6 Tips To Making A Successful New Year's Resolution

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)

$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!

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?

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

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

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

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!