Bryan Parady's Blog, page 4

Get in the Habit

They say it takes 30 to start a habit.  While that’s true it takes even more grit and determination to make it past that.  We live in time where starting new things is hip and fresh.  But finishing is so much more important.  Anyone can start something, do it for a limited amount of time, then quit until they find the next fad.

So if you are new to the fitness world, stay consistent.  Yes eat clean every day.  Get in the gym at minimum three times a week.  Stay focused, stay strong for 30 days.  Then after that set new goals and keep going.  Don’t just aim to to get past 30 days then quit. Aim to do it for 30 days so you develop the habit then continue the good habits.

Throw out all the junk food, all the white bread.  Buy whole wheat breads, whole grain cereals, whole wheat pastas, and brown rice.  Get healthier granola bars, dump the soda, the sugary fruit drinks, the 0 calorie and diet sodas, flavored waters, and the rest of that crap.  Drink water, every day, all day.  Get a half gallon water bottle and carry it around with you everywhere.

Join a gym or make one at home.  At least 3 days a week go on some brisk walks or runs, if you don’t have a gym, do push ups and sit ups.  Get some dumbbells from wal-mart and google dumbbell workouts.

You can start where you are at.  Even small changes will add up.  You aren’t on a quick fix program, you are on a lifetime journey to get fit, to get healthier, to get stronger.

If you have any questions I’d love to talk to you about workout plans/goals.  You can comment below or email me at: directorb.blog@gmail.com

The Importance of Hydrating

I can’t overemphasize the need for water.  I have been guilty in the past of not drinking near as much as I should. This is the first year I’ve really taken it seriously.  I am on the go a lot so in times past I have not gotten the fluids I need.  Now I carry a half gallon jug with me wherever I go.

So why is water important?  Many reasons. Water is vital for our bodies to survive, it’s vital to hit peak performance in our fitness goals too.  Want to shed some pounds?  Try dropping the sodas, juices, and teas, and just drink water in its place.  Replacing all your drinks with water is the first step of not only becoming healthier, but by cutting out the crap fluids we normally consume in their place we can easily shed some pounds.

Not only that but water is vital for our muscles to properly grow.  When we do resistance training, fluid is drawn into our muscles.  This is what gives us that bulked look after lifting.  But if we are depleted of water, our bloodstream will actually pull water out of our muscles in order to keep our blood pressure at a proper pressure.  The result of this is loss of mass, and our muscles unable to properly grow.

So I can’t emphasize enough.  Put down the sugary drinks and start drinking a lot more water.  Aim for at least 64 ounces a day, or 8 glasses.

Sometimes It Sucks

Last week was rough for me.  I got sick, and had some really long work days so with the combination of those things, I missed hitting my calorie count a few days as well as  missed out on 2 days at the gym.  It really got me in a funk for the whole week, as it screwed up my routine.  Life happens, and sometimes it causes us to get thrown from the horse.  But you know what?  So what.  It’s a new day, a new week, and now it’s time to kick some freaking butt again.

Yes there are going to be days you fall short.  There will be days and weeks that you don’t make progress.  It’s fine, keep pushing.

We live in an age where it’s the thing to start something.  Everyone calls themselves an entrepreneur, when in reality they aren’t.  It’s hip and fresh to start new things, have new ideas, start business.  But one thing we miss out on, is finishing things.  We take for granted finishing.  How many things do we start but don’t finish?  Finish your workout, finish what you started and hit your fitness goals.

Defy The Impossible

We are told all our lives what we can and can’t do.  People smile politely as we tell them what we want to do but then go on to say why we are dreaming to big.  The truth is there are no “too big” dreams.  The same is true with getting fit.  Maybe you’ve been told you can’t get fit, or maybe you’ve told yourself that you can’t get fit.  Maybe you’ve tried diets, you’ve tried calorie counts, and you’ve tried joining a gym only to find yourself not going after a week.

You think you are weak?  You are wrong.  The human body is capable of incredible feats.  The things we can do the way we can heal, grow, gain muscle, and lose fat is quite incredible.

The biggest challenge though?  You have to believe.  You have to believe you can, you have to know you can.  Because all those times you’ve fallen, all those times you’ve fallen short of your goal.  Those aren’t failures, those are things that didn’t quite work, that teach you how to change.

I’ve failed so many times in reaching my fitness goals, heck I’m still working on a goal I set 2 years ago.  But I’m way closer now that I was then.  Not because I’ve succeeded, but because I’ve failed, and had to relearn.

So don’t be afraid to try again.  You can do this.

Find Your Inner Strength

Yesterday I was having a conversation with my brother. We are both hardcore into working out and actually have to remind ourselves to ask about what else is going on in our lives aside from foods we are eating, and workouts we are doing because that’s all we talk about.

We’ve both been working out for years and are highly motivated, but you know what we both were talking about yesterday?  How we didn’t want to workout.  Yup.

I got home from work yesterday and was exhausted, Tuesdays nights I am always super tired.  I think the Monday drain doesn’t hit me till Tuesday.  I wanted to shower and take a nap.  But the gym is now to where I know I have to do it.  Some days I have to view it as my job.  I may not want to get up and go to work.  But I have to.

I know what will happen if I don’t work out.  I know what it’s like not being where I want to physically, and as much as I do not want to go to the gym some days, I definitely don’t want to back to my old self.

Have something to hold on to for the days that you don’t feel like going.  Whether it’s a quote, a picture of your kids, or a list of reasons why you have to, have some kind of reminder you can look to when you are feeling weak to keep you motivated.

Change your mindset.  Don’t view workouts as an option on whether you feel like it, but as something you have to do. For your health today, your future, and your present well being. You’ve got this.

How To Eat Clean?

Food food food. Everywhere we turn there is food.  Fast food, junk food, candy, soda, pizza, wings, burgers, fries, tacos.  The onslaught of fat, empty calories, and artery clogging foods is endless.  Sure it tastes good for a minute, but it is literally killing us.  We are the most overfed yet still starving generation. Starving because our bodies get no nutrients.  It’s all empty calories.

What do I mean by empty calories?  Food is a fuel for us.  It fuels us to be able to function to have energy, strength, and be emotionally sound.  It allow us to be safe from sickness, and heal when we are injured.  So why shouldn’t we be giving it the best and not the worst when everything relies on it?

Instead we rely on caffeine and sugar to give us a temporary high.  And medicine to fix us.

If you are working out, awesome.  But if you are not changing your diet or eating better, it’s like putting a band-aid on a chopped off limb.  You’ve got to get your diet on point.  You’ve got to replace the bad with the good.  Stop eating out first and foremost.  Stop buying things from fast food restaurants and convenience stores.

Start buying whole grains, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole grain oats.  Start eating oatmeal for breakfast, oatmeal from scratch.  Start eating chicken and turkey instead of beef all the time.  Get some whole grain granola bars, makes some trailmix with peanuts, sunflower seeds, and raisins.  Start thinking differently with your food.  You are training every time you put food in your mouth.

 

Making the Choice

Making the choice to make a difference in your health and fitness is of utmost importance. No one is going to go to the gym for you.  No one is going to prep your meals, cook your food, or resist the fast food for you.

The reality of it is, you can choose to continue living an unhealthy life, feeling sub-par at best, or you can actually decide to do something about it.  There probably isn’t anyone who would say “no I don’t want to be in better shape”.  So for something we want why are more people not doing it?

It’s not because you can’t it’s because you are teetering on the edge of a decision.  Maybe you’ve tried diets, or “miracle” weight loss programs, and they’ve failed and so you think it’s hopeless.  Diets and overnight programs are crap.

You need to eat good clean food, get a book and read how to eat clean, get a gym membership, or some running shoes and start working out.  Control your portions.  There’s not a complicated formula.  When we eat unhealthy, eat too much and live a sedentary lifestyle we are going to become unhealthy.  It’s a fact. But equally so when we eat clean, workout, and control our portions we get healthy, not just fit, but healthy, mentally and physically. So if you are on the edge of that decision, choose to take the step and never look back.

 

Staying Consistent

At the gym yesterday I ran into someone I knew and we struck up a conversation.  I asked how he was doing and he said, “trying to stay consistent”.  He had it. When you strip everything away, that’s what it comes down to.  Consistency.   Because while getting to they gym is a good thing, and eating healthy is great.  If you don’t keep at it, and do it consistently the results you are wanting won’t come.

You can’t eat one healthy meal a day and then go eat out the next two meals every day and expect to see your six pack come out.

It takes staying consistent.  Now I’m not saying that it’s easy.  It means when someone else is eating a candy bar and drinking some mountain dew at work, you are downing water and some apples with peanut butter.  It takes sacrifice, I’m not going to lie and say it’s easy.

I drink these nasty smoothies everyday, twice a day.  My wife can’t even bear the smell of them that’s how bad they are.  I can’t tell you  how  many nights I don’t want to drink it before bed.  I feel like I’m gonna puke and am tired of eating all this healthy food. It isn’t easy.

If this stuff was easy everyone would do it.  But think back to where you were 5 years ago.  Think about where you are today.  Think about where you want to be 5 years from now.  Do you want to stay the same?  Do you want to be 5 years older and still wishing for change?  Or do you want to be different?  Start getting consistent.

 

Should You Do Cardio When Bulking?

If you are bulking should you incorporate cardio into your workout plan?  It depends.  It depends on a lot of things.  You should take into account your metabolism.  If you have a very fast metabolism and it’s hard for you to put on weight to begin with then you should probably steer clear of cardio, or at least limit it to cycling, and avoid the elliptical and running.

Another thing to take into consideration is your job.  Are you on your feet all day and moving around a lot or are you sitting at a desk most of the day?  If you have a pretty sedentary job then you may want to consider adding some cardio in.  As your body needs some cardio throughout the day (even if it’s just vigorous walking).

For me I have a high metabolism and have a job where I am on my feet all day and constantly on the move, so I steer clear of cardio when bulking.  It’s counterproductive to me and burns too many calories.  I get enough movement in at my job.

Remember it’s all a math game.  You want to be eating as if you weighed your target rate, and you want to not burn more calories than you are consuming.  Also don’t be afraid if you lose your six pack when bulking this is normal.  It’s going to happen (I know it sucks), but when you finish bulking and start cutting it will come right back.

And one more thing.  Just because you’re bulking this is not a free ticket to eat whatever you want.  If anything you should be even more concerned with what you eat.  Yes you have to pack on the calories, and yes your diet is going to be different but it should still be clean.  If you need 4,000 calories a day that doesn’t mean some pizzas, oreos, and big macs are on the menus.  Eat clean even when you are bulking.

Knowing When To Push

I am in the gym a lot, so I see a lot of different things go on. I see the people who get in there and get their workouts knocked out and get out.  I see those who are there for the communal support and spend an equal amount of time talking with friends as working out.

I see those who are rarely there, sporadic at best.  And I see those who are confident and those who are unsure.  I see those who need to spend less time on their phones and more time working out.

Everyone goes to the gym with a different mindset.  Everyone goes in with different goals.  There’s nothing wrong with any of them.  Some people need the interaction with others to motivate them.

Regardless of where you are at with your gym visits, make sure you challenge yourself.  At first when going to a gym, you are unsure, then you find a routine and it gets comfortable. You get used to the set pattern you have.  But you can’t settle.

You have to continue to grow and change. Every week you should be adding more reps, or more weights, even if you can only add 2.5 pounds then do it.  It’s still an increase.  Don’t be afraid if it’s just one rep more than you can do, but keep pushing yourself.  Don’t stay stuck, don’t get in a repetitive rut.  You should be out of breath by the end of your workout, you should be sweating, if you are not, push yourself more.