As a Personal Trainer In Danville, CA I always suggest that my clients start small. For example if you usually drink 2 cans of  soda  every day ,and you stop that, just that one small change in behavior every day, you will have lost about 32 pounds in one year!!! Little change big result.

Then if your training with me I have you add in an extra 30 minutes of physical activity just 4 days a week, that will burn roughly 200 calories each time(very low estimate) BAM! That’s 12 more pounds Ginger! I had one guy who had he said Krispy Creme glazed donuts 3 times a week at work…I know it was more like 5 times!!!… made him decide to give it up for healthier fruits BAM that’s 11 pounds pounds of your ass.

Do you see this yet…these are just simple little actions that you can begin to take throughout each day to make big changes over the long run. A great way to lose tons of weight( I use weight to mean excess body fat-not muscle) is to just drink water all day. No snapples, sodas, latte, just good old not man made WATER. Let me reiterate, instead of any other beverages, drink water…yes Cleo sparkling water is fine without sugar of high fructose corn syrup.

Now not only will you get the extra benefit of hydration, but you will not be storing the extra calories from soda’s or fruit juices as lard on your ass or mid section. How about giving up milk. I know your thinking now you’ve gone to far…and your right….but it doesn’t change the fact that after a few months of no milk will you feel better and weight less but old bessy will have more milk for some other fat ass. Seriously while that may not be for some of you, it’s just an idea of how simple taking away a few calories here and some extra calories there can be.

I always suggest we take the long haul into account and not rush things.Because Milo if you just took one year, and plan week by week, and start to improve your nutrition and fitness, by the end of 12 months, I can almost guarantee you will see positive lasting results, just from simple daily shifts in your behavior.

Listen to me very carefully when I tell you losing weight and getting fit doesn’t have to be a pain in the ass or maniacally challenging in any sense of the word. Weight loss is a result of a specific lifestyle(consistent behaviors).

Remember anyone that promises a quick fix, is flat out bending you over without lube, and if you believe them well you deserve a sore ass. Quick fix means short term results maybe but at the cost of well… gaining all the weight back in a short period of time and more. It all comes back to what your lifestyle is, this the determining factor in what your weight will be and how fit you look.

An example, I use to train the head nurse of a prominent plastic surgeon here in Danville and she would tell me that they would see the same people time and time again for the same procedure!!! Yikes! I don’t know about you but for the cost and discomfort fitness is a lot cheaper and less painful. Ultimately they got their quick fix but in the end there lifestyle  puts it back on.

Other helpful personal training / fitness links…

• What is a personal trainer? – The definition of personal trainer from wikipedia, the online encylopedia for everything
• Bureau Of Labor Statistics – If you’re interested in becoming a personal trainer, a great place to start to get the info you need to decide if this is the career for you…
• NSCA Website – The national certificate organization National Strength And Conditioning Association. A very credible certifying agency. Also includes a locator to find a trainer in your area.
• ACE Fitness – Another credible certifying organization.
• Personal Training FAQ’s – Frequently asked questions about personal training as an industry and if you’re considering hiring a personal trainer – what you must know.

Three months before my wedding, I had a realization: I don’t want to be a fat groom.

My 5’9” frame tipped the scales at 231 pounds, easily qualifying me as obese — a designation that advanced my biological age of 26 by 2 decades, according to a UCLA study.

More disturbing, a blood test showed that I was on the verge of diabetes, despite having no obvious symptoms (other than a bulging belly).

But dramatic change doesn’t take as long as you might think. In 12 weeks, I lost 33 pounds and whittled 5 inches off my waist — just in time for our big day. Like most overweight men, I wasn’t proud of carrying around all that extra flab — especially since I’m an editor at Men’s Health. But it wasn’t until I literally feared for my life that I became fully committed to change.

When I showed up at his office, Dr. Berkowitz first analyzed a blood test I’d had done in preparation for our meeting. My triglycerides — a measure of the fat circulating in my bloodstream — were more than double what’s considered normal. Chances are, if you’re overweight, your blood work may look similar. Research shows that heavier men have higher cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure than their leaner counterparts.

Much to my horror, Dr. Berkowitz recommended a “controlled-carbohydrate diet.” That doesn’t mean cutting out carbohydrates altogether. Rather, you restrict the types that significantly raise your blood sugar and thus your insulin levels — for instance, those found in soda, candy, and foods made with flour. The upshot is that this plan limited my carbs to those found in vegetables and fruit, which was a drastic change from my regular, carbohydrate-laden diet.

While Keith Berkowitz served as general manager of my diet, his wife, Valerie — a registered dietitian and director of nutrition at the Center for Balanced Health — took the job of head coach. She helped me create an eating plan that was user-friendly and required no calorie counting. For the most part, these are foods that are made with sugar or are high in starch, such as bread, pasta, any other flour-based food, potatoes, and rice. Because they all contain high amounts of glucose, they raise blood sugar quickly.

This may be the ultimate diet cliche, but there’s no question it works. In fact, a study of more than 2,000 low-carb dieters found that, on average, the biggest losers were consuming four servings of nonstarchy vegetables a day.

This is especially important at breakfast and with snacks, when guys are most likely to skimp on this muscle-building nutrient. Thanks a lot, cereal.) Case in point: University of Illinois scientists report that, on average, people consume 65 percent of their protein after 6 p.m. That’s right, the kind that’s found in a piece of meat, an omelet, an avocado, olives, or olive-oil-based dressing. Because fat alone doesn’t raise your insulin levels, it has little to do with making you fat, contrary to popular opinion, says Valerie.

Prediet, I lived on lunchmeat. But Valerie nixed these packaged meats quickly, because most contain added salt (affecting weight and blood pressure) and sugar, as well as nitrates, which are associated with an increased risk of cancer. Finish off the flab with this full-body fat-burning routine from Michael Mejia, C.S.C.S., author of The Better Body Blueprint. Warmup: Before each workout, warm up with 5 minutes of light aerobic exercise or calisthenics.

Weight training: Do the weight workout that follows 3 days a week, resting at least a day after each session. Perform the exercises as a circuit, completing one set of 10 to 12 repetitions of each movement before resting for 60 seconds. Stand holding dumbbells overhead with a grip that’s twice shoulder-width. Get into push up position with your arms straight and your hands resting on light dumbbells. Spread your feet apart for balance. Lie on the floor with your arms out to the side, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Grab a lat-pulldown bar with a “false” overhand grip that’s just beyond shoulder width.

A false grip means you place your thumb on top of the bar, alongside your index finger, rather than wrap it around the bar. Grab a weight plate with both hands and sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat. Hold the weight plate straight out in front of your chest with your palms facing each other. Support your body with the balls of your feet and with your hands, positioning the latter slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, palms flat on the floor. Straighten your arms without locking your elbows.

Cardio: After each weight-training session, finish up with 12 to 15 minutes of aerobic exercise — running, cycling, rowing — using an intensity that you judge to be a 7 or 8 on a 10-point scale.