Why Do We Fail to Reach Our New Years Goals?

I know as well as you do that there are many reason why we fail and I also know that you have it in your power to change. Maybe you wanted to lose 30 pounds and look incredible at the beach. You might be the person who said I am going to start being nicer to people and then your boss Janet was nagging you again so you screw being nice it never works out. Maybe you had a dream to start your own business and failed.

Do you ever ask yourself why do I have the best intentions every year yet fail every time?

Well I did some research and according to a Forbes.com article only 8% of people actually achieve their new years resolutions.

I am going to give you the top 5 reasons why I think people fail and how to fix them.

1. Fear

We can have a fear of failing, succeeding or just fear of the unknown. The best ways to conquer this are doing something out of our comfort zone every day. I also recommend an accountability partner someone who you know will hold you to what you say that you are going to do. It can be a family member, a friend, or a complete stranger. The key is being specific and honest about your fears and stepping outside your comfort zone every day.

2. Trying to accomplish your resolution too quickly

Rome wasn't built in a day and you can't reach your new years resolutions that quickly either. If you set goals that are too high re-adjust your goals. If you said that you wanted to lose 30 lbs in 2 months and you have only lost 10 don't beat yourself up. You have made progress so don't stop now you DIDN"T FAIL you just hit a bump in the road. If you had that extra piece of pie when you agreed to give up sweets don't give up just treat it as a bump in the road and move on.

3. Belief in yourself

If you don't believe in yourself you will sabotage your resolutions from the get go. I know it sounds cheesy but I have found that positive affirmations every morning have helped me to have higher self esteem. The legendary author Brian Tracy says you should repeat this phrase to boost self esteem " I like myself"," I like myself", "I like myself". The more that you like yourself the easier it will be to believe that you can do it.

4. Not writing it down

If you don't write it down the chance of you not completing it sky rockets. In a Harvard MBA study they asked graduates if they had goals written and made plans to accomplish them. The result only 3% had written goals and 13% had goals but not in writing. When they followed up with applicants the results were astounding. The 13% who had goals but did not write them down were earning 2 times the amount as the 84% who did not write their goals. The 3% who had written their goals were on average earning 10 times as much as the other 97% combined.

The morale of the story is if you write your resolutions down you will be more likely to achieve them.

5. Not taking action

Most people say my resolutions are to look like a Victoria's Secret model or look like the Hulk. If you just sit on your butt and take no action you will never get to where you want to be. If you write your goals down and fail its usually because you didn't take action.

In one of my favorite movies Alfred says to Bruce Wayne "Why do we fall" "So we can learn to pick ourselves back up"

If you have failed to make progress in your new years resolutions or if you have made a few mistakes it's time to change course. Turn your ship around and head into the wind sure it's going to be hard but I promise you that it will be worth it.

Dedicated to helping you become your best self

Ben Myslenski

Healthy Christmas Treats

Christmas is a wonderful time of year to enjoy spending time with loved ones, eating delicious foods and giving gifts. If you are like me then you probably enjoy eating delicious baked goods and other Christmas treats. I am going to talk about how you can still eat those delicious Christmas treats and avoid the holiday weight gain. In case you didn't know the average

Holiday Weight Gain is 5-7 pounds for people who are overweight. However if you are in great shape that number drops to 1 pound.

So how can you eat those tasty Christmas treats and avoid the weight gain?

The #1 way to minimize fat-storage over the holidays

is to cut down on your unhealthy carb intake.

I know that during the holidays we like to drink beer, eat breads, cookies, and other Christmas treats that are loaded with carbs. Here is a healthy trick that we can use to enjoy those unhealthy Christmas treats. 

You see when your body takes in carbs, it then stores them inside your muscles and liver as glycogen. This is what your body uses as its primary source of fuel.

But you can get around this by depleting those stores of glycogen. The way that you can do this is by either cutting out bad carbs during the holidays or a much simpler way listed below.

How can you burn from your fat cells instead?

Make sure that you plan ahead for your workout and that you use your largest muscle groups. You can do a workout the night before your big feast, the morning of, or just before you eat the big holiday feast.

Here is how you can do this:

1) Target larger body parts like chest, back, and legs this has been proven with research to deplete glycogen stores faster

2) A high volume of reps in such a short amount of time stresses
the muscles and stimulates more lactic acid. which is a precursor
to releasing more growth hormone…

3) By working the larger muscle groups you will deplete glycogen very fast.

here is a great body weight workout you can do anywhere.

8 rounds

8 reps per round at as high an intensity level as you can do with good form

Push Up or Push Up variation (think clap or close grip)

Pull Up    or Pull Up variation    (chin up, or wide grip)

Squat Jump  or Squat Variation (squat,deep squat, or drop squat)

Veggie Christmas Treat, With Healthy Veggie Dip:

• 1 and 1/2 cups plain greek yogurt

• 3/4 teaspoon dried parsley

• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients together and mix well.
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but preferable overnight for the best results.
3. Serve with fresh veggies or any other dippers that you’d like.

Healthy Protechino Treat:

Yes, I made that word up, at least I think I did. It is a delicious Christmas Treat that you can use anytime of the year.1 scoop of your favorite chocolate protein powder

• 1 cup of coffee

• sweeten with stevia to to your liking (you can also use almond milk)

• You can also use a drop of peppermint oil in this for an extra holiday touch

Dedicated to helping you become your best self,

Ben Myslenski

Achieve Your New Years Resolutions Today (with bonus workout)

Achieve Your New Years Goals Today

What are you going to do today that will help you to achieve your new years goals?  What Causes you to fail? What can you do about it? Do you like feeling flabby and out of shape? Do you want to have high blood pressure and take medication? Do you want to be put on cholesterol medication? Do you want to be at an increased risk of diabetes? Are you ready to die early?

Most people seek out the path of least resistance when in comes to deciding to lose weight. We all have done this. We seek out the latest fad diet, or we choose quick fixes like surgery, and diet pills. We think if I can just lose ten pounds in ten days it will kick start a new habit. My favorite is when people including myself say I will start next week. We say this is my last bag of candy or this is my last bowl of ice cream but we say it over and over every week and 30 pounds later we weigh more than we have ever weighed. We feel like crap and we have no one to blame but ourselves. Start today and make a decision to become the best that you can be. 

Why we fail?

We usually fail because we make excuses

-I tried for a few days but it's hard

-I had one bad day and then I gave up

-I became discouraged because I was not seeing results fast enough

-My new years goals were too lofty 

-I'll try again next year

-I would have done better if my husband or wife were more supportive

-I would have done it if I didn't have kids

-I was sick and gained some weight back

-I... insert lame excuse here!!!!

"Just 8% of people reach their new years goals" Forbes

"A year from now you will wish you had started TODAY" Karen Lamb

How many days will you wait to make a choice to be in the best shape of your life? 

Will you wait until the next new year to stop procrastinating? 

Will you wait several months to do it?

Will you continually say this every day for the rest of your life until you are dead?

How much more weight would you have lost if you had made up your mind to put in the hard work that you needed to do. If you would have made the decision to change your life last year when you made your new years goals to lose 10 pounds you would already be there. The choices you make today impact everything that you do from here on out. I know that you didn't decide to be fat or out of shape. You started down a wrong path a while ago but today is the day you can CHANGE. I love Star Wars and that is why I put the next quote in here. I hope it inspires you to make the change that you need to make in your life. Decide to make this "New Years Goals" a command instead of another go at it. Choose to start down a new path, don't let fear, or excuses hold you back from achieving your destiny. I know it sounds cheesy but it is the truth.

"If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will" Yoda

Here is an awesome starting workout that you can do anywhere. 

I have included 3 different exercises for each one the first is the beginner the second is intermediate and the third is advanced. Choose one exercise in each number and do it for 30 seconds as many times as you can with good form. Rest for 15 seconds and start the next exercise.

Tempo 30-15 4 rounds with minimal rest and as many reps with good form.

1. Chest Press with weights, Pushup, Clap Pushup

2. Split Squat, Prisoner Lunge, Jummping Lunges (switch legs on each jump)

3. Modified Jumping Jack, Jumping Jacks, Seal Jacks

4. Knee Raises, Power knee (speed), Knee and push kick 

5. Walk hands up to chest, Burpee, Burpee with pushup

The problem is that we don't change the habits that led us to where we are now. Make a choice to start today not tomorrow or on the New Year because if you put it off you will never start.

Dedicated to helping you become your best self,

Ben Myslenksi

http://www.totalsolutionfitness.com/

10 Secrets To Help You Improve Your Life

Hello everyone,

I have been reading a lot of books lately and following some blogs by successful people. One of the blogs that I follow is called Early to Rise. It is an incredible blog by Craig Ballantyne who is a writer for Men's Health and Men's Fitness and several other magazines. In one of his updates he talks about keeping a Gratitude Journal. I thought about this for a long time and thought about all the things that I am grateful for and decided to put a list of things I do that are helping me to improve myself every day. 

What are the daily secrets that help you improve your life, comment and let me know.

1. Read a book that will improve some aspect of your life for an hour everyday.

When I first started this I thought it was silly but the more I do the more knowledge I am obtaining on how to become a better writer, trainer, or a better contributor to society. Some of you may ask what is the secret to reading every day. I will tell you this that since I started reading books by other successful trainers I have become a better trainer. I have also started reading motivational books, and business books. Listed below are some of the best books that I have read. My list will definitely be different from yours but these secrets will help you to improve your life.

2. Take 20 minutes to meditate and do absolutely nothing let your mind wander.

Some of my best ideas come from meditating on my current problems and finding the solutions that I need to overcome them. Make sure that you do this in a quiet room and turn off all electronic devices. It will be tough at first but the more you do it the clearer your mind will become.

3. Be happier.

Happier people live longer and don't get as sick as the rest of us. The secret is to enjoy life. Smile, laugh and don't get to discouraged because tomorrow can always be better than today. Check out this article for more information on happiness

4. Say thank you.

5. Compliment someone.

Sincere appreciation towards a person can make a big difference in making someones day better. I had a lady at the grocery store tell me that she was having a terrible day. I told her that I only come to her line because she is the fastest grocer and she always has a great attitude. I told her that every time I go to the store I hope she is working and I know that she will always remember that compliment.

6. Make a list of 5 things you accomplished today.

If you write a list of things you accomplished today you will notice one of two things. 1. I was very productive or 2. I need to step up my game. This will also help you to become more productive because you will be thinking what 5 things can I accomplish tomorrow.

7. Plan ahead.

I usually plan tomorrows day the night before. I didn't always do this but I have found that I am much more productive when I do this. The secret to this one is when you plan ahead you don't have to sit around and question what you will be doing in the mornings the next day.

8. Keep a Journal to reflect on what is happening on a day to day basis.

I started keeping a gratitude journal because I was complaining that I was not making as much money as I wanted too. I told myself you need to stop thinking about all you don't have and start being thankful for what you do have. Every day I write down these things in my Journal.

G- Gratitude (what am I thankful for)

O-Opportuniy (what opportunities can I capitalize on and how can I create more of them) 

Did- What did I accomplish today

Do- What do I plan on doing tomorrow.

App- Who do I appreciate

9. Take some time out for yourself to have fun.

The secret to taking some time for yourself is not to take too much time. I know it easy to get bogged down with our day to day tasks and then get home and act like a zombie (watch TV and eat potato chips until you go to bed). I am not telling you to do that I am just telling you to enjoy your life and take 1-2 hours for yourself each day.

10.Exercise.

This one is a no brainer if you exercise your body releases endorphin's which help to lower stress. Exercise also has many other benefits which will help all aspects of your life.

Exercise:
Fights Fat
Reduces Stress
Improves Your Metabolism
Makes you look awesome in a swimsuit
Improves your confidence... and much more

What do you think about my short and sweet list please comment about the top ten things you do to improve your life?


Dedicated to helping you become your best self,

Ben Myslenski

Your #1 Fat Loss Workout Mistake

Guest Post By Kate Vidulich, Fat Loss Expert

Author, Fat Loss Accelerators 

My heart was racing, lungs burning and sweat was pouring off my head. Only 9 minutes had passed, yet it felt like I’d been training for hours. As I sat in the corner gasping for air, the interval timer screeched to signify the end of the fastest ever 90-second break.

Two minutes later, my “off-day” workout was done. The thing is, it took no longer than 20 minutes, and was over before I could even register how challenging it was.

What’s the number one excuse for missing your workout?

Lack of time.

The number two excuse, according to unofficial Australian research conducted by me, is happy hour drinks. But that’s another story.

Here’s the troublesome situation…

-       You got stuck at work and traffic was so bad, your 45-minute workout window shrunk to 20 minutes. Bugger.

-       You show up to train, but unfortunately everyone had the same idea as you. It’s jammed.

So if you have no time and you need to get a quick fat loss workout in, what choices are you left with?

1. Elliptical? Please. Stop. Now.

2. Usual Dreadmill intervals? 20 mins again. Really? That’s so 2008.

3. The same old bodyweight circuit? Boring.

Three strikes and you’re out.

How long do you really need for a heart pounding, fat blasting workout?

Less than you imagine.

Think about this for a moment. In a regular workout session, 10-15 minutes can elapse by the time you get cracking – before you reach the awesome fat blasting action.

Now I’m not saying you should skip dynamic warm ups or core training when you’re pressed for time, these are very important components. But you need to get to the entree as soon as possible.

You need a plan. You need to focus. You need to hustle.

ONE big fat loss workout mistake to AVOID

Resting for too long.

Ideally, your rest breaks should be no longer than 30 seconds when training for fat loss. It’s tough, but using a GymBoss Interval timer (or your Smartphone) will stop you from cheating or slacking off.

Without any control over your rest breaks, your workout can become just like happy hour (only without beer – how boring).

You only need 20 minutes to workout. But before you jump on the dreadmill and do intervals again… You need a fast, fat-burning workout solution that you can do in a small space with minimal equipment.

Enter what I call Fat Loss Accelerators. 

Try this intense workout solution.

Check out the video click here.

=> Get all 31 Fat Loss Accelerators workouts here 

These intense, targeted interval workouts involve the strategic use of compounding, hybrid exercises to maximize fat burning and training time to break through plateaus.

Why is this style of workout so effective?

You can pump up the intensity without killing any one muscle group, allowing you to burn more calories faster with total body movements.

Metabolic workouts, like this one, also increase the after burn effect to significantly higher levels than cardio on the dreadmill, meaning you burn more calories after the workout at rest.

Of course, training with intensity and avoiding extended rest periods will leave you sweating buckets, but this will accelerate your fat loss results.

Did I mention this is fun? Training should NOT be deathly boring or long winded.

Be different. Burn fat while having fun conquering these unique, metabolic movements and save time in your training sessions, maximize your calorie expenditure and eliminate the boredom of cardio.

Now you can say bye-bye to intervals on the sweaty dreadmill. Actually, just say forget about it to cardio entirely.

Try this intense workout solution today 

Replace your interval days with Fat Loss Accelerators, and reduce the stress involved with thinking and planning.

Rock on!

Kate Vidulich, BSc, ACSM, CTT

PS - If you liked this article and video, and want to learn more about the unique fat loss workouts I use with my clients, check out my new Fat Loss Accelerators program – it’s on sale at a ridiculous price for a very limited time:

=> Fat Loss Accelerators Workouts 

About the Author

Kate Vidulich, BSc, ACSM, HFS, CTT is New York’s Premier Fat Loss Expert. Kate specializes in designing and implementing personalized, effective, results-oriented training programs. Her unique, fun approach to fat loss has helped thousands of people across the world achieve their goals, at all ages. An ultra-marathoner and always up for a challenge, Kate consults with clients in private one-on-one, and online coaching with clients worldwide. She regularly updates her blog at FatLossAccelerators.com

Dedicated to you becoming your best self,

Ben Myslenski

15 Ways to Make Extra Money for the Holidays

During the holidays we could all use a little extra money right? I mean I could use a couple extra Benjamins to buy some cool presents. What would you do if you made a little more money for the holidays? Check out the list.

1. Make Holiday Decorations. Examples include holiday wreaths, painting nutcrackers...etc
2. Take pictures and sell them on a photo website. If you are interested here is an article about where to sell your photos. 
3. Shovel Snow or Plow Driveways. It's pretty easy and you can make a decent amount of money especially if you live in a busy neighborhood. Call your neighbors and ask them.
4. Pick up odd jobs.  If you want to earn extra money during the holiday's and you are skilled in a trade you can make extra money by doing odd jobs like putting up Christmas lights, shoveling snow, personal shopper, gift wrapping, and other side jobs that can ear extra money
5. Work in a retail store. I have noticed that there are retail stores that are hiring people on the spot. Sure it would suck to work Thanksgiving day but you will sure enjoy having the extra money for the holidays.
6. Compose a work of art. If you are artistic you can make money selling your paintings or other works of art during the holidays.
7. Write a book. I recommend using Amazon Publisher. Amazon takes 30% but you can make 70%, which is a lot better than most places. You can also use places like Elance to proof read and correct errors in your book. I know people who have wrote fitness e-books and made between $500-$5,000 dollars during the Holidays. I do not have knowledge of other industries so it probably differs based on your field of expertise.
8. Holiday Cleaning. My mom is a crazy cleaning freak and she would be awesome at doing this. I talked to her about this and she said that people pay anywhere from $10-50/hr. If you are good you can make a good amount of money for your holiday gift fund.
9. Tutor Students. If you have patience and want to make some extra money you can Tutor Students. People make anywhere from $10-$75/hr. The tougher the subject and the more knowledgeable you are the more money you can make.
10. Babysit. If you like kids you can babysit during the holiday's.
11. Build a Website. Elance is another good resource that you can use to make extra money for the holidays.
12. Donate Plasma. If you want to make $60 dollars fast its really easy to do
13. Cater Meals. My Aunt Claire is an excellent cook and makes money on the side by catering. 
14. Lab Rat. If you are not scared of anything and want to make anywhere from $100-$30,000 (yes, you can make that much but at the risk of never seeing the light of day. It is your choice on how you want to make your holiday money. 
15. Rent your stuff. If you have multiple barns full of stuff you never use like my Grandma does you should think about renting out your stuff or even selling it. You can even rent out your barns for people to store their boats.

This is just a small list of things that you can do to make money for the holidays. I hope it helps you to earn a little extra money for the holidays.

Dedicated to helping you become your best self,

Ben Myslenski

Why we need regulations on personal training certifications

5 Reasons we need stricter regulations on personal training certifications

I did a search on the internet the other day and was looking at how many personal training certifications there are. Did you know that on the IDEAFit website there are over 120 personal training certifications? This list is only for personal training certifications it does not include the many group exercise, yoga, gym specific and the other groups that certify fitness professionals. How many of these are regulated personal training certifications?

The CDC says that over 69% of Americans over the age of 20 are overweight. Read some of the articles here. We need better regulations that will allow these millions of Americans to get the help that they need.

                                       

Reason 1. Unregulated online exams.

I am ashamed to admit this but my very first personal training certification came from one of these so called “personal training certification sites”. I won’t mention the site but it gave you 5 attempts to take a test and you could use google to search things that you didn’t know. If the personal training industry wants to be regarded as a legitimate career path for individuals who are seeking to go into the health and fitness industry they need to have exams that are proctored at a facility.

Reason 2. Less Idiots Who are “Certified Personal Trainers”

Thanks to Meathead trainers who think training until you can’t move another muscle is a “great workout bro” we as personal trainers get a bad reputation. The fact that there are so many of these trainers who are out there and have no idea what movements in the sagittal, transverse, or frontal planes of motion mean speaks volumes to why there needs to be stricter regulation.

Reason 3. Insurance Coverage for Personal Training

If insurance companies covered personal training more people would take advantage of it. If there were stricter guidelines on certifications or a National Certifying body we could lobby to have insurance companies cover personal training. This would also open up training to millions of Americans who need the help.

Reason 4. More Trainers Who Have the Necessary Experience to Help Their Clients

Personal trainers would be required to continue to learn and build their knowledge in the industry. They would be required to go through more studying and hopefully get hands on experience in order to

Reason 5. Industry Will Be Perceived as More Than Just “Highly Paid Workout Partners”

I have people constantly telling me that they don’t want to pay someone to workout with them. When the sad reality is that they need the accountability because they can’t do it on their own. It is really a shame that we are viewed as glorified workout partners. I know for a fact if you asked your average client what the Functional Movement Screen was or whether they knew about Metabolic Training they would have no idea. If people can’t achieve the results they want without help than they need help and that is why we are here.