10. 9. 8 .7.. 6 .. 54 3 2..1.

Happy New Year!

At the time of this writing we are 11 short weeks away from the champagne toast, the sing along to Auld Lang Syne, and the flip of the calendar to another New Year. The New Year: a time of re-commitment. a time of re-motivation. a time of resolution. a time of hope for a more fulfilled life. a time to change! This year, like years past, will present many new challenges, joys, and special memories. However one thing is certain to remain the same. On the 1st day of January, the most popular resolution and re-commitment will be to lose weight and/ or re-commit to a healthy lifestyle. Its with good reason as research reports that the average American will gain anywhere from 3 to 7 lbs over the last 6 weeks of the year. Now imagine if you will for a moment. It is the morning of Sunday, January 1 2012. You awaken from a nights sleep, you open your eyes. As you lay there in bed, Whats the first thing that comes to mind? Before your feet even hit the floor and you make your way to the bathroom. Whats the first thought that enters your mind? As you lay there, are you thinking Im excited about this New Year!

Im looking forward to this New Year! Im excited about the momentum I have toward my lifes goals. OR Is it Man my head hurts. Gosh, I feel disgusting. Time to pay the price, time to rectify the damage. Here we go again.

Regardless of the question you ask yourself and regardless of the conversation you have with yourself, Im willing to bet (if youre reading this), youll most likely find yourself in the gym come the 1st week of January. This brings me to an interesting question.

Why are the gyms packed during the 1st week/month of the year?
Does the flip of the calendar suddenly trigger motivation? Is it the feeling of a clean slate that enhances energy for physical movement? OR Is it something else? After working with hundreds of people, heres what Ive found. A BIG reason why so many people are motivated on January 1st is not because the calendar has changed. Its not the feeling of a clean slate. Its for one reason. The pants that used to fit, no longer do. The clothes that used to be comfortable, no longer are. Theyve spent the last 6 weeks of the year celebrating jolly and good cheer. Theyve spent the last 6 weeks of the year assaulting their bodies with high sugar treats, high fat foods and ditched exercise for more urgent to dos.

The Tale of the Client Who Lost 200lbs!

I recall sitting down with a female client (well call her Jane) several years ago. It was right around this time of year (late October / early November). As I always do, I asked Jane what brought her in and how it is that I could help her. Our conversation went like this: Me: Jane what brought you in today? How is it that I can help you? Jane: Well, Ive lost 200lbs over the past several years. As she said this she kind of slouched down in her chair and failed to make eye contact with me. Me: WOW 200lbs! Thats amazing Jane! However, as Im sure you can understand Im a bit confused. The people who usually seek me out are the ones who havent been successful in their weight loss attempts. Jane: Well the problem is this, Ive lost the same 20lbs about 10 different times. Im tired of doing this to myself, Im at my heaviest weight ever and here come the holidays.

Jane brought up a very real issue. The holidays are coming! After more than 14 years as a fitness professional and working with people like you, Ive come to the realization that this is the most challenging time of the year to remain committed to a fitness routine and to keep the pounds off. Ive also come to the realization that the last 6 weeks of the year can single handedly destroy months of effort and progress. As a result, Ive identified the 6 biggest Holiday obstacles that sabotage fitness results and MORE IMPORTANTLY, how to avoid them. Jane began applying these 6 steps several years ago. Jane not only applied these principles during the holidays, she conditioned herself to instill this new way of thinking throughout the year. Im happy to report, Jane lost 32 lbs several years ago, and she has kept it off.

My gift To YOU!
As a fitness professional, I believe my greatest gift to you and greatest impact is to provide you with information, tools, and resources that will ultimately influence your daily thoughts, beliefs, and actions. In fact, I feel it is even more important that Im able to do this during the most vulnerable time of the year the holidays.

The best teachers do much more than demonstrate technique and correct errors. They inspire and sustain hope by communicating their belief in you and pointing out the small improvements youre making, which often you dont notice yourself. They sell you on their competence, they sell you on their methods, and most importantly, they sell you on your own potential. Change or Die Alan Deutschman

It is with this concern that Ive created my I.M.P.A.C.T system for surviving the holiday season. This system was originally created for the holidays, however, I think youll find that these principles can AND should be applied to assure success throughout the year.

Does it work?
Absolutely. Ive applied these principles myself, Ive shared them with my wife (Michele), and my personal clientele. Michele and I have been married for over 9 years. Shes lost 15lbs since the day we united in marriage. Ive lost 20lbs. Im proud of this accomplishment as the National Institute for Health reports that only 3 % of Americans who have lost weight are able to keep it off for 5 or more years. Im especially proud of my wife as shes carried and delivered two baby girls in that time.

My wish is that you experience the same success.

Step 1: Identify ALL Social Events and Parties.

Allow me to start with the most common question Im asked by clients and friends during the holidays. This question usually pops up several days before Thanksgiving. Client: Scott, what are you going to eat on Thanksgiving? My stock reply: Everything! Client: The stuffing? Me: Yep. Client: The pumpkin pie? Me: You better believe it! Here are the two mistakes that most people make. On one hand, they believe one meal is going to lead to massive weight gain. On the other, they think because its the holiday season, theyve got to throw all sanity to the wind and eat everything in sight from now until the 1st of January. The fact is, were only talking about 3 to 4 days with in a 6-week period where meals are structured for gluttony. Sure theres a few parties and some cookies and alcohol [This will be addressed shortly] but theres plenty of time to boost metabolism. In doing so, you can occasionally go for the less supportive meals; you can occasionally cheat and not pay for it. Do this: Pull out your calendar and count the actual holiday meals, parties, and meetings that youll be attending this holiday season. Count each event as one meal. At most were talking about 10 meals over 6 weeks. If youve worked with me or followed my work for any amount of time, you know, metabolism is best supported by eating 5-6 times per day. Eating 5-6X per day equates to 3542 meals per week. 35-42 meals per week X 6 weeks = 210-252 meals from mid November through the 1st of the year.

Eating 10 less than supportive meals out of an average of 225 meals will do nothing to slow progress. My advice, go to your family gatherings, go to the parties, eat and enjoy the food, eat and enjoy YOURSELF! But do continue to eat in a manner that will support metabolism the other 200+ meals. Youll find yourself entering the New Year happier, healthier, looking better, and most importantly feeling better.

Step 2: Maximize Results in Minimal Time.

Over the last 5 to 10 years theres been a paradigm shift in fat loss programming. The shift was primarily perpetrated from a problem. Problem: Chasing the American Dream. For example: Work longer hours, sleep less, eat fewer meals in the home, and neglect physical activity for more urgent responsibilities. Lets face it, regular exercise requires a time commitment.

Solution: What if there was a way to get ALL the benefits of exercise and fat loss without the cumbersome time commitment? Voileenter [EPOC] shorter, more intense workouts. More Results in Less Time! EPOC is one of the most powerful acronyms in exercise science. EPOC or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption is defined scientifically as the recovery of metabolic rate back to preexercise levels and its generally used to describe the afterburn effect (calories you burn AFTER the workout). In its simplest form, when you perform activity/exercise, you consume oxygen. The higher the intensity (harder you work) the greater the demand for oxygen. The more oxygen you consume, the more calories you burn. In fact each liter of oxygen that you consume burns about 5 calories. Now heres the really cool part. As indicated earlier, EPOC is defined as the recovery of metabolic rate back to pre-exercising levels. What this means is that after an intense weight training session or interval type routine, oxygen consumption is not only higher during the workout,

Lost 17lbs in 5 Weeks!

As the owner of a landscape company, people think Im active all day. The reality, Im not. Most days are totally sedentary (at the office or in my truck). As a busy business owner the hour sessions are a perfect fit. Quick, intense, to the point, and super effective the results speak for them self. Bill Eberhardt

and its also higher AFTER the workout. Your body is forced to consume more oxygen for 12, 24, and some research shows, even up to 36 hours after an intense workout. This is where the afterburn comes into play, thus you burn more calories post workout (doing nothing!). How to Maximize EPOC 1. Intense Weight Training Sessions 2. Interval Type Routines. 1. Intense Weight Training Sessions. Intensity is created by performing greater amounts of work in less time. This is exactly how our personal training clients achieve staggering results with only hour training sessions. The simplest way to add intensity to your weight-training program is to get the most from each minute. The days of endless, mind numbing cardio are over! A great workout can take place in well under an hour, when done correctly. The idea is to burn more calories each minute. This is done through short, intense bursts of exercise. Use the following to bring your routine up to the next level:

Lost 25lbs AND Kept it Off for 2 Years!

My hour training sessions have been a total lifestyle change for me. The accountability, encouragement, and workout variety have enabled me to reach my goal of losing 25lbs and more importantly. Keep it OFF! Christine Baugh

A. Be Unstable: Use your entire body, and target your core, by performing exercises that engage stabilizing muscles. To do this, use an exercise ball, a balance board, a balance disk, or you could simply stand on one leg.

B. Add Resistance: The more resistance that you incorporate with your routine translates into higher intensity and more calories burned. Some ideas for adding resistance include: carrying dumbbells while doing lunges, performing big, full-body movements (squats, presses, rows, and deadlift variations).

C. Intervals: Interval training is an amazing tool for creating short yet effective workouts. Don't worry, it's not complicated. Interval training is simply alternating between different short bursts of activity. You could use a treadmill or similar piece of cardiovascular equipment or something

as simple as the stair case in your own house. i.e.- run up the stairs, walk down, run up the stairs, walk down. Dont have stairs in your house? Head outside. You could do a simple run/jog in your neighborhood. i.e.- run to one driveway, walk to two driveways, run to one, and so on.

Here's an example: This is the actual workout I performed last Thanksgiving morning, it only took 27 minutes. We were out of town for the holiday. I performed this routine at my in-laws house. This can be performed just about anywhere as it requires no equipment (with the exception of an exercise band and your own bodyweight). It can be performed in a hotel, relatives house, your own house, or even at the gym).

Exercise Body Weight Squat (quad dominant movement) Bridges (hip dominant movement) Push-up (pushing upper body movement) Cable Row (pulling upper body movement) Jumping Split Squats (explosive lower body movement) Side Plank (core / abdominals) Mountain Climber (metabolic conditioning)

Reps / Sets 25 / 3 25 / 3 25 / 3 25 / 3 24 / 3 45 sec. hold / 3 30 sec. / 3

* This workout was performed in a circuit fashion, one movement right after the other. I rested for one minute between rounds. (One round was all 7 movements). Total sets performed 21. Total time: 27 minutes. I was breathing hard, sweating, and expended a lot of calories.

Down 4 Pant Sizes1 Half Hour at a Time!

Since I started working with Ryan I have lost 20 pounds, gained muscle definition, and have gone down four pant sizes. Also, my friends, family and co-workers have all noticed a difference in my appearance. Their compliments and comments have kept me on track. I have a new sense of self-confidence, and I only want to strengthen it. Chuck Vojacek

Step 3: Plan for Parties

Parties are one of the most enjoyable times of the holidays. Friends, loved ones, and of course food. Most people make a HUGE mistake before they go to holiday parties. This one mistake causes them to eat more food, more sweets, drink more alcohol and ultimately gain more holiday pounds. Heres the mistake: Lets say you are invited to a party this evening. The part starts at 5:00 pm. You eat lunch at 1:00 pm. Around 4:00 pm you start notice the feeling of hunger and possibly a little drop in energy. You think to yourself I shouldnt eat anything, the party starts in an hour. Sure enough, the party does start at 5:00. You arrive at 5:00pm, the host greets you at the door and takes your coat. The host asks Can I get you a drink? You accept the invitation. Accepting one drink is not the mistake. This is: You make your way through the crowd and begin to mingle. You see a neighbor and catch up a little. Then unexpectedly, you run into an old friend that you havent seen in a year. You get immersed in conversation. Before you know it, its 6:45, you havent eaten in almost 6 hours! At this point youre feeling so hungry and famished that you have to excuse yourself to get something to eat. Although you consciously fill your plate with healthy choices and adequate portions, something weird happens upon completing your meal. Youre still hungry! You go back for more, only this time, you find yourself grabbing the not so supportive foods and even find a few desserts making there way on your plate. You end up eating way more than planned, way more than you would have had you just satisfied appetite and energy at 4:00 Bottom Line: Blood sugar drops when we go extended periods of time without food (longer than 3 + hours). When blood sugar drops, energy plummets, you become irritable, and youre ready to eat any and everything in sight (especially sugar, refined foods, and fats).

Step 4: Accept Your Circumstances

I once recall hearing stress defined as not having enough time to complete an activity at the level you would like it to be complete. I think this is true in many instances, especially the holidays. On top of your already busy schedule, you have to shop, wrap presents, bake, cook, clean the house, write holiday cards, decorate the house, host parties, attend parties, and so on. Is it any wonder that exercise gets thrown to the wayside? Its so true, we dont have time for everything, but we do have time for the important things. Although Ive worked with many clients who have made staggering changes through the last 6 weeks of the year. Ive also witnessed many regulars entirely abandon their exercise regimen all because their schedule wasnt perfect. Heres a big mistake made by the masses. A lot of people are guilty of not starting because: The situation isnt perfect

OR They know they dont have enough time to complete a task to the level of their expectation.

Sometimes in life, we have to realize that its ok to not be perfect. Accept your circumstances, see it as it is, not worse than it is. Sometimes, just something is better than nothing. At this time of the year, I think that applies. Your superbusy holiday schedule is a temporary situation that may seem permanent. At this time of the year, maintenance is progress. Even if you can hold the fort during the holidays, youll enter the New Year excited, empowered and motivated- rather than down and depressed and feeling as if you have to dig yourself out of a hole. Here are a few things you can do to maintain your current weight and prevent yourself from starting over on January 2nd. 1. Continue to eat a healthy breakfast (start each day with a victory). 2. If you cant commit to a 60-minute workout session, commit to 30 minutes. 3. If you cant commit to 3 workouts per week, commit to 2. 4. Refer to step 2 for a quick, metabolic boosting workout that can be performed in your home.

Step 5: Consistency
If youre anything like me, you thrive on consistency. You feel your best when you consistently get to bed at the same time. You feel your best when you wake up at the same time. As a creature of habit, Im willing to bet you eat the same breakfast (or rotate your favorite 2 to 3 breakfasts). You have your morning routine, you have your evening routine, you have YOUR routine. The added holiday responsibilities have a way of throwing off your routine dont they? The to dos seem to pile up, yet the time we have to get everything done remains the same. When this happens, you find yourself going to sleep later, oversleeping more, waking up later, skipping breakfast, and eating on the run. All of these factors affect how we look and feel. Maintain consistency with your sleep and nutrition schedule the last 6 weeks of the year and I can assure you that you WILL experience far less stress, have a more enjoyable holiday season, and enter the New Year looking better, and feeling better. How to maintain consistency during the holidays: Strive to go to bed at the same time. Wake up at the same time. Continue to grocery shop on your normal grocery shopping day. Continue to go to the gym at the same time (even if its for a shorter period of time). 5. Turn the TV off: Spend the time you would normally be watching TV, surfing the net, updating facebook etc., and use that time to attend to holiday responsibilities (holiday cards, decorating the house, wrapping gifts, baking). 1. 2. 3. 4.

Step 6: Take It With You

There is one thing you DONT want to leave home without this holiday season. No. Its not your credit card. It is however, very paramount to your success. The holidays tend to have us away from home and spending more time on the road. Shopping, visiting relatives, shopping, kids musicals, shopping, parties/group functions, and did I mention shopping? Even with the conveniences of on-line shopping, we still find ourselves spending more time away from home the last 6 weeks of the year. Heres a typical scenario: Youre at work and you think to yourself, Ill stop by the mall after work today and pick up just one gift. Your intentions are to stop by the mall, pick up the present, and head home for dinner. Your plan looks so good and plays out perfectly in your head.

Heres what actually happens. You arrive at the mall and circle the lot, two or three times before youre able to find a spot. You find a parking spot, park the car and walk into the mall. You easily find the store youre looking for, you walk in, find the item youre looking for and quickly head to the register. As you approach the counter to pay, you notice youre the fifth person in line. The first person in line is rather chatty and has several questions for the cashier. The second person checks out rather quickly. The third does the same. As the third person in line exits the store the security alarm sounds. She has to return to the counter. The cashier empties her bag to find the security tag was not removed from an article of clothing. The cashier removes the tag and this customer is on their way. The forth person goes to pay and suddenly the credit card machine stops working. The manager has to be called to the front of the store to rectify the issue. Finally you get to the counter, pay, and are on your way. As you exit the store and make your way to the main mall area you start to feel the sensation of being hungry. Youre not really concerned, as you know youll be home in 20 to 25 minutes. As you continue through the mall, making your way toward the exit, something catches your eye. In the store front window is the perfect gift for little Johnny. Theres no line so you race into the store to pick up one more gift. You buy the gift, exit the store and continue on your way out the mall. As you walk past the food court, the aroma of fresh baked bread turns your mild hunger into absolutely starving. You put your hands on the exit door, start to push and hear is that [enter your name here]? You turn and notice its an old friend who used to work with you in 1994. They are standing there with the biggest smile on their face. You stop, chat, and catch up for over 15 minutes. After talking you continue to the parking lot, youre stopped dead in your tracks as you realize Im not sure where I parked my car. You walk through the lot for several minutes pushing the keyless entry button on the key chain. Finally, you see blinking lights (your car!). You find your car, hop in, pull out and make your way home. About half way home you see traffic starting to slow down and suddenly come to a stop. Youre stuck in traffic and at this point absolutely starving! Finally, you get passed the traffic jam and race home. You arrive home, get inside and realize you have nothing prepared and its going to take at least a half hour to prepare a meal. You go through the panty, grabbing a handful of this and a handful of that. In your famished, hungry, irritable, state, you snack while preparing dinner.

The Simple Solution Take

It With YOU!

Here are a few easy, portable foods that you can take with you. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Protein / Energy Bar Piece of Fruit Nuts/Almonds Half Sandwich Bottle of Water

Heres another way that Taking it with You will benefit you tremendously. If you currently pack your lunch or take food to work with you congratulations! If you dont, the holidays are a great time to start. Heres why. Extra baked goods, cookies, cakes, and holiday trays always show up at the office the last month of the year. If you take your own food to the office and continue to eat every 3 3 hours, youll: 1. Be less tempted (when you eat frequently and stabilize blood sugar, the sugary baked goods just dont look OR taste as appealing). 2. Have an easy excuse when offered a sweet or goodie. Thank you for offering, however, I just ate and am already full.

The Choice
It was the great Jim Rohn who defined success as a few simple disciplines practiced every day. He also defined failure as a few errors in judgment repeated every day. Success A few simple disciplines practiced every day. Failure A few errors in judgment repeated every day. Jim Rohn It is my intent to provide you with six steps, six simple disciplines that, when applied (practiced) over the next 6 weeks (and beyond) will lead to massive success. As I previously indicated, my greatest gift to you and greatest I.M.P.A.C.T is to provide you with information, tools, and resources. It is this gift that will ultimately influence your daily thoughts, beliefs, and actions. The application of these tools (6 steps) is the gift you give to the most important person in the world YOU!

All of Life is a Series of CHOICES. What you CHOOSE To Give Life Today Will Determine What Life Gives YOU Tomorrow. Zig Ziglar

As you near the completion of this special report, you my friend are truly at a fork in the road. Upon reading, you only have one of two choices.

You can:
1. Choose TO APPLY this information. OR 2. Choose NOT TO APPLY this information.

In choosing the application, you are also choosing the result. In choosing the application, you are also choosing the conversation you will have with yourself the moment you awake from sleep and open your eyes for the first time in 2012.

I wish you well on your fitness journey, and most importantly, Happy Holiday!

Yours in Health,

Scott Crabiel 330.665.8140

Akron General LifeStyles Personal Training West 330.665.8140

* Cut out and place on your refrigerator as a daily reminder during the last 6 weeks of the year.