Secrets Revealed: Fat Loss

A special message from Brian about fat loss.

Get ready to enjoy Winter Garden Yoga’s new series of blogs: Secrets Revealed. Within these posts you will find a goldmine of information to help you with your health and fitness goals. These are the tips and tricks that I use with my private clients to get outstanding results. This stuff works. In fact, you may find that these posts disappear after a while because I may think twice about giving away such great material. If you’re ready to melt away the extra pounds, boost your energy, and feel years younger please read on…

“What’s the quickest way for me to get in shape?” This is the most popular question I am asked. The real question is: “How can I burn fat, build muscle, and look toned?” The answer is easy. In fact, it is too easy:

1. Keep a food journal.
2. Use inefficient exercises.

Think about it. If your car is running inefficiently it burns more fuel, right? It's the same thing for your choice of exercise. Believe me, the type of yoga we practice at Winter Garden Yoga is very inefficient (with the exception of Yin Yoga) because of the slow controlled movement, deep breathing, and static contractions while holding and refining the poses. That kind of stuff burns a lot of unwanted calories.

Here’s the kicker: very few of you will follow this protocol.  Why? Because it is too easy and it works.

Believe me, all of my clients (and anyone who attends my Weight Control and Healthy Living seminar) will tell you that the first thing I insist upon is a food journal. And what of those who heed my advice? They get great results. Fast.

Without exception, everyone is very surprised with their eating habits. If you want to control your body composition, you have to see what you’re eating. Simple, right?

Now here’s the thing: what do we do with something that works? We dump it. This happens time and time again with my clients. They start their food journal, they get great results, and then the food journal disappears. I wish I had an explanation for this behavior. I don’t.

I believe it comes from the mindset of “anything worth having is a struggle.” Once the struggle is over (in this case, fat loss) and something becomes easy, it gets discarded. Don’t fall into this trap. I've been keeping a food journal for approximately nine years and I am constantly refining my food intake. The result? I walk around at about 7% body fat while maintaining lean muscle and exceptionally good health. 

You can, too. 

Here are some comments I've heard from those who have stuck with it:

"My [type 2] diabetes is no longer a threat."

"I have to take my work clothes to be taken in... again."

"I no longer have that little "pudge" below my belly button."

These are just a few. Are you ready to join the others and share your success story?

Take it from me, begin keeping a food journal. Track everything that you eat and drink. Most importantly, track how what you’re eating and drinking makes you feel. Once you have your data, begin removing all of the crappy food and begin replacing it with good food. If you still don’t know the difference between crappy food and good food, set up a private session with me.

We’ll continue this topic in a future blog…

Winter Garden Yoga is a world renowned yoga studio recognized for providing a unique form of functional yoga instruction (TM) that gives you a toned, pain-free body that leaves you feeling great whether you’re currently flexible or not.

Unlike ordinary yoga studios with packed classes that over stretch and leave you feeling lost in the crowd, our services focus on strength, mobility, and nutrition all wrapped up into a caring, supportive, family-like environment you’ll call home.

Contact us or give us a call at 407-579-9889 for a free, no obligation consultation ($87 value) to find a package plan that is perfect for you.

She's Got One Leg. What's Your Excuse?, Yoga

Each month Winter Garden Yoga features a client who has achieved amazing results with our guaranteed methods. We call this feature: Winter Garden Yoga's Client of the Month.

Nominees share their stories (in their own words) and their photographs to inspire others to break old, destructive habits and to rise higher than ever before.

This month we are proud to share Karen's story. What did Karen do to get rid of her chronic neck and shoulder pain? What made such an impactful impression on Karen's chiropractor?

These answers and much, much more will be revealed in Karen's amazing and inspirational story.

Read on...

My story~ by Karen Hughes

"I could barely turn my head; the slightest movement resulted in a sharp pain. My shoulders felt like they were pinned to my neck, and slumped forward. My entire body felt stiff and unresponsive. Basically, I felt like I was turning to stone! I was depressed and worried about what my quality of life would be like in the future.

"I have been an amputee since age 13, when I lost my leg above the knee to bone cancer. For years I never skipped a beat; I led a very active life and felt strong and healthy. Even after two c-section pregnancies I felt I was in pretty good physical shape, but after I turned 50 everything started to change. ”Is it all downhill from here?,” I feared. I had never felt disabled before, but was beginning to see myself that way. My sister urged me to try yoga, and suggested that I seek out an experienced instructor who would be willing to help me adapt the poses to my needs. I was apprehensive since I had absolutely no experience with yoga and was far from flexible, but desperate for help, decided to give it a try. A Google search led me to Brian and [Winter Garden Yoga]. On January 11, 2012, I sent an email inquiry and later that day received a response from Brian which began, 'Hi Karen. You came to the right place!' Boy, did I ever!

Karen's commitment to her health and wellness has helped her achieve many personal breakthroughs.

"In the 2+ years since I slowly climbed the stairs to WGY’s original studio wondering, “am I going to be able to do this?,” I have experienced a tremendous growth in my physical and spiritual well-being. Once unable to turn my head or sit up straight on the floor without a wedge under my bottom, my neck and shoulders are now flexible and pain-free! The pain and tightness in my hips has also vanished. My chiropractor recently remarked, “whatever you’re doing at WGY, keep on doing it! You are holding your corrections much longer and your posture is great!” Even my boss, who is also my prosthetist, has noticed my improved balance and new “guns!” I can now lift a full 24-pack of water out of my car and into the top shelf of my refrigerator without hurting myself-something I was not able to do before. I realize that might seem like a small thing to most people, but for me it was very empowering, and inspired me to set higher goals.

"The personal training sessions with Brian began with functional movement instruction, plus a few yoga poses and stretches adapted for my needs. He patiently helped me chip away the “stone” that had taken over my body, and soon it responded by straightening up and moving much more freely. With my body in better alignment, even my head felt lighter! Since then they we have added kettle bells and other exercises which continue to increase my strength, flexibility and endurance. I began attending Karen’s Yin class about a year ago and have found it to be the most relaxing experience of my life! Every week I look forward to “Monday’s with Brian” and “Tuesday’s with Karen!” I feel strong and handle stress better than I have in years. My journey has taken many turns and I've hit a few bumps along the way, but I continue to move forward, achieving goals and setting new ones. I’m now working with Brian on improving my diet by eliminating processed foods and learning how to change not only what I eat, but combining the proper proportions of foods to obtain optimal health benefits. It’s been a bit of a struggle for me, but I’m eating better than I ever have, and doing my best not to focus on the number on my bathroom scale. I've also purchased a package of Loaded Yoga classes that I’m looking forward to taking this summer!

"The biggest difference between my experience at WGY and other fitness facilities is the emphasis on doing the exercises correctly; as Brian says, “quality is more important than quantity.” Although I feel challenged, I never leave the studio feeling overworked or tired. In fact, just the opposite is true - my energy level skyrockets, and my mood is uplifted. My kids love the mommy who comes home after yoga! :-)

"The WGY staff’s expertise and commitment to the needs of their clients-providing yoga and wellness instruction for “every body”- is incredible. I have come to know, love and trust them like family and can’t imagine my life without WGY! My advice to people on the fence about joining WGY? If I can do it, you can! Choose to thrive! The only sure way to fail is to not try."  #liveinspired

Winter Garden Yoga is a world renowned yoga studio recognized for providing a unique form of functional yoga instruction (TM) that gives you a toned, pain-free body that leaves you feeling great whether you’re currently flexible or not.

Unlike ordinary yoga studios with packed classes that over stretch and leave you feeling lost in the crowd, our services focus on strength, mobility, and nutrition all wrapped up into a caring, supportive, family-like environment you’ll call home.

Contact us or give us a call at 407-579-9889 for a free, no obligation consultation ($87 value) to find a package plan that is perfect for you.