Hopefully you're not making one of these common fitness mistakes....

Have exercise misconceptions prevented you from starting an exercise program? Clear up any confusion and let these exercise tips improve your workout routine. Hopefully none of these common exercise myths, mistakes and misconceptions have prevented you from working out.

1. Common Mistake: Failure to set goals. Do you exercise without a clear goal in mind? Having a clear goal set is a critical step in exercise and weight loss success.  Tracking your progress in a journal will help ensure you see your improvements, will help motivate you and help you meet your ultimate goal.

2. Common Misconception: No Pain, No Gain. Pain is your bodyís way of letting you know something is wrong. Do not ignore this. When you go beyond exercise and testing yourself, you will encounter physical discomfort and need to overcome it. An example of this would be training for a marathon. It is important that you have the ìbase trainingî before getting into the advance training. The base training develops the body and gets it ready for extensive training. You need to learn to ìreadî your body. Is the heavy breathing because you are pushing your body or could it be the beginning of a heart attack. Exercise is important. Do it correctly and you can do it for the rest of your life.

It is normal for you to hurt after you exercise, but it must be done gradually with a good amount of rest periods to allow proper healing. There are two common problems here with beginning exercisers. You can cause long lasting damage to muscles, tendons and ligaments if you work out while you are in pain, without allowing enough rest time to heal. You might find yourself in constant and long lasting pain if you do this which means that you will no longer be able to exercise.

If you wake up the next morning after you exercised and can barely drag your aching body out of bed because everything hurts, you are going to be less motivated to exercise at all. Constant pain is a sure way to kill your exercise program.

3. Common Mistake: Sacrificing Quality for Quantity. When you are ready to increase the number of reps of a particular exercise, and strengthen the corresponding muscles, instead of forcing yourself to do a little more each time try decreasing the number of reps in a set but increase the number of sets. Also, back off to half your usual number of reps but add a couple of more sets. You will feel less tired and will be able to gain strength in your fast-twitch muscles.

4. Common Myth: Weight Training Makes Women Bulky. Weight training for a woman will strengthen and tone muscle, burn fat and increase metabolism, not build mass. Women do not produce enough of testosterone to build muscle mass the way that men do.

5. Common Mistake: Over-Emphasizing Strengths. You should start focusing on your weak points rather then what you are good at. This will help you balance things. For example, if your lower body is stronger than you upper body, then try to work only on this area one day a week.

Being smart about how you exercise will take you a long way. It is important to have a healthy body so get out there and start exercising today.

Of course, if there are any areas you are struggling in with your fitness programming, or need a little extra help reaching your goals, don't hesitate to reach out or check out my online fitness programs.

#1 Things I Tell All My Clients

The 5 Fundamentals of Fitness

Physical fitness is the ability to function effectively throughout your workday, perform your usual other activities and still have enough energy left over to handle any extra stresses or emergencies which may arise.

The components of physical fitness are:

*  Cardiorespiratory (CR) endurance - the efficiency with which the body delivers oxygen and nutrients needed for muscular activity and transports waste products from the cells.

*  Muscular strength - the greatest amount of force a muscle or muscle group can exert in a single effort.

*  Muscular endurance - the ability of a muscle or muscle group to perform repeated movements with a sub-maximal force for extended periods of times.

*  Flexibility - the ability to move the joints or any group of joints through an entire, normal range of motion.

* Single Sided Balance - the ability to stabilize specific areas of your body, especially when only using that area of the body

*  Body composition - the percentage of body fat a person has in comparison to his or her total body mass.

Improving the first three components of fitness listed above will have a positive impact on body composition and will result in less fat. Excessive body fat detracts from the other fitness components, reduces performance, detracts from appearance, and negatively affects your health.

Factors such as speed, agility, muscle power, eye-hand coordination, and eye-foot coordination are classified as components of "motor" fitness. These factors most affect your athletic ability. Appropriate training can improve these factors within the limits of your potential. A sensible weight loss and fitness program seeks to improve or maintain all the components of physical and motor fitness through sound, progressive, mission specific physical training.

Principles of Exercise

Adherence to certain basic exercise principles is important for developing an effective program. The same principles of exercise apply to everyone at all levels of physical training, from the Olympic-caliber athlete to the weekend jogger.

These basic principles of exercise must be followed.

Regularity

To achieve a training effect, you must exercise often. You should exercise each of the first four fitness components at least three times a week. Infrequent exercise can do more harm than good. Regularity is also important in resting, sleeping, and following a sensible diet.

Progression

The intensity (how hard) and/or duration (how long) of exercise must gradually increase to improve the level of fitness.

Balance

To be effective, a program should include activities that address all the fitness components, since overemphasizing any one of them may hurt the others.

Variety

Providing a variety of activities reduces boredom and increases motivation and progress.

Specificity

Training must be geared toward specific goals. For example, people become better runners if their training emphasizes running. Although swimming is great exercise, it does not improve a 2-mile-run time as much as a running program does.

Recovery

A hard day of training for a given component of fitness should be followed by an easier training day or rest day for that component and/or muscle group(s) to help permit recovery. Another way to allow recovery is to alternate the muscle groups exercised every other day, especially when training for strength and/or muscle endurance.

Overload

The work load of each exercise session must exceed the normal demands placed on the body in order to bring about a training effect.


Hopefully this was very informative for you and will help you during your personal fitness programing. Of course, if you need any help with your specific goals, check out my online programs or reach out to discuss how I can help you either in person or through a custom virtual program.  

I can't wait to see the progress you are making this year. 

Stay Healthy,
Coach Kael

Eating Healthy On The Run

Whether your traveling on the go or around the
home, you don't need to give up healthy eating
simply because you are on the run.  The fact is, 
healthy eating is even more important when your
trying to keep up with a busy schedule.

Having a good diet will help your body to handle
stress better.  As you hustle about, a healthy meal
is probably the last thing you think about.  The
following tips can help you eat when your on the go.

Restaurants
With tempting menus, large portions, and a festive
atmosphere, it's easy to skip healthy eating.  It's
okay to splurge every now and then, although you'll
pack on a lot of weight if you make it a habit.  
When you eat out at restaurants, always be smart
about it....you know right from wrong. 

Airports
An airport can be a very stressful place, although
you shouldn't scrap your diet because of it.  Eat
because you are hungry, not because of stress, 
boredom, or to kill time. Try to find the best possible option, or better yet, think ahead and pack your own healthy snacks. (I travel a lot and I always bring my own food). As a note, TSA does not allow liquids, but they do allow food. 

In your car
Keep some healthy snacks in your car at all times, 
so that when you get hungry - you have them. Trail mix or quest bars are my two faves. 

At home 
Evenings and mornings are busy times in most homes.
Making the time to eat can be hard, although you
shouldn't run out the door without eating breakfast
first.  Cereal with milk, a banana, or even a simple and QUICK protein shake will do the trick. 

Anytime you are on the go, always make sure that you
make the right food decisions.  You can take healthy
food with you if you need to, so that you have it
when you need it.  Eating healthy on the go is easy
to do, once you know how.  Never sacrifice healthy
food for junk, as your body will regret it later.


If you are unsure about what types of food are good and bad, check out this meal guide which provides you with a grocery shopping list of all my approved foods, a detox meal plan geared towards detoxing the body from caffein, sugar and processed food addictions, and included bonus exercises for your ultimate success. 

The Best Way To Train Your Abs

No one wants to do 1,000 crunches a day to have abs like Beyonce. 

I used to do this thing called "Thousand Thursdays" where I would literally do a variety of 1,000 different abdominal exercises. Insane, right? I mean, I did have the best abs I've ever had, but this was highly ineffective towards actually reaching the goals of having abs like Beyonce. Here's Why. 

Long sets of abdominal exercises are not optimal if you want six pack abs. It's basic physiology: muscles grow better on heavy, medium-repetition (about 8-12) sets. Would you train your chest using 4 sets of 200 repetitions? I thought so. Abdominal muscles are no different, and they need to grow if you want them to show.

But let's say you can do 12 crunches. Do you stop there (since sets of 8-12 work best)? Of course not. You need to make the crunches harder by increasing the weight you lift every repetition. But how? By positioning your arms differently. Following are 3 arm positions you can use with all abdominal exercises to make them harder and more effective at building six pack abs.

1. Arms along your sides. Can't get any easier.

2. Arms crossed across your chest. Intermediate
difficulty.

3. Hands behind your head.

4. Arms overhead. Can't get any harder
without adding external weights.

5. Arms crossed across your chest, with some external resistance (a plate or a heavy book, for example).

So, keeping with the crunch example, once you hit 12 repetitions with your arms along your sides, start your next set with your arms crossed across your chest.

Again, once you can do 12 repetitions with your arms crossed across your chest, start your next abdominal exercise set with your arms overhead.

Once your can do 12 repetitions with your arms overhead, you'll want to use some form of external weight (dumbbell, plate, dictionary, etc.). You can hold it across your chest (some people feel more comfortable that way) or at arm's length, overhead. The same principle also applies to all abdominal exercises: when you hit 12 repetitions, increase the difficulty by changing your arm's position.

Next time you're about to start a set of 200 crunches, try crossing your arms across your chest. See how many repetitions you can perform this way, and how the burn in your abdominals feel. Then drop me a line at my website below.

If you need a program that focuses on building abdominal strength and toning, click this link to see some amazing results. Or click here for additional programs that will help you get to your goal. 

I can't wait to hear about your results. 

10 Healthy Skin Care Tips

My Top 10 Skin Care Tips 

Healthy skin is really one of the most important ingredients for beauty-enhancement.  I've tried to restrict this list to just 10 because anything more that that would not only be difficult to remember, but also shadow the more important skin care tips. So let's see what my top ten skin care tips are:

1. Knowing your skin type is one of the most important skin care tips. This is important because not every skin care product suits everyone. In fact, all the skin care products specify the type of skin they cater too. Sometimes you may need to try different products until you find the one that you skin agrees with most. And definitely find the right body lotion and the right face lotion (because the skin on your face is much different than the skin on the rest of your body). 

2. Drink a lot of water. This will not only keep your skin moist but will help in overall upkeep of your health (and in turn your skin will glow). It might seem a bit awkward to some (if you're like me and pee every 25 minutes), however, this is an important skin care tip.

3. Cleanse your skin regularly (1-2 times everyday) but no more than that.  A very effective skin care tip that helps in getting rid of the dirt and other harsh elements from your skin. Cleansing is especially important when you have been out of your house (and hence exposed to pollutants, dust etc). This skin care tip also advocates the use of luke warm water for cleansing (hot and cold water, both, cause damage to your skin)

4. Be gentle, after all it's your skin. Don't scrub/exfoliate too hard or too often. Similarly, don't apply too much or too many skin care products. Try to let your skin breathe and be free as much as possible. 

5. Keep your skin moist at all times. This is one of the most important skin care tip.  Don't let your skin get dry. Dryness causes the outer layer of your skin to break, leading to a rough and unattractive appearance. Use moisturizers. Moisturizers work best when applied while the skin is still damp.

6. Avoid the use of body soap or hand soap on your face. Soap should only be used from below the neck. A small but important skin care tip. Similarly, find a good face lotion that is different from your body lotion. 

7. Use sunscreen to protect yourself from sun's harmful UV radiations, even if you have a nice tanned or brown complexion. You can use day-time moisturizers that have sunscreen built into them. Use them even when it's cloudy. UV radiations are known to cause skin cancer, so follow this skin care tip without fail.

8. A bit of exercise and good sleep are essential too, not just for skin care but for your health as a whole. Lack of sleep can lead to formation of wrinkles below your eyes and lack of exercise can cause your skin to slack. Moreover, exercise and sleep also help in beating stress.  So besides being a skin care tip, this is also a health care tip.

9. Treat skin dilemmas with care.  This skin care tip is about not ignoring any skin dilemmas. Consult your dermatologist before you go on to use a skin care product (lest you do end up harming your skin even more).

10. Beat the stress. The harmful effects of stress are known to everyone, however, sometimes stating the obvious is essential too (and hence this skin care tip found its place here). Yes, stress harms skin too. So, take a break or indulge in a warm bubble bath or just get good sleep. 

How To stay motivated towards accomplishing your goals

Even if you are extremely set on reaching a certain goal, staying motivated long term can be the toughest part. So how can you stay motivated when it feels like life is pulling you at all ends at one time?

I've have had the opportunity to observe and closely work along side some of the most successful people in all different industries. All of whom possess certain characteristic traits that allow them to not only be successful, but continue to stay motivated especially when certain tasks may take months or even years to accomplish. These characteristics are the fundamental traits that all highly-successful individuals possess. 

1. First you need to set a specific goal, then you need to visualize the exact steps it will take to get to the goal. Without visualizing the exact steps, you won't know the timeline or exactly what is required of you to complete the task. 

2. Break the big goal down into smaller goals that you plan to reach each week or each month. Now that you know your specific goal, the exact steps and the timeline; it will make it much easier to break your big dreams down into smaller, more manageable tasks that you aim to accomplish daily, weekly and monthly. 

3. Have a game plan. Map out a detailed timeline of when you should have certain tasks completed and which tasks need to be done first. Schedule time into you day, week and month for specific tasks you will accomplish. Don't get side-tracked with other things during the time you have scheduled to accomplish each task. 

4. Find a way to stay accountable. Get help if you need it. Recruit the help of family and friends to help keep you accountable is very important. Finding the right group who will check in on you, encourage you and even participate in your journey will keep your motivation levels high and may even allow you to strive for better results since you have a group of people pushing you along the way. 

5. Mentally prepare yourself for bumps in the road, but don't get discouraged.....nothing will ever run perfectly the way you envision it. 

6. Always remember your "WHY". Why do you want to achieve this specific goal? Keep in mind what inspired you in the first place and use that to motivate you to achieve excellence. 

7. Continuously check in on your progress and remind yourself of your "WHY".

Get To Your Goals Faster

It's happened to all of us at one point in time, we set a goal and fall short of reaching it. Perhaps it's because we didn't set the right goal? Or maybe we did't plan out the right steps. Or possibly we didn't have enough time, money, or motivation to actually succeed. But what if I told you actually reaching goals was only hard because we weren't:
1. Being Consistent
2. Following The Right Routine
3. Staying Accountable
4. Finding What Works For Your Schedule
5. Setting Realistic Goals
6. Not Asking For Help When We Need It
7. Unmotivated
8. Not Patient / Rushing The Results
9. Staying Positive

These nine steps are why most people fail miserably or are a winning success. Staying consistent on all these steps will allow you to reach your goals more effectively and see results longterm. So stay positive, stay focused, stay realistic and keep moving forward! YOU GOT THIS!

How to Stay Consistent When Setting New Goals

Being consistent is by far one of the most important and crucial keys to your success. Without constant, consistent effort toward anything you set out to do, chances are, you will fall short and become discouraged. 

I don't want you to be discouraged; I WANT TO HELP!

In staying consistent toward any goal you set, you must:

1. Set A Specific Goal. You are much more likely to achieve something if you not only envision the end goal, but make it very specific. Write it down! Keep it close to you can see your goal throughout the day. Even speak your goals out-loud to yourself in the morning to solidify what exactly it is that you are striving for everyday. 

2. Set Realistic Goals and Make Change Slowly. Often times we either set goals that are too big, or are intimidated by big goals we feel are impossible to achieve. Keep in mind; anything is possible as long as you have the right plan of action in place. The right plan of action will consist of making smaller, more frequent changes over a long period of time which will get you a little closer to that big goal day by day. 

3. Hold Yourself Accountable or Find Someone Who Will.  Accountability could be another one of the biggest reasons why it either takes us "forever" to reach our goal, or why we reach the goal the first time. You have to be able to recognize what it will take to reach your goal, and stay on track daily. If you are not self-motivated and able to set appropriate boundaries for yourself, then finding the right person for the job will be required. Sometimes the right person is a family member or a close friend, but I would usually advice against this. Most of the time, the people closest to us like to enable our bad habits, especially if they used to partake in those bad habits with us. You need constant support, encouragement and motivation from the right person, and seeking the help of a qualified coach may be the most important part of your success. 

4. Set Boundaries. Regardless if you seek the help of a coach or are able to do it on your own, being able to set boundaries for yourself keeps your momentum moving in the right direction. Setting boundaries will consist of eliminating anything that will hinder your progress, limiting interaction with people that tempt you into bad habits, making sure your environment (home and work space) is a place that motivates and inspires your success, and learning how to say no to temptation. 

5. Be Able To Adapt To Change. Our life is an ever changing world of possibilities, that is usually completely out of our control. The one thing we can control, however, is our mind and how we adapt to the changes in our environment. Knowing that nothing will ever be perfect, and by learning to adapt and learn from failures, will are better equip us for the journey ahead. Remember; it is ok to make mistakes, to not be perfect, and to fail, as long as you learn from your failures and keep in consistent pursuit of your goals!

Hopefully these strategies will help you stay more consistent at reaching your goals. If you enjoy this content, follow me on my social media outlets to stay up to date with my daily motivation: