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I Can Do It, but Should I?

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.“

I use this quote in many areas of my life from designing in the studio, to cooking in the kitchen; from parking my car, to navigating on a trail; from planting in my garden, to choosing my exercise. I see a trend whenever I get really involved in something, that I want to do more, get complex, take the challenge: it must be a natural tendency to push past the boundary and excel. But is there more benefit when you go past that arbitrary line? For example, when cooking, we’ve all done it, you take a simple three-ingredient recipe and add a little more of this, and throw in a little of that, and suddenly you put the black beans in with the broccoli and the dish is ruined. Of course you CAN put spinach in the apple pie, but SHOULD you? Of course you CAN parallel park the car on the hill in the ice, but should you? Do you see where this is headed?

When it comes to different movements at the gym, 10 out of 10 times I can do them. I can often do them well, and I can often go up in weight each time I do them. But I now always ask myself, “should I?” I thought about this going into this month’s new workouts, coming off a successful four weeks of progressions. We get to a point where we are hitting personal records, or lifting heavy in a familiar movement, and then we set up to start at square one, or close to it, with a new movement. It is very tempting to pick up a 20# dumbbell for an overhead press on the first rep because we were just doing curls with 20# and the weight is so familiar. So yes, I can do that, but wait, should I?

Of course there is a trainer in the room and in a perfect world they are able to see everyone’s range of motion, mobility, and ability, but in reality, some of this is so subtle, that we really have to also self-assess. And only we can answer the question “should” for ourselves. Time and again I’m told I CAN do it, and I love when a trainer believes in me, but the next question I am responsible for is– should I?

The overhead press is one of the tricky movements in strength training. It is tricky because it is relatively simple, but our range of motion does not naturally lend itself to this rotation of our shoulders. We might have built-in limitations because of our individual habits or anatomy. To avoid greater limitations later, it is critical to be smart about shoulder exercises now. A good way to assess if you are ready for overhead presses is to simply lift your arms overhead with your palms facing each other while standing against a wall. Are you able to keep your head above your shoulders, or does your neck push out forward? And does your spine stay straight or do you curve at your lumbar away from the wall? If either of these happens, you have just answered the “should I” part of the question and you should ask your trainer for help with regressions and tips for better thoracic mobility and stretches for your lats. Overhead press limitation is not a life sentence. There are lots of stretches and mobility exercises for shoulders and lats that you can do to improve your technique (and your posture), and it’s worth it for long-term shoulder health.

It appears there’s a fine line between can and should, and it appears that even if you can do something you have to be sure the benefit for you outweighs the risk. In the case of the parked car, I can parallel park on the icy hill, but it might slide, or the car in front of me might slide. Will I be just as well off if I find a spot on the next block out of the ice and off the hill? I still get the benefit of parking, but I don’t have the risk of damage later.

For maximum benefit, the exercise must mimic the natural range of motion of the working muscle. So if your body has a different range of motion than the person next to you, or demonstrating a movement, your range of benefit is also going to differ.  In addition, for maximum benefit, you must be doing the movements correctly. As Hunter points out in the previous post, form should not be compromised for speed or quantity. Even if you can do 100 push-ups, should you? Is your form correct for all 100? Does the repetition feel safe for your joints? Take all of this into consideration when you next ask, “Just because I can, does this mean I should?”

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Motivational Personal Development

Focus on Form Before You go Fast

coach man woman exercising squats on bosu

As a fitness coach, I always preach mastering form before you go faster in an exercise.

Having proper form requires you to give each repetition everything you have.

All of your focus and energy is given to a single movement. Eventually, perfect form will become a habit.

Form starts to fail when you go too fast. Too often, the trigger to breaking form starts with the idea that going fast will get more done and get you better results.

Unfortunately, getting more done and being effective are not the same thing.

If your form does breaks down, you can get injured which could set you back for months.

If you practice perfect form and it becomes a habit, you are able to get steady results and not have to stop due to injuries.

WE HAVE ALL GONE TOO FAST, myself included.

And this doesn’t just apply to exercise. It applies to our relationships and our jobs.

We think that crossing more off of the to do list means success. But if we half ass all of those things, we have already broken form.

And if we break form, its only a matter of time before we get hurt.

When was the last time…

You were at the dinner table with your spouse or bf/gf but were on the phone whole time.

How many times can you do that before they start to think you don’t care as much as you used to?

When was the last time..

You did the bare minimum to make your boss content but you didn’t go the extra mile to benefit the customer.

When will the next person come along that goes above and beyond and takes your position?

When was the last time..

You became too busy in the endless tasks of being a business owner and stopped doing what you are best at, helping people fix their problems.

The quality of your service will drop and people will find a better solution.

I have done every one of these things. But, if we can catch our faulty form, we can correct it and avoid injury.

We can correct our form by slowing down. Take one task at a time, and give it your all.

You may not get as many things done, but the ones you do will have a MASSIVE effect.

Lead with your heart, not your head.

Let’s all aim to be a better husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, employee, coach, business owner, and friend today.

Have a kickass Friday…

Categories
Nutrition Personal Development

Change! Eat for the Season

Change. It’s the obvious topic of conversation this time of year. We get a little nostalgic, reflective, and there’s a certain romance to the falling leaves and the amber hued palate of autumn. Many of us are resistant to it. We grumble at the disruption of routine or we dread the uncertainty, while others thrive on the excitement and challenges of new experiences. Love it or dread it, change happens. With the dramatic fall colors, it’s hard not to talk about the unavoidable and gorgeous change in landscape. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t love our fall colors. When I’m faced with any change I try to look for the gilded leaves in the landscape.

One thing that also changes with the season is our nutrition. There are many subtle cues that can be heard. Can you identify different cravings or sleep patterns recently? Have your activity levels altered and therefore your micro and macro nutrients needs are different? As we spend fewer hours in natural daylight during these shorter days, our bodies are deprived of vitamin D, which for some of us might cause fatigue. This is a worthwhile cue to heed. Take inventory of these cues and see how best to support these needs.

Change makes its way to the dinner table in more ways than just conversation. One thing I get excited about is the menu change this time of year. There is an abundance of root vegetables at the market, and there are good reasons to embrace them. Squash, rutabaga, parsnips, sweet potatoes, turnips, etc. Give them a second glance and consider these benefits:

Reasons to eat for the season:

1. Flavor – fruits and veggies that are freshly picked have more flavor. A recent harvest yields a plate full of scrumptious bites, as opposed to bland off season options.

2. Nutrition – plants deliver some of the vital nutrients during the final stages of ripening. Don’t short change your dinner and your body with items that were picked two weeks ago and have been packed in a crate for shipping. Choosing fooods that are in season locally when you can, insures a more nutrient dense choice.

3. Economics – foods that are in season are abundant. It is simply a matter of supply and demand. One precious peach shipped off season from far away is going to command a higher price.

4. Variety – cooking and eating seasonally gives you an opportunity to try new recipes, supporting your body with a variety of nutrients.

5. Seasonal needs – our bodies have different needs at different times. Summer fruit helps hydrate us. Spring greens help heal and detox us. And who doesn’t love a ruby red grapefruit in February to ward off the seasonal cold with a blast of vitamin C?

So, stop and listen to your nutrition cues as we transition through the seasons. Your body is likely telling you it is time for change.

Coincidentally, as I write this I am literally flying over the Rocky Mountains. I recall the thrill and terror of leaving everything I knew to move to these amazing hills more than 20 years ago and the thrill and terror of leaving them when I moved to Maine. Those were two of the biggest changes in my life. As with any change, big or small, I listened to the cues and hints to know what my body needed to support it. More rest? Different exercise? Other foods? This time of year, make a healthy batch of potato leek soup, embrace the change, and enjoy the gilded leaves of a different landscape.

Categories
Exercise Tutorials Flexibility/Recovery Strength Training

This is How I Roll

I like to treat myself to a massage three times a week, and not just an absent-minded shoulder rub. I’m talking about a deep tissue, muscle relaxing, performance-enhancing massage. Sounds heavenly, right? Where do I find the time and resources to indulgence myself like that? I’ll share my secret with you…This is self-massage and it’s free with a foam roller. This is such an easy way to treat our bodies right, not only with extra TLC but potentially by promoting healing and recovery.

What is foam rolling and how does it help?

Using a foam roller, or for more precise targeting, a lacrosse ball, apply low pressure by rolling in a long smooth motion across different muscle groups. This action massages the fibrous layer of connective tissue (the myofascial tissue) that surrounds the muscles. By massaging this tissue and smoothing out any knots and binding, we increase blood flow which helps with recovery and increases range of motion.

When should I foam roll?

In a perfect world, foam roll before and after each work out. I like to hit the tight spots coming into a workout. My top three restricted areas are my calves, quads, and upper back. Even with a standing desk, I find my ankles could use a little more mobility after a day at the office. I’ll get a fine looking squat with a little more movement in my joints. So many movements in my daily life are quad dominant so they get knotted up easily and affect my hip flexor mobility and lower back. Sometimes I use the heel of my hand or a lacrosse ball on my legs before a workout if I don’t have time for a full foam roll session. The upper back, or thoracic spine, likes a little attention after hours of phone calls, meetings, and desk fatigue. Even with good posture awareness, this area gets stuck from the occasional slouch or hunch. If I have the roller handy, a nice long roll over my upper back with my neck cradled safely in my hands, I feel all the day’s tension fall away- like water off a duck’s back.

After a workout hit all these spots again and add a nice long roll on the IT band down the side of your leg. For me, with a tricky knee, so much tension builds there and the massage of that tissue makes me a better person. Complete the roll out with the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.

How long should it take?

For a pre-workout roll, take about 5 minutes, and spend up to 15 minutes as part of a cool down. Roll at a pace of about 1 inch per second, or slower. If you hit a very tender spot, try rolling the area around that first to avoid doing any damage. A little discomfort is normal, but severe pain is not what we are going for here.

Beginner tips:

If you are new to rolling, start slowly. Ask your trainer for instructions and to check that you are hitting the sweet spots. Be sure not to aggravate anything that is already inflamed. Find a way to incorporate this into your training during a dynamic warm-up or a cooldown, or both. Take your time with it, and breathe.

Indulgence

Remember this is your indulgence. Your deep tissue massage. Digging deeper into a painful area can cause tissue or nerve damage, so steer clear of the “no pain, no gain” mentality. If you listen to your muscles and the myofascial tissue surrounding them, you want to hear them take a little breath and then sigh out a sweet, “Thank you for taking care of me.”

Categories
Motivational Personal Development Strength Training

Building Muscle, Building Confidence

I’ve been weaning myself off of the barbell for a few months. I decided to change up my training and depart from the go-big or go-home approach. I’ve gone from high weight/ low repetitions to high reps/ lower weight. I cap my weight increases and change my tempo for a greater challenge. I’m exploring how this feels and listening to my body. Sometimes in a large class I feel a little bit on the outside because my goals might be different, not going for a personal record. But then I remember that everyone’s goals are different all the time. So I just do my thing. One reason I’m backing off the big weight is it does a number on my central nervous system. I’d like to minimize fatigue and brain fog. It’s been a stressful few months, and while I have lots of strategies and mechanisms for copying with stress, my reserves are low. A good strategy for me is to minimize extra fatigue from compound exercises like deadlifts. However, the personal records are important too, and I’m happy I have them. I’ve been reflecting on the value of the p.r. One of the greatest take-aways from the deadlift and rack pulls specifically is the byproduct of self-belief. Yes, fat loss, gaining strength, and feeling good are also amazing byproducts, but the unexpected result is self-belief. The surprise of this discovered confidence makes it even more of a gem.

I’m a pretty confident person about most things, but most things I do, I do all the time. When it comes to the weight room, for the first year especially, most of it was new and most of it came with the thought, “I can’t do that.” I think many of us would agree that so quickly for all of us this initial thought becomes, “I can do that.” How exciting and empowering to have this new narrative. Honestly, sometimes we wonder if we will ever be able to get through the warm up without stopping, or do a one minute plank, wall sits, or bear crawls, let alone any weight lifting. But we do and we believe in ourselves a little more with each success.

When we start thinking about our own #s, setting goals and accomplishing them, in some way we are rewiring our brains for self-belief. By setting our sights on something that seems out of reach and then achieving that, we boost our confidence and this carries over into other parts of our lives. What else in my life would I like to achieve? What goals can I set? How do I prioritize my routine to get there? What are the steps I need to take? Once you apply the structure, the discipline, and the process to get there- Boom! You reach new p.r.s in your life. For me the barbell is a reminder of all the things I never thought I could do, but actually can. Coincidentally, barbells are not in our routine this month. I’m glad I didn’t have to quit cold turkey, and had self directed through the weaning process, but I look at them fondly with memories of my personal records. Fortunately for me on my last rack pull p.r. of 300#, my workout buddy, Michelle asked if she could take my picture. I’m glad she did, and like Bogart to Bergman in Casablanca , I can say, “We’ll always have Paris.”

Cultivating your self-belief is a wonderful byproduct of attending a gym. What would you like to accomplish that you never thought you could, because you know what? I bet you can!

Categories
Motivational

The Happiest Gym in Maine

Almost three years ago, I got a text message from my big sister asking me if I could train her and her friend to get ready for a Tough Mudder, a 12 mile obstacle course that they admittedly were a little afraid to do. She asked if, at 5:30am two times a week, I could put them through the ringer.

I was all on board except for the 5:30am part, but because I love my sister SO MUCH, I said of course.

And just like that, a week later, the first “official” Hybrid Fitness workout would take place.

The First Hybrid Fitness Class

There were four of us in a super small room that I had bartered for as our temporary gym. If I weed wacked my friend Sherry’s lawn, then I could use the space! It was a pretty sweet gig. I used my lawn mowing money to purchase new equipment, and moved what I had from my parents garage here as well. (I had been stockpiling equipment for years).

The First Hybrid Fitness Gym

After two weeks of my early morning workouts, my sister Torey and her friend Michelle came up to me and told me something that would change how I thought about gyms and working out forever.

They told me, “Hunter, we’ve also been working out at another class while working with you. Our other class is great, and we love the instructor. However, it’s like an episode of mean girls. We get looks, and nobody really talks to us. When we are here with you, we don’t feel like we’re being judged. We can just be ourselves.”

I didn’t realize that that happened in workout classes. Me always being a decent athlete in high school, I never really felt out of place. But if that happened to me, or if I even heard about that happening, then I definitely wouldn’t want to work out at a gym!

It opened my eyes to all of the men and women being left out. I’m sure they were afraid of the exact same thing that Torey and Michelle had experienced – Cliques and Drama. And we thought we graduated high school!

It felt like a calling for me, and I knew I wanted to help those people who needed it most.

Slowly but surely, we started to grow our classes… and 3 years later, we’ve impacted 500 men and women through our workout classes in our fun, judgement-free setting. This all takes place at our gym on Thomaston Main Street.

Don’t they all look a little too happy for a 5AM class?!

 

Why do people come?

People come and see us for a number of reasons. They have fitness goals, and we have great workouts that produce amazing results. We are very proud of that.

Other people come for reasons other than just getting in shape.

Sometimes people have life changes that can put them in a dark place.

We take the time to sit down with every one of our members in a Strategy Session before they start, so we can hear your full story. Not everyone tells us everything in the beginning – and we aren’t pushy.

Sometimes its not until a few months down the road that we hear about the real reasons people come.

We take the time to listen.

Being able to help those who are going through a tough time has been such a gift to me, and I couldn’t do it alone.

We have such an amazing team of trainers and staff here at Hybrid Fitness who have the biggest hearts, and care for people so much.

That’s exactly why I wanted them to join the team.

No matter who you work with here, you will be in great hands.

The Gym that Gives Back

Recently, as our gym as grown, my role has changed from helping people directly to teaching and managing our staff. This change has had an effect on me, also sometimes bring me to a dark place.

What made me so happy in the past, coaching our members, doesn’t happen as often now. Although I love being a coach to our trainers and “running the business”, it’s not quite as fulfilling.

But, I have made this role change because I will always do what I believe is best for our gym – and also myself.

This past weekend, our gym entered the inflatable 5k. Being around all of the positive energy from members picked me up, and reminded me of why I do this. In fact, I hate calling them members. They are truly my friends.

Those same people who I have sat down with to dig deep into their goals and problems, rose ME up.

It goes back to something we’ve always preached here.

You can’t do it alone.

No matter what your goal is – you need a team. You need people who can keep you going even when things get tough.

And this weekend I realized what changes need to happen for myself and for Hybrid Fitness so that we can continue to positively impact peoples’ lives.

Probably the LEAST important thing about Hybrid Fitness are the workouts.

It’s the Positive Energy. Its how great the people make you feel. It’s the feeling of knowing you are cared for and that someone always has your back.

We are constantly evolving here… and now we are going to take things to a whole new level.

Many of our members call the gym their second family.

So it’s time we started acting like one.

All families have family gatherings – so that’s what were going to do.

Around the holidays, we’ll throw parties! If there aren’t holidays, we’ll find something to celebrate! We’ll drink wine and do paint nights. We’ll dress up dorky and do ridiculous exercises. We’ll have field trips to exotic destinations.

Come party with us – meet with me and the team, and we will give you the happiest gym experience you will ever have.

Love,

Hunter

P.S. Below are what some of my friends have said about why they love Hybrid Fitness.

P.P.S. If you love Hybrid Fitness – share this post with your friends!


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Categories
Exercise Tutorials Strength Training

Dumbbells vs Barbells for Fat Loss

I once heard the saying – “If your workout programming is the same as it was a year or two ago, you’re probably not doing a good job as a trainer”. Our members at Hybrid Fitness certainly have seen some changes in programming over the past few years – and it constantly changes as we:

  • Get smarter
  • Have access to different and new equipment
  • Have more or less space available to us
  • Have higher or lower attendance in our classes

One of the most effective changes we have made is moving to more dumbbells and kettlebells and less barbells in our large group classes. I want to share with you why we’ve made the changes, and how this has benefited our members.

Whenever we do make changes at Hybrid Fitness, we always keep the most important thing in mind – and that is… as our membership as a whole, what is the main goal?

Is it to be power lifters?

Is it to be as healthy as possible?

Is it drop fat?

Is it to look better?

Is it a combination of these things?

I would say it is certainly a combination of things. The high majority of our members what to:

  1. Burn Fat
  2. Add Lean Muscle
  3. Look Better
  4. Feel Better
  5. Be Healthy

And improve in those five categories in a safe manner.

While there are certainly some exceptions to this (we have some members who want to get super strong), we still have to keep in mind who we are. We are a gym for the every day person who wants to get in better shape and can do that In a fun, judgement-free environment.

Now don’t get me wrong, we have some strong men and women at our gym. We certainly do prioritize resistance training. The way we are doing it, however, has changed.

Keeping our main goal, fat loss, in mind – here is the reasoning behind our programming changes.

Less Barbells, More Dumbbells

1. Dumbbells Are Safer

Bottom line, dumbbells are safer. In a large group setting of 10+ people where you may or may not have a spotter, you are not going to get pinned under a bar if you don’t complete your repetitions. Furthermore, the majority of dumbbell movements are much less technical than barbell movements. The more technical the movement is – the more chance there is for error, and with a large amount of members in one class, it is very hard to make sure everyone is completing the repetitions with proper form – especially with a single trainer.

2. Transition Times Between Exercises Are Quicker

When it comes to fat loss, having your heart rate up is key. If you can keep you’re heart rate up and do strength training at the same time, you can really make some awesome progress in a reasonable amount of time. With barbells, there is much more transition time between exercises. Because you have to switch weights and put clips on, you are unable to go straight from exercise to exercise. With dumbbells, you can simply drop the dumbbells on the ground and pick up heavier ones. They are already preset and ready to go. This allows you to do more work in less time.

3. Progression is Simpler

In order to maximize barbell work, it can take a lot of hands on help to make sure people are progressing correctly. We constantly found that people would struggle with pushing themselves because of fear (a barbell for a person who hasn’t ever worked out can be intimidating), and lack of knowledge in progressing (we put in multiple efforts to educate people but it still wasn’t happening). The only time we were able to have people work optimally is when they had hands on work with a trainer – and again, with 10-15 people in a class, it’s very hard to give everyone that personalized guidance. Because many people weren’t working with the proper load, their heart rates were low, and their workouts (for fat loss) were ineffective.

Dumbbells are much less intimidating. Also, to progress to a higher weight, you just pick up the ones that are five pounds heavier. Its super simple and easy for a beginner to understand. In the past few months we’ve seen some amazing progress from people who were otherwise at a stand still.

4. Smaller Footprint

Barbells can take up a lot of space, and that can be a safety problem as well as effect transition times between exercises. The we have a very narrow gym, so when someone is deadlifting, they take up the majority of the room. It limits us from doing other movements that could be more effective, and it also lets that heart rate drop back down if you’re waiting in traffic. With dumbbells, we can stack 3 movements together, and you almost wouldn’t have to move.

The Downfalls of Not Using a Barbell

1. Lower Body Exercises

Doing lower body exercises with dumbbells can eventually become a problem when you start to get really strong. You find very soon that you are working more of your upper body than your lower body trying to hold them. When our members get more advanced, we move them to more unilateral (single leg) movements, which essentially doubles the load to their legs.

2. More Technical

Most barbell movements are much more technical – and therefore more dangerous without proper technique and guidance. In a large group setting with one trainer, it is very hard to manage a large number of people performing these movements at the same time.

How We Plan to Overcome the Down Falls

For most, bottlenecking in the dumbbells will only come in the lower body, not the upper body. In this case, we are going to put an order in of trap bars. Here’s why trap bars are awesome.

  1. They allow you to use heavy loads
  2. They are much safer to use than barbells
  3. They take up less space

By using the trap bar, we can get all of the benefits of the barbell, with barely any of the downside.

What About the Small Percentage Who Have Other Goals

Even for those who want to primarily focus on strength, this program is going to be awesome. They will still be able to get stronger, still build plenty of lean muscle, and feel great. The only downside is there won’t be the traditional powerlifting lifts that come with strength training – but that is not needed.

Summary

Overall, utilizing dumbbells more in our large group workouts instead barbells will make our workouts safer, more effective for fat loss, and simpler. Along with that, we’ll be adding in alternatives like the trap bar to get the benefit of heavy weight without the downsides of increased technicality, increased time in between exercises, and taking up a large amount of space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
Motivational Nutrition Personal Development

In a Relationship

What makes a successful relationship? Whittling down the answer to this question to the essentials leaves a simple formula.

A healthy relationship:

  • Is a priority
  • Brings value to my life
  • Honors who I am
  • Requires cultivation

In other words, when I prioritize a relationship I put aside time for it and plan for it. I feel nourished by it and feel like I have something to offer at the same time. When I cultivate a relationship, I take time to learn about the person and allow for growth and change.
In contrast, an unhealthy relationship might feel rushed, fit in between other things, easily distracted during interactions by texts, calls, work, or t.v, etc. I might go so far as to label it “bad” when I talk about it, or feel I have to justify it, not be completely honest about it, or see there is no substance to it.

The same is true with our relationship with food.

There are many strategies for building healthy habits for eating well and supporting good nutrition. Some people have success with 3 meals a day, some with 5 smaller meals. Some people count macro nutrients. Some count on protein shakes. There’s intermittent fasting, intuitive eating, (my favorite), meal prep, recipe apps, food journaling, and more. Any, none, and all have worked for me at various times in my life. Recently I went through a very stressful time, and I could feel my eating habits changing. I found that I wasn’t able to pull a strategy from my tool box to help me. Day after day went by and I’d start over finding myself ending at a place I didn’t like. I’d forgive myself and try again, but I was getting discouraged. What I realized through that process was that it wasn’t about the food, the habits, the 3 meals, or the high protein. It was about my relationship with food that was having the most impact on whether or not I was successful executing my healthy eating habits.
The best way for me to reset my habits was to do what I would do to improve any relationship.

  • Make it a priority. Eat slowly, not rushing through a meal or snack on the go. Be present and mindful.
  • Make sure it brings value. Eat nutrient dense food with quality ingredients.
  • I’ve been told I have exceptionally high standards for most things in my life. To honor who I am, why wouldn’t I hold my food choices to those same standards?
  • Cultivate my relationship with food. Enjoy the process. Explore new ideas, recipes, flavors, and resources.

By taking inventory of my relationship with food this way, I am actually addressing the root of many food habit issues.
What does a healthy relationship look like for you?

Categories
Nutrition

4 Fat Loss Habits that will Accelerate Your Results

The Ketogenic Diet, Carb Cycling, and Intermittent fasting all will work if you can stick to them…

However, for the every day person who works a full time job, has kids, and a laundry list of other things keeping them busy… it’s very hard to sustain such diets for a long period of time.

That goes completely against the #1 Rule when it comes to making progress in anything.

Consistency.

What we do here at Hybrid Fitness is different than these diets – in fact, we don’t even consider what we do a diet. The “method” that produces the most fat loss results is developing simple (yet effective) habits. The reason being – they don’t overwhelm you and you can do them forever without burnout.

If, over time, you can consistently apply the following 4 habits to your everyday life, you will not only have more energy, become stronger and feel better, you will drop fat and fit better in your clothes. Imagine how the extra energy and confidence from making positive progress in your health could impact your life!

Habit #1: Exercise 20 Minutes a day

By just adding an additional 20 minutes of steady exercise a day, you will get an energy boost, burn some extra calories, and feel good that you moved a little bit during your busy day. Make sure your heart rate elevates above where it normally is, and over time, you will realize that the 20 minutes turns into 40 minutes without even trying via the snowball effect.

Instead of forcing yourself to walk or hop on the elliptical, you will eventually not want to stop.

Keep this goal at 20 minutes. If you increase it to 60 minutes – that’s harder to achieve, and you’ll beat yourself up if you only are able to exercise 30 minutes. Just do 20 minutes a day and your body AND mind will be in a good place. On the days you do over 20 minutes – you did extra. You are awesome!

Our members here will do our strength training workouts three days a week for 60 minutes, and on their off days do their 20 minutes of exercise. If you’re just starting with exercise, don’t worry about the strength training if you’re going in on your own (although I highly recommend doing this at some point). Just build the habit of exercising!

If you would like some more guidance on adding in strength training and burning fat – setup a free goal setting session with us at our gyms website: http://hybridfitnessgym.com

Habit #2: Eat Until 80% Full

Eating until 80% full is a little bit more subjective, but here’s how you can tell when you’re at 80%.

After you eat your meal, you feel life you could still do some exercise without wanting to puke. You feel good, NOT lethargic.

You know you passed 80% when you get the Chinese buffet effect aka want to take a nap!

80% full should last you about 3-4 hours of being satisfied before you get really hungry again.

If you get hungry within an hour or two, you should probably increase the amount you are eating in the meal.

Habit #3: Eat 3 Meals a day

Eating consistently throughout the day will help keep your hunger levels down, preventing binges of chips and chocolate later in the day. Spread the meals out as needed or as fits to your lifestyle – however, about 4 hours in between each meal works pretty well. You can also add a forth meal in if you feel hungry towards the end of the day.

I find that most people who have been trying to lose fat for many years actually under eat, so eating 3 meals a day can seem like a lot. Having lower calorie intake over long periods can drop your body’s metabolism and will drop your energy levels. As you eat more food and add in exercise to your daily routine, your appetite will improve, you’ll start to build some strength, and your energy will increase.

For Women, I recommend eating a palm of protein (25g) , a fist of veggies, a cupped hand of fruit or carbohydrates (25g), and a thumb or a tbsp. of fat (15g) each meal.

For Men, I recommend 2 palms of protein (50g), a fist to 2 fists of veggies, 2 cupped hands of carbohydrates or fruit (50g), and 2 thumbs or tbsps. of fat (30g) each meal.

This is a good starting point, and adjustments can be made from there.

Habit #4: Drink More Water than You Are Now

Most of us don’t drink enough water. The optimal amount is somewhere around half our body weight in ounces (unless you are extremely obese). At that point, I would max your water intake at about a gallon a day. So if you weigh 180lbs, about 90oz of water would be optimal. However, if you are only drinking a bottle or two of water a day, jumping up to half your body weight in ounces can be very overwhelming. I suggest just adding an additional cup a day. Once you master that, you can add an additional cup until you work your way up to the optimal amount.

Summary

If you are able to do these 4 habits about 85% of the time:

  • Exercising 20 minutes a day
  • Eating 3 meals a day
  • Eating until 80% Full
  • Drinking More Water than You Do Now

You will see amazing results – and you won’t feel overwhelmed. On top of that, these four habits are something you can keep with you for the rest of your life.

If you’d like some help tracking your habits so you can make progress, or would like some custom habits made for you based off of your individual situation, you can sign up for a free goal setting session at our gym! Just go to http://hybridfitnessgym.com and fill out the form on the page!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
Motivational Personal Development

The Skill of Restarting

We’ve all had that time in our lives where everything is going perfect.

We have our perfect routine down. We’re getting enough sleep. Eating Good. Being Productive at our jobs…

But then out of no where, something hits us, out of our control – and that perfect routine quickly squanders into a memory of how good we “were” doing.

In fact, this really doesn’t happen just once.

It happens many times, throughout our life.

And at my ripe age of 21, each time I see this pattern repeat itself in myself and in the people I work with…

I feel like I get one step closer to cracking the code to ultimate consistency.

About a month ago, I had my perfect routine down. It consisted of waking up at 5:30, teaching my outdoor boot camp class, and coming back home immediately to make a big breakfast and writing an email.

I was prepacking 3-4 meals a day, getting 8-9 hours of sleep.

But before I knew it, I got drilled with a fever – and I’ve literally been sick for the past month.

Yes, I’m okay. My Lyme disease came back negative, and my fevers are gone.

But anyways…

My motivation went down the drain, so I stopped packing my meals… I stopped writing early in the morning when my brain was sharp, and now… I’m back to square one.

Except I’m not. I’ll never be back to square one.

Because this is not the first time this has happened to me, and I have learned a skill over the years (all 21 of them) that is going to get me right back to where I was.

This skill is called, “the skill of restarting”.

The skill of restarting comes into play when you get hit by a obstacle that changes your life so much that your daily routine goes out the door.

The better you are at restarting, the less time there is between that obstacle happening, and you getting back to your regular routine.

Here is the first time I’ve written some content since that obstacle hit me.

One month.

Woooeeeee.

I had some days where I really was hard on myself.

I felt so unproductive and honestly… like a piece of shit.

But my eggs and oatmeal happened this morning… and I know it can for you too.

If you’re going through a tough time right now, try not to be hard on yourself.

I know it will happen – there’s no way around it… but instead – look at it as a challenge.

And also, look at it as an opportunity to improve your skill of restarting.

Because we all know that that obstacle will come again soon.

Do one thing today to bring your routine closer to where you want it to be, and you too, can have your eggs and oatmeal.

Have a great day,

Hunter