I have all kinds of tricks to get myself motivated before working out. There are some days where I just don’t feel like exercising, but the moment I add on a few things….all of a sudden there is fire and possibility in all that I do! I sense the empowerment and I feel alive again, to do whatever it takes to realize my fitness goals.Talk about real inspiration!!

At this point, I am reminded of my potential. I feel nothing is
standing in my way, with heavenly power running through my system.
That’s it folks-I’m so focused, I feel like running hard and then
retiring in a steam room- remember God gave us all a spirit of
courage, Amen!, You probably think I’m crazy, but guess what, that’s
what gets me going. I am naturally a very intense person. Talk about
the ” crushing through the system” mentality – don’t get me started!
I have a few ideas that I want you to consider.

Buckle up, and follow
these easy steps, and you may find yourself running on super jet fuel:

Number one, get into the habit of counting from the bottom
up-this takes off the ” usual” counting burden since the numbers
get reduced as you work your way through a set of exercises.

This goes hand in hand with the idea of doing
your least favorite sets first-then proceeding to your favorite
routine.

This has a powerful therapeutic effect, where you get to
concentrate on your weaker areas, before getting into the most
enjoyable part of your workout. I found this to be very useful for
during my college years, where I was struggling with squats and
other power lifts. After getting better with my squats, I got the
inspiration to try different fitness routines.

I can vividly remember that things started changing when I made the conscious decision of
doing the squats before getting to the arm curls, and shrugs.
I obviously switched things here and there to break the monotony.

Bottom line: it worked!

Thirdly add some spice to your regimen-this makes things fun, and it
breaks the monotony that checks in after 2 weeks of training. You could do some
circuit training, sprints, supersets, or even just go in and perform
some stomach routines, sprinkle some cardio and stretches and then
call it a day. My point is. . . . some days you just need to be the lazy
exerciser, just keep things short and sweet.

Fourthly, Given that most gyms have lots of traffic during certain
day hours, its important for you to always keep things moving!
If a machine is in use, don’t waste your time standing and waiting for
them to finish, move on to the next exercise, and go back to
the skipped exercise at a later time. This is where a program comes
in, without a program, everything is left to guesswork. But when you
have one in hand, then you have a list to refer to!

Next point is:Eat your proteins first, followed by your carbohydrates,

and then your fruit. I always encourage folks to vary their fruits,
get away from the habit of just having a banana 5 days of the week.
Have at least 3-4 different kinds of fruits lined up, that way your
body gets all the vitamins that it needs.

While still on the food issue,remember to eat fresh water fish-
farm raised produce contain very harmful chemical
compounds, and they don’t have the correct Omega 3-Omega 6 balance. I
once gave a lecture in Brooklyn, and one member of the congregation
said to me that she eats lots of fish, but she didn’t feel healthy.
I asked her what kind of fish she had, and you can guess the answer
that she gave me. Bottom line, she had eaten lots of fish over the
years, and the stuff had accumulated in her body! it just added more
inflammation to her already obese body. This toxicity alters your mood,
as well as negatively affecting your skin tone.

Lastly, stay away from highly processed produce, poultry and dairy.
Enough has already been said about their fat, sugar,and preservatives.
The more black folks understand that these foods aren’t
good for them, then as time goes by you’ll have a drop in cancer,
diabetes, high blood pressure and other preventable diseases.
Also remember to eat lots of vegetables, and an important word over
here is folks overcooking their vegetables. I’m not a big fan of
eating raw vegetables, I am big on cooking vegetables just enough
where you don’t destroy all the nutrients. If it means getting a
someone to teach you, maybe an Aunt or cousin whose a chef, just
do it. Bottom line, you need to know! Your inspiration to
workout and eat right will skyrocket.