Here are 50 tips & ideas (and a few cool quotes) on food, eating, exercise, rest and lifestyle that will help you have a healthy and inspiring 2010.

Food

1 – Find more sources for local grass fed & organic farms, CSA’s, co-ops, markets, health food stores and ‘green’ restaurants.

2 – Find out which foods are seasonal where you live. Eat more of those and less imported produce.

3 – Spending a little more money or time getting real food supports more than just your vanity or health. It also balances out with less medical expense now and in the future. You get more bang for your buck in nutrition and energy. More energy = more productivity in pursuit of your dreams.

4 – Eat less sugar, eliminate processed ‘food’ and eat more fresh fruits & veggies.

5 – If the only veggies you eat are white potato, spinach and broccoli, try something new like kale, collar, chard, arugula or seaweed.

6 – Try fermented foods like sour kraut, kim chi and kefir. These traditional foods can be found at farmers markets or through your local Weston A Price group.

7 – Eat more grass fed meats, homemade broths, wild game and fish.

8 – Drink less of ‘everything else’ and more water.

9 – Don’t drink while eating.

10 – Start a small organic garden with friends.

11 – Develop a healthier relationship with food – it sustains your life. Stop abusing it and your body. Food gives you energy to do what you do. Real food nourishes you & the planet.

12 – Chew your food well. ‘Drink your food and eat your water.’

13 – Remember there is a war gong on for your food right now. There are only 5 corporations that own 80% of the worlds food supply. Your food, shopping and health is a serious global matter for everyone.

“Let food be thy medicine, and let thy medicine be food.” Hippocrates

Mindset

14 – Begin with the end in mind. Create a vision for your life (10-20 years) and then chunk it down to smaller steps. Set long term (12 month), mid term (6 month) and short (1 month) goals. Write them down so you see it everyday. Take action on (at least) one thing every day.

15 – Link your goals to other parts of your life that you love. For example, take your main fitness or weight loss goal, write out 20 reasons how it improves your personal relationships, romantic life or spiritual life. Find out how your goal benefits your children, family, work productivity or your ability to make more money. Connect the dots and your goal becomes more meaningful. This will keep you consistent and enhance the overall journey to optimal health.

16 – This exercise will give you a compelling reason WHY you want to succeed. Set up the ‘How to’ and keep your eye on the ‘Why’.

‘He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.’  Friedrich Nietzsche

17 – Practice being optimistic. Don’t be naive or try to be positive all the time, stay balanced and focus on what you want. Expect good things and go out and make it happen.

18 – Count your blessings & practice gratitude. Remember the things we have now are things we once wanted.

‘There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.’ Albert Einstein

Rest

19 – Wind down and dim the lights an hour before bed.

20 – Don’t eat right before bed.

21 – Don’t watch TV and work on the computer just before you go to bed. Instead, take a bath, read, or create your own evening ‘chill out’ session. This can be meditation, prayer, creative work, quiet time, romance or a gentle mind-body workout.

22 – Get to bed by 10:30 PM

23 – Sleep at least 8 hrs a night

24 – Sleep in complete darkness (no little blinking lights from VCR’s, etc in the bedroom)

‘Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleave of care. The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath. Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, Chief nourisher in life’s feast.’ William Shakespeare, Macbeth

Exercise

25 – Most people will be ALL OR NOTHING for this first month (or two) which is the wrong way to do it. Balance is the right way. Find the best time of the day you can workout and put it in your schedule.

26 – Balance it out according to your overall energy & vitality. The more energy you have, the harder you can workout. The more tired you are, the softer the workout.

27 – If you have an injury, you need rehabilitation first. Find an expert who can assess your physical body, condition and fitness levels and design a corrective or rehabilitative program so you can restore normal function, get healthy and stronger.

28 – Beginners starting new exercise programs – Find something you enjoy and learn from a pro. Start slow and easy with short workouts.

29 – Beginner to Intermediate – learn all primal movements (squat, lunge, deadlift, push, pull, core). Learn several styles/systems of movement & exercise. Challenge yourself, but honor your limits.

30 – Intermediate workouts – if you have been training consistently for awhile, make sure you change some variable in your workout every 3-4 weeks. You can do different types of programs (intervals, circuits, strength training), different exercises (push ups – swiss ball dumbbell – standing cable pushing; abs on ball – rotation exercises on ball), different reps / sets / tempos (speed of movements) or try yoga or kettlebell class.

31 – Advanced workouts – Find an expert who can teach you kettlebells, athletic conditioning, advanced swiss ball, olympic lifting, mixed martial arts or advanced yoga. If you are competing, honor your rest.

32 – Late evening mind body workouts should be gentle. Don’t raise your heart rate and practice deep breathing thats timed with slow movements.

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.  Plato

Eating

33 – Spend less time focusing on TV or talking while eating. Focus more on gratitude for your food. Pay attention to how you meals make you feel.

34 – Eat as soon as possible after your workout.

35 – Eat breakfast like you mean it!

36 – Eat 4-6 times per day.

37 – Eat protein, fat and carb at every meal.

38 – Don’t diet. Don’t ever, ever diet.

39 – Eat according to your metabolic needs, not trendy ideas.

40 – Pay attention so you know when you’ve had the right amount. Your body is highly intelligent. Get the crap processed foods & chemicals out and listen to your body. The body never lies.

‘One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.’  Virginia Woolf

Lifestyle

‘And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.’ Abraham Lincoln

41 – Foot Massage at Work – Keep your diet, socks and shoes clean. Take them off under your desk at work. Bring a tennis ball and roll the bottom of your feet while at your desk. No one will know and it feel really good!

42 – If your feet, underarms or breath stink, you need to clean out your body and clean up your diet.

43 – Detox – make sure you sweat and poop consistently. If you go for one day without pooping – your constipated.

44 – Take at least one day off and do nothing related to work.

45 – Stress is a part of life – accept it. We are supposed to have support and challenge. Whatever is stressful in your life, tackle it head on, find its purpose and move on to your next challenge.

46 – If you don’t love what you do now, start doing what you’d love on the side. If you want to get more enthusiastic about your current career, be more productive and reduce stress, go through the benefits of your paycheck. How does your current career benefit all other areas of your life? The more benefits you link to your career, the more inspired you become.

‘Make your vocation your vacation.’ Tony Robbins

47 – Make massage, acupuncture, steam, walks in the park or beach a regular part of your lifestyle.

48 – Work Life Balance isn’t about managing your time. How you spend your time is a reflection of your priorities. Prioritize your health, rest and activities that inspire you. You will then have true balance, more energy and time for other things that need to get done.

49 – People are your greatest resource. If you need help, reach out. There are people in your life who love you and want to see you succeed.

50 – Start each day with a ‘To Do’ List. Check off what you get done and whatever didn’t get done goes on tomorrow’s list.

“Vitality and beauty are gifts of Nature for those who live according to its laws.” Leonard Da Vinci

Ultimately these are just a few ideas to get you thinking for yourself. Its up to you to discover what works best for you. These are some ideas that can help you stay focused and seeing great improvements in your health, fitness, overall health & vitality.  I wish all the the best this year to everyone reading this.

It’s going to be a really interesting year for this planet and an exciting for all of us. Thank you for reading my blog!

Please share your thoughts or any other tips you plan on using this year…

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So these posts have gotten pretty popular. I also got some of my guy friends and colleaugues from all over the states involved…so I’m going to change the title…stay tuned as I will be posting Top Three Tips for a Healthy and Inspired Life from real world fitness, wellness & nutrition experts over the next few days….

Jessica is amazing…she is a reservoir of love & positive energy….we have worked together for years…she trained consistently through her pregnancies and has two awesome baby boys, the coolest & most supportive husband and a really funny dog named Charlie. Here are her top tips…

1.  Eat whole foods that suit your body.  The “if it wasn’t on the planet 10,000 years ago, don’t eat it” rule is so simple and so true.

2.  Train 5x week (unless too exhausted, then rest and relax). Combine functional training and pilates with sort bursts of intense cardio.

3.  Be curious. Seek out information and inspiration to stay motivated.

Stephanie plays volleyball, tennis, rides bikes,skis, goes climbing and is a real world outdoor fitness rockstar…I love how she keeps it simple and here are her simple tips to an awesome life…

1) Fail to Plan = Plan to Fail - in terms of food preparation, this rule never fails.

2) Sleep and recovery are critical for success - sleeping undisturbed between 10 PM and 2 AM are key to energy, clarity, weight loss and digestion…then sleeping until 6:30 or 7 AM for full physical regeneration.

3) Water, water, water!!!

Got more great tips coming so stay tuned….and have an awesome weekend!

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Leading Fitness Experts Give The Gift Of Health To the World with the Biggest Ever Health and Fitness Giveaway This Holiday Season!

On Wednesday, December 10, my colleague Dax Moy and over 250 of the world’s top
fitness professionals will open the doors on the World’s largest ever
health and fitness gift-giving event, set to generate positive health for
over 500,000 people this Christmas

I was involved in this last year some of you may remember and it was very cool!
The program, called ’12 Days of Fitness’ initially began when the UK’s
leading fitness professional, Dax Moy, wanted to express his gratitude
to his clients and offered them a gift a day for 12 consecutive days as
his twist of the 12 Days of Christmas.

Last year Moy shared this idea with fellow fitness professionals & the world at large and gave fitness gifts to
over 200,000 people who signed up at the site at www.12daysoffitness.com.

This year, with the help of 250 of the world’s top personal trainers,
nutritionists, therapists and specialist fitness experts, the 12 days
of fitness is set to become the biggest fitness gift giveaway in
history with expected downloads of over 500,000 between the 10th and
22nd of December. “There’s never been another health event like this,
where so many people stand to benefit from the expertise of true
professionals for free” says Moy who has been working flat out to make
this year’s 12 days a success.

“Fitness professionals from around the globe have contributed hundreds
of e-books, reports, videos, meal plans and other free gifts in their
hope of making 2009 the year that anyone, regardless or their location,
financial situation or past failures, can finally reach their fitness
goals and make those New Year’s Resolutions a reality once and for all.”

Perhaps the best part of the 12 Days of Fitness giveaway is that
regardless of a persons health or fitness goals, there are going to be
gifts specifically designed to help them achieve success.

“We’ve received gifts designed for busy mom’s, elite athletes,
bodybuilders, back pain sufferers and pretty much anyone else you can
imagine covering everything from fat loss to rehabilitation and
everything in between.

There literally will be something for everyone this year and all of it
free, making it, without a doubt, one of the most important gifts
anyone will receive this year. After all, what’s more important than
health?”

The 12 days of gift giving starts December 10th but those interested are urged to visit www.12daysoffitness.com right away to sign up for their free gifts.

Once enrolled, participants will get a daily email telling them how to
access each of the new gifts that are being added each day as well as a
reminder on how to access previous gifts.

To guarantee a healthy start to 2009, simply visit www.12daysoffitness.com today.

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One of the most common questions I get is how to get rid of the pooch belly and finally flatten your abs!

If you followed the past few posts, you would have learned of foods that can trigger bloating, digestive disorders and other health problems.

If you pay attention to what you eat, you will discover some of the ‘health’ foods you might
be eating are not so healthy.

If you want results – there are certain things you must do in a certain way.  This is the first and most important of those certain things – paying attention to and identifying what does not work for your body.

The next step is UNDERSTANDING the steps involved and then applying them.

Results are not random and dont come from desperate measures like fasting, dieting and hard group fitness classes.

If you are one of the millions who wants to get a quick fix and skip over the real deal, then your in for a
long, confusing and disappointing struggle.  You will have plenty of company and glossy colorful magazines to support your journey, but you wont get results.

The third rule of flat abs is:
3 – There are NO quick fixes to problems that took 15+ yrs to create.

4 – Eliminate all foods that cause bloating & gas.

5 – Never skip meals.

6 – Eat 4-6 times per day – no matter what!

7 – Drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water per day.  If you are peeing a lot, then add a pinch of Celtic sea salt to your water bottles.

8 – Eat fat, protein and carb at each meal. Not sure which fats, proteins and carbs or how much are right for you?  Get my book when it comes out in the next week or two.  I will offer a killer discount for the first 2 or 3 days only for my loyal readers and it will include bonus gifts and an exclusive fat burning interview where I reveal all of my secrets.

9 – Get to bed by 10:30 pm every night – no matter what.  Staying up late produces cortisol (stress hormone) which makes it IMPOSSIBLE to get healthy and lose fat.  It also encourages fat to be stored around your mid-section.  Coffee addiction does the same thing, by the way.

10 – Exercise the right way, the right amount and eat immediately after your workout.  By the way, exercising the right way does not include long boring cardio sessions. Too much cardio inhibits fat loss.

11 – Not sure exactly how to train for best results – get a coach, not a trainer. A coach is someone who will work with you and support you & not only design an exercise program based on your body, your posture and your goals – but also take into consideration other lifestyle factors that affect your ability to get results including stress.  A trainer is someone who counts reps and talks to others while you are doing
exercises that are largely ineffective.

12 – Crunches and abs classes do not create a killer 6 pack. Total body strength training and interval training does. The right kind of core conditioning does. Avoiding the foods and alcohol that make you fat does.  You must also eat foods that make you lean as well.

13 – I am going to cover the right exercises for flattening your abs in the next few blog posts so stay tuned…

In fact, if you follow my blog, I will be giving away an incredible fr.e.e report on the best ab exercises for
flattening your abs in the next week or two.

In the meanwhile, check out these core exercises from Craig Ballantyne, one of the FEW people I respect in the fitness industry.  Watch yourself in the mirror or practice with a friend to make sure your posture is correct when you do these.

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