Just TRAIN

“Results from training with Jeff in February”…a blog post from one of Jeff’s clients

Jessica — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 20:32:28 +0000

“Results from February” Jessica’s Journey ,March 4th

Sometimes I feel like the end of the month is when I get to show my big reveal…what are my results from this month.

Why do I only share these once a month?
Simply…I only do measurements once a month. I am not going to lose inches in a week…just not going to happen. Doing measurements each month works for me and that is what I have been doing for about a year. (some of those numbers that I first recorded were quite a bit bigger than what I record now!)
I usually only get on the scale once a month (if I actually do that month). I’ve talked about the scale a few times before (check out this blog) and I really am trying not to let that number dictate how I am feeling. I know what I am eating, I know how much I am exercising and I know if I am making healthy choices. Right now I am trying to make 90% of my choices the healthy options and that it tough. I am trying though and have made a lot of changes over these last couple of years on this journey. Little steps lead to a lot of changes eventually and I will stick with these changes better if I go one change at a time.

What is my big reveal for February?
Remember…Valentines Day was this month and there was a lot of chocolate in our house. I may need to talk with Dove and Godiva for next year so these options aren’t available in my home. :)

Big Reveal #1…With all the chocolate that was consumed I still managed to lose 1/2 an inch in my hips! I literally can see the changes in my hips. I can feel muscle, I can see the difference that has happened over January until now (January I lost even more in my hips than in February!)

Big Reveal #2…I am not focused on the scale and I really am serious about that. But when you have a number in your mind that you want to be past and that number has been part of your life for over 16 years you really have to be a little bit excited when you beat that number. This week I beat that number and actually saw it on the scale. (You can all scream and shout for me!) Reality was this…I was to the point where this number was actually haunting me. I would watch Biggest Loser and there is a big hoop-la when someone gets past this number. They make it seem so easy. You watch an hour or two of their show, see them do some exercises and then that week they are down 5 pounds or so AND they made it past one of their big milestones. I know that there is a lot more to the show than what we see and I know that the food choices that they eat are not the same as what I have available in front of me at home. The last few weeks someone has made it past that milestone and each time I heard the words, “I can’t believe I am below _____” I either stuck out my tongue at them or told them to shut up. It was like Biggest Loser was now taunting me. Ha Ha you are still stuck at this weight that you wanted to be past a year ago.
This week one of my friends also beat that number and texted it to me. At that point I decided that I was done and it was time to get very serious. A few days later I did my weigh-in for the month and I made it!

How are my changes possible?
Determination.
Self-motivated.
Self-control (which I am learning about).
Having a goal & a plan to reach those goals. At the start of my journey I did a lot of this on my own. Once I hit a plateau though I wasn’t sure what to do next. I have made a lot of progress and reached several small goals since I started a plan with Jeff Burbank on October 31st. At the moment I am doing things in the gym that I would just stare at people doing or would see videos about the exercise but think in my head that I would never even attempt something like that. Those were the people that I thought were crazy. :) I had no idea at that point how important strength training was. Jeff is offering a great deal right now for those that want to try out his program. He is starting this March 6th (very soon!) and has a few more spots for people to sign up. $50 gets you training programs that are personalized from him (which truly are amazing) until July 4th. After that you will get 6 more months of training programs and nutrition information from a class that he will be taking from Precision Nutrition. That is one great deal! Just think of what changes you will see in your body with the results from this program. And it is just $50. If you are interested and are ready to put in some work to see some results you can check out his offer on his website. There is even a spot to sign up using Pay Pal….he has really made it as simple and as cheap as possible for you to make some changes.

Why am I telling you about this?
Personally, I know that it works. If I see something that works I just have to tell someone. I know that I was stuck in the endless elliptical cycles and endless running on the treadmill and was thinking that I was going to make huge weight loss goals using those methods of cardio. I would love to go up to people at the gym that I see on the elliptical every day and tell them all about strength training but I don’t know that I would have appreciated a stranger approaching me. :) I can write about this though and hopefully I will help change the perspective that many women have on strength training. Strength training 1) it won’t make you bulky 2) you will burn more calories throughout the day if you do strength train, 3) you will get a lot stronger and simple things like carrying jugs of milk (or kids) will be so much easier and 4) muscle takes up less space than the same weight of fat. Why wouldn’t you want to strength train?

If you haven’t signed up yet…you probably should today Payment must be made via Pay Pal prior to March 6th. If you have any questions feel free to ask! Jeff has an e-mail address on his website on the left side or you can find him on Facebook.

Learn About Change

Jeff — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 16:50:46 +0000

I love Precision Nutrition’s Philosophy of keeping things simple and how to change your compliance. In the links below is Dr John Berardi talks about small little changes to get the best results. Over the 4 videos is an hour and half lecture but Dr John does have a great sense of humor.

She Said She Couldn’t Get 3

Jeff — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 15:13:11 +0000

This is Karen. She believes STRONG is the new skinny

Looking for results? Here is my offer Precision Nutrition Workouts

Results of hard work…One of Jeff’s Clients

Jessica — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:55:37 +0000

On December 1st I shared the post below on my blog. It really is amazing to re-read the results that I had after I started the plan that Jeff had given to me. These were just the initial results too!

December 1st, 2011

Today is the day. I am seeing what progress I have made over the last year and over this last month.

I can go through all the measurements that I have taken but I’m not going to do that. It will just bore you to tears I am just going to share one specific measurement because it is pretty crazy…I think.

I started this new program on October 31st, 2011 that Jeff Burbank has set up for me. Before that I had been working so hard with everything that I knew how to do to keep slimming down. (I thought that the 45 minute elliptical workout and the treadmill were my friend back then.) My progress was getting very slow and I hadn’t seen any results for months. Since I started this plan in October I have lost 2 inches in my waist. 2 inches! I thought that my jeans were fitting differently and now I know why. I guess those planks are working (This kindof sounds like one of those radio commercials that I hear when I come back from the gym…just take this pill and you will lose inches all over, or just eat this before you sleep and the pounds will melt off of you without exercise. Sorry, people…exercise is pretty important if you want to lose the fat. And no, this isn’t an infomercial. I am telling the truth.)

Overall, some of the other measurements are pretty small in comparison but still very important. Some didn’t change at all and my measurement for my thighs actually went up in the last year (not the last month though)…hopefully because of muscle. I did write a blog post about my measurements back in December 2010. If you would like to read that blog you can view it here.

Isn’t that crazy? 2 inches. I think I am still in awe a little bit.

So, here is a photo of me back in December of 2010.

Here is me now (me what I look like just about 2 minutes ago…I took my hair out of my ponytail just for the picture!)

I still look like the same me but my face isn’t quite as puffy as before and my hair is a lot longer and darker. Who knew that getting healthy could change your hair color :)

I did get to the gym this morning and went to a spin class. Love spin! I was very careful though today because my asthma is not quite ok and once I start coughing I tend to cough for awhile. I tried not to push too hard but it is so tempting to go as fast as I can and increase that tension to as high as possible. I didn’t though today. I still worked hard but did back it down just a bit today so I didn’t have to be assisted by an ambulance.

Tomorrow is day 4! Then my week is done and I will just have one more week of Phase 2…and the plan is to run on Saturday. Sid can now join me at the gym too if I get a note from her doctor. That reminds me…I have a phone call to make.

One of Jeff’s clients…first workout

Jessica — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:53:51 +0000

A few months ago I started working out with a plan that Jeff had given to me. I had a lot of research to do but was very excited to get started. I have now completed 10 weeks and I feel so much better and stronger than I did that first day. I should say that I also feel a lot more confident as well, which I think a lot of women would like to accomplish. Below is the first blog post that I wrote about on that first workout.

It’s Halloween! Why not start off this day with my first workout with my new routines?

I was thinking of starting on November 1st but then decided…why wait? It is Monday, couldn’t be a better time to start this new stuff.

Evidently everyone else thought the same thing because the gym was packed this morning. 5:00 am…you would think that most people would still want to be tucked in their nice, warm bed. I would have to say that it was about 3x as busy as it normally is which just means that there was either a recent promotion that encouraged a lot of new people to join or everyone was thinking about all the candy they would be eating today.

Starting a new routine for me can be fun but can also make me a bit anxious. Not only do I have to learn new things (and most likely look a little bit ridiculous the first few times that I try the exercises) but there are a few areas of the gym that aren’t very female friendly that I will have to venture into over the next few weeks. One good thing about working out at 5am…not very many people are in those areas so that is just less people to embarrass myself in front of.

Let’s talk about being embarrased at the gym. We are all self concious in some way. Right? At the gym I have done so many stupid things that I really shouldn’t get embarrased about anything anymore.

What have I done? 1) almost fallen off a treadmill, 2) dropped my phone/music in the trash can (that has a big top so I had to reach in real far to get it back), 3) I sweat like crazy and my shirt is never dry when I am done with my workout, 4) I’ve knocked over those big yellow signs that tell you where there is a floor that is wet. How do you do that? Those are huge and yet I managed to not see it and have it fall. 5) I’ve forgotten my socks and shoes and come to the gym only to walk out again. 6) I’ve lost my jewelry and have been looking for it on my hands and knees so I can see under machines. 7) I try new machines and then find out many times later that I was doing it wrong the entire time…should I go on?

Not too long ago I connected with a high school classmate who gave one of my friends a challenge for her blog. My friend started running and for the month of October she was going to write about her journey with running each day…all 31 days. I saw his comment that he left for her and jumped at the opportunity to also be a part of this challenge. To sum up the challenge…get healthy by following the plan that he puts in place and also write about it on the blog. I am not a great writer and didn’t get my degree in journalism like my fabulous friend, Cori, but I do like to share my experiences through my blog. I like to go to the gym and also like to try to motivate others to get healthier as well. I had a good idea what I was signing up for and over the last few days I have been taking measurements, pictures, filling out forms, looking to see what is in my fridge and cupboards and debating on whether or not I can drop my Diet Pepsi addication.

I started workout number 1 today. I tried some new exercises. I know I didn’t do them perfectly but it takes time to figure things out and feel confident. As the weights are feeling unsteady in my hands I just have to remind myself that I can do this.

This morning one of the hardest exercises for me was a Core Row. Holy Cow! This is really tough for me. Each time that I tried to lift up my arm as the rest of my body is in the air supported by my other arm and toes I just had to tell myself, “I can do this.”. My little sheet that describes the exercise also states not to move my hips. As I was laying on the floor of the gym after the first attempt I just kept thinking to myself, “How in the world do I do this without moving my hips?”. I have no idea what I looked like as I was trying to accomplish this exercise but I sure know that I didn’t feel confident this morning when I did this for the first time. During the second round…I felt a little bit more confident. When I repeat these exercises next week I am sure that my confidence will grow a tad bit more again.

I can do this. What can you try today that is new for you?

Jessica Williams

www.mominminnesota.blogspot.com

The Day After

Jeff — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 19:42:39 +0000

Woo, that was a lot of food! What do I do now? Oh my diet is blown up, oh well I will get back at it January 1st. Yep that is my goal January 1st I start my diet back up and I will lose this weight!

WHAT THE…….?

You are going to wait another month and an half because of a long weekend? Total B.S.

The holidays are a special time with family, friends and a ton of food. (We had 14 people at the house and we didn’t even make a dent in how much food there was.) But they wreck havoc on your fat loss goal. What can you do?

Imagine if you are driving down the highway and you get a flat tire. You pullover to check things out, yep, a flat. The uncommon sense thing to do: POP the other three tires just because you like matching things? No. The common sense thing to do, fix the flat and move on.

How not to be the uncommon sense person

1. Get back to your normal routine again:

Just get back your winning ways by keeping track of your food rules and meeting your workout goals

2. Workout just a little harder/longer:

Need to burn them calories up some how, so push a little harder and a little longer. Let yourself know that you are ALIVE! WOOOOO!

3. Don’t weigh yourself the day after a splurge:

Unless you are a glutton for punishment, it does take a couple of days of normal eating habits to get back to where you were. But after a fest of T-day portions it can be a relief that you got to pig out and help you get through the rest of the year.

4. Just let it go:

Thanksgiving weekend plus Christmas Eve and Day along with New Years Eve is a week put together. With only 37 days left in the year, that total splurge week comes out to 19% (7 divided into 37). That is small number to worry about. That means you have 81% of the time to make up and surpass the holiday fests. No big deal!

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays,

Jeff

P.S. Now that Thanksgiving is over we can worry about Christmas and other Holidays. Not like the stores where they are getting their Christmas ornaments out in September.

Thanksgiving!

Jeff — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:05:08 +0000

What is to be thankful this year?

Being a veteran, I want to thank the people who protect us and our way of life. A lot them go through crap, take crap, or are put in crappy places, situations, and dealing with people who we don’t want to know. And they do this day after day for us.

The family, they are the ones who have to put up with me! I get to see my kids grow up, learn new things and adapt to their world. It is amazing ! My wife, it is a joy to go through this world together and spend it with her.

Great friends, they put up with me just as much as my family. To share a beer or good meal while your telling lies is time well spent.

To my clients who have put their trust in me and provide a great training environment. They are also the reason going to work doesn’t feel like work.

To renewed friendship: If you haven’t talked to somebody in a while then you must call/write/email/send smoke signals and say hi.

I bring this up because my girl Jessica is writing an awe inspiring blog right HERE . I wait with anticipation for her latest post. So please go to her blog and leave a message/questions/rah rah/thank you/action step for you to do.

To all the people I get to learn from, either from their articles/blogs/dvd’s/manuals/books/seminars. It is because of them my clients get the results they are looking for. I just enjoy learning and teaching/coaching people to through their goals. To see them gain confidence week by week, month by month. It is a rush.

Cardinals: 2011 CHAMPS!!

Packers: 2010 CHAMPS!! and looking good this year also : )

Captain America: The First Avenger, it is the one of the top 2 comic book movies ever!!

And for you, reading this blog. I am done messing around it, I will be updating this blog a lot more. Videos/articles/other stuff to read/poetry (yeah right)

Thanks,

Jeff

P.S. read Jessica’s Blog, she is telling like it is. In fact, as much writing she has done it has inspired me to get thing going on here. So here is to more updates!!

Daily Lesson

Jeff — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:54:08 +0000

They say you should learn something everyday well here are 3 I learned: Quote or fact

1. “If your health is important to you, you will find a way. If it is not, you find an excuse.” Jeff Van Dam (a real person)

2. When you teach a 4 year old about sharing, they know the right opportunity to show it: My son was getting a couple of shots by the nurse. When she was done he told her it was her turn! He wanted to share the pain

3. Get out of your comfort zone it is the only way to grow as a person

Bonus

4. Visit this link and read the article on better sleep: HERE

Workout 1-11-11

Jeff — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 20:05:07 +0000

Here is one of the workouts that my clients are doing.

Warmups

Complex 3 sets

Kettlebell Swings x 12

Kettlebell Pressouts x 8

Timed Set 30:30 Group A

Rope

Kettlebell Row

Explosive Step ups

Push up

Straight Leg Sit Up

Timed Set 30:30 Group B

Ladder Drill

High Pulls

Squats

Kettlebell Push Press

1-arm 1-leg sit up

Finisher: Prowler + 50lbs x 4

Happy New Year 2011

Jeff — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:20:23 +0000

Get it started right just like Lisa and Kendra: