There’s so much emphasis at the beginning of the new year to start an exercise program. While all of this is well and fine, have you ever considered the fact that your teen needs to exercise as much as you do?

You might assume that because teenagers are so active and full of energy, they are getting all of the exercise that they need. But the fact is that teens need more exercise than simply hanging out at their friend’s house. Our personal trainers in NYC state that teens need a concerted amount of exertion, in order to promote good health.

Our personal trainers in NYC are concerned about the fact that today’s lifestyles doesn’t promote health or activity for teens. Today’s teens are more than likely to be hanging out at home, sitting in front of the computer, or watching some crappy television show. They also have a lot of disposable income, so they are able to purchase their own junk foods such as pizzas, burgers, etc. Let’s face it; today’s teens have it far more easier than when you were a teenager. As such, today’s teens also tend to be far more lazier.

Things were a lot different when you were a teenager. Back then, there was no such thing as social networking, YouTube, or music downloads. Back then, while some kids might have had an Atari in their home, teenagers had to go to the local arcade in order to have a wide selection of video games to play with. While it’s true that some lucky teenagers had vehicles, a large majority of teenagers had to walk to the arcade to play games. Or, they had to walk to a bus to hang out at the mall.

Our personal trainers in NYC have also noted that the teenagers of 20 to 30 years ago also were far more active outdoors. It was commonplace for teens to participate in extra-curricular activities such as basketball, football, volleyball, swimming, field hockey or cheerleading. At the very least, if a teen wasn’t participating in extra-curricular activities, then the teen had to get an after school job, if they wanted to have spending money. Times have certainly changed since then. Now, if a teen does work after school, they earn far more money than what you used to. This also means that they will spend far more money on junk food.

Not only this, but teens are more likely to spend their money on products that weren’t around when you were teenager. These products are designed for indoor entertainment, which keeps the teen from experiencing the physical activity that they need. Today’s teens are more likely to spend their time texting, playing games, or downloading music on their cell phones. On the other hand, when you were a teenager, you had to leave your home and hang out at the mall or the arcade to play games, listen to music, or connect with friends.

The lifestyle of today’s teen has created a health crisis and our personal trainers in NYC are extremely concerned. Teens are in danger physically, as the rate of obesity in teens and in children has skyrocketed. Our personal trainers in NYC have also noticed that today’s lifestyle has also had a negative impact on the emotional health of today’s teens as well. The fact is that teens aren’t socializing as they used to. Because teens are living in a bubble of technology, they are losing important emotional tools, such as social skills, civility, manners, and resilience.

With all of these in mind, our personal trainers in NYC state that it’s crucial for you as a parent to take charge in making sure that your teen is engaging in exercise, or at least some form of activity beyond typing and texting on an electronic device.

Here are some tips that you can employ, in order to motivate your teen to engage in exercise habits for life. First, understand that you will face a bit of an uphill battle in getting your teen to try something new, such as physical activity. If you remember your teen years, you probably rolled your eyes and rebelled a bit when your parents tried to impress upon you something new. However, you need to stand firm as the parent. You can also get your teen motivated slowly but surely when you employ these tips:

Make Movement Fun: If you remember when your teenager was young, then you know that running, jumping and moving around was as natural to your child as breathing. Therefore, find things for your teen to do that will get them moving, while getting them to have a good time. For example, playing games such as laser tag gets them running and moving, while giving them the opportunity to engage in playing games that are age appropriate. We can help you with a variety of weight loss programs NYC.

Plan Family Activities: Our personal trainers in NYC recommend that If you plan a trip to the beach or to a hiking trail, then your teen will have to engage in physical activity. When your teen sees that outdoor activities are fun, they’ll be more likely to engage in these activities on their own. You could also bring the family to one of our private personal training gyms in NYC. This way, your teens won’t feel that you are being a hypocrite when they see you being active as well.

Increase The Chores: If your teen isn’t helping out around the house, then you need to correct this immediately! Assign your teen household cleaning chores. Not only will this get your teen moving, but this will teach your teen how to care for their own homes in the near future.

Other Tips:

Make sure that your teen is getting up to 60 minutes of concentrated movement, up to five times a week. The teen can engage in outdoor activities, sports, or even dance. The important thing is that the teen is moving around and not sitting around on the computer all day and night. One of our top Personal trainers in NYC can help your teen develop an activity plan that will help to keep them active and healthy.

If you would like to learn more tips on how to motivate your teen to become more active, then call or email one of our personal trainers in NYC. One of our certified personal trainers in NYC would be more than happy to work with you, in order to improve the health of your teenager.

Now, you’ve a brand-new slate with a new year right before you that’s full of limitless opportunities.

How are you going to take a hold of your potential to make the best you that you can be?! I suggest capitalizing on the lessons of Dr. Maxwell Maltz in his famous book called “The New Psycho-Cybernetics.”

He established the initial science of self-improvement as well as success, so who better to consult if you are trying to bring your existence onto a higher level of being. His lessons have survived over the course of time.

Use what follows to get the most from 2012.

1) Employ the Imagination

If you believed that imagination was only prized in elementary school, reconsider. One of “The New Psycho-Cybernetics’” main points is the tactic of utilizing to both change and handle one’s self-image.

You might have been subjected to self-improvement tactics that press you to “act as if” or to “fake it until you make it.” They’re not going to help due to the fact that one’s self-image still is constant.

Based on information from Dr. Maltz, self-image is the secret to altering both one’s habits and behavior. If you desire to shed some pounds, you 1st must envision yourself as a man who’s lighter by some pounds, which can also be helped by seeing one of our personal trainers in NYC!

Delve into your imagination. Really envision yourself all those pounds lighter, perhaps after joining one of our private personal training gyms in NYC. Live a day of your week as this person who’s just lost a lot of weight, maybe even through the aid of one of our certified personal trainers in NYC. Fantasize all aspects to the smallest detail.

Based on Dr. Maltz’s opinion, this fantasy time is going to aid you in altering your self-image to that of someone who is a lot less heavy. Then, both your behavior and habits are going to follow suit.

2) Oppose Thoughts of Pessimism

Pessimistic thoughts are going to imminently come up as you lean on your imagination to visualize the ideal self. “I doubt I’ll lose some pounds. I’ve already attempted to lose weight earlier, and it failed. I’m never going to be thinner! This fantasy nonsense is laughable! It will fail me, too.”

The doctor asserts that the moment you obtain a pessimistic thought, just reject it. Refuse to entertain it at all.

The faster you get rid of pessimistic beliefs, the less they’ll hurt your self-image. After you get into the practice of rejecting them, you’ll notice that more and more pessimistic beliefs will disappear.

3) Nostalgia for your Future

It’s very tempting to feel nostalgia for your past, particularly when you only cherry-pick the so-called good memories. Yet what is the benefit of yearning for things that are already dead and gone?!

Instead, Dr. Maltz insists on creating nostalgia for future events.

In your fantasies, you have already dropped some weight; thus, begin yearning for the future! Your own self-image is going to obsess over that visual, and the nostalgic emotions will only provoke your fire further.

4) I’m the Type of Person that…

What type of human are you?

I’m the type of human who enjoys sweets.

I’m the sort of human who detests physical activity.

I’m the type of human who can’t stick to a weight loss regimen.

OR

I’m the sort of human who consumes healthy and fresh food.

I’m the type of man who values physical fitness.

I’m the type of human who keeps a healthy bodyweight.

Your self-image is going to satisfy any label that you impose on yourself. Yours is the power to command!

What type of human do you seek to be in the new year?

If shedding those pounds is a goal of yours in 2012, then either e-mail or phone me to set up a consultation with one of our certified personal trainers in NYC at (212)-255-5842 or at contactus@methodfitness.com. I’m the type of man who gets thrills out of watching clients just like you make their goals!!

Receive 50% off your first personal training session!
And get other great first-time benefits!

Even if you already belong to a gym, you can still work out with our personal trainers without paying any additional membership fees or initiation fees.

Just complete this form or call us at 212-255-5842, and let’s get started!

Do You Have Healthy Habits?

Do you eat the same thing for breakfast every morning? Are your gym visits always at the same time of day? Do you stick to a regular bedtime schedule?

Perhaps you are not so regimented. Maybe your gym schedule is crazy and your sleep schedule is chaotic. Maybe you eat whatever is put before you or whatever smells good at the moment.

Consider a famous quote by John Dryden “We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.”　

And other spoken by Confucius “Men’s natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them.”　

Why not one from Aristotle as well? “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”　

Obviously, some of the greatest thinkers in history agree that your habits determine what you ultimately become in life.

There are just two very important habits that healthy, thin people embrace exercise and healthy eating. Look at anyone who has a great body and you will see that they incorporate these two habits into their life in some manner. NYC personal trainers are often their best friends in health. 　

Are you unhappy with your body right now? Then seek out our weight loss programs in NYC or just use the following strategy for adopting healthy eating and exercise habits. 　

How to Create a Healthy Habit

Picking up a healthy habit is as simple as this 7 step process. 　

1) Select a single habit that you would like to adopt. Resist the temptation to take on several habits all at once, even if all those things do need work. It is more realistic to tackle them one at a time. 　

Do you need some ideas for healthy habits that will change your life?  Talk to our NYC personal trainers or use this quick list:

a.. Cut off all eating after 7 PM.

b.. Go back to your school days and start packing your lunch. c.. Pick four days and start exercising 45 minutes after work on those days. d.. Limit afternoon snacks to fresh produce. e.. Set the alarm early so you can exercise every morning for about an hour. f.. Set appointments with our NYC personal trainers two days a week.

2) Make this new habit real by putting it to paper. Then make a list of the three things motivating you to adopt this healthy habit. Then write down the obstacles that you may stumble upon along the way and how you plan to jump over them.

Here’s an example to show how this looks:

a.. I want to work on the healthy habit of meeting with my NYC personal trainers three times every week.

b.. I am motivated by these three things 1) bathing suit confidence come summertime. 2) Increased energy. 3) Looking amazing in those new skinny jeans.　

c.. I expect these obstacles to come my way 1) A general lack of energy after working all day.　 2) Not being able to afford weight loss programs in NYC or my personal training sessions. 3) My spouse will not support me emotionally.　

d..The solutions to these obstacles will be 1) Scheduling morning workouts with our NYC personal trainers rather than going after work. 2) Eliminating wasteful spending to make room in the budget for my weight loss programs in NYC. 3) Bringing my spouse into the process with me so we can get healthy together.

3) Go public with this goal so everyone knows what you are doing. This puts you on the spot so you either follow through or get embarrassed when others ask how you’re doing with that goal. Go to Facebook or Twitter and let everyone in on your new habit or just announce it at dinner to those closest to you.

4) Establish some form of progress monitoring. This could be simply　 marking on a calendar for every day you follow through it could be a journal or diary kept to record your journey. 　

5) Return to Facebook, Twitter, or those that you told in your private life and give regular updates on your journey. If you keep them updated on how you are doing they can offer invaluable support when things get hard.

6) Don’t let failures get you down. Specify what went wrong and come up with a solution to beat the obstacle next time around.

7) Give yourself a prize when you are successful. 　

Within 30 days you should settle into a routine and that healthy habit will feel like a normal part of your life. This is when you can add in a new healthy habit to build on your new healthy life.

I would love for my weight loss program in NYC to be your first healthy habit. Our NYC personal trainers can make a world of difference so give me a call today.

Laser Sharp Focus

You should have laser sharp focus on just one goal at a time for maximum success. If you tackle more than one at a time, you end up getting nowhere because your energy is so spread out. Keep it focused and you can always pick up another healthy habit when the first has been added with success. Go ahead and write all of your goals down and come back to that list as you accomplish each one.

Sign up for your 50% Off Introductory Session by calling (212) 255-5842 or visit our website at www.methodfitness.com

Do your goals typically go unmet? 　

There are more people used to failing at goals than there are people used to finding success. This is why those working in the self help industry are making a killing today. 　

The problem is the strategies typically used in the self help industry fail more often then they succeed. 　Personal trainers in NYC see it all too often.

The “Yale Goal Study” is often cited as proof that goal setting really works. In the 1950s researchers asked the graduating class of Yale if they had set goals that they wanted to accomplish in the next phases of their life. Only 3% of the class had done so. When researchers contacted members of the class 20 years later they discovered that the 3% of the class that had written down goals was wealthier than all of the others in the class put together.

That would speak very well for the art of goal setting…if only the story were true! 　

You can look through many different self help books and listen to many different motivational speakers referring to the Yale Goal Study, but it was never a real study.

One person who does know about the art of goal setting is Richard Wiseman.

He is a psychologist turned bestselling author who made it his mission to respond to the many illegitimate self help strategies being used today. He did tons of research and came up with a no-fail system for setting and achieving goals. 　

Wiseman’s book, 59 Seconds Change Your Life in Under a Minute, revealed five “Do This” strategies that are successful and five “Not That” strategies that are unsuccessful. They are listed right here for your benefit.

Do This: Set out the instructions with detailed steps.

Successful goal planning requires a plan that lists detailed steps that will lead up to accomplishment. 　If you aren’t sure how to do this, discuss it with one of our in home personal trainers in NYC for help.

Each of those goals must then be broken down into sub-goals that can be measured and which have a timeline attached. These sub-goals must be very specific.

a.. Not That Find someone you look up to and use them as inspiration for achieving your own goals.

No matter how much you admire someone else, that admiration will never be strong enough to keep your motivation high to achieve personal goals.

Studies have proven this.

Do This: Let others know what your goals are and that you are really going for them.

If you are serious about reaching your goal you won’t hide it from others.

Put it out there to your friends and family members so they can see you progress.

There are two reasons this strategy really works. The first comes down to pride. Once you tell everyone you are going to achieve this goal, you don’t want to publicly embarrass yourself with a failure. The second reason comes down to support. Once others know what you are doing they can support you in a very powerful way. Just having someone rooting for you can make a world of difference when the goal gets hard.

a.. Not That Focus on the bad elements of the goal achieving process.

Don’t focus on the bad things so much that they become a reality you have to live with. The mind is a powerful thing.

Do This: Keep your mind tuned to the positive elements of achieving your goal.

Keep the benefits of success close in mind so there is no room for the negatives.

List all the ways your life will be improved once this goal is accomplished.

Keep this list close at hand when you start to doubt or negative thoughts start to take over.

a.. Not That Negativity is forced out of mind.

Learn to deal with reality and the changes you have to make to be successful. This is more effective than trying to mentally resist the chocolate cake.

Do This: Use a reward system to acknowledge progress.

Studies have proven that people who reward themselves along the way are more successful.

The rewards should be unrelated to your goals or should help you reach your goals. If you reward yourself with cheesecake for losing ten pounds it will become harder to lose the next ten pounds.

a.. Not That Depend on willpower to get you through.

There is a reason most people struggle with willpower. It simply isn’t enough to bring success.

Do This: Set up a recording system to monitor progress.

Put your step-by-step plans, sub-goals, rewards and other program elements down on paper. This makes them real.

Set up a place to record your progress over time either in a notebook, in a computer file, or on a board somewhere in your home. This is a tremendous source of motivation.

a.. Not That Spend time imagining life after achieving your goal.

You cannot make the dream come true without real action. Thinking about how great life will be is unproductive.

Contact our personal trainers in NYC today if you are ready to put your goals into action. This is the only thing that will make the daydream your reality.

If you have trouble procrastinating or putting off your workouts until they never happen, there is a way to psych yourself up. Just make yourself get in the gym and start the workout. The trick is that those first few minutes trigger your desire to complete the workout. Getting started is the hardest part.

Sign up for your 50% Off Introductory Session by calling (212) 255-5842 or visit our website at www.methodfitness.com

Receive 50% off your first personal training session!
And get other great first-time benefits!

Even if you already belong to a gym, you can still work out with our personal trainers without paying any additional membership fees or initiation fees.

Just complete this form or call us at 212-255-5842, and let’s get started!

One common excuse personal trainers in NYC often hear from parents who aren’t eating healthy goes something like this: “I can’t get my kids to eat vegetables, whole grains, or anything else remotely healthy.” That is often followed up by something that goes like this: “and I can’t afford to cook two separate meals. Who has the time for that anyway?”

It seems a lot of people interested in weight loss programs in NYC want to get healthy. They know that they need to start consuming more fruits and vegetables and less fast food to do that, but turning around the eating habits of children to make it happen for the entire family is extremely challenging.

If you relate to these common complaints, you are like many others who turn to help and advice from personal trainers in NYC. The following tips are simple and straightforward answers to the problem.

No child is immune to healthy eating. You just have to approach the switch from fries to veggies in an appealing manner.

Make it Look Good

If you just hand a child a couple carrot sticks they are likely to turn their nose up and scream “I don’t like it!” The solution to this is to give them a combination of fruits and vegetables that with different colors.

Some examples might include:

• Fresh homemade fruit salad with strawberries, blueberries, apples, and cubed peaches.

• Individual veggie platters with cucumber slices, carrots, and grape tomatoes. Include an organic, natural dressing on the side for dipping fun.

Healthy Substitutions Go Undetected

One piece of advice frequently handed out by personal trainers in NYC to parent clients goes something like this: “You don’t always have to tell them they are eating healthy.” Try to select healthier substitutions for the foods your children like most.

What exactly defines healthy? This short list will tell you what to look for:

• 100% whole grains (pasta, bread, etc.)

• Organic foods

• Hormone-free meats

• Raw produce

The goal is to give the kids foods as close to their natural state as possible. You do this without telling them by making simple substitutions. For instance, make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with 100% whole grain bread, natural peanut butter, and perhaps fruit preserves with natural sweeteners.

Most kids won’t even notice the changes and those that do will adjust quickly. Parents following weight loss programs in NYC can even use this strategy to get healthier foods into their own diet without feeling deprived.

Sweet N’ Natural

Stop using the packaged sweeteners and switch to some of these much healthier, natural options:

• Nu Stevia

• Blue Agave Syrup

• Brown Rice Syrup

• Dates

If you can make your own applesauce or sauce from other fresh fruits, you can use that as a natural sweetener when baking. Since these ingredients are sweet and natural they allow you to create sweets for your children without contributing to the worldwide childhood obesity epidemic.

It is especially beneficial to switch from the sugary drinks kids love to drinks that are healthier and inspired by pure water. You may be able to create your own drinks with the above listed natural sweeteners or experiment with fresh fruit smoothies and hide some veggies in the mix.

Personal trainers in NYC hear parents complaining all the time about the eating habits of their children. You may be able to relate, but now you have the tools to turn it all around for your kids.

Sign up for your 50% Off Introductory Session by calling (212) 255-5842 or visit our website at www.methodfitness.com

You don’t have to take first place to earn awards from your first 5K. Even if you race for years and never come in first, there are five great awards that everyone collects just for putting themselves out there. Whether you finish first, twenty-first or dead last, these are five things that make all the work with in home personal trainers in NYC worth the sweat.

Award #1: A Runner’s Legs

If you aren’t already a leg-gazer when a runner pounds pavement in your direction, you should be. Next time you see someone out for a run notice how thin, well-toned, and perfectly tanned their legs are. If they are a serious runner, their legs will make you want to put down the cheeseburger and fall in line right behind them.

Running tones your calves, glutes and thighs like few other exercises can. When working with personal trainers in NYC to run a 5K, those with thunder thighs are able to achieve slim thighs they want to show off and those with virtually no butt find their rear ends lifted and firmed.

Award #2: Enviable Abs

Pair the amazing legs that your in home personal trainers in NYC can help you achieve with abs that others envy and you see the body of your dreams starting to take shape.  While training for your 5K you will go out on runs that burn a lot of calories and then perform cross training activities that burn even more calories.

Our personal trainers in NYC will help you compliment your runs with the right type of strength training so you develop awesome abs in a reasonable amount of time. While running alone naturally tones and strengthens the legs, you do need to add in the cross training and strength training to get that flat tummy or rock hard abs.

Award #3: A Giver’s Pride

5K races are held in honor of charity. There are hundreds of different races held across the country every single year and every one of them benefits a different charity. When you pay to enter the race and show up on the big day you get so much more than the body of your dreams. You get the pride and warm feelings that come with helping others.

If giving to others is important to you, look around at the races held in your area or areas you may want to travel to. Find something that you want to support and make giving an essential part of your new healthy lifestyle.

Award #4: New Friendships

Even if you work with our in home personal trainers in NYC to prepare for your 5K, you can guarantee you will meet a lot of great people when you get out there for the race. If you think having healthy-minded people around you may work to your benefit in the long run, look around your area for running clubs or other organizations.

Award #5: Routine of Success

All you have to do is set your mind to completing one 5K. That is typically enough to get you pumped to run your second 5K and maybe even a 10K, half marathon, or marathon in the future. It may seem unlikely right now, but running can be very addicting. It will definitely give you a new routine that leads to great success in this area of your life. 

Sign up for your 50% Off Introductory Session by calling (212) 255-5842 or visit our website at www.methodfitness.com

It is incredibly difficult to get yourself to workout after a hard day of work or dealing with the children, but what if it is the only realistic time you have to burn some calories and get rid of that extra flab? Personal trainers hear all the excuses and understand all the dilemmas from clients complaining about evening workout schedules and trying to explain away missed sessions.

The difficulties trying to get yourself to actually workout in the evening are completely understandable, but they don’t have to ruin your efforts to lose weight, tone up, or otherwise improve your life and your body. The following are some basic tips to help get your body in motion for that after-work workout!

Make it Routine

If you do the same thing at the same time day after day, it will eventually become routine. You will start to do it without thinking much about it, which means doing it without excuses! If you can determine a specific time that you will workout after work and do it daily for a solid week it will start to feel a bit like second nature. Do it for two weeks straight and you will feel it is routine and the excuses should be out the door.

Join a Personal Training Gym in NYC

Personal training gyms in NYC are different from regular gyms because all members come in to work with personal trainers for scheduled appointments. Since you actually have a personal trainer waiting for you to show up you can’t easily tell yourself that you’ll “just go tomorrow.” You have paid for the sessions. Your personal trainers are waiting for you. There is more incentive to show up! When you join a personal training gym in NYC you are guaranteeing that you will workout after work at least a couple days a week. You will still be able to workout from home on other days, if not having to travel is easier for you.

Make it Fun

Exercise doesn’t have to be boring or difficult. If you find something that you really enjoy doing it will be much easier to make yourself do it. Spend some time trying out different workout tapes or head to the gym and try out all the different equipment. If you can afford to hire a personal trainer for just one session they will be able to introduce you to a variety of different workout options that you might enjoy.Try out some group exercise classes. Go for an outdoor fitness boot camp class in NYC one night and Pilates or yoga the next. You never know what you will find enjoyable until you try it.

Reward Yourself

Set small rewards that can be collected after each full week of exercising every evening consistently. Try to make the rewards fitness related, such as a new pair of cross trainer shoes, workout clothes, or a new fitness DVD.

Out of all these recommendations, joining a personal training gym in NYC so you have access to skilled personal trainers is the best one. Not only does this help get you out the door for your after-work workout, but it ensures that your workouts are going to be effective so you really see results. Seeing those changes in your body will serve as constant motivation to keep you going for those after-work sessions!

personal trainers new york

Getting flat, sleek abs isn’t always easy.  However, the results you can achieve through hard work and determination are often well worth it!

For starters, no one is ever going to see your abdominal muscles if they are buried under a layer of fat. Therefore, if you have extra weight that you need to lose, you will need to shed those pounds before your ab muscles can truly be seen.  The best way to lose weight is to focus on eating foods that are low on the glycemic index such as salads, vegetables  and lean proteins .  Also making sure that you eat at least 5 small meals throughout the day is a good way to keep your metabolism reving.

You should also try to rev up your cardiovascular exercise routine.  A good way to do this to help maximize weight loss is to mix up the intensity of your cardiovascular workouts.  For example, if you have been doing your cardio at the same intensity everyday, let’s say at 40%-50% ,  try including some interval training on some of those days, alternate between high and low intensity 40%-80%, this will work wonders to help rev up your metabolism plus help you burn more calories in a shorter period of time.

Also, if you haven’t started a strength training regimen yet, now is the time to start.  This is because doing any type of resistance training is also a great way to get those metabolic fires burning.  Since you’re specifically trying to get your abs looking better, you will want to be sure to incorporate abdominal exercises into your workout routine.  Even if you still have some weight to lose, you’ll want to start doing your abdominal exercises right away.  That way, your abs will just be waiting to be revealed shortly after the extra weight comes off!

Perhaps you are a novice and not that knowledgeable on how to create an effective workout regimen.  If this is the case then one of our personal trainers here in New York City could be of great assistance to you.  They can work with you to create a workout routine that works well for your busy lifestyle while also taking your current fitness levels into account.

Keep doing those workouts and be careful about your eating habits, and I’m sure you’ll be seeing great looking abs in no time at all!