November Motivational Quotes

"To all my little Hulkamaniacs, say your prayers, take your vitamins and you will never go wrong."
- Terry Gene Bollea, aka "Hulk Hogan"

"If I do hit that rope and do a hop, skip and a jump and get up as high as I can, I'm just going to hold my breath, because I know i'm going to hear all kinds of scar tissue popping."
- Terry Gene Bollea, aka "Hulk Hogan"

"Negativity and Hulkamania - 2 things that don't go together."
- Terry Gene Bollea, aka "Hulk Hogan"

"I train all the time and the weird thing is I'm in the gym with people between 20 and 25 years old and I look in the mirror and I look better than they do and they are young kids - either they haven't trained hard enough or they aren't serious enough."
- Terry Gene Bollea, aka "Hulk Hogan"

"I'm 58 years old and I just went through 8 back surgeries. They started cutting on me in February 2009, and I was basically bed ridden for almost two years. I got a real dose of reality that if you don't have your health, you don't have anything."
- Terry Gene Bollea, aka "Hulk Hogan"

"A healthy body is the guest-chamber of the soul; a sick, its prison."
- Francis Bacon

"Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is."
- Mary Anne Radmacher

"From the bitterness of disease man learns the sweetness of health."
- Catalan Proverb

"The concept of total wellness recognizes that our every thought, word, and behavior affects our greater health and well-being. And we, in turn, are affected not only emotionally but also physically and spiritually."
- Greg Anderson

"There are six components of wellness: proper weight and diet, proper exercise, breaking the smoking habit, control of alcohol, stress management and periodic exams."
- Kenneth H. Cooper

To all my little Hulkamaniacs, say your prayers, take your vitamins and you will never go wrong.
Hulk Hogan
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/hulk_hogan.html#lcKkjWYOzSkgm4Of.99

October Motivational Quotes

"Grab life by the horns before it grabs you by the balls and twists hard."
- Charles Moffat


"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming."
- John Wooden

"When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others."
- Peace Pilgrim

"Success, happiness, peace of mind and fulfillment - the most priceless of human treasures - are available to all among us, without exception, who make things happen - who make "good" things happen - in the world around them."
- Joe Klock

"When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere."
- François de la Rochefoucauld

"Peace is not something you wish for; It's something you make, Something you do, Something you are, And something you give away."
- Robert Fulghum

"Crystallize your goals. Make a plan for achieving them and set yourself a deadline. Then, with supreme confidence, determination and disregard for obstacles and other people's criticisms, carry out your plan."
- Paul J. Meyer

"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek."
- Mario Andretti

"Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try."
- Unknown

"You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction."
- George Lorimer

The Benefits of Fresh Air

Lack of fresh air in the human body leads to the following symptoms:

• Fatigue
  
• Drowsiness
  
• Dullness of mind
  
• Irritability

The simple act of getting up and going outside therefore can do wonders to rejuvenate and motivate your body to keep going outside more regularly.

If a person stays indoors too often they will also get more of the harmful effects of tobacco smoke, city smog, re-circulating air in buildings, improper ventilation, exhaust, and many other pollutants.

Now you may think, wait, city smog indoors? Yes. In fact smog particles collect indoors whereas outside they are blown away on the wind and eventually filtered by rain, air moisture, etc. So since it doesn't rain indoors the quality of air suffers as the smog particles collect. (Which brings up a healthy reason to buy an air purifier.) In cities like Toronto where we have very good air quality the smog isn't such a big issue, but that doesn't mean you won't see huge physical and mental benefits from going outside more often.

However going outside regularly gives you many positive side effects:

• Reduces depression
  
• Promotes healing
  
• Sparks creativity
• Acts as a painkiller
• Reduces fat by introducing more Vitamin D into the body
• Boosts brain power (more oxygen to the brain)
• Less Fevers
  
• Less Colds
  
• Less Lung disease
  

A lot of this is because the air outside has a higher concentration of oxygen in it. You could try and fix this by having more plants inside your home, to give you a higher oxygen level, but the quick and easy solution is to simply go outside more often and breathe deeply as you go for a walk, jogging, walk the dog, nature hike, bicycle ride, etc.

Fresh air due to its higher oxygen levels helps with many things.

• Fresh air purifies the blood more.
  

• Fresh air soothes the nerves, stimulates appetite, helps digestion, and induces more refreshing sleep.
  

• Fresh air invigorates the vital organs and aids the body's defense system in getting rid of an accumulation of impurities and toxins.
  

• Fresh air brings life to your skin, and a healthy tan doesn't hurt either.
  

• Fresh air influences your mind, imparting a degree of composure and serenity while simultaneously acting as a natural painkiller.
  

• Fresh air, especially when we exercise outdoors, will stimulate our appetite, and greatly aid and improve digestion of food.
  

• Exercises performed outdoors in fresh air offer increased aerobic benefits. Taking in more clean air helps improves your breathing technique. Better technique increases stamina. More oxygen to the muscles reduces the lactic acid build-up in the muscles which leads to cramping and pain.
  

• Oxygen electrifies the whole system, causes the body to be strong and healthy, and will refresh the system.

• Oxygen has negative ions that are useful in giving electrical energy to the body, especially the nervous system. This will give us a sense of well-being, serenity, and composure.
  

• Oxygen kills bacteria as it strengthens your immune system. When the white blood cells are called upon by the immune system to destroy germs, bacteria and viruses, they need much more oxygen than normal.
  

CONCLUSIONS

More oxygen to your brain, more oxygen to your muscles, more oxygen to all your vital organs, more oxygen to your skin, your blood, everything. Everything benefits from fresh air and boosts your health dramatically.

You are never too old to start a new sport

I was going through old emails earlier today and found one I had failed to answer (it was in the wrong folder).

In the email a mother was talking about signing her son up for archery lessons and said "he is kind of too old to start new sports".

I read this with quiet bemusement.

I didn't laugh out loud or anything. I was just mildly amused and a tad indignant. How is SIXTEEN too old to start a new sport?

I mean com'on, many athletes don't start their preferred sport until they are 17, 18, 19 or well into their 20s.

And there is nothing stopping adults and even seniors from taking up a sport - including a competitive sport - well into their golden years.

An elderly (and even overweight person) can easily learn to do the splits (see photo below) or any number of other activities during their older years.

They might get really into bicycles - and even fixing bicycles in their old age.

They might take up archery as a recreational sport - or even compete in archery competitions.

They might even take up boxing, martial arts or yoga.

What it really comes down to is that there is nothing stopping you from starting a new sport - and even competing in a new sport.

Age, disability, sex/gender, being overweight - these are just excuses.

Willpower and taking the first steps towards a new goal, those are the deciding factors.

September Motivational Quotes

"Don't dream it. Do it. Only then will you succeed."
- Charles Moffat


"Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it."
- Oprah Winfrey

"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
- Winston Churchill

"Some people dream of success... while others wake up and work hard at it."
- Author Unknown

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, I will try again tomorrow."
- Mary Anne Radmacher

"Eighty percent of success is showing up."
- Woody Allen

"Try again. Fail again. Fail better."
- Samuel Beckett 

"Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records."
- William Arthur Ward
 
"Champions keep playing until they get it right."
- Billie Jean King
 
"Fans don't boo nobodies."
- Reggie Jackson
 
"Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts."
- Dan Gable
 
"Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best."
- Tim Duncan

"Gray skies are just clouds passing over."
- Frank Gifford

Food Motivation Quotes

"You wouldn't choose to eat poison would you? So why would you choose not to eat healthy?"
- Charles Moffat

"I do the same exercises I did 50 years ago and they still work. I eat the same food I ate 50 years ago and it still works."
- Arnold Schwarzenegger

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating."

- Luciano Pavarotti

"Shipping is a terrible thing to do to vegetables. They probably get jet-lagged, just like people."

- Elizabeth Berry
"When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste."

- Laiko Bahrs

"It's bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children's health than the pediatrician."

- Meryl Streep

"The bagel, an unsweetened doughnut with rigor mortis."

- Beatrice & Ira Freeman

"We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons."

- Alfred E. Newman

"Tell me what you eat, I'll tell you who you are."

- Anthelme Brillat-Savarin 

Motivational Cartoon - Treadmill with Laptop

I agree. People would run a lot more faster if it meant their downloads downloaded faster. It would be very motivational for people to keep jogging.

Normally I don't post funny stuff like this but this time I made an exception.

August Exercise Motivation Quotes

"You've lost weight before. Now just do it again and again until it becomes a lifestyle instead of a random whim."
- Charles Moffat

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength."
- Arnold Schwarzenegger

"Winning isn't everything, but the will to win is everything."
- Vince Lombardi

"Sure I am this day we are masters of our fate, that the task which has been set before us is not above our strength; that its pangs and toils are not beyond our endurance. As long as we have faith in our own cause and an unconquerable will to win, victory will not be denied us."
- Winston Churchill

"Courage is as often the outcome of despair as of hope; in the one case we have nothing to lose, in the other, everything to gain."
- Diane de Pointiers

"A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals."
- Larry Bird

"Win as if you were used to it, lose as if you enjoyed it for a change."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

July Exercise Motivation Quotes

"If you don't control your life then life will control you. Grab life by the horns and never let go."
-Charles Moffat

"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times."
-Bruce Lee

"Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them."
-Bruce Lee

"If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of."
-Bruce Lee

"If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them."
-Bruce Lee

"A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at."
-Bruce Lee

"If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done."
-Bruce Lee

"Take things as they are. Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick."
-Bruce Lee

"It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential."
-Bruce Lee

"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra."
-Jimmy Johnson
 
"Don't look where you fall, but where you slipped."
-African Proverb
 
"Practical life teaches us that people may differ and that both may be wrong: it also teaches us that people may differ and both be right. Anchor yourself fast in the latter faith, or the former will sweep your heart away."
-Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare, Guesses at Truth, by Two Brothers, 1827
 
"Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time."
-Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 

"Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted."
-John Lennon
 
"Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, a touch that never hurts."
-Charles Dickens
 
"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant."
-Robert Louis Stevenson
 
"It's better to fight for something than against something."
-Author Unknown
 

"Promise only what you can deliver. Then deliver more than you promise."
-Author Unknown 

"Life is like riding a bicycle - in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving."
-Albert Einstein
 
"Sandwich every bit of criticism between two thick layers of praise."
-Mary Kay Ash 

Exercise Wisdom from Bruce Lee

"Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them."
-Bruce Lee

"If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of."
-Bruce Lee

"If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them."
-Bruce Lee

"A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at."
-Bruce Lee

"If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done."
-Bruce Lee

"Take things as they are. Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick."
-Bruce Lee

"It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential."
-Bruce Lee

Attacking the Excuses: Fitness Tips

Are you one of those people who looks for excuses not to exercise and then later complains that they don't feel motivated enough to exercise and stick with a fitness routine?

It happens to a lot of us. We all make excuses due to lack of motivation.

Even us personal trainers sometimes catch ourselves making excuses (my personal Achilles heel is the weather conditions).

Excuse #1: I’m too tired!

When does any of us feel properly rested? Almost never. But what you might not know is that exercise will energize you and make you feel invigorated by boosting your metabolism! Follow the Nike slogan and "Just do it." Ahem. Do or do not, there is no try. Schedule all your workouts. If you don't give yourself an option, you’ll always exercise at the time you should be.

#2: I’m sore!

If your body is sore it means you need to be exercising more, not less. Focus on lighter exercises, stretching and jogging to help loosen up. Once you feel warmed up you won't notice the soreness. Exercise also removes toxins in the blood that cause soreness in the muscles and joints. Light exercise does the body good when you are feeling sore!

#3: I ache from exercising!

Achy joints are a sign that your body needs help repairing, and that your body lacks specific nutrients. Start by taking multivitamins on a daily basis to help your body heal faster. If you ache from starting a new workout program, you back off the intensity a bit, but don't stop the exercise entirely. Your boosted metabolism from regular exercise will heal the aches faster.

#4: I hate working out!

Then pick exercises you actually enjoy doing. eg. Swimming, boxing, cycling - whatever suits your fancy. If you’re doing lots of cardio and eating properly you will see results within two weeks and by the third week you’ll even start to enjoy the workouts and the fact you are seeing results, feeling better about yourself, becoming stronger, faster, and building endurance. If you can't find an exercise you enjoy then any exercise is better than no exercise. Take the dog for a walk, go for evening strolls, take up a sport.

#5: I get too bulky / gain weight!

If you are gaining weight when you want to be losing it then you’re not training right! Most likely you are lifting weights, eating the wrong foods and bulking up when you should be doing cardio and eating a low carb diet. If you combine cardio exercises with lifting weights, you’ll tighten and tone but not bulk up.

#6: I don’t need to exercise; I’m active all day!

You may feel active from whatever you do for work or chores, but that is not the same as exercising. Everybody needs to work out and challenge themselves regularly. Physical challenges keeps our bones and muscles strong and our circulatory systems healthy. Low levels of activity provide no challenge, resulting in the body slowly becoming weaker and slower.

People who sit too much and severely lack physical activity in their lives, and thus need more movement during exercising in order to reach a balance when it comes to keeping their bodies healthy. They might be walking for an hour or two every day, but that is comparatively nil. Having an exercise workout every day is to balance your lack of exercise.

Five Steps Toward A Beach Perfect Body

If your goal is to lose weight and attain a "Beach Perfect Body" then you need to get your fitness program off to an effective start, or make modifications to your existing exercise regimen and diet, to achieve the body you want with these five steps:

#1. Know Your Goals

The first question you really should ask yourself is, "Do I want to lose weight, or build muscle?"

Because if you don't know the answer to that you won't be able to go after that goal properly. It's best to focus on just one goal at a time because if you try to do both at once you will feel demotivated when you don't see immediate results in terms of weight loss (plus muscle weighs more than fat, so you will actually gain weight as you put on muscle). Muscle gain takes time, but in the beginning you can actually gain muscle faster than the speed you lose fat. So in an one month period you could actually gain 10 lbs - from gaining say 15 lbs of muscle and losing 5 lbs of fat. This speed of muscle gain is mostly due to muscle memory and the fact you are just starting. It will slow down dramatically within the first year. To avoid all the confusing aspects of trying to gain muscle and lose weight simultaneously you are better off focusing on your weight loss goal FIRST, and then adding the muscle later when your body has become a more effective machine. Your ultimate goal will depend on factors such as food consumption, time spent doing cardio exercises, time spent in the gym weightlifting, and your workout intensity will effect how quickly you reach your primary goal. Then once your primary goal is reached then you can focus on secondary goals. It is simply more efficient to focus on one goal at a time.

#2. Don't Focus on Losing a Specific Weight

This goes double for trying to gain "10 lbs of muscle". Stop thinking about measuring things that way. Instead just focus on doing your exercises and the feeling you get during and after the exercise when you know you've had a good workout. Don't worry about lifting a specific weight either or trying to beat your record time for jogging around the block. Muscle fibers are most effectively stimulated for growth at fatigue around 8-10 reps. That means that sprinting for 10 seconds or lifting a single weight 10 times will cause muscle growth. Additional sets of reps is to ensure that you rip extra muscles so you can bulk up a bit faster and jogging further than a 10 second sprint is so you can burn additional calories. Focus on your goals and the positive feelings you get from exercising / having fun, and stop worrying about how quickly you can bulk up or how quickly you can lose weight.

#3. Exercise according to your Schedule

Don't go on a program that requires five days in the gym, if you know you're only good for two days per week. It's great to be ambitious but without being realistic your dreams are just a fantasy. If you're short on time plan for an intense 30 or 45 minute workout - even if it is at home. If you only have a pair of dumbbells, plan to use exercises that only focus on what you have available to you and explore different ways to use those dumbbells to get better results and use different muscles.

#4. Remember that Good Nutrition is over 70% of Results

The attitude that "I can eat whatever I want because I work out!" isn't helping you. Sure, it will help you maintain your current weight - but if your goal is weight loss you are really shooting yourself in the foot by binging on junk food after you workout. Eat healthy, eat smart and you will see much faster results. You won't just see physical changes like more toned muscles and shiny hair but you will also notice mental results such as more energy, feeling more clear headed, and being happier.

#5. Hire a Personal Trainer in Toronto

What do athletes do when they train for a competition? They hire a coach. If you know you are making mistakes with your exercise routine and need to correct your bad habits, your form, etc then you really need a coach who can tell you what to do, how to do it properly, and stay motivated so you keep doing it.

With safe and efficiently organized workouts, accountability and privacy, a personal trainer is the way to go for fast, long lasting results. If you live in Toronto hire me as your personal trainer. I offer custom exercise programs for every client based on their individual needs.

Are personal trainers worth the expense?

Do I need a personal trainer? Are personal trainers worth the expense?

These are two commonly asked questions by people contemplating whether they should get a personal trainer - and whether it is worth the cost.

Well, ask yourself the following questions...

#1. Am I making definite progress at a speed I find satisfactory?

#2. Am I struggling to find the motivation to stick with my exercise and dietary goals?

#3. Do I need an external push to make more of an effort?

When in doubt talk to some people who have previously hired a personal trainer to help them make accelerated progress and ask about their impressions, whether they felt it was worth it, etc.

Why is first hand references better? Well, first of all they cannot be faked, whereas client testimonials on a website could be faked and misleading. You are asking someone you already know to give their honest opinion - and they will either say it was a waste of time and/or money, or they will talk about how awesome it was having a personal trainer.

And to be fair, some people don't need a personal trainer. So there is always going to be some people who say personal training is a waste of time and money - because for them, it is.

But for the people who difficulty finding the right rhythm with their exercise routine, are not challenging themselves enough, don't feel motivated, and need an extra push then hiring a personal trainer is totally worth the expense.

Thus even if you don't hire me as your personal trainer in Toronto, I still fully endorse hiring someone else if you are the type of person who needs to be challenged and motivated to try harder.

Keep trying as hard as you can. Every little bit helps!

June Exercise Motivation Quotes

"Exercising is more than just a workout. Its a way of life. Changing your lifestyle, and making it a permanent change by choosing exercises you enjoy doing, is the key to grabbing control of your health and making the most out of your life."
-Charles Moffat

"The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible."
-Arthur C. Clarke

"You cannot plough a field by turning it over in your mind."
-Author Unknown

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit."
-Aristotle

"Fortune favors the brave."
-Publius Terence

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."
-Albert Einstein

"To know your limits is a state of self-delusion."
-Bill Purdin

"He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else."
-Benjamin Franklin

"When you are looking in the mirror, you are looking at the problem. But, remember, you are also looking at the solution."
-Anonymous

"There is no satisfaction that can compare with looking back across the years and finding you've grown in self-control, judgment, generosity, and unselfishness."
-Ella Wheeler Wilcox

"Our central nervous system contains from 10 to 100 million cells, each one of which has a storage capacity equal to that of a large computer."
-Dr. Alexander Rich MIT Biophysicist

"The ultimate creative capacity of your brain may be, for all practical purposes, infinite."
-DRW Ross Adley - Brain Research Institute UCLA

"As long as you think you're green, you'll grow. As soon as you think you're ripe, you'll rot."
-Scott Horton

"The way life treats you is a merciless mirror image of your attitude toward life."
-Anonymous

Age is NOT a barrier to what you can accomplish

Age is NOT a barrier to what you can accomplish

May Exercise Motivation Quotes

"Do or do not. There is no try." 
- Yoda


"Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tones the spirit just as exercise conditions the body." 
-Arnold Schwarzenegger
 
"It's all to do with the training: you can do a lot if you're properly trained."
 -Elizabeth II 

"In general, any form of exercise, if pursued continuously, will help train us in perseverance. Long-distance running is particularly good training in perseverance."
 -Mao Tse-Tung 

"On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow."
 -Friedrich Nietzsche"

You are your greatest asset. Put your time, effort and money into training, grooming, and encouraging your greatest asset."
-Tom Hopkins

"The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit." 
-Morihei Ueshiba 

 "If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up."

-J.M. Power

"One half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it."

-Sidney Howard

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."

-Henry Ford

"The important thing is to strive towards a goal which is not immediately visible. That goal is not the concern of the mind, but of the spirit."

-Antoine de Saint

"It is easier to go down a hill than up, but the view is best from the top."

-Arnold Bennett 

"You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it."
-Charles Buxton
 
"Act as though and it shall be.
The seed you sow today will not produce crop till tomorrow. For this reason, your identity does not lie in your current results. This is not who you are. Your current results are who you were."
-James A. Ray
 
"Physical fitness can neither be achieved by wishful thinking nor outright purchase."
-Joseph Pilates
 
"A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world."
-Paul Dudley White 

Excuses to Not Go Jogging - and why many of them are just excuses.

Being not motivated is really the biggest reason people say they want to go jogging - and then forget to do so.

According to my informal survey of friends, the following excuses are why many people decide to not go jogging.

#1. "Don't have time."

Really? You don't have time? Jogging for only 15 minutes per day is just 1% of your day. But that 15 minutes per day can make a huge difference in terms of shedding fat.

#2. "Don't have any jogging clothes or shoes."

Go buy some or double check your closet to see what you do have. They don't have to be amazingly fashionable, just work with what you have available.

#3. "Too embarrassed to jog in public."

Multiple solutions. Walk to someplace that is less public. Go jogging in the wee hours of the morning when many other people are sleeping. Jog around your house or apartment building 20 times. Jog up and down staircases.

#4. "Its too cold or raining."

Jog indoors. Check out local gyms, recreation centres, indoor parking lots.

#5. "I don't have a jogging partner."

Find a jogging partner who lives in your neighbourhood. Go jogging and look for other joggers. Or better yet, get a dog. If you already have a dog, take the dog jogging with you.

#6."My joints ache."

Your joints might be aching due to lack of exercise. Start by going for walks, then hiking, and as your joint pain is lessened start jogging gradually.

#7. "My breasts bounce around too much and it hurts."

Buy a really good quality sports bra that fits you properly and significantly reduces the bounciness.

#8. "I don't have a stopwatch."

Do you really need a stopwatch? If so, download a stopwatch app to your smartphone.

#9. "I am afraid of being robbed."

Oh really? Who is going to rob a jogger carrying keys and a cellphone and no wallet or purse?

#10. "I don't like jogging."

Okay. Why? There has to be a reason why.

"Umm, its too much like exercise and I get tired so easily."

You get tired so easily because you don't exercise. Start by walking more regularly, then hiking and gradually build up to jogging. You will discover you love it once you build up your endurance.

BONUS - "I need knee surgery and my doctor said I need to avoid exercises that might hurt my knee."

Okay, that is a legitimate reason. You may want to consider other exercises such as light swimming so you can stay active without putting undue stress on your knee.

But for everyone else who doesn't have a good reason and have lots of excuses, please tell me what your excuse is? Post in the comments below and have a nice day!

April Exercise Motivational Quotes

"Live life to the fullest and you will never find an excuse not to exercise."
- Charles Moffat

"Good for the body is the work of the body, and good for the soul is the work of the soul, and good for either is the work of the other."

- Henry David Thoreau
 
"Give thanks for what you are now, and keep fighting for what you want to be tomorrow."

- Fernanda Miramontes-Landeros
 
"Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty."

- Frank Herbert
 
"The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself; to be conquered by yourself is of all things most shameful and vile."

- Plato
 
"Excess on occasion is exhilirating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit."

- W. Somerset Maugham

"The vow that binds too strictly snaps itself."

- Alfred Lord Tennyson

"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do."
- Leonardo da Vinci

"Successful people aren't born that way. They become successful by establishing the habit of doing things unsuccessful people don't like to do. The successful people don't always like these things themselves; they just get on and do them."
- Unknown

"Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment."
- Oprah Winfrey

"The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results."
- Anthony Robbins

"Little by little one walks far"
- Peruvian Proverb 

"Sometimes the most urgent thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest."
- Ashleigh Brilliant
 
"Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work."
- Ralph Marston
 
"Rest: the sweet sauce of labor."
- Plutarch
 
"It is not good for all our wishes to be filled; through sickness we recognize the value of health; through evil, the value of good; through hunger, the value of food; through exertion, the value of rest."
- Dorothy Canfield Fisher 

"I still need more healthy rest in order to work at my best. My health is the main capital I have and I want to administer it intelligently."
- Ernest Hemingway

How to Make Lifestyle Changes More Flexible

It happens to lots of people.

All of a sudden a moment of motivation, determination and genuine desire to change your lifestyle will hit you and you become motivated to eat healthier food, exercise more, go jogging more often, hang out with other people who are into exercising...

And then you fall off the wagon and go back to your old routine because it becomes so difficult you lose your will power to keep doing it.

For most people this feeling has to come and go many times before actually succeeding with the goal. It happens again and again because somewhere along the way, from all-consuming ambition, to actual results, the plan falls off track because you were too ambitious, too inconsistent and you weren't seeing the results you wanted to see.

1. Too Ambitious

If you have never exercised much and have been eating poorly, and then all of a sudden you vow to work out six times a week and eat nothing but chicken breast and vegetables, you will have a hard time sticking to such a difficult plan. You will feel very tired, sore and the sudden caloric decrease will make you cranky.

Instead of jumping into your ideal fitness lifestyle, try taking your time to get there. It's more beneficial to ease the body into exercise by giving the muscles a chance to "wake up" first and screen yourself for injuries or limitations. Start by changing your diet first and then ease into exercising. Walking, jogging, running, sprinting... You have to learn to walk first.

2. No Consistency

Just saying that you'll exercise six times a week but not dedicate a time and days to do that workout, it won't take long before a week goes by and then, oh yeah right, I forgot to exercise! SCHEDULE A TIME TO EXERCISE!

Scheduling and Consistency develops habits. As human beings, we live around habits, rituals and routine. Developing a positive routine is challenging at first, but once you get into it, you'll wonder how you ever lived without an exercise schedule. Pick specific days, times and duration to guarantee a regular schedule.

3. No Results

Nothing is more demotivating than working your butt off and receiving no results. Sometimes you will even see weight gain first because you put on extra muscle during your exercising instead of shedding fat.

Don't give up immediately. The extra muscle just means it will be easier for you to perform exercises longer and harder.

Anyone exercising will achieve quick benefits such as improved well being, lower stress and better sleep. Those are the benefits many people overlook.

If you are working towards a specific goal (losing 20 pounds in 1 month) then you might be being unrealistic and even endangering your health by trying to lose too much quickly.

There are also many factors that could be stunting your results: Not working out hard enough, long enough, and eating too much or not the right foods. It could also be a simple matter of body composition of muscle and fat changing and you are not seeing results on the scale because muscle weighs more than fat. So even though change is indeed happening within the body, sometimes you just can't see it.

A fitness program also has an element of trial and error. It's important to try different things to figure out what works best for your body - and also for you mentally. Take measurements instead of judging progress on weight alone. If you still don't see the results you are looking for, hire a personal trainer and/or nutritionist to guide and advise along the way to your fitness success.

CONCLUSIONS

So how do you change your lifestyle?

#1. Be patient and take baby steps. Start with your diet and then introduce new exercises slowly.

#2. Make a schedule and plan ahead. Knowing when you are exercising increases your chances of actually doing so.

#3. Don't quit if you don't see immediate results. Keep going!

Three Inspirational Videos for Weightlifters

Sometimes weightlifting is more about mental endurance than it is about physical strength. If you stop after only lifting something 3 times, how are you ever going to gain muscle?

Learning how to motivate yourself - and push yourself mentally - becomes an integral part of weight training. Check out the three inspirational videos below focused on weight lifting.