What’s your fitness goal? Running a marathon? Lifting more weight than you did last week? Power-walking around the block without feeling winded? Whether your athletic aspirations are lofty or not, finding the energy to get up and go can be a challenge.

When it comes to helping individuals reach amazing fitness goals, The Body by Broadway Team knows a thing or two about motivation. The Body by Broadway Team have coached and trained several Fitness and Body Building Champions.  More importantly,  they help individuals like yourself set and reach their health and fitness goals on a daily and weekly basis. Here are some of his tips to ensure success on your fitness path.

Name a dream goal that you’re passionate about
Dream goals define the ultimate achievement. The key to setting a goal is to find something you’re passionate about. The passion you feel for your ultimate goal is the foundation that will give you the drive and commitment to stay on your journey.

Set realistic and challenging confidence-builder goals
Once you have a dream goal, it’s time to work backwards to determine the steps necessary to reach that goal. These steps determine the roadmap that ensures you stay on the right route. Confidence-builder goals provide the opportunity to see and recognize steady progress.

Focus on the process
Instead of concentrating only on results, try setting process-oriented goals. With weight loss, you can focus on outcome (losing five pounds, for instance) or process (such as making better decisions about food). Achieving process-oriented goals increases the likelihood of reaching your outcome goals because they focus on the steps needed to get you there.

Know the difference between a setback and derailment
A setback is a temporary detour from your planned route, such as a week when you don’t stick to your regular exercise regimen. A derailment occurs when you abandon your goals completely because you think you’ve gone too far off track. Setbacks happen. The trick is to recognize a setback before it escalates into a full-scale derailment.

Recognize and celebrate your accomplishments
When you reach a goal, take credit for the work you’ve done. Don’t just shrug it off for the sake of being humble. Be proud! Now turn your attention to the next goal, aiming for the day when you can again celebrate for completing another step toward your dream goal.

Sound easy enough?  If it was easy everyone would be doing it, right?  It takes hard work and commitment to make lifestyle changes.  Working with professionals that have proven processes in place makes a world of difference.  Contact the Body by Broadway team to learn about how we can help you set your goals and more importantly, achieve them!

Credit: by Elizabeth M. Ward, M.S., R.D.

http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/abs-health/eat-heal

Want to get the most out of your workout?  Then eat the right foods beforehand. Although you may be tempted to skip the calories, the food you eat before you exercise will fuel your workout and maximize your efforts and results.

“If I don’t have my pre-exercise meal, my workout isn’t the same and it feels like a waste,” says Manuel Villacorta, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and founder of Eating Free. “If you fuel correctly you’ll workout harder.”

Eating before a workout also prevents low blood sugar, which leads to light-headedness and fatigue.  That said, you don’t want to eat the wrong thing before you head out for a run. Here are the best foods you can eat within an hour before your workout.

Bananas
“They’re nature’s PowerBar,” boasts Dr. Louise Burke, head of Sports Nutrition at the Australian Institute of Sport and coauthor of The Complete Guide to Food for Sports Performance: Peak Nutrition for Your Sport. Bananas are loaded with digestible carbohydrates (read: fuel) and are packed with potassium, which aids in maintaining nerve and muscle function. The body doesn’t store potassium for very long, so a medium banana before a workout will help keep nutrient levels high. Villacorta especially recommends bananas for morning exercisers: “Get up and eat a medium banana with 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt. Wait about 30 minutes and then hit the gym. Your body will need the carbohydrates and protein.”

Oats
Oats are full of fiber, which means they gradually release carbohydrates into your bloodstream, Burke points out. (But they’re not so full of fiber that they’ll cause gas.) This steady stream keeps your energy levels consistent during your workout. Oats also contain B vitamins, which help convert carbohydrates into energy. Help yourself to one cup at least 30 minutes before you begin exercising.

Wholegrain bread
A slice of wholegrain bread is a good source of carbohydrates. “And it has flexible partners,” says Burke. “Top it off with jam or honey for more fuel or sliced up hard-boiled eggs for high-quality protein.” If you’re hitting the gym during your lunch break, grab some bread about 45 minutes before you head out. “Top it with a couple slices of turkey,” suggests Villacorta. “At this time of day, you should eat about 30 grams of carbohydrates and 15 to 20 grams of protein.”

Fruit smoothies
Fruit smoothies are high in carbohydrates and high-quality protein. Better yet: “They’re easy to consume and are rapidly digested,” says Burke. Try blending 1/2 cup plain, low-fat yogurt, 1/2 cup fruit and 1 cup fruit juice. “People tend to skip fruit and other foods that are high in carbs,” says Villacorta, “but protein doesn’t break down fast enough to become fuel for a workout. The carbs from fruit break down quickly and the protein is used later to prevent muscle damage.”

What to avoid
If you’re going to stray from this list, there are a few things you should keep in mind. Be sure to avoid fatty foods before working out—fat leaves the stomach very slowly, which means you’ll feel full and sluggish and could cramp up easily. Although carbohydrates are good, you should not get them from raw sugar or candy. Either of those foods will cause a sugar rush and probably a crash while you’re mid-workout. Also, don’t overeat before you workout. These are all snack—not meal—suggestions. Eating too much can cause indigestion, sluggishness, nausea and vomiting.

Credit to Men’s Fitness

http://www.mensfitness.com/fitness-evolved/best-pre-workout-foods

Where to Start

The first place to start would probably be figuring out how many calories to consume on a daily basis. It would also be a good idea to speak with a doctor or nutritionist to find out what a good goal weight would be for you. Once you have this starting information, you can then figure out what types of food you can consume to meet your calorie goal.

Deciding what to eat is also important. Gaining weight is not simply a matter of eating junk food. It does mean eating more of whole foods, particularly calorie dense food (nuts, peanut butter, cheese, dried fruits and avocados.)

Using supplements that are geared toward weight gain may be helpful but be sure to read the labels and understand what you are consuming.

Exercise

The type of exercise you do is also a factor. Resistance training like lifting weights is ideal for weight gain. You build muscle which adds on size. Cardio exercise is still an option.   However, I would probably stick to interval training rather than steady-state cardio like running to help avoid losing any muscle that you put on.   Get in touch with one of our knowledgeable trainers to find out the best way to tackle this challenge!