Positive self talks and body image.

If you keep telling yourself you can't do this and that or why everyone and everything in your life is against you when it comes to getting fit,  you're probably not going to succeed.

self-improvement is mind over matter.  People have lost weight doing vegetarian diets eating 6x/day and got ripped performing p90x workouts.  As stupid and miserable as those methods are when it comes to getting strong and losing fat, as long as they are positive about what they're doing and constantly reinforce their effort with a healthy attitude, they will reach their goal no matter how hungry they get or how many joints they break.

I listen to clients, day in and day out pinching their triceps fat and love handles, telling me that they are gross...   How do I respond to that?  

If I agree and comfort them, like other trainers, I am reinforcing their negative self-image which in the long run, even if they do reach their ideal physique one day, they will find other spots on their body that they want to fix.   As profitable as it is for me, I find it very sad that they talk to themselves this way multiple times a day, everyday, always unhappy. 

If I disagree with them, well, then I'm useless as their trainer.   so what is a trainer to do?

Usually I'll joke about it by saying that the love handle is there to protect their kidney but I don't think that fix anything other than moving past our awkward moment. 

Let's not have these awkward moments, ladies.  Let's focus on what you have that you CAN improve and what is already beautiful. 

To be honest. the problem isn't your workout nor do you need special attention on those insecure areas. If you just keep lifting heavy, safely, and eat less than your body burns, you will lose the bingo wings. Once you shed the fat, then you'll actually and clearly see what is there to improve on in terms of muscle definition. For now, it's too soon to do "triceps focused" or "abs focused" workou...ts, just keep lifting weights and get stronger each time.

The power of positive self talk is incredible. if you can change the dialogue in your head and treat your body with respect, maybe you'll actually have enough self-confident to train optimally in the gym and with better focus on your meal preparations.

Accept what you have and stop the constant criticisms. If you know you have excess fat, then work it off or diet it off, why are you pinching yourself frowning and frustrated? Stay logical. Stay focus. 
Step 1. So there's extra fat mass on your body you want to get rid of.

Step 2. You want to look like Jennifer Aniston who doesn't have extra fat on her body. 

Step 3. Remove it so you can look like her.

so.... how hard is that?  why all the emotional attachment?  Do you even know why you are training with a trainer or why you are counting calories?   if so, then you're fine.

Would you ever say to your daughter what you say to yourself about how you see your body fat? 

Would you tell your girlfriends that they're fat and they're losers for not making progress even though they try and try and try?  not productive isn't it?  so why would you do that to yourself? 

Why don't you FIND the problem that is keeping you stalling and solve it by taking simple steps to get there.  Simple steps like stop eating out, skip breakfast, stop watching TV so you can block off a time to show up to the gym. stop letting your boyfriend make decisions about what you should eat.  tell your friends you have gym, you can't, throw away foods that aren't suppose to be in the cabinets. once you're doing all that, you're on the right track!

celebrate the fact that you just set a new PR on your deadlift or that you've kept eating out under 2x that week. be happy that at least you show up to the gym instead of wasting your time playing words with friends all day. Some people don't even have the luxury to go to a gym and some would give everything to possess the physical ability to simply move again.

It's these mindful choices and tiny achievements that will keep you positive. The little positive feedbacks you get should keep fueling you to stay consistent of your routine.

Sometime you will have stalls, sometime you get bloated and wants to toss the scale away, sometimes you get fire from your job, sometimes you get strep throat at keep you from training, and sometimes you decides to eat the doughnut in the break room.

so what?

sure, you slipped from time to time. Even the most perfect looking and committed people fall off the wagon. even your trainer skipped a workout or feel chubby sometimes, we are only human. The trick is not set yourself up to be perfect ALL THE TIME and get back on track as soon as possible. Forget about your past failures will give you long lasting results you want.

If your fat loss stalls or it's moving too slow, be patient. Be happy that you've lost some weight already and stayed there without regaining like most other overweight ppl. keep your head up, you will go further this way."Henry Ford - "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.”

below is a great article on how to change the way you talk to yourself that is productive and makes your weight loss journey a little more flexible and sustainable.
http://mollygalbraith.com/2013/06/its-hard-out-here-for-a-fit-chick-part-2-2/

Understand the power of Placebo effect.
http://chaosandpain.blogspot.com/2010/10/seriously-get-your-fucking-head-right.html

a little tough love letter I wrote for my online clients about the reality of manipulating body mass.
http://jyfitness.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-tough-love-letter.html

why losing weight and training should be a spontaneous effort when you're on the right program.  Find a program that's so flexible that you don't have to change much about your lifestyle to obtain your goal.
http://jyfitness.blogspot.com/2011/03/motivation-and-accountability.html

If what you're doing is not working, why are you still doing it?  Lean, adapt and move forward
http://www.roglawfitness.com/on-challenges-uncertainty-and-becoming-a-supreme-badass/

What I want my Daugter to know about working out
http://wellfesto.com/2013/11/19/10-things-i-want-my-daughter-to-know-about-working-out/

Supplement Overview and Personal Recommendations

want to know my choice of supplements and who actually needs it?
First, understand how supplements work and know the industry.
http://www.citadelnutritionblog.com/2012/05/21/how-to-choose-supplements-proprietary-blends/

Post Workout Meals and Shakes - When is appropriate

http://www.jyfitness.blogspot.com/2011/01/post-workout-meal.html

If you ever have questions about ALL THINGS SUPPLEMENTS, this is your search engine
http://examine.com/
These I personally recommend for my athletes and fat loss clients:
1) Creatine for performance,
http://schwarzenegger.com/fitness/post/creatine-how-much-should-you-be-taking
2) caffeine or caffeine/ephedrine for hunger suppressant and increase metabolism,
http://jyfitness.blogspot.com/2011/12/benefits-of-caffeine.html
http://www.jyfitness.blogspot.com/2011/01/ephedrine.html
3) protein shake for those following plant base fad diets or business clients always on the go,
 http://www.jyfitness.blogspot.com/2011/01/post-workout-meal.htmlhttp://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/an-objective-comparison-of-chocolate-milk-and-surge-recovery.html
4) fish oil for those not eating fish or any type of marine life, period.
 http://www.examiner.com/article/why-fish-oil
5) and multivitamins if you eat a lot of junk or don't eat meat.
http://www.drbriffa.com/2010/12/31/meat-the-original-superfood/
http://chriskresser.com/natures-most-potent-superfood
http://freetheanimal.com/2011/04/nutrition-density-challenge-fruit-vs-beef-liver.html
there are others but only for those with special needs.

for everything else. visit here
http://jyfitness.blogspot.com/2012/12/supplements.html

a tough love letter

A glimpse at what I do for my distance clients who needed some tough love... wrote this last night after a couple of drinks, I cleaned it up a bit.

"If you don’t like tracking your intake or will only “try” to do your best, it’s not likely you’d succeed since you’re already going into this thinking you might fail. You perceive this as a chore instead of being excited because YOU want to be absolutely sure you’re not eating over your maintenance.

A better self-dialogue should be, “I want to because it is the best way to get to the bottom of this whole fat loss business for the last god damn time!”

If stress is the issue for your weight re-gain, maybe you're the type that seek food for comfort. try take up other leisure activities instead of food to make you feel better. get a pet, clean the house, go swing dancing, or jump in the river.

I want you to detach yourself from the comfort of consuming food and only see them as fuel (for now), you can enjoy the festivity with your friends/coworkers later.

For example, if you know how many calories there are in certain foods you tend to eat when stressed out, remember how many calories are in it and how many calories are in 1 pound of body fat (3,500lcal btw), just by knowing these numbers will help see 'food' more objectively instead of emotionally.  

This means, next time you’re about to eat something you know you shouldn’t, tell yourself this. “if I put this 1,200kcal milk shake down my mouth, I am basically telling my body to stop burning my own body fat for the next 10-12hrs and instead, metabolizing the food." 

Is that what you want?  Is it worth it?

we are just mass. If you want to lose mass off your thigh, your chin, your ass, by the law of thermodynamic, you have to take in less and release the energy/mass into the world as heat. Luckily we burn energy all the time, this means you don’t need to do anything to lose weight. not doing anything includes not eating (or not eating as much), that's the catch.

If you have a low calorie allowance, then eat foods that satiate you more. protein and fiber, duh. and if you get hungry, be hungry, it’s nothing personal, it’s part of human evolution. Trust me, you’re far from becoming anorexic.

So be hungry, it’s ok. you're on this planet because your ancestors starved through many years of famine, you have the genetic composition to do the same.

Look at your body and see how much reserved energy you have, you don’t need to eat. Even if you’re hungry, you can tolerate the first wave of hunger just fine, just drink some water, eat a grapefruit, and get on with your day.

Be hungry until you're lean and happy. You want 10mins of gratification eating that cupcake? or a lifetime of satisfaction showing off your hot bod at your girlfriends pool party? choice is yours, get your head straight.

there are tons of ppl who lost weight doing it alone, you don't need accountability. why do you need online high fives from me every week? seriously.  If losing weight and restoring your health is something you really REALLY REALLY REALLY want, just like anything tough in life (raising your kids, getting your dream job, becoming a homeowner), you have to prioritize your goals. get desperate and hungry for it. 

Be responsible for your own body because nobody else cares about you more than yourself.  No, i don't care if your girlfriends keep asking you out to happy hour, you can say no.  I don't care if your kids wants to eat pasta, nobody force you to eat what your kids wants to eat.  I don't care if your wrist hurts from work, you can still do lunges.  I don't care if you don't have money to join a gym, you can quit eating out every other night and cook at home and save that money.  No time?  the time you spend reading people's fcaebook newsfeed every morning you could have done 20 push ups.

Stop it with your lame ass excuses.  Stop blaming others for your own actions/laziness, nobody cares about how much fat is on your body as much as you do.  So move yourself because nobody else will.

whole foods vs. Junk food.

We should be able to enjoy processed foods at least 10% of the time, while still have 90% of our daily intake from mostly whole food. the percentages are subjective.

I am not saying that processed food is the only factor contributing to fat gain but it definitely plays a big role in our society today.

At the end of the day, it's going to be calorie in vs. calorie out for STRICTLY fat loss. if p...pl can tolerate hunger eating processed crap to lose weight (while reaching negative energy balance), I'm all for that. However, eating whole food just make it so much easier to when someone's trying to eat less for reasons of satiation.

I hate the term "clean eating" or "dirty food", it inflicts guilt and failure when ppl don't stick to it. Plus, everyone's belief on "clean eating" is different, therefore, everybody's wrong.

If you're fat, you will get healthier if you're losing weight even if everything you eat are junk. If you're skinny and all you have are whole foods, you will still get fat and sick if you overeat your maintenance.

my advice?

if you want to have processed foods in your diet (who doesn't?) and is trying to lose weight, count your calories.

if you are only eating whole foods for weeks and is still not losing weight, count your calories because you're still overeating your allowance