Yoga can help parents who are often stressed with the anxiety and rigors of getting kids started with the new school year.  The meetings, the supplies, the haircuts, the lunch money, the clothes, the schedules, the activities…..it can be a bit overwhelming.  Being a parent is a tough job that never gets enough credit.

Add to this that parents always put their kids priorities first, and we end up with more stress and fatigue for the parents.  So then what happens when the parent breaks down or gets sick or just plain gets worn out?  Who will take care of everything then?  So a solution needs to be that of preventative maintenance….just like with your car.  You take care of your car so you don’t have a major issue (hopefully) that ends up costing you more money and time.  So in our own personal lives, we MUST take control of stress and do something about it.

Yoga has been around for thousands of years.

More recently, it is getting media attention because adults are rediscovering the impact it can have on your life.  Some believe the myth that yoga is just some old people sitting around stretching.  However, in reality yoga is a great form of exercise (notice how many yoga instructors and practitioners have great abs and toned bodies?), and a great form of stress relief!  Stress is a major contributor to disease, death, sickness and pretty much everything bad in our lives, so it would make sense for us to do something to combat it.  Yoga is a tremendous tool for the job!

In Lincoln Nebraska, many are turning to Tiger Rock Academy to take Vinyasa Yoga.  Vinyasa yoga is a very flowing style or form of yoga.  This means you will be moving quite a bit between the positions.  This dynamic motion and type of exercise is great for the joints, muscles and the brain.  By engaging in active focus or active concentration, it teaches our brain to function a bit differently and to be able to shut out the stress of life.  Vinyasa Yoga will make you sweat, but also make you feel relaxed and rejuvenated by the end of the class.

To find out more about stress relief, yoga and all the benefits of great exercise, email Jeff Dousharm at JDousharm@windstream.net

How Martial Arts and Fitness go together

When martial arts were initially brought to the United States, most instructors were military soldiers and trainers.  Their levels of physical conditioning were elite, as were their training methods for preparing individuals for self defense, combat and hard core physiques.

Today, many people still turn to martial arts for self defense, personal safety and protection of their family.  However, more people are re-discovering the health and fitness benefits of martial arts.  Many boot camps, workout videos like P90X, TV shows such as The Biggest Loser and others have taken martial arts into their workouts because of how effective it is helping people reach their goals.

Many workout routines fall short because they are boring, monotonous or simply fail to engage the participants.  Martial arts on the other hand give people a sense empowerment and motivation to push themselves even harder during workouts.  This motivation and engagement leads to great results.

Gyms, health clubs and more have seen a rise in popularity of martial arts programs.  Universities, churches and community centers are also seeing more demand for this type of program.  It’s not just for kids, but for adults too.  Adults see the rapid weight loss, body toning and confidence that martial artists have and they want some for themselves.  Kicking, punching and practicing their way to health and fitness, people who train in martial arts develop a kick butt body.

Some programs even have university backed research and ongoing development as part of their program.  Though rooted in ancient traditions and philosophies of training, modern methods can be blended for even more effective fitness, safety and artistic advancement.  Adults ask themselves why they would want to walk mindlessly on a treadmill for hours when they could be hitting a heavy bag, punching targets and actually enjoying their workouts instead of dreading them.

Add this to the additional teachings on stress relief, nutrition and overall healthy lifestyles and martial arts becomes a great choice for those looking for fitness.

Tiger Rock Martial Arts International is a great example of the expansion and prevalence of martial arts for self defense, fitness and weight loss.  With nearly 200 locations around the United States, they have seen first-hand, the rising number of people turning to martial arts for fitness and weight loss.   In Lincoln and Omaha Nebraska, Tiger Rock Academies have seen people looking for solutions  or help with both adult obesity and childhood obesity.  Families are realizing the need to be proactive and to be part of a lifestyle vs. some short term quick fix that doesn’t really work long term.  10 week programs or mini-camps etc. simply can’t deliver.  The right martial arts program can and will deliver the benefits people are looking for in fitness and weight loss.

To learn more about martial arts fitness programs in the Nebraska area, visit Tiger Rock Martial Arts in Lincoln, NE or Tiger Rock Martial Arts International for a program in your area.

As the kids go back to school many parents and adults are also trying to get back into routines. One of the routines we look at is our fitness and weight loss goals. This is a constant battle for adults with clinical obesity and overweight Americans statistics on the rise.

So the question is how do we lose weight? More importantly how do we lose weight fast?

Diet, Nutrition, Exercise, Fitness classes, Meditation…..who has the answers?

The real answer is a balance of good nutrition, rest and exercise. What exercise is best? This depends on you because each person is motivated by different workouts. There are a lot of options out there, but let’s face it…who wants to walk on a treadmill for hours on end?? Seriously? So then looking at what workouts are fun, engaging and motivating to adults we find that many are turning towards Martial Arts. Martial Arts have been around for literally thousands of years and have long been looked to for self defense but also for keeping bodies in shape, weight loss and many other health benefits. Think about the Martial Arts action stars in movies, most of the fighters in UFC and MMA etc……they are all in great shape, and usually ripped! Why? Because Martial Arts is very effective at losing weight fast, toning muscles and keeping people in great shape. People actually have fun doing Martial Arts and it is very motivating. Because of this, they push themselves harder and this results in greater intensity. The greater intensity helps them hit their goals which is very motivating again and takes them full circle. Add to this that there are always new things to learn in Martial Arts and you find that you don’t get bored as you might with some 30 or 90 day boot camp or video program. The end result is you lose weight fast! And then of course help keep the weight off.

So then the next question is how do we pick out the right Martial Arts school? There are many great ones out there, but like any profession there are also places that aren’t worth your time or money. The following are a couple quick points to check on when evaluating a Martial Arts school:
• Are the instructors certified or accredited by an organization or someone other than themselves? Or did they just watch a couple videos and call themselves an Instructor?
• Do they have a documented teaching curriculum?
• Are the instructors CPR and First Aid Certified? This is just a sign of a professional.
• Are the classes taught in a way to make weight loss and fitness a goal?
• Is the facility clean and well kept? (you would be surprised)
• Do they offer nutritional information as part of their overall program and teaching on healthy lifestyles?

These are just a couple things to check into. Most good programs will also have some type of trial program where you can experience the classes first hand before you make any real commitment. Beware the places that try to get you to sign up after just one “free” class with a commitment. You CANNOT judge a program in just one class. You really need to take at least a couple classes to see what really goes on there.

Tiger Rock Martial Arts has nearly 200 locations across the United States. For more information on martial arts or how to lose weight fast, contact Jeff Dousharm at JDousharm@windstream.net

How Martial Arts and Fitness Franchises can survive this economy.

In the last few years, we’ve all seen the trend….businesses going out of business.  So the question is, “what separates those who close and those who survive or even thrive even during bad economies?”   Two factors have become very clear as to what separates the winners and losers in this comparison.  This is true for fitness franchises, martial arts franchise opportunities and any other franchise business out there!

The first thing, and many others have noticed this, is determined by perceived NEEDS versus wants and luxuries.  The key here is perception.  We could go back to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs ….but in reality it’s about perception of the consumer.  So businesses who position themselves as something strong and needed in their potential customer’s life do better than others who are viewed as luxuries or expenses that could be cut.  Note however, smart companies achieve this chosen position through branding and marketing.  Marketing is something unfortunately cut by too many companies when times are tough, and it’s your lifeline to success so it shouldn’t be cut.

Consumers even in tough times look for what they need or to be told what they need, and if you aren’t out there with your message then you aren’t an option.  Some studies have shown that during tough times, people drive sales of alcohol and actually martial arts and  fitness memberships and investments.  In other words people wallow or they turn inward and focus on making themselves better, stronger, and emotionally balanced through exercise and fitness.  This is a good thing for businesses in these markets, or those who can position as an option there!  Healthy people spend less on health care, less on expensive snack foods, and are more productive at work—so they make more money!  These are all great benefits that consumers realize and invest in even during tough times.  So businesses are wise to service these needs if they want to survive.

The second factor is franchising.  There is a stark difference in survivability rates of independent companies versus franchised companies.   Some think that if they buy into martial arts and fitness franchises , they lose their ability to run their own business.  However, this is not true at all.  The facts show that independently owned and operated franchised businesses have some freedom of operation and options for success.  More importantly franchise businesses have a great deal more strength when it comes to marketing, positioning, and access to resources to help them survive and thrive during tough times.  Overall proven franchises have formulas and systems for success.  Why would someone want to be guessing or experimenting with their business and their life savings during a volatile economy?  The results could and likely would be disastrous.  Martial Arts and Fitness Franchises meanwhile offer a fast track to success through greater resources, professionals and support for your success.  Martial Arts and Fitness Franchises offer the “little guy” the chance to be as successful or more so than some of the biggest companies on the block.  There is safety in numbers and groups and franchises provide it.

Back to Martial Arts and Fitness Franchises in particular….

As mentioned above, fitness and health become a definite need and are areas where people invest money during any and every economic condition.  So it makes sense for people to focus and make investments in these markets and these businesses to improve their chances for financial and long term success.  Some may try to make it on their own, believing they have enough knowledge in fitness or martial arts to be successful.  The mistake most make here is that they may have the technical abilities, certifications or knowledge for teaching or training in these areas, but they lack the professional training, resources, marketing materials, branding, developed systems and business plans that are provided through successful fitness and martial arts franchise organizations.  One example of this type of business that has been reviewed by leading attorneys, economists, accountants, marketers, and even investment bankers is Tiger Rock Martial Arts International, or TRMAI.  TRMAI offers both martials arts and fitness franchises for individuals and companies to have access to well developed systems for success.  Kisado interval fitness is the fitness franchise or business opportunity offered.  This can also be included in the full franchise offering for an academy operation to offer martial arts, Kisado fitness, yoga, personal safety, and wellness programs within their community.   As economic conditions continue to be unstable, this proven fitness and martial arts franchise has continued to grow and achieve rave reviews and success by their franchisees.  To look into martial arts and fitness franchises or other opportunities for your business venture email Jdousharm@windstream.net

When a warrior is young, they are more sword and less pen.  When the statesman emerges, they are more pen and less sword.  The key to the sword and the pen is the balance.

Life is about finding the appropriate balance between the sword and the pen.

Either one by itself is not enough.  A person or even a country that can only wield one is at a distinct disadvantage.  Too often people look just to the sword to define the warrior or the martial artist.  Power, strength, dominance, these are usually thought of as the sword.  But think about what real power is….the ability to influence or control many.  In that context, who has more power?  A warrior with one sword who can point it at the throat of another, or the writer who influences thousands of warriors to pick up their swords and stand for a cause or a mission?  The real power or skill comes with the ability to perceive when and where its best to use the pen or the sword, or sometimes both the sword and the pen.

Look at history and the powerful examples of presidents and political figures.  At times these showed great examples of each, and even times when a perfect balance was struck.  Ronald Reagan, the “great communicator,” truly understood the pen.  However, he also backed it up with the implied threat of nuclear warheads when needed…..and I would consider that a pretty big sword.  So the point is, that we must look within our own lives and personal situations and decide which one works best or  combination of the two.  If someone grabs you by the throat in the parking lot late at night, the pen is probably not the best choice (unless you literally take it and jab it in his eye!).  At the same time, when someone at work upsets you, diplomacy is likely the best choice if you want to get ahead.  Again, knowing when to use the sword and the pen is very important.

A great example of this comes from a story shared from a family who is very close to me.  The dad is very educated, very well paid, works many hours and is a huge success in life.  By most measures he is definitely “alpha”.

Youngest Daughter:  “Mommy, who is smarter, you or daddy?”

Wise Mother (after thinking for a moment):  “Well, daddy has to go to work every day for many hours to make good money.  But mommy stays home with you and we get to go shopping when we want, spend the money when we want, and decide what we do all day long……who do you think is smarter?”

Youngest Daughter:  “Wow……so then really daddy works for you and you are the boss……you must be way smarter.”

Wise Mother:  “That’s right honey, you are learning”

Moms hold the “pen” that writes most checks in the family and actually makes most of the decisions.  Also, another rule our students learn at Tiger Rock Martial Arts in Lincoln NE, “If mom’s not happy……nobody’s happy”.   Moms quietly possess most of the power (the sword and the pen) in many households across the world.  The wise ones let their husbands think they are in charge to make their egos feel better, but in reality they know who runs things.

Keep this in mind when making choices between the sword and the pen.  And, if you haven’t lately, thank your mom for what she’s done for you with her power and influence in your life.

She understands both the sword and the pen.

Thank you for stopping by and checking this out!  If you are here reading this page or article, you have obviously decided that you want to make a change in your life….to OWN something bigger than yourself and to be able to more quickly achieve some of your financial and lifestyle goals.  By the way, I promise I will not ask you to buy a thing.  This is simply a way for me to give back in thanks for all those who have helped me.

My name is Jeff Dousharm and, among other things, I am a franchisee of Tiger-Rock Martial Arts International.

Tiger Rock Martial Arts International offers a great martial arts franchise program.  Here’s how it works.

Tiger-Rock specializes in successful businesses in fitness, martial arts, yoga, health and wellness programs and more.  I’d like to show you how you can grow a successful martial arts franchise or even multiple businesses with multiple streams of income to meet and exceed your goals.  It is possible, with no scams, no tricks, no get rich quick schemes…. AND  it’s not as hard as some would lead you to believe.

Over the years I’ve developed businesses in several different professions and I’ve always sought out the best ways to build for success.  Too often, people get caught in the trap of thinking they have to do everything on their own or reinvent the wheel.  This kind of scarcity thinking leads to designing a business model that’s not really a “business” but simply a JOB….in fact, in that model the business owns you and runs everything in your life….this is not a formula for success or scalability, such as with a martial arts franchise.

I’d like to share with you many of the things that some would like you to believe are Top Secret.  These secrets of success are, in fact, principal systems and methods of how your business should be run.  Instead of waiting for years and learning through trial and error and wasting a lot of money, I’ve found that it is far more effective to learn from other peoples success, pattern what they do and get on the fast track.  These martial arts franchise systems, when done right, also enable you to lead a lifestyle where the business runs as a business.  Some may not understand what I mean by that.  There is a simple test:  if you simply don’t show up for a few days, few weeks or even a few months would your business A) fall apart, or B)sustain itself and even grow.  If you answered A, then your business is functioning as a job for you, not a business.  If you answered (or would want to answer) B, then you are on the right track.

Our martial arts franchise program can offer you this opportunity and much more.

Our systems of operations and decades of experience enable YOU to be on the fast track to having a successful business….maybe even several.  In addition to my other businesses, I own NINE locations with Tiger Rock Martial Arts.  This has been made possible for me by the mountains of research, development, testing, and production that are provided to me as a martial arts franchise owner.  Imagine having proven systems simply handed to you as turnkey programs that can enable you and your staff to build for success on day one.  Better yet, imagine being able to build for success in more than one location because the business doesn’t rely on YOU  24/7 to function and succeed!   This is what success and big thinking is all about.

I’m not personally selling these franchises.  I am a franchisee!  As you can likely tell, I get pretty excited about our systems and I am so grateful to those who have helped me succeed, that I want to do the same:  to simply reach out to others and help them drive their own dreams forward and make them a reality with the tools we have for you to use.

To learn more and receive 100% FREE information on these systems, programs and models that can help you own your own business or franchisee, simply fill out your name and email off to the side over there.

No, seriously, stop reading and fill it out now or I won’t send it to you

Here’s to living your business ownership and lifestyle goals,

Jeff Dousharm

I would have had to hire literally dozens of staff members or outsourced programs to get even close to what is provided through the martial arts franchise with Tiger-Rock.

When I was visiting Florida recently, I had an interesting conversation with a gentleman who managed the resort we stayed at.  Of course the question of “so what do you do?” came up and when I mentioned the concept of “martial arts lifestyle” he was very intrigued and wanted to know more, and so I thought this might be a great subject to share with others.  This is not just for where I live in Lincoln, NE…..it is for everywhere and everyone.

If you ask a hundred martial artists you may get a hundred different answers, but from those who truly understand it, you will get to the root of the commonalities when it comes to Tiger Rock Martial Arts and the Martial Arts Lifestyle.

Martial Arts Lifestyle is different than just learning martial arts.

This is about the Tiger Rock “Journey”.  When someone begins their training, it is a hobby or an activity in which people are just learning the physical skills.  After a great deal of repetition and training, this exposes the “Artist Mind”, or an elevated level of understanding.  This then eventually leads to the “Do” or “the way”, meaning that your training permeates everything you do in life.

The concept of setting the example is critical for all leaders, but even more so for Tiger Rock Martial Artists.  There is no “off time”.  We can’t lead one life or example while training and teaching and then lead a different life in other areas.  The Martial Arts lifestyle covers three areas:  mental, physical and emotional.   Real martial artists have always balanced these three areas.  If someone were to succeed at the physical but not the other two areas, then they would still be a failure at developing the real martial arts lifestyle.  Mastering the physical concepts is not enough.   Striving to improve mentally, to acquire more knowledge, to sharpen their mind….these concepts are critical in developing the wisdom to improve and set the example for others.  Finally, the emotional is critical as well.  This is the self-control, the discipline, and the “Ki” or ability to have amazing focus and inner control.  Having the mental and emotional sides of martial arts allows us to temper the physical side and to have the wisdom and focus to take our martial skills into other areas of life.

A martial artist seeks to lead and to excel in all areas.  The martial arts lifestyle means that we strive to improve all part of our life:

• nutrition
• exercise
• knowledge
• stress
• focus
• wisdom
• and discipline.

These areas cover all facets of life and help us to succeed in our goals.

Martial arts lifestyle is not what most see on TV with cage fighting and mixed martial arts.  Though some of these people do follow this lifestyle, the list is short.  Many of them plug in to just the physical, and as I mentioned earlier this means they fail at becoming a complete martial artist and leading that lifestyle.  Practicing martial arts everyday has more to do with how we develop as a person and the example we set within our community.

To pursue your martial arts lifestyle, find the right mentor.   Tiger Rock Martial Arts provides the environment, instruction and long term mentorship to make this happy.  However, in the end, the Martial Arts Lifestyle is up to you!

Because of this mentality many activities today are “dumbed down” so that kids or even adults don’t know who won.  People are allowed to believe that winning (and competition) doesn’t matter.

Here’s the problem:  WINNING MATTERS! And if you don’t try to win, you never will.

I’m not advocating that we need to have the “winning” lifestyle of Charlie Sheen.  Instead, I’m trying to call attention to the fact that life IS a competition.   There are winners and losers in every aspect of life, even beyond sports.  In the jungle the gazelle knows he has to run faster than the lion or he gets eaten, and the lion knows he has to catch the gazelle or he gets eaten.  Though we would like to convince ourselves that our lives are much more different and complex, the facts say otherwise.

Here are a few examples of competition in Life:

• If you are applying for a job, you are competing with others.
• If you are trying to court a spouse, you are competing with others.
• If you are trying to get into college, you are competing with others.
• If you are trying to sell a product to people, you are competing against your competitors.
• If you are trying to shape a better health and fitness lifestyle for yourself, you are competing against YOURSELF and your past!

So whether we want to admit it or not, we are always competing. So how do we train to win?  It’s far more about attitude and consistency
than task specific knowledge.

At Tiger Rock Martial Arts, we teach students much more than kicking and punching.  We teach much more than just self-defense.  We teach life skills and personal development…. and how to build a LIFESTYLE.  Part of this lifestyle is building ourselves to be competitive and to win.  Again, I’m not just talking about a competition for a gold medal at a tournament.  This is about winning at EVERYTHING.  Tiger Rock Martial Arts teaches focus, self-discipline, perseverance, self-control, strength, humility, courage and more.  So what does that have to do with winning a job, a spouse or making a sale?  Answer:   Everything.

When teaching kids or adults we have to teach them “how to learn.”  When teaching someone to be successful, we have to teach them “how to WIN” …..at everything!   These are learned processes and attitudes that lead to success.  Does this mean we win every time?   No, but it means we do eventually win, and that’s a part of perseverance.   Look at Michael Jordan and his amazing success.  Did he miss a lot of shots?  Yes, in fact he’s missed more than some people ever take in their lifetime, and that’s part of the reason for his success.

Here are just a few tips we teach at Tiger Rock Martial Arts to breed success in Competition.  We call this our Black Belt Success System:

1. Know what you want:  Define exactly what you want to accomplish or win at in the competition of life.

2. Have a plan and a success coach:  Action without plans keeps you busy spinning your wheels without progress, and if you want to be successful at something find someone to help you because teams make things happen!

3. Take consistent action:  At times, people start a project or a goal to win at, but then are distracted and lose focus and great dreams go unfulfilled.

4. Review your progress and renew your goals:  At key points we need to lift our head up, check out where we are at with honest evaluation and then make new goals and plans to continue to drive forward.

Add to this plan the learned skills of competition, tenacity, courage, perseverance, self-discipline and work ethic and you will find that you can compete and win at anything.  We all have our strengths, but to compete and to win we have to develop the skills to implement these strengths in a consistent and effective manner.   You will find that winning becomes a habit and competition becomes something you enjoy instead of fearing.

Don’t be the person who doesn’t keep score!  Winners keep score….and then do something about it.  If you aren’t winning at a particular time or place, accept it, own it, and learn from it!  Denying it or hiding from competition will lead to continued failures and setbacks.  Accountability and ownership leads to the desire to improve and lights the fires of improvement.

Tiger Rock Martial Arts training imprints competition behaviors and attitudes into students so their skills and personal strength can flow into other parts of their life.

In the end, when it comes to competition, whether you are the lion or the gazelle, you better get running!

Stress Relief Lincoln NE: How Martial Arts Can Help

The final part of the 3 Part Equation for Fitness and Weight Loss Success is Stress Relief and Control.  Simply put, stress is the number 1 Killer.  It is a factor in many diseases, many illnesses and many of the things we bring upon ourselves and our health.  It will destroy the positive effects of our exercise, our nutrition and many other efforts.  Stress is also often associated with over eating.  Essentially, stress is sometimes the super villain that is holding people back from their fitness and weight loss goals.  So we can either ignore it and deal with the consequences, or we can understand it and do something about it.  Our bodies are designed to handle occasional stress and in fact use it in a good way when we need it.  However, long term stress on the body is nothing short of catastrophic.  So we must recognize it, own it, and CONTROL it!  People have developed many different strategies to deal with stress.  Exercise itself is a good form of stress relief.

Another huge factor is sleep.  A lack of sleep causes stress on the body.  We can try to cheat the process and force ourselves to go without sleep, but we  PAY a price for doing that.  Sleep deprivation is a major source of stress for Americans.  Some even take pride in their lack of sleep!  In the end, we/they are hurting their bodies.  And just a quick note to the guys out there:  One of the #1 ways to lower your testosterone is to sleep less! Since I’m not guessing that’s one of your goals, you might want to think on that a bit.

So what are other ways we can control our stress levels?  A few ideas (and there are many more) include:

1. Yoga
2. Simple relaxation breathing:  Nothing fancy here.  Just sit down, shut up and breathe and try not to think of all the junk bothering you
3. Disconnecting:  ie. turn off the TV, the computer, your cell phone, all the gadgets that have you “on call” to respond to the world and just take a a break for a day (or at least a few hours).
4. Ensuring that we balance our work life with time for ourselves, our family and other things in life so that we don’t feel stress from not doing what we really need to do in life to have fulfillment
5. Giving yourself permission to sometimes do things “just for you.”  Too often, we get into a pattern where we are doing everything for everyone else.  Sometimes its ok to be a little selfish and do something simply because its what we want….it’s kind of a refreshing indulgence at times!

So there it is, a very simple 3 Part Equation for Fitness and Weight Loss:  Training+Nutrition+Stress relief= A HAPPIER HEALTHIER YOU!

Part two of our series on how to improve your workout is on nutrition.

First off, stop thinking in terms of “diets.”  When we think “diet”, most of us think of some short term fix that involves some painful process of self-denial.  Let’s get this real straight now, “diets” or short term fixes DO NOT WORK in the long run.  In essence, my recommendation to people is that if you aren’t willing to make a specific change for the rest of your life, then don’t bother doing it.

Healthy lifestyles are about LONG TERM NUTRITION CHOICES.

Now, does that mean you can never eat a piece of cake for the rest of your life?  Of course not!  Part of good nutritional planning is actually having a certain percentage of “cheat” meals.  Think of your nutrition kind of like intervals, there are percentages where you are more strict and percentages of meals where you throw it out the window.  This helps us keep our sanity and is actually good for our body.  There are many different plans, but most “experts” agree that about 10-20% cheat meals throughout the week is good.

The mistake that some people make is that they really kind of cheat for more like 60-80% of the meals and then wonder why they aren’t getting results.  Again even with this we don’t have to be drastic on our “strict” meals.  It simply is making some shifts in our eating habits to have better overall nutrition. When I work with clients, I don’t want to overwhelm them so I like to keep things simple, such as a list of 3-5 things to focus on that get great results, and then continue on from there by adding details slowly.

So here is a quick list of how you could shape up the 80% of your “good” meals (not the cheat meals).

1. Lower your carbs! We don’t have to go nuts and never ever ever eat carbs, but the average American eats way too much sugar and refined carbs.  Easy first steps to do this are things such as tossing the bun from burgers or  sandwiches, avoiding pasta, lowering cereal intake, stop eating bread as a side item, and avoiding some sauces that carry tons of carbs and trans fats.
2. Up your Protein! This applies to both men and women.  Some women avoid protein because they think it will make them “bulk up” or get muscular.  That is completely false.  We all need a good amount of protein to support healthy and active lifestyles.  It helps with everything from muscle recovery to basic body functions.  Our body MUST have protein (the amino acids from it specifically) and if you don’t feed it to your body it will basically break down the muscle tissue you do have to get it! As a result, you lose muscle and increase body fat by percentage!  In order to have a more overall nutritional plan, up your protein by focusing on eating chicken, leat meats, fish, etc.
3. Eat the right fats!  There are good fats and bad fats.  You should read more on this topic, but to keep thing simple:  Trans Fats=REALLY BAD, Saturated Fat=BAD, Unsaturated Fat=GOOD!  Of particular interest in the good fats are Omega 3s.  These are very necessary for our health, recovery, fighting inflamation, and a big list of other good stuff.  So how do we get these?  Fish and seafood is a great source.  An easy example is salmon.  Plant sources can be a good source of unsaturated fats, but fatty fish are still the top dog so to speak.
4. Water! If you have ever bought one of the gadgets on TV that are “Guaranteed” to make you lose weight, one of the things in small print is almost always that you must drink a large amount of water.  The reason is that they know that most of America walks around dehyrdrated and that simply getting you to drink more water will help your body function better and you will lose weight, but they will give their gadget all the credit for it!  Anyway, toss out any rules about 6-8 glasses of water….that’s too low.  Aim higher!  Shoot for at least half of your bodyweight (pounds) and convert the number to ounces.  If that number is less than 100, eventually try to bump up to 100 ounces per day.  At first it will seem like a big deal, but in a very short time you will get used to it and realize a huge difference in your endurance, energy, ability to lose weight— basically everything!

Nutrition Supplements!

Some people believe that we can get “all the things we need just by eating right.”  These are the same people also might believe in the tooth fairy.  In the real world, we must realize that most of our food supply today is over processed and the whole trend of convenience has generally robbed many food items of their potential nutritional value.  In other words, we know that our nutrition plan is not going to be perfect, so thankfully scientists and nutritionists have put together supplements that help us get what we need.  That being said, the fad of the day or the magic pill sold at 2 AM on TV is NOT what I’m talking about here.  I am talking about fundamental nutrition.

There are many things out there but there are FIVE supplements that you MUST have (or at least consider) if you want to reach your goals.  They aren’t glamourous, they aren’t advertised as much and they aren’t some miracle cure.  However, if you take them, you may find some pretty big differences in how you feel, how you look and how fast your reach your goals.  They are (in no particular order):  multi-vitamin/mineral, fish oil (omega 3s), probiotic, protein/meal replacement, antioxidants.  It really is that simple.  Now within those 5 supplements, it helps  to know a bit about exactly what to look for and that will be precisely what my next nutrition article/blog will be about, so stay tuned!