Stereotypes
One of my biggest pet peeves is the genetic factor. People try to blame so much on genetics, it’s pathetic! Even worse, doctors blame their ignorance on genetics. Call me a quack or whatever you want, but I know what my testimonials say. The main thing you can see from my experience is how people of all shapes, sizes and ethnicities can see success if they put their minds to it. No thyroid disease, fibromyalgia, acid reflux or other fabricated disease stops my clients!
This is a fun section where you get to size yourself up. So many times do I see someone who never drinks water have wrinkles. What an easy fix, wouldn’t you think? Instead of hydrating themselves, they’ll spend a ton of money on different moisturizers and makeup to take care of their wrinkles and dry skin. They’ll even go to a dermatologist for a cure or a pill. Sometimes the answer is much simpler than we make it out to be. Use common sense, people!
Here, it is my intent to clear up a few of the common problems that I see in people. I labeled this “stereotypes” because I know I’m generalizing. But my statistics ring true, regardless of ethnicity or anything else. If you have a round face, you eat too many carbs. Plain and simple. No, being Asian doesn’t give you an excuse. Sure, you might have cultural behaviors that affect your eating habits but that doesn’t mean you have an extra gene in your body that makes your face round.
You’ll be so much more aware of your peers, and more importantly, yourself, after reading the Stereotype section and observing those around you.
Even with my years of knowledge and training, I still get countless people who don’t believe I can help them unless they see a picture of someone else just like them who has seen success. I feel this section is critically important for the stubborn few who need further proof that they are not unique and that their body will lose weight just like everyone else’s.
I could go on for a few pages on each personality, but if you just apply the concepts I’ve mentioned before, you won’t have to worry about what is wrong. Plain and simple, here are the most common problems I see in various physiques.
Round Face
I often see this physique in 12 year old gymnasts to college sorority girls to professional models to your 30 year old
business woman. Want a glimpse of the future? Look at the Dinosaur on page 113. After years of continuing your current health habits, that is what you will look like! Be aware of your drawbacks as seen below:
- You eat too many carbs. Cut out the carbs and replace with healthy fats. I know, you think fats are from the devil. Trust me, it will help your health.
- You are cold all the time due to not eating “real meals.” Yogurt in the morning, a granola bar as a snack and M&Ms® later in the day is horrible. Learn to feed your body real fuel or you’ll be sorry!
- Don’t work out like a mad woman! Short workouts incorporating HIIT Training are best. Three hour workouts or even 90 minute workouts raise a concern to me.
- You suffer from Menstrual Inconsistency, Mood Swings and Lack Energy in the Afternoon.
- You are the weakest of all types – you are a Hummingbird! Always couple fat with carbs.
Miss Muffin Top
I also consider this personality The Celebrator. You are most known for finding an excuse to take a break. With numerous holidays, birthdays, inclement weather and whatever else you can find, you become a slacker and take time off when you don’t deserve it! Only reward yourself when you truly deserve it. Also, don’t work out like the poor example given on page 77. That message was mainly geared towards you.
- Incorporate HIIT Training instead of long, slow workouts. It’s harder, but gives better results.
- Set your limits higher. Somewhere in life, you got the idea that slacking was ok. It’s not. Suck it up and give me 20!
- You most likely eat too much, too often. Try to stay within the Fire Burning Zone however possible.
- Don’t overeat just because you’re emotional. I never understood that excuse. Grab a protein shake and get over him.
- Surround yourself with people who aren’t like you. Most soccer moms fall into this category and you feel comfortable hanging out with them. Find new friends who challenge you.
The Tomboy
While you may be a harder worker than all the other types, you definitely aren’t the smartest one. Also, who said working out offsets poor eating habits? It obviously doesn’t by your tomboy physique. Learn the wellness side of health. Work smarter, not harder. Reduce your stress to see success.
- Don’t be a weekend warrior. Going a long time without working out and “making it up” all on the weekends leads to disaster. Find balance in life.
- Don’t ridicule the skinny girls. They will live longer than you. Take the time to go to the sauna, get a massage, etc. This will relieve stress and help release those unwanted pounds and increase longevity.
- Alcohol & binging never results well with a great physique. You are more likely to give 100% four out of five days. I hate to see what happens that 5th day though. You go from 100% good to 100% bad. I’d rather see 90% performance consistently to maintain a healthy balance.
- You’re most likely to work 10 hours straight with coffee to get you through the day. You know the solution for this. That’s a no-brainer.
The Pleaser
Being in the hospitality industry, I can closely relate to this personality. If you take care of yourself, you don’t make money. If you take care of others, you make money but at the mercy of your own physique. Annoying, eh? Making sure to hit the golden rule of eating every 3 hours NO MATTER WHAT is crucial here. I don’t care if the President is waiting on the phone, tell him you have to grab a bite to eat. Really, it will be ok.
- Set yourself up for success. Don’t book clients back to back to back. Your body will thank you in the long run.
- Take advantage of sleep when you have the chance. Your work can wait. You’ll be refreshed and more efficient even if you only get 4 hours a night.
- Pack meals to go. Learn how to use protein bars, protein shakes, trail mix and more. Find light travel type workouts such as stretch bands and water-filled kettlebells or even a bokken sword!
- Take some time to yourself. You deserve it. When was the last time you relaxed? Don’t have fun tomorrow, have fun now!
Dinosaur
Well, hello Mrs. Muffin Top. Age has caught up with you and now all those years of eating only carbs is showing. No, a dermatologist can’t help. It’s time to change your habits. If you simply hydrate yourself and add healthy fats into your diet, you might just survive extinction.
- If you’re vegan you MUST eat nuts and healthy oils. Most carnivores get fats from animals. You need those fats however you can get ‘em!
- Every new cell in our body is lined with a layer of fat. If you have no extra fat, then you simply won’t create new cells. This leaves a wrinkled-skin, frizzy-haired dinosaur.
- It can take up to a year to see drastic changes. Some cells regenerate in a week, but to replenish all cells it will take up to a year. The change is worth it, though. In a year, you could look a decade younger with this help!
- Stay hydrated! Plenty of fluids will help clear toxins. Don’t see a psychologist until you have control of your diet. All those carbs, even if they are organic, are polluting your body. Hydrate yourself to get the voices out of your head.
Marshmallow Girl
This physique excites me the most. You are the most likely to think what I’m saying is a bunch of hocus-pocus. Yet, you’re also the one who will immediately see drastic changes. I’ve helped people in your shoes lose tremendous amounts of weight in just a few weeks.
- Have blind faith and follow my plan for at least 3 weeks before judging. We need to recalibrate your brain. Right now, it is lying to you and telling you when to eat, sleep and think – at all the wrong times.
- Don’t eat a small salad at noon and then a piece of fruit later in the day – eat up! Frequent meals will increase your metabolism. You are more likely to eat too little than eat too much. Isn’t that ironic!?
- Don’t even bother working out until you’re 40lbs away from your goal. You will morph into one of the physiques above and that’s when it gets tricky. Just concentrate on eating 5-6x a day until then and build up to walking three times a week.
- Find a skinny friend to hang out with. You’d be amazed how often they eat. Mimic them! Don’t be scared if you gain a few pounds the first week.
Overworker
It’s a pain when I see an Overworker. You truly believe workouts can solve all problems and don’t care to bother with your diet. You also think short workouts are for wimps and would rather play basketball for 3 hours hardcore before you’d do a HIIT session. Well, it has gotten you very close to success, but you need to radically change your program if you want to see your abs. Or you could just put on a baggy shirt and lie to everyone that you actually have a good physique by showing them your guns.
- Don’t work out for 3 hours. Even if it is a basketball tournament. Ask bodybuilders and fitness models how often they work out and for how long. You’d be surprised – never longer than 60 minutes and rarely do they do cardio!
- Just like the lifeguard, you are the wild one. You indulge in sweets and alcohol after a game with the boys. You’re already 90% to your goal, so you need to give 10% extra if you want to look 10% better. Every bit counts at this point.
- Find moderation. No weekend warrior stuff just because you’ve been stuck in the office all week. Make sure to pack plenty of healthy food to keep your blood sugar regulated when on the go.
Muscle Gut
Ok, so you know that you need to eat a lot to maintain all that muscle, but then it creates a problem. If you eat less, your abs start to get more defined, but then your arms and chest get smaller. “What the @#!@%?!?” you say. Don’t worry. You can have mucho muscles without the gut. It’s all about portion control. Instead of eating 4 large meals a day with mucho protein and mucho carbs, let’s switch up your carb-protein-fat ratio and have smaller but more frequent meals.
- Learn the Exchange system and follow it religiously for 2 weeks until you get the hang of new portion sizes and ratios.
- Cut back on unwanted sugars you find in protein shakes. Cut back on carbs elsewhere, too. For example, eat open-faced sandwiches to get less carbs.
- Sleep is a blessing. You’ll grow more muscle by working out hardcore 3 times a week with plenty of sleep as opposed to less sleep and more workouts. So take my advice and be lazy!
- You’re only 4% away from your goal, so act like it! Everything impacts your success. Discipline yourself with different forms of competition.
Beach Dad
So with our 3 points of health that we follow: good diet, good exercise plan and good motivation – the Beach Dad usually suffers from lack of motivation. You usually have success in an area of your life that makes you feel that you don’t need a six-pack. As soon as you start attempting, you remind yourself how successful you are elsewhere and then decide to stop.
- That big belly is a huge problem – a heart attack waiting to happen. Get your blood pressure checked and adopt smaller meals. If you enjoy having 5,000 calories a day, then continue to do so but at least have evenly distributed portions starting with breakfast.
- Take up an active hobby. Learn boxing, self defense, or just make a commitment to go hiking every other week. Without a goal or a deadline it is easy for you to dwell in your other success and push this problem aside.
- Get your family involved. Misery likes company, right? Take the little gremlins out for bike rides or even something as simple as a Frisbee® toss. Make the family vacation to do a crazy hike and spend all spring preparing for it!
Hawaiian Shirt Dude
Of all the physiques, this guy would never see a personal trainer! Learn how to listen to someone for an hour. Then apply 1% of what you heard into your own life. Learn how to analyze what a trainer tells you and then apply what you think is true. I encourage you to research ten different sources before applying any. But, if you are in a big square shirt because you don’t like the body underneath, then you’re obviously doing something wrong. Most likely, your wife is reading this and trying to help you out. Not many Hawaiian Shirt Dudes seek advice from others. Here’s how you can help him:
- Make his meals for him. If you already do, incorporate the Exchange System and regulate his portions. When you go out to eat, INSIST you share the meal. He needs a bigger portion than you, but not the Porterhouse all to himself.
- A few vegetables and whole grains never hurt anybody. Eating a ton of red meat isn’t healthy on the body. Make sure your man limits his red meat to twice a week at the maximum.
- When he complains that it is always hot, tell him to even out his portions and lay off the booze.