MBT is doing very well thankfully, despite the economy! In fact, I hate to say it but the economy is actually helping my business.

I think it’s partly because everyone understands the transformative potential of eating right and exercising and everyone knows that exercising and eating right pays off big in their quality of life.

I think it’s partly because although MBT is the perfect compliment to a personal trainer, and as helpful as a personal trainer is, most people don’t need someone to hold their hand in the gym for $60-225 per session. But what people do need is someone to make sure they get to the gym.

I also think it’s because people are starting to realize that 70-80% of their results will come from what they do in between their workouts outside of a gym setting! You know those people you see in the gym with their trainers month after month looking no different than when they first started? Clearly, their diet is what’s holding them back.

And I think ultimately, it’s because MBT solves a huge problem. Businesses that solve problems have advantages over businesses that don’t in tough economic times.

As I’ve said, getting in shape is about 3 things. Eating right. Exercising. And doing those two things consistently!

Unfortunately, the consistency part is very hard and is a huge problem! Because it’s very easy to make excuses and it’s even easier to rationalize those excuses.

And I know if I solve that problem - and I believe I have better than anyone else in the world - success for my clients is inevitable!

As a client just wrote to me, “Thank you so much for your Daily Inspirations! I can’t tell how much they help push me in the right direction each morning. Also, it’s so easy to make excuses and just to know that I have you to answer to (so to speak) on the Daily Feedback each night really helps me stay on track. Thank you! I’m so excited for my new way of life!”

Once in a while, I’ll meet someone who doesn’t understand the value of MBT. They are hoping for the secret pill or the magic formula. 9 times out of 10 that same person will say, “Oh I know what to do! Eat xyz….!”

But of course - they aren’t doing it…consistently! And they aren’t in the shape they want to be in. And they hate how they look and feel. But hey, they know what to do!

This is why I’m so hesitant to write a book. We don’t need another book telling us what to do. We don’t need another book telling us why we should be eating right and exercising. What we need is a book that nudges and persuades us on why we should keep on going because that’s the hard part! And most people don’t want to actually change. They want to talk about changing which is very frustrating.

That’s why my wall is covered with before and after photos. That’s why writing a post like this where I can highlight a client who has truly changed her life is so much fun to write. To remind me that there are people who really do want to change how they look and feel.

And that’s why getting recognized for my concept/idea in national media like Thrillist is so rewarding. Check out what Thrillist had to say about MyBodyTutor here. I must say it’s pretty cool being featured in a publication you read. And when they reached out to me I was, well…thrilled! (It also made the best of the best for the month of May!)

Part of helping people stay consistent is helping them overcome any issues that prevent them from staying consistent. Caroline knew it would take time. She understands that losing weight is all about consistency. That it’s repetitious. Doing the right things meal by meal. Workout by workout. Day by day!

And I guess that’s why this means so much. Because people are finally starting to realize there are no shortcuts. There are no get rich quick schemes. If you set out to get in shape in a way that you don’t see yourself doing 6 months, 1 year, 5 years from now why bother starting? It’s not sustainable!

Caroline is now a model. Look at her pictures! If you want to read her case study check it out here. Just like all of the other case studies featured on my website she’s brave and courageous for not only starting a journey to a better Caroline but for also sharing it with the world!

First off, writing a bestselling book has nothing to do with writing. In fact, I can confidently say my writing is better than 99% of the health and fitness books out there.

Not because I’m such a great writer but because they’re all co-written. And co-written books (famous person’s name with…) are products. Not books!

They are created quickly to take advantage of the popularity of that ‘famous’ person.

Smart move indeed, as that’s obviously what people want.

See, most people want to talk about being healthy and fit, how they’re going to start exercising next Monday, about the ‘latest’ fad diet or exercise contraption, and how they’re going to really stick with it this time and finally lose that weight!

But, sadly and unfortunately, most people don’t want to actually do any of those things!

Talking about it with your friends and family makes you feel better. It creates a sense of forward motion. We’ve all done it. We do it with all the things we don’t want to do.

I’ve read countless ‘diet’ books. And I still go to Border’s and spend hours reading, all while shaking my head in amazement. I’m not amazed at the ‘famous’ people for putting their names on a book and selling it. I’m amazed at all of the people who constantly fool themselves by buying these books!

And although I get a kick out of reading the same book over and over in between different covers, I get the biggest kick out of reading the reviews.

In my opinion, the measurement of a good book is if it changes you for good. Who cares if you ‘see the world differently’ for the 5 hours after you’re finished reading it? The real question is if it changes how do you things indefinitely.

Like I tell my clients, I could care less if someone loses weight and then gains it all back. My goal is to help change my clients. I want to help them get and stay fit!

But most people are searching for that hidden secret and don’t want to work for it.

You want the secret? Here it is! Free of charge for the entire world to read and share: Eat right. Exercise and do those two things consistently!

If you can do those 3 things you’ll be in great shape. No question about it. Of course, that’s so much easier said than done and exactly why I started my company.

Do we really need more tactics? Do you really not know that fast food isn’t good for you? I’m sick and tired of all of these books telling you what you already know. We all know what to do (for the most part)!

That’s not the problem! The problem is that we don’t do it! Or, we don’t stick with it! And that’s the key to successful ‘dieting’!

And even though I hate the word diet, because that means it’s not permanent, it’s the truth. If you start something and feel you won’t be able to do it in 6 months, 1, 3, 5 years from now IT WON’T WORK!

It will not be sustainable. And you’ll find yourself being one of the 95% of people that quit.

The trick is of course to let go of your ego and admit you might need help, start something that is sustainable…and…wait for it…keep going!

And that’s exactly what my book would be mostly about. To nudge, push, and persuade you on why you should keep going! (Because if your thoughts don’t change, you’ll never change!)

Not so much the tactics. Sure my clients enjoy my tips and tricks and lifestyle. But I’m the first one to say they aren’t revolutionary.

I’m also the first one to say that the only way to change how you look and feel is to change what you do. However, many people don’t want to actually change.

They want to talk about changing. And make themselves feel like they’re changing.

But not actually change.

I am amazed by how impatient we are when it comes to results for our health and fitness goals.

In fact, it’s scary how fast we expect results!

Here is the promise I make to my clients: If you stay consistent with your diet and exercise you will absolutely see and feel results! No question about it.

As we all know (but like to think otherwise) consistency is the key to any kind of success. Of course, it’s also tough to maintain.

That’s where MBT comes in.

We all know this though. Our rational mind doesn’t really believe losing 30 pounds in three days is realistic. (Of course not!)

However, our irrational mind likes to think so. In fact, it’s the same irrational mind that will fall victim to get rich quick schemes.

Get rich quick schemes don’t work!

For as long as there have been (and are) people who want to get rich there will be get rich quick schemes.

But here’s the thing: Get rich quick schemes (as well as diet schemes) exist because people want to believe they exist.

For as long as there are lazy people who want to believe in ‘too good to be true’ claims they’ll always be around.

[When I say diet schemes I mean anything that makes you think it’s too good to be true! Alert: If it feels that way in your gut it's because it is too good to be true!]

Don’t you think if get rich quick schemes actually existed the seller (who was entrepreneurial enough to buy airtime to share his secret with the world for a small fee of 10 easy payments of $89.95) would instead just hire 1000’s of people at minimum wage to follow his very own ’step by step full proof method’ and become a billionaire himself?

Think about that? If it was that easy and it required so little work, and work that could be replicated over and over, he’d be able to hire anyone. And just have them follow his method.

But of course, he doesn’t.

There is no such thing as getting rich quick. Nor is there such a thing as losing 30 pounds in three days.

The only way to get rich quick or to lose weight or to accomplish anything worth accomplishing is slowly.

Like I tell my clients: Meal by meal. Workout by workout. Day by day.

Very unsexy but very true.

If you put together 9 ladies it still takes 9 months each to have a baby (and patience).

How come no one questions anything else that takes time and patience and effort? Law school, medical school, grad school, and on and on?

Ironically, without your health and fitness none of the above means anything.

Get in shape slowly.

Meal by meal, workout by workout, day by day!

[This happened to be yesterday’s Daily Inspiration.]

[Some nice comments over at BrazenCareerist.com!]

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Nothing like a good meal, great company and some football!

It’s impossible to be thankful and unhappy at the same time. The two emotions cannot coexist. Thankfulness magically gets rid of every other non-happy emotion there is.

Of course, celebrate the great holiday, but let’s try to mindlessly eat a little less than we otherwise would.

Here’s five ideas for you to use this Thursday:

Wear Your Best Belt and your tightest pants! It’s a lot easier to stop eating when you know you’re full. One great clue is when your clothes and belt starts telling you. Sounds obvious, but stopping when you’re full is probably one of the harder things to do at the Thanksgiving table when everyone else is helping themselves to seconds.

It will be easier to stop if you wear very tight pants because then you’ll have to push away from the table when you’re stuffed. You’ll just be too uncomfortable otherwise.

Save your Calories for Dinner. If you want to be a great guest and enjoy the meal the most, skip the hors d’oeuvres. A great basic rule-of-thumb is don’t eat anything that doesn’t require a knife and fork.

Focus on the Special Stuff. Don’t waste your calories on large portions of food you can eat everyday. Limit the variety you have. Let’s make a rule. Only two items on your plate at any one time. Having a lot of different items on your plate at once stimulates your appetite so therefore don’t have 20 different things on your plate.

Small seconds are better than Big Firsts. Some people show their love through food. Research on memory shows that your Aunt Grace won’t remember how much you take, BUT she will remember if you liked it enough to take seconds. Especially, if you announce it. Take two small helpings of key foods over one medium/large portion.

So here’s the play: Take a little bit of Aunt Grace’s ‘famous’ mashed potatoes. Tell her how great they are. Then go back for seconds and say something like, “Aunt Grace, your mashies are so good I’m taking seconds!” She’ll be really happy because your making her feel good…and your body will be really happy, too because you’ll actually be eating less of them even though you’re going in for round 2.

Forget the Post Dinner Snacks. We won’t starve if we skip the late night turkey sandwich. This is a great time to focus on the family and not on the food.

Most importantly, and this is somewhat counterintuitive, don’t sweat it if you make a dietary mistake or two or three. We all will. And we’ll have the other 364 days to do it right!

Bonus! Want to make everyone laugh at the table? Cut out aluminum foil in the desired shape. Wrap the turkey and cook normally. And when it’s done and ready to be served it’ll look like the picture above. Not only will everyone laugh, a lot, but it’ll also remind you that, before we know it, bathing suit season will be here!

Also, from the bottom of my heart I want to thank all of my amazing clients for allowing me to do what I love doing. I don’t take it for granted, for even a second, that without them I wouldn’t have a business! I also want to thank you, my loyal reader, for reading my blog!

Enjoy your family and friends and, of course, happy Thanksgiving!

[Some really nice comments over at BrazenCareerist.com!]

Below is my Daily Inspiration that I wrote for my clients yesterday morning. I write a Daily Inspiration every single morning for my clients. This just happens to be one of them…

One of my idols growing up was Michael Jordan. He says, “You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.”

Indeed.

If you don’t expect yourself to stay consistent with your diet and exercise then you won’t. If you don’t expect yourself to get that promotion or to land that new client then you won’t.

If you don’t expect things of yourself before you can do them, then you will never, ever, do them.

In my opinion, expecting things of yourself comes from self confidence. And I believe the best way to gain self confidence is to actually do the things you really want to do.

All of those little promises that you make to yourself (and me). When you really make good on your own word, it feels incredible. And you start to really believe in yourself. You start to really trust yourself.

The feeling of having been lied to by yourself (which we all do) is not a good one. You start thinking you’re a fraud. And that your own word means nothing.

You don’t believe yourself anymore. You don’t trust yourself anymore and you don’t take yourself seriously anymore.

Some people will promise anything to other people and never break their word because they want other people to think they are full of integrity.

Some of those people will never keep their own promises though. How about some personal integrity folks?

Here’s a thought:

Imagine if you kept every promise you made to yourself. Imagine how you’d feel and look.

Imagine where’d you’d be.

So that means…

Really working your butt off at the gym. Not just going through the motions. (If you’re going to spend your precious time there then you might as well get the most out of it!)

Stop snacking on those treats (we both know they aren’t good for you) and you’re only fooling yourself.

Waking up a little earlier.

Eating a little healthier.

And countless other promises we all make to ourselves.

Imagine. Do.

Repeat.

You = feeling like a rockstar.

-A

I’ve been writing a Daily Inspiration every morning for my clients since March of 2007. I wake up and whatever comes to mind I write it. My clients love it. Thankfully!

My program is based on 4 key quotes. I’m a big fan of quotes if you haven’t realized. The idea of having a Daily Inspiration was inspired by this quote. (Actually to be honest, I found this quote way after I started writing the Daily Inspirations but it’s precisely the reason why I write a Daily Inspiration!)

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.” - Zig Ziglar

The other 3 quotes that my program is based on or I should say that go hand in hand with my program follow:

“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.” Richard P. Feynman, Nobel Prize - winning physicist

“In baseball, my theory is to strive for consistency, not to worry about the numbers. If you dwell on statistics you get shortsighted, if you aim for consistency, the numbers will be there at the end.” – Tom Seaver

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” – Albert Einstein

[Some really nice comments over at BrazenCareerist.com!]

1. Finishers: We love finishing things! That’s why it’s so hard to leave things on our plates; like that last bite we don’t even want. Our clue that we are done eating is that our plates are clean. Try always leaving a piece of food on your plate.

2. Perception: In a study when people thought they were drinking “cheap” wine, they ate less and stayed at dinner shorter. But the group with the “good” wine (they were the same exact wines) stayed longer and ate more and said the meal was better.

3. Eating: The first bite is always the best so just reduce the portions. Out to dinner? Tell them to pack up 1/2 of your food for home even before they bring out the plate to your table. Say no to bread. This way you don’t even have to look at it. If you have to constantly look at it, you have to constantly ask yourself the question, “Do I want a piece? Do I really not want a piece?” Save yourself.

Put food in the back of cupboards. Make it harder to get to. Thank God for places like Costco. But take Costco size things and put them in smaller containers (then hide them in large bins.) In general, when food is out of your site - it’s out of your mind.

4. Awareness: Are you really hungry when you eat? If you’re not hungry but choose to eat anyway — say out loud, “I’m not hungry but I’m going to eat this anyway!”

5. 20 percent: Try adding 20% more veggies to your plate and take away 20% of the entree.

1/2 plate: Try making half of your plate veggies. I find that eating veggies and salad with each meal really helps me to feel full.

6. Forgotten: There was a great study where 1 group of people ate chicken wings and their bones were kept in front of them. In the other group, the plates were cleared every 15 minutes or so.

Who do you think ate less? The group who saw all of their bones.

Bonus: You can do the same with wine. Always serve new glasses of wine and be sure to leave the old glasses out and the bottles too!

*Bonus - bonus: This actually applies to anything.

7. Just cut it: Mindless eating is when you eat and are no longer hungry. The “I’m full but I can eat more.” Be satisfied and just say, “Done!”

8. See all you can eat: Like the chicken wings - serve yourself in the kitchen and try to eat in another room. With snacks always pour or put the snack into something. Otherwise, the hand always reaches into that bag.

(more…)

Continuing with my ‘how to get in amazing shape’ series (Part 1 here), the next rule is something that many of my clients are (delightfully) surprised at. The key isn’t to starve. Actually, that’s exactly what you don’t want to do. Rule #1 is to never let yourself get really hungry.

What you want to try and do is to eat something every 3 – 4 hours.

Think back to the caveman (sorry Geico cavemen!) days.

Back then, there were no supermarkets to get whatever you wanted, whenever you
wanted it. There weren’t bodegas on every corner like here in NYC either.

The caveman didn’t know when his next meal was coming. He only ate when he
made the kill and would literally stuff himself until he couldn’t move! Why? Because
he knew that he might not eat again for days or even weeks!

This made our bodies very bad at processing food. Since our bodies didn’t know
when we were going to eat next, they were forced to revert into something known as
“survival mode”.

Whenever you eat, your digestive system converts most of your food, especially
large amounts of carbs to glucose (blood sugar). It’s a very complex process but
basically anytime we eat we’re in ‘survival mode’.

Because of this our body converts most of the glucose…in conjunction with the
hormone insulin…to fat!

This is why people who constantly starve themselves can gain weight while eating
only one meal per day!

We’d all like to speed up our metabolism. Unfortunately, over thousands and
thousands of years our bodies haven’t changed much from the days of the
caveman. Every time we eat, our bodies are already automatically going to convert
what we eat to fat…even if it’s fat free!

So the million dollar question is, “Adam, how do I change my body from a fat storer
to a fat burner?” It’s all about proper nutrition.

The answer is simply this: 4-5 portion-controlled, balanced meals every 3-4 hours
throughout the day.

By eating this way, you’ll effortlessly speed up your metabolism. Think of this way. If
you have a campfire burning and you don’t add wood to the fire, eventually the
campfire will burn out!

But if you add a little wood every few hours, the campfire will continue to burn. And
burn hot!!! So, as you see, our metabolism is like the fire…never or rarely feed it
and it will slow down. Feed it every few hours and it has no choice but to speed up!

Burn baby. Burn.

Dear Adam,

I’ve been subscribed to your mailing list for a while now and have noticed my body is being shaped very nicely, and I appreciate all your tips. I just had one question, which may not have a simple answer. My problem is that I am 6′0 and I have a relatively small frame. My arms are a good size, my chest is a good size, my back is rather a decent size (for my frame) but I still look sort of skinny.

Is there an exercise that I can do that would make me look thicker around the rib area? I’ve tried increasing the size of my chest, my lats and my obliques (somewhat), and nothing seems to make me look “thicker.” Let me know if there is something I could have missed. Thanks a bunch.

-Alex

Alex, thanks so much for your question and I’m glad you’re enjoying the newsletter and tips.

I always tell my clients it’s all about realizing your body’s full potential. Most girls I know want to have Gisele Bündchen’s body.

Sorry but unless you’re 5′11″ there is zero chance your body can look like hers. Besides, it’s all about your confidence. The fact that you take care of yourself and treat your body with the respect it deserves should make you feel like a billion bucks.

Saying you “look sort of skinny” can only be fixed one way. And that’s by gaining weight. To gain weight on your frame you’re going to have to make a big commitment to eating frequently. You want to be eating at least 30 grams of protein per meal and you also want to be eating good complex carbs with each meal 5-6 times per day.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as spot reducing or spot ‘adding’. For example, a lot of clients tell me they want to lose fat in their stomachs. Although crunches are great they are not going to help you to reduce fat in your stomach. The only way to truly lose fat is by burning more calories than you consume.

To lose a pound of weight, you have to shave 500 calories a day from your diet. To gain weight, you have to eat at LEAST 500 calories more than what you normally eat. This is actually the fun part. But remember, you want to be eating quality foods, not crap.

In terms of exercise, I’d focus more on your back and specifically your lats. Developing your lats will give you that great V-taper look where your back appears wide at the top and narrow by the waist.

Also, I’m not sure how many reps you’re doing but you don’t want to be doing more than 12 reps per set. You want to stick to the 8-12 rep range as you’re really trying to add size. And if you can do 12 reps fairly easy, you’re not doing enough weight.

I really believe if you focus on eating a lot of quality foods frequently (every 3-4 hours), developing your lats and really making sure you’re pushing yourself in the weight room you’ll be well on your way to looking thicker!

As always, go hard or go home. If you’re going to spend time in the gym, you might as well kick your own ass or don’t bother going.

Oh and just for the record, I’m not a doctor, but I’m known to work miracles.

If you have a question for me, I’d love to answer it.

Here it is. Ready?

Don’t let yourself get really hungry.

When you let yourself get very hungry it’s almost impossible to make good decisions. Whether it’s after a long day of work or school or just after a busy day, the chances of you eating the way you really want to are highly unlikely when you’re ravenous.

I know when I’m famished the last thing I want to eat is something healthy.

Rule 1A: There is no such thing as will power.

Do not keep crappy foods around. You’re only going to sabotage yourself. Here’s the problem:

If I had my favorite ice cream in the freezer (Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked – Ugh, it’s unreal), every single time I go into the kitchen, I’m subconsciously going to ask myself, “Hey Guru, you want some ice cream?” and it’s almost impossible to keep my paws away from it.

Or if I had my favorite cookies in the cabinet (It’s a tie between Chips Ahoy Soft Batch – the ones in the red package or Oreo’s, Double Stuf - obviously) I’d be asking myself the same question.

It’s so much easier to just not have junk around. So you don’t have to ask yourself those questions.

Also, I’m not saying you can’t ever eat junk again. Once in a while is fine. But let’s face it. Have you ever got up from sitting on your couch after eating a whole bag of Doritos and cookies and everything under the sun and said, “Damn, I feel freaking amazing?”

Life is too short to not feel amazing as often as you can.

Again, I’m not saying that once in a while you can’t indulge. But the whole idea is that eventually you’re going to love how you feel by eating so well that you’re not going to want to eat crap anymore.

But for some reason when you’re really hungry…you’re going to want crap.

Remember. Rule numero uno.

Pura Vida!

Every self-help exert will tell you to live in the now. Nothing matters except now. The past and the future don’t exist. Your life is right now.

I agree that living in the moment is very important but it’s not very realistic. Even in Daniel Gilbert’s bestseller, Stumbling On Happiness, he opens with the fact that human beings are the only species that think about the past and the future. Our emotions and happiness levels are based on our past experiences. That is what makes us human beings. It’s just the way it is.

But maybe, you really want to just live in the now. You don’t care about the future and you could care less about the past.

It’s all about the now, you say.

This thinking can lead us to make foolish decisions that we, most likely, will regret later on. You might also feel that enjoying crappy food now is not a big deal because you think it makes you happy…now.

I want ice cream now. I want pizza now. I want cheese fries now. I want everything now. And if that makes me happy now…then that’s all I care about!

What about later, though? If you consistently choose to enjoy the now by eating crappy foods then your later won’t be so much fun. (Unless you could care less about how you feel and look.)

If you keep enjoying the now, pretty soon, you’ll find the now very stressful.

For example, those cheese fries might be delicious now but most likely when you’re on the beach this summer, or by a pool, you might hate how you feel and look. You might be disgusted with yourself when it’s time to buy new clothes. You might hate that none of your clothes fit anymore. You might feel sluggish. Those jeans might be a tad too tight. Maybe, you can’t run as far as you used to. Maybe that shirt is too snug.

And you hate it all!

Sooner, rather than later, if you keep enjoying the now, you’ll find your now very upsetting.

I believe it’s a lot easier to be mindful in the now and to ask yourself if you really want to eat the crap you think you want to eat because it’ll make your later a lot easier, more enjoyable and fun.

Because pretty soon, your later, will be the now!

Think about that…NOW!