Fat Loss

Can't Afford a Personal Trainer? Here Are 5 Things You Need to do to Get In Shape

Can't Afford a Personal Trainer? Here Are 5 Things You Need to do to Get In Shape

Personal training is great. If you have a good trainer you get all the benefits of education, safety and external accountability all wrapped up into one neat and tidy service to make staying consistent with working out virtually guaranteed.

But, sometimes it’s just not in the cards for you. 

Maybe you can’t afford it or maybe you just don’t know any good personal trainers. Whatever the reasons, if that’s the case for you there are still many things you can do to reach your goals!

Here’s a quick list of 5 things you need to do to get in shape if you can’t afford to hire a personal trainer.

How To Make Your New Year's Resolution ACTUALLY Stick

How To Make Your New Year's Resolution ACTUALLY Stick

Hey Derek here and it's almost New Year's!

That time of year where some of us get super motivated to turn over a new leaf while the rest of us complain about the inevitable lack of commitment of the January resolutioners.

As much as I personally don’t like stereotypical New Year’s resolutions - those which tend to fill the gyms in January only to be abandoned less than a month later - I do think that New Years’ offers a great opportunity for a “fresh start” that we can take advantage of if we do it right.

Biofeedback Flexible Dieting 101 [+ Rach's BFD FDOE & BFD Daily VLOG]

Biofeedback Flexible Dieting 101 [+ Rach's BFD FDOE & BFD Daily VLOG]

Biofeedback Flexible Dieting is designed for men and women with experience calorie tracking and macro counting who are sick of being stuck with no option for achieving their desired body composition while still eating the foods they love WITHOUT tracking calories.

Others can absolutely use this approach, but it is specifically created with this audience in mind. 

Unlike most of our other programs, Biofeedback Flexible Dieting is created specifically as a diet plan to stick to for a prescribed period of time and then to transition onto another plan for maintenance. 

WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THE SWEETNESS BASEPOINT RESET | Biofeedback Flexible Dieting [DAY 4]

WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THE SWEETNESS BASEPOINT RESET | Biofeedback Flexible Dieting [DAY 4]

Day 4 of our Biofeedback Flexible Dieting experiment and the first day of normal Biofeedback Flexible Dieting!

Including tips on:
1. How having defined "rules" makes it easier to stick to your goals
2. Why getting daily movement is critical to maintaining motivation
3. Why you should eat more bland foods
4. Why we don't keep any junk food in our house
5. Why it's important to measure progress

WHY WE ENDED THE SWEETNESS BASEPOINT RESET EARLY | Biofeedback Flexible Dieting [DAY 3]

WHY WE ENDED THE SWEETNESS BASEPOINT RESET EARLY | Biofeedback Flexible Dieting [DAY 3]

Day 3 of our Biofeedback Flexible Dieting experiment and the end of the Sweetness Basepoint Reset!

Including tips on:
1. What happens when you don't sleep enough
2. How flexin' gives you gainz
3. Why it's important to avoid unnecessary restriction in your diet

Biofeedback Flexible Dieting is flexible dieting WITHOUT tracking calories. It's our newest program which we are trialling prior to releasing in the upcoming months.

HOW TO MAKE UP FOR ACCIDENTAL OVEREATING | Biofeedback Flexible Dieting [DAY 2]

HOW TO MAKE UP FOR ACCIDENTAL OVEREATING | Biofeedback Flexible Dieting [DAY 2]

See how day 2 of our Biofeedback Flexible Dieting experiment went!

Including tips on:
1. How to make up for overeating at one meal
2. How to master mindset and avoid getting down on yourself after mistakes
3. How to learn from your mistakes
4. How sleep and hydration affect hunger and cravings

Biofeedback Flexible Dieting is flexible dieting WITHOUT tracking calories. It's our newest program which we are trialling prior to releasing in the upcoming months.

How To Become Your Own Coach

How To Become Your Own Coach

Well, it's the Tuesday after Thanksgiving here in Canada and we're just getting into the cool fall weather here in Cambridge, Ontario.

Rach and I went on a walk this morning through a trail by our house and had a good conversation about where we are at in our own fitness journeys. 

At times, because fitness is our business and because we have such high expectations of ourselves, we don't notice how far we've come. 

This past month has been one full of indulgences and opportunities to get off track, yet as we sit here, after 3 weeks of family vacation, a ridiculously busy two weeks after getting home and a turkey filled thanksgiving weekend, both of us are looking and feeling better than ever!

How to Defeat Holiday Weight Gain (While Still Enjoying Pumpkin Pie!)

How to Defeat Holiday Weight Gain (While Still Enjoying Pumpkin Pie!)

For us Canadians, this weekend is Thanksgiving. (Sorry American's you'll have to wait a month to get your piece of pumpkin and apple pie!) 

With thanksgiving comes many things. Cooler weather, the changing of leaves, time with family & friends, hockey (or football) and of course food. 

Delicious, enticing, calorie-rich food.

...and lest we forget, with that food comes one less welcome addition: That extra 5lbs of holiday weight.

Ugh!

Now if it was just about avoiding gaining weight it would be easy. 

You'd just stop eating when you got full, skip out on dessert and drinks and workout the way you normally do. Easy peasy.

The problem is that most of us are not ready to sacrifice the enjoyment that comes with thanksgiving dinner. It holds a special place for us sentimentally, and to be honest it's just nice to have nice feast once in a while!

So with that as our context, we have a problem to solve:

"How can you avoid gaining weight during the holidays when there is abundance of delicious, tasty food, and more importantly, how can we do it without hating our life and missing out on the enjoyment of our beloved thanksgiving feast with friends or family?"

Three Words to Get You Back on Track After an Accidental Indulgence

Three Words to Get You Back on Track After an Accidental Indulgence

What if I told you there was something you could tell yourself every time you had a temptation that would completely change your outlook? What if I could give you a tool that would stop that weekend long binge in it's tracks? What if you could stop after the buns and spend the rest of the weekend making progress?

What if instead of eating something you shouldn't, sitting at home instead of working out or making any other decision that runs counter to your goals, you had a tool that you could use to stop the damage or prevent it from even happening in the first place?

Three Simple Tools to Allow You To Eat Whatever You Want at Social Events

Three Simple Tools to Allow You To Eat Whatever You Want at Social Events

Last night we were out at a social gathering and there was an assortment of treats available. For the last 3 weeks, we were on a cruise with an all you can eat buffet, delicious food left right and center! AND, over the last month, I've dropped 4lbs to reach the lightest I've been in almost 6 months. (A recent goal of mine since extra weight is a big hindrance in calisthenics - my latest fitness pursuit)

What's more, I've been far less stringent with what I've eaten than in past attempts at a similar goal. 

Rather than relying on my willpower to get me through the mass of food that's been in front of me, (let's be honest, there are only a select few people who can maintain that) I used a few simple strategies to allow some surprising indulgences while still slowly dropping weight.

So, what's my secret? Read on to find out...

6 (+3) Critical Habits for Sustainable Fat Loss

6 (+3) Critical Habits for Sustainable Fat Loss

As you know here at Live For Today Fitness our mission is to make sustainable fat loss easier for you. Yesterday I came across a great article that does just that, so I had to share it with you.

Eric Bach is definitely one of the up and comers in the fitness industry. This week he put together a great post on adampine.com called 6 Habits of Successful Long-Term Dieters

How to Create a Daily Ritual... and Actually Stick to It

Over time Rachel and I have picked up a few habits and practices that greatly help reduce stress and ensure that we get the most important things (the things I really need to do) done. 

Although everyone has slightly different circumstances, I think these can be equally useful for many different walks of life.

In order to ensure that they happen, we have them scheduled into a few daily rituals. If you can schedule an evening, morning and perhaps after work ritual, it significantly decreases the mental burden required to remember various morning tasks and puts you on autopilot through the many mundane tasks so you can free your mind up for other mental tasks.

02.04.15 | Lower Body!

02.04.15 | Lower Body!

The Workout:

This workout was focused on Lower Body Strength sets:

- Sumo deadlifts 3x3 superset with power kettle bell swings

- Hip Thrusts 3x5 superset with power kettle bell swings
**I normally use a step for hip thrusts, but that was MIA ... so I resorted to hip bridging...I much prefer hip thrusts though.**

Master Your Mindset: 4 Mental Shifts That are Critical to Long Term Fat Loss Success

Mindset may just be the most critical aspect to successful fat loss. Heck, it may be the most critical aspect to success at anything. If you can’t control what goes on between your ears you’re bound to get discouraged by failures, put down by criticism and fall apart in the face of difficult circumstances.

For every factor that contributes to health and fitness, a good mindset is critical. Trying to stick to proper food choices? I hope you have a good mindset!. Want to make progress at the gym or stick to a healthy sleep schedule? Again, you’d better check your mindset.

Prioritization: When Life Gets in the Way… Where to Give In and How to Minimize the Damage

Sometimes, life just gets crazy. Between a dinner with friends on Saturday, helping family with some moving preparations on Sunday, and an Australia day party for Rach’s sister on Monday, we had a busy weekend for social events. On top of that we’re creating programs for our first two coaching clients this week, preparing documents for what could be a very good business opportunity and attempting to continue maintaining performance at our full time jobs.

Then, this weekend we’re helping my parents AND my brother move and Rach is working both days. There just seems to be no relief. That doesn’t even bring mention of fitting in our workouts and keeping our nutrition on track.

Needless to say, something has to give.

I’m sure everyone out there has had similar weeks. The question is, how do we prioritize around this?

Are You Doing What it Takes to Stay Motivated?: 5 Mistakes That Are Killing Your Motivation for Fat Loss

We’ve all had some goal that we’ve set repeatedly and just can’t seem to stick to. We start out as motivated as we’ve ever been, but before we know it we’ve fallen back into old habits and just can’t seem to work up the energy to keep going. 

What happened? Where did that seemingly endless motivation go? What can we do to avoid this loss of motivation?

In this post we will share 5 mistakes that we’ve come across in our own life that may be preventing you from reaching your fat loss goals.

Why Your Hunger and Cravings are Getting the Best of You: 5 Tips for Minimizing False Hunger and Constant Cravings

When it comes to obtaining fat loss the most difficult part is usually controlling hunger and cravings in order to create a caloric deficit. Sure, figuring out which of the 10,000 systems out there will actually bring results is tough, but once you have that figured out, sticking to a specific amount of food is often the most difficult task. (For help on figuring out which fat loss systems to trust, read this.)  

We all have a limited reserve of willpower and if we want to be successful we must do our best to reduce the amount of willpower required wherever we can so it’s available when we need it.

No matter which fat loss plan you choose, it will inevitably involve some element of resisting temptations at one time or another. In order to avoid those delicious looking cookies or that extra helping of dessert (when it’s not a planned indulgence) keep the tips mentioned below in mind. 

4 Specific Strategies To Keep Caloric Intake In Check

To follow up on our previous post (The 4 Keys to Achieving and Maintaining Fat Loss) this post will cover 4 specific strategies that can be used to keep caloric intake under control with all of the different challenges life throws at us.

Although fat loss is not JUST about calories (see our previous blog post here), creating a caloric deficit is the first area we target when trying to set up a plan specifically for fat loss. The two main ways this can be achieved are by increasing activity or by decreasing food intake. 

Below are 4 strategies that make it much easier to maintain a caloric deficit or caloric maintenance regardless of what life throws at you and without depending on meticulously counting calories or doing hours of cardio. (Neither of which are sustainable long term.)

The 4 Keys to Achieving and Maintaining Fat Loss

It’s a confusing world out there on the internet and the fitness and nutrition scene really is like the Wild West. There is just so much to sort through. For virtually any opinion out there, someone is saying the opposite. What's really required for fat loss? Is it all about calories? Or is it just about eating the right foods and managing your hormones? Who's right? Is either of them right? Are both of them right?

In this post we will address what we have come to believe are the 4 key factors that lead to fat loss and maintaining that fat loss.