Avoid these mistakes for optimum workout results Making the time to exercise is one of the best things you can do for your physical and mental well-being. Anyone who is putting in the work for improving their health and fitness deserves a high five! However, maybe you've been putting in the work in the gym, but you're not seeing the results you were hoping for. That can be very frustrating, especially when you're certain you're doing all the right things.  But there is a possibility that you may have some things to improve on to optimize your results from your workouts. Here are some common workout mistakes you may be making and how to fix them.  1. You use exercise solely as a means to burn calories.      Yes, exercise does burn calories and can help you achieve a caloric deficit a little easier. But when you go into your workouts with the belief that your only purpose is to burn calories, you limit what you can actually accomplish in those workouts. I've had m...

  Why setting performance-based goals helps for long-term success One of the most common phrases I hear as a personal trainer is " I want to lose   X lbs ".  Most people like to put a specific number on their weight loss goals, whether it's a number they want to lose or a number they want to weigh, it's usually the first goal that comes to mind.  This usually stems from stepping on the scale and seeing the number creep up and up and seeing in the mirror something they don't exactly love, so they decide that they want to lose "X" number of lbs and that will be the ultimate goal for them to achieve.  As much as I love it when people have some goals in mind, I'm here to play a little devil's advocate when it comes to setting a specific weight loss goal. You may wonder, what's wrong with setting a weight loss goal? It's not so much wanting to lose some extra body fat or get in better shape that's the problem. The problem comes up when you...

Have you ever started a workout program or new diet, swear you're doing everything right, then after 2 weeks ask yourself, "Is this working?" You wonder why you haven't seen the magical results that you had expected in your imagination and when that's going to happen. 3 days later you are nowhere closer to your 25 lb weight loss goal and you think to yourself, this isn't working and you quit.  You see your friend Tracey posting about her new diet and think, I should try that, maybe that will work .  So you do the new diet because it's totally different than the last one, try it for 2 weeks, not see any immediate results, get discouraged, quit!  Rinse and repeat for the next 10 years or more! You wonder why nothing seems to be working although you swear on your life you've tried everything and you're doing everything perfectly.  You start to convince yourself something is wrong with you.  Maybe your metabolism is broken?  Maybe it's the...

Since this COVID 19 situation started,  we have all being confined to our houses and  all the gyms have closed, it has made it challenging for some (present party included) to get the workouts we want to have at home. I don't know about you, but I find working out at home just not the same.  I don't have a lot of equipment at home and I miss the comradery and focus the gym gave me.  But alas, we are stuck with what we have at home for the foreseeable future! You may be stuck in the same boat as I am, not a lot of equipment and a need to move your body.  Exercise and activity have been helping to keep me sane and balance my moods in an overly-emotional time.   So it has forced me to be creative, which really isn't the worst thing in the world.  I've been finding ways to make my workouts different and more challenging, so I will share my tips with you on how to change up your workouts to help make them more challenging, especially if you ...

A common statement I hear is "I just need more motivation!"  or "How do I get myself motivated to workout/eat healthy"   I am certain you've had these thoughts, as has everyone!  You may be thinking to yourself, what's wrong with me, why aren't I motivated like the people I see on Instagram?  Why can't I seem to motivate myself to get off the couch, and why can't I stay motivated?! What's the secret behind motivation?  How do you actually achieve your goals?   The big secret is, you can't rely on motivation!  You don't need "motivation" to do anything in life, especially weight loss.   Why?  The answer is simple, motivation is fleeting and it fluctuates.   Take this extremely common example, that I guarantee has happened to you before: Some weeks/months you're all full of energy and excitement for your goals.   You start the diet, you meal prep all the things, do all the workouts, double your wo...