Category: MyBodyTutor

My Story of Greek God at Binghamton University (Part 2/3)

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“Gilbert you’re up!” yelled one of the Alpha Epsilon Phi girls. As I approached the stage my heart was pounding like crazy. All I heard was “Gil IS Greek God! Gil IS Greek God!”

I’ll never forget the deafening noise and the blinding lights as I walked up the stairs on to the stage. I had my pose down memorized inside and out. I was focused.

Just the night before, I was prancing around, in one of the gross third floor bathrooms of Newing’s Broome Hall, trying to figure out the best way to shave my legs. Apparently, all of the contestants shaved their legs. Too bad I had no idea how to. I called up the girl that was running Greek God and asked her how. She was absolutely meticulous in how she ran the event.

After all, the real purpose of the event is to raise money for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation. Not to have college fraternity guys pose in their underwear.

But when I called her it didn’t go over as well as I had hoped. Although she laughed hysterically – she didn’t really appreciate my lack of preparation. I was on my own.

So, I was kneeling down ready to begin my pose down staring at my tanned feet with all eyes on me. As if being thrown into Greek God 3 weeks prior, competing against juniors and seniors as a sophomore, having an awful experience shaving my legs the night before and building all the sets that morning wasn’t enough – the wrong music started playing!

To say my one and only Greek God outing was underwhelming is an understatement or was it?

Flash forward to my junior year of college. My boys and I came back from the summer extremely excited for the year to come. We were now upperclassmen living in the fraternity house feeling pretty confident.

Until, 4 weeks before Greek God when my boys and I were talking about how fun it would be if we had a contestant. Before you know it, we were on the phone with every fraternity president and contestant asking if they had a problem if I competed again. Apparently, competing 2 years in a row is not allowed. Like Bloomberg though, I was in business. Again.

The diet, the exercise, the tanning, the rumors and the procrastination all started once more. Evidently some fraternities take Greek God extremely seriously. Which, I’m sure, puts a lot of pressure on the actual contestant to look good. After all, it’s expensive to participate. It’s also a chance for lesser known fraternities to make a name for themselves. But c’mon – it’s also only one freakin’ night!

As a lifelong fitness freak (not safe for work – watch the last 5 seconds of the clip), I’ve gradually added muscle throughout the years.

However, it wasn’t until my junior and senior year of high school when I became absolutely obsessed because I finally had access to a gym whenever I wanted being that I was able to drive. My mom always wondered why I ate the way I did and I’d always have to explain to her that I didn’t want to take drugs. For her own peace of mind, she had me tested for any and all steroids which I was totally cool with because I no longer had to explain my eating.

I always knew, somehow, I’d end up doing something in health and fitness so I’ve had her or my sister take pictures of me once a year to document my progress. As ridiculous as that sounds (and believe me they let me know) I only did it because I take great pride in being able to say the only things I’ve ever taken were protein shakes and protein bars. And not that I think I’m this (Greek) God because I certainly don’t. However, I always laugh when I see people who gain 35 pounds of muscle very quickly. Sure, that’s natural bro!

So, I took it as a compliment when in the weeks before Greek God both my sophomore and junior year, people would ask me if I was taking steroids. And although it was slightly annoying it made me laugh because I’ve truly been a fitness freak since I was in 4th grade. How would they know that though? While most kids were getting ready for school in the mornings probably eating Fruity Pebbles, I was working out in my room, a make shift gym.

Although my life is way more than protein shakes and protein bars now, it’s still a part of me. In college, steroids were certainly available. It’s pretty obvious who took them. But the good stuff – the stuff that sticks – takes the longest to gain but is actually sustainable and always lasts.

In the end, Greek God my junior year turned out to be awesome. My toga skit was fun as was my formal wear skit. And, as always, the part I trained the most for was the pose down (see picture above).

Unfortunately, no one in my fraternity has competed since my junior year of college. That’s like 5 years!

But a few months ago I got an email from Petar (yes, Petar) that he is doing it for SAE this year and that he’d love some help.

Petar has been an extremely gracious student and a lot of fun to work with.

I’ll say no more. Except:

Petar IS…

My Story of Greek God at Binghamton University (Part 1)

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It was a gorgeous October day of my junior year of high school. I got home from school and decided it was time to start looking through the two books I had on colleges. I knew of Binghamton and how it was a great public school but didn’t really know much else. I flipped through one of the books until I got to the few pages on Binghamton.

I saw under special events that every October there was an annual sorority/fraternity bodybuilding event sponsored by the sorority Alpha Epsilon Phi. Destiny? I was intrigued! It was called Greek God.

A few paragraphs down I saw that the tuition per year was a little less than $10k. They also had a great business school. The choice became so clear right then and there.

Spend in 1 year what my entire Binghamton education would cost elsewhere or go to Binghamton. In my mind, I was going to Binghamton.

My senior year, I applied to the business school early admission…

Binghamton it was.

Fast forward 1 year to the beginning of my first semester freshman year of college. I remember going into one of the two huge gyms and seeing the entire place packed out on that Saturday evening. The music was bumping. The bleachers from floor to ceiling were all pulled out. What looked like at least 8 basketball courts in between all the bleachers, were covered with paper to protect the floor from the hundreds of folding seats on top of it. There was a huge stage with balloons all around it. The fraternities were going nuts and the sorority girls were screaming.

And for some reason, I was nervous. Even though I wasn’t in a fraternity (pledging didn’t start until the second semester) I knew I was going to do this one day. Posing in front of 3000+ fraternity/sorority members in my underwear seemed very intimidating.

I had time though. People only do it once in their college career. I figured I’d do it either my junior or senior year.

Fast forward 11 months and 1 week. I pledged the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) and my pledge brothers and I were all so excited to reap the benefits of actually being in the fraternity, not servicing it as a pledge! In Binghamton, most students live on campus for 2 years and off for 2. My friends and I had worked it out so we were near each other. It was going to be awesome.

An older frat brother was set to do it for us. He had been training hard all summer long and was looking real good. In what could’ve been a made for TV movie, he broke his arm.

Not only are shirtless line ups uncomfortable while you pledge but for someone who is as obsessed with their health and fitness as I am – torture ensued.  Being forced to eat mayo and drink oil were common punishments. Of course, it was all in good fun though. Most of it was brought on by me anyway because I can be a wise ass.

So, I got the call. “Gilbert, you’re doing Greek God. You don’t have a choice.”

Great!  I had 3 weeks to prepare for what every other contestant had been preparing months and months for. And unfortunately, the Greek God competition is only 1/3 body building. There is a toga skit where the contestant must be brought out on a chariot (that was to be built by the fraternity – to demonstrate our team work – ha!) and then a formal wear skit. In essence, it was a talent competition with only 1/3 of it being a 60 second pose down.

Three problems: My fraternity didn’t really care about Greek God, in terms of helping me build the sets and the chariot. And I didn’t really care all that much about the other parts of the competition.

And I lived in the dorms which meant I didn’t have access to a kitchen. I had to rely on dining hall food which was barely edible. For 3 full weeks, my entire hall had to endure my (illegal) usage of the good ol’ faithful George Foreman grill while I stunk up the floor.

As health and fitness has been my passion since I was in 4th grade, I was lucky in that I was in good shape. But I had to take my body to the next level in 3 weeks. Thankfully, I was born for this. (Although later I realized I enjoyed the training way more than I did the actual competition.)

Other fraternities took Greek God extremely (and way too) seriously. My favorite part of doing Greek God my sophomore year was probably waking up early on the Saturday of Greek God to build my chariot (that’s what you’re looking at above. It’s a boxing ring. And I was Rocky!) with one or two other helpful brothers. Of course, other fraternities had theirs built for months.

Don’t get me wrong. They were there to support me like crazy during the competition. While other fraternities screamed their representative’s name is Greek God, it was awesome to hear my friends scream mine.

Hearing  “Gil is Greek God” being yelled with all of their hearts as I was getting ready for my pose down back stage was a feeling and an experience I’ll never forget…

Why TIME magazine is completely irresponsible for saying that exercise won’t make you thin

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Recently, Time Magazine featured an article by John Cloud, entitled ‘Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin‘ that is generating a ton of buzz.

I addressed my thoughts on this in my Daily Inspiration the following day and I strongly considered doing so on this blog but I didn’t want to contribute to the buzz because it doesn’t deserve the attention.

But when I received an email from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) I felt as though it was my responsibility to address this to the world being that this is what I do and have lived since I was in 4th grade.

This is just too important to ignore. The email from them said: “Last Friday, an article appeared in Time Magazine making statements that we believe run counter to fact and the public interest. The article claimed that exercise, contrary to the research with which we are all familiar, is not an effective health tool, particularly as it pertains to weight loss…”

They continued, (addressing the fitness professionals on their mailing list):

“Your assistance is needed in getting the right health message out to the public. Also we encourage you to adapt our letter to the editor and submit it to your local news outlets, helping readers and viewers get the best evidence-based facts and information.”

So here I am. Never fear MyBodyTutor is here! I’m going to make this as simple and concise as possible.

Ridiculously enough, this debate made the rounds last year and the year before that as well. It’s nothing new!

Of course, the media loves stories like this because it’s attention grabbing. It makes you stop in your tracks and say, “Wait a second. What? Exercise won’t make you thin?” It’s written for people that don’t really want to change. Sadly, that’s most of the population.

Here’s the deal: To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume. Energy (food) in must be less than energy (movement) out. HOWEVER (Yes, that is a big however, if you eat certain types of foods the amount of calories you consume doesn’t matter all that much. For example, our body processes chicken very differently than it does, say, candy.

[For my nerds out there:  This is what’s known as the Thermic Effect of Food. The energy used to burn the food we eat is known as the Thermic Effect of feeding. Proteins have a thermic effect of about 30% while carbs have a thermic effect of about 15%. Meaning it takes a lot more calories to process and digest, say, chicken breast than it does candy. If you consumed a serving of chicken that was 200 calories, 30% — 60 calories — may be required for digesting it. Not to mention, we feel a lot more satiated when we eat proteins. Plus, our ability to regulate ourselves is greatly increased when we eat certain foods. Where as when we eat, say, cookies, the combo of salt, sugar and fat can make it very hard to control ourselves.]

When we exercise intensely – it can make us very hungry, even ravenous. There in lies one of the problems.

It’s called overcompensation. If you exercise say for 30 minutes at a moderate pace – you may burn 200 calories. And you’ll (most likely) overestimate how hard you worked. (Most people think they worked out harder than they really did. Most people also think they eat better than they really do.)

And if you think it’s now okay to eat a donut** just because you exercised you just negated your entire workout for purposes of weight loss. (I’m not even going to mention the gazillion and one benefits exercising has on our health, fitness and over all well being. This is just about weight loss right now as was Time’s ridiculous article.)

[**With the right plan you can absolutely enjoy donuts and still lose weight. BUT, you have to build it into the plan. That’s a big part of what we do. Never eating your favorite foods isn’t sustainable. We help our clients lose weight while enjoying their favorite foods guilt free!]

(Ugh. I can’t resist. Here’s a few benefits of exercise.)

Or, why not slog down a Gatorade to aide in your recovery. Whoops! There goes your workout. (Sports drinks are only necessary when you are running marathons and the like!)

Which leads to the real problem at hand:

Food (or drink) as a reward.

This is the problem we all have. While you’re working your tail off exercising, you might be thinking about how hard you’re working. And because you’re working so damn hard – you might feel you deserve a reward – a food reward.

In fact, exercising might make you feel that you deserve food as a reward a lot more than if you weren’t exercising at all. After all, you’re working your butt off! “I’m working my butt off and I can’t eat junk?!?” you say to yourself.

That will make you feel deprived.

Because you still believe food is the reward! It’s not your fault. We’ve been conditioned to think of food as the reward since we were infants. But when food is your reward that leads to bad news!

So all of this brings me to several important points:

1. Food isn’t a reward. It’s fuel. Sure, it can be a source of love and joy. And if it has to be one – let’s make it about fresh food. Indulge yourself. But with real food!

Tip: How else can you reward yourself besides food?

2. If you exercise (and yes, of course it’s worthwhile for so many reasons!) don’t throw away all of your hard work with poor eating. You literally can negate a hard work out with 10 bites!

3. The best exercise of all: Keep your mouth shut. (I know this is a lot easier said than done. The rationalizations and justifications we come up with are brilliant! We will always fool ourselves. Enter MyBodyTutor!)

4. Thinking about how intensely I exercise makes me want to eat healthfully because I know how hard I work and I don’t want to waste my time. I want to get all of the benefits that exercise yields.

5. When we eat sugar, fat and salt we get a temporary rise in dopamine. But of course, it’s very fleeting. (Which is why once you start, it’s hard to stop. We want more and more!)

However, it’s been proven that we get the same feeling of reward and pleasure from exercise. So if you can look at exercise for the immediate short term benefits of pleasure – like you might do for junk food – it becomes a treat to workout. Not a sacrifice.

6. Going back to point 3 – who wants to workout and workout and not see any changes in your body? I see so many people in the gym that look exactly the same month after month – even with a personal trainer!

Obviously their diet is lacking. And of course, they’d be even bigger if they didn’t exercise. But what a waste!

In short: Exercise is critical in helping you to lose weight because it burns lots of calories. It can help to create a calorie deficit. But only if you don’t overcompensate!

In fact, diet is 70-80% of the battle. If you can’t control yourself like John Cloud, you’re not alone. Most people can’t.

But he shouldn’t make ridiculous claims.

Instead, he should admit that he needs help. Sadly, most people can’t do that. And that’s the first step to getting in to the shape you want to be in.

Sadly, most people can’t admit when they’re totally wrong either. And in this day and age, when 2/3 of the American population is overweight, the last thing we need is messages like this being put out there. There is enough conflicting information.

So John can you admit that you need some help? I’ll tell you what. I’ll work with you for free. All I ask is that instead of making bogus claims like exercising won’t make you thin – you tell the world that what they really need is daily and personal accountability.

A very hopeful,

-Adam Gilbert
Chief Body Tutor
MyBodyTutor, Inc.

MyBodyTutor.com featured on Good Morning America! (Video Included)

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Any business, like any relationship, has ups and downs. It’s the ups that keep you going through the downs. If there are too many downs then it’s time to get out.

Thankfully, there have been plenty of ups!

Recently, MyBodyTutor.com was featured in a segment on Good Morning America. The segment was about outside the box fitness solutions. It’s very flattering and really exciting to be recognized for your idea!

You can watch the segment by clicking here. (There will be an ad that you have to watch first)

MBT has a very different philosophy than the gazillion other diet/fitness/wellness companies out there. It goes against conventional wisdom because I’m not claiming you don’t know what to do! I don’t try to create an information advantage like a lawyer or a accountant or a web developer. I’m sick of seeing all of these diet programs out there claiming that they have the secret or magic formula.

In this day and age information advantages are disappearing rapidly. Any and all information is accessible 24/7/365! Being aware of this can really change the way you conduct business too.

So my premise has always been very simple:

*We all know what to do for the most part! We all know that eating McDonald’s and cookies all day is bad for us. Lack of knowledge isn’t the problem!

*We have become insanely good at rationalizing our lack of exercise and poor eating. It’s incredible the excuses we can sell ourselves on. As Nobel prize-winning physicist Richard P. Feynman said, “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.”

*As Albert Einstein said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” Getting in shape is about 3 things. Eating right. Exercising. And doing those two things consistently! That’s it!

*Unfortunately, the consistency part is very hard. Many people start programs. But most people don’t keep on going with them. Why? Well besides the excuses and the rationalizations Zig Ziglar said it best, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.”

By keeping my clients honest with themselves and by keeping them consistent and motivated and inspired and guiding them on a daily basis I make it very hard for people to make excuses and very possible to stay consistent. In short: by providing daily and personal accountability it makes all of the difference in the world.

And that’s why my clients are so successful. Because I help them eat right meal by meal, workout by workout and day by day! Nothing sexy. But it’s ridiculously effective!

I know if I can help my clients stay consistent then they will absolutely see and feel the results they want! As Tom Seaver said, “In baseball, my theory is to strive for consistency, not to worry about the numbers. If you dwell on statistics you get shortsighted, if you aim for consistency, the numbers will be there at the end.”

I wish they spoke a little bit more about that on GMA. Because we don’t know just tell you what to do. Anyone can do that. We actually make sure you do it!

But hey I’m not complaining!

The Economy, Thrillist, and Caroline with crazy before & after pictures!

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MBT is doing very well thankfully, despite the economy! In fact, I hate to say it but the economy is actually helping my business.

I think it’s partly because everyone understands the transformative potential of eating right and exercising and everyone knows that exercising and eating right pays off big in their quality of life.

I think it’s partly because although MBT is the perfect compliment to a personal trainer, and as helpful as a personal trainer is, most people don’t need someone to hold their hand in the gym for $60-225 per session. But what people do need is someone to make sure they get to the gym.

I also think it’s because people are starting to realize that 70-80% of their results will come from what they do in between their workouts outside of a gym setting! You know those people you see in the gym with their trainers month after month looking no different than when they first started? Clearly, their diet is what’s holding them back.

And I think ultimately, it’s because MBT solves a huge problem. Businesses that solve problems have advantages over businesses that don’t in tough economic times.

As I’ve said, getting in shape is about 3 things. Eating right. Exercising. And doing those two things consistently!

Unfortunately, the consistency part is very hard and is a huge problem! Because it’s very easy to make excuses and it’s even easier to rationalize those excuses.

And I know if I solve that problem – and I believe I have better than anyone else in the world – success for my clients is inevitable!

As a client just wrote to me, “Thank you so much for your Daily Inspirations! I can’t tell how much they help push me in the right direction each morning. Also, it’s so easy to make excuses and just to know that I have you to answer to (so to speak) on the Daily Feedback each night really helps me stay on track. Thank you! I’m so excited for my new way of life!”

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Once in a while, I’ll meet someone who doesn’t understand the value of MBT. They are hoping for the secret pill or the magic formula. 9 times out of 10 that same person will say, “Oh I know what to do! Eat xyz….!”

But of course – they aren’t doing it…consistently! And they aren’t in the shape they want to be in. And they hate how they look and feel. But hey, they know what to do!

This is why I’m so hesitant to write a book. We don’t need another book telling us what to do. We don’t need another book telling us why we should be eating right and exercising. What we need is a book that nudges and persuades us on why we should keep on going because that’s the hard part! And most people don’t want to actually change. They want to talk about changing which is very frustrating.

That’s why my wall is covered with before and after photos. That’s why writing a post like this where I can highlight a client who has truly changed her life is so much fun to write. To remind me that there are people who really do want to change how they look and feel.

And that’s why getting recognized for my concept/idea in national media like Thrillist is so rewarding. Check out what Thrillist had to say about MyBodyTutor here. I must say it’s pretty cool being featured in a publication you read. And when they reached out to me I was, well…thrilled! (It also made the best of the best for the month of May!)

Part of helping people stay consistent is helping them overcome any issues that prevent them from staying consistent. Caroline knew it would take time. She understands that losing weight is all about consistency. That it’s repetitious. Doing the right things meal by meal. Workout by workout. Day by day!

And I guess that’s why this means so much. Because people are finally starting to realize there are no shortcuts. There are no get rich quick schemes. If you set out to get in shape in a way that you don’t see yourself doing 6 months, 1 year, 5 years from now why bother starting? It’s not sustainable!

Caroline is now a model. Look at her pictures! If you want to read her case study check it out here. Just like all of the other case studies featured on my website she’s brave and courageous for not only starting a journey to a better Caroline but for also sharing it with the world!

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Why I’ll probably never write a bestselling health and fitness book

First off, writing a bestselling book has nothing to do with writing. In fact, I can confidently say my writing is better than 99% of the health and fitness books out there.

Not because I’m such a great writer but because they’re all co-written. And co-written books (famous person’s name with…) are products. Not books!

They are created quickly to take advantage of the popularity of that ‘famous’ person.

Smart move indeed, as that’s obviously what people want.

See, most people want to talk about being healthy and fit, how they’re going to start exercising next Monday, about the ‘latest’ fad diet or exercise contraption, and how they’re going to really stick with it this time and finally lose that weight!

But, sadly and unfortunately, most people don’t want to actually do any of those things!

Talking about it with your friends and family makes you feel better. It creates a sense of forward motion. We’ve all done it. We do it with all the things we don’t want to do.

I’ve read countless ‘diet’ books. And I still go to Border’s and spend hours reading, all while shaking my head in amazement. I’m not amazed at the ‘famous’ people for putting their names on a book and selling it. I’m amazed at all of the people who constantly fool themselves by buying these books!

And although I get a kick out of reading the same book over and over in between different covers, I get the biggest kick out of reading the reviews.

In my opinion, the measurement of a good book is if it changes you for good. Who cares if you ‘see the world differently’ for the 5 hours after you’re finished reading it? The real question is if it changes how do you things indefinitely.

Like I tell my clients, I couldn’t care less if someone loses weight and then gains it all back. My goal is to help change my clients. I want to help them get and stay fit!

But most people are searching for that hidden secret and don’t want to work for it.

You want the secret? Here it is! Free of charge for the entire world to read and share: Eat right. Exercise and do those two things consistently!

If you can do those 3 things you’ll be in great shape. No question about it. Of course, that’s so much easier said than done and exactly why I started my company.

Do we really need more tactics? Do you really not know that fast food isn’t good for you? I’m sick and tired of all of these books telling you what you already know. We all know what to do (for the most part)!

That’s not the problem! The problem is that we don’t do it! Or, we don’t stick with it! And that’s the key to successful ‘dieting’!

And even though I hate the word diet, because that means it’s not permanent, it’s the truth. If you start something and feel you won’t be able to do it in 6 months, 1, 3, 5 years from now IT WON’T WORK!

It will not be sustainable. And you’ll find yourself being one of the 95% of people that quit.

The trick is of course to let go of your ego and admit you might need help, start something that is sustainable…and…wait for it…keep going!

And that’s exactly what my book would be mostly about. To nudge, push, and persuade you on why you should keep going! (Because if your thoughts don’t change, you’ll never change!) It would also be about why it’s so hard to keep on going! Without the right mindset and psychology, it’s impossible to make a “diet” a permanent lifestyle.

Not so much the tactics.

I’m also the first one to say that the only way to change how you look and feel is to change what you do. However, many people don’t want to actually change.

They want to talk about changing. And make themselves feel like they’re changing.

But not actually change.

Why get rich quick schemes don’t exist and how it affects you

I am amazed by how impatient we are when it comes to results for our health and fitness goals.

In fact, it’s scary how fast we expect results!

As we all know (but like to think otherwise) consistency is the key to any kind of success. Of course, it’s also tough to maintain.

That’s where MBT comes in.

We all know this though. Our rational mind doesn’t really believe losing 30 pounds in three days is realistic. (Of course not!)

However, our irrational mind likes to think so. In fact, it’s the same irrational mind that will fall victim to get rich quick schemes.

Get rich quick schemes don’t work!

For as long as there have been (and are) people who want to get rich there will be get rich quick schemes.

But here’s the thing: Get rich quick schemes (as well as diet schemes) exist because people want to believe they exist.

For as long as there are people who want to believe in ‘too good to be true’ claims they’ll always be around.

[When I say diet schemes I mean anything that makes you think it’s too good to be true! Alert: If it feels that way in your gut it’s because it is too good to be true!]

Don’t you think if get rich quick schemes actually existed the seller (who was entrepreneurial enough to buy airtime to share his secret with the world for a small fee of 10 easy payments of $89.95) would instead just hire 1000’s of people at minimum wage to follow his very own ‘step by step full proof method’ and become a billionaire himself?

Think about that? If it was that easy and it required so little work, and work that could be replicated over and over, he’d be able to hire anyone. And just have them follow his method.

But of course, he doesn’t.

There is no such thing as getting rich quick. Nor is there such a thing as losing 30 pounds in three days.

The only way to get rich quick or to lose weight or to accomplish anything worth accomplishing is day by day.

Like I tell my clients: Meal by meal. Workout by workout. Day by day.

Very unsexy but very true.

If you put together 9 ladies it still takes 9 months each to have a baby (and patience).

How come no one questions anything else that takes time and patience and effort? Law school, medical school, grad school, high school, and on and on?

Interestingly, without your health and fitness none of the above means anything.

Get in shape day by day.

Meal by meal, workout by workout, day by day!

[This happened to be yesterday’s Daily Inspiration.]

Yahoo! Shine, Wes is down 54 pounds! and the Happiness Project

I was interviewed by Katie McCaskey of Geezeo.com and the subject of the interview was ‘How does fitness relate to finances?’ It was an interesting topic that was certainly fun to explore. It got picked up by a number of larger websites which was pretty, pretty, pretty cool!

You can check it out here on Yahoo! Shine.

You can check it out here on Mainstreet.com.

And you can also check it out here on DivineCaroline.com.

(For my devotees no need to read all 3. They are all the same interview!)

Then Wes, a man who needs no introduction, posted this. For those keeping score at home Wes has lost 54 pounds! Check out this post I wrote on October 27, 2008. Only 4 months ago, Wes was 460 pounds. He’s now 407!

There’s no doubt about it. Wes, will get to where he wants to be. I won’t let him not! He is a warrior in every sense of the word and he understands the importance of consistency. He focuses on consistency! Not the numbers.

As Tom Seaver said, “In baseball, my theory is to strive for consistency, not to worry about the numbers. If you dwell on statistics you get shortsighted, if you aim for consistency, the numbers will be there at the end.”

And that’s exactly what I help my clients do: Help them stay consistent with both their diet and exercise. But what amazes me so much about Wes (besides his tenacity and attitude towards this journey) is how self-aware he is.

In fact, the first step to getting in the shape you want to be is to admit that you’re not in the shape you want to be in! Most people can’t do that.

Finally, Gretchen Rubin, of the ‘Happiness Project’ mentioned me on her wonderful blog. You can check it out here.

Her blog has become one of my top reads. Happiness is something I think a lot about and have written a lot about. This post is really what woke me up. Because I realized I had the “I’ll be happy when…” or, “I’ll be happy if…” mentality which is very scary to me.

Life and happiness is right here, right now. (This doesn’t mean you can’t aspire or desire. I just feel as though when you need anything or anyone to make you happy, you’re never going to be happy! When you look to the future for your happiness you’re letting your life pass by which is frightening!)

I wrote about that in this post here. What I love so much about her blog is it’s all about the small things you can do everyday to make yourself happier. And I’m really grateful for her mentioning me because Gretchen is obviously very passionate about helping people become happier and I’m very passionate about helping people become happier via health and fitness. I think the two coincide a lot more than most people realize.

Finally, I’m off to Mardi Gras for a bachelor party for the kid that inspired this post. (Easily my most controversial post ever. And no Mom, I’m not saying I don’t ever want to get married! It was just a little food for thought.)

The road to hell is paved with good intentions!

Every morning, I write a Daily Inspiration for my clients. I believe inspiration, which is very different than motivation, is a critical component to success.

I always hear people say, “I wish I was more motivated!” Unfortunately, motivation has to come from within. I can’t make someone motivated. But, I do believe (and know) inspiration can make someone motivated.

Inspiration is about igniting that fire within.

I don’t think anyone dreams of being overweight or out of shape or tired or unhappy. It just happens. Just like we all have greatness inside of us (it’s just about finding it), we all have a healthy, happy and fit person inside of us.

We all want to be healthy and fit! We just need someone to bring it out of us. By guiding and leading and inspiring my clients along with daily and personal accountability, I make it very difficult for my clients to make excuses and even harder for them to rationalize those excuses. (Which is why I believe I have created an unbeatable program but that’s for another post.)

And you know what? Sometimes they still do. But that’s where inspiration comes into play!

I’ve thought about starting a separate blog that would just have my Daily Inspiration for each day but I’m still undecided.

Anyway, here is what I wrote for yesterday. I usually write them at 5:30 AM and whatever comes to mind I go with:

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions!”

In our society, thankfully, it’s the people who take action that get all the glory. Not the people who dream of taking action or dream of bigger and better for themselves and others.

In other words, it’s the people who do that get the glory. Not the people who want to do or talk about doing.

I had a friend in college that always said things to me like, “I was going to do this for you but…” or, “I saw this and I was going to pick it up for you but…”

Yes. The thought is very nice. But after a while, I realized this friend had good intentions but never followed through on them.

Some people believe that there is no relationship between what a person is and what a person does. This is bull secretion. Unless you are schizophrenic, you become your actions.

One of the things I really try to do is to follow through on every good intention or thought I have. Otherwise, it’s simply an intention. Not a kind act.

This applies to eating right and exercising, of course. We all know people who’ve been talking about losing weight for years.

Or, the people who say they’ll start going to the gym. Or start eating healthy. Or quit smoking.

“I’ll start next month…”

These people are going to wait until all of their lucky stars are lined up and unfortunately, they’ll be waiting for a long time!

The excuses they make and the rationalizations that go with them make sense to them, at the time. However, we know that when there is disconnect between your intentions and your actions, unhappiness ensues.

Eventually, you’ll start to see through your own bull crap and it’s going to really bother you.

I do believe, for the most part, we all have good intentions. We all want good things for ourselves and others. But we also have another side to us that’s constantly going against our true and deepest intentions and desires.

Some might call it our irrational mind or the devil that doesn’t stop whispering in our ear. “Eat that cookie.” “Just relax!” “You’ll workout tomorrow!” “Screw eating healthy!”

Try making all of your intentions into actions.

You’ll truly be so much happier. And remember, whenever you don’t want to follow through: The road to hell is paved with good intentions!

-A

Coincidentally, President Obama talked about this during his inauguration speech yesterday. Change is in the air! And if any of this rings true, and you’re ready to make a very worth while change, you’d really love it (you just don’t know it yet), if you checked out the all NEW! MyBodyTutor.com. So would I! I live for this stuff and I’m certain I can help you! Or your money back!

[Some really nice comments over at BrazenCareerist.com!]

The All new MyBodyTutor.com is here and how to make this your best year!

Without further ado, I’m really thrilled and extremely proud to introduce to you the ALL NEW! MyBodyTutor.com! I’ll do a post later on in the week talking about what exactly we changed but for now check it out!

I also, want to help you make 2009 your most fit year yet!

So, I’m going to let you in a on a secret I discovered when I was in 4th grade. You ready?

When your actions don’t follow your desires, you’re going to be unhappy! So obvious and so simple…but so true!

I’m sure you have some sort of health and fitness goal.

Whatever you goal is, it’s extremely worthwhile because when you’re healthy and fit, it feels amazing. And life is too short to not feel amazing! Enough said.

I’ve never met someone who doesn’t want to be healthy and fit but yet, 95% of the people I meet aren’t healthy and fit!

What’s the deal? Why are so many people struggling with their health and fitness goals?

I think it’s simple: It’s because it’s way too easy to make excuses. It’s even easier to rationalize those excuses. Believe me. I know!

I quit my full time job at Ernst & Young in January of 2007 to solve this problem in a big way. (If you’re interested in reading about my story with tons of corny pictures click here. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!)

As I wrote about in this post, you need to be brutally honest with yourself. You need to stop making excuses and rationalizing those excuses.

Unfortunately (and fortunately), we’re incredibly good at rationalizing. That’s how we make sense of this chaotic and insane world. Thankfully, it’s innate. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to function.

The problem isn’t that you don’t know what to do. Because you do! (For the most part.)

It’s the doing it – that is the hard part. The day in and day out. Meal by meal. Workout by workout. I call that consistency!

Being healthy and fit doesn’t require you to read book after book. It just requires you to stay consistent week after week.

So here’s your 5 step plan for making ’09 your most fit year yet!

One: If you do have a problem staying consistent (like most of us do!) realize that lack of knowledge isn’t your problem. Thinking you need to read the latest diet book is just another excuse. Still think you lack knowledge? Here you go! 40 free, simple and easy to understand articles I wrote.

(If you don’t have a problem staying consistent then you should be in amazing shape!)

Two: Start holding yourself accountable for your own actions. It’s a great start! However, be careful of your rationalizations because they always make sense!

Three: Change! If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. What are you going to change this year? That is the question. Yes you can!

Four: Make time for yourself. Obviously you’re ambitious and want to make things happen or else you wouldn’t be on this site! But if you don’t make time for yourself (like gym time) you’ll never find time!

Would you ever miss an extremely important meeting with your client or boss!? So stop missing meetings with yourself!

Five: By far, the best investment you can make is in yourself! I know I’m biased but throwing money at the cause is well worth it. Exercise and eating right pays off big in your quality of life! Also, figure out what you really need help with.

(I have found that most people don’t need someone to hold their hand in the gym (for $60-150 per session). What they do need is someone to make sure they get to the gym and eat right.)

Your template for ’09: Be brutally honest with yourself and stay consistent.

If you need that extra push (like many of us do), check out my company, MyBodyTutor.com.

I’ve helped all sorts, shapes and types of people realize their health and fitness goals by helping them stay consistent.

Studies show that when people are about to do something they know they shouldn’t do and are forced to look at themselves in the mirror they hold themselves back. Consider MyBodyTutor your 24/7 mirror.

Consistency is the key to your success. And that’s exactly why I created my company. To help you stay consistent like no other company in the world.