What is your weight loss goal? Do you want to lose 1, 2 or 3 lbs a week? Maybe you want to maintain your current weight level? Here is a tool that might help you…Daily Calorie Calculator.

I believe that understanding what I put into my body, with a clear picture of what I want to accomplish, I am able to resist the temptation easier and make wiser decisions. Knowledge provides more clarity in my book. Maybe some of these tools will help?

Stay active stay healthy!

Some interesting lists:

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The Top Ten Reasons That Kids Should Exercise

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Top Ten Sports Injuries and some treatments – The injury that I have most often (hip flexor) is not on the list. If you have questions about any of the listed injuries, an excellent online resource is MyFamilyDoctor.*

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Top 10: Ways To Maximize Cardio Workouts

A very nice, common sense approach to your cardiovascular workouts.

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Top 10 Relaxation Techniques To Reduce Stress On-the-Spot

# 4 on the list refers to anxiety and depression.

An excellent online resource for mental health is: JANE’S mental health source page.*

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Top 100 Children’s Books-National Educations

In my book…no pun intended, it is always important for my child to read. My favorite place to buy books is at Amazon.

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Healthy/Unhealthy Food Lists

A previous post from June, 9th. A list of healthy and unhealthy foods.

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What do you think?

*I always recommend that you consult with your medical professional*

I am challenged multiple days each week to stay on task…..I do a Boot Camp class at LifeTimeFitness M, W, Fr. and it is an early one, my alarm reminds at 3:30am how early it really is! On two or three other days I will usually get up at 5am. I made the choice almost three years ago, because I was sick and tired of being overweight and out of shape. I had to find a reason to get motivated and for me the motivation came from what I don’t want(pain) or what I want(pleasure)….make sense?

It has worked for me!

So how do you get motivated? First of all accountability, do it for your self, your wife, husband, kids, friends for anybody…MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Check out some great links with fantastic insight:

Top Ten Fitness Facts

Top 7 Keys To Motivation For Exercise!

Exercise Motivation Tips

Some of these sites will offer similar advice to each other, but maybe to see it multiple times is what we need?

Keep challenging yourself to get to the next level, set small goals that work towards a bigger goal.

Accomplishment will bring more and more positive into your life.

You deserve to feel great about yourself and one thing that I am absolutely certain of is…. I feel MUCH better after working out, don’t you?

YOU DESERVE T!

A recent article written, by Gabby Hyman states in a Yahoo article: “Education may be the long-sought-after fountain of youth. After decades of studies, researchers continue to find that those who keep their minds engaged in active education live longer and stave off the ravages of aging, such as memory loss and lethargy.”

Dr. Gary Small, Director of the UCLA Center on Aging, has found a research niche in what he calls “Mental Aerobics.” Using physical fitness training language, Small encourages everyone to “cross train” their minds to keep them in peak condition. Dr. Small’s popular anti-aging book, The Longevity Bible, proposes an eight-step game plan to keep your body supple and your mind in peak condition. Number one on the list: “Sharpen Your Mind. Mental aerobics cross train your brain to significantly improve memory skills and brain efficiency. If you fix your brain for longevity, your body will follow in kind.”

The New England Journal of Medicine published a study in 2003 revealing that seniors over 75 years old who continued to read actively along with engaging in other physical and artistic activities had demonstrably lower rates of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Lifelong learning combined with exercises to stimulate the mind builds what Small calls a cognitive reserve. Small says, “It’s the use-it-or-lose-it theory. If you keep your brain cells active it improves their efficiency.”

Research being done by James Smith, a health economist at the RAND Corporation states “the most significant social factor is education…..according to Smith the data on longevity is quite clear.

Of course staying active, eating healthy and avoiding obvious risks such as smoking are positive steps towards a more fulfilling life.

I think most of us face challenges at common times when it comes to eating. My biggest challenge is when I am slowing down for the day or bored, maybe looking for something to keep me busy…. “STOP!”

Grab a book or a little bean bag to toss up and down…something. Keep your mind off of food!

All the hard work during the day, and over a couple of hours prior to bed I take a few steps back.

Try this:

This has helped me in my nightly battle to avoid binging. I put a timed imaginary lock on the fridge and/or cupboards (7pm they lock). I have been practicing this and it tends to get easier to stay away each night. If you must…. try some milk or if you are craving sugar a glass of chocolate milk.

Good luck!
Remember you are in control!

Developing mental fitness is a key component for a successful training routine. At the top level it is not your physical or technical expertise which separates you from the competition but your mental toughness. To have constant growth you have to learn the ability to hold your nerve, perform under the most intense pressure, and consistently turn it on even when you don’t feel at your best. Mental toughness is what makes an individual that reaches the top of his/her “game” so special. These athletes know their real battle is not so much on the field or track, but inside their mind. It is a must that you manage your mental side if you want to maximize your efforts.

Given that mental strength is such an important trait in constant growth, it is surprising how many individuals neglect the mental side in training routines. If you are an individual that spends the majority of your training regiment on technique and fitness while paying no attention to your mental side, you are probably doing yourself a disservice. Mental skills are acquirable and you can, with practice, learn to perform mentally. “You can improve your confidence, concentration, motivation and anxiety levels if you chose to. You operate within a system…..your performance is just an outcome of how your system operates. The parts of your system are all related.”

A baseball’s player’s confidence may be affected by his technique, which may be affected by his fitness, which may be affected by his lifestyle which may be affected by his time management. It is always logical to solve the underlying causes of a problem than the symptom itself.
Increase your self-awareness during this process, so that wherever possible you find the solutions and suggest changes yourself.

Feelings will usually affect your performance. Whether you are aware of them or not, how you feel affects how you perform. Feelings are based on what you imagine and/or how you interpret from an event and not from the event itself. The message is very simple, learn how to change your interpretations and you learn how to manage your emotions. When you can manage your emotions you can perform at your best.