Your Two Whys.

Happy New Year, Friends!

I hope you had a great holiday weekend and are now ready to focus on the new year and accomplish all that you set out to do.

I truly hope that this year brings all of us nothing but happiness and success. Not just in your health and fitness goals, but in all aspects of your life.

What are you going to do in ’23 to #getbettereveryday?

I like to start the year of blogging in fitness off with an important topic:

What’s your why?

Why are you doing what you do?

In my case, as a coach, we’re talking about your health and fitness goals.

This is the time of year when people come to me, and you are probably saying to yourself – this is my year, I’m going to get in shape, lose weight, get energy, feel better,

I love it, but I would ask you to get clearer,

WHY? Why do you want to get in shape?

*You want to hear a secret? That phrase ‘get in shape’ is something that annoys the hell out of fitness people. I think it’s a bit cliche to hate it. I think we all on some level KNOW what it means, but it IS important for you to define it for yourself, and your coach if you have one. That way you get a clear purpose in your mind as to the reasons you want your coach to make you bench press, squat, and of course do burpees.

Take a few minutes to find your why. I think there are two big ‘why’s’ when it comes to the reason people want to start ‘getting in shape’

1. Their health. But that still isn’t enough. I would still ask you WHY you need to get your health in order. Is it doctor’s orders? Are you trying to get off medicine? Maybe you just want to be able to keep up with your kids or grandkids. Do you see how telling yourself “I need to start exercising 3x/week and eating more non-processed foods to get off my diabetes medicine’ is a much clearer goal than, ‘I need to get in shape?” Or ‘I need to get healthy?’

Makes sense, right?

2. Vanity. Folks, I have ZERO problem with you coming in to me and telling me, “Ken, I need to look good in a bikini this summer” or Ken, I need to fit into smaller jeans. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS! THIS MAY BE THE MOST HONEST ANSWER EVER!

Exercise and good nutrition are not only good for you physically, but mentally. For those of you who lift weights on a regular basis, ask yourselves how you feel when you hit a new PR! You feel like a badass! Ask yourself how you feel when you look at yourself in that little black dress or bikini in the mirror. You feel hot. If this is your reason, that’s awesome.

I would love to hear your whys. Please share in the comments. Or – if I can help you in any way, please feel free to message me. Let me help you reach all of your goals this month and this year!

Happy New year!

Ken

Ken@sandlerstrengthandfitness.com

P.S. If you would like to join my facebook community, please click this link – https://bit.ly/3IhGxYl

i share lots of good info there. This week our challenge is to help you get started in ’23 by picking a theme for the year. For more, come join the group! We’d love to have you!

#getbettereveryday

Just Move! I Shouldn’t Have to Tell You You Don’t Have to Go All Out Every Workout

My client yesterday morning was feeling a bit groggy and tired. He said he almost cancelled on me. when ai told him we would just tone it down a bit today., he kind of pushed back. He wanted to go on and knock it out of the park.

This is not the right way to do things.

Your fitness tip of the day is listen to your body! Not every workout is going to be perfect! Not every workout is going to be you hitting new PRs in squats, deadlifts, or whatever. Some days you need to just bite the bullet and just move. You do a little extra stretching or core work. You go lighter on the weights. You know what, that is OK! No one is watching you! No one cares how much or how little you are lifting, We did an overhead cable tricep exercise and I said we should bring the weight down (It was tough for him, but his form wasn’t awful so I let it slide). He didn’t want to. Why not? Because in so many words, he didn’t want to look like a wimp. No one is watching you. You are not impressing me by doing more weight and not doing it correctly.

Some days, you just need to take a step back and go a little easy.

Your body will thank you and it won’t affect your progress towards your goals.

#getbettereveryday

Ken

Ken@sandlerstrengthandfitness.com

Your Mind/Body Connection

We all seem to know this, right? Our body reacts to what our mind tells it. But I am not always sure we really ‘get’ it or understand how deep it goes. The two really go hand in hand.

I felt it when I was unemployed 8 years ago before I started coaching. I got really sick from the stress of not having a job. It was terrible.

Here’s a fun study to think about when it comes to the mind/body connection:

A group of scientists gave their research group a shake to drink. They told half that it was low cal and low in nutrients. They told the other half that it was high in cals and nutrients. BUT – of course they all had the SAME shake. Equal cals and nutrients for everybody!

You can probably guess what happened –

The hi-cal half was fuller longer.

The low-cal half, not only felt hungrier sooner, their bodies responded with hunger cues faster!

How crazy is that?

That’s the mind/body connection! How often have you tried to eat a smaller portion, only to tell yourself, “I know I’ll be hungry in an hour.”

What if you used that power for good instead of evil? Why not try telling yourself that you ate enough. See what happens. I promise you will be fuller longer.

This attitude will get you much farther in everything – not just eating, but your attitude in life, motivation to work out and exercise, everything.

Give it a shot and let me know what you think!

Ken

ken@sandlerstrengthandfitness.com

#getbettereveryday

Three Great Tips to Stay Focused on Your Health and Fitness Goals on Thanksgiving Day!

Are you as excited for Thanksgiving as I am?

I will be headed to New Jersey to see my family. I cannot wait to play with my little cousins – 2 3 yos and a 2 yo! Cousins are awesome!!!

I wanted to share with you some of my favorite healthy tips for staying focused on your goals on a holiday. These tips are good for ALL holidays, not just Thursday. Remember, your goals don’t take days off. I want you to enjoy the holiday, but I still want you to finish the year strong?

Why am I posting this now and not on Thursday? So you have to time to read it, print it and understand it of course! Will you really be reading Word Press on Thursday? If you do, probably not until the day is over. You’ll be busy with family eating and watching football. I remember when I used to work in TV news and Thanksgiving morning we would always do these ‘how to buy the best turkey’ kind of stories. I always thought, kind of late for that, huh? That’s why you get this now! So you can prepare!

Here you go, my best tips to help you stay on track on your health and fitness goals, AND enjoy Thanksgiving Day:

1)Get a workout in. – You have plenty of time to still get to the gym, lift weights, or do what you want to do. Dinner isn’t at least until early afternoon. You have plenty of time to move your body! That workout will also give you good energy during the day.

2)Don’t starve yourself until dinner, eat protein. – This is one of those funky ones right? It’s Thanksgiving, and let’s be honest, even as we think of the meal, we are dreaming of third helpings of turkey and stuffing. That’s fine, but when we are too hungry, we tend to overdo it. In other words, stick to your regular eating habits. Eat your protein and veggies during the day. It keeps your body on track, and guess what – those foods will keep you fuller so you DON’T go nuts around the table! Remember, your body will tell you when you are hungry and when you are full. Listen to those cues. And when you give your body that protein and veggies and good food it needs, before dinner, you are continuing to build muscle and burn fat to keep getting your results.

3)Drink water! Yeah, you gotta make sure you stay hydrated. My suggestion would be this. a 1:1 ratio. If you’re planning on a few adult beverages or even just soda, have a glass of, or bottle of water for every ‘fun’ drink you have. In other words, alternate. water, alcohol, water, alcohol. Maybe even more water earlier in the day.

Simple, right? Basically, enjoy the holiday, but treat it as a regular day!

Hope these help you. Any questions, please feel free to contact me! Have a great weekend!

Ken Sandler

Ken@sandlerstrengthandfitness.com

#getbettereveryday #achievegreatness

There is no Tomorrow!

This clip Apollo yelling at

This clip or Apollo yelling at Rocky says it all –

When it comes to your goals – There is no tomorrow!

You need to start today!

What are you doing TODAY to reach your dreams and go after your goals?

It takes effort to find that success you want.

That dream, that awesomeness you want – it’s right in front of you. You just need to reach out and take it. It belongs to you.

Get after it.

How can I help you with your health and fitness goals? Now is the time. I know we have the holidays coming up. Don’t use that as an excuse to quit. I can create a fitness or nutrition program for you and help you lose 10lbs by Thanksgiving. You in? Your first three 1-hr sessions, only $99.

Let’s do this.

Ken@sandlerstrengthandfitness.com

Little Bouts of Exercise will do You Good!

I encourage you and all of my clients to move every day – 30-60 minutes of intentional exercise. It will help you both physically and mentally.

BUT – I also know that our days can get busy and we don’t always have the time. Please make the time.

But I also never said you had to do 60 consecutive minutes of exercise, did I?

Small doses of exercise every day can be just as beneficial. Not to mention, a great way to add extra movement to your day!

This means when you have 10-15 minutes at a time, go move! A quick walk outside after lunch. Making sure you get up from your computer every hour. Or how about leaving a set of dumbbells and a jump rope nearby if you work from and doing a quick circuit of exercises a couple times a day – some chest presses, squats, lunges, or rows, followed by some core and conditioning, is a great, quick little workout!

Give it a shot and let me know how it works for you!

Any questions, or if you need ideas – please contact me! I would love to help you reach all of your health, fitness and nutrition goals! It all starts with one phone call where we discuss your goals and create a program that works for you! Let’s get started today!

Ken

ken@sandlerstrengthandfitness.com

Why You Should Lift Weights!

Thde other day I shared with year a few important reasons why walking was important for your overall health.  Today I want to share with you some reasons why you should add resistance training (weight lifting) to your exercise routine.  Without a doubt, strength is so important for our overall health.   This is where you will get all of the results you are looking for if you put the time in every week.  I do understand that the gym can be and feel overwhelming when you see others lifting tons of weight, hear grunting, and honestly just seeing other people do things that you think are both ridiculously hard and you have no interest in doing.  But when you find your routine and do the things that will work for you at your experience level, you will reach your goals.

1)Strength training will help you burn fat and lose weight.  Strength training helps you build more lean muscle, which allows you to burn more calories at rest.  This means you have a higher metabolism.  

2)Strength training helps keep your bones strong.  It’s not just about weight loss, it’s about keeping your body healthy.  That includes bones, tendons, and ligaments.

3)Strength training reduces stress.  No one wants more stress than they need.  Go lift, you’ll feel better.  Not to mention, less stress will help you lose weight.

4)You’ll gain confidence.  There is no better pleasure in the gym than proving to yourself you can do something you didn’t think you could.  

5)You’ll reduce your chance for injury.  You’ll start to move your body the way it is intended to move.  That helps you move injury free.

6)You’ll sleep better.  This will also help with weight loss.

What I want you to get out of these newsletters this week is that activity in all aspects is so important for our health mentally and physically.  The more you move, the better you feel.  Find time to more and exercise 30-60 minutes a day.

I do hope that you give strength training a chance.  I would love to help you get started if you have any questions.  Let me help you by creating a program that works FOR you to help you reach all of your goals.  Let’s schedule time this week for a phone call to see how we can work together and get you started!

Ken Sandler

ken@sandlerstrengthandfitness.com

301-367-7664

Get Walking!

Are you a walker?  I don’t mean walking to and from the car as go to work.  I don’t even mean being a weekend warrior and going for a hike every weekend (although that is awesome!)  I mean you should be walking on a regular basis.  Walking is not just one of the easiest ways to stay active, it is also one of the best and it’s so easy to do!      If you do nothing else to get started on your fitness journey to reach all of your health and fitness goals, get out and walk!  The weather is getting warmer.  Get out and walk every day.  There is no reason not to.  Even in my previous life in TV news, I got out on my lunch break, got some fresh air, and walked around the building for 15-20 minutes every day.   Walking will not only help you lose weight, it will help you reduce stress.  Plus –  so many other diseases like diabetes and heart disease – walking helps you reduce your chances of getting them!  And by the way — walking on the treadmill counts!   It’s all about staying active and doing what you can do.  Every step counts.   Make some time this week – before or after work, even at lunch.  Make the habit of getting outside and walking every day!  You will feel better and I promise, you will get results!   Do you walk?  Do you have a special place where you like to walk?  Please share with me and let me know!     And of course,  if I can help you in any way with your fitness goals, please contact me!  Let’s talk about what you’re looking for and how we can work together.  It’s almost summertime!  Now is the time to get you to where you want to be.  It starts with one phone call!  Let’s do this! Ken Sandler, NASM CPT, CES, ACE Health Coach, Pn1 3013677664 ken@sandlerstrengthandfitness.com sandlerstrengthandfitness.com facebook.com/sandlerstrengthandfitness

S

A Message to My Fellow Personal Trainers – You are Being Watched! Be Mindful!

I had a couple of nice coaching wins this week that I will get to here. I had a client on Thursday morning. We have some great conversations. She told me she appreciated that. Rapport is such an important part of this job. “Know, like, trust.” People won’t do business with us until we have this. Damn, I wish I knew this when I was younger. One of the things she said to me was she was that she was worried a trainer would push her without even listening to her. You know what? She is not my only client who has told me that. Even though many of us are not, coaches have this reputation of being ‘military’ and telling clients to do something even though it hurts. This is why I ask my clients first thing when they walk in how are they? Yes, I mean their well-being, but I mean how are they feeling? I always have a workout planned, but I will always be ready to adjust need be. But more importantly, I told her, it’s my job to listen to her! Not only does it help me program and adjust her workout for that day, but it helps build that trust and rapport we need. When she sees it, guess what? She gives me referrals. The other thing she told me was that she doesn’t understand how some coaches don’t pay attention to their clients, they look around, etc. If you are another trainer reading this – be mindful! People are watching you! Once again, those potential clients are watching you work. They are seeing you look around the room. They are seeing you play on your phone or leaning against equipment! be professional and be mindful. She’s right, BTW. I think I posted this the other day. I have a few co-workers who just embarrass me by how they work. But not my biz.

My other big win this week was just being there for another client. She cancelled a few times on me this week because of work and because of some personal problems. She felt guilty and upset that she missed sessions because she has gotten out of the habit of working out a bit. I did my best to console her, reminding her life gets in the way. She was still doing a bit at home, and sometimes we can’t help it. I told her we’d get back to it when she was ready. She texted me the next day thanks for being a good friend. Sometimes that’s all it takes as a coach. Just being there for your client. Not saying anything but, ‘it’s gonna be ok.”

Have a great weekend!

Ken

Lessons in Seven Years as a Personal Trainer

  I’m going deep with my message today.  This month marks 7 years of my being a personal trainer.  It has been an absolute blessing.  I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had not just to be certified as a coach, but this career has driven me to grow as a person.  I worked in TV news production for the first 20 or so years of my life until I was fired (laid off – potato, potahto)  in 2012.  I was unemployed for two years.  I have shared with you a bit in some of these messages about my fight with depression and anxiety.  When you think it can’t get worse, try being unemployed for two years.  I felt completely hopeless and worthless.  But sometimes opportunities arise when you don’t expect them, and around the corners you don’t look.  When I was unemployed, my one salvation was my workout every morning.  It brought me the positivity I needed every day. It gave me hope and clarity for a bit of time even when I was ready to go home to absolutely nothing.

My opportunity arrived when I reached out to my friend Eric, who I knew from another gym.  He and his wife Christy had just opened their own gym. I went to visit.  Eric and Christy may think I am overstating things, but I don’t.  They saved my life.  They gave me an opportunity to just help them in their gym.  Not a lot.  Just enough to give me a reason to keep going.  It was a sign.  A sign from above that told me to take a chance and it was time to move on from broadcasting.  Then, being around the gym, I made the decision to get certified as a personal trainer.  The BEST decision I have ever made!  If I knew then what I knew now – I would have been a kinesiology major or something like that and would never have done broadcasting.  This career has changed me both mentally and physically.  I don’t only workout differently. I think differently, I act differently.   I want to share with you my Seven Lessons I have learned so far:

1)I have found purpose.  Working in TV news was an absolute dream.  I enjoyed almost every minute of it.  I still think about it often, not only when I speak with fellow co-workers, but when I watch the news, or just have random memories pop into my mind.  But working in TV was a job.  I did it for the paycheck, when I compare it to what I do now as a coach.  Yes, I learned and grew, but it was all a business.  As a coach, it’s all me.  My purpose now isn’t just work, it’s to help people like you #getbettereveryday. It’s not even to help you lose weight or reach your goals.  I do all that, but what I really do is help you believe in YOURSELF.   My purpose is to help you become that person you want to be. That person you see in your mind.  To see my clients succeed – to get things like text messages from a client in Israel because she was able to enjoy her walking tour –   That’s an absolute blessing.

2)I have found positivity.   I know the person I used to be was very dark.  But being a coach, I have now seen the light.  Positivity to me is not just a thing or a game.  It is a way of life.  Positivity brings more of what I/we all deserve and want.  When we believe, those things will come to us.  The force is real.  I never thought the powers that be worked this way, but they do.  Be positive.  Choose to be happy.

3)I no longer strive to be perfect, just to keep getting better.  My favorite part of this job and lifestyle is how much I have to learn and grow!  Sometimes I see other trainers, and not in a jealous way, but just think of how far I have to go.  Perfection used to be the death of me.  If I wasn’t perfect, I destroyed myself.  But I no longer think that way.  I learn and use that wisdom to improve for the next time.  None of us are perfect.  Just continue to keep learning and growing.   You will get to where you want to to be.

4)I workout differently.  I used to be like everyone else – 3 sets of ten, basic lifts.  But I have learned there is more to a workout than bench press and squats.  I do do those often, as they are important moves, but I also incorporate other modalities, like TRX and kettlebells.  I have learned how my body moves.  I move in all directions.  I do power exercises.  I warmup much differently.  I feel better.  

5)I walk the walk.  It is so important for me to be an example to my clients, you, and everyone else.  I don’t only want you to think ‘Oh, Ken’s a trainer.  Of course he always has kick-ass workouts.”  Or “That’s why he lives a healthy lifestyle.”  First off, I don’t always have great workouts.  I have my off days like everyone else.  As I said, I am not perfect.  BUT –  If you can see me, and you see me not just working out, but see me smiling, see me learning, see me making sure I get 7-9 hours of sleep every night (not really, that would be weird.), see me meditating. If you see me setting the example as someone who has fought depression and anxiety and is now living a more positive life though not just exercise, but eating differently and living differently, then you can look at yourself and think that you can achieve it, too.  Yes, I have my own fitness goals like all of you, but that’s what I strive for.  To prove to all of us that we can achieve.

And I know you can.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Ken Sandler, NASM CPT, CES, ACE Health Coach, Pn1

301-367-7664

ken@sandlerstrengthandfitness.com