By referral only means we invest 100% of our time and energy in delivering first-class service to our clients. As a result, our valued clients, associates and friends refer their family, friends, and associates to us for advice on health, fitness, and nutrition. We’re interested in building strong, life-long relationships one person at a time.

Your referrals are sincerely appreciated – EIF is built and based on your quality referrals. We will reward you with your choice of a $100.00 gift certificate to the Annapolis Mall or 2 FREE fitness training sessions for anyone you refer who signs up for one of our fitness and weight loss packages. Contact us with any questions about the EIF Referral Program.

Tags: annapolis, arnold, fitness training, maryland, md, Personal Trainer, Personal Training, weight loss

My name is Joe Aben and I am the owner of EIF. Over the past ten years I have trained hundreds of people in the Annapolis, Baltimore and Washington DC area helping them to achieve dramatic improvements in the way they look, feel, and perform. Read on to learn more about Excellence in Fitness, a premier Baltimore area personal training studio.

My Annapolis area Personal Training Studio is equipped with machines from some of the top strength manufacturers in the industry such as MedX, Hammer Strength, Nautilus, and Pendulum. It is conveniently located on Ritchie Highway in the Severn Commerce Center (across from Severna Park Golf Center) and is just north of Annapolis and a short drive from Baltimore as well as Washington DC.

I have hand selected all of the studio’s machines, which are designed to give the most effective and efficient workouts through the fullest yet safest ranges of motion possible. My vast knowledge of strength training coupled with the most technologically advanced equipment enables me to gear my instruction towards weight training for weight loss, weight training for women and men as well as sports conditioning.

I practice and teach high intensity strength training which is the ideal exercise method of weight training for seniors, youth weight training and physical rehabilitation. This provides greater RESULTS in a short amount of time – maximizing your time in the studio and allowing you to spend more time enjoying life with strength and enthusiasm.

It’s hard work – but hard work and a positive attitude, coupled with expert instruction and motivation, equals RESULTS!

All clients have sole and exclusive use of the new and fully equipped Personal Training Studio and are given my undivided attention – focused only on YOU! This uninterrupted environment reduces distraction and helps maintain proper focus during the training session. All workouts are by appointment only and you pay NO additional membership fees.

Your anonymity and confidentiality is guaranteed. You can be assured that there are no prying eyes or eavesdropping and because the workouts are private there is no waiting and competing for the use of machines with other gym members. Every workout is private and each client’s progress is charted in a personal journal with meticulous records kept for each exercise, setting, weight, repetitions, etc.

Call us today at (410) 544-5780 to schedule an appointment, or contact us to receive a free consultation.

Tags: About EIF, annapolis, Baltimore, excellence in fitness, Exercise, Fitness, maryland, md, Personal Trainer, Personal Trainers Annapolis, Washington DC, weight loss

These days, getting a personal trainer to help you keep your body in shape and meet your goals for individual health is not just for the movie stars. Using the expertise of someone else to lead you through your workouts and keep you accountable has a wide range of benefits. For starters, having an external source of accountability will keep you focused and driven – because now you have another individual that is invested in your life and has genuine concern for the shape and health of your body.

Additionally, personal trainers know the ins and outs of exercise and how the body and the muscles work. This can be a great help for those individuals who aren’t experts in this area. Having someone who knows and understands how your muscle groups work during different exercises will be able to guide you through workouts that are tailored to strengthening those areas that you want to see firmer, without wasting effort on exercises that either don’t work or yield very little results. They also know and have constructed countless types of workouts, so switching it up for you so you’ll never feel bored isn’t a problem. In addition, they know exactly how hard it is to get results. They’ve been through all of that work personally and have helped lots of others do the same thing, so you’re not alone in working for your goals.

Excellence In Fitness, with locations in Arnold and Annapolis, Maryland, is a workout studio that focuses on “Your Body, Your Trainer, Your Life.” In fact, the organization was awarded Best of Annapolis’s 2007 award for Best Nutritional Programs and the 2009 award for Best Personal Trainers. This proves their dedication to their clients in not only providing wonderful workouts, but also in helping them lead healthier lifestyles overall through their diets. The staff even provides private workout sessions so you won’t have to compete for gym equipment or worry about others watching you while you work out.

There are countless testimonials listed on the website alone praising the trainers at Excellence In Fitness and their various programs for helping individuals achieve and go beyond their health and fitness goals. One client even exclaimed, “I’ve never felt healthier. I’m a client for life!”

If you’re interested in what the personal trainers at Excellence In Fitness can do for you, give them a call at 410-630-1611 to set up a free consultation.

Tags: annapolis, maryland, md, Personal Trainer, personal trainer annapolis, Personal Training, Personal Training Maryland

With the right health and fitness program and a Coach to hold you accountable, you can become a goal-achieving machine.  The weight will just peel off – and your firm, toned, attractive body will emerge.

Think about it.  In your heart you know the truth.  There is no quick fix, no magic potion, special pill or wiz-bang exercise equipment that is going to suddenly make you fit.  The infomercials and advertisements you are bombarded with daily are produced by multi-million dollar companies that know how to push your emotional buttons.

They know how to get you to pull out your credit card.  But once you get their shake or pill or abdominal machine, you realize that you have been misled.  Because it’s not the pill, the potion, the fancy gym membership or the expensive equipment that will get you healthy and fit.  The ONLY thing that works is commitment to a healthy diet and regular exercise.  You’ve got to burn more calories than you consume – simple as that.

But there is only one way to internalize your commitment and cultivate your motivation:

You must personally experience results!

And the quickest, most foolproof way to experience those results is to have a coach guide you.

If you are honest with yourself and recognize that exercise and proper diet are the only ways to achieve the results you want and you are ready to make a lifestyle change… If you know you’re fooling yourself by paying for another gym membership, piece of equipment, shake, potion, exercise video, diet, or pill… then I can help you.

Through my experience, education and extensive study, I have developed an approach to exercise motivation that has enabled many average individuals to achieve amazing weight loss, health and fitness results.  It’s a program that will support you in becoming laser focused on the results you want, empower you to accept responsibility for making effective exercise part of your lifestyle, and provide you with the tools you need to reach your fitness goals.

And it’s only requires 5% of your available time – just five percent!

Is that too much to ask of yourself to improve and protect the most important thing you have – your health?

This program has provided many people with a new life.  If you have had trouble getting or staying motivated, you will now look at exercise as fun, have the tools you need to foster motivation, achieve your weight loss and fitness goals and actually enjoy your exercise program.

‘Body of Excellence’ is different from any other fitness program you’ve ever seen.

You don’t need a gym membership or expensive home fitness equipment.  You don’t need fad diets, doctor prescribed (or over the counter) medication.  You don’t need videotapes, books or manuals.  You don’t need anything but the guidance, support, motivation and accountability I’ll provide.  That’s it!

And I am absolutely certain this program will provide results for YOU.

That’s right, I’m absolutely certain.  So sure, in fact, that I guarantee you can achieve measurable, incredible results in just 12 weeks!  That’s right, I fully guarantee your results or your money back.  You won’t get that kind of guarantee anywhere else that I know of.

The bottom line is this: you will have to engage in a moderate exercise program and you will have to eat a more healthy diet in order to safely, effectively and rapidly lose weight – and keep it off permanently!  If you’re not ready to hear that, if you are still in search of some kind of “miracle” – then I can’t help you.  Because I promise you, based on years of trial and error, years of study and years of real life application…

…there is no “miracle” weight loss program out there.

Tags: annapolis, Body of Excellence, fitness program, fitness trainer, maryland, md, Personal Trainer, weight loss

“Outstanding results! I am so happy with the changes in my body! When I started with EIF, I don’t know if I really believed it was possible to lose 25+ lbs. But now I am back in clothes I haven’t worn in years, I feel better, and my family, friends and co-workers have all commented on how good I look. I was headed in the wrong direction with my health before I began personal training at Excellence In Fitness. With heart disease and diabetes running in my family, I was at significant risk for future medical problems.  Although I still have a ways to go, I’ve already lost 29 lbs. and 9 inches in my midsection. The Body of Excellence Program has definitely made me realize it is possible to be fit again — even after 40!  And working so hard to get where I am today is all the motivation I need to keep from falling into the bad habits of the past.”

“As a middle-aged woman, I have been bombarded with statements like, ‘It is normal to gain weight at your age,’ ‘Weight gain is part of getting old,’ and ‘It is inevitable to gain weight.’  Hence, I started to believe it.  I exercised regularly, from 3 to 5 days a week, but did not see any changes in my body.  That was UNTIL I started at Excellence In Fitness Personal Training.  Joe Aben’s ad reads, ‘Give me 3 months and if you don’t reduce your total body fat – I will give you a full refund,’ ‘I guarantee YOU will get results!’  So I had nothing to lose – except body fat and inches – and much to gain – lean muscle!”

“Let me tell you, it has been hard work but all so REWARDING.  I feel stronger and happier than before, went from a size 10 to a size 2!  Lost 31 lbs. and 19.6% body fat!  Not to mention reducing my cholesterol 32 points.  My EIF Personal Fitness Coaches have taught me the importance of good nutrition with their Body of Excellence Program.  They have also shown me what I’m capable of.  I cannot wait to see more positive results, I’m sure I will.  Thank you Joe Aben and Excellence In Fitness Personal Training!”

Tags: annapolis, fitness trainer, maryland, md, Personal Fitness Coach, Personal Trainer, personal trainer annapolis

YOUR FREE, no obligation, Body of Excellence Fitness Needs & Goals Assessment is a 90-minute consultation with one of our Professional Fitness Coaches at our PRIVATE training studio (MAPQUEST DIRECTIONS ON WEBSITE-NUMEROUS PLACES).  We first sit down and discuss, in-depth, YOUR fitness and weight loss goals. Topics discussed include: primary body parts/areas you want to focus on, your current fitness level, your short term and long term goals, and the “SECRETS” of the Body of Excellence program for LASTING WEIGHT LOSS.

Next, we discuss your health and medical history, your family health and medical history, and your past and/or current injuries or physical limitations. You are then personally guided through a “customized” Body of Excellence training WORKOUT based on the information we gathered and discussed with you in accordance to your weight loss and fitness goals, your current fitness level and your limitations.

The purpose of the WORKOUT is to teach you all the basics of the Body of Excellence exercise and nutrition protocol.  You’ll DISCOVER the FIVE “secrets” of speeding your slow metabolism and the real keys to healthy and PERMANENT FAT LOSS.  You will learn the proper way to breathe, you’ll learn the proper form and technique, you’ll learn proper pace, you’ll learn the different parts of every movement, you’ll learn how to activate and engage your “core” while you’re training so you do not injure yourself and, most importantly, how to effectively tighten your waistline and core and finally lose your stomach fat and inches through exercise.

After the workout, we then sit down again, answer all YOUR questions, discuss myths and misconceptions about fitness and nutrition, make recommendations to you for exercise and NUTRITION programs to MAXIMIZE YOUR RESULTS and explain exactly how Excellence In Fitness Personal Training can help you safely lose weight and “get fit” in the fastest time possible.

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Why go to the big, crowded health club with a generic, run-of-the-mill personal trainer that will charge you hundreds of dollars for a cookie-cutter exercise program???  When you can get the best service, best staff and GUARANTEED RESULTS (LINK TO GUARANTEE) from Excellence In Fitness Personal Training Studio…for FREE!!!

Tags: annapolis, Body of Excellence, maryland, md, Personal Trainer, personal trainer annapolis, weight loss

1. The secret to making a simple Commitment to your exercise program. The big companies who are stealing your money want you to believe that a pill, fad diet or a special machine will solve all your weight loss and fitness problems. This is counter-intuitive and insults your common sense. But people still want to believe – because there’s so much PAIN. The real “secret” is quite simple and I’ll distill it for you right here: eat 4 to 5 small healthy meals per day and perform a combination of aerobic and resistance training exercise for 40 to 60 minutes 3 times a week. Take out your calendar right now and mark off three days each week for the next 12 weeks when you will commit to exercising. Then do it. Your consistent commitment will bring you the results you want.

2.    The secret of having a Coach.  Almost every self-help book ever written talks about the critical importance of having a coach/mentor.  A coach is an experienced and trusted counselor or teacher.  It’s inevitable that you will come up against hard times on your path to losing weight and getting fit.  A coach will guide, motivate, educate and support you – so you can easily and rapidly overcome these hurdles.  A coach is critical to systemizing your exercise program for maximum results and assisting you in heightening your motivation and strengthening your commitment.  And a coach becomes your “objective feedback system,” helping you see, understand and correct the problems that are interfering with your progress.  Exercise and nutrition are bona fide sciences and learning everything you need to know on your own can take years of struggle – but not if you have a coach.

3.    The secret of Progression.  Have you ever met someone who says they exercise week after week, month after month, even year after year and aren’t getting any new results?  Believe it or not, doing the same workout over and over without expert guidance to direct your progress will actually decrease your fitness.  You must learn how to progressively improve and fine-tune your efforts for maximum weight loss and fitness results.

4.    The BIGGEST secret: Accountability.  In a recent study at Virginia Polytechnic University, researchers divided people starting a walking program into two groups.  Every week, each individual in one group got a phone call asking how their exercise program was coming along, the other group got no calls.  At the end of 24 weeks, 45% of the individuals who got the phone calls were still walking compared to just 2% who did not receive calls.  The results show that weekly accountability increases the likelihood of sticking to your exercise program by 2200%!

What you’ve just read is some of the most valuable information you will ever hear on how to lose weight and get fit.  And having the RIGHT information is critical.  But intellectually understanding what should be done, and actually doing it, are two very different things.

The truth is most people can’t get a grip on the three essential factors that separate those who achieve real and lasting physique transformations from those who don’t.   Most people have difficulty with the commitment; don’t grasp the importance of progression; and lack the personal accountability to achieve their weight loss and fitness goals.  Why?  Three reasons:

1.    Bad information
2.    It’s easy to cheat yourself
3.    No guidance.

So What Is The Ultimate “Secret” To Successfully and Rapidly
Achieving Your Weight Loss And Fitness Goals?

I have discovered that the ultimate secret to getting the results you want is finding a coach who understands you and provides you with an effective weight loss and exercise program and guidance, motivation, support… but most of all, a coach who makes you ACCOUNTABLE!

Tags: annapolis, excellence in fitness, Exercises, Fitness, fitness trainer, health, maryland, md, Personal Trainer, personal trainer annapolis, weight loss

Top Personal Trainer And Fitness Coach Reveals Insider Secrets The Weight Loss And Fitness Industries Don’t Want You to Know

Dear Friend,

The huge companies stealing your money by promising impossible results if you just drink their shake, take their pill, or do 10 minutes of exercise on their wiz-bang machines are abusing your trust in the name of profits and market share.

The real truth is that most, if not all, the products they’re peddling are worthless – to you, that is. To them, the products are incredibly valuable – because they’re raking in huge profits at your expense.

• Are you sick of the hype and outright deception being fed to you by the weight loss and fitness industries?
• Are you tired of being led to believe it’s your fault when the junk they push on you doesn’t work?
• Do you want someone you can trust to tell you the truth about real, lasting weight loss and fitness, and show you how to quickly and easily adapt your eating and exercising habits so you can achieve the results you want and deserve?

If you answered “YES!” to any of these questions,then this may be the most important letter you ever read.

What I have to tell you addresses the most important issue you face – your health.  From my years of experience as a certified personal trainer and fitness coach, one critical point has been hammered home countless times: our health is the most valuable asset we have… and if it goes south, we will spend everything we have, financially and emotionally, to get it back!

Special Health & Fitness Report From:
Joseph G. Aben, CCS, CPT, MES
Owner, EIF Personal Training Studio
(410) 544-5780
www.excellenceinfitness.com

WEIGHT LOSS AND FITNESS MYTH #1:
Dieting will eliminate fat.

Your body can’t discriminate between intentional calorie deprivation (as in a diet), and starvation.  When you dramatically reduce your caloric intake, your body shifts into a protective mode by slowing your metabolism down and holding onto fat (an important energy source) and burning muscle instead.  In the beginning of a diet you WILL lose weight by dramatically cutting calories.  But it won’t be fat loss, it will be water weight and lean muscle tissue – the exact OPPOSITE of what you want to get rid of.

Not only will harsh diets slow your metabolism down to a crawl, causing your initial weight loss to come to a gradual halt, they will also inevitably bring about a “rebound” effect.  This rebound will make you even fatter than you were before starting the diet.  When you rebound, not only do you generally put on more weight than you actually lost with the diet, your percentage of body fat generally increases because your body cannibalized muscle tissue as an energy source during the dieting process.  Thus the “yo-yo” effect that almost all dieters experience.

To permanently lose the fat stores in your body, you’ve got to burn more calories and increase your metabolic rate (the rate at which your body burns fuel throughout the day – even when you’re NOT exercising) with a precise exercise routine and proper nutrient ratio adaptations (that means eating the right stuff at regular intervals).  Even if you don’t exercise (but I recommend you do), just eating 5-6 small, high quality meals each day (and by a meal, I mean anything from a nutritious snack to a sit-down dinner) will substantially increase your metabolism – and you’ll burn more calories!

WEIGHT LOSS AND FITNESS MYTH #2:
Pills, powders and shakes can make you skinny.

Fat burners, diet pills, nutritional supplements – you know who gets the most out of these products? The manufacturers and sellers.  Some of this stuff is extracted from foods and has a role in nutrition, but it’s not a substitute for eating right.  And much of the “miracle” drugs you see advertised are exceedingly dangerous to you.  Don’t believe me?  The next time you see an advertisement in a weight loss magazine for one of these “miracle” products – or if you see a commercial on TV for one – read or listen to the DISCLAIMERS AND WARNINGS that accompany these ads.  A lot of this stuff is dangerous and it has no place in a healthy, permanent weight loss and fitness lifestyle.

Sure, if you’re willing to risk exposing your body to these drugs, you might be able to lose some weight – at first.  But you will experience no long-term benefits – none!  In fact, it’s really much worse than that.  “Dieting” in any form that denies your body the essential nutrients and calories it needs to function efficiently can cause you to lose weight…until you stop the diet.  And anyone who has “dieted” knows you cannot sustain the diet indefinitely.  Your body screams out for nourishment and eventually you give in.  That’s when the rebound effect begins.  You will inevitably regain all the weight you lost – PLUS SOME.  And the regained weight is predominantly fat.  During your diet your body cannibalized some of your lean muscle to use as fuel.  After the diet, your regained weight does not come back in the form of lean muscle plus some fat – it comes back almost exclusively as fat.

WEIGHT LOSS AND FITNESS MYTH #3:
A regimen of aerobic exercise will burn the most fat.

I see women who spend 4 days a week, 40 minutes at a time, on the stair-stepper, treadmill or bicycle who don’t lose weight!  I know men who run 6 miles a day who have no muscle tone and rolls of fat around their waists.  You’ve been led to believe that if you want to lose fat, all you have to do is regular aerobic exercise.  There’s more to it than that.

You must be able to monitor and control your cardiovascular intensity to maximize the number of calories you burn.  And, if aerobic exercise is not supplemented with resistance training (lifting weights) to at least maintain muscle mass, you cannot effectively accelerate the fat loss process.  Each pound of lean muscle tissue burns 35-50 calories a day while your body is at rest.  Whereas body fat is not metabolically active, so little to no fat is burned for each pound of body fat.

Therefore, a combination of properly monitored aerobic exercise and resistance training enables you to rapidly burn the maximum amount of fat. SPECIAL NOTE: This may sound like it’s involved and time consuming.  It’s not!  With the proper fitness and nutrition system in place, you can quickly burn fat, lose weight and get fit in as little as 40 minutes per session.  And in 12 weeks you can dramatically transform your body.

WEIGHT LOSS AND FITNESS MYTH #4:
Resistance training (weight lifting) doesn’t burn fat.

Nothing could be further from the truth.  Muscle is metabolically active tissue.  Fat is not.  Fat is an energy source for the body, but most people have much more than they need.  Fat does not use energy – it is used as energy.  Muscle uses energy.  Lots of it.  The more lean muscle you have, the more fat you burn.  And here’s the biggest benefit, and why everyone needs to incorporate resistance training in their exercise program: the more lean muscle you have, the more fat you burn – WHILE YOU ARE AT REST!

You see, that’s really the ultimate weight loss and fitness secret.  Looking great is not just a function of how much fat you burn when you’re working out, because you can only exercise so much in a given week.  The real secret is how metabolically active your body is the other 95% of the time.  People with more lean muscle burn fat at a much greater rate than do those with less lean muscle.  That doesn’t mean you have to look like Arnold or Madonna to be an efficient fat-burning machine.  But you do have to at least maintain – and preferably increase – your lean muscle tissue.  It’s easy with the proper resistance training program.

SPECIAL NOTE: women will NOT become “bulky” or “musclebound” by incorporating resistance training into their exercise routine.  In fact, just the opposite is true.  Lean muscle is more compact and firmer than fat.  Resistance training will make women smaller, firmer and sexier.  Women are not genetically predisposed to adding muscle “mass.”  Men, on the other hand, will gain mass and see exciting muscle growth through the proper use of nutrition and resistance training.

WEIGHT LOSS AND FITNESS MYTH #5:
Thigh reducers, tummy trimmers and body part shapers can “spot” reduce.

All over the country people are falling for infomercials touting muscle-specific exercisers for body fat reduction.  You cannot reduce your waist size by working the abdominal muscles, nor can you reduce your thighs with a thigh exerciser.  It’s a scam.  A total rip-off.  The only way to reduce body fat is by combining a precise program of supportive nutrition with the right balance of aerobic and resistance exercise.  If it sounds hard, it’s not.  It’s just hard to cut through all the lies, misinformation and total nonsense being shoved down your throat by these big, mega-buck companies attempting to further line their pockets at your expense.

Tags: annapolis, arnold, dieting, dieting myths, Exercises, fitness trainer, fitness training, maryland, md, Personal Trainer, severna park

“I’ve lost 20.8 pounds and 4.7% body fat; the muscle soreness is less, my energy levels are better on ‘between’ days and my strength gains and fat loss has really improved – I’m pushing 40 years old!”
Kelly Tinelli – Pasadena, MD

“I have lost 19.4 pounds, 9.8% body fat and 4 inches (just in my stomach!) all while increasing strength and lean muscle.”
John Greene – Edgewater, MD

“Let me tell you, it has been hard work but all so REWARDING.  In just 11 weeks, I have decreased my body fat 5.6% and burned off 143/4 inches!”
Ana Dalton – Edgewater, MD

“I can’t say enough good things about Excellence In Fitness and the personal trainers there.  I lost 14.6 lbs., 33/4 inches from my waist, 21/4 inches off my hips and 4.8% of my body fat after just 12 weeks of their Body of Excellence Program.  My triglycerides went from 235 to 68!”
Debbie Sheffield – Pasadena, MD

“I feel great and can’t wait for my next Body of Excellence training session!  I lost 10.4 pounds, reduced my body fat 71/2 percent and lost 51/4 inches in my stomach in only 3 months!”
Stacy Fite – Glen Burnie, MD

“…In 6 weeks I lost 17lbs and more than 15 inches on my hips, waist, chest, and thighs. The workouts have energized me and put me on the road to success.”
Kelley Dye – Odenton, MD

“…My body fat is down 5 percent, and my cholesterol and blood pressure are back down to healthy levels.”
Mark McInnes – Severna Park, MD

“My cholesterol went from 247 to 198 – a 20% drop! Thanks so much for pushing me to excel!”
Sharon Keys Seal – Pasadena, MD

“…Three months later I now weigh what I weighed in college (eight years ago!) – I thought that would never happen again and I really feel great. I will never go to another training facility; I am sticking with the Body of Excellence program!”
Jessica Schmidt – Annapolis, MD

“I started training with Joe after having my first baby. He helped me tone and sculpt my body back into shape.”
Karen Gunsior – Annapolis, MD

Tags: annapolis, body of excellence program, excellence in fitness, fitness program, fitness trainer, maryland, md, Personal Trainer

Top Certified Fitness Expert Reveals The Essential Strategies For Lasting Weight Loss And Lifelong Fitness

By Joseph G. Aben, CCS, CPT, MES, President – EIF Personal Training

Dear Friend,

Do you want to improve the quality of your life?

Do you want to look and feel better than you have in years – maybe better than you ever have before?

Do you want to protect yourself from disease and injury? And do you want to live a longer, more vital life?

I’m confident that you answered YES! To each of those questions, just as have the hundreds of individuals I’ve counseled, coached, and trained in my career as a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer and Health Expert.

Right now I’m going to reveal to you the 16 essential strategies that have enabled my clients to achieve these important goals.

These simple strategies can be immediately implemented into your lifestyle with little sacrifice on your part (okay, if not eating artery clogging fast food burgers and fries is a big thing for you, then maybe you won’t look at that sacrifice as “easy,” but I guarantee you it will add quality years to your life).

So let’s get right into it.

But before we do, I want to let you know you can easily obtain even more health and fitness advice from a certified expert on a regular basis by requesting a free subscription to my newsletter.  You can get your subscription via email by visiting my web site at: www.ExcellenceInFitness.com; or you can receive it via regular mail by calling my office at: (410) 544-5780.

Without further ado, turn the page to discover…

16 Essential Weight Loss, Health And Fitness Strategies
“How To Get Maximum Weight Loss & Fitness Results In Minimum Time”

1.    In the beginning, your fitness plan should not be overly aggressive.  One of the biggest problems most people encounter when starting a fitness program is rapidly depleted motivation after only a few weeks due to an overly ambitious fitness plan.  Two days per week of 20-minute low-intensity cardiovascular exercise (walking, jogging, biking, swimming); and two days per week of personalized resistance training in the Body of Excellence program (using weights or resistance machines) is adequate in the beginning.  As you become acclimated to the lifestyle “shift” you can add more days and get improved results.  But beware: if you try to do too much too fast, you may end up quitting altogether. If you’ve tried and failed doing it alone, then I suggest you get a training partner or personal trainer who will help you sustain your motivation.

2.    If your goal is fat-loss, then your cardiovascular exercise should be high intensity.  Short bouts of high-intensity interval training cause a greater increase in post-exercise metabolism than regular cardio.  A recent study from Australia found that a shorter interval program led to more weight loss than a twice-as-long aerobic training program.  This confirms the original interval training study from as far back as 1994 that showed greater results from a shorter interval program when compared to a traditional cardio program.  Your EIF personal trainer can implement “metabolic conditioning” in your program using personalized interval cardio training so you always stay in your peak fat-burning range.

3.    Don’t waste your time working small muscles with isolated movements.  If you don’t enjoy doing resistance training or are pressed for time, concentrate on working the largest muscle groups with compound resistance movements.  When I see overweight people doing wrist curls or lateral raises, I wonder why.  It’s generally just a lack of understanding of how their bodies work.  Most people want to lose fat and tone and firm their bodies.  The way to do that is to use resistance (weights or machines) to train the large muscle groups.  Men should be concentrating on legs, chest and back.  Women should concentrate more on their legs and back.  The best exercises for legs are lunges or squats (your personal trainer will show you the proper form and then monitor you during the exercise) and leg press.  The best chest exercise is bench press, and the best back exercise is the seated row.  All of these are compound movements, which means they incorporate multiple muscle groups.

4.    Always, always, always stretch.  Stretching improves flexibility, blood flow, muscle recovery, low back pain and a host of other things.  Additionally, stretching can prevent injury, make you sleep better and improve your performance in all sports.  Always stretch, but be certain not to stretch cold muscles.  You should always warm up before stretching.  However, it is very important that you know how to stretch.  Never bounce!  Your personal trainer will show you the proper execution and timing of your stretches.

5.    Never, ever do a traditional sit-up.  Unless you are super athlete with an incredibly well-developed midsection, sit-ups can lead to a strained lower back and possibly lumbar injuries.  But it gets worse.  Rather than hitting your abdominal section, sit-ups can shift exercise tension to your hip flexors – which defeats the purpose.  There is so much misinformation about how to strengthen, tone and firm the midsection, it’s almost frightening.  It is very difficult to learn proper abdominal exercise technique by reading about it or watching it demonstrated on a video.  You need to do it with supervision and get feedback about your form from a knowledgeable source.  And keep in mind that you use your abdominal muscles in almost every single movement you make.  Strengthening your abdominal region is the single most effective way to prevent, or recover from, low back pain.

6.    Set realistically attainable goals.  You must have tangible, quantifiable, short-term and long-term goals for your fitness program so you can gauge your progress.  It’s crucial to have a “baseline” before you begin, so you can measure success.  Your health club or personal trainer can give you a complete fitness analysis (don’t be shy – you need this) that will aid you or your trainer in developing a personalized fitness program which addresses your particular needs.  Having goals, particularly short-term goals, allows you to track your progress and keep you motivated when times are tough and you don’t feel like exercising.  Keeping a journal of your cardio and resistance training workouts, as well as tracking what you eat is truly a fitness success “secret.”  Just remember that your goals should be realistic and attainable.  The best way for you to understand what is realistic and attainable for you is to talk to a fitness professional – not to buy into the “hype” of infomercials, diet and fitness products that blatantly mislead.

7.    Set exercise appointments with a Personal Fitness Coach.  Use your day-timer to set appointments for exercise – and then stick to them.  You wouldn’t miss a business meeting or client appointment, would you?  So don’t miss your exercise appointment with yourself.  Nothing is more important than your health.  Nothing.  Everything else will crumble around you if your health goes south.  So make your exercise appointments a priority.  If you find it difficult to keep these appointments, then consider hiring an Excellence In Fitness Professional Fitness Coach who will hold you to your commitment.  When you have money invested, and someone waiting for you to show up – you are much more likely to actually show up!

8.    Remember the benefits of exercise.  Remember that feeling of euphoria you experienced after a particularly good workout?  You experienced that feeling because the most powerful “feel good” drug in the world – endorphins – are coursing through your veins.  If there is a panacea, it’s exercise.  Nothing feels better than the post-work-out high you experience after exercising.  Revel in that feeling.  Let it wash over you and truly experience it.  Etch that feeling in your brain.  It will fuel your motivation on those inevitable days when you just don’t feel like exercising.  Being physically fit affects every single aspect of your life: you sleep better, eat better, love better, overcome stress better, work better, communicate better, and live better!

9.    Exercise correctly.  So much time is wasted doing, at best, unproductive exercise, or at worst, dangerous exercise.  Get educated on how to exercise correctly.  And the absolute best way to do that is to hire an EIF Personal
Fitness Coach to develop a program for you and then teach you what to do and how to do it right.  Personal training does not have to be an ongoing process.  It’s completely up to you.  But statistics prove that those who understand how to exercise correctly, get better, faster results.  And that’s what you want, right?  Results!

10.    Enjoy yourself.  The most difficult thing is actually getting into your running shoes or going to the gym.  But once you begin your work-out, relax and enjoy the process.  Don’t fight it.  Make exercise your personal time.  When you are exercising you can focus completely on yourself.  Yes, exercising can and should be somewhat rigorous (depending on your level of fitness), but it is just that investment which makes it supremely rewarding.  As with anything, if you are in the moment, you can fully appreciate the experience and truly enjoy the process.

11.    Americans eat too many carbohydrates for our lifestyles.  I’m not advocating the high protein, high saturated fat diet that you hear so much about (frankly, it’s dangerous).  But I am advocating minimizing your intake of bread, pasta, rice, potato and of course, all sugary drinks.  We are no longer an agrarian society participating in manual labor.  Most of us are fairly sedentary throughout the day and therefore do not need the high levels of carbohydrates to sustain our energy.  Additionally, carbohydrates are addictive.  The more donuts you eat, the more you want.  The bulk of your carbohydrates should come from vegetables and fruit.  And those with high water content, such as cucumbers, grapefruit, tomatoes, cantaloupe, strawberries and even vegetable soups (watch out for high sodium), will fill you up nicely.  By the way, numerous studies have conclusively proven that the quarter of the population eating the most vegetables get half the cancer of the quarter eating the least!

12.    Deep-fried food has no nutritional value – none!  Almost every food, whether it’s steak, chocolate or red wine, has some nutrients to contribute.  But one thing is absolute: fried foods are garbage.  Potato chips, french fries, onion rings, breaded chicken strips and all the rest of the deep-fried junk are pregnant with saturated fat and calories, and they contain almost zero nutritional value.  If you’re trying to lose weight and/or reduce fat, simply eliminate fried foods completely from your diet.  Yikes!  That stuff is scary.

13.    Never, ever skip breakfast.  If you want to maximize your fitness results or fat-loss efforts, you’ve got to eat breakfast.  Even if you don’t exercise at all – breakfast remains the most important meal of the day.  Your breakfast should contain complete proteins and complex carbohydrates (if you’re trying to lose weight, you should eat the bulk of your complex carbohydrates at breakfast and lunch and only have vegetable carbohydrates at dinner).  A great breakfast is oatmeal (not the pre-packaged, pre-sweetened kind) with a little honey and banana and a protein drink.  Or try scrambled eggs with turkey sausage.  Note: try to eat “organic” foods in their natural state with minimal processing.

14.    Eat fat to lose fat.  Healthy fats are necessary to your body for a bunch of reasons: regulating hormonal production, improving immune function, lowering total cholesterol, lubricating joints, and providing the basics for healthy hair, nails and skin.  The singular distinction you must be aware of is the difference between healthy “good” fats, and dangerous “bad” fats.  Good fats are monounsaturated fats like olive and coconut oil, avocados, all natural peanut butter and nuts; and omega-3 fats like salmon and mackerel.  Bad fats are saturated fats, partially hydrogenated fats (killers!), and trans fats.  Your personal trainer can provide you with a simple diet program that will complement your exercise to help you live longer, feel better and boost your immune system.  The bottom line is that your body needs good fats – and will revolt if you attempt to abstain from them – and absolutely does not need bad fats.

15.    Drink plenty of fresh, clean water.  Yes, I know that you’ve heard this over and over again.  But there’s a reason for that – it’s the gospel truth!  The recommended amount is approximately eight glasses, or 64 ounces, of water every day.  When you are exercising, you need to drink even more.  Over 75% of your body is water (even bone is more than 20% water).  When you don’t drink enough water, and substitute diuretics like coffee, tea and caffeinated sodas, you dehydrate your body, your blood doesn’t flow properly and your digestive system doesn’t operate smoothly (among other problems).  Even a small deficit of water can radically affect how your body performs.  Here’s a good rule of thumb: if you’re urine is a dark yellow and/or has a strong odor, you’re not drinking enough water. Drink up!

16.    Eat regularly throughout the day.  Fasting or overly restrictive diets will enable you to lose weight – in the short run.  Because the weight you lose is primarily water weight and lean muscle mass.  But in the long-run, it has exactly the opposite effect you want.  When you restrict your diet, your body instinctively thinks it’s being starved and shifts into a protective mode by storing fat.  Energy expenditures are fueled by your lean muscles.  Therefore your body fat remains essentially the same and you lose vital fluids and muscle instead.  The less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism becomes, and the less fat you burn.  You should be eating three nutritionally balanced meals each day, and you should have at least one or two healthy snacks.  This keeps your metabolic furnace stoked, so you burn more at a faster rate.  I know, it’s counter-intuitive, but it’s the gospel truth!

There you have it.  16 essential strategies for an effective weight loss and fitness program that will have you looking and feeling better than you have in years – maybe ever!

I realize that starting (or re-starting) a productive and effective health and fitness program is not easy.  That’s why I encourage you to get help.

If you’re sick, you go to the doctor.  If you’ve got a tax problem, you see an accountant (or an attorney!).  Have a toothache?  You’re off to the dentist.  Leaky pipes result in a call to the plumber.  So why is it that so many people attempt to solve their health and fitness problems without consulting an expert?  I don’t know exactly, but I encourage you to make the investment in yourself – in your quality of life – by hiring a qualified professional to educate you and help you get started…

…because the hardest part is just getting started and sustaining your motivation until fitness becomes habitual.  Once you develop the habit, which can take as little as thirty day, your whole life will change for the better.

If I can be of any assistance to you, please don’t hesitate to call me.  I’m happy to speak with you and give you my recommendations without any sales pressure (I hate it when people try to “sell” me, so I wouldn’t try that on you).

Please visit my web site at www.ExcellenceInFitness.com or call my office at (410) 544-5780 to initiate your subscription to my free health and fitness newsletter or to obtain any additional information you may need.  Thank you.

Yours in good health,
Joe Aben
Joe Aben, CCS, CPT, MES
Owner, Excellence In Fitness
1244 Ritchie Hwy, Suite 18, Arnold, MD  21012
(410) 544-5780
www.ExcellenceInFitness.com

Tags: annapolis, Exercises, Fitness, fitness trainer, fitness training, maryland, md, Personal Trainer