Summertime in the northern latitudes is a carefree time. It is so welcome after the brutality of winter. You know, that fun six months of missing the sun and wishing that breathing outside didn’t feel like ice daggers in your lungs. When summer rolls around everyone gets grand ideas of all the things they’ll be doing: kayaking, hiking, biking, running, walking, swimming, yard work, gardening, etc.

I love the enthusiasm and the optimism. I often get caught up in the excitement myself. However, these two mistakes will doom the progress you’ve worked so hard for in the dark months of winter. Read on dear friend:

Mistake #1: Confusing Activity for Exercise

Summer is filled with activity. Increased activity burns calories. Excellent. More of that is probably better. All of those things listed above and more are what constitutes activity. Get more activity.

HOWEVER…

Upping your activity level should not replace your structured exercise. It needs to...

About the Author:

Jeremy “the tall trainer” Biernat is a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Strength Coach, has his Bachelors in Exercise Science, and enjoys writing, speaking, and inspiring people online and in person. See his new book!  More importantly he is a husband, father, and follower of God. His practice is in upstate NY (Canandaigua) where he works with people in one on one and group sessions to make awesome changes in their lives. He doesn’t do everything perfect, cries in movies, and would love to hear from you. You can contact Jeremy by commenting to this post, emailing [email protected], or calling 1(800)380-7047. 

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I kept seeing ads for the tall trainer in the Penny saver and kept thinking boy could I use that, I hadn't really exercised in at least five years, I pretty much ate whatever I wanted with no real thought to how it was effecting my health or body, I was drinking at least one 20oz bottle of soda daily. I take medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol and lost my father to heart disease before his 50th birthday. I knew I needed to make some changes but never just got around to it.

I saw an ad for a couple of free classes at Tall Trainer and figured I would try it out. The first class was a kickboxing class, it was a blast, I didn't know what to expect but everyone was very welcoming and encouraging. So, I decided now was the time to give it a try. I am so very glad that I did!

I looked forward to the daily boot camps, it was always something different. Andrew always made it fun. Everyone in the class was so supportive that when I thought I couldn't possible push that sled...

Seriously...People with a purpose to get out of bed live about 7 years longer than those who don't!  If you've lost your purpose get a new one.  Get fired up with this short motivational video.  

As I write this our website is in total shambles. We’ve been working at creating a new and updated website, while still maintaining the quality of content our clients know and love. All of that previously created content is gone.

*GULP*

Tall Trainer has been in business for over ten years. The amount of content that was hosted on our old site was quite impressive. And now it’s gone. Where do we start? Can we get it back? What do we do?

This feeling of panic is embedded in the human experience. The sense of panic and overwhelm in the face of a crisis or disaster can be paralyzing.

And that is EXACTLY how some of our clients feel when they finish a month of bootcamp. Most people get great results, don’t infer too much here. But if you do anything long enough, Uncle Murphy is bound to show up. Murphy’s Law states that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. That applies DOUBLE if you’re doing something new or difficult.

For our clients that means...

I feel like a ROCKSTAR when I start the week off with these babies in the fridge for easy pack and grab lunches! They transport easy and are fast to put together!

I used the wide mouth 20 ounce mason jars for easy pouring.

Asian Mason Jar Salad (makes 4 servings):
2 Large chicken breasts cooked and diced-or grab a rotisserie chicken
1 Large Red Pepper diced
6-8 Green Onions diced
1 cup of Diced Snap Peas
1 16oz. bag of Coleslaw mix (broccoli slaw or Rainbow salad works)
3/4 cup chopped Cashews
Your favorite Asian dressing -I like a Thai peanut one with this as well

Cut and Prep all of the above.

Layer- IN THIS ORDER
I set up an assembly line of mason jars and add each ingredient in.

2 tablespoons dressing
Red Pepper divided into 4
Snap Peas divided into 4
Green Onions divided into 4
Coleslaw mix divided into 4
Cubed Chicken divided into 4
Cashew Divided into 4

Close them all up and store in the fridge for 4-5 days.

When ready to eat, pour out salad on a plate and you are ready to dive...

Do you feel ALL over the place with your eating?

Perfect meal to HECK with it!

Monday–Friday afternoon =Gold star BUT let’s NOT even talk about the weekend.

I used to ride on this roller coaster SEVERAL times a week. I had very BLACK and WHITE thinking. Perfect or total crap. Tons of veggies and lean protein to diving into as many refined carbs as I could get my paws on.

With my eating disorder history, any thought of “restricting” calories sends me into a TOTAL tail spin. I don’t think you have to have had an eating disorder to have a similar cycle. Years of yo-yo dieting can have the similar effects.

I HAD to change my mindset about how I was eating and tracking my food if I stood a chance at getting control over this ugly pattern that TOTALLY drained me and left me feeling hopeless, weak and defeated.

If restricting your calories causes more binges…THEN DON’T RESTRICT YOUR CALORIES and focus on cutting down on the binges.

What is a...

This is a fast starter to any meal! I keep all of these ingredients on hand so when I am scrounging for what to make for dinner this can be made :).

Serve this with a protein and a salad and you will have a well balanced meal!

Green Pea Soup (serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp Avocado oil
3.5 Cups of Frozen green peas
1 yellow onion diced
1-2 cloves of garlic minced
1 cup chopped potato (about one medium)
4 cups water
1 lemon juiced
3/4 tsp. Himalayan or sea salt

Instructions:
*In a medium saucepan with olive oil saute onion for 3-4 minutes.
*Add the garlic, and potato and saute or another 3 minutes.
*Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes until potato is tender.
*Add the green peas and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. You don't want to over cook the peas.
*Remove from heat, add the lemon juice. Use and Emerson or Regular blender until smooth.

I sauted a few peas in some avocado oil and salt to top the soup and add a little texture....