10 Tips from Igor - Summary

Here is a summary of all Igor's advice so far on the Challenge! 

Tip  1:  Don't focus on eliminating. Instead, think about replacing.

When you eliminate something it leaves a "black hole", and sets up a sense of deprivation. Replacing doesn't have this effect. My approach is for people to only replace one thing and only until they don't feel that it's different anymore... they have to wait long enough for that one thing to be second nature and 'just the way it is' before replacing 'one more thing'.

Tip 2:  Igor says, " Do you want motivation in a pill? Take a high quality multi-vitamin and fish oil. Why does your body get cravings? Because the body intuitively knows that it's missing certain nutrients. So by supplementing with a high quality multi-vitamin and fish oil, you give the body what it needs. I want to emphasize "high-quality", because most products on the market are very poor. One of the worst is centrum. Pick from one of these 4 companies: Metagenics, AOR, Genestra or Thorne. Metagenics is the best I know, but it's not readily accessible. If you want to know what determines supplement quality, read this article: http://www.torontofitnessonline.com/2012/07/16/nutritional-supplement/

Tip 3:  Tell everyone you know about what you're doing. It's one thing to share it online with anonymous strangers, but it's another thing to tell people that you see every day. To learn some other strategies to help you succeed, check out this article: http://www.torontofitnessonline.com/2012/04/30/how-stay-motivated/

Tip 4: Measure, measure, measure. If you're not assessing, you're guessing. But measure the right things. If your diet is changing for the better and you're doing some form of resistance training, the scale and measuring tapes are just not enough. For instance, if you're measuring circumference, your hip and upper thigh measurements might actually go up, but you're losing body fat. If you can get access to someone qualified in using skinfold calipers, get that assessment every 2-4 weeks. Here's an article on the problems with different methods of assessing body fat: http://www.torontofitnessonline.com/2012/10/17/body-mass-index-body-fat/

Tip 5: Change your thinking. A naturally fit person looks forward to exercise for its own sake. Not for the end goal. So find some exercise you like. Although I believe that resistance training is essential. If you don't like resistance training, do it with a friend, and just do it 1-2 times per week, but put a lot of effort into it. To learn more about how naturally fit people think, check out this article: http://www.torontofitnessonline.com/2012/05/22/how-naturally-fit-people-think/

Tip 6: Cardio is good, but don't do too much of it, and don't do it exclusively. A lot of people run into problems when they start doing cardio more than 3 times per week for 30 minutes, or if that's all they do. The problem: they start to put on body fat. Surprise! To understand why doing excessive and exclusive cardio can make you put on body fat, read this article: http://www.torontofitnessonline.com/2012/02/13/aerobic-exercise-can-make-you-fat/

Tip 7: If you want to lose belly fat, crunches are not the way to go. In fact, crunches may actually increase your risk of back injury. Here are the best abdominal exercises: http://www.torontofitnessonline.com/2013/01/03/abdominal-exercises/

Tip 8: Sometimes you don't always have access to a gym. There are lots of options for things you can do without any equipment whatsoever. Read up on isometrics and dynamic tension here: http://www.torontofitnessonline.com/2012/07/09/bodyweight-exercise-no-equipment-little-time/

Tip 9: Do you have a hard job, and no time or energy to exercise? First and foremost, kill the energy zappers. Then start to think about exercise. Energy zappers include poor breathing, poor posture and poor nutrition. Learn how to improve these here: http://www.torontofitnessonline.com/2013/01/03/no-time-or-energy-to-exercise-plug-the-energy-leaks/

Tip 10: Proper breathing is very underrated. We all know that proper breathing is essential to both relaxation and endurance, but did you know that improper breathing can cause shoulder problems and lower back pain? To correct your breathing, focus on breathing into your belly, and do that for 5 minutes a day. Read more about that here: http://www.torontofitnessonline.com/2012/03/26/breathing-improperly/

www.melonyteague.com 
To subscribe to my consolidated newsletter, Click here 
Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children.
Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
Join me on facebook.