Mind vs Body

The mind is a major bitch if you think about it. It is the one thing that gets us out of shape and tries its best to keep us there, completely out of shape and hating our bodies. Whether you’re working out and your mind keeps telling you it is enough, to stop because it hurts, because it isn’t worth it, because maybe you don’t need to keep pushing. OR when your stomach is already full, yet your mind keeps telling you you’re still hungry, a little more will be great because it tastes good and it won’t make a big difference, or because that good tasting food will somehow help your emotions get better (and actually give you a pleasant sensation after you eat when the reality is, the reason you’re not feeling good emotionally is still there and sooner than later you’ll start feeling down again) pushing you towards a physical state you hate.

Add to this the constant negative attacks from society, friends, significant other and family members. People will question your motives, will tell you the opposite of encouraging comments, will try to hold you down from growing and achieving your goals.

This is why it is so important to work on the mental attitude, to train yourself to ignore your mind, to stop listening to that “quitter” voice inside your head and from those around you, that will constantly to drag you back down to that place you hate to be. Surrounding yourself with people who will encourage you either with words, their hard work or both, and who won’t judge you, will also help you achieve this.

Some people say fitness is 70% eating and 30% workouts. I’d say for most it is 50% mental, 35% eating and 15% fitness.

MyFitnessPal Guide For Newbies

unnamedSince every once in a while I get new friends asking me for help and advices as to how to use MFP to lose weight or calculate calories and macros (macronutrients), etc., I decided to write the last message I sent, in a way I could use it for a blog post. One thing I really want to let you guys know, fitness is not easy, and by that I mean, don’t expect to learn all there is about fitness in a 5 words sentence. What I mean with this is, as much as I like to help everyone who needs it, there’s no way I can summarize it all in one sentence, therefore this post will be VERY LONG, but I will try my best to keep it somehow interesting and save you from having to visit another 100 websites/pages by giving you possible scenarios and possibilities, so you can choose what works best for you. All this information will come from my own research and paid programs, so I do hope you appreciate all the info I’m providing here. Read more

Virginia Key MTB Trail

Although I’ve been riding bicycle for most of my life, and have done some crazy stuff like riding one downhill with no breaks or going at crazy speed during a rainy day (I still have visible scars from the fall), I have never in my life gone mountain biking on an off road trail before. Being someone who loves nature and outdoors activities, plus the fact I own a GoPro camera, got me into buying a Specialized Hardrock MTB and give it a try after seeing we have some really nice trails in South Florida.

Mountain Biking in Miami
Mountain Biking in Miami

Read more

Spartan Race – Tampa Sprint 2015

What better than celebrating Valentine’s Day by running a Spartan Race? Luckily for me, I don’t really celebrate V-Day, but I do love obstacle races, which was a pretty damn good reason to stay away fro all the love posts online.

Left home at 4am to drive up to Tampa, with enough time to get ready for the race, including setting up my GoPro camera. Temperature was around 42º by the time my race was about to start, which is not a big deal, but when you’re about to run and most probably jump in cold water, it becomes one of those “oh crap, this is going to be fun…. not” moments.

IMG_0656 Read more

The 3000 Burpees in 30 Days Challenge

3000 what? Are you out of your f***ing mind?

I bet somewhere along those lines would be the first thing to pop up in people’s minds when reading 3000 burpees. I mean, who would even consider doing such a ridiculous amount of burpees and claim they’re sane anyway? Read more

How I beat ITBS (ITBFS)

What is ITBS or ITBFS? It stands for Iliotibial Band Syndrome or also known as Iliotibial Band Friction Syndrome.

ITBS is an overuse injury of tissues of the outer thigh and knee. The iliotibial band runs along the lateral or outside aspect of the thigh and is an important structure that stabilizes the outside of the knee as it flexes and extends. Inflammation of the IT band can occur as it crosses back and forth across the bony prominence of the femoral epicondyle as the knee flexes and extends causing pain on the outside part of the knee especially during running when the heel strikes the ground. Read more

Week 4 of Shortcut to Shred

I apologize for not posting my review and progress during week three. Between work and being busy exploring new events and activities more than I have previously, I barely had any time left to post my review. Instead, here I am, when I have officially completed week 4 of STS. Therefore, what I’m planning to do is an overview of both week 3 and week 4, going over what I consider the most important parts. Read more

Week 2 of Shortcut to Shred

Here I am, two weeks into the program and about to start my third week of STS (or S2S like some like to call it). So, what has been different about this second week? Not much really, other than reps per set and of course decreasing my carbohydrates. While the first 3 days of training the reps range decreased, allowing me to go heavier on each exercise, during the remaining 3 days of the week the reps increased, which of course, had me using less weight to meet the reps goals. One of my concerns was how my body would react to eating 93.6 g of carbs less a day, but my body reacted nice to it, not making feel with less energy. Read more

Calculating Calories and Macronutrients

Calories (noun) – Tiny creatures that live in your closet and sew your clothes a little bit tighter every night.

 

Calories and Macros
There are probably more articles about calories and macronutrients than there are about any other trending topic online. I am sure the amount of information can be overwhelming and at times confusing, especially when most articles seem to contradict each other and everyone claim to be right while the rest are wrong. Read more

What’s Next? Jim Stoppani’s Six-Week Shortcut To Shred


The name Jim Stoppani creates controversy in the BodyBuilding.com forums like no other. For some, the guy who hides behind a Ph.D. degree and knows nothing about fitness and nutrition, who only cares about selling his supplement brand. For others, he is a fitness expert who provides useful and scientific articles and workout routines that has help people change their lives. With such mixed opinions, then why Six-Week Shortcut to Shred? Read more