Archive for Gyms
“Get Fit or Die Tryin”
Posted by: | CommentsHey… every now and then I like to go into my movie collection and watch movies I’ve watched before just to past the time. I don’t care how many times you watch the same movie you can always pick up on something you didn’t catch the first time. Well… the other night I watched “Get Rich or Die Tryin” with 50 cent. I love this movie! There is one particular scene which always stands out when I watch it.
50 cent aka Curtis Jackson gets shot as he is going back to his car. The shooter ends up shooting him several times and the final shot ends up going into 50’s jaw. 50 recovers from the gun shot wounds only to have his jaw wired shut. In addition to having his jaw wired shut, he now has to depend on prescription meds to stop the pain from his gunshot wounds. The scene begins when his girlfriend asks him, “ Is this it… this place, this life”. She then calls him weak and tells him he’s given up. A few minutes pass and then you see the change in 50 cent. He goes to the kitchen and begins to crush the prescriptions and then throws them down the sink! The movie then starts to show him exercising to get back into shape. In the beginning, he can hardly run then he progresses to running and even doing pull ups. This movie inspires me everytime I watch it. It leaves me with two messages when I watch it:
1. Setbacks happen – How you react to those setbacks will determine if you succeed in fitness or life in general. I have seen many people start diet and exercise programs only to become “weak” and accept that who they are now is all they will ever be. If you have a setback, gather yourself and get up and keep going. Setbacks are temporary… quitting is eternal.
2. Exercise is progression – Don’t expect to go out on your first day and run two miles. It ain’t gonna happen! Many people get frustrated when they can’t do all the exercises they see in the latest fitness magazine or on a dvd and they give up. You have to stick with it and progress within each session. Remember… the people you see in magazines or on dvds have been doing those exercises for years and chances are they couldn’t do them the first time they tried. Set a goal for yourself to lift more weight or hold a pose longer than you did during the last session, never ever get discouraged. I am willing to bet within a few sessions you will get to the point where you can do the routine.
Until next time, “ Get Fit or Die Tryin”! See you on the lean side…Dee
Darren McDuffie
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Nutrition Education and Weight Management Specialist
Live and Laugh Often!
Posted by: | CommentsHey… I am busy working on some new stuff for the blog. I thought I would add something fun for today. Remember In Living Color? Hope you enjoy. Live and Laugh Often. See you on the lean side…Dee
Can you out train a bad diet?
Posted by: | CommentsWhat’s up ,Ya’ll! I wanted to drop a bit of knowledge on you. When I first started to get fit, I would go to the gym and have an intense workout and immediately after my workout I would get hungry. I would open up the refrigerator when I got home, and whatever I saw was fair game to eat. I would sometimes eat hotdogs, slices of pizza, or even peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as my post workout meal. Why wasn’t I seeing any transformation in my body? It took me a while to learn my nutrition played a big role in the grand scheme of things.
For most people, going to the gym is the easy part. The struggle often comes when it’s time to eat. Some are confused as to what to eat and some think they can eat anything, because they are working out. I truly have sympathy for those who are confused as to what to eat, but I don’t have any for those who think they can eat whatever they want especially if they want to lose weight. Have you ever heard the term self- sabotage? This is what the person who eats whatever they want after training hard is doing. I am willing to say 90% of transforming the body is what you put into it and only 10% is training be it resistance or otherwise! Yes… what you eat makes a big difference.
If you truly want to transform your body, diet plays a big role. I cannot stress this enough to you. For example, abs are all the rage right now. Everyone wants a six pack to show off. You can do a 1000 sets of crunches and all the core work you can imagine, but if you don’t change your diet to lose bodyfat your abs will remained buried and you’ll never see them. Be smart when you train, but be even smarter when you eat because “You can’t out train a bad diet”!
As a side note, I came across the” You can’t out train a bad diet,” quote while reading Craig Ballantyne’s Turbulence Training blog. Yes… I read other blogs! Craig has a whole program he calls Turbulence Training. Please click on the Turbulence Training icon to see Craig’s Program. I have personally tried his program anf found it to be quit challenging and effective. There is very little equipment needed and you can do these workouts at home. I have personally used everything on my blog and it all works and this is why it is there. I will not endorse something I have not tried myself. Please feel free to leave comments and/or questions for me. See you on the lean side…. Dee
You can\’t out train a bad diet… See it here
Darren McDuffie
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Ceritifed Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Nutrition Education and Weight Management Specialist
O Boy…. Michelle Obama’s Arms!!!
Posted by: | CommentsO Boy…. Michelle Obama’s arms!
I was scrolling through the tv channels and happened to see Michelle Obama and couldn’t help but recognize her arms. This woman’s arms are toned to the max! I wonder what she does for her workouts? It’s got to be something different as her arms are toned and she doesn’t look overly muscular. I am still finding it hard to believe the First Lady even does any type pf strength training.
If I had a dollar for everytime I heard this from a woman, ” I don’t want to lift weights because I might get bulky”, I would be filthy rich! Women tend to shy away from resistance training (weight training) because they think it will cause them to become too muscular. I want to debunk this myth right now! Women cannot get big by pumping iron, it’s possible to get toned but not overly muscular. From a hormonal standpoint, women have 10 to 30 times less of the hormones that cause muscles to grow.If you see a woman who looks as if she’s overly muscular, chances are she’s using steroids. So ladies, don’t be afraid to pick up those weights.
Women who resistance train reap enormous benefits. As women approach 30, they start to lose bone density and become susceptible to osteoporosis. Strength training can help you to stablize those losses and increase bone density. Here are some other benefits:
- Loss of Body Fat
- Gain strength without bulk
- Reduce your risk of heart disease
And the # 1 benefit for women : getting rid of those unsightly “turkey flaps” on the back of their arms ( smile)
I have much respect for Michelle Obama as she is truly the “Fitness First Lady” of America. I am sure her schedule is busy but she finds the time to make fitness a priority. I wish all women would follow her example. Ladies don’t be afraid to pick up those weights and get crackin because sleek, sexy toned arms are waiting for you! See you on the other side….Dee
Darren McDuffie
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Nutrition Education and Weight Management Specialist
The Secret Sauce
Posted by: | CommentsPsst….Hey You… Yes you behind the computer screen. Pay attention and listen up because I am going to give you the secret to all this fitness stuff, right now. I’ll tell you how to lose 30 pounds in 3 days and add muscle on top of muscle in no time at all. Are you ready for the secret sauce?
My friend, Kevin Williams coined a phrase he calls the “secret sauce” from the movie “Kung Fu Panda”. In the movie, Po the panda works in a restaurant where his father makes noodles. Po loves the noodles and wonders what makes the noodles taste so good. His father tells him, ” the secret sauce”. He begs his father to tell him what the secret sauce is because he really wants to know the ingredient that makes the noodles so tasty. His father won’t tell him and Po is left to wonder and imagine what the ingredient could be. Po never finds out what the “secret sauce” is until the end of the movie when he fights the villian and sees himself in the mirror and realizes that the “secret sauce” is him. He simply had to believe in himself.
I don’t watch alot of tv but when I do, I always see commercials for the latest, greatest fitness gadget promising to shrink inches or help lose pounds. I can imagine people dialing the number on the screen in hopes that the gadget or supplement would finally get them over the hump to transforming their body. In my quest to becoming fit, I must have tried every gadget or supplement and none of them worked. It wasn’t until I took a look at myself did I realize the key to fitness was me! I had to make changes and I had to believe that those changes would ultimately get me to my goal. Now… that is the real secret sauce! In addition to “Me,” I have provided you with the ingredients to ” the secret sauce”:
2 Cups Discipline– get to the gym… do your workout.. no excuses!
1 Cup of Change— if you’ve done what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got!
1/2 Cup of Control— Push back from the table and eat things that are good for you.
By the way, I love cartoons.. think I am going to watch Kung Fu Panda again tonight!!!! lol
I always welcome your comments! See you on the other side…Dee
Darren McDuffie
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Ceritifed Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Nutrition Education and Weight Management Specialist
