Dec 31, 2012

I don’t know about you but this was a pretty interesting year.  I like to, at the end of each year, gauge the previous 12 months.  I do put some weight on the things I saw or new, tangible, things I acquired.  But I have to be honest, I care more about things I learned, accomplished, didn’t accomplish..more intangible things than anything else…

But this was a very weird year for me… I’ve never been happier in my life.  I don’t know what happened to make it though.  I didn’t get a pay raise.  I didn’t get more clients.  I didn’t get a new car (I actually traded in a pretty rad Jeep for more practicality).

Feb 3, 2012

“Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor.”

- Brian Tracy

That’s very cute and poetic and all, but it’s wrong.

Today I want to illustrate the single most divisive characteristic of success vs non-success.  It can be applied in all sorts of fields, not just fitness.  It’s something that unfortunately so few have, but it’s attainable by all…and it’s also the common denominator amongst all successful people in any avenue in life.

Purpose is neutral.  When you have it, you can create magic or you can create hell.

So here’s hoping that by the end of this post, I can shed some light on the one that that’s holding you back from really getting your fitness goals

…

The other day I was working out at a gym in Delray Beach when I struck up a conversation with a guy who went on to tell me his struggle to go from in-shape to being “jacked”.  He told me his goal was to get to 190lbs with only 7% body fat…pretty lofty but attainable expectation (btw, for girls reading this that’s a target most guys working out shoot for so you can substitute that for your dream figure).

Looking at him like I don’t understand what that (“jacked”) means, I said to him “I don’t understand what that means…”

the other dude: “Basically, I wanna be ripped in the stomach and have huge cut arms”

me: “So what’s the struggle?”

other dude: “My diet sucks.  I eat really clean during the week but I drink a ton and eat like sh** on the weekends”

me: “So what’s it worth..to look the way you want to look?”

other dude: (blank, dumb stare…..)

By all means my little friend here has a goal.  He knows what he wants which is why he’s set up to achieve it, right?

No.

Although he knew what he wanted he couldn’t answer why he wanted it which is why he will fall short.

You see, regardless of your fitness goal, all targets can be boiled down to one of three deep down reasons or purpose.

1.  Vanity – “I love the attention I get from others.”

2.  Health – “Everyone my family died of a heart attack, which is why I have to live a healthy life” 

3.  Performance – “I want to be the number 1 golfer in the world”

What I just listed up there aren’t goals…they’re reasons.  ”Purposeful action” as I like to call it.

If you really want to lose the 20 lbs of post-baby weight that’s great!  The single most important question you have to answer is whether losing that 20 lbs is worth the inconvenience of preparing separate meals for yourself from your family.

Or having to exercise 4-5 times per week despite your crazy schedule and heavy responsibilities.

If the answer is “no”, then you don’t have a strong enough reason…the goal is nothing more than just….a goal!  But the reason behind that has to be strong enough for you to act and act purposefully!  Where regardless of circumstances (holiday party, 4th of July, New Year’s, birthday, everyone telling you to have just one drink, etc).

Is it what you’re looking to achieve/gain more important then:

…being the one guy not drinking despite pressure from others to “just have one”?

…skipping workouts because it’s [insert your own vice]?

…sleeping an extra half hr and not prepping your days worth of meals/snacks?

I’m not asking you this in an inflammatory way.  Instead these are the real questions you have to ask yourself when setting any kind of goal.  Are you willing to skip the path of least resistance?

Below I’ve listed a few targets that actual personal training clients of mine have given me….and then in parenthesis I’ve given you their actual reason..I didn’t make these up, these are real reasons…

1.  “I want to lose 40 lbs before for my daughter’s graduation in May” (I’m going to see my ex-husband for the first time in 2 years and want to show him how amazing I look).

2.  ”I want to lose 75 lbs and gain as much strength as possible” (My husband has a degenerative disorder and is wheelchair bound.  I don’t have the strength or stamina to move him in and out of the chair as I’m going to have to have).

3.  ”I want to lose 20 lbs” (I’ve tried so many times to get in shape but my family always held me down saying that I’m always going to be this size)

…like I said these are real dreams and reasons from real boot camp clients I’ve trained.  I’ll let you guess how many of them achieved what they set out to do

You can judge their motives all you want, but the fact is this.  The power to get them and keep them on track comes from intangible, unmeasurable purpose.  Things no one can give you other than yourself.

If you’re struggling to find that, that’s ok.  In regards to just fitness though, you can find a purpose to have the best look and feel every by asking yourself:

“If failure didn’t exist and I could create the perfect ‘me’, what would it look like?”

Answer that question in as full detail as possible.  It may be something far away from what you are now and that’s cool…it’s still attainable.

From there the road becomes simple as you just back track from where it is you ultimately want to go to where you are now.

And finally, is that road worth taking to where you want to go?

If ‘yes’, start driving…

 

 

 

Shameless plug:  This post is parallel to “yo-yo’ers” or people who have achieved some good fitness results but can’t seem to keep them for long.  If that sounds like you and are looking for a long-term successful fitness outlook, give us a buzz at (561) 994-0765 or email kal[at]bocafitbody[dot]com.

 

 

Sep 26, 2011

Hey there-

Hope you’re doing fantastic!

About a month ago I announced to my clients that I’ve signed up for a 5k (3.2 miles) charity race that benefited Food For The Poor, an awesome charity that provides…..well… food for the poor.

Anycase, I put together a sign up sheet to see who’d be interested in joining me and was really proud to see a list of 27 members in total running/walking Saturday’s race.

Now full disclosure: we raised a ton of money to a very worthwhile cause, but I have to admit that the underlying reason for me to really push this race to my clients is because I knew a bunch have never run a race before and the thought of running 3.2 miles, while may or may not be a big deal to you….it was pretty daunting for a lot of them!

If you’ve read any of my mindset blog posts, mainly my last one about weight loss motivation, you’ll know I’m a big fan of negative motivation through positive preparation…and if you’re new to this site and wondering why a personal trainer is talking about negative motivation, you’ll hopefully have a better understanding in a sec…

First, here are some pics of the fun we all had Saturday:

 

 

 

You see, running 3.2 miles is nothing.  A lot of my clients who ran the race complained that they never have run more than a single mile so the thought of running 3X that plus the thought of a formal competition caused a lot of anxiety for them.

What I just explained above is one of my favorite feelings and it’s one so few people in life get to experience because we love to be safe and in our comfort zone where we won’t be challenged or discomforted.  But that feeling of knowing you’re about to do something you’ve never done before leads to great things!

With that said you can imagine the euphoria these same people had after running the race!  Three people told me directly that they had no clue they had the fitness level or endurance to do such a feat and everyone of them have already asked me for the next fitness challenge.

And so the power of positive preparation (personal training 3-5 times per week, sticking to a diligent fat loss meal plan) meets the negative motivation (setting the bar higher than you think you’re capable of achieving at this present moment).

I hope this gives you just another idea on the power of motivation and how to get and stay motivated!

Talk soon,

 

Kal

Boca Raton personal fitness trainer

 

 

 

Sep 5, 2011

Hey again-

I’ve been m.i.a the past couple of weeks, kinda laying low and taking some time off…I’m gonna be leaving Boca Raton for a week as I head back up to NY for my wedding, so I’ll be sure to keep you updated on fitness and weight loss info, plus some soon-to-be incriminating wedding photos:)

Anyway, I wanted to share something really important nonetheless with you today.  See, I’ve said it a million times that your mindset is the make or break to getting the look and feel you want in yourself…the same can be said for financial success and even general happiness in life.

It’s no wonder then, that the number one trouble people have when I meet them and even as we work together as personal trainer/client is staying motivated.  The thing is motivation in regards to exercising is kinda tricky.  You’d think that the desire to look great, feel confident about yourself, feel really healthy and have a ton of energy would be enough motivation to get and keep your butt on track…but that only happens for a select few….so I got to thinking why?

If you’re anything like me, the benefits I just listed (feeling better, confident, etc) does squat to motivate me.  When the rare feeling of laziness kicks in, you’re not gonna get my butt off the couch by saying that “I’ll feel better”..nope!  But you know what will get my butt off the couch?  Just tell me that I’ll turn into an overweight slob personal trainer and nobody will want to work with me because I’m such a bad example!

Did ya catch what the difference was there? Benefits don’t hold nearly the weighing power over me as much as consequences do.  At the end of the day you’re motivated by either the pleasure of gain, or the fear of pain.  Take a look at the scenarios below:

1.  Your boss comes up to you and tells you about a new project that you’re assigned to.  It’s not an easy project, as a matter of fact it’s gonna take you quite a bit out of your comfort zone.  However if you nail this project there’s a significant possibility for promotion and a healthy bonus.

or…

2.  Your boss comes up to you and tells you about a new project that you’re assigned to.  It’s a tough project, and the company has a lot of vested interest in the results.  Stakes are high and unless you nail this project, there’s a significant possibility you’re getting canned!

Which of these scenarios would cause you to jump out of your seat and get to work right away?

There is no right or wrong answer.  In fact whichever you choose says a great deal about how you can set your mindset in regards to getting great results!

Perfect example.  A client of mine was having a tough time staying motivated (this is a tell-tale sign of not having a clear target or mindset to follow).  She’s already in great shape and looks fantastic…anyway, she cut her hair pretty drastically.  Unfortunately I don’t know a thing about hair styles or terms so I just put up a picture below of the general idea of her hair style:

Well she admitted to me that a small piece of her cut her hair almost as a motivational tool.  Apparently this sort of hair style calls for a “structured jaw” (I just learned that) and that having a round “fat face” is the kiss of death with this style.

So what I’m saying is she is negatively preparing for fat loss success (not a clinical term…totally made up).  Now some people might argue that this isn’t “positive” behavior but I say screw that and them!

You know yourself best…you know what one or two words can really get you going either by exciting you or by pissing you off.  Either way is cool in my book.  In fact, the great Michael Jordan revolutionized how to get motivated by retribution, revenge, anger, and a “must-kill” attitude…all considered negative emotions.

So the point is, if you’re someone who gets motivated by the thought of struttin’ a knock-out body in a 2-piece or if you’re the person that’s motivated by fear of ridicule from others…you’re right and don’t let others’ perfect La-La Land definition of motivation deter you from taking action towards your fat loss goals.

So go out there and get motivated you soon to be Egyptian goddess…………..or you lazy bum

See ya soon-

Kal

 

Jul 7, 2011

“The internet is fast becoming a cesspool where false

information thrives!”

-Eric Schmidt, CEO

Google

Hey ya’ll-

Or is it y’all??

Anyway, hope you’re kickin ass and takin names…it’s a perfect south florida rainy day today that made this Boca Raton personal trainer wanna veg around until I just read an idiotic NY Times article that made me just about lose my mind, so I apologize ahead of time if you see more curse words than usual.  I normally try to sprinkle them in to add emphasis but no guarantees today!

Ok, let’s have some fun…

I remember back in college, I had to take a course called something like “Study Sciences”.  Basically it was a class on how to read exercise and nutrition studies and research.  At the time I thought, “Man what a joke of a course”…who knew that years later aside from physiology, I would reference that class more than anyother.

At the time, my prof told us that in our careers we’d come across ten’s if not hundred’s of thousands of fitness and nutrition studies all trying to disprove the previous and that we need to know how to go through these articles in order to call bulls*** when necessary.

A lot of skeptics and conspiracy theorists would tell you that these doctors and researches are funded by big business for the outcomes to be in their own private interest….like say ohhh I don’t know, The Corn Farmers of America (made that up) investing a ton of money to show that high fructose syrup isn’t bad for ya, but actually healthy instead…so eat up kids!

Anycase, that whole theory is for another day…

The point I’m trying to make is this: there are zillions of studies out there that show carbs are good/carbs are bad…lift high volume and low weight/low vol & high wt…run then lift/lift then run, on and on and on…who do you listen to?

ME!

just kiddin, hehehe…

Seriously though, it can get really confusing and we humans don’t like to dig for facts a whole lot so we’ll wait for the guy on the TV at 2am to save the day by selling us the answer….a bar you eat to avoid hunger! Brilliant!!

A really smart dude and Markham Ontario personal trainer Dan Go has been preaching for sometime the old, and now new again, argument that there isn’t a significant difference  between eating 5-6  smaller meals per day vs 3 meals per day as long as calories and macro-nutrient levels are met.

It’s an interesting argument and definitely worth digging deeper…I’m not saying it’s right or wrong because frankly I haven’t done a ton of research on it…

Evidently, neither has Anahad O’Conner of the NY Times.  This nut and irresponsible writer cites a few studies done at The University of Toronto (love them btw) that help state the case for Dan Go and alike…you can read the NY Times article here.

The problem is he used a study in his article as a point of reference when:

1.  The study has so many flaws for starters – they used 7, count’m, 7 research subjects….all guys by the way and studied 3 meals a day vs 17 SNACKS A DAY!! Who the hell is eating 17 snacks a day?!

2.  The conclusion of the study makes the argument AGAINST eating less meals! (you can read the study here)

Again, I’m not making a case for or against how many meals a day to eat.

I’m just saying the next time you open up Women’s Health and they tell you to eat a small meal before going to bed (even though last month they told you not to) and they just so happen to cite “a study” done in Sweden with 3 girls for 5 days…not to start stuffing your face everynight before bed! (seriously, please don’t do that)

Remember Kaptain Kal’s here to serve and protect you from falling into fat loss traps that so many people get caught in and then find themselves doing anything, to desperately get themselves out! Stay focused, and stay and track

woo, I feel better already!

Have an awesome day,

-Kal

 

OH PS:

I’m really interested to find out what you think of the whole notion of eating more meals per day (5-6) or less(3) ?? Which would you prefer? Do you think eating your standard big breakfast, lunch, dinner has merit? I’d love to know, so leave a comment below….

 

 

Hey there and Happy 4th!

I’ve been getting some emails over the past couple weeks since I’ve been writing heavy about mindset as it not only relates to fitness and nutrition but life and happiness in general.

Honestly, in the past I’ve steered clear of talking about mindset and dealing with negativity, self-sabotage, and stuff like that because I didn’t want to act the role of psychiatrist…talk about irony because the more and more I’ve been teaching people about how to get a good mindset in life that’ll lead to your overall happiness and looking/feeling better, the better physical results they’ve gotten and the better their moods and behaviors have been too!

The thing is, the difference between success vs failure, rich vs poor, fat vs thin, happy vs sad come down to the smallest differences…not your education, your childhood, or your thyroid…

Its the action steps you take or don’t take…the problem is the action steps you take or don’t take are all determined by thoughts going through your head and what happens next as a result of those thoughts…

Fear of failure, rejection, separation, humiliation, are thoughts that creep into everybody’s head I don’t care who you are.  So why is it still that some are able to persevere and others are owned by those same thoughts?

I can tell you that I’ve been both…someone who’s been owned by negative thoughts and cynical views of things and also the guy who’s been able to overcome those same negative thoughts and achieve goals I didn’t think were even possible just a few short years ago…

So the point is I’ve fallen in love with sharing my story and strategies to help others do the same!

The problem is as much as helping folks out and as much fun as it’s been to see so many “Ah-ha!” moments in peoples’ faces…it’s been holding me back on other things I’ve been working on to move my personal training business forward.

So here’s where I want to hear from you…I’m putting a brand new program together for people who feel like they’re stuck and if they could just get on track mentally, they could start seeing financial, mental, physical, and spiritual success…current clients or not I don’t care…you don’t have to be an active member of Boca Fit Body.

Where we discuss things like:

• How to train yourself into the right mindset for achieving any fitness, work, or life goal.

• How to set goals the right way and act out on them to prevent failure (the answer isn’t “be realistic” either!)

• Why we lack confidence and how we can get it back.

• How to control the negative, self-limiting beliefs that dominate our lives.

The calls and homework (yes, there’s homework….this stuff doesn’t just magically transform you), will be in a group setting over the phone and you can participate in the discussions or take it at your pace and lay-low and anonymous…it’s your call!

I’d be holding the discussions and bringing in guest speakers who’ve been in the trenches going through the same before and after mindset that I’ve experienced myself.

The calls will be weekly and then put on a private site for you to download too.

Now Here’s The Thing…

I’m not going to act like I’m a therapist and this definitely won’t be therapy…there are mental conditions and traumatic witnesses that this is definitely not for, and for which I’d recommend the help of a psycho-professional.

Instead I’ve been in the dumps of mentality and I know the feeling of not wanting to do anything and just lay in bed.  I also know what having an amazing, kick-ass mindset has done to my income, my personal training clients, my happiness, and my life!

So if you’re interested in achieving the same, just email me back at “Kal(at)bocafitbody(dot)com” and let me know you’d be in the very least interested in finding out more about the program when it launches! I’m not sure how many people I’ll open it up to but it’ll be for a small group of action-takers I can tell you that.

I really hope this is a window of opportunity for you to start dominating your fitness and life goals!

Thanks

Kal