Tip Of The Day #8. Why Can't I Get That Last Rep?!

WHY DO YOU FEEL BURNT OUT WHEN COMING TO THE LAST FEW REPS OF YOUR WORKOUT? YOU'RE TAKING YOU'RE TIME AND BREATHING IN OXYGEN PROPERLY, SO WHAT'S THE DEAL? WHY DON'T YOU HAVE ENOUGH ENERGY FOR THAT LAST FEW REPS? 

YOU DRANK YOUR WATER, YOUR MUSCLES ARE HYDRATED, SO WHAT'S THE DEAL? THE DEAL ACTUALLY LIES IN THE PRODUCT OF ANAEROBIC RESPIRATION. THIS HAPPENS WITHOUT THE BODY DOESN'T REQUIRE OXYGEN FOR RESPIRATION. AT THIS POINT, YOUR BODY BREAKS DOWN GLUCOSE TO FORM CARBON DIOXIDE, WATER AND ENERGY. 

HOWEVER, NOT ALL GLUCOSE CAN COMPLETELY BREAK DOWN INTO CARBON DIOXIDE. THE BY-PRODUCT OF UNSUCCESSFUL BREAK DOWN OF GLUCOSE IS LACTIC ACID. AS LACTIC ACID BUILDS UP IN YOUR MUSCLES, IT REDUCES MUSCLE CONTRACTION. THUS, MAKING YOUR LAST FEW REPS FEEL LIKE HELL.

Tip Of The Day #7. Cholesterol

NOW MOST OF US KNOW THAT CHOLESTEROL IS BAD FOR OUR HEALTH AS IT INCREASES THE RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES.

HOWEVER, A TINY AMOUNT IS NECESSARY FOR YOUR BODY. WITHOUT SOME CHOLESTEROL, THE PLASMA MEMBRANE OF OUR BODY CELLS WOULD BECOME TOO FLUID AT NORMAL BODY TEMPERATURE AND ARE LIKELY TO BURST OR RUPTURE.

CHOLESTEROL REDUCES THE PERMEABILITY OF THE PLASMA MEMBRANE TO MOST BIOLOGICAL MOLECULES TOO. CHOLESTEROL ACTS TO STABILIZE AND STRENGTHEN THE PLASMA MEMBRANE, GIVING IT MORE FLEXIBILITY BUT ALSO LESS PERMEABILITY TO WATER-SOLUBLE SUBSTANCES SUCH AS IONS.

Fail To Plan ... Plan To Fail - PART 6

Okay so here's one of the most powerful goal setting formulas in the world! It comprises of 11 simple to follow steps but each of them is vital.
Here's how it goes.
1) Set Specific Goals - Be specific. Narrow your scope. Be more detailed. Even right down to what weight you want to achieve or how much muscle you want to gain. Point is, be specific about your goal.

2) Set Measurable Goals - You need some kind of way to measure whatever your goal is. For example, you can't measure you're weight if you don't have a weighing scale, correct? If you can't measure you're weight, how would you know if you've already hit your target? The point is to find some kind of way to measure it, that's it. Here's some tips: Use the mirror. Yes, the mirror is a very useful tool. However, there is a small drawback. You perceive changes in your body too... slowly (It's like watching a plant grow). Thus, you might not even realize the difference in your body size or shape or anything!
Another helpful item is taking photos. It's important to at least take one photo before you start any program or anything else. Take photos once a week on the same day (if you took your first photo on a Monday, then always take your photos on Monday) or monthly. It depends solely on you.
A more accurate measuring device is of course the scale. However, it does not differentiate your body composition. On other words, it doesn't tell you how much fat you have and how much lean muscle you have. You can't distinguish those two. Weighing 180 pounds doesn't necessarily mean the person is fat. It may mean the person is seriously putting on some really bulky looking muscles!
To measure fat percentage, you can use a skinfold test although you need to buy a skin caliper. The price for it varies alot, depending on what brand you buy. One of the most common and accurate measuring skin calipers such as the Slimguide calipers can range anywhere from 150.00$ to 400.00$. Of course, there are much much cheaper ones though those give fairly accurate readings. You should try them out if you have the chance (I don't use this method. I just use a scale which can calculate fat percentage as well).

3. Set Big Goals.
A lot of times, you get people who say stuff like "I'm too old for that" or "I don't have that kind of body, I'm just not born with it". You might find other people who buy in to what their family, friends or anyone close to them who tell them to "get real" or "come back down to Earth" or "be realistic". But trust me when I say this: Nothing great was ever achieved by being realistic! Most people are scared not to put such big goals because they're afraid that they won't be able to reach it. So instead, they write down goals they THINK they can get but not goals they actually WANT. In order to stay motivated, you need to include those WANT goals!
So what do you want? A ripped body? More muscular? Fantasize and imagine yourself with it and tell yourself, "That's me, alright!" This is the starting point to make everything happen!

4. Set Realistic Deadlines For Your Goals To Be Achieved.
I'm sure you've seen ads on the internet or on billboards saying "Lose 30 pounds in 30 days" or "Get ripped in just 1 week". I can understand that the thought of that really makes you wonder more about it. But really, can it be done? Getting ripped in one week is plain ridiculous, especially if you've just entered into the world of fitness. Losing 30 pounds in 30 days if more believable. But they didn't say if it's fat or muscle. They've made it very clear: "Lose 30 pounds ..." But they failed to mention 30 pounds of WHAT?
To lose 30 pounds is easy. Just take up a diet that dehydrates you and stop drinking water for 1 or 2 days. But please don't try this, I'm only giving you an illustration. Why is it so easy? It's because 70% of your body is water. So get rid of that water, and there you have it! Less weight. But in actual fact, all you've just done was made your muscles suffer. Make it a point to focus on losing fat and not losing weight. Those two are very different.

5. Set Long-term & Short-term Goals.
You should have these 6 types of goals written down on a piece of paper. Don't aim for one goal only, but take up several goals!
1. Your long-term ultimate goal. (something like the finale)
2. 12 months goal.
3. 3 months goal.
4. Weekly goals. (this means your weigh-in every week)
5. Daily goals. (making sure you've done the best you can for the whole day)
6. THE GOAL OF BEATING YOUR PERSONAL BEST.


Your long-term ultimate goal should be your biggest goal ever! Don't worry if it's big or if other people say it can't be done. The only person stopping you from accomplishing your dreams and goals is yourself. If you can  get over yourself, then the impossible becomes the possible. Next, make a 1-year goal. These goals should be fairly big but not TOO big or TOO small. Perhaps getting slimmer and losing most of your body fat?

Next is your 3 months goal. The most goals you probably can achieve at any period of given time would be in the 3 months goal. This is because 3 months is a perfect and ideal time frame for a lot of your short-term goals. In three months, a lot can happen (trust me). Example of a 3 months goal is lose 6 to 12% body fat or lose 12 to 24 pounds of fat. Now that's great goals you can work towards if your aim is to lose fat!

Another important one is weekly goals. This is the one that keeps everything in order. Every week you weigh-in, you can give an accurate determination if you are getting closer to achieving your long term goals. One week is ideal because it can provide you with information on your weekly progress. If you didn't lose any fat last week, then you need to change something in your nutrition or workouts. If you're not seeing any fair results, then just increase your workout intensity. Adjustments are very important. If you like the weekly results, then just keep doing what you did the previous week! Don't fix something when isn't even broken.

To achieve any of these goals stated above, you need to rely on your daily habits. 99% of what you do is out of the habits you have in your subconscious mind. Therefore, it is essential you get your mind sorted out before initiating any program or nutrition. Make sure you're cultivating good habits and kicking out bad ones. I know that those big goals you set can be intimidating at times but do not feel discouraged. Always remember that it's the small things (daily goals) which make big things (ultimate goal) happen.

And through all this, always keep in mind to take baby steps and go at your own pace. Focus on each of the little steps. That's because it's these steps that make one enormous step in the time to come.

The last goal isn't really... much of a goal but is actually more of a mindset. If you continue to have the habit of comparing yourself with others, it will only make you unhappy and unsatisfied with yourself. Know this: There will always be people who will be stronger, leaner, more athletic and more genetically gifted than you. The only secret is to compare yourself only to yourself and not to other people around you.
The trick isn't to have a good hand of cards, but to play a hand of bad cards well.

6. Set Emotional Reasons To Why You Want Those Goals.
Setting emotional reasons will make you more motivated. And the secret to success is to stay motivated. You need to have the "reason why" you WANT those goals - it gives you purpose to achieve your goals.

The philosopher Nietzsche said, “ If you have a strong enough why you can bear almost any
how.”

Remember this: Emotion is feeling. Feeling leads to thoughts. Thoughts leads to action. Action leads results. Results leads to the final outcome.

7. Make Sure None Of Your Goals Are Conflicting With One Another. First Priority Is Always Your Ultimate Goal.

For example, if one of your goals is to lose weight, make sure there isn't another goal which conflicts with it. In this case, building muscle. You can gain massive amounts of lean muscle accompanied by a slight decrease in body fat. But you might never see a large gain in lean muscle accompanied with large decrease in body fat. It's quite impossible. Let me show you why. To lose fat, you need a calorie deficit. To gain lean muscle, you need to have a calorie surplus, which means eating over your daily energy expenditure.
Here's some helpful advice: Get the fat off first, then you can concentrate on building muscle while staying lean.

8. Write Your Goals In Affirmations Or Declarations.
To do this, first start by writing your goals on a piece of paper. Then follow the following rules to setting up your affirmations or declarations.
i) Your affirmations MUST be personal. This means that you must use the words "I" or "I am" or "I have". Anything you say using the phrase "I AM" has power. It has strength. It has integrity. One of the best affirmations I have ever heard comes from Bob Proctor, and it goes like this: “I am so happy and thankful now that I am________________” (fill in your goal). It's so simple, yet so powerful!

ii) Your affirmations MUST be in present tense. To your subconscious there is no future. There is only past programming applied in the present. The subconscious mind only responds the most effectively to things in the present tense. Weird huh? But it's true. If you put the word "I am going", your subconscious mind usually reads it LIKE THAT. It makes sure that it stays in the future tense.

iii) Your affirmations MUST be positive. Write down what you want, not what you want to avoid.

9. Read Your Goals And Affirmations You've Written Down At Least Twice A Day. More Is Better.
By doing this, you always stay lock on to your goals throughout the day. Remember my last post about the wonders repetition can do? Here's one of its applications. You keep repeating this process of looking at your goals everyday until it sinks deep into your subconscious mind. Soon, it will become habitual. Even looking at your goals will become a habit (and a good one too). Don’t let the simplicity of the affirmation technique fool you. Be open and don’t judge it.

10. Read Your Goals With Faith.
Seeing is believing. Time to alter it. Seeing AND reading is believing. Read your goals with faith and strength. You can proclaim it out too. Don't whisper it out because you're more likely to think up a bad thought to hinder your goals. Shakespeare said, “Our doubts are out traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” Therefore, we can conclude that one must practice believing in yourself and "banish the doubt" within oneself to overcome anything that one faces.

To quote personal development expert Denis Waitley again, “Every captain knows his next port of call, and even though he cannot see his actual destination for fully 99 percent of his voyage, he knows what it is, where it is and that he will surely reach it if he keeps doing certain things in certain ways every day.”
Now THAT'S faith.

11. As You Read Your Affirmations And Goals, Mentally Visualize Them As Already Achieved.
Visualizing means imagining a picture or an image in your mental mind - without thinking words. Your brain doesn't read words immediately. If you think of your mom, you would visualize your mom and not the words M-O-M in your head right?
What I'm trying to say here is that pictures work better to penetrate into your subconscious mind. Therefore, visualizing your goals as already achieved in pictures in your head will work much more better than reading your goals just like that.
By visualizing your goals as already achieved, you are sending a clear message to your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind will make almost certain that your goal is achieved because that is how you are visualizing it. Remember, take things positively. Whether it's going to the gym or the idea of eating, stay positive and remember to put on a smile =). Everything will seem to get easier and your workouts will become better than ever. The end result of making “mental motion pictures” is that you will see results more quickly than you ever have before.

I know I've said a lot, so here are some ideas you can use to get a jump-start into this goal setting process:

I've lost 20 pounds of fat and am looking fabulous!
I can see my toes again! Hello toes!
I fit my size 32' pants perfectly. I can wear it without having to suck in my guts anymore!
After this program is over, I'm gonna keep up this healthy lifestyle for the rest of my life!
I lost 7% of my body fat and am looking great on the beach!
I've lost enough fat to spend my summer holidays with satisfaction!

What should you do after you achieve any of your goals?
1. Reward Yourself.
Eat some pizza. Eat a burger. Have a "cheat meal". Get something you've always wanted and don't feel guilty for any of it 'cause you know why? Because you deserve it! It's good to pamper yourself once you've accomplished one of your goals. It gives you something to look forward to every time you achieve a goal.

2. Keep A List Of Achieved Goals.
Success breeds more success. So my advise is to keep a list especially for your achieved goals. If anytime you lose your motivation, look back at your achievements on be dazzled by how many you've actually accomplished. You don't notice it, but in the long run, you are going to achieve many goals since the time you started. You'll be amazed. All you have to do is keep track of your successes.

3. Set New Goals Periodically.
You don't just stop right after you've finished all your goals. It's a non-stop process. Make new ones to get motivated. To improve yourself. To excel. If you do this, you won't have to worry about HOW to maintain a healthy lifestyle because you would be improving your lifestyle everyday! So, what's the worry when you know you're actually doing more than just maintaining?

There we go, I've covered the whole list up. Please stop reading now and get your pen and pencil out to start this. Remember, only you decide when you want to start. If you don't start now, it will get tougher for you in the future. Start early to get a head start. Seriously. Stop reading and start writing those goals! I wish you all the best!
P.S. (Stay healthy and look out for more updates)

Tip Of The Day #6. Tapering Your Food

IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO TAPER YOUR MEALS. TAPERING YOUR MEALS MEANS REDUCING YOUR MEALS AS YOU PROGRESS THROUGH THE DAY.

IN OTHER WORDS, LET YOU BREAKFAST BE YOUR BIGGEST MEAL AND DINNER YOUR SMALLEST. IT AIDS YOUR CHANCES TO LOSE FAT BECAUSE AT NIGHT, YOUR BODY ISN'T REALLY ACTIVE. 

BESIDES, BY THE TIME YOU REACH DINNER, YOUR GLYCOGEN LEVEL WOULD BE QUITE FULL. ANY EXCESS GLYCOGEN WILL GET STORED AS FAT SO BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU EAT AT NIGHT!

Tip Of The Day #5. The Most Important Meal Of The Day Is...?

MANY OF US KNOW THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY IS BREAKFAST. BUT NOT MANY KNOW WHY.

THE REASON IT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY IS BECAUSE IT REPLENISHES OUR ENERGY. AFTER A LONG NIGHT OF SLEEP, YOUR BODY IS RUNNING ON 'EMPTY' IN THE MORNING. THIS ENERGY IS ESSENTIAL FOR YOUR MUSCLES TOO.

SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE YOUR FIRST MEAL OF THE DAY YOUR LARGEST. THAT WAY, YOU CAN TAPER DOWN YOUR OTHER MEALS THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND THIS WILL HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT.

Fail To Plan ... Plan To Fail - PART 5

Focus To Get Power!


To achieve something, you need to focus your subconscious mind on it. To that, you just have to think about something. Now, everyone can think. If I ask you to close your eyes right now and think of a dog, you'll most likely be thinking of it the next instance you finish this sentence! You can't NOT think about something whether you want to or not. It's either of the two: You think and you don't think. Usually, you really don't have to control your thoughts throughout the day because most of them are on "autopilot". This means that you don't have to consider anything and your mind just automatically thinks up the stuff saved in your mind relating to that thing.

So when you're on autopilot, you have not much control over your thoughts (or only after you've finished thinking of it, then you realize!). But what you didn't realize is that it consists of both positive and negative thoughts. And, which ever side dominates the most of your total amount of thoughts, then that's the direction you'll be heading for, regardless of whether you want to or not, positive or negative.
So now that you know about this, you have to make a point to keep track of your thoughts. Make sure that they aren't negative thoughts. If they suddenly come up, hit the "Next" button or the "Switch" button to change it into a positive thought and tell yourself that you aren't going to believe that stuff and immediately declare an affirmation opposite to that bad thought. You can do it inside your mind or speaking it out loud.

Here a some negative statements:
Why can't I lose weight?
I'm not growing any muscle.
I always skip my meals.
I hate cardio.
I'm always feeling tired when going to the gym.
I look fat every time I look in the mirror.

Research has shown that in one day, we can think up to around 60,000 thoughts. That's one day! But it's pretty unfortunate that it is also shown that most of what we think is actually negative and that thought is most probably the same thought you had the day before or in the past (remember: "autopilot").
Though it is safe to say that you CAN reprogram yourself and it is possible to take 100% total control of your thoughts. Believe it! Sounds a bit insane, but it IS possible. To achieve a 100% total control over your thoughts, it requires a lot of effort and awareness. This is because you need to watch over or guard your thoughts. It can be quite tough to block all negative thoughts out of your head even for one day. But in time, you will be able to reprogram your subconscious mind and master it so don't worry!

In the previous part, you learnt that you need to cancel out your negative statements of positive ones. This is the FIRST step to focus on your thoughts: You need to be conscious! What does that mean? It just means you have to be aware of the thoughts in your head. Once you're aware of it, you can make corrections to it. No one will know what you're thinking, only you. So that means no one can help you unless you help yourself first. This consciousness will also apply to other things in life. For example, when you say "I'll try", correct it and replace it with the phrase "I'll do it". Instead of "I may have to", replace it with "I must". You can also see other examples of correction.

Positive statements (refer to the negative statements section above to relate these two):
How can I lose weight and find it enjoyable and fun?
My muscles are growing every single time I hit the gym.
I always take my meals in correct proportions and put my meals as my first priority.
I am getting leaner after each cardio I do.
I get so motivated when I go to the gym.
I love the way I look in the mirror.


Now that you understand the works and wonders of your mind why goal setting really does work, I will be revealing to you one of the most powerful goal setting formulas. It is divided into 11 Steps and all of them are essential so I'll have to compile it in just one post (which will be the next). That's a lot of typing. Wish me luck!
Stay Healthy and Focus Hard!

"The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire not things we fear." By Brian Tracy

"We can always choose to perceive things differently. You can focus on what's wrong in your life, or you can focus on what's right." By Marianne Williamson

Tip Of The Day #4. The Irony...

IRONICALLY, THE VERY STATEMENT "POSITIVE THINKING DOESN'T WORK" IS A NEGATIVE AFFIRMATION THAT GUARANTEES IT WON'T WORK!

SO REMEMBER TO THINK POSITIVE AND TRUST THAT POSITIVE THOUGHTS WILL HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS!!!

Fail To Plan ... Plan To Fail - PART 4

The reason why most people sabotage their efforts to lose weight
(Please read the previous posts if you haven't already. This is to make sure you understand what's going on)

A good analogy can be given to show how the conscious and subconscious minds work together. Imagine the conscious mind as the captain of a ship. Then, imagine the subconscious mind as the sailors working in the engine room. When the captain sends a command down to the engine room, the men working there will carry out his orders no matter how stupid it can be. They would follow the captain's orders even until the ship crash into something else! The reason for this is simple: The men in the engine room can't see what's going on outside. They only follow what they are told to do. That's their main purpose: To carry out the captain's commands no matter if it's a wise one or not.

So this is basically how your conscious and subconscious minds work as well. If you think that "I'm not going to lose weight" and keep saying it repeatedly to yourself, your subconscious mind will make sure you never lose any weight. This is because of the way you were programmed. In this case, your subconscious mind was programmed to stop you from losing weight at all cost. I know this is not what anyone of us would want, but that's what ultimately happens when you have too many negative messages wired into subconscious mind.
There are a few examples of what negative messages can do to you. First, they can lead you to cheating on your diet. Secondly, they can make you skip your workouts. Third, they might lead you to giving up on your health because everything for you seems so hard to accomplish. There are, of course, many other ways negative messages can influence you to self-sabotage.
However, if you insert in positive messages, then your subconscious mind will make sure you achieve whatever you're aiming for. So ensure that you send the right messages to your subconscious mind!

As I said earlier in my previous post, constant repetition about what you think or do will slowly be integrated into your subconscious mind. Remember, it's an involuntary thing until you actually process it. What you want, you keep and what you don't want, you discard. How do you discard it? By overwriting or deleting it. You can overwrite it with something that opposes the whole idea of it. Example, 1+1=2. But what if you wanted to change it? All you had to do is put 1+1=3. Just substitute it with another answer. Same goes for other things. If you only had 2 meals a day, then substitute it with 5 meals a day. The starting process can be hard, but it's worth it. If you want to delete something, you erase it. Let's say you have the habit of eating snacks late at night. How do you overcome it? By deleting it. You need to make it a point to get rid of it. Once you stop, it can be very tempting to start it again. But if you do get through it, you'll realize that you don't feel tempted to snack late at night anymore. This is because the habit has been erased from your subconscious mind.

Tip: Some things are nearly impossible to be 100% deleted once they've became part of you. For example, you're a professional basketball player. One day, you decide the stop playing basketball for a few years. 7 years later, you took up basketball again. So yeah, your skills and techniques are probably all rusty by now, but you wouldn't completely forget how to play basketball.


People who say that positive thinking, affirmations and declarations don't work are using it wrongly. Something like the best phone in the world, but you don't know how to use it. People experiencing these thoughts are probably using them incorrectly,inconsistently or both. Furthermore, they cancel out their positive messages with negative messages. Say for example of the captain and his ship. The captain says "Go west". Then he says "Go east". Then he says "No wait, go north". As a result, the ship doesn't go anywhere because the captain is always cancelling out his previous command with a new one. This is the reason why so many people aren't getting anywhere in their health, fitness or weight loss goals. So the thing is, after you set your goal, you need to make sure you don't go and cancel it off with other negative thoughts that oppose it.

Here's a little more information.
Your subconscious mind is at work or active 24 hours a day whether if you're conscious or not conscious. It's always working.
Here's a quote from Denis Waitley.
 It says,
“Since we become what we think of most of the time, whatever we are thinking of now, we are unconsciously moving toward the achievement of that thought.”

So what are you thinking now? 'Cause whatever it is, you're heading for it!
An alcoholic - The next jug of beer. A thief - The next person to rob. A student (in my case) - The next exam. A bodybuilder - The next workout.

Well all things must come to an end: That includes this post.
I hope that you've learnt something from all that I've shared. More updates will be coming to you soon!
Stay healthy and think healthy guys!

Tip Of The Day #3. Eat More... And Eat Less??

DID YOU KNOW TO LOSE FAT, YOU HAVE TO EAT MORE... AND AT THE SAME TIME EAT LESS? 

CONFUSED? WELL THEN, LET ME BREAK IT DOWN FOR YOU.

IT IS OBVIOUS THAT EATING FOOD IN A SMALLER SIZED PROPORTION MAKES YOU LOSE WEIGHT. BUT THERE IS ANOTHER FACE TO THAT NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW OF SURPRISINGLY. 

WHILE EATING IN SMALLER AMOUNTS, YOU ALSO NEED TO INCREASE THE FREQUENCY OF THE TIMES YOU EAT. IN OTHER WORDS, INCREASE THE NUMBER OF YOUR DAILY MEALS THAT YOU ARE HAVING. 

A LITTLE CURIOUS TO WHY SO? FIND OUT IN TIME WHEN I TOUCH ON THE TOPIC OF NUTRITION. SO KEEP READING! 

Fail To Plan ... Plan To Fail - PART 3

Okay, so here's part three of this important topic!
So let's begin.

What Thought Does
Ask yourself before you get on a nutrition program or workout: What is the one thing you need to do before you EVER start it? The one thing you need to do is to make up your mind to do it! With all those goals spinning around in your head all day, you'll never lose track of your aim. Thus, you'll find it easier to succeed compared to other people.

Now, you may ask what's the deal with thinking of it all day. Well, what I'm trying to say is that when you have set your goals properly and you know what you want, you won't be tempted to do other things to "sabotage" your progress in achieving your goal. In a way. goals give you the energy needed to resist temptations. That being said, I can assure you that without a set goal, even the best nutrition program in the world won't help you. If you're wondering, the energy I am talking about is "will-power". Have you found wondered why on some days, you can't get up to go to the gym, or stay on your no-cookies diet, or even get up early from bed for school? The reason for this is the negative programming of your subconscious mind. (If you don't understand what I am talking about, please refer to the previous parts). When a negative programming is wired into your subconscious membrane, you stand to develop bad behaviors (a.k.a. BAD HABITS).
However, if you turn this around and reprogram your subconscious mind with positive messages, then the effect will be in the opposite direction. You'd be going to the gym half an hour earlier than your usual time. You'd never cheat on your nutrition program. You'd be at school even before the sun was up!

The power you harness through your subconscious mind is truly amazing. Programmed properly, you'll be able to cultivate good habits which will also serve as an advantage in your life.

"Mental component reprogramming"
As you know, the two main areas of the mind we are focusing on are: The conscious mind and the subconscious mind. Difference? The conscious mind is somewhat in charge of taking information it gathers from all your five senses. It is the section which analyzes problems, makes conclusions and uses logical reasoning. The subconscious mind, however, is in charge of the body processes that are usually behind the scenes. For example, breathing, heartbeat and digestion and of course, sorting out stored data in the brain and turning it into behaviors (habits).

It is important that you understand that while the conscious mind is always active (like right now you're reading this and processing it voluntarily), the subconscious mind does not "think". It does not use logic. It is actually like a computer. The data you save in your subconscious mind is translated as always true. No matter how illogical something is, but if it reaches your subconscious mind, it will be interpreted as correct. Remember: Your subconscious mind does not use logic to decide what is true and what is false. Everything that comes to it WILL be accepted!

There are a couple of ways to access the subconscious mind. Hypnosis is one of them. Another is repeated affirmation or declaration out loud or during deep relaxation (when the body is calm and at rest). Though there is a slower way but I believe is the simplest, but perhaps not the easiest... Another way to get into your subconscious mind is through repetition. Everything you see, hear, taste, feel and smell will eventually start to sink in to your subconscious mind. This is what we call "reprogramming the subconscious mind through external stimuli". What it means is that external factors slowly start to reprogram your subconscious mind and make them part of it. Thus, leading to habits. Here's an example: Badminton. When you first start playing, you find it hard to move to the correct positions to return your opponents serves. But as you become more regular at it, you find that you don't really have to think. It sinks in and you don't need to think about the next step because it just comes to you naturally! In this case, it is called natural movement or also known as instinct. When the shutter cock flies over, you instinctively know what to do. This is because you've REPEATED it before. The more you repeat, the more you'll get used to it. That's the main reason why athletes, football players, basketball players and other sports people have to undergo training!

So there you have it! The ways to access your subconscious mind! You should try it!

Well, this is all the time I have for this post at the moment. I'll be continuing when I have more time. Going to hit the gym now :). Anyway, before I sign off, allow me to give you a short quote:

"Practice Makes Perfect"

P.S.: STAY HEALTHY!

Tip Of The Day #2. Vitamins and Enzymes

DO YOU KNOW WHY WE NEED TO TAKE OUR VITAMINS? ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS IS BECAUSE VITAMINS CONTAIN TRACES OF CERTAIN METAL ELEMENTS.

 IN PROPER AMOUNTS, THESE METALS FUNCTION AS OPTIMUM COFACTORS OR COENZYMES. 

COFACTORS/COENZYMES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF PROTEINS IN THE BODY CELLS, ALTHOUGH THEY THEMSELVES ARE NOT PROTEINS. 

COFACTORS ARE ALSO CONSIDERED AS HELPER MOLECULES THAT ASSIST IN THE BIOCHEMICAL PROCESSES WHICH OCCUR THROUGHOUT THE BODY.

Fail To Plan ... Plan To Fail - PART 2

Hello again. I shall be continuing off from my last post which would be part 1 of this little topic I'm discussing about; which would be goal setting. If you don't really know what that is or haven't read any of my previous posts, please refer to the previous posts I have on my blog. That way, you'll have a clear understanding of what I'm talking about.

So let's get started!

In this part, as I said earlier in the last post, I will share with you a powerful goal setting formula which you can use to help you achieve any goals you have in mind (whether it's losing fat, maintaining weight or building muscle). But before I go to that, let me just take some time to share with you the real importance of goal setting and why this is the step which decides whether you succeed... or you come tumbling down. I just realized that it is important to let my readers fully understand this chapter of health and fitness. Therefore, I will have to postpone the goal setting formula until I can finish this part. Sorry to disappoint some of you :(. But I promise once I'm done with this part, I will start to write on the goal setting formula I was talking about. Thank you for your patience and understanding. I just want to ensure that you didn't miss out on any small, important details. After all, this content I'm sharing is all for YOU. All for my readers. You read it, you got it! It's simple! :).

And on with the post...

Nutrition and exercise can be very confusing subjects if you're a beginner and if there is no one to guide you through it. Your first challenge would be to actually KNOW what you're doing. You need to understand where something is taking you. Since I'll be helping you already, you won't have much to worry about! Trust me. However, gaining knowledge is only half the battle. Another challenge is to apply your knowledge through your actions. You need to understand that there is a huge difference between knowing what to do and doing what you know. This is where goals take up their roles as the bridges that span this gap.

Goals can be anything from doing well in your exam to getting a six pack. Goals, when planned properly, produce the required action. Goals drive you. Goals motivate you. They inspire you to reach your target without fail. Honestly, I've never seen anyone fail when they have their goals planned out. Furthermore, goals give you energy. It gives you power. It gives you the ability to do your workout and never come close to failure. You may or may not have noticed, but most people at the gym experience "up" days and "down" days. What I'm trying to say is that they have their good days (where they can lift up to any weight there is) and they also have down days (where they feel like they don't even have enough energy to complete their workout). Imagine what could happen if every time you went to the gym, you would always have an "up" day. The results you would be beyond your expectations because every time you hit the gym, you're all fired up! Like you're high on who knows what! But the only reason you're high is because you're MOTIVATED!!!

Goals are the ones that motivate you to get up early from bed and hit the gym. Goals are the ones that decide what occupation you are going to have. And yes; goals are the ones that decide how much fat you will lose. The secret to staying motivated, in any situation, is to set emotionally charged goals - in writing - and to stay completely focused on these goals 24-7. You heard me, that means day in day out, in the day and at night. A goal is like fuel that propels you forward. Do not think that this will become a burden in your life. Make it part as your daily routine. I'll show you after I've said what I still

Now here's an interesting fact. Did you know your behaviors are NOT controlled by your conscious mind? It is actually controlled by your SUB-conscious mind. If something just doesn't seem to work for you or if you know what to do but you can't find yourself to do it, it's likely that you have some negative thoughts or conflicting messages transmitted to your subconscious mind. It might not make much sense to you, but hopefully this next part will help you get the idea. The behaviors that are produced from your subconscious mind are called... Habits! And like all habits, they can be reprogrammed to become habits which will benefit you in your goals. You can rewire your habits to delete those bad ones and insert in positive messages that will turn you into a positive person as well!


Now, I won't be able to finish up this part of goal setting in this post alone, sorry. There's still a few more things I believe is important regarding the importance of goal setting. But, as I said earlier, I hope you guys understand that I'm doing all this for you guys. I sort out the content I publish in order so you guys can find it easier to understand what I'm trying to deliver. In short, I'm just trying to make it all sound like a story.

Thanks for your guys understanding. Remember: I'm doing this all for you guys!
Till next post, stay healthy and remember to read through some of my previous posts as well as this one again. You might have forgotten some of the stuff I was talking about so it wouldn't hurt to quickly refresh your memory. Stay tuned. Bye!

Fail To Plan ... Plan To Fail - PART 1

“The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but

that it is too low and we reach it.”

Now, in this post, I will be talking about the most important thing before you lift a weight, go on your cardio or even start a nutrition program. This step is actually very simple but is crucial for you to succeed in whatever you're aiming for; whether it's getting slimmer, building on muscle or maintaining your body shape. Once you understand and use this very simple step, you will be taking leaps and bounds in your journey for better health, I can assure you! If you skip this, like most people do, your chances of failing is much higher and you will undoubtedly find it harder to do whatever you're doing (whether it comes to a nutrition program or a simple gym workout). So what is this so important and simple step? It's quite straight-forward: The crucial step I'm talking about is GOAL SETTING.

There are many books and magazines of all sorts publishing this step. But the truth is, not many people actually follow it. This means that they never exactly decide on what they want. Some people set their goals too simple. For example, "I want to be famous". However, they never get specific and don't really commit to their dreams or desires. Instead, they need to open their minds to HOW they can become more famous. It's good to have an aim. A target. But with every target, you need need to know what to use to hit it. You won't hit a target just by looking at it, let alone dreaming about it all day. Action must be done! 

Now I'm going to tell you how do you set your goals. It's easy! 

Just write it on a piece of paper! There has been a study made that only 3% of Americans have actually taken the time and effort to write down their goals on paper. But there really isn't any effort in it! I guarantee you it isn't anywhere close to the exams in school even! It is essential you take your goals to the paper, that way you can bring it to the real world. 

If your goal is to lose fat, then this step is VERY important if you are to achieve it. The lack of success not only in fitness, but in life as well, is mainly due to lack of clear, defined goals. In the previous paragraph, I gave you an analogy using a target. Now imagine, you had to shoot the target, but blindfolded. How in the world would you be able to hit a target you can't even see?!

If you don't know where to go, then you're probably not going to end up anywhere! Remember: Action without planning is also the main cause of failure.

I know I told you that dreaming isn't enough, but action is needed. However, action without planning is WAY different. I'm talking about action with meaning and purpose! 

If you have a dream, you need to target it with precision and accurately as well (by this I mean with much detail and in a more defined manner). Only then, can you really identify the correct actions to carry out to make it a reality.

In the next part, I will show you a very powerful goal setting formula and I will further explain the importance of goal setting (especially when it comes to fitness). Until then, stay healthy and you see soon!

Tip Of The Day #1. Who's Faster?

DID YOU KNOW IT IS EASIER TO LOSE FAT THEN TO BUILD MUSCLE? 

IN ACTUAL FACT, BUILDING MUSCLE IS A WHOLE LOT HARDER TO DO!

IT TAKES YEARS TO DEVELOP - UNLIKE FAT WHICH ONLY TAKES A SHORTER PERIOD OF TIME

(USING THE RIGHT METHODS OF LOSING FAT), OF AROUND HALF A YEAR TO ONE YEAR!

Don't Be Fooled

" If something is too good to be true... It probably isn't! "

Okay, let me tell you something you deserve to know if u don't know it yet. In the world of health and fitness, there are many gimmicks and other products. They can be found almost anywhere. From the fitness industries to your simple health magazine books. They're EVERYWHERE!

There are some products on the internet that will tell you about almost anything to get you to buy their product. They use stuff like, "Get ripped 6-pack abs in 1 month", "This product will help you lose weight without doing anything". Seriously, ask yourself for a moment, if there was a product like that, then why would anyone need to go to the gym or watch their nutrition? And if everyone became lean and muscular, what do you think will happen to the fitness industries across the world? You guessed it, nobody will ever need to buy their products! No more fat people = No more buying fitness products = No income = No profit = Their losing their business!

So to solve this problem, they've used many methods to keep you paying for their products. They make their product sound so good, you JUST gotta have it. It's not only their products, but did you know some trainers from fitness industries give out wrong information? For example, there are trainers that ask you to go on super low calorie diets. Sure, you might think this is okay. But the fact is, super low calorie diets do more harm than good to the body. It messes up your metabolism and it also depletes your source of vitamins and other important nutrients. Of course, you'll lose fat in the first few weeks, but at the expense of your muscles. As it carries on, your body realizes that you're falling short of your energy supple, so it decides to go into starvation mode. Starvation mode is when the body will do anything to hold on to more fats and use up your muscles as energy! This is because to the body, your fat is like the bodies energy reservoir, your backup energy, since fat has a high calorie value of 9kcal per 1 gram compared to protein (your muscle) which only gives a 4kcal per 1 gram. So in any case, your body will adapt and start using protein from your muscles to supply you with energy.

Our body is an intelligent unit, whether we fully actually understand it or not. It's adaptation abilities are beyond comparison with other organisms. 

So in this case, as your body realizes that you're unknowingly starving yourself, it will slow down the fat burning process until it halts. The first few weeks results are very good. You're probably losing alot of fat. But as time goes on, the amount of fat you lose begins to lessen until you realize that it doesn't go any lower. After that, you get depressed that you're not getting anymore results. So what is the next thing you do? Instead, you quit the diet and go back to eating like you once did. In fact, you'll be so hungry that you're bound to overeat since you've starved yourself for so long. Your craving for food starts to kick in. And a few months later, you'll be back at the weight you were before you started the diet... Only difference is that most of that weight is actually FAT and not muscle. To make matters worse, you'll go back to the fitness industries and ask for help and by the time you know it, they already have another product waiting for you to try and fail and come back to them already. 

Okay, so moving on, I'd like to share with you on those "magic pills" you may have heard of online or in a fitness magazine or etc. I'll share with you a secret, but don't be discouraged: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A MAGIC PILL THAT WILL MAKE YOU LOSE FAT!

No miracle pill can do that for you, sorry to say. But look at it this way. Now that you know about this fact, you won't be tempted to buy those fake gimmicks the magazines or whoever it is shows you. From that, you've already saved yourself ALOT of money. 

Another thing you must understand is that in fitness, there is no EASY way to get lean or fit. It all takes hard work and dedication. I can assure you that the steps are extremely simple but not easy. Simple means it's not hard to understand a process or something. Easy means it requires little or no effort to carry out. There is a great difference between those two! 

So you really want to get in more fitter? More muscular? More healthier? Then prepare yourself for alot of self sacrifice and hard work. Don't be discouraged when I tell you that, 'cause at the end of the day, you'll be the one enjoying your life. You'll be the one feeling good. You'll have something to be proud of, because I can honestly tell you that alot of people are not in good health. This is especially common in working people who have to work for long hours. But I'll show you how you can make time to cultivate a healthier lifestyle and find time to do so in the future posts. 

So remember: There is alot of sweat and blood involved but do not give up. Do not let this bring you down, but tell yourself that you're going to do better for yourself! To be the best of what you can and even more! You can set your goals to look like how you want to be, but never compare yourself to others. Everyone is different. Think of this health issue as a long marathon or race. Don't look at how fast other people are running, but concentrate on how fast YOU can run. 

More valuable info: Have you ever seen those muscle packed guys (and some women) on cover of fitness or health magazines, and at the corner saying like "Learn how I got my ripped abs by using these supplements!" or anything like that? Yeah, well, chances are high that they were paid by a nutrition company to just be a model on the front cover of their page. And these guys the company pays... They're all bodybuilders or people who have actually put in years of sweat, tears and blood to become what they are today. In fact, you can believe that some of them admit they have actually NEVER even tried that supplement! They're just promoting! They get paid by the nutrition companies for being in their photos shoots.  

If you asked a fat guy to be on the cover of their magazine, would anyone actually even buy it? Heck, some might not even bother to read through it! So it's essential they get all those buffed guys to promote their products. I'm not saying all companies are like that... Maybe just about 90%? Maybe higher? 

Also, by putting information about "new supplement breakthroughs" into editorial format into the magazine, they appear much more believable since the whole idea of this business is to make you believe that this product works, even if it's never been tested or properly studied. Nowadays, these magazines have turned into nothing more than encrypted "supplement catalogs". 

Now let's see the internet side. There are people claiming that their product works by showing you before and  after photos. Well, most of the time, they're actually fakes. It's actually quite simple. Programs like Photoshop can be easily used to change ones physical appearance. Hey, it could even turn Taylor Lautner from buffed to REALLY FAT. (A friend of mine made a photoshop of Taylor Lautner actually and I must say, it looks like he's been on a donut diet for the past 20 years! ;P) So don't get fooled by it. Plus there are some small techniques to change the appearance of a person without photoshop or photo editing. Examples: Lighting and size of your stomach (I don't have a name for it, sorry!) Well, the size of your stomach can actually be controlled. How? By the amount of air you breath in! Notice that if you exhale and suck in your stomach, it becomes more slimmer. But when you relax it and breath a mouth full of air in, your stomach tends to bulge out like a balloon, making you look like you have a pot-belly! 

Tip to remember: If you've ever signed up for a fitness program, you'll notice that some people are getting awesome results, while others aren't. This is because no program will 100% work for two people. It can be caused by genetic factors. Now that you know that, I will help you develop an ideal method of understanding your body type needs and how you should take control of it. Each of us may not have the same body type, and therefore if you want to succeed in fitness, you have to do what's best for YOUR body. Through this, you'll learn to be independent which will contribute to other aspects of your life.

Well, that's about the main summary for this part. I hope after you've read this, your idea of fitness and health is much more clearer and you have a better understanding. Do leave comments if you're not sure on anything! Until next time, stay healthy and see ya soon! ^^

From The Outside First

In this post, I'll be sharing with you some of the outlines to getting in shape, keeping healthy or etc etc etc. I don't want to jump directly into the main topics, lose my readers interest and you feeling more confused at the end. Let's just put it like this: Basics first, more in-depth stuff later.


Firstly, let me just say that the info I post up will be relevant for ALL types of people. What I'm saying is that this stuff I have to offer isn't only for professional gym trainers or experienced bodybuilders, but it can be by ANYONE. So you don't have to worry! Just remember that whatever I post up, it's for YOU as an individual. Of course, not EVERYTHING will work out for everyone. We're all unique in our own way. But I'll give you help to overcome that problem in the coming posts.


Okay, so let's get started!


To get in shape, you need to shed fat (if you're overweight!). To maintain your health, you just have to eat and exercise REGULARLY (I will talk about that later on). To improve your physical body, you need to gain muscle. 


For now, I will talk about fat, as there is too much information and I don't want to compile all of it in just one post.


So how DO you shed fat? The answer is dead simple: Create a calorie deficit. So what's this? Well, a calorie deficit means that you burn more calories than the calories you consume through your meals everyday. There is no other way to shed fat. There are two ways to create this calorie deficit: 1)Decrease your calorie intake from food or 2) Increase the amount of calories you burn through exercise. Pretty simple, indeed! Just eat less or do more exercise it means.


Decreasing your calorie intake from food is the best way to keep fat off your body permanently although it requires alot more dedication and time. Burning calories through exercise is also good, don't be mistaken. It requires a shorter time but just be keep in mind that you can get those calories back if you're not careful.


Now let's talk a little about calories. Calories, we all know about them. To many of us, calories are considered to be BAD. Well the truth is, it's NOT actually bad. It's just that we've only seen one side of calories. There are 2 types of calories: Good calories and bad calories. Judging by many peoples perspective on calories, you probably know which side they were only looking at. If you consume good calories on the other hand, they will benefit your body such as, high metabolism, automatic fat-burning and much more values! We will go through all these in the future, I guarantee!


Okay so here's a question that some people ask: How much calories should I take in then? 
Well the answer for everyone is different. I will give you the calculations for calorie intake, deficit and so on in the coming posts. For now, I'll give you an accurate estimation. For adults, the amount of calories needed for the body in a day could be anywhere close from 2000 to 2600 calories, depending on the weight, size and metabolism of the person. For me it's around 2100 calories. These calories include your basal metabolism and your daily activities such as running, walking and even thinking.




What's basal metabolism? Well, basal metabolism is the amount of energy expenditure in a day. It means the amount of required energy (in this case, calories) needed to JUST maintain all your internal body functions such as the work your liver does, your heartbeat and so on. All of these add up to become the basal metabolism. 


Note: Metabolism is not the same as your basal metabolism. Metabolism, by itself, refers to the activity of your cells. For example, when you finished your cardio, you are said to have a high metabolism. It means that the activity of your body cells is high. Therefore, you burn more calories.


Some of you may have heard the phrase, "turn your body into a fat-burning furnace", "burn fat without doing anything", "turn your body into a fat-burner" and so on. Well, this is a true statement. It can be done. But they make it sound TOO easy. We all know that it's easier to say than to do. So let me break it down for you. Turning your body into a fat-burning furnace may be a basic to some, but a well kept secret to most people out there. So lucky for you, I'm going to spill the beans! To turn your body into a fat-burning furnace, you need to raise your METABOLISM. Yes, you read correctly. Increase your metabolic rate. As I've said earlier, a high metabolism means high body cell activity. So think carefully... Where do the body cells get their required energy to become highly active? 
BINGO! They take your calories stored in your body. These calories can be stored in a number of areas in your body.  


1) As glycerol (originally carbohydrates such as rice and corn and fruits).
2) Lipids (originally from fatty food like butter and lard) and
3) Protein (originally from meat sources and dietary products like egg and milk)


There may be other areas the calories are stored in, but the vast majority is from these 3 areas. 
But be careful, different conditions can cause your body to use different sources of energy such as high metabolic rate and starving condition.


(This is a very good method of burning fat, indeed. But if you depend solely on this, you'll never reach the best results! I will teach you to combine all that you will learn and help you reach the best of yourself)


In many other posts, I will touch on various in-depth and detailed topics which will help you in your quest for better health. Once you have all of this knowledge, shedding fat for you and building muscle would be like reading A,B,C! You will be able to turn your body into one of the best and effective fat-burning furnaces too.






So this is where I stop for the time being, but don't worry! This topic requires a more deeper approach and I plan to give it to you in the posts to come! It's a vast topic, but if you absorb it into your mind bit by bit, you'll be able to understand a whole lot more of stuff!




To end my post, let me just sign off with a short saying: 
It Is Better To Go Slow And Learn Something Than To Go Fast & Ultimately Learn Nothing

Beginning A New Chapter In Health

Hello again!

I'll be continuing where I left off from my previous post. To start with, I will be revealing to you the REAL secret about Staying Healthy, Keeping Fit, Losing Fat, Building Muscle and much much more in the days to come! Of course, I won't stuff it all into just one post. It'd be WAY too long! 

That's where my presentation of information is going to be different. 

I will post all the information bit by bit, post by post, but still give you the information which is essential. Bonus: You won't have to read super long posts just to understand what I'm trying to explain. I'll make it as simple as I can. Trust me! Plus, I will not bore you to death with scientific jargons (in kids language: Big Words).

I shall explain my posts as simple as I can, but also keeping the details in.

There are many nutritive and health books or encyclopedias, indeed. But most of them contain too many scientific terminologies or "Big Words" that the reader ultimately becomes confused and looses interest. In the end, what do you get? More questions than answers in your head and of course, that's more $$ going to waste. 

Sure, there may be a number of people that can "read through the lines", but most people can't (even I sometimes!).

But I guess this is what catches peoples attention the most: You won't need to waste money on unnecessary things. Yes, that's right. You'll see that you don't need to waste your money on expensive gym equipment, so-called "magic" pills, or even programs which require you to pay. It's all here. It's all FREE. You just have to keep reading my posts. How simple is that?! 

Okay, so by now you're probably wondering why am I doing this and is this really 'free'?Well, the fact is, I'm just trying to help. I've never been healthy all my life, not until I decided to change, find information and turn over a new leaf. The reason why I'm doing this is so that you can achieve your goals too, to make you see that your health comes before almost everything. It's important! That's why no amount of wealth can be traded for health.

The information I will be posting is meant for you. I pass it on without expecting anything in return, just that you gain something from all of this. And if you do, that's great! Keep it up! And most importantly, I need you to understand that this information can be life-changing and permanent. It's not something that will easily disappear from your life, and I promise it will not only make you a leaner and a healthier person, but also makes you into one who has discipline, perseverance and dedication. You can even use this for other parts in your life! 

P.S.: If you think that you are benefiting from the information on my blog, please continue to share it with your friends, relatives, families or someone you think that needs to see this too! Who knows, you actually might be doing them a HUGE favor!

In the next post, I will be going over some of the basic things to getting healthy and much much more. (But mostly just the outlines, so you have a rough idea on what's going on).

Introduction To Health, Fitness and Nutrition

Welcome to my site.


As you can see I've only started this, so I'll do my best to continue to update my posts.
From reading my blog title, I'm sure you can already guess what I'll be posting in my posts.
Yes, it's about health! 
Now, you might be thinking, 'what's so special about this one? I've seen many like this!'.


But hey! There's always something to learn! So why not just stick around a little?
I'll be putting up posts frequently, or whenever I can, containing valuable information about health. 


You can even leave a comment or a question on the post or on my blog and I'll be more than willing to help you.
I will be touching on various aspects of health. 
To some, it's all about the almighty gym, to others, it's all about the total loyalty to their nutrition and to some others, probably neither of those!
But I will provide you with everything you need to know: Diets, Nutrition, Workouts, Types of food and more!


And most importantly. . . All this information is free for anyone who reads my blog! 
In my next post, I'll be telling you what's so different about my blog and what I have to offer. 


A little sneak peak: 
1) It'll save you tons of money in the short AND long run
                           
2) The way I present my information will be VERY different than others.


3) The truth behind fitness revealed in bread crumbs! :)