How to Get Better Workouts With No Extra Effort! Guaranteed!

Hi! I hope you’re having a great day. What I want to talk about today is how you can improve the quality of your workouts and results without lifting any more weight, doing any more cardio or eating any differently!

That sounds pretty good, huh? Like one of those infomercials that promise results that are too good to be true, right? Well, unlike those Shake Weight commercials I know that what I’m going to tell you absolutely works! I’ve seen it happen over and over again.

He didn't get this body from that Shake Weight.

What I’m talking about is what you say to yourself. I see people who approach their workouts with a sense of dread and those who approach them with enthusiasm and I absolutely see the difference in what happens during and after the workout. In most, if not all cases, what people tell themselves before the workout even begins determines not only the quality of that workout, but all the results that follow.

Let’s get into specifics.

What people say: “This is going to hurt."

Let’s face it, when you squat it doesn’t feel good. I’ve said before that if I was just standing around and suddenly felt like I do when I’m doing a heavy squat I’d start screaming my head off in shock and pain. So why do I do them? It makes me better. I don’t concentrate on how I feel during the set. I concentrate on how much better I will be and feel when the set is done.

What people should say: “This is going to make me better and I need and want to get better."

What people say as I’m putting more weight on the bar: “Oh no!!!”

I’m going to put this simply: The people who embrace lifting heavy ALWAYS get better results than the ones that complain about every 5 pounds. I don’t even care what their goal is.

Do I need to repeat that? If I do then go back and read it again. You see, lifting heavy is not only about what is on the bar at that moment. It’s about how far you’re willing to push yourself in general. Now understand this. Heavy is relative. What’s heavy to one person isn’t necessarily heavy to someone else and vice versa. I certainly don’t endorse lifting heavier than your form dictates but the body needs to be forced to get better. It needs to be forced to lose weight, gain weight, get stronger, get faster, get more explosive or anything else and if you’re not willing to force it to do anything different than what you’re already comfortable doing, then I hope you’re happy staying exactly where you are.

In other words, if you’re using the same weights and doing the same things you’ve been doing for months, don’t expect any results. Sorry, but that’s reality. More weight is a promotion not a punishment.

What people should say: “Awesome. Let’s get it going!”

What people say when asked if they’re ready to workout: “Not really, but I guess I have to.”

Wow. How inspiring is that? Just writing it bores me. Imagine if you said that to yourself all the time. No wonder your workouts are pure drudgery. I’ll bet your results are pretty crummy as well.

If this is what you say to yourself, let me just say something real quick. It is a privilege to able to exercise. An honest-to-god gift.

OK, I admit it. I love lifting weights. I love it a lot. It is one of my favorite things to do in life. It doesn’t have to be yours, but if you don’t appreciate how fortunate you are to be able to exercise just take a quick look at someone who can’t. Not because they don’t have time or because they don’t want to step outside their comfort zone. I’m talking about someone who physically can’t. Someone who has had their physical health stolen from them whether from neglect or through no fault or their own. They would do anything to be able to exercise. I’ll leave it at that.

What people should say: “Yeah! Let’s go!”

Now, I understand that not every day is your best.  There are some days when you might not feel up to a strenuous workout and that’s OK sometimes. What’s not OK is taking a less than good attitude to your workouts in general and then expecting to get results.

Try this, the next time someone asks how you’re doing say, “I’m great!” and mean it. Even if you don’t. Give yourself over to it. I guarantee that if even for that moment alone, you will feel better. Now if you do that with your workouts I know that you will get better results and enjoy the journey much more and you won’t even have to eat more vegetables.

I'm great!

Let me know what you think.

Mitch Rothbardt, CPT, PN Lean Eating Coach, FMS

2861 Grove Way in Castro Valley

510-754-7113

MitchRFitness@gmail.com

MitchRFitness.com

I Help People Discover Their Strength!

Are You Engaged?

"I know what to do, but I just can't seem to do it!" This is one of the things I hear most when I talk to people about their nutrition. I hear about emotional eating, busy schedules, preparing food for kids and spouses, and many other reasons that unhealthy food knowingly gets eaten by people who swear that they want to lose weight and be healthier.

Why is that? How is it that someone can absolutely understand that eating McDonalds for dinner is going to hurt them, yet they do it anyway? If you ask 20 different people you'll probably get 20 different answers, but really it all comes down to one thing:

Engagement. 

No, I don't mean getting married. I mean thinking about the things you say you want and taking action towards making those things happen!

It's real easy to let our lives get in the way. Raise your hand if you have an easy, care-free life with no stress and all the time in the world to do whatever you like.

OK, I'm looking out there and I don't see anyone's hand up.

I know how it is. There's work, kids, school, household chores, and family just for starters. The holidays sure don't make anything easier. It's incredibly easy to do nothing all day but put out proverbial fires both at work and at home.

There is a way to do this, though. The great thing about it is that in the long run it really doesn't take any extra time. In fact, once you get the hang of it it becomes just like any other part of your day. All I ask is that you take a little time at the beginning to get some things sorted out. Just an hour or two, that's all. Is that really too much to ask of yourself for your long term health and life fulfillment? If it is too much, you have some priorities to re-evaluate.

1. Write down a 3 and a 12 month goal. When you do this you need to be specific. "I want to get in shape" is not specific. "I want to lose weight" is not specific. You lose weight every time you go to the bathroom.

"I want to lose 15 pounds" is specific. "I want to be able to add 25lbs to my squat" is specific. The more specific you are, the more you engage (there's that word again) with what you really want.

2. Write down why. As far as I'm concerned, this is just as important, if not more so, than knowing what your goals are in the first place. I'm not kidding. No one wants to lose 10 pounds just because. There is something behind it. Maybe you want a boyfriend/girlfriend. Maybe you see your parents or a friend getting more out of shape and you don't want to go down that road. Maybe you have an event coming up and you want to fit into a special dress.

Think about it. I mean really think about it. Get deep. If you want to lose 10 pounds and you want to do it to fit into a dress think about why it's so important for you to fit into that dress. Get uncomfortable but realize that there are no wrong answers here. You feel how you feel and you need to know that it's OK and own it. No one else needs to know why as long as you do.

Once you do that, you really are engaged with this and you have a much better chance of getting over the hurdles that are always out there.

3. Write down your goals on a several pieces of paper and put them where you will see them on a regular basis. This is where that engagement starts to become a habit. Take just a second to read them when you see them. This helps keep these things top of mind. Now when you usually would absent-mindedly reach for that handful of chips you have something in your head that tells you "Stop!" You've got something more important that you're working on.

4. Repeat your goals to yourself WITH EMOTION at least two or three times a day. OK, a couple of things here. First, did you notice that I capitalized WITH EMOTION? That's not a typo. We are emotional creatures and emotion is the thing that takes something from something you'd like to do to something you ARE DOING. Also, repeat your goals to yourself in the present tense, including the things that are driving you to reach those goals.

"I am losing 15 pounds so I can fit into those jeans for that party and I will my ex so damn jealous!"

Doesn't that get you more emotionally engaged than, "I want to lose 15 pounds"?

5. Lastly, repeat your goals to yourself each time you engage in an activity that potentially effect your results. In other words, if you want to lose weight, repeat your goals each time you eat or drink anything. This will help you stay on track. It's a lot easier to say no to those french fries when you've just talked to yourself about your goals and your reasons why.

I know this sounds like it might be a lot, but if you do this consistently for just a few weeks it becomes second nature and soon your goals will be more a part of you then ever before. You know what happens then, don't you?

Let me know if you have any questions.

P.S. We're going to be going over this and many other aspects of goal setting and fat loss on January 18th at 1pm at my gym at 2861 Grove Way in Castro Valley. It's going to get even deeper, and I guarantee you'll come away with some tools you'll be able to use right away, no matter what your goals may be. You can go here to sign up. 

Fat Loss Workshop Registration

Have a great day!

Mitch Rothbardt, CPT, PN Lean Eating Coach, FMS

2861 Grove Way In Castro Valley

510-754-7113

MitchRFitness@gmail.com

MitchRFitness.com

I Help People Discover Their Strength!

Happy 2015!!

Hello. I hope you're having a great holiday season! We only have about two weeks to go in the year. Christmas is coming next week and there's lots to do. What do you have planned for next year? I'm sure you want to be further ahead 12 months from now, right? I'm sure there are things you want to do. Things you want to have accomplished. Well, I really think that 2015 is going to be great!! Think of everything we got done in 2014, there's no reason we can't keep it going, right?

You see what I did there? No, I didn't make a mistake. I just wanted to make a point.

The point is this:

The next 12 months are coming. What are you going to do about it?

Do you want to look back at 2014 a year from now and be proud of what you've accomplished or do you want to look back at all the excuses you made to yourself and wonder where you could have been. Yes, it's easier to sit on the couch. Yes, it's easier to surf the internet. Yes, it's easier to say that you just don't have time. We know the truth, though. The funny thing is that you knew the truth at the time, too. You know whether you really did what you could to reach your goals in 2013 and if you didn't, then it's time to step up and really make the decision that 2014 WILL BE DIFFERENT!!

I'm not going to say much more about that but I do have just thing to ask. Please don't say that you have goals if you're not willing to do anything to meet them. If that's the case, then your real goal is to stay just where you are. You might not like where you are, but if the thought of going outside your comfort zone just a little bit is too terrifying to even contemplate, then I submit to you that you'd rather maintain your current position then do anything about it. Therefore your actual goal isn't change.

What are your real goals and, more importantly, what are you willing to do to meet them?

My Annual Fitness Enthusiast Shopping List

Happy holidays, everyone!! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are getting ready for a great Christmas and New Years.

We've had a fantastic season so far and Kristi and I are really looking forward to our Christmas present to each other. We're seeing The Book of Mormon this Saturday!

We're both very excited. 

Well, each year I like to give you ideas for gifts you can give your favorite fitness enthusiast and this year is no different! I have some good suggestions so let's get started.

Resistance Bands: How would you like to be able to carry an entire gym in your backpack? How would like to have one tool that lets you work on strength, flexibility, cardio, and mobility that you can carry in your backpack? Well, resistance bands are your ticket! We use bands a ton in our gym and you can absolutely give yourself one heck of a workout with just one or two. You can pick up all sorts of packages and accessories here. There's even some packages that come with a workout you can do at home, a playground or anywhere else. 

The Gymboss: For any of those home workouts it really helps to have a reliable and durable timer. Who wants to exercise while staring at a clock? I've had a bunch of these. They're cheap, they last forever, and they come in all sorts of cool colors! 

Foam Roller and a Lacrosse Ball: Not everyone needs a foam roller and a lacrosse ball. You just do if you workout or don't workout. Really, though these tools help you if you're sore, hurt, tight, inflexible, or if you just want to put yourself in the best position to get a great workout! Every one of my clients starts their session with some kind of work with these tools.

Converse All-Stars: I don't care what color. These are still the best shoes to lift in. I don't have time to get into too much detail but here's a few reasons why:

• they keep you low to the ground
• they help your balance
• they allow the muscles in your feet to work
• they give you better stability

Your feet are responsible for sending a ton of signals to the brain to tell your body what to do. When you wear those big fluffy shoes with all that padding, you're in effect muffling those signals. It would be like trying to feel something with your hands hile wearing mittens. Please don't buy into the hype! 

A Personal Trainer: One time I turned a broken toilet seat into the needs for a new toilet. I once had a VCR that wouldn't record so I decided to try to fix it. By the time I was done it wouldn't even turn on. What I'm trying to say is this: I don't know how to do certain things so I call people that do. If you need to lose weight, feel better, etc. Why wouldn't you call someone who can tell you exactly how to reach those goals? Just saying. 

If you need any more help with some suggestions for the fitness enthusiast on your list, don't hesitate to let me know.

P.S. You could also get them my free Holiday Survival Guide! It has workouts, nutrition tips, recipes and lots more. Did I mention it's free? 

Happy holidays!

Mitch Rothbardt, CPT, PN Lean Eating Coach, FMS

2861 Grove Way In Castro Valley

510-754-7113

MitchRFitness@gmail.com

MitchRFitness.com

I Help People Discover Their Strength!

Food For Thought

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving and are getting ready for a great Christmas and New Years Day.

I've had some new clients over the last few months and one of the most common things I've been seeing is confusion over what they should be eating. If you do a quick search for ways to lose fat you'll find methods and terms like Paleo, Intermittant Fasting, Atkins, Low Carb, IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros), South Beach, The Plan, and so many more I could quite literally go on for years.

The bottom line is that there are many ways to accomplish your goals as long as you follow some basic principles. I just want to go over a few of them so you can finish 2013 and start 2014 on the right track. I'll just do them at random.

1. The best plan is the one you'll follow. 

What good does it do to put together the "perfect" meal plan if it's full of food you don't like or just makes you completely miserable? Yes, if you want results you need to step out of your comfort zone, but be honest with yourself about what you're willing and able to do. I've had people tell me they can't lose weight because it's too hard for them to eliminate bread. You know what I tell them? You don't have to! There are other ways!

Now on the flip side, don't expect to get much in the way of results if the only concession you're willing to make is to eat just a few less french fries with your Big Mac each night.

2. How much protein? Here are some general rules about protein intake:

For weight loss, eat about 1 gram per pound of lean body mass per day. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds and are 25% body fat you have about 150 pounds of lean body mass, so you should eat about 150 grams of protein per day.

For weight gain, eat about 1 gram per pound of body weight per day.

For general maintenance I'd recommend somewhere in the middle depending on your activity and the type of exercise you're doing.

Also, there really isn't any set rule for how to break it up. Generally speaking the total is what matters.

3. Don't eat processed junk (most of the time). Most people would do just fine with their nutrition if they simply stopped eating processed junk. If it's made of chemicals or has trans fats, don't eat it.

4. Eat good fats. Don't be afraid of healthy fats. Many vitamins and minerals need fats to help break them down, fats can be used as a great source of energy, eating healthy fats also teaches your body to use fat as fuel. These are all good things.

Some good fat sources include:

Fish oil, olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, some cheeses, eggs (yes eggs. THE WHOLE THING INCLUDING THE YOLK), nuts, natural peanut butter.

Do be careful about amounts though, because even good fats contain a fair amount of calories.

5. If you're trying to lose fat you have to restrict calories. Sorry. There's no way around this.

6. If you're trying to lose fat you have to feel a little hungry sometimes. Sorry. There's no way around this.

7. Sugar doesn't have to be the enemy. Would you like to be able to lose weight eating pizza and ice cream every Saturday night? I've had clients do just that, but the catch is that the rest of the week their diet is dialed in 100%. You can have those crazy indulgent nights if you want to (and sometimes it's actually helpful) but they have to be part of an overall plan if you want results and the crazier those nights are the more dialed in you have to be the rest of the time.

Let me know what you think and if you have any questions. Have a great day!

Mitch Rothbardt, CPT, PN Lean Eating Coach, FMS
2861 Grove Way in Castro Valley
510-754-7113
MitchRFitness@gmail.com
MitchRFitness.com
I Help People Discover Their Strength!

Go Ahead. Eat What You Want!

Hello, everyone. Its that time of year again! The holidays! I think growing up Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday and it's coming up in a few short weeks. I liked the family get-together and I always looked forward to the assortment of pies. Apple, pumpkin, cherry. Deeeeeee-lish!!

Each year we hear about how the average person gains something like 5-10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years Day and each year we read how you can avoid that by eating light on Thanksgiving and Christmas day. Well, I'm here to tell you this:

EAT WHAT YOU WANT ON THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS DAY!!!

Yes. You heard me. Eat what you want on Thanksgiving and Chistmas. Enjoy the holidays. They're supposed to be fun and fulfilling. They're supposed to be relaxing. Eating well is a part of that and that is a great thing. Eat your stuffing and pie. Eat your mashed potatoes and bread. Enjoy it all and feel good about it.

Here's the thing, though. Let's take Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve and two holidays parties. That's 5 days that take place over about 5-6 weeks. There is simply NO excuse to use those 5 days as a reason to let everything go down the drain. None. 

If your nutrition is reasonable you could (maybe should) be planning for a higher calorie day every week or so. You can make that work for you. I have clients who have lost significant weight having pizza and ice cream every Saturday night. 

Overall what I'm saying is this: Enough with the excuses. Dial in what you want to do and plan for the nights when you know you'll be eating heavy. There is NO reason you need to put on weight during the holidays and if you really want to, there's no reason you can't lose weight, too. All you have to do is decide to do it and put a plan into action

Here are a few hints to help get you through the holidays without hurting your progress.

1. Don't skip your workouts. I know you're busy and there's always a lot going on but I promise that if you keep your exercise a priority, everything else will be much easier to maintain.

2. Plan for the BIG days. You know you're going to eat a ton on Thanksgiving, Chrsitmas, etc. Plan it out. Thanksgiving is on Thursday the 28th so plan out your diet for that week and include that.

3. Don't drag it out. I've given you permission to eat to your hearts content on the BIG days. THAT'S NO EXCUSE TO EAT THE SAME WAY FOR THE OTHER 5 WEEKS!!!!! This is where mental preparation comes into play. When you think about the day after food hang-overs, what is your language like? Does it include "ifs" and "I'll try's"? As in, "I'll try not to eat badly the rest of the month", or "If I can resist the leftover…".
I'll tell you right now that if this is the language you're using you've already lost. You're subconciously giving yourself excuses. Your language should be positive and definitive, such as, "I'll be back on the healthy track tommorrow."
Remember this: One bad meal doesn't really have an impact on your life. Extending that bad meal out for weeks or longer certainly can.

4. Don't stress. I know this is easier said then done, but do your best to have fun and enjoy the holidays.   Do your best to get your shopping done early. Make sure you get your sleep.

I think, most of all don't look back on the holidays a few months down the line and realize that you didn't take advantage of the enjoyment they have to offer. We only get a certain amount of these in our lives, after all.

Let me know what you think and if you want more hints you can download my Holiday Survival Guide for free just by going here:

Holiday Survival Guide

It has workouts with videos on how to do them, delicious recipes and some pretty handy stress management tips. All for free.

Have a great day!

Mitch Rothbardt, CPT, PN Lean Eating Coach, FMS
2861 Grove Way in Castro Valley
MitchRFitness@gmail.com
MitchRFitness.com
I Help People Discover Their Strength!

GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!

Goals.

What do they mean?

What do they mean to you?

Why do you want to reach them?

Why do I keep asking annoying questions?

When it comes down to it my job is about one thing. Telling people how to reach their goals. Someone comes to me and says they'd like to lose 30lbs. Someone else wants to get rid of the pain in their shoulder. Someone else wants to increase their mobility so they can play with their grandchildren. Someone else wants to add 30lbs to their squat.

I talk with the client, look at the appropriate things and come up with a plan. Here's where it gets difficult. Once it's written, my impact is a bit limited.

The most common example is someone who wants to lose weight. We'll talk about how it's probably a good idea to limit the pasta and bread dinners, but it's not up to me anymore. I can't follow someone home.

This is why thinking about those goals you say you want is important. Do you really want to lose 30lbs? Why? How badly do you want it? It's not fun to lose 30 lbs. It's going to take several months and will require some changes and sacrifice. What's going to get you through the times when you want pizza, bread or pasta? It can't be just the 30lbs. It has to be something deeper.

You want to be healthy for your family. You want to have more energy to play with your kids. You want a boyfriend/girlfriend. Figure it out. It's up to you. There's no wrong answer and the more you know about why you want to hit a goal the better the chance you have of hitting it.

Oh by the way, this also leads to a greater understanding of yourself and that should ALWAYS be a goal every single day. I'm getting deep now.

Here is what I think about, though. I know some very smart, wonderful people. People who have worked very hard for years at their job and their family. People who always knew that they should start taking their health seriously as they watched their weight, age and physical discomfort increase.

People who always wanted to lose that 30lbs (which over time turned to 40lbs, 50lbs, 60lbs) but never really thought deeply about why they should. People who, as they get closer to retirement are realizing very sadly that they would give anything to go back and take some time for themselves because they're not really able to do much anymore.

They're getting to a point in their lives where they should be able to enjoy the fruits of how they've spent their life and now they realize that it's not going to happen like they thought it would. They can't take that trip because they can't walk very well. They can't be on an airplane very long because it's too hard to manage their medication. They can't do much of anything right now because they're getting ready for knee replacement surgeries.

This is heartbreaking to me. Think about what you really want. Not just right now, but years from now. Is all that bread really worth diabetes? Is watching your show really worth never exploring your full potential? Is a little introspection, as difficult as it might be, really so hard as to throw away so much time and the one body we are given?

We only have one chance. In our minds eye we all see ourselves doing what we want to do 20 years from now. We don't imagine ourselves having to use a walker or recover from some surgery. We see ourselves on a beach in Hawaii.

Well, I'm here to say that if you want that, don't wait until it's too late. Now is the time. You can improve at any age. There are many studies that show this and I have clients that can tell you about their improvements as well. I guarantee that if you look within yourself and think about these things you WILL be happy about it and you WILL be a better person because of it.

Let me know what you think.

Mitch Rothbardt, CPT, PN Lean Eating Coach
Mitch Rothbardt Fitness at 2861 Grove Way Castro Valley's Premier Fitness Facility
I Help People Discover Their Strength
510-754-7113
www.MitchRFitness.com 
MitchRFitness@gmail.com 
http://www.Facebook.com/MitchRothbardtFitness
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