GET YOUR

'FIT+mind'

Out of the

Dark,

and Into the

LIGHT!

Exposing your thoughts to the criticism of paper

-and therefore other people-

to get the results you want!

Its been 2 weeks of exercising, your trainer has asked you to fill out your nutrition journal. You get on the scale, the needle went UP! “How could it be?”, you frustratingly shrug as if you’ve done all you can. The only thing is, you haven’t really kept up to your job of keeping your nutrition journal. The excuses you’ve given your trainer seem to follow along the lines of, “well, I can tell you what I ate”, or “I don’t really eat that bad.” Let me propose to you a scenario that will give you the bottom line reason why you need to expose your journal to the ‘light’.

If about 30 people or so packed into a cozy room all to describe their perception of a ball in the center of the room which is sitting on display, there is no doubt that if the lights were on in only half of the room, we might all give a different description. On the darker side of the room (supposing the ball is standard red), some people might perceive and therefore describe the ball to appear maroon or purple, or something of the sort. While on the brighter, or lighter side of the room, people simply describe the ball as red! If we all stay in the same point of view of the ball, we will only argue, and make excuses. However, if we change our point of perspective, move around the room so the light adjusts to the ball we are observing, we will all basically come to the same conclusion. That the ball is RED!

Now regardless of how good you think you eat, or whether you can tell your trainer what it is that you do eat, the walls inside your skull allow very little light to shine on your thoughts. In fact, your own perceptions on what you think you eat will change when you begin to write them down. I, as well as most professional coaches and trainers, have clients and athletes that eat excellently, clients an athletes that eat atrociously, and those whose choices are good, but sometimes just don’t eat enough to maintain a good metabolism, or, on the other side of the scale, enough nutrition to get them through their training programs. However, regardless of the scenario you fit into, once your nutrition is on paper, and exposed to the constructive criticism of your coach or trainer and your team of support keeping you accountable, we all find a different and true perspective as to why the needle on the scale went up instead of down, or why we crah and burn on the playing field of athletics and/or life! Turn on the light. SET GOALS and WRITE THINGS DOWN!

For more perspective on nutrition and exercise performance just click

"HERE"

and ask!

“Do you believe in yourself? I believe in you!”

---Marshall Curtis---

Momentum ProFomance

"Train Your Mind, Change Your Life!"

~FITminds, USA~

Lifting Weight

to Lose Weight?!

A dynamic, life-altering, scientific mystery

unpacked for you!

Don’t let the big word at the end of this blog side-line your intensity! For just 12 years I have been training, studying, and looking for the BEST ROUTE to YOUR GOALS!!! Amidst the hype of the Fergalicious, Keeping up with the Kardashian’s Booty Calls, and Jessica Simpson’s Fat Pants diets, I found a DIAMOND in the rough concerning your metabolism and weight loss. Perhaps you want to train with weights because someone told you that you could have Madonna’s arms, or Jamie Eason’s tooshy. In other words, you want to be toned, not bulky, and want to lose weight all at once. BE CAREFUL! What you learn next can dramatically increase or decrease the look you’re going for. If you’re a trainer reading this blog, you will also find the key to the plateau you need to help your client break. Regardless of whether you’re the client, or the trainer, I’ve got 3 points to drill, DRILL, DRILLLLL into your head right now!

Nutrition – You must keep a nutrition journal and know EXACTLY what your calorie intake is. If you’re off by just as few as 50 kcals per day, you can throw off your effort to achieve the tight body you’re looking for.

Lifting Heavy Weights will not make you Bulky! Your nutrition will make you bulky. (Refer to point 1)

Every resistance based muscular contraction you make, i.e. every push-up you do, releases a natural chemical. The chemical has the effect of a steroid. YES A STEROID! The chemical activates ALL MUSCLE FIBERS, regardless of the AMOUNT OF WEIGHT!! If all muscle fibers are engaged you must be getting bulky right? Wrong!! Refer to point 1! Nutrition, Nutrition, Nutrition!!!

If your nutrition is in the right place this natural chemical will not have such a dramatic effect on your physique and lifting weight will be the staple that creates the BURNING metabolism your skinny little friend was born with! This substance of ‘amazingness’ runs through everyone’s body, but can also be the difference in you losing, gaining, or maintaining. Its effects can be limited however if your NUTRITION is in the right place. What is this magical substance your body creates you ask? Acetylcholine.

(AY-seat-el-KO-lean) Information regarding your nutrition and exercise habits is available via e-mail 'HERE' or visit me 'HERE'

“Do you believe in yourself? I believe in you!”

---Marshall Curtis---

Momentum Profomance

"Train Your Mind, Change Your Life!"

~FITminds, USA~

Do you want a

‘FIT mind’?

Stay away from

junk food!

Is your junk food habit making you depressed?

Processed food can bring down your mood, a new study finds

A new study published in The British Journal of Psychiatry makes a strong case that processed junk food can trigger or contribute to depression, while eating whole and healthy food seems protective.

The details
British and French epidemiologists analyzed food and mood data from 3,486 men and women (average age 55) in the Whitehall II study on London-based office staff. Each participant answered a food frequency questionnaire in which they were asked how often they had eaten a designated portion size of a food during the previous year (set responses ranged from “never” to “six or more times per day”).

That data was then converted to a daily intake and two dietary patterns were identified: the “whole food pattern” (defined by a high daily intake of vegetables, fruits, and fish) and the “processed food pattern” (characterized by high consumption of sweetened desserts, chocolates, fried food, processed meat, pies, refined grains, high-fat dairy products, and condiments). Five years later, all the participants answered a short questionnaire designed to measure symptoms of depression in the general population.

After adjusting for variables such as age and sex, the scientists found that high consumption of processed food was associated with increased likelihood of depression, whereas those who had the highest consumption of whole foods were least likely to be depressed, and even less likely than those in the whole food pattern who ate fewer whole foods.

What it means
Junk food may taste good, but along with the detrimental effects of all that sugar and fat on your body, eating it makes you feel low as well. The researchers are pretty confident that they’ve uncovered a true cause-and-effect relationship.

“Our finding shows a strong association between diet and depressive symptoms after controlling for a large range of socio-demographic factors, and for health behaviors such as smoking, physical activity, and health status,” notes lead study author Tasnime Akbaraly, PhD, an epidemiologist with the National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Montpellier, France. While it’s possible that a healthy diet is a marker of some other factor that protects against depression, “the effect of diet on depressive symptoms didn’t go down after we adjusted for other indicators of a healthy lifestyle, such as smoking, physical activity, and body mass, Akbaraly says. “What we found isn’t a spurious association.”

Here’s how to eat for optimal mental, as well as physical, health:

Pay attention to your patterns. In this study, those who ate the most processed foods every day were most likely to suffer from depression. “I suggest using our findings as your guide,” says Akbaraly. “That is, reducing consumption of processed meat, fried food, refined grains, refined sugar, and high-fat dairy products, and making sure to eat fresh fruit and veggies every day.

Eat breakfast. People who eat breakfast tend to have higher total calorie intakes throughout the day, but they also get significantly more fiber, calcium, and other micronutrients than skippers do. Breakfast eaters also tended to consume less soda and french fries (processed food pattern) and more fruits, vegetables, and milk (whole food pattern).

Snack on whole foods. Substitute at least one processed snack a day for a whole foods version — swapping out, say, chips and choosing raw carrots, almonds, or cheese on a whole wheat cracker instead.

Analyze food labels. A quick rule of thumb: The shorter the ingredients list, the healthier (read: less processed) the food. Stick with simple. Your psyche will thank you. Studies show people who read food labels first also consume fewer calories on average.

Watch your salt. According to United States Dietary Association reports, most of the salt in the American diet comes from packaged and processed foods. Naturally occurring salt accounts for only 12 percent of total intake, while most of the rest is added by food manufacturers.

Set the table. Children in families with more structured, sit-down mealtimes tend to exhibit healthier eating habits. No doubt, the same is true for adults, too. Aim to make a healthful, sit-down dinner for the family at least once a week. Maybe it’ll become a habit — and your consumption of fast-food dinners will become history.

“If you want to be someone else, change your mind.”

---MATTHEW HICKEY---

www.COREstudiosONLINE.com

"Train Your Mind, Change Your Life!"

~FITminds, USA~

TEN

‘CORE’

Tips for a FIT-mind by getting better sleep

If you’re having trouble sleeping,

‘change’

your sleep habits for a better night’s rest.

Feeling crabby lately? It could be you aren’t getting enough sleep. Work, household responsibilities and child care can make sleep difficult to come by. Factor in other unexpected challenges, such as financial worries, layoffs, relationship issues or an illness, and quality sleep may be even more elusive.

You may not be able to control or eliminate all of the factors that interfere with your sleep, but you can create an environment and adopt habits that encourage a more restful night. Try these suggestions if you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep:

1. Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day, even on the weekends. Sticking to a schedule helps reinforce your body’s sleep-wake cycle and can help you fall asleep more easily at night.
2. Don’t eat or drink large amounts before bedtime. Eat a light dinner at least two hours before sleeping. If you’re prone to heartburn, avoid spicy or fatty foods, which can make your heartburn flare and prevent a restful sleep. Also, limit how much you drink before bed. Too much liquid can cause you to wake up repeatedly during the night for trips to the toilet.
3. Avoid nicotine, caffeine and alcohol in the evening. These are stimulants that can keep you awake. Smokers often experience withdrawal symptoms at night, and smoking in bed is dangerous. Avoid caffeine for eight hours before your planned bedtime. Your body doesn’t store caffeine, but it takes many hours to eliminate the stimulant and its effects. And although often believed to be a sedative, alcohol actually disrupts sleep.
4. Exercise regularly. Regular physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, can help you fall asleep faster and make your sleep more restful. However, for some people, exercising right before bed may make getting to sleep more difficult.
5. Make your bedroom cool, dark, quiet and comfortable. Create a room that’s ideal for sleeping. Adjust the lighting, temperature, humidity and noise level to your preferences. Use blackout curtains, eye covers, earplugs, extra blankets, a fan or white-noise generator, a humidifier or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs.
6. Sleep primarily at night. Daytime naps may steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to about a half-hour and make it during midafternoon. If you work nights, keep your window coverings closed so that sunlight, which adjusts the body’s internal clock, doesn’t interrupt your sleep. If you have a day job and sleep at night, but still have trouble waking up, leave the window coverings open and let the sunlight help awaken you.
7. Choose a comfortable mattress and pillow. Features of a good bed are subjective and differ for each person. But make sure you have a bed that’s comfortable. If you share your bed, make sure there’s enough room for two. Children and pets are often disruptive, so you may need to set limits on how often they sleep in bed with you.
8. Start a relaxing bedtime routine. Do the same things each night to tell your body it’s time to wind down. This may include taking a warm bath or shower, reading a book, or listening to soothing music. Relaxing activities done with lowered lights can help ease the transition between wakefulness and sleepiness.
9. Go to bed when you’re tired and turn out the lights. If you don’t fall asleep within 15 to 20 minutes, get up and do something else. Go back to bed when you’re tired. Don’t agonize over falling asleep. The stress will only prevent sleep.
10. Use sleeping pills only as a last resort. Check with your doctor before taking any sleep medications. He or she can make sure the pills won’t interact with your other medications or with an existing medical condition. Your doctor can also help you determine the best dosage. If you do take a sleep medication, reduce the dosage gradually when you want to quit, and never mix alcohol and sleeping pills. If you feel sleepy or dizzy during the day, talk to your doctor about changing the dosage or discontinuing the pills.

**Nearly everyone has occasional sleepless nights. But if you have trouble sleeping on a regular or frequent basis, see your doctor. You could have a sleep disorder, such as obstructive sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome. Identifying and treating the cause of your sleep disturbance can help get you back on the road to a good night’s sleep.

“If you want to be someone else, change your mind.”

---MATTHEW HICKEY---

www.COREstudiosONLINE.com

"Train Your Mind, Change Your Life!"

~FITminds, USA~