I WANT IT RIGHT NOW!

 Hi, I hope you all are doing well in these unprecedented times we live in. One of the biggest obstacles I have seen with my clients over the years is the expectation for immediate results. Brian... "I ate a salad yesterday and I did 5 hours of cardio! Why haven't I lost the 50 pounds of fat I've accumulated over the last 5 years of binge eating and being a couch potato?!?!?." We have become a society of the "quick fix". We want everything done yesterday. When the "expectations" are not met immediately, discouragement follows and then quitting exercise programs and healthy eating lifestyles. My fellow Training Guru Derek has often been heard quoting. "Expectation is the Mother of Disappointment".  The hard truth of the matter is that it took a while to put the weight on. It will take time, dedication, and sustained effort to take the weight off and to keep it off. 

    Billions of dollars are made through promises of quick weight loss. And honestly some of these methods work and they work quickly. But... It usually happens like this: Early rapid weight loss, followed by a plateau in weight loss, followed by progressively putting the weight back on. This cycle happens over and over again. 90 % of men and woman who took off drastic amounts of weight quickly,end up regaining it back within two years. The majority of the Biggest Loser contestants all returned to their pre-show weight. How do I start a healthier lifestyle of exercise and eating healthy without quitting because of discouragement? We need to re-frame our mindset and what and why we are doing this. 

   1.) Keep your goals simple and attainable.Seeing small victory after small victory motivates us to keep going and then we look back and see this war that we won without even realizing it. The scale is not the deciding factor when it comes to getting results. (I would throw the scale out of most of your bathroom windows if I could.) Just exercise alone for a few weeks can change your blood work. I am a proponent of my clients taking before and after pictures. For your use. (DO NOT SEND THEM TO ME), Measurements. Body fat percentage.  Paying attention to your clothes fitting looser as time goes on. All better ways of judging success than the scale.

2.) Getting some form of exercise daily HAS to be as important as brushing your teeth, eating and breathing. It is essential for mental well being and physical health. Something you do EVERY DAY. It could be a brisk morning walk, a swim in the pool, bike ride, weights.... If you need ideas and options please reach out to me. A sedentary lifestyle is killing us. When exercise just becomes a daily consistent part of your routine it no longer feels like a chore. It's just something you do. Preferably its something you enjoy. Find exercise that is fun and enjoyable. Do it with friends, family, neighbors. I don't know many people that continue exercise when it's not enjoyable. 

3.) Make it a PRIORITY. "BRIAN, you don't understand... I just don't have time for exercise." I call BULL SHIT. Turn off the T.V. and make time. According to a Nielsen report, the average American adult is watching 5 hours and four minutes of television per day on average. Equates to around 77 days each year. During quarantine some research is showing 8 hours plus of screen time.  I'm not even sure if that counts the time spent gaming on our phones and Netflix. Walk away from any form of screen time and get exercise in. You will thank me later. Binge watch that show after you get exercise in for the day. 

 I don't want this to become political but one thing I really really wish I would hear from the World governments during this pandemic is a call to Arms to be healthier! Encouraging citizens to be proactive! Exercise more and eat healthier non processed foods! Instead its quiet as a church mouse.... We need to have a positive impact on our neighbors and our loved ones. Encourage them to do what it takes to raise up there immune system. It's our main defense against viruses and diseases. I encourage you to take health into your own hands. Start today! 

    My job as a personal trainer is to help find that motivating factor to push my clients to do more to reach their goals. I call it that light switch that once turned on they become unstoppable and reach and exceed their goals. I have written a lot of blogs covering motivation. Go back and read them if you need an extra kick in the pants. I have joked over the years I could always tell when someone was about to get naked for someone new. All kinds of motivation in the gym. NOW, NOW.... All of you that are married or in serious relationships don't be saying Brian said this is how I'm going to get motivated again..Search deep and hard for your WHY factor and get started. This is not a quick fix. We are making a decision to change our lifestyle. Please, reach out to me for help. I am taking on new clients and would love the opportunity to work with new clients to live and be healthier. (520) 449-2011 

ANGEL BRIAN

I have been asked repeatedly to write a blog or two about nutrition and body composition change. There are so many different aspects and angles to cover when it comes to this topic. I'm a firm believer in the acronym K.I.S.S.: Keep It Simple Stupid. Keeping things as simple as possible makes it easier to sustain. The majority of humans try to over complicate absolutely everything!! I've learned a few things about my clients over the years when it comes to nutrition. 1. They don't always understand what foods are healthy and what foods are not. 2. Clients repeatedly lie to me about their diet. LOL Yes, I said it. "Brian, do you eat healthy all of the time?" No, I do not. I'm probably more like 80% healthy and 20% not. Today, I'm going to try and cover the main questions I get asked when it comes to diet and body composition. I will mainly cover losing body fat. 

    I love the cliches that you hear in the fitness world. ABS ARE MADE IN THE KITCHEN! YOU CAN'T OUTWORK A BAD DIET! FOOD IS FUEL! IF IT HASN'T DIED OR CANT DIE DON'T EAT IT! The truth of the matter is these are all basically true statements. We just hear them so much we don't take them very seriously. Let's get to some of the basic questions I want to answer today. 

Question #1: How much do I need to exercise to lose body fat?

 Research has shown 5-7 hours a week of exercise is optimal for body composition change. I recommend 4 hours of resistance training and 2-3 hours of cardio. What type of cardio? Interval training. Message me and I will tailor a specific cardio program for you. 

Question #2: How many calories should I eat each day?

 Before I cover this let me be straight forward. I have never counted calories. I want my clients to learn how to eat healthy without being O.C.D. about eating. We want to have a healthy relationship with food. That being said I do understand knowing the importance of how many calories we are actually putting into our body. That's right... that ONE double stuffed oreo you're about to eat while reading this is 70 calories. And who has just one OREO??? NOT ME. You eat 5 and that just canceled your 1 hour workout. If you want to lose weight and body fat, the rule of thumb is Body Weight x 10-12= Calories per day. So if you are 170 pounds, your daily calorie count would be between 1,700- 2,040. I would recommend starting higher and slowly reducing dictated on results. 40% protein 40% carbs and 20% dietary fat. Contact me if you want specific numbers for your goals. 

Question #3: What's more important: how much I eat or what kind of foods I eat? 

It's a tough question. As Americans we eat WAY TOO MUCH FOOD at one sitting. So I would lean towards small portion control. But... that doesn't negate that eating nutrient packed foods isn't extremely important for performance and overall health. 

Question # 4: What kind of foods should I eat? 

Fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts and some whole grains should make up the majority of what you eat. While chicken and broccoli might get a little old it's extremely effective. Eating tons of veggies isn't only good for you, but they fill you up and are packed with nutrients and low on calories. Finding good lean protein sources is also extremely important. 

Question #5: What about cheat days? 

Have them. For my beginning clients I suggest meal prepping and eating healthy Monday through Friday and then Saturday and Sunday, you can have meals that aren't as healthy. This advice can be argued with but I believe that if you are too strict and deprive yourself of foods that you enjoy over a long period of time you set yourself up for a big binge or stopping healthy eating altogether. On these cheat days I still want you to watch your portions: 2 pieces of pizza, not a whole pizza... Makes sense? 

    Now let's live in an imaginary world and pretend that there is an angel Brian running around and living on his clients' shoulders. Ask yourself this... Would Brian approve of what I'm about to put in my mouth? Be honest with yourself about your diet and make an effort to follow these principles, and I know you will get closer to reaching your goals. 

I love you all and please contact me with any questions or help with getting in a healthy eating mindset. Please share if you found this helpful. 

Brian Cox 

TUCSON FITNESS LIFESTYLE AND COACHING