Phases of losing weight!

I have a first hand experience in going through these phases. I am sure those who have gone through this knows what i am talking about. There are days when you feel everything is working out for you and you are in the right track and you feel great about yourself but then there are times where you just can't motivate yourself to workout and stay on track. Trust me everyone goes through the phases and that's the time where your brain muscle needs to be the strongest because that's whats going to push your through....

I will go just a little bit out of track and tell you about my client who started with me in 2003 weighing 230 lbs! at 23 yrs of age....now she weighs..120 lbs...and its been 2 yrs since she stayed at this weight...so 3 yrs of brutal training and strict diet lead to an amazing drop of 110 lbs...it was not easy and sure enough she also went through phases where I had to pick it up from ZERO again and motivate her to stay on the wagon but one thing she did is never gave up and look what it got to her..a 360 deg. turn around in her life....from 230 lbs to 120 lbs! is not a joke and for sure was not easy..phases of being totally into it then the phase of total rejection and then the phase of its not working but 3 yrs later it was all worth it....

Coming back to phases....being a trainer and understanding the concept of how mind plays the game when it comes to getting and staying in shape I experienced it even at a advanced stage...I started to lean down in January 08' for my photo shoot for the DVD and I weighed 178 lbs (80 kg) with a body fat of 12%. In march I had my first photo shoot where I weighed 155 lbs (70 kg) with a body fat of 8% but I was not too happy with my body cause I knew I could look better regardless of what people were telling me....

Then started the real struggle...staying on track and keep motivating myself to get better and better and better..I was eating clean..doing cardio and lifting weights 6 days a week....In Sept. 08' I had another photo shoot and I weighed 134 lbs (60 kg) with a body fat between 4-6 % (controversial number cause my machine told me 3.5% but its kinda hard to believe). Being a person from Indian origin the food we eat are so delicious and its so hard to stay away from those amazing desserts and yummy snacks but once you set your mind towards a goal its not that hard..I always believe out sight out of mind ..so basically I stopped looking at those things....












So 44 lbs and 8 months...& I knew I was at my best shape ever and I never felt that way ever before....but getting there was a struggle lots of sacrifices...self motivation and a desire to be my best helped me a lot to reach my goal....I am at 140 lbs now and feeling good but one thing have changed for good in me and that is to set goals in order to achieve something....I have to set deadlines but that's me personally...you might not have to do it....find your own way to stimulate your brain..it could be going down in dress size or fitting in your high school jeans or going down in belt buckle..whatever it is but pick a starting point and keep measuring...every week or month to see if you are staying on track...

Don't forget its a lifestyle change and trust me you will that you have conquer the world!

KEEP WORKING

Achal

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www.bollywoodabs.com
www.achaldua.com
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How to tone your ARMS!

The most popular and frequently asked question that most women have is -- How can I tone my arms? (upper arms specially).

The most common misconception that most of us have is we think we can spot train or spot reduce areas...You cannot have a tone triceps (back of the arms) while having a big stomach. You see it all comes as a package and unless you are not ready to burn some calories and promise me to eat less carbs and less portion don't bother reading any further.

Don't get me wrong...there are exercises to help shape up your arms but if you think you can go from FAT TO FABULOUS (title of my book coming out) ....just by doing those exercises is just not possible.

Following are the few points that will help you get those shapely arms!

1. Regular cardio exercise - 2-3 days a week
2. Strength training- for total body 2-3 days a week
3. Train your mind -- its all about the connection of MIND to MUSCLE. Changes comes when you engage your muscles to your mind and contract when needed. I started to see great results in my body when I learned how to connect my Mind to my Muscles.
4. Keep a low calories and Low carb diet
5. My very old phrase "BE CONSISTENT"
6. Hire a professional - a fitness professional can take you to a totally new path and help you achieve your goal.


Make sure that you keep checking your performance or your body in the mirror or through your clothes or by doing body fat analysis. A target or a goal is very important in order to move forward.

Some of the beneficial exercises for ARMS are:

1. Triceps kickbacks super set with -- over head triceps extensions
2. Triceps dips -- super set with -- close grip push ups
3. Lying dumbbell triceps presses -- super set with -- reverse grip triceps extensions

These 6 triceps exercises will workout all the three heads of triceps engage to full motion and giving a equal blood flow to the muscle. You can do a google on the names of these exercises to get a more info on the exercises and their technique.

Hope this article will help some of your questions...

KEEP WORKING

Achal

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www.bollywoodabs.com
www.achaldua.com
http://picasaweb.google.com/achaldua/ - my photo gallery
http://twitter.com/achaldua - read what I am doing

make those abs SHINE!

South Asians and especially Indians have a recent craze for six pack abs. All the bollywood stars are getting those abs like vegetables. We all want it but we don't exactly know where to start. In this post I would like to outline some basic factors that makes your abs shine. I am telling you this because I have tried and tested this myself. It worked for me and I am sure that it will work for everyone who has the patience..

First and most important factor is PATIENCE..you must be patience when it comes to abs and getting a leaner, harder & better body. There is no quick fix. The second most important factor is be CONSISTENCE..you have to be consistence in your workouts, your diet, your schedule and your sleep.

Below are come of the practical factors that determine if you will get abs or not.

1. your diet should be high protein and low carbs
2. should not eat after 6 pm (4 hrs before you go to bed)
3. say no to those yummy snacks (samosas, chaat, tikki, mithaii)
4. do cardio 3-4 times a week
5. do functional weight training 3 times a week
6. eat more complex carbs
7. drink plenty of water
8. get enough sleep
9. watch your weight

the above mentioned steps will take you on the path of becoming next Salman khan or Shahrukh khan or now I should say Amir Khan. Bollywood actors and actresses are totally into fitness now and why shouldn't they..the feeling of being fit cannot be explained in words....trust me I know how it feels to have a six pack ....PRICELESS!

So go out there and work some....

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www.achaldua.com

Targetting trouble areas....

When we get sick we go to doctor for that particular problem (soar throat, headache, fever) etc etc. Same way when we need to fix our body we need to pay attention to those areas more than other..although there is a exception to that and that is abs..You cannot target abs cause we all have them but its under our fat (next blog on abs)...but other than that you can focus on legs, triceps, biceps, shoulders, calf's etc

Make sure that you train your trouble areas at least 2-3 times a week with lots of super sets or I call it a total burnout stage. You have to use light weight (girls) for getting the lean look and go crazy with the number of reps....20-30-50 reps and then repeat for 4-5 sets....I know sounds a lot but that's how you will change your body....

Guys do drop sets ..after warm up go heavy and at every set reduce weight while increasing the reps....

Try it out..It really works...

I say NEVER to this...

1. Miss breakfast
2. Eat too much at night!
3. Eat late at night
4. Miss a meal
5. Miss a workout
6. Sleep less
7. Drink less water

Are you doing all this ??


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www.achaldua.com

Why some people don't see any result!

This is one of the most asked question!

Q. I have been working out everyday of the week but I am not loosing any weight?

A. The most common mistake you can make in any fitness regimen is to follow a pattern. Always switch things around and you will see your body progressing in the right direction.

For E.x.

1. If you are walking on the treadmill >> start running
2. If you are running on the treadmill >> start doing intervals
3. If you are doing weight training twice a week >> start doing 3 times a week and change the routine
4. If you are using machines >> start using free weights

I can go on and on..but the whole point is to change things around and shock! your body with new and different routines so your body can come out of plateau.

GOOD LUCK and keep sweating!


www.bollywoodabs.com
www.achaldua.com