I want to make sure our readers understand that we don’t expect over night changes. That may seem like a common sense thing, but I know how challenging it can be to get in shape. More than that, I know how intimidating the whole “fitness world” can be when you feel like you’re “outside” looking “in”.

If anything, we know that for you to truly transform your body you have to first transform your mind, your thoughts about food, your thoughts about yourself, your thoughts about your abilities and more than anything else, what you truly believe is possible. That is something that VERY rarely comes overnight. It takes hard work. It takes failures and readjustments. It takes consistent effort and commitment. And most of all, it takes time.

I know for me, when I was at my lowest I had ballooned up to 275lbs… I never worked out. I saw a lot of my friends and my room mates “somehow” make time to go to the gym and I both envied and loathed them for doing what I just couldn’t. I never ate healthy – I practically lived off of Dr. Pepper. But when things started to click… when I realized that I was REALLY ready for a change I knew I was so addicted to my habits I couldn’t just drop everything cold turkey. I had tried that before and it never lasted. So, I slowly tested the water.

It started off with cutting back on certain things. I then worked on getting to the gym multiple times a week. And then I built off of each success I had. I focused on the times I had achieved what I wanted and learned from the mistakes and slip ups I made. But no matter what I kept going – I never stopped trying to do better and learn more. And that was the key.

So – I know a lot of our posts can seem intense. They can seem blunt or over the top or whatever. But really, we’re trying to spark some desire for change and we know that takes time. So don’t read everything and think to yourself, oh man, there’s just no way I could just suddenly do all that. That’s ok. Be honest with yourself – that’s the only way you’ll make a lasting change.

Set goals. Daily. Weekly. Monthly. Yearly. Whatever – but take this stuff one day at a time. If you think it’d be impossible for you to suddenly stop eating all processed carbs, then just start cutting back. Give up a little here and a little there. You’ll be amazed at how quickly that will start to breed more and more changes and what’s even crazier is that you’ll WANT to give up other things because you won’t see it as something you’re giving up. Rather, you’ll start viewing those “sacrifices’ as things you are gaining control of… and that is a very powerful feeling.

Soooo – to take from one of my favorite movies of all times – it’s all about baby steps. Don’t feel like you have to do everything over night. Set small goals – baby steps – to make changes that are realistic and can be gradual. Have an end goal to work towards and set a time frame for it.

When you break your goals into small manageable baby steps you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can walk a mile.

Keep it up guys – you’re all doing an awesome job and we are so stoked that we can be a part of your transformation!

Nico

I had a perfect example last night of what Sam was talking about in yesterday’s post. My wife, who is in love with anything that involves being outdoors (preferably in the mountains), decided she wanted to improve her rock climbing abilities so she can be more like spider-woman… So, what did she do? Well, she’s researching the guy up there…. Chris Sharma.

If that picture up top doesn’t give you an idea of the crazy stuff this guy does, check out this video below.

Honestly, my first reaction when she showed me that was surprise. I don’t expect her to climb any crazy arches over water any time soon – and I’m willing to bet she doesn’t either. So why that guy? Of all the people she could look up to and research and model and learn from, why Chris Sharma? He’s one of the best; that’s why.

Think about it, has anyone ever had a role model who wasn’t amazing at whatever he or she did? Growing up, how many little kids who played baseball said they want to grow up to be Mario Mendoza. Never heard of him? I didn’t think so. The Mendoza Line is named after him… but not in a good way (learn more here)

No, we looked up to Michael Jordan and Nolan Ryan and Deon Sanders… guys who excelled. Guys who blew the competition out of the water. The true MASTERS of their sport.

Now let me make sure everyone is clear on one thing – Sam and I definitely don’t pretend to know absolutely everything about health and fitness. In no way are we perfect when it comes to this stuff. We don’t claim it and we definitely don’t think it. So please don’t take either of these posts as us claiming to be the Michael Jordan’s of fitness. Instead, what we’re trying to really hammer home here is a pretty simple concept:

Whatever your goal might be, find someone you can look up to, emulate and model your behavior and actions after.

However, there’s one thing to keep in mind when doing this as it relates to health and fitness. You want to make sure you’re emulating/modeling someone on the same playing field. Now, you might think that goes against everything I just wrote about… so let me explain what I mean by that.

Too often as a trainer I had guys compare themselves to bodybuilders or I had women in their 40’s compare themselves with fitness models in the early 20’s. The good part about this? It gave them something to shoot for – a goal for their hard work. The bad part? Well, most of those people don’t REALLY look like that.

“I’d say probably 80 to 90 percent, I’m not kidding you, of all the stuff I see in magazines is complete hogwash.” – Rick Schaff, Photographer/Author

See what he means in the video below – his interview starts around 2:38. Then there is a second amazing interview at the 6:20 mark.

“There’s all kinds of techniques and tools you can use to completely manipulate the body. In fact, some of the before and after pictures… they could be done in the same day.”

So really, what I’m trying to say is it’s a balancing act. You never want to sell yourself short when it comes to what you can achieve through hard work, dedication and time. I know if you would have told me even five years ago that I would become a trainer and become fit and active I would have laughed in your face. At that point in my life, I was so entrenched in my beliefs that I thought it was impossible.

But at the same time, pick who you listen to and you who emulate wisely. Don’t hold yourself to a standard that isn’t real. Find someone with a similar body type or similar goals – or someone who has experienced similar trials. Someone you can relate to and connect with on a deeper level than just an image.

Besides, isn’t that what a role model is all about? They’re someone you look up to in all aspects, not just the superficial ones.

Some food for thought for today.

Keep up the good work and keep doing what you know,

Nico

“But why should these companies want to change? Their loyalty isn’t to you, it’s to the stockholders. The bottom line: They’re a business, no matter what they say. And by selling you unhealthy food, they make millions. And no company wants to stop doing that. If this ever-growing paradigm is going to shift, it’s up to you.” – Morgan Spurlock, Supersize Me

It’s up to you.

Guys, if you only take away one thing from Sam’s post yesterday let it be that. It’s up to you. I’ll say it again and again because it’s probably the most important thing we could ever beat into your head. If I can tell you anything from my experience as a personal trainer it’s that my clients that took PERSONAL responsibility for their actions – both good and bad – were the ones that saw the most progress, because they were the ones that were most aware of how those actions affected their goals.

I think a really good thing to think about here is the understanding that if you want to make a major change in your life – and I mean a major, true, real and LASTING transformation – you’ve got to break the mindset that you’re powerless and instead, take power in knowing that you, and only you, are what will make those goals happen.

We all know that in many ways the cards are stacked against us. As Sam’s post points out, fast food companies, soda companies, and snack companies all have the upper hand, one they’ve had on us since we were young (For a very interesting example of this, check out this study). But, the one thing they can’t control is the power we all have internally of self-actualization. See, the reality here is we’re not robots. Although we can very easily have our emotions and the chemicals in our bodies manipulated by feel good advertising and tasty treats, at the end of the day, you still have a conscious being that chooses to make decisions. It may not be easy, but it’s still there. (This goes back to a previous post about pain/pleasure).

So – what does this all mean in terms of a real world application? How does any of this help us reach our fitness goals? Knowledge is power.

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” – Sun Tzu, The Art of War, 500 BC

Now guys, understand this isn’t about being perfect. This isn’t a post to say never eat fast food ever again. What we’re trying to do here is help you understand what you’re up against so you can make a conscious decision on what you want to do. If that includes going out to eat with friends or family every now and then, well, so be it. At least you’ll be making the CHOICE to do that instead of just going along with the ride and not realizing why it is you crave fast food. It’s about a conscious awakening to your decisions. This isn’t about what you SHOULD do – in that context, should is a very dangerous word. It turns our actions into something we feel we HAVE to or NEED to do instead of something we CHOOSE to do. Don’t work out because you know you SHOULD. Don’t eat healthy because you think you SHOULD. CHOOSE to do these things. That’s the only way a true and total transformation will occur.

It’s a choice. And once you know that – once you’re fully aware that you’re in control – well, at that point the world is yours.

Keep up the good work and keep doing what you know,

Nico

P.S. For those of you that aren’t friends of ours on facebook, here’s a cool video about just how “real” McDonald’s fries are.

Like what you’ve read? Use the social media functions below to share with your friends and spread the word!

I think that post may have surprised a lot of you – especially our female readers. Call me crazy, but I just don’t think many women associate Human Growth Hormone as something they want/need more of. I’m willing to be that when you ladies (and yes, us guys as well) think of HGH we picture this:

And not this:

But the truth is, no matter what sex you are or what your goals are HGH plays a crucial role in helping all of us get and stay lean. I think a good thing to take away from that last post is the realization that sometimes the things we least expect, or the things we are focusing on the least amount, are the things that can be the most important for our goals.

So – what I wanted to throw out to our readers today was a challenge to try some new things to boost your HGH. Yes, this includes you ladies. Check out the videos below and make it a goal to incorporate some of these things into your training schedule next week. Or, make up your own. Grab a jump rope and see what you can do. Throw in some pushups as a super set. Grab two jugs of milk and do step ups onto a chair for 1 min straight and then do standing squat jumps. There really are no limits here. You just need to get out there, be creative and push yourself. Shoot for body failure – it’ll tell you when you’re done.

If you’ve never done full body failure type workouts, maybe start with a day or two and see how you react. No matter what though, the goal here is to throw a curveball at your body. Do something new. Try a workout that you’ve always been terrified to try. Be comfortable with the challenge of body failure because as much as it may hurt during the workout, the results will be well worth it. So get out there and do it and let us know what you did. Take a video, we’ll throw it up. The goal is just to challenge yourself like you haven’t before.

Keep up the good work and keep doing what you know,

Nico

Our own Sam showing how it’s done.

A Crossfit Workout

The famous 300 workout.


A Tabata style squat work out. We’ll be covering more about Tabata style training soon!

But before that, let me give you some background…

I remember countless discussions with him where it seemed like there was this larger force holding him back – it wasn’t that he didn’t want it, but it just seemed like there was always this doubting quiet voice in the background. When there was no reason for him to doubt his ability to progress, he would come to me feeling like he was stuck; like his body had hit a plateau and there was an insurmountable obstacle blocking us from reaching our next goal. We’d talk and figure some things out and move on, but what was exciting to see was the transformation he made as he continued on his journey. The more aware he became of his subconscious mind, the more power he had over it. And that’s the whole meaning to take away from that post.

We’ve all experienced this in one way or another – it might not be fitness related, but at some point, we’ve doubted ourselves. We’ve held ourselves back. We’ve talked ourselves down. Or worse, we may have talked ourselves out of an amazing opportunity without even realizing why we were sabotaging our own happiness and progress.

I saw this in my older brother, one of the most talented and bright individuals I have ever met. Here was a brilliant guy – graduated valedictorian with a cumulative 4.0 from the University of Utah – who for some reason, didn’t truly believe he could be fit. It didn’t make any sense. How could someone who could show that much dedication to academics not believe they could truly be fit? How could they not believe they had all the ability in the world to transform? We both knew he had the dedication to do anything he set his mind to, but yet, he still doubted.

And then something switched. Something just clicked and he experienced a desire level change and his subconscious mind, that negative beast in the back of our skull, it moved out of the driver’s seat. This didn’t happen over night – it definitely took time and continued focus, determination and progress. But that a-ha moment came when he realized he was in control and although there may be fear and doubt and sabotage going on in our subconscious beliefs, he could chip away at it.

He’s made tremendous progress, loosing 60lbs since April, and I have no doubt in my mind we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg for him. It’s so awesome to hear him talk about his long term goals like the only thing keeping him from them is time. Instead of him saying “I wish I could get to….” It’s now “When I get to…” It’s a very powerful thing to witness and it has helped me in my journey as well.

I’m extremely proud of him and I’m excited to share his own words with you guys. Check out his response to Sam’s post below – It’s long, but I think it can be a benefit to all of us to hear from someone who has experienced this level of a conscious shift in their own life.

Keep working hard and keep doing what you know,

Nico

1. & 2.) Pain/Pleasure. This was a very hard thing to mentally overcome early on in my program. Of course it was initially hard to get up at 5am and make myself go to the gym before work, and to endure the muscle fatigue and discomfort. Of course it was hard to eat 6 meals a day, which had been prepared specifically to control, portion size, total calories and nutritional composition.

But most of all it was hard to watch my buddies at work go out for lunch every day. What made it hard was learning to accept these short-term sacrifices for long-term goals. A very powerful part of my subconscious associated this “sacrifice” with an “injustice.” I felt like I was being wronged simply because I was passing up on food. I felt like I deserved to eat whatever I wanted and that anything which limited this end (including myself) was unfair.

Ultimately, I think this is because the rewards of my choices took time, but the choices were made instantaneously; sure I could be thin EVENTUALLY, but for the moment I had to do something painful. But slowly, as I made more and more of these small choices I started to see the results: my clothes were looser, I had MORE energy (not less as many people like to believe), and I noticed, for the first time in my life, that I was not sick after I ate.

This last point is worth stressing because it seems so strange, but I was so conditioned to the consequences of poor nutrition that I did not realize that every time I ate I was lethargic and uncomfortable. As I started to eat consistently healthy meals for weeks at a time I began to notice that after I ate I was not uncomfortable, and that I had energy from the food.

Similarly, as I settled into a regular exercise program my body began to like the rigorous activity; I craved that post-workout ache in my muscles, which got harder and harder to satisfy as my body became stronger. I started to feel comfortable in my body: my flexibility and mobility increased in ways I didn’t think possible (another example of how conditioned I had become to being obese). And old food cravings changed: I didn’t even want fatty or sugary foods, and when I did have them they did not satisfy me like they once had. My tastes had fundamentally changed, as had my portion size; I couldn’t eat large meals all at once anymore. I remember how I used to pile food onto my plate and wonder if people who ate smaller portions were just extreme examples of Spartan-like disciplined of if they were “freaks” of nature who did not NEED as much food as I did. Little did I realize that my needs had been conditioned into me over a long period of time and that it was something I could change. All the things I had once associated with pleasure and pain had reversed; proof that they were the products of conditioning and not the broad universals I had once mistakenly assumed they were.

3. & 4.) Beliefs/Values. I had been on more diets than I can remember. I had paid thousands for personal trainers, dieticians, diet foods, pills, etc. Yet nothing had worked. Similarly, I had looked in the mirror thousands of times and been unhappy with what I saw. Then, one evening while living in Virginia, I looked in the mirror and I saw something differently. I say differently and not different for a reason: obviously I was still the same person I had been before looking in the mirror, but I finally saw myself differently, and I did not like it. I had allowed myself to get to 320 pounds, and if you had asked me if I was happy and healthy I would have looked you straight in the eyes and said yes. Worse still, I would have believed it!! I am not sure what finally clicked inside of me, and which gave me access to this different way of seeing myself, but once I did I was able to commit to my transformation in a way that had previously been impossible.

While the trainers and dieticians had helped me understand WHAT I had to do and HOW to do it, I was finally willing to do the work myself, and to hold myself accountable for the results. This doesn’t mean I didn’t find strength in the support of other people; it just means that I laid their support ON TOP of my own foundation. In the past, I used others as a substitute for self-discipline and I was able to convince myself that I was “pulling a fast one” on them when I deviated from my diet or my workouts; I was cheating someone else. Now, when I am pushing through the last few reps of a set or when I am tempted to eat something off my diet, I realize that I if I give in to those old voices I am ultimately cheating or hurting myself. Owning that responsibility has been very important to my success and it is the only tangible form of my commitment to myself.

5.) Success Barriers. That night in Virginia was not an end in-and-of-itself. It is not as though I had this one defining moment and everything else fell into place. Instead, it was a pivotal moment in my life; it marked the end of one phase and the beginning of another. But this new phase has been one of continued effort and hard work. If anyone reads this and thinks to him or herself that it won’t be a long hard road, they are doomed for failure. But just knowing that it will be hard shouldn’t detract them from starting their own transformation, because with the hard work will come immense rewards. The voices of doubt in your head never go away, but they do get muted, and they must start to compete with other more hopeful and inspiring voices. If you would have told me a year ago that I would have been able to carry a 60lb pack for 50 miles in 3 days to the highest peak in Utah I would not have believed you. But I did, and that accomplishment fuels the better parts of your subconscious. It gives you something to point to as a reference for continued commitment to yourself and your goals.

Before

After

At first, I think a lot of people, myself included, had the initial reaction of frustration. We’ve all known people who eat as if there’s no tomorrow, yet they still look slim and lean and muscular. One of my best friends growing up once ate an entire cheesecake by himself yet still had a six pack at the pool the next day. Thinking about people like that – and I’m sure we all have at least one person like that in our lives – can lead us to feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. Or even worse, it can make you feel almost hopeless in your quest to get in shape, leading you to just throw in the towel.

Why should I work so hard to exercise and eat right if my body is just going to work against me?

That’s one way of looking at it. But in my opinion, it’s the wrong way. We’re not here looking for excuses of why we can’t do this – why we can’t reach our ultimate goals with our health, wellness and fitness. We’re here to see the obstacles in front of us and find solutions. We’re here to better understand what it is that OUR individual bodies need so that we can achieve the results we’re after.

Once my frustration about this gene wore off, I began to think about it in a different light – one that I hope others will do as well. Instead of being frustrated that your body might not react to McDonalds the same way Chad Ochocinco’s does, be grateful that you are now aware of WHY it doesn’t – which can enable you to make the conscious decisions to choose the foods that work for you body.

I know that may sound odd, but go with me on this. I saw this a dozen times while I was a personal trainer. My clients would start to compare their results to their friends and if the two didn’t match up, they became frustrated. The reality is everyone’s body is different. For some people, being thin and lean comes naturally. For others, it takes months of dedication and hard work. If those were the cards you were dealt – like I was – rather than being annoyed at something we can’t change, take control of what you know and make the changes to your diet/exercise that are necessary.

Long story short guys, it’s about knowing your strengths and feeding off of those, not your weaknesses. Don’t compare yourself to others, because there will always be someone who is faster, or stronger, or leaner, or more muscular. The journey to health and fitness is a very personal one. We all have different motivational factors. We all have our own favorite exercises or activities. And we all have our own favorite foods. We are unique in that sense. So why waste the time and energy on what others are doing? Focus on yourself – on how your body reacts to certain foods, on what exercises you enjoy, on what makes you excited to stay fit. That’s the key. It’s about you.

Today’s Transformation Challenge: Watch the video below. Although Marcus Buckingham is talking about work with his strengths based teaching, the application to health and fitness is nearly parallel.

Fitness is about loving it, finding what you enjoy from the process and focusing on that. After watching the video put together a list – it could be long, it could be short – but really do it.

List out your strengths when it comes to your health and fitness. What do you do well? What do you love doing? What foods do you love that are healthy? What foods do you love that maybe your body doesn’t react well with? What are your goals? What challenges do you face with these goals? How can you over come those challenges?
Use the list as a way of better understanding what is unique to you with this transformation you’re working on. Understanding these things is the foundation of a successful transformation.

Keep working hard and keep doing what you know,

Nico

When I first started getting heavily into wellness/fitness I was pretty uninformed to say the least. I knew I was fat, had lost a bit of weight, and wanted to continue loosing more. My thought process was simple – and it probably wasn’t too far off from what the average person thought.

If I want to lose fat, I need to stop eating fat.

So I did. I made sure to eat chicken instead of beef. I ate no fat cottage cheese instead of regular cottage cheese. Milk? Only skim. Long story short I cut out all the fat I could from my diet. That would make me thin!… right? Wrong.

What ended up happening is my hair started to fall out – literally. Panicked, I went to my doctor to figure out what was wrong with me and he asked about my fat intake. When I started to go over my diet with him he made it very clear that my body was shutting down from a lack of enough HEALTHY fats.

That’s right, healthy fats. What we’re trying to show everyone here is that not all fats are created equal. As Sam pointed out, foods like avocados, nuts, whole eggs, salmon, olive oil, etc are quite high on the list of fat grams, but all of them are natural and healthy foods that have been a staple of a healthy diet for decades.

So – what’s the take away here? Reprogram your thought process when it comes to fats. The fat from a cupcake is not created equal from the fat found in almonds. You want to make sure you have healthy fats in your diet in order to achieve your goals. It plays a crucial role in your metabolism, your muscle development and your overall body functions.

Today’s Transformetics Challenge:

Get comfortable with healthy fats. Incorporate one of the above listed foods into at least one of your meals for a week. See how your body reacts and adjust your intake accordingly. We think you’ll be surprised at the results. IIf you have questions about this, drop us a line.

Keep up the great work and keep doing what you know,

Nico