Want to know How to Lose Weight?  Here are 5 reasons you're not losing weight.  Oh, but before I tell you those 5 reasons...  You've got to agree to something.  

This is important, because the reasons you're not losing weight will shock you.  No, it's not that you need personal training.  (I'm 2 clients from full anyways!)  
What you need to agree with is...  to make one change.  I'm going to be brutally honest because some of you need it!  Hell, everyone needs it.  

Give me 30 seconds with someone, and I can tell if they'll get results in a month or 6 months.  It's called the 30 second rule.  In 30 seconds I can tell if your thinking is excuse based or solution based.  The fact of the matter is that EVERYTHING IS YOUR FAULT.  Yes, I said it!  Every single thing is your fault.  I know that's hard to swallow.  I know that I'm the Personal Trainer, you're paying me, and I should be able to fix everything.  The hardest thing to fix is your mind!  You've got to assume total responsibility for your actions.

But...  My husband came home with ice cream, and I couldn't just say no!  That's BS.  First off, it's your fault that your husband came home with ice cream.  You know it's Friday night (aka ice cream night), and that there is a slight chance that he'll come home with ice cream.  Give him a call, and tell him to pick up something else!  Get proactive, get solution oriented, and stop making up these constant excuses.

I'm a huge believer in the fact that winners win, and losers lose.  Losers blame the whole world for their problems.  Winners take control of the situation, and make the whole world their bitch.  Are you a winner, or a loser?  Are you the excuse maker, or the solution creator?  It's really your choice.  If you want to finally lose that weight then you've got to assume complete responsibility for your actions.  

You want 6 chiseled abs or a trip to cold stone creamery every week?  You can't have both.  You've got to work hard in the gym, but you've got to work even harder outside of the gym.  Oh, but my husband can lose weight so easily!  Damn right he can, because he's got 3 times the lipogenic enzymes that you do.  You can't change that so stop complaining about it. 

How many people do you know with a 6 pack?  Like 2 or 3?  That sounds about right, because that is hard to achieve.  That's right it's hard, difficult, and may seem impossible.

So what?  Life is hard.  Working everyday is hard.  Eating right is hard.  

You know what else is hard?  Not becoming the best version of yourself!  Looking in the mirror every night before you go to bed and being disappointed is hard.  Make the sacrifice, skip the party night with the girls, hold off on the wine, and realize that winning is hard.  But losing is even harder.

One huge reason that you're not losing weight is because you've set an end date.  You're thinking to yourself "I'll try this for a month" or "I'm going to go on this diet for 2 weeks to see if it works".  To make real change in your body you'll need to ditch that end date, and fully commit yourself to MAKING IT WORK.

That's right - you need to MAKE IT WORK.  What do I mean by that?  Instead of trying paleo for a month...  Take the mindset of using paleo to lose weight.  Understand why it works, and make it work for you.  After 2 weeks if you don't notice a change, take a look at what you're eating.  Are you eating more than 2 fruits every day?  Are you getting enough vegetables?  Is the quality of the meat you're putting in your body low?  Are you staying hydrated?  Asking yourself questions is a great way to create solutions.  

MAKE IT WORK or MAKE EXCUSES - your call.  Ditch the end date, and commit yourself to a lifestyle which takes pride in your physical achievements instead of your "fun" trips to the cheesecake factory.  

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have huge goals for myself, my family, my career and my life (hell, I'm going to the 10X Growth Con with Grant Cardone in March).  Ditch those "SMART" goals and start thinking 10 times as big.  So you really want to lose 10 pounds...  why not lose 20 pounds?  Why not set the goal higher, and add in being able to do a pushup, a pull up, a pistol and a handstand!  (Everyone should be able to do those, by the way.)

Think bigger!  You can achieve so much more than you've ever set out to achieve...  but you've got to set your goals huge.  I write down my goals every morning.  That's right, every single morning, and every night I review the day to see what I actually did to achieve those goals.  Sound like a little much?  Sure is... to the average person.

Think you might come up short?  That's OK.  Coming up short on your goal to lose 40 pounds by only losing 15 is much better than coming up short on your goal to lose 20 pounds by only losing 8!  Huge goals demand massive action!  Massive action drives results in any aspect of life.

You've got to make an investment in yourself to rekindle that fire that you used to have when you were 20 pounds lighter.  Go to Sports Authority, and treat yourself to some workout gear.  Plan a trip to the Bahamas for 6 months from now.  Buy higher quality food, and throw out the crap that's currently in your house.  

Investing in yourself is one of the best ways to commit to a healthier lifestyle.  Committing to a healthier lifestyle is required to make real changes in your body.  

When I want to learn something I go ahead and invest in it.  I recently bought a ticket to 10X Growth Con with Grand Cardone.  He's a serious entrepreneur, and business building legend.  I know that I want to create a better business for myself, and am investing in the pursuit of that goal.  The ticket wasn't cheap, the flight won't be inexpensive, and the hotel accommodations aren't free.  

Buying those tickets isn't the first time I'll be going over budget, and it certainly won't be the last.  I know I need to invest in myself to become better.  Are you investing in yourself?

Recapping the 5 reasons you aren't losing weight:

1. Mr. & Mrs. Excuses
2. You aren't willing to make Sacrifice
3. You've set an End Date
4. You're making Small Goals (10x them!)
5. You're not Investing in Yourself

Take action right now.  I've put all the nutrition info available in my How to Eat and Lose Weight Section.  Follow it, use it, and make it work for you.  

Get over to Prime Time Fitness, and start working out.  If you need some tips than schedule a Fitness Assessment...  but whatever you do - make sure you DO SOMETHING. 

​I'm sure by now you're feeling some motivation.  Use this motivation to act.  Don't take that vacation.  Refer to this post often.  Write down your goals, and make them HUGE.

​

Anyone who's been in Prime Time Fitness in New Fairfield knows Skip.  Skip has been a personal trainer for over 20 years, and has worked in Health Clubs throughout Connecticut & New York.  His core client base is made up of sedentary individuals who want to make positive changes in their lives.  Skip also has experience training youth athletes, body builders, and post-rehab clientele. 

Skip's passion is to partner, challenge and bring his clients to the next level of fitness and health.  He owned and operated a Personal Training business comprised of 5 gyms and 17 trainers, but regrettably missed the satisfaction of working directly with clients.  He has returned to 1 on 1 personal training and brought with him challenging fitness programs that are designed to each individual client's specific needs. 

Skip is a AFAA Certified Personal Trainer, and holds a Connecticut State Coaching Certification.  He conducts a thorough Fitness Assessment for all perspective clients on the house.  To get your complimentary Fitness Assessment simply fill out the form below. 

Voodoo Bands - that's one hell of a name.  What the hell are those?

Voodoo bands are a simple (somewhat!) way to rid yourself of aches and pains.  Heavy compression is a great way to move the trash (inflammation) out, and allow the groceries (good blood) to surge into your problem area.

In addition to getting good nutrient filled blood right surging into the problem area you can make significant changes to the body with the use of voodoo bands including:

• Improving Joint Mobility
• Relieving Pain (seriously - it's almost like its magic)
• Decreasing your Recovery Time

Voodoo bands are a great way to make changes in our joints and tissues through heavy compression and movment.  You can use these bands...

• Before your workout (Prime Time Fitness ftw!) 
• After your workout to help recovery
• When you're not working out  (I personally spend 15 minutes doing mobility before bed)

Kelley Starret, a popular Crossfit mobility guru invented Voodoo bands, but he's super hard to understand in his videos.  Kinetic Spots Rehab has a great video on it which is linked below.  He does everything right, except he needs to learn how to grow a beard.  (seriously.. like what is that?)

A solid round of mobility will have you prancing around like freaking Bambi because you'll be feeling so good!  

​At Will Power Personal Training, mobility is a huge part of our personal training programs, and we're planning on having a mobility workshop soon!  If you'd like to know when that is and get other tips & tricks just put your email up in the newsletter box above.  

One of my clients skipped a workout the other day because the Gout in his foot was too painful.  Gout sucks, but there are easier ways to get rid of it than you think.  Quick Disclaimer - I'm not a doctor, so this is a suggestion.  This isn't medical fact, and will probably never be medical fact.  When big pharma starts making serious cash off of holistic remedies then you'll see doctors giving you similar advice.  Before I get on a rant...  lets get to the facts!

Did you say 3 quick easy remedies for gout pain?  I sure did.  These fixes for pain caused by gout are just plain simple.

At Will Power Personal Training we already tell all of our personal training clients to chug that nasty holistic goodness known as Apple Cider Vinegar.  Apple Cider Vinegar, also known as ACV is a great anti-inflammatory, and sure enough any remedy with anti-inflammation properties will help to reduce pain.  

Ok, maybe not TONS of cherries, but consuming 15 cherries a day will be able to cut that gout... out!  There have been studies that eating cherries, or drinking cherry juice resulted in a lower risk of new gout attacks.  I'm sure you want to find these studies about cherry's impact on gout, so here you go!  

Will Power Personal Training CT focuses on healing the body farther than just treating symptoms.  Those solutions to gout pain will do more than just treat your gout pain; solutions like apple cider vinegar consumption, eating cherries, and cutting out sugar will heal your entire body.  

Healing your body with natural food from a good source is very important.  To get more information about seeing a "personal trainer near me" in Connecticut read more about Will Power Personal Training, or shoot us an email at [email protected].

By the way, I'm not expert writer so if you find a typo or my grammar is terrible, please let me know.   

Having a hard time figuring out what to do in the gym on your own?  

Have you been trying different exercise programs from magazines, fitness blogs, or iphone apps?  

Sounds like a freaking blast!  Not really, actually - that sounds like a bloody nightmare.  There is a ton of bad information out there about exercising, losing weight, and honestly everyone you talk to will have a slightly different opinion.  

Why should you listen to me?  You can read about my Personal Training Background if you like.  To sum it up real quick is that I went to school for this.  I have my degree in Health Exercise Science.  On top of that I've got my NASM Personal Training Certification, Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification, and CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coaching Certification.  

Not impressed?  Try this out on your own...  and see for yourself.  

5 Qualities of a Great Workout!

1. Lose Weight & Gain Muscle (trim & tone for you ladies)
2. Safe exercises, because nothing stands in your way to the body of your dreams like a torn ACL!
3. Corrective exercises, because chances you're among the 75% of the world that has back pain.  (get rid of it)
4. A Fun Workout!  Losing weight needs to be something you're looking forward to.
5. Easy! Like SUPER-EASY. 

I'm sure these 5 steps didn't look SUPER-EASY...  Let me break it down for you.

You'll want your warm up to handle the majority of your corrective exercise.  Corrective exercise is done for two reasons:

1. Loosen Tight Muscles
2. Activate Weak Muscles

For example, if you suffer from low back pain there is a very good chance you have tight hips and a very weak butt.  You'll want to stretch your hips, and do some glute raises to activate your butt.  Throw in 5 minutes of walking on the treadmill or 50 jumping jacks and you've got a better warm up than 90% of the people at gyms in Danbury CT.

Instead of looking around the gym to see what the biggest dude or fittest chick on the gym floor is doing just follow these simple steps!

1. Find a pushing exercise that you're good at.  Some examples of pushing exercises are: pushups, bench press, dumbbell chest press, and handstand pushup.
2. Find a pulling exercise that is fun.  A few examples of pulling exercises are: pull up, assisted pull ups, inverted row, and seated cable row.
3. Find a squatting exercise that you love.  There isn't much variety for squats, but you can definitely choose from a regular squat, jump squat, sumo squat or a barbell squat.
4. Find an exercise with a bend in it.  Examples of a bending exercise are:  deadlift, kettlebell swing, more hip extensions, and cardio rowing.
5. Find a core stability exercise.  The best core stability exercises are planks, hollow holds, and more planks.  Add some weight to your plank or put your hands on a ball to make it more interesting. 
6. Find an exercise that requires balance.  Personal Trainers call this proprioception which is a fancy way of saying unstable, but stable.  You can start with doing one arm exercises or balacing on one leg, and progress to squats on the BOSU ball or pistol squats. 

Crossfit has done a great job at making some of the workout styles very popular as of late.  Those Crossfitters need to work on their corrective exercise, but that's another blog post entirely.

Choose from one of these styles of workouts to keep things fun, easy, and effective.

AMRAP - As many reps as possible in a period of time.  For example you may grab 6 exercises you like from above, and toss them together for a spicy 12 minutes straight.  In that 12 minutes you'll be able to set a record, write it down, and beat it in later workouts.

Ladder - Ladders are the most fun workout types, because you start with a high number and slowly work your way down.  For example, you might start with 60 seconds balancing on 1 leg, 50 seconds in a plank, 40 kettlebell swings, 30, 20, 10, etc.  You get the idea behind this workout style!

Strength - Strength focused workouts are used to get really good at one specific exercise.  For example if your goal is to do a pull up then you'll want to do 5 sets of 3 assisted pull ups with 1 minute of rest in between.  After your strength workout you can add in a AMRAP or rounds. 

Rounds -  Similar to the Ladders, this workout requires you to do "X" number of rounds of a workout to be done.  For example you might have 10 pullups, 10 pushups, 10 squats, 10 kettlebell swings, 10 seconds in a plank with a 45 pound weight on your back, and 10 pistol squats.  Your goal is to do 3 rounds, with 2 minutes of rest between each round.  

You'll now want to take your warmup, exercises, workout style and throw them all together into a fun & effective workout.  I'm writing this post for Jody, because she wanted to have some easy workouts to do up at school.  Here's one of Jody's workouts:

Make sure to get your cooldown in.  A cooldown is a great time to work in some mobility for any injuries you may have.  If you've got any back pain then start with 10 press ups, and work into a hip flexor stretch.  

I always make sure my clients are learning a new mobility or stretch prior to leaving the gym.  

Take time to reflect on your workouts.  What was hard?  What was easy?  Did I push myself hard enough?  Ask yourself those questions, and write down your workouts so you can come back to beat those times.  

These workouts will help you keep yourself accountable.  If you still need someone to help you be accountable then just give Will Power Personal Training CT a quick call at (203) 260-0639 or shoot us an email at [email protected]

Jody, kick some butt at school!  Keep working at it, and you'll succeed.  

Hey everyone!

Will Power Fitness has grown in the past few months, and we're getting more clients, more results, and more interest from other places besides New Fairfield.  To accomadate that peaked interest in our Personal Training Programs we've changed the name of the website from WillPowerFitnessNF to PersonalTrainersCT!  

Having the domain name PersonaltrainersCT will allow us to reach a broader spectrum of people throughout Connecticut.  My friends & family are always asking if I'd be willing to drive down to Fairfield a couple times a week to do some personal training.  Anyone who's driven from Danbury to Fairfield knows that route 25 is the worst stretch of road imaginable.  

My plan to have a second location of Will Power Fitness in another area of Connecticut within 2017.  In order to accomadate that we need a website without "NF".  Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere!  I love it here at Prime Time Fitness in New Fairfield.