So, what exactly is your motivation to finally get fit? Do you have a strategy that will deliver real results and are you willing to devote the time and energy needed to reach your goals? Every year, millions of people make a New Year’s resolution to become healthy and fit. Unfortunately, the sad reality is that most people will fail miserably at their attempts. For most, they are simply destined to fail before they even start. To be successful, you need to be motivated and create actionable steps towards your health and fitness goals.
My purpose for writing this article is to make everyone aware of what exactly needs to be done in order to reach specific goals. Most people simply don’t have a clue when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. As a personal trainer, I see this every single year when there is a large influx of new members at the gym where I work at. When February 1st comes around, all of these same people seem to disappear. I think most people give up because they don’t see any results or have unrealistic expectations as to what it takes to live a healthy lifestyle. Most people simply don’t have the right roadmap to help them make the best choices to give them real results. It’s much more than just showing up at the gym and doing a bunch of cardio and lifting some weights once in a while.
Why People Fail Year After Year
1. Focusing on The Wrong Things – Most people are focusing on fads like starvation diets or the latest low-carb crazes. Or, they are doing countless hours of mind-numbing cardio or aimlessly lifting weights with no real structured workout or diet plan. It’s crucial to have a game plan before starting any fitness program and hopefully this article will help you outline several key steps to follow.
2. Hormone Balancing – If you’re over the age of 40, you might want to look into visiting an anti-aging specialist who focuses on hormone balancing. A large percentage of middle-aged men and women have unbalanced hormones, so it’s very important to get them checked out.
3. A Balanced Diet – It’s been said hundreds of times before, but your diet is absolutely critical to your success when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, losing unwanted pounds and building lean muscle. You need to feed your body nutritious and wholesome foods in order to run at an optimal level at all times. Remember the old saying, “Why workout if you’re not going to eat clean and why eat clean if you’re not going to workout.”
4. A Balanced Workout Plan – This needs to consist of strength training to build lean muscle, cardio to burn calories and body fat, along with stretching and flexibility exercises. It’s important to have an all-around solid fitness plan with all of these areas covered.
5. Success or Failure – Your mindset will determine your results. If you truly want to get fit and healthy, you will succeed. If it does not matter that much to you, chances are you will simply fail.
6. Not Being Truly Committed – If you are going to devote time to your health, put 100% of your effort into it. Don’t put things on the back burner and wait for results to happen. Take advantage of the time you have during the day to invest into improving your health and fitness.
7. Lack of Motivation – For myself, this is a driving force to my success. I want to be healthy and fit for myself and for my family. I don’t want to be inflicted with a preventable illness that I could prevent like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and heart disease just to name a few issues. I’m also motivated to be a role model to other people and help motivate them. If you are a money motivated type of person, think about the money you will save by being fit and healthy as you get older. Keep in mind that 60% of all bankruptcies are due to medical expenses!
8. Want It Now Mentality – Most people just want to get fit and lose weight the quick and easy way. They want results in 30 days and this is simply unrealistic. I tell my clients if they feel better after 30 days then they are successful. If you make progress month after month, you are positioned exactly where you want to be. Stay committed and you will see results!
9. Making Excuses – Stop all the excuses! Many people want to claim the “victim role” for being overweight. Genetics plays a small role in being overweight. For the most part, being overweight is about not following a healthy lifestyle, period.
10. Lack of Knowledge – Most people with weight issues are novices when it comes to working out. My advice is to spend some time with a certified personal trainer and learn how to workout the right way. A personal trainer can also help you develop a plan and teach you the proper form and technique for each exercise to help you improve your results and to prevent injury.
11. Don’t Believe The Hype – Americans spend over 25 billion dollars on weight loss products and most of these items simply don’t work. I would estimate that maybe 20% of the products in a supplement store even work! Save your money on bogus products and invest it into a great personal trainer and nutrient dense whole foods!
12. The Real Truth – If it was easy to get fit and healthy, everyone would be walking around with shredded 6-pack abs. The truth is that it’s difficult to achieve success and continue to stay fit, but you can do it with the right game plan and dedication. Take the steps necessary to change your life for the better so you can live healthier for yourself and your family!
Balance Your Hormones
Your hormones are extremely important and influence so many key areas throughout your body. Balancing your hormones optimally allows your body to work properly and to prevent illness and disease. Unbalanced hormones can influence your mood, sex drive, energy, cause weight gain and also affect your memory. Hormones also regulate essential functions which includes growth and development, metabolism, immune system as well as reproduction. Low DHEA, growth hormone, testosterone, progesterone and estrogen can all influence our overall health and the aging process. Below are the some of the most important hormones to monitor:
- Thyroid – The thyroid hormones: T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine) are the major hormones produced by the thyroid gland. These hormones work to regulate your body’s temperature, heart rate and metabolism. It is common for menopausal and postmenopausal women to experience thyroid dysfunction. Many overweight people also have irregularities with their thyroid.
- DHEA – Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a precursor hormone that plays a vital role in the formation of estrogen and testosterone. It also helps control how the body ages.
- Progesterone – This is crucial for multiple functions in the body of both men and women. Without adequate levels of progesterone you may struggle with sleep, immune system function, mood swings and even memory. Progesterone is also vital to the reproductive process in women. Low progesterone levels also leads to premature aging.
- Testosterone – Some of the effects of deficient testosterone levels include loss of muscle mass, decreased energy, poor stamina, anxiety, loss in strength and low libido.
- Estrogen – Estrogen is responsible for many functions throughout a woman’s body. Estrogen regulates cholesterol and bone growth. A lack of estrogen can have a significant impact on a woman’s health including the strengthening of bones, heart disease and colon cancer. Most women over the age of 50 have very little or no estrogen at all.
- Growth Hormone – Human growth hormone (HGH) is a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland. This hormone strengthens bone density, enhances tissue growth and increases muscle mass. As men and women age, growth hormone levels reduce by about 50%. HGH is critical for optimal energy levels, mental sharpness and for building muscle and increasing strength.
- Cortisol – Cortisol is produced in the adrenal glands and released into the bloodstream to be transported throughout the body. For this reason, cortisol affects numerous reactions in the body including influencing blood pressure levels, controlling blood sugar levels and reducing inflammation.
Symptoms of Unbalanced Hormones
- Weight gain
- Muscle loss
- Fatigue
- Low energy
- Low sex drive
- Insomnia
- Mood swings
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Difficulty concentrating
- Cluttered thinking
Benefits of Optimally Balanced Hormones
- Reduced risk of illness and disease
- Increase in muscle mass and strength
- Reduction in body fat
- Increased energy
- Improved sleep
- Improved bone density
- Improved libido
What are Bioidentical Hormones?
Bioidentical hormones are the preferred form of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) because they offer patients relief from the discomforts of hormonal imbalances, including hot flashes, sleeplessness, weight gain, muscle loss, and erectile dysfunction. Bioidentical hormones are created to be identical to the hormones that are in your body naturally. They are created to have the same structure as your natural hormones so that your body can use the hormones effectively. They are designed to match your hormones in order to reduce the risk of side effects and improves your overall treatment.
If you follow the above advice, I guarantee that you will improve your health and also help reduce the risk and exposure to serious illnesses while reducing the burden of experiencing significant medical expenses. Make the changes now to get healthy and fit for yourself and for your family!
