Getting What You Want

Q. How do you reach a goal?

A. Never, never, never give up.

Those words – "Never, never, never give up" – declared by Winston Churchill to rally England during World War II can be found on inspirational greeting cards and T-shirts today. But his words out of context really don’t express the utter desperation of a country ready to surrender to an invading army.

His words worked. England prevailed. Ah, the magic of a powerful mantra and a single focus.

Kids have this mantra instinctively. Somewhere deep inside all of us exists this rhythmic beat.  Maybe it’s more like go - go - go. Anyway, how would any of us be walking on two feet instead of crawling without that determination and obsession? Watch them, kids are up for a second and then ker-plunk… followed by weeping for the sheer joy of the experience.

The Ker-plunk Factor

You’ll be surprised to know that the ker-plunk factor is one of the most important training programs our brains can experience. To quote John Medina from his book – Brain Rules – on how the brain learns:  “What we pay attention to is profoundly influenced by memory. “

Memory of a ker-plunk teaches us how not to do something. Our onboard computer kicks in and looks for new strategies. Achievement and success get logged in too. So look at one of our first ker-plunks and first brilliant victory – learning to walk. Take that determination right into your fitness quest and routine. Not getting what you want fast enough? Don’t give up. Learn what works and what doesn’t. Be vicious with anything that takes your determination away.

Double Memory Imprint

When I learned to walk, I also learned how to take off my clothes and for some odd reason, my parents didn’t make the effort to help me distinguish between the two. This resulted in me sneaking out of the one room apartment my parents had in downtown Portland, Oregon to visit all the neighbors – naked. Wow, what a memory imprint. I guess that’s what landed me on the cover of Playgirl a few years ago.

Cute little toddlers make you smile, don’t they?  They don’t require a “gym body” to have total fearlessness that comes from belief in possibility. Not giving up is having belief in yourself – and belief is the mind’s most powerful creative tool.

Slicing & Dicing Attention

Kids brains aren’t trying to multi-task learning to walk. By multi-task I’m referring to the “attention” directed at a task. They give just one thing total focus, and then they move on to the next thing. I used to think I was pretty good at mutli-tasking, until I realized that each task was happening slower. I was exhausted at the end of the day and my efficiency was poor.  Studies show that when you interrupt a task, it can take up to 50% longer to complete it.

Wandering Eyes

If you want to achieve something, be committed, believe in yourself and your process, and stay focused on the task at hand. I don’t let my client’s eyes and mind wander at the gym (just another form of multi-tasking). If they start to, I may have them repeat a phrase “mind in my muscle” or something that works for them in order to keep attention focused on the muscle and form.

Burn & Build a New You
The Burn & Build Body 14-Day Anti-Aging Detox is almost magical in it's ease of use and ability to focus attention on healthy transformation. The 14-Day Detox guide book "has your back" and keeps you inspired.

My clients who have wanted to lose body fat or those "last 8 pounds" have immediate success when they follow the program. It's the perfect foundation program to achieve your New Year's body composition goals. You'll Burn Fat and become stronger – the program requires eating, it's NOT a fasting diet -- and it is designed to maintain lean muscle so you don't rebound at the end of the 14-Days. There's even a Detox Maintenance Kit that you can use to continue with the "feel good" results of the 14-Days.

If you’re having difficulty reaching your goals, just remember that with razor sharp attention, you once stood up and defied gravity against huge odds and never, never, never gave up.

Train your body. Train your mind. Tame your tongue.

Information n this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional, health care provider or nutritionist. Never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your wellness professional.

Rest Soft – Get Hard

Last week I wrote about sleep. An extension of the fantastic healing power of sleep are days off from intense workouts. We refer to those as rest or recovery days. They’re one of the most overlooked pieces of the muscle building equation.

Lean Muscle Builder

When we do intense weight training and muscle building, our muscle fibers break down. As the muscle repairs itself during rest, it becomes stronger and grows.  If we don’t rest, how can we expect to gain in the lean muscle mass department? Fat loves it when you don’t rest enough. Muscle is just the opposite. Rest and recovery means days off and at least 8 hours of sleep every day.

Last weekend I had a photoshoot for a national fitness magazine (more about that in a future blog). One of the hardest things for me to do when training for this day was keeping my commitment to resting and recovery. Personally, it’s easier for me to go workout, than take a day off and chill, but I knew that the only way to show up my best was to avoid overtraining and get the rest days in.

Balancing your Auto Pilot

When we push our training to the limit, our body is mostly functioning with the help of our “sympathetic nervous system”. This system is responsive to our body’s requirements during times of increased activity and stress. When we are resting, the “parasympathetic nervous system” takes over. Both of these systems are part of our autonomic nervous system, made up of nerves that control and help maintain body functions without our awareness. Things like breathing, heart rate, blood flow and digestion. Both systems work together. When we keep them balanced, we’re functioning in a healthy zone – another reason for taking that day off and a good night’s sleep.

Rest Soft, Get Hard

Resting doesn’t mean parking on the couch with a box of donuts. It means consciously choosing to get 8 hours sleep and taking a day off from our regular gym routine to do something different. We’ll be resetting our metabolic process, increasing muscle growth and preparing ourselves for a better workout on the next day.

While training for the magazine shoot, my best workout days were those after I had a full day off from the gym and plenty of sleep. I made sure that the day before the shoot I let all my muscles rest. It was a mental challenge to stay away from the gym, especially since I was nervous about the shoot (I’ll confess to a light run though, it keeps me grounded). On the day of the shoot I didn’t need to do much of a pre-shoot pump to be photo ready.

Mind Programming

Think of it this way. Our internal mechanism is working really hard to build new muscle and burn fat. By giving it a break from new tasks it will to catch up (rebuild you) and really get you into great shape. So take a day off and go dancing, ride your bike, hike in the woods, have sex in the afternoon, sail your boat, or just go for a walk in the park… your body will still be working hard – just without the intense muscle work you do on other days.

Train Your Body. Train Your Mind. Tame Your Tongue.

Thanks to Adam Razak for inspiring this blog.
Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional, health care provider or nutritionist. Never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your wellness professional

10 Beach Body Tips

1.   Eat Often

Space your meals out three hours apart and make them small.  Aim for three “meals” and two or three snack size meals. You’ll kick-up your metabolism this way. If you’re still full after three hours, you ate too much at the last meal.

2.   Go Green

Fill up on vegetables. They don’t weigh a lot on the calorie counter, but they’ll fill you up, add fiber and insure your supply of vitamins and minerals. Go for cruciferous vegetables and dark leafy greens.

3.   Drink it up

Drink water. If you’re under-hydrated, your body will hoard water and you’ll feel bloated. Plus water helps your body process toxins and to eliminate lactic acid after you’ve worked out. You’ll want to drink at least one ounce of water for every two pounds you weigh.  Have at least 8 ounces of water ½ hour before a meal, and minimize your water intake at meals to small sips. You want your digestive fires undiluted for the best metabolism of your food. Sodas and juices are not water.

4.   Choose Proteins

We burn about 25% of the calories in each gram of protein while it’s being digested. Compared to carbohydrates (which only take about 6%) protein wins on the calorie burn race. And protein will give you the fuel to build the muscle you want.

5.   Cut your Carbohydrate Intake

But don't cut it completely. Here’s a trick. Alternate low carb and normal carb days like this:  

Give yourself two days with one serving of carbohydrates like brown rice, white sweet potato or quinoa. Replace the missing carbs on these two days with vegetables and protein. On day three, have four servings of carbs. Then repeat for a second time. When you’ve done this cycle, limit yourself to 3 servings of carbs per day.  You’ll notice your body shift. One serving is about the size of your clenched fist.

6.   Challenge Yourself

If you weight train on Monday, Wednesday and Friday then hit the gym for an additional cardio blast on Tuesday and Thursday – and make these two days “challenge” days. Aim to run farther in the same amount of time, or to increase your time from 20 minutes to 25 minutes. Every week challenge yourself to be better than the week before.

7.   Work Up-and-Down

Alternate a lower-body set with an upper-body set when training with no rest between the two sets. Pause 60 seconds and repeat the routine. Do this 3 times for a total of 6 sets. You’ll be resting your lower-body while performing an upper body set and vice-versa.

8.   Do the Big Ones

Work your big body parts. Heck, work your arms too. But focus on your bigger body parts. Working them will create the calorie burn and muscle you want. Your abdominals get worked every time you do a squat, lung, bench press or pull down. Do your abs workouts, but don’t count on them to produce a six-pack. Getting lean and putting muscle on the rest of your body is a better solution.

9.   Sleep Deep

At night our bodies detoxify things like lactic acid as well as emotional waste. When it’s doing that, it’s also secreting growth hormones that we want to build muscle. Besides, you know how good you feel, and how much energy you have to work out after a solid nights sleep. 

Try this for 10 days: Take a warm shower (or better yet, soak in a bath with magnesium flakes) before you sleep every night; your skin holds surface tension from all the electro-magnetic fields you’ve been exposed to during the day disrupting your sleep. 

           

10.   Get Smaller, Look Bigger

When you lean down, your body will be smaller and tighter. Your jeans won’t fit anymore, but you’ll actually look bigger because your muscular definition will be more visible. So eat more often, on smaller plates and double up on your cardio. If you make your mantra “yes I can”, you’ll be beach ready before summer.

Train your Body. Train your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.

Making Strides

The early morning sun in West Hollywood is streaming into Peet’s Coffee. It’s a crisp sunny Los Angeles morning. Sunset Boulevard is waking up along with me. I feel great and soon I’ll be ready to head out for a run.

My first recollections of the joy of intense “cardio exercise” go back to somewhere around the seventh grade. I had a big, clunky green Schwinn Bike that took me everywhere.  As soon as my parents let me ride it wherever I wanted, off I’d go. Soon, I’d explored every park in East and West Portland. The next year I talked older friends into letting me ride with them into the foothills of Mt. Hood. In the summer, we’d end up splashing in the Sandy River and coming home sunburned.

The idea that we were “exercising” never entered our minds. It was just sheer joy of the adventure and how good everything felt. Moving my body became associated with freedom and fun.

Happy Feet

In high school I started running. Running became an add-on to my bike adventures. I’d had no idea that my legs could take me so many places so fast. At the same time, I felt elated with the activity. While I didn’t understand it back then, my body was releasing tons of “feel good” chemicals. At the same time, all my insecure teen mental chatter would stop for an hour or two.

After high school I transplanted myself from the Pacific Northwest to the San Francisco Bay area. The climate was amazing, and you could run the foothills above Palo Alto all year long. I didn’t have a car, so my bike (now a 10-speed special) became my transportation.

Transportation. I guess that’s what this blog is about. I’m lucky that I love doing things that Trans-port me to a place called elation. As much as I love cars, they’ve never been able to create the same internal feeling for me as physical exertion.

I’ve coached one of my clients away from doing a long daily run. If heroin had a healthy double, running would be it for him. After two weeks of replacing some of his runs with weight training, we saw a body shift – better muscle tone and more energy. After week three, he reported that his weekend run was the most energetic and fastest he’d had in 6 months.

Most of us are like racehorses. If we don’t get out and move – we go stir crazy. Our bodies sag and slow down and our minds slow down too. Overtraining can produce the same results. Personally, I get a little grumpy if I have to be still for too long. When I’ve had a stretch of morning aches that keep me from activity, I start to feel sorry for myself.

Writing this in Peet’s, I see a jogger with an amazing stride coming up the street. As he passes I can see that he’s lost a leg and has an arc of metal to replace it. Nothing is going to stop him from following his bliss. The universe couldn’t have sent a better messenger to me this morning and I’m filled with gratitude and determined to take even better care of my body.

I like being trans-ported.

Getting Started

1. Walk first

If you haven’t run, start by walking. That’s intense walking, not walking to get yourself to work. Walk, then speed walk. Build up to a walk-run-walk-run. You’ll see results faster than you think.

2. Buy Good Shoes

Buy running shoes, not sneakers. Shoes that fit you well, are comfortable and assist you with your stride. You must change them… they don’t last forever. The more you run, the quicker you should replace your shoes. Here’s a shoe buying tip: try on new shoes on in the afternoon, our feet are usually “larger” then.

3. Get F I T

Combine these for your running program – Frequency, Intensity and Time. With this formula, you’d start with walking, graduate to a walk-run and then run. Make your "frequency" every other day, your "intensity" a comfortable pace and your "time" about 30 minutes. Your comfortable pace will increase along with the distance you cover.

4. Lighten up

If you’re severely overweight, lose some weight before you start to run. Your joints will thank you for it. Running exposes your joints to two to three times your body weight – with each foot impact!

5. Hot Stuff

Warm-up means getting your body temperature up before you hit your stride.

Speed walking, jumping jacks or push-ups. Save your heavy duty stretching for after your run.

6. Stretch It Out

When you finish, be sure to stretch. Otherwise you’re like a horse that’s been rode hard and left wet (a sure recipe for problems). Make stretching a part of your practice that you never miss.

7. Hydrate

You’ll want to drink more water and also replace lost electrolytes. Water supports your body in cushioning your joints. Dehydration is a disaster for knees and ankles.

8. Be Social

Run with friend. If you can talk to each other you’re in aerobic mode. If you’re breathing so hard you can’t talk, you’re in anaerobic mode. You’ll want to experience both modes during your run.

9. Lift Weights

Want to improve your run? Lift weights. You’ll have extra muscle and energy to propel you along the way. Long distance running can break down muscle, so build it back and add to your bone density at the same time.

10. Be safe, carry id and don’t hop right into a hot tub after your run. 

Cool down and stretch. If you’ve created inflammation during the run, getting right into a hot tub will make it worse.

Train your Body. Tame your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.

Master your Body

Every week I receive questions about quick-fixes. They're usually body image related questions. About things like fat burners, bio-identical growth hormone replacement and liposuction. These quick-fixes are countered with questions about self- esteem, resetting our mind to make healthy choices and being in charge of our destiny – the "do it yourself" program. When we look at our body as a whole, instead of looking just at the part we're not so pleased with, we can achieve what we want and become healthier at the same time.

You can’t get the whole body "do it yourself" program at Home Depot, and rarely do you find a doctor who understands body wholeness. It’s a personal commitment that will get you what you want. You have to find out what works for you. I hope I can convey the intensity of the power that we all have – to create what we want. The outcome of what you want may be different from what I want, but the process has a similar path and ending – with more confidence, energy, happiness and a feeling of abundance. You just can’t help that. When you connect with your body, you connect with the flow of the universe.

It’s taken me years to be able to write that, I figured if I shared it, maybe you’d get it faster than I did. These 10 tips can help get you there.

Ten Tips for Spring

Jump Start 

Do this if you’re in an office all day long or haven’t been exercising. Take two breaks during the day and speed walk for 10 minutes. Finish with as many push-ups as you can. At the end of the day, do the same thing. That’s 30 minutes of stress-free cardio. When the days get longer and you’re feeling stronger, turn your 10-minute end of the day cardio into a 30-minute program.

Get Clean

A 14-day gentle “metabolic detox” and clean diet shift will get your metabolism fired up and send your extra weight away. If you’re starting a workout program, do this for a good foundation. The detox will help you reset your eating habits for spring. There are several good detox supplements and diets available. I developed one with my partner Dr. Steven Margolin called the Burn &  Build Body 14-Day Anti-Aging Detox.

Be a Loser

Hop on the scale -- go ahead. Weigh yourself. Now put the scale in the closet and don’t use it for a week. Pretend like you’re on the “Biggest Loser”. Weigh yourself once a week, and pay attention to how your clothes fit. That’s what’s going to tell you how much your body is really changing!

Plan to Succeed

Set your goals for your body. Project 3 months and one year ahead. Now break your goals down into small monthly steps you can master. Always keep your goals in sight, and everyone will think you made achieving them look easy. Remember, you gotta work hard to make it look easy!

High and Low

Get a hormone test. Do a saliva test – it’s the most accurate. Find a doctor who understands this stuff, and work with your doctor to understand your hormone balance. If you’re a guy, you want your testosterone to be dominant. Free testosterone is important to measure as well. Exercise and diet are the primary keys to balancing all hormones.

Nail that Spike

Insulin spikes will take away all your hard work at the gym. Control your sugar and refined carbohydrate intake. Avoid fried and low quality fats. Your liver is one of the keys to healthy hormone balance and production of growth hormone. Love it and take care of it. Lay off excess alcohol, hydrogenated oils and sugars.

Know your Pancreas

This is the organ that secrets insulin. Insulin regulates food storage and metabolism. When you over indulge in sugar (sugar from alcohol and refined “white” carbohydrates count too) you strain your pancreas and gain weight. An unhappy pancreas can eventually stop producing insulin altogether, then you’ll be dealing with diabetes. Can you see your abs? If not, your pancreas is probably overworked.

Have a Drink

Go ahead, have quite a few drinks. Water, that is. Among other things, proper hydration is anti-aging, anti-cancer, anti-allergy and anti-asthma. It also pumps up your muscles. Isn’t that what you’re working out for?  Try these for super-hydration:

1  Add a cup of coconut water to your quart of water, it’s full of electrolytes.

2  Squeeze a lemon, add a pinch of cayenne pepper, a few grains of Celtic sea salt and a spoonful of agave to your water for an alkalinizing boost.

3  Drink pure water and avoid chlorine and fluoride. Coffee and soft drinks don’t count.

4  Ice water shuts down your digestive fires, and is tough on your organs. Stick with cool, warm or room temperature water.

5  Drink at least 50% of your weight in ounces of water. More if you are intensely exercising. For most of us that’s at least 3 quarts of water every day. 

Get Beach Ready

Just eating and walking won’t get you beach ready. Find a gym that’s convenient and one you’ll love going to. Now get yourself there, work hard and break a sweat. Remember those goals you set? Add some “gym goals”. Maybe it’s the number of push-ups and pull-ups you can do. If you want more energy, you’ve got to use it to get it! Give yourself a 60-day challenge, or better yet, do it with a buddy so you can support each other. Be your own “before and after” story.

Freaky Control

You’ll like this. Really. When you take control of your food you’re in charge. When you schedule in your workouts and stay committed, you’re in charge. When you are on the path to the healthy, fit body you want, you’re in charge. When this happens, your feeling of personal power and self-esteem will soar. Friends may want to sabotage your program when you’re out to dinner with them, just know that they’re secretly envious of you.

Train your Body. Train your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin and exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.

Forgetting to stretch

2009 started out slow for me, but by spring, life was really taking off. Maybe it’s because I was born in the spring it’s such an energetic time. My body shakes off winter like a heavy coat that’s been worn one too many days. Accumulated body fat starts to disappear and my brain thinks it’s on a lithium diet.

Running had always taken me through all four seasons.  When I left California for New York, all of that changed. There are a few days in the New York winter that are great for running – but not many, and when you run up in the country you end up on trails that leave your ankles deep in mud.   Photo: Nilaya Sabnis

By the fall of 2009, I’d skipped one of my coaching rules too many times – to stretch. Long runs and minimal stretching sent me home limping. While I was hobbling down the Old North Branch Road, I realized that the pain I felt was in the same place and similar to a knee injury I’d had in high school.

Not being able to run… well, that’s like taking my car keys away. Maybe worse.

I went right into physical therapy with Mark Hall of Encore Physical Therapy.  Mark is known among Broadway dancers and actors as the guy to go to.  I also made sure to get weekly acupuncture, massage and chiropractic treatments. The acupuncture increased healing and reduced inflammation. Therapeutic massage released the very tight leg muscles and tendons that I couldn’t get to on my own. Chiropractic adjustments corrected my misaligned spine (from walking a little lopsided) and gave me an endorphin boost. I supplemented with anti-inflammatory and rebuilding herbs and minerals.

I took my downtime to learn new upper body training forms in the gym, and get a new personal training certification, and I started this blog.

The injury kept healing and after two months I got an “ok” to run. I was back again, with one of those elastic knee braces with side supports, but at least I was running, and yes, I was stretching.

Fierce Interval Training

Instead of long runs, I’m maxing out at 20 minutes now. So far, it’s all on a treadmill. The program is fierce interval training.  My strides are longer then they have been in the past and my form is more like a sprinter than long distance runner with arms tight to my torso with a slight twist in my upper body as I run.

My biggest surprise is that my top speed continues to increase. Because of the longer sprint strides and lighter landings, the impact on my knee has been cut way down. 20 minutes of high intensity interval training is giving me better results than my former long runs.

I’m excited to take my new version of “sprint-slow-sprint” outside on country trails this summer.

Living in pain doesn’t belong in a fitness lifestyle. If you are in acute or chronic pain, get someone to do the bodywork that will help get you out of it. Then get someone to retrain you and watch your every move. While you’re sidelined, get really good at something you weren’t good at before – everything can be an opportunity.

Supplementation to reduce inflammation & speed repair

Borage Oil, Evening Primrose, Blackcurrant Seed:  All these contain gamma linoleic acid (GLA) a fatty acid that the body converts to a hormone like substance called prostaglandin E-1 or PGE1. PGE1 has anti-inflammatory properties, acts as a blood thinner and blood vessel dilator and has been used to support the body in dealing with rheumatoid arthritis, eczema, and other forms of dermatitis, as well as other inflammatory conditions.

Bromelain:  An anti-inflammatory most often used for traumatic injuries and surgery. Bromelain reduces inflammation by breaking down proteins in swollen tissues, support the body in lessening blood clot formation and promote healing.

Quercetin:  Counteracts the production of inflammatory agents produced by the body. Quercetin can aid the body in stopping the multiplication of neutrophils  involved in the production of inflammation causing hormones.

Turmeric:  This is the primary anti-inflammatory herb of Ayurvedic Medicine. Laboratory studies have confirmed its anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic properties.

Ginger:  Is an effective remedy for inflammation and pain.

Other ingredients to look for:  Vitamin A, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc, Selenium

“Joint Pain and Muscle Repair Formula” from Longevity Health in Manhattan is a complex supplement that I found helpful.

Train your Body. Train Your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin an exercise, supplement or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.

Shallow Inspiration

Vanity is Fierce

We always hear that working out is good for us and that we should do it for our health. Sure, that works for me. I promote health right here on this blog – and will continue to. But right now I want to give a gold star to vanity motivation. No, make that 10 gold stars. Vanity is one of the most wonderful, shallow and intensely motivating things that can inspire us to workout.

Think – Hot guy from Mad Men.

Working out = Looking Better

When you are wearing the body that you want, you’ll look and feel better. When you feel better your cells vibrate with more life. So far, nothing wrong with that vanity motivator, who doesn’t want to look and feel better?

Working out = Feeling confident

When you’re looking and feeling better, you’ll feel more confident. Confidence breeds success in all aspects of life.  Confidence allows you to wear your clothes with style. Whatever you choose, a T-shirt and jeans or skinny tie and suit, you’ll make the clothes. You won’t need clothes to make you. Again, the vanity motivator gets an A+.

Working out = Abundant energy

When you are expending focused physical energy you’ll have more energy. You’ll sleep deeper; your sex life will be more fun.  Is anyone going to argue with the sex angle?

Working out = You win

When our bodies transform, everything in our life changes – our energy increases, our relationships get juicier, our minds sharper and we look better in and out of clothes. 

By guiltlessly allowing vanity to motivate you, you’ll achieve your health goals as well.  So just imagine having the body you always wanted, no matter what age you are. Imagine putting on a suit with the confidence of one of the guys from Mad Men and having a great time everywhere you go. I’m sure you’ve already imagined the sex part.

Train your body. Train your mind. Tame your tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.

Ten Training Tips

At the gym I see every kind of body. The guy who's totally lean, the trainers who are huge but need coaching on body aesthetics, the really heavy guy working on his biceps, and there's the guy who just came in from Abercrombie. 


Comparing myself to other guys gets me into trouble because there's always someone better and more fit – and someone who's not. My meditation Master always said that "there is no competition", our task is simply to make ourselves better.  

Better Workouts – Better Bodies

1 Train your mind 
Before you start a set, know what you are going to do. What's your form and movement? How many reps are you going to do? Tell yourself you are going to do 10 reps and you'll almost always do them. Tell yourself you are going to try to do 10 reps and you'll almost always miss your mark.

2 Core values first
If you have core values, you can weather anything life throws at you. If your body has a strong core, the same thing happens. So train your core. Get a stability ball for home; they're the best piece of gym equipment you can invest in. Workout your abs and lower back. First thing in the morning do hip dips on the ball followed by a hard ab blast. Flip over and do 20 push-ups on the ball planking your body and pulling your belly button to your spine.

3 Legs before coffee
After you do your stability ball routine, hit your legs by doing three sets of 25 squats without any weight. Now have your morning coffee. You'll have more energy all day long. The first time I did this I was shocked at how much work it was. This is great to do before you head to the gym for a leg workout.

4 Befriend a dumbbell – or two
Use dumbbells instead of machines. Dumbbells make each side of your body (or arm, or bicep) work independently. Both sides have to work just as hard. Additionally dumbbells allow muscles a greater range of movement and strengthen the smaller muscles, tendons and ligaments. You'll keep from being bored too. Dumbbells have more variations for training than machines or barbells.

5 Release growth hormone
Train your legs.Working this massive muscle group triggers the release of large amounts of growth hormone. Guess what? That creates muscle growth throughout your entire body and best of all turbo charges your fat burners. Want a strong upper body? Train your legs.

6 Work the big boys 
Just starting? Want to burn and get ripped? Train your big body parts first – train your legs, your back and your chest. These are the powerhouses of your body, they'll fire up your metabolism and create additional energy for you. Your smaller muscles will get worked right along with them without direct focus. You'll still want to  train your biceps, triceps, shoulders and forearms, just not as often. 

7 Super circuit
Circuit training is perfect if you're just getting started, you muscles are relearning how to work. You can work them hard, build strength and get a full hour in. If you're already training, doing a circuit training blast once every two weeks can keep you lean and your workouts fresh. Your goal is to do 3 full body circuits in an hour.

8 The magic hour
Hit an hour of weight training hard, stop and stretch. It's not really a magic number, but it's a good time measure for most of us. After an hour of intense weight training your body starts to produce cortisol in response to perceived stress. Too much cortisol is nasty and deserves an entire blog. Suffice it to say that it can lower testosterone levels, cause protein breakdown, increase body fat – and with overtraining – decrease athletic performance. Want more time at the gym? Split your workouts morning and evening, you'll have a rest, and both workouts will be strong.

9 Cardio blast last
If you want to do cardio on weight training days, do it after your workout. You can always power through 20 minutes of cardio after training. But if you use your prime energy for cardio before a workout, you'll have less energy and endurance lifting weights, get poor results and take longer to create the gains (or losses) that you are looking for.

10 Recover and grow
Some days my mind thinks my body should train – but my body doesn't want to. If I'm dragging myself up the stairs to the gym I know I've hit one of those times that is approaching overload. I probably haven't recovered from my previous workout. So I'll guiltlessly leave the gym and do something fresh with my hour. Look at it this way; we work out to challenge our muscles to grow. The muscle has to recover as it's growing, so if we're not fully recovered we won't be creating new muscle growth with our workout. Listen to your body, it always knows best.

Train your Body. Train your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional. You should never begin an exercise or nutritional program without consulting your health care provider.