"Tis The Season" How to stay healthy and lean through the holidays

"Tis The Season" 

How to stay healthy and lean through the holidays

     It's every one's favorite time of year, the season of giving, receiving, hot chocolate, parties, and gaining pounds!

Well it doesn't have to be like that, in the next few paragraphs I will discuss what it takes to keep that trim waistline you have worked on all year from gaining a few inches over the next month of  alcohol driven parties and days of eating left overs.  Its not as hard as everyone thinks and you wont have to be in the corner all by your lonesome eating chicken, broccoli, and rice out of Tupperware.  No, instead you will be able to enjoy those Christmas parties and enjoy the turkey and desserts as well.  All it is going to take is a little will power and focus. 

     I'm going to list my top 10 tips for eating healthy during the holidays.

1. OK, one of the most important tips I can give you is to never skip meals or try to starve yourself in preparation of the amount of food your about to intake before a holiday party or outing.  Instead stay on track with all of your planned meals for that day so when you get to your party you will already feel full and not so hungry that you make bad decisions once you get there. You will be more likely to eat less food as well as make better food choices if you eat your regularly schedule meals during the day before you reach the party. 
2. Avoid drinking beverages high in sugar like hot chocolate or any sodas.  Also avoid adding any alcohol to your drinks, not only are they going to add calories to your drink, they are going to lower your inhibitions causing you to make bad food decisions. Instead try to drink as much water as you can or if you need to even have some sparkling water to emulate an alcoholic beverage.
3. When your a buffet style party be sure to fill your plate up with vegetables and then take smaller portions of the foods that you know are not going to be your best choices.  So as you can see I'm not saying avoid those foods completely, I'm simply saying eat smaller portions of those foods. 
4. Plan out times to get your daily exercise in.  I know I preach how important diet is but during the holiday season when you will be splurging a little bit more than normal it is important to get those workouts in.
5. Eat slowly, as well as eating til your satisfied, not stuffed!
6. If your going to multiple parties or dinners in one day and you overeat at one meal make sure you eat less at the next party.
7. I have dieted for a bodybuilding show through the holiday season before and yes, I was that guy that brought his own meals to the party.  Don't be afraid to bring your own meals.  The is really important if you have many friends and will be attending a good amount of parties or dinners over the season.  You cant eat what is there at every party you go to.  
8. Temptation can be a hard feeling to fight off, you will need to do whatever you can to avoid temptation.  One thing I find works well is standing at least an arms length away from the snacks.  The finger foods can add up and be very dangerous.
9. Another way to avoid any temptations can be keeping your jaw active.  This can be done through being the social butterfly of the party and talking to everyone or something as simple as chewing some gum.  Anything that will keep you from making those bad food decisions. 
10. And lastly some times you just have to say NO!

So there are some pretty simple tips you can follow to help you through this holiday season.  Holiday's should be a fun time to share with friends and family, not a stressful time because of what to eat.  When you go to your next holiday party just remember a few of these tips and you should have no set backs. 

As Always Go HAM, 

" Be A Man" Things that all men should be doing in their relationships.

 

     We all have seen it in old school movies where the man lays down his jacket over a puddle so his lady doesn't get her feet wet but that is a gesture that is long gone in this society along with many other acts of, what I like to call "Manliness".  Now I'm not Mr. Distinguished, I have been told on many occasions that " I am no gentleman".  One thing I do like to pride myself on is my respect that I have for my significant other and how that relay's into the way my relationship plays out.  This is not a normal blog post for me seeing that it doesn't pertain to health and fitness but this is one way you can become bad ass.  Being bad ass doesn't mean how much weight you can lift, how long you can last in the mountains running on low fuel, or how fast you can drive a car in the quarter mile.  Although those are all bad ass things to do, doing extreme things aren't the only thing that make you bad ass.  It is more bad ass to be a complete gentleman to your significant other.  They will respect you more, others will respect you more and hopefully you'll respect yourself more. 

     I've compiled a list of things that will make you a better man to your lady. These are my own personal views on this and I know not everyone will agree, but there are some things a real man should always do and never do.  Some are really simple and common, some will take some time to correct.  But fellas its never to late to change your childish ways and step on up to manhood! 

• A real man always drives.  Guys its not a good look when your girl is driving you everywhere.  A few exceptions- switching off on a long road trip or the fact your ill.
• A real man always holds the door open.  Come on guys this is a simple one.
• A real man follows through with what he promises her. Integrity fellas, if you need to look up the definition to that word ya have some work to do.
• Always let her sit down first and pull her chair out for her.  A given.
• Open the car door for her.
• If she says shes cold she is indirectly asking you for your jacket or sweater, oblige.
• Be loyal, if your not happy don't waste her time or yours.
• Hides nothing, if your in love with her there should be nothing to hide.
• A women loves a guy that cooks, read a few cooking books and make her a nice meal.
• Show her your capable of doing laundry. She may not even want you to do it, but make an effort.
• Maintain your shit, keep the house clean and your personal appearance on point. You don't always have to be dressed to the nines but dress appropriately for any occasion. 
• PULL YOUR PANTS UP!! Come on your a man now not a child. Get a belt and wear your pants at your waist.
• Watch less TV, and for the love of god stop playing video games with teenagers from around the world.  If your going to watch TV watch it with her or try to get her involved in your interests, or play video games with her.  It can be a fun thing to do together but playing call of duty with a 14 year old boy from Germany screams immaturity. 
• Compliment her once a day and not with just words.  Get her small little surprises.  Make her coffee in the morning, send her flowers one day, start her car in the morning without her asking, or throw her towel in the dryer before she takes a shower in the morning so she has a nice warm towel after the shower.  Be creative.
• Don't skip the foreplay!  They love it and all though most guys just wanna get to the main course its going to be a much better main dish if take your time with the appetizers. 
• Be yourself!

     So those are some real simple ways to show your lady that you a man.  If you already do all of these then kudos your a true gentleman.  Pick one act at a time and start to do them for your lady and watch the difference in her demeanor. 

As Always Go HAM!

"Transformation Tuesday Is More Than Just A Before And After Photo"

 

 "Transformation starts with believing in yourself"

-Brandon Dupont

      When you see before and after pictures on the Internet you're not seeing the whole story.  You're not seeing the sacrifices made by that individual, you're not seeing the mental change that person has made for themselves, and you're not seeing all the ups and downs that one person has endured over there transformation.  You're seeing the end result of those challenges one had to endure to make a huge change to their lifestyle.  The countless promises broken to one's self, the personal failures that amounted, and the many "Ill start Monday moments". 

     I like to use my transformation picture to inspire and motivate others so they understand that anyone can set a goal and accomplish it as long as they follow a few steps.  Growing up I struggled with being overweight, I was active but I ate as much as I wanted.  I never liked how this made me feel.  Being made fun of, not being able to do things as well as other kids, and just the way I looked.  When you are younger you want to change that but not quite sure how to do it.  It wasn't until about junior year in high school that I started to slim down a bit, thanks to growing a bit taller and playing hockey 7 days per week.  It wasn't until I was in my early twenties that I started to lift some weights and focus on nutrition a bit more. I always had a grand vision for myself, that I would be in great shape, that I would be good at sport, and most of all I would be happy with myself.   You're probably saying to yourself, " Diet and exercise, we all know that".   Although diet and exercise play a part in a person's transformation, it is much more than that.  First, like I have said over and over and even though it sounds corny and cliche its a must have in order to make a transformation successful.  No matter how small or large a transformation you must believe in yourself.  If you do not believe that you can transform your lifestyle then you are already beat.  

 "Whether you think you can, or that you can't, you're right" 

- Henry Ford

  This sums up how you accomplish your goals.  If you don't believe that you can do something, then you are stopping your self from even starting.  Believe in yourself that you will start on Monday or believe in yourself that you will go to the gym in the morning before work. 

     Promises, we make em, we break em and we try again.  We have all made promises and broke them at one point of our lives and we will more than likely do it again.  I want to explain how breaking our promises to ourselves can directly affect the outcome of your transformation.  Anyone that has successfully achieved a goal has made a promise to one's self and kept it.  The promise could have been something as small as doing ten minutes on the treadmill.  Although that sounds small to some, its a huge promise to others.  When they made that promise to themselves they did the whole ten minutes, not nine minutes and fifty five seconds.  Even if they did nine minutes and fifty five seconds they broke a promise to themselves and that can set someone up for failure.  One thing I stress to all my clients and athletes is fulfilling the promises you made to yourself and never stopping short of those promises.  Fulfilling those promises made are what is going to separate the ones that reach their goals and the ones that don't.  I know that it sounds minuscule but it is not, its huge! Every time you make a promise to yourself you don't fulfill that is one step closer to telling yourself that you can not do it and ultimately giving up on the dream.   So it is best to start off small with the promises you make to yourself.  I like to tell my new clients lets focus on setting small goals and promises at first.  Although they are full of enthusiasm and vigor to start, I do not want to set themselves up for failure.  So an example of a promise you may make to yourself could range from; drink water before each meal to take a walk during your lunch break at work.  These are small promises that are obtainable and that will get the ball rolling in the transformation of your confidence.  Like I said earlier we break promises all the time, does that mean that we are doomed?  Absolutely not,  I want you to refer back to belief,  believing in yourself.  As long as you still have the belief and continue to try you're still in the fight.  Make that promise to yourself again this time make it your bitch. When you fulfill that promise make another one, fulfill that, and make another.  That is what transformation success is all about, making a bunch of small goals and promises and fulfilling them.  That is where so many transformation attempts fail.  People try to go to big on their goals and making them impossible to fulfill, setting themselves up for failure. 

     Anyone that has made a drastic transformation did not do it alone.  They either had friends and family supporting them, motivation coming from other outlets like a specific fitness inspiration or life experience, or the use of a nutrition coach and personal trainer. 

"Unity is strength..when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved"

-Unknown

     You must seek out sources of motivation and professional advice.  Health and fitness is bigger now more than ever, there are countless motivational websites out there as well as books and magazines to keep you motivated.  One of my biggest motivators was the picture that you see on the top left of this page.  I printed this picture out and put it on my refrigerator, my dashboard in my car, and in my wallet.  I put it on my refrigerator so every time I went into it I was reminded to make sure I picked the right food.  I put it in my wallet to remind me of my goals every time I reached into my pocket to pay for something I shouldn't be eating. I put it in my car because I spent so much time driving, I wanted to constantly be reminded of how unhappy I am in that picture (even though I look happy).  I also hired the help of a nutrition coach, even though I designed my own nutrition plan and had a great understanding of nutrition, I obviously needed some accountability.  Everyone needs to be held accountable when making some major life changes, its what keeps the fire fueled and burning red hot!

 So to recap:

1. Believe in yourself
2. Keep promises to yourself
3. Don't be afraid to fall down, get back up!
4. Seek professional help, motivation, and accountability 

These are the steps I use for my clients and these are the steps I used personally 5 years ago when I started my journey, and I am now happier since I have done it.

As Always, 

Go HAM!