Personal Training

With food and energy costs on the rise and job losses mounting, many families are finding trips to the grocery store a bit more painful. With such a turbulent economy, any way to save a little is helpful. By making some minor changes, families can still eat nutritiously and cut expenses.

1. Plan out your meals.

Most people eat based solely on convenience. This carries a higher price tag and poorer nutrition. Simply buying more fresh foods and planning meals for the week will save a bundle and provide the nutrients needed to live healthier.

2. Substitute healthier protein sources.

Meat purchases are often significantly more expensive than good protein alternatives like beans, eggs, nuts and seeds. The protein found in eggs most closely matches that of human tissue, so the body uses it efficiently. Any type of bean – pinto, red, kidney or black – is an inexpensive, nutritional choice that can be added to soups, salads, stir-fries, rice or pasta dishes. Nuts and seeds are a healthy snack the entire family can enjoy.

3. Minimize the purchase of prepared foods.

Replace meals such as instant oatmeal and boxed rice meals with less-processed grains including brown rice, wild rice, barley and old-fashioned oatmeal. Most of these can be bought in bulk, improving savings.

4. Eat seasonally.

Choosing seasonal fruits and vegetables can help consumers stretch their budgets while maintaining good nutrition. Apples and oranges are at their peak in the winter. Buy them by the bag and save even more.

5. Drink healthier.

Cutting out the morning trip to Starbucks, or sodas and bottled fruit juices, will not only save money, but will lower sugar and sugar substitute levels. Try clean water flavored with a squeeze of lemon or lime. Herbal teas with a touch of honey or Stevia are another good option.

Should I rest
between exercise sets?

We’ve all seen it at the gym – the big, muscular man that spends 30 seconds grunting, groaning and moaning to bench press a weight that we only dream about lifting. Then we watch him sit around for five minutes before starting another exercise. So in order to obtain large muscles and maintain fitness, we should do the same. Right?

Wrong!

Get the Most Out of Your Workout

One of the biggest excuses among Americans is that they just don’t have time to work out. Do you only have thirty minutes? The best way to achieve maximum results in a small amount of time is to reduce or eliminate rest between exercises. Choose an exercise that works one muscle group and then move to another exercise that doesn’t use that muscle group to allow recovery. For example, if you’re doing an upper body workout after you finish doing a chest press, move on to pull-ups or another exercise that doesn’t specifically target the chest.

For those of you looking to lose weight or excess fat, eliminating rest between exercises also has the added benefit of keeping the heart rate up which means you’re burning more calories and losing weight faster!

If you want a great workout to try, Barry Seneri has come up with one that’ll get you well on your way. Check it out below:

Stepping Outside the Box – “Flab Busting” Workout 1 with Kettlebells –

Immediate Download PDF

Barry Seneri explains how to “rethink” your workout for best results. Completely illustrated and laid out step by step, here are five simple, yet functional body exercises combined for a complete body workout. If you’re tired of the same old boring gym routine – this is a quick and effective way to spice things up. By practicing this routine, you’ll soon see how engaging all of your muscle groups will maximize fat burning for the desired lean body result. The demonstration works best with a set of kettlebells, but it can also be done effectively at home with dumbbells. 10 pages.

Price: Only $9.95

It is now 2009 and most of us have decided to make some positive changes in our lives to help us grow over the next year. In making these changes it is important to begin with a healthy mindset.

What is a Healthy Mindset?

Here are a few points for understanding what a healthy mindset is and how it plays a role in our success for long term lifestyle changes and personal growth:

1. Understand that it is unreasonable to expect perfection. We are imperfect people in imperfect bodies living in an imperfect world. When we expect perfection and things don’t go just right, we typically sabotage our progress and give up! Always remember that with our shortcomings comes room to learn and grow. By keeping our focus and being persistent in striving towards our goals, the growth we achieve will mold us into the people that God intends for us to be.
2. Don’t compare yourself to others! The LORD made us who we are and has us where we are for a reason. Every story has a beginning and an ending, but it’s the in-between that defines that story. It’s important to remember that every one of us is at a different place in our story. Some are further along and some are have a long way to go. If we play the comparison game, it becomes too easy to get discouraged. I recall the quote – “Be patient, God’s not finished with me yet!” This is good advice for each of us to keep in mind as we strive to complete our journey in life. And if we do our best and work diligently, then our lives will be even better than we could ever imagine. This brings to mind a biblical quote from 2 Chronicles, which states: “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, your work will be rewarded.”
3. And last, but not least, learn to be content in all that you are. Growth doesn’t always move in a straight line, but usually zigzags. There will be peaks and valleys. The important thing is to have contentment no matter the circumstance. Whether in the ups or downs, learning contentment brings peace to our spirit and will keep us moving in the right direction. In John 14:27, Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

By staying true to these simple steps, I believe we can have success in making positive changes to our lives this year and in the years to come!