Food is a lot of people's therapy - when we say comfort food, we really mean that. It's releasing dopamine and serotonin in your brain that makes you feel good.
Brett Hoebel
You need to put what you learn into practice and do it over and over again until it's a habit. I always say, 'Seeing is not believing. Doing is believing.' There is a lot to learn about fitness, nutrition and emotions, but once you do, you can master them instead of them mastering you.
It's the cross-training that's key. It doesn't let your body adapt to one stimulus too much and it keeps your workouts exciting.
If I could give one tip for people - it's not an exercise or nutrition regimen. It's to walk your talk and believe in yourself, because at the end of the day, the dumbbell and diet don't get you in shape. It's your accountability to your word.
At the surface, many people's goals are to lose weight, tone up, feel better, etc. But superficial goals get superficial results that usually fade. Dig a little deeper, and the 'why' is usually unveiled: to be more confident, to be more happy, to feel sexy again.
If you think of exercise as a 60-minute commitment 3 times a week at the gym, you're missing the point completely. If you think that going on a diet has something to do with nutrition, you don't see the forest through the trees. It is a lifestyle. I know it sounds cliche, but you have to find things you love to do.
Salt is one of the flavors that makes food taste good - salt, sugar and fat. So it's a natural thing for all chefs and cooks to add salt, because it enhances the flavor of the food. If you go out to eat, I guarantee you're going to be eating a lot of salted foods that you are going to have no idea.
You want to be burning calories after you work out. The problem becomes for most people - it's not pleasant, it's painful. You have to have the pain tolerance to be able to deal with that, which a lot of people do not.
Structure your cross-training appropriately by alternating the intensity of your sessions so you work, recover, work, recover.
My approach to training changed dramatically throughout my experience as one of the trainers on 'The Biggest Loser.' Getting to know each person was an important reminder that to get the body physically fit, you must first get mentally and emotionally 'fit.'
If you don't have an emotional connection to why you are trying to accomplish your goals, the odds are you won't reach them or will quit trying.
