You’re probably thinking, Spence is crazy (which is probably true) and why does he do it if it is so boring sometimes. The answer is: I have goals and to reach those goals I am going to have to spend hours and hours exercising each and every day.

I know I have to keep pedaling when my legs are burning and my crotch is sore from hours on the bike seat. I’m going to have to do 20 Second Fitness late at night when I am exhausted. I am going to have to run mile after mile in the cold dark and I’m going to have to spend hours staring at the bottom of the pool when I’d rather be sitting on the couch with the family watching a movie.

A big reason I do all this is to hopefully be able to help motivate and inspire others to get moving and exercise even when they don’t want to. So the next time you’re not feeling motivated to exercise just think, there is a good chance that Spence is riding, running, swimming or doing 20 Second Fitness right now and if he can do it, I can do it!

Fitness really is freedom. It gives you the ability to do anything you want!

Set some goals, and commit to making them happen!

Spence

If you would like to read the full article, you can find it here:
http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/218690/20110923/weight-loss-diet-calories-exercise-study.htm

Setting unrealistic goals is one of the biggest reasons people become discouraged and give up. Are you having trouble losing weight fast enough? Maybe readjusting your goals and expectations is the key to your long term success.

Dr. Kevin Hall says a gradual loss is usually more effective because it allows new eating and exercise habits to become lasting. It’s like I always say, “Baby steps is the key to success.”

Here are 4 things to keep in mind that will help you get lasting results.

1. In the first 4 to 6 weeks of starting an exercise program, don’t worry about what the scale says. You should pat yourself on the back and feel proud about the effort you are putting in to working out.
2. After the 6 weeks, make sure you weigh yourself at least once a week. So that you can be accountable and watching your weight.
3. If you are doing a minimum of 4 to 12 minutes a day and not changing your diet enough, be realistic and stay consistent. I had a woman that took 18 months to lose 30 pounds. On average, she lost 1.66 pounds a month. 1.66 pounds in just one month can be discouraging when your goal is to lose 30 pounds. But do you think she is happy that she stuck with it? You bet she is.
4. Become accountable and realize that it is all up to you. All exercise programs can work and if a program doesn’t work, it is because you haven’t put in the dedication required. If you stick with a program and make a few small changes to your eating habits, you will eventually see results.

So set realistic goals and stay consistent!

Spence

No matter what we do, the months go flying past and if we stay consistent with 20 Second Fitness the results will come. They always do! I know a woman in Utah that I check in with from time to time. She was often discouraged because she wasn’t losing the weight fast enough and I would always tell her, “Hang in there. Stay consistent. If you quit or give up, your chances of seeing results go to ZERO!” So she did her workouts and stuck with it and over a year, she lost 32 pounds.

If you are not seeing results fast enough, be patient and remember, you didn’t get out of shape overnight and you’re not going to get back into shape in just a few weeks!

Remember, it doesn’t matter how good an exercise program is if you can’t make it a way of life. It won’t bring you lasting results and results is what we want. All of us want to get into the best shape of our lives and stay there!

I’m too busy.

I’m too tired.

My metabolism is slow.

I don’t like to exercise.

I can’t do that because of an injury (knee, shoulder, elbow, etc.).

I’m too old.

I just don’t have the energy.

Take a look at the definition of excuse:
A reason or explanation put forward to defend or justify a fault or offense.
Attempt to lessen the blame attaching to (a fault or offense); seek to defend or justify.

Basically, an excuse is just a reason for us to cover up why we didn’t put forth enough effort to achieve what we set out to do. Right? From now on, if we want something, we need to make it happen. Excuses mean absolutely nothing.

In this blog section, I will highlight a person who has achieved great things despite the odds. This is going to help motivate us to try a little harder and to do whatever it takes to reach our potential. This is not only about losing weight and getting in shape this is meant to help us take responsibility in all areas of our lives.

In this post, our inspiration is GuiGui Zheng, a young girl from China. Instead of telling you her story, take 2 minutes and 46 seconds and watch her on Youtube. I promise you will be inspired and glad you did!

After you’ve watched it, post a comment on the blog about an excuse you are not going to use anymore. Also if you know of or have an amazing story that you’d like to share, let me know.

Here is to all of us working together to improve all of our lives!

Spence

“Studies have shown that inadequate sleep leads to an increase in the hormone ghrelin, which tells you when to eat, and decreases in the hormone leptin, which tells you to stop eating,” Harris says in the above article.

With insufficient sleep, she says “You have less leptin and more ghrelin, which tells you to keep on eating, and your prefrontal cortex isn’t working as well and can’t stop you from overeating.”

“When you are sleepy, there’s a good chance that you won’t be able to control how much you eat,” said lead study author William Killgore, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. “You may be drawn to unhealthy foods because you are not putting the brakes on as well as you would be if you were well-rested.”

I also think this is the body’s way of trying to find energy to continue on. I know on certain days around 2 or 3pm my eyelids start to get heavy and I like to lay down to take a 10 minute power nap but on most busy days I just can’t fit it in. So I tell myself, “I’m too busy. I’ve got to keep moving.” What do I end up doing? I know I like to run down and grab a donut or a soda to give me the sugar rush I need to keep going.

The following are some better solutions than eating when you start to get sleepy:

• Get more sleep.
• Take 10 minutes to take that power nap.
• Be prepared with a fruit snack instead of the donuts and soda.

Next time, give these a try instead of reaching for the sugary snack.

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/exercise/story/2011/08/A-small-amount-of-exercise-is-good-for-your-heart/49757422/1

A new study published in the American Heart Association’s journal, “Circulation,” states that even small amounts of exercise make a big difference in improving health. Here is more evidence that confirms what we have been sharing with the world for over two years now!

The big problem I still see with all of these studies is that they are still focused mainly on the time spent exercising. While I agree, there are some aerobic benefits that come from longer, less intense workouts. Longer workouts build aerobic endurance; but they don’t build much strength or lean muscle. To build strength and lean muscle, you need to overload or stress the muscles.

It would be most ideal to get a combination of 20 Second Fitness (short, intense workouts) along with some longer workouts. Personally, during the week, I don’t have a lot of free time to exercise and this is when I do all of my short intense workouts. On the weekends, I try to get out and do a 90 to 120 minute bike ride or run.

Make sure that you make at least 4 minutes a day of 20 Second Fitness a way of life — like brushing your teeth. When you have additional time, get out there, have fun and live life to the fullest!

Spence

I normally go in with a plan of how much I am going to eat and how I’m not going to overdo it. Well, this time, there was no plan and that is not a good thing. This time I just ate, ate, ate and ate some more.

By Sunday afternoon, I was feeling the effects. My jeans that were loose on Wednesday were starting to feel tight. After lunch, I vowed that I was going to eat next to nothing for dinner and absolutely not have any dessert. Dinner rolled around and I loaded up my plate with bigger portions that was needed but said to myself that I wasn’t going to have a second round. Well, I had seconds, then thirds, then ice cream, cheese cake and finished the night off with a bunch of licorice.

The weekend was a total disaster when it came to eating and Monday morning I was 8 to 9 pounds heavier than Thursday morning.

There are two lessons that we can learned from my overeating weekend. The first is that if I had spent a few minutes setting up some restrictions for myself, it would have allowed me to enjoy some of the food but not overdo it and it would have been easy to follow. The second is that from time to time, we all are probably going to have weekends or holidays like this and when Monday rolls around we’ve got to shake it off, not get discouraged and down and kick ourselves back into gear.

For me, the toughest part is going back to small portions but I’m going to do it and be back to my ideal weight Thursday or Friday. What is the toughest thing for you after an out of control eating weekend?