Hey all, in light of the recent snowfall on the east coast, and tons of people getting sick, I thought I'd share my protocol which I have perfected over years and years and has kept me healthy. It has taken a long time to figure out this cocktail, however, without a doubt, it will keep you healthy. So let's dive In. Now what I first want to mention is if you're sleep, diet, exercise, and stress levels are all not in check it does not matter what supplement you take staying healthy is going to be a challenge. So without a doubt make sure you assess all those areas first. The first supplement that in my opinion is tried-and-true is echinacea. Echinacea is an herb that promotes a healthy immune system. I remember when I was first introduced to echinacea I thought it was a placebo and that it had no effect. However after taking it for years and years and years I have wised up and can certainly say without a doubt it is a great supplement to add to your health stack.  For my own cocktail, I use it year-round. Not just in the winter. Next is omega 3 fatty acids. Omega-3s help to alleviate inflammation within the body, and is a healthy fat that our body needs. It helps promote a healthy immune system and a healthy heart, and without a doubt should be in your stack. Especially if you don't eat a lot of fish within your diet. Now we come to vitamin D3. During the winter months, vitamin D3 is extremely important due to the fact that we are not exposed to sunlight nearly as much as other seasons.  However as many doctors have stated vitamin D3 deficiency tends to be very prevalent and in my opinion, you should supplement vitamin D3 all year round. Next of course of the multivitamin. I prefer a chewable don't ask me why but I feel like it does better in helping promote health than other forms. So maybe our mothers were right to eat your Flintstone vitamins LOL. All kidding aside a multivitamin is a great idea if you are not eating a well-balanced diet so that way you can make sure you have all your bases covered. Lastly is Vitamin C. Although vitamin C is prevalent in a lot of foods that we eat, I feel that during the winter months is not a bad idea to increase your vitamin C intake. So that is my supplement cocktail to keep you healthy and promote a strong immune system during the winter season. I have used this cocktail for years and years and have noticed a great benefit in doing so. Maybe try to include these supplements in your regimen and I wish you the best in health.  For more information feel free to check out my page for tons of info.

How Personal Trainers Can Help You!

At the end of the day, we are a society that wants results and we want it fast. We don't want it tomorrow we want it yesterday. When it comes to fitness, we have the same thought process. However unless you are doing everything properly from diet to your training to your rest, you're not going to see results. As a matter of fact, if you want results I think it's a great idea to hire a personal trainer. But why? Exercise, and subsequent results, is like anything else, it's a science. Unless you are efficient in your approach, you will not see results, or you will see results very slowly. This is why hiring a personal trainer can be a great benefit. Working with a trainer has so many excellent benefits but let's discuss them For one, a personal trainer is going to teach you how to use proper form. If you're not using proper form, you are not targeting the muscles correctly or as efficiently as possible. As a result, you're not putting the correct amount of tension on the muscle so therefore you will not be breaking down the muscle as well as you could be. So to summarize, you will not get the results you want. Also, nutrition is a very important part of seeing results. So many of us think that we are eating correctly, however we are way off. If you aren't using the proper diet and eating correctly there is no way you're going to see results, and definitely not seeing them fast. Working with a trainer they will give you advice and the guidelines to diet properly which will help you see results quicker. Finally, working with a personal trainer will give you consistency and accountability. At the end of the day even if you're doing everything wrong, as long as you're consistent and accountable to your workout plan, you will see some sort of result. It's very easy to miss workouts, however by having a personal trainer, and the appointment based type of program that a trainer would instill, you will definitely see results. So if you are looking to achieve results from your fitness plan, and to achieve them as fast as possible, you may want to look into hiring a personal trainer. Nowadays personal trainers are a little bit more affordable compared to days past, I think you might be surprised how affordable they really are. Either way, wishing you the best of luck with your fitness program.

Shock Sets-A Must Read!

Hey all I hope my entry finds you well and having a great week. In this entry I would like to discuss what I call shock sets. Now what are shock sets? The body is very adaptive, and to continue to make changes and progress, you need to break through the inevitable plateaus you experience. This is where shock sets come in. So as we just mentioned, your body wants to maintain normal state or homeostasis. It doesn't want to feel uncomfortable and always wants to know what's coming so it has the resources to combat it. This is why a lot of times you find that you hit a plateau, where no progress is being made. This is where we need to throw the body a curveball and integrate things that the body hasn't experienced before, shock sets. Some of my favorite shock sets include drop sets, supersets, descending sets, pyramiding down, Etc. Let's talk about this. for instance let's discuss the drop set. Now let's say you're working on a chest press, and you start off with your heaviest weight which is a hundred pounds. Once you finish your set and can't do any more drop it down to 90 pounds keep on going. This is a good example of a drop set and this will definitely shock your body. Another example of a shock set that I like to utilize is a superset.  In simplest terms, a superset is just doing back-to-back sets with no rest. You could do two sets, 3 sets, whatever works best for you. But by not giving yourself rest this is going to shock your body. There are so many different examples of shock sets, maybe I'll get into it in another article. But just want to get the point across that if you are experiencing a plateau you got to try to throw in some Shock sets to continue to progress. Best of luck!

Learn How To Achieve Your New Year's Goals

We are at that time of the year again, it's almost New Year's and everybody is gearing up for their New Year's resolutions. However, studies have shown that on average most of us will not achieve our New Year's resolution goals. So how can we make sure that we reach our goal? As a personal trainer of over 15 years, I'm going to relay to you some of my best advice. First things first, accountability. I recommend letting your significant other, family, friends, know all about your goals and your resolution. That way they can hopefully keep you accountable to that goal. Next, you need to write down your goals. What are you looking to accomplish? Make sure to set some short-term, long-term, and mid-range goals. Make sure they are specific, realist,and attainable. The next step is to make the plan. I want you to write out a fitness plan Monday through Sunday. Also, I want you to write out your diet plan. How many calories will you be taking in? How much protein? Make sure you specify your plan. Finally, keep a diary. Keeping a diary will help you to see what works and what doesn't work. It will help you learn from mistakes and help to propel you forward. As always if we can help in any way, feel free to contact us. Wishing you the best in health for 2018!

This Post Will Change Your LIfe

Hey you all I hope that this entry finds you well, happy, and ready for the new year as well as Christmas. In this entry, I want to discuss what I think is the most important factor in an exercise program, and in life in general, and that is motivation. As a personal trainer of over 15 years, I have been watching people exercise, and workout, and try to achieve their goals for years and years. Not only that, but I have myself been trying to reach my goals for the last 15 or 20 years. So what do I find with all this experience? The bottom line is this, motivation is always going to be the key. And I’m not talking about this rah-rah stuff that you see on Instagram or TV Etc. I’m talking about inner motivation, intrinsic motivation, the motivation that’s inside you, yes inside you. No matter where you think you are in your life, or how far away from your goal you are, each one of us has inside of them the fire and the drive to achieve a goal. The trick is being able to be brave enough to reach down deep, and for some deeper, to find that drive, to find that motivation, and to utilize it. So often I hear people say I want to maintain, I like where I am. Listen, there is no such thing as maintaining. You’re either getting better and progressing or getting worse and declining. The key is, at the end of each day, I want you to look in the mirror and stare at that person staring back at you. Did that person that you see in the mirror out perform the person that you saw yesterday in the mirror? Did that person in the mirror do everything in there ability to be better than the person that you saw last night in the mirror, cause that’s what it takes. Each day you should be competing not against your competition, but against yourself and that person that you were the day before. You should always be striving to get better. Not just in fitness but in life in general. As long as you have given it everything you got, and did everything in your power to outperform that person that you see in the mirror, that’s all that matters. You can rest easy, knowing that you did everything in your power to try to improve your life. Another key factor is not blaming anybody else for your shortcomings or your bad luck. Listen, those who are the most successful point the finger at themselves. They don’t blame others, and they take the responsibility solely upon themselves. This is how you grow and this is how you progress. So as we approach this New Year, set your goals, but hold yourself accountable to them. Be brave enough to reach down deeper within yourself than you ever have. Don’t be afraid to fail because guess what, you will. The true mark of a strong person is not how much they can take, it’s how much they can take and continue to move forward. I wish you all the best of health for this new year, and as always feel free to reach me anytime with questions at every body’s personal trainer.

What Supplements Do I Need

As a personal trainer, I'm often asked numerous questions, one of which is which supplements should I use? Before I go into my answer, I want to make sure to advise you to speak with your doctor and that my advice is merely just that, advice. So what is my view on supplements? Well, my answer is going to be that a supplement should only be just that, a supplement. You should try to get all the vitamins and minerals and macros from your diet while eating a good cross-section of foods. Now obviously we are all busy and often times don't have the ability or time to get everything we need to through our diet.  In such a situation, supplements could be of good use and help you receive what you are deficient in without having to go through your diet. For instance, if you are a bodybuilder or athlete and you find that you are not meeting your protein requirements, supplementing with a protein shake may be a viable solution.  The same goes for vitamins and minerals. Many of us are deficient for instance in vitamin D, so it may not be a bad idea to get a supplement form of vitamin D. There are a few supplements however that I do feel can help the average person. Omega-3 fatty acids are on the top of the list, and have been studied thoroughly and the results have proven to be very beneficial.  I also am a big believer in echinacea for stimulating and keeping the immune system strong, and I also feel that a multivitamin could be an excellent insurance policy if your diet is not up to par. However, the main take-home message here is that you are better served trying to get everything you need from your diet and proper nutrition.  Too many people are relying upon supplements, protein bars, shakes, Etc. and not focusing on using real food.  Eating a well-balanced diet takes a lot of preparation and prep time, and requires a well-thought-out plan.  As always, if you are looking for help always feel free to contact us at every body's personal trainer.

Cancel Your Gym Membershiop

Cancel your gym membership? What are you talking about Eric, aren't you a personal trainer? Why would you tell me to cancel my gym membership? Yes, that is correct, I am a personal trainer and have been for over 15 years. However, what I see way too often is people signing up for expensive gym memberships, and never using them. Those gyms will charge your credit card every month automatically for year after year, sometimes without you really even knowing, and you don't end up going. So my advice, is cancel your gym membership. Now shouldn't I be exercising you ask? Of course! However, let's face it, unless you are working out consistently and on a regular basis, you are going to see no results. If you are not getting to the gym, or are getting their scarcely, then you are just wasting your money. So what do I recommend? In my opinion, if all of the information above suits you, then your best bet is to hire an in-home personal trainer. What is an in-home personal trainer you ask? Nowadays, personal trainers aren’t just at gyms. You can hire a personal trainer to actually come to your home, your office, or even a local park. They will bring the equipment with them and be there to give you a great workout. So how can this be beneficial? As mentioned earlier, consistency is one of the most important factors in an exercise program. By having an in-home personal trainer, you will have that trainer who will come to your home and keep you consistent with your workouts. Not only that, but they will instill accountability in your program as well. Consistency and accountability are two of the biggest determining factors in an exercise program. Not only that, but a personal trainer will text you and follow up with you to make sure that you are getting in your workouts when not with them. Unlike gyms, if you don't show up to a gym they aren't going to call you or text you and ask you where you are and why you aren't getting your workout in. This is how a personal trainer, especially an in-home personal trainer, can be of great benefit. So if you are one of those, who have a gym membership and pay for it month after month but never attends, then my best advice to you would be to hire an in-home personal trainer. If you are looking for more information on how a personal trainer can benefit you, or where to hire an in-home personal trainer, feel free to contact us anytime at every body's personal trainer.