Fix Your Goals

Not reaching your fitness goals? The problem may not be with what you’re doing — it may be with the goals themselves.

The fitness goals you set need to be SMART: Specific, Motivating, Achievable, Relevant and Trackable.

Specific: What exactly do you hope to achieve? Instead of making the mushy goal “I want to get healthy,” say “I want to lose five pounds, drop an inch from my waist, be able to run five miles, and eat five servings of fruits and veggies per day.

Motivating: You need to be excited about what you want to achieve! If the idea of walking regularly on the treadmill makes you want to snooze, even if it’s a goal for a lot of fitness buffs, maybe it’s not the right goal for you right now.

Achievable: Nothing is more discouraging than a goal that’s too difficult to achieve. No one can lose 20 pounds (healthfully) in a month or be ripped in a week. Give yourself a break!

Relevant: The goal needs to make sense for you. If you choose some pie-in-the-sky goal because it looks good on paper, chances are you’ll ditch it within a month.

Trackable: If you can’t measure or track your goal, how will you know when you’ve achieved it? We’re talking numbers here! Instead of setting a goal to get fit, resolve to lose a certain amount of weight by the end of the year.

More on the Motivating goals: The reason we don’t reach our goals may be that they’re not exciting enough to motivate us. If this is the case for you, heed my life coach, who recommends setting big, audacious goals. For example, instead of making a resolution to walk three times per week, how about vowing to train for a triathlon? Instead of losing five pounds, why not resolve to enter — and win — a fitness competition? And rather than making the vague goal to nosh on more veggies, why not promise (as I’ve been doing for the last month or so) to eat a big salad every day of the week.

A quick note: I’m taking a hiatus from the Designer Way blog due to other commitments. I hope to see you — and motivate you — again soon!

Stay healthy,

Linda

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Mindi Smith gives us some great advice on making the most out of your cardio by using a jump rope every time you take a break. Enjoy!

Remember: ALWAYS be safe and cautious when exercising and to make the most of it drink a PROTEINWATER or PROTEINBLITZ after!

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Mindi Smith and James Ellis give a great tip about a very tricky workout.  Whenever performing new exercises please remember to be careful and HAVE FUN!!

If you have any questions please post them here and we will have one of our team of experts answer them for you!

Thank You

DESIGNER WHEY

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 After going to the gym 6 days a week for the last year and a half or so, I have started to pick up on a multitude of different things. New work outs, new equipment, different way to use equipment, how to approach helpful people and many other interesting intricacies. But the one thing that I have noticed the most is the lack of etiquette or lack of proper social interaction skills when people are in the gym. It is something that really bugs me because about 85 % of the people who I see at the gym abide by these rules – but that 15 % is so noticeable that it makes me stop and think. Is there some kind of book that is written? Are there more refined rules that we overlook in our gym contracts? Are we supposed to act differently when at the gym? And what constitutes improper etiquette at the gym? Well the answers are, maybe, probably, it depends and people’s reactions.

 Maybe: who knows maybe there are several well known and published pieces of literature that hesitant or first time gym goers frequently buy on EBay, created by gym elitists.

Probably: there is probably a rule in the fine print of your gym membership that states you cannot occupy five different machines at once if people are trying to use them, but do people read and follow these things – for the most part no.

  It depends: whether or not you should act differently in the gym is all about how you yourself perceive it. Meaning, are you the type of person that knocks a drink over at the party or a restaurant/bar and doesn’t pick it up because they paid money to get in and serviced, therefore, it is now someone else’s responsibility. Well if you are then you are most likely the same person that doesn’t re-rack weights or wipe off machinery or who takes up five machines at once. You may act a certain way in the comfort of your own home that doesn’t necessarily match up to the standards of society and I say great. But when you have to share common communal property with others you should be aware of how your actions are affecting that said shared space. It’s something funny like gym etiquette but it trickles further into the cracks and accurately reflects societal depictions in some cases. So in that sense, if you are aware that you share this common space with others and you respect that notion of shared community so to speak then no you don’t have to act differently, you can simply apply your everyday rational into your gym interactions and it will be fine – it’s not rocket science.

 People’s reactions: you don’t have to be a fitness guru to notice when you are doing something improperly at the gym, you just have to not be brain dead. Whether it is using a machine the wrong way, taking someone’s spot or just about anything “deemed” un-gym like you can tell immediately by how people are reacting around you. When you are screaming during your sets (for whatever reason people seem to do this) to the point where its probably noticeable from the other side of the gym you can guarantee that everyone around you will at one point in the 30 seconds of actually screaming or the 30 seconds that proceed the screaming, stare at you with a dumb founded expression like you came to the gym without pants on. Then about three quarters of those people will in fact shake there heads in disagreement or make hilarious comments to their workout buddies about how dumb you look. You might care you might not – it is completely based on individual circumstance. This is how etiquette for the most part is defined in the gym and how it works itself out – people’s reactions and their responsiveness to your reactions.

 I write this as an intro to segment that I am about to do on a personally studied phenomenon, appropriate behavior concerning the communal gym. I am no expert but after asking the opinion of different gym goers, gym employees and every day Joes who occasionally go to the gym, and watching the different reactions that the gym masses have to certain behaviors, I feel pretty confident about giving out an outline of behavior for people to think about the next time they work out. For the next 6 to 8 weeks I will be writing two “do’s” and two “don’ts” per week on behavior at the gym. You can take’ em or leave’ em, either way doesn’t matter to me but at least it will be out there.

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Hi! My name is Linda Formichelli, and I’m the newest blogger on the Designer Whey blog.

I’ve gone through a lot of life changes lately: I recently turned 40, and my husband and I adopted a baby boy. As an “older mom” (though I don’t feel old), I’m interested in both boosting my energy and in keeping off the pounds that tend to creep on with age. My challenge — as for many working moms and dads — is time. It’s hard to find time to exercise and cook healthy meals when you work all day and take care of a baby at night. In this blog, I plan to explore ways to fit fitness into even the most hectic days.

Right now, I have even more of a motivation to get fit: I’ll be profiling a martial artist for a major magazine, and as part of the article I’ll be attending a couple of very intense martial arts classes next month. I have five years’ experience in the martial arts, but I quit last year when I hurt my back — and since then, my cardio has consisted of — well, pretty much nothing. As a point of pride I’d like to kick some butt in these classes, so I’ve made it my mission to build up my endurance and add some lean muscle — and to keep going even after my article is done.

Another challenge for me: nutrition. I’ve been writing about health, fitness, and nutrition for newsstand magazines since 1997, so I know what I should and should not be eating. But knowing and doing are two different things! I love eating at restaurants, and I’m sure you know how difficult it is to eat healthfully when you’re confronted with a menu full of creamy sauces, fried foods, and desserts that are bigger than your head.

My final challenge: I have an anxiety disorder, and it’s easy for me to get overwhelmed with stress. Stress has been implicated in causing health woes (like irritable bowel) and in making illnesses worse (like asthma). Stress also makes it difficult for us to lead healthy lives — after all, when we’re feeling stressed and rushed, it seems much easier to pick up a burger and shake at the drive-through than to create a healthy meal — so I’ll incorporate healthy mind-body tips into my blog posts.

I’ve already started making positive changes, which I’ll talk more about in future posts — and I’ve lost seven pounds in the last month!

My blog posts won’t be all about me: As a health writer, I have access to a lot of studies and experts, so I plan to include information you can use in every post. As I get healthier, hopefully you will too!

Stay healthy,

Linda

Posted in Linda Formichelli | 6 Comments

Hey Biggest Loser and Designer Whey fans!

Ali Vincent is an amazing and inspirational person...

I am so EXCITED to have this opportunity to continue to share my journey with all of you.  It truly is a journey!  If I had thought of it as a destination I know that I would never have been able to create the results I did.  Some days I wake up rearing to go, others not so much.  That is why it is soooooo important to have support systems and routines in place, so when you forget why you are waking up at the crack of dawn or packing a weeks worth of snacks… there are people to remind you

So as I sit here drinking my Red Raspberry Protein 2Go (since I’m traveling) pondering how to explain what you can expect from my Blogs, I’m realizing that there might not be a ‘perfect’ way to wrap up my blogging   I just want you to realize that everyday is a new day with new opportunities.  Now I imagine that some blogs will be more inspiring than others as I travel throughout the country meeting all of you and sharing those experience here on ‘our space’ if you will and then there will probably be those that are just me sharing day to day experiences and new AW HA’s.  It’s so amazing to me the things that I know I have heard a million times over in my life and on my journey to living an active, fun filled, balanced life that I never really heard before and become AW HA moments

Also keep in mind I am just a regular girl like most of you or maybe like a friend or a sister of your’s and not a Pulitzer prize winning author.  So if smiley faces and run-on sentence’s make you kringe throughout your body, like nails on a chalkboard do for me, then please allow me this opportunity to apologize in advance as I blog like I think and talk.  Those of you who know me from the Biggest Loser or magazine/TV interviews or from meeting me throughout my travels, know that I get so excited that I often get ahead of myself   So, I am sorry and hope that being me does not prevent YOU from checking out my blog and hopefully getting helpful information or an opportunity to just smile at times.

So there you have it in a nutshell, oh and if you have any questions email them and I’ll do my best to answer them

Believe It. Be It.- Ali

Ps-  I’m in Spokane this weekend for the Woman’s Show so come down and say Hi as well as I’ll give you a Biggest Loser protein 2Go sample…. you can always find out where I’ll be on my website www.alivincent.com ( How do you make that show up in pink? instead of blue )

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I just got an email regarding the results of the Challenge. Again, it was all so anticlimactic. Just a name of the winner, no mention of me or anyone else. No idea who this person that won was, or what they looked like. No pics to see the transformation that they made. No idea if I was even in the running or what. No recognition whatsoever. Just leaves me shaking my head in disappointment. So I just have to fall back on what the main purpose of the challenge was in the first place. To make a life change for myself. And I did that. And I am very pleased. And seeing how much I enjoyed the competition/deadline aspect of the whole thing, I believe I will continue on this path I’ve begun, and see how far I can take it. I enjoyed those elements, and the drive they instilled in me. There are myriad contests and competitions that I can enroll in. I see that I can improve my body, and I want to see just how dramatic I can do that. I believe the challenge has just begun…….

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The big challenge now is trying to keep the motivation high since the competition aspect is gone. Now that I have the freedom to eat whatever again, I don’t quite know what to eat !! Obviously I am not going to go back to my old ways. I have every intention of continuing on this fitness road I’ve embarked upon, but the simple diet I was eating certainly made mealtime a snap. I need to learn now about clean eating and the foods that I can incorporate into my diet to maintain the level of fitness I’ve achieved. Of course, after the pic and measurements, I went out for a cheeseburger and had a margarita, too. It’s amazing how my mindset has changed now that I don’t have a deadline looming. I’ve gotten a little lazy in the daily commitment to exercise. I need to kick that back up a notch. I can see how a fitness lifestyle takes a tremendous amount of dedication and determination to maintain.

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I have been waiting now for almost two weeks to find out the results of the contest. I talked with many people in the gym who were even angrier than I was about the way it ended. They all had similar experiences. Some people even refused to do the measurements and pics because it wasn’t with someone in charge of the challenge. There is no way for me to try to get them redone, either. The timing of all the elements of diet, water, supplements, exercise, etc…..was geared for that morning. I was at my peak. I no longer feel excited about the challenge. I do feel great for myself, personally, but the rest is a huge letdown. They will be giving the results on May 5. Very anticlimactic.

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I went in as scheduled this morning to have my after pics and measurements taken. The situation at Gold’s Gym was nothing short of completely unprofessional and disappointing. There was no one connected to the Gold’s Challenge there to do the measurements. None of the employees seemed to have any idea what was going on. The manager, in particular, was clueless. They finally got one of the reception guys to measure me and take the picture. The first thing he says to me is “Do you know how to use this camera ?” Then when we get to measuring, he’s asking me where to hold the tape. I really was just angry. I went up to the manager to ask what was going on, and all he could do was throw his hands up and say” I don’t know what to tell you.” As unprofessional and inept as I’ve ever experienced. None of the tape measurement numbers changed, which is impossible as my clothes are hanging on me now. I’ve lost over 15 pounds, and almost 6% body fat, and none of my measurements are different. My trainer had gone on vacation for the week, so he wasn’t there to help. It was simply deflating after all the work I’ve done.

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