New game show? Nope, it’s the critical biz question you have to ask yourself. The fear of cutting out potential clients causes Trainers to say, “I can train anyone”. Maybe you can, BUT, when you say I can train anyone you’re also saying that you specialize in nothing. If someone has a special need (and everyone believes they do) they want someone that is exceptional in that area to help them. They will look for specialists, not generalists and you will get left out in the cold. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t train others, but you want to lay claim to only specializing in a couple of things at most.

In example, I have been a Personal Trainer for 30 years. I have certifications in many different areas. I CAN train people for almost any need. My claimed specialty niches are Post-Rehab Conditioning and Brain Fitness. I have had weight loss listed as a specialty and I’m going to even drop that because, let’s face it, what Trainer doesn’t say they’re a weight loss specialist. So, nobody is special.

Thinking that you are losing business because you name a specialty couldn’t be further from the truth. You are, in fact, giving people a reason to choose (and refer) you above others. So go on and Name Your Niche!

An article from came up in Facebook and struck a cord with me. It’s from glamour.com (click on the picture to read the article) The picture drove readers to write in applauding the showing of a beautiful woman, Lizzie Miller, that didn’t have “perfect, flat abs” and still happy about the way she looked.

There are many health reasons to not want to be overweight and/or obese including increased risk of heart disease and diabetes (to name a few). BUT, what does overweight mean? According to Body Mass Index (BMI), which is essentially a height/weight formula, a rating of less than 18.5=underweight, 18.5-24.9=normal, 25-29.9=overweight, and 30+=obese. Lizzie is 5′11″ and 175lbs which gives her a BMI of 24.4 – still in the normal weight category. So does she need to lose weight? Certainly not from a health prospective. At this point it is purely an aesthetic choice, HER choice.

Too often people, particularly women, tend to judge themselves based on how they look compared to the cover model “ideals” that have bodies that are too difficult and unnecessary to attain for optimal health and happiness.

On the other hand, if you think that the Fox show “More to Love” expresses the healthy “normal woman”, (as the producers would seem to want you to think) you’re mistaken. Most of these women have increased health risk because of their weight.  

 What’s the answer? What should we be shooting for with our weight? First and foremost we should strive to be healthy, happy, and keep the worries to a minimum. If you’re in healthy ranges and still find yourself obsessing about losing weight, you have to really ask yourself about what it is that you want to accomplish with the additional weight loss and why that is important to you.         

Click here to check your own BMI

*note: BMI is not the be-all, end-all” in healthy weight assessment. Because it only considers height and weight it misses the “is it fat weight or muscle weight” question. Body composition assessments would be a better choice for really knowing if your weight is at a healthy level.

Americans spend about $40 BILLION a year on weight loss programs, books, products, etc. A huge chunk of this is weight loss supplements. I mean, why wouldn’t I buy a pill that burns belly fat while I’m asleep? Taking a pill is easy. Anyone can do it. Hmmn? Wouldn’t everyone do it? Why isn’t everyone doing it? They aren’t because it doesn’t work!!! Check out the fine print disclaimer below for “Results will vary.” and “with diet and exercise”. You’ll see statements like this in most “amazing results” product ads because they do very little if anything on their own.

I’ve said this before. The secret to long-term permanent fat loss is…. that there is no secret! There is no silver bullet or magic pill. Now, I’m not saying that none of them have any effect. But, in the scheme of things, they are not going to make or break a program.

You need to exercise and you need to get your eating in order. Not one or the other. Research shows that you need to do BOTH exercise AND proper diet to make sustainable weight loss happen.

Forget fat loss supplements. Doing the work, as much as you may hope that there’s an easier way, is the only way you will get the results that you want. The miracle is how you will enjoy your new life once you reach your goals.

It’s that time when everyone comes up with a top 10 list and I didn’t want to get left out. So, here’s my top 10 weight loss tips for the coming year.

1) Know and Write Down Your Goal – Yes, you want to have an idea of what you want to lose, but that’s not what I’m talking about. Know what you will feel like, what you will be able to do, how your life will be better when you reach your ideal weight. The weight amount you want to lose will not keep you motivated. The “why it’s important to you” will help keep you on task. The extra bit is to write it down. People that write down their goals are far more likely to attain them. more…

2) Get Help From a Professional – So much time, effort, and self-esteem is wasted on failed attempts because we rely on what we think we know about losing weight. The weight loss industry is a multi-billion dollar industry because people spend tons of money on useless supplements, gadgets, and fad diets. Spend your money more wisely. Get started right with the advise from an RD and a Personal Trainer that can tailor a program just for you. more…

3) Commit to Lifestyle Changes – Quick fixes may help you to lose weight in short term, but in the long run will leave you heavier and frustrated. Look to making healthy lifestyle changes that you can sustain for the rest of your life.

4) Baby Steps- With a committment of making changes for your life, comes the decrease in pressure to change everything all at once. If you try to make it all perfect tomorrow, you will crash and burn, leaving you defeated and depressed. Plan on making one or two small changes at a time. When you master them, pick one or two more to work on. i.e. At least 3 days this week I will eat a healthy breakfast.

5) Journal – The biggest pain for most people and yet one of the most beneficial things you can do. Keeping a food journal can not only help you keep track of calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat, but will also make you aware of your habitual behaviors, such as meal timing, how often you eat out, and times/situations that are problematic. As you become more aware of these issues, you can add them to your list of baby steps to be addressed in the future. If you don’t keep a journal, you may never fully understand what you are doing. If you find that a really detailed journal is too hard to do at this time, journal light. Just write down the names of what you ate, the time you ate it, where, and why (you were hungry, bored, sad…). more…

6) Use Diet and Exercise Approach- You have to address your nutritional life, absolutely. But, if that’s all you’re doing you will either never lose the weight, or if you do lose it, you will never be able to sustain it. The same is true for exercise alone. To combine diet and exercise is key in weight loss. Additionally, while tradition has led us to believe that cardio exercise was best for losing fat, when, in  fact, high intensity weight training is really the element of change. (Another reason to consult a professional.)

7) Be a More Active Person- Now, even though high intensity weight training is the most effective activity for weight loss, everything you do burns calories, and the more you do, the more calories you burn. Too often people will exercise for 30-60 minutes and then sit on their backside for the rest of the day. Get up, get out, and find ways to be a more active person. End the slothdom. Ways to be more active at work can be found here. 

8) Plan Ahead - Nothing beats planning out the next day ahead of time. If I go into a day knowing what I will eat, when, and have written in my exercise time as an appointment, sticking with it is far easier than if I try to “wing” good behavior. Even the unexpected can be planned for once you recognize what types of things can happen to throw you for a loop.

9) Clean House- Set up your environment to help you with your goals. Get rid of the foods/treats around you at home and work that make it hard to stay on track.

10) Confront Your Frenemies -  Frenemies are those that sabotage your efforts to lose weight.  You need to have a heart-to-heart talk with them and, without mincing words, explain what you’re doing and why it’s so important to you. Then make them aware of how they are making that hard for you to accomplish your goals. Ask them if they can help you by refraining from those things that make it more difficult than it already is. more… 

Of course there are more. But these are my top 10 to carry you to success in 2009.

Best wishes, Mark