Four Ways to Make Your Fitness Program a Priority
By Allan Nepomuceno
Weight loss for women and men alike can be a challenge, especially with all the demands life throws our way. Literally hundreds of busy people such as you overcome this challenge. But for every hundred who succeed, there are thousands who don't. The culprit for many people's lack of success in weight loss is...
... that they always put other people and/or other things before themselves. On paper that sounds noble and virtuous, but in real life it just doesn't pay off. Now there's a fine line between self-centeredness and hedonism, so I'm not saying to be a narcissistic jerk. Read on and I'll explain...
Here are the most common reasons people fail to implement one or more of the essential components of fitness (diet, resistance training, cardiovascular exercise, rest) to their weight loss programs:
1) Their jobs
2) Their family
3) Their friends (social life)
Obviously these 3 things listed are necessities in life, but should these 3 things take precedence over one's self? NEVER! Don't mistake me either. I'm not insinuating neglect. I am suggesting that for one to have an effective role for the things that are most important to us, one must first take control of their lives and well-being and make themselves their priority.
How effective would you be at work if you were constantly sick, sluggish, and tired? How good of a parent would you be to your children if you didn't have the energy to play with them or to take part in their lives in and out of school? How great of a friend would you be to your friends if you were always on empty?
The success of your weight loss program is contingent on your ability to make yourself a priority.
Here are 4 ways to make YOUR fitness program a priority...
1) Don't feel guilty - it's not a bad thing to make yourself #1. You're merely taking the time to tend to your own needs which will ultimately make you a more effective parent, friend, and employee. Taking time to begin an exercise program is not something to feel guilty about. As a matter of fact, many clients who we've helped have found out how much more productive they've become as a result of focusing in on their fitness levels.
Before any commercial airplane takes off, the flight attendant will always go over the pre-flight safety details with the passengers. One thing they'll always mention is the instructions of a how to use the oxygen masks in the event of an emergency. Do they ever tell you to help others first THEN fit your own mask? No. Even if you have children under your care, they'll always advise you to fit your own mask first then help those under your care. This isn't an act of selfishness, but rather a way to ensure you can become more effective for those around you who you love and care dearly for.
Don't feel guilty for making yourself a priority as it will benefit others too.
2) Redefine Priority - Who is more productive during an 8-hour day? One who is drained, constantly fatigued, and who lacks self-fulfillment or one who is focused, energetic, and fulfilled person? I'd say the latter. I'd even venture to say that the focused individual can accomplish more in 8 hours that the drained individual can in 12. Which one are you?
I'm sure that your job is high on your priority list, so you'd be doing yourself an injustice by neglecting your health and fitness. You can cut your sick days down to a bare minimum and increase your productivity simply by taking yourself in consideration first before tending to the needs and demands at work. Acknowledge the impact your time has for your "priorities" and leverage some of that time & attention for yourself as you would for the things that are most important to you.
Take the time to eat 4-6 nutritious meals & snacks each day
Schedule 30-60 minutes each day to exercise
Refuse anything but the healthiest, most nutritious food (and this doesn't have to be that unpalatable rabbit food either)
If your family, friends, and job are genuinely your priority then you should be too!
3) Leverage the Power of No - and no, that's not the book by Eckhart Tolle (Power of Now), but it is just as important. It is commonplace for a selfless person to want to please those around him or her all the time.
This oftentimes entails agreeing to do things, or to attend functions, or simply put -- to overextend oneself in order to make others happy. The inevitable fate of this person is burnout. The worst thing is that when that selfless person burns out, life continues with or without him.
Learning the power of 'no' can keep you from over-extending yourself and ultimately burning out. More importantly, it sends the message that other things in your life have precedence over whatever was asked of you. Now I'm not talking about saying 'no' to your responsibilities. But I am talking about those other pesky things that clamor for your time that serve little or no benefit to your well-being.
It's not wrong to say no every now and then. In fact, saying 'no' will help you define what really is important to you as you will find more time to tend to those things.
4) Gain the Support of Those High on Your Priority List - I believe that gaining the support of your friends, family, co-workers, etc will help you succeed in any endeavor that you set out for, especially starting a weight loss program. Now it may not be the easiest thing to do, but it will by far be the most helpful to you! By doing so, you will be forming your own personal team who supports you when things get tough and who'll serve as a reminder of why you set those goals to begin with. Let them know why you need to do this for yourself and how it will make you into a better person. Your loved ones will be sure to support you!
You are important! You are worth the time! Don't think for even a second that your own well-being should take second to everyone else's. As a client of ours jokes, "This is my world and you just happen to be here." That of course is said light-heartedly, but in a sense I saw truth in that joke. Make this YOUR world and take control and make yourself a priority. Weight loss for women and men isn't impossible, even with your busy schedule. Make yourself your priority and I'll see you at the top!
Allan Nepomuceno, San Diego Fitness Expert
http://SanDiegoFitnessPros.com
Catholic Meditation – Tradition and Practice
spiritualcatholic.com
Meditation is a very special method of praying. Prayer is bringing your mind, soul and spirit to God’s presence, to God Almighty himself. In a regular prayer, you use words to articulate your thoughts (out loud or silently). But when you meditate, instead of using your voice, you use your imagination – thoughts inside your mind.
WHAT IS CATHOLIC MEDITATION?
"Meditation" in the Roman Catholic Traditions is a completely different experience from the concepts of eastern religions, where "meditation" involves not thinking about things and exercises emptiness of the mind. Catholic (or Christian) meditation is simply the opposite:
it is a very active mental task, a kind of prayer where we are trying to reach the depth of God’s message to us. The best meditation will be based on The Holy Scriptures and texts written when inspired by the Holy Bible.
The Goal. Our goals in meditation are:
• experiencing deep presence of God
• gaining understanding of God
• gaining better understanding of God’s truths
• development of our spiritual life
• growth of our Faith
• to bring full divine peace to our life
Meditation is very effective in fighting depression, fear and uncertainty in our lives. It brings God’s order and develops trust in God. It helps us greatly to receive God’s help and advice. It helps us also to receive answers for our prayers. Simple reading of inspirations written for meditation will also greatly help you.
The place. Place obviously will be your home or church. You can prepare one of the rooms in certain way to boost your meditation experience. Church when outside hours will give you also excellent meditation experience but less comfort and fewer possibilities. I strongly recommend that you meditate at home.
The time. Meditation more than any other prayer requires dedicated time. When regular prayer and Catholic Spoken Meditation can be also done “on the go” (beside regular organized timely prayer not instead!). Traditional Catholic Meditation must have special time, far from other people and noise. Early morning hours (4-7pm) are the best especially when you live with other people or kids. Morning is also good because your mind is clear, fresh and your thoughts are just flowing.
Reward of Meditation. Catholic Meditation if done properly and based on right subjects may bring amazing results to your life. Your spiritual life will skyrocket, your understanding of God himself will quickly grow and your prayers finally will be answered! Meditation influences greatly way you pray and more of your prayers will be answered.
Meditation itself. 4 steps of Catholic-style meditation:
1. Place yourself in God's presence. God is Spirit and He is everywhere but you can experience his presence much stronger and even literally feel it if you follow certain steps. Sometimes He appears as a cloud flowing through your mind, sometimes you are in a cloud of His presence (most of the times you feel the cloud but don’t see it). Many times I had an experience when I was in such a presence of God that everything I could think of was extremely distant, all earthly problems were gone and my mind was in perfect peace. I could say that it was like in Heaven - state of pure joy, happiness and peace. I was in such a state even half an hour.
2. Ask for God's help. Ask God to lead you in your meditation, to give you right thoughts and protect from wrong ones. Honor God and give him all the credit for your success in meditation. I do not recommend asking Saints for help at this time because meditation is a process of direct connection with God Almighty; meditation is putting you into His presence.
3. Actual meditation. How we proceed during meditation depends on what is the subject and exact verse from the Holy Bible. If you are meditating about certain scene from Gospels you can follow 3 steps.
First step:
• imagine the scene you are meditate on
• imagine the place: houses, street, mountain, trees, animals
• imagine the weather: wind, sun, temperature
• imagine the sounds and smells: voices, animals, noise, wind, flowers, plants, forest, sea, fish
• imagine the people involved: Jesus, Mary, Apostles, crowd, fishermen
• imagine the situation: what people are doing, what they are talking about, body language, emotions,
Second step:
• imagine yourself in that place
• imagine that you see what they see
• imagine that you smell and feel what they do (smells, wind )
• imagine yourself interacting with them, talking, asking questions
• imagine talking to main person (Jesus, Mary, one of the Apostles)
Third step:
• talk with them and ask questions,
• hear the answer!
• ask further questions to get more precise answer,
• write down the questions and answers!
4. Give thanks.
First you thank God for helping you to meditate. Thank Him for revealing to you divine truths and giving you peace, advice, hope and help. Honor God and give him all the credit for your success in meditation.
The meditation is complete. God bless.
At Home Fitness with Robert Reames
Are you trying to lose weight but don't have the time or money to go to an expensive gym? Renowned trainer and nutritionist Robert Reames offers the following tips on how you can work out right in your own home!
When I go into a home, a yard or an office, I see the makings of a fitness facility. The awesome news is what I see costs you nothing and is ready for you to use.
The following exercises can transform your home into a gym to help you accomplish your fitness goals:
• Walls. Plain wall space can be a support for exercises like wall push-ups, wall sits, wall squats or a place of support for all standing leg lift exercises.
• Water bottles and/or soup cans. These common household items provide excellent dumbbells that you can use for various exercises.
• Chairs. A basic chair provides a piece of equipment for tricep chair dips, chair squats (where you use the chair as a target for your form and range of motion), support for lunges and any standing leg lifts. You can also perform a bent over rowing exercise using the chair for stability and the water bottles for weights.
• The floor. So many exercises can be done
on the floor, including both knee and standard push-ups, crunches, "Supermans," bridges or to even use the floor as a bench for chest presses with your homemade dumbbells. You can also get to work on your favorite exercise DVDs.
• Stairs. Whether you use the stairs to the basement, upstairs or just a few steps that you may have in your home or backyard, stair climbing is one of the most outstanding ways to get a great cardio workout while at the same time tone and develop your entire lower body. Remember: Go quickly up the stairs, but always walk down while holding on to the banister. Indoor or outdoor steps provide a great opportunity to put on your favorite tunes and create your own step aerobics class.
These are just few great ideas to achieve fitness goals and maintain optimum health. Working out doesn’t take money; it takes commitment, and it’s all about making the right choices. Remember to focus on the Big Four: time efficient exercise, solid nutrition, proper rest and stress management. Maximize and balance these four aspects of life, and you’ll operate at peak levels, and have optimum control over your weight and your health for a lifetime.
Robert Reames is the creator of the Robert Reames Lifestyle Transformation System, author of Make Over Your Metabolism and head trainer and nutritionist for Dr. Phil’s Ultimate Weight Loss Solution.
Apple Crisp
From Thatsfit.com
The traditional topping for sliced apples is a combination of brown sugar and butter, which really adds a lot of empty calories to this dish.
I will make a healthier topping with oatmeal, canola oil and maple syrup.
Ingredients
• 8 to 10 medium-sized apples, peeled and sliced
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Spread apples over the bottom of the dish and sprinkle with sugar.
3. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix together until crumbly. Press over apple mixture.
4. Cover with tin foil and bake for about 45 minutes until the apples are soft. Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes to brown the topping.
Serves: 12
Nutrition Content (per serving)
195 calories, 41 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 38 g carbohydrates, 20 g sugars, 4 g fiber, 3 g protein, 2 mg sodium
PHOTOS: carltonassociatesinc.com, fineneedle.com, hubpages.com, ellies-whole-grains.com
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