Fitness Together - St. Louis

Contrary to popular belief...

2012-01-23T07:27:00.000-08:00

Contrary to popular belief the busiest time of
year for us here at Fitness Together is NOT
January 1st.

That mad New Year rush happens at big box gyms.

Starting today, January 23rd, however, is our
busiest time.

Why?

Because once people realize a gym cannot solve
their weight loss and fitness problems they call
me.

It takes 21 days to adopt a new habit. Since
roughly 80% of gym members don't actually use the
gym on a regular basis, they fail.

A gym or health club lacks accountability,
support, and guidance.

When most walk in to the gym they ask themselves,
"Now what?"

So that "solution" quickly fails.

The intent is there. Which is important. But it
lacks structure.

This is when we come in.

Our programs consist of the three core components
to weight loss and fitness results; strength
training, cardiovascular training and nutrition.
But what's more important is the accountability,
support, motivation, education, inspiration, and
customization. That's what really makes it a
successful program.

If you started a New Year's resolution or you're
trying to live a healthier life, we can help.

Download our info-pack and request a complimentary
consultation. You're not making a commitment to us
by doing so. Yet. But you will find out what a
program for YOU will look like and be able to
determine if it's the right fit.

Whether you call me or not, realize you must add
accountability, support, and structure to your
program if you want results. Joining a gym or
buying a fitness DVD will not solve your problems.

I hope we get the chance to help you.

Best,

Tim Chudy
Fitness Together
314.909.9565 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 314.909.9565 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

P.S. Great games yesterday. I'm pulling for Eli's
second Super Bowl win!

P.P.S. There's no risk and no obligation to your
consultation. All I ask is you investigate, then decide.

10 Weight Loss Strategies That Work

2012-01-11T08:17:00.000-08:00

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and
the University of Colorado set out to determine
what lifestyle changes were needed to lose weight
AND keep it off. They began an on-going study
called the National Weight Control Registry(www.nwcr.ws).

This registry does not list all of their test
subjects. In order to make it you had to lose over
30 pounds AND keep it off for a year. So they did
a good job qualifying success.

What they found was intersting.

And the numbers they compiled don't lie.

The findings are listed into 10 lifestyle changes.

Here are the 10 habits of these successful weight
losers:

1. 98 percent of registry participants reported
that they modified their food intake in some way
to lose weight. Ok, kinda obvious. But you must
change your eating habits in some way (i.e. fewer
calories) to lose weight.

2. Most registry members reported consuming less
high-fat dense food groups and more low-fat dense
food groups resulting in a lower daily calorie
intake and greater weight loss. Eat lighter and
cleaner. Stay away from fried, high fat foods and
eat more fresh fruits and veggies.

3. 94 percent of registry participants reported
increasing their physical activity. Again, kinda
obvious. More out, less in.

4. 90 percent reported exercising, on average,
about one hour per day. Note the difference of
activity and exercise. Yesterday a client ran 1
mile and also played in a basketball game. She
asked if the game counted for cardio. I said no.
Walking your kids around the block, golfing and
gardening are all activity. But exercise is
strength and cardio training. There IS a
difference.

5. 78 percent reported eating breakfast daily.
I'll venture to say they didn't eat donuts.

6. 75 percent of registry participants reported
weighing themselves at least once a week. The
interval can and should vary, but measurment of
progress is essential. It helps you stay
accountable and also provides motivation, which fuels your efforts.

7. 62 percent watched TV less than 10 hours/week.
More TV means a more sedentary lifestyle. Do you
know how much TV you watch? Try tracking it. I bet
you'd be surprised.

8. 42% of the sample reported that maintaining
their weight loss was less difficult than losing
weight. This is VERY IMPORTANT. Because I see this
mistake all the time.

In the beginning, when you're trying to lose
weight, you CANNOT afford to cheat. You MUST
remain committed to your program and keep the 'dial turned up'. Then, once you've reached your goal you can afford to cheat here and there. If you start to backslide you simply 'turn the dial back up.'

9. Nearly all registry members stated that weight
loss led to improvements in their level of energy,
physical mobility, general mood, self-confidence,
and physical health. I won't begin to list the
benefits of losing weight and getting in shape. You're smart, and I'm sure you know there are TONS of them. Life is better when you look good and feel good about yourself.

10. For those who did regain weight, weight regain
was due, at least in part, to failure to maintain
behavior changes. This clearly tells us "diets"
don't work. If you don't continue to pay attention
to your health and fitness you will backslide.

There's a lot of wisdom in these 10 strategies.

In the book Switch by Dan and Chip Heath, they
discuss how one guy solved a major
malnutrition problem in Vietnam back in the 90s. He did so by looking at the "bright spots" of other villages without the problem.

He didn't try to solve all of the other underlying problems; poor sanitation, rampant poverty, ignorance to nutrition, etc... He looked to the villages that did not have any malnourishment problems and followed their success.

You can learn a lot by finding the "bright spots"
and then implement them in your own life.

Stop trying to find more time - you'll never have it. Stop trying to set aside enough money - you'll never have it. Stop trying to fix other problems and issues. Make a few changes that other successful people have done and lose the weight.

In addition to the weight loss registry mentioned
above our very own Fitness Together clients, maybe
some of them your neighbors, are another place to
find bright spots.

Jan just joined the FT family and starts her training program tomorrow. She said her friend of the same age lost a lot of weight last year. "And if she can do it, by golly I can do it!"

Sometimes we need to see the possiblities. We need
the motivation and inspiration of others that have
gone before us.

I hope the findings from 5,000 successful weight loss subjects and that of your very own neighbors motivates you to create change in your own life.

To your weight loss success,

Tim Chudy

P.S. So maybe you didn't start fresh on January 1st. Big deal. It's never too late to get started. Jan, whom I mentioned earlier consulted with me 2 years ago! And she's just now starting. It's your time. Schedule your consultation now.

6 Tips To Making A Successful New Year's Resolution

2011-12-28T07:30:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of year!

Time to take an honest assessment of where you are
in life, and decide what you’d like to achieve
in the upcoming year.

It’s a sad fact that the majority of folks NEVER
see those resolutions come to fruition. That’s
why today, I’d like to share with you a few tips
that will help you stick with your resolutions, no
matter what - creating a NEW YOU in 2012!

The major reason people don’t follow through on
their resolutions is FEAR. Change is scary, and
committing to change is a scary endeavor. But
follow these tips and you should be able to nip
fear in the bud and actually accomplish what you
set out to achieve in 2012!

Get Serious - If you make "another resolution"
it's going to be just that, another resolution.
Make a resolution because you want to change
something. Don’t do it because everyone else is or
because you feel like you have to. Get serious
with yourself and do it because you want to.

Chunk It Down - However big your resolution is,
chunk it down into bite size pieces. Let’s say you
want to lose 80 pounds this year. Chunk that down
into a smaller increment. Try losing 15 pounds in
the first 2 months. Or if you want to improve your
relationships focus on one at a time. This way
you’ll build momentum and have a higher rate of
success.

Relax - You're setting a resolution to make this
year better than the last. Don't put yourself on a
tight rope with no net. If you fail with your
resolution you won’t be any worse off than where
you stand today. Take a deep breath and keep it in
perspective.

Have Fun - Yes, this is very important. Think of
something you hate. It could be doing laundry,
cleaning toilets, or even running on a treadmill.
Now picture yourself doing that every day. It's
terrible! You wouldn't last. The more fun you can
build into your resolution the easier it will be.

Research - You gotta do your homework. Talk to
your friends. Find out what they're doing. Find
out what they've done. Were they successful? Talk to your doctor, a personal trainer, a financial advisor, etc... Get on the internet, read some books or magazines. Get the info you need to make your resolution work this year.

Get Help - You can never have enough help. And you
should never be afraid to ask for help. It’s what
smart people do. Telling yourself your resolution
and going it alone is a recipe for failure. Ask
the right questions to the right people and you’ll
be a leg up.

Resolutions are tough. But do not be afraid. If
you’ve failed in the past, try and learn from what
you did wrong and make the necessary changes.

Remember that nothing happens without action.
Action, no matter how small, will help give you
the momentum you need. And once you’ve started
taking action, you’ll have a better understanding
of what you need to do to get to your final
destination.

So this year, set some resolutions... and follow
through until you’ve achieved them!

Happy 2012,
Tim Chudy

P.S. If you take my tips seriously and seek help,
please call me, 314.909.9565. I'd love to help you be successful
this coming year.

250 Miiiiillion Dollars (believe it or not this post has to do with weight loss)

2011-12-15T09:39:00.000-08:00

$250,000,000.00 is a lot of dough.

That's the amount of money companies are making
peddling weight loss suppleme...err... scams.

You may have fallen victim to them by handing over
your money. The weight loss results they tout
are staggering. 40 pounds in 30 days, Joe Blow
loses 150 pounds, and many other similar results.
There marketing is very good. Shady at best.
But still good.

25 mil was revenue from ONE company! A
few days ago the FTC filed complaints on 10 other
operations just like it.

Which puts it in the HUNDREDS of millions.

The saddest part; the crap they sell doesn't even
work.

Solve the worlds weight problem and you should get
a BIG check. Sell snake oil and you should go
to jail.

Try as we may, we can't redefine ourselves
overnight. That's too easy. If that worked then
all of the late night infomercials and fitness
dvd's would work.

But you CAN redefine yourself steadily, over time.

A very successful client of mine sold his
business for millions of dollars a few years back.
An article in the paper dubbed him as an overnight
success story. After talking with him, he said the
article gave him a chuckle because in reality they
were "a 10 year overnight success."

That statement made me think. It opened my eyes
that as much as we might see overnight successes
or hear about 30 day weight loss stories, the
reality is it takes steady, constant, and yes,
disciplined action.

Read that sentence again.

It takes steady, constant, disciplined action.

Let it soak in.

Because until you buy into that you will continue
to search, try, and fail at whatever it is you want to do. And waste a lot of money in the process.

STOP believing in crap. Start accepting diet
and exercise does it.

To your weight loss success,
Tim

P.S. Do you need to lose 10, 20, even 50 pounds or
more? I can help. It's a proven program that even
your doctor would recommend. Let's talk.

Fitness Together client gets magazine cover!

2011-12-08T10:02:00.000-08:00

Longtime Fitness Together client, David Hotle, was
recognized as one of St. Louis' fittest CEO's by
Small Business Monthly. Even better, they chose
him to flex his muscles for the cover!!!

It's a great accomplishment for David. But with or
without it, he's truly living a high quality of
life. And his health and fitness are a big reason
for that.

David's health and fitness success began with his
decision to change some of his habits. He noticed
himself slipping with his diet and exercise. And
he didn't like the way that limited him.

When I first met David he was soft and "flabby."
I could tell he wasn't working out. That was over 5
years ago.

Now, David is one of the fittest 65 year olds I've
ever worked with. Every time a new trainer takes
him through a workout I hear how impressed they
are with his fitness level. He pushes hard. But he
also pushes smart. He's very tuned-in to his body
and knows his limitations.

David has seen his fair share of speed bumps along
the way too. He's taken vacations, been very busy
with work, dealt with a few nagging physical
issues, but if it's one thing this guy is, it's
consistent.

And that is one of his biggest secrets!

As he says, "When you're health conscious, you
have a better quality of life."

Being health conscious doesn't happen for 3
months. It's a decision you make each and
every day. It's a way to live your life.

It's also important to note David's mental
attitude.

I've never seen David have a bad day. His
family, friends, and colleagues would say the
same. I'm sure he has them. But it's just another
choice he makes toward living a high quality life.

As David finishes a hard set of exercise, his
heart rate pumping, sweat dripping and breathing
heavy, his response is, "Good, good!" My entire
training team, including myself, now says, "Good,
good!" through training sessions. His positive
energy is contagious.

Congratulations David! I'm glad your hard work and
commitment to a fit and healthy lifestyle were
recognized.

Good, good!

Live by David's example and make a decision to be
fit and healthy. Decide to be positive. If you do,
I assure you, you will live greatly.

To your health and fitness,

Tim Chudy

P. S. If you read the article (linked at the top)
you saw that David and I traded training for
training.

I was 25 when I opened my business. If you can
imagine, I needed some guidance. His coaching has
been worth its weight in gold.

If you're an owner, executive, or in any type of
sales I'd encourage you to give David a call.
He'll take your business life from flabby to fit
and healthy!

Can you drink alcohol and still lose weight?

2011-11-22T11:08:00.000-08:00

You might think this post is timely with the
holiday. Or maybe not so timely. Just depends how much
you want to drink over the Thanksgiving
holiday.;-)

Regardless, it will be helpful to know what the OK
amount of alcohol is. So keep reading and learn
something to help your weight loss efforts.

Or bookmark this and come back after Thanksgiving.
(Or the New Year if you really plan to imbibe).

Can you drink alcohol and still lose weight?

Yes, you can. But don't go and make yourself a
martini just yet. There's more to it than that.
You still have to be smart about it.

I always laugh when I see beer commercials touting
3.2 grams of carbs in beer. Or when they compare their beer to a martini served in a thimble. It's cute and obviously resonates with the weight conscious drinker. But that shouldn't concern you.

There are two things to consider when drinking
alcohol. Calories, specifically those from carbs,
and alcohol content. Which one do you think
matters more? Let's take a look at both.

Calories - All drinks have calories; beer, wine,
and liquor. But it's the cocktails that should
scare you the most. Any popular mixer will contain
most of the calories and ALL of the sugar.

Take a daiquiri for example, or any fun colored
frozen concoction. An 8 oz. glass will have almost
500 calories and over 20 grams of sugar! You can
see the damage you could do by drinking just a
couple of those.

Alcohol - It won't make you fat. Yes, read it
again. Try throwing back shots of tequila and see
if you gain weight. You won't. But add in some
sweet and sour mix, a salted rim, and 4 baskets of
chips and salsa. Now we're talking weight gain. Bienvenidos body fat!

I have an alcohol rule for losing weight. 1 drink
2x/week OR 2 drinks 1x/week. You get to choose.

Why is that my rule? Because of this one very
important fact... Concern yourself less with the
calories or sugar of what you're drinking but
think about the metabolic priority drinking does
to you.

You see, alcohol is metabolized before anything
else in the body. So have a few drinks with dinner
and you're body will go after the alcohol first
before the carbs, protein, and fat.

This is exactly the opposite of what exercise does
to your metabolism. An intense workout will create
that afterburn effect which keeps the metabolism
ramped up after the workout helping you burn calories long after your workout.

So stop thinking about carbs or even calories and
think metabolically.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when drinking.

==A glass of wine should be 5oz. A typical red
wine glass holds 12-14oz. Although you might think
you're getting lucky when the bartender tops off
your glass, you're not.

==If you're drinking a cocktail opt for real
mixers. Use real lime juice, lemon juice, and diet
tonic or soda. Most if not all pre-made drinks
will be chalk full of sugar and calories.

==If you're really trying to be aggressive with
weight loss, keep your drinks for special
occasions. Get out of the habit of having a glass
of wine with dinner or winding down for the night
with a drink. Make it more of a treat than the
norm.

The FT Team and I would like to wish you and your
family a very Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!!!

Cheers,

Tim Chudy

P.S. If you're struggling to lose weight I'd urge
you to schedule a nutrition consultation. Andrew,
our client of the month in October has lost 30lbs.
Lucinda, our client of the month this month has lost
70 total lbs! And Cindy, who'll be featured in December
has lost 32lbs in 8 weeks. This program flat out works.
Request your consultation here.

Fitness Trends for 2012

2011-11-09T06:45:00.000-08:00

The fitness industry is one of the fastest growing industries today. And it has continued to be over the last 20+ years. Americans are heavier, less fit, and unhealthier more than ever. Thus giving rise to a myriad of fitness, nutrition, and
weight loss solutions. Some good. Some not so good.

The American College of Sports Medicine released
it's survey results for the top fitness trends of
2012.

I listed a few of the top 20 here with my comments.

Educated and experienced fitness professionals.
This trend will never fade. Trainers aren't looked
upon just for the Hollywood elite anymore.
Trainers are for everyone. Just as plumbers,
accountants, and dentists are too. Smart people seek solutions to their problems from experts.

Strength training.
Jack LaLanne and Au-nold helped introduce this to
the American landscape. It's changed a bit but the
foundation is still the same.

Fitness programs for older adults.
Research shows baby boomers to have made more
income leaps than any other generation before. You
can retire with all the money in the world, but if
you can't enjoy the fruits of it then what's the use? And you don't take any of that money with you when you die. Think about it... if you've managed to create financial independence then you want to travel, be active and get out and do things. Your health and fitness is vital for that.

Exercise and weight loss.
As I've said before, you can't outwork a bad diet.
You need both diet AND exercise to lose weight.

Children and obesity.
I've talked about this many times before. And my conversations with our clients that are Peditricians only bring home this problem even more. This problem continues to grow (no pun intended) and must be addressed.

Core training.
With the majority of Americans suffering from back
pain this is a BIG area of emphasis for us. We sit in front of a computer all day, are less active day to day, and have bigger waistlines. All
of these contribute to poor core strength, bad
posture, and back pain. It can be one of the
easiest fixes... IF it's done correctly.

Group personal training.
We realized this trend and is the very reason why we launched our Small Group Personal Training program with huge success last month. The same components of our traditional one-on-one programs, but with the energy, fun, and SAVINGS of a small group.

Zumba.
I can't say I've tried this myself, but my wife has and she really enjoyed it. We also participate in St. Luke's Spirit of Women Day of Dance expo.
There was an overwhelming turnout and I've never
seen that many ladies have so much fun! Zumba was
a clear favorite.

Functional fitness.
This type of training has exploded over the past few years. It's seeped its way into all areas of fitness. Functional training is ideal for the golfer wanting to improve his stroke to the stay at home mom wanting strength and mobility to carry kids and groceries.

ACSM lists these as trends, but some will NEVER die. If you've been reading my blogs and emails for awhile now then you know your program should consist of strength training, cardio training, and nutrition. Versions and modifications of these will come and go. But the foundation will never change. Real lasting results come from those three.

To your health,

Tim Chudy

P.S. If you'd like help from an expert - specifically with your fitness, nutrition, and weight loss - set up a consultation with me. Join the other folks that have totally changed their bodies and their lives.

5 Tricks To Keep Portions Under Control

2011-10-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

Trick or Treat time is right around the corner.
Michelle Obama wanted me to tell you not to
let your kids get crazy with the candy this year.
And she's right.

I remember my Mom gave us a day and a half to eat
the candy we wanted. Then it went to the trash. At
the time I screamed child abuse. But, obvioulsy, I
thank her now.

These tricks are not portion guidelines. But moreso
tricks to sticking to the right portions. So, here
are 5 tricks, that you're not doing now,
to keep your portions under control.

1. Eat With Smaller Plates
Yes, it's really that simple. Eat your main meal
with a salad plate. Think about it... a lot of
restaurants, other than Golden Corral (it's always
humored me that they can get away with a name like
that) will have small portions on a normal plate.
They don't overload the plate and you can actually
see the white space.

Same goes with glasses. A serving size of juice is
4oz. That's very little than what most people are
use to. It's 4 or 5 sips. That beer mug you drink
OJ out of in the morning is enough for your entire
family.

2. Eat At The Table
Eating in front of the TV, while you're doing the
dishes, or any other activity can easily lead to
overeating. Eat at a table, sitting in a chair.

Case in point: A recent study in the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that playing
solitaire while eating dampened participants'
memories of their lunch (and made them feel less
full), which, in turn, may have caused them to eat
125 calories more when they snacked later on.

3. Chew Your Food
We all eat on the go at some point during the day.
No one, and I mean no one, has ever told me they
sit down for every meal. Sadly the 50's are gone.
It doesn't exist in our society anymore. Since
we're in hurry, that also means we inhale our food
versus chewing it. Try to chew each bite 20 times.
Seriously, try it. It's a challenge.

Digestion starts in the mouth with the salivary
glands. They start digesting carbohydrates
immediately. Have you ever chewed on full sugar
bubble gum? It loses it's flavor and texture after
a few minutes doesn't it? That's because your
salivary glands are digesting the sugar.

Chewing also slows down your meal. It takes about
20 minutes for your brain to realize you're full.
If you inhale food fast enough you can continue
eat and eat and eat. If you slow down and chew
your chicken you'll give your hormones time to
alert the brain that you're full.

4. Turn Up The Lights
When you go out for a romantic dinner the lights
are low and the mood is intimate. Restaurants do
this for a reason. The same reason casinos don't
have clocks and easy exits. They want you to stay
longer and eat more. Studies have shown the
lighting in a room can affect one's appetite. Make
sure the lights are turned up and you keep dinner
to one hour.

5. Eat At UN-Healthy Restaurants
Yes, you read that right. According to research
done by Brian Wasinak, author of Mindless Eating,
"We found that when people go to restaurants
claiming to be healthy, such as Subway, they
choose additional side items containing up to 131%
more calories than when they go to restaurants
like McDonald’s that don't make this claim."

Wansink calls this the "halo effect". When you eat
at a healthy restaurant you don't feel as
indulgent were you to eat at say, McDonald's. This
caused customers to underestimate calories by 21%.
So don't feel so proud by eating at Subway.
Regardless of where you eat be mindful of what and
how much you're eating.

Implement these 5 tips today and you will lose
weight. I say that with confidence because these
aren't just 'drink diet soda' kind of tips. I bet
you're not doing the majority of these. And as I'm
sure you know, big doors swing on little hinges.

Best,

Tim

P.S. Last nights game was by far the best sporting
event I've ever been to! And I have a feeling the
Cards will steamroll the Rangers tonight. Let's go Cards!!!

3 Ways To Fall Into Fitness

2011-10-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

You can argue that Missouri weather is some of the
most erratic in the country. One day it's 90
degrees and humid. The next it's in the 50's and overcast. So it's temperamental. But I still appreciate the seasons. And now that Fall is upon us the weather is great and the scenery even better.

1. Get outdoors

This time of year is great to get outside for
fitness. Certainly there is something you can do
outside and get fit while doing it.

Walking - There are a myriad of walking trails and
paths in St. Louis. A quick Google search for
Parks or Walking paths will pull up hundreds of
options. And Forest Park is rated as one of the
top city parks in the country!

Hiking - Although we don't have mountains or ocean
cliffs to hike, we do have beautiful landscape.
There is hiking on the outskirts of St. Louis or
even a short 45 minute drive will take you into
the Ozarks.

Biking - If you're not into walking, running, or
hiking, then maybe cycling fancies you. Ever heard
of the Katy Trail? Miles and miles of bike trails
are all around the city. Grab your helmet and go!

2. Try something new and different

There is nothing like adding some spice to your
fitness routine. Trying something new can really
stimulate your exercise routine and keep you
engaged. It's very easy to fall into the same
treadmill workout, at the same time, at the same
speed, watching the same dumb TV show.

Try yoga, spinning, work with a personal trainer
or try another type of fitness class (our small
group personal training, called Pack Training,
just launched last month!). Adding in a new change
will stimulate not just your muscles, but also
your mind.

3. Try seasonal foods

Ok, so it's not a fitness tip per se. But fitness
and nutrition go hand in hand. Fall brings upon a
ton of delicious healthy foods. Try any of the
following for a delicious seasonal meal.

Apples - eat as is or include them in a recipe.
They're peak harvest is August through November

Squash - With a slightly sweet flavor it can be
paired with Fall flavorings like cinnamon, nutmeg
and ginger.

Pumpkin - The obvious Fall food. And don't think
it's only good for pie and seeds. Try soup,
fillings, or pudding!

Sweet Potatoes - With only 25 grams of carbs these
are much more nutritionally dense than their white
counterparts.

Regardless of what you do, make great use of the
Fall season. Use the weather and food to your
fitness advantage and put momentum in your favor
as we enter the holiday season.

To your health,

Tim Chudy

P.S. I mentioned our brand new Small Group
Personal Training program called PACK Training as
an option for you. Clients are raving about it!

How To Train Like A Pro

2011-09-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

There's a great article from the editor of Men's
Health interviewing Todd Durkin, trainer to many
top NFL athletes.

There is A LOT of useful, and applicable, fitness
advice for you to follow. Just because you don't
take snaps from a 300lb lineman, or even play a
sport, doesn't mean you can't apply these secrets to your fitness program.

As you may have heard we've launched our new Small
Group Personal Training program, called PACK
Training, where you and 2 or 3 others train at the same time in a newly equipped, fully functional training room. It is of NO surprise that most if not all of the secrets Todd mentions in this article takes place in each and every Pack session. I encourage you to take a few minutes and read the article in full, but I've outlined some of his main points that dovetail perfectly with Pack Training.

Secret #1: Work Your Weaknesses
"You would be surprised that some of our workouts
don't involve a lot of traditional "weight"
training. I like to emphasize speed, agility,
quickness, acceleration, power, and metabolic
conditioning along with my strength and
flexibility work."

This is well said. The days of doing bench press
on Monday, Squats on Wednesday, and curls on
Friday are long gone. A total body, metabolic
conditioning workout complete with core, balance,
and flexibility is where results lie. And to no surprise, one of our Pack Principles is "Train movements, not muscles."

Do you still train like Au-nold did in the 80's?

Secret #2: Pick Up Your Pace
"For me, tempo is king. I love to keep the heart
rate up during the workout...You don't need to
train all day - the intense part of my clients'
sessions is approximately 45 minutes. Get in, do
your work, and then recover."

You shouldn't have time for water cooler talk during your workout. If you're chatting with your buddies you're likely not working hard enough.

Our workouts, again, to no surprise, are 45 minutes. Come to a Pack workout and you'll see what Todd means to keep your heart rate up. He lists 8 components for a workout all of which take place with Pack Training.

Is your heart pumping so fast it's hard to talk during your workout?

Secret #3: Don't Skip The Big Three
"Pullups. Pushups. Lunges."

He's right. These exercises will never go out of
style. They're like the old pair of jeans you have
that you refuse to throw out because you'll ALWAYS wear them.

We do these 3 exercises in so many different
varieties... with weight, with jumps, one leg, two leg, decline, incline, partner... it'll blow your mind!

Are you incorporating the Big 3?

Secret #4: Avoid These Common Mistakes
1. Too much emphasis on big weights
2. Not enough total-body training and conditioning
3. A lack of variety
4. Overtraining
5. Inconsistent nutrition
6. Not getting enough sleep

I was very happy to see he mentions nutrition and
sleep. You cannot out-train a bad diet. And poor
sleep or no sleep at all is often overlooked when it comes to your health and fitness. Both VERY important.

Is your health and fitness program balanced?

Durkin gives you a lot of great information to
follow. And I, your humble fitness trainer,
encourage you to heed ALL of his advice.

Again, the article is timely with the launch of
our breakthrough small group personal training
program we refer to as Pack Training.

I invite you in to try a week of Pack completely free. I guarantee you haven't experienced anything else like it. And clients are raving about it!

"PACK training is absolutely awesome. I can’t get enough."- Erin T.
"I love the added accountability of knowing that I’m a part of something bigger than myself."- Kelly A.
"The only thing better than hearing "GREAT JOB!" is hearing it 4 times!" - Anna N.
"You guys are annoyingly good at what you do." - Ed S.
"I love it. What the heck took you guys so long?" - Marty M

But you need to take action on this. Our launch obviously won't last forever so this invitation is only good until October 31st. Call the studio today or for more details click here.

In fitness,
Tim Chudy

This Food Is Keeping You From Weight Loss

2011-09-12T09:05:00.000-07:00

A recent Harvard study published in The New England Journal of Medicine looked at long term weight gain linked to specific foods. Participants gained on average 17 pounds over the 20 year span the study was conducted. A lot gained more.

What's interesting about this study is they looked at how much specifc foods led people to gain weight over four year periods.

Can you guess what food contributed to the most weight gain?

It wasn't candy. It wasn't ice cream or cookies.

Potatoes.

Fried, boiled, mashed... any way you like 'em.

Dr. Mozzafarian, an professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, said this is likely due to starches and refined carbohydrates producing bursts in blood glucose and insulin levels. This leads to an increase in hunger and thus upping the total amount of food people eat at their next meal.

Everyone I sit down with in our consultation process hears me address this problem. I call it the 'Viscous Carbohydrate Cycle'.

And the consequences don't stop with eating more food. It's also responsible for energy highs and lows, lethargy, dizziness, and depression. And there's more. Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and a slew of other bad stuff.

Are you safe?

If you pass on the potato chips at Bread Co. and opt for the apple or whole grain baguette, don't think you're in the clear. Because there were plenty of non-potato foods too.

The simple fact is this... we eat too many carbs.

We're a carb laden socitey. And if you continue to eat as you do, you will not lose weight, you will not get healthy, you will not pass Go, and you will not collect $200!:-)

In all seriousness, you must control your carbohydrate intake. I'm not saying start the Atkins diet. But you must drastically cut your carbs and increase your protein and veggie intake.

This is one of the reasons why our clinically proven, done-for-you nutrition plan works so well. It's a low glycemic, higher protein, precisely designed diet.

Ronni is down 14 pounds in 8 weeks, Anne Marie is down 11 pounds in 8 weeks, Annie has lost 3 inches in her waist in 4 weeks, Kathy lost 31 total pounds and has remained at her goal weight for over 2 years! And the list goes on.

If you would like more info on our nutrition plan and find out how much weight you can expect to lose click here.

To your weight loss,
Tim

P.S. I haven't posted in a while and there's good reason for that. We're currently in the midst of launching a new service here at Fitness Together. I can't release all the details just yet, but it's pretty exciting! This service will make personal training much more appealing and affordable for a lot of people. Stay tuned!

P.P.S. Cut the carbs!

5 Guidelines to a Fit and Healthy Child

2011-07-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

News is breaking on whether parents should lose custody of their children if they are extremely obese. To no one's surprise it's sparking plenty of debate.

But this is a serious issue. Childhood obesity has tripled since 1980 and almost 20% of kids are now overweight.

This led Dr. David Ludwig, obesity expert at Children's Hospital Boston, to suggest state intervention in the most recent Journal of the American Medical Association. "State intervention may serve the best interests of many children with life-threatening obesity, compromising the only realistic way to control harmful behaviors," says Ludwig.

Regardless of opinion, I'm shocked it's even coming to this.

The problem has spiraled so far out of control it's hard to point a finger at any one thing. But fitness deserves a finger pointing. But make no mistake, this is a multifaceted problem and as it grows it gets more and more complicated.

Do you have kids? Are they overweight? Or obese?

Can you imagine having them taken from you? Your own children being taken because they're obese!

I won't get into a political discussion. But I will discuss the health implications.

If your child is overweight, obese, or maybe you're afraid of their future based on his or her current habits, then your attention to the 5 guidelines below is vital.

We're now seeing children with problems such as type 2 diabetes, elevated blood pressure and cholesterol, and breathing and liver problems that could kill them before the age of 30. Like I said, this is a serious issue.

I've listed 5 guidelines below to start or re-start your kids on the right path to a fit and healthy lifestyle. I believe this is fundamental to every child's upbringing.

1. Don't rely on sports

It's great if your child plays soccer, baseball,
or other sports. But studies have shown that less
than 25% of student athletes receive the
recommended 60 minutes of daily exercise.
Depending on the sport, team, level of play, and
other factors will determine just how much
physical activity your child will get through
their sports. Be careful not to scapegoat their
fitness on this.

2. Turn off the TV

And the video game. And the computer. And the
phone. And the whatever else kids are playing with
these days. I could make a safe bet you sit at a
desk for most of the day. So you know what
that can do to you and your physical activity. Now
think of your kid doing that their entire life.

You didn't have a Nintendo when you were a kid.
You probably built tree houses and played freeze
tag. Try suggesting freeze tag to your kid and
they'll look at you like you have three heads. But
you can set rules for TV, video games, etc...
Force them outside and into activity.

3. Look in the mirror

I talked about this earlier in the year and it's
resurfaced due to its importance. I also have
specific experience with this.

The seed for fitness and nutrition was planted by
my dad. He exercised three or four times a week.
He made us healthy lunches when we were in school.
And we weren't allowed to have a Nintendo. And
that seed blossomed.

Maybe your kid won't become a personal trainer.
But you can bet you'll be instilling good LIFELONG
behaviors in them. This alone is priceless. If you
are not a proactive model for fitness and
nutrition in their life something or someone else
will be.

4. Positive reinforcement

Praise your child when they have fun playing a
specific sport or when they do well at a certain
activity. Encourage, even inspire, them to keep at
it and get better. Creating a positive association
to exercise and eating right goes a long way.

A study in the journal Health Psychology showed
kids more likely to sign up for team sports when
they were encouraged and supported by their
parents. And to no surprise the kids that did not
receive support sat around more. Support,
encouragement and inspiration are crucial.
Especially when it comes from mom and dad.

5. Schedule events around activity

I remember going to a friends birthday party in
5th grade and we played Super Mario Brothers the
entire night. I played maybe 5 minutes. But I was
the worst gamer there. That's because as I
mentioned earlier, our family didn't have a
Nintendo. I threatened to turn my parents into the
state on charges of child abuse. Their answer;
"I'll give you the number to call."

A lot of my birthdays were at the pool. (there's a
bonus to being born in July). But whether it's a
birthday, play date, or just something to do on
the weekend you can find something active and fun
to do.

All five of these guidelines can be put into action immediately. I invite your questions and comments below on this subject. If your child needs help with their fitness please contact me. We've trained kids as young as 6 and up through college. Each is different and needs vary. Click here to find out more.

Best,
Tim

How To Lose Weight

2011-06-14T06:37:00.000-07:00

If I asked you how to lose weight, how would you
answer?

I know you could come up with something. Atkins
diet, take the stairs everyday, cut out soda.
Maybe you'd even suggest starving yourself!

All of those answers are potentially right. But if
it's an easy question to answer, why is the
majority of our country still overweight? And why
do we still struggle to find lasting, permanent
results?

These are good questions. And ones you should ask
yourself if you're trying to lose weight.

Just a few days ago Good Morning America reported
how a woman lost 300 pounds. Certainly no small
feat. You can see the 3 1/2 minute video here.

Wanna guess how she did it?

It wasn't the HCG diet. It wasn't with surgery or
a gimmicky infomercial product. And it definitely
wasn't by starving herself.

She lost 300 pounds by eating better and
execising. She exercises 7 days a week; 3 days with her trainer and 4
days of cardio. She eats 3 meals with snacks.

When asked what her secret was she had this to
say: "There is no magic bullet. It's hard work. It
is simple sweat equity."

Well said Shannon.

I'll never say you can't lose weight using the HCG
diet or having bypass surgery. You can.

But if you want true lasting and permanent weight
loss and fitness results then changing your diet
and exercise is THE ONLY way. Not too mention
feeling better, stronger, fitter, more alive day
in and day out. Because losing weight and feeling
like crap isn't fun. And surgery and pill-popping
won't help that.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

There will be a percentage of peole who make
excuses why they can't do what this woman did. Her
situation is different. She had more weight to
lose which makes it easier. She doesn't have 3
kids and a full time job like me. And the list
goes on.

I hope you're not in that percentage of excuse
makers.

Realize this... until you stop making excuses
for yourself, you will NEVER permanently lose
weight. You must exercise and eat right. And that
means you must find reasons to do so. NOT excuses
not to.

A good little exercise would be to make a list of
those reasons and post them where you can see them
daily. Then list out your excuses and tear them up
or burn them. This little action will liberate you
from those excuses and contribute to your future
weight loss success.

If you need help with your fitness and nutrition
program we're here for you. All you have to do is
ask.
Good luck!

To your weight loss success,

Tim Chudy

Snooki's Secret to Weight Loss

2011-04-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

I've never seen an episode of Jersey Shores. And frankly, I don't care to.

But I do know Snooki. A name like that demands attention.

Snooki knows a BIG secret to achieving weight loss
results.

But you know this secret too.

You might not know you know it. But you do know it.

This secret isn't some special piece of equipment
or any particular exercise. It's not even a new diet or supplement.

Would you like to know what this secret is?

The secret is sacrifice.

You see, sacrifice is essential when it comes to
losing weight. You must sacrifice something. Often times many things.

Sacrifice is defined as 'destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else'.

You can't get something without giving something (up) in return.

You know it.

I know it.

When it comes to your weight loss, it's making sacrifices that will help you get rid of the pounds.

"If I weren't here (working out) I'd be sleeping. It's been a good decision. A no-brainer really."

One of our clients said that to me after I inquired about his program.

He sacrificed a little sleep.

Snooki is sacrificing booze.

"I just have to quit the drinking so much. If I do drink, it's going to be, like, vodka and seltzer ... maybe like two or three."

Sheesh. Ok, maybe she's not sacrificing all that much. (I guess if
you have 12 drinks 2 or 3 is a big change.:-)

What are you sacrificing to lose weight? What have you 'destroyed' or 'surrendered' in order to lose weight?

Fast food is a popular one. Sweets, eating out, TV, the list goes on and on.

The fact remains, if you are not making any sacrifices, you will not lose weight.

Taking a pill is easy. Buying some abdominal contraption is easy. There's no sacrifice in that.

Nothing good and lasting comes with ease. Sacrifice is a must.

A good homework assignment is to list out at least 3 sacrifices
necessary for you to lose weight. Feel free to post them in the
comment section below and I'll give you some feedback.

To your weight loss success,

Tim

P.S. By the way, giving up booze except for vodka is pretty weak. That's like saying you'll give up McDonald's except for the Quarter Pounder. Make your sacrifice worthwhile.

P.S. A gentle reminder that we're here for you when you're ready. With swimsuit season around the corner it might not be a bad idea to set your appointment.

Half of Americans do this. Do you?

2011-04-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

According to a new study released by the Center for Disease Control over half of U.S. adults use supplementation on a daily basis. This is way up from the last study conducted in 1988.

This isn't surprising. The health and exercise boom over the last 25 years has been dramatic. More men and women are taking control of their health and looking to not only cure symptoms of poor health, but prevent them as well.

In my opinion, there are 3 supplements everyone should take. And I'm not peddling snake oil. It's not choosing a blue pill or red pill, or drinking some chemical cocktail.

This is sound, scientific supplementation. Safe and effective. Consider it a foundation to your health.

1. Multi-Vitamin Mineral

This is your starting point. Studies have shown only 3% of people actually get the proper amount of vitamins from their diet. I think that's even a stretch. So maybe you eat a healthy diet. Maybe you don't. The fact is, an apple today is NOT what an apple was 30 or 40 years ago. We eat more genetically modified foods, more microwave dinners, more fast food, and less good nutritious food. A multi-vitamin mineral is a must.

2. Fish Oil

Fish oil has been gaining rapid popularity over the last few years. It's benefits for the heart, joints, and brain can't be overlooked.

Heart disease is still the #1 leading cause of death in men and women in the United States. The American Heart Association recommends eating 2 servings of fish high in Omega 3's each week. But most don't... even during the Lenten fish fry season.

3. Nutriferon

This might be a new one for you - unless you've heard me endorse it before. Nutriferon is simply a blend of plant extracts that increase your body's natrual interferon, a critical activator for your immune system.

This supplement has been proven by study after study. My wife, a big skeptic at first, was so sick for a two month stretch I lovingly forced her to start taking it. She's glad I did. She's now a huge advocate for Nutriferon and what it can do for your immune system.

If you're not supplementing at all, these 3 should be your starting point. Think about taking the other two if you're only taking a vitamin. And most importantly if you're at risk for heart disease or get sick a lot, 2 or more times a year, then add fish oil and Nutriferon IMMEDIATELY!

It should go without saying, but be sure to look for high quality supplements. There's not just a lot of stuff that can be harmful to you, but there's a lot of stuff that is NOT helpful. That would be supplements with fillers and ineffective ingredients.

Remember that you're putting this stuff in your body to help prevent, promote, or cure your health. And this is the very reason why we choose Shaklee products. For over 50 years, generations of families have relied on Shaklee to do what no other company can do - make products that are naturally safe AND proven effective.

Every product that goes into every bottle is designed to improve health, work without compromise, and be gentle on the planet.

That's guaranteed safe and effective. And they have the science and testing to back it up. I'm not only excited to recommend their products, but proud.

If a company doesn't guarantee safety, if they're open to 'test the waters' with certain ingredients, run the other way.

If a company doesn't test their products, if they don't have any studies in peer reviewed journals, if they're quick to put out a product, run the other way.

Don't grab the cheapest stuff. There's typically reason for it's price. Do a little homework on the supplement, the company, their standards for research, testing, and manufacturing.

Whenever I talk about supplementation there are a lot of individual questions that come up. For that reason I'm offering a complimentary 'Supplemenation Audit' to answer any questions you have and discuss what supplementation might be appropriate for you to introduce to your diet. I'll only be doing this til the end of the month so don't tell yourself you'll get to it later. Just click here to request the audit and we can set up a time convenient for you.

To your health,

Tim Chudy

Fitness Comes In All Forms

2011-03-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

Last year we had our very own FT Team Bodybuilding and Figure Champs. This year, one of our team members has taken it to another level.

Barb Honchak, who was also mentioned in that post, is a professional MMA fighter and was recently ranked 9th in the world. Yes, you read correctly... 9th in the world!!!

Barb aka 'The Little Warrior' is a top ranked fighter. I've never seen Barb fight live, but I know she's a disciplined, committed, and strategic fighter. There's no surprise she's world ranked with those qualities.

When it comes to her workouts and the fitness of our FT clients, her passion drips off every rep she calls out. She trains clients with the same qualitites she fights with. And our clients love it!

Some of you may not be familiar with mma. It stands for mixed martial arts. Boxing, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, muy thai... basically any and all forms of martial arts.

But don't be alarmed, this isn't some basement type brawl. It's a very popular sport that's gaining more and more attention. And Barb is responsible for that.

Barb is fighting next week in St. Charles. The fight is next Saturday night(3/11) at the St. Charles Banquet Center. Fights start at 6:30pm and Barb is fighting second to last. If you've ever been interested in mma this is the chance to see it for yourself. You can get more info by going to: www.sportfightingnews.com or calling 314.267.2204.

You can wish Barb good luck by posting a comment below!

Talk soon,

Tim

If you're not eating TWO servings of fish per week, please read this now

2011-02-14T13:21:00.000-08:00

What a grorgeous Valentine's Day! The forecast
this week is very exciting given our winter so
far. I hope your Valentine's Day is full with love,
romance, and all that good hearty love stuff.;-)

And speaking of the heart, I have an interesting
fact for you.

Picture yourself grabbing a tennis ball (assuming
you don't have one at your computer) and squeeze
it tightly. Do you feel your hand grip the ball
and compress down?

That's how hard the beating heart works to pump
blood. And your heart will beat roughly 72 times a
minute; 100,000 times a day; 3,600,000 times a
year; and 2.5 billion times during your lifetime.
That's a lot of work.

Your heart is THE MOST important muscle in your
body.

And it only makes sense to take care of it. It
only makes sense to exercise it.

If you didn't know, February is heart health
month. Today's holiday is always a good reminder.

So it's a great time to assess how you treat your
most important muscle in the body.

**Do you exercise it?

There is nothing better for you than raising your
heart rate. Get your blood pumping, muscles
working, endorphins kicking, and heart pounding.
That type of exercise makes you feel good... and
proud.

**Do you give it what it needs?

Hamburgers, french fries, cupcakes, and alcohol.
I'm sure your heart enjoys a celebration once in
awhile, but a constant onslaught of that stuff is
a recipe for disaster. Try whole grains, FIBER,
lean meats and FISH, low fat dairy, fruits and
veggies. That stuff makes your heart happy!

**Do you give it more than it deserves?

In a recent survey 76% said they used a fish oil supplement regularly. I'm sure you've heard of Omega 3 fatty
acids if you don't already know their benefits.

Studies have shown Omega 3's, particularly EPA and
DHA support heart health, joint and brain
function, and even help reduce inflammation and
boost your immune system.

This supplement is a no brainer with "very little
downside to taking this supplement." It's a MUST
if you have any form of cardiovascular (heart)
disease or even a family history. And I bet your
doctor would agree with me.

**Do you really know it?

Do you know your blood pressure, cholesterol,
blood sugar and weight? You don't have to go to
the doctor to know these numbers. But you will
want to talk to her about them.

These questions should get you started. There are
more assessments to help you at www.heart.org.

If you haven't given your heart 5 minutes of
thought in the last year, give it now. You can
start by getting some fish oil. For less than a
buck a day you can take some preventative measure.

Then take advantage of this refreshing weather and
get outside and get your heart pumping.

Happy Valentine's Day,

Tim Chudy

P.S. ATTENTION LADIES: 90% of women have one or
more risk factors for heart disease. AND more
women die of heart disease than the next four
causes of death combined! Including all forms of
cancer. Do something now. Start with exercise,
nutrition, and supplementation.

8 Tips To Stay Healthy For Super Bowl Sunday

2011-02-04T08:50:00.000-08:00

Did you know Super Bowl Sunday is second only to
Thankgiving for food consumption? An estimated
14,500 tons of chips and 4,000 tons of popcorn are
eaten during the big game!!

That being said, here are 8 tips and tricks
to keep your eating habits under control come
kickoff.

1. Don't eat from the chip bowl. Portion out your
chips and dip to prevent mindless overeating.

2. And speaking of dip, offer/bring a low fat
option with toasted pita chips or baked tortilla
chips. This will cut the fat and carb content.

3. Speaking of dip...don't double dip! Dip the
chip and end it.

4. If you're going to grill hamburgers and hot
dogs, go ahead and add some chicken breasts. Grill
them with a tasty marinade. You can assume at
least a few of your guests will want a healthy
option as well.

5. Include a whole wheat bun/bread option too.

6. Stick to light beer. Always have a glass of
water with it. Sip from both of them and you'll be
surprised how much less beer you drink.

7. One dessert. Nothing more.

8. I don't have a favorite this year, but I'm
hoping for a close, exciting game (my prediction is below). But if the game
is slow and the commercials disappointing, don't
eat out of boredom. Keep the conversation going or
start a game of your own.

Most importantly, have FUN!! It's a great time to
spend with friends and family. And doing it
healthy never hurts.

To your health and fitness,

Tim Chudy

P.S. The spread is Packers by 3. I'm calling a Packers win 24-17. What's your call? Post it in the comments. If you guess it right, you win a FREE WEEK of training!!!

P.P.S. You don't have to know a lick about football. My wife picks her NCAA basketball teams by city location and mascot! Have some fun and win some free training. Good luck!

How To Help Your Child Lose Weight

2011-01-28T09:05:00.000-08:00

According to the Center for Disease Control, childhood obesity has more than tripled in the last 30 years. Kids today are developing Type II diabetes (formally called adult-onset diabetes), high blood pressure, and other cardiovascular related diseases. We should all be alarmed about this.

I would venture to say you had one or two 'husky' classmates when you were growing up. I don't think that's the case in the average classroom today. And this problem is only getting worse.

A new study published in Pediatrics sheds light on helping prepubescent children lose weight. The outcome was no surprise to me. I'm curious if it is to you.

The study took a group of parents and put them through a healthy lifestyle course, or a healthy lifestyle course coupled with a parenting course.

They found that children lost weight in both groups. But what was interesting was there was no significant difference among weight loss with the group receiving both courses vs. the healthy lifestyle-only group.

This means that if you only adjusted your lifestyle and ignored any parenting changes, your child would drop weight.

Does that surprise you? Like I said, it didn't surprise me.

Because that's how kids learn.

Through modeling.

Your eating and exercising habits WILL rub off on your kids. My Mom and Dad's attention and dedication to a healthy diet and their own exercise program rubbed off not just on me, but my three siblings too.

It reminds me of the funny but true anti-drug commercial from the 80's. Remember, the dad asks his son, "Who taught you how to do this stuff?" The kid responds in defense, "You alright! I learned it by watching you!"

Parents who use drugs, have children that use drugs. Parents who don't exercise and eat right, have children that don't exercise and eat right.

Take a good look at yourself and your lifestyle. Are you a good, healthy role model for your child? If your child is overweight or has a bad diet, this question is even more important to ask.

Help yourself first. Become a healthy role model for your child. And you can bet they'll follow you and live a healthy lifestyle.

If you'd like help changing your lifestyle, and thus changing your family's lifestyle please reach out to me. I'm here to help. I hope you do.

To you and your family's health,

Tim Chudy

P.S. If you know you need to do something, but aren't sure what, request our info-pack. Your progress starts with one step. And this can be your first.

P.P.S. My blog post the other week was spot on the minds of more than a few people after a freind passed me an article in the NY Times: Full Service Gyms Feel a Bit Flabby. There ARE reasons why gyms DON'T work for the majority of the population (at least 85% by some surveys). The article also mentions a lady's 50lb weight loss using a personal trainer. There ARE reasons why our personal training system DOES work. It has been proven time and time again.

A Sad Passing In The Fitness Family

2011-01-24T09:10:00.000-08:00

There was a sad passing in the fitness world
yesterday. Jack LaLanne passed away at 96 years of
age.

Jack was a fitness icon introducing fitness to men
and women long before it was considered cool.

Jack influenced the lives of thousands. He was a
walking example of health. He taught the benefits
of fitness and nutrition throughout one's life and
even joked a few years back, "I can't afford to
die. It would wreck my image."
With all the fitness advice that's available
today, including my own, I think Jack sums it up
perfectly.

"The only way you can hurt the body is not use
it," LaLanne said. "Inactivity is the killer and,
remember, it's never too late."Jack's contribution to the health and fitness
industry will likely never be matched. He was the
ultimate trailblazer. And he not only talked the
talk, but he walked the walk.

When he turned 43 in 1957, he performed more than
1,000 push-ups in 23 minutes. At 60, he swam from
Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf in San
Francisco, handcuffed, shackled and towing a boat.
Ten years later, he performed a similar feat in
Long Beach harbor.

The guy was a health and fitness stud. And he'll
be missed.

Rest in peace Jack.

Tim Chudy

10 Dirty Secrets Your Fitness Club Doesn't Want You To Know

2011-01-10T08:05:00.000-08:00

I was talking with a friend the other day and she
asked me whether she should join a gym, buy a
treadmill, or hire a trainer. I hear this question
a lot. Especially around the new year.

But what do you think my answer is going to be? Hire a
trainer of course! ;-)

But a trainer isn't for everyone. I certainly know
that. But neither is a gym. So I gave my friend a
report I wrote a couple years back called, "10
Dirty Secrets Your Fitness Club Doesn't Want You
Know".

I want to give you a free New Year's gift to you
too! You can download it by clicking here.

There's a lot you should be aware of at big box
gyms. And you won't be told any of this info by
the guy or gal that signs you up for a membership.
Having been in the industry for over 10 years and
worked in big fitness clubs I discovered these
secrets. And you can learn them all in this report.

Furthermore, it helps to think about what joining
a gym really is. It's simply a place to
workout. A membership gives you access to equipment,
a pool, weird stares and more. It is NOT a solution.
Don't expect to get a support system, accountability, personal
attention from people that know you and your name,
and many, many other components for weight loss
and fitness success.

Of course the important thing is that you're doing
something to improve your health and fitness. It's
just always smart to make sure that something
actually works.

You can download the free report by clicking on
this link. No name or email is required.

To your health and fitness success,

Tim Chudy

P.S. I realize you may have already joined a gym
by now. If so, this report is even more important
for you to read. And if you still need to start something,
download our info-pack after you've read through this
report. Then you'll be ready to make an informed decision.

One More Thing To Making Your Resolutions STICK

2011-01-04T05:58:00.001-08:00

Oops! I forgot to mention something.

My earlier post gave you 6 tips to making your New Year's Resolutions STICK. I'm assuming you made at least one resolution. But probably more. These 6 tips are applicable to any area of your life; health and fitness, finances, diet, career, and many others.

But I forgot to mention one BIG thing.

And it's important.

What is it?

Excuses. You must drop ALL your excuses.

Excuses keep your life stagnant. Nothing postivie comes from excuses. As a personal trainer I've heard them all. Some so bad they're on the same level as 'My dog ate my homework.'

When you drop your excuses, you are really giving yourself permission to change. Because let's face it, change doesn't come easy. We'll avoid change til we're blue in the face. But when you make a decision to change, drop your excuses, and take action, you really tap into your true potential. And YOU WILL SUCCEED.

Drop your excuses. Make a change.

Make it a great year,

Tim Chudy

Tips For Making Your New Year's Resolutions STICK

2010-12-30T12:13:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

As you probably know, at the start of every new
year Americans seeking a better quality of life
will make a healthier lifestyle and losing
weight among their top resolutions.

It's almost a given. The holidays give you an
added guilt trip and all then it's time for
a resolution. What perfect timing.

Since most people try to adopt a healthier
lifestyle and lose weight for the new year, AND
most people drop those resolutions somewhere
between February and June, I thought some tips
for making those resolutions STICK would be helpful.

Allocation: You cannot expect to make ANY change
with your health, fitness, or weight without
setting aside time. Joining a gym only gives you
access to a facility. It won't help you lose
weight. Buying the newest bestselling diet book
only informs you about the diet. It doesn't prevent you
from eating junk food.

You must block out time, and preferrablly set
appointments, to take the needed action. When
it comes to exercise, accountability is the
biggest secret. For diet, it's preparation.

Priority: Everyone has priorities. Usually family
and work rank at the top. If you don't make your
resolution a high priority, it will quickly fall to the
bottom of your list.

So what's more important than your workout? I'm
not suggesting to miss your daughter's piano recital.
But because it's during your normal workout time, it
doesn't mean you should skip it all together. You must
reschedule. Our clients that train in the morning are
always the most successful with their schedules.
Obviously not much can pop up at 6 o'clock in the
morning. Well, other than more sleep. But who needs that.;-)

Measurement: There are no overnight success
stories when it comes to weight loss. No one just
loses 100 pounds. You lose 100 pounds 1 pound
at a time. Once you have your big picture, chunk
it down and measure often. At Fitness Together we measure once a month. Seeing progress stimulates your motivational engine. As momentum builds, your
confidence grows, commitment gets stronger, and this
entire process gets easier.

On the flip side, if you are going in the wrong
direction you can quickly realize it and change
course. Measuring your progress will ensure your success.

Don't rely on yourself: Let's be honest, sometimes
you just have a sh@*#y day. Everyone has them.
It is on these days that a coach and motivator
help pick you up and keep you on track. Don't go
it alone. There's no sense in that. Get a coach. (For
more info on our coaching programs click here)

Numbers: Don't make 10 resolutions. You won't
stick to 'em. Make 1 good one. Or if you're
feeling really determined make 3. But don't
overload yourself. You'll overwhelm and burn out.
One successful resolution is better than 5
unsuccessful.

Commitment: I have a saying, "If you're
interested, you'll fail. If you're committed,
you'll succeed." Only you can decide if you really
want to be healthy, lose weight, and feel good
about yourself. Doing so for others, by pressure,
or any other false pretense will result in
failure. Commit. But ONLY because you want to.

Print this out and post it where you can see it daily
along with your written resolutions. You're chances of
success will rise exponentially!

To your health and fitness in 2011,

Tim Chudy
Fitness Together

P.S. If you'd like help getting fit and healthy, losing
weight, feeling good, and making 2011 your best year ever
then request a consultation here.

"3 Holiday Strategies and 1 Heckuva Sweat"

2010-12-15T13:57:00.000-08:00

Before I dive into the formula we need to address your 'Holiday Indulgence Factor'. Because it's different for everyone.

You must first determine your starting point. If you need to lose 40 pounds, you're 'Holiday Indulgent Factor' will be less than someone needing to lose 10 pounds.

If you need to lose weight, sacrifices must be made. And indulging during the holidays will be one of them. So, for some, it might be best to skip the parties, throw out the cookies, sip on light egg nog and look forward to ringing in 2011.

But if you do allow yourself to indulge, then follow this formula.

3 Holiday Strategies

It's time to party! Between work, social, religious, and other groups you probably have a few Holiday parties to go to. I have a buddy who goes to at least 8 or 9 every year! Sometimes there's no way around it. Follow these 3 strategies to make holiday parties your friend, not foe.

1. Eat before you go.
Nothing new or fancy here. Just DON'T go to a party hungry. Failure is for certain! Eat a healthy meal with lean protein and veggies 30-60 minutes before the party. You'll have a chance to satisfy your sweet tooth with something small, but you won't go overboard trying to make a meal out of bon-bons.

2. Drink one, then drink another.
No, no, no. Not another in quantity. Another in type!;-) Have a tasty libation, but switch to water or club soda with a lime afterwards. Do this with every other drink. Pace yourself and drink moderately. Remember, everyone makes fun of the company drunk. No one really wants to be them.

3. Be Balanced.
If you know you have 3 parties this coming weekend, don't go out for a burger and fries everyday at lunch. Nutrition isn't as easy as 'banking' calories (this is one of the flaws with the Weight Watchers point system). But during the holidays it's not a bad strategy to follow. Eat a couple of light meals on Saturday before your big Holiday party. Be balanced and don't go overboard every chance you get this season.

I assure you these 3 strategies will prevent the average holiday weight gain. But we're not finished with the formula.

Now it's time to work up one heckuva sweat. Go sweat your butt off! Go get after it. I'm not talking about walking the dog or reading a magazine on the stationary bike. Go hard, go intense. Go chase your kids in the backyard. Go wrestle with them in the snow. Do a high intensity interval on the elliptical. Do something. And do it hard.

I remember one of our clients had a T-shirt that said 'Go Animal or Go Home!'. That's good to keep in mind as you work up your sweat!

And if you really want this to be effective, do this before and/or after your party. Get your metabolism cranking and burn off the extra sugar and calories.

Put this formula into play. I'm certainly going to. And I'm also going to eat the cookies my trainer and his girlfriend made!:-)

Happy Holidays,

Tim Chudy

P.S. Do you have any other holiday fitness or weight loss tips? I'd love to hear them and so would the others reading this blog. Post them below.

P.P.S. John started the Holiday Kickstart last week. His wife Connie is jumping on the Fitness Holiday bandwagon tomorrow. That means it's not too late for YOU!

If You're Over 40, Do This EVERYDAY

2010-12-08T07:56:00.000-08:00

Warning: This post is NOT intended to be medical
advice. This is simply based on an interpretation
of a study. Please see my disclaimer below my
welcome message in the right hand column. As
always, consult your physician before taking any
medical advice. Now that we got that out of the way...

I bet you know taking a daily aspirin will
help prevent some cardiovascular incidences. That's
SMART prevention. But new evidence shows aspirin having a much greater
benefit than preventing a heart attack or stroke.

A long term, low dose aspirin has shown to
dramatically cut the risk for a wide array of
cancers. This new finding published in
The Lancet comes from a fresh analysis of 8 studies
and over 25,000 patients.

The scientists discovered these results while
initially looking for the protective potential
on cardiovascular disease. However, as the
patients were tracked, up to 20 years after the
initial study, more cancer preventing benefits
were found.

Overall cancer death risk plummeted by 21 percent
for those taking a low dose aspirin. At 5 years
out death due to gastrointestinal cancer dropped
by 54%! Furthermore, after 20 years of a low dose
death risk dropped by 10% among prostate cancer
patients, 30% among lung cancer patients, 40%
among colorectal cancer patients, and 60% among
esophageal cancer patients.

Those in their late 40's and 50's stand to benefit
the most and can likely lower your risk of death
from cancer. If you're over 40 I would talk to
your doctor and get on this pronto.

I've talked with a lot of people over the years
that are afraid of either heart trouble or cancer.
This study is good evidence a low dose aspirin may help both.

To your health,

Tim Chudy

P.S. You know what also has been shown to prevent
heart disease and cancer? Exercise. It's the best
cure-all you can do. And we can help you. More
info here.

Inspiration from Hollywood and a Catholic Nun

2010-11-23T18:02:00.000-08:00

If you think you're old, think again.

Sister Madonna Buder became the oldest female to
complete the famed Ironman race last year at age
79. In fact, they had to create a separate age
bracket for her! She just wrote a book, 'The Grace
to Race' and will be featured with 16 other
triathletes in a book honoring them and the
Triathlon sport.

Very impressive. And hopefully inspiration to you.
I know most of the readers of this blog are
younger than 80. If Sister Madonna can do an Ironman,
then certainly this is inspiration to accomplish
some of your goals. It's amazing what a little
shift in perspective can do.

Moving on to Hollywood...

We have another Hollywood weight loss story. A
simple trip to the check out line at the grocery
store will reveal dozens of these stories every
month. With most being hype, I felt this one
was instructive and inspirational.

Kelly Osbourne, daughter of Ozzy and Sharon
Osbourne, has always struggled with her weight.
She recently donned a red bikini showing off her
new hot body. Not only has she lost weight, but
she's fit and healthy too.

Her weight loss has not been easy. Her mother had
gastric bypass and Kelly had considered that as an
option. But ultimately she knew that wasn't for
her.

"I was looking for a quick fix or a pill I could
take. I even thought about getting the band on my
stomach. My mother had that surgery and I watched
her lose a lot of weight. But we decided it would
be better for me to try and slim down naturally."

To date Kelly has lost 50 pounds.

She credits her Dancing with the Stars partner for
turning her onto her new lifestyle. "He made me
eat turkey burgers and salads and explained to me
that a high protein, low carb diet would keep me
energized. Then I started losing weight and
realized, 'Oh, it's true what they say; diet and
exercise really work!'"

Kelly has realized that it's not easy losing
weight. "At first it wasn't easy. It hurts so
much. But when you walk out of there, you're like,
'I can't believe I just did that and my body looks
this good.'"

I expect Kelly to keep her weight off. I say
that based on her response to seeing herself in a
bikini on the cover of Shape magazine. "It was a
bit of an emotional roller coaster because I never
thought that would be me or I'd ever look like
that." Emotion is the fuel that feeds your fire.
And it's a must have when committing to
your goals and accomplishing them.

I also get the sense she's caught the exercise
bug. It happens to most people when they make such
a significant transformation. Debbie, one of our
clients in Des Peres comes to mind. She comes into
the studio 5, if not 6 days a week for training
and cardio. She caught the bug long ago and
has lost 52 pounds! Probably more since I last
looked. Her bug bit so hard she's gearing up to
become a trainer!

Have a great Thanksgiving holiday. No nutrition
advice from me today. Enjoy your time with family,
friends, and food. But come Friday, be sure to get
back on the wagon. ;-)

By the way, it's not too late to start your
Holiday Kickstart Program. Sue, Jeanne and Angie
all started yesterday. Sign up now before the
holidays come and go.

To your holiday health,

Tim Chudy
Fitness Together

P.S. A couple weeks after the diet pill Meridia
was pulled from the market, the FDA shot down
another weight loss drug called Lorcaserin. This
one had "marginal effectiveness and cancer
occurred at higher than usual rates." Gee, that
one sounds great. If you want to lose weight, burn
fat, and boost metabolism withOUT pills click
here.

Fitness Together Team Update

2010-09-03T07:01:00.000-07:00

I'm early and late with this post. You'll quickly
notice the svelt trainers in the pic.

That's Ezrah Reed and Ashley Johnson. They are the
Fitness Together Team Bodybuilding and Figure Champs!

Ezrah competed in his second contest and took 1st
place in his weight class and 2nd place overall.

Ashley caught the Figure bug earlier this summer
and stepped up her training. She took 3rd place
alongside other Missouri veterans.

Great job Ez and AJ!

In other trainer news, our very own Barb Honchak
has been selected to participate in the first
Ultimate Women Challenge, a women's MMA reality TV
show.

Barb is a professional MMA fighter in St. Louis
and trains at Fitness Together in Des Peres.

You can get more info and see Barb's bio at the
website: http://www.ultimatewomenchallenge.com

They're keeping her pretty tight lipped about all
the details, but I'll be sure to let you know when
I find out more.

We've had a lot of heat and humidity this summer so I'm looking forward to the beautiful weekend ahead. Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend!

Stay active,

Tim Chudy

P.S. Feel free to leave comments below for Ezrah, Ashley and Barb. I know they'll appreciate it.

Nutrition Quiz: What are the two most important times of day to eat?

2010-08-26T08:16:00.000-07:00

Time to test your Nutrition IQ.

Give this some thought. When do you think your
body needs nourishment? What's the most important
time?

If you can make sure you eat the right foods at
these two times, you'll greatly enhance your
bodies metabolic process which will help you burn more fat and have more energy.

Before I tell you the answer I want to tell you about a very interesting commercial I saw on TV the other day. It was a commercial for Kashi cereal.

Their entire angle to sell more boxes of cereal
was PROTEIN. "As much protein as an egg...now in a
bowl." An egg has 6g of protein, a serving of
Kashi has 9-13g.

To my knowledge, no company has ever made a
comparison for cereal like this before. And my
guess is it will work. But regardless, it's a smart thing to do.

Why? Because ALL cereals are a bowl of sugary crunch. Yes, Grape Nuts is a better option than Frosted Flakes. But you're still only getting
carbohydrates from both. And that's not a good way
to start your day. Kashi is clearly differentiating themselves from the rest of boxes in the aisle.

Notice Kashi didn't take a diet angle like Special
K or others. That's why I like it so much.
They are appealing to a smart consumer. Someone
that knows it's about exercise AND nutrition and not some 6 week crash diet. That type of strategy will create long-term, loyal Kashi fans.

So, the quiz question: What are the two most important times of the day to eat?

I just gave you a big hint with the Kashi commercial.

Breakfast and post-workout are the two most
important times to eat during the day.

Breakfast is where you 'break' the 'fast' your body goes through while you sleep. So an ample amount of carbs, PROTEIN, and a little fat is essential. A complete, balanced meal like that gets your metabolism revving and keeps you satiated longer.

After your workout is very important too. You've just depeleted your bodies energy stores and now your muscles are screaming for nutrients. The right nutrients will help you recover quicker. And this is why we recommend Physique to our clients.

So remember, pay close attention to what you eat for breakfast and what you nourish with post-workout. Doing so will increase your metabolism, burn more fat, and increase your energy!

To your health,

Tim Chudy
Fitness Together

P.S. If you didn't know the answer, maybe you need to increase your Nutrition IQ. Request a Nutrition Consultation with me to educate yourself and get on a plan that works.

USA Today, Rush Limbaugh, and CBS News are all talking about this.

2010-08-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

If you pay attention to the daily news headlines
your eyes or ears probably caught this story.

A recent poll taken by Nutrisystem asked what women and men would give up for weight loss and the results are quite telling. Some of the sacrifices people would make astonished me! Take a look at the chart to the right.

If you saw this in the news then you noticed
sacrificing sex for weight loss was the lead
headline. As they say, sex sells. But the survey
went beyond sacrificing your love life.

--Only 35% of Americans fall into the 'healthy
lifestyle' category on the index, by making
healthy food and portion choices and by exercising
regularly.

--30% of Americans fall into the 'unhealthy
lifestyle' category and have dieted an average of
20 times in their life, using five different diet
plans!!!

--35% of Americans have dieted an average of six
times in their life, using two different diet
plans.

--Nearly 1/3 of Americans (29%) have tried dieting
over the past eleven months, and more than half of
Americans (51%) have dieted within the past two
years.

Most of this does not shock me. According to
Consumer Reports, the diet industry has the
greatest amount of dissatisfaction than any other
industry they have researched.

Think about this for a second. Most people that go
on a diet will be unhappy. Yet they'll continue to
diet throughout their life.

Does that make any sense?! Not to me. But if a
diet doesn't work, I could see why one would
continue to search for a solution that does.

This survey also found that dieters have a hard
time with losing weight. Almost all dieters (93%)
find at least one aspect of their dieting plan to
be challenging. The majority (71%) said they are
not able to control cravings. And 64% found
portion size an obstacle to their success.

Dieting has become an uphill battle for Americans.
Dr. Bruce Daggy, a nutritional biochemist summed
it up well, "...many Americans are willing to make
extreme sacrifices to lose weight, but they
eventually give up on their goals because they
don’t know how to reach them."

So with this in mind I have 2 very simple
components for you to look for when you start a
diet.

1. Support and Accountability. If you know it's
going to be hard then why would you not have
support and accountability included in your
program?

Don't go it alone! Get help. We're professionals
for a reason. When you have a toothache, you go to
the dentist. When you need a will, you call a
lawyer. Why not hire a professional for your
health?

And as far as accountability goes, do yourself a
favor and don't ask a spouse, friend, or loved one
to hold you accountable. Save your relationship.
As a newlywed I can attest to this. Your
relationship will get in the way of your program
and results. Have a neutral third party hold you
accountable to your program.

2. A Guarantee. Any 'expert' can talk the talk.
Especially if they're talking from behind a TV
screen or page from a magazine. But talking the
talk without walking the walk is weak and callow.

Any program worth trying should have a guarantee.
If not, at least find out who else has been
successful with the program. And I'm not talking
about airbrushed models or celebrity endorsers.
Ask for references and testimonials. Real life,
average Joe's.

Of course my program has both of these components.
I wouldn't stress the importance of them if they
weren't a part of my own program, right?;-)

Reread some of the stats above and ask yourself if
you fall into the majority. Then think about
a year from now. Then think 3 years, and 5 years.
Who do you want to be? How do you want to feel?

If you want to prevent the dissatisfaction that is
so rampant among diet plans and video workouts,
then it's time to give me a call, 314.863.7799, or send me an email. Our program is time-tested and proven. And I can guarantee it.

To your success,

Tim Chudy

P.S. This is your life we're talking about. It's
time to stop the diet nonsense and follow a
program that works...for life.

P.P.S. I'd be happy to give you references of real
live clients. Or you can always visit our website
and check out our success stories.

P.P.P.S My Mini-Poll. Since I'm not one to say losing weight or getting in shape is easy, I'm not going to poll you on what you'd do or give up. So I'll ask you this...
How would you reward yourself (what would you do, where would you go, etc...) when you accomplished your ultimate fitness or weight loss goal? Post your answer in the comment section below.

P.P.P.P.S. Don't be shy! Post your response now. (And I swear that's my last P.S.;-)

ANOTHER Hollywood Weight Loss Success Secret

2010-08-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

My blog post last week was about Drew Carey's 80 pound weight loss. I revealed his fatal flaw to lasting results. Nonetheless, he's doing a lot right.

But this week John Goodman has lost a reported 100 pounds! And he has done it the RIGHT way.

Let's talk about how he did it.

His Turning Point

"It's been constant. It's always been in the back of my mind. It just ate at me the whole time. That may be part of the reason I shoved food in my mouth so much. That satisfaction."

When John got a role in Santa Clause he said enough was enough. But he finally wised up and didn't set the ever-futile New Year's resolution. He hired a trainer and got on a program.

Whether you have a specific turning point or not, you MUST decide enough is enough.

His Nutrition

"I had to clear out my own house first. It was built on a bad foundation."
"...But also fresh vegetables, lean protein... I'm not a real hard-on about keeping strict calorie counts. I know what's in my wheelhouse, what I can eat and what I can't. And I'm satisfied eating it. I cannot tolerate sugar. I crossed over to the diabetic side, but I can't tolerate it anyway because it creates hunger."

Spot on John. First fix the foundation. Get rid of the crap. Now he's getting protein and cutting the sugar. Very important. And if you notice his nutrition is supportive to his exercise.

His Alcohol

"Alcohol is alcohol. I'm an alcoholic. I would drink no matter what. That's just part of being an alcoholic."
"...and the big key was drinking."

Goodman has cut out alcohol completely. The problem with alcohol is not the calories or how many carbs are in your beer. That's marketing hype.

Alcohol inhibits your metabolism. And your metabolism is your body's process for burning the fat. If you want to lose weight and get in shape, cut out the alcohol.

His Identity

This is very important and I probably don't give it as much attention as I should. I've talked to men and women over the years that feel as if their weight helps identify themselves. If your weight helps identify you, i.e. being the 'big cuddly bear' or defines you in any way, then YOU WILL NOT LOSE WEIGHT.

I'm not being a cold s.o.b. here. I'm being honest. How you define yourself will dictate how you think, act and live your life. I identify myself as being a healthy guy. Will I always be healthy? Yeah, I probably will. I may eat a donut from time to time, but I won't let myself become grossly unhealthy. Because that's not how I define myself.

So if you identify yourself with being 'the big guy' or in some other way with your weight; you won't lose it. You might lose some for a period of time, but you WILL gain it back.

So... on weight being apart of his persona and being worried about losing his weight and having people perceive him differently in the acting realm...

"Hey, that's too bad. I'll scream and cry when I'm in the unemployment line, but that's really secondary. I am what I am. I can act at different weights. It's a miracle I was hired at all for a lot of these jobs."

Don't let ANYONE tell you who you are and what you can or can't do. Ever!

His Exercise

All cardio John?

"This time we mixed in strength training with resistance bands. They're great for me because I can contract and release slower, and that builds up better muscle for me."

"I was doing a job in New Orleans twice a week called Treme. I was only working a couple days a week. I wanted to treat this other thing (exercise) like a job--to get healthy."

This speaks to how much he's exercising. I wish more people took their health and fitness as serious as John has.

His Effort

Does he like it?

"I do. I'm still a sucker for highs, and I get those endorphins. It's just a feeling of well-being. I'm where I'm supposed to be. I'm doing what I should be doing. I feel good. I'm hopefully extending my life. Before, I didn't care."

Being fit, firm and strong; able to handle stress or any situation that comes your way; not just looking good, but feeling good... that's when you have it all. That's when life is at it's best!

But I can't adequately describe to you what being fit feels like. That feeling must be experienced.

There are a TON of lessons to be taken from John's weight loss journey. I hope you pick them all up. Of course the 80/20 rule will apply to these lessons.

Many will read this and say, "Well, he's a Hollywood actor, with money, and time, and blah, blah, blah." And those people won't do a thing. They'll stay the same. Stagnant. Inactive. Unchanged.

The other camp will take this as another success story (yes, I have given you others) to model and motivate and make a change in their life. What you do is your decision. But I hope you decide wisely.

To your weight loss success,

Tim Chudy

P.S. You can read his Men's Health interview here.

P.P.S. If you would like more information how we can help you with your own personal health and fitness, request a consultation here.

Or, if you're not quite ready but would like more info, get our complete info-pak here.

The good and bad of Drew Carey's 80lb weight loss

2010-07-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

I always enjoyed the Drew Carey Show. I thought he and that tall skinny guy, Ryan Stiles were hilarious.

Drew took over Bob Barker's place as host of the famed Price Is Right. Earlier this year he decided to lose the weight he's carried for so long. To date he has lost 80 pounds!

You can read the full article on his weight loss here.

I'm going to breakdown the good parts of his program and then reveal his fatal flaw.

Let's start with the GOOD.

"I was sick of being fat on the camera."
Believe it or not, this is good. If your current situation is not making you sick, then you're likely OK with it. Just because someone may need to lose weight or improve their fitness doesn't mean they want to. A lot of times a heart attack, starting medication, or just a trip to the doctor can spur taking action. For Drew it was sick of being fat on camera.

"I'm not diabetic anymore. No medication needed."
Obviously good. Type II diabetes is growing more and more and it's controllable with diet and exercise. Drew has conquered this one.

"I don't drink anything but water."
Although not totally necessary, it's a good step. Alcohol, soda, energy drinks loaded with sugar will all slow down weight loss results.

"Lots of cardio...at least 45 minutes of cardio."
The third leg of the 3 Legged Stool of Body Transformation. He doesn't mention anything about strength training, but I would guess he is doing some. But cardio is just as important. And he's certainly doing it.

"(Losing weight) was easy because once you see the results, then you don't wanna stop."
There is no greater force than your own momentum. Once you get the ball rolling it picks up speed and gets faster and faster and faster. Soon you don't want to stop. And losing weight becomes a heckuva lot easier!

He wants to lose weight so he can "be looking that great at 86" like his predecessor Bob Barker. "I'd love to be able to play with him (his stepson) without getting tired, enjoy my life and watch him grow."
As I told a group of Enterprise employees I spoke to yesterday, you must start with goals, motivation, and commitment. Drew clearly has his 'reason why' down. He wants to see his stepson grow up, and live a healthy, enjoyable life. Retiring with health problems is no way to grow old.

There's no denying Drew is doing very well with his weight loss. But as I mentioned, there is a FATAL FLAW. Did you find it?

"No carbs...not even a cracker. No bread at all. No pizza, nothing. No corn, no beans, no starches of any kind." If you guessed this was his fatal flaw, you guessed right. Whether he's doing Atkins, South Beach, or some new and cool Hollywood diet we don't even know about, he will soon fail. You can't expect to stay on a diet by eliminating one of the macro-nutirents(carbs, protein, and fat). They are ALL essential. It's not about eliminating them but balancing and controlling them to support you and your exercise program.

Mark my words, he will gain his weight back. I won't say how much or how long, but he will gain it back. That's my prediction.

I imagine he goes to some good restaurants and dinner parties. And sooner or later his craving for a donut or carbohydrate treat will cause him to crack. And that will be the start of a slippery slope. It's just a matter of time.

That doesn't discredit his hard work. I just hate to see people work so hard and invest so much with the wrong solution. I hope you're not making the same fatal mistake.

If you would like to see a real, tried and true, permanent way to lose weight and get in shape then request a consultation. If you're not ready to start but still want info you can download our complete info-pack.

Have a great weekend!

To your health,

Tim Chudy

Weight loss pills... Does this one work?

2010-07-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

What would you say if I promised you easy, no
effort weight loss? Just take this pill, and POOF!
you drop the pounds.

Sounds great, right?!

But what if I followed that promise with a range
of possible side effects including memory
lapses, suicidal thoughts, and heart palpitations?

"Hold it Tim! That doesn't sound so great."

The pharmaceutical industry continues to search,
(yet it will never find) for an answer to weight
loss in a tiny little pill. Their latest effort is called Qnexa.

I could save them millions of R&D dollars if they would just ask me whether these weight loss pills will work or not.:-)

But they won't. Because there is BIG business in
weight loss pills. Wall Street analysts say any drug with modest results could become a blockbuster. So I assure you pharma execs will stop at nothing to develop 'that' drug. Even if it has side effects such as sucidal tendencies.

The FDA panel's chair, Kennth Burman said this
about Qnexa, "Some of these side effects are
serious and could be life-threatening and must be
weighed against a relatively modest weight loss."

If you stop and think about that, we've taken
weight loss to a whole other level. We've gone
from side effects like gas, bloody stools, and
cramps (remember Wow! Chips with Olestra) to
sucidal thoughts. It's madness! People will soon
be deciding whether to risk life-threatening side
effects in order to lose some weight.

Don't fall victim to the weight loss pills... to the diets... to the HYPE! Be a smart consumer. Anyone that needs to lose 20 pounds knows they didn't gain it overnight. And you certainly won't lose it overnight. At least not safely and permanently.

Go with what's been tried and true. Exercise and
nutrition. Sure, it won't happen in a week or two.
But the time and effort you put in will help you
discover a body and a person you haven't seen in
awhile. Take the first step and start today.

I would love to help you. You're welcome to request a free session by clicking here. I'll show you what a program would look like for you and help you start losing weight and getting in shape the right way. Oh... and I promise the only side effects will be looks from the opposite sex and questions on what your 'secret' is!:-)

I hope to see you soon!

Tim Chudy

P.S. Whatever you do to lose weight, please do it safely. If you're unsure seek out a professional. Call your doc or a fitness trainer. Trust them. Not the big weight loss companies.

P.P.S. I don't expect you to trust me right away. I believe trust has to be earned. You can see what our clients say about us and then request your fre.e sessions here.

A Learned Weight Loss Lesson

2010-06-22T07:33:00.000-07:00

I emailed this lesson on Father's Day and totally skipped posting it to the blog. So excuse the timliness of it. But I think the lesson is worth the tardiness.

First, I want to wish all of the dads out there,
especially my dad, a Happy Father's Day. We're
blessed and thankful to have you in our lives.
Second, I have a weight loss tip for you today.
And appropriately, it's a tip I learned from my dad.

My dad was the one that spurred my health
kick. He bought me my first set of weights.
He'd make me a healthy lunch for school. But most
importantly, he taught me health and fitness by example.

He went to the gym a minimum of 5 days a week. He
would always make sure we had veggies with dinner. Don't get me wrong, he would still bring home donuts on Saturday morning, but all in all, he was a healthy example to follow. And that's the tip I want to share with you today. Learn by example.

I bet I can guess how successful you are with your
weight loss and fitness goals by taking a look at
the examples you follow.

Those examples will influence your actions and
behaviors. They will have the greatest effect on
you. Sometimes whether you choose it or not.
For instance, wouldn't you want to follow the
example of someone that's been successful
with weight loss versus someone that hops
from one diet to the next always struggling to
keep the weight off?

The examples you have in your life will utlimately
influence your actions.

I am the man I am today because of my dad. He
didn't sit me down one day and say, "Tim, this is
how you be a man." Not at all.

But I did learn how to work hard. I did learn how
to treat a lady. I did learn how to sacrifice. I
learned all of this from his example.
You can learn the same way. Doesn't matter if it's
weight loss, fishing, or sewing. If you
watch, observe, and follow a good example, chances
are you'll be just as good.

Good examples are a great way to learn. Take some
time now to think about the examples you have when
it comes to your weight loss. Are they good examples to follow? Will they help you move closer to your goal? If not, I suggest you find others to follow. If you need a good example to follow come spend a week with my team and I. We'll quickly show you the path to weight loss!

To your weight loss success,

Tim

P.S. If you don't have a good example to follow or have been unsuccessful with your weight loss click here for a consultation. I'll give you info on our programs and show you why Fitness Together is a good example to follow.

A disease that affects everyone. Yes, even you.

2010-06-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

Let me get straight to the point. Because it’s likely you experienced the symptoms of the disease I’m talking about over the holiday weekend.

I’ve been a proponent for ending this disease my entire adult life. It hits home with me. Maybe because it’s deadly. It won’t necessarily take your life. But it will take your quality of life.

I’m talking about the ‘Disease of Decision’ as it relates to your health and fitness. Sometimes it’s not obesity, diabetes, or cholesterol that affects our lives. Sometimes it’s just our own daily battle of choices.

I bet you had a decision to BBQ this weekend. To eat, drink, relax and enjoy the time off. You also had a decision to have a couple of cold Bud Lights and eat those delicious store bought cookies. And a decision to exercise with the time off. Or to do something active with your family.

What decisions did you make?

I won’t lie to you, decisions are not easy. No one wants to go for a jog when you have a good excuse to eat and drink. And pushing yourself as hard as you should or working out for as long as you should, that’s tough too.

But your decision doesn’t lie in what you should do. That’s the easy part. The real decision lies in what you want with yourself and your life. If you want to live well, to really get all you can from life, then decisions such as exercising and passing on cookies become easy. If you want to stop gaining weight and fit into the pants you still have in your closet, then those decisions aren’t a second thought.

The remedy for the ‘Disease of Decision’ is having a Reason Why and a clear focus on your goals. When that is at your foundation it eliminates the dis-ease of deciding what you should do. It’s already been decided.

Take this and call me in the morning

If you suffer from the ‘Disease of Decision’ try this… Sit down tonight and write out the reasons why you want to lose weight and get in shape. Give this some thought. Is it because you want to make it through a day without being so doggone tired? Or maybe you just want to look good again, or be able to age well and play with your grandkids. Whatever it is, put it down on paper. Set a clear vision of how you want your life to look in terms of your health and fitness. Make sure you have laser sharp focus. Then call me.

Seriously, call me.

Your Reason Why is the first step to a better you. The second involves putting together a program that works for you. I can help you do that. I cannot however, help you decide to DO IT.

So sit down tonight and find your reason why. Write out a few goals and why they’re important to you. Then call me tomorrow or click here. I’ll answer any questions you have and give you an overview of our programs.

I want to help you dial this in. No more excuses. No more putting this off. Get started today!

To your fitness success,

Tim Chudy
Fitness Together

P.S. As bad as the ‘Disease of Decision’ can be, don’t let indecision get you. Not deciding at all is worse than saying yes or no. If you’re not ready to lose weight then tell yourself that. When the time is right you’ll be primed to decide yes and your commitment will be stronger.

A Mother's Biggest Problem (But this is not just for mom's)

2010-02-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

I received an email from one of my mentors
last week. He was using the problem I'm
referring to in a different light. But
immediately I realized it's the biggest problem
mother's face. Here's what he said...

"Author and motivational/self actualization guru,
Larry Winget, has a book out that I recommend to
you. It's called "No Time For Tact." Great title.

In the book he shares 365 daily nuggets of wisdom.
It's good stuff. His July 2nd nugget says:

"I believe in selfishness. The best way for me to
serve others is to selfishly serve myself well.

When I take the time to feel good physically, I do
a better job. That requires some selfishness.

When I do what I want to do, I am better at it,
and the better I am at what I do, the better
others are served by what I do.

It is possible to give so much of yourself away
that you compromise the quality of what you have
to give."

Sean (his business partner) uses the airplane
oxygen mask analogy to describe this, and it's an
accurate way to think about it.

"If you're traveling with small children, put your
mask on first THEN help your children with
theirs."

Because if you can't breathe, you can't help
anybody.

VERY serious advice that cannot be overlooked for
long or you *will* pay the price."

I think he's spot on. But this is THE biggest and
most common problem I hear from mothers.

I firmly believe we'd be lost without our mothers.
They always put themselves on the bottom
of the totem pole and serve others first.

But it shouldn't be that way. And it doesn't have to be
either. I just finished meeting with Jennifer Janson. She
trained with us last year and came back in to get get
re-started.

Jennifer runs her own 'company' of 6 at home. Plus
her husband. When she went on hiatus from FT, she
realized that going it alone and doing it on her own was
not realistic. Too much distraction. Too much room for
error. Too much time. She was better when she had
a disciplined and structured exercise routine. It was time
for her. No one else to think about. No one else to tend to.

FT helps leverage her health and fitness. And she
knows her family is better served because of it.

This is even more important with your health, your
fitness, and your weight loss. You will serve
others better (spouse, kids, friends, etc...) if
you serve yourself first.

How to be effectively "selfish":

Plug these into your calendar first:

- Your personal down time
- Your workouts
- Your nutrition
- Your sleep

And then be discplined about
honoring and protecting that time. Will it
be perfect? No. It never will be. But you
can certainly strive for it.

If you are married, have kids, work a lot of
hours, there are always others to tend to. It
takes discipline and commitment or your time can
soon fade away.

Gotta guard against that - at all costs.

To the Mom's out there,

Tim Chudy

P.S. If you think this is only applicable to mothers
you're sorely mistaken. Make sure you take time
for yourself, your health, your fitness, and watch
your care for others improve!

P.P.S. Would you like help being 'selfish'? Would you
like a way to leverage your health and fitness? See
how Jennifer does it by clicking here.

Are you making these fitness mistakes?

2010-01-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

You may have caught my segment on KMOV's
Great Day St. Louis on Monday. If not, you can
see the 5 common fitness mistakes
I revealed to Matt Chambers.

Check it out below. #2 is a biggie. Watch for it
with 4:45 remaining. Also, Julia demonstrates
one of my favorite exercises. Can you guess which
of the three it is?

Did you watch the video? Are you making any of
the mistakes I mentioned? If you are, we can help.

Request a health and fitness consultation and get
your body back once and for all. Not quite ready for
it? Then you can download our info-pack here.

Tim

Getting Fit with Carol Daniel of KMOV's Great Day St. Louis

2010-01-19T08:10:00.000-08:00

Did you make a New Year's Resolution?

Statistics tell us 95% of people have stopped or dropped their resolution by now. Great Day invited me on to share 5 tips to making your health and fitness program successful. Be sure to pay attention to a big secret at the 4:25 mark.

Hope this helps. If you'd like to schedule a consultation and see how we may be able to help you reach your health and fitness goals, click here.

I look forward to meeting you.

Tim

"How To Lose 3 Dress Sizes In 10 Minutes" (You won't believe it!)

2010-01-14T19:12:00.000-08:00

I hesitated to title this post with that quote.
I thought you might think that's me making that
claim. But I assure you I'm not.

I was probably just as shocked as you to see that.
I saw it on the back of a minivan driving into the
studio today. Call Harriette for more details. Or
to tell her she's blowing smoke!:-)

3 dress sizes in 10 minutes is really what we want
isn't it? We want immediate results. Our entire
society is built around speed. Everything is
faster. From computers to kids growing up.
It all happens fast.

But fitness results are not. It takes time to lose
weight and get in shape.

One of the most often asked questions I get is,
"How long will it take Tim?" That's the
question everyone wants to know. But usually it's
not what you want to hear.

It's why my finace dislikes fitness. You may know
she's a chef. She loves planning, preaparing,
and cooking a meal. Lucky me:-) But her final
result is instant. At the end of all that work
her meal is complete. My taste buds are wowed and
there's a big smile on my face. She see's the
result.

It's different with fitness and weight loss.

Your fitness and weigtht loss takes time. A long
time for some. As frustrating as that may be it's
just the way it is. And I have to continually
remind Joella of it. She's looking for immediate
results. She expects to change after 2 workouts.
But it just won't happen.

What are your expecations? I mean, really and
truly, when are you expecting to look and feel
good? One month? Three months? One year?

It's different for everyone. But I'll
try and give you a better idea.

When it comes to fitness the body works through 3
phases. Neural, muscular, and lipogenic. (That's a
fancy word for burning body fat.)

The first phase, neural, is what I like to call
your initial hump. When you start an exercise
program you are in essence adding a stressor to
the body. (Ironically this stressor helps decrease
stress.) In the beginning it's hard. The weights
feel heavy and wobbly. You sometimes feel akward
and unsure, and overall weak.

As you begin to
workout you actually breakdown your muscle before
you build it. Lactic acid builds up in your
muscles and causes soreness. Ah yes, the dreaded
soreness. Sometimes you find out about muscles you
forgot you had. Or maybe you didn't even know you
had them! Walking up and down stairs, squatting to
the toilet, and other daily activities can become
gruelsome. This inital hump usually lasts about
two weeks.

The second phase is muscular. After your body gets
past neural and systemic changes you'll begin to
build muscle. You start to feel stronger. You'll
notice increases in your energy and your
metabolism starts to raise.

I love this phase. And it always reinforces how
important strength training is for you. Because
lean muscle contributes so much to your body. Your
metabolism increases, your energy stokes, you
start to firm up and notice lines in your arms and
legs. You're looking and feeling good like you
should!!

With the increase in metabolim and lean muscle
leads you into the last phase. Body fat burning.

This is where it counts. This is when you're
turning your body into a machine. You metabolize
calories like a well oiled piston. It just
cranks!!(Hence my favorite saying, "Crank it!")

You use up needed carbs, protein, and fat. Food
becomes fuel to your body. No longer do you eat
just because but it has an entire new meaning!

It takes roughly 12 weeks to go through these
phases. Some may go through them quicker. Some
slower. If you have 40 or 50 pounds to lose, it
will take you longer. If you're looking to lose
that last 10 pounds you might do it 8 to 10 weeks.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. There's one more thing.
Your body goes through these phases with one BIG
catch. Your diet! If you're diet is not supportive
to these phases then you will slow the process.
You can't out work a bad diet.

Set yourself up for success. Don't put 'Lose 3
dress sizes in 10 minutes' into your mind. It
won't happen. Give yourself realistic expectations
and set incremental goals along the way. Enjoy the
little victories and you'll have one BIG victory
at the end.

To your fitness success,

Tim

P.S. If you'd like to know more about realistic
expectations for your fitness and weight loss
goals and a program to get you there, request a
f.r.e.e. fitness and weight loss diagnostic
consultation here. Or if you'd just like more info
on our program you can download our info-pak here.

Getting Into Shape with KMOV's Great Day St. Louis

2010-01-04T14:40:00.000-08:00

I opened an email yesterday and it said, "The
greatest gift, for you or a loved one, is the gift
of a healthy, vibrant life."

I thought that was pretty cool. And so true. My
fiance and I have committed to maintaining a
healthy and fit life. Because we know when you
don't have to worry about your health, when your
health works for you and not against you, your
life is so much better. Richer. Fuller. Plus, by
marrying me she doesn't have much choice.:-)

I was on the set of Great Day St. Louis this morning
and talked with Carol on making your resolutions stick.
And it has nothing to do with exercise!

Watch this video now. Make sure to listen to the secret
of success at the 4:25 mark!

http://www.kmov.com/great-day-st-louis/Getting-Back-Into-Shape-80072617.html

NBC's Biggest Loser Finale Analysis

2009-12-14T08:39:00.000-08:00

A disclaimer first. I have watched all of 12
minutes of the Biggest Loser. In fact, last night
was the first time I tuned in. So I can’t say that
I have the full story. But...

...I don’t need it. When I get home at night I’m
usually famished. So I go straight to the kitchen
to start dinner. I also use this time to catch up
on the news. Well, as I was flipping to the news
channel I passed NBC. I knew The Biggest Loser was
on because one of our clients was super excited
about the finale. So I watched.

It took all of 12 minutes to make 2 conclusions
about this show. Now, if you’re a fan of the show
I think that’s great. I think this show does a lot
for Americans in regard to motivation,
inspiration, persistence and hard work. Because
there is no doubt that those contestants work
hard.

1st conclusion: Trainer Jillian Taylor

What a poor representation of a personal trainer.
I first laughed out loud watching her. But then I
got a little ticked off. Jillian was standing over
Shay(?), who I believe was the heaviest contestant
to date, yelling at her not to stop her exercise
while asking her personal questions that were
making her cry like a baby trying to fix her past.
This is just not reality. Trainers don’t yell AT
you and we most certainly don’t ask you questions
about your past and try to remove huge
psychological barriers to losing weight. Bullies
and therapists do that. It's complete nonsense.

However, we do raise our voice WITH you, and
motivate and encourage you to do more than you
think you’re capable. If I had a dollar for every
time a lady has told me they can’t do a pushup,
I’d be a very rich man. If I had another dollar
for every time a lady tried and did 5 pushups with
a trainer by her side supporting her, then I’d be
a very very rich man.

You see, trainers help pull out the best in you.
That’s why I like to refer to my team as Fitness
Coaches. We don’t yell at you and demean you. We
partner with you. We educate, motivate, and
support you. We coach you through a proven fitness
and nutrition program to get results.

And that leads to my 2nd conclusion: The Doctor

When the doctor stood up to tell Shay about her
medical progress he said one thing that stuck out.
I’ll paraphrase... when we’re in a society that
tells you gastric bypass surgery is the answer,
you have shown that exercising and eating right
works.

Great stuff Doc! That was the one thing I liked
about the show. That doctor reinforced to America
what I’ve been saying for years. Strength
training, cardiovascular training, and supportive
nutrition is THE key to lasting and permanent
weight loss and fitness results. Forget about the
pills. Forget about the diets. And you can
definitely forget about the surgery. The doc also
said there was a 1 in 10 chance you could die from
surgery - yikes!

My advice is watch The Biggest Loser for
motivation and inspiration only. But realize
nothing on that show is reality. Not the trainers,
not the fitness program, and not speed at which
you lose weight.

I’d love to hear your comments about this one.

Post them below.

To being a Loser, :)

Tim

P.S. If you'd like help being a Loser, request
a complimentary consultation ($75 value) by clicking here.

P.P.S. Not ready for a consultation, no problem.
Get your hands on our infopack with tons of info
on our programs and packages.

A Holiday Tip and a Sad Passing

2009-12-11T05:47:00.001-08:00

I’ll go out a limb (a sturdy one) and say you’re going to indulge at some point during the holidays. Don’t worry, this isn’t a guilt trip email. In fact, I too will eat, drink, and be merry!

So you overindulge. And human nature tells us what happens next. You’ll realize what you’ve done and desire to be better and not do it again. That’s a fact. Once you feel bad, you’ll want to feel good. If you have a beating heart you will feel these two emotions.

So here’s the tip…

When the second emotion strikes… when you have the desire to lose weight, to get in shape, heck just to feel better – about yourself and your health… take action. Immediately. Do not delay about this.

You see, you must act before the feeling passes and the idea gets dim. ASAP. If you don’t, then you suffer from the Law of Diminishing Intent. If you don’t translate your intent into action it wanders. And in one day, one week, one month… you won’t be able to find it. Soon, you probably won’t even remember it.

Develop your ability to take action. Do NOT lose time. Strike when the iron is hot. Act when the idea is fresh and the emotion strong. Otherwise the idea is wasted and the emotion passes. Disciplined action equals results. And I mean ‘lose weight and inches, tone and tighten, feel good, see it in the mirror’ results!!

Now go take action,
Tim

P.S. I was away from my email over the weekend and had 2 emails in my inbox on Monday with upsetting news. Jim Rohn passed away last Saturday from his battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Jim Rohn, America’s foremost business philosopher, influenced hundreds of thousands of people, myself included. In fact, I learned the tip above from him. He had an extraordinary gift at making success easy and understandable. He turned success into common sense. If you’ve listened or read any of Jim’s material you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, I would encourage you to do so. Your life will be better because of it. Thank you Jim. May you rest in peace.

Ever heard these 2 sayings?

2009-12-10T13:29:00.000-08:00

I've failed to post a few articles I wrote over the past couple of weeks. So I'll be posting them in succession over the next few days. That way you can catch up all at once;). But on to the sayings!

Ever heard someone say “No pain, no gain”? Or “You gotta use it or lose it.”

Both are true.

I just finished reading a business newsletter and the author talks about achieving goals should be tough. He says, “If anybody ever gets everything aligned exactly as they’d like, with no unintended consequences, no price tags attached to their achievements and rewards, no downsides to the upsides, I’d like to meet him or her.”

He’s basically saying that to get what we really want we’ve gotta work at it. Sometimes, we’ve gotta scratch and claw and let nothing get in our way. And when it comes to your fitness, to looking good and feeling good, it’s no different.

The hardest part is always getting started isn’t it? I mean, who likes doing pushups and squatting lower than your legs will allow you? And not to mention waking up the next day and having it hurt to walk and making sitting down on the toilet painful. It’s hard stuff! But the payoff is worth it.

You see, I believe all the success we work for in life comes with a price tag. You won’t get smarter without putting in the time to read. You won’t climb the corporate ladder without putting in time and effort at the office. You won’t look good in your swimming suit without breaking a sweat. So as the saying goes… no pain, no gain.

And being comfortable is the worst. Remaining in your comfort zone is what I call the ‘Jackpot of Mediocrity’. It’s easy. That’s why so many people do it. It’s a piece of cake to, well, eat a piece of cake. Sorry for the pun:). It’s easy and comfy to indulge during the holidays. But I hope you’re not OK with mediocrity.

It takes being uncomfortable to achieve some results. Debbie Miersch does not come in everyday of the week for her strength AND cardio sessions because it’s fun. But her time and effort are worth it. And with a little pain comes gain. She’s lost 40 pounds to date! Way to go Debbie.

No pain. No gain. Simple as that.

But there’s more.

You gotta use it or lose it. Thankfully this is the easy part. Once you go through the pain and suffering...once you get past your legs being so sore it hurts to go down the stairs…once you get past eating the right foods at EVERY meal…once you get past only having one alcoholic drink a week…that’s when it gets easy. Because maintaining a healthy and fit body is a lot easier than getting one. You can afford to indulge a little here and there. But you still gotta work at it. You never want to stop because you’ve reached your goals. That’s the worst thing to do.
If you don’t use it, you WILL lose it. That’s why maintenance is just as important as getting started.

If you’re not currently exercising or need help with a maintenance program come in for a complimentary fitness consultation. I’ll help you get on a plan that works for you. Click here to schedule now.

Have a great winter weekend!

Regards,
Tim Chudy

This can give you cancer

2009-11-12T14:19:00.000-08:00

Here’s something to fear, "Cancer Group Finds Excess Body Fat Alone Causes More Than 100,000 Cancers in U.S." That was an article I read from Reuters. A colleague told me he saw an article in the USA Today on the same study. By now it’s been picked up by other reporting outlets and you may have seen a similar article. It was fitting since I wanted to write to you about cancer.

And a quick note about the quotation above... the key word is ‘Alone’. The study found that body fat alone caused cancer. Not body fat, physical inactivity and lack of nutritious foods cause cancer. Your excess body fat alone.

As many of you know October was breast cancer awareness month. I can thankfully say none of my immediate family or friends have suffered from this cancer. And obviously, it does not pose a threat to me. But recently I talked with breast cancer survivor and client, Maria Mallonee the other day. And I thought her advice was well worth sharing.

Maria is quite interesting. She’s a medical mystery. She has no genetic disposition for breast cancer. She’s a runner and has kept a healthy weight throughout the years. But after a regularly schedule mammogram they found a lump. "I would say the NUMBER ONE tip I would give is do self breast exams, but HAVE YOUR MAMMOGRAM!!! Don’t put it off for any reason!!"

Breast cancer among other cancers is a killer. And if you choose to stick your head in the sand about it, you could be in for a rude awakening. Had Maria not taken the necessary steps to watch for this she might not have been a survivor. You MUST take the necessary steps to ensure you remain healthy and well. I’m going to give you specific steps to follow in a minute.

You probably know 60% of Americans are overweight. Maybe you are, maybe you aren’t. But apply the study to you. If you have some extra fat on you, even just 'that last 10 pounds', then maybe you need to ask yourself how at risk you are.
Could losing an extra 10 pounds save your life?
Wow, that’s a powerful question. How hard would you try to lose weight if you knew it would prevent you from having colon cancer? A heart attack? Or another deadly disease?

It’s a good question for self inventory.

A lot of times people call me when they have a wakeup call. Hopefully it’s an early sign that gives them time to take some action. Unfortunately not everyone’s wakeup call comes early enough.

So it’s time to take a self inventory. And action! If you don’t care about your health, no problem. Stop reading and delete this email. But since you’re still reading I’ll venture to say your health and well being are important to you. If you want to be in control of your health, and not bounce through life crossing your fingers hoping and praying to avoid cancer, then now’s the time to take action.

Here are 7 tips for cancer prevention straight from the Mayo Clinic. Oh, and keep in mind every bit of effort counts. Picture yourself putting dollars in the health bank every time you do something good.

Maintain a healthy weight - as I mentioned earlier, there is a clear link between excess body fat and cancer. Endometrial, esophageal, stomach, pancreatic, kidney, gallbladder, breast, uterus, and colorectal to name a few. By now you should know being overweight can lead to A LOT of health issues. Overweight is synonymous to smoking. You know it’s bad for you, so don’t do it.

Stop smoking - see previous sentence. Tobacco puts you on the fast track to cancer. Quitting smoking is one of the best decisions you can make for your health.

Physical activity - this will obviously help you keep a healthy body weight and as a consequence aid in cancer prevention. Make sure to incorporate strength training and cardiovascular training as part of your program.

Lower the fat in your diet - studies show a decrease in risk of cancer with those that maintain a low fat diet. Shoot for less than 30% of fat from your total calories and stay away from saturated and trans fats. And eat plenty of fruits and vegetables which have shown to reduce the risk of cancers.

Limit alcohol - experts aren’t sure how strong the link between drinking and cancer is, but they know it exists. And it doesn’t matter which kind of alcohol. Go with my rule of thumb, 1 drink twice a week, or 2 drinks once a week.

Limit your exposure to the sun - skin cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer and also one of the most easily preventable. My siblings and I were all lifeguards and my mom would punish us if we got sunburned. No lie. Do the same for your kids.

Get screened - Ok, this won’t prevent any cancer, but a screening or self exam will help you discover cancer early. And the earlier the better. So please heed Maria’s earlier advice. Talk to your doctor to determine which screenings are appropriate for what age and interval.

There are your 7 tips. You can’t control genetics, but YOU CAN control other factors. Take a self inventory of your health and think about the next 5, 10, or 20 years. What do you want them to look like? Do you want to be plagued with illness? Or do you want to have the freedom to do what you desire? The choice is yours.

To your health and wellness,

Tim

P.S. Holiday parties are upon us. And you still have time to tighten and tone up for everyone to take notice. Click here for a no obligation consultation.

P.P.S. Not ready for a consultation but still want some info? No problem. Click here to receive our complete infopack.

Which is better for you, strength training or cardio training?

2009-10-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

I read an article the other day in the Washington Post citing Consumer Reports research answering that very question. I thought you might wonder about the very same question the article addressed. It’s kind of a trick question, but there IS a better answer. And I’ll paraphrase the benefits.

To begin, you need both. I’ll go to my grave preaching the ‘Three-Legged Stool of Body Transformation’. You need all three legs; strength, cardio, and nutrition to maximize your results in the quickest possible time. A stool can’t stand on 2 legs.

But if I had to choose between strength and cardio -- I’d choose strength training in a nanosecond. Here’s why...

Strength training not only has the benefits of using resistance against your body, but it also has similar benefits as cardio (also called endurance training) and then some. Here are the top 5 reasons to make sure strength training is included in your health and fitness program.

Gets your heart pumping. Do one set of walking lunges or squats, both popular strength training exercises, and you’ll quickly see what it does for the heart. In one study of 72 men and women, half did 5 days of cardio and half did 3 days of cardio and 2 days of strength. The group that incorporated strength training reached the same level of aerobic fitness PLUS benefits not experienced by the other group such as increased strength and muscle and a decrease in body fat.

Builds and strengthens bone. If you have any sign of osteopenia or osteoporosis then strength training is a MUST. To maintain their density, bones must be stressed by weight bearing or resistance exercises. These conditions can easily be bettered, even reversed, if done consistently and correctly.

Increased mobility. Maybe you’re not concerned about this now. But there will be a point when you are. Of course, I’m not just talking about getting up and down off the floor. I’m also talking about walking up a flight of stairs, lugging groceries to and fro, and carrying luggage when traveling. Strength training makes everyday tasks easier. And you won’t risk throwing your back out because you were playing around with your kids.

Metabolic booster. Strength training builds lean muscle mass. It firms and strengthens your muscles. When you do that, not only do you feel stronger, fitter, and more confident about yourself, but you raise your resting metabolic rate (RMR). This is the rate at which your body burns calories when you’re just sitting there. Doing nothing. How cool is that? You’ll burn more calories just sitting in front of your computer. And that only happens through strength training.

Joint support. Further, strength training has a lot of benefits for your joints. It relieves joint pain. Yes, it really does! One study showed pain for knee arthritis cut in half after an eight week strength training program. And there was no improvement seen in the control group. Strength training also strengthens ligaments, muscles, and tendons. This makes your ankle, hip, knee, and shoulder joints more stable. And that pressure will even help grow new cartilage helping protect from degeneration over time.

These are some big time benefits. Oh yeah, let’s not forget toning up a hard body, burning your unwanted body fat and looking AND feeling better than ever! There are too many benefits. But you’re smart enough to see them all. So are you strength training to experience those benefits?

Many are not. That’s not a guess. I talk to folks every day about their exercise and nutrition. And every time I talk with someone they are missing the boat when it comes to strength training.

If you need help putting together a strength training program that works for you please call or email me to schedule a consultation.

To your fitness success,

Tim Chudy
Fitness Together

P.S. If you’re over 65 years old, this is even more important. An estimated one in three adults over 65 years of age will suffer from a fall this year. And the consequences can be severe. It is vitally important for older adults to incorporate strength training in their lives. I know you know someone over the age of 65 (maybe it’s you). Ask them if they are strength training. It’s likely they’re not. Forward this article to them and have them call me directly to set up an appropriate program for them. I can be reached directly at 314.863.7799.

P.P.S. You can request your consultation here. Or if you'd like more info on our programs and services I'll email you our infopack.

Are you training or trying?

2009-09-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

I’m lucky to be involved in a few different fitness groups. Some with the top fitness professionals in the country. One of them, Paul Wright shared an occurrence with one of his clients:

"A couple weeks ago I had a client come into my office and ask me a simple exercise-related question (a very common occurrence for all of us). I answered to her satisfaction and as she left my office she said, "Well I guess I'll go try to do this" to which I responded with a question that
has become one of my new business directives:

Are you training or are you trying?

She didn't quite understand what I meant so I explained that when you're "training" to accomplish your goals you are focused, systematic, analytical and eliminate "chance" from the equation. You have to be purposeful in your actions and then evaluate the outcome of those actions.

If you're merely "trying" to reach your goals then you've allowed chance to be your guide and you're haphazardly going from one diet to the next or you're sporadic and unfocused in your exercise routine."
This is a HUGE shift in mindset. So, are you training or trying?

This is transcendent. It goes way beyond exercise. It really hits on the difference between mediocre results (or none at all) and game-changing results in every aspect of our lives.

We're all so busy, with so much to do just to keep our heads above water, let alone really thrive.

Your health and fitness is hard work. Infinitely harder than just cutting a few calories out of your diet.

But when you do things right consistently, the work load becomes more manageable and things start to really click.

The secret, is focus.

You have to eliminate distraction.

When I feel really good, fit and healthy, it's because I'm not resisting structure.

Here's what I mean by that.

Like most normal people, maybe you, I like to indulge my sweet tooth. If you put donuts in front of me on Sunday morning I’ll have a glass of milk before you can say Maple Glazed Long John! If I’m really craving it, I’ll seek them out and stray off track.

But it tastes good. Really good. That’s the upside. But if you're not in control of that (emotional) tendency or compulsion (however you want to characterize it), you can quickly fall into bad habits and just as quickly put on extra pounds.

That's why structure is so vital.

Here are a few tips for keeping structure and helping you reach your weight loss and fitness goals:

Accountability: Make sure you schedule appointments every week. Our clients keep a standing schedule. Meg knows she’s training every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11:15. Most importantly she’s being held accountable. We all need accountability. I practice this with my own workouts too.

Motivation: At first sight exercise stinks. It looks hard, you sweat, it makes your muscles burn, it tires you out. But those that are in a consistent program know how it makes you feel after the workout. Endorphins kick in and soon becomes a drug you gotta have.

But it’s easy to lose that feeling. You might even lose it after one week. Which is why motivation is so vital to your fitness program. Everyone needs a coach to support, motivate, and give them that extra push when needed.

Assessments: I’m amazed at the amount of people that still use ONLY a scale to measure their success (thank you Biggest Loser). You can’t manage what you can’t measure. You know muscle weighs more than fight, right? So how do you know if your weight gain of 2 pounds wasn’t you tightening up your arms and butt? Usually a gain of two pounds (if done correctly) is something to be happy about.

Efficiency: No one has ever sat down with me and said, "I have all the time in the world Tim. I’ll workout as much as you need me to." I’d call shenanigans if that ever happens. It only makes sense for your program to be efficient. Get in, get fit, and get out. No need to prolong the process. By the way, our workouts are 45 minutes. Any longer and you’re probably inefficient.

Customization: Your program must work for YOU! Not your spouse, or your daughter, friend or co-worker. You, and you alone.

Finally, have some fun and keep things fresh. This whole exercise thing is not a fad. You won’t be doing this for the next 12 weeks and then put it up on the shelf. It’s vital for a long, healthy, and prosperous life. Be aggressive in reaching your goals, but as the saying goes, "Success is a journey not a destination." So have fun with it.

To your health and fitness,

Tim Chudy

P.S. Trying to figure out fitness and weight loss success on your own can be a needlessly frustrating experience when you have access to the best of the best who are ready, willing and able to help. Request a complimentary consultation here.

P.P.S. Or you can always receive more health and fitness info at our website or by going here.

An often overlooked secret to fitness success and some BIG news!

2009-09-10T12:57:00.000-07:00

I'll get to the big news in a minute. But first, the secret...

I just implemented a Corporate Wellness Program with an insurance firm in Clayton. We’ve put together an 8-Week Challenge to help everyone get motivated and in their best shape! It’s a ‘Biggest Loser’ Challenge in-a-box if you will.

Last week as we were going through their Fast-Start Orientation we covered goal setting.

This step is often overlooked with an exercise program. But it’s so important! If you don’t have anything to work towards, then you’ll end up just spinning your wheels. And that’s not productive.

To help ensure weight loss and fitness results you must set goals.

As I spoke to the group of 20 or so, most hadn’t heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Your goal must incorporate each category. I’ll break them down one by one and give you a few examples.

Specific - Your goal must be specific. "I want to lose weight" is not a goal. That’s simply a wish. But, "I want to lose 18 pounds" is a specific goal. Now we know where you are (your current weight) and where you want to go (your current weight minus 18 lbs.).

Measurable - Goals must have some form of measurement. Weight is easy. You step on the scale, and then you step off the scale. What about getting in shape? How do you measure that? Maybe it’s walking up a flight of steps without panting. Maybe it’s to run 30 minutes without stopping. Whatever it is, make sure your goal can be measured.

Attainable - I’ll admit this is my least favorite. I like to be aggressive with my goals. And I hope you do too. But keeping a foot in reality is important. For instance, a goal for me "To make it in the NBA" would not be realistic (no matter how much I would like it to be :). I’d be setting myself up for failure. Make your goal aggressive, but attainable.

Realistic - This one is somewhat like attainable. Losing 30 lbs. in 30 days is not realistic. Nor is it safe! Give your goals some boundaries. When setting health and fitness goals you must keep physiologic abilities in mind. When losing weight, 1-2 pounds of weight loss per week is a safe estimate, but having a resting heart rate of 30 or doing 1000 pushups in a minute is not realistic.

Timely - Last but certainly not least. I heard someone say once, "Nothing would ever happen without a deadline." And you know what? It’s true. Without a deadline or some sort of timeline, the chances of follow through are slim to none. Adding a time element creates a sense of urgency. Going back to the goal of "I want to lose 18 lbs," adding "in 12 weeks" now gives you your deadline. Always, always, always have a deadline.

Goal setting is always our first step when setting up a health and fitness program. A SMART goal is one that works. Take out a pen and paper now and write down some goals. Make sure each one includes each category. (If you have an ipod, stay tuned... my brother’s company is putting together a SMART goal App as I write. I’ll keep you posted!)

To your health and fitness success,

Tim Chudy

P.S. If you think your company might be interested in the "8-Weeks to Your Best Body" Corporate Challenge please call me directly at 314.863.7799.

P.P.S. Hope you had a great holiday weekend. Over the past couple of years you may remember me mentioning my girlfriend Joella. Well, I took a surprise trip to New York City over the weekend and popped the question. She said, "Yes!" making me the happiest guy in town! I couldn’t be more excited and thought I’d share the awesome news with you. I love you Jo.

Has this ever happened to you?

2009-09-01T09:40:00.001-07:00

This happened to a lady I was talking with
the other day. And I feel like it happens to
a lot of people.

Has it ever happened to you?

You step on the scale Friday and it gives you a
number you’re ok with. Maybe even a little excited
about. Going into the weekend, you’re very
motivated and determined.

Then on Monday you step on the scale and your
weight is up 4 pounds!! What the heck. Is this a
joke? Is someone playing a trick on you?

If this has happened to you its frustrating isn’t
it? A few attempts of effort with those results
makes you wanna throw in the towel.

It’s the point at which you become fed up with
failure. And it’s usually when people call me.

Your desire, effort, and commitment are there. But
results aren’t. And it’s disheartening for me to
see.

If this has happened to you -or is happening to
you- there are specific mistakes you’re making
with your efforts. It makes me think of the quote
I'm sure you've heard of; doing the same thing and
expecting different results is the definition of
insanity.

Well, the good news, you’re not insane. But you
are doing something wrong. If you would like to
find out the mistakes you’re making with your
fitness results you’re welcome to a personal
consultation.

But I’ll venture to say I can guess some of them
right here. So, here are a few mistakes to avoid
when trying to lose weight and get in shape.

1. Only doing cardio. This is a BIG no-no. Why
weight training gets a bad rap I’ll never know.
But look at any Hollywood actress or actor and
they ALL work out with weights. At least 3 times a
week. That gives them a lean and toned look.
(And they NEVER get bulky.)

Strength training has so many benefits to it. And
you probably know them all. It spikes metabolism
and sends your body into a fat burning frenzy. It
tones and tightens your muscles so putting on a
sleeveless shirt is a fun and proud experience. It
strengthens your body as you continue to age. And
the list goes on.

2. Stepping on the scale. If you’re trying to lose
weight please do me a favor... stay off the
scale!! Your weight will fluctuate up and down,
day to day. EVERYONE’S does. And muscle weighs
more than fat. So a lot of times you’re making
positive changes, but the scale is telling you
otherwise.

We weight our clients once a month. That’s it.
That’s all that’s needed.

3. Only paying attention to calories in, calories out.
This is another common mistake that most fall for.
Now, in theory this is true, but usually it’s not that simple.
There’s more to it than just calories. You should
be watching calories, macronutrients (protein,
carbs, and fat), portion sizes, frequency, and of
course depending on the exercise you’re doing
plays a part.

Here’s a simple equation to follow to keep
everything in check: ST + CT + BM + E3 = R

Strength training + cardio training + balanced meals
every 3 hours = results!!

So what’s stopping you? Well, most of the women
and men I talk to don’t really know where to
begin. Or how. You can go to the gym... do a
little of this, a little of that, and an hour
later not really have accomplished anything.

But that is why we’re here. To help you! You can
easily get a customized plan to make your workouts
not only EFFICIENT but EFFECTIVE too! All you have to
do is ask.

I hope you find some of this info helpful. If you
have a question about this or want to leave a
comment please do below.

To your weight loss and fitness success,

Tim Chudy

P.S. Remember, you can request a consultation
here. If you’re not quite ready but still want
info on our programs and services click here.

P.P.S. Post your comments or questions below.

A Common Man With Uncommon Character

2009-08-18T05:55:00.000-07:00

My Great Uncle Joe passed away last week. You may know of my Uncle Joe. I’ve mentioned him before and you can even find him as one of our SuperClients of the Month.

Uncle Joe died at 103 years old. He was a common man with an uncommon character. My Grandpa Chudy, his younger brother, was the same way.

The Chudy family wouldn’t be the only ones to tell you what a great person Uncle Joe was. At 103 years old his visitation and funeral were well attended. Everyone from his mailman to his bowling buddies at the senior center, even his girlfriend! were there to celebrate his life and say goodbye. It’s sad to see him go. But I don’t know if anyone could’ve asked for a better life.

He was born in Czechoslovakia in a small farming town. He came to America through Ellis Island and eventually settled in St. Clair, Michigan. He barely spoke English, but was a fast leaner and developed friends right away. He married his love, Helen, and remained married until she passed in the early nineties.

I’ll never forget what he told me about my Aunt Helen. After a stroke she was put into a nursing home to be taken care of. After one week my Uncle Joe refused to keep her there and brought her back home. The nurses warned Uncle Joe how much work it would be and cautioned him against it. They told him he wouldn’t last 5 days. "5 years Timmy. 5 years I took care of your Aunt Helen." Wow. I’ll never forget the sacrifice he made so she could stay at home. Never.

Uncle Joe was a common man with uncommon character. And I, along with many others, will miss him.

It wasn’t just the length of his life, but the quality of his life. His life was still rich with relationships. His family and friends were everything to him. And he still had a positive outlook on life. That’s why he made our SuperClient of the Month.

At 103 years old you have to be healthy and to not only keep, but to foster those relationships.

Late last week as I was waiting in line for my coffee I glanced at the Health section of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. The cover story read, How well you age can depend on you.

My Uncle Joe would have agreed. You can read the full article here.

The article goes on to divide aging into essentially 2 categories: genetics and damage. You control one, but not the other.

Thankfully the Chudy genes are strong. But I could easily neglect them. Smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise, all that bad stuff can counteract good genes. But my choice to live a healthy lifestyle will lead me to live long years. Hopefully into my hundreds.

You see, most people I talk to care more about quality than quantity. I’ll be willing to bet you don’t care to live to a specific age, but you want to live well to whatever age that might be. You want to be willing and able to reap the work you’ve put in. You want to have the relationships and enjoy the time with those people you love most.

My Uncle Joe would tell you to "Keep busy and stay active." It worked for him. And I hope you make the choice to live a healthy lifestyle.

To your health,

Tim Chudy
Fitness Together

P.S. If you would like more help living a healthy lifestyle, request your complimentary health and fitness consultation here. Or, if you’re not quite ready, you can download our infopack here.

The 2 most important times of day for your nutrition

2009-08-12T05:15:00.000-07:00

I just got off the phone with Lindy, one of our clients. She mentioned how awesome her workouts have been going and how her soreness has been greatly reduced. It didn't surprise me. And I had a hunch as to why that was happening.

I’ll tell you her secret in a minute. But first, do you know the 2 most important times for nutrition?

Breakfast and after your workout. The reason is simple. It’s when your body is screaming for nutrients. Let’s take a closer look at why.

Every time you go to bed you’re essentially going on an eight hour fast. When you wake up, assuming you have a metabolism that’s moving, you’re hungry and the body is looking for nourishment. That’s when you ‘break’ the ‘fast’.

You’ve probably heard skipping breakfast is a nutrition no-no. Eating breakfast kickstarts your metabolism for the day, gives your body the much needed nutrients after you sleep, and starts your daily nutrition out on the right foot. We coach all of our clients to eat a good breakfast complete with protein every morning. It’s essential to weight loss and fitness success.

The other time your nutrition is most important is after your workout. This is often overlooked and sometimes, sadly, sabotaged. When you workout you’re expending the body of its energy. This process actually breaks down the muscles. Have you ever felt so sore you can’t move for a couple of days after a tough workout? This is a sign the body has not received all the needed nutrients. And not getting the needed nutrients leads to slow recovery, slow results, and a lot of that unnecessary soreness.

Addressing your nutrition immediately after your workout dramatically speeds up the recovery process. It will reduce your soreness, maximize your release of anabolic hormones (like growth hormone and testosterone), and allow your body to maximize building muscle and burning fat. When you consume a well-balanced shake after exercise, carbohydrate stimulates insulin to drive the branch chain amino acids (protein) to the muscle cell. That way you can maximize recovery and get right back in the gym very soon – ensuring faster results for your program.

**A note to those wanting to focus on general fitness, but particularly, women: terms like anabolic drive and testosterone might bring pictures of Ah-nold to mind. But this is NOT for bodybuilders. You will NOT get big and bulky because of this. These are natural body processes. And they’re relative to you.

We recommend Physique to all of our clients. Physique is formulated with the exact ratio of carbohydrates to protein to reach anabolic drive. Lindy, our client I just spoke with and mentioned earlier, said this:

“At first I thought it was useless calories. After all, I just spent 45 minutes burning calories off. Why would I want to put them right back in? It wasn’t worth it to me.

But as my workouts got progressively harder, my muscles got progressively sorer. After stealing some of my husband’s Physique (he’s religious with it) I was amazed by the results! My soreness is not as evident -if any at all. I was more concerned about Physique from a calorie standpoint. But now I realize there’s a lot more going on inside my body after a workout. And Physique helps me recover.”

Lindy’s initial reaction is typical. There is also what appears to be a lot of sugar contained in Physique. But this is all working strategically in your favor and leads to faster fitness results.

Breakfast with protein and Physique. These are two quick modifications to make in your own diet to leap frog you past slow and steady fitness results.

To your fitness success,

Tim Chudy

P.S. If you would like more help with your fitness and nutrition, request a complimentary consultation here. Or if you just want more info on our programs and services you can get our complete infopack here.

How to stop stress eating

2009-08-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of those days? Something went wrong at the office, your significant other won’t see your point of view, or maybe a relationship is getting you down. Whatever happened, you spent all your energy on it and you now need a little release. Something for YOU.

I bet you’ve had one of those days before. And I bet you’ve gone to food to feel better. Let’s face it, Ben & Jerry’s makes you feel soooo gooood doesn’t it? And how could it not? It’s chocolate and vanilla ice cream, with fudge brownie and gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough. I’m feeling good just talking about it!

I’m not going to wax intellectual about food being a drug and letting food by thy medicine. That’s all good and fine. But what I want to talk with you about today is how to break the habits of emotional eating. I want to show you how to avoid the trap of going to food when you’re stressed, frustrated, or depressed. I want to give you a solution. You’ll see some very positive results if you put to use what I’m about to share with you.

There are 6 steps to conquering stress eating. Let’s get started shall we?

Step 1 - Decide and Determine
You have to decide that you want to stop stress eating. That may sound 3rd grade to you, but not many people actually do it. Then you have to determine what has prevented you from stopping. Maybe it’s work. Maybe it’s fussy kids or a friend that you’re not getting along with. Whatever it is, acknowledge what has been the roadblock to your success.

Step 2 - Shift the pain
Pain and pleasure. We’re either moving towards pleasure or away from pain. That’s our human nature. If you’re a stress eater then you are associating eating with a nice warm fuzzy feeling. That feeling could be the freedom to chose, making you feel good, food tasting delicious, or some other warm fuzzy feeling.

Your success relies upon shifting the pleasure of eating to absolute pain. Downright, miserable pain. You see, when you get home after a rough day at the office you might eat some pizza. Obviously this should not be on your nutrition plan. But it tastes good doesn’t it? And every last bite is worth it, right? You may be thinking pizza is well deserved after a rough day. You don’t think about how the pizza will make you feel after you eat it. Or the 20 pounds you gain over the years. You only associate the pleasure of it after a hard days work. And that MUST stop.

Step 3 – Pattern Interrupt
This is a simple but powerful step. When you go to bed at night you likely have a ritual. Wash your face, brush your teeth, a little reading, and lights out. It’s a pattern. And over time you develop the habit. The same goes with emotional eating. When X happens, you go to food. It’s clockwork. You’ve conditioned yourself to do so. And that pattern MUST be broken.

A pattern can be broken by consciously replacing whatever the feeling is with the new feeling you want. You can RE-condition your actions to develop new habits. It’s really that simple.

You’ve done this before whether you realize it or not. Think of a time when you’ve been depressed. Your demeanor takes a specific pattern. Your shoulders slump, your eyes drop and you talk softly with a negative tone. You’re conditioned to do so. But what happens if you go see a funny movie when you’re down? You laugh. You slap your knees and smile. It may not last but for a moment. But you DID break the pattern. And over time you can shift your patterns. And that my friend, is change.

Step 4 – Create a New Pattern
What’s the alternative? If you’re not going to eat when you’re stressed or emotionally weak, what are you going to do? Think of every possible option. Write them down. I’ll help you with your first one. Exercise! But make it your own. Give yourself some options and begin to create a new pattern.

Step 5 – Take Action
You must take action. Now! And again, and again, and again. You must focus and reinforce your new pattern. If you can do this over and over again with emotional intensity you’ll condition yourself to change your old pattern.

Step 6 – Test
Ok, you’ve done the first 5 steps. Now you need to see if it works. And the best way to do this is test it. You can do this in real time or you can sit and imagine yourself in the moment. How do you feel? How would you act? What do you feel inclined to do? If it’s not in line with your new pattern, then you must go back and repeat one of the steps. Maybe you didn’t create a new pattern that was powerful enough. Maybe you didn’t take action on that pattern. Whatever it is, redo that step.

Do you know the only type of person that likes change?

A baby with a wet diaper.

But you’re capable of change. You CAN change! It’s not a matter of if you can, but if you’re motivated to. If I put a gun to your head and said to stop stress eating you’d do it wouldn’t you? Of course you would! It’s a matter of life and death now. And that’s what helps change. The more serious your motivation is, the easier change will come.

These steps will help you change your behavior and stop your stress eating. If the desire is there and you commit to implementing these steps into your life, you will make a radical change. You’ve got the formula. Now go and act!

To your nutrition success,

Tim Chudy

Is child obesity child abuse?

2009-07-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

[USA Today] Is child obesity child abuse?

That was on the front page of yesterday’s USA Today’s Life section. A headline like that sparks immediate attention.

Jerry Gray of Travelers Rest, South Carolina is being charged with criminal neglect of her 14 year old, 555 pound son Alexander. This is a HUGE case (no pun intended) given childhood obesity has been on the rise and this could set a precedent for criminal action against parents with morbidly obese kids.

I’m not going to get into the legality of an issue like this. I’ll leave that for your opinion and the courts. But with most issues like this, the problem is to the left.

According to the CDC 40% of kids 12-15 years old, and 50% of teenagers 16-19 years old have been told by a doctor or health care professional that they are too heavy. THIS is a serious problem. And in the case of Alexander it’s gone way too far.
Obesity and in this case, morbid obesity, is a gushing wound with no bandage. At what point does it become a concern? A child weighing 555 pounds is absurd. This is a child’s life we’re talking about. And to me, the worst part of this is Alexander’s future. Aside from the teasing and taunting I’m sure he’s getting, his health and quality of life will suffer tremendously as he ages.

Something MUST be done now!

Sorry if I’m going on a bit of a tirade. But seeing this on the front page just fires me up. I work with women and men that want to lose weight and improve their health. Sue D. joined the FT family yesterday morning by deciding to lose weight and get back into shape. Her choice to make a change in her life will pay off. BIG time. I know that becasue our FT clients prove that day in and day out.

But there’s so much more to losing weight and improving health. Not only do you change your body but you transform your life in the process. You become alive and more energetic. You’re able to give more of yourself to family and friends. You’ll work with more passion and productivity. Everything in life becomes richer, fuller, and more enjoyable when you look and feel fantastic!

Alexander is now in foster care while the case waits to be heard. I hope, for his sake, he’s on a proper nutrition and exercise plan. Whether it’s you or your child, you must sit and take a good serious look at reality. You’re either moving closer or farther from good health. That’s an everyday move. Eating a twinkie moves you farther. Eating fruits and veggies moves you closer. Where are you going? Where is your child going? If you need help or information please request a consultation here. There is also a ton of free info at our site you can get your hands on.

If your child needs help losing weight, being active, or improving his or her health please let me know. If there’s enough interest I’d like to have a kid’s fitness class before school starts. Send me an email and tell me about your kid(s) and their situation. Or feel free to call the studio, 314.863.7799, so we can talk by phone. Regardless, decide today - one little choice - to lose weight, get in shape, and live a healthy life.

To your health,

Tim Chudy

P.S. Click here to request a consultation. We can talk about your situation and what it’s going to take for you to reach your goals.

P.P.S. A lot of times people struggle to lose weight because of their nutrition. Specifically with stress eating. Keep your eye out for an email later this week. I’ll give you specific steps to stop that emotional and sometimes uncontrollable urge to eat.

Follow Up From Last Post

2009-03-03T09:28:00.000-08:00

I just finished my cup of coffee from
Starbucks. They were brewing Sumatra today. It's
one of my favorite beans. From the Asia/Pacific
region, it has virtually no acidity with herbal
notes and earthy aroma. Good stuff.

But that's not what I want to tell about today. It
was what was on the outside of the coffee cup that
I wanted to share with you.

In my last post I gave you the key to unlocking your
potential; Decide, Commit, and Do.

Well, if you're a Starbucks customer you've read
their 'The Way I See It' comments on the side of
the cup. These are comments and thoughts on a
variety of topics and from a variety of people.
From famous Hollywood actors to normal everyday
Joe's. Some good. Some not so good. But this one
today was good.

Anne Morriss, a customer from New York City said
this:

"The irony of commitment is that it's deeply
liberating - in work, in play, in love. The act
frees you from the tyranny of your internal
critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself
up and parade around as rational hesitation. To
commit is to remove your head as the barrier to
your life."

Wow! VERY well put Anne.

I call that internal critic head trash. But
commitment does free you from that nonsense going
on upstairs. Over the years I've heard more
rationalizations than you could ever imagine.
Admittedly, some of my own.

You will continue to listen to them until you
commit. So take the step today and make your
commitment! Free yourself from the parade of
rational hesitation.

To your health,

Tim Chudy

P.S. - Ready to commit? Click here to
register for a complimentary consultation.

P.P.S - Not Ready For A Consultation Yet? No
Problem. Click here to receive your copy
of our complete information pack.

What's your potential? (It's not what you think)

2009-02-27T06:29:00.000-08:00

You can’t do it.You don’t have what it takes.
It's impossible for you to lose weight and get
back in shape.

Does hearing that tick you off? You should be if
you’re not. Never let ANYONE tell you that you
can't do something. But what’s more important than
someone else telling you that you can’t, is
telling yourself you can’t. That should really
make you fume.

Potential is underestimated all the time. Each
time I take a client through a push up test they
moan and groan in the beginning and tell me they
won’t be able to do one push up. Every time,
without fail, they do more than they think they
can.

So why is that? Why do we underestimate
ourselves?

Well, there are many reasons. But we’re very good at
leaving our potential locked up inside us. If we just
unlock that potential (I’ll tell you what the key is in a
minute) we could become so much more. We’d be more
successful. We’d excel in our careers, in our
communities, AND our health and fitness.

But it’s human nature to take the path of least
resistance.

Do you know your own potential? I mean, do you
really know what you’re capable of?

I can tell you with absolute certainty it’s more
than you think.

Just yesterday I was going through my workout
doing tricep extensions. I started with my right
arm and moved to my left, doing 12 reps. I
increased the weight on the second set and did 10
reps. I increased the weight again on my third set
and started extending. My mind began to drift
and by the time I refocused I was on rep 13!
Here I planned to do 8 reps because that was my
"potential". I was completely wrong! I had the
potential to do more. But my self-imposed limitations
were preventing me.

This is the case with you too. Your mind is very
powerful. And sometimes it does more harm than
good. I call it head trash. Because that’s exactly
what it is.

You have the potential. You just have to unlock
it.

And here’s the key...

The key to unlocking your potential takes three
steps.

1. Decision. This must occur first. Decide comes
from the latin word decidere, meaning ‘to cut off’. You must cut
off all other options. Decide whole-heartedly that you
will lose weight, get in shape, improve your
health, or whatever it is you want to accomplish.
There are times I talk with men and women and
they’re not that uncomfortable with the extra
weight they’re carrying around. If you’re not
disgusted with how you feel or how you look then
it’s likely you won’t cut off everything else. Every
other option. Decide - once and for all - to get your
body and your life back!

2. Commitment. You’ve made the decision. Now you
have to make it stick. And you do this by
commiting. Call it a pinky swear, a promise, or a
vow. Call it what you will. But commit to a
program. Nothing should get in the way of your
commitment. Not sleep, not a rainy day, not even
your coworkers birthday cake.

3. Action. This step is the hardest. This step takes
the most effort. This is getting off your duff and
DOING it. You can think about it, dream about it
and talk about all day long. Till you’re blue in
the face. But nothing, and I mean NOTHING, will
happen until you take action. One of my favorite
quotes is from Dan Kennedy. "Be somebody.
Be somewhere. Do something." Emphasize the last.

Decision, Commitment, and Action is your key
to unlocking your potential. If you add
accountability and persistence you’ll
exponentially increase your potential. You didn’t gain
weight and fall out of shape overnight. So it will
be hard at first. And it will take some time. But
you CAN do it.

Decide, Commit, and Do.

To your health,

Tim Chudy

P.S. - Don't Wait Until It's Too Late To Get Your
Body Back! Go here to register for a complimentary
consultation with Fitness Together

P.P.S - Not Ready For A Consultation Yet? No
Problem. Complete the form here and we'll email you a
complimentary Fitness Information Packet.

6 BIG Weight Loss Mistakes

2009-02-11T08:33:00.000-08:00

I read a lot. And a lot of what I read is on weight loss,
fitness and nutrition. Recently, I read an article in a
lesser known nutrition newsletter called
Environmental Nutrition. It was on the six biggest
eating mistakes people make when trying to lose
weight. I wanted to share these with you as they
can be helpful to be aware whether you fall
victim to them or not. All with my comments of
course;)

Mistake #1: Going too long without food

A lot of the people I consult with will skip
breakfast or lunch. They don't understand why
skipping meals still causes them to gain weight.
But the fact is, studies have shown that people
who have lost weight and kept it off eat breakfast
everyday.

The problem is two-fold. First a balanced
breakfast is needed first thing in the morning to
stoke your metabolism. Just as throwing logs on
the fire get it going, so too does breakfast. I
once read that eating a Snickers in the morning is
better than nothing at all! Maybe it's true.

Secondly, skipping meals throughout the day will
lead to an imbalance in blood sugar and insulin,
and thus cause you to make poor food choices later
on. It's a vicious cycle that prevents any
possible weight loss.

Mistake #2: Banking calories

We've all done this haven't we? You have a big
party scheduled tomorrow. And you know they'll
serve the most delicious desserts! So you just eat
a little less today to 'even it out'.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it
doesn't work like that. The calories you save
today almost never equal the calories you'll
consume at the party tomorrow.

The real way to weight loss is to maintain healthy
eating strategies at the party. Eat a high
protein, low calorie snack ahead of time so you
don't go to the party hungry, alternate a glass of
water with your alcoholic beverage, and stick to
smaller portions.

The difference is that those strategies work!
Skipping meals before hand only confuses your
metabolism and ultimately does NOT work.

Mistake #3: Skimping on protein

It's essential. And it can be challenging. But I
have vegetarian and vegan clients that can do it.
So can you!

One study showed that people that started the day
with two eggs consumed 300 calories less during
the day than someone who started the day with a
bagel supplying the same calories as the eggs.

Adequate protein also helps build and maintain
muscle mass. A metabolic enhancing certainty! This
is also why we suggest Cinch meal replacements.
They have added leucine which helps preserve
muscle mass on a weight loss plan.

Mistake #4: Cutting calories

There is no doubt you can lose weight by cutting
calories. You've heard it, 'less in, more out'.

I've dubbed this type of diet 'The Oprah Nutrition
Cycle'. You will inevitably fall into the classic
yo-yo diet. When calories are restricted to a low
level not only is weight lost, but malnutrition
occurs causing you to 'fall off' the diet.
Further, you lose muscle weight (also called
atrophy) which inhibits metabolism. And lastly,
your metabolism slows down thinking that the body
is starving to death! So when you finally crack
mentally and/or emotionally you won't be able to
handle the calories you once could.

This is a vicious cycle!

Mistake #5: Denying yourself treats

In all my time as a fitness and nutrition coach,
I've never suggested someone to deny themselves
something they love. Now, depending on your
current situation and your goals, you may have to
deny yourself a little more than normal. But it's
not wise to set yourself up for failure.

Most Saturday mornings my dad would bring home
donuts for my siblings and I. I loved it!! It was
my favorite day for breakfast. But we didn't get
donuts Monday through Thursday. We had to eat
eggs, oatmeal, Raisin Bran, and the other stuff my
parents forced down our throats for breakfast.

It's ok to enjoy your favorite snacks. Just do so
in moderation and make sure it's in line with your
goals.

Mistake #6: Taking weekends off

This is similar to banking calories for a big
party or occasion. And it's sabotaging your
results. Sticking to the plan through the week and
splurging through the entire weekend is setting
you up for failure. If you overeat on Saturday and
Sunday, you're overeating 29% of the time. It's
nearly impossible to make up for that during the
week.

This article was very informative. There is a lot
of nonsense in the marketplace regarding weight loss,
fitness, and nutrition. Heck, even I can feel overwhelmed
at times. But any expert will tell you the snazzy
commercials and 'best selling' books do not hold the
answer to your weight loss, fitness, and nutrition
problems. Fix these 6 mistakes and you'll be on your
way to weight loss success.

To your health,

Tim Chudy

P.S. If you would like more help with weight loss,
fitness, or nutrition you can request a FREE
consultation here or call me at the studio, 314.863.7799.

P.P.S. Not ready? No problem. You can request an
infopack giving you all the information on our
services. And if you do so now, I'll email you a special
report on 'How To Master Your Metabolism'.

KMOV stops by Fitness Together

2009-02-04T20:55:00.000-08:00

House Bill 223 is gaining some momentum...at least here in St. Louis. Chris Nagus of KMOV Newschannel 4 stopped by the studio tonight and interviewed me about this important bill. Here's a video clip:

http://www.kmov.com/video/topvideo-index.html?nvid=328902&shu=1

As you can see, we're getting some traction. KMOV is reporting this. I've talked with the Post Dispatch. And I expect calls from other media outlets. This IS important. And it needs your attention and your support.

Here's how you can help:
(and it will take you no more than 5 minutes)

1. Go to our website to Support House Bill 223

2. At the bottom of the page are resources for you to use. Find out who your local representative is.

3. Download the draft letter and either send or email it to him or her.

4. That's it! You're done. It's that simple.

I appreciate your time and support for this bill. This is not just about saving money for us all, but it's about you and your fellow Missourians taking a PROACTIVE approach with their health and fitness and living better, healthier lives. I'll keep you posted on the progress of this bill.

To OUR health,

Tim Chudy

P.S. I would appreciate your comments. What do you think about this bill? How do you feel about it? (I adjusted adding comments below so there is no log in needed)

Breaking News!! How to save money on your health and fitness - Support House Bill 223

2009-02-02T13:20:00.000-08:00

May I have a few minutes of your time? In exchange for them, I might be able to help you save at least a hundred dollars. Sound interesting?

Earlier this month the Missouri State House of Representatives introduced House Bill 223. As you probably know in 2008 I was required to start collecting state sales tax on all personal training services. I know, it’s ridiculous. The court cited a state statute that imposes sales tax on fees paid at retail in or to any place of "amusement, entertainment or recreation, games and athletic events." Can you believe that?! They think Fitness Together is amusement! I should’ve invited the Judge in for a workout:)

Well, all of that might change. House Bill 223 authorizes sales tax exemptions and income tax deductions for amounts expended for fitness dues or fees and fitness equipment. This means you immediately save money on anything you buy! (There’s part of my savings to you)

But it gets better!!

There will also be opportunity to deduct these expenses from your income tax! I can’t tell you how much that will be. I’ll leave that for your accountant. But this will help you save more money for being proactive with your health and fitness!

Can you tell I’m excited?! I hope so. And I hope you are too!

Because it gets EVEN better!!

Saving money is a great thing. Especially if it goes in our pockets.

But the real victory here is a PREVENTATIVE approach to health and fitness. We spend over 160 billion on obesity related causes every year. That’s a ton of money. I can’t even fathom that much money. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

You see, all I’ve ever wanted to do is make a positive impact on people through health and fitness. I learned at an early age how it feels to be fit. How it feels to be strong. To look good and feel good. That’s how I got into this business. I wanted to share that feeling with others.

And supporting House Bill 223 helps give incentive to those that take that kind of action.

Right now in our economy dollars are important. And this bill will make dollars spent on health and fitness very logical. There should be no reason why someone has to think twice about spending money on their health and fitness. Because as cliché as it may sound by now, what do you have if you don’t have your health?

I’m asking for your support. Please help me and other Missourians show our support for House Bill 223. You can click here to download a letter to send to your local State Representative. You can also gather more information on the bill and Missouri’s health.

Please let me know how you feel about this bill. I would like to see a healthy discussion on this issue. (No pun intended) Post a comment below.

If we rally together as Missourians we can help promote a preventative, healthy and fit lifestyle. We can help make a positive impact on each other’s health and fitness.

To OUR health,

Tim Chudy

Which Meal Is Better? --A Nutrition Quiz

2009-01-27T19:34:00.000-08:00

I looooove breakfast. When I was a kid my mom use
to cook breakfast food for dinner. About once a
month. It was my absolute favorite! To this day I
can eat breakfast food anytime and anyplace.
From eggs and bacon to fruit and yogurt - it's all
good.

And ask any of my friends - my absolute favorite
is donuts! (Shhhhh. Don't tell;-)

So this morning I had a choice. A choice between 2
different meals. Let's see if you know which one
is best.

Option #1

2 eggs scrambled, 2 slices of bacon, and a toasted
whole wheat english muffin with a little jam on
the side.

OR

Option #2

A bowl of whole grain bran flakes with skim milk and
a glass of OJ.

Ok, which is better? Is it option #1? Or option #2?
If you guessed option #2, you're wrong. The best
choice is option #1.

Here's why...

One of the secrets to our Fitness Together
nutrition program is eating smaller meals
throughout the day. But I'm sure you already knew
that. Experts have been preaching that for years.

But there's another secret that NO one talks
about. That's the secret of BALANCE. Each meal
should have a balance of carbs, protein, fat, and
fiber. If you don't have a balance you'll be
setting yourself up for failure.

Option #2 is predominantly carbs. This meal will
spike your blood sugar causing an insulin
imbalance. This is the beginning of a viscious
cycle that results with an inability to lose weight.

Not good.

Option #1 is balanced with carbs, protein, fat and
fiber. Sure you could make a few changes for the
better like switching to turkey bacon and cutting
out an egg yolk. But all in all, it's the better choice.

Want to know more secrets? Request a consultation
here. I'll reveal ALL the fitness and nutrition
secrets our clients use to see maximum results in minimum time!

In this month's Richly Rewarding Living Newsletter
you can learn more about the viscious nutrition
cycle and the viscious diet cycle. Subscribe
here and we'll send you this months issue.

Now go eat something healthy,

Tim Chudy
Fitness Together

P.S. If you're not ready to schedule your
complimentary consultation, download
our infopack by clicking here.
This has all the information on our
services for you. I'll also include a little gift
for taking some action:)

P.P.S. BTW, option #2 has over 500 calories and
90% from carbs!!

How Well Do You Know Yourself? (A New Year's Resolution Tip)

2009-01-20T07:44:00.000-08:00

How well do you know yourself?

Over the weekend I was talking to a couple of friends
I haven't seen in awhile and New Year's resolutions
came up.

One of them, Elise, a woman with both southern
hospitatliy and a southern draw, laughed and
said, "I made those for all of two years. Then I
stopped because I know myself too well. I never
do them."

That perked my ears because as a fitness professional
I hear of so many people making New Year's resolutions.
What's worse is I hear of so many people dropping those
resolutions around mid January.

Health, fitness, nutrition, weight loss, and so many other
related topics are at the top of New Year's resolutions.
Every year people make it a point to get healthier, eat better,
lose some weight...and the list goes on.

So what's on your resolution list?

Whatever it is, do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt
that it will stick? I mean, how well do you know yourself?

If you HATE working out and HATE doing it in front of other
people, why should you even consider joining a gym to lose
weight or get in shape? Don't you know yourself better than that?

I think Plato said it best, "Know thyself".

It's profound advice. But if you decide to make a New Year's
resolution, put it to use. Because it will be the differnce
between success and failure.

In this month's Richly Rewarding Living Newsletter I give you
a helpful process to make those resolutions stick.
Look for it to arrive this week. And if you haven't subscribed,
you can do so here.

To your fitness success,
Tim Chudy

P.S. If you would like help making a resolution that is
GUARANTEED to stick you can request a complimentary
health and fitness consultation by clicking here.

12 Tips To Your Fitness Success - #9-12

2008-12-30T12:44:00.000-08:00

I hope you've been finding these tips helpful and more importantly, putting them to use. Christmas has gone and the New Year is right around the corner. So to keep these timely for you and ensure you have all the firepower you need for 2009 I thought I'd finish off your last 4 tips.

Please takes note. These are probably the most important!

Visualize. If you've played sports you've probably done something similar. Or maybe if you've given a big speech or performance you've done it before. Visualizing exactly how that performance will go has been shown to increase the chances. So why shouldn't you apply that to your health and fitness goals?

Spend 10 minutes each day visualizing how you will look...how you will feel...how you will act...and so on. Picture your body and your life exactly as you want it.

Next is Take ACTION! Nothing happens without action. This is the whole problem with the famous book and movie called The Secret. Attraction needs action. It doesn't matter how much. Start with just one step. That's it! Then take two. And three. And so on. You will reach your goal before you know it.

Your 11th tip helps glue #9 and 10 together. Set Goals. It's crucial to your success. Setting goals does not mean thinking about them. It means writing them down and putting a deadline with them. Use the S.M.A.R.T. technique. All goals must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Set each one with that in mind and you're on your way to SMART goal.

And finally, your 12th tip, is the secret to success. It is the one step you'll take to ensure your success. Accountability and Support. Get it! And I don't mean your spouse or child. You should even be careful of a friend. Make sure there is no emotional realtionship in place that will get in the way. You want someone to hold you accountable to your program and most importantly, to your RESULTS! Get someone that will motivate you and support you. They will do more for you than any piece of equipment, superfood, pills or potions.

I'd like to help you with that accountability and support. That is what we do at FT. If you would like some more information on having a coach motivate, support, empower and hold you accountable to a program, request a complimentary consultation here.

To your fitness success,

Tim Chudy

The 2 types of fitness people...which are you?

2008-12-17T12:49:00.000-08:00

In my 9 years of guiding men and women to achieve their
health and fitness goals I've come to the realization
that there are two types of exercise and fitness
people:

1. Those who think exercise and fitness just deals with
the body.

2. Those who think exercise and fitness includes the
whole person - muscles, mind and soul.

I've always felt that those who think exercise and
fitness is only for the muscles, joints and organs were
missing out on a huge component to success!

Although exercise and fitness serves a GREAT purpose
physically, it has much more of a mental benefit.

It's time to start thinking about your exercise and
fitness habits and the path you're taking.

It's time to focus on your reality and how it's
affecting you and those around you.

Exercise and fitness is about positive change, both
physical AND mental.

You first starting making positive changes inside;
you've got to change the way you see yourself and then
the outside physical changes will soon follow.

If you find yourself wandering aimlessly through your
health and fitness "program" without mental focus,
you're progress will be very slow even though you're
moving your body.

But, if you see exercise and fitness as a time to focus
on your thoughts, bodily motions and envision how you
want to look and feel as you exercise - then you will
soon realize the true power of the results you can
achieve.

So, make up your mind to exercise and fitness - set up
a powerful mental image in your mind - take a deep
breath to absorb MORE life - then get up and do
something with purpose and intent.

And that's tip number 9 to your fitness success.

Those who follow my exercise and fitness system - know
they are getting a TOTAL workout in more ways than one.

The program doesn't just get you fit, help reduce
excess weight, increase strength, stamina and
flexibility.

It also changes your mental outlook and how you view
yourself. It makes you a more positive and confident
person; someone who sees the positive in him or herself
and others; someone who stretches his or her mind
"outside the box" to create true power.

If you're ready to harness your TRUE power and reach
your true potential, then request a complimentary
fitness consultation with me to discuss a plan of
action to accomplish your goals.

To your fitness success,

Tim Chudy

12 Tips To Your Fitness Success - #8

2008-12-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

2 Weeks to Christmas. Can you believe it? That means just another 4 weeks until New Year's Day. Have you stuck with your program? Have you fallen into the busy holiday season hype? If so, that's ok. Because each day is new. And you can get right back on track and restart. Here's your 8th tip. This one sounds simple, and it is. But it's also very important.

Always, Always Stretch

Stretching improves flexibility, blood flow, muscle recovery, low back pain and a host of other things. Additionally, stretching can prevent injury, make you sleep better and improve your performance in all activities and sports.

Always stretch, but be certain not to stretch cold muscles. You should always warm up before stretching. However, it is very important that you know how to stretch. Never bounce! Slow, static stretches. Seek out a fitness professional to show you the proper execution and timing of your stretches.

To your fitness success,

Tim Chudy

12 Tips To Your Fitness Success - #7

2008-12-04T09:48:00.000-08:00

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday. By now you’ve made it through the leftovers. But the holiday parties are already on the horizon. So your 7th fitness success tip will help you stick to your program while still having some holiday fun!

Prepare and Plan for the Holidays

No one can avoid all of the holiday parties this time of year. The average person probably goes to four or five. If you’re not careful, those parties can derail you from your fitness and nutrition plan. And quick.

So you must prepare and plan for the parties.

If you know your office party is this coming Friday make plans to workout the day of and the day after your party. In addition to the added exercise you can also adjust your calories throughout the day. If your party is during lunchtime, plan to have a lighter dinner that night. And vice versa.

If you incorporate a cheat day within your nutrition plan have it fall on the day of the party. Also, at a party stick to the bowl of nuts. They’re better than all the cakes and sweet stuff and fill you up faster. Alternate an alcoholic drink with water or club soda. Often times having something to sip on is all that’s needed.

Sticking to these tips will help you stay ‘on the wagon’ and get through your holiday parties. It’s easy to fall off and over indulge. But come New Year’s it will only be harder to get back on track.

If you would like a tip sheet I put together, “The Holiday Season….Must You Gain Weight?” 10 Tips to keep you on track through the holidays without turning into a miserable scrooge email me with ‘Holiday Tips’ in the subject line. I’ll send it out to you immediately so you can reference before each holiday party!

To your fitness success,

Tim Chudy

12 Tips To Your Fitness Success - #6

2008-11-20T13:56:00.000-08:00

We’re half way there! Have you been following the tips and keeping up with your workouts and nutrition? If not, it’s never too late! You still have time to get moving before the holidays really set in. So here’s your sixth tip:

Supplement your diet to fill in voids and avoid pitfalls.

Of all the components to our program I hate talking about this one the most. But it’s probably the one I believe in the most.

Why do I hate talking about it so much? Well, simple really. There’s a lot of health and fitness junk out there. From whiz-bang machines to pills and potions, some of it is flat out ridiculous. And supplementation comes in at the top. The term ‘snake oil salesman’ exists for a reason.

But I assure you that you can trust me. I don’t push fat burning pills. I don’t push untested crap-in-jar. But I do address supplementation. And the reason why is because our diets today are not what they once were.

You may remember my 102 year old Uncle Joe from the newsletter (if you’re not receiving our monthly Richly Rewarding Living Newsletter, sign up here.) Well, he didn’t have to supplement his diet. And that’s for a few reasons. The amount of processed foods back then was few and far between. And even so, the processed stuff of today pales in comparison to the stuff back then. But further, our diets today are very different than diets from 50 years ago.

Today, more than ever, supplementation is critical. And a hundred times more so if you are trying to lose weight and get in shape. Roughly 3% of the American population is getting complete nutrition from their diets. I’d venture to say that’s a liberal estimation. And a portion of those people probably have personal chefs!

As you read in your last tip, time is a big factor preventing us from eating properly. The food industry also plays into that too. This is exactly why we have our clients supplement with foundational products. A multivitamin/mineral supplement, meal replacement bars and shakes, and a post workout recovery shake. I emphasize the word foundational because these are taken in addition to a sound meal plan to achieve supportive, foundational nutrition. Remember, supplements should do just that, supplement the diet. I would never recommend replacing food all together.

If you would like more information on this topic (I know it’s somewhat controversial and quite touchy) or if you would like some nutritional guidance, send me an email with your questions to timchudy@fitnesstogether.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

To your fitness success,

Tim Chudy
Fitness Together

P.S. If you would like more help with your supportive nutrition plan you can request a complimentary Nutrition Consultation here. Our 12 week customized nutrition plan will help you reach your goals once and for all!

12 Tips To Your Fitness Success - #5

2008-11-13T14:38:00.000-08:00

Here’s your fifth fitness success tip:

If you’re like most of the people I talk to, you probably have very little time. Between work, family, this and that, and life in general, you’re running crazy. If this resembles your schedule it’s even more of a reason for you to practice proper nutrition.

Your fifth fitness success tip is On-the-Go tips and tidbits. Some of these are little things you can do for a BIG impact. These will help you stay on track a little better.

• ALWAYS keep a balanced snack bar in your purse, briefcase, car, or desk. Make sure to get the kind that won’t melt.
• Pre-bake or grill a few chicken breasts at the beginning of the week. This way you have a quick grilled chicken sandwich throughout the week.
• When you eat out immediately put half of your meal in a TO-GO box. You just saved yourself from overeating and now have lunch for tomorrow.
• Buy individually packaged (or package them yourself) nuts and/or seeds. This is a great on the go snack keeping your meals balance. Don’t eat straight from the jar. This is the easiest way to consuming extra calories.
• Use meal replacement shakes in place of breakfast when you don’t have time to prepare and eat a meal. Our clients enjoy Cinch bars and shakes.

Our world today moves. And fast. To keep up and keep fit you MUST be prepared. These are a few tips to keep you on track when time is not on your side.

To your fitness success,

Tim Chudy
Fitness Together

P.S. If you would like more help with your supportive nutrition plan you can request a complimentary Nutrition Consultation here. Our 12 week customized nutrition plan will help you reach your goals once and for all!

12 Tips To Your Fitness Success - #4

2008-11-06T09:01:00.000-08:00

Here’s your fourth fitness success tip:

If you’ve been reading my emails for any length of time you know I’m always preaching about supportive nutrition. I admit that can be a bit nebulous. So let’s talk about what supportive nutrition is.

Part of supportive nutrition is eating more throughout the day. Yes, you can actually eat more!

By now you’ve heard of eating smaller meals throughout the day. The science and logic behind this makes complete sense. By eating smaller meals throughout the day you’re less likely to overeat, you provide yourself with more energy, and you avoid inconsistent eating patterns.

Here’s a typical diet. Maybe it’s like yours…

John’s average day looks something like this:

Skips breakfast, eats a soup and sandwich at Bread Co. for lunch, and then goes home and eats a big dinner his wife cooks later that evening. This is a common occurrence among many parents and professionals that are strapped for time. But here’s the problem; when John does this, his blood sugar is way out of control. It goes up and down, up and down and maintains little to no consistency. When this is happens insulin becomes imbalanced (if this goes on long enough he will eventually develop Type II diabetes) and this causes the body to crave fat and sugar. Have you ever walked in the door from work and been so hungry you can’t see straight? And all you want to do is EAT! You can’t think and have little patience for anyone or anything in your way. So all you do is grab whatever’s in the fridge. Typically something sugary or salty to satisfy your starvation. That my friend is erratic blood sugar at work. In this state it’s virtually impossible to lose any weight. And then the cycle starts all over.

That is a potentially dangerous, but definitely vicious cycle. And one that will not get you results.

Not only is smaller more frequent meals important, but BALANCE is the key. A proper balance of proteins, carbs, fat, and fiber is needed at EVERY meal. Whether it’s a full meal or a small snack. Eating an apple is not a balanced meal. An apple is good for you just as all fruit is. But it has the same effect on your body as eating some candy. With each meal you want to eat a balance of proteins, carbs, fats, and fiber. Do this and you’ll be on your way to successful, supportive nutrition.

To your fitness success,

Tim Chudy
Fitness Together
P.S. If you would like more help with your supportive nutrition plan you can request a complimentary Nutrition Consultation here. Our 12 week customized nutrition plan will help you reach your goals once and for all!

12 Tips to Your Fitness Success - #3

2008-10-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

Here’s your third tip to fitness success before 2009 rings in. And this one is a BIGGY.

In fact, if there is a secret…if there is a ‘magic’ bullet, this is it. That’s how important this tip is to your health and fitness success.

But it is almost ALWAYS overlooked!

This one tip will help you firm up, tone and tighten muscles, increase metabolism, increase energy, strength bones and prevent osteoporosis, improves endurance, lowers blood pressure, increases HDL cholesterol (the good stuff), decreases risk of adult onset diabetes, improves posture, balance, and coordination, lowers heart rate and improves mood. I could probably keep going but you get the idea.

So what is this ‘secret’ tip?

Weight Training. You MUST train with weights 3-4x/week. It is crucial to your success.

And once you start weight training everything will start to take motion with your health and fitness. Changing your metabolism is one of the single most important benefits to weight training. But as I just mentioned to you there are so many more. Which is why you should start training with weights NOW!

If you’ve never trained with weights be sure to seek out a professional for help. There is proper technique and proper form to prevent injury and ensure effectiveness. And I’ve seen some baaaad injuries. Start slow. There’s no reason to overdo it on your first time out.

Incorporate all major muscles of the body, chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs, and abs. Train each muscle group 1-3x/week. There are different methods for different goals. And using a simple scale of 1-10 (10 being very, very hard) make sure you reach a 7 or 8.

I cannot stress enough how important this tip is. Do this and you’ll be on your way to fitness success in as little as 3 weeks!

To your fitness success,

Tim Chudy
Fitness Together

P.S. If you would like a weight training demonstration session, giving you all the information and instruction you need plus an immediately usable program, call me today to set up your appointment. 314.863.7799. This is normally $75 but mention this email and it’s yours F.R.E.E! But call me soon, this offer will expire in one week.

12 Tips To Your Fitness Success - #2

2008-10-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

Last week I sent you your first tip to a fitness success. You have about 11 weeks until 2009. And I’ve got tips for you every week. Start NOW! and you’ll have a new body and a new life to ring in the New Year. Gain your momentum now so you don’t have to fight the uphill battle through the holidays.

Here’s your second tip.

Clean out the pantry!
Temptation is alive and well. If your fridge is stocked with junk, then you’ll eat junk. If you have ice cream in your freezer, guess what you’ll probably eat when you can’t sleep? And don’t tell me the left over broccoli from dinner.

There will no doubt be times that you are weak. There will be times when eating another salad will seem unbearable. There will be times when doing just one more push up will feel like the hardest thing in the world. And you know what? That’s ok. This isn’t an easy road.

But if you don’t take necessary steps like cleaning out your pantry, you’ll cave when the weak points hit. You must stay strong and stay focused. Temptation is a lot harder looking at 2 cartons of Ben & Jerry versus a bowl of cottage cheese.

Go clean out the pantry. Make it an activity and ask your spouse and kids to help. You’ll help detox the whole family of junk food! And you’ll set a wonderful example for the young ones.

Tonight is our first Healthy & Fit Supermarket Tour at Trader Joe’s in Des Peres. Clients had first rights. But I did have a cancellation. If you’re interested in attending call the Des Peres studio as soon as you can. I’ll give it to the first person that calls. You can find out more about it here. If you’d like to add your name to the waiting list you can fill out the form here. If there are enough people that pre-register I’ll schedule another one in the very near future.

Ok, go clean out your pantry.

To your fitness success,

Tim Chudy
Fitness Together

12 Tips To Your Success

2008-10-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

NOTE: I sent this email out and forgot to post it to this blog. Oops! So note the time difference.

There’s about 12 weeks until 2009 rings in. That is just enough time to get SERIOUS results with your health and fitness program and reclaim your body. As we move closer and closer to the holidays temptation will soon set in. To help you stay on track I’m going to give you a tip every week to help you stay the course and once and for all lose weight, get in shape, and look and feel better than ever!

A Quick Client Story

Bobby just began training with us. He said over the past 8 years he’s really fallen out of shape. He doesn’t feel good anymore. He overeats at night and goes to bed not feeling well and then wakes up not feeling well. He doesn’t like the way he looks standing in front of the mirror. But he’s determined to get back to where he was. He’s committed to changing his lifestyle, habits, and decisions. He’ll do very well. In just his first week he’s progressed in his abilities and even his strength.

So, where are you? Are you feeling poorly about your health? Are you unhappy when looking in the mirror? If so, then take action NOW and get a jumpstart on your health and fitness before the holidays. If you’re not already exercising, don’t continue to put this off. You can’t wait till things are ‘just right’. Because guess what? They never will be.

There’s a Chinese proverb that says, “Every journey starts with the first step.” Don’t overwhelm yourself. That’s all you have to do today. Take one step. Don’t think about the journey. Just take a step. So let’s get going. Here’s your first tip:

High Intensity Cardio Training

Stop the loooong, sloooow booooring cardio. I assume your time is precious. So don’t continue to waste those precious hours on the treadmill. Let’s get efficient! Begin your cardio with high intensity bouts of exercise. Sprint (this can be any form of exercise, not necessarily walking or running) for a brief period of time followed by a recovery period at medium intensity for a longer period. Then, go back to the sprint and follow it with the recovery. Do this 3 to 5 times for a total of 20-30 minutes.

This way you’ll burn more sugar during the workout. And what’s even better is when a high intensity burst of exercise is performed, the body burns more fat and calories after the workout. This effect can last from 16-48 hours! That’s some serious after burn. Low or moderate intensity exercise has no after burn effect.

Another important aspect of this type of exercise is the hormonal balance that it creates. Low to moderate intensity exercise produces cortisol, which can lead to a catabolic (muscle burning) state. High intensity exercise does this as well, but does so along with growth hormone and testosterone, enhancing fat burning, leading to an anabolic (muscle building) state. Studies have shown the high intensity method to be more effective at burning fat and maintaining, or building, muscle than long duration, lower intensity aerobic workouts. Awesome! Exactly what you want to have happen for a long, lean and toned look. You can read more about this on a post in August comparing Olympic sprinters to Olympic distance runners.

There’s your first tip for your first step. If you’re already exercising make a slight modification to start improving your results.

Keep focused. Stay determined. Make the commitment to yourself and don’t let anything get in the way. I know you can do it!

To your fitness success,

Tim

P.S. If you would like help with your fitness and nutrition program we’re here for you. Request a complimentary consultation here. Not ready? No problem. You can download our complete infopack on all of our services here.

How To Get Through Tough Economic Times And Market Conditions

2008-09-25T07:29:00.001-07:00

The past week has been crazy. The current state of the economy is looking pretty bleek. What are we to do?

With the given market condition there must be something we can do quickly to fix this?

There's gotta be something...anything.

Well, I'm not a big numbers and finance guy. I don't pay attention to the stock ticker on TV. I don't get email updates regarding my portfolio. And I certainly don't freak out when the media makes a big hoopla about market changes. But at the same time, I don't stick my head in the sand and ignore it either.

Why am I talking to you about the current state of our economy and the market?

No, I'm not going to be giving out top secret investment advice. But it is a great analogy to your health and fitness.

Earlier this week I was giving a nutrition consultation t0 a client. She owns a business in the home building and development industry. She should be fearing the end of times right now. Recession even, gulp, depression should be on her mind, right?

Wrong.

It's not at all! In fact, business is booming. She's busier today then she was a year ago! Her point to me was this; "The sky is NOT falling." We are where we were 10 years ago. For example, if you buy a house today, you have to be able to afford it. Doesn't sound like the sky is falling in that situation does it? As much as anyone in the housing industry wants a magic bullet, it doesn't exist.

And so it goes with your health and fitness.

What is the market condition of your health and fitness?

Are you a little overweight and out of shape? Are you UNcomfortable in your body? Has there been a downturn in your market?

Take a good honest look at YOUR market.

And I'll say it again. There is no magic bullet to pull you out of the hard times.

So what do you do?

Back to Basics

You go back to the basics.

Start with your diet. You must clean up your diet. Stop eating out so much. Cut out the refined carbs and sugars. Start eating more fruits and vegetables. Eat lean meats. Supplement properly to fill any voids in your diet. And most definitely start eating breakfast!

But don't stop there. That's only half the battle. Now get your butt in gear. You've got to use it to lose it. Exercise 3 to 5 times per week. Both weight resistance and cardiovascular forms should be done.

Going Back to Basics is and always will be the answer. There is NO magic bullet. There is NO quick fix. Continue to search as you may, you will never find it.

Get started now and turn YOUR (health and fitness) market condition around. You have the power. All you have to do is make the choice. Start by choosing a complimentary fitness and nutrition consultation by clicking here. There's no obligation and no cost to you. It's my way of helping you through these rough (health and fitness) market conditions.

To your health,

Tim

2008-09-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

I just finished a nutrition consultation with one of our clients. As we were talking she asked if I had seen a new commercial on TV about high fructose corn syrup. A little confused, I told her no. You can click on the link below to see it. But I'll warn you, it's bogus. Hopefully it won't make you as mad as I was when I saw it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVsgXPt564Q&feature=related

The guy's pleasant looking girlfriend sets him straight about a popsicle loaded with high fructose corn syrup. "It's made from corn", "has the same amount of calories as sugar and honey", and "fine in moderation".

This is a flat out lie! And it is totally deceiving to YOU - the consumer.

Lies and deception. Can't we leave that for the politicians?

Ok, yes, high fructose corn syrup has the same amount of calories and as it's name says, it's made from corn. But according to the Corn Refiners Association website, the party responsible for this commercial, it's also highly processed in order to reach it's state.

But what about it's affect in the body? What about the incidence of diabetes and obesity rising in relation to high fructose corn syrup usage? Does the nice, soft spoken girlfriend say anything about that to her boyfriend?

Of course not! Because that wouldn't make you feel warm and fuzzy about buying and consuming highly processed foods and drinks. And if you don't feel ok about consuming those products then those that put this bogus commercial on air won't make their big, hefty profits.

If you read the frontpage article in the current Richly Rewarding Newsletter, "Regular AND Diet Soda Drinkers Beware", you know just how bad high fructose corn syrup is. (If you aren't a subscriber you can subscribe here for f.r.e.e or email me your mailing address with 'RRL' in the subject line and I'll mail you a copy of the current issue.

The simple fact is the body metabolizes high fructose corn syrup to body fat at alarming speeds. Glucose, aka table sugar, can be used for energy OR storage. High fructose corn syrup bypasses energy usage and goes straight to fat storage.

It fires me up to see the public being lied to and deceived. And more importantly, the outcome being harmful.

Any legitimate health expert would suggest to you to reduce your usage of high fructose corn syrup. The Corn Refiners Association touts it's natural label given by the FDA yet fails to mention that most of the products that use it as a sweetener are highly processed with additives, dyes, and other artificial junk.

When watching TV don't buy into this bogus notion of high fructose corn syrup being the same as sugar and ok in moderation. It's not.

If you have any questions regarding high fructose corn syrup please email them to me. Depending how alarming this is to you, I'll send a follow up email or include it in a future newsletter.

To your health,

Tim

Ever been to these 2 hot spots?

2008-09-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

Did you have a great Labor Day weekend? Sure hope so!

Man — can you believe how fast summer zipped by? Seems like only yesterday, I was celebrating the start of pool season. Now, I’m regretting not getting there enough.

So here we are, planning parties to watch the first games of the regular football season in less than a week. I've even seen Halloween candy on display! Amazing.

In all of my time as a fitness professional there seems to be two ‘hot spots’ throughout every year: January and September.

Why? Well, because these two months signal watershed events in people’s lives.
In January, we’ve just endured the holidays. We ate too much, drank too much, gained weight and fell into worse shape than we were in.

In September, we’d just survived the summer. We ate too much, drank too much, gained weight and fell into worse shape than we were in.

So on these two dates, we feel guilty, weaker, fatter — and more than a little panicked that our lives deviated from the mean — than at any other time of the year.

And so, beginning bright and early on January 2 and September 2 as our heads begin to clear, we observe our semi-annual penitence: A time for agonizing reappraisals of our priorities. A time for resolutions. A time to reapply our proboscises to the proverbial grindstone.

You know what? Nothing has changed. Because human nature never changes.

So maybe you’re thinking of making one of the following resolutions today:

• To lose the weight you didn’t lose after January 2nd.

• To get into shape…once and for all.

• To stop eating the junk you know that is bad for you but you continue to do so because it’s convenient and tastes good.

• Set a good example for your kids to follow.

But that’s just the “what.” Now, it’s time for the tough part: “HOW?”

See, this is where most resolutions fall apart. We all know what we should do and beyond that, what we need to do to turn our dreams into reality. It’s crafting an action plan — and then sticking to it — that flummoxes us.

I’ll admit that some of my own resolutions fall short of success. But I do know you need three things:

1. A clear vision of what you want your life to be like on January 2, 2009 …

2. A detailed daily or even hourly action plan that ensures that you do everything required to get there, and …

3. Someone to keep you accountable along the way.

Of course, reams have been written by self-help gurus about #1 and #2 above.

Item #1 is simply positive thinking … keeping your vision before you … and making it as tangible as possible in your mind.

And we’ve all heard that the tactical part, item #2 above is crucial because the Devil really is in the details.

But you know what? Giving ourselves excuses for our failure to carry through — justifying our lack of discipline — is the killer.

So we all need a nag.

Someone who knows us as well as we know ourselves … who can see through our excuses … and who doesn’t mind (better yet, delights in) providing the swift kick in the keester we need to get back on track.

And we also need help from people who aren’t quite as close as family and friends. Ideally strangers.

Here at Fitness Together we are far more effective for delivering results than any other solution out there.

Why? Because three times a week, our clients have to answer to their coach. “OK — so let’s see how you’re doing.” And the accountability begins.

And every time, the report your coach would give you blows away every rationalization, every excuse, every little indulgence you might have had.

In that one moment, rationalization is exposed for what it is: Nonsense. Pure and simple.

So priority #1 is to find people who’ll nail you when you screw up.

Next, someone who’s job it is to notice when you do things right. Praise and reward are needed too.

That could be your plan — if you want it.

What are your goals for the next 122 days? Where do you want to be on January 2, 2009?

What do you need to do to get there?

Who’s going to help keep you honest as you work towards your goal?

Share your ideas with me. I’d like to hear.

Good luck!

To your health,

Tim

What you and Michael Phelps have in common

2008-08-18T18:39:00.000-07:00

I want to share with you what you and Michael Phelps have in common.

I am lovin this Olympics. And Michael Phelps is Superman. If you didn’t see it, you certainly heard about his gold medal record. He set the record by becoming the most prolific single-Games and all-time Olympic champion in history. His performance has been nothing short of amazing.

I think he really secured the record on Friday night during his 100 meter Butterfly. He won by one one-hundredth of a second! You can’t win by a smaller margin. It’s as fast as lightning strikes. And if you saw the race, you question how the heck he even won. He was behind throughout the entire race. But he out stroked Serbian Milorad Cavic in the last 3 meters.

Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

So how did he do it? I told you I'd share some insights into his training and diet. And then I’ll try and tie it back into to you and your diet.

It first begins with his God given talent. His body is perfect for swimming. He’s 6 foot 4 with a 6 foot 7 wingspan. He wears a size 14 shoe and practically has flippers for feet. He has shorter legs and a longer torso allowing great upper body range of motion and a more powerful kick in the water.

Phelps swims at least 3 miles a day. He’ll burn 4000 calories in a typical workout. His heart will pump 2 times as much blood as you and I. About 8 gallons every minute. His coach Bob Bowman trains him using hypotonic principles. This means that he’ll only be allowed to breathe at certain points. He’ll get in and out of the pool to increase endurance. Bowman also trains horses as a hobby. He said his horses would die if they trained like Phelps.

In between races Phelps will get his ear pricked to measure the lactic acid in his blood and adjust to expedite recovery. This is why they go to the cool down pool after races.

By now I imagine you’ve heard about his diet. In his words, a lot of “pizza and pasta”. Eggs, grits, French toast, chocolate chip pancakes and more for breakfast. He eats everything. But at the level he trains his metabolism is about as fast as he is in the pool. He can’t afford to not eat a lot.

And YOU are the exact same. Just not at his level.

Picture your metabolism like a campfire. You’re looking for a nice fire to heat things up. You want a constant and steady burn. You get that by putting the right amount of logs on the fire. But they also have to be the right size. If you put a dozen tree trunks on, you’ll smother it. If you put a couple of twigs on it will die out.

Your metabolism is no different. It burns just like a fire. Only calories as food are your ‘logs’. If you eat too much, your metabolism will burn out. And on the other side, if you don’t eat enough, you’re metabolism will burn out.

This is why you must eat! Smaller, balanced meals throughout the day are the key to a constant, steady burn. By the way, that constant and steady burn is taking place on the all the soft spots you have.

Build the muscle, burn the fat baby!

It’s not uncommon for someone not losing weight to lower calorie intake or stop eating all together. This is so WRONG! This can be just as bad as eating too much. Your focus should be on re-setting your metabolism. NOT just cutting calories.

All of our clients receive a report called, “Discover The Often Overlooked Secret To Ramping Up Your Metabolism, Burning Fat Like Crazy, And Getting Maximum Results In Minimum Time From Your Health And Fitness Program!” ($27 value) This explains in detail what we teach and preach. Smaller, balanced meals combined with exercise will transform your body quicker than Phelps can swim. (Ok, that’s a stretch:-) You can get this report for f-r-e-e only for the next 48 hours. Consider it a 2008 Olympic Special. Email me with '2008 Olympic Special' in the subject line. If you’d like to skip the report and request a complimentary consultation ($75 value) where we cover this in detail specific to you and your situation click here.

One more thing…

If you’re watching the Olympics I hope you’re finding some inspiration. It’s everywhere. Dara Torres, who I’ve been talking about for weeks now, nearly won the gold medal in the 50 meter free. A silver medal in her fifth Olympics at 41 years old ain’t too shabby. And the women’s marathon yesterday was won by a 38 year old Romanian. Constantina Tomescu Dita ran every mile of the 26.2 mile race under 6 minutes. Another remarkable performance by someone nearly ‘over-the-hill’. I think this just proves the cliché and comment Phelps made at his press conference; you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.

To your constant, consistent burn,

Tim

P.S. Remember to email me with '2008 Olympic Special' in the subject line for your f-r-e-e report. Or click here to request a private consultation.

Elvis is alive, the Olympics, and Flat, Sexy Abs!

2008-08-14T13:06:00.000-07:00

As you can see I snapped a picture of Elvis last weekend. I’m pretty sure it was him even though I was far away. You can tell me what you think:-).

I watched the Opening Ceremonies last weekend. Wow. It was unbelievable! The Chinese perfectly executed what is now considered the most impressive opening ceremony ever. I was amazed that so many people could perform in unison and with such discipline. I hope you got a chance to see it. If not, it’s definitely worth a Youtube search.

Now on to why you really opened this email… Flat, Sexy Abs!

In addition to Elvis you'll see the picture of two runners. Two very different runners. One is a long distance runner. And one is a sprinter.

Although a little extreme, which body would you rather have? Maybe neither! But I think you get my point. In order to really maximize results from your health and fitness program you MUST incorporate cardiovascular training. It is one of the three crucial components to serious results. It’s not always fun. But it will add synergy to your entire program and give you the extra oomph you need to burn that unwanted fat.

So what’s the best way to train?

Long distance or sprints?

Sprinters train with high intensity bursts for short duration periods, burning more sugar, and less fat during the workout. “Well, if high intensity burns less fat then I should run long distance to burn more fat. Right Tim?” Not so fast. No pun intended:-). If you notice sprinters body type they tend to look leaner, with more muscle and less fat. The reason for this is because when a high intensity burst of exercise is performed, the body burns more relative amounts of sugar, but burns more fat and calories after the workout. This effect can last from 16-48 hours!

Low or moderate intensity exercise has no after burn effect. “Wow! So for flat, sexy abs I should be doing high intensity exercise. Right Tim?” Yes! You got it.

But there’s even more benefit to this type of training!

Another important aspect of this type of exercise is the hormonal balance that it creates. Low to moderate intensity exercise produces cortisol, which can lead to a catabolic (muscle burning) state. High intensity exercise does this as well, but does so along with growth hormone and testosterone, enhancing fat burning, leading to an anabolic (muscle building) state. Studies have shown the high intensity method to be more effective at burning fat and maintaining, or building, muscle mass than long duration, lower intensity aerobic workouts.

There’s your missing ingredient for flat, sexy abs! Combined with resistance training and good nutrition you’ll be on your way.

To your six pack,

Tim

P.S. Have you seen Michael Phelps!? The dude is absolutely amazing. If you’ve seen him perform, you’ve seen his long and lean body. The guy is ripped. I’ll be telling you more about how he trains and what he eats to achieve his physique.

What I Learned at the CIA

2008-08-01T07:34:00.000-07:00

Hi Tim.

A couple of days ago I drove Joella to the CIA.

Not spy central in Langley. But chef central in Hyde Park. She's going to culinary school up there.

The Culinary Institute of America. They call it ‘The Culinary’.

I learned a little bit about cooking while there. On that campus, in that environment, you can’t but help it. But that’s not what I want to share with you.

I want to share with you something else I learned.

It’s called a ‘Carrot Chopping Attitude’.

Allow me to explain.

Every student must go through an externship. For 5 months they must work in the kitchen of a chef to get real world experience. So one student, we’ll call him Joe, decided to work under a world renowned chef. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for Joe.

Joe was excited about his opportunity. But he was also very nervous. This was a BIG TIME chef. And he didn’t want to screw it up. If he excelled for the next 5 months he was a lock for any kitchen he wanted to work in.

So a little nervous showing up on the first day, the Chef came over to his station, dropped a 50 pound bag of carrots in front of him and said, “I need 50 pounds of carrots with a perfect brunoise cut!”

Now, if you’re not up to speed on your chopping terms, a brunoise cut is the smallest of cuts. It’s a little, itty-bitty cube. 1/8 x 1/8 x 1/8 of an inch. It’s tiny!

Not overly enthused Joe got to work and started chopping. And chopping. And chopping. And chopping.

Six hours later he finished the 50 pounds of carrots. He felt pretty good about it. So he presented them to the Chef.

The Chef looked at them. Inspecting them for a minute…then with a handful, throws them in the trash. “Not good enough. You can go home now.”

Joe went home a little defeated as you can imagine. He almost felt like he was dead in the water. But he woke up the next morning positive and ready for work. The Chef comes over to Joe’s station and again drops 50 pounds of carrots and says, “I need 50 pounds of carrots with a perfect brunoise cut!”

Joe gulps and prevents his jaw from dropping to the floor. He musters up some energy and says, “You got it Chef!”

So again, Joe got to work and started chopping. And chopping. And chopping. And chopping.

This time he finished the 50 pounds of carrots in five and half hours. And he felt better about his cuts this time. So he confidently presented them to the Chef.

Again the chef checks them out. Looking at them, studying them in his hand he says, “These are worse than yesterday.” And he throws them away.

Now Joe really feels beaten. And again, as you can imagine, goes home defeated.

On the third morning Joe wakes up and says to himself, “If I have to chop more carrots I will have the BEST cuts ever!” He pumps himself up and reports to the kitchen hoping he doesn't have to chop more carrots.

Sure enough the Chef comes over to Joe, drops 50 pounds of carrots in front of him and says, “I need 50 pounds of carrots with a perfect brunoise cut.”

So Joe goes to work. Chopping. And chopping. And chopping.

He finishes quicker than yesterday. Just five hours this time. And he feels even better about his cuts than yesterday. Chef comes by, looks at them closely and says, “These are the worst yet!”

Now Joe feels down and out. Thoughts of quitting of becoming a chef all together enter his mind. But with some friendly support and his burning desire to be a top chef he presses on.

This goes on for the next four days. His first full week Joe gets quicker and quicker at chopping 50 pounds of carrots. His cuts get better and better. But the Chef still says they’re not good enough.

On the eighth day the Chef comes over to him and says, “No more carrots. You’re knife skills are really good. You’re assisting me today.”

A smile beamed across Joe’s face like a kid on Christmas day. But a little confused he asks the Chef, “For the last seven days you said my cuts weren’t good enough. Why do I get to work beside you all of the sudden?”

The Chef says to Joe, “Would you like to know one of my secrets to success?”

“Yes! What is it Chef?” asks Joe.

“One of the secrets to my success is persistence. My entrées, menus, and restaurants don’t become great without persistence. And because of your attitude and persistence you get to work beside me. I now know you won’t give up. When you fail you won't go home crying. You’ll press on.”

Joe went home feeling victorious! He felt great. And more confident than ever. His hard work and persistence paid off. And he learned a BIG lesson.

I think you get the moral of the story. Hard work and persistence pays off. Always. You reap what you sow. And I hope you agree.

Chopping carrots into a brunoise cut is no fun. And sometimes, maybe all of the time, working out or eating right isn’t either. Even I can admit that. But if you consistently workout (no less than 3x/week) and eat right (5-6 smaller, balanced meals) and you put forth some effort (actually work up a sweat – walking the dog is activity, not working out) then You WILL reach your goals. You WILL get the body you want. You WILL feel good about yourself.

I keep a quote from Calvin Coolidge right in front of my desk. It reads like this…

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

Doesn’t that make you feel good!? Doesn’t that make you feel like you can accomplish anything? I love it. It empowers me. It makes me feel like I have an edge on everybody.

Because I know I’m NOT the smartest. I know I’m NOT the quickest. I know I’m NOT the strongest. But guess what? I don't have to be. Nor do you. And I’ll bet my bottom dollar that I’ll persevere longer than the other guy.

Keep this in mind as you move towards your health and fitness goals. You’re smart enough to know you can’t lose the pounds overnight. You can’t tighten and firm up those areas in a couple days. Your blood pressure and cholesterol levels won’t drop by next week.

And you will likely hit some speed bumps. If you notice in the story the Chef says, “When you fail you won't go home crying.” Not if you fail, but when you fail.

That’s why perseverance is so important. That’s why you must ‘PRESS ON’. Whether it’s 12 weeks or 12 months…YOU can do it! In July's newsletter you can read how Tom Prost is doing it. Kristi Shields is doing it. Mark, Shirley, John, Jim, Debbie, Tammy, and so many others have already DONE it. (If you're not getting the Richly Rewarding Living Newsletter sign up for free here.)

If you would like help sticking to your program or would like a coach to help support, motivate, and empower you, request a complimentary consultation here. You don’t have to go at this alone. We’re here to help!

And remember to keep a positive attitude and always, always PRESS ON!

To your perseverance,

Tim

P.S. Summer is quickly coming to an end. Camps are ending and kids are going back to school. We'll have some exciting back-to-school stuff come next month. So keep your eyes peeled!

Blast From The Past

2008-07-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

No health and fitness message today. Just a quick story.

I celebrated my 28th Birthday last Thursday. I took the day off. Didn't even step foot in the studios. It was great.

I slept in a little. Had a big breakfast - my favorite meal of the day. Took a jog to the fountains in Forest Park. Laid by the pool. And topped it all off with dinner at Niche down in Soulard with my girlfriend.

It was an awesome birthday!

When I checked my email late in the day, an old friend's name stuck out like a sore thumb among the other hundreds of emails jamming my inbox.

Omar Santos. Everyone called him Omi.

I met Omi when I lived in New York City back in 2000. I got my first job as a personal trainer at the New York Sports Club(NYSC) on Wall St. He and I went through their training orientation at the same time.

We became quick friends and since we could train at any of the 50 or so NYSC locations throughout the city, we buddied up with our own training programs. We kept in touch for a couple years after I moved back. But we haven't spoken in 5 years.

He emailed to wish me a Happy Birthday. He said it popped up in his calendar so he googled my name and found my website, www.ftladue.com. He's been living in Guam working for Deloitte and Touche for the past few years. He sent a picture of Tumon Bay where he goes for daily swims in the ocean(It's pictured above).I immediatley became jealous.

He went on...

"How's business(es) going? I'm sure you're doing really well and bringing good health and fitness into people's lives. I remember you mentioning back in NY that you always wanted to run your own fitness club. All these years later, you're doing just that and that's awesome."

A feeling of joy and a sense of accomplishment came over me. Wow! I have always known I would be teaching fitness and nutrition and I would own my own business some day.

Man... I'm livin' the dream!!

And I have you to thank for it!

Over two and half years ago I opened Fitness Together here in St. Louis. (it seems like it was just 2 1/2 months ago). And since then we've grown our FT family by the hundreds. And I'm happy that you're apart of it. The jealousy from the island picture quickly dissipated.

While I was on my jog in Forest Park, I thought about the past five years. I have come a long way. Seen good and bad times. And I'm thankful for all of them. I'm thankful to have the support of my family and friends. I'm thankful to the support of my FT Team; Apryl, Josh, Nick, Lori, Kelly, Jon, Carey, Nate, Chad, and Christen. But most of all I'm thankful to YOU. Becuase you are truly why I'm here. And me and my team will continue to coach, motivate, and support you with your health, fitness, and nutrition.

Talk to you soon.

To your health,

Tim

For Women Over 40

2008-07-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

Today I've got proof that aging can be defied. I’ll get to that in just a minute.

But I'll warn you again - this is only for women over 40 years of age. (But I wrote this and I'm a guy and under 40:-)

Do you want to be in the best shape of your life...to be in better shape than you were in your 20's?

Do you want to know how to have the lean toned body of an athlete?

Do you want to know how to overcome any obstacle getting in your way...even a pregnancy?

Then meet Dara Torres. If you watched any of the Olympic trials you know who I'm talking about. Go watch this youtube of her here.

Dara is 41 years old and recently set a world record. She is swimming against females half her age and medaled in her first Olympics back in 1984...before some of them were born! She looks like a Greek Goddess and is now set to medal in her 5th Olympic Games!!

Here's a little background on Dara:

-- She's 41 years old - a generation
older than most of her competitors.

-- She will go the Beijing Olympics as
the oldest-ever member of the US swim team.

-- She's a mother - and still has maybe
the most impressive abs I've ever seen
on a woman.

-- She's considered to have the purest
and most efficient swimming stroke...of
any woman in the world.

-- She's medaled in four consecutive
Olympics...Beijing will be her fifth,
and she's favored to at least medal,
possibly win the 50 meter freestyle.

-- She owns 8 Olympic medals

-- She retired from swimming after 2000
Olympics in Sydney...and now she's BACK!

-- And she is amazingly fit.

Not too shabby for a 41 year old mom.

I know what you're thinking. "Sure, she's a 41 year old fit mom. But she's an Olmpic athlete. She's gotta be some sort of genetic freak."

Well, to be an Olympic athlete I admit, you do have to have some genetics and God-given talent. But the fact is she has worked her @$& off to get where she is. Listen to what she said in an interview with Women's Health:

You've trained for the Olympics in your 20s and 30s. At 40, is your body responding differently?
"It's very difficult for my body to recover after workouts now that I'm older, so we have to keep them short, which means they're extremely difficult and intense(from Tim- this is why our clients drink Physique, for post-workout recovery). It sucks. I can't sit here and say that it's been easy making this comeback. It hasn't. I mean, there are days when I feel like I'm swimming with a piano on my back and I'm going to sink."

You see. She is human. Both you and I have days where doing another squat or walking another mile seems impossible. But just like us, Dara has those days.

So how do you overcome those days? Follow Dara:

How do you keep going?
"I think about the end goal. When I feel like my body is exhausted, I focus on making my fifth Olympic team so I can push through it. They may become harder to achieve, but your dreams can't stop because you've hit a certain age or you've had a child"

Awesome!!!

Just because you're 40, 50, or 60 years old doesn't mean a damn thing. Just because you've had 2 kids and don't have the body and fitness level you once had doesn't mean didley squat.

...unless you allow it to.

Sure, it's going to take some hard work. I mean, Dara didn't get BACK to the top of her sport at 41 years old without some good, honest hard work. But how bad do you want it?

How soon were you able to get back into the pool after having Tessa?
"Tessa was put on my chest just after she was born, and I was saying, "Oh, she's so beautiful." Then the doctor came in and the first thing I asked was, "When can I work out?" He thought I was kidding. He told me I could do aerobic exercise in 6 weeks. I said, "I have a swim meet in 3 weeks!" About a week and a half after I delivered, I had to do something, so I went to the gym to work on my triceps and biceps. Then around the corner, I saw my doctor, and thought, "You've got to be kidding me!" When he spotted me, I think he just gave up. He said, "Go ahead and swim!"

What's your workout routine like now?
"I do a lot of core work, and I work out on a Swiss balance ball. I train with a coach from the Florida Panthers hockey team, and my body has completely changed. It's a very fluid type of training, which is great, since swimming is a very fluid motion. In the weight room we concentrate on equipment that works a lot of different muscles at once. As for swimming, I'm now in the pool 5 days a week from 8 to 10 a.m. And I'm in the gym for an hour and a half, 4 days a week. Two days upper body, two days lower."

Dara wants to be the best swimmer ever! Even as a 41 year old mother. She's not using either as an excuse.

I find her story truly inspiring and hope you do too. Age, kids, work, lack of motivation, etc... These things can easily bog us down and lead us to believe that getting back in shape, toning and tightening up your muscles is impossible.

But it's not! And Dara Torres is living proof that you can accomplish your goals...even as an 'over the hill' mother!

You can do it,

Tim Chudy

P.S. Dara's journey back to the top has not been easy. Even she feels like she has a piano on her back at times. But she is still taking ALL the necessary steps to get back in shape. Core, weights, swimming, and she didn't touch on her diet but I assure you it's spot on. Her program resembles a lot of what we do here at Fitness Togther. If you would like more information on our 5 step system to getting your body back request a consultation. Or if you're not quite there yet request our infopack.

It Takes Two Days

2008-07-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up my siblings and I were on the swim team. My mom forced us so we’d learn how to swim when we went down to the lake. I still think she did it so she could keep us busy for a couple of hours everyday in the summer:)

I had two or three coaches while I was on the team. But I remember Coach Widner. She always reminded us, “It takes two days to make up every day missed. So get in the water and swim!” When it was raining…we swam. When the water was frigid cold…we swam. Whenever we could increase the margin between us and them we would. Especially our rivals, the Lazers. We hated them;)

I’m not sure if Coach Widner was telling the truth or if she was just getting us into the pool. But I can tell you a day missed can set you back. Once in the groove our clients tell me this all the time. They hate missing workouts. That's so cool to see!

When our clients begin their program I always stress how important the first 30 days are. This is when you gain all your momentum! And I think you’d agree going downhill is a lot easier than uphill.

But let’s face reality. You will miss a workout. And that’s ok. But what’s not ok is not re-adjusting. When you miss a workout you must reschedule. Don’t fall into the trap of you can only workout in the mornings. Or you can only workout on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

No! You can only workout when it constitutes results. That’s the bottom line. That should be your barometer for if and when you exercise.

Results rule. Always.

It takes two days to make up every day missed.

Don’t get your priorities confused. Don’t fall short of your plan. Don’t fall behind and lose momentum.

Jim is pictured to the right fresh after his workout. You might think it’s a little weird that he’s wearing a polo shirt. But it’s not.

It’s commitment. It’s determination. It’s momentum.

You see, Jim was getting his car fixed (he’s a big car enthusiast) and his wife and him were carpooling. Well, once Jim got his car back, he caught himself in his car but without his workout bag. Knowing traffic on Manchester Rd. he wouldn’t have had enough time to go home and get it.

As he was walking into the studio Carey commented to me he was without his bag and was in street clothes. "What’s the deal?"

Jim wanted to workout. And he wasn’t going to let khakis and a polo shirt stop him.

That’s commitment.

And it is of NO surprise Jim is rockin’ it! He’s been training 5 weeks and hasn’t missed a day. He’s down 2% body fat, 2 inches in his waist, and has strengthened and sculpted his upper body.

He knows a day missed is NOT an option. He knows it will take him two days to make up that missed day.

Nice work Jim.

Now my question for you…

Where’s your commitment level right now? Do you let a different day of the week get in the way of your workout? Do you miss workouts because you don’t have the ‘right’ shoes? You can add in any excuse or rationalization you want. Everyone has a list. Even me.

So how do you get over your list? How do you get the momentum in your favor?

Here’s a tip. Write down YOUR list. Take a good hard look at it. Then, tear it into a hundred pieces and trash it!

Ditch the list!

When our clients start, they ditch their list. We hold them accountable and push through to the finish line so they look and feel better than ever!

Stay committed. Stay focused. And you will reap the results in the end.

To you health and fitness success,

Tim

4 Metabolism Boosters

2008-06-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

Here’s the bottom line: If you don't increase your body's burn rate or metabolism, you won't be able to burn the fat you want to get rid of.

That’s it. THE bottom line.

I’m going to give you 4 ways to boost your metabolism, lose inches, and eliminate the fat?

“But wait Tim! Doesn't your metabolism slow down with age?”

Yes, it does. But...if you follow the tips I outline below You can prevent your metabolism from slowing down.

Heck, you'll increase your metabolism! And reverse the aging process!

But you must avoid the hype. I’m talking about those heavily marketed metabolic boosters. They’re BS. So don’t be fooled by catchy signs and slogans, tight bodied models, and the other deceiving tactics they use.

Here's the truth about the top 4 metabolism boosters and how you can use them to burn the fat.

1) Strength training

Strength training should be at the core of any fat loss program. It boosts metabolism up to 10% after a training session. The lean muscle that strength training helps you build will firm and tone your body like nothing else out there. Strength training MUST be a part of your fat-blasting workout routine.

2) Breakfast

Research shows eating breakfast is associated with successful weight loss. Breakfast increases metabolism because it breaks your overnight fast. Hence the name ‘break-fast’. So make it a habit to consume some protein, fiber,& fruit (& even veggies) at this time. This will keep your appetite in check till your next meal.

3) Eating every 2-3 hours after breakfast

You’ve heard it before. Eat 5-6 small meals per day boosts metabolism and
can help control cholesterol. Try and split your meals up into smaller meals that can be eaten over the course of the day. This one simple tactic can be the difference between becoming a fat burner or a fat storer.

4) Interval cardio training

Interval training causes a greater increase in post-exercise metabolism than regular cardio. It doesn't matter how many calories you burn during a workout. What matters is how much you burn after the workout. Interval programs lead to more weight
loss than a long, slow cardio training program.

There you have it. 4 ways to immediately boost metabolism and burn the unwanted body fat.

Hard work and proper nutrition burn more calories and help you lose fat. Our clients prove that day in and day out. On the other hand, magic pills and potions just don't work. But that shouldn't be a surprise to you.

My advice...

Add the foundation of our system into yours. Strength training, intervals, mini-meals, and breakfast should be in your weight loss plan and you'll burn body fat fast thanks to your increased metabolism.

To learn how you can boost your metabolism and get serious health fitness and weight loss results! Request a complimentary fitness & nutrition consultation or call our office at 314.480.5879.

To boosting your metabolism,

Tim

http://www.ftladue.com/

P.S. - Don't Wait Until It's Too Late To Get Your Body Back! Register Now For A complimentary consultation With Fitness Together.

P.P.S - Not Ready For A Consultation Yet? No Problem. Request a complete Fitness Information Packet.

Are The Rumors True?

2008-06-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

Yes. They're true.

Rumors were floating around that some saw me on TV. And yes! I was on TV last Saturday. At the Cardinals/Red Sox game. It was nationally televised on Fox. And the Redbirds took 2 of 3 games from the Sox. Go Cards!

The best part...I was sitting Row 2, Seat 1! AMAZING!!!

So every time a left handed batter stepped up to the plate...there I was. Front and center.

And even better was getting to stand and cheer as WE won. Redemption baby! (2004;)

That's a few of my friends and I. You can see the 'Green Monster' in the background. On a side note, I will say the Sox fans were great. And Fenway was gorgeous.

Don't forget to read about our latest success story below. You won’t believe Dennis' progress.

Make it a great week!

Tim Chudy

"Whatever you're doing, keep it up!"

2008-06-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

That's what the Doctor told Dennis last week.

When Dennis began with us last year he had signs of fatty liver disease. His Doctor told him they’d keep an eye on it. But diet and exercise would help reduce the condition.

Here’s what he had to tell me last week:

“Hope all is well with you. Carey is doing a great job as my current trainer. I had my annual physical last week and wanted to share some results with you. Last year my blood work showed some elevated liver enzymes. My doctor wanted to be on the safe side so I had a biopsy and the results showed a slight case of fatty liver disease. He said we should keep an eye on this and that diet and exercise would help to reduce this condition. My blood work this year showed no signs of elevated liver enzymes. All other stats on blood work are excellent. I also had a stress test and EKG which came back with excellent results. My doctor was pleased with this and also pleased that I weighed in lower than a year ago. He told me that whatever I was doing, that I should keep it up. This was part of my motivation for starting a routine with a personal trainer. This is a major victory and accomplishment and I wanted to share this with you. I feel great and want to thank you and your staff again for helping me achieve my goals.”

A job well done Dennis.

So what will the Doctor tell you at your next appointment?

Will it be, “Whatever you’re doing, keep it up!”

Or will your Doctor come closer to you, take your arm and with a very serious and concerned look speak these cautionary words… “Your weight, body fat, cholesterol and blood pressure concern me. Your quality of life will continue to diminish without adequate exercise and better nutrition. Don’t wait until it’s too late to get your body back...you must start now!”

It’s a reality you’ll face sooner or later.

Whether you admit it to yourself or not.

Last week I sent an email about Tim Russert and his unfortunate fate. I’ve added it below for you to read.

But know this…You are NOT bulletproof. You must be doing something about your health.

Because it’s not a matter of IF, but WHEN.

So what will you do?

All of your power is contained in a simple decision. A simple choice. You can decide right now to choose health.

If you do, you will never ever regret it.

I cannot say the same for the alternative.

Every month in our Richly Rewarding Living Newsletter our SuperClient of the Month is on the backpage. And every month you see another person that has empowered themselves by making that choice. It’s the surest thing you can do for your life.

The time is NOW. The person is YOU.

There is no reason in the world for you not too.

No excuse will do. The motivation is there – you want to look AND feel better about yourself. The information is there – get it at our website http://www.ftladue.com/. The help is there – sign up for a consultation or infopack. The commitment is there – you just have to decide and choose your health.

Take your first step and get your body back!

To your health and fitness success,

Tim

Sunday Mornings Won't Be The Same

2008-06-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

This was an email I sent the day Tim Russert passed.

It’s just past the close of the workday on Friday, and you’ve probably heard by now that Tim Russert, host of Meet the Press died today of a heart attack. Tim was 58 years old.

My Sunday mornings won’t be the same.

And I love Sunday mornings. I don’t know about you, but I take them slow. Real slow. I still like waking up early, but I really try and enjoy my morning. I’ll even go to church Sunday evenings to make my mornings longer.

Once I brew a fresh cup of Starbucks coffee, I’ll tune in to the Meet the Press. I enjoy politics and even though I don’t have cable, I try to stay up on what’s going on.

Tim was known for being a hard hitting, tough interviewer. I loved his due diligence and preparation for the show. He always had done his homework and had his arguments and challenges were ready to go. He’d pull quotes from years and years back to challenge the guests on his show. Regardless of the guest or topic I knew I would see a great interview and learn something on whatever it is they were talking about.

If you wanted to make it in the political world you’d have to go through Tim. And of all of the anchors out there, I believe he was one of the few that were truly bipartisan. He was criticized from both sides. And praised by both sides. He was always fair and worked tirelessly straight down the middle.

Tim Russert will be missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

But this has to make you think…

Tim was only 58 years old. To me, he looked young, vibrant and full of life. His passion truly showed through his work and book he wrote. Sure, he also looked liked he carried a few extra pounds. But did it really come to this?

It was reported he collapsed and died of a heart attack. Attempts for revival were unsuccessful. I still can’t even believe it.

So it makes you think…life is precious. Life is short. And any one of us could go tomorrow. I’m not trying to sound gruesome, but just facing the reality of it.

I just spoke with my bookkeeper whose husband went in for shoulder surgery only to find out he needed heart surgery. Stint and angioplasty. Just like that.

This is for real. Don’t think you’re bullet proof.

As a health and fitness professional I have to wonder if he was in good health. Did he have a family history of heart disease? Or was his weight, diet and exercise the contributing factors to his health?

I’ve coached hundreds of committed men and woman to lose weight, burn unwanted body fat and increase strength. In addition to those goals, every single one of them makes that commitment for the long term health benefits as well. It’s usually not top of mind unless you’ve just experienced a heart attack or some other sort of immediate risk. And seeing Tim pass so early in life should make you think. It should make you concerned.

Are you taking steps to prevent a heart attack at 38, 48, or 58 years old? Or are you living on a direct path to a future like Tim’s?

With every ounce of motivation that I can muster for you, I hope and encourage you to take the preventative path. Please look at this seriously. This is YOUR LIFE we’re talking about. 58 years old is too young.

Do you need a fitness coach to help you? No. Not necessarily. You don’t have to go to the doctor if you have a pain in your knee. But will it help? Of course.

It’s the quickest, surest way to guaranteed results possible. If you’re ready...or you think you might be, then request a complimentary consultation here. If you’re not, then request our complete infopack. Regardless, please do something now. Don’t put yourself in a position of woulda, shoulda, coulda.

To your health and success,

Tim Chudy
Fitness Together

P.S. 58 years old is too young. Heck, 78 years old is too young. Start taking preventative measures NOW! Start exercising and cleaning up your diet. You can find a lot of immediately usable information at our website, www.ftladue.com. But if you need help, please call us.

Do you know what's in that?

2008-05-29T12:26:00.000-07:00

It’s Wednesday evening. You just got home from work, there’s nothing to eat in the house and the kids are starting to complain because they’re hungry. Not to mention you yourself have not eaten since the handful of almonds you scarfed down before your meeting.

So out to dinner you go. Kids in the car and off to…Applebee’s, Mexican, MickyD’s, or another similar spot.

Sound familiar?

Of course it does. In our fast paced world, eating out is a fact of life. It’s quick, easy, and tastes good.

Well, the unfortunate part is staying on your nutrition plan while eating out. Yes, I know you might order the chicken salad, or the grilled chicken and veggie entrée, but even if you do, you’re not necessarily in the clear.

A study done at the University of Arkansas looked at how accurately consumers estimated the calories, fat, and other nutrient levels in foods they ordered. What they found was that most people underestimated the levels of calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium in menu items. In fact, the items ordered had two times more than what the person thought!

Hmmmm. Interesting.

But there’s more…

A Scripps Television investigation ordered food from chain restaurants in 8 different cities around the country. What they found was shocking. And it fired me up! It’s disappointing, and flat out deceptive.

When the food was examined they found it to contain DOUBLE the calories and fat that the menu item was labeled for. For instance, Macaroni Grill’s Pollo Margo Skinny Chicken is listed as having 500 calories and 6 grams of fat. The test showed it having 1,022 calories and 49 grams of fat!!! Chili’s ‘Guiltless Grill’ Salmon listed as having 14 grams of fat, but revealed 35 fat laden grams of fat! Can you believe that? And the list went on.

And it gets worse.

Macaroni Grill apologized for the incorrect information. Gee, thanks a lot. The spokesman went on to say, "On occasion, in restaurant preparation, portion size variances and guest customization of menu items can impact nutritional content. To the extent that any of the items were not prepared to our exacting standards, we apologize to our valued guests."
“Impact nutritional content” by 500 calories and 40 grams of fat?! I don’t think so. Unless you’re drizzling lard on your food nothing should impact it that much.

That’s deceptive and they’re misleading us to believe we can eat healthier so they can line their pockets with more money.

Macaroni Grill's parent company, Brinker International, which also owns Chili's and On the Border, uses independent labs to test nutritional content. I’d venture to say their other restaurants aren’t too far off.

You can read the full article here.

So once your blood pressure returns to normal after reading this, what can YOU do to avoid the lies and deception of restaurant food? Here are 3 tips I suggest you start practicing immediately. You can also call our studio to set up a nutrition consultation and find out the good, bad, and ugly of your diet and how to fix it.

1. Order smart. Order all of your dressings and sauces on the side. Use them sparingly. Eighty six the fattening stuff like butter, cheese, and fried foods.

2. Practice portion control. The normal menu item is 2 -3 times what a serving actually is. Stuff like pastas, breads, meat, and main entrees should be cut in half. Apryl, our FT Ladue Manager, always gives the tip to get a To Go box right when they bring your food out. This way you can immediately put half of it away so you don’t mindlessly eat the entire portion. And, now there is such a thing as free lunch!:)

3. Don’t eat out! (as much). I’m a realist and know that everyone eats out. Unless you have all the time in the world to cook and prepare your meals and you never travel and socialize, you will eat out. But you don’t have to do it every other night. Limit your restaurant trips to twice a week. If you know you’re going out with friends on the weekend, prepare your menus for the week and don’t get caught stranded during the week.

Follow these tips to keep yourself on track toward your health, fitness, and weight loss goals. But remember, you must use caution when you’re not preparing the food yourself.

To your success,

Tim

P.S I have an idea on my ‘list’ (but it’s waaaay at the bottom) that would help people make the right choices at specific restaurants in the St. Louis area. And no, Ted Drewe’s is not on the list:) If you would like to know good choices vs. bad choices, or just some general help and guidelines with eating out, post a comment or email me. If I get enough response I might move my idea up on the list to help you!

Finally...they 'get it'

2008-05-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

For years I've been touting how using weight and BMI (body mass index) which is calculated by using a person's height and weight, are the WRONG indicators to measure someone’s health and fitness.

Measuring someone's body fat percentage is the RIGHT way and the BEST indicator for health and fitness.

A recent survey by the Mayo Clinic discovered that a majority of Americans that are of normal weight actually have a high body fat percentage. (Up to 20% for men and 30% for women)
And believe it or not, they’ve actually named this new ‘phenomenon’! It’s now called Normal Weight Obesity. Can you believe it! I can’t.

The statistics on overweight and obesity in our country are alarming. And they continue to rise. But now we have ‘normal weight’ obesity.

I will tell you at first read I was a little fired up. But after thinking about it and letting it soak for a bit, I’m actually ok with the new name. Here’s why...

Let’s pretend you’re of normal weight. Maybe you have some extra weight, maybe you don’t. But for argument’s sake, let’s say you're in a normal range.

After a trip to the doc’s office, looking at your charts he says to you, "You’re in pretty good health, but since your last visit you now fall under the obese category." "What? I’m not fat! That can't be right."

If that would motivate you into incorporating exercise into your daily schedule and motivate you to begin eating a healthy and more balanced diet, then I’m all for it. And kudos to your doc!
But if this is another way to add on ‘problems’ and adjust the categories to push more pills, then it’s flat out wrong. (I believe it’s the former.)

But let this be a warning to you. If you think you’re within a normal weight range, then yes, you might be. But it is body fat that is most important. Getting this measured is vital to help you determine just how healthy, or unhealthy, you are. If you would like to receive a complimentary body fat test please call me or email me to set up a time to do so. It only takes a few minutes and is easy to do. It’s far from embarrassing, and most importantly will help shed some light on where you stand with your TRUE health and fitness.

Are Wii getting fit or not?

2008-05-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

I was getting ready to post a blog on body fat and BMI when another day of constant Wii Fit headlines came to my inbox. If you're not familiar with Wii Fit, it's Nintendo's new fitness game. As far away from gaming that one could be, I thought I'd still give you my two cents on it. But keep in mind, I have not actually used this. I don't see myself playing it anytime soon either. I just never got into the gaming thing. I was too busy being the Ozzie Smith and Michael Jordan of my neighborhood! But if you have kids, you might be hearing about it if you haven't already.

Let me first start by quoting Dr. Judith S. Stern, professor of Nutrition and Internal Medicine at the University of California, "My understanding is that Nintendo is saying that if you track BMI, and by using this program, that you'll improve your BMI, or lower your BMI. I say baloney to that. In fact, I'm sure you'll see very little change in BMI. It's not just BMI you want to look at, but how fat you are. When you are physically fit, you tend to replace fat with muscle, and your BMI probably won't change...I really think it's false and misleading."

Oh Baby!! Wii are on the same page. What's more interesting is that before seeing headline after headline of Wii Fit, I was going to post an article about the differences of BMI and body fat percentage. A new study by the Mayo Clinic has shed some light on what I've been talking about for years...body fat is more important than BMI! I'll post that over the weekend for you to see. But back to what Wii were talking about.

Wii Fit includes a balance board and software for about 90 bucks. When you begin, it takes your weight and gives you your BMI and then scores a balance test to give you a Wii Fit age. One personal trainer in his 20's was aged at 39. What does that mean? Most of our FT clients are between 35 and 65. I can easily point to them and argue that they are more fit than a LOT of people in their 20's. And then of course giving BMI vs. any other measurement. What about cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility or body circumferences?

Once you get started, you can do yoga, strength training, aerobics, and balance games. One thing to keep in mind is that if this is getting people off the couch, I'd venture to say that they are not exercise savvy. This means that their form could be far from correct and the risk of injury is higher than normal. For example, it would be easy to cheat on lunges or pushups and risk injury or not maximizing the exercise.

But those that tested the Wii said the yoga was "pretty cool" and the hula hoop was "fun, and a good way to get your heart rate up". Another commented on the other games like soccer and skiing “It’s really fun — the games are the best part of this thing!”

The bottom line: Wii Fit is a fun way to get some activity, but I don't foresee this taking the place of gym memberships or personal trainers. People buy and play video games for fun. And that's the way it will remain. Of course, the first Wii Fit success story will make me eat those words!

To your health,

Tim

P.S. I'll post my article on the Mayo Clinic study this weekend. If you don't know your bodyfat, you'll definitely want to read it. I've got a little bit of work on Saturday and then some good 'ol R&R. I hope you have a safe, fun, and enjoyable holiday weekend!

3 Tips For More Energy

2008-05-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have really seemed dreary don’t you think? We’ve had an occasional day of sunlight, but a heck of a lot more rain and gloom. It’s tempting to curl up in a ball and go back to bed. But instead, I thought I’d give you 3 tips for more energy.

Everywhere you go people are looking for 'energy'. You’ve heard and seen all the ‘Hi Energy’ stuff out there.

But where should you go for your energy fix? And is it really a fix at all? Or just a remedy that leads to an inevitable crash and burn?

In reality, the "energy" we're chasing is simply mental alertness.

And it's no secret that coffee, energy drinks and cigarettes contain drugs that stimulate your brain, giving you the mental alertness we often mistakenly call 'energy'.

If you are searching for a better way of living, a life that doesn't depend on chemicals - literally, drugs! - to keep you awake and motivated, if you are tired of being tired, then being jacked up, and then being tired again, then set the coffee cup down, step away from the supersized Diet Cokes, and turn to a more natural solution.

There are better, healthier ways to achieve higher levels of physical and mental energy.

Here are 3 ways to gain more energy, naturally.

1) Exercise

It doesn't matter what time you exercise, just be consistent with your efforts. Just pick a time that
fits with your schedule and personality. If you have to do it first thing when you wake up, just do it. Don't even let yourself think about it. Just get started.

A lot of people think too much about their plan. They want to have everything perfect before they begin working out.

Focus on intense strength training for 30-40 minutes followed by a brief cardio interval training session to boost your metabolism all day long.

Exercise is like a drug. Like caffeine and nicotine, exercise causes the release of many 'good for you' chemicals into your blood stream, resulting in mental stimulation and an improved sense of overall well- being. Exercise just makes you feel awesome.

2) Eat smaller, more frequent meals

Skip the cycle of starving and overeating characterized by no breakfast, a high-carbohydrate lunch, and a huge dinner. Instead, eat a supportive breakfast and then continue to eat supportively every 3 hours for the rest of the day.

Research shows that a high-fiber, high-protein breakfast helps control appetite and increases mental alertness all day, and improves your ability to process information.

Don't skip breakfast and rely on a coffee to get you through the day. Got no time? C'mon! You're an adult, you can get up 10 minutes earlier to have a protein shake, some almonds, and an apple. You're not in high school anymore. No excuses!

3) Eat only whole, natural foods, such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, raw nuts, Green Tea, water

Trying to survive on processed foods is a recipe for an energetic disaster. Stick to whole, natural foods during the day, snacking rather than eating huge meals and you'll never feel like dozing off again.

If a food is from a bag or a box, it doesn't deserve a place in a supportive nutrition plan. Try to avoid all added sugars.

Bonus Tip:

Take 2-minute breaks during the day to perform some light stretching or deep breathing.

Sitting at a computer all day zap our 'energy'. From poor posture, to eye-strain from computer screens, your office, cubicle, and car seat definitely sucks the life out of you.

Daily exercise breaks are essential to not only boost energy, but mobility. Each day, as your slump over your computer, your upper body becomes rounded forward and tense. You need to reverse that movement by incorporating some light shoulder and chest stretches.

In addition, get outside into natural light whenever possible.

For a complete exercise and nutrition plan to help you burn fat, sculpt your body, and give you all-day energy, you can get started with our Fitness Together Body Back Program!

To find out how you can increase your energy and mental alertness request a complimentary personal training consultation today.

Follow my complete system and you will successfully guide yourself to the fat loss you deserve and desire.

Have a fit day,

Tim

Welcome!

2008-05-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

Hi and welcome to the Fitness Together Blog!

Never in a million years would I have thought to be blogging. But I'm trying to keep with the times:) Our job is to provide you with the BEST health, fitness, and nutrition coaching, tools, and resources. This is just another vehicle to get it to you. And if you're not on the FT bus, request your free no risk consultation here.

We also have a new main website. If you haven't stumbled across it, check it out at http://www.ftladue.com/ You'll find some great info available to you and all of our contact info.

Make sure to bookmark this site. I'll be posting periodically and even invite some exciting guest posts!! In the meantime, say hello and post your comments.

Talk to you soon,

Tim