How To Use Visualization to Make You Stronger

Ever notice anyone in the gym doing a pre-lift ritual with their eyes closed – kind of like Olympic athletes do before an event?

Most likely not.

And the reason is that most people, outside of high performance athletics, have yet to realize the power of the mind on their ability to workout more effectively and muster more strength.

That trend might be changing, however. And for good reason.

Why?

Well, a brand new study out of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research suggests that indeed, mental imagery (aka. visualization) can make you stronger.

Aside from the promising “performance” benefits of using visualization, this study actually begins to explain how mental imagery might work at a neurological level!

And that’s pretty cool. Continue reading »

Discover 8 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Workout and Healthy Eating

If you’ve ever lacked motivation to workout or eat healthier, then you’ll want pay attention to the following 8 tips I’ve got lined up for you.

But first, it’s helpful to understand what motivates us. In general, we move towards pleasure and away from pain. It’s that simple. I would argue that human beings do more to avoid pain. Think about the fact that most people act retroactively, meaning they first need some type of “pain” (ie. a heart attack, diabetes, being obese) to move them into action.

Masters of motivation skillfully associate pain and pleasure. Whether it’s the words they use, the thoughts they think, the images they visualize, or the actions they take … they stack up pain deliberately to move away from behaviors or habits that they don’t want anymore, and they “build up” pleasure to help move them towards new behaviors that they do want, or to reinforce good habits.

So with that being said, let’s have a look at 8 ways to help get you more motivated to workout and eat healthier.

1. Find Your Reasons Why (and the more reasons the better)

You need to figure out a compelling purpose. For example, if your goal is to lose 25 lbs you need to identify WHY that’s important to you. Is it to feel sexier for your spouse, fit into that old pair jeans, or feel more confident? Once you identify your initial reason, keep asking “why?” to go deeper and finally come up with true reason that will motivate you! Continue reading »

Focusing Your Mind to Reach Your Fitness Goals

In today’s fast-paced society we’re bombarded by a thousand different things at once. As such, it’s often difficult to get anything done. And the same goes for your workouts.

I’ll explain what I mean in just a second but let me first clarify why focus – not multi-tasking – needs to be your modus operandi if you want to reach your fitness goals.

For some reason, we’ve been told that multi-tasking is good and that if we can juggle several “plates” at once, then we’ll get more done. But the reality is that mulit-tasking can take a toll on your brain – and your results.

In a study of 14 participants who underwent fMRI, researchers at Vanderbilt University found that when people try to juggle two tasks at once, a bottleneck occurs in information processing. The posterior lateral prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain that is involved in decision making, delayed one task until the other was complete. Continue reading »

Lose Weight Easy with Your Phone

Some people blame modern technology for the lack of activity so apparent in our society. After all, 100 years ago there were no computers, cell phones, and TVs that enabled people to sit on their butt 8-10 hours a day.

Back then, people were more active. They had to be.

But a recent 2010 study suggests that your phone – yes your phone – can actually help you lose weight! Sounds crazy, I know but…

Bear with me for a second while I explain this.

Researchers in Finland studied 27 participants who used a “wellness diary” application on their mobile phone, which enabled users to track their weight over the course of 12 weeks.

As you would expect, the amount of physical activity correlated significantly with weight loss, as did different measures representing healthy changes in dietary behaviours. The study’s results suggest that the mobile phone diary is a valid tool for observing weight management and related behaviours in helping people to lose weight.

So why was the application helpful? Continue reading »

What is HCG And How Does It Promote Weight Loss?

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, or hCG, is a natural water-based protein hormone that develops in the body of a woman shortly after conception. Often called the pregnancy hormone, hCG levels in urine and blood can be tested and are used to confirm pregnancy. The purpose of the hCG hormone during pregnancy is to encourage the production of progesterone, which aids in thickening the lining of the uterus to give the fetus a safe place to grow. The development of the hCG hormone during pregnancy also helps to prevent the body from rejecting the new tissue. hCG also ensures that the developing fetus has all of the nutrients it needs to survive and grow by encouraging the body to release excess stores in fat cells.

The function HCG has on the human body in encouraging the release of excess fat storage has been a remarkable breakthrough in weight loss for the seriously overweight. It literally seems to work like a laser, pinpointing and dissolving fat storage so that the cells shrink to normal size, without any side effects common with other weight loss treatments like increased heart rates or nervousness.  Several studies have shown that HCG, when injected into male or female patients, encourages the body to preserve lean muscle but burn fat. When combined with a reduced calorie diet and stretching exercises, weight loss might exceed up to a pound a day, and because of the way the hormone works, patients do not experience hunger or loss of energy while on the treatment. Continue reading »