Here’s to a Happy New Year and to getting everything that you want out of 2012.

Today you have a clean slate with a brand new year spread out in front of you, filled with endless possibilities.

How will you harness your potential to create the very best you? I recommend using the teachings of Dr. Maxwell Maltz in his legendary book ‘The New Psycho-Cybernetics’.

Dr. Maltz created the original science of self improvement and success, so who better to turn to when you’re ready to take your life to another level. His teachings have stood the test of time.

Take the following and get all that you want out of 2012:

1) Use Your Imagination
If you thought that imaginations were only valued in preschool, think again. One of the key points in ‘The New Psycho-Cybernetics’ is the technique of using your imagination to reprogram and manage your self image.

You may have been exposed to self improvement strategies that tell you to ‘act as if’ or to ‘fake it till you make it.’ Those typically don’t work because your self image is still the same.

According to Dr. Maltz, your self image is the key to changing your actions and habits. If you want to lose 50 pounds, you first have to think of yourself as someone 50 pounds lighter.

Spend time in your imagination. See yourself 50 pounds lighter. Experience a day in your life at this slimmed down size. Imagine everything down to the smallest detail.

According to Dr. Maltz, this imagination time will begin to change your self image to that of a person 50 pounds lighter, and your actions and habits will fall into place.

2) Reject Negative Thoughts
Negative thoughts will undoubtedly arise as you use your imagination to see your ideal self. “I’m not really going to lose 50 pounds.” “I’ve tried losing weight before and it never works. I’m always going to be overweight.” “This imagination stuff is bogus. It won’t work for me.”

Dr. Maltz says that the instant you receive a negative thought simply dismiss it. Don’t spend any time on it at all.

The quicker that you dismiss negative thoughts, the less impact they will have on your self image. Also you’ll find that fewer and fewer negative thoughts arise once you get into the habit of dismissal.

3) Be Nostalgic For The Future
It’s so easy to be nostalgic for the past, especially when you only remember the good stuff. But what good does it do for you to wish for things that are long gone?

Dr. Maltz recommends developing nostalgia for the future.

In your imagination you’ve already lost the 50 pounds, so start pining for the future! Your self image will lock onto that picture and your nostalgic feelings will fuel the fire.

4) I’m The Kind Of Person That…
What kind of person are you?

I’m the kind of person that loves sweets.
I’m the kind of person that hates exercise.
I’m the kind of person that can’t lose weight.

OR

I’m the kind of person that eats fresh and healthy food.
I’m the kind of person that keeps fit.
I’m the kind of person that maintains an ideal body weight.

Your self image will fulfill any label that you put on yourself. The power is all in your hands.

What kind of a person do you want to be in 2012?

If losing weight is something you’d like to do this year, then call or email to set up a consultation. I’m the kind of person who LOVES to see clients like you achieve their goals!

Certified Personal Trainer Andrew Fodge is also a Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) Certified Golf Fitness Instructor.

This is a busy time of the year for golf fitness and training, both for the local population as well as the snowbirds. With golf being a major reason people live and visit the Valley, he offers the following tips.

“Exercises that will help improve your flexibility, strength, and power which will help you drive the golf ball farther and hit more accurate shots,” he says. “By assessing a ‘total picture’ of your body, swing, and equipment, a golf fitness program can be developed that will seamlessly integrate into your existing instruction and game to help you optimize your performance.”

Fodge says exercises focusing on functional movements of the core, the upper body and the lower body, that most golfers beginning, advanced, or pro can benefit from doing.

Here’s what you need…

• 6 omega-3, organic, free range eggs
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/8 cup of organic shredded cheese
• sprinkle of salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line muffin tins with paper liners or grease lightly.
3. Mix up the eggs, add bell pepper, cheese and seasonings. Fill 6 muffin tins.
4. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the egg is fully set.

Nutritional Analysis: One muffin equals: 89 calories, 6g fat, 120mg sodium, 1g carbohydrate, .16g fiber, and 7.5g protein.

The season of deck-your-waist-with-extra-pounds is officially here.

So what are you going to do about it?

Will you join the masses who faithfully gain 5 pounds between November and January?

Or will you do something different this year?

It is entirely possible to avoid the dreaded holiday chub by following this simple strategy:

All About Power
To begin, it’s important that you approach your goal from a place of I can rather than I can’t.

Most diet and weight loss plans begin by outlining everything that you can’t eat. You can’t enjoy the buffet at your office holiday party. You can’t taste the fudge that your aunt Frances made. You can’t partake in the seasonal coffee drinks. You can’t, you can’t, you can’t.

It shouldn’t be surprising when the diet only last a few days before your inner rebel breaks out and defies all the rules by mowing through an entire plate of Christmas cookies in one sitting.

When you begin from a place of can’t, you forfeit all of the power.

On the other hand, when you approach your goal from a place of I can, the power swings back into your favor. Use these 3 steps to re-gain your power:

1. Focus on positive action.
   Rather than obsess over what you can’t eat this holiday season, I want you to take the positive action of exercising into your own hands. Every time that you complete a workout feel the surge of empowerment that comes with the accomplishment.
2. Schedule positive action.
   The next step is to concretely schedule your workout sessions. I advise that you exercise even more during the holiday season than normal, since you will be taking in more calories. If you normally exercise 3 times each week for 30 minutes, then plan to exercise 5 times each week for 45 minutes.
3. Reward yourself for positive action.
   At the end of each week take the time to reward yourself for successfully completing each scheduled workout. Don’t use food as a reward, since you’ll be taking in extra calories as it is. A massage, a new outfit, a leisurely hour spent at a coffee shop, or even a well deserved nap are all great ways to reward yourself.

What You Believe
The people who won’t gain any weight this holiday season already know it. How? They’ve decided not to gain weight, and they believe it.

Do you believe that you won’t gain weight this year? Or are your past failures keeping you less than confident?

Let’s create a strong belief that you won’t be powerless to holiday pounds.

In his book, Awaken the Giant Within, Anthony Robbins explains 4 steps needed to create a belief:

Step One: Identify the basic belief. I won’t gain weight this holiday season.

Step Two: Reinforce your belief by adding new and more powerful references. This means focusing on the reasons that you don’t want to gain the weight. Get out a sheet of paper and list all of the cons to you gaining an extra 5 or 10 pounds over the holidays. Spend a lot of time on this step. Reiterate to yourself over and over why you don’t want to gain the weight.

Step Three: Find a triggering event, or create one of your own. Disturb yourself. Try on your bathing suit, or better yet go out and try on bathing suits in dressing rooms with that awful lighting. Try on your skinny jeans. Try on last year’s cocktail dress. Try on that outfit at the back of your closet that you still can’t fit into.

Step Four: Take action. Get started on your exercise program – right now. Taking action is the most important step, and the most rewarding.

Call or email me right now, I’ll help you get started on an exercise program and guide you step-by-step all the way to success. Who knows? I may even get you to your New Year’s Resolution before January even starts.

Give yourself the power to overcome holiday pounds – get started now.

How would you like to be 50 pounds lighter 12 months from now?

50 pounds comes out to about 3 pants sizes.

Can you image how you would look 3 sizes smaller? You’d look like a whole new, younger person.

It’s actually much easier than you think.

I’m not talking about invasive, costly surgery, dangerous pills or potions, or grueling routines.

All it takes is losing one pound each week. One measly pound.

Hang with me for a minute and I will break it down mathematically. A pound is 3,500 calories—spread that over 7 days and you need a 500 calorie deficit each day to lose 1 pound in a week.

Your 500 calorie deficit can be done by a combination of increased calorie exertion (exercise) as well as a decrease in calories consumed (eating less).

Follow these steps:

• First, record your normal weekly exercise – look at everything from walking to participating in sports to exercising in the gym. This is your starting point. From here you’ll need to burn an additional 3500 calories on top of your normal weekly exercise.
  If you don’t currently exercise, then any new activity will count towards your 3500 calorie weekly goal.
• Second, record your normal weekly food intake – this may be an eye-opener when you see how many calories you eat in a day. Record everything honestly, since you are only cheating yourself by not recording everything. Calculate the total number of calories that you eat in an average day.
• Now divide the 3500 calories between your activity list and your food list. You could choose to eliminate 1000 calories each week and burn off an additional 2500. Or you may decide to burn 3000 calories and eat 500 fewer calories.

Here are 7 simple ways to cut 250 calories:

1. Drink plain coffee instead of a sweetened holiday coffee drink. Flavored coffee drinks are delicious but filled with way too much sugar. Drop 250 calories (or more) when you stick with plain coffee or tea instead of sugar-filled holiday coffee drinks.
2. Just say NO! to the holiday treats. A single slice of fruitcake may seem innocent enough, besides everyone is eating them at the office meeting, why shouldn’t you? You know that all those holiday treats are packed with fat and calories. For each tempting treat that you refuse to eat, imagine the 250 calories falling off of your waistline, and smile to yourself.
3. Jog for 30 minutes. Want in on a little secret? The hardest part about a simple 30 minute jog is the act of getting your shoes on and walking out the door. It’s true.
4. Exchange 20 oz of regular soda for water. You know that soda is filled with tons of sugar, so why are you still drinking it? Every time you crave an ice cold cola picture swallowing spoonfuls of white sugar. That’s probably the easiest way to weight gain. Stick with water and kiss those extra calories goodbye.
5. Swim laps for 30 minutes. If your response to my jogging suggestion was ‘I have bad joints’, then you are in luck. Swimming is one of the best aerobic activities you can do, and it is impact-free. When you swim you recruit your entire body, a process which requires lots of energy—AKA calories.
6. Eat an apple instead of a cookie. Do you always go for something sweet after dinner? While your first instinct may be to reach for a cookie or a bowl of ice cream, why not consider what nature has to offer? Fruit is sweet, natural and lower in calories than traditional desserts.
7. Come give my fitness routine a try. I have the whole calorie-burning equation down to a science, and I’d love nothing more than to help you achieve your fitness goal. My workouts have been known to burn up to 500 calories at a time, so what are you waiting for?

Losing 50 pounds in 12 months is very possible. Simply use the tips above to create your daily 500 calorie deficit and you’ll be shedding the weight in no time.

And if you’d rather have me do most of the work for you, then call or email to set up your no obligation consultation.

When you work with me, there’s a good chance that those 50 pounds will come falling off in less than 12 months. That wouldn’t be so bad, would it?

What are your habits?

Do you eat the same thing for lunch, go through the same exercise routine, and fall into bed at the same time each night?

Or maybe you’ve made a habit out of eating whatever looks good, avoiding the gym, and staying up as late as possible.

John Dryden famously said, “We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.”

Confucius said, “Men’s natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them.”

And Aristotle noticed that, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”

It’s pretty clear that the habits you adopt will shape who you are.

When it comes to your body, the two habits that define your physique are your eating and exercise habits. In fact, everyone that you know who is in great shape has dialed in these two important habits.

If you aren’t happy with your body, then simply adjust your eating and exercise habits. Here’s how to adopt a habit:

Making a Habit
Use these seven steps to create a life-improving habit.

1) Decide on the ONE habit that you would like to develop. It’s tempting to pick up 3 or 4 healthy habits, but choosing just one new habit is realistic and doable.

Here are some healthy habit ideas:

• Do not eat after 7pm each night.
• Bring your lunch to work instead of eating fast food.
• Exercise 4 times a week after work for 45 minutes each time.
• Only eat fruits and veggies as your afternoon snack.
• Get up early and exercise for an hour each morning.
• Work with a personal trainer 3 times a week.

2) Write your new habit down on paper. Also include your 3 main motivators for developing this new habit, the obstacles you’ll face, and your strategies for overcoming these obstacles.

Here’s an example:

• My new habit is to work with a personal trainer 3 times each week.
• My 3 main motivators are 1) to feel confident in my bathing suit this summer, 2) to have more energy, and 3) to fit into my skinny jeans.
• The obstacles I will face are 1) not having the energy to go to my session after work, 2) not having enough money to pay for sessions, and 3) not having my spouse’s support.
• I will overcome these obstacles by 1) doing my workouts before work instead of after work, so I have more energy, 2) cutting down on frivolous spending to ensure that I can afford it, and 3) asking my spouse to join me so we can get in shape together.

3) Commit fully to your new habit, in a public way. This could mean posting it on facebook, or simply announcing it at the dinner table. Put yourself in a position where you’ll be embarrassed to give up on your new habit.

4) Keep track of your progress. You could keep a detailed journal or simply make a check mark on each calendar day that you successfully exercise your new habit.

5) Keep yourself publically accountable. This means either status updates on facebook or verbal status updates at the dinner table. Your friends and family are in a position to offer you support, so don’t shy away from those close to you.

6) When you fail, figure out what went wrong so that you can plan around it in the future.

7) Reward yourself for your success.

Once your new habit becomes second nature, usually in about 30 days, feel free to add a second habit by going through the same 7 steps.

I’d love for my fitness program to become your new healthy habit! Call or email now to reserve your spot.

Each day you make well over 200 decisions about food, according to Brian Wansink, PH.D. in his book, Mindless Eating. Your weight is the sum total of your past food decisions.

According to Wansink, overeating can be greatly reduced simply by removing the cues in your environment that cause you to overeat. He goes on to explain the top 5 Diet Danger Zones and the solutions for each:

1. The Meal Stuffer: At mealtime you really stuff yourself. You clean everything off your plate, eat quickly and often go back for seconds. You consider yourself to have a “healthy appetite” and often feel uncomfortably full after eating.

• Use the Half-Plate Rule: fill half of your plate with vegetables and the other half with protein and carbs.
• Use smaller plates and wait 20 minutes before deciding if you want seconds.
• Eat slower so your appetite can catch up with what you’ve already eaten.
• Don’t place serving dishes on the table. Pre-plate your food and then put the rest out of reach.

2. The Snack Grazer: You eat whatever food is within reach, and snack at least three times throughout the day. You can’t walk past a candy dish without dipping in. Your snacking is rarely done out of hunger.

• Chew gum throughout your day to avoid mindless munching.
• Keep tempting snack foods out of sight and out of mind.
• Never eat directly from a package. Portion out your snack into a dish.
• Don’t purchase tempting snack foods for future snacking. Keep a wide variety of fruits and vegetables on hand instead.

3. The Party Binger: Whenever you attend a social event where the main attraction is food, you eat without stopping. With all the distraction you quickly lose track of how much you’ve consumed and often stop only when it’s time to leave.

• Stay more than an arm’s length away from the buffet or snack bowls.
• Put only two food items on your plate during each trip to the table.
• Make yourself feel full by eating the big healthy stuff first, like broccoli and carrots.
• Remind yourself why you are at the party: first to socialize or to conduct business and secondarily to eat.

4. The Restaurant Indulger: You eat out at least three times a week and enjoy every minute of it. You love appetizers, large entrees and rich desserts. When you leave the table you are always stuffed.

• Ask your waiter to remove the bread basket from the table.
• Before you eat, ask your waiter to box half of your entrée to take home.
• Decide to either share an appetizer or a dessert, never have both.
• Skip the appetizer menu and instead start your meal with a side salad.

5. The Desktop (or Dashboard) Diner: You like to multi-task by eating at your desk or on the go. Your lightning-quick meals are grabbed on-the-go from fast food joints, vending machines and convenience stores. You don’t plan your meals ahead of time and end up eating whatever you can quickly find.

• Pack a healthy lunch and bring it with you.
• Stock your work area with healthy protein-filled snacks.
• Drink plenty of water throughout the day.
• Turn off the computer or pull your car over while you eat.

By making these healthy changes when it comes to your food decisions you will put yourself back on course and moving in the direction of healthy weight loss.

Remember, while nutrition is vitally important for weight loss, true results are achieved through a combination of both nutrition and challenging, progressive exercise.

Have you ever been frustrated over a lack of results from your workout routine?

If so, you are in good company. Even the most seasoned athletes experience times when their results plateau.

When you continue to put in the same effort day after day with little or no results it is safe to say that you’ve hit your own fitness plateau.

Your body adapts quickly to any repetitive routine. The definition of ‘insanity’ is to do the same thing over and over while expecting different results. This holds true for your workouts. When your results stop then it’s time to do something new.

I have good news – the following 4 tactics are guaranteed to crank your workouts up to the next level and to deliver the fast results you want.

Tactic #1: Focus on Negatives

Each time that you do a weight lifting repetition you are utilizing three types of strength. These are:

1. Positive strength: the motion of lifting the weight.
2. Static strength: holding weight in a contracted position.
3. Negative strength: the motion of lowering the weight.

Most people completely miss the benefit of the negative in each repetition by allowing the weight to drop quickly with little control. It is understood that the negative portion of a repetition is just as important as the positive portion, and possibly more important.

Focus on the negative portion of each repetition by lowering the weight very slowly. Concentrate on the negative contraction, and make each repetition count.

If you are advanced, then use a training partner to assist you in moving heavier-than-normal weight into a contracted position, then lower it very slowly.

Another way to utilize negative repetitions on a machine is to lift the weight using two limbs but then lower it with just one. For example, use both legs to lift the weight on a leg extension machine, but then lower it back down slowly using only one leg.

Tactic #2: Do a Drop Set

Drop sets have long been used to fight off exercise plateaus. This technique is great for adding muscle strength, endurance and for increasing the cardiovascular benefit of your workout – resulting in more fat burn.

Here, in a nutshell, is how to do a drop set: When you perform an exercise to exhaustion, don’t stop there. Drop the weight by 80% and do another set.

You could take it a step further by dropping the weight twice, making it a double drop. Or drop the weight three times for a descending drop set.

Use this technique only once or twice per workout, on the final set of the exercise.

Tactic #3: Modify the Exercise

There are certain exercises that are considered ‘staples’ in the gym.

The squat. The lunge. The chest press. The shoulder press. The bicep curl. You get the idea…

While you shouldn’t throw these exercises out the window, find creative ways to modify the familiar motion in order to challenge your muscles. Try these exercise modifications:

• Squat on a Bosu ball or balance board.
• Place a weighted bar across your shoulders and do walking lunges.
• Use an exercise ball for chest presses instead of the bench.
• Do a full squat between each repetition of shoulder presses.
• Do a shoulder press between each repetition of bicep curls.

Tactic #4: Use Active Rest to turn each workout into High Intensity Interval Training

Every minute of your workout is an opportunity to increase intensity and to burn more fat. Don’t waste precious minutes with long rest periods between exercises.

While it is important to catch your breath if you feel winded, most of the time you would benefit more from an active rest than a passive one. Perform one of the following activities for 30 seconds between exercises and turn your regular workout into High Intensity Interval Training.

• High Knees with Alternating Punches: Alternately bring each knee high to your chest in a quick jumping movement while alternating forward punches at shoulder level.
• Burpees: Start in a standing position and bend at the waist. Once your hands hit the floor, push your entire body back, extending your legs until they’re straight and you’re in the push-up position. Go down for a push-up, and when you push yourself up, jump slightly to bring your feet back near your hands. Finally, jump in the air with your arms fully extended over your head.
• Side-to-Side Jumps on Bench: Stand on one side of an exercise bench. Place the foot closest up onto the bench, jump up and switch feet, then land on the opposite side of the bench.
• Mountain Climbers: Place your hands wider than shoulder-width apart on the ground in a push-up position. Bring one knee to your chest and then back to the starting position, alternate each leg quickly.
• Side-to-Side Ab Twists: With feet close together, jump and twist your legs left to right – holding your abs tight. Keep a bend in your knees and swing your upper arms with each twist.
• Jump Lunges with Pop Squat: Start in a lunge position, lunge down then quickly jump up, switching your leg position in midair, land in an opposite leg lunge. Once you’ve done both legs, jump straight into a squat.
• Medicine Ball Squat Jumps: With feet wider than shoulder-width apart hold a medicine ball at chest level. Squat down until your knees are at a 90 degree angle. Explosively jump up, raising the medicine ball straight over your head.

If you’d like a sure-fire way to break through your fitness plateau and to melt away unwanted fat, then contact me for a fitness consultation.

Call 602-516-4225 or email andrew@fitnessbyandrew.com today – I look forward to hearing from you.

Any caveman would be proud of this catch! Wild caught catfish is delicate and flaky, with loads of flavor. Catfish contains healthy fatty acids, provides complete protein, is a source of vitamin B-12, and is low in mercury. Pair it with dark leafy greens and some fruit for the perfect caveman meal.
Servings: 4

Here’s what you need…

• 2 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 fillets wild caught catfish
• blackened seasoning (try Cajun’s Choice)
• 1 lemon, sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil a glass pan.
2. Coat the catfish fillets in the olive oil. Generously apply the seasoning to both sides of each fillet.
3. Line the fillets in prepared pan, and top with sliced lemon.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until flaky.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 160 calories, 9g fat, 120mg sodium, 0g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, and 17g protein.