2012 – Let’s Start Here…

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Admin

2011 blew by faster than I can remember.  It was filled w/ ups & downs, highs & lows & unimaginable success.  2012 is here & now I’ve got a solid foundation built to make even bigger things happen.  I’m writing this brief blog to hold myself accountable; to write about my failures & successes in the upcoming months.  If I don’t make time w/ my busy schedule there will NEVER be any time.

We all have stories.  Hopefully by reading my blogs you’ll be able to take something away that will inspire you, motivate you, challenge you & even possibly push you to new levels of achievement.  After all, greatness is achieved through sacrifice.

Once you read about me, you’ll find I’m about as real of a person as you’ll ever come by.  I’ll tell you what I have to say when I feel like it needs to be said.  I respect people who put their nose to the grind & work as hard as they can to make their dreams come true.  People who support their families w/o falling prey to today’s polluting environment of materialistic ways & complete selfishness.

I’ll cut it short for now but there’s much more to come.  Thank you in advance for following me & supporting me – it means a lot.  I know MANY people will be able to relate to me & I welcome the chance to become interactive w/ everyone.

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Can Your Willpower Withstand New Orleans? (Part I)

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Admin

A series of studies show one thing to be a fact about willpower…we only have a limited supply of it. I say again; studies show that human beings only have a limited amount of willpower.  Granted some folks might have a greater amount than others but even they have a limited amount.

Here are some overviews of some studies – very interesting reading:

Why Willpower Often Fails

The Frontal Cortex and Willpower

Three Effective Ways to Enhance Your Willpower

Willpower Meter

Willpower is what we exercise; it’s what we use, when we want to control ourselves from either doing or not doing something.  The studies show that when we are required to apply/exercise our willpower – it leaves less for the next time (say in a 24 hour period) for us to use towards something else.

In a city like New Orleans – where there are temptations around every bend supporting living an unhealthy lifestyle…can your willpower withstand it all?

Your Willpower Meter

Think about a regular weekday – how often during the day do you exercise your willpower?

To get up early in the morning?

To go to the job you don’t necessarily like?

To not run over the idiots on the road?

To skip buying an expensive coffee at PJ’s or Community Coffee?

To skip eating a piece of King Cake once you’re at work?

To restrain from doing a,b,c at work – like being on twitter all day?

To skip the fried shrimp po-boy for lunch?

To skip going out with friends?

To make yourself cook at home instead of ordering out or going through a drive-thru?

To make yourself do the dishes and clean-up before going to bed?

To make yourself go to bed early?

I challenge you to do this for just one day – every time you find yourself having to make yourself do something or not do something; write it down.  Consciously have a look at all the times during a 24 hour period you have to use your willpower.

We have a lot more to talk about willpower and living in New Orleans…but first, I’ll give everyone a little bit of time to do this.  Feel free to post your list of what make you use your willpower in a 24 hour period.

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Affordable Workouts in New Orleans

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Admin

Time to wrap things up on the home workout portion of the affordable workouts in New Orleans blog series.  Saving money is almost synonymous with proper prior preparation. Just like you’ll save money by cooking your own meals and taking you lunch in from home to work – in order to get an adequate workout at home, it will require solid proper prior preparation.

For a quick review…in the last post on this topic, we discussed establishing structure by: setting a workout schedule, establishing your home gym, ensuring your write out your weekly workout plan, investing in the proper equipment you will need, setting realistic goals and including activities like walking, running and biking into your routine.

Do It Yourself (DIY) Routines

If you aren’t ready to invest the time in creating your own routines – the best thing to do is to get the right home workout video series.  An example of a great workout series we discussed in the past is P90X. Between paying for the DVDs and the equipment you’ll need – the cost will be approximately $300.

If you want to truly create your own routine…than you can do so for free or very little money with websites like:

Exercise TV: What I like about Exercise TV is that they will put a workout routine together for you and break it down from day to day. I’m a little hesitant to say that following their guidelines is enough…but it’s certainly a good start.

yogadownload.com: Yogadownload.com is a great way for you to include yoga to your DIY routines. Many of the 20 minute workouts are free to download and the cost to download longer videos is very inexpensive.

Don’t Weight To Lose YouTube Channel: Our own local motivator Jacques Courseault created a series of workout videos that you can do with just using a resistance band – which counts as resistance training.

SparksPeople YouTube Channel:To be honest, there are a lot of various workout channels on YouTube – so if you take the time to check them out; you’ll be able to line up the workouts you need to put a good routine together for FREE.

Creating your DIY Routines

  1. Watch and Tag Videos – watch a lot of videos of various lengths to know exactly what the video will require of you, the intensity of the workouts and whether or not you would enjoy doing the workout(s). Tag all the videos accordingly, i.e. high intensity cardio, yoga routine, low intensity cardio, bicep, shoulder and back workout…etc.  You might actually want to use a bookmarking site to do this.

 

  1. Mix and Match – Start planning your routines by mix and matching your videos.  If you are trying to lose weight, than you need to be doing 40-60 minutes of cardio…preferably 5 times a week and resistance training 3 times a week. Remember…add going for a walk, run or long bike ride in your routines.

Yes…I know – that is a lot of planning!! But that’s what it takes to save money by working out at home.

Example One Week DIY Routine:

Monday – 3 miles run/walk (depending on your level of fitness), abs workout video

Tuesday – (2) 20 minutes workout videos medium intensity and arms and back resistance workout

Wednesday – Rest Day

Thursday – 1 hour of yoga video and abs workout video

Friday – Bike ride and shoulders resistance workout

Saturday – Rest Day

Sunday – (2) 25 minutes workout videos ((1) high intensity (1) low intensity) and calves, legs resistance workout, abs workout

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