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Welcome to all our new subscribers, and I extend my appreciation to everyone who forwards this newsletter to friends. One friend telling another is how we grow, and I deeply appreciate your support. If you know anyone who might like it, please forward this newsletter to them or send them this link: http://www.exerciseyourwillpower.com/FitnessMotivator

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IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Greetings from the Editor
2. Article--Excuses, Excuses
3. Article--Get Back to Basics
4. Inspirational Quotes

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Summer is just around the corner for most, but here in south Florida, it has been here for a while. I have already started having the "woulda, coulda, shoulda" thoughts go through my mind. I am getting ready to go to my son's wedding this week. I had good intentions of maintaing the weight loss I had achieved, even if I didn't push myself to lose a few more pounds.

I am not one to get into a "diet" mentality. I have done that too long in my life. I would like to say that I've become a little more wise in the past 30 years! However, there is a big difference between consciously making wise choices throughout the day and hiding our head in the sand and thinking that there is always tomorrow to make some needed changes.

Now is the time for us to take action! Yes, most of us do have tomorrow, and yes, we will enjoy eating that certain treat today or sitting and watching another movie, but that kind of thinking can perpetuate itself indefinitely. Taking action, and making each moment count to help us reach our goals is a gift we can give ourselves each and every day.

It would be so nice to let others motivate us. But the bottom line is that we MUST find ways to motivate ourselves. We need to keep an arsenal at our disposal of ways that we can motivate ourselves. In the past, I have found motivation by reading other's success stories in fitness magazines, by working out at a gym (the doing as well as seeing others working out), by keeping a fitness journal, by putting foil stars onto a calendar each day after I accomplish fitness goal.

No mater how you go about it, you need to find your own ways of motivation. Don't expect someone to take you by the hand and lead you to your goal. It is YOUR goal, so that means you will be taking yourself by the hand and walking through the finish line. You will feel exhilarated by the accomplishment when you succeed. You have the willpower and strength to accomplish what you want.

You don't have to aim for one big ultimate goal either--each week choose a small goal that isn't unrealistic. As you accomplish that goal, you will gain self-confidence. Each success builds upon your prior successes.

Now is the time for action! Before you know it, you will want to be wearing shorts and bathing suits. You will wish you had been a little more diligent in your efforts This month I feature two articles by Dr. Robert Osgoodby. I hope you find these informative and motivating.

Wishing you fitness and health,

Viveca Park

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"We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make."

~~Marion Wright Edelman

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WARNING!! Always seek the advice of a Medical Doctor before starting, or making changes in your diet or exercise program.

In today's fast paced world, sometimes it can be challenging to find the time to get to the gym to workout. I am sure you have heard many people say, "There just aren't enough hours in the day." The number one excuse for not training on a regular basis is not being able to find the time.

Ninety-nine percent of all excuses are not valid! If you are serious about getting in shape, if it is a top priority, nothing will get in the way of you achieving your goal. If you want something bad enough, it is amazing what you will do to get it. Here are a few things you can do to eliminate the "I don't have time" excuse.

Get up an hour earlier, or stay up an hour later. Dedicate this extra hour of time to training and achieving your fitness goals. Fact: Most people spend more time sleeping than they need to. Eight or nine hours of sleep can be great, but by no means necessary to maintain your health and let you feel good.

Personally, I find it easier and more effective to get up an hour earlier and train first thing in the morning for two reasons. Training first thing in the morning increases your metabolism and keeps you burning calories at an increased rate throughout the day. Another great reason to train first thing is to eliminate the possibility of procrastination and blowing off a workout. By the end of the day, the last thing in the world you want to do after a long day of work and responsibility is workout. Getting your training in first thing will also increase your energy level and make you feel good about yourself. It gives you a sense of accomplishment which will help you tackle the rest of your day and insane schedule with a smile.

I am sure that at least one "morning person" reading this said to themselves, "Get up an hour earlier, he must be out of his mind!" Even if you get up half an hour earlier, this equates to three and a half hours of exercise time a week that you didn't have before. With only investing a half hour a day, you can get quick, noticeable results.

Put together a home exercise program for those days you just can't get to the gym. For about $150.00, you can buy some dumbbells, a bench, and a floor mat for abdominal training. Although you can not get as thorough a workout as you could in a health club--it's better than nothing! Herschel Walker, a pro football player, has one of the best physiques around and he has never touched a weight! His workout consists of push-ups, sit-ups, and cardiovascular exercise. You can get great results sticking to the basics. Remember, consistency and intensity are your key ingredients for success.

If money is an issue and you can't afford to buy the equipment mentioned above, all you need is a VCR. There are hundreds of great video tapes designed for toning, weight loss and fat burning. If you don't want to go to a gym, this allows you to exercise in the privacy and comfort of your own home.

All exercise video tapes are designed with music as a background. Music is a powerful tool when it comes to exercise. It lifts your spirits and increases your enthusiasm. Music also takes your mind off the clock and makes your workouts seem to go faster.

Exercise to music that you enjoy. If you like music from the 50's, 60's and 70's, Richard Simmons "Sweating To The Oldies," or Cory Everson's "Step In Time" are great beginner level programs. If you like martial arts and self defense, purchase a tae bo tape.

If you are in decent shape, semi-coordinated and like today's dance music, you can choose from several of MTV's "The Grind Workout Hip Hop Aerobics," Paula Abdul's, "Get Up And Dance," Milo Levell's "Hip Hop Body Shop," Kathy Smith's "Latin Rhythm Workout," or Christy Lane's "Funky Freestyle Dancing."

If you have two left feet like me, you will quickly be able to master Denise Austin's Xtralite Beginner's Aerobics.

All of these tapes and hundreds more are available for sale at most music and major department stores. If you want to check out a tape before you buy it, most of these video tapes can also be rented at your local video store.

Incorporating these simple principles into your daily routine will make it much easier for you to stick to the program, improve your health, and move closer to your fitness goals.

Dr. Osgoodby was a finalist in the "EAS Body for Life" Contest. Stop by his web page at http://bestbodyever.com to see his before and after pictures and subscribe to his monthly newsletter.

"The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work."

~~ Anonymous

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"Putting off an easy thing makes it hard, and putting off a hard thing makes it impossible."

~~ Lorimer, George

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Get Back to Basics
by Dr. Robert Osgoodby

WARNING!! Always seek the advice of a Medical Doctor before starting, or making changes in your diet or exercise program.

If you want to build a strong healthy body, proper nutrition is a keystone for your success. What constitutes proper nutrition? Great question! Unfortunately for John Q. Public, the greatest challenge is not a lack of information, but too much information. If you study the "experts" you will find endless contradictions and false conclusions that create uncertainty, and leave most people confused and clueless. We are in an information frenzy that makes it hard to know which way to turn.

On any given day you can walk into a bookstore and find several books on the best-seller list, prescribing totally different solutions for proper nutrition. One expert tells you to cut out carbs, another tells you to eat more carbs, the next tells you to eat more protein, while another tells you to eat less protein.

With this nightmare of mixed messages, no wonder why millions of people are left in the dark on which plan to follow. This month's newsletter is dedicated to share some basic fundamental truths for optimal nutrition for decreasing body fat percentage, increasing energy and building muscle. Let's get started.

Don't Starve Yourself--This is one of the most common misconceptions and mistakes most people trying to lose weight make. If your trying to shed fat, drastically decreasing your caloric intake in an effort to lose weight or get "cut" is almost as destructive to achieving your goals as eating large amounts of ice cream and fried foods for every meal! Studies show this type of dieting actually decreases your basal metabolic rate, which is the last thing you want to do if you are looking to lose weight and decrease your body fat percentage. On this type of diet, most of the weight you lose is not fat--it's lean body mass. You are actually keeping your fat and burning your muscle!

Eat At Least Four Meals A Day--By eating four to six small healthy meals a day, properly spaced, you will burn fat at a faster rate. The traditional "three square meals" is antiquated advice that will slow down your metabolism and increase body fat storage. Studies have shown, eating four to six small meals a day promotes optimum food absorption, stable blood-sugar levels, and increases your metabolic rate. A meal can be as simple as a serving of fruit or vegetables, a small baked potato, a cup of yogurt, or a meal replacement shake.

Monitor Your Portion Sizes--Instead of worrying about what ratio of protein, carbohydrates and fat you should be eating, concentrate on portion control. Most people's focus has been distorted by the huge emphasis placed on cutting fat intake. Fat is a necessary component in a healthy diet. The fact is, most people just eat too much. A good rule of thumb is that a portion should be no larger than your clenched fist.

Design An Eating Schedule--Most people eat when it's convenient, not on a schedule. This type of behavior slows your metabolism and sabotages your body transformation efforts. To get optimum results, you should eat four to six small meals a day, spread three to four hours apart. Your initial reaction to this principle may be there is no way this can be incorporated into your busy schedule. With a little bit of pre-planning and commitment, it can be done. You can cook up to one week's worth of food on the weekend and refrigerate and freeze it. Broil your chicken breasts, put them in a food storage bag and throw them in the refrigerator. Make a huge salad! Take your Tupperware out of storage and pack several small meals to take to work with you. Another thing you can do is make sure your cupboards and refrigerator are overflowing with quality sources of protein, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables. This will also help you stick to the plan and not cheat during the week.

Drink 8 To 10 Glasses Of Water A Day--Believe it or not, water actually helps you control your appetite. If you find that a portion of food has not satisfied your hunger, drinking a large glass of water will help alleviate those nagging hunger pangs. The vast majority of your body is comprised of water. Water is an essential transport vehicle for an array of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. It also helps eliminate waste products in your body including uric acid, ammonia, and toxins. Another misconception is that if you are retaining water, you should decrease your water consumption. This is just not true. One of the best ways to get rid of water, is to drink more water. Just like starving yourself decreases your basal metabolic rate, water retention is another example of your body's survival mechanism.

If a golfer or football player's performance decreases, getting back to the basic fundamentals can help them regain their edge. The advice in this month's newsletter is simplistic and fundamental, but sometimes you have to go back to the basics to get back on track.

Dr. Osgoodby was a finalist in the "EAS Body for Life" Contest. Stop by his web page at http://bestbodyever.com to see his before and after pictures and subscribe to his monthly newsletter.

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A Web Site Worth a Look

Exercise and Fitness Page for Georgia State University

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"Failure is the path of least persistence"

~~unknown

"Exercise is the chief source of improvement in all our faculties."

~~ Blair

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Article of Interest on the Net

Exercise: The Happy Medium

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If you need more motivation and some group support, feel free to subscribe to the Exercise Your Willpower mailing list. To get more information, visit our website at: http://www.exerciseyourwillpower.com

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Disclaimer

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