Step 3 in "Playing to Win," Identify Others Whom /have What You Want

Step 3: Identify Others Whom Have What You Want.

What ever your game (goal) may be, there are probably others who have achieved what you want. It doesn't matter if your game is fitness success or business success or something else. Use these successes as Role Models. Write on a sheet of paper what you notice. Pay attention to: Behavior, Values, Beliefs, Attitude, Physical Movements and anything else. If possible, interview them. Ask how they did it. Successful people like to tell others how they did it. They like to teach.

Consider partnering with these successes or ask them to mentor or coach you. If you don't ask, the answer is "no."

John Hudome, DCH
"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

Step 2 in "Playing to Win." What Does Winning Look Like?

Step 2: What Does Winning Look Like?

Think about it. If you don't know the answer to this question, how do you know you won? Or, that you got the result you wanted? How do we know who wins the baseball game? How do we know who wins a presidential election? In every endeavor there is a way of keeping score. A way of knowing who won. You need to know what winning looks like in your game. If you don't, you won't stick to it long enough to get the positive results that you want and deserve.

So, get a sheet of paper. Write at the top: 1- What's may game, or What game am I playing? Under that write: 2- What does winning look like to me? Then , just start writing. Write the first things that come into your mind. Let it flow. It doesn't matter if it makes sense or not. Just write. You can clean it up later, if necessary. Even if it seems like jiberish at first, just write.

To use my own personal example from the last blog, winning to me looks like: "a full schedule of clients a certain number of days per week doing the work I love at a rate that I feel is appropriate; making a particular amount of money to live the lifestyle I want; having fun doing what I do and doing new and exciting things such as writing articles and conducting seminars." Be as specific as you can. I have been somewhat vague with mine here because it is rather personal and my sense of boundaries causes me to limit the amount of personal information that I release for public consumption.

Next blogs will focus on the steps to making it happen and how to stay on course. Any trouble with this step, send me an email. Thanks to the couple of people whom sent the emails about yesterday. I really do answer them.

John Hudome, DCH
"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

Step 1 in "Playing to Win," What's Your Game?

Step 1: What's Your Game?
Interesting, huh? Have you ever really considered what your game is? How can you play to win if you don't know the game? How will you define "winning?" What are the rules?

Consider now, what your game is. Is it making money? If so, how much? Is it achieving a certain body? If so, Describe it in detail. Here's how I describe my "game": "Assisting people to remove the blocks to achieving their fitness and life goals."

So, what's your game? Write it diwn and describe it. Tomorrow, we'll move on to Step 2 (hint: What does winning look like?). Not certain what to do? Send me an email.

John Hudome, DCH
"Workout and eat as if you life depended on it"

Are You Playing to Win Yet?

Well, Are you? Are you playing to win yet? Do you wake up excited about pursuing your fitness goals? Do you wake up excited about pursuing your life goals? Does what you do with your time rock you? Do you wish it did? Isn't it time to get started?

Lots of questions, huh? And they are important questions. You ought to answer "yes" to all of them. If you didn't, we have work to do. Over the next couple of days I'm going to show you and tell you how to get excited about your fitness (and life) goals. There are things that you can do to change your life. Your life doesn't have to happen by accident. It can happen deliberately. I can feel the energy in my body changing as I just write it. You'll feel it too. You'll love the feeling that goes along with pursuing your life in a positive and energetic way. And I predict that you'll love the results.

Look for a series of "steps" or "tips" to use as a guide to "Playing to Win." And remember, this doesn't mean that you'll win every time you play. But when you play to win, you'll feel great and probably win a lot more than you don't. If this sounds good to you and you want to talk to me, send me an email and we'll hook you up. I love coaching winners. In fact, I only coach winners.

John Hudome, DCH
"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

Play to Win

I will keep this relatively brief, if I can. "Winning" when it comes to fitness is important. It's your success. You need to go at it 100%. But you won't always win. But you can always play to win.

Playing to Win means that you go for it at all times. It means that you do what you need to do to get the results you want. It means that you go to the gym when you schedule it. It means that you eat what you should eat to get the result you want. It means that you act on a daily basis "as if" you really will make it happen.

Play to win. Whether you score or not you'll feel really great.

John Hudome, DCH
"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

3 Questions to Stave Off Cravings and Impulses

This is a risky one to write about. There really shouldn't be any "bad" foods. But, to me there are. "Bad" to me means foods that hinder me in getting to or maintaining the goals and body that I want and deserve. This being said, here are three strategies for dealing with the desire or ipulse to consume something "bad."
It happens to all of us. We get a thought of a food. Or, we go to a party and there it is, laid out in front of us. Or, we meet friends for coffee or lunch and they're eating the very thing we've been jonsing for but haven't given in to. Here's what to do.

1. Ask yourself the question. "Which lasts longer, the feeling I get from eating that thing, or the feeling I get from walking around all day long in the body I want?" Obviously the feeling from the body lasts all day and the feeling from the food is momentary and fleeting.
2. Ask yourself the question. "What would happen if I didn't (or don't) eat that?" Generally other than feeling good about yourself, nothing will happen.
3. Ask yourself the question. "How will I feel an hour after eating this?" Usually people answer "guilty, bloated, badly, etc."

If nothing else, these questions will allow the craving or impulse to subside and you'll be able to make smart choices. A "smart choice" is one that is in line with getting you to your goals. So start questioning.

John Hudome, DCH

"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

Self-Esteem and Fitness

Do +Self-Esteem and Fitnees necessarily have to go together? No. You could have one without the other. But more often than not, where you find one, you'll find the other.

I find that Self-Esteem and Fitness will generally be congruent within each person. This means that they'll both be high or both be low. So what are the implications for your life? Improved fitness leads to improved self-esteem leads to more happiness leads to more success (however you define it).

Get fit. Get happy. Have the life you want.

John Hudome, DCH
"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

3 Secrets to Great Abs

Look at the cover of any men's health or fitness magazine. Something all of the guys on those covers have in common is great abs. Achieving great abs seems to be the biggest mystery to many gym members and fitness hounds. It's not quite as difficult as you might think. Here's the formula:

1. Crunches. Ok, so you knew this one. Here are some specifics. Work your abs only 2 times a week. Too many people think that every day will build abs faster. Abs are "abdominal muscles" and need recovery time just like all other muscles. You wouldn't work your chest every day, would you? And when you do your abs, vary the types of ab exercises that you do, on the mat, bench, ball and various machines. Remember to do the obliques as well as upper and lower abs.
2. Cardio. You have to burn that fat away. We all have a six pack under there but the layer of fat over the abdomen conceals it. My abs didn't really pop until I got my fat percentage down below 11%. Check with a trainer to see what your fat percentage is and what it should be. Many guys get popping abs at 12%. For women, yours will be higher as you have a naturally higher body fat percentage than men. Now, burn baby burn.
3. Nutrition. The final cut is your nutrition. If you don't eat right, you won't get the ab results you want. Eat junk and you'll look like junk. Eat lean proteins low in fat and healthy carbs like veggies and yams and rice. Eliminate flour and sugar from your diet. Be sure to eat enough. Your abs will show for at least a little while if you under eat but they will fade quickly as you just begin to look like a skeleton. Eat right and eat enough. Consult a trainer with a nutritional background and use a nutrition log system such as fitday.com to be sure that you're eating enough. A common mistake is under-eating.

Now go for it. Abs are hot and you can have them at any age. They will give you that "wow" factor at the beach or local pool party. I guarantee that people will ask you what you've been doing.

John Hudome, DCH

"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

6 Good Ideas for a Healthy Breakfast

You've hear it before, "breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Well it's true. And a good explanation as to why is that your metabolism kicks into gear with your first meal. It's true. Many "dieters" wait until later in the day to begin eating to limit their calorie intake. Bad move, because they slow their metabolism down. A slow metabolism burns fewer calories. Buen fewer calories and you either delay your weight loss or just get fat. See the problem here? You have to eat more of the right stuff to lose weight.

Solution? Eat when you first wake up. My alarm goes off at 5:16 AM (really it's 5:08 beacause the clock is set 8 minutes fast) and I eat oatmeal at around 5:30 AM every day. Sounds early, doesn't it? It is. And, it works. So eat early and often (just like voting in Philadelphia). Here are some good ideas for smart breakfast choices instead of cereal with milk or eggs and bacon.

1. Oatmeal.
2. Scrambled eggs (microwave for low fat) with very little yolk and canadian bacon.
3. Scrambled eggs (microwave and little yolk) with smoked, broiled or grilled salmon.
4. 4 oz chicken breast and brocolli (Who decided what got to be considered "breakfast food?").
5. English muffin with canadian bacon and lowfat cheese slice.
6. One scoop protein powder and banana with ice in a blender.

These are just some ideas. Notice the pattern, low fat and often a healty blend of protein and carb. Obviously the oatmeal has no protein. You can add protein powder or and egg if you like. These will get you off to a good start. Eat Breakfast.

John Hudome, DCH

"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

Party Tested

Well I had my own advice tested Saturday night (May 6) at a party. It was a late one beginning at 9:15 PM or so, with a nice informal buffet including lots of grilled (great because it was high protein and low fat), packaged, chip wigglin' fat flowing fun topped off by too many desserts to count. And then there were the libations, of course.

What fun watching people eat and make all the mistakes that I had written about a couple of blogs ago. People started at the beginning of this mass of food and kept loading up as if their host would be offended (clue: hosts don't monitor what you eat) if they didn't eat at least one of everything. The plates were so over-filled. And the desserts, why isn't one enough (at least for those who eat dessert)?

Remember:

1. Take small amounts.
2. Step away from the food table.
3. Be inconspicuous about your consumption.
4. Let others overeat to make the hosts feel good. You just keep lookin' good.

Oh, and thanks to my hosts for a very nice party. The food was great and company was even better.

John Hudome, DCH

"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

4 Ideas for Warmer Weather Fitness

If you're living in the northeastern part of the country as I am, you may be enjoying the change in the weather. This means that you may not want to spend as much time in the gym as you did during those dank, dark days of winter. Here are some suggestions for alternate fitness oriented activities that will get you out of the house and living a fitness oriented lifestyle:

1. Bicycle. Great cardio and you can do it for hours. You'll meet people and be outside. It's low impact and good on the joints. The outfits aren't bad to look at either.
2. Walking. Try a "nature walk" through a pictuesque park. You can bird watch, people watch or just enjoy the solitude. You can do this in a quiet area or in mid-town Manhattan. Walk Central Park in the early part of the day and see a show later. There's nothing better.
3. Swim. Yeah, pool season is here. Do some laps and get a tan at the same time.
4. Gardening. This can be a fun and rewarding endeavor. Not necessarily cardio in nature, but rewarding nonetheless and you home will be more beautiful.

These are just some suggestions. You'll think of more.

John Hudome, DCH

"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

5 Keys to Staying on Your Eating Program at a Party

There's another "party season" about to be upon us. We all know to think of that time from Thanksgiving to New Years Day as "party season." Well, as the weather warms and the barbeque grills begin to fire up it's good to think of the summer as "party season" also. If you prepare and have awareness, you can get through this time with your waist and weight in good standing. Here are some keys to maintaining your porgram during the summer party season:

1. Plan ahead. If you don't have self control or if you know they're serving food you don't want, eat before you go. You won't be as hungry and you'll be inclined to eat less.
2. Drink lots of water. The water will be filling and you'll fell less hungry.
3. Take small amounts of food. Take smaller than usual amounts of food as buffets are the order of the day at most picnics and backyard barbeques. There is usually loads of different foods. Take a little of the things you want. Your plate will fill up faster than you think. Most people end up with more than they really want but are too polite to put it back or leave it on their plate.
4. Step away from the buffet table. Don't hangout near the food. A little picking here and a little there and before you know it, you've consumed 1,000 more calories that you thought. Go to another room or to the other side of the deck and talk to someone. Meet someone whom you don't know.
5. Don't be obnoxious about what you're not eating. No one likes a "pain in the ass" food critic or dieter at their party. Quietly select what you want and be a gracious guest.

Since you know that this is a dangerous eating season, plan on being successful. And most of all, enjoy yourself. Remember, food isn't the reward. Getting to walk around in a great body all summer long is the reward.

John Hudome, DCH

"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

2 Secrets to Guaranteed Weight Loss

Very few things in life can be "guaranteed." And I don't know if I can actually "guarantee" that doing these things will cause weight loss for you. But what I do know is that these two things will definitely be the best nutritional steps you could ever take and you will begin to move more quickly toward your weight and fitness goals.

1. Eliminate Flour from your diet, completely. That's right, completely. Flour products have no place in your diet program.
2. Eliminate Sugar from your diet, completely. You don't need it. Sugar is the single most destructive thing that you can do to the metabolism of a human being.

Sounds simple, huh? Well it is and it isn't. Consider how many things you eat with flour products included in them: sandwiches, cake, muffins, pancakes, toast, pizza, pretzels, pasta, mac and cheese, rolls, pie, and on and on and on. We have become addicted to flour. Breaking this addiction takes about a week of "cold turkey" withdrawal. You will feel miserable and experience cravings from about day 2 through day 4 or 5. Do it. Suffer through it. The reward is worth it. Learn to eat other things.

Sugar is another story. Most "regular" meal type foods that we all prepare do not have sugar in them. This is an easier withdrawal. Isn't it interesting that sugar is an easier withdraewal than flour? Learn to make coffee, tea, dessert, etc. without sugar. Better yet, learn to eat "real food" instead of snack or treat food.

Please note: Most of the time when I tell people to "eliminate flour from your diet" they reply by saying, "oh, so you don't eat carbs at all." WRONG. You need carbs. I said "flour" not "carbs." Get your carbs in the form of things like oatmeal, fruit, yams, rice, veggies, green salad. I take in anywhere from 38-50% of my daily intake in the form of carbs(The other two catagories are proteins and fats. You need some fat too but that's a blog for another day.). Check with your nutritional consultant to find what percentage of carbs is right for you. You need carbohydrates in your diet. You just don't need flour or sugar. Like Trump, tell them "you're fired."

John Hudome, DCH

"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."

You Need To Sleep!

Sleep deprivation is a serious problem among American adults. On average, we need about 7 hours a night. Most people get 5.5 to 6. This just isn't enough. And if you don't get enough sleep, your fitness success will be seriously effected.

Over the past couple of years I have asked more sleep questions in my initial assessments with clients. And what I'm finding is astounding. Most people don't get enough sleep. More than ever, I'm recommending that clients talk to their primary care physician about having a sleep study. And even more astounding, many of them are being diagnosed with sleep disorders. From Sleep Apnea to Excessive Sleepiness, many of the clients I've seen are discovering that they have sleep related problems. Initial symptoms appear as "depression," "lack of sex drive" and "obesity." That's right "obesity." You see, when people are tired, the body and brain get confused and think that the person needs more fuel (food) to gain more energy. So, they eat when they aren't hungry. Actually, they're just tired. They need sleep, not food.

So what's the point? Get more sleep. Go to bed earlier. Most television isn't that interesting anyway. Do you need the local network news every night? It's depressing anyway. Go to bed and exercise in the morning.

If you snore or awaken numerous times in the night, talk to your doc about a sleep study. You may be surprised. Otherwise, get to bed. Your fitness level will improve and you'll make better food choices.

John Hudome, DCH
"Workout and eat as if your life depended on it."