Will drinking lemon water reduce belly fat?

By Christian Bossert


This truly is a great question. It would be silly not to ask it. When you are asked a 'silly' question, go easy on them. You know why? Your friend wants to better themselves. They want to be healthy. This is great. They trust you!


Drinking lemon water can help you lose fat and weight. Lemons are loaded with healthy vitamins and minerals. Lemons are great for boosting your immune system and improving your digestion. Improving your disgestion helps eliminate toxins which improves your energy levels.


You know what helps people lose weight. Substituting lemon water for half a dozen Coke’s a day.


You know what this switcharoo exemplifies? Discipline.

What do questions like the one about lemon juice have in common? They address the underlying question, “How can I get maximum results with minimum effort?”

Choosing lemon water consistency is not easy when you are used to drinking half a dozen Coke’s a day. This challenge is magnified when someone is addicted to soda.

You know what leads to fat lose. A healthy dose of fruits and veggies, working out consistently, drinking plenty of water, and getting plenty of sleep. There is no magic potion. 

Go gentle on your family, friends, and colleagues. Like you, they’re searching for ways to be their best self.

It's soo easy to let ourselves go and that's why too many do

by Christian Bossert

There is more noise and less quality than ever before in the fitness world. The demand for instant gratification and the comparison trap - comparing our bloopers to others highlight reels- makes us think we are a failure.

Getting in shape means building a schedule and fortifying consistency with your plan. Getting the body you want is hard. Anyone who has dramatically changed their lifestyle since the start of 2018 has put in the work. Now, nearly eight weeks since the start of new years resolutions, is when people begin to notice hard work. It should be hard and it should take time. A healthy lifestyle and a body you love is earned, not gifted.

Without a complete picture it’s easy to look at others and think that all they’re doing is waking up in the morning and looking like an Instagram model. Flipping the Facebooks and Instagrams we only see others holding up their proverbial trophy.

We don’t see what is going on behind the scenes. The consistant 9pm bedtime and 4am wake up. Going to the gym at the crack of dawn. Resisting the tempation to blow all they’ve earned for that late fried food, the two extra cocktails, saying no to the community cake at work during a brutal stretch. Going home and cooking instead of taking the faster, easier route of eating out.

It’s too easy to blow all we’ve worked for these days and that’s why so many are, and you are not, cuz when they give up you turn up!

-Christian  

The Keto Diet. What is It? And What Should Know?

by Christian Bossert

Why is the keto diet one of the latest fad? The same reason why the South Beach, Atkins, Whole 30, and Nutrisystem swept through our scope of interest. The allure of a diet is hard to resist. How can a nation drowning in health and weight related issue ignore the promise of losing weight and looking better naked. What is the keto diet? How does it work? Most importantly, does it work? There are various ketogenic diets. For simplicity purposes we are going to focus on the ‘standard keto’ which typically asks for an intake of 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbs.   

Keto 101  

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that lays claim to many health benefits. Studies found that it can help with weight loss, and fight diabetes, brain cancer, alzheimer's, and epilepsy. The end goal of the keto diet is to get the body into a state known as ‘ketosis’. Ketosis means your body is in ‘survival mode’. What does your body do when it is in ‘survival mode’? It utilizes fat as it’s main fuel source. Your body basically turn on its fat burning switch.

How can you reach a state of ketosis?

Here are seven tips, courtesy of Healthline.com to get your body into a state of ketosis:

1. Minimize Your Carb Consumption.

2. Include Coconut Oil in Your Diet.

3. Ramp up Your Physical Activity.

4. Increase Your Healthy Fat Intake.

*avocados, fatty fish (salmon, trout, sardines, herring), almonds, walnuts,

olive/coconut oils, ect.

5. Try a Short Fast or a Fat Fast.

*Intermittent fasting (ie: fasting for 16 hours daily (8pm-12pm the next day or

24 hours twice a week)

6. Maintain Adequate Protein Intake.

    *multiply your ideal body weight in pounds by 0.55 to 0.77

7. Test Ketone Levels and Adjust Your Diet as Needed.

    *you can test your ketonic level using fairly inexpensive ketone urine strips

The keto diet seems great for anyone trying to improve their health. I wouldn't recommend trying it without consulting your doctor first, just to be on the safe side.

There you have it. The nuts and bolts of the keto diet. If you have suggestions or questions shoot me a message.

-Christian

The Seinfeld Strategy

by Christian Bossert

Early in his comedic endeavors, comedian Brad Isaac performed at the same club as legendary comic Jerry Seinfeld. While backstage, Isaac asked Seinfeld, “Any tips for a young comic?” Here is what Seinfeld told him:

“The way to be a better comic was to create better jokes and the way to create better jokes was to write every day.”

Seinfeld insisted the young comic get a large wall-sized calendar and place it on a wall that he sees everyday. With a red marker, draw an ‘x’ through each day in which he wrote. Eventually a chain of red ‘x’s would appear. The main job was "not to break the chain."

Seinfeld didn’t say anything about results. The only rule was "not to break the chain." How did Jerry Seinfeld become one of the greatest comedians of our time? Through skills, talent AND a ton of discipline followed by consistency. He wrote every single day.

How can you use The Seinfeld Strategy to be fitter you?

This invaluable piece of advice can be applied to anything we want to better ourselves in. It focuses on the process rather than the end result. It’s not about your emotions, a bad workout, or a rough day of work. It’s about “not breaking the chain.” All you have to do is pick a single task a get a calendar (here’s a budget friendly one).  

The hard part

If you want to lose weight and/or get stronger the challenge is to do something simple, yet active every day. If you don't know where to start working out or you don't know how to exercise The Seinfeld Strategy is pure gold. 

Walk up and down the stairs five times. Mark the calendar. 

Go for a 15 minute walk. Count it. 

Lift weights for 30 minutes. Red check. 

Take a yoga class. Boom! 

Hold a 30 second plank. That counts too! 

It would be great if you could exercise hard core for an hour every single day, but that realistic? You can implement intentional activity into your daily life. You can. Look at your schedule and make it happen. I don't have enough time is the worst excuse not to exercise period! Are you telling me that you or someone close to you doesn't have 30 seconds to spare? 

The hardest part is conditioning the ‘sacrifice muscle’ in our brain. Delay gratification to get 1% better today. It’s not easy, but it’s totally worth it. There will be gaps in the calendar at first. My hope is for those of you who do give The Seinfeld Method a go you’ll find the discipline to “not break the chain.”

Negativity is Making Us Sick

by Christian Bossert

Sickness has run rampant this winter. Something I want to address is habitual sickness. This is a pattern of being sick “all the time.” It is of my personal belief that in most cases those who experience recurring health related issues can trace the origin of the sickness to negative thought impulses.

This is not to say you are a cynical narcissist because you got sick. We all have our moments of despair, anxiety and discouragement. Positive people do not let these thoughts take over their life. The positive person lives the four to one ratio (four positive thoughts to every negative.)

How does this have anything to do with getting sick frequently? An unfortunate reality is we can’t avoid the ‘negative Nancys’ of the world. Those that live in a world of doom and gloom don’t know that they are a toxic cocktail. If knowledge is power then we are best to be aware of the behaviors of negative people.

Below are five warning signs of a negative person:

1. They always worry

On beach days they see a cloud and think the best of the day is gone. They rarely envision the best case scenario or a wonderful outcome.

2. They try to tell you what you should do with your life

Whether it’s your relationship, job, kids, etc. they’re always telling you what you’re doing wrong and what you should be doing. They may not realize this, but this is a sure sign that they have not figured out their own issues.

3. They put a negative spin on good news

You just got that promotion you’ve worked so hard for. For the pessimist this means higher expectations, more work, and more responsibility.

4. They complain a lot

The world is against them. They are usually victims of bad weather, bad boss, bad traffic, bad luck and their upbringing. They typically have thin skin and an oversensitivity to criticism. You may say to them, “You look great today!” They may respond in a completely serious tone, “I look bad on other days?” Taking a compliment is a struggle.

5. They love the word ‘but’

It’s a beautiful park, BUT ‘there are too many people here.’ It’s a great restaurant, BUT ‘why didn’t you book a table over there.’ They finish their words with a ‘but’ word, turning a positive into a negative.  

These are examples of subtle under the radar thought impulses that can cause damage. These thoughts are dangerous because they don’t destroy us that day, that week, or even that year. When these negative thoughts are said out loud consistently over time eventually they will physically manifest themselves in us. 

Pump as much positivity into each day. Set goals. Exercise and eat healthy. Plan something you can look forward to. And for every negative impluse that you encounter, churn out four positive thoughts. Stay strong and stay healthy out there! 

The Only Thing You Can Control In This World

by Christian Bossert

We have absolute control over one thing. We can’t control the weather. We can’t control what other people do. We can’t control anything on this planet except for our thoughts. This means we can control our own destiny. If we fail to control our mind we allow others to control it for us. Staying strong and thinking for ourselves comes at a price. Will power, consistency, and perseverance are disciplines that take time, and are values that we may struggle to maintain in our life. But you’ve done it, I’ve done it, and we know it’s possible. Then why are so many people filtering conversations with phrases such as, “I should do that.., Wish it was possible... I’ll get started when I’m ready.” Basically they’re saying that there is a part of their brain that they are allowing someone or something to control their will power to go after what is rightfully theirs.

Since mind control is the result of self-discipline and habit, there is no halfway compromise. You either take a stand and think for yourself or you don’t. The most effective way of keeping yourself mentally strong is through definite goals backed by purpose, and backed by a definite plan to reach those goals.

What are your goals?

What is your plan?