Strength for Life

Sounds promising & empowering to me…when this author’s tips crossed my desk, I wanted to read more! Shawn Phillips, a strength and fitness expert (and Dad), wrote a book, “Strength for Life,” and he offers our readers a free personal training session online here at “The (MomTini) Lounge” — Enjoy! – Amy

1. Realize that health is not enough!

Most of us define health as simply “not sick”, but in today’s demanding world this precarious balance is not enough! It is possible to gain the physical and mental strength that will help you have more, be more and give more.

2. Don’t Start Today

Today’s world can leave us feeling overwhelmed and exhausted; high levels of stress combined with bad nutrition and a lack of sleep lead to zero energy. Even if you start with the best of intentions, deciding to ‘get fit’ or start a training regiment in this compromised state is a recipe for failure. If you’re one of those people who tend to crash and burn three weeks into a fitness program, consider that it’s not a lack of motivation – rather that your body can’t handle the pressure of adding another obligation to your already overstretched, depleted energy reserve.

3. Focus

In our eagerness for rapid results and increasing desire to get fit fast, Americans have learned to train out of our minds, literally. We focus everywhere but on the activity itself, aiming for quantity when it’s quality that makes all the difference. Because of this failure to engage and focus our minds, we receive a fraction of the benefits from their workouts we could enjoy.

4. Throw away the scales

Many women fear strength training as they are concerned that adding muscle will lead to adding mass or ‘bulking up’. This is a myth, not only is muscle a fat-burning furnace, it is much denser than the fat-mass that most people are seeking to unload. A pound of lean muscle is about the size of a baseball, or less whereas pound of fat is about the size of a cantaloupe.

5. Aim for “nutritional freedom”

For most people eating habits are just that – habits, they rarely take the time to examine why they eat the way they do. When you eat with the aim to feel energized and nourished as opposed to simply “filling-up” you make better choices. Nutritional freedom is the process of strengthening your awareness. Being aware involves taking the time to learn how food leaves you. It’s not about deprivation or dieting—it’s about understanding that what you eat impacts your energy levels, mood and strength.

Notes on Author: Shawn Phillips, CEO of Phillips Performance Nutrition, is a Colorado-based strength and fitness expert who has helped athletes, celebrities, and tens of thousands of people for the past 20 years.