Today’s post is in response to a great question from Paul, one of your fellow Unstoppable Fat Loss blog readers…

“Hey Scott,

Thanks”

Here’s my video response and I will follow it up with a written summary:

Shoulder Warm Up Exercises

You may download this video by right clicking Prevent Shoulder Injuries

Spending 5 minutes on the treadmill or stationary bike prior to your workout is a good idea. It will elevate your heart rate and body temperature while getting your blood pumping through your body and oxygen flowing to your brain.

I like to use this time to mentally prepare for the workout and block out any potential distractions. But… warming up with cardio is simply not enough to prevent injuries, especially if you are going to be training your upper body.

On days where I’m going to be working out any upper body muscle or muscle group I perform the following exercises after spending 5 minutes walking or riding the bike…

Y’s
T’s
3-in-1 Rotator Cuff Raises
Arm Circles

These exercises get blood flowing to the area of my body that I will be training that day. What I would do next if I was training my chest that day would be to grab some light dumbbells (probably 15 pounds to start). Do 6-10 reps and then increase the weight to 25 pounds, then 40 pounds.

I will be sharing a variety of exercises in future posts to further help you with your goal of preventing shoulder injuries. I’ll also share a few modifications to my grip, which has made a tremendous impact in preventing shoulder injuries for myself.

This issue certainly hit home with me because it was something that I faced for quite some time. I injured my left pec while performing incline bench presses about 12 years ago. That injury effected most of my upper body training for a long time. My left pec, left should, left biceps, and left triceps muscles would always fatigue prior to the right side. It wasn’t so much a pain issue as it was a fatigue issue.

Massage and Active Release Therapy really helped, but the most beneficial thing that I did was perform the above exercises, change my grip, and add a few other exercises to my program that really helped strengthen my rotator cuff.

I hope that his helped Paul and I look forward to providing you with more tips that you can benefit from in future posts.

Keeping It Real,

Scott Tousignant

In today’s blog post my friend Judy Kelly is going to share some simple tips that you can put into practice during your busy work day to help you improve your posture. Enjoy the guest post!

When you develop perfect posture, back pain can be reduced or eliminated.

Think about your job, which may require sitting for eight hours straight, and then your leisure time that you may spend in front of your computer, TV, or video game player. How much time do you think you spend sitting? Because 80% of Americans deal with back pain causing missed work, do you want to know what part sitting plus how you are sitting can determine whether you will be part of that 80%?

Remember when our moms said, “Sit up straight!”? Well, they were right; many of us are slouchers. We are all at the mercy of gravity and our spine will gradually be reshaped into whatever position we continuously sit. Body alignment is imperative for spinal health. In addition, the discs in your back compress the longer you sit partly because the water content of each disc declines. This can prompt the beginnings of a variety of disease states—not just back pain.

Fortunately, when you practice sitting rigidly, your comfort and mobility can be restored. You can actually realign your back. When working at your desk or even relaxing, it is important to put your seat back to an upright position and sit as far back into the seat as you can. This keeps your rib cage and trunk upright and your head aligned directly above your shoulders. Keeping your rib cage up will help to also keep your head and shoulders in the right position. Sitting on an exercise ball of the correct height certainly can help with promoting that habit naturally. Unless you have very strong “core” muscles, the ball should be interchanged with a good, high-end, ergonomically designed office chair.

Intermittent exercise throughout the day can help and even standing and other non-exercise activities help burn many calories in most adults. These are things like household chores and shopping. Some researchers believe that because only 28% of us are getting the minimal amount of recommended exercise, there will eventually be health campaigns with doctors suggesting limiting sitting time. Many actually already do by suggesting that desk workers get up and move about every two hours just like they suggest airplane passengers on long flights get up and move around at least every two hours.

So what can you do right now? First, sit up straight while you work in a sitting position. Then be sure to take breaks every couple of hours and walk around. Do a workstation analysis to check the height of your desk, chair, computer, and monitor. Your desk or at the very least your chair should be adjustable. Your chair should have good lumbar support.

The top of your monitor should be at or just below eye level. Your head and neck should be balanced and in line with your torso. Your shoulders should be relaxed and your elbows close to your body and supported. Your lower back needs lumbar support and your wrists and hands should be in line with your forearms. Your feet should remain flat on the floor.

Judy K Kelly

www.QuickStepstoHealth.com

I am having an absolute blast this week guest blogging for my friend Lynn Terry. I’m sharing a 5 part series about “A Healthy Approach To Internet Marketing“. This is a series that you won’t want to miss. I’ll be sharing some fast and fun home office workouts along with very helpful tips to increase your productivity.

Before you head over there, be sure to download this FREE report from Lynn on the topic of “How To Write Product Reviews“. It’s a quick read with awesome advice. There’s quite a few Fat Loss Quickie members who have been following Lynn’s advice and their product reviews have been outstanding.

While you are visiting Lynn’s blog be sure to check out the incredible wealth of information that she shares. I have yet to come across a blog that offers so many valuable tips and strategies to help you take your online business projects from start to profit.

I have been following Lynn for approximately 18 months and have been a member of her Elite Brainstorming Community for over a year, which has had an incredible positive impact on my business.

What’s remarkable about the Elite Members Community is the amazing people that Lynn has attracted to it. It’s a close knit group of passionate and caring Internet Marketers who have come together to boost each others online businesses. The advice that I have received has had a tremendous impact on the development of my projects, the sales copy, and optimal delivery method.

Lynn delivers incredible content. Lynn truly cares about her readers and wants each one to succeed. Lynn is passionate about her work and really enjoys what she does. There’s so many reasons to follow Lynn and the example that she sets, but the biggest reason I follow her is because of her values, integrity, and most important… how she defines SUCCESS!

I’d say that the picture at the top of this post sums things up nicely. It’s a beautiful shot of Lynn enjoying a stroll on a beautiful day. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I think that shot is worth more.

I see FREEDOM written all over that picture. I also see gratefulness, zest for life, peace, joy, and a sense of knowing ones self.

I can’t wait to meet Lynn for the first time at NAMS 3 in Atlanta this upcoming January. I feel like I already know her and that we’ve been friends all our lives. It’s going to be a blast especially when we get to hang out with our mutual friends Nicole Dean and Bob “The Teacher” Jenkins. Not to mention all the amazing Fat Loss Quickie members that will be there.

Do me a favor. Follow along with my series this week at Lynn’s blog. Apply the strategies that I share, enjoy the home office workouts and quickie cardio sessions, and get to know Lynn better by reading through her blog posts. She totally ROCKS!

and…

You ROCK!

Scott Tousignant

PS Oh, by the way… I’m giving away a copy of the Fat Loss Quickie program to a random person who comments on my posts at Lynn’s blog this week. So when you visit her site be sure to share your thoughts and opinions about the topics that I cover.

Today, October 23rd I am celebrating my tenth wedding anniversary to my beautiful, loving, generous, brilliant, and radiant wife Angie. It’s been the best 10 years of my life, but it certainly hasn’t been a smooth and perfect road. As I sit here reflecting on the past 10 years, all of our experiences, and all of our accomplishments, I can’t help but see the comparisons between a successful marriage and success in fitness.

9 Similarities Between Successful Marriage and Successful Fat Loss

Initial Excitement

Successful Marriages and successful fat loss programs begin with the initial excitement about the journey ahead. Your focus is on all of the wonderful things that you are going to experience and the positive impact that it will have on your life.

I remember when Angie and I first got married. We rarely had arguments, we were head over heels for each other, and I thought that nothing could possibly go wrong. I was totally fixated on all the amazing things that we were going to experience as a couple.

This is often the case when you begin a fat loss program. The initial excitement can blind you from the possible setbacks that you will most likely face.

Overcoming Challenges and Setbacks

Speaking of setbacks, this is another similarity between marriage and fat loss.

Boy oh boy have Angie and I ever faced some massive challenges such as my health club closing and forcing me into bankruptcy, the depression that I experienced during the last year of owning the health club, family issues, and many other typical challenges that most couples face. Sometimes I look back and wonder how the heck we ever survived.

It’s a guarantee that your marriage will face challenges and setbacks and the same holds true with your fat loss journey. What makes you successful is your ability to see those challenges for what they are and realize that they are just temporary and never enough to hold you back from your ultimate happiness.

Risk

Many successful marriages have experienced a certain level of risk. One form of risk is taking a chance and exposing your most intimate and personal thoughts and feelings. You risk being laughed at or criticized, but it’s worth taking because it can enhance your relationship.

I took a risk with opening up a health club. That risk didn’t pay off, but the risk that I took with transitioning my fitness business to the Internet sure paid off.

Angie took a risk leaving a great paying factory job with Chrysler, which had outstanding benefits and perks. She put in 10 years there but the abuse on her body was not worth it. Plus she felt like she wasn’t living to her potential. But the biggest factor was that the swing shift meant that she wouldn’t see much of our kids for two weeks out of the month.

That risk was totally worth it. I truly believe that this decision had one of the biggest impacts on the amazing and successful life that we are living today.

If you want to be successful in fat loss you need to take a certain amount of risk as well. Making your goals public is certainly putting you at risk of criticism and skepticism.

Support

Taking risks is so much easier when you have support. Every risky decision that I’ve ever taken was followed through with because of the support of Angie. I know that when I have Angie’s support I can get through anything and I have not doubt that I will achieve my goals.

Support is absolutely key when it comes to fat loss. Having someone there to hold you accountable, to pick you up when you are down, to help you see obstacles as minor setbacks that will not prevent you from reaching your goals is one of the most important factors for success.

Growth

All of the challenges, setbacks, risks, and support, all promote the growth of you as an individual and as a couple.

I believe that if it weren’t for the challenges that Angie and I have faced throughout our marriage we would not be experience the amazing joy and love that we feel for each other each and every day. We have never been happier than we are now. Sometimes we even feel like newlyweds

The same thing goes for fat loss. It’s the challenges that you face that help you grow as a person and experience success. Failed fat loss journey’s are usually a result of someone facing a challenge and giving up rather than pushing through and finding a way to overcome it.

Trust

Successful marriages are built around trust. When it comes to fat loss you must trust in yourself that you will not give up, you will not beat yourself up when things go wrong, that you will follow through to the very end.

Respect

In order for a marriage to truly be successful there must be a great deal of respect for each other. Respect for who you were, who you are, and who you are about to become as individuals and as a couple.

A successful fat loss journey is much the same, but the respect must be for ones self. Respecting the choices that you make and respecting your body. When you have respect for your body and health you want to treat it well by fueling it with nutritious foods and helping it operate more efficiently by taking part in a consistent fitness program.

Whatever It Takes

In order for a marriage to be successful the partners must be willing to do whatever it takes to allow it to flourish and grow. That may mean staying up until 3 am in order to talk through a problem so you don’t go to bed angry.

I’m not sure why, but for some reason I used to swear that I would never see a therapist (shrink). But when I was going through my depression it brought me back to my usual spunky, happy go lucky self. That was the best decision that I have ever made for myself. I know that it played a big role in the success of our marriage too.

You must be willing to do whatever it takes if you want to succeed in your fat loss journey. Eating more fruits and vegetables, getting up early to do your workout, asking for help when you need it, cranking up the intensity even when you would rather curl up on the couch and watch a movie… these are all things that will contribute to your success.

Doing whatever it takes means that even in the face of a major obstacle such as a shattered knee, under active thyroid, or hectic work schedule, you will not allow it to hold you back and will find a way to make progress.

Love

It’s pretty darn obvious that a successful marriage is going to require an endless amount of love, but you may not have realized that the same holds true for fat loss.

If you want to succeed for the long term with your fitness and health you must love yourself wholeheartedly. Even if you are 100 pounds overweight, successful fat loss begins with you loving yourself unconditionally. Look in the mirror and tell yourself “I LOVE YOU” and “You ROCK!”

So what do you think? Did I miss anything? I know that I’ve never been happier in my life and felt so complete. I want to see you experience the same and live life to the fullest.

You ROCK! Enjoy the experience,

Scott Tousignant