Make It Happen in 2010!

Hey everyone! The New Year is upon us and if you are like many people, it is once again time to sit down and decide what you will resolve to do in the next 365 days. I recently read a study that cited 85% of Americans who make New Year’s resolutions dedicate their goal to improving their health or lifestyle in some way. Whether that goal is to stop smoking, decrease stress, or lose weight, these results prove that as a society, we are becoming more health conscious. I wonder if there are any published reports on the percentage of people who are successful in actually achieving their New Year’s resolutions?! Are you guilty of that crime; Setting a resolution for yourself and as the end of the year approaches, you have yet to reach that goal? Have you resolved year after year to lose that spare tire around your waist or the cottage cheese off your derriere, but failed in doing so?? As you are well aware, here at 1st Phorm, our motto is “Never Settle”. As the female voice of 1st Phorm, I am throwing a challenge out to all of my readers: GET OFF YOUR ASS AND MAKE IT HAPPEN!!! Don’t let another precious year of your life go by without reaching your goal of getting the body of your dreams!!
So you might be saying to yourself, “OK, what am I going to do this year that will make me successful in my fitness goals?” I am going to share with you some helpful tips that will make you a winner at achieving your New Year’s resolution of becoming a fitter, sexier you!

Write it down. Get yourself a spiral notebook and dedicate it to your 2010 fitness plan. Write down a few specific goals that you WILL achieve in 2010. Be specific in these goals. Instead of writing “lose weight”, write down an achievable, realistic goal for yourself. (On a side note: a healthy & realistic amount of weight loss per week is a maximum of 2 pounds so keep that in mind when making your goal). Set a deadline for yourself and plan a reward when you reach that goal. In the past, when I have achieved a fitness related goal, I have rewarded myself with a deep tissue massage or facial—and it feels fantastic! It is also important to write down a specific plan as to how you will reach your goal. You might write something like: cardio 5 days a week, weight training 4 days a week, cut out sugar and alcohol, eat 1500 calories a day. Your plan will be totally up to you according to what you are able to commit to but once you write it, you must COMMIT to the plan. I also like to start my fitness book with a set of measurements (waist, hips, weight, bodyfat percent) so that I identify my starting point and I can track my progress by retaking these measurements throughout my program.

Keep a diet log. Along with writing down your specific goals and plan, I recommend keeping a diet log of all the foods you eat every day. By this I mean writing down every morsel of food that crosses your lips. If you eat it, write it down. So many people gripe that they work hard in the gym and eat healthy and still can’t lose weight. Many people don’t realize the sneaky extra calories that they take in throughout the day that inhibit weight loss. In many cases, it’s those bites of your kids chicken nuggets or trips to the office cookie jar that are the culprit. Over time, these add up and may get in the way of your success. However, if you keep track of everything you are eating, you become more aware of the foods you eat and are less likely to mindlessly snack on foods not on your meal plan.

Eat Clean. This is pretty simple people. You all know what you should and shouldn’t be eating. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to identify the dietary pitfalls that have led to the extra inches on your waistline. You are going to have to clean up your diet if your goal is to tone up! Start by going through your cupboards and tossing out anything that contains SUGAR! Also get rid of any salty fatty snacks (chips, crackers), any processed foods, fatty meats, full fat milk and cheese and any white bread and pasta. Stock your kitchen with natural, unprocessed foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, raw nuts, rice, oats, and lean meats like chicken and white fish. You will also want to add a quality protein powder such as 1st Phorm Level-1 protein. In order to become lean and toned, our bodies need the essential amino acids contained in protein to build and repair muscle. Plus, Level-1 makes a quick, delicious and filling snack when you are on the go and working on creating a hot body!

Be consistent. The most important key to achieving your resolution to improve your physique is that you must be CONSISTENT (see my first blog for more on this). Eating clean, busting your butt in the gym and thinking positively has to become your way of life, in order to reach your goal and maintain a toned physique. Every once in a while, you may slip up by indulging in a greasy, fatty or sugary meal or snack. That will NOT affect your physique if ‘once in a while’ means once a week AND that indulgence is not a very large portion. However, if you consistently slip up every other day and you overeat, you will fail to reach your goal. When I am dieting, I like to allow myself a small treat on the weekend if I have followed my meal plan and training schedule all week. A treat for me might be a glass of wine or a small dessert.

Revamp your training. Whatever you have been doing at the gym, it’s time to change it up. Try one of the “Femme Phorm” workouts that I have written in previous blogs to add some variety to your training. If you are coasting by on 30 minutes on the treadmill everyday, add HIIT cardio to your routine to spice things up. Add a few more plates to the squat rack or bench on your next workout. You might even decide to get yourself a few sessions with a personal trainer to learn some new tricks. The point here is to PUSH YOURSELF and WORK HARDER than before. If you want to reach that goal, you are going to have to step it up!

Positive self-talk. It’s one thing to push yourself hard to reach your goal, but it is quite another to beat yourself up. If you want to be successful in reaching your fitness goal, you must be patient and reward yourself for making positive changes. Don’t think negatively about yourself. You are not a bad person because you have weight to lose or because you can’t curl 65’s in the gym. You are a great person who is trying to improve. Looking in the mirror and emphasizing what you don’t like about yourself will only set you up for failure. Notice the positive changes you see in yourself and remember that YOU have the power to change what you don’t like about your physique. You will never reach your goal if you don’t fully believe that you are capable of making it happen. Be PATIENT. Put in the work and it WILL HAPPEN!

Add some fresh new music to your IPOD. Anytime I change up my fitness routine or create a new goal for myself, I like to load up my MP3 player with new exciting training tunes. Here is my playlist of music that I just added to get me through my cardio sessions now that my show prep has begun:

1. Cascada, “Evacuate the Dancefloor”
2. Fedde le Grand feat. Mitch Crown, “Scared of Me”
3. Kesha, “Tick Tock”
4. David Guetta feat. Akon, “Sexy Chick”
5. Ciara feat. Missy Elliot, “Work”
6. Black Eyed Peas, “Meet me Halfway”
7. DJ Laz, “Move Shake Drop (remix)”
8. PussyCat Dolls, “Hush Hush (I will survive remix)”
9. Seal, “Amazing (Thin White Duke remix)”
10. Eminem, “Till I Collapse”
11. Kevin Rudolph, “Welcome to the World”
12. Black Eyed Peas, “Rock that Body”
13. Kanye West, “So Amazing”
14. Pitbull feat. Lil John, “Krazy”
15. Kelly Rowland feat David Guetta, “When Love Takes Over”

Hopefully you will find the tips that I have provided helpful in planning for the year ahead. Life is so precious and way too short so don’t waste another day being anything but your best!! As for my plans for 2010, I have already begun a modified version of my show prep diet to help me lean out for some upcoming photo shoots. I have been working hard the last four months since my last show to put on a little muscle so now the “cutting in must begin!” My goal is to bring an improved package to the stage in 2010 in hopes of obtaining professional status in the IFBB pro league! I am so excited and grateful to be a part of the 1st Phorm Team and I vow not to disappoint this year!

Good luck to all of you in reaching your personal best in 2010! I’m always interested in hearing about your progress! You can contact me by email at Gillian.Risebury@1stphorm.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/jillian.amy1. Share your progress with me and I will send you a free sample from the 1st Phorm product line!

Eat clean and train hard, because there is nothing sexier than a fit body!

Gillian

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