WARNING!! Always seek the advice of a Medical Doctor before starting, or making changes in your diet or exercise program.

On any given day, you can walk into any gym and find well-intentioned, but frustrated members. No matter what exercise program they try, they can't seem to achieve their goals. Some have gotten positive results for awhile, but have flatlined and just can't seem to get off a plateau. If you are serious enough to dedicate your valuable time to improve your health and appearance, then make it count and get the maximum return from the time you are investing. If you avoid the following common mistakes, you will have a much better chance of building the physique you desire.

1. Too Much Time Between Sets - Most people socialize far too much in the gym. If you want to socialize at the gym, do it after you finish your workout. Make your lips the last muscle group you train. Unless you are a powerlifter, you should never let the muscle group fully recover between sets. A good rule of thumb for minor exercises (ex. bicep curls, calf raises, tricep extensions) is 60 seconds of rest between sets. For major exercises like squats, 90-120 seconds may be necessary.
   
   
2. Trying To Reduce Fat In A Certain Area - I know men who do endless sit-ups to burn the fat in their abdominal area to get that six pack of abs and get rid of those love handles. I receive e-mail from women who want to get rid of unwanted fat in their legs, rear-end and arms, and think the solution is increased weight training for that particular body part. You can not spot reduce bodyfat. To get positive results, you need to reduce your bodyfat throughout your entire body. You can not pick and choose. To reach your goals you need a balanced program of weight training, proper diet and cardiovascular exercise. As you decrease your overall bodyfat percentage, your problem areas will improve.
   
   
3. To Gain Size And Muscularity, You Must Stick With Free Weights - This is a common misconception. Barbells and dumbbells are a staple for increasing muscularity, but by all means complement them with machines. Machines and cable exercises allow you to specifically concentrate on certain areas of a muscle group, and significantly decrease your risk of injury.
   
   
4. Rushing Through A Set - A classic example that comes to mind is the young novice trying to show off on the bench press. With no form, rhyme or reason, he bounces the weight off his chest fast and furiously. Other than increasing your chances of injury, this serves no purpose. By slowing down the pace and concentrating on muscle contraction and form, you will get the maximum return from your weight training and significantly decrease your chances of injury.
   
   
5. Doing The Same Old Routine - One of the main reasons people plateau is they do not shake things up a little. By doing the same thing day after day, your muscles adapt to the routine and you will stop making gains. Mix things up by adding in new exercises, switching exercise order, and varying the amount of weight and the number of repetitions in a set. Changing your routine will shock your muscle groups and help prevent stagnation.
   
   
6. More Is Better - For a large muscle group like your chest, you may do 12 sets to muscle failure. If you train your triceps after chest, they are already pre-fatigued from your chest exercises. All you really need is 6-9 sets to properly finish off your triceps. Two or three exercises, three sets each is plenty. Anything more is over training which increases your chances of injury and slows your progress.
   
   

Dr. Osgoodby was a finalist in the "EAS Body for Life" Contest. Stop by his web page at http://bestbodyever.com to see his before and after pictures and subscribe to his monthly newsletter.

In this day and age, it seems that more and more women and young teens are starving themselves to be in the current "skinny mode". Why is this happening?

In this overly commercially orientated world, with skinny models all over the world, and people trying to emulate that "look". I am quite sure it started with Twiggy, in the 1960's. I think Twiggy was smart. She looked at her skinny little frame and realized that she was not like most girls, so instead of hiding herself she flaunted it.

Hence, comes skinniness, and billions of dollars are spent each year while women, young and old, try to stay thin.

Health is going down hill. Years ago women had a bit of meat on their bones and were beautiful. Now, they have dry skin. No extra energy. And, in my opinion look like skeletons.

It is one thing, to keep yourself, in shape, by exercising and keeping yourself toned up. It is quite another when you are starving your body, and robbing it of proper nutrients.

One thing that a lot of people are not aware of is what happens when you don't eat enough calories. Your body, a wonderful machine, was built for starving times and feasting time, as food was scarce sometimes and abundant at others. So, when you don't feed your body, your metabolism says "oh, dear, here comes starving times." And, it promptly slows down. Hence, starving and slow weight loss. So what does a person do. He/she eats less calories, and on goes the cycle.

Now we come to the "Yoyo syndrome" heavy, thin, heavy thin, heavy thin, and guess what happens? It gets harder to get the weight off each time. Why is that? Because your body is confused. I was starved, I must slow down. I am getting fed, I must store for starving times. Hence the "Yoyo syndrome.

Now, what is too fat? Too fat is when you are carrying too much fat, and it is hard to move. Hard to breath. Too fat is not because at 5'4 inches you weigh 140 lbs, and the Twiggy friend weighs 115lbs. Each person has a different bone structure and some people have more muscle than others. And, yes, muscle weighs more than fat. Hence a person at 140 lbs may actually have less fat then a person who is the same height at 115 lbs.

If after reading this you still think you are too fat. Or, if you are really too fat. Then the best diet is to exercise, cut down on junk food. Eat healthy foods such as fruits and veggies, whole grains, etc. Drink lots of water. Do not STARVE yourself. Try to get off hydrogenated fats. (And, this will take some reading. You will be surprised how much hydrogenated fats are in packaged foods) your body needs oil, just like a car. It is just some oils are better for you then others. Hydrogenated fats are not needed.

Think build health. Get proper vitamins (all natural are best!) In this day and age there is no way you can get the vitamins you need in the food you are eating. Unless, you watch every single bite, and read a tremendous amount of literature to learn and do so, plus growing your own food, so you know where it is coming from. Do not go hungry. If you want to lose weight don't stuff yourself. Eat frequent small meals, so you never get those out of control binges that low blood sugar causes. So, there you have it in a nutshell.

As you build your health you can smile at that mirror and accept your rosy cheeks, glossy shiny hair, soft skin, and an amazing abundance of energy. So what if you weigh more than you think you should. You are you. Accept yourself. Good luck!

Whether you're just starting your business, or celebrating your 5th, or 25th anniversary, writing down your goals is probably the single most important thing you can do. Think that sounds far fetched? Think again. Without goals, we don't know where we are going. If we don't know where we are going, how we will ever get there?

"Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination." - Fizhugh Dodson

If you were going to drive to another state to visit your Aunt Betty, wouldn't you have a plan? Wouldn't you bring a map? Surely you would! Otherwise you could end up in Georgia instead of Colorado! Both places are nice, but Aunt Betty would be disappointed if you ended up in Colorado and missed that delicious apple pie she spent all day preparing! Writing down your goals is like deciding your destination. From there you can draw your own 'map'.

"If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else." - Laurence J. Peter

So, how do we go about setting goals? Write them down! Whether it's on your computer or a napkin from your local deli or a sticky note - get it down. It's not important where you write them, just that you do. The act of writing your goals down (or typing them out) helps you visualize your goals, and gets you thinking about how you will reach them.

"A goal properly set is halfway reached." - Zig Ziglar

Need a lesson in goal setting? It's easy... Get your pen and paper, or computer and keyboard, in front of you and remember these key ideas;

 

• Begin with the end in mind - Your goal shouldn't be something so huge it seems unattainable. Small goals to reach a larger one are often a more effective way of reaching them.

   

  "Without a goal to work toward, we will not get there." - Natasha Josefowitz

   

• Write down at least 5 goals you have for this month. Make them as simple as "Work for at least five hours each day" to "Pay all my bills early" or "Make sure I market my business in some way - every single day." Then you can work on your long term goals - For next year, 3 years from now, 5 years from now, and longer.

   

  "Happiness, wealth, and success are the by-products of goal-setting; they cannot be the goal themselves." - John Condry

   

• Prioritize your goals. Each goal is important, but some need to be reached sooner than others, and some will take more effort. What is your most important goal? Visualize yourself reaching that goal each day. Figure out what smaller goals you will need to reach in order to reach the most important.

   

  "Set your goals high, and don't stop till you get there." - Bo Jackson

Sometimes we wonder why we've had mediocre results in the past... Where did we go wrong? Many times you can attribute this to lack of goal setting. Simply wishing for things to happen won't make them happen. Writing down you goals, and in turn figuring out how you will reach them will make them happen.

"Those who cannot tell what they desire or expect, still sigh and struggle with indefinite thoughts and vast wishes." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Whatever you do, don't take your eyes off the goal. When you are driving to Aunt Betty's, you may come across a closed road - But you won't fret, because you have a map, and you will simply take another route. Many times you may have to change your path, but your focus should remain on the goal and how you will reach it.

"Obstacles are those frightful things when you take your eyes of your goals." - Hannah Moore

I believe in the power of thoughts. Whether you want to call it prayer, meditation, visualization, or anything else, there is power in it! If your having trouble reaching your goals, by all means, think about how you will reach them, step by step, until you have attained them! These thoughts will bring action. You create your own destiny, why not visualize the destiny you want?

"Picture yourself in your minds eye as having already achieved this goal. See yourself doing the things you'll be doing when you've reached your goal." - Earl Nightingale

Start a goal journal today!