Setting new goals for 2013!

As I was writing my New Years resolution this morning a new email arrived in my inbox from one of my own coaches, Rachel Cosgrove. In her newest blog post Rachel talks about "Your Journey" and taking inventory of where you are on your journey and where you want to go in the next year.

Rachel's words got me thinking about 2013 and my New Year's Resolution in new light. Instead of creating one massive life altering resolution (and one that I will probably be very unlikely to stick with) like...get in "fitness model" shape, or... completely cut sugar out of my life forever, what if instead I map out my resolution as a journey throughout the year, breaking it down into monthly goals?... a more user-friendly version of the typical New Year's resolution.

So my new New Year's resolution is structured like this.

I have created smaller goals, incorporating new goals on the first day of each month while maintaining the previous month's goal. I will use my monthly goals as an itinerary of sorts that will aid me in knowing where I am heading throughout the year. 

My goals are organized into three categories: Fitness/Nutrition, Business and Family life. I have created one goal per month for each category By the end of the year I will have worked on 36 smaller resolutions, which will help propel me down the path to what I really want...  to feel better and look better, to make a difference in other peoples lives and to grow a happy family!

Is your New Year's resolution user-friendly? If not, consider what you really want in the next year and develop an itinerary of

smaller goals to create a successful journey throughout 2013. Try using this SMART goal plan that I came across while preparing for my Whole30 challenge (which completing successfully is my nutrition goal for January).

•   S is for Specific. "Work out more" is an airy goal, hard to wrap your arms around. "Walk outside for 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week" gives you something to really visualize, and measure.

•   M is for Measurable. Make sure you have a means to measure your success. Ask yourself, "How much?" "How many?" and "How often?"

•   A is for Attainable. Create a goal you can actually accomplish in a healthy manner, given your current context. "I will exercise for an hour every day during my Whole30" is probably not realistic. Don't set yourself up to fail for aiming too high - stretch goals are good, but make sure they're still do-able.

•   R is for Relevant. If your big-picture goal is to make your body healthier, signing up for a fun baking class may not be the best path. Your goals should all support each other, so think big-picture, and save fun-but-not-as-relevant goals for another time.

•   T is for Timely. Make sure your efforts have a set beginning and end point. We'll do that for you... start each goal by saying, "By the end of my Whole30 program, I will have..." 

I will write more about the Whole30 challenge in my next fit tip!

Good luck with your goal setting and remember the key to success is progress, not perfection. If you have a setback along your journey don't give up, press the reset button and keep moving onward!

Your coach,

Cecily

Dale's Raw Protein

This week's Fit Tip is inspired by our guest post on Market Square Musings--our favorite blog! Check out our post here!

Are you giving it your all in the gym only to come up with less than stellar results? Are you wondering why you’re not showing off beautifully sculpted arms and legs with a six-pack to die for? …… Well, the problem could be that you are not recovering from your workouts the way you should. It’s not exercise itself that shapes new, lean muscle tissue, but the recovery process that takes place after all your hard work is done.

The secret ingredient that may be missing in your recovery is a clean, raw protein sourced from plants. Our bodies require access to protein to start the repair process where timing is everything. We should ingest a good source of protein within 30 minutes after exercise to replenish the muscle and start the regeneration process. At RealFit gym we recommend 20-25 grams of clean protein within 20-30 minutes of your workout.

We rely on Dale’s Raw Protein Powder and Raw Protein Bars to get our regeneration off to a great start!  Not only do Dale’s products taste great, but they are also the purest, easiest form of protein for our bodies to digest. Dales protein powders contain rice, hemp and pea protein and come in three flavors. Dales raw protein bars come in many delicious flavors like Cherry Pistachio and Chocolate Almond Coconut! They contain only the highest quality, natural and organic ingredients.  Either a scoop of the powder or a bar are a great choice after a hard workout as they both contain 22 grams of protein to get you started quickly on the road to recovery.

If you choose the powder try this delicious recipe:

RealFit Gym's Berry Protein Shake!

Try out our super tasty post-workout shake containing Dale's Raw Protein!

Ingredients:

1 c organic mixed frozen berries

2 tbsp coconut milk

1/2 c ice

1/2 c coconut water

1 scoop of Dale's Raw Protein powder

1 tbsp chia seeds or flax seeds (optional)

Directions: Mix all ingredients in a blender until all ingredients are blended. Makes one serving. 

Don’t allow all of your hard work in the gym to go to waste. Give Dale’s Raw Protein Powder and Raw Bars a try and get the results you deserve! Stop by RealFit Gym or click here to pick up your stash today!

Holiday Hold 'Em!

With Halloween behind us and Thanksgiving less than 3 weeks away we are fast approaching the "Holiday Zone," the 6 weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years in which many of us become immersed in all sorts of overindulgence; a period in which the average American gains between 2 and 8 lbs of fat! Yes, some of this gain will be temporary and will be lost when the partying stops, but more than half of those who gain will hold onto at least 1-2 lbs of this fat, adding it permanently to their "bottom" line. Fast forward a few years, and we're no longer rockin' it...but more like stockin' it...not a pretty picture.

This year let's ring in the holidays with a strong plan of attack. Tis' the season to break the vicious cycle and put a hold on the yearly pile up. It will take a well formulated plan that allows for the joys of the season, while holding holiday fat gain at bay.

Approaching the holidays with organization and preparation is the key ingredient to holiday survival. We make lists and mark our calendars for parties, gift giving, home decorations, holiday groceries and so on. Why not use these same organizational skills and create lists and calendars with specific fitness and nutrition goals to be achieved each week to keep us in holiday fat burning zone! Our goal is to keep our body composition the same through the Holiday Zone!

So grab a calendar and start marking it IN PEN with the following challenges:

1) Designate 4 days of each week that you will make it to the gym and participate in a class or work on your own personal strength training plan. For each party that is scheduled for that same week you must stay at least 10 minutes after and do extra intervals of ropes or kettlebell swings. These extra minutes of work will add up to help boost your metabolism and keep you in the holiday fat burning zone.

2) Keep track of what you eat in a food log. Remember to save your splurges for the things that you most look forward to during the holidays. Plan for these splurges on your calendar. If Mom's rum balls are a must, or you can't survive without a mug of  warm wassail then you need to account for them on the day you will be splurging. The only splurges you are allowed are the ones you have planned for on your calendar. If you thoughtfully plan out your splurges you will be much more apt to stick to the plan.

3) Stay hydrated. Keep track of your water intake as well. Make sure you get enough to flush any extra holiday toxins out of your system.

4) Get 8 hours of sleep every night.  All the extra parties, shopping and decorating tend to cut into our shut eye. Mark your bedtime and what time you will get up in the morning on the calendar and stick to it! A favorite strategy of mine also includes the power nap. A short 20-30 minute power nap in the afternoon can work wonders for your energy levels! If you feel you are getting run down make sure to mark in a few power naps a week to keep you energized and in the holiday fat burning zone.

5) Manage Holiday Stress. We all know how stressful the holidays can be. Stress can promote the release of hormones that cause our bodies to store fat. To help relieve stress, mark in an activity weekly that will help calm your nerves. Perhaps a massage, warm bath, meditation...or a visit to the gym to foam roll, stretch and decompress!

6) Enlist a holiday accountability partner. Share your calendars with each other the week before Thanksgiving. Your workouts, splurges, water intake, sleep hours and relaxation techniques should be pre-planned and clearly marked in pen. Through the next 6 weeks check in with each other twice a week and, most importantly, hold each other accountable!

Keep the goal in mind, to maintain your body composition throughout the Holiday Zone! You WILL succeed, so plan a celebration in January...a day at the spa perhaps? And mark it on the calendar in pen!

Your coach,

Cecily

Baby Steps

When forming new habits it’s all about taking small steps, one at time. Most babies don’t walk clear across the room the first time they try, but instead they take a step or two, experience a little success and then add a few more steps with each new attempt. Before long they’ve grooved the new pattern and life for them (and you) will never be the same.

When people ask me about fat-loss and particularly what foods to eliminate, I try to premise my response with this “baby steps” analogy. In my experience, when we try and change too many things, or take too many new steps at once, we often fall. Most people have better success creating new health habits if they change one thing every two to three weeks, before attempting another new change.

Just like a baby we need to have success in our steps before we can continue down the path, so make sure your first attempts at creating change are ones you feel confident you can handle.

So, lets say your favorite food is pasta, we would not even talk about pasta at first.

Maybe instead you have been thinking of giving up milk. You don’t really drink full glasses of milk anymore and you would only really miss it in your coffee, so lets replace it with coconut milk or almond milk and see how that goes for a few weeks. 

When you have success with that change we might go ahead and try replacing white potatoes with sweet potatoes, or instead off eliminating a particular food, we add in more veggies for a few weeks.

Eventually after a few months of creating these new fat-loss lifestyle habits we would attempt replacing pasta with spaghetti squash or some of the other “paleo” type pastas that are on the market. By this point you will be seeing the small changes add up to big differences in your body composition and those earlier successes will drive your future success!

Your Coach,

Cecily