Let me start by stating my purpose.  I'm writing to
you today to try to break your cycle.  I'm hoping to
inspire thoughtfulness.  I'm aiming to magnify your
mental transformation.

So why am I starting this e-mail by stating my purpose?
Because today I want you to move with purpose.

So often in life we get stuck in a rut.  We find our-
selves going through the motions.  We get up, we go to
work, we squeeze in the workout, we pick up the kids,
we pay the bills.  And tomorrow, we do it all over
again.  We do it because it's routine.  We do it
because it's necessary.  We do it because we have
to do it.  But WHY do we do it?

Let's stop talking about all of us, and let's just
focus in on you.  Why did you get up today?  Why
did you go to work?  Why did you come to your
workout this morning?

As much as you might want to think, "because I had
to," that's simply not true.  We don't have to do
anything.  We make choices to do them because there
is usually something important attached to them.

Why did you go to work?  If we dig deep enough, I
bet we can find out that is has something to do with
providing for your children, having security, needing
to feel like you contribute.  You didn't have to go;
there was a purpose behind your going.

Why do you exercise?  It's not because you have to,
because you want to get tone, or even that you want
to lose weight.  It goes deeper.  You want to feel
better about how you look and feel.  You want to
live longer to spend time with your loved ones.
You want to improve the quality of your life.
Your working out has a purpose.

Let's remind ourselves today why we got up in the
first place.  What can we do with this day?  What
purpose can we put behind our actions?  What can
we accomplish and more importantly, why do we
want to accomplish it?  Let's move today, but
let's move with purpose.

Rooting you on,

Mike Thornton

Eat!  Please!!!!

How about a little, long-awaited Food for Thought...

I've been off of the blogging scene for a while taking care of many other aspects of my business.  There is a topic, however, that has helped give me a massive shove back on the scene.  What is it?  It's people NOT EATING!

What am I talking about?  I'm talking about people simply not eating enough throughout the day; I'm talking about people not fueling their bodies with nutrients that they so desperately need; I'm talking about a lack of protein, carbohydrates, and essential fats; I'm talking about people eating only once or twice a day and only taking in 700-800 calories!!!

I have just 2 words for you.....EAT!  PLEASE!!!!

Let me share a few facts with you...

• when you don't eat, your metabolism SLOWS DOWN to conserve energy
• when you don't eat enough, your body STORES FAT for use later
• when you don't eat enough, your body BURNS MUSCLE which SLOWS DOWN your metabolism
• when you don't get your protein in, you CAN NOT maintain muscle which in turn SLOWS DOWN your metabolism
• when you don't get enough carbohydrates, your body uses protein for energy not allowing it to build and maintain muscle (refer to the line above to see that this SLOWS DOWN your metabolism)
• if your body thinks you are starving, it will STORE, STORE, STORE!
• 1 lb of muscle is firm, nice, and strong and can burn 15-50 calories a day depending on your activity level
• 1 lb of fat is jiggly, squishy, and loose and only burns 7 calories a day

There is something we really must grasp as a society and that is that UNDER-EATING can be just as problematic as OVER-EATING.  Of course I am not telling you to go out and eat a whole pizza for lunch today, but I am telling you that you need to eat!

Yes there are rules to play by when it comes to health and fitness and changing your body in particular.  You've heard me say it all before - pay attention to your calories, quality of food, protein, carbs, fat, blah, blah, blah!  You've heard it a million times.

Perhaps I don't stress this one enough - EAT!  Use a calorie calculator and figure out where you should be for your body type, and start eating.  Don't over-eat.  Don't under-eat.  But do eat.  Please!

How to Lose Weight.....FAST!

Here is a little food for thought...

Okay!  It's the new year which means most likely 2 things have happened.  One, the holidays brought joy, cheer, festivity, and a nice, little bundle of body fat gift wrapped by YOU!  And two, you are now ready to do something about it!

Well I've got some news for you!  I'm flipping over a new leaf this year as well.  No longer will I only abide to my one school of thought which in the past has been "Gradual Weight Loss."  Sure I still believe that this is by far the most effective way to not only lose weight, but to maintain your weight loss for a lifetime.

I still believe that when we try to be PERFECT, we start trying to sabotage ourselves right of the bat.  When we start saying we can't have something, we only want it MORE.   I still do believe that small changes over time make for one ENORMOUS difference.

But let me ask you this.

Is GRADUAL working for you?  Have you put into place the small differences that add up?  Have you made the subtle changes in your habits to make the changes in your body?  Are you in a different place now then you were six months ago, and is that place better?  Have you been GRADUALLY losing weight, dropping inches, and reducing your body fat? 

If so, great!  Keep doing it.  This is the method that works best for you.  If the answer is no to these questions, you may be a candidate for FAST WEIGHT LOSS!

You see the bottom line is that YES, fast weight loss DOES exist and you can do it safely.  Whether or not it can be done has never really been the question.  The TRUE question is... are you willing to take the actions necessary to make it happen?

FAST WEIGHT LOSS (at least the kind you want) does not come in a bottle, in the form of a pill, or some magical cream that melts fat away.  You won't find it in a body wrap or an ab rocker.  You won't even find it by simply watching Oprah!  Imagine that!

You see the weight loss that you want fast is the kind that rids your body of excess body fat, has your abdominals popping out, and has each and every muscle on your body looking like it was chiseled from Michelangelo himself.  That's the kind you get one way and one way only.  DIET AND EXERCISE.

So let me ask the question one more time.  Are you willing to do what it takes to experience FAST WEIGHT LOSS?  Are you willing to calculate your calories every single day to make sure that you are burning more than you are taking in?  Are you willing to make the tough decisions when it comes to what you put into your mouth?  Are you willing to put importance over convenience?

How about your willingness to get to the gym even when your day is crazy?  Are you willing to stop making excuses as to why you haven't lost the weight, gotten to the gym, or started your diet?  Are you willing to stop letting work, kids, events, and LIFE in general get in your way?

If you can truthfully answer YES to these questions and follow through, you will be amazed at how fast you can lose weight.  If you can't do this NOR the gradual approach, I think it's time to ask yourself if you really want it.  More importantly, it may be time to look at what you are WILLING to do for the things that you WANT.

It's up to you!

Mike Thornton

The Medically-Backed, One-Step Process to Losing Weight

How about a little Food for Thought...

Today I received some really great news from a medical doctor (not one of those posers on t.v. in a white lab coat telling us we never have to exercise again, no!) - a real, bona fide, certified, and qualified DOCTOR...satisfied?

I asked him, "Doc, is there ANY possible way...I mean ANY whatsoever...that someone can burn 2,000 calories in a day and only eat 1,500 calories that day and still NOT lose weight?"  His answer, "No way, no how, none whatsoever."  Okay maybe I added a little drama to the answer, but the bottom line is the answer was a big, fat, "NO."

You see there is this little law when it comes to energy - you can neither create it nor destroy it, you can only transfer it from one form to another.  Energy comes in two forms - potential (i.e. body fat) and kinetic (i.e. movement).

So follow me....if we have more movement (kinetic energy) in a day than we have coming in (food), then we have to transfer that energy from somewhere else (our potential energy which is......body fat!).

Yes, unfortunately, it goes the other way too.  If you take in more energy (calories) than you burn, you transfer it to potential energy (fat).

So here it is....the medically-backed, one-step process to losing weight:

1. STOP........EATING MORE......THAN YOU BURN.....IN ONE DAY.

That's it.  One step.  Plain and simple.  Oh sure, we can come up with tons of excuses of why that might be hard - time, money, convenience, "food addiction", knowledge, circumstance - as stated previously, excuses.  Don't be the epitome of "Oh, pity me."  Get up and fight for what you want.  Decide and take action.

Of course there is always tomorrow, and the day after, and the month after, and the New Year's after, and the next few years after. 

Just to be clear, "wanting" and "deciding" are two very different things.  Of course you want to look and feel your best.  You decide, however, one of two ways - to do something about it or to NOT do something about it.  Either way, you decided.

Put up a fight,

Mike Thornton

P.S.  No time?  Make more.  No money?  Save more.  Need convenience?  Plan more.  Food Addiction?  Avoid more.  No knowledge?  Get more.  Circumstance?  Control more.  Put up a fight.

The Magic Pill has arrived!

Here is a little Food for Thought,

Your days of eating healthy are no longer necessary!  You can say "goodbye" to those sweaty, heart- pounding workouts!  You can finally just eat what you want and never exercise!!!  Why?  The magic pill has finally arrived!

Yep....it's true.  You can EAT what you want, you just can't WEAR what you want.  Oh, did I forget to mention there was a little side effect?  Yeah....well....to put it delicately...you "lose control of your bowels."

Now you have a reason to not wear white after Labor Day.  In fact, it's probably not a good idea to wear white ever again if you decide to take this product.

Get the full scoop on the poop right here:

How to Get Rid of Your Big BUT(T)!

Here is a little Food for Thought...

No matter what part of your body you want to lean up, get tone, or taper down, the very first thing you have to do is get rid of your BIG BUT!  No, that's not a typo.  That's exactly what I meant - Your Big B-U-T!

What do I mean?  Well, let's examine a few big buts...and yes....the pun was intended.

I really want to eat healthy, BUT Mexican food is my weakness!
I really need to get to the gym more often, BUT I'm just so busy!
I really want to get in shape, BUT the holiday is just around the corner!
I really want to get my cardio in, BUT it's just too hot!

I want...I need...I should....BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT!!!  Here is my amazing two-step process for getting rid of your big BUT...you ready?

1. Ask yourself if you REALLY want to be in the best shape possible or if you would rather have a big BUT because you can't have both.  You just can't!
2. If you decide that you REALLY want it, just get rid of your big BUT.  Get rid of it now and lose it forever.  If you don't think you can do that, read step 1 again.

It's time we realize just how much power we really do have.  We have the power to decide what we eat; we have the power to decide how to manage our time; we have the power to influence our thoughts and determine our outcomes.  No one else does; we have power over ourselves.  Let's use it.

The word BUT is just a word we use when we aren't exercising our personal power.  As soon as we mutter it, we've rendered ourselves powerless.  Let's rid it from our vocabulary when it comes to personal choice.

No IFs, ANDs, or BUTs about it!

Mike Thornton

Here is a little Food for Thought,

So you don't think diabetes is something that you need to worry about...you workout (occasionally), you don't eat THAT much (sometimes you even skip breakfast), and hey, you've cut down from 5 Cokes a day to only 1 (that's nothing!).

Let's forget about weight and how you look in a bathing suit this week and focus on something really important - your health.  If you think that your habits are fine the way they are, you might want to double check.

According to Fitness Magazine, http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/, there are 9 surprising risk factors for diabetes that you might not know.  We've listed them below along with how much they increase your risk of getting diabetes.

Fitness Magazine Statistics:

1. Watching Two or More Hours of TV Daily - raises risk 14%
2. Drinking One Soda a Day - raises risk 83%
3. Skipping Breakfast - raises risk up to 50%
4. A Bout of Major Depression - raises risk 23%
5. A Large Waist - raises risk 330%
6. Waking Up in the Middle of the Night - raises risk 98%
7. Eating Fast Food More than Twice/Week - raises risk 100%
8. High Stress - raises risk 184%
9. Consuming Lots of Processed Meats (Hot Dogs/Bacon) - 43%

So how'd you do?  Did you pass or are you doing things now that will hurt you later?

We need to remember the "Health" when we talk about "Health and Fitness."  Now you know some surprising risk factors; you have the knowledge.  Some say knowledge is power.  I believe that it empowers.  It's action that is power.

Take action,

Mike Thornton

Here is a little Food for Thought...

If you really want to lose weight, reduce your body fat, and look and feel your best.......I mean REALLY (not just say you do, but REALLY mean it!!!), you need to consider what section of the grocery store you are shopping in.  What do I mean?  Let me e'splain, Lucy!

If you are shopping in the "bomb shelter" section of the grocery store, you most likely will NOT get closer to your goals.  What's the "bomb shelter" section?  Well if you were building a bomb shelter, you would most likely stock up on these foods - boxed dinners, canned (salty) foods, and other items with long shelf-lives. 

Basically you would be stocking up on highly-processed foods that act like sugar on the body and contain enormous amounts of sodium.  Convenient?  Sure, if you don't mind a few extra hours in the gym.  But here is a good rule of thumb....Longer SHELF LIFE = Shorter REAL LIFE.

So in what sections should you be shopping?  The answer....the "non-shelf-life" section.  We also call these areas the produce section and the butcher block.  Think lean meats, fish, fresh vegetables, fruits, and dairy.  More specifically, think lean chicken breast, salmon, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, cottage cheese, and yogurt.

How different does this sound that what you have been buying?  Here is a better question.  Is what you've been buying been getting you closer to your goal or farther from it?  If it's the later, then maybe you should consider switching your grocery list.

This week, ditch anything that could be stored in a bomb shelter.  Seriously...don't buy it if it can be STORED easily.  Because most likely, it will just get STORED easily on your body.

Try this shopping list for one week and watch the pounds drop:

• Egg substitute, low-fat cottage cheese, skim milk, and low-sugar yogurt
• FRESH blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, oranges, and apples
• FRESH broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, squash, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, asparagus, and zucchini
• FRESH chicken breast, salmon, white fish, ground turkey, and lean deli-meats

Try the list OR you can keep doing the same thing, buying the same food, eating the same stuff, getting the same result, feeling the same frustration, saying the same thing, "I really want to lose weight," and beating your head against the same wall.

Here is one last little morsel of thought...........it's your choice.  You either decide to do something or you decide to NOT do something.  Either way, it's your choice.

Want something different?  Do something different.

Mike Thornton