Exactly How I Reduced 27% of my Total Body Fat Weight in 77 Days

If you have been keeping up with me, you know that I started a serious physical lifestyle change on July 20th.

On July 19th...my back rehab was going well, I was just starting to be able to work out conventionally again wanted to find out how much I lost and how much I needed to gain back.

Then came my Body Composition Test with Zach Weston at the AIM Institute of Lifestyle Medicine.  The results were worse than I thought and told me I needed to make a change ASAP.  I wasn't being who I knew I was with my fitness.

So it was time to get serious:

Zach's testing determined two things: My body composition in terms of what I was composed of and where exactly I best burned body fat when I was doing cardiovascular activities.  If my heart rate exceeded 131 bpm to 140 bpm I began to burn sugar instead of fat which wouldn't help me.  That was key to understand.

Zach recommended I add approximately 2 hours of cardio activity in this specific heart target range a week, on top of my regular Crossfit workouts.

I knew from my experience with low glycemic meal plans that I was having a hard time with some carbohydrate cravings and needed to get rid of those to make progress.

Step 1: Reduce Carbohydrate Cravings so I could eat a 100% Healthy Diet

Solution: USANA's 5 DAY RESET PROGRAM

Result: That took off 6 lbs my first week and more importantly reduced any sugar cravings or those bad carbohydrate cravings.

Step 2: Find a cardio activity that I enjoyed & increasing my intensity at Crossfit Division.

Solution: SLED PULLING

Result: I'm not a person who can just go out and run.  I'd rather stop being an entrepeneur and go get a job then run (well not really, just saying that for effect).  Pulling a sled weighted with 110 lbs put my heart rate at 140 bpm.  I pulled the sled with a hard walk in intervals of 400 metres x 4 for a total of 1.6 km.  I did this 4  times per week.  That gave me my missing cardio.

Step 3: EATING A LOW GLYCEMIC LIFESTYLE

Solution: I replaced my breakfast (typically) with USANA's Nutrimeal and made sure that my diet consisted of lots of fresh vegetables, chicken, fish, lean turkey, olive oil, etc.  I stopped drinking milk, eating bread, rice, cereal and any other high glycemic food to keep my blood sugars stable.

Result: My body began to change rapidly. I lost 15 lbs of body fat in my first 30 days.  Then I reduced my body fat a further 2.5% in the next 6 weeks.

Now I'm on what I call - Phase 3.  My final goals are to add 15 lbs of lean mass and further reduce my body fat by 14 lbs.  I really appreciate the kind comments that people are saying to me recently and you've kept me ultra focused on reaching my next set of goals.

How I Let Go of my Bad Health Habits

I've struggled hard with getting back into the habits necessary to take my body back to it's former athletic self for quite some time.  Yes I've had injuries, but if I was being 100% honest with myself, I knew I had some bad habits. Can you relate? You have the full intention that this time is the time that you're going to do everything it takes to get back to your former self...three weeks in you start to miss workout or two, suddenly something you shouldn't be eating slips back into your diet...and the circle is complete.

You're right back where you started from!  Frustrating...

Well, I can tell you, that since July 20th...I have not ingested any refined sugar, sweets, treats, bread, milk, pasta, rice or anything else detrimental to my fitness goals (I did have two beers last night...sue me).  I've added two hours of cardio activity per week on top of 3 Crossfit workouts each week.  With the exception of being away mid August...I've been 100% consistent.

As a result, I've cut 24 lbs from my frame.  

Now the question...what changed? It was a combination of things...

• First of all, my body composition test on July 20th really told me that all my efforts to that point wasn't working and it really pissed me off.  I was better than that!
• I found a cardio activity that I enjoyed outside of organized sports in sled pulls.  
• I changed the music that I was listening to.  Instead of listening to the same old three chord punk rock...I picked certain tracks that gave me inspiration and goose bumps when I listened to them. 
• I began to visualize what I would look like when I scheduled my next body composition test a month later.  That gave me accountability to the only person that mattered...me.
• I told myself, by August 20th, I would be 10 lbs lighter - instead I was 15 lbs lighter.
• I immediately set another goal for phase two: I set another body composition test on October 2nd and said on that day I will further reduce my body fat by 7.1% and be a solid 220 lbs.  That was an ambitious goal and I'm very close to the pace that I'll need now.

...and finally...I WAS WILLING TO STOP AT NOTHING TO GET THERE!!! Yes there are days when I don't want to workout, but the pain of discipline weighs much less than the pain of regret.  I made the choice to drag my butt out each and every day to do something physical.

As time goes on, I'll share exactly how my program works and hopes that it gives you the inspiration to transform your life.

Greg

5 Tips to Being a Good Networker

Hi there...

I just attended a networking function this morning and it made me want to scream a little.  You walk into a room, introduce yourself to somebody, they shake your hand and then they instantly try selling you their product or service....YIKES!

After I was able to politely get away from the conversation I was thinking that the person wasn't a bad person, they just likely didn't have the training to conduct themselves properly at a function.

With that in mind, I thought I'd put together 5 Quick Tips to Handle Yourself Professionally at a Networking Function:

1 - Networking functions are about expanding your network, not about prospecting, if it's your goal to sell your product rather than make a genuine connection, you'll find yourself on the outside.

2 - Be respectful of somebody's time when you meet them.  Don't try to find out everything about them right then and there.  This person is also trying to expand their network and that doesn't mean they want to speak with you the whole time.

3 - For anybody that you meet that you have a connection with.  Call them up soon after and ask them out for a coffee to deepen the relationship and better your understanding of their business for potential referrals.

4 - Sometimes people are nervous at networking functions.  For anybody that you recognize as new, help them feel comfortable and introduce them to some of the people you know already.

5 - Smile and introduce yourself to somebody within 30 seconds of being there.  Tension over and done with! Now you can relax and enjoy the conversation.

Be a PRO at the next event!

Material Things Do Not Motivate Me

Amazing...I am floored.  I always thought that I was strongly motivated by having the assets in place to accumulate the finer things in life.

I just found out that I've been completely misaligned in my life pursuits.

Here would be a typical day for me: Completely in the zone, very serious, very focused, reserved and almost robot like:

What really motivates me is knowing that I had a hand in helping somebody else get out of their own way and watching them go out and achieve greatness.  Creating a tight knit group that loves spending time together, that energizes, motivates and inspires others to reach up and grasp something that they never thought was possible for themselves ALL BY HAVING FUN!

I've watched the movie The Shift by Wayne Dyer before and I really didn't get it.  For those of you that have seen it, maybe you're in the same boat that I was.  Why wouldn't you want to aim your life's pursuits at wealth creation? That fire ran deep in me and it still does, but now it's different.

It's not longer about the money anymore.  Yes money is the side effect of helping others reach their potential but the real reward is helping that person achieve their own breakthrough, no matter how big or no matter how small.

I have been very grateful in my life to have the type of life that I do to this point, but it's no longer about that. There are so many other people out there that need to experience a shift in their alignment so they can experience their passions.

All of the sudden, I finally know exactly what I want in my life.  Very grateful that I figured it out at age 35.

Here's what I'm creating more of:

Knowing Where You Are...

Many of my mentors have told me that it's important to get specific of where you are today so you can measure your progress while you advance.  In business I've pretty much been in line with that philosophy.  In my workouts, I haven't.

Some of you know that I've been fighting a disc protrusion for quite some time that I've finally been able to put behind me.  As a result, I've just started to build back my strength and get my workouts in consistently over the past 4-5 weeks.

Last week, I was presented with an opportunity to participate in a metabolic conditioning study and was also subjected to a BOD POD body fat analysis (pictured below).  The BOD POD is also 4 times more accurate then using calipers.

 
You get to wear ultra tight boxer shorts and a swimmer's cap so that the air pressure can accurately read your body composition.  I knew I had some work to do and knew that some of it wasn't related to injury.  The resulting analysis rocked my world.  I had no idea how far out of spec I was.  It just goes to show you that fully understanding where you are at a given time is so critical for focus.  Since receiving my report, I've got a renewed sense of focus and drive to get things where they need to be.  It's only been 3 days, but I've been ultra strict with my diet and ultra strict with my workouts.

I've very excited how my body is responding in a such a short time already.  I can already feel a difference as I target my baseball playing weight with the lean mass I've built at Crossfit.  At this current pace I should be where I want to be in 8 weeks.

So I can't recommend enough to get your baselines done when you're striving for a new goal whether it be financial, health, etc...Yes it may initially be uncomfortable and sometimes embarrassing, but for laser focus, there's nothing like it.

Your Health - The Compound Effect

I'd like to tell you a story.  It's about my dad and how he indirectly influenced me to take responsibility for my long term health.  You see, my dad was a walking billboard of health in the early 1980's.  He was weight training 6 days a week and only had the one real bad habit...smoking.  We urged him to quit and he finally did before the decade was out.  Unfortunately, like many ex-smokers do, they begin to gain weight because their focus turns to another addiction.  FOOD.

My dad spent 18 years in chosen profession working up the Corporate ladder and each time he was promoted he was faced with more responsibility, longer hours, more office politics and ultimately stress.  It finally caught up with him at age 49.  His smoking past, food past and current stress led to his first angioplasty.  That's where an artery is completely or partially blocked and they send a balloon like device into the blockage and inflate it to open up the blood flow.  That procedure was followed by a second one at age 51, and a third one age 52.  A double bypass followed 10 years later.  These occurrences did not just manifest overnight.  It wasn't a mistake.

They began with small choices each day on the day added up over time.  The Compound Effect.

Too many people leave their health to chance and only appreciate how valuable it is once it's gone or if they finally encounter a symptom of degenerative disease.  Did you know the first symptom of a heart attack in 40% of the cases is death?

It doesn't have to be that way.  Modest exercise, optimal cellular nutrition and a healthy low glycemic diet can add years to your life.

How healthy are you? Find out in two minutes with a free Health Assessment Tool:

http://tinyurl.com/7m7tewf

Four Expenses That Keep The Middle Class Struggling

1. Taxes – Most people have a job, they have to work hard, follow instructions from their bosses and superiors and get paid.  They don’t own their time.  These are people who love security or tenure.  They will work hard to climb up the corporate ladder.  The higher they climb the ladder, the higher their pay is.  Sad to say, the higher their pay is, the higher their taxes are.  And it’s not them getting rich, it’s their bosses, it’s their company.  Time will come soon enough, when they will begin to burn out and get tired.  Their body will collapse because of stress and age.  And when they stop working, they will also stop receiving income.

2. Debt – Raising taxes forces people to live with more debt, since more and more of people’s money goes to the Government to fund social programs.  Credit cards will become more essential for daily survival and ultimately people without access to credit will begin to slip below the poverty line.

3.  Inflation – The primary cause of inflation is the Government printing money.  Inflation is caused by the purchasing power of your money going down as more and more dollars flood the existing pool of money, which means prices of many essential products, such as food, fuel and services go up as more dollars chase the same amount of goods.  Inflation is often called “the invisible tax”, which is hardest on the poor, elderly, savers, low income workers and fixed income retirees.

4.  Retirement – How do you take care of an aging population that cannot provide for themselves? The answer to that question may well be more expensive than the current world economic woes.  Today, many families are entering into financial bankruptcy due to retirement and even medical costs.

Clearly, the traditional means of working a 40 year career are not working…The only question that remains is what are you going to do differently?

Week 2 - Stepping It Up and Doing a RESET

The first week always has to the hardest but I'm glad to report I've had no injury set backs.

Changing strategies, in the past I found I'd tweak my back, tweak it again, create more inflammation and then it eventually got the point where I had to shut things down to get it back under control...some days were so bad that I had difficulty putting my own pants on.  So what I did differently was I stopped doing some overhead lifts and got back to doing some hard cardio/resistance training...THE SLED!

Got two sessions in of 800 metres hauling 135 lbs and two good running sessions in training for my 5 K.

I must say I'm feeling pretty good now that the warmer weather is here.

I cut weight the best when I eat 95% clean and can get in 4 workouts per week.

This week I have three scheduled already at Crossfit Division and three more running sessions.

I also have my RESET program coming Wednesday.  That will easily cut about 5 to 7 lbs and kill any left over carbohydrate cravings.

My overall goal is reduce 12 lbs of body fat and build 12 lbs of lean mass by August 13th.  That's usually hard to do simultaneously but if any program can do it, it's Crossfit!

Getting Back into Great Shape - Day 1

So I'm taking on the commitment of getting back into great shape.  

Fighting off a back issue and parenthood has cut down on the training time, so I'm going to have to be very focused if I'm going to hit my August 13th deadline.

My diet is primarily going to be a low glycemic, well balanced diet supported with optimal cellular nutrition from USANA Health Sciences.

My aim is get 8 hours of sleep a night and stop being such a night hawk.  Sometimes I can't turn my brain off and view sleeping as a waste of time.  This needs to improve as healthy sleep habits play a critical role in overall health.

I'll get my strength exercises from Crossfit Division as well as some cardio.

The trick is going to be having the desire and drive to run on days that Tracy is working her 7 to 7's where I can't Crossfit because of Kevin.  I confess I hate running but want to challenge myself, so I've entered myself into a 5 km run on in mid August and my goal is to finish in under 30 minutes.

I'm following a program where I'm going to run for 1 minute, walk for 90 seconds for a total of 20 minutes...

So to recap the weekly goals: 3 Crossfit Workouts, 3 Additional running days...

Wishing you health and prosperity

Greg