Minneapolis Personal Trainer hosting Weight Loss Challenge in January and February 2017

Ever heard someone say, “Everything in moderation…”?  I hate that saying.

As a fitness and nutrition coach, it is probably my least favorite saying.  EVERYTHING in moderation? How much cocaine should one ingest daily to achieve a moderate amount of intake? The correct answer is zero, of course. How much sleep is moderate? Five hours, eight hours, or maybe eleven hours? What about sugar? There is no recommended daily allowance of sugar suggestion in the United States. How are we supposed to know how much sugar one should consume? When it comes to health, we struggle to define what healthy moderation and balance should look like.

I believe the body gives us clues that help us to determine how to moderately consume our treats. For example, it takes the kidneys and liver about five days to make a doughnut binge or a night on the town “like it never happened.” Five days. If we want to balance our treats with healthy foods, we’d better execute five consecutive days of clean eating for every one gluttonous meal. 

The real reason I can’t handle “everything in moderation” is because it is worse than the truth. It sounds good, and maybe even sounds true. The most damaging part is that it really does is cast a long shadow on the truth, which makes the truth more difficult to see.   "Everything in moderation" makes it seem like we should celebrate with birthday cake a few times a week. We must look beyond the cake to find the truth!

Even little Emma must learn how to achieve a  healthy balance with her treats!

The Truth About Weight Loss

Here’s the truth: In health and in life, if we execute moderately well, we will achieve only moderate success. Think about that. Want to lose a tenth of a pound per week? Eat everything in moderation. For every bottle of water, consume a soft drink. Salad for lunch? You deserve a burger and fries for dinner. After all, you earned it, right? Eye roll.

Here’s more truth. In getting healthy (specifically with weight loss), there are two main phases: pursuit phase and maintenance phase. These two phases have dramatically different rules. 

The pursuit phase is strict for my clients. For the nutrition plan, we eat very clean for six-and-a-half days a week. Then, for half a day, my clients go to town with a bonus meal. I always say, “Go to town with your bonus meal, just don’t go to Vegas!”  

If the pursuit phase is strict, the maintenance phase is a bit more laid back. By maintenance phase, my clients have hit their goal weight, and are consistently and successfully maintaining their goal weight for a month or more. In addition to nutritional alignment, because of a successful execution of our fitness plan, my clients have their hormones on track. This results in a fired-up metabolism. Because of the weight stability, hormone stability, and metabolic strength, my clients in maintenance phase have more liberty on their bonus meals. Less rules, more fun.

Consider four of my clients from 2016 (three of my newest clients, and one who I worked with for all of 2016):

Client #1 started working with me in August of 2016. She has polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which means she has a chronic hormonal imbalance. Two main symptoms of PCOS are weight gain and extreme difficulty in losing weight. The primary care doctor for Client #1 told her: “I just don’t know what to do with you. I can’t wait until you are diabetic, because then I’ll know what to do.” 

How frustrating is that? Your doctor doesn’t have any hope. Why should you? And to that end, Client #1 was very frustrated with her body when I first met with her. Every time she tried to lose weight, she would gain weight.

Guess what? In five months of working with me, Client #1 is down 45 pounds!  Her hormones have regulated, and her health is improving rapidly!

 Client #2 started in mid-October of 2016. She doesn’t have a lot of weight to lose, but wanted to get toned up for a trip. Her goal was to lose thirty pounds in six months. As of this writing (January of 2017), she has lost twenty pounds in three months. Client #2 is much stronger and leaner, and is very happy with her progress.

Client #3 started working with me in mid-November of 2016. She is in her late forties, and has been stuck for awhile with her body. She is down thirteen pounds in two months, feels fantastic, and loves the way her clothes fit!

Client #4 worked with me for the vast majority of 2016. From our work in January (when she was 16 weeks postpartum) through December, she lost over 40 pounds! Client #4 now weighs less than she did before she got pregnant and is in great shape.

These four client snapshots are the tip of the iceberg for 2016. As I look back on the clients I worked with last year, we really had some unbelievable health wins! The reason why my clients succeeded so much in 2016 and in the early stages of 2017: we don’t abide by an “everything in moderation” philosophy. We crush our pursuit phase by executing our fitness and nutrition plan extraordinarily well, and therefore achieve extraordinary success.

How to Achieve Healthy Weight Loss in 2017

As you consider your health goals for 2017, I encourage you to scrap an “everything in moderation” mentality. You are in pursuit phase.  Crush pursuit phase. Execute at a high level to succeed at a high level.

If you would like help succeeding with your health goals, I would like to introduce three ways I may be able to partner with you…

For those who live near Plymouth, MN and can access this Minneapolis-area personal trainer :

1)      Healthy Obsession Team Challenge - This six-week weight loss challenge starts next week (the week of January 23rd) and is an intensive fitness and nutrition experience. We win as a team, and we win big!  It is cost effective and results oriented. Want more details, click here!

2)      Partner with me for 1-on-1 for your fitness and nutrition-I love helping people who are ready and willing to get to work on their health goals.  Give me two weeks.  We will win enough in two weeks for you to see the path to longer term success.  Contact me to start a conversation about starting NOW so you can look and feel your best faster than you imagined possible.

For those of you living outside of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area:

3)      Virtual fitness and nutrition coaching-By leveraging the power of smart phones and social media live outlets, we are able to accomplish more with today’s technology in our virtual sessions. We can nail down a concrete meal plan and map out a successful fitness plan. If you are hungry to win now, contact me to start a conversation!

Whether I work with you or not in 2017, I hope you achieve health success this year. I hope you scrap the “everything in moderation” mentality and pursue your goal with a high-level of execution! 

To your health,

Adam

The Five Questions You Should Ask Yourself When Fat and Weight Loss Get Stuck

About 1/3 of my personal training clients are those who had early weight-loss success and then got stuck.  When I work with these people, here are five questions I ask them as we get going...

Weight-Loss Plateau Question #1: How long has it been since you did a cleanse?

If your car was sluggish and not performing very well, you would probably check to see the timing of the last tune-up.  Likewise, your body struggles to perform well and burn fat fuel if it hasn't had a tune up in awhile.  Getting rid of impurities and toxin via a cleanse is a great way to shake lose of a weight-loss plateau.

Your body stores acidic toxins in your fat cells.  If the environment in your body is too toxic to allow fat cells to release acidic toxins into the bloodstream, your body's natural survivalistic function will not allow fat to be burned.  A cleanse, especially one focused on alkaline foods and drinks, can serve as a tune-up for the body and help it to eliminate toxins and burn fat cells more effectively.

Weight-Loss Plateau Question #2:  When was the last time you swung a kettlebell?

Kettlebell workouts are great for fat loss.  They are a different breed...a different brand of workout.  The body needs workout variety to continue to improve.  When was the last time you turned your workouts upside down and did something completely different, like kettlebells?

Weight-Loss Plateau Question #3:  How much water do you REALLY drink every day?

Fat cells need to be well-hydrated to burn effectively.  I have weight-loss-plateau clients measure their water carefully.  It is amazing how little water we drink...and it makes up 70% of our body!  Drinking more water fixes a lot of problems associated with weight loss.

Weight-Loss Plateau Question #4: How much fiber and protein do you consume in a day?

Most people have very little idea how much protein they consume in a day, and absolutely no idea how much fiber they consume in a day.  Fiber and protein have one thing in common: they help the body achieve satisfaction from hunger.  Fiber also escorts toxins out of the body and assists in colon function.  Protein helps repair and build muscle cells (and muscle cells burn 70% more calories than fat cells).    It is important to consume one gram of protein per pound that you want to weigh (eat like you want to be!) and 20-30 grams of fiber per day.

Weight-Loss Plateau Question #5: Is your cardio optimizing fat-burning mechanisms in the body?

When I ask this question I get a blank stare.  Most people don't know how cardio burns fat.  To maximize fat-based weight loss in your cardio workout, make sure to read my others blogs on fat loss to learn about the secret cardio formula that is the world's proven best fat-burning cardio interval.

Do You Have a Question for Adam the In-Home Personal Trainer and Weight-Loss Boot Camp Extraordinairre?

If you have a question about working out, losing weight, my boot camp program (www.keepyourbetterhalf.com), or nutrition, feel free to go to my website and hit the CONTACT button. :)

Adam Erwin is an in-home personal trainer who travels the world to work with people who are ready to put excuses aside and work hard to change their body.  Visit www.keepyourbetterhalf.com to learn more about what Adam does, who he works with, and how you can have him come and work with you!  A Minneapolis resident, Adam will work close to home (Eden Prairie, Wayzata, Minnetonka, Edina) or will travel to your location (San Diego, Miami, Phoenx, Sydney Australia) to work with you.

Three "Outside the Box" Options When You Have Had it With Your Joints

2009 UPDATE!!!

Before you read this blog, there are two things you need to know:

1) Open enrollment has begun for the Virtual Boot Camp: Total Body Makeover!   Get 28 days of perfect nutrition and exercise (complete with a grocery list, access to videos, and more!) for only $100 (NOTE: This is the very package I charge thousands for...the only thing you are missing is my physical presence!).  Enrollment ends on January 10th, so click to http://keepyourbetterhalf.com/virtualbootcamp.html now!

2) If you would like the free report "The 27 Factors Affecting Fat Loss and Weight Loss", send me an email and I'll get the report to you!

Now, back to the blog...

As a personal trainer in the Twin Cities, I've seen my fair share of long-suffering clients walk through the door with worn out and torn up joints.  From "football knees" to ineffective reconstructive foot surgery to bad backs, I have been fortunate to share some secrets with clients and watched as their out-of-whack body part became healthy.  Here are three of my favorite suggestions to people suffering from joint pain.

Personal Trainer "Bad Feet, Bad Knees, Bad Back" Suggestion #1: Z-Coil Footwear

Many people I talk to have seen Z-Coils...they have a unique look to them...and they are highly effective footwear.  The coil/spring on the heel of the foot cushions each step, so much so that it cuts the impact in half on your feet, knees, and back.  To your joints, it feels like you instantly lost half your body weight. 

A current client of mine was in a major car accident and had three reconstructive surgeries on her foot.  She's hobbled around in a velcro boot for the last two years!  Her unusual foot shape (an unpleasant by-product of her surgeries) has not allowed her to wear shoes since her accident.  I took her to Sprongs in Minneapolis (go to zcoil.com to find the dealer closest to you) and my client was fitted with a pair of Z-Coils.  Three weeks later she is walking all over the place, even up flights of stairs, which she has not done for over two years!  I have many Z-Coil stories like that. 

If your back, knees, or feet hurt a lot, start by taking care of your feet.  It's always good to start from the ground up!

Personal Trainer "Bad Feet, Bad Knees, Bad Back" Suggestion #2: Replenex!

I have tried a lot of products to soothe joints.  Some have been highly effective, some have been cost effective.  Replenex is the only product I have found that is highly effective and cost effective. 

A football buddy of mine had surgery on his torn ACL a few years back.  Every time we played football, he had to load up on ibuprofen before and after, along with lots of ice afterward...and he still felt pain!  Then I came upon a product called Replenex, with has glucosamine hydochloride, bromelain, ginger root extract, and green tea extract.  I gave Tony a bottle to try and he no longer has any knee pain at all.  It's been three months and he is completely pain free.  No more ibuprofen, no more ice, no more pain....and he still plays football!  All this for around $12 a month!

If you would like to know how to get your hands on some, email me (adam@keepyourbetterhalf.com) and I would be glad to help!  Whatever you do, stay away from discount stores for your joint needs.  Replenex may be cost effective, but it is a specialty product...which is why you can't find it everywhere.

Personal Trainer "Bad Feet, Bad Knees, Bad Back" Suggestion #3: A Trusty Chiroprator

Some chiropractors are very, very good.  Carpal tunnel, migraines, ADHD...the good ones can fix even the most difficult of nervous system issues.  If you are in the Twin Cities, you need to get in touch with Dr. Mark Schulz.  His mobile chiropratic care is phenomenal.  Check him out at www.tpmihealthcare.com. In other metro locations, go to bni.com to find a local chiropractor who is well-respected in your community.

If your joints are beat up, it is high time to address the pain.  The longer you wait, the more your body is forced to compensate, and the more beat up you will become.  Explore these three suggestions to help alleviate your achy joints.

Adam Erwin is an in-home personal trainer who travels the world to work with people who are ready to put excuses aside and work hard to change their body.  Visit www.keepyourbetterhalf.com to learn more about what Adam does, who he works with, and how you can have him come and work with you!  A Minneapolis resident, Adam will work close to home (Eden Prairie, Wayzata, Minnetonka, Edina) or will travel to your location (San Diego, Miami, Phoenx, Sidney Australia) to work with you.