A lot of people stay unsuccessful or have alternating experiences with success and failure, simply because they do not know that they have many bad traits. Bad traits pertain to habits and personal characteristics that ultimately lead to failure. Some of the things you’ve been so used to doing for several years may be the main reason why you struggle much.

The Basic Bad Habits

Laziness is one of the negative habits that a loser has. The worse thing is, lazy people usually do not want to get rid of the problem. If you want to achieve your goals, you need to understand the value of hard work and perseverance. Some of the greatest people in the world are known to work way more than those who did not leave a mark. The greats work longer hours, sleep less, eat less, wake up earlier and suffer more than anybody else. It takes sacrifice to reach your goals. The most important thing to know is that everything you have ever wanted is just outside your comfort zone.

Another bad habit that people have dealt with for several years is fear. They fear things and events without even trying. Some people are even afraid of success subconsciously in a way that they refute any opportunity that can make them great. Some people do not realize that they just do not or cannot handle the bigger responsibilities that achieved goals come with. You should understand that once you reach a certain goal, it can mean that the bar has just been raised for you to accomplish more.

Personal Bad Traits

Selfishness is a bad trait that you need to get rid of to achieve your goals. There are individuals who do not want to get help from others because they do not want to share their expected success. What’s sad is that most of them do not actually reach their goals. There is so much joy and celebration for every success that can be shared between several individuals. There is even so much money in the world for everyone to stay rich. Even if you may be better off doing some things yourself, still you cannot do everything.

Being Negative

Pessimism is a trait of losers. Losers always find a reason to lose, even if the situation or opportunity is already presenting itself. In most cases, pessimism is tied up to fear. Seeing things in a negative light will result to bad results too, most of the time. If you start your day negatively, everything else will already seem bad, so you will focus more on the little things that do not matter and let them bother you, instead of keeping your mind on your goals.

Seeking Help

The first step to treating bad habits to achieve your goals is to look at yourself as a confident, capable and strong individual. You are responsible for whatever happens in your life. Although problems are bound to happen, you know that you always have the ability to stay successful in life as you choose. Minor setbacks are supposed to be a means for you to become better and stronger. Write a list down indicating all your weaknesses and bad traits. Next, put the opposite trait for each. The opposite traits are now your new characteristics to be adopted. Start practicing one good trait per week or month, then add another one for consistency. Over time, you will realize that success follows you because of your positive aura.

There can be many reasons that such a high percentage of Americans today are carrying around too much excess weight. Most all of us have heard the very true and useful information that calories burned need to be higher than calories consumed. This all comes down to regular exercise, as well as a healthy diet. As stated before, this information is all true and very effective in weight management. That is, however, only half the equation. It is also important to get in touch with the psychological reasons behind weight issues. Simply put, overeating is the belief that “I eat too much.” It’s common for me to hear my clients say they have a willpower problem with food. The truth of the matter is, they may not have a willpower problem at all. Their body may actually believe it needs more food. So what are some of the causes that lead to this belief?

1. Lack of proper rhythm

- do you have an eating rhythm throughout the day? For instance, you typically eat at the same time every day.

2. Lack of slow relaxed eating

- your brain needs time to process the food you just ate. Slow down and enjoy it. Slowing down and being in a relaxed state will actually help stimulate your digestive and calorie burning metabolism!

3. Macronutrient imbalance

- the four macronutrients are protein, carbohydrates, fats, and water. Are one of your macronutrients outweighing the other? For instance, the low carb diet would lack protein, which would lead to an imbalance.

4. Nutrient deficiency

- are you getting all of your nutrients. Your body may be lacking a nutrient, and you keep eating to attempt to give your body that specific nutrient. This includes the macronutrients above, as well as your vitamins and minerals.

5. Lack of quality in food in diet -

make sure the calories you take in are from quality foods so you aren’t consuming wasted calories (ie. cookies). Does that mean never have cookies? Not at all!

So what is the solution?

Try to find a consistent time every day to eat your breakfast, have a snack, eat your lunch, and eat your dinner. Get into a rhythm or a routine. I encourage you to really take your time to be mentally present and aware of what you are eating, when you are eating it, and the rate at which you are eating. You will be amazed at how much more satisfied you will feel from being tuned in. That satisfied feeling will lead to consuming only the calories your body requires, which will lead to a healthier, leaner, happier YOU!

Rebecca LeSaffre is the owner of Lynnfield Boot Camp, and is an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer, a Fitness Nutrition Coach and a Physical Therapist Assistant. She is qualified to assess what types of exercises will be most beneficial for meeting personal fitness goals, while also helping assure that you use proper form for maximum results and injury prevention. You can contact her via her web site www.lynnfieldbootcamp.com

Having a hard time staying motivated with your health & wellness goals? Here are 8 tips to help you stay on track.

Step 1: Visualize what you want

Picture yourself attaining the goal you want to achieve.

Step 2: Use all of your senses when visualizing

As you visualize, start to pay attention to the sounds associated with your picture. Also, notice how you feel in that picture. This feeling should be both emotional and physical. How does your body feel fitting back into those skinny jeans? How does that make you feel, emotionally? The more details you have in your picture, the more you are sending a message to your brain that this is really happening. Before you know it, it really happens.

Step 3: Write down your goals

Writing down your goals is a great way to stay focused on what you want. You can place your goals where you see them daily. Some people also just like to write their goals then put them away. That’s fun, because when you go back weeks, month, or even years later and read your goals you are amazed at what you have accomplished.

Step 4: Believe in your goals

Choose goals that you truly believe in your heart that you will attain. Understand, as humans, we tend to send ourselves “doubting messages” when we think of goals we want. Acknowledge what that is, just doubt, and mentally set it aside. Think about what you want. Believe in yourself and in your goal. Strive for it one step at a time.

Step 5: Challenge yourself

Choose goals that you know in your heart you can attain. With that, make sure you are challenging yourself. It’s that stretching moment in our lives that keep us motivated. It tough to be challenged, yet it feels great! Just to know you’re always stretching to go a little further is motivating in itself. It keeps you from getting bored and stagnant.

Step 6: Get support from friends and family

Tell those that love and care for you about your goals. Simply talking about it will motivate you (as well as inspire them). They can hold you accountable, encourage you, and celebrate with you.

Step 7: Strive for continued progress

As you accomplish each goal, replace it with a new goal that will push you to another level. This goes back to keeping yourself challenged, and avoiding boredom. When we find ourselves at a stagnant place in our lives, we tend to start to go backwards. Always give yourself something for which to strive

Step 8: Reward yourself for accomplishments

To stay motivated, give yourself a reward for what you have accomplished. This moment of celebration is so important. It’s called positive reinforcement, and it feels so good that you want to set another goal and celebrate it again. Rewards can be anywhere from a pat on the back to a week-long vacation.

Reaching your goals does not have to mean hours in the gym. You can express your workout routine and still maximize your results. Below are ways you can get the most out of the time you do dedicate to fitness.

1. Combine Your Upper and Lower Body Exercises -
Cut your strength routine in half by incorporating exercises for several body parts. For example, while performing a lunge, add a set of bicep curls to the movement.

2. Choose Compound Exercises -
Exercises that work several muscle groups simultaneously are more time efficient than isolation exercises, which focus on one major muscle group. Examples of compound exercises include the leg press, squat, chest fly, walking lunge and seated row.

3. Circuit Train -
With minimal equipment, you can set up stations alternating cardio activities with strength training activities. This will keep your heart rate up so that you can get both the aerobic and anaerobic (strength) benefits. A sample circuit might include: jump rope, bicep curls, jumping jacks, push-ups, jogging in place, squats, mini-trampoline exercises and dips. Repeating the circuit up to three times is guaranteed to boost your metabolism in under 30 minutes.

4. Interval Train -
Using active rest and work ratios will allow you to workout at the upper and lower levels of your heart rate zone and optimize calories expended. You can start with brisk walking for 2 minutes and jogging for 30 seconds. Then progress to 2 minutes of brisk walking and 1 minute of jogging. Eventually progress to two minutes of each and ultimately to spending less time walking and more time jogging. If you are already a runner, alternate your running with spints where you accelerate with a burst of energy and then taper back to a run.

5. Increase Your Intensity -
By picking up the pace, you can cover more miles and ultimately burn more calories in less time. You may need to work up to higher intensities gradually, but you will become more efficient in the process and be able to cut back on the duration of your exercise sessions. Ditto for you strength training workout. If you keep each set intense, you can get the most benefit and eliminate the need for several warm up sets.

6. Incorporate Mind & Body Exercises - You can get a lot of mileage out of choosing a discipline like yoga or pilates. Not only will you get the physical benefits of a well-toned body, but you will also enjoy the flexibility, relaxation and stress-relieving enhancements as well.

7. Make Fitness a Lifestyle Change -
By eliminating some of life’s modern conveniences and getting more physical, you can expend up to an additional 800 calories a week. That can add up to 11 pounds lost at the end of a year. So, start taking the stairs — even if you work on the 10th floor! It will get easier. Park your car in the last spot and join the kids on the playground. You never know when the opportunity will arise to get your heart rate up.

Although regular exercise is good for body and soul, diving head first into an advanced exercise program is not encouraged. It can even be dangerous if you don’t avoid some common mistakes.

If you’re a beginner, your body isn’t prepared for the types of strains exercise can place on it. As a result, engaging in an exercise program with little foresight and planning can lead to burnout, frustration and injury.

If you want to maximize your workout, it’s going to take a combination of motivation and the correct information. So let’s review the 10 most common mistakes that can be easily avoided.

1. Skipping the warm-up. Muscles need time to adjust to the demands placed on them during exercise. Before hitting the gym or jumping into your regular cardio workout, you should take a few minutes to gently walk, cycle or whatever you choose to prepare the body for heavier activity. Breaking a light sweat will get your blood pumping, warm up muscles and ligaments, greatly reduce your risk of injury and increase the effectiveness of your workout.

2. Skipping the cool-down. Due to time constraints, many people head straight to the showers after their last repetition or as soon as the timer on the treadmill dings. Instead, take a few minutes to lower your heart rate close to its resting rate. This will reduce your risk of injury and give you a few minutes to incorporate some relaxation into your routine.

3. Not stretching. Flexible muscles are far less likely to be pulled than tight ones. Stretch before a heavy workout or after your workout as a warm-down. Never stretch a muscle without warming up first to reduce your risk of injury even further. Regular stretching greatly increases your flexibility

4. Lifting too much too fast. Placing demands your muscles are not prepared to handle is the best way to injure yourself. Gradual, progressive resistance is a far more effective and safe way to increase muscle strength. You should select a weight that allows you to do 10-15 repetitions. If you can’t do 10 reps, the weight is too heavy. If you can easily do 15, then increase the weight by five percent.

5. Using too light a resistance. If you are doing over 15 reps or have not increased your resistance in over two weeks, it is time to progress. If you want to improve, you have to keep your muscles stimulated. If you continue to do the same weights with high reps, you will maintain your current physique and not advance.

6. Being a Weekend Warrior. The mistake of the person who tries to fit a week’s worth of exercise into a Saturday afternoon! For weight loss, it’s more effective to sustain a moderate workout for longer periods of time than to exercise intensely for only a few minutes. For others, the expectation that a workout must be intense to be effective can lead to burnout or injury while others abandon their training altogether.

7. Waiting until you are thirsty to drink. Only camels can go without water! For the rest of us it’s a necessity! Don’t wait until you feel thirsty because you are already dehydrated at that point. Drink plenty of fluids before, during and after your workout.

8. Using bad form. It’s much more effective to choose a lower level, speed or weight and perform the exercise properly than it is to go too fast or too heavy and use poor form and momentum. Lower the intensity to the point at which you can maintain good posture. An example of poor form would be leaning on the Stairmaster handrails or swinging the dumbbells during a bicep curl.

9. Resting too much. While it’s true you don’t want to overdo it, taking too much time in between exercises can decrease the training benefits and set you up for injury. Allow for about 30 seconds between toning exercises — which is usually just enough time to move to the next station and set up. You should exercise intensely enough to work up a light sweat, get your heart beating and feel a sense of satisfaction for having completed your workout.

10. More is better. It’s not necessary to spend over an hour doing cardiovascular exercise. Studies show that the risk of injury outweighs the benefits after 60 minutes. Sessions of around 45 minutes most days of the week are recommended for weight loss.

Remember, exercise is only one link to a complete program of well-being. Mental, spiritual and psychological “workouts” are just as important. Your body will repay you! The only thing left is to just do it… safely.

I don’t want to lift weights because I’ll bulk up. I hear this all the time from the ladies I train. But is this really true? Let’s explore the myths behind women and bulking up.

So, in order to bulk up through weight lifting certain hormones, namely testosterone is needed. Since a women’s testosterone level is much lower than men’s, approximately 15 to 20 times less, they are not capable of building large muscles. In fact, women tend to lose inches when they strength train because muscle takes up less room than fat so they are more likely to tone up rather than bulk up. Research shows that women can add up to 30% lean muscle and end up looking thinner, feeling stronger and being firmer lifting weights.

In addition to increasing strength, weight training also helps prevent type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and increased blood cholesterol levels. It also helps you burn calories throughout the day and increases your metabolism. If women don’t build enough muscle they have an increased risk of osteoporosis later in life, as well as a reduction in muscle mass of about 2-5% per year.

So the answer is NO, women who lift weights will not bulk up, instead they will greatly benefit. That’s why I incorporate strength training into my routines at Lynnfield Boot Camp and I hope after reading this you will do the same.

Rebecca LeSaffre is the owner of Lynnfield Boot Camp, and is an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer, a Fitness Nutrition Coach and a Physical Therapist Assistant. She is qualified to assess what types of exercises will be most beneficial for meeting personal fitness goals, while also helping assure that you use proper form for maximum results and injury prevention. You can contact her via her web site www.lynnfieldbootcamp.com

For many, the summer months signify a time of carefree living: summer vacations, staying up late, poolside barbecues and hours spent in front of favorite television programs. Unfortunately, for some this extra dose of freedom can also equate to falling back out of shape. Alternately, you can continue to have fun, stay healthy and look great in your swimsuit all summer, if you abide by some basic strategies.

Participate in Community-Sponsored Activities
Many communities offer summertime activities, such as resident hikes at nearby trails, community softball leagues and T-Ball for kids. By joining in, you will stay in shape, get to know new people in your area and brush up on your skills.

Work Out in the Morning
You don’t need to fully ditch your outdoor workout ritual if you can commit to exercising in the early morning hours before the sun’s rays become intense. The great pay off of working out in the morning is that you get to smell the fresh dew, watch the sun as it rises in the sky, enjoy the tranquility of your neighborhood before it fully awakens, and you become energized early on to face the rest of your day. Try going for a brisk walk with your dog, taking a leisurely swim or rollerblading with a friend.

Play
Even if summertime doesn’t mean “summer vacation” for you, it more than likely means extra play time for your kids. Whenever you have the chance, join them. Go outside and jump on the trampoline, play Frisbee at the beach, have a swinging competition at the park and dance around the house on weekend evenings. You will burn calories without feeling that you’re working out.

Enjoy Indoor Activities
If you’re not a morning exercise person, you can still get in a good work out by staying indoors where the sun isn’t beating down on your skin and the temperature is cool. Head to the nearby gym and run on a treadmill as you listen to upbeat music on your MP3 player, power walk through the mall for some fast-paced window shopping, or head to the local rock climbing wall with a group of friends. For a mini-vacation from the brutal summer temperatures, take a trip to an ice skating rink in the middle of July and pretend that it’s December.

Stay Hydrated with the Right Stuff
Childhood summertime favorites such as sugary lemonade and iced tea are refreshing and delicious, but only consume them in moderation, as they do little to keep you hydrated and they pack on unnecessary calories. It’s especially important in the warm summer months to stay hydrated during exercise by drinking water. Drink at least half of your body weight in ounces–if you weigh 120 lbs., drink 60 oz. of water each day–and replenish your fluids if you have been sweating excessively due heat or exercise. Make your water tastier and more refreshing by adding a slice of fresh citrus fruit to a freezer-chilled pitcher.

from live strong

While on a weight lifting program, the right hormones (testosterone) are necessary in order to bulk up. Women’s testosterone levels are much lower than men’s, so in most cases, they are not capable of building large muscles. In fact, since muscle takes up less room than fat, women tend to lose inches when they strength train. So in addition to the physical benefits (increased metabolism, decreased risk of osteoporosis, increased strength), strength training will help you slim down too! Women, in fact, are more likely to tone up from strength training rather than bulk up. Research shows that women can add up to 30% lean muscle and end up looking thinner, feeling stronger and being firmer.

Our society and pop culture seem to associate weight training with oversized muscles, but that’s just one avenue, which is extremely difficult for most people (including men) to achieve.

Women with an intense fear of becoming large (likely due to these images and myths) as a result of weight training are at a disadvantage when it comes to their health. The problem most women run into isn’t building too much muscle, but not building enough. This sets them up for increased risk of osteoporosis later in life, as well as a reduction in muscle mass of about 2-5% per year, which has an adverse affect on metabolism (and can result in weight gain).

from sparkpeople

To strengthen bones, we’ve always heard that weight-bearing and high-impact exercises (like running and lifting weights) are best. This leaves many people assuming that their low-impact workouts aren’t doing much to improve bone strength. Swimming has long been touted as a low-impact exercise, one that’s easier on the body and good for individuals with joint pain.

However, a recent study from Israel’s Wingate Institute in Netanya indicates that women who frequently swim laps have greater leg bone mass than women who don’t swim at all.

Action Sparked: While weight-bearing exercises are the best way to strengthen your bones, swimming is another option, especially for obese exercisers who experience pain and difficulty moving. Try adding a few laps to your regular routine to relieve boredom, and to surprise your muscles…and bones!

Time Involved: At least 20 minutes

Body Benefit: Stronger heart, lungs, muscles and bones

from Spark People

It doesn’t matter what weight you lift or for how many reps as long as you are completely EXHAUSTING your muscles. That’s where the progress comes from. Some people lift very light weights - so light that they could do 20+ reps without feeling exhausted - but stop at 12-15 because those are “the rules” of lifting.

Achieving total exhaustion is key to developing more lean muscle. It will increase your metabolism as you build strength and tone your muscles, and give your metabolism a boost for several hours post-workout.

To find your ideal lifting weight, first decide how many reps you want to do, which depends on your lifting goals. To build strength, do higher weights for 6-8 reps. For overall toning, try moderate weights for 8-12 reps. And to build endurance, do lighter weights for 12-15 reps.

Once you decide your lifting and rep goals, it’s a matter of guessing and checking. Pick a weight. Within your chosen rep range, you should feel EXHAUSTED - meaning you could not possibly do another rep in good form - on the last rep.

For example, if want to do 10-12 bicep curls for overall toning, you might try 10-15 pounds. If you can do more than 12 reps, the weight is not enough. If you can’t do 10 without breaking proper form, you should lighten up a little. After a few workouts, you’ll get the idea.

Remember, the amount of weight you lift depends first on your strength training goals.

from Spark People