Posted by: Brian on January 5, 2012

Want to be healthier and probably even lose weight this January?

Try this: Junk Free Jan (seriously, they have a website with good info)

Eliminate from your diet:

1) Gluten

2) Vegetable or Seed Oils

3) Sugar

Let us know if you decide to do this. Perhaps we can post a Motiv team of folks trying this.

Want more info? Here’s an example from the FAQs on the Junk Free Jan website:

What’s the deal with gluten?

Gluten is a potent digestive toxin that wheat produces in its seeds to protect them from consumption by insects, fungus, and other animals. Not surprisingly it is not particularly good for you. A small portion of all people are celiacs – about 1% – although many have this condition and are undiagnosed. For them gluten is literally a life and death situation. If a celiac’s eats any gluten it causes a severe immune reaction that, over time, destroys the digestive tract. Many of these people are already on gluten-free diets. It is estimated that roughly 30% of all people have a bad reaction to gluten, but are not celiacs. This can manifest itself in many ways – poor digestion, obesity, auto-immune disease, and heart disease to name a few. There’s a good chance you suffer from gluten intolerance of some kind and don’t know it. Chances are you’ve been eating wheat your whole life. There’s really no way of knowing if being gluten-free will make a positive difference without eliminating it from your diet. Give it a try. You might be surprised how much better you feel.

Posted by: Brian on January 3, 2012

Blah, blah, blah. Blah, blah, blah, New Years Resolutions, blah, blah. Blah, blah.  Don’t get lost in a world of noise “talking” about Resolutions, make them happen for you.

Resolutions are easy to make, yet more challenging to achieve. So here are a few thoughts about how you can make 2012 better than 2011.

1) Define your goals on paper and achieve them one by one over time.

Be very, very specific, such as “fit into my pair of jeans from X” or “workout 100 times this year.”   Now, rank your goals. Pick your top one and ONLY FOCUS ON THAT ONE. Yes, you heard me right, only focus on one goal. Ignore every other goal until you achieve goal #1.  If you don’t start working on a goal until later this year, pro-rate you expected results.

PS: Working out 100 times per year is just 2 times per week.

2) Change your habits one at a time.

If your goal is to lose weight, your success will involve changing your nutrition at some point.  Start by taking a poor habit and eliminating it, for example, by cutting all soda (both regular and diet) out of your diet. Or cutting all dairy. Or fast food.

If you haven’t been working out and want to, set a goal to work out for 90 minutes a week (which is 0.9% of your week).  By the way, that would be just 2 sessions per week at Motiv.  For most busy folks, 2 sessions a week is what they need. Don’t think you have to workout 6 days a week (more is better, but be realistic with your time) to get in shape. It can start at 90 minutes per week.

3) Be Accountable

Who is going to hold you accountable? Do you need a appointment to get out of the house? Then set an appointment! Don’t trust yourself to go when you feel like it. Workout with buddy.  And workout somewhere they know you name and when you don’t show up you get a phone call.

At Motiv, we’ll be starting our next Biggest Loser contest in a few weeks…that’s a great accountability tool.

Posted by: Brian on December 14, 2011

Know someone who you think would like to give Motiv a try? Then purchase them an online gift card for our 30 Day Trial Membership. With the trial membership, they’ll be able to check out all the Motiv has to offer with no risk for 30 days.

Click here to purchase.

Caveat: This is a good gift for someone you know wants it or loves a workout challenge.  Before you buy this for someone, ask yourself “Will the recipient think I’m calling them “fat” for giving them a gift certificate to workout?”

Need something for someone who is already a Motiv member?

How about a gift card with a value you choose?   Click here to purchase.

All gift cards are non-refundable.

Posted by: Brian on December 7, 2011

You may have received a flyer in the mail from us this past week that looked like this:

We all know how the Chicago mail works. Very slowly. We mailed this out back in October and it is just now getting delivered — 5 weeks later.

Because this flyer was delievered so slowly, we are extending the expiration date of this offer until 12/31/11.

If you are ready to get started, book your first workout now and beat the 12/26/11 price increase.

Please note: because of the holidays, we’ll have limited availablity for our “test-drive” workouts the week before Christmas (12/19-12/24). We’ll be back in full force beginning 12/27/11.