Coughlin Inner Circle

Today is a NEW Day

When you talk to most people nowadays, you’ll notice that they’re either living in the past…dwelling on their previous failures or they’re living in the future being hopeful, but at the same time, pessimistic about what success may lie ahead for them.

This thinking is very destructive and doesn’t do you any good.

You can’t change the past, so why give it a second thought.  Yesterday is a cancelled check. 

You can’t focus on the future, because it’s not here yet.  Tomorrow is a promissory note.

To be truly successful and live a fulfilling life, you must live for TODAY. 

You must understand that every day is a NEW day.  It is a day in which you make decisions that will ultimately determine your success or failure.

Ask yourself…“What do I need to do TODAY that will help me move me closer to my goals?”

I’m sure you have an answer.  But the million dollar question is – Are you gonna do it?

Are you a person who spins their wheels every-day and accepts whatever life gives you OR are you someone that makes the most of each and every day and is in complete control.   

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be in control. 

If you set and achieve daily goals for yourself, you’re taking control of your life.  You’re living a life with meaning.  You’re destined for success, but at the same time, you’re aware that success doesn’t come overnight. 

True Success is made of mini-successes that eventually lead to one BIG mega-success.  Sure, you’re gonna make mistakes along the way, but we’re human beings.  We’re not designed to be perfect.  We learn from our mistakes and it helps us become stronger and better in the process.  You can’t be successful without failing first.

This message applies not only in fitness and health, but business, family, your finances or whatever is important to you.

Stop living in the past and criticizing yourself for your mistakes.  Stop living in the future and keep focusing on something that is not certain. 

Make the most of your life and start living for NOW…for TODAY…and I promise you, success WILL come!

Yours in Maximum Success,

Jim Coughlin

Just Say NO to Idiot Fitness Advice - Part 2

I guess not everyone got what I was trying to say in the first part of this newsletter (which you can read by going here - http://coughlin29.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/02/just-say-no-to.html ) because I received the following email the other day.  My response follows it…

Jim,

Actually, I think you're being too hard on that trainer. A person can exercise at a lower percentage of their VO2 max threshold, for a longer period of time, and find that although their number of calories burned was the same, the percentage of calories burned from fat is much higher, and (perhaps most importantly) the athlete builds an 'aerobic base' through moderate intensity training, enabling them over time to train at higher intensities more comfortably (and probably, then, are more likely to continue in their regimen without feeling like its too hard). 170+ bpm sounds too high. This a very common misconception among aspiring triathletes; they become well-trained anaerobically, due to a strong will and lots of 'hard workouts', but neglect their aerobic base-building which is so critical (just ask any world-champion endurance athlete).

Lesly M.

J.C.  Thanks for your email Lesly.  However, to be fair, I think I was being too EASY on the trainer.  Why?  Well, first of all, when Kimberly was working out, she did not ask for his advice.  She was simply trying to get a killer workout.  Whether the trainer had good advice or not (he didn’t), he really didn’t have any business giving his two cents UNLESS Kim asked for it.   

Now, to answer your comments, although I did explain how there’s no way Kimberly could lose muscle from doing cardio too intensely…I guess I didn’t explain myself thoroughly enough about the fat burning part.  My mistake. 

Yes, you do burn more fat calories if you’re working out at a lower percentage of your VO2 max threshold during your workout, but overall, when Kimberly works out intensely, her body will burn even MORE fatty cells and calories at a much greater degree AFTER her cardio session as opposed to doing low-intensity training. 

Studies have shown that high-intensity training can elevate a person’s fat-loss and metabolism as much as 24 to 36 hours after working out.  I found this to be true when I train as well. 

Also, Kim has absolutely no interest in being an ‘athlete’, ‘triathlete’ or ‘world champion.’  She just wants to lose 10 pounds.  That’s it.  And the only way Kim can achieve this is by shocking her body with intense workouts that make her body take notice. 

Yes, building an ‘aerobic base’ is important for maintaining one’s ideal body weight, but this is EXACTLY the reason why soooo many people struggle to lose weight.  They make this their goal from the very beginning of their program and soon after, get into a comfort zone.  This leads their body to quickly adapt in the process - equating to NO results and them becoming frustrated. 

When I run with my clients, I ALWAYS make sure their heart-rate (could be 170 or higher) is as high they can handle or is within their target heart rate.  If they become out of breath, we immediately stop, but I still try to push them as hard as possible every second of the way.  This is the perfect formula for effective weight loss.  They not only burn a ton of calories during the workout but for many hours afterward.

Again, as I said in Part 1 of this newsletter, you’re not ALWAYS going to train like this. 
Moderate and low-intensity training serve their purpose.  But if your goal is to burn a bunch of fat and lose weight in the quickest time possible, there’s absolutely NO better way than training intensely both with your cardio and strength training routine.  Period.

The good news is…you’ll never have to eat intensely…unless of course, it’s your cheat meal. (hehe : )

Have a great day.

Yours in Total Fitness & Maximum Success,

Jim Coughlin

P.S.  If you want to learn more about how to do cardio effectively, I have a whole section that covers this topic in The In-Home Personal Trainer program I teach - http://www.fitnessandresults.com/tihpt_platinum_gold.php

If You Need to Be Motivated - Watch This!

Watch this video...it's inspirational beyond words!

Just Say NO to Idiot Fitness Advice - Part 1

Got an email from a former client the other day that really got me fired up.  After reading it, it just goes to show you there are trainers out there who make my job and other competent fitness professionals 10x harder than what it really needs to be.

I actually called her (Kimberly) up right away, because I did not want her to waste one second thinking this yo-yo was right.  I gave her the long answer to this email during the call, but I’ll give you the short, more condensed version below. 

Here is the email:

Hey Jim.

OK, I have a good question for you, may even be good to put into your newsletters.

Yesterday I was at the gym on the step mill machine. That is the one that looks like an escalator. I was doing 20 minutes and alternating one minute high-intensity vs. 1 minute cool down.

My heart rate (which always goes way up) was reaching in the 170's when I was on my hard climb and then going down to the 150's-140's when I had my cool-down minutes. A trainer who works there and has been asking me what my goals are and sees what I do day-to-day told me I do my cardio too intensely and that I am burning muscle faster than fat at that intensity level.

He said I should not push so hard if I am trying to lose weight/fat. Is this possible? Am I working out too hard and therefore not losing weight? You know I am dedicated and make the most of my workouts. I do weights 3-5 days a week along with cardio 6 days a week.

I am worried if I lessen the intensity level I will not get that "high" I get when I push hard and I will feel like I am not really making the most of my time. I want to lose about another 10 lbs. -- not too much -- it is that last 10 that is so hard to lose. What would you recommend?

Thanks for any input—Kimberly

J.C.  Look, there’s no such thing as pushing yourself TOO hard. 

Yes, the only time you shouldn’t push yourself hard is if you’re first starting off with exercise, you have a preexisting injury or any other condition that limits you from fully exerting yourself, but other than that – your goal should ALWAYS be to push yourself as hard as you can. 

Whether its your cardio or strength training, pushing yourself hard is the name of the game.
 
So the fact that this trainer said Kimberly does her cardio too intensely and that she is burning muscle faster than fat is complete horses**t!  Not only that, but when he says she should NOT push herself hard if she is trying to lose weight/fat is completely WRONG.

Sorry, but this guy needs to look for another profession if he continues to dispense this type of crappy advice.  He ain’t doing people a favor that’s for sure.

First of all, you can’t lose muscle from doing cardio too intensely.  It’s impossible. 

The only way you lose muscle is if you’re NOT strength training for a long period of time which causes your muscles to atrophy (shrink), you’re NOT eating properly which limits the correct number of nutrients for you to build and grow your muscles or you’re NOT resting and recovering for an adequate amount of time which is causing your muscles to be put into a catabolic state (muscle loss).

It has nothing to do with the intensity of your exercise.  If anything, “not training intensely” or “working hard” is the exact OPPOSITE advice you can give someone if their goal is to lose weight or burn a high percentage of fat.  Period.  End of story.

Not saying it should always be intense, but you definitely want to try to make this your goal as much as possible.

I could go on and on about this one…but I won’t.   I think you get the idea.

Just understand that INTENSE is good and that WORKING HARD is good.  These components are the keys to your success.  If someone (like this trainer) tries to tell you differently…just ask them how many people they’ve helped get into supreme shape?

I can assure you, they’re lying to you if they tell you more than 5…Why? Because these 5 people were ALREADY in shape! lol :)

Have a good day.

Yours in Total Fitness & Maximum Success,

Jim Coughlin

P.S.  If you’re looking for a program that is all about intense, working hard AND will help get you into the best shape of your life then go here now -  http://www.fitnessandresults.com/tihpt_platinum_gold.php

Exercise Makes You Look 10 Years Younger

I was watching ABC news the other day and they were doing a story on exercise, so of course, I had to check it out.

They reported that the cells of individuals who regularly exercise appear to look 10 years younger than those who do not. 

Researchers concluded that the cell’s DNA strands also known as “telomeres” appear to be longer than those who are very sedentary.

They claimed that even though these telomere strands shorten as we age, exercise is HUGE factor for keeping them healthy and prevents them from being damaged.

Now, even though I already knew this sort of thing to be true and maybe you did too, I still thought it was interesting and something I should share with you.

With all the anti-aging crap on the market these days such as skin creams, live cell injections, magnetic contraptions, herbal concoctions, hormonal therapies, vitamin supplements, getting surgery, the list goes on…I still think that good ole exercise is the real deal for making you look younger.

Sure, these products may help you with aging, but don’t think for a second that you should REPLACE exercise with them.

Personally, I think the benefits that exercise give you compared to ANY of the above anti-aging methods is like comparing a pinto to a Ferrari.

None of them can transform your body like exercise does.

None of them can give you unlimited energy like exercise does.

None of them can make you stronger and more vibrant like exercise does.

None of them can make you mentally strong like exercise does.

None of them can prevent you from disease and sickness like exercise does.

None of them can prevent you from having aches and pains like exercise does.

None of them can give you long-lasting health for life like exercise does.

Trendy products may come and go, but exercise is here to STAY!
Don’t ever forget that. :)

Until next time, train hard and train smart.  Have a good day!

Yours in Total Fitness & Maximum Success,

Jim Coughlin

P.S.  Wanna learn the best ways to exercise from the comfort and privacy of your own home?  Then check out my all-new program NOW – http://www.fitnessandresults.com/tihpt_platinum_gold.php

P.P.S. You DO want to look 10 years younger, right?  Well then, go here now to learn how - http://www.fitnessandresults.com/tihpt_platinum_gold.php