Happy New Year!

Hello again!

I haven't blogged in a while, as I took a little time off over the holidays. We hosted Christmas this year, and had some family staying with us for a couple of weeks. We had a great time, and Kaitlyn got to meet many relatives and celebrate her first Christmas and New Years Eve! I also got a couple of nice "training" accessories as gifts (Power Wheel, JumpStretch bands, resistance belt), as well as a Blackberry. Yes, I am now a Crackberry addict... but it sure is a great business tool!

Over the last few weeks I've done alot of thinking about my plans for 2009 and reflecting on the year gone by. In my opinion making resolutions is not an ideal way to make constructive changes in one's life. Setting goals and resolutions can be useful in some ways, and I still encourage my clients to write down their goals, but when you're choosing a direction for your life this may feel like there is a negative "pressure" to follow these resolutions / goals, or else!

A more affirmative approach is to focus on making positive "choices" going forward, that involve pursuing what you really "want" (rather than "should"). If you really consider what you are passionate about, and decide to take action in that direction, you are not only more likely to succeed, but more likely to be happy. The context should ALWAYS be positive. This means focusing on what you want, NOT what you "don't" want. For example, instead of choosing to quit a bad habit, decide to adopt a new, healthier activity! Another way to look at it is to think of who you want to BE, rather than what you should DO.

I hope that makes sense to you.

Considering this, I am choosing to take charge of my fitness and physical potential , by making my own workout time a priority again. Physical and personal development is what I'm passionate about, and why I got into this industry, so I'm going to do more of what I enjoy myself! I also resolve to help as many people as possible improve their own health, fitness, and performance. I will do this by improving my knowledge base (more courses, seminars, etc), producing more of my resources (ebooks, DVD's, newsletters, clinics, etc), and fueling my own energy and enthusiasm for what I do so that I can continue to motivate those I come into contact with. Of course, my first priority is to be the best father and husband I can be!

This is my choice for 2009 and beyond, and it will drive my success and guide the projects I take on. What do you choose for yourself?

For your inspiration, I've included a great clip from Rocky Balboa... this short speech alone makes it worth watching the movie! Enjoy.

Wishing you great health and success.

Josh Hewett

Nutrition Fuels Performance

What you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat is not only important in relation to maintaining a healthy body weight and overall health, but nutrition also plays a key role in how your body will perform in sport or other activity. Your nutrition plan, and especially the quality of the food you eat, will directly influence how well you will recover from exercise, how strong your muscles and joints can become, and how stable your energy levels will be. For athletes at any level this is an important consideration.

For optimum nutrition you need to ensure you are consuming nutrient dense foods. This means that calorie for calorie, these foods have more nutritional value. (Avoid empty calories such as sugar). Some of the most nutrient dense foods include fruits and vegetables. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of eating enough fruits and vegetables in your diet.

However, I also acknowledge that it is often challenging to consume as many servings as is recommended each day (7 to 10 or more), and I recognize that if you are trying to lose bodyfat you may want to reduce all sugars, even from fruit sources (at least for 3 days per week, as suggested in my Top Form Fitness System). This is where whole food supplementation becomes a God-send. Check out my article here:
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Whole_Food_Nutrition_for_Athletes.html

Eat smart and stay fit!

Training Log

I missed my Wednesday workout post, so here it is: I did Clean and Press for 5 supersets of 5 reps with Chinups. Great workout, and took very little time.
Todays workout was 5 supersets of 5-8 reps with Back Squats and Gluteham Raises. I'll feel my legs tomorrow!

With Kaitlyn having a bit of colic lately, I've had limited time free, so these workouts are perfect. And trust me, they will still get you strong! You don't need to train for hours to build muscle and become stronger. Intensity and correct exercise choice are key.
No excuses... you can always find the time!

Stay Fit Tip: Muscle Means Metabolism!

Did you know that statistically our basal metabolic rate decreases by approximately 5% for every decade of life after 20? People who have a sedentary life have a significant loss of muscle mass as they age.

Weight training and other resistance exercise will increase your muscle mass, which raises your metabolic rate and burns fat.

Diet alone won't cut it. If you are only using a diet plan to get lean, you are more likely to regain your bodyfat when you "go off" the diet. According to the National Weight Control Registry, 90% of successful dieters use exercise to maintain weight loss.

I'll be posting a quick bodyweight circuit training workout video on here in the near future.

Training Log

Today's high intensity workout is going to be a 25 minute super-set session of 2 compound exercises: Hex Bar Deadlifts and Weighted Dips.

First, I'll start with a brief dynamic warmup, some plank work for core activation, then I'll do a lighter warmup set of the hex deadlift and bodyweight parallel bar dips. After that I will choose a weight I can handle for 6-8 reps and continually super-set between each exercise until the remainder of the 25 minutes is up. That's it... simple, effective, and efficient!

I'll log the weights used after. Next workout is on Wednesday. I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine!

JH

Stay Fit Minute #4: Trainer Interview

This is an excerpt of an interview I had with a local Toronto networking company. I briefly discuss why I got into this business, and the importance of challenging yourself when it comes to exercise.

I should also give props to the beautiful female "client" volunteer in this video (who is actually my wife, Olga). (o;