Weight Loss Dinner: Chicken Shawarma with Spinach and Veggie Slaw

After two and a half years of dating, I finally realized that I'm the sous chef in the kitchen. Here is last night's tasty Mediterranean-influenced weight loss dinner from Chef Sammy-my personal trainer in the kitchen! Remember to add your baby spinach and favorite hummus to the plate.

Ingredients for Chicken:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 large breasts)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (4 large thighs)
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp allspice
3/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of cayenne
Salt and black pepper
Nonstick cooking oil spray

Directions for Chicken:

-Slice the chicken breasts into 5-6 pieces each and the thighs into 3-4 pieces each. Place them in a marinating dish or large plastic zipper bag.

-In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, the spices, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper (if you're salt sensitive, use 1/2 tsp of salt).

-Pour the spice marinade over the chicken pieces. Stir with a spoon till all the chicken pieces are evenly coated in the marinade. Cover the marinating dish with plastic wrap, or close the zipper bag.

-Place chicken in the refrigerator and let it marinate at least 1 hour, up to overnight.

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking oil. Place the chicken pieces on the sheet, evenly spaced.

-Place the chicken in the oven. Let it roast for about 15 minutes till cooked through, turning the chicken pieces once with tongs halfway through cooking.

-Take chicken out of the oven and let it cool slightly. Use a sharp knife to slice the meat into small, thin shawarma-like pieces. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet on the stovetop over medium.

-Pour half of the chicken into the skillet and saute for 3-4 minutes till the smallest pieces of chicken turn brown and crisp. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

-Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet. Heat another 1 tbsp of oil and saute the remaining chicken in the same way. Serve warm.

Chicken recipe courtesy of http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2012/08/chicken-shawarma/

Directions for Veggie Slaw:

-Toss a package of broccoli slaw, 12 quartered cherry tomatoes, 4 tbsp of pine nuts, 1 tbsp of rice vinegar, 1/2 of a squeezed lemon, a dash of salt, and a dash of pepper.

-Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Serve cold.

Enjoy!

******Check out my new self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness on Amazon!!!!!!

Chicago Personal Trainer and the Self Improvement Book Redefine Yourself

Excerpt from the book Redefine Yourself: Define Your Purpose

(excerpt from my self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness)

Define Your Purpose

__________
In a business plan, we can build a structure and develop a marketing strategy but it doesn’t make sense if we never define the mission statement. What is your intent? Who is your audience?

Now is the time for you to think about your own mission statement —your purpose. It’s the underlying theme of you. It guides your behavior and reminds you when you’re steering away from it. It isn’t always perfect and is continually redefined based on your experiences.

Religious, family, societal, or personal values may define your purpose. No matter the root, though, YOU choose it. It will steer how you adapt, how you decide, how you treat others, how far you extend your boundaries, how you interact, and how you participate in the world.

The first time my friend Jenny asked me about my purpose I was speechless. I didn’t know what my purpose was, and it showed. I reflected on my life and realized how aimlessly I lived. Most experiences were just a collection of random instances that collided to create my life. Relationship. Career. Everything. It was missing a linear connection.

It only took a little investigating to learn what steered me: My interactions with people. I realized that my purpose was to guide people in their efforts to understand themselves and the world. My self improvement book Redefine Yourself and my personal training business embodies this intent, and I will continue to live my life with it in mind.

Have you thought about your purpose? We haven’t approached this question yet for good reason. You can’t build a shelter in a tornado. There was no sense in encouraging you to write a personal mission statement in an emotional funnel when you just want to find sanity outside of the storm. You can’t build a new you without the storm clearing your self-obstacles first. You need a clear vision of yourself and your direction.

Now, after countless hours of introspection and the repetitive messages in this book, you are starting to part the clouds. Determine your purpose, but be sure it’s reflective of you. You don’t have to be anyone you’re not, and you don’t have to be the person who does it all.

My great friend, Craig, shared an insight years back about volunteering. In high school, Craig volunteered at a nursing home and spent his afternoons listening to the stories of lonely seniors. With consideration of his volunteering spirit, I requested his participation in my food drive. With genuine assertiveness, Craig said, “No.”

He told me that he loves to volunteer but only prefers to work with seniors. Craig is one of the most genuine people I know, and he doesn’t have to help everyone. He’s entitled to choose to live in a way that serves his purpose.

I keep this story in mind as I live my life and you should, too. Think about your purpose, but never feel obligated to extend yourself in a way that steers you from happiness.

Reflection Section:

1.) Awareness: Have you ever thought about your purpose? What are you passionate about in your life? What is your mission statement?

2.) Acceptance: Will you accept that you may need to identify your purpose and redefine how you live your life in order to achieve it?

3.) Adaptation: Describe your purpose in a sentence or two. Reflect on your experiences. What will your legacy be? What should steer your behaviors and perspectives?

******Check out my new self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness on Amazon!!!!!!

Chicago Personal Trainer Gives Readers the Simple Tools for Redefining Their Lives

Chicago Personal Trainer Gives Readers the Simple Tools for Redefining Their Lives

CHICAGO, Ill. – February, 9th 2015 – To help readers reach their goals and achieve happiness, Michael Moody, weight loss guru and Chicago personal trainer will launch his book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness on March 2nd, 2015. The release will appeal to people who have wanted to redefine their lives or failed to reach their resolutions up to this point.

Michael is the former fitness expert on NBC's The Biggest Loser/MSN Chicago tour. The owner of a successful Chicago personal training business, his fitness, and life-structure programs have helped his clients lose more than 2,500 pounds since 2005. Michael has been featured in Muscle & Fitness and Today's Chicago Woman magazines, among others. During his time as the official personal trainer for PBS’s The Whitney Reynolds Show, he also produced an inspirational segment about his travels in Guatemala.

Having researched emotion and coping behaviors in university-level studies, Michael has presented various fitness, motivation, body image, and stress-management programs at Illinois State University, DePaul University, corporations, high schools, and workshops. Michael’s book Redefine Yourself is the “in-your-pocket” self-improvement resource for any person interested in transforming his or her life.

“People love self-improvement books, but often struggle to integrate permanent change into their lives, says author Michael Moody. “Redefine Yourself presents a simple course of change in a relatable way for long-term success.”

Readers need a new generation of health and fitness books that will provide a guided introspection with simple strategies to overcome the obstacles that plague their lives. They need to face the emotional and mental roots of their unhappiness and understand why they:

•        Can't reach their goals.

•        Hate their job.

•        Can’t reach their best physical, emotional, and mental self.

•        Live an unhappy and unfulfilled life.

•        Find themselves in the same destructive position repeatedly.

Redefine Yourself  helps readers understand themselves and integrate adaptive strategies to listen to their inner voice, face their fears, extinguish their insecurities, regain control over their lives, approach new problems with confidence, define their purpose, and more. They will no longer be bystanders in their own life and will achieve the happiness they desire.

"Inspiring in its simple yet meaningful message, this book is an important reminder of the power of the mind.”

--Dana Michelle Cook, Emmy Award winner and producer of The Empowerment Project

To schedule media interviews or to request images or review copies, email info@ainsleypress.com.

Readers interested in taking the first step to redefine their lives can visit http://www.michaelmoodyfitness.com/redefineyourself to find Michael’s book.

About the Author

Michael Moody is a personal trainer, author, and motivational speaker. He has helped clients redefine their lives in Chicago since 2005. For more information, including a video trailer for Redefine Yourself produced by Emmy Award winning producer Dana Michelle Cook, please visit the website www.michaelmoodyfitness.com.

Weight Loss Recipe: Kena's Kale Smoothie

My friend Kena was nice enough to share her world famous "Kale Smoothie Weight Loss Recipe". Try it out and make your personal trainer happy! Need to be convinced? Read 23 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Kale.

Ingredients for the Kale Smoothie Weight Loss Recipe:

-whole banana

-1/2 cup of green grapes

-1/2 cup of pineapples

-1 cup or more of kale packed tight

-1 cup of spinach

-8 ounces of coconut water

-1 dash cayenne pepper

-1 tablespoon chia/flax blend

Directions for the Kale Smoothie Weight Loss Recipe:

Freeze the mix in a quart size bag. Thaw until the fruits are just slightly frozen. They will give the smoothie the frozen texture and taste without adding extra ice. Courtesy of Kena Blair Farrell

Transform your life today with Michael's self-improvement book Redefine Yourself!

Keep These Items in Your Gym Bag!

Time to meet with a personal trainer!!!  I keep the following items in my personal training bag and you should too!

- Stainless Steel Water Bottle: Most plastic bottles will impart a plastic taste in the water, and the glass bottles are too fragile and heavy for a gym setting.  Klean Kanteen offers a dependable product.

- JC Band Resistance Tubing: With a resistance band, you can create a gym in any environment. The JC Bands are considered a "double-strap band" that allows you to simulate movements performed on cable weight machines.

- Larabars: I love these all-natural bars (The less processed, the better!). They have only 3-5 ingredients, minimal to no fat and an adequate amount of calories.  With the endless Larabar varieties, you will always find a taste to satisfy your cravings and your nutritional needs.  

- Water: Since our bodies are made up of 75% water, we must continue to hydrate throughout the day...especially during an intense workout!  While Gatorade and other sports drinks offer electrolytes, they may have more sugar than you need.  Stick to water and carry it with you everywhere you go!

******Check out my new book Redefine Yourself:  The Simple Guide to Happiness on Amazon and other online booksellers March 2nd!!!!!!

Take a Guatemalan Adventure!

Here are your must see places on your Guatemalan Adventure:

1.  Table for 1 at Saberico.....an ll organic restaurant in Antiqua. Each table is lost in their lush patio garden.

2. Check out Lake Atitlan at 6:30 am

3. A restaurante con Central Americano antiques (spanglish)!  You'll find this lunch/dinner spot about a block from the fountain.

4. Check out the live music near the fountain over the weekend.  During the week, eat breakfast in the diner across the street.  If you're lucky, you can grab a seat at the counter and watch the fountain!

5. Take a salsa lesson....my instructor asked if I was a lawyer and also told me that I look like a young Bill Clinton. I'm not sure what that meant.

6. Take a cooking class at a local restaurant in Antigua!  Here is a picture of my cooking class instructor and guide, Luis, from the El Frijol Felix Cooking School!  He smiles more off camera.

Choosing our vegetables with Chef Luis for the 4 course meal we made later that day.

10 Sneaky Sources of Sugar to Avoid

I've helped personal training clients lose over 2500 lbs combined in nearly 10 years.  How did they lose their weight? Besides limiting alcohol, grains, processed foods, red meats, and dairy, my personal training clients have minimized the amount of sugar in their diets.  

It isn't as easy as it sounds, though.  Manufacturers have been sneaking more sugar in your favorite foods than you know.  Check out MSN's list of 10 Sneaky Sources of Sugar to Avoid!

******Check out my new book Redefine Yourself:  The Simple Guide to Happiness on Amazon in February!!!!!!!

The 100 Most Influential People in Health and Fitness

The Greatist recently posted their list of the 100 Most Influential People in Health and Fitness.  If you're interested in weight loss,  personal training, enlightenment, or health, you should begin by following each of these influencers from their list:

-Michael Pollan (nutrition)

-Mark Hyman, M.D. (nutrition)

-Joel Fuhrman, M.D. (nutrition)

-Mike Boyle (sport fitness)

-Gray Cook (functional fitness)

-Mark Verstegen (functional fitness)

-Deepak Chopra, M.D. (enlightenment)

 See the rest of the list here and let me know who I should add to mine!!!!

******Check out my new book Redefine Yourself:  The Simple Guide to Happiness on Amazon in February!!!!!!!

Chicago Personal Trainer Will Launch Book to Help Readers ‘Redefine Themselves’ and Reach Health Goals

Chicago Personal Trainer Will Launch Book to Help Readers ‘Redefine Themselves’ and Reach Health Goals

To help individuals striving to find the happiness and success they desire, Michael Moody, Chicago personal trainer and weight loss guru, will launch his book - Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness - in February.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) January 17, 2015

Redefine Yourself exemplifies a new generation of health and fitness books that emphasizes the mental and emotional “you” when pursuing success. Not only does this book help the readers examine their lives, it provides them with the tools to handle any challenges within and beyond the gym. It is the “in-your-pocket” resource for daily change for any person wanting to transform his or her life.

“Redefine Yourself will help you overcome the obstacles that have plagued your life. You will incorporate new adaptive strategies that will not only change your life, but positively impact those people around you, as well,” said Moody. “You will truly redefine yourself and achieve the happiness you’ve always wanted. You might just achieve that long list of other wants too.”

During the transformation process, the main focus of physical and personal change isn’t just nutrition and exercise. It’s a targeted focus on awareness, acceptance, and adaptive strategies. As the readers integrate the Redefine Yourself approach into their lives, they will refine their perspectives and understand why they: 

•     Do what they do.

•     Can’t reach their goals.

•     Find themselves in the same destructive position repeatedly.

•     Want to be the best they can but they always tell themselves they can’t.

•     Can’t reach their best physical, emotional, and mental self.

•     Live an unhappy and unfulfilled life.

"Redefine Yourself is inspiring in its simple yet meaningful message, this book is an important reminder about the power of the mind. If we simply use our thoughts as tools in working for us rather than weapons against us, Michael shows us how we can truly learn to live out our best lives," said Dana Michelle Cook, Emmy Award winning producer of Girls on the Run.

Readers interested in taking the first step to redefine their lives can visit http://www.michaelmoodyfitness.com/authorchicago/ to find Michael’s book.

About the Author

Michael Moody is the former fitness expert on the Biggest Loser/MSN Chicago tour and the former personal trainer for PBS’s The Whitney Reynolds Show. His weight loss and life-structure programs have helped clients lose more than 2,500 pounds combined while running his successful personal training business, Michael Moody Fitness, since 2005.

Michael has presented over 100 hours on fitness, motivation, body image, and stress at universities, corporations, schools, and workshops. Michael has researched emotion and coping behaviors in university level studies, as well. For more information, including a video trailer for Redefine Yourself produced by Emmy Award winning producer Dana Michelle Cook, please visit the website http://www.michaelmoodyfitness.com.

Weight Loss Recipe: Island Mahi with Roasted Kale Chips

Not every meal has to be a salad to lose weight with your personal trainer.  Try this quick and easy weight loss recipe with my favorite Trader Joes products (they don't pay me for this endorsement :)).

-Marinade Trader Joes Wild Mahi (found in the frozen section) with their Island Soyaki Sauce.

-Wash and dry a bag of kale.  Remove the stems and tear the leaves into large pieces. In a bowl, mix the kale with sea salt, pepper, garlic, and 1 tbsp of olive oil while you preheat the oven at 300.  Once tossed well, place the kale in a single layer on a tray covered in parchment paper.  Place the tray in the oven for 25 minutes or until you reach your ideal crisp.

-Sauté the mahi in a pan of preheated olive oil (1 tbsp) on high heat.  Crust one side before flipping over (approximately 1 minute on each side).  Then, lower the heat to medium, pour the leftover marinade over the fish, and saute the mahi for 5 minutes on each side or until you reach an internal temperature of 175.

-Saute Trader Joe's black beans with a spoonful of pineapple salsa.

******Check out my new book Redefine Yourself:  The Simple Guide to Happiness on Amazon in February!!!!!!!

Top 5 Starbucks Drinks to Add Inches to Your Waistline

Nothing beats the smell of coffee in the morning!  Especially a 16 oz coffee with 21 grams of fat and 48 grams of sugar!  Yikes!  You'll gain weight just smelling your java!  Share these non-weight loss drinks with your personal trainer in Chicago and both of you will gain inches around your waistline while you warm up!  Check out the top 5 Starbucks drinks below,,,,,,

*Please note that most weight loss diets encourage no more than 300-400 calories, 13 grams of sugar, and 3-5 grams of fat per meal.  If you're ready to lose weight, check out my 1 Month Weight Loss Plan here!

1.  Eggnog Latte - 460 calories, 21 grams of fat, 48 grams of sugar

2.  White Chocolate Mocha Expresso Coffee with Whipped Cream - 470 calories, 18 grams of fat, 59 grams of sugar

3.  Cinnamon Dolce Frappuccino Blended Coffee with Whipped Cream - 380 calories, 14 grams of fat, 58 grams of sugar

4.  Double Chocolaty Chip Crème Frappuccino Blended Crème with Whipped Cream - 410 calories, 17 grams of fat, 52 grams of sugar

5.  Espresso with Steamed Milk and Caramel Brulée Flavored Sauce and Whipped Cream - 440 calories, 13 grams of fat, 52 grams of sugar

******Check out my new book Redefine Yourself:  The Simple Guide to Happiness on Amazon in February!!!!!!!

17 Meals That Will Erase Your Weight Loss

From Subway to the Olive Garden, the NY Times calorie popping list will surprise you and make your Chicago personal trainer's head spin.  Each of the meals in their article  What 2,000 Calories Looks Like will give you more than a day's worth of calories in one meal!  I think all of us have been guilty of choosing at least one of these meals in the past year.  (Hopefully not the past day)

Read the list and remember that most people only need 1300-1700 calories per day (according to Dr. Fuhrman, author of Eat to Live).  Considering that most of your social events revolve around eating and drinking, this might be disappointing and hard to achieve without preparation.

Although you may instinctively want to speed up your metabolism, you may be pushing against your body's natural metabolic boundaries.  At a given point, all of us have a set metabolism and it isn't always a bad thing to have a slower one.  Not only will you have less caloric dependence on outside sources (less hunting and gathering), but your body won't be working as hard and your life may be lengthened (think machines: the more they work, the faster they'll break down). 

Embrace the smaller amount of calories the body really needs and begin erasing the meals from the NY Times article.

******Check out my new book Redefine Yourself:  The Simple Guide to Happiness on Amazon in February!!!!!!!

Your New Goals for a New Life

It’s easy to be distracted by the nonsense of life.  Besides our purpose, we need other day-to-day positive focuses to maintain a healthy and happy perspective.  A list of goals may bring you the positive direction you need. 

I realized a couple of years ago that I needed a new focus after my divorce.  When married, I felt like I was living a ‘status quo’ life.  I rarely pursued the things I wanted nor did I make an effort to achieve them.  I felt unfulfilled in life.  What was holding me back?  Me.

You’ve heard my story, and you probably realize by now that I was my worst enemy.  Don’t let this happen to you.  Think about your life and what’s missing.  What have you always wanted to be?  What have you always wanted to accomplish?  Where have you always wanted to travel?  What have you always wanted to see? 

With my clean start, I created a bucket list. It helped me pave the road for the things I wanted to accomplish, experience, and see before I died.  It kept me focused on the things that matter to me the most. 

Make your list too.  Don’t waste your time like I did continually putting off the things you want the most.  Don’t sit back and watch life pass you by anymore.  Create the life that you want by developing your bucket list.  As you complete specific items, replace them with something else.  This list will always be redefined depending on the period of your life.

Where do you start?  By stealing my list!  Adapt my bucket list however you please and start experiencing the life you want.

*Vacation in an igloo village in Finland.

*Do something that terrifies me.

*Set foot on all seven continents.

*Sip espresso in a café in Italy with Sammy while peering over the ancient relics of Rome (completed in the fall of 2014).

*Write a book (completed in 2015).

*Learn how to swim well.

*Learn how to dance without thinking.

*Be paid for what I love talking about the most.

*Attend the Olympic Games.

*Ride a hot air balloon ride in Egypt.

*Ride on the Singapore Flyer--the tallest Ferris wheel in the world.

*Ride in a Gondola in Venice, Italy (completed in the fall of 2014).

*Go on a safari in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.

*Bathe in the Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa, a massive geothermal pool in a lava field in Grindavik, Iceland.

*Visit Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas.

*Swim with dolphins.

*Visit the Eiffel Tower (completed in the fall of 2014).

*Visit the White House.

*Take a helicopter tour over Kauai, Hawaii-film location for the original Jurassic Park.

*Forgive daily and let go of grudges (eternal work in progress).

*Attend the next White Sox World Series.

*See a performance at the Sydney Opera House.

*Visit Easter Island.

*Visit Iguassu Falls and Patagonia in South America.

*Reach the top 20 in Amazon self-improvement book sales.

*Marry Sammy.

*Raise children.

*Volunteer for at least two hours per week.

*Be able to meditate wherever I am for a moment.

Reflection Section:

1.)    Awareness:  Are you living the life you want?  Describe two goals you have always wanted to achieve.  What obstacles have you faced while pursuing these goals?  If you haven’t pursued them, why not?  

2.)    Acceptance:  Can you accept the responsibility of creating the life you want?

3.)    Adaptation:  Describe at least two answers for each of the following questions and compile your bucket list. 

·         What have you always wanted to be? 

·         What have you always wanted to accomplish? 

·         Where have you always wanted to travel? 

·         What have you always wanted to see?  

******Check out my new book Redefine Yourself:  The Simple Guide to Happiness on Amazon!!!!!!!

Self-Improvement Book by Chicago Personal Trainer and Author Michael Moody

Your New Years Resolutions

In 2015, I will be my best self.

I will reach new heights. 

I will make changes when necessary...not just on New Year's Day.

I will be positive everyday.

I will travel more.

I will make a difference in someone's life.

I will define my natural boundaries.

I will believe in myself. 

I will be bigger than the moment.

I will be aware of my surroundings.

I will control my impulses. 

i will manage my emotions. 

I will build my best physical self. 

I will love unconditionally. 

I will listen and seek understanding.

I will only judge people fairly and with an open mind. 

I will volunteer.

I will only judge myself fairly and with an open mind.

I will choose to live. 

I will make my life a great story.

I will be my best self.

---

DENVER PERSONAL TRAINING STUDIO

Michael offers personal training to Denver residents who want to meet at the 2460 W 26th Ave studio….or in their homes throughout LoHi (80206), LoDo (80202), RiNo (80216), Washington Park (80209), Cherry Creek (80206, 80209, 80243, 80246, 80231), Highlands (80202, 80211, 80212), and Capitol Hill (80203, 80218). Michael also offers experiences with a personal trainer in Cheesman Park (80218, 80206), Jefferson Park (80211), and Sloan's Lake (80204, 80212).

2 Foods You Should Avoid During Weight Loss

Your weight loss resolutions will be dancing around your head next week like Prancer on your roof tonight.  No time is better than now to start thinking about what you should be leaving OFF your plate as you ring in the new year.  Take this advice from your favorite personal trainer in Chicago and start tighten your waistline today!

#2:  Buffalo Sauce:  Who doesn't love buffalo sauce (especially on hot wings)?  Your doctor.  This tasty addition to any food is half hot sauce and half butter....which means more fat, sodium, and calories than you need.  

#1:  Beer:  Beer is bread.  Bread is another carb in your diet.  These carbs will cause weight gain and unhappy looks in the mirror.  With the popularity of microbrews, it hurts me to tell you that you need to cut this out.  Since you're dedicated to weight loss, though, you'll need to cut out extra calories (especially these liquid calories).  Beers average between 100-200 calories (think light beer to stout) and will quickly add up.  What's worse?  It takes 1 hour for every beer you drink before it starts burning fat again.  No bien.

Vera Cruz Fish and Brussels Sprouts Weight Loss Dinner

Trader Joes serves up the perfect quick fish dish with a Mediterranean flare.   Try this weight loss recipe and make your Chicago personal trainer happy!

Sauté the Vera Cruz fish until you reach an internal temperature of 175.  Meanwhile, sauté the prechopped bagged Brussels Sprouts and packaged sundrie tomatoes in 1 tspn of olive oil over medium heat until the leaves crisp.  Stir frequently.

Lastly, toss the drained and rinsed white beans (can) in parsley, garlic, and a 1/2 tspn of olive oil.  Heat on medium until you reach your preferred temperature.

15-20 minutes with prep

30 seconds to call your Denver personal trainer for approval

Your top 3 New Year's Resolutions

Tis' the season to analyze your life!  Well, just a little bit-you don't want to go crazy.  This is your official top 3 New Year's Resolution List.  The list of all lists for the new year.  

Next year will be different because you'll choose to make it different and here is your start:

#3:  I will develop a routine.  The biggest contributor to successful weight loss for my personal training clients is routine.  Without it, life is chaos.  It provides the foundation for all of your behavior and gives you the consistency to reach a goal.  Whether it's eating, sleeping, or exercising, be sure to specifically determine your needs and lay out the groundwork for successful completion.

#2:  I will enjoy each day.  It's a shame when we need to remind ourselves to enjoy each day.  Over the last 10 years, I've learned from my personal training clients that people are, well, just not that happy.  I don't blame them.  With the overwhelming stresses of work, family, and Denver sports, it is easy to be distracted from the fruits of life.  Although I wouldn't expect you to dismiss these stresses, I certainly encourage to change your perspective on them.  Life will throw challenges at you each day.  It's time to embrace them as learning experiences for growth and wisdom.  By doing this, you may look at these challenges in a more positive light and enjoy the process of living (not the achievement of results).

#1:  I will simplify my life.  Since there are many obstacles that you face daily, you want to simplify your life as much as possible.  After all, how can you find the solution when it's submerged under a mess of life.  Get rid of clothes, paperwork, and other random things in your closet/cabinets/trunk/yard/garage/basement that you haven't touched in 6 months.  Quit trying to multitask (are we really meant to multitask????).  Put things that you use daily in the same spot (i.e. keys, phone, etc.).  Consolidate bank accounts.  Save time by ordering what you need online.  Whatever you need to do, make sure it tightens up your life so that you don't overextend yourself any more.

Charting Your Weight Loss Success Part 2

Over the last 2 months, my personal training client, Tim, has been tracking his body weight and body fat loss.  I'm happy to report that Tim has lost 13.7 lbs between October 13th and December 9th!  In fact, he reported a new low on Thursday, December 11th: 189 lbs!  That's 15 lbs in 8 weeks....and well in our sustainable "1-2 lb per week" range.  

Take a look at his trends below!  What do you notice?

Tim's notes along the way......

What trends about your weight do you notice during your fitness/personal training experiences?  Are there some days on your chart that show a higher weight than others?

Save the Cow! Here is a List of Non Animal Protein Sources!

Looking for non animal protein sources while you meet with a personal trainer in Chicago?  Check out the list below!  It might inspire new recipes during your weight loss journey.  Please keep in mind that another great protein source isn't listed but is always a given: Nuts!  

If you have any more suggestion for this Chicago personal trainer, let me know!

Happy munching!

Overcoming Helplessness While You Personal Train

Do you ever completely feel powerless?  Although I did before that day in Starbucks, I now realize that there is always something I can do.  I believe that I have control (that I can do something about any situation I face).   While I didn’t know what was in store for me at the time, I had the power to be my best self within my strengths and limitations and make the most of my experiences.  Feeling a sense of self-control isn’t defined as ‘controlling every unknown’.  Instead, it’s defined as ‘feeling confident about my approach, accepting the consequences and adapting whenever and wherever needed’.

If you feel learned helplessness, it is difficult to achieve the self-control you desire.  You developed the perspective that it doesn’t matter what you do, it won’t change the outcome.  Time after time, your efforts have been fruitless.  What’s the point of trying to change anything now?  You are a forever pessimist, and you can show why. 

Feeling a lack of control over your life can be stressful.  It reminds me of a sailboat in the Caribbean careening out of control during a hurricane.  Even if the captain possesses the expertise to meander through most storms, she doesn’t have the tools to handle this storm.   The crew will do whatever they can while water swallows each side and the boat rocks violently back and forth.

Their efforts seem like perfect reactions to each new wind and wave but are never enough to combat the flooding waters on the ship.   What else can they do?  Their ship is slowly sinking, and the crew feels powerless despite doing everything they know to save it.

Many people can relate to this story of survival.  You and your significant other work six days a week but never seem to recover financially--there’s always another car part needed or the kids always need something for school.  

You seek a moment of peace at work, but there’s always an unfinished project or a complaint you’re dealing with from a customer or colleague.  Day in and day out you’re trying to climb to even ground, but your efforts are never enough.  You feel powerless.  Clients have shared similar situations with a look of frustration, fatigue, and burn out.

Your story may be different but feels the same.  Financial burden or an unfulfilling job plagues you. Your relationship is spiraling out of control.  You deal with significant stresses, and you don’t know how to change them.

If you were telling me your story like my many clients before (sometimes through tears), you would probably say there’s nothing you can do about it.  “It is what it is” or “You don’t understand” are typical answers.  You might downplay your ability to make a change and affirm that you’re powerless.

That feeling of powerlessness can show itself in many ways.  In an effort to limit that feeling and minimize the unknowns in my life, I lived a structured, rigid life defined by rigorous routine, constant introspection, and the daily analysis of every moment.  My life was hardly enjoyable.  Any wrinkle that appeared in my life became a pure disruption to my obsessed and finely written flow.  Premeditative strategies steered my life.  There was little room for the unknown. 

Interestingly, a strict routine with constant achievements never made me feel secure, however.  I was always achieving feats of success and pushing for more but rarely enjoying the small moments.  My college experience substantially demonstrated this.  My resume was a summary of defining attributes to obtain the perfect job, and it was never good enough.  I felt like I was completely powerless over my future, and I couldn’t escape it.

Let’s say that maybe up to this point you were right about similar situations.  You joined a masters degree program with the hope of stable employment, but you still bounce from job to job unhappy.  You committed to marriage counseling for a year, but you still can’t resolve the marital issues.

Maybe you were wrong.  Maybe you didn’t try everything you could because you didn’t think of the solution, or you weren’t in the right time and place for it to happen.  Maybe it wasn’t in your power to change your relationship, but it was in your power to build a new one with the right pieces.

You see, you’re always in control but haven’t defined it in the right way.  The world is full of too many unknowns, and it isn’t plausible to think you can control all of it.  It would be an endless effort.

You CAN control your perspective and approach.  In fact, you have COMPLETE ownership, and nobody can take that away from you.

If one way fails, you can choose another way (or at least attempt it).  Choice is your power, and you are not as leashed to a situation as you think you might be.  If something can be changed or switched, I recommend trying it.  Experiment.  What do you have to lose?

If you can’t change your situation, at least you modify something else for now--your perspective.   You can reweave your mind with the pieces in front of you.  Realign your perspective with your purpose--what you feel you were meant to do (a conversation we’ll discuss in depth later).  Flip your perspective of the negative into the positive.

Let’s be honest.  Your negativity has most likely placed a filter on your perspective of everything in front of you.  It has held you back from stepping forward. 

You most likely are overlooking the positives and small pieces for a path to redefine yourself.  Think about your life as a game of Tetris:  if you spin the object or flip it over, it will eventually fit perfectly into another piece of your life.  If it doesn’t, toss it aside and choose another piece. 

“But Michael, I hear crazy Russian music and the game is too fast.  I don’t have time to flip the pieces constantly.” 

Perhaps you’re right.  You may need to slow the game down.  Are you willing to do this?  Are you prepared to make a sacrifice to achieve your best happy self?

An optimistic attitude is what you need.  It is a belief that you have control and can create change.  If you can’t change your job right now, you will accept that and begin learning how you can operate in that position more happily.  If you can’t change your relationship right now, you will accept that and begin looking for ways to become a more effective partner in that partnership.

You can indeed wait forever for change to happen organically beyond your control.  However, if you want it immediately, change will only occur if you BELIEVE that you have control over your situation and the environment.  How about that?  It’s empowering to know that you have the power to steer away from stress or unhappiness!  Just believe it.

Reflection Section:

1.)        Awareness:  Describe three scenarios in your personal life in which you feel helpless.  Where does this feeling of helplessness stem from and what evidence do you have to support this lack of control?

2.)        Acceptance:  Are you willing to accept that your life isn’t perfect right now, but you have the power to modify the situation or change your perspective?

3.)        Adaptation:  What new strategies can you possibly utilize to take control over these scenarios?  Is there a way to modify your perspective to feel a sense of control?  If so, how?  What messages can you tell yourself to remain positive?