After thinking about it, I came up with Six Reasons the Gym SUCKS:

1.) Everyone else is going to the gym. And they suck.
Did you ever notice that when you look around the gym, everybody is doing the same thing? Like so many sheep, mindlessly plodding away with the misinformation from fitness magazines. People just go to the gym and do whatever everybody else is doing.

Have you ever noticed that when you walk into the gym and you see the same women on the same treadmills, doing the same 4 mile run, that they STILL look the same as they did 5 months ago.

I am sure you have seen the women spending hours at a time on ellipticals, bikes, and treadmills- sadly getting nowhere fast. Listen up ladies- you NEED to start doing some resistance training and cut those cardio sessions down to 20 minutes of intense interval training to get rid of the hip, thigh, and belly fat that is spilling out of your jeans.

And then there are also those wanna-be meathead guys trying to build their mirror muscles (abs, chest, biceps) with the Mr. Gargantuous (professional bodybuilder) routine and super supplement. “I switched my routine up from 4 sets of 10 to 5 sets of 8. Muscle confusion!”

Did you notice that you are exactly the same as you were a year ago? It ain’t the muscle that’s confused, son.

2.) No sunshine sucks.
I am still trying to wrap my cerebellum around the act of driving to a building, parking your car, going inside and getting on a machine to walk for 30-45 minutes. Get outside! If you want to walk, walk around the block, go to the park, whatever, but please stop your hamster wheel!

3.) Gym Memberships suck.
Paying money for a place to work out isn’t a bad thing, but the way gyms set up their business model is designed to sell you a membership, not get you the results you want. If you want personal guidance or a program, you have to pay extra.

Epic Boot Camp doesn’t hold you to a contract because we believe that you should have the freedom to make your own fitness choices. Furthermore we are confident that we provide the best fitness programs designed to meet your needs and for you to see the best results.

4.) Machines suck.
They lock you in to a path that is not a natural movement. I don’t care if it is “state of the art”, if it is not a movement that you use in everyday life, it could be more effective. Plus, do you really want to be sitting in some dudes sweaty butt print?

Machines force you to create a dependence on them and the gym. If you are used to using machines, you feel lost if you travel and can’t access the same equipment. In most cases, people figure “what the hell, I’ll just take some time off until I get back home since I don’t have any gym access out here.” Next thing you know it is 6 months later and you have gained 12lbs.

5.) The music sucks
Most of the time, the music in the gym makes me want to throw up. I don’t know which is worse- an endless loop of the Rocky IV soundtrack or Coldplay, but neither one of them works to get me gassed up for a workout.

6.) “Personal Trainers” suck.
OK, not all personal trainers suck, I know a lot of very good personal trainers, but I consider them to be coaches or instructors, not trainers. I have said it before: You train a dog not to pee on your rug, you coach or teach a person to reach a physical goal.

When you go to the typical gym for personal training, you enter a factory. They don’t really care if your reach your goals, nor do they have the desire to build a lasting relationship with you. They need to hit their quota- and YOU are just another number for them.

Our trainers are dedicated to you, your results, performance, and happiness. If we can’t show you positive results, then we have failed you. Your body is our walking billboard of success. Nothing is better than hearing mothers talk about how they have reverted back to their pre-baby weight, or campers who have made life changing weight losses like 65lbs.

With no clue about physiology or effective program design, many personal trainers are ineffective at best and counterproductive at worst. I know of trainers who get their routines for clients from the current muscle magazine!

If you are a “personal trainer” and you put a client on a treadmill during the time they have paid you for, you are stealing that person’s money and violating their trust. If you take offense to this, you are probably one of the sucky trainers. Prove me wrong.

If you need the support and motivation of a workout buddy or don’t want to work out on your own, the typical gym falls WAY short in providing a results-based, cost-effective solution. So how do you get in the best shape of your life if it isn’t by joining a gym?

Find a fitness boot camp (like Epic Boot Camp) in your area that creates a fit community- a culture of success. It’s like a support group of like-minded people focused on success. You become like the people who surround you. I know a bunch of great boot camp and kettlebell instructors all over the world- people that I do business coaching for that can get you better results for less than a third the cost of typical personal training rates.

Get out of the gym. Bust out of your comfort zone. Live it up!

I borrowed and edited this article from the Nashville Kettlebell Bootcamp.

1. Reach for the raw. Raw fruits and veggies are loaded with nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Stock up on these and aim to eat at least 2-3 throughout the day. Raw foods are great for a boost of energy, and can give you much more nutrition than processed foods any day!

2. Pick those greens. Leafy green vegetables are a great addition to your diet year round, but are much easier to find during spring and summer. Head to the farmer’s market for kale, fresh spinach, and even fresh lettuce (which are high in magnesium, a mineral that helps release stored energy) right from the farm. Just wash and dry the leaves at home, and even consider adding some to stir fry or steamed vegetable platters for variety.

3. Drink up! Water, water, water is still the mantra for healthy living, so make sure you’re getting at least 8-10 cups of water each day – and even more if you’re working out. Water itself can give you plenty of energy and keep those cells clean and clear of toxins.

4. Change Your Breakfast. Eating the same meal every morning can limit the range of nutrients you get. Try something new, like a whole-grain cereal with complex carbs and protein, such as Kashi GoLean. Scramble eggs and serve on sprouted-wheat bread, which is slightly higher in protein than regular whole wheat.

5. Drink Something New. Studies show that by changing the flavor of a beverage, you’ll be inclined to drink more. If you usually drink green tea, try white—it’s higher in catechins that may reduce heart-disease risk. Switch from orange juice to pomegranate-cranberry for antioxidants that reduce inflammation.

6. Stroll the Aisles. If you are going to stay in the grocery store, they often get new products daily, so budget 15 extra minutes for your next trip to find healthy options. Check out whole-grain pastas made with added fiber or flaxseed. Look for tasty frozen fruit blends in the freezer aisle. Stock up on convenient 100-calorie packs of healthy snacks, such as nuts and pretzels. Also, all that walking in the aisles is burning calories.

7. Tend a Garden. Studies show you’ll eat more vegetables on a daily basis if you grow your own. Pot a single tomato or herb plant in a container to keep on your patio; turn a small section of your backyard into a vegetable garden; or, if you want to plan a more substantial garden, consider enlisting the help of a neighbor so you can share the tasks of weeding and watering.

I want you to eat a serving of protein, a serving of carbs, a serving of healthy fats and a vegetable at every meal, every 3 hours, 5 – 6 times a day. Now, I know what everyone is thinking “Holy crap is he nuts? That is a ton of food!” The truth is if you stick to the portion sizes I will outline below then you WILL be in your calorie range of approximately 1200 – 1500 calories a day. This is the ideal amount for women trying to lose weight. You should never go below the 1200 mark as not eating enough is also a bad thing.

Your body goes into starvation mode and stores everything you eat in order to keep you alive. It needs a certain amount of calories(energy) to function on a daily basis. Here is the plan; Breakfast(meal 1): an omellette made with:

3 whole eggs

1 cup of veggies(any kind)

1 med piece of fruit(any kind)

water

snack(meal 2)

1/4 cup of nuts

1/2 cup of cottage cheese

1 cup of strawberries

water

lunch(meal 3)

4 oz grilled chicken breast

1 cup of steamed veggies(green preferabley but any)

1 med piece of fruit

1 tbs olive oil(sprinkle on veggies)

snack(meal 4)

yogurt

1/4 cup of nuts

dinner(meal 5)

4 oz of fish(any kind)

1 cup of steamed veggies

salad made with mixed greens and any vegetables(except carrots)

1 med piece of fruit

1 tbs each of olive oil and apple cider vinegar as a dressing

snack(meal 6)

1/2 cup of cottage cheese

1/4 cup of almonds

1 cup of strawberries

If you attend camp in the morning I would suggest an additional meal at  least 45 minutes before. What I usually recommend here is an apple with a tbps of natural peanut butter(no jiffy, skippy or peter pan).

A serving of protein is 4oz of chicken, fish, meat(on occassion), you can also get your protein from a serving of dairy(1/2 c od cottage, 1 cup(8oz)of milk(this counts as your carbs too)

a serving of carbs is a medium piece of fruit

a serving of fat is yolks in the eggs of 1/4 c of nuts(read the labels)

Never eat a cartb by itself. Always eat it with a protein. Do not combine carbs. For example, oatmeat with granola, yougurt with granola, fruit and rice at the same meal. Milk and fruit at the same meal. Also, if you want to have juice with your breakfast DO NOT have the piece of fruit.

Making sense. Eat only one carb per meal. I recommend staying away from ALL grains and getting all your carbs from fruits and vegetable. If you eat a fruit with every meal you will get plenty of carbs and sustain energy levels. You can eat all thevegetables you want with the exception of corn, peas, carrots and onions. You want to limit these as they are a higher starch. I am not saying do not eat them just in moderation. Stick more to the greener ones and you will be fine. But you can use them in salads and such. The reason I suggest staying away from grains is it is hard to find true 100% grains. Most are processed in some way. This is not a good thing. Unless you are going to chew on a piece of wheat you picked yourself from right in the field you cannot guarentee it has not been altered in someway.

Fruits and veggies are as natural as they come. You want to eat as many foods in their natural state as possible. If it does not grow, fly, swim, walk or crawl DO NOT EAT IT!!! You cannot go outside and find a bagel tree.

BAGELS ARE PROCESSED. Your best bet is to stay away from them. You will not even miss them. I never have cravings and never feel I “need” them. Yes, I am well aware of the no carb, low carb, low fat, no fat diets and they do not work. You body needs all the nutrients in order to function properly so you never want to elliminate anything. You just need to eat only what you need to function and that is eat.

You should eat when hungry and stop when full.It is that simple really. If your portion sizes are correct you should be hungry every three hours. If not then the meal before was too large and if  you are starving by the next meal then the previous meal was too small and you should adjust the next meal accordingly. Do not worry about counting anything(cals, protein, carbs, etc) it is not that complicated and should not be. Do not stress over it. Just eat.

One more thing, there are three supplements I feel everyone should take every day. They are a good multi vitamin, a joint  supplement(glucosamine/MSM) and fish oils.

Trust me ladies if you follow these rules you will lose weight. The proof is in the pudding

The point is, it is time to make a healthy, permanent change to your lifestyle. Stop saying you are going to go to exercise and eat right, and actually do it!

Binge eating sucks. But what drives us to do that? And how we can stop it?

Disclaimer: Now let me get the legal beagle mumbo jumbo out of the way…I’m not a doctor, and if you have a serious eating problem you should talk to a trained health professional…there’s probably even a medical definition of binge eater that I don’t know about…

…so for our purposes, we’ll refer to binge eating as anything that involves eating too much junk and making you feel guilty.

…And if you are just one of those folks who goes 37 days in a row without binge eating and then – POW – it shows up and kicks you in the butt…leaving you feeling guilty, frustrated, and upset, then let’s help you out.

Personally, there is no better common-sense tip for avoiding binge eating than…

Keeping the junk out of the house.

Easier said than done in most homes, I know, and heck, I find myself with my hand in the cookie jar more than I’d like. But hey, how else am I going to eat ice cream other than by making home-made ice cream sandwiches?

So do your best on that one, but if you can’t keep ALL the treats out of the house, here are some more tips…

This is another superficial one…but you just need to stay active and find something else to do besides look through the cupboards for the 3rd time this evening.

Don’t use food as a reward or just something to do out of boredom.

Go for a walk. Run some errands. Treat yourself to a bath or download some tunes. Buy a punching bag. Put on some music and dance.

And a couple of other practical tips…if you are going to binge, do so by overeating fruits and vegetables. And also, when you are done eating, brush your teeth, makes eating less appealing for a while.

Okay, those are good, but it is time to get a little deeper.

You are probably binge eating for some emotional reason.

One person recommended keeping a diary and writing down how you feel when you eat. I think this is great advice that most folks should do even if they don’t binge eat. Just do this for a week and you’ll get a really good understanding of why you are eating.

Were you hungry? Bored? Tired? Stressed? Anxious?

The May 2009 issue of Men’s Health magazine reports that anxiety causes many people to overeat sugar. If that is the case with you, then you need to find a way to deal with the anxiety…and that will take care of the overeating.

I’m also reading an interesting book called, “The Culture Code”, and the author argues that most overweight folks overeat because they are mentally “checking out”. Something emotional is driving them to turn to eating so they can escape other problems.

If that is the case, and its serious, then again, professional help is in order. Either way, I think tracking your mood when you eat is a great way to identify the source of your binges, and you’ll be able to build some powerful routines and possibly overcome binge eating.

Some other “deep” responses I received on twitter had to do with the relationship we have with food. How do we view food? As a fuel? As something to be enjoyed with others? As a necessity? Or as one of the major comforts and joys in our lives?

Do we have the POWER over food or does food have the power over us?

Do we practice extreme self-denial that ends up being counterproductive because it leads to binge eating? And if so, then how can we get into a balanced eating lifestyle that allows treats but without binge eating all the time?

Another reader recommended “Intuitive Eating by Tribole and Roesch”. I haven’t read it, but they said it was a great book that touches on all aspects of unhealthy food habits. Definitely a good resource for those of you who want more info. If you read it, let me know some big lessons.

And if you have any tips on avoiding binge eating, please let me know below.

1.) Everyone else is going to the gym. And they suck.
Did you ever notice that when you look around the gym, everybody is doing the same thing? Like so many sheep, mindlessly plodding away with the misinformation from fitness magazines. People just go to the gym and do whatever everybody else is doing.

Have you ever noticed that when you walk into the gym and you see the same women on the same treadmills, doing the same 4 mile run, that they STILL look the same as they did 5 months ago.

I am sure you have seen the women spending hours at a time on ellipticals, bikes, and treadmills- sadly getting nowhere fast. Listen up ladies- you NEED to start doing some resistance training and cut those cardio sessions down to 20 minutes of intense interval training to get rid of the hip, thigh, and belly fat that is spilling out of your jeans.

And then there are also those wanna-be meathead guys trying to build their mirror muscles (abs, chest, biceps) with the Mr. Gargantuous (professional bodybuilder) routine and super supplement. “I switched my routine up from 4 sets of 10 to 5 sets of 8. Muscle confusion!”

Did you notice that you are exactly the same as you were a year ago? It ain’t the muscle that’s confused, son.

2.) No sunshine sucks.
I am still trying to wrap my cerebellum around the act of driving to a building, parking your car, going inside and getting on a machine to walk for 30-45 minutes. Get outside! If you want to walk, walk around the block, go to the park, whatever, but please stop your hamster wheel!

3.) Gym Memberships suck.
Paying money for a place to work out isn’t a bad thing, but the way gyms set up their business model is designed to sell you a membership, not get you the results you want. If you want personal guidance or a program, you have to pay extra.

Epic Boot Camp doesn’t hold you to a contract because we believe that you should have the freedom to make your own fitness choices. Furthermore we are confident that we provide the best fitness programs designed to meet your needs and for you to see the best results.

4.) Machines suck.
They lock you in to a path that is not a natural movement. I don’t care if it is “state of the art”, if it is not a movement that you use in everyday life, it could be more effective. Plus, do you really want to be sitting in some dudes sweaty butt print?

Machines force you to create a dependence on them and the gym. If you are used to using machines, you feel lost if you travel and can’t access the same equipment. In most cases, people figure “what the hell, I’ll just take some time off until I get back home since I don’t have any gym access out here.” Next thing you know it is 6 months later and you have gained 12lbs.

5.) The music sucks
Most of the time, the music in the gym makes me want to throw up. I don’t know which is worse- an endless loop of the Rocky IV soundtrack or Coldplay, but neither one of them works to get me gassed up for a workout.

6.) “Personal Trainers” suck.
OK, not all personal trainers suck, I know a lot of very good personal trainers, but I consider them to be coaches or instructors, not trainers. I have said it before: You train a dog not to pee on your rug, you coach or teach a person to reach a physical goal.

When you go to the typical gym for personal training, you enter a factory. They don’t really care if your reach your goals, nor do they have the desire to build a lasting relationship with you. They need to hit their quota- and YOU are just another number for them.

Our trainers are dedicated to you, your results, performance, and happiness. If we can’t show you positive results, then we have failed you. Your body is our walking billboard of success. Nothing is better than hearing mothers talk about how they have reverted back to their pre-baby weight, or campers who have made life changing weight losses like 65lbs.

With no clue about physiology or effective program design, many personal trainers are ineffective at best and counterproductive at worst. I know of trainers who get their routines for clients from the current muscle magazine!

A lot of trainers really don’t know what they’re doing. Typically, if you go to a gym, you’re in a “fitness factory.” The gym wants you to go in, stay a little bit, and then go out. They don’t care if you reach your fitness goals and they don’t want to build a relationship with you. They just want their quota, and you help fill that quota.

So instead of using a trainer that gets paid $80 an hour and who may or may not be truly qualified, a better alternative is to join a boot camp for fitness that’ll develop your community as a fit entity in its entirety invest a whole lot less money. At Epic Boot Camp we guarantee you will not only see but also feel the difference in less than half the time you would spend at the gym.

Do the math- trainers will try to get you to see them 1-3x a week. This equals $80-$240 a week or $320-$960 for 4-12 sessions in a month plus membership fees (around another $50) but with Epic Boot camp you will be investing around $15 dollars per session, thats $45 a week for a 3 day a week camp. That’s less than you would pay a trainer for 1 session! Now that is a no brainer!

If you are a “personal trainer” and you put a client on a treadmill during the time they have paid you for, you are stealing that person’s money and violating their trust. If you take offense to this, you are probably one of the sucky trainers. Prove me wrong.

If you need the support and motivation of a workout buddy or don’t want to work out on your own, the typical gym falls WAY short in providing a results-based, cost-effective solution. So how do you get in the best shape of your life if it isn’t by joining a gym?

Find a fitness boot camp (like Epic Boot Camp) in your area that creates a fit community- a culture of success. It’s like a support group of like-minded people focused on success. You become like the people who surround you. I know a bunch of great boot camp and kettlebell instructors all over the world- people that I do business coaching for that can get you better results for less than a third the cost of typical personal training rates.

Get out of the gym. Bust out of your comfort zone. Live it up!

Better Fitness, Better Health, Better Life!

I borrowed and edited this article from the Nashville Kettlebell Bootcamp. Visit their site…there is some good information on there.