Last night was our annual 12 days of Christmas workout! Yes we do this every year right before Christmas.  I have to say though that last night was one of the most fun times this class ever has been!  Every year it gets better. We had a full house.  Everyone was on task and put their minds to it and got it done.  This was in no way easy.  But we had everyone from seasoned vets to rooks here and everyone worked their butts off! What a great way to go into the holidays.  Having a mind set and drive to become better humans.  It beats sitting around wishing and dreaming of being able to move better and be stronger.  Most people take for granted the ability to wake up each morning and get up, move well, pick up your children, groceries, be able to do the yard work, and be able to keep up with your children.  Yet there are so many more people out there who can’t do these things.  

This is a time of year to be thankful and greatful for your abilities no matter what part of the journey your at.  Either beginning or seasoned vets, in this gym your all one team. You are all here for the same reason, to be able to do these things better and for longer!  I know we push you all past your comfort levels and encourage you to lift that next heavier weight and go those extra reps and sprint/row/cycle a little faster each time, but that is how you become better.  By forcing adaptation to the demands of your body.  Don’t let yourself be held back because you “don’t think you can”.  Always give it your best effort no matter what! 

After class we all went to Crossroads Tavern in Hilltown for drinks and burgers! What a fine group of humans! This is how we bring this team closer together and form new friendships and start feeling part of something bigger than just a gym.  How many gyms have a culture like this where every member and their family’s can all go out together after class for drinks and burgers and get to know each other better? I hope everyone had a great time last night and formed closer bonds/friendships.   Being part of a team/family is knowing that these people got your back.  It’s not Drama and negativity, but rather a group of positive people to surround yourself with who lift you up, encourage you to be better, motivate you, keep you accountable.  With all the negativity in the world it’s important to have somewhere and people in your lives who make you feel better and forget about the negativity.  Having outings like this as a team really helps everyone. As well as helps me as a coach to see what amazing people you all are.  I mean I already know you are amazing in the gym but...this is a different setting and you truely are all amazing people!

 I will encourage each of you to share this with your friends and get them in here. If we can grow this team, we can grow the energy, the positivity, the friendships and we can make a difference in this world our way!  It hard to tell someone this gym isn’t anything like other gyms as most people know the “gym” as places like Planet Fitness or LA Fitness or places like that.  As you know that’s Nothing like us and this team.  GetReal Training is all about the people and the team! It’s about us coaches getting to personally know each one of our team members. It’s about each one here becomeing better friends and teammates! This is the real meaning of Personal in personal training!  Share your team with others and get them in here.  Know someone on the fence about it, drag them in here.  Know someone who’s scared or intimidated, drag them in here. You all know there is nothing to be afraid of here.  But from outside looking in it’s easy to see why people might become intimidated.   But we are all truely just humans like anyone else, trying to make ourselves better. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Holliday! 


Schedule for the next week:

NO class Sunday

Monday: 9:30 am group class / (youth class welcome)
Tuesday : Christmas Day (family day) closed
Wednesday: 9:30 am Group class / (youth class welcome)
                    10:30am personals (If you miss tues/thurs get in here)
                    No PM classes 
Thursday: 9:30 am Personals
                  4:30pm personals
                  6:00pm youth class
                  7:00pm  Group class
Friday:  1:00pm personals
              6:30pm Group Class 
Saturday:10:00am open gym (let me know if you’ll be here) 

What is fitness?
How do you know when you are fit? Does being fit mean being able to squat 1-1/2 Times your body weight? Or running a mile in under 6 minutes? Does it mean you have become a perfect specimen of the human form? Does it mean you should be able to 500 burpees and run 100 miles?
NO!!
Fitness is Relative. Just like Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity where time is relative, fitness likewise is relative to need/demand. If you only need/plan to sit around all day and have no desire to push your self to be active then technically you are “fit” enough for that. Now this level of fitness may come with its aches and pains. As a matter of fact there is no doubt it will as inactivity leads to muscle atrophy and bone density loss. So it’s not really a level you would think people would really chose to remain. However most people never move past this level of fitness because they just don’t need to.


On another level if you want to be able to do 10 strict chin ups or run in your first spartan race or 5k run/walk or lose body fat or just want to be able to keep up with your children as they grow and become fast moving active little critters and you work to get to that point, you can’t just reach that goal and stop doing it all together and retain what you attained. You MUST keep doing it. Don’t allow reaching a goal or mile stone (as we like to refer to them) be an excuse to quit!


So as you push yourself to reach the next level of your journey you must continue doing the basics that got you there. Fitness simply is a life style of ability you chose to attain and maintain. How far up that scale you go is up to you! Raise the Bar!

What should I do?

I am asked this question all the time. Mostly in reference to “diet”. In today’s society in the United States we have an epidemic of obesity and no one knows what to do.....or do they?
 
I am going to lay out my most simple answer to this question. Then you can do what you want with it.  This is what I tell all of my clients. This is what we at GetReal Training Live by. It is SIMPLE! It is EASY to do. But wait, before I tell you the answer I want to give you a 30 paragraph reason why you need this info and how much it’s going to cost you to down load our exclusive programs and our magic pills.....
FORGET THAT garbage right now.
Let’s get right to it!
 
STOP researching WHAT to do and START doing SOMETHING! I don't care WHAT it is but just do something that will get you closer to your goal.  Do it every day for at least 90 days. If it’s a diet plan or exercise plan just stick with it for 90 days. Don’t jump from “this said...” to “that said...” article/commercial/video on the internet. Stick to something and a change will start!

So what are some simple things you can do?
 

1. I’ve had clients and non clients alike ask “what can I do to lose weight?” My answer to everyone is the same, start by drinking ONLY WATER. How hard is that? Everything you drink that’s NOT water has a potential to add calories to your diet. Think about it, soda (one of America’s biggest beverages) when was your last drink? How many glasses did you order/have? I don’t CARE if it’s “DIET” don’t drink it! Why? Because you asked what you can do and I’m telling you plain and simple!
2. Make sure every meal you eat is loaded with vegetables. “But I don’t like veggies” Fine, well then stay the same! Again you asked what to do!
3. Increase your protein intake. Chances are you don’t eat enough quality protein. It’s simple make sure you eat 0.8-1.5g/lb of your body wt/day. Protein is incredibly important to your fat loss. It is also the primary building block source for muscle/tendon/tissue. EAT Protein!
4. Stop blaming CARBS! Start taking account of yourself! Stop eating like a child already. Yeah I know it’s easy to grab a bar or a hand full of cookies or a pop tart or donuts, a bagel....etc. we have all done it. I’ve done it. (And still do at times). But do you do this on a daily basis? Is this your staple breakfast/snacks? Stop it! Start thinking of your carbs as fuel. It’s the gas in your tank. Low energy output=lower carb need. High energy output=higher carb needs. This takes you back to #1 EAT more veggies.
5. Minimize sugar intake but Eat more fruit! ........here it comes......”isn’t fruit full of sugar?” Fine let’s rephrase that, minimize PROCESSED sugar and any products it’s used in aka remember back to #1&4. (Soda,cookies,donuts,pop tarts,white bread,juice,etc..) you get the idea! Fruit is good for you cookies are not! Try it. Make fruit your ONLY “sweets”. Hey I’m just giving you the simple honest answer to your question.
6. Fat is NOT making you fat! Eating too much food is making you fat! Simple as that! So forget “fat free” and don’t be afraid to consume fats. Your body NEEDS it!! (Avocado is my favorite)
7. KEEP an HONEST food journal. When you don’t record that one cookie, soda, beer, whatever it is, you are cheating on your journal. And I want you ALL to know....I DON’T CARE if you do cause it’s not hurting ME! But I DO Care because We can look back when you are having a bad week or when you feel like crap and see what happened, But ONLY if your honest with yourself! I’m NOT going to judge you for eating a handful of Oreos, but if you seriously want help then you need to start recording everything honestly. Why do you want to sabotage your chances of success? However just remember even if you don’t, your body ALWAYS keeps an honest and accurate record.
8. Next is get out and DO something. Increase your activity. Exercise more. Be consistent with it. “I don’t have time” I’m gonna make this simple, YES you do, you just don’t want to do it. Stop being lazy, Start feeling better! Be accountable and honest with yourself. If you wanted to go to the beach you’d find time to go. Why, because you WANT to. So instead of immediately saying you don’t have time, just give it a shot and go do something outside like go for a hike, jog, walk, and keep it short. See how long you are out there. Make it a habit. Before you know it you just made a new time slot in your busy schedule. Leave your watch/phone behind. Eliminate distractions of “time”. Remember “time is relative”.
   
9. Lift heavy. LADIES!!!......... You HAVE to stop thinking you’ll look like Arnold! Muscle IS a key ingredient to fat loss. So many women are afraid to lift. WHY in the world a woman wouldn’t want to be strong is baffling to me. Don’t accept being the “weaker sex” your NOT! Also, to the ladies who say “I can’t lift” while walking around with a child on each hip, grocery bags in hand and a diaper bag on the shoulder.....WHAT!!? Sorry Ma’am, you CAN TOO lift! Get to it! But don’t think you Guys are any better! Come on guys when was the last time you banged out 10 push-ups, or climbed a rope or anything for that matter. I remember the pull up test in school was humiliating and few could do them. So.....then DO them! As a kid I climbed trees. That’s what kids in my day did. We didn’t have computers/phones/games consoles. We spent hours outside doing STUFF. What happened?! Go do stuff! Go lift heavy weights so stuff is easier to do! Then go do more stuff!
10. Finally SLEEP! Don’t say you can’t! Here is what you are going to do. Tonight at 9:30/10:00 turn OFF your TV/Phones/Radio/ALL Lights/put distractions in another room (phone) crawl in bed and then squeeze every muscle in your body as hard as you can for about 30 seconds. Including your eyes, lips, fists, glutes, toes.. everything! Then after 30 seconds release your muscles as SLOW as you can and breath slow and deep. When you are completely relaxed again, don’t move for as long as you can! BAM asleep! If you truly “can’t sleep” maybe you need to look at your food journal. Chances are you have been consuming a lot of caffeine. Don’t say it doesn’t keep you from sleeping, I mean you just said you “can’t sleep”. Caffeine is a stimulant. And to sleep you MUST stop stimulating your brain prior to going to bed! ALL stimulants!! If you were doing #1 already and drinking a gallon of water a day we wouldn't be taking about caffeine now would we!

 
To recap:

1. Drink water
2. Eat more veggies
3. Eat more protein
4. Stop blaming CARBS
5. Eat fruit not sugar
6. Eat fats
7. Keep an HONEST food journal
8. Do Something active
9. Lift weights
10. Sleep

 
I know some of these seem harsh and honest but then that’s what puts the REAL in GetReal Training! If I just sat by and said “it’s ok, I know you can’t do it” I would only be enabling you to keep doing what’s NOT working for you. NO that’s not why you are seeking help and advice. You WANT someone to push you. You NEED someone to push you. You need someone to be honest with you and hold you accountable. It’s not comfortable to say this kind of stuff to people I truly care about. It’s not comfortable to Hear this said to you. BUT if it’s not said then do I truly care about you? Listen, your money is not what drives this gym. It’s the Real results we strive to get each of you to achieve. Each of you has a gift, that’s called LIFE! The question is do you want it to be quality and give these simple things a real chance or do you want to stay stuck in the rut you’re in now, continuing to ask “what should I do?” The choice is yours!

I challenge all of you who read this to start just ONE of these things and DO it for 90 days! See the change it makes and add another one! Do this and Prove me wrong! You won’t though, cause you’ll be too excited with your new results!
 
Finally if you want one of the best support teams to surround your self with as you begin your journey, join us. We are not like any other gym. We are a team, a support group, a positive encouragement, a motivation, a challenge, a family, but most of all we are just all in this together, doing the best we can to be the best humans possible!
Be REAL Rise Exercise And Live!
 
GetReal Training, LLC
215-416-5757
www.facebook.com/GRTLLC 

This morning I am sitting on a bus going on a field trip with my daughters class for the day. As I sit here I have lots of time so reflect on my team and the journey we are all on....TOGETHER!! I'll share a few thoughts.


What makes us different than most gyms? This is a question I get all the time. I have always struggled to answer this as it's not something that words can really explain. You more have to experience it. What my team has described it to me as is it's like a family, a support group, a positive, motivating, challenging, encouraging, inspiring, inclusive, non judgmental, SAFE environment. I love to hear this from our team. It's exactly the kind of environment we are trying to create here, but I have to say is our amazing clients and team members that makes it this way.


What does the real in GetReal Training mean? I've recently been asked this question and I got some of the best answers from our members. We are real people who have struggles as much as anyone else. You may think that just because I own and work at a gym everyday that it's easy for me to keep myself in shape. This is so far from the truth. We coaches struggle just as much as anyone. Sometimes maybe more as the expectation is the coach needs to be cut, supper fit, and buff. Yes we do need to live what we teach but by all means we are human as much as you are. We have struggles. We are real and we have to find the time just as much as you do to fit it into our busy daily schedules. What makes it easier for all of us is having a purpose for our training. I received a text last night from one of our amazing teammates who mentioned what she thought Real meant, "get real training that sticks. Not the fads!" I couldn't say it any better! Working out just to work out is pointless and not sustainable. So many people fail because their purpose is open ended and not focused. It becomes a chore and boring and more like a punishment for a poor lifestyle than a reason to become better. This is why we challenge each of our team to enter Spartan races with us or any other competition type events. It gives a purpose to work for. Weight loss is a good goal but it falls in the category of open ended and chore like goals. Challenging yourself to do something you are scared to do like an obstacle race makes you train hard and keep your diet on track cause you know it's going to be hard and you need to get ready for it. When you are signed up you are committed, now it makes you step up your game.
Another thing about real, we will never tell you what you want to hear. We aren't going to sugar coat the truth about fitness and diet. We will however tell you the real honest to goodness truth about what you NEED to hear. We WILL be real with you. This doesn't mean that everything you are doing is wrong or bad or you can't eat this or that cause we will never tell you you CAN'T eat, but we will coach you and give you ideas of what to change to make it better for you. It's ultimately up to you. There is no "grey area". It's either you do it or you don't. But our team will always support you and keep you accountable. One thing we always suggest is to eat less sugar, this includes sugar coated info!


As we close in on our destination I want to leave you with a few last thoughts. What ever you do to better yourself, commit 100% to it. It isn't something you can do just sometimes when ever it's convenient it's a life style change. You have to commit to it 7 days a week 365 days a year. You have to commit and live it. If you only do it half the time you only get half the benefit. Be relentless, be consistent, be accountable, be disciplined. At the end of the day you are 100% responsible for your choices. You can sit around and complain about yourself, to point at everyone else and everything else that makes it hard and not fair and keep telling yourself the same old negative story, OR you can getup right now and CHANGE your story. YOU are in control of your story. YOU are the author! WRITE A NEW CHAPTER.

“Tomorrow is the big race! I have trained hard for months for this and feel ready to go. Yes I’ll admit I’m a little nervous about my first big run, but I think I can do this.  My team is here with me and we are going to have a great time.”   If this is you, awesome!!  Congratulations on reaching an amazing goal, with a supportive team around you, getting over your fears and getting out there for your first big run/competition/event.   But here is where two completely different mindsets split and that team may be either hindering you or helping you.  One mindset of “It’s time to PARTY” and the other of “Let’s stay focused and ready”.  I have watched countless time on social media, people who have been training hard for an event and then the night before the event see the photos they post about their “before race meal/party”.  This shows a LOT about mindset, discipline and accountability.  Let’s take a look at two meals I saw recently for PRE competition and how they affect performance.  

Here is the Party meal before the comp.  It consists of garbage feel good foods.   Yeah it’s a great time and you are having a blast with your team.  You’ve done the training, you’ve done the hard work now it’s time to relax and PARTY!!  But how will this food “FEEL” halfway into your competition?  If you fill up on fats, sugars and diuretics, it dehydrates your performance suffers.   You will likely burn out before you even get into the “back leg” resulting in stopping  to rest more often, slowing down or quitting.   This is common in children’s sports too.  Kids come to practice or games after stopping for fast food (aka chicken nuggets, fries, pizza, soda, energy drinks) and yet they almost ALWAYS perform worse than if they had taken time to properly eat before.  But try getting a kid to eat healthy!  Kids don’t care.  And that is the same mind set of this athlete.  You just don’t care.  Why train at all?  Fast food and fatty foods take a long time to digest.  It sits heavy in the digestive system, doesn’t provide quality nutrients, and may eventually make the athlete feel sick. This doesn’t mean you can’t join your team, just make GOOD choices and don’t follow bad examples! Your performance depends on it! 

This is a meal for an athlete with DISCIPLINE!  Good solid nutrient dense protein packed meal with quality fruits and vegetables.  This is a great meal for the night before your competition.  This provides the needed nutrients your body will use during the event.  This translates into better performance.  We always tell our athletes to fuel for the activity they are about to perform.  This is a great mind set to get into as it not only helps performance for your competition but it will set you up for a healthier lifestyle over all.  This athlete cares about their health and performance and doesn’t want to throw it all away at the starting line after all that hard training.  Athletes who want to move better, be better, get stronger, and be more competitive don’t get that way by having a party mindset.  Michael Phelps wouldn’t have won 28 Olympic medals on pizza and wings before a race.  He said he would eat some protein but mostly fruits and vegetables.   


 Remember, your performance will always be as good as the quality of your nutrition.  If you eat like crap you perform like crap.  It takes a strong mindset to not be easily persuaded to indulge.  Don’t make excuses, make good choices.   Before your event eat healthy nutrient dense foods and DRINK WATER.  Get a good nights sleep and wake up charged and ready to go. DON'T stay out partying all night.  Wait till you cross that FINISH LINE. . . . NOW you can refuel and party hardy for a little bit!  Jump Right back on task the next day and continue to be disciplined, consistent, and accountable with EVERYTHING you do.