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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.FitnessMovtivatorNewsletter.com.

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Due to the way AOL is handling e-mails, our newsletter are being returned undeliverable. Starting with this issue, there will be a separate sign up for AOL subscribers. E-mails aren't allowed to have a links in them (or so they said), so by signing up to the AOL version of our newsletter, you will get an e-mail notification informing you that the new issue has been posted at the web site. Be sure to bookmark the website, for easy access to it. Sorry for this inconvenience. If you are an AOL subscriber, and would like to sign up, click here.

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IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Greetings from the Editor
2. Article—5 Ways To Stop The Binge
3. Article—Get SMART to Get Fit
4. Inspirational Quotes
5.Articles & Web Sites Worth A Look

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Dear Fitness Friends,

I am excited about all the people around me who have made life-style changes. Many of them are doing this by setting a goal to participate in an event such as a race, a marathon or a triathalon. It is great to watch how their lives have transformed. Not only are their bodies changing, their enthusiam for life is inspiring.

I hope you take time to think about fitness goals you would like to achieve. If you're not sure you are ready to take action, why not think of it as an experiment. Set a goal (no matter how small), and take it a day at a time. Think of yourself as an actor, and play your part to your best ability. After a while, you won't be acting anymore.

If, for some reason, you don't take to your role in this play, set a different goal and get into a new role. It is good to break free of your regular routine, and shake things up a bit.

However, if you are already in a great fitness routine that works for you, keep up the great work and be proud of yourself!

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"Ill-health, of body or of mind, is defeat.  Health alone is victory.  Let all men, if they can manage it, contrive to be healthy!"

~~ Thomas Carlyle

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Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, not to mention the countless parties, summer BBQ's and social events, it's no wonder the average American struggles with their weight during the summer and winter holidays. Chances are, every one of your favorite (and fattening) holiday treats will be served and you won't have much control over most of the other food choices around . Most people find it pretty challenging to stick to a healthy eating plan during these times of the year. These tips will serve you well over the holidays to keep your diet in tact. (They are pretty useful for the rest of the year as well).

1. Don't skip breakfast - This is the most common because most people mistakenly think that they can save calories by skipping breakfast to makeup for the high calories they will take in later. This causes your metabolism to get sluggish because of the lack of caloric intake, and your blood sugar to drop causing the inevitable sugar binge later on. Dietitians agree that eating a morning meal ensures that you won't be starving by mid afternoon or evening. A balance of lean protein (such as low fat cottage cheese or cheese sticks) and fiber rich carbohydrates (like whole wheat toast).

2. Have a light afternoon snack—A glass of skim milk or yogurt and some fruit will ensure that your blood sugar remains even and helps prevent cravings and binging.

3. Skip (or limit) the alcohol - Remember 4 oz of liquor is equal to around 100 calories (not including the mixer) and 4 oz of wine equals around 70. Tea, coffee or flavored water will give you something to sip on and the added fluid will help keep you full.

4. Plan in advance what you'll splurge on and what you'll skip - (not unlike your daily food planning) knowing in advance what you'll want to try and an appropriate amount of each of those foods will allow you to sample your favorite goodies and still keep your calories in check.

5. Stick to a regular exercise routine. Even if it is only a couple of leisurely walks, it will burn off additional holiday calories, get the blood flowing and help prevent the guilt that some people feel from a few holiday indulgences. Remember everything in moderation!!!

Copyright © Dianne Villano 2004

Article written by Dianne Villano, President of Custom Bodies Personal Training and Weight Loss Programs. Dianne is a personal fitness instructor certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine with over 16 years experience who specializes in weight loss programs and programs for beginners. For more articles or free fitness tools visit www.custombodiestampabay.com.

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"If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end."

~~Julius Erving

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Get SMART to Get Fit

By Gregg Gillies

I'm not sure who was creative enough to make the acronym work, but work it does and it can fit in quite nicely with your fitness goals. If you want to succeed you need to get SMART about your goals. SMART is a great way to help you stay on track and achieve your goals.

If you want to succeed you need to get SMART about your goals.

The S stands for specific. Be specific about the goals you want to achieve. Forget things like, "I want to get in shape", "I want to get big", or "I want to lose weight", or "I want to increase my bench press."

Instead try things like "I want to run a 6 minute mile", "I want to add 10 pounds of muscle", "I want to lose 20 pounds of fat, or "I want to add 40 pounds to my best bench press."

The M stands for measurable. This ties in very well with specific. You can't measure 'getting in shape", but you sure can measure 'running a 6 minute mile' or 'bench 3 plates'.

With a pair of trusty skin fold calipers, you can also measure pretty accurately adding 10 pounds of muscle or losing 20 pounds of fat. And of course, you can easily measure the poundage increase on your best bench press.

The specific and measurable aspect can be broken down even more to bring you closer to achieving your goals. For example, if you want to add 10 pounds of muscle, what other specific and measurable things must you do to reach your goal?

One could be that you must eat 6 high protein meals a day.

A second could be that you must eat 3,500 calories and 300 grams of protein every day.

You must train with weights three days per week.

You must add weight to your exercises at least every other workout.

All of these are specific and measurable. The more specifics that you have, the more likely you will add your 10 pounds of muscle as quickly as possible.

You can make a list of your daily, weekly, and monthly goals that you must do in order to meet your top goal of adding 10 pounds of muscle. Each day, place a check mark next to each measurable and specific goal you achieved that will help you conquer your top goal. Obviously, the more checks you have, the more likely that you will achieve your goal.

In addition to specific and measurable, your goals must be A, or attainable. The R stands for realisitic. As I've said before, it's important to set challenging goals.

Challenging, but attainable, that is. A goal of a 50 pound increase on your bench press max in 12 weeks would be a challenging goal, but also one that is possible.

However, setting a goal of bench pressing 300 pounds in 4 weeks when you currently bench press 75 pounds will do nothing but set you up for failure and frustration.

Obviously, weight loss is on the minds of many people, which is why so many fall victim to promises like "lose 30 pounds in 30 days without getting hungry and without exercising."

You most likely know that the above is neither timely nor realistic. But many people do fall for such things because they want results NOW! They are setting themselves up for failure before they even start. Please don't join them.

The T stands for Timely. If you do everything previously mentioned, it's still not enough. You must give yourself a deadline to achieve your goal. More importantly, if your goal is attainable and realistic, but also long term, break it up into smaller goals.

If you wish to lose 75 pounds, start with losing just 10 pounds in 2 months. Reaching that goal will motivate you further and before you know it, enough time has passed that you've lost the 75 pounds.

But if you focus solely on losing the 75 pounds, which could take a year or more to accomplish, your motivation and discipline could wane, and you could fail to follow through on what you need to do to make your goal a reality.

Making goals timely hold you accountable and creates a positive sense of urgency. You may think twice about eating that piece of cake when you know you are having a body composition test and pictures to be taken in 2 weeks.

In addition to getting smart, celebrate your successes. And I don't mean that you should allow yourself to dust off a gallon of ice cream in one sitting because you lost 10 pounds. That would be self defeating.

But you could treat yourself to a movie, or a pair of jeans you've had your eye on, or an extra hour of sleeping in on the weekend. Don't sabotage your wonderful efforts by giving yourself destructive rewards for accomplishing your goals.

Copyright © Gregg Gillies 2004

Gregg Gillies is the author of Fit Physique and publishes a free newsletter at www.buildleanmuscle.com/ezine.html.

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"You may delay, but time will not."

~~Benjamin Franklin

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Articles & Web Sites Worth a Look

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“To be prepared is half the victory."

~~Miguel Cervantes

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If you need more motivation and some group support, feel free to subscribe to the Exercise Your Willpower mailing list. We have a great group of people who help motivate each other. To get more information, visit our website at: http://www.exerciseyourwillpower.com

Check out the many online fitness and health tools.

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