into a chair.

Keep knees over ankles, legs pressed together; extend both arms next to ears, keeping head in line with spine.

Hold for 5 counts.

Place hands on hips and step back with right leg into a lunge, keeping front knee aligned over ankle.

Hold for 5 counts.

Return to start and repeat from chair pose, switching legs as you lunge.

Do 5 reps per side.

4. Plie Squat with Lifted Heels
Stand with feet twice as wide as shoulder-width apart, toes and knees turned out, heels slightly lifted.

Extend arms out to sides at shoulder height, palms down.

Squat down, pushing hips back slightly and keeping knees over ankles.

Straighten legs, keeping knees soft and heels lifted; repeat.

5. Crescent Kick Over Chair
Stand an arm’s length behind the back of a chair, fists under chin, shoulders relaxed, knees soft.

Raise your left knee and draw an arc with your left foot, kicking it over the chair from right to left.

Switch legs and repeat

6. Warrior Pose/Tree Pose
Stand with feet together.

Lunge right leg behind you, turning right foot out 45 degrees.

Bend left knee 90 degrees.

Lift arms out to the sides to shoulder height, palms down.

Hold for 5 counts, gazing over front hand.

Raise arms overhead and bring palms together, then lower to chest.

Bring feet together and lift right knee to hip height, resting right heel on inside of left thigh; place hands on hips.

Hold for 10 slow counts.

Switch legs and repeat from start.

Do 5 reps per side.

7. Curtsy Squat/Lateral Lift
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hands on hips.

Cross right leg behind body and to the left so that inner thighs touch.

Bend left knee 90 degrees, toes pointing forward, then return to starting position.

Raise right leg out to the side as high as you can without shifting your hips; keep left leg straight and knee soft.

Return to starting position; switch sides and repeat.

Charlotte Boot Camp and Personal Trainer

BE A SMART "SPRING CLEANER" WITH YOUR WEIGHT LOSS GOALS

We are now officially 80 days within 2009 and a lot has happened. Most of us at the beginning of the year made a resolution or goal centered around weight loss or some body transformation. I would venture to say that probably some of you reading this right now have put those New Year's resolutions/goals back on the shelf to dust them off again next January 2010.

Well pull those goals, promises, resolutions, and commitments back out!!! It ain't over til the fat lady sing, and she's at the buffet line so it's gonna be a minute.

Since Friday was the first day of spring, and we are 3 months away from the bikini season, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect back on the last 80 days and get us back on track and rejuvenated for the next 80 to come.

I thought that we should do some spring cleaning and go through our personal closets to make some alterations to better our current circumstances before spring gets rolling and summer creeps up on us. Here are some suggestions with regards to the goals that you have set forth to see if they need to be adjusted, tweaked, or just flat out thrown out and started over.

As I posted on a previous blog entitled 10 Habits to Adopt For New Year's Resolution, the bottom line is that the most successful people in life are shamelessly goal driven. They know exactly what they want and have some sort of game plan to obtain it.

Let me repeat this last statement.

When you look at any successful person in life, rather sports, business, weight loss, etc. they are goal driven individuals. They know why they want to do something and harness that super motivation to figure out what and by when they want to go about accomplishing that. Furthermore, they plan and prepare for every possible roadblock they will encounter in their path to success.

With that said here are some tips to assist you with your spring cleaning with regards to your weight loss or body transformation goals. We want to be S.M.A.R.T. goal setters! This stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound/ tangible.

Specific- Your goals should never be vague or broad because it leaves out the accountability factor of goal setting. For example, a lot of people, including myself, have made goals wanting to lose weight. In theory, great effort, but no cigar! Tell them what they won, Johnny. It is too broad and vague. How much weight do you want to lose? Put a number on it or a measurement. Do you want to lose weight, tone up, or both? When do you want to obtain this goal? Next month? Next year? By the end of the summer?

That's where a lot of us fail as goal setters, we don't want to put the goal into too specific of terms because it forces us to have to work towards a deadline which if we don't meet, forces us to have to look hard at ourselves and examine why we failed. No one likes to fail, at least the clients that I train. Goals are means to an end. Remember the most successful people in life are goal driven. They set a goal so that it gives them directions on how to get what they are seeking and wanting.

Measurable- The previous tip goes alongside of this one. Make sure that your goals are measurable so that you can track your progress and keep a close eye on what needs to be tweaked or adjusted. The more measurable you have your goals, the more feedback you have in which to use and evaluate progress, stagnation, or regression. Again it's all about accountability and direction with yourself.

Attainable- Be sure that the goal that you have set forth, you can achieve. This doesn't mean sand bag your goals. Aim low, but don't waste your time on something that you know you can achieve without any challenge and effort. At the same rate, don't set the bar too high because you're doomed from the start. Make sure that you set up a goal that is achievable enough to where there is some struggle and challenge to it so that when you do obtain it, the reward and victory will be sweet!

Realistic- Never try to keep up with the Joneses! Let me say that again and then I will explain. NEVER TRY TO KEEP UP WITH THE JONESES! What tends to happen is you attempt to obtain a goal that isn't designed personally for you. Realistic means that the actions associated with your goal are things that you can do. For example, if your goal requires you to spend 2 hours at the gym each day, that may not be a very realistic assumption. What tends to happen when a goal is not set in a realistic manner, the person becomes frustrated and they tend to fall off or quit the goal before ever obtaining it. Success breeds success.

Time bound/ tangible- For goals that have a natural ending (like outcome goals- which are the ones that we are discussing today if you are wondering), establishing a clear deadline for them adds an element of urgency and motivation. Trackability should also be included with time bound and tangible. All goals should be trackable so you can see what your progress is, either in terms of results you are experiencing, or actions you are taking. Tracking your goals helps you determine if you are going in the right direction and make any necessary adjustments along the way.

In addition, to the tangibility, make sure that there are some consequences if you are not able to obtain your goals. Pain sometimes can move us towards what we most desire. Likewise, add a reward as well to the tangible section so that you have something that you will enjoy once you obtain the goal. Why work if you aren't going to enjoy the fruits from your labor? If you write a reward and consequence with your goal, then it adds to the sense of urgency.

And finally, write down your goals and post them in areas where you most frequent. This is great for many reasons. Researchers have done studies that suggest that the more senses (sight, feel, auditory, smell, touch) used the more of a lasting imprint it has in the memory. With that said, if you write down your goals and post them everywhere, the goals become more realistic and aren't easily forgotten. (And as an added bonus...if you write it down, post it all over, and say it out loud daily...it increases the potential to obtaining that goal by 100 fold)!!!

Now that we have discussed a SMART Spring Cleaner, go back and take a look at the goals that you have set forth either recently or pull out the ones that were made for New Year's (heck it isn't too late to start back trying to obtain those) and put them in this format so that when summer gets here you will be turning heads and bringing SEXY BACK! YEP!!

It's A Process!

A. Lamail Spain

Charlotte Personal Trainer and Boot Camp

Burn Fat and Keep It Off For Good

The other day, one of my clients and I were talking about her goals and her expectations with regards to the program that we have designed. The topic came up AGAIN that she didn’t want to lose her butt all she wanted to do was lose and tone up her stomach as well as she wanted to slim down her waist. I immediately tried to educate her on spot reduction and the myth that has been around for centuries with regards to weight loss and body transformation.

Today we are going to explore this topic once again and see if really there is truth to the concept that a person can workout a particular body part or parts and reduce that without losing in any other area.

Myth #1 If I concentrate on the one particular area that I want to lose weight, I will see the results that I am looking for

This myth starts our little conversation. It is the theory of spot reduction. Spot reduction is simply the idea that if you work a specific muscle group you will decrease the amount of fat in that area. The most popular body part examples are seen when clients come to me wanting to get that J-Lo/ Beyonce’ butt, those Tina Turner legs, or those abs like Terrell Owen (yeah T.O. body I would die for!). These people main focus is on a particular area in which their efforts are to either enhance that area or lose the excess baggage that is currently around or on that area.
In reality, there is no such thing as spot reduction. You will never attain a flat stomach just by performing abdominal exercises.

Let me say that sentence again for those that are skimming this article: You will never attain a flat stomach just by performing abdominal exercises.

The reason for this is simple: the muscle is underneath the fat. So when you go to the gym (which if you have been reading my blog posts you have canceled your memberships and are currently working out at home) you see this everywhere. The guys that go to the gym and do the same chest and stomach routine over and over to still look like Bookman off of “Good Times”. Many people compare fat to the layers of an onion. Rather than disappearing from a particular place, it comes off layer by layer from the whole body.
Moreover, the way fat is shed is different from person to person. It tends to go from the most recent place it appeared. If your tummy started gaining first - this will be the very last place for the fat to disappear from. Sorry!!
This is why, for example, a man may complain of getting too thin in the face - and yet still have a small 'spare tire' around his waist. Or a woman may complain of a smaller bust, and yet the hips may have barely moved in inch.

Myth #2 I can do ab work and it will reduce fat around my stomach

Um wrong! Sit-ups will definitely strengthen your abdominal muscles, but sit-ups alone will not get rid of the layer of fat that is covering the muscles. To lose fat anywhere on your body you need to burn calories by following a program that involves both cardiovascular training and weight training.

Let me repeat that statement once again! To lose fat anywhere (butt, legs, stomach, back aka back boobies) you need to burn calories by following a program that involves both cardiovascular aka cardio training and weight training.

In doing so, you will decrease fat stores throughout your entire body, including the problem areas that you are so desperately wanting to get rid of.

You may notice that you sometimes lose fat in some areas more quickly than in others; this is simply due to a genetic selective pattern rather than a particular type of exercise. It is a well known fact that men tend to gain weight in their stomach region, whereas women tend to gain weight in their butt, thus the old comment about men being shape like apples and women being shaped like pears when they gain weight. If fat was mobilized, or used from the stores near the exercising muscle, then you would expect both men and women to lose weight in the same areas when following a similar program. However, losing weight in the butt is much more difficult for women than it is for men. Sorry Miss Jackson!!!

Myth #3 Muscle will eventually turn into fat if I stop working out

Another common myth is that muscle gained during a strength training program will turn to fat once you stop strength training.

Muscle is muscle and fat, or scientific term adipose tissue, is fat. It is like comparing apples to pears. Pun intended. They tissues are two different tissues which are completely independent of each other. If you stop weight training, your muscles will shrink because the stimulus to increase or maintain their size is no longer there; but by no means can they, or will they, turn into fat.

If you feel your body is becoming less toned or what I sometimes hear most men and some women say to me “soft” it is simply because your proportion of fat to muscle has changed. Fat, although you may not have gained any more of it, is now dominant simply because you have lost muscle. Another possible reason for the change is a common problem that exists with many people, primarily athletes and which happened to me once I finished playing college football. The problem is that they stop exercising, but maintain their eating habits, and thus slowly begin to put on weight.

You should see some of my friends that I played football with in college “Holy Jesus! Who is that?”

If you had been exercising but stopped, be sure to make dietary changes to compensate for the decrease in daily energy expenditure. As I was telling one of my newest clients this weekend think of the analogy of your body being a bank account. If you spend more money (energy) then you deposit then the result is a small bank account i.e. weight loss. But, if you put more money in (calories) but never go to withdraw any of it out then you will have a FAT bank account.

The Truth

Here's the skinny of the matter! There is very little you can do to influence specific fat distribution. Exercise should always be a part of any fat loss program -but vigorously exercising a specific body part will not have any influence on local fat in that area. This myth has been debunked again and again. One should enroll in programs that give them the best of both worlds- have strength and cardio training components in them. Boot camps and cardio kickboxing classes are great way to accomplish this.

It can be very frustrating but everybody is different. Stay committed to your training and nutrition - and don't be dissuaded by the commercials and images that show perfectly proportioned clones. Understand how your body works, and set achievable goals accordingly.

It’s A Process.

A. Lamail Spain

Charlotte Boot Camp

The Best Kept Secrets: Exercises That Help Lose Fat Rapidly and Build Lean Muscle

Last night as I was sitting and watching the Super Bowl with my sister and brother-in-law, we began to reminisce about how much weight I had gained and then lost within the last few years of me coming home from grad school. Currently I am able to sit and laugh about how big I had gotten and joke about the clothes that I couldn't fit and the clothes that I got rid of but let me tell you it wasn't a laughing matter when I was going through the whole process. It was painstaking because it felt like a uncontrollable roller coaster ride with no end in sight. I can remember getting upset with myself, beating myself up, and feeling as if I was stuck and couldn't get back to how I looked when I was playing football. Truth be told, I have always been hard on myself when it came to my weight and the way I viewed the image that I had of myself, and at that time it didn't help that I was way off the meter/ chart with the expectation. I can recalled that I would stay away from mirrors and taking pictures because I was disgusted with the image that was in front of me.

Fast forward to present day 40 to 50 pounds lighter and a healthier self image of myself, I would like to think that I know a thing or two about exercise selection. Because of this I am constantly asked what the best exercises are to lose fat AND gain muscle fast.

I’ll keep this as simple as possible for you. The best exercises for fat loss are also the best exercises for muscle gain and visa versa. These exercises all have one thing in common: they provide a UNIQUE challenge to your body AND involve as many muscles in your body as possible.

Scientific research and real world case studies have shown that total body workouts are superior for maximal fat loss and muscle gain. But let’s take this one step further…

Let’s dramatically accelerate results by preferentially selecting TOTAL BODY EXERCISES within each TOTAL BODY WORKOUT!

What do you mean, you may ask???

Doing combination movements in one exercise versus single movement exercises.

For example, squats are well known for being one of the best muscle-builders with a serious a fat-shredding effect. However, the squat goes from great to UNSTOPPABLE for changing your body for the better when you make it a combination movement by adding a row or press to each squat rep. It’s obvious that you can reap more benefits this way since you have now involved your upper body into the king of lower body exercises.

It’s as simple as when you learned 1 + 1 = 2

Dream Body Equation below states:

Performing Total Body Exercises Within Each Total Body Workout=

More Muscles Involved =

More Calories Burnt + Greater Muscle-Building Stimulus =

Greater Fat Lost + Greater Muscle Gain

I must be honest in that I have a true love-hate relationship with the following movements I am about to share with you. Love because of the unparalleled fat-melting, muscle-building results they provide to help maximize my sexy. Hate because they break me every single workout by leaving me in tears while in a pool of my own sweat. In other words, these are not for the weak of mind, body, or soul!

Without further adieu, here is the official top 10 or more list of my favorite exercises in the world for fat loss and lean muscle gain:

Exercise#1- Power Clean + Squat to Overhead Press Combo

Exercise#2- Any Squatting Combination Exercise- Squat Thrust/Burpee Variations, Squat to Overhead Press, Squat to Row, Squat to Chest Press, Braced Core Squat, Single-Leg Squat plus Curl to Press, etc.

Exercise#3- The Swing- Dumbbells, Kettlebells, Med Balls, or Sandbags

Exercise#4- Any Lunge Combination Exercise- Alternating Lunge plus Curl to Press, Alternating Lunge plus Twist, Alternating Lunge plus Chest Press, Alternating Reverse Lunge plus Row, Split Jump plus Jerk, Split Jump plus Curl etc.

Exercise#5- Any Push-Up Combination Exercise- Push-ups plus Knee-Ins, Push-up Rows, T-Push-Ups, Spiderman Push-ups, Squat Thrust Push-Ups, Four-Way Push-up Crawl, etc.

Exercise#6- The Chop- Dumbbells, Kettlebells, Med Balls, Bands, or Sandbags

Exercise#7- Olympic Lifting Variations: Dumbbell or Kettlebell Cleans, Snatches, High Pulls

Exercise#8- Dynamic Back Pillar plus 1-Arm Dumbbell Chest Press

Exercise#9- Rear Foot Elevated Deadlift plus Curl to Press

Exercise#10- Med Ball Snatch-Slam Combo

Exercise#11- Dumbbell or Kettlebell Single-Leg RDL plus Row

Bonus: These exercises will not only burn thousands of calories but you have to mental right your mind right before doing them. These first two exercises are done within a predetermined amount of time with no rest between each exercise done.

Bonus Exercise #1: 300 repetitions 25 repetitions for each (pull ups, deadlifts, push ups, box/ squat jumps, toe touches, snatch and press with dumbbell weight, pull ups, crunches, burpees, push ups, deadlifts, squat jumps)

Bonus Exercise #2: Dead Legs Walking: do 25 repetitions for each without stopping (squats, dynamic lunges, squat jumps, and finish with lunge jumps)all of these exercises are perform within 90 seconds. Yes 1 minute and 30 seconds

Bonus Exercise #3: Water Fall: start with 1 power clean and 20 push ups working your way down the push ups and working your way up the power cleans until you finish with 20 power cleans and 1 push up.

Well I hope you take my expert advice and jack up your training with these 10 deadly total body combination exercises. I guarantee you better results in less time by regularly employing these movements into your workouts. Of course it’s now up to you to take your workouts, and your body, to the next level.

I’ll be sharing some more great exercises for those specific trouble spot areas (e.g. legs, butt, abs, chest, arms, etc.) that are holding your sexy back in the days to come

It's A Process!

A. Lamail Spain

Boot Camp and Personal Training in Charlotte, NC

How To Build The Ultimate Circuit Training Workout For Rapid Fat Loss

In the past, the cornerstone of most resistance training workouts has been performing exercises in a straight set format. Essentially, this means you perform a certain number of reps for a given exercise or you perform as many reps as possible for a given exercise and then you rest anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes based on your training goals before repeating this set a certain number of times based on your goals. For more of a fat loss and lean muscle gain emphasis shorter rest periods are ideal. For more of a strength or power emphasis, longer rest periods are prescribed.

So, what’s the problem with this format? Well, though straight sets are extremely easy to comprehend for people new to fitness, they are also an extremely inefficient way to order your exercises. In most commercial gyms you’ll typically see someone perform three sets of 10 reps for let’s say the bench press. They pump out 10 reps, go to the water fountain, talk with some buddies, watch a couple of highlights on ESPN, and then gingerly walk back to the bench area-answer their phone (which I never really understood who in the heck can be that important to carry their phone in a gym to workout) then hit up their second set. In general, most people, guys in particular, tend to take about 3-5 minutes between sets. In the case of three sets of 10 on the bench that means it would take up to 15 minutes to complete only one movement pattern (a bench push). That means you’d need at least in hour to perform four different exercises!

Truthfully, I hate working out! I wish there was a better way to keeping the weight off and looking good naked; however, the man upstairs didn't design us that way. So with that said, a much more effective and time-efficient approach to ordering your exercises is utilizing the alternating set format. Here you’ll perform one exercise, rest for a short period of time, then perform another non-competing exercise, rest for a short period of time, and so forth. Alternating sets allow you to work different areas of your body when you would otherwise be resting with the straight set format. Plus, by working another area of your body with a non-competing exercise you allow your body to recover from the previous exercise(s). The result is improved training economy and density: more work accomplished in less time, the cornerstone of any sound fat loss program. There are several ways to perform alternating sets outlined below:

1.) Supersets: Alternate between two different non-competing exercises (e.g. upper body and lower body such as push-ups and lunges)

2.) Trisets: Alternate between three different exercises (e.g. push, pull, and lower body such as push-ups, rows, and lunges)

3.) Circuits: Alternate between four or more different exercises

Though supersets and trisets are excellent alternating set options, I believe circuit training is by the far the best option time and time again. To demonstrate why, let’s examine my favorite circuit training template using timed set intervals:

The 50-10 or 5:1 ratio Five Exercise Circuit: You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for all five exercises in the following 5-minute circuit:

Exercise#1- Squats

Exercise#2- Dips

Exercise#3- Single-Leg Hip Extensions

Exercise#4- Pull-ups

Exercise#5- Leg Raises

Perform this circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body fat burning workout.

Basically, in the same 15 minutes that it took to get in three sets on the bench you could have gotten in three sets of five different exercise for a staggering total of 15 work sets! Plus, the intensity on each exercise will be just as high as in the straight set format because in this five exercise circuit you will have full recovery with over four minutes before you return to any given exercise (just as you did with the straight set format described earlier).

To recap, the key to creating the optimal hormonal environment for fat loss is to perform each exercise with maximal intensity while separated by brief rest periods in order to accumulate a high volume of total body work in the shortest amount of time possible. Circuit training provides for the best of both worlds and is thus simply unmatched for simultaneously maximizing fat loss and lean muscle gain. Use the following template I use with my many boot camp clients for some killer, yet simple fat loss circuits:

Exercise#1- Double-Leg

Exercise#2- Push

Exercise#3- Single-Leg

Exercise#4- Pull

Exercise#5- Core

If you liked the sample circuit workout and have more questions as to how this type of workout gives you the best results in the short amount of time, then come to our Xtreme Makeover Boot Camps in upcoming weeks to come.

It's A Process!
A. Lamail Spain
Boot Camp in Charlotte, NC

Alpha II Omega Explains How to Turn Your New Years Resolutions Into Results

Over the last several years, I have helped countless people maximize their overall health, performance, and body composition faster than ever before. Put bluntly, I know how to help people lose ugly, unwanted body fat faster than most people can fathom. Now, make no mistake about it, a big reason for this is because our integrated rapid fat loss training and nutrition system is second to none. I have done the countless hours of research and trial and error and I have had hundreds of people as real world case studies to prove that our system flat out works. A sidebar to this is that I am not only the trainer but I too have used the same techniques and strategies on myself as well to lose the weight and keep it off!

But, today I am going to share something more powerful; something that must be set in place before you can even start to think about following a fitness program.


So, let’s just get right to it. What do you think is the real secret behind my client success?

Well, if your answer was my aforementioned training and nutrition system, then your answer is wrong. Yep, it’s an incredible program, but unfortunately it’s useless if someone is unwilling to start it AND stick to it, right? So, it appears that the most important component of changing your body is finding the motivation to achieve your goals, and that’s the main focus of this article today. I am going to literally walk you through the initial consult and three step goal setting process that each one of my clients undergoes before they start working with us. This is so important to weight loss success that I now require it for any new client to be considered for joining our program.

Before I get into this goal setting process, I just need to get something off of my chest. I know a lot of people think goal setting is just a cheesy, useless thing. Unfortunately, these people just don’t get it and frankly if you are one of those people, please do us both a favor and stop reading this article and go buy another useless weight loss book or pill because I simply cannot do anything for you. I can only help people who want to learn. I simply cannot help people who already think they know it all and think they are too good to take some time to figure out what the hell it is that they actually want to accomplish. The bottom line is that the most successful people out there, and I mean not just weight loss success, I am talking business, lifestyle, etc., are shamelessly goal driven. They know exactly why they want to do something and harness that super motivation to figure out what and by when they want to go about accomplishing that. Furthermore, they plan and prepare for every possible roadblock they will encounter in their path to success. This is what I want to teach you how to do today, so let’s get to it!

Step One- The Why: Why do you want to do this?

This is where it’s time to get real. In almost every initial consult I do, when I ask why they have contacted me today, here is the typical blanket response that I first hear:

“Well, I just want to get healthy and lose weight I guess.”

Nope, I don’t buy it. Sure, I know they want to lose weight and be healthy, I mean who doesn’t, but really WHY do they want to do this? I mean, what is it that’s going to get them up at 5 am to get their morning workouts in or take a couple of hours on Sunday to plan and prepare their meals for the upcoming week? It sure isn’t “being healthy” because for some reason this just isn’t a very powerful motivator for most people (though it should be).

Let’s face it: everybody, including YOU, wants to look better naked. Stop giggling, you know it’s true and frankly that’s okay because the desire to improve one’s appearance is the most powerful motivator there is. This shouldn’t be such a big surprise since the main life mission of humans, or any species for that matter, is to procreate. This is instinctual. And obviously, looking better makes this more of a reality.

So, after a little digging, I find out the real reason why they want to do this; I find their past or pain and then establish their current and future ambitions. Some people want to be able to mow the lawn in the summer with their shirt off and not feel self-conscious. Others want to get back into their favorite pair of pants that they haven’t been able to get one leg into for the last five years. Then there are those who want to look and feel more attractive to ignite some passion back into their relationships and/or put for their best image at work. And of course, my personal favorite is preparing for big events that have built in deadlines. Wanting to get as lean and tight as possible to rock that dream bathing suit in Argentina, or get off the plane in Texas when visiting family you haven’t seen in two years to blow them away with your new body, or being a classic beauty in your wedding dress on the big day, it all works! This is the stuff that gets people jacked up and ready to commit to making some real changes. How do I know? Well, I just shared with you verbatim the exact “WHY’S” of some of my own clients.

So, the first thing you have to figure out is your personal WHY. To make this even simpler for you, just answer this question: what are your physical dreams? Once you establish this, everything else is easy baby.

Step Two- The What and When: What do you want to accomplish and when do you want to accomplish it by?

So we already figured out the obvious: you want to look better and maximize your sexy! So, now we need to establish what objective goal(s) need to be accomplished in order to realize this subjective dream.

Well, from a logistics standpoint and keeping things as cost effective as possible, there are three major ways I track “look better” progress with my clients, in order of importance from least to most important:

1.)Scale Weight: This is by far the least important goal, but it gives a number that’s worth tracking. Though body fat percentage would be a much better method of tracking progress, it is simply too inaccurate on a small scale and too costly on a large scale. The key is to taking your initial weight before you start and then not weighing more than every 2 weeks. I have found most people to do better with tracking their weight every month. There are simply too many variables for controlling your body weight and the natural fluctuations based on diet (and for women, their menstrual cycle), means the less frequently you do this the better. If the scale is just too de-motivating for you in general, then just skip this one altogether if you must, because the next two markers are far more important.

2.)Dress/Pant Size: This is probably the most simple and effective unused method of tracking whether or not you look better. I think it’s safe to say that if you are dropping dress and/or pant sizes that you will be looking better, right? Your best bet is to also select one dress or one pair of pants that you really want to get into since that is the true end goal in mind. I tell my clients to assess how they are fitting in their preferred dress/pant size tracker on a weekly or bi-weekly basis since our clients that follow our program exactly as outlined typically lose a dress and/or pant size every month (until they get to their ideal dimensions). For those of you would want to argue that every outfitter has different sizes, well that’s a mute point if you use the same pant or dress size to track. There’s nothing more powerful than being to literally being able to feel yourself comfortably get into clothes that use almost rip when you put on.

3.)Digital Pictures: Pictures don’t lie, that’s the bottom line. If you want to look better, what better way is there to assess this than pictures? I cannot begin to tell you how important this is. Taking a before picture is essentially you telling the whole world that you are ready to change and that you are ready to do whatever it takes to make those changes. They key is take pictures wearing exactly what you want to look your best in. Now, don’t be sending me nude pictures of yourself, ha (though you can keep these for yourself to track if you’d like). Maybe it’s taking pictures of you in the dress or pair of pants that you are using to track your dress or pant size. Or maybe it’s a sleeveless shirt and tank top that you want to wear during the summer. And if you want to see your abs, then you best believe that you need to take pictures of your abs to track how much more definition you get. Take a front, side, and rear view picture and be sure to note the exact conditions in which the picture was taken (lighting, distance from camera, time of day/week, etc.) to be as accurate as possible in your assessment. The clients whom failed to take before pictures in the past have nothing but regret about it. Your before pictures will become your trophy and they are an absolute must if you really are serious about getting results that count. We tell our clients to take new pictures either bi-weekly or monthly until they reach their goal(s).

Step Three- Planning and Preparing for Roadblocks: What are the big obstacles that will prevent you from having the success you desire? What’s contributed most to past failures?

Now that we know what you want to accomplish, it’s time to plan and prepare for any obstacles that might get in your way of getting the job done based on your own personal schedule.

In general, the number one thing I hear is that people are too busy and tired and don’t have enough time to get their workouts in or make their meals. Well, I don’t care how busy you think you are, there is always hidden time throughout the day and week that can be freed up if your re-prioritize. Again, think back to why you wanted to do this in the first place and then examine what’s most important to you. Make your workouts and your meal times just like work appointments. Either you make the appointment or you don’t. And if you want to keep your job (or get your dream body) then you better make that appointment.

Another big obstacle is alcohol. People like to drink and unfortunately alcohol is about as detrimental to burning fat as it gets. Again, what’s more important to you, looking sexy or getting hammered. The choice is yours. Remember, once you achieve your goal(s), alcohol can be added back in with moderation. But know this, lean people just don’t get wasted unless they are genetic freaks. Low to zero alcohol consumption is needed if you want to look your best year round and that’s a fact.

Lastly, many people deal with boredom eating or emotional eating. Boredom eating means just that, eating to fill up dead time when you have nothing better to do. The best way to deal with this is, you guessed it, to do something! Find an active hobby to keep your mind off of eating when boredom strikes and you can beat this trend. Emotional eating describes the use of food to cope with stress or to reward for accomplishment. Food is not unlike drugs or alcohol in this regard, it can be very addictive. There is no quick fix for emotional eating other than avoiding trigger situations (bars, parties, etc.) and trigger foods (starches, sugars, fast food, etc.) in the short term to break bad habits.

At the end of the day, whether your roadblocks are very individual or if they fall in line with the general roadblocks our clients encounter on a regular basis, the key is to be honest about them and to plan and prepare for them. And that’s where social support and accountability come into play. The clients who have had the most success with us have undergone their transformation with the support of other friends or family members. This is so critical, especially since most of the poor food and drinking choices that sabotage one’s progress occur on the weekend, when most people hang out with their friend and family. If they are committed with you and your goal to get fit and look better, you can put yourself in a much better position to realize the success your desire and deserve. The last thing anybody needs is sabotage or peer pressure from those closest to you, so get them on board and get them on board early.

Personal Trainer and Boot Camps in Charlotte, NC

10 HABITS TO ADOPT FOR A SUCCESSFUL NEW YEAR’S RESOULUTION

The Thanksgiving has come and gone, grandma’s peach cobbler pie has been consumed and we have stuffed ourselves to the point that we now look like the turkey that was on the table. Santa Claus and all his elves are back at the North Pole preparing the list to check it twice for this year. Now here we are, 2009, at a time where millions of Americans have dedicated themselves to trying to make lifestyle changes to start off the New Year. Every New Year's we go through our personal closets (figuratively and literally) to make some alterations to better our current circumstances for the new year. Whether the resolution is to get out of debt, to spend more time with loved ones, or to quit smoking, these resolutions have one thing in common: they are goals to make our lives better. I will say that half of those million have decided to make one of their New Year’s Resolutions center on losing weight or enhancing their appearance for 2009.

Unfortunately, this ritual commitment to self-improvement has been widely viewed as something of a joke--in part because most peoples’ New Year’s resolutions attempts fail before they even get started. After years of watching others--or themselves--excitedly commit to a new goal, only to abandon the quest by March, many come to conclude that New Year's resolutions are an exercise in futility that should not be taken seriously.

Where or who started New Year’s resolutions?

The tradition of the New Year's Resolutions goes all the way back to 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar. With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions and many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies and also exchanged gifts before the beginning of each year.

The New Year has not always begun on January 1, and it doesn't begin on that date everywhere today. It begins on that date only for cultures that use a 365-day solar calendar. January 1 became the beginning of the New Year in 46 B.C., when Julius Caesar developed a calendar that would more accurately reflect the seasons than previous calendars had.

The Romans named the first month of the year after Janus, the god of beginnings and the guardian of entrances. He was always depicted with two faces, one on the front of his head and one on the back. Thus he could look backward and forward at the same time. At midnight on December 31, the Romans imagined Janus looking back at the old year and forward to the new. The Romans began a tradition of exchanging gifts on New Year's Eve by giving one another branches from sacred trees for good fortune. Later, nuts or coins imprinted with the god Janus became more common New Year's gifts.

In the Middle Ages, Christians changed New Year's Day to December 25, the birth of Jesus. Then they changed it to March 25, a holiday called the Annunciation. In the sixteenth century, Pope Gregory XIII revised the Julian calendar, and the celebration of the New Year was returned to January 1.

Making New Year's resolutions does not have to be futile--and to make them is not silly; done seriously, it is an act of profound moral significance that embodies the essence of a life well-lived. Consider what we do when we make a New Year's resolution: we look at where we are in some area of life, think about where we want to be, and then set ourselves a goal to get there. We are tired of feeling chubby and lethargic and unattractive, and want the improved appearance and greater energy level that comes with greater fitness. So we resolve to take up a fun athletic activity--like fitness boot camps, an aerobic or spinning class--and plan to do it three times a week.

I have set some resolutions for myself, however, what I did was change my mental verbiage in believing that these are not resolutions but simply some goals that I want to accomplish throughout the year. We set goals all the time. Daily goals are met throughout the course of a day i.e. meeting a deadline at work for a major project, setting up a presentation to ask for a raise from your boss, planning your day around trying to get home in time to watch American Idol, or planning to get that house that you wanted or dreamed of. All of these are similar to a New Year’s resolution but we don't see them in that light. So, we are accustomed to setting and meeting goals; however, I think that when we look at resolutions, they seem to take on a life of their own. By setting goals you have a road map to where you would like to start and how you will like to get there.

Before I get into this goal setting process, I just need to get something off of my chest. I know a lot of people think goal setting is just a cheesy, useless thing. Unfortunately, these people just don’t get it and frankly if you are one of those people, please do us both a favor and stop reading this article and go buy another useless weight loss book or pill because I simply cannot do anything for you. I can only help people who want to learn. I simply cannot help people who already think they know it all and think they are too good to take some time to figure out what the heck it is that they actually want to accomplish. The bottom line is that the most successful people out there, and I mean not just weight loss success, I am talking business, lifestyle, etc., are shamelessly goal driven. They know exactly why they want to do something and harness that super motivation to figure out what and by when they want to go about accomplishing that. Furthermore, they plan and prepare for every possible roadblock they will encounter in their path to success. This is what I want to teach you how to do today, so let’s get to it! To assist those reading this, I have come up with 10 tips to get you started for this New Year:

Aim low. It goes without saying that most New Year's resolutions are easier announced (or written) than done — but if you set the bar too high, you're doomed from the start. Instead of a sweeping declaration like "I will lose 30 pounds by April and finally fit into that dress," target a goal that's more attainable, like losing 10 or 15 pounds.

Start with one resolution. If you try to make too many, you may not accomplish any. Don't overload yourself. It's difficult enough for the average person to follow through on one ambitious New Year's resolution; why on earth would you saddle yourself with three or four? Choose the most pressing issue at hand — losing weight, finding a girlfriend, improving your relationship with your parents — and concentrate on that. Trying to do everything simultaneously practically guarantees failure across the board.

Reward yourself. Following through on a New Year's resolution is rarely easy, so a little Pavlovian conditioning goes a long way. (You know Pavlov and his salivating dogs!) If you've resolved to shop less, stroke yourself for not buying those shoes by springing for a steaming hot cappuccino at the mall. If you've resolved to be losing 10 pounds, reward yourself with one meal that is your favorite comfort food.

Wait until spring. Sometimes the best way to accomplish a New Year's resolution is to make it at a time of year of your choosing, rather than the one dictated by the calendar. May 1 is a good alternate date, since the change of season will neatly coincide with the change you're hoping to accomplish in yourself.

Make your resolution very specific. "Don't say 'I want to lose weight'— instead, say 'I want to lose three pounds a month so that I look hot in my new swimsuit come summer,'".

Be serious about your resolution. If you don't take your resolution seriously, it is a waste of time to make one.

Write your resolution down and post it in a visible place. Out of sight is out of mind. Remember that saying? If you see your goal every day, it will be in the forefront of your mind.

Don't let yourself quit. Even if you slip up once or twice, you shouldn't abandon your resolution.

Enlist the support of friends and family. Bring others in on the resolution so you have a support group to help you accomplish your goals.

Tell everyone you know. One school of thought says New Year's resolutions are best kept to oneself, but look at it this way: the more people to whom you announce your resolution (say, to get out of your dead-end job by spring), the more people there'll be to prod you along if you fall behind. There's no shame in seeking help if you can't accomplish your resolution on your own.

The last two bullet points are the main ingredient in accomplishing your goal. Group support and group involvement are key. Two heads are better than one and the power of synergy is great! This is where social support and accountability come into play. “Birds of a feather flock together “. Like minds think and accomplish things together. Join a support/ interest group, or better yet a fitness boot camp because then you will have a support group that you will first began to become close with and then become accountable to because of the bond that you have established with that particular group.

The clients who have had the most success with us have undergone their transformation with the support of other friends or family members. This is so critical, especially since most of the poor food and drinking choices that sabotage one’s progress occur on the weekend, when most people hang out with their friend and family. If they are committed with you and your goal to get fit and look better, you can put yourself in a much better position to realize the success your desire and deserve. The last thing anybody needs is sabotage or peer pressure from those closest to you, so get them on board and get them on board early.

Finally, remember Rome wasn’t built in a day. The little things add up. The power of momentum will catapult you to greatness and success. The goal is to accomplish a New YEAR’S resolution, not New month, or New couple of months, or New Spring Break resolution; therefore, continue to work at your goal and believe that the small changes ARE AND WILL pay off in the long run even though right now you may not see them.

Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare. The hare was quick to come out of the blocks and sped past the tortoise; however, the tortoise keep on pushing through and making small progressive accomplishments until it won the race, shocking the hare and the world with its accomplishment. You too need to think like the tortoise don’t start off strong to find yourself no where to be found at the end of the race, frustrated and disappointed with where you were at the end of 2009. This is a marathon/ endurance race not the 200 meter sprint. Pace yourself and remember that you will get your crown if you work your goals that you have set forth. Don’t worry about tomorrow, or the next week, or next month just get through today with accomplishing whatever the goal is that you have set out for TODAY. You can’t make it to the top of the ladder without first taking the first step!

GOOD LUCK.

Personal Trainer in Charlotte, NC