Can being a Christian really help me lose weight?
July 31, 2009 by Luke Carlson · 1 Comment
Calling ourselves Christians and being a Christian are two different things. Being a Christian means we seek to live with God at the center of our life. We actively try to move away from the false gods the world tries to pull us towards like food, sex, drugs or shopping, just to name a few. The world wants us to believe that these things will bring us happiness and peace so we turn to our false idols and soon find ourselves spinning out of control. When we learn to turn to God for comfort and not food, we will lose weight. It is a very simple concept, but don’t get simple confused with easy. It takes practice, patience, perseverance and a focus on the one true God that gives us the peace and happiness He so willingly sacrificed His only Son to accomplish.
Stinkin’ Thinking
July 18, 2009 by Deb · Leave a Comment
In the gym the other day I heard someone talking about their “Stinkin’ Thinking” (no names given to protect the guilty!) and it got me thinking that I really need to address this issue with you all since I think it’s one of the biggest problems that hold us back from having success. Now I didn’t say WHO this was, but it’s quite possible that ALL of you are saying to your self….I think she’s talking about me!
“The strangest secret in the world is that you become what you think about”
-Earl Nightingale
What I’m talking about hear just may be the most important things you do on this program and it has nothing to do with calories, protein, carbohydrates, fats, cardio, weights or anything else related to nutrition or training! There is a simple, but critical procedure you must complete before you lift a weight, jog a mile, start a nutrition program or even set foot in the gym. If you successfully complete this procedure, the nutrition and training will come easy and a lean body will soon follow. If you ignore this step- like most people do-you are destined to fail no matter what you do or how hard you try. This first crucial step is GOAL SETTING! This is why you each meet with me to talk about weight and body fat % goals long term and then for the 8 week session. On your Rev sheet remember I told you to write down two goals that YOU wanted to accomplish for the 8 weeks? How many of you really did that? I know several of the sheets are still BLANK! I told you to write those down following the S.M.A.R.T. rules and every time you check in I said to ask yourself if you are doing everything to get closer to those goals, and to simply keep those goals on your mind all the time…..I told you to do this for a reason!!
Goal setting is so important, but the truth is , most people never decide exactly what they want. Some people give their goals a fleeting thought, but most never get specific and commit their dreams and desires to writing. “Most people,” says Dennis Waitley, author of The Psychology of Winning, “spend more time planning a party, studying the newspaper or making a Christmas list than they do planning their lives.” According to Zig Ziglar, an expert on goal setting and one of the nation’s most respected motivational speakers, says that only 3% of Americans have actually taken the time and effort necessary to put their goals to paper.
This is unfortunate because the number one reason for failure in losing body fat and in life, is the lack of clearly defined, written goals. Ziglar compares not having goals to shooting a target with a blindfold on. “How could you possibly hit a target you can’t even see?” says Zig. If you don’t know where you are going, you’re probably not going to end up getting anywhere! Action without planning is the number one cause of failure.
There are many hidden reasons why goal setting is so important. One is the difference between knowing what to do and doing what you know. Nutrition and exercise can be confusing subjects, so when you first get started, the initial challenge is that you don’t know what to do. Now that you have our program at your finger tips, knowing what to do will no longer be a problem. However, gaining knowledge is only half the battle. The far greater challenge for most people is APPLYING that knowledge and taking action. There is a big difference between knowing what to do and doing what you know!! Goals are bridges that span and fill this gap!
Goals, when properly planted in the subconscious mind, produce action. Goals create energy and motivation. Goals get you out of bed early in the morning and into the gym. The secret to staying motivated all the time is to set emotionally charged goals in writing and to stay totally focused on those goals day and night, without taking your eyes off them. A goal with a purpose is the fuel that propels you forward.
You might think that you’re in total control of your behaviors, but it’s really your SUB-conscious that controls your behavior. If you know what to do, but you can’t seem to get yourself to do it, you’ve probably been giving NEGATIVE and conflicting messages to your subconscious mind. The behaviors that are produced by subconscious conditioning are more commonly referred to as habits. Fortunately, you can RE-PROGRAM your subconscious mind with positive instructions and become a creature of positive habit, just as easily as you can become a victim of negative habits. It all begins with conscious decision and written goals!! (This is why I have you write your goals down…there is a reason for my madness!!)
This all comes back to setting goals and thinking about them as much as you can. Now, I’m not saying we can “think ourselves thin” because you have to exercise and eat the right foods. What I am suggesting is that if you don’t channel your mental energies properly, even the best diet and training program won’t help because you will always “sabotage” yourself. Did you ever wonder why you have lapses and breakdowns in “willpower?” Or why some days you just can’t drag yourself to the gym? Or why you “fall of the wagon”completely? It’s because negative programming in your subconscious mind is controlling your behavior.
It’s important to understand that unlike the conscious mind, the subconscious mind does not “think”. It is entirely deductive in nature, which means it works like a computer. All the data programmed into your subconscious “computer” is accepted and assumed to be true. It doesn’t matter whether the data is actually true or false. It accepts everything that reaches it, then it carries out the programming you have entered.
Suggestions given under hypnosis or affirmations repeated during deep relaxation are quick ways to access the subconscious mind. Another way to penetrate the subconscious (although much slower) is through repetition. Everything you hear, see, say, read, or think repeatedly will eventually filter into your subconscious mind. In other words, you are constantly programming your brain though conscious self-suggestion, or you are allowing your brain to be programmed through external suggestion.
What you think about repeatedly every day is eventually accepted by your subconscious mind and your subconscious mind guides your actions on”auto-pilot”. This is exactly WHY I want you all to get rid of the “stinkin’ thinking” and work on positive self-talk and write your goals down and repeat them DAILY! It’s extremely important to focus all your thoughts on what you want to achieve, not on what you want to avoid. This is mere semantics; it’s a very important distinction. If I ask you to close your eyes and NOT think about chocolate, you’ll (mentally) see chocolate everywhere! You can’t NOT think about something! You either think about something or you don’t. And you always move toward what you think about the most, regardless of whether it’s positive or negative.
All day long we carry on a mental conversation with ourselves. Psychologists estimate that we think up to 60,000 thoughts a day and that 98% of these thoughts are the same ones we had yesterday….and most of them are negative. In a year that’s almost 22 million thoughts!
Just imagine how this is effecting your subconscious mind……it’s staggering!
I want you to take this weekend or the next few days and really THINK about what your goals are and then I want you to WRITE them down…….everywhere. The more places you see them and say them the better! Be sure to write them in the Rev Health Program book so I know you have done this homework……it’s for YOUR own good!
I will follow up with part two to this soon where I will give you some ideas on how to start changing negative thoughts and statements and I will help give you some self affirmations to start canceling out your negative ones! You can start with simply writing your goals and saying them out loud everyday!
Hope you all are having a great weekend and I expect you all to set your goals and reach them! If I can help with anything please feel free to contact me! Have you set you goals? Shoot me a comment and let me know if you have written them down and if you are saying them out loud!
Train Hard & Expect Results,
Deb
Spirit Midwest 2009
July 17, 2009 by Deb · Leave a Comment
A few weeks ago I spent a Saturday at Spirit Midwest. This is an all day/night event of several Christian bands.
This was my first time ever going so I wasn’t sure what to expect but none the less we decided at the last minute that we’d have a booth there to promote Crosstrain’s online gym membership.
As my husband and I were getting set up before the event actually started we were putting up a tent and getting stuff put out and we were placed right next to one of the bands that was to preform that day.
I had to admit that I really didn’t know their band because I don’t listen to the radio since I listen to music all day long at Crosstrain. I did feel bad as I knew they were the headline band of the night so I was sure they were probably pretty good and they had traveled all the way from Nashville, Tennessee to be a part of this event!
As we both were getting things set up for the day, I started chating with one of the gals that was getting things set up for this band. The band was “Chad Gentry” and little did I know that the people who were sitting things up WERE the actual band members!
I told them a little bit about what I do and gave them a card with a free 3 month trial membership and told them I’d love to have them give us a try. Beth the girl in the band replied, “it would be a long haul for us to come to Ankeny from Nashville”. I then explained that no this was a online gym membership and that anyone anywhere could join and use our tools and Christian programs that we had available. She was excited as she shared with me that she needed to lose weight because she and her dad had a bet…if she lost weight he’d stop smoking! I was thrilled and delighted in the challenge to help her do just that!
Anyway, I told her to get online and start using our program and that I’d help in any way I could. I don’t know IF she or any of the members of the band have gotten online to try us out, but if they do I want them to know I’m ready!
As the day went on, I did get to hear their band play and WOW they were great! I got a CD and a shirt (which they all signed), and even got Chad to give me the rights to play his music in my gym! So listen local CT folks you just might hear one of his songs! You can check him out at: myspace.com/chadgenty. My personal favorite song that he sang was: FOUND.
So Beth, IF you are up for the challenge give me a shout and I will help you to reach your goals….get your dad to stop smoking and we can use you as an example that anyone, anywhere can use our Christian program and work on making our bodies the Temple that God has given us! Game on!
Deb 
Weight Loss Secrets Revealed!
July 15, 2009 by Deb · Leave a Comment
Before you can read this article about weight loss secrets, I first need you to perform a few very simple tasks. First, look to your left and your right. Then, turn around and look behind you. After that, slowly bend down and look under your desk. Did you do it all? Ok… now… was anyone there? Did you see someone? Was anyone watching you? If not, and you’re 100% sure of it, feel free to continue reading this article to see the weight loss secrets. But, if there was, close your web browser immediately and don’t mention to anyone that you were ever here!!!
The Unbelievably True List of Weight Loss Secrets:
- Junk food is bad. Shhhhhh! Don’t tell anyone I told you this… but you know all of those really bad junk foods that are high in sugar and/or saturated fat? Well… they are really bad for you to eat! If your goal is losing weight, you should try to avoid eating junk food. But… let’s just keep this between you and me.
- You know how when you eat a lot of food on a regular basis, much more than you should be eating… you know how you sort of gain weight and become fat? Well… I heard from this guy who told somebody… eating less food instead of more food is a good thing to do when trying to lose weight! Seriously… I swear this is true! But again… DO NOT tell anyone. These are weight loss secrets, remember? Let’s keep it on the down low.
- Shhhhhhhhh! Come close… closer… closerrr… closerrrrrrrr… working out burns calories and builds muscle, so if you want to lose weight… you should create a proper workout routine and stick to it. You didn’t hear this from me though.
- If you have a choice between eating a McDonald’s cheese burger with a side of fries, or eating a grilled chicken breast with a side of vegetables… go with the chicken and vegetables. This comes directly from a top secret document labeled “weight loss secrets” that was found in a locked vault at the Diet and Fitness Institute of The World. If anyone asks you about it, you know nothing!
- You better make sure you keep quiet about this next one, because it’s one of the weight loss secrets that virtually nobody knows about. The next time you eat or buy food that comes in some type of box, jar, can, bag or container of some kind… flip it over! There is this secretly hidden listing of how many calories, carbs, fat and protein that food contains. I know, I know. You think I’m making this up. I would have thought the same thing if I didn’t see it for myself. But it’s for real! Most people only look at the front of the package. Well… SURPRISE! There’s a secret on the back! Now you’ll know more about the food you are eating, and this is vital for achieving your weight loss goals.
- Go into your kitchen. Make sure you’re not being followed. See that thing in the middle? It’s kind of like a big square hole in your kitchen counter. See it? There may be some type of knob or handle at the top of it. Got it? Now… if you turn that knob or lift that handle… something comes out. It’s like a clear liquid of some kind. Now here’s the real kicker… go get some type of container (for example, a cup) and gather some inside it. Then… get this… you’re going to drink it! Yes… really! Not just once, but many times throughout the day… every day! You’re not going to believe this, but they even sell it in stores in what’s called a “bottle.” Seriously! You can actually go into a store and buy a “bottle” of this clear liquid. Drinking a lot of this stuff is good for you… just make sure you keep your mouth shut about it, ok?
- Pssst! Hey you! Yeah, you over there…..Interested in weight loss secrets? Well then hang on to your seat. This one is going to blow you away! There is a difference between the fat in potato chips and the fat in nuts and fish. Don’t mention this to anyone… but the fat that’s in nuts and fish (and fish oil supplements)… its way better for you than the fat that’s in potato chips!
- Can I trust you? I mean seriously… can I? You sure? Ok then… get this… you know high protein foods? Yeah well, high protein foods are actually higher in protein than low protein foods. I know… I didn’t believe it either. But that does NOT leave this room!! You got that?!?!
- I promised myself I wasn’t going to do this. I swore on the holy book of weight loss secrets that I would never reveal this next one. It may be the biggest secret of all. Ya know what? I can’t contain it any longer. I have to give it up. Are you sitting down? Ok, here goes. Once you actually lose the weight… wow I can’t believe I’m really going to give it away… ok… once you actually lose all of the weight you wanted to lose, you have to continue eating right and working out in order to stay at this weight and not gain it all back. I know, it sounds almost impossible to believe. Take a second and let it sink it. I too always thought I could lose it all and then just stop working out and go back to my old eating habits and everything would stay the same. But no! It’s actually the complete opposite! You actually have to stick to the diet and the workout afterwards!
Now, if I find out you told anyone about any of these secrets… consider yourself in HUGE trouble.
Important note:
Since I don’t know the intelligence level of everyone who will be reading this article, and you may not know my SICK sense of humor, I figured I should mention that what you just read is 100% parody. The “secrets” are all real and true, but the rest was a joke. You see, every time I see a news report or magazine/newspaper article claiming to reveal weight loss secrets, I laugh. I mean come on… secrets… about weight loss? It’s just so stupid and hilarious at the same time.
It’s stup-arious!
They really truly want you to believe that what they are about to tell you is something no one else knows. Some type of magic diet or workout tip that nobody has every heard of because it’s top secret and has never been told to anyone before. If they just said they were going to tell you to “eat right and workout correctly” they wouldn’t get ratings or sell magazines. So instead they turn simple obvious well known (and sometimes very useless) facts into these mysterious, confidential weight loss secrets that nobody is allowed to talk about. So, what you just read was me making fun of that.
If there is however any actual point to what you just read, it’s that if anything claims to reveal weight loss secrets, don’t even bother with it. It will likely be useless bits of obvious diet and workout information that will do nothing but waste your time and possibly money. Stop looking for other ways around losing weight. There are no secrets.
There, I said it. There is no little tip or secret piece of information that will change the fact that weight loss occurs solely when you burn more calories than you consume (through diet and/or workout). If you want to lose weight, everything you actually need to know is here on this very site just for you and most of it you probably learned in kindergarten!! Wanna hear the real secret? If you read it all and do it, you will actually get results!
Okay, I know I may have went a little over the top today with making fun of the way things are “marketed” to get our attention, but the real truth is we do seek for an easy answer or an easy way out, and IF we could we’d all take the easy way to lose weight and stay there. I’d be the first to tell you if there really was some huge secret that could make us all easily thin and fit…..and IF there really was something that worked, there would not be any more people who continued to struggle with being over weight.
It is hard to lose weight and it’s even harder to maintain a weight loss so please know it will take hard work and perseverance to overcome and have success, but if you stick with it and use the support system and tools that we provide we hope to make this task easier and a little bit more fun. Laughing is good therapy and it works your abs at the same time!! Hope you are having a great day.
Until next time, LOL
Deb
August Exercise Classes
July 1, 2009 by Jenny Neighbour · Leave a Comment
August offers some fun and NEW exercise classes at CrossTrain Fitness! Our classes are great for ANY fitness level and they are INCLUDED with your membership so you can just come and go as you please!
August Class Offerings:
Band-O-rama:
This class will be a 50 minute class that will use bands for resistance to overload your muscles. Each class will vary as to what type of bands will be used but you can always count on a fun class with a lot of variety!
Relax & Restore Foam Roller Class:
In this class you will learn to use “foam rollers” for self massage, postural concerns, spinal alignment, body awareness, core strengthening, and stress reduction. This class is an effective venue for de-conditionied populations, avid exercisers, and the results are immediate!
Yogilates:
This amazing program will offer a combination of Pilates exercises that will strengthen abdominals and back muscles, as well as Yoga poses to improve range of motion. Yogilates offers the perfect combination of core strength, flexibility and peaceful focus. Class will include scripture and/or time for quiet reflection which will bring focus to our Heavenly Father.
Tabata Interval Training:
Join this HIGH INTENSITY class that only lasts for 30 minutes! This workout offers an interval training cycle of 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise , followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated without pause 8 times for a total of 4 minutes. You will “keep score” to ensure that you can see your improvement during the session. Tabata is for any fitness level as you simply see how many you can do each and every time. Get a great workout in only 30 minutes!