Build up. Don't tear down.

This is a VERY serious topic and I am going to look at it in a way that you may not expect. This may just change the way that you treat succeed and thus achieve success.

People throw rocks at thing that shine. I know it's line from a Taylor Swift song but it's the truth. To many people would rather bring someone or something down then try to build themselves up.

It's the easy way out. "I can't do that so I'm going to bring it down..."

A couple of examples.

CrossFit seams to be quite a lightning rod. Those that love it are REALLY passionate about it. Those that don't love it. Try to bring it down. I saw a thread on Facebook recently where some don't said, "CrossFit is a joke" and continued to rail against it for a few paragraphs.

Why would someone day that about something that so many people are passionate about?

It's becasue this person feels better bringing others down then building himself up.

Kind of like kids on a playground. Why do kids make fun of each other? It's because the haven't learned this yet. They think that to build themselves up they need to bring others down.

It's like the scarcity mentality. The thought process is that there is only so much so you need to horde what you have or it will be taken from you.

It's a bunch of crap.

Another example.

Recently a Facebook "friend" posted a couple of passive aggressive little comments on her wall that were clearly aimed at bringing me down. Why would you post something that is pretty clearly an effort to make someone else look bad? Isn't that what we stopped doing in 3rd grade when we realized that other people have feelings?

More examples.

A while back one of our Advocare team posted on social media about how she had lost weight and was loving the products. One of her so called friends replied with a soliloquy telling  her friend to "be careful" and how her other friend got sick from Hydroxicut or some such thing. Really lady? What does that have to do with your friend be happy to lose 10 lbs?

Last one. What we share on social media. What is the point of sharing stories about death, prisoner abuse, animal cruelty, criminals getting beat up by cops and politics? There are things that bring us down. These do not build us up. There are so many stories out there about people that are doing GREAT things. Mission trips, charity work, cats getting rescued from trees.... SHARE THOSE THINGS. Build people up. Don't try to bring us all down.

I could go on all day.

The point is that people need to be built up not torn down. When you build people up you are empowered, they are empowered and everybody wins. When you tear people down they are hurt, you are empty and everybody loses.

I say all the time that negativity is dense. It is 100% true. The good feeling we get when we feel good about ourselves after bringing someone else down goes away quick.

The good feeling when get when we build someone else up stays with us forever.

I will leave you with this today. Stop trying to bring others down by arguing with them. Stop trying to make yourself feel better by pointing out everyone's flaws.

If you want what someone else has then go out and get it. Grow into those big shoes.

When you believe in yourself it becomes much easier. Be more to be more. You can do it!

The 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge is coming back very soon. Shoot me a quick email so you can be one of the first to get the NEW and IMPROVED version!

Please share this with your friends. Somebody out there just might need this message.

To your success!

Rick Copley | Your Best Fitness Coach  | "Empowering YOU to be a champion" 

 Your Best Fitness Coach Facebook Page |Rick's No Excuses Blog

Instagram: @rickcopley 

352-989-6795 | rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com

Are you coachable?

The biggest success in life come when you are coachable. The lesson here is simple. Want more from life? Become coachable.

I had a lot of good qualities as an athlete when I was young. Being coachable clearly wasn't one of them.

It took me a long time to learn that one. Really wish I had picked it up earlier. More about me later....

So what does it mean to be coachable and how can YOU be coachable?

First we should look at the people that are un-coachable and PROUD. We all know these people. These are the one that will squawk all over Facebook, "I did it all myself with diet and exercise" or the people you know that are going to this or do that and create an entirety new way to do the thing that millions have already done another way.

Do you get my drift on this one?

One of the principles in Jack Canfield's AWESOME book, "The Success Principles" is SUCCESS LEAVES CLUES. In other words if you are trying to do something that many people have done doesn't it make sense to learn from their victories and their defeats.

This is the essence of being coachable. This is a lesson that we all need to learn.

If you have a task at hand, a goal, a desire, a dream....the first thing you need to do is to find someone that has done what you want to do and emulate them. Do what they did.

It is also a good idea to be COACHED by someone that has helped others do what you want to do.

I would go as far as to say that the MAIN REASON people fail is they do not seek out guidance from people that have failed and succeeded before them.

Here is your action plan to achieve virtually ANY goal. Ready?

1. Define your WHAT. It's to be CLEARLY define and stated in the present tense. "I am feeling proud and fit weighing in at 130 pounds SO THAT I can be an energetic mother."

Where did I get this from? Did I make this up? No. It came from Jack Canfield's book. If you start making up new ways to succeed based on what you made up then you are setting yourself up for failure. Get guidance. The top success coaches ALL say that you need to know what you want before you can do anything about it.

2. Define you why. This is along the same theme as number one. It need to MEAN SOMETHING. Thus the SO THAT statement.

3. Get help and accountability. FOLLOW A SYSTEM that works. Posting on a Facebook asking a bunch of people that don't know what they are talking about is not the best practice. Find someone that has had proven results helping others and seek guidance from them.

4. Create an action plan and stick to it. The action plan is going to be one that fits your needs but it is going to be one that has worked for others like you.

This is how people succeed. They define what they want, they know why they want it, they get help and accountability and they get to work.

So many people get lost in this process. USUALLY it comes down to people that think it is some big fat badge of courage or something to say, "I did it one my own."

Nobody cares if you did it on your own. It doesn't make your accomplishments mean any more. It just means you are stubborn and uncoachable.

The fact of the matter is that somewhere, someone JUST LIKE YOU did what you are trying to do. There is a system and method. Why make up your own when you can just copy someone else?

I can't tell you the number of times that I have heard people tell me all this crazy stuff they are trying to do to lose weight. Most of those programs don't work.

So to close out today's short post I want to share with you a personal story about me as a young athlete.

I had lot's of success as a runner back in the 80's and early 90's. To be honest I was a handful for my coach. I didn't seek guidance when I should have an I did my own thing more than I should have.

If I could go back I would change one thing and one thing once. I would have trusted my coach more and been more coachable.

I can't change that but you can change what you do. Seek guidance. Be coachable. Succeed. 

It's a winning formula.

My wife and I have helped many hundreds of people succeed in the area of weight loss. We do offer distance coaching to people to help them they their workouts. If you live far from us we can still guide you.

We are here to help. Call me if you you need a coach (352-989-6795)

If you think that there may be people out there in your Facebook world will you please share this post. You might be able to change someones life.

To your success!

Rick Copley | Your Best Fitness Coach  | "Empowering YOU to be a champion" 

 Your Best Fitness Coach Facebook Page |Rick's No Excuses Blog

Instagram: @rickcopley 

352-989-6795 | rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com

Too busy to exercise?

Today's post if for the person that says they are "too busy" to exercise. Read to the end and you will see 7 tips that WILL HELP you find a solution to that problem.

If course when you say that I don't have time that really isn't the truth. We all know that, right?

There are 24 hours is the day for each of us. We all have the time it's just the way that we prioritize it that is the issue. 



I know that sometimes work is pretty important. I get that. Bills need to be paid. Truth is that we MUST get out of the habit of allowing work and money to get in the way of our health.

If you health is important enough to you then you will make time. Truly you will.

Time making tip #1: Go to bed earlier and get up earlier. OK, you need to leave for work at 7am. Cool. Normally to make this happen you get up at 6am. Get up at 5:30am and do a 30 minute workout.

I'm sorry. Did I lose you there? I know this is pretty complex. Get you ass up. If you go to get at 11pm and get up at 6am then go to bed at 10:30pm and get up at 5:30am.

What do you do after 9pm? If your answer is "watch TV" well then there is an easy solution. Go to bed!

Time making tip #2: 3 words ~ pack a bag. You should have 3 sets of gym cloths. One bag is your car, one bag at work and one bag at home. Check one my first workout yesterday:

I did this 3 mile run in a park ON THE WAY HOME from teaching class. After my refreshing run I put a towel on my seat and drove home. 30 minutes out of my day. I made the time!

If you work a long day then I would suggest that you workout on the way home. Even if its a simple stop at a park for a run or a stop at the gym. Just do it.

Along with the gym bag idea is this: how about the mid-work break to workout? So check this out. I know everybody is different in job with beaks and lunches. Let's say you have an hour for lunch and two 15 minute breaks. Do 30 minutes for lunch and now you have an extra 30 minutes to workout! Change your clothes, run 5 minute down the street and then 5 minutes back, in an empty room do a 10 minute AMRAP of 15 squats, 10 sit-ups, 15 jumping jacks and 5 burpees...

Shower or towel off of whatever it is you need to do to get back to work.

There are lot's of ways to squeeze a workout in if you pack a bag.

Time making tip #3: Join a class that you pay for. The more $$$ the better! This way you see VALUE in what you sign up for. Paying $20 for a 6 week program shows there is no value in the program. Why bother? Paying $180 for a 6 week class at 6am will make you go! You don't want to waist that sort of money.

I would suggest they type of program where a training is going to harass you if you don't show up. A 6am kickboxing class or a 5:30pm Zumba class isn't going to do that for you. These classes are great, don't get me wrong, but if you are not paying extra then they aren't going to hold you accountable.

Time making tip #4: Be efficient in your workouts. If you haven't already read it then YOU NEED to go back and read THIS POST about how we waist time at the gym. (http://yourbestfitnesscoach.blogspot.com/2014/07/5-things-we-do-at-gym-to-waste-time.html)

If you think you need to be at the gym for more than 30 minutes at a time then you are mistaken.

Time making tip #5: Become goal orientated with you health. I would even go as far as saying that you should reward yourself! Some goals could be with fat loss or a weight lifted. Maybe you want to do a 5k or a marathon or a CrossFit competition. Find something to train for and train for it!

If you place more importance on working out then it is morel likely that you will do some of the actions listed above to get it done.



Time making tip #6: Schedule your workout time like an appointment. Quick. Look at your calendar on your phone or on your computer. Do you have your workout time on there? If you don't then you should.

Treat workout time like an appointment. Are you going to skip an appointment with a client because you were to tired? No. You show up anyway. Treat your workout time like that as well.

Block it off and let NOTHING else mess with your workout time!

Time making tip #7: Do something longer on the weekends. If you are pressed for time all week then do a long hike or a bike ride on Saturday and Sunday. Maybe go rock climbing or kayaking. Take advantage of having "time" and do something with it. If you have a day off are you really sitting in front of the TV watching football or laying in the sand.

These are decisions my friend. Do something active if you want be healthy. Watch football after you bike ride. Always workout fired then relax later!

I hope that if you try to use the excuse "I am to busy to workout" you understand that in most cases it is simply just an excuses. When you peel back the layers you will see that it really comes down to your priorities. If you can't find the time then clearly it's not important enough to you.

I don't mean to be harsh but it's the truth.

You need to workout. Figure out how to MAKE the time.

Do you want to know one of my secrets for getting my workouts done and staying focused throughout the day?

Spark! It's essential in our lives and MANY others. Stuff works. Plain and simple. There are 10 flavors now.

Here are the flavors that we have: Mandarin Orange, Mangostrawberry, Citrus, Cherry, Watermelon, Grape, Green Apple, Pomegranate, Fruit Punch and Pink Lemonade. 

If you haven't tried Spark then you should. Stuff is awesome. CLICK TO LEARN MORE. 

If you have any questions please give me a call. (352-989-6795) We love Spark!

If you got value from today's post please do us a solid and share it around. Share with the people that you think would benefit. You might change a life. Someone will thank you later! 

You your success!

Rick Copley, Your Best Fitness Coach 

"Empowering YOU to be a champion" 

rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com

Rick's No Excuses Blog

Instagram: @rickcopley 

352-989-6795

Your Best Fitness Coach Facebook Page 

My Broken Leg

(*This article originally published on August 9th, 2010. It is republished here with some minor editing*)

"I just broke my leg.”

“You probably just bruised the bone.”

“Nope. Broke my leg.”

Just 30 seconds earlier I had felt the crack of bone on bone. One bone had to give; it was my tibial plateau.

I jumped up praying that I was OK. It felt like there was a six inch gap in my body just below my knee. I knew right then and there that I’d broken my leg. Fuck.

The guys on my flag football team gathered around. Some were EMT’s and thought they knew what they were talking about. I knew the truth. My comeback was over. My season was over. I had broken my leg playing flag football.

I lay there. My life had already changed. This very moment in time my life would never be the same. A series of events had now been set into motion; almost like a butterfly effect. My world was about to become a different world. The changes would take some time, but it all started at this moment.

Charlene (my 1st wife) told me not to play flag football that night; I didn't listen... but should have.

In October of 2005 I competed in the Xterra World Championships in Hawaii and finished an astounding 7^th place in my age group. To me, at the time, it was the tip of the iceberg. I was bound for triathlon greatness. I was on the way up. I was going to do great things.

I was.

In August of 2005 I moved to Florida and started a paint contracting business. I wasn't a perfect businessman but I was doing fine. I made enough money to go on racing trips to Salt Lake City, Reno, San Francisco and Maui in 2006. Despite a flat tire at Xterra Worlds that year I did well. Life was good.

In late 2006, early 2007 we all know what happened to housing and construction in Central Florida. One day I had two crews out on job sites the next day I couldn't find work for one person. I made some bad decisions, had some bad luck and got royally screwed by a guy named Robert Checkow of Ebb Tide Construction.

I lost everything and then some.

It was an awful, awful time. At almost the same time I was losing everything Charlene and I became foster parents to her two granddaughters.

When it became time to start training for triathlon season in early 2007 I was getting up in the middle of the night feeding a four month old infant. Mornings were spent getting the two girls and my 7 year old son off to school and day care. Days were spent working and the nights were spent looking for work.

There would be no triathlon season in 2007.

By early spring I’d lost my business. It was over. We lost our house. I had mountains of debt. We lost the girls back to their mother and I was out of shape and in financial ruin.

This is why I started working at the YMCA.

Ironically I left fitness to be a contractor and make money; if I could only have that one back. No mulligan’s in life. I took my lumps like a man.

Now it was time to rebuild our lives slowly. I worked part time at the YMCA to try and make ends meet. The debt was so massive and the mortgage so high that life became a massive day to day struggle. I had some time to train now but I couldn't afford to compete or even buy running shoes. These were dark days for sure.

I started having some success at the YMCA. I was gaining some momentum there. I was getting more clients and building a good reputation. I was making a difference and I was happy again.

In January of 2008 I became Wellness Director at the YMCA. I am so glad I stuck it out. Through all the challenges we were facing Charlene wanted me to quit the Y and get a “job” somewhere to earn a real paycheck. I just couldn't do it. I stuck it out and got the dream job for a guy like me.

I had been running quite a bit and a comeback was looking good. I found a sponsor and I was getting is great shape. By March I was registered for the “Duathlon National Championships”. I was ready to compete again.

On Friday night I ran a great time at the little off road 5k that I’d been putting on at the Hidden Waters Preserve. It was one of my best times. On Saturday I won a Track Shack road race in Orlando. On Sunday I rode my bike 3 hours then ran 5 miles in 29:30. I was feeling great and ready to return to action. Besides 2007 I’d never missed a year of racing since 1987. I was ready to rock.

On Thursday I was trying to block a pass in a stupid flag football practice on a night that my wife didn’t want me to even play. It happened March 3rd, 2008. 

She knew.

As I lay there on the ground I tried to accept what had happened. I tried and I've claimed for years now that I began to accept my fate right then and there. I did not and I would not for a very long time. Truth is I was changed. I was changed and the result is what it is. For better or worse it changed my life forever.

A chain of events were set into motion.

I had surgery on Friday.

On Saturday I did 5 push-ups on my knees cause that’s all I could do.

Sunday I walked down the street. I made it to my neighbor’s neighbor’s house before I turned around.

I went back to work on Monday.

I did pull ups incessantly. I did push-ups. I did whatever I could do. I did that silly arm machine that the old people use at the gym. I worked out as much as I could.

I went a little crazy. I lost my mind a little and I lost my heart.

By early May I could walk again. Walk I did. At the YMCA I had started the Mount Everest Challenge. Climb 29,035 vertical feet on the treadmill in the month. I did it in 11 days. I walked and walked. I couldn't run or bike but I could walk and I did.

I tried my best to occupy my time by working out and walking. It just wasn't the same. I couldn't run and I couldn't bike. As the summer went on I slipped further and further into a depression.

Yes I admit it. Between June and September of 2008 I was very depressed. There were days that I just slept walked through. It was a struggle to be me. It was a hard, hard time for me.

In late September I started to run again. The more I ran the better I felt. My depression was gone within a few weeks. On November 9^th I ran a half marathon in 1:25. I was back. On Thanksgiving Day I ran 16:45 for 5k and had completed my physical comeback.

I was me again. I was a runner. I started biking and swimming again soon after.

Not competing and especially not biking and swimming for almost two years was tough to contend with in 2009. I raced a full season and did OK. I qualified for and competed in Maui again. Things didn't go well. Perhaps I needed a year to just train.

2010 was a different story. With a year of training under my belt I was rolling and feeling great. I completed the Ironman on August 29th, 2010.

The chain of events that started in 2008 finally ended my marriage. I am OK with that now. I lost my business. I am OK with that. I broke my leg but I fought like hell and I beat that. I was depressed and I pulled myself out of that hole. I have faced adversary time and time again but in the end I am OK.

I am OK. (REMEMBER this was written in 2010. Obviously my life is a lot different now)

I share this story because many of you have similar stories. I fought through it all and come out the other side.

Am I better off for what I went through?

Does it matter?

The point is that you have had adversity. You WILL have more. How are you going to face it? Are you going to whine and complain that life isn't fair? Are you going to give up? What if I had given up?

My life is a little uncertain these days. It’s been a challenge for sure. My story is not that unique these days, is it?

Why did I pick now to share this personal story?

Why indeed.

Well, I was looking back on all that I've written in the last 7 years and I hardly found a mention of my broken leg or my loss of my business. These are events that are now part of my being but yet I ignored them; seems strange to me now.

In an effort to be more whole and better myself I have decided to share more. It is my hope that I can touch people in some way shape or form. I hope that I can even have one person say, “If he can do it then I can too!”

That’s what I hope for.

I’ll leave you today with this:

I was talking to a friend last night. For some reason I got all riled up. I was talking about 300 pounders. In the course of 10 plus years in fitness I have spoken to many, many 300 + pound people. Heck, many in the last few months. Each and every one had a long, sad story about why they were that heavy. All involved injuries and depression. These are hard things to overcome. Yes, they are. Now you know. I have been there.

I spend many hours of every week trying to figure out what to say to these people. It’s hard. I only hope that by reading what I just wrote, people that have a long road to hoe can see that it can be done.

It can be done.

If you are one of the ones that have a long road with a light at the end, that you can’t see, all I can tell you is that the light is there. It’s hard but the trip is worth it.

It is worth it.

A lot has happened in my life sinse the "dark days" of my life. Things are so much better now. I only hope NOW (4 years later after I wrote this) that people with understand that we all have struggles. It's not the struggles that define us but HOW WE DEAL with those struggles. It took me YEARS to pull myself out of the life rut that I was in back then. Was it worth it.

When I wake up each day and see my beuatiful wife see the people that we are helping it is SO WORTH IT.

If you are struggling PLEASE stick it out and....

the rewards for you are coming. Trust me, I know.

Did you get value out of my personal strory? Someone out there needs this message so PLEASE share and help them to stick it out. 

Thank you for reading!

Rick Copley, Your Best Fitness Coach 

"Empowering YOU to be a champion" 

rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com

Rick's No Excuses Blog

Instagram: @rickcopley 

352-989-6795

Your Best Fitness Coach Facebook Page 

5 Tips for Aging Runners

I have to admit that I am an aging runner. I am 41 and soon to be 42. Clearly my best days are behind... WAY BEHIND... me.

That is OK and I have come to terms with that.

It doesn't mean that I can't continue to enjoy running and enjoy competing. For me the focus of my competitive fire has shifted A LOT (Read my other blog "No Excuses" to see what my focus now is) but I still run and still identify myself as a runner.

Today's blog is going to focus on YOU and how to keep yourself going though your 30's, 40's, 50's and beyond. The tips that I give you will help you. This is a promise!

First, a little about my background as a runner.

I ran my first 5 mile road race in 1982. I know. 32 years ago. I was 9 years old. I loved running as a kid and kept it up for a long, long time.

I competed as a distance runner in high school and college. I set some pretty fast time along the way. These times include 1:56 for 1/8 mile, 4:16 for a mile and 25:45 for 5 miles. Back in the day I also ran 9:16 for 2 miles and a 1:14:59 half marathon.

Those days are gone now. I am not that person anymore. As a matter of fact all those times (except the half marathon) we run in the 1990's. Yeah...decades ago.

This leads me right into the first tip.

Tip #1: Leave the past in the past. You are NEVER going to be the person you were 20 years ago again so why try? Many of us try to train and race like we are 21 when we are 41. This is a recipe for failure. Set new goals that have NOTHING to do with your old goals. Find a focus that is reachable, measurable and challenge. Running your best ever 5k at 40 when your personal best is from 1996 is dumb. I ran 15:22 is 1996. Do you think I am trying to run that now? Goals are different now. WAY different.

Tip #2: Don't be afraid to run fast and run on soft surfaces. One of the things that has kept me injury free for the most part over the years in my love for trail running. Go to the track and run 400m intervals once a week. Remember tip #1! Don't expect to run sub 60. Just run a little faster then your normal pace.

Also, get your butt out on the trails for AT LEAST 50% of your mileage. If you are afraid to "get hurt" well then you are the exact opposite of correct. You need the lower leg strengthening that you will get from the trials. If you don't feel comfortable "running" on the trails then do some walk/jogging to get you used to it.

Tip #3: Do functional fitness. Focus on exercises that stretch your glutes, build your core and strengthen your back. 4 exercises that I would recommend are....

1) LOW PLANK:

2) DEEP BODY WEIGHT SQUATS: 

3) SWINGS

4) PULL-UPS

TIP #4: Be consistence with your running and with your rest. As we age we need more rest and recovery. This is truth. We also need to be consistent with our training. There is a balance and you need to find it. 

Is it smart to run 60 miles a week in our 40's like we did in our 20's. I would say no. Is it smart to run 2-3 days per week and expect to do well in a half marathon? I would say no to this as well.

You need to be smart and figure out how much your body needs without overdoing it AND you need to know how much is to much. It is a challenge but you can do it. If you do all the tips that I suggest here then it should help you to understand the balance. 

TIP #5: You MUST supplement. Even if your just do an Omega and high qualify multi-vitamin. I recommend Advocare because it is the best. I also recommend being consistent. Do you think it is a good idea to put 5 different brand of supplement in your body?

It is not.

Some people might say, "I don't do supplements." Coffee, energy drinks, Gatorade, bars, gels, Vitamin C, etc. These are supplements. You can replace all that will one brand. Like I said Advocare is what we use.

If you are interested to learn more specifically what I recommend for runners then watch this short video that I did a while back:

You can also check the Advocare site for more details: www.advocare.com.

As we age our bodies no longer can absorb nutritional the way that it did when we were younger. This is part of why supplementation is ESSENTIAL. On top of that we have more stress, less time and we tend to get hurt. We get the proper nutrition to recover. Again, supplementation is essential.

If you want a FREE consultation to learn what is right for you are far as supplementation going then simple call my personal cell: 352-989-6795. You can email me your phone number as well with a good time to call.

I will try to help you.

So there are my 5 tips for aging runners. If you got value please share with your runner friends. You never know who might need this information! 

To your success! 

Rick Copley, Your Best Fitness Coach 

"Empowering YOU to be a champion" 

rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com

Rick's No Excuses Blog

Instagram: @rickcopley 

352-989-6795

Your Best Fitness Coach Facebook Page 

Bulky

I am going to do a quick post today and hopefully give you a pretty powerful perspective.


We all have used excuses. Each and every one of us. Sometimes we don't know that we are using excuses but usually they are. Excuses and reasons are not the same thing.

I am going to talk about an excuse that many use that is totally and completely unacceptable as far as excuses go.

Before I do that. Did you see my new blog? ---> http://ricksnoexcusesblog.blogspot.com/

Talk about excuses or lack of them. My new blog is going to be about my personal journey to compete in the CrossFit Games. I have lots of excuses but none of them valid. If you get a chance please check it out and share if you think you might know someone that will get value out of it.

As you hopefully know I have been in the fitness industry from 15 years. For many of those years I did the thing that I ALWAYS hated. I gave fitness orientations.

Basically I showed people how to use machines that I disliked and didn't much believe in. It was my job so I did it.

You cannot possible fathom the number of time I heard a woman say the follow, "I don't want to get bulky...."

How many YMCA's do you go to and this is what you see: 

I sorry. You just don't see that.

Women don't get muscular and bulky like men do. Don't get me wrong. Ladies can get a lot of muscle but it takes a TON of work. Female (and males for that matter) body builders do a crazy amount of working out, eating in the middle of the night and supplement like crazy. 

So why do women think that if they lift weights they are going to get bulky? I mean, does the average lady about to start a workout program REALLY think a few trips are the "circuit" is all that it takes to look like the woman in the above picture. 

Sounds ridiculous, right? 

That is not the real story. 

The real story is this: FEAR. 

We fear the unknown. We fear failure. We fear looking bad. We fear being embarrassed. 

The fear is real. When we fear we reach for whatever we can to feel safe. In this case a lot of ladies make up the excuse, "I don't want to get bulky...."

It's a way to feel safe. These are real emotions and it's part of the battle that people face when getting ready to get in shape.

Not going to lie. It's hard.

So do women get "bulky" when they lift weights? 

In a word, not really. For the most part women don't add muscle they way that men do because of a lack of testosterone. 

With a high intensity workout program, proper diet and supplementation woman CAN strip away most of there body fat and add muscle. This takes many months and years for the average lady.

Most women that lift weights will be more toned, wear a smaller size and look better both in clothes and naked. 

Wait. What? That is what weight training does?

Yes it is. Cardio will not do that for you. Weight training will. 

If you think weight training will make you bulky I am here to tell you that it will not. 

If you think that cardio is the "key" to weight loss I am here to tell you that it is not. 

You need to combine weight training with high intensity functional fitness, some "cardio", a balanced diet and supplementation and you will lose fat and perhaps gain some muscle. 

Before we finish there is one thing I want to address real fast.

Some women do put on some muscle. So what? Why is putting on muscle a bad thing? Not everybody is a size zero skinny mini. You are who you are. If you are going to put on some muscle do it.

Not gonna lie. Muscle is sexy. When I first started dating Teresa she was 119 but about 22% body fat. Now she is 132 but 14% body fat. She has guns and they are SEXY. 

Embrace your muscle. Don't think it is a bad thing and don't use getting "bulky" as an excuse not to workout. That is silly and you know it.

Teresa is also very passionate about this subject. She did a blog post over the weekend. Her perspective is the same but it is from a women's point of view... complete with pictures!

Check it out: http://ladygurusfitkitchen.blogspot.com/2014/07/women-and-weigtlifting.html

I hope that you enjoyed today's post. If you see value in this post and you don't want miss any others make sure to "LIKE" our Facebook page. We post the links to our blogs there. Read and share! Here is the link to the Facebook Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Your-Best-Fitness-Coach/132860716766468

To your success! 

Rick Copley, Your Best Fitness Coach 

"Empowering YOU to be a champion" 

rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com

Instagram: @rickcopley 

352-989-6795

Your Best Fitness Coach Facebook Page 

Dream BIG Dreams

I was at an Advocare event last night and one line that I heard that impacted me was, "Dream big dreams."

Most of us have forgotten how to dream.

Picture little kids. You ask them that they want to be when they grow up and there is no filter. They will tell you straight away. They have dreams. Nothing holds them back from dreaming.

Then the barriers and the struggles come. Slowing but surely we forget how to dream. We forget how to set our sites on something that we cannot see.

Be become afraid to lose site of the shore.

It is sad.

So may quick message to you today is to dream again. Learn to dream again in a way that empowers you and those around you. Learn to dream again so that you can achieve more and be more.

When we started our AdvoCare business a little over 2 years ago we had forgotten how to dream.

Teresa went off to work at a job that she hated 4 days per week. She left at 7am and came back after 7pm. It was awful because she was stressed out and miserable.

We were broke and living in a one bedroom apartments. I had gottne mysefl addicted to Monster Energy drinks.

We decided to start to dream again and we DECIDED to change our lives.

We defined a purpose and we got to work. We didn't know what to do. We also didn't accept the excuses that we could have accepted. We just started to dream.

The road hasn't been smooth. There have been plenty of challenges.

Today we are dreaming again. Today we are building something that is going to make us free in so many ways and it going to allow us to live our dreams. Today we are difference makers.

The most important decision that we have ever made was to learn to dream again.

Was it easy to make that choice? Hell no! 

But we did it! We have gone against the grain and we have grown as people and we have helped others do the same.

Something like Advocare may not be for you. 

But what if it is?

What if you have forgotten how to dream but you want to dream again? You want to dream BIG dreams. You want to create and be more.

It's starts by dreaming. In continues by believing that dream. Then you act and your life will be forever changed.

My message today is short. It is sweet and it is something that could mean the world to you.

Dream BIG dreams. Take responsibility and do whatever it takes to succeed. You owe it to yourself and you owe it to your family. You are more. You will be more. Walk tall and DREAM BIG DREAMS.

When we started our AdvoCare business my coach, a guy we call Z, told me he was earning $30,000 per month. When I heard that something clicked in my. I said, "If he can do it then I can do it."

We are on our way because we have big dreams and we aren't scared to dream even bigger dreams.

I hope you got value out of this post today and it made you think a little. Does the opportunity to join our team and learn how you can make money with AdvoCare sound like something you might want to explore? 

Again.... it may not be for you BUT WHAT IF IT IS? If you can carve out 40 minutes of your day and it you want to learn how to dream then click on the link and watch. Let me know if you have questions. You are literally one decision away from changing your life. Here is the link: http://www.championswebinar.com/

The last thing that I want to say is this: I believe in you. If you decide that you want to do something then make it a strong decision and and unwavering one. Feel confident that no matter what....

To your success! 

Rick Copley, Your Best Fitness Coach 

"Empowering YOU to be a champion" 

rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com

Instagram: @rickcopley 

352-989-6795

Your Best Fitness Coach Facebook Page