Coach Your Mind is lucky to have Chris Ecklund, owner of Prevail Conditioning, adding his expertise on the physical side of change. 

It’s critical that we blend the mental with the physical if we want long lasting results. Chris is incredible! 

http://chrisdecklund.wordpress.com/

8 Habits, 8 Weeks, 8% Body Fat

Part 1 of 8

If the title is what intrigued you…great. But know that my intention in writing this series is not to simply help you lose 8% of body fat in the next 8 weeks. Truthfully…that’s not as difficult a prospect as most think. There are thousands of “diets” available that can help you do that. So if that’s all you’re looking for, move on because you’re not going to like the rest of what’s in here.

Losing weight is easy.

Over my years in the fitness industry I’ve met countless people who tell me that losing weight isn’t the problem…keeping the weight off is! They’ve done the diets (good and bad ones), they’ve dropped the 10-15 pounds, and then 2-3 months later they are right back where they started…or worse.

So what’s the deal? The trick? The magic technique?

Consistency. It’s that simple…and that difficult.

My guess is that at this point you’re either rolling your eyes or you’re feeling the impact of where I’m headed. This is the deal, though. Yes, there are all kinds of nutrition and exercise techniques and tricks I can offer my clients to lose some body fat quickly. And there are times when we’ll do that. But if the weight is going to stay off, I ALWAYS come back to consistency. Let’s be honest for a moment and blow the cover on all the quick fixes out there…THEY…DON’T…WORK! We’ve tried too many things not to understand that change in life (in any area) takes 2 simple ingredients: work and consistency. So let’s agree to embrace the truth, quit messing around with things that offer short-term fixes or false hope, and get to work.

Most of the struggles and physical problems I see that result in excess weight and a variety of cardiovascular disease (among others) are a result of doing just a few things wrong. The problem is that what we do wrong, we do it wrong enough long enough to throw our bodies spiraling into a frenzy of physical mayhem.

It’s not that we’re doing everything wrong. It’s simply that we’re doing a few things wrong and we’re doing it wrong consistently. That’s the fix. The difference I see between “success” and “failure” in this arena centers around:
-the ability to change a few habits
-the ability to be consistent about the implementation of those habits
-the ability and desire to continue getting back on track more often and more quickly after getting off.

So before we get into the meat of how to attack this and make some lasting changes that will stay with you for a lifetime, let me offer a definition of fitness or health success.
Fitness/Health = caring for the gift you have been given (in your body) in such a way as to honor the One who gave it to you in order to be able to accomplish the tasks/jobs/passions/responsibilities put before you in this life.

Now, I realize that is quite off the beaten path as far as health descriptions go, but I do believe there is a wealth of benefit in that perspective…and it has been of significant value in my own life. It also leaves room for some differences. Example: fitness for a professional athlete involves a tremendous amount of time and effort on nutrition and exercise. If that is the job and passion to which he/she has been called, it requires more focus. A school teacher, on the other hand does not need to put the same time and effort in order to achieve a reasonable level of health in order to carry out the task or passions before her…nor should she! It is unnecessary.

Stop listening to the ads, buying into the commercials, and comparing yourselves to those that are called to different tasks or passions. You don’t need to look like them to lead a full and healthy life. I’ve got some news for you folks, self worth is not found in a dress size or a body fat percentage (focus on self worth…self esteem is overrated). Never has been. A study I heard yesterday said one of the primary differences between those that labeled themselves as “happy” and those who were “unhappy” was that “happy” people watched 20% less TV. Read into that what you like, but I can tell you it’s true for me.

If you’re still with me and want to make some lasting change in your life that will begin in the next 8 weeks, let’s get started. I truly hope you find success here and begin the journey well. But I would encourage you to check your perspective and beliefs. If you are not on the same page with me at this point, you’re going to fail. You will give up when the body fat doesn’t leave fast. You will not be committed to the process. And even if you drop 8% or 10% or even 15% in 2 months…you’ll gain it right back because you missed the point. Don’t do that to yourself…again.

If you are on the same page, good things are to come. I worked with a friend on this very same process. She had struggled with weight her entire life. She was over 300 lbs. and nearing 50 years old. Blood pressure meds., cholesterol meds., etc. Things were not getting better. She stuck with me, bought into the lifestyle, and 2 years later she was over 100 pounds lighter with a renewed passion for life (read Jeanne’s story here).

Over the next eight weeks we’ll be exploring what I have seen to be some of the key nutrition habits that effect long term health and weight management (muscle gain or fat loss). ONE HABIT per WEEK. That’s it. Do one thing well, make it a habit, and then we add to it. I will cover both the areas of food intake and supplementation. In all that I have gathered from those I respect in the nutrition field, I have come to 2 conclusions at this point:
1. We need to do our best to get as many nutrients through real food as possible.
2. Even if we eat well, we won’t get all we need through real food so it’s worth filling in the gaps with appropriate supplements.

I will offer you the supplement suggestions I offer my clients in case you are looking for products you can trust. These are the products I trust and are the only ones I recommend to my clients.

Lastly, if you’re not currently exercising, you need to get at it. I’ll explore that arena in some upcoming articles, but suffice it to say that I believe nutrition is the bigger issue here which is why I’ll focus on it. As for exercise…2-4 times/week of 20-30 minutes of vigorous activity (circuit training weights and or cardiovascular activity).

Food Habit #1: Drink ½ of your body weight in ounces of Water/day.
Example: If you weigh 140 lbs., you should drink about 70 ounces of
water each day.
*If you sweat a lot, drink 15-20 ounces more per day.
*If you don’t sweat much, adjust your ounces down a bit.
*Yes, you can do teas (i.e. Green Herbal or Oolong Herbal).
*Don’t count any other beverages (avoid soda, monitor juice).

Why? Among the many reasons this is important, let me name a few:
-Thirst is often masked as hunger (meaning you think you’re hungry but you’re actually thirsty). Drink first, then decide if your body truly wants calories.
-Helps you stay hydrated with less calories.
-Keeps metabolism boosted (all metabolic activity occurs in body fluids; less fluid = less metabolism).
-Digestion and excretion suffer (both negatively impact weight loss/management).

How? Carry around a 20-25 ounce reusable water bottle with you at all times. Drink it whenever you think of it throughout the day (not all at once!).

Supplement Habit #1: Cleanse, Breakfast and Energy.
Why? If you haven’t read my article entitled “GI, Oh My,” make sure to so you understand the benefits of cleansing toward the ends of weight loss (as a colleague of mine says, “If it ain’t comin’ out, it ain’t comin off!”).
-A quality breakfast with goo
d protein primes the metabolism. You can either use the Meal Replacement Shake for this meal or for lunch (whichever you struggle to get in consistently).
-A healthy, clean energy drink supports your metabolism during your “low” point during the day so energy stays up and food decisions stay good.

How?
*Get the following products (see note at end of article to save):
Herbal Cleanse

Meal Replacement Shake

Spark, SLAM, or V-16

Your task: focus only on water consumption, a Meal Replacement Shake for breakfast or lunch, Herbal Cleanse, and Spark/V-16 this week…no other nutrition habits.

Example Day/Week One:
Herbal Cleanse 30 min before Breakfast
Meal Replacement Shake for Breakfast (within 1 hour of waking)
Water and snack
Spark 30 minutes before lunch
Water/Tea and lunch
Water and Snack
Water/Tea and Dinner
Herbal Cleanse before bed

Stay Tuned for Part 2…

I’ve received a few emails, texts, and phone calls about a phrase I used at the end of a post a couple weeks ago, wanting me to talk more about the subject:

As I walked my little Logan around the neighborhood this morning, I began thinking about how much I’ve changed in the last 14 months. When we strolled around town the first few months, I felt as if this is what I did. I even felt a little self conscious, knowing people were looking at the “new daddy with his little baby — how cute.”

Again, I felt this is something that I did.

Walking with Logan this morning, I realized this isn’t something I do anymore… this is who I am! I’m her father, she’s my daughter – I need her as much as she needs me. We’re connected by a force that’s unexplainable to those who haven’t experienced parenthood. I’m now being a dad, rather than doing fatherhood. Every minute of the day is spent as “dada” (as she likes to remind me), which means it’s as much a part of me as my heart, blood, and oxygen I breathe.

Being a father isn’t something I do from the outside… it’s who I am from the inside!

Looking at our daily lives, what can we switch from doing to becoming? When we wake up in the morning, are we eating a healthier breakfast because we have to, or because this is now who we are and who we’ve become? When it’s time to workout, are we doing or being, meaning is it something that we force on ourselves, or has it become part of our souls?

I have a student who wants to run a marathon, but knows it’s going to take a large amount of change in her mind and body to accomplish. My daily question for her is, “are you becoming the runner from the inside-out… or are you simply doing your daily workouts from the outside-in? When will this marathon become part of your DNA?” 


Doing and being don’t sound very different, but truly are from different worlds. It’s easy to do what you need to do, but becoming that person… living those goals and motivations is what really creates that ‘new us’ for the long term. 

Let me ask again: What are we doing on a daily basis that we should be mentally switching to becoming, living, being? When we turn down that soda because it has 46g of sugar, are we doing it because we know too much sugar isn’t a good thing… or are we living a life without it because it’s who we are now, and who we’ll always be? The two don’t sound very different, but the first is a short term adjustment… the latter is a long term, life altering decision.

I look at Logan, and I see myself… I see who I’ve become!

You?

                                      watch-nfl-hopeful-kick

watch-nfl-hopeful-kick

Here’s a letter I found written to me by someone who cared about me quite a bit…

Dear Dayne,

When the hell are you going to stop acting like such an *$#@? You’re too old to still be acting this way, you big baby. When the hell are you going to grow up… this is getting ridiculous. You look and sound like an idiot. Do you even care? Knowing you, I know you do! Stop this bull!@!*.

You have more natural talent in you finger than most do in their whole body… when are you going to realize this, and do something about it? In some ways, you’re so mature, but in others, you act like a toddler. This needs to stop, and stop NOW! Look at what you have. Look at your family and friends. You have no idea the gifts that are staring directly in your face. Grow up, dude.

Stop making stupid, whiney excuses for “why not,”and make a decision that you’re good enough. Look in the mirror and tell yourself you deserve… you’re worth more… you’re better than average. Let your friends be average — you be better than that. Stop settling for less. You keep settling for less than you deserve. There are times where I see that guy who does believe… I see it in your eyes. I know you know! But then there are the other, more often, times where you seem to forget about the person you just found a minute ago. How does that happen? How can you forget so fast? Where does he go, and why does he leave? Find him… bring him back. This is the man that will succeed at whatever he chooses.

Open your eyes during these tough times, idiot! I say, “idiot” with much love and respect. I love and respect you more than you know. I see you as I wish you’d see yourself. I see the brilliance, the selflessness, the comedian, the passionate, and the incredibly loving human… why can’t you? When WILL you? Open your mouth, also! Start talking with confidence and an absolute knowledge that you will do more, be more, and never settle for average. Start saying out loud to yourself that you belong, and that you’ll find a place among the greats. Start talking to yourself on the inside, most importantly. Feel the passion you’re looking for… feel it like it’s already here, waiting for you to reach out. Feel the love for yourself that we, your friends, feel for you.

This “quiet time” you’re currently taking for yourself needs to be finished… and finished right freakin now! Enough sulking and thinking there won’t be better – there will be, but you first must open your eyes and scream at yourself. Go ahead… cry if you need to. No one will laugh, as long as those tears are filled with passion and self assurance; as long as those tears are falling, in preparation for massive action that will change your life forever.

You ready yet? Did I make my point? Are you going to stop… and begin starting? You will. I see it in your eyes.

Love you, bro!

Dayne

(I wrote this to myself while I was going through a depression 8 years ago. This was my last “sad” day!)


Could you substitute your name at the top?

Let me introduce myself…

Most of you know me, some of you know exactly where you met me, but quite often I sneak up and become a fun little tag-a-long.

I love letting you think it’s possible to accomplish your dreams, yet popping my head into your day just in time to make you think twice. My goals don’t, and can’t coexist with yours, so I make sure I do everything in my power to see your goals die. Without me, you’d be… well… I actually don’t even want to say the words out loud, in fear you’d discover your true potential. Without me, you’d feel… nope, sorry… still can’t give you that kind of power.

Close your eyes, visualize your most powerful motivations, and focus on you at your absolute best. Moments before you realize that “best,” I stop by, knock on the door, and introduce myself again. Often, I’ll just hang out for a small amount of time — just to help lose the inspiration you once felt. You see, if I appeared 24 hours/day (and sometimes I will), I’d kill all of your insides… all of your core beliefs and wishes at once. I don’t like to to destroy so quickly. I tend to enjoy sneaking up on you, especially if I feel you’ve lowered your guard and become more secure in your skin. I’ll stay up late at night, plotting my attack, hoping to squash what’s left of your self esteem and confidence. If you’re the mentally tough type, my job becomes a bit more difficult, but I feel I can always find that sliver of me hiding inside of you, waiting to come alive.

Fortunately for me, most of you don’t stand a chance — mainly because you’ve never been taught how to defend against me. Sure, you can read books, but the best learning experience is through real life battles… you vs. me… over and over, day after day!

Many martial arts masters believe our best weapon is the non violence we hold inside, waiting to defend against me. I’m (as with most of my kind) an illusion. Don’t get me wrong, when I grab ahold, it’s real… but my strength is never as powerful as people make it out to be.