“How soon ‘not now’ becomes ‘never’.” ~ Martin Luther

1. Remember that amazing feeling you get after a great workout? Whenever you feel the instinct to skip a sweat session, imagine how accomplished and energized you feel after just 30 minutes of cardio or an hour of training.

2. On days you can’t meet with me (or your trainer), find a workout partner! If you set a time to meet someone, you’ll feel obligated to go, even when your mind and body are telling you otherwise.

3. MUSIC!!!!  Music is so important in pumping you up and can alter your mood, so create yourself a new playlist each month of whatever gets you hype in the gym!

4. Reward yourself after your workout by scheduling extra moments to relax in the sauna,  get an iced coffee, buy some new gym clothes, or simply sit and enjoy an apple.

5. Schedule your workout early in the morning before the day’s distractions detour you.

Working out first thing in the morning on an empty stomach also boosts your metabolism for the day.

6. Turn your negatives into positives. Something making you angry? Take that anger out on a sick workout or 30 minutes on the Stairmaster.

7. Instead of going home to watch your favorite show on the couch, put on your sneakers and watch it on the treadmill or favorite cardio machine. If your gym doesn’t provide TVs on each machine load up your iPod or iPhone.

8. Try something new. Sign up for an exercise class you’ve never taken before, take a hike, jog somewhere different like a nearby bridge or stadium, ride your bike to a new trail or work out at a different time.

9. Shop. Go buy that Saturday night new outfit or go splurge on some new gym gear, and show it off. It feels good when you look good!

10. Try to keep track of your progress. The second you feel like not going to the gym, go look at your before and after pics. Why stop now?  Hit the gym and post your new results in my BrisPics section. There is nothing wrong with being proud and showing off your progress!

Note: The information above does not replace personal medical advice from your doctor or a qualified health care professional. You should consult with your doctor before starting any new diet or fitness program.

Try whipped butter on your toast — you’ll take in about a third less calories. Butter is known to be an excellent source of cjnjugated linoleic acid, which may be a cancer-fighting nutrient, according to Ohio State scientists.

Cinnamon is rich in antioxidants that inhibit blood clotting and bacterial growth (including the bad-breath variety). It also helps control your blood sugar. USDA researchers found that people with type 2 diabetes who consumed 1 gram of cinnamon a day for 6 weeks (about 1/4 teaspoon each day) significantly reduced not only their blood sugar but also their triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol. Credit the spices active ingrediants, methylhydroxychalone polymers, which increase your cells’ ability to metabolize sugar by up to 20 times.

The typical American eats 27.6 times more soybean oil than olive oil, and much of that comes from the generic bottles labeled as “vegetable oil.” Ban this oil from your life- its the main reason why our omega-6 to omega-3 ratios are so out of whack- and replace it with canola oil, which has near perfect 2:1 ratio of the two omegas, as well as olive oil.

Scanning a products ingredients list to see if it contains sugar is smart, but you may nerd to expand your vocabulary. Here are 20 aliases that the sweet stuff goes by- none of which include the word sugar.
(Barley malt, brown rice syrup, corn syrup, dextrose, evaporated cane juice invert syrup, fructose, fruit juice, galactose, glucose, granular fruit grape juice concentrate, high- fructose corn syrup, honey, lactose, maltodextrin, maple syrup, organic cane juice, sorghum, sucrose & turbinado)