One thing that has caught my attention, and I thought you may want to know about it is a study that was actually done in 2007 in Australia.

Some researchers at the University of NSW and also the Garvan Institute had studied 45 overweight women over 15 weeks.

They put them through a 20 minute cycling program where they “sprinted” on a stationary bike for eight seconds followed by 12 seconds of light cycling.

What was the result?

“They lost three times more weight as other women who exercised at a continuous, regular pace for 40 minutes,” UNSW Associate Professor Steve Boutcher said.

Three times the weight, with half the time?

Wow.

I’ve been trying the workout myself with Lindsey and I’ve got to say, while it sounds pretty easy in theory. It’s actually pretty tough to keep that 8 seconds on 12 seconds off pace for a full 20 minutes.

But it’s much less time, it’s not THAT hard. And it really does seem to work.

Lindsey’s not actively trying extremely hard to lose any weight, but she has lost about 3 pounds in the last 2 weeks. And we’ve only been doing this workout about 2 times a week.

We’ve not been cycling though. We go to the park with the dogs, and they have some running trails there.

Basically, we jog a medium pace up a steep hill for 8 seconds, then walk for 12. And repeat.

You do have to keep your heart rate in check for this exercise. It can get going very quick, and you don’t want to go over your maximum heart rate for your age.

If you don’t know your max heart rate you can find out here:

Max heart rate calculator

Anyhow, I think the key to the success of this exercise may actually be by raising the chemical compounds found in your body called catecholamines. These can help increase burning fat in trouble areas, or just in general.

This type of exercise almost seems like it might have a “rowing” effect. Where it kind of “sucks” out your fat burning chemicals and saturates your body with them.

I think more research needs to be done on this type of exercise, but it certainly has promise.

And I think it’s kind of fun too.

Here’s more info on the study for reference.

.

Think you can’t lose weight and still drink? Well think again.

I’m not saying that it’s going to help accelerate your weight loss goals, but it’s definitely possible to incorporate weight loss, alcohol, and your life together.

And you can maintain your current weight as well and still drink alcohol if you’d like.

.

.

Here’s some tips, and a story.

Last night one of Lindsey’s friends graduated from her university with her nursing degree. She got a ton of awards, and an incredible GPA, so her husband decided to go all out and rent a limo, and go downtown to go to a couple of her favorite night clubs.

Because of this, we knew we would be drinking a bit and planned ahead.

It was really nice to go out and see some of Lindsey’s old friends who haven’t seen her in a couple years. They were all astonished about her weight loss, and were talking about it all night. It felt good to see her get the recognition and congratulations she deserves for her weight loss success. (And keeping it off.)

So onto the tips…

.

Tip #1: Strictly in terms of weight loss, alcohol is just calories.

If you know you’ll be drinking a few drinks at night, make sure to budget ahead of time. Try and eat lightly during the day so you can allow room for some tasty champagne, and other fun drinks later.
.

Tip #2: If you’re going “out” for the night, do something fun and active.

Here’s an example from our night: While we were out, we went to a bar that had a mechanical bull. And we decided to take it for a ride. That was a nice little workout. I’m still a bit sore.

In addition, we went to another club and danced for about an hour straight. That probably burned about 400 calories, which would equate to anywhere from 2-4 drinks. (Depending on what they are.)

.

Tip #3: Choose lower calorie drinks

For example, a 4 ounce glass of champagne has around 80-100 calories. That is very low in comparison to something like a long island ice tea or other mixed drinks which can have anywhere from 300-600 calories.

If you want a “fancy” drink, martini’s are usually better to get than something like a “margarita” or “pina colada” because they have less mixer. And mixer adds about twice the calories. Also wine is a good option because it has less calories as well.

Here’s a quick calorie break down of some more “popular drinks.”

• Wine (5 ounces) 125 calories
• Mint Julep (10 ounces) 210 calories
• Bloody Mary (1.5 ounces vodka) 130 calories
• Pina colada (8 ounces) 465 calories
• Long Island iced tea (8 ounces) 300 calories
• Screwdriver (7.5 ounces) 175 calories
• Drambuie (1.5 ounces) 165 calories
• Gin and Tonic (7.5 ounces) 170 calories
• Margarita (8 ounces) 300 calories
• Rum (1shot) 125 calories
• Scotch Whiskey (1 shot) 115 calories
• Tequila (1 shot) 115 calories
• Vodka (1 shot) 125 calories
• Bourbon (1 shot) 125 calories

.

Tip #4: Stay away from the “snack” foods

It’s OK to eat and drink the foods you enjoy while losing weight, and if you can incorporate your favorite activities, then you will be much more likely to succede.

That being said, you can’t overindulge and expect to be able to lose weight quickly or easily. So if you do choose to drink, don’t overdo it. And make sure you stay responsible, and level headed. And keep away from the snack foods as much as possible.

We all know what the “munchies” can do to your weight loss efforts.

So instead of snacks, choose to dance, or chat with friends, or grab a glass of water in between cocktails. And when you go home for the night, go straight to bed, and stay away from the kitchen.

.

Moderation is the key

There you have it. Yes, weight loss, alcohol, and success can mix together into a great fat loss cocktail, but you have to do it intelligently. Remember to budget your calories, choose the right types of drinks, try and stay active while you drink, and avoid falling victim to the “munchies.”

But above all else, if you can’t make weight loss fun, you’ll probably never be able to stick with your plan, and you’ll most likely fall victim to the all to familiar “yo-yo” dieting trap.

One of the best ways to avoid that is to create effective diets based on your life, that you will actually enjoy and have fun stiking with. And that’s one of the true keys to weight loss success.

.

.

.

While you don’t have to run to lose weight or stay in shape, it still is one of the most efficient ways to work out, keep yourself healthy, and burn some calories.

The reason why running is more efficient is mainly because it burns calories faster than other exercises like walking, biking, hiking, etc. So while it’s not necessary, it does take less time to see the same results. In addition it strengthens your, lungs, and helps tone your legs, etc.

Plus it helps increase your endurance, and gives you a nice little natural high when you’re done. So for those reasons I do enjoy running.

But honestly, I can’t stand running without something to make it fun for me. Because if I’m just running around a track, or on a busy road, or on a treadmill then I get bored out of my mind, and it’s just no fun.

If you’re going to work out, it’d better be fun, or else you’ll never stick with it, and you’ll never get any real results from your efforts. (And that’s very frustrating)

So what I like to do to make running fun is to:

.

#1 - Run to a reward

Personally my favorite is to run into town and get some good food. I like a local coffee shop in my area that has awesome coffee and scones. Usually on Saturday Lindsey, Clover and myself will run into town and pick up some tasty breakfast there. (In fact we did that today and that’s what the video above is about)

And when you run to get breakfast, if you do it right, you’ll neutralize any calories you eat for breakfast which really helps with losing weight, and you still get to eat some great food and have your favorite drink too.

.

#2 - Get a nice view

Running in boring areas is mind numbing, and makes you focus on how tired you are, or how long you’ve been running. Because running is a big mental game, if you’re bored you’ll usually think you’re more tired than you really are. And if that happens either you’ll think that running is pure torture, you’ll stop, or you will just not enjoy yourself.

If you choose a spot to run that is interesting, has fun things to look at, and distracts yourself from the fact that you are running, then running can actually be enjoyable and fun.

Personally, I like running by the water, or in big parks with lots of trails, trees, animals, etc.

I also really like running with our dog Clover, because she usually enjoys herself so much that the excitement rubs off on me and I find myself having more fun as a result.

.

#3 - Don’t take your run too seriously

If you need to take a break, go for it. You’re not running a race here, you’re running because you want to. And if you need a break, take it. Just walk it off, and resume whenever you feel comfortable.

If you make it a point to make running uncomfortable by pushing your limits (unless you enjoy that) then you’ll never keep running because who enjoys uncomfortable experiences? No one.

And you can only take so much of a bad thing before you quit. So allow yourself some room for error. It’s really not that big of a deal.

.

#4 - Run somewhere fun then walk back

If you don’t run in a loop, (where you start somewhere and then finish your run in the same spot), then you can run just as far as you would on a “loop run.” And then you can walk back from the end of the run. This way you can cool down for longer, and you’ll get a nice walk on the way back.

Personally, if you have the time, I find this much more relaxing and you get the benefit of burning more calories, because you not only took a run, but you also went on a walk as well.

I find the walk back from a run therapeutic, relaxing, and fun. Especially because of the nice endorphins that are pumping through your veins after you’re done running. (That’s what people usually mean when they say “a natural high.”)

.

My personal recommendation

So if you’re thinking about starting running to lose some pounds, my personal recommendation is to make it a fun and rewarding experience. Don’t take the run too seriously, have fun, and make it exciting, not boring.

If you can find ways to make running a positive experience, you’ll not only be able to have fun while doing it, but you’ll get in shape much quicker as well. Because you’ll stick with it much longer than you would if you make running a boring, torturous and horrible experience.

What are you waiting for? Go out there and have fun!

.

.

But Lindsey and I just wanted to wish you a Happy Late Halloween, and to have a little fun, we decided to post a few pictures.

We had a great Halloween, and we hope you did too!

Hope you enjoy the pics!

Here’s us getting ready to go out for the night. (I’m Barf the “mog” from Space Balls, I’m half man half dog, I’m my own best friend! And Lindsey was princess Leia/Vespa, whichever one you want. ) We’re such nerds huh?

Here’s us outside having fun. Notice the really tall guy in the background? He actually built stilts that made him about 10 feet tall. It was an awesome costume!

Even Clover wanted to get in on the fun, check out her hip get-up. She wanted to come out and have fun with us too, but she had to stay home and give out all the trick-or-treaters their candy.

Anyhow, that’s a quick window into our Halloween.

If you’ve got any cool pics or stories, we’d love to hear ‘em. Just enter them in the comments below.

Until next time, happy late Halloween!

Then you should watch this video below.

It’s actually an older video that I did back when I had another weight loss site called InsiderDietSecrets.com. I still own that website, but I’ve redirected it to go to our free diet software called OK-Cal.

The reason why I’m telling you this is because in the video below you will see a bar across the bottom that says “Visit InsiderDietSecrets.com”. But if you do, you’ll end up right back on this site

I did make the video below, and that is my voice.

I’m posting it here today because I noticed this video has close to 2,000 views on YouTube alone, and a 4.5 star rating after 10 people voted for it. So if people like it, why not give it to you too?

Have fun learning how you can speed up your metabolism using just foods.

I hope you enjoy it as much as the others did.

*UPDATE: A video overview of this article has been added at the bottom of this post.
————————–
Ok, this is a warning, please don’t read this article unless you want your views regarding diet and weight loss to radically change. This article is a little long, and has some technical and scientific language in it. In addition, this article includes actual studies and cites the sources of the information presented, this is important to prove that I’m not just making this information up, and that this is real stuff.

That being said I’ll still do my best to bring this information back down to earth as best as I can so you are able understand the facts and open your eyes to a new world of weight loss. A world that is much more free, easy, simple, and very effective.  

Here we go down the rabbit hole:

Many people have a misconception that they actually need to eat specific foods to lose weight. They also think that in order to lose weight they are not allowed to eat their favorite foods.

This obviously causes a great deal of frustration with conventional or “traditional” diets, and many people fall prey to breaking down under the intense pressure of sticking to a strict diet. And most of us just do not have the iron will to stick to restrictive diets.

The truth is, you can eat your favorite foods and still lose weight. Yes even chocolate, ice cream or cheese cake.

Please don’t misunderstand me. You cannot eat unlimited quantities of food and still lose weight. People who are overweight eat unconsciously and don’t track what they eat. You must put some reasonable limits on your food intake.

That being said, this probably still sounds too good to be true, but I assure you it is not, and if you look below you’ll see actual scientific research backing up the truth about food and weight loss.

I’ve compiled these studies into a list of myth’s about weight loss and then posted my response to each of these myths with an actual study to back up my claims.

I understand that not everyone enjoys reading studies because can be very dry and boring, so I have only included the most important quotes from each study. If you want more information I have cited my sources and you can look up the full studies. Prepare to be enlightened.

One last warning, please don’t read on unless you want your opinion of the “dieting” world to be changed forever. If you are comfortable with restrictive and boring diets, then I suggest you stop reading now because these studies can rock you to your core.

Alright, here we go. This information has been presented in the form of dieting “Myths” I will respond to each myth with a short commentary and a study to back me up.

Myth #1: I’ve heard of the Glycemic Index before, and that foods with a high Glycemic Index such as refined carbohydrates, sugar, white rice, white bread, and sweets in general can make me gain weight.

Yummy Fitness’ response to this myth:

This is just not true. Studies prove that you can have your weight loss and eat your chocolate too. The glycemic index can and does have some bearings on your results, but not nearly as much as most diet companies would have you believe.

Check out this study entitled, “Reduced Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Diets Do Not Increase the Effects of Energy Restriction on Weight Loss and Insulin Sensitivity in Obese Men and Women.”

Quotes from the study:

“In summary, lowering the glycemic load and glycemic index of weight reduction diets does not provide any added benefit to energy restriction in promoting weight loss in obese subjects.” (1)

“…it seems reasonable to suggest that energy intake, not dietary composition, determines weight loss, and intervention efforts should focus on total energy restriction to promote weight reduction.” (1)

1. Susan K. Raatz, Carolyn J. Torkelson, J. Bruce Redmon, Kristell P. Reck, Christine A. Kwong, Joyce E.Swanson,Chengcheng Liu, William Thomas, John P. Bantle. (2005). Reduced Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Diets Do Not Increase the Effects of Energy Restriction on Weight Loss and Insulin Sensitivity in Obese Men and Women. The American Society for Nutritional Sciences J. Nutr. 135:2387-2391.

Myth #2: Shouldn’t I eliminate “fatty” foods from my diet? I heard that eating fat causes you to gain fat.

Yummy Fitness’ response to this myth:

Again, this is not entirely true, and a new study done by Washington University in St. Louis actually suggests the exact opposite. The study summarized below shows that diets extremely low in fat can actually be responsible for fat gain. Please look below for a summary of this study published by Washington University in St. Louis:

Quotes from the study:

“When we took dietary fat away from the FASKOL mice, their livers quickly filled with fat,” (2)

“Their ‘old’ fat stores mobilized to the liver, but their livers could not initiate fat burning, and the fat just accumulated. We concluded that to regulate fat burning, the liver needs ‘new’ fat.” (2)

“On a normal diet they were OK… We went to a very extreme low-fat diet, and these animals paradoxically accumulated an extremely large amount of fat in their livers.” (2)

Quotes from Wired News Regarding this Study:

“Diets too low in fat may be responsible for stubborn bulges on bellies, thighs and butts, according to a new study.” (3)

2. Chakravarthy MV, Pan Z, Zhu Y, Tordjman K, Schneider JG, Coleman T, Turk, J, Semenkovich, CF. “New” hepatic fat activates PPAR-alpha to maintain glucose, lipid and cholesterol homeostasis, Cell Metabolism; vol. 1, pp. 309-322, May. 2005. www.cellmetabolism.org
3. Philipkoski, Kristen (2005, October 05). Eat Fat to Lose Fat. Wired. Retrieved August 25th, 2007, from http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2005/05/67473

Myth #3: Don’t I need to eat at least 5-6 meals a day to keep my metabolism burning “hot?”

Yummy Fitness’ response to this myth:

No, you do not need to obsess about eating small meals throughout the day. Sure this can help if you like to snack and enjoy doing this, but for others eating this many times a day means smaller meals, and more preparation time. If you don’t want to make so many meals, you don’t have to.

Studies have found that meal frequency does not matter in regards to weight loss. This means that you could have 7 meals a day, or 1, it does not matter, and it’s your choice. Please look below for a summary of this study published by the British Journal of Nutrition:

Quotes from the study:

“Finally, with the exception of a single study, there is no evidence that weight loss on hypoenergetic regimens is altered by meal frequency.” (4)

“More importantly, studies using whole-body calorimetry and doubly-labelled water to assess total 24h energy expenditure find no difference between nibbling and gorging.” (4)

4. France Bellislea, Regina McDevitta, Andrew M. Prenticea. (1997). Meal frequency and energy balance. British Journal of Nutrition. 77: S57-S70.

Myth #4: Don’t I need to exercise in order to lose weight? I thought that diet alone just wouldn’t work to lose weight.

Yummy Fitness’ response to this myth:
Once again, good news! A study done by the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism in 2007, shows that exercise is in fact not necessary to lose weight effectively.

Personally, I do recommend exercise, I think exercise has great health benefits, and I get a big energy boost when I exercise regularly. But the truth is, if you don’t want to, or can’t exercise, you don’t have to, and you can still lose weight. Please look below for a summary of this study published by the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism:

Quotes from the study:

*Note: CR means “calorie restricted,” and CR+EX means “calorie restricted plus exercise.” (5)

“The calculated energy deficit across the intervention was not different between CR and CR+EX.” (5)

Quotes from the Encrocine Society regarding this study:

“New research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism reveals that dieting alone is equally effective at reducing weight and fat as a combination of diet and exercise—as long as the calories consumed and burned equal out.” (6)

5. Leanne M. Redman, Leonie K. Heilbronn, Corby K. Martin, Anthony Alfonso, Steven R. Smith, Eric Ravussin.(2007) Effect of Calorie Restriction with or without Exercise on Body Composition and Fat Distribution. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Vol. 92, No. 3 865-872.

6. Endrocrine Society (2007, January 25). Fewer Calories or More Exercise: the Effect on Body Composition is Identical. Retrieved August 25th, 2007, from http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/526694/ 

So there you have it… The truth.

If you’re tried fad diet after fad diet, weight loss shakes and fat loss plans, and have still been unable to lose weight, it’s most likely NOT YOUR FAULT. Truth is, there are many real reasons why it has been so difficult and why fad diets haven’t worked for you – why your many efforts have been doomed from the beginning.

It’s just bad info being thrown out by unethical marketers and people just trying to make a buck.

Keep in mind, I do agree that some of these “fad” diets can work to help people lose weight. But the real question is: “Do they work over the long run? And can you really be expected to stick with such restrictive diets?”

Wouldn’t it be better to find a balance in your life that actually let you have a treat here and there to keep you sane?

Wouldn’t it be great to not have to worry all the time and feel guilty when you “cheated?”

I think it would, and I know you can.

Now you know you can too.

Again, please let me know your thoughts on this article. I’d really like to know what you think, even if you disagree with me on this one.

Just go down below and submit your comment, I’d really appreciate it.

Thanks, and happy Friday.

*UPDATE: Video overview of this post posted below. 

So I’m not going to be able to write up the post I said I might today.

The one that will describe the science behind why you can eat what you want and still lose weight.

I am still planning on writing the article, and I have the data in front of me, but putting it together right now would take longer than I have at the moment. (Busy day.)

But I thought I’d tide you over by showing you a quick video.

It’s of Clover our little cockapoo, and last night we taught her to kick a soccer ball on command. I’m not sure what possessed me to teach her, but it was pretty fun. And now she’s kicking the ball all over the living room. See, fitness can be fun

Enjoy!

I firmly believe that if you know what you are doing you can eat pretty much whatever you want and still lose weight. Many people try and argue with me on this point, and I’ve never found a solid argument that can dispute the facts.

You can eat what you want and still lose weight. You just have to know a few things that most people don’t.

Here’s some proof.

An article published by MSNBC on August 12th 2005, entitled “Woman says ‘McDonald’s diet’ took off weight, Mother ate at restaurant chain for 90 days — and claims she lost 37 pounds” states that Merab Morgan a mother of two only ate at McDonald’s for 3 months and dropped 37 pounds in the process.

Link to original article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8916080/

And here’s a quote from an article published by the Associated Press on December 4th 2005 entitled “Professor Loses Weight With No-Diet Diet” tells the story of Steven Hawks, a health science professor at BYU, who eats sweets consistantly in his diet and he has been able to lose 50 pounds and keep it off for 5 years. Here’s a quote from the article:

“When Steven Hawks is tempted by ice cream bars, M&Ms and toffee-covered almonds at the grocery store, he doesn’t pass them by. He fills up his shopping cart. It’s the no-diet diet, an approach the Brigham Young University health science professor used to lose 50 pounds and to keep it off for more than five years.”

Here’s the original article: http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/Newszine/health_science/1.html

(Look how few people are in his lecture, it’s weird that people don’t want to pay attention to this stuff.)

And here’s a link to an NPR interview labeled “McDonald’s, Not Super Sized” where they talk to Chazz Weaver, who had spent a month eating nothing but McDonald’s fast-food, and still stayed healthy.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1917092

Here’s his picture on NPR’s site.

Bottom line is that I believe, actually I know; from personal experience and from other people’s stories like I’ve shown examples of on this post, that you can even eat “junk” food and still lose weight.

I’ll probably get a little “heat” for this post, which is a little weird, because I always thought eating what you want and still losing weight was a dieter’s dream. But it seems people are in denial over this simple fact that could make their lives easier and more fun.

You do need some knowledge to make this work for you, but once you “get it” then not much is off limits anymore. And you can start enjoying desert guilt free.

I’ll be posting more proof in terms of actual clinical studies for those of you who need studies to believe this is possible. Look out for this evidence probably on Thursday.

Feel free to express your thoughts by clicking on the link below and leaving a comment.

I’d like to hear what you have to say about this.

I’m honestly not really sure how that name started, but it sure did stick.

Clover (a cocker spaniel/poodle mix) is an incredible dog, she’s a rescue and Lindsey and I have had her for about 9 months now. She’s about 2 and a half years old, and she’s had a real rough past.

In a nutshell, she was born in a puppy mill (if you don’t know what those are, go and look it up, they are not fun) she was then purchased by an owner who kept her in a kennel just about 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The only time she was allowed outside the kennel she was held in the owners arms, never set down on the ground, and if she barked or made any noise her owner would forcefully grab her mouth and hold it shut.

This went on for well over a year until a neighbor “blew the whistle” on her owner and she was forced to be given to another family. That family then held onto her for a bit, but couldn’t actually  keep her due to her rental agreement and that’s how we got her.

When we got her she didn’t know what a leash was, she was scared of the dark, shadows, cars, people, other dogs, open doors, shut doors, basically anything and everything scared her into immobility. Over the months we have had her we’ve coaxed her into enjoying the real world.

It took a lot of effort but now she does basically everything we do, she goes walking, running, hiking, she loves car rides, and she even is completely at home on the family sailboat and recently spent 2 weeks straight out on the water with Lindsey and myself exploring islands, sailing, enjoying the open waters and loving life.

She went from basically a completely “frozen” state to a state of mind where she gets some of her greatest enjoyment out of going on a run with Lindsey and myself. She especially loves going running on the trails through the nearby woods.

Recently, after getting back from our 2 week sailing trip, both Lindsey and I took a break from our normal workout routine. Life got a bit hectic and we were a bit off of our “track.”

That’s not a problem, and I actually like taking brakes, but I realize that sometimes after taking brakes it can be hard to get back into the “swing” of things.

Well it seems like that’s also the case for dogs!

I had no idea that Clover would be so effected by our break from running, walk or hiking, but sure enough she certainly was.

For the past couple days we’ve tried to get her to go on a run with us. We psych her up and ask her in our “puppy” voice “You wanna go on a run?!” She would get really excited, jump up and down and go for her leash. We would then put her leash on, walk out the door, and all of a sudden she would…

STOP!

Slam her back legs into the ground, extend her front paws, arch back her neck and refuse to move.

You could push her, pull her, move her legs around in a walking motion, pick her up, set her down, and she would still not budge.

The only direction she would go is backwards toward the door. She was more than happy to go back, but not out on a run.

We picked her up, and walked her about a quarter mile in the opposite direction from where we started, put her down, and she still wouldn’t move. Not a bit. Except if we turned around, she was more than happy to go back, in fact just to test the theory, we started running back, and she was happy to run right along, but the second we turned around, she just slammed on the brakes again.

This went on for a long time, we didn’t win, she didn’t win, and it was a generally frustrating experience.

Over a few days this happened, we really didn’t know what was going on, but guessed that she was just being stubborn. (She is a little stubborn, but very smart.)

Eventually Lindsey got the idea in her head that maybe she was just de-motivated and needed a bit of fun to get back into the running experience she used to enjoy. That made a lot of sense to me because I generally need to have fun or I get de-motivated myself.

With this thought in mind, we decided to get her in the car and go to the park she enjoys the most, it’s got tons of running trails, woods, it’s right on the lake, and she loves all of that stuff. When she got out of the car and we put the leash on her, the same exact thing happened… she slammed right back on the brakes.

“Aww MAN!” I thought to myself… We’ve got a broken dog! We can’t even walk her anymore!

We spent about 10 minutes coaxing her just to walk past the parking lot, into the open grass, and she still was moving at about the speed of a talented slug. That is until…

She saw the trail head!

Lindsey decided to try and get a “rise” out of Clover and started sprinting towards the trail, Clover really perked up, but still didn’t move. Then I looked her in the eye, kneeled down to her level, then whispered in her ear “Go get Lindsey!” and pointed in her direction excitedly.

Clover leaned forwards, twitched a little, her ears raised up, and then… BOLTED! Towards the trail. And she never looked back, she ran and ran and ran until she got to the water, she jumped in, drank a bunch of lake water and kept running some more.

She even got so excited she found a new trail we didn’t know existed, we ended up following her, and getting lost for about half an hour It was really fun, and worth the trip, and now I’m happy to report that Clover is back to her “normal” fun loving self.

I think this story really does illustrate an important point about general “workout psychology” and that is: It’s very easy to get de-motivated if you get off track for too long, and one of the best ways to get back into your routine is just to make it fun for yourself in any way that you can.

If you’ve ever been de-motivated or off track, don’t feel too bad, it effects us all… Even dogs get the de-motivational blues.

The interview is fairly short and sweet, but gives some fun insight into Lindsey’s past. It also covers parts of her philosophy regarding nutrition and fitness.

If you’d like to read it in it’s entirety you can do so by clicking here.

Enjoy!

Picture to left is of Lindsey McGuire
and Clover our “Super Diet Dog”