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Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Refocus

I'm excited to still be here with you guys and experiencing this change process.  Last week we focused on greatness and I'm sure that you all see the greatness that's inside of you.  If not, lets discover it, embrace it and work like heck to keep it.  I have to say that I'm over joyed with the participation in class, the numbers are growing, which is great, but the quality of work that you guys are putting into the workout is awesome.  I know some things are happening because Lisa P (birthday girl), stopped me and said she was 9 pounds away from where whe was prior to her wrist injury.  The smile on her face told me that she was excited about the change, but also that she was looking forward to that next level.  Another new member is Bridget, friend of Deacon B, who started with us about a week or so ago.  I saw her in class struggling to make, but she kept smiling through the pain.  After class, she said, I have to get this weight off, so many things in my life will change, not to mention, I will feel better.  Those words were very important and touched me at my core to hear her want to work through the pain, with the goal of improving her overall quality of life.  That's what we are working for guys, to improve our quality of life.  We can't loose focus on why we work out.  This week is about refocusing on our body, mind and meal plans.  BM2


Body
 We all have our own personal reasons as to why we work out.  Ultimatley, I believe we all want some cosmetic changes that we can see and maybe show off to others, but we can't overlook our overall health. Its important to build lean muscle, tone and enhance our cardio vascular system.  Its difficult to accomplish those three elements without some commitment and dedication.  There are a few things we need to know about changing our body. Realize there is no such thing as spot reducing. You can increase the strength of a certain part of your body, but unless you shed the overall excess body fat, you won't be able to see the definition.  That's why we do a mixture of strength training and cardio during each class.   Did you know that strength training creates an afterburn effect, meaning your metabolism continues to burn calories at a higher rate even after the exercise is over?  I don't know how many people have told me that an hour after some workouts, "I'm still burning T".  Thats a great example of the afterburn effect of strenght training.  Finally, don't overlook the importance of cardiovascular training in your workout. Aerobic exercise will increase the number of calories you burn and enhance your endurance. 

Mind
The mental aspect of working out is more important than the workout itself.  Mental focus is the KEY to a better workout.  If you can't focus on why you are going to the gym, remain focued why you are there on the proper form and gains you are about to receive, then mentally reward yourself for showing up and showing out, you wasted your time.   It's been said that the mind is a terrible thing to waste, well when you combine it with time, it's double trouble for you.  Let's take time this week to refocus mentally on the importance of why we want to change, what it will do for us and the positve feelings that accompany that change.  All of those things are accomplished by starting and maintaining our mental focus.  THOUGHTS lead to FEELINGS and feelings lead to ACTIONS.   If you want some to have some great changes happening with that body, focus on great thoughts, then embrace those great feelings that will follow and finally, blow yourself away with your great actions at work, school, church, gym and ............ You fill in the blank. 


MEAL Plan
Please don't overlook the importance of the right meal plan.  If you notice, I didn't say diet.  A meal plan is for life, not the old I will change my diet for the special occassion.  Hopefully, you are looking at how you can change your overall lifestyle with this meal plan.  There are so many areas that you can see the benefit of a meal plan.  The first thing I feel we need to know is that meal plans change, they are not set in stone.  Next, you have to figure out what works for your body by trying different meals, what works for you and your activity level may not work for me.   We all shoud be familiar with the daily values and food groups.  I have those posted on the blog from January for you to review.  Many of us need supplements, for example vitamins because we fail to get all the nutrients from the foods we consume.  I understand if you don't believe in vitamins, thats a choice.    I have a few tips listed below that will hopefully assist you with achieving a realistic meal plan that will work for you. 

  •  Eat smaller meals 3-5 times per day.
• Eat nutrient dense foods such as whole grains, lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables.
 
• Eat slowly, and wait 10-15 minutes before taking second helpings.
 
• Don’t eliminate everything you like from your diet. Eat those things in small amounts (pizza, candy, cookies, etc.).
 
• Prepare healthy snacks that are easily available (cut carrots, apples, etc.).
 
• Avoid buffets.
 
• Drink plenty of water, especially immediately before meals.

  •  Enjoy a variety of foods that will provide essential nutrients.
• Three-quarters of your lunch and dinner should be vegetables, fruits, cereals, breads, and other grain products. Snack on fruits and vegetables. Eat lots of dark green and orange vegetables. Choose whole-grain and enriched products more often.
 
• Choose lower-fat dairy products, leaner meats and alternatives, and foods prepared with little or no fat. Shop for low fat (2% or less) or fat-free products such as milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese. Eat smaller portions of leaner meats, poultry, and fish; remove visible fat from meat and the skin from poultry. Limit the use of extra fat like butter, margarine, and oil. Choose more peas, beans, and lentils
 
• Limit salt, caffeine, and alcohol. Minimize the consumption of salt. Cut down on added sugar such as jams, etc. Limit beverages with a high caffeine content (tea, sodas, chocolate drinks) and caffeinated coffee to two cups per day. Minimize alcohol to one to two drinks per week.
 
• Limit consumption of snack foods such as cookies, donuts, pies, cakes, potato chips, etc. They are high in salt, sugar, fat, and calories, and low in nutritional value.
 
• Eat in moderation. Pay close attention to portion size and serving size, there is a difference. 
 
 
I know those three areas we have are very broad and there's a lot of information.  This is all about refocusing on our goals and moving to that next level.  I know you can do it, keep believing in you, I won't stop BELIEVING. 
 
 
VIP's: 
 Two of the ladies had birthdays that I heard about, LISA P was over there at Copelands and had a big crowd.  We had a blast along with her family.   SHARON (Deacon B) was having a lunch at Cheddars and I had to drop through to chill with her and Nore and Troy.  We had a blast there too.  Make sure yall give them a big shout out for their birthday if you haven't already. 
 
Carl was the featured artist at WORD over Latte's 7720 Linwood Ave on Monday night @ 7.  I missed the performance, but Nore said it was off the chain.  Carl going (HAM) on that mic.  I look forward to experiencing his spoken word. 
 
I'm excited about the addition of my girl BG to the class, I call her Brandi.  You can't miss her because she always show up and show out in there.  She is in school and took some time off, but all I have to say is SHE"S BACK and I love it. 
 
My new girl is Bridgett.  I'm truly excited about her because she has a smile that lights up the room, even when she going through that pain in the workout.  Bridgett followed Deacon B in the class about a week ago and she has signed up and is going hard.  Let's all encourage her, you know I'm going too. 
 
Finally, it's with GREAT Pleasure that we will have a new addition to WANDA"S family.  Wanda is my home girl with the big guns that works over at LSU in PEDS, and she running things over there too.  Now she said they threatened to arrest her for the two guns that she was totting everyday to work. Somehow, T name came up and I helped her to get those arms looking like that.  Now yall know when it comes to the LAW, I don't know nothing about no guns.  Wanda built those arms on her own as well as her body.  Back to the real news,  WANDA is expecting and she won't be with us for a little while, the baby can't squat and crawl and pull and jump and punch and kick, it's too DAM much.  SO WANDA and her husband made the Executive Decision to put WANDA and those guns on hold while the new baby grows and gets ready to burst on the scene in October.  If the month is wrong, ask her, she sent the message.  I'm excited about their new addition and she said she would stop by and holler at us.   Congrats again to you WANDA and this is normal business hours.   FYI: Now don't nobody say the wrong thing about the guns, its a joke. 

                 



  

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