Never let people put limitations on you

When I was growing up my parents instilled in me that I could be whatever I put my mind to doing. And as we grow older we tend to move away from this belief and live under other peoples expectations of us. Regardless of what field we go into there is always somebody saying what you can do and what you can’t do and we tend to follow this. Playing basketball, this is something that I have dealt with my whole life. Having a natural skinny build people always told me that I was too skinny to play at the next level. Something that has always stuck with me was when I tried out for my middle school team and didn’t make it. I went home and cried and told my parents I never wanted to see a basketball again. My father being the person that he was always kept me motivated and he would go outside and rebound for me for hours. And every shot that I made he would build my confidence and tell me nobody could stop me. Of course having him in my corner was a major impact in my life but also the fact that he would believe in me is something that always propelled me.

Fast forward to my second year playing basketball at this junior college. I wasn’t getting the playing time I wanted so I went to the coach and asked him why am I not playing. This is what he said ” I think you have reached your potential, everybody has a cap that they top off at and I think you are there. I can’t see you getting any better or better yet playing at a high level”. Little did he know he made me into a beast. The following year I transferred and I saw we had him on our schedule. This picture was captured during the game and till this day I couldn’t tell you what emotion I was feeling

I Ended up having 29 points and showed everybody in that gymnasium that there are not such things as limitations. The moral of this post is to tell you that don’t ever let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do. If you want to do something make up in your mind that nobody is going to get in the way of my goal and press your way through it. When someone tries to put a limitation on you, use that as fuel to prove them wrong. The only person that can stop you is you. BE GREAT!

Coach Q

New to the gym?

When a lot of people first start going to the gym including myself I noticed that I was worried about what others thought of me. I was always concerned about how they would look at me or if I did a specific workout wrong I thought they would judge me. I literally would skip certain workouts because I was scared of messing up. I often find that this is one of the main reasons that people will not workout. Some of the things you might think are

I don’t know what kind of clothes to wear.
I don’t like the way I look
I’m so awkward. I’m afraid I’ll trip, or not know how to use a machine
What if it’s crowded and I have to stand around waiting to use the equipment? I’ll feel so uncomfortable.
I don’t want anyone to talk to me

If you find yourself in this situation today I want to put an end to all of this and help you become confident in yourself. Here are some tips that I want you to follow so you can overcome this fear.

#1. Never care about messing up during your workout.

I know this is harder than it sounds but this is something that I want you to put into practice. The only way to get better is if you mess up. When I first started seriously training I would go to the gym and always look around at everyone who was there before I started working out. I wanted to go to the space or corner where nobody could see me so I could get my workout in. But one day I realized that the people that are at the gym don’t care about what I’m doing, they are focusing on themselves so I thought why am I so focused on them and not myself? And that is when I started going to the gym confidently and didn’t care about what they thought. If I had to do a box jump and I fell I got right back up and did it again.

#2. Come to the gym with a plan

Your lack of confidence when it comes to working out can often come when you do not have a set goal or plan in mind. I used to go to the gym and literally copy what I seen other people doing and have wrong form and almost hurt myself. Having a set plan will eliminate all of this and you will be more focused when you are there. I found myself writing out my workouts in a notebook and after I complete each one literally crossing them out so when I finished I can look back and feel good about what I accomplished. It was always a mental thing for me. So never come to the gym not knowing what you want to work on. Always have a plan

#3 Be comfortable being uncomfortable

A lot of times when people workout they only want to do workouts that they know that they are good at. When the trainer says lets go run some stairs, they tend to shy away from something like this because they worry about tripping and falling so they are not comfortable. I want you to start putting yourself in positions where you have to adapt with being uncomfortable. Whether you hate speaking and you tell your boss you want to present and lead the meeting at work or if you are uncomfortable meeting people, the next time you are going out with friends I want you to introduce yourself with ten new people and get their names and carry on a conversation with them. You will soon realize if you practice this and step out of your comfort zone, you will become comfortable and confident within yourself.

I hope this article is helpful and you will break you out of the fear of being nervous to workout! Love you all

Coach Q

Never Settle

This time last year I didn’t know what settling was.

I wanted to talk about something today that has been on my mind for the past few months and that is never being content with settling.Over the past few months I found myself in a rut mentally where I was just being content with being average. I didn’t make the deans list last semester because I settled, I found myself not even wanting to go to the gym and workout after practice because I was settling. Coming off a year last year when I was killing my competition nobody could stop me. You could see in the picture above if you were to ask me how I felt it was a feeling I can’t even explain. The mind is powerful weapon and it showed. I was having a career year, and that summer I was so excited because of my accomplishments that I settled… It was the biggest mistake of my life.

My body wasn’t completely in shape like it normally was because I was missing workouts. I would stay up all night knowing I had to workout in the morning and sleep in till 12 thinking it was enough. When I knew someone who was hungry like myself last summer would have been on his third workout by the time I woke up but I didn’t care because I thought I’d be fine. This thinking caused me to have numerous injuries during the season this year which then affected my performance. I’ll never forget last year there was never a day that went by that I did not go to the gym and shoot jump shots every morning and night (Except if there was a snowstorm). Me and my roommate would go to the gym at 5 am and go to practice then come back to the gym after practice and shoot more. Which went to show why I had played the best basketball of my life. I’ve never been the one to make an excuse. If it is my fault this I will own up to it and settling is something that has been one the biggest obstacles in my life. I stopped working out at 5 AM because I got complacent with myself and thought I don’t need to work as hard anymore because of all the previous work that I put in. But I was wrong and it showed.

The moral of this post is to never settle for anything. Whether it’s a relationship, if your not happy and it’s toxic leave. If it’s work and your killing yourself everyday and tired of working for someone and want to go back to school or get a better job do it. Put the things that are most important to you first and if you aren’t achieving those things or you don’t find yourself being happy then make adjustments and get it done. Stop living up to other people’s expectations of you and make sure the only person your pleasing is the person you look at in the mirror.

Stop Settling!

Ever wonder about trying a Vegan diet?

Vegan diets are known to help people lose weight, but they are also many health benefits as well. A vegan diet helps you maintain a healthy heart. Also, this diet can help offer some protection against type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancers.

Benefits of having a vegan diet:

You will have to eliminate meat and animal products from your diet completely. This may be a struggle for some people at first but eventually, your body will be able to adapt to it. Also, with the vegan diet, you will need to start eating more vegetables than you were consuming before. This is key because you will start to intake more nutrients. The majority of the foods that you will be eating is grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds. Also, vegan diets tend to be richer in potassium, magnesium, folate and vitamins A, C and E.

Another benefit of going vegan is that you lose excess weight. When you are not consuming junk food and start having your source of protein be from plants, you will start to notice your body lose weight. Many of the animal-based foods are high in fat and calories so eliminating them may help you lose excess body fat as well.

It is also known to lower blood sugar levels and improve kidney function. This is a very good thing because this will lower your chance of developing type 2 diabetes. Also, the substitution of plants for meat protein can reduce the risk of poor kidney function.

Think of some of the strongest animals in the world, from elephants to the rhino to even some of the biggest dinosaurs on earth, all were plants eaters! So, the myth of you only get protein from meat is completely FALSE. Going vegan can be one of the most important decisions you can make in your life concerning your health.

Workouts you can do while your at your desk

A lot of people are bombarded with things going on in their life and they often don’t have time to go to the gym. People wonder how it is possible to fit extra time into their busy schedules to exercise. There is a solution to that that includes ways to incorporate stretches and exercise into your daily routine while you are at work! But before we jump into the exercises that you can do the most important thing is your posture. Having a good posture can relieve neck and back stiffness which is helpful when working at a desk job.

One of the worst things you can do while sitting at your desk is maintaining a forward head posture. This causes all of the nerves in your head to be compressed that causes very painful headaches at the base of your skull. The key is to have our head aligned with our spine. Also, your feet should be flat on the floor and your knees and hips at a 90- degree angle. Keep your back pressed against the back of the chair to help maintain a great posture. Now I will be getting into some of the stretches and exercises that you can do at your desk.

1. Push-Ups

This is a great way to get your chest involved at work. I know some of you may not want to get down on the floor, so, another option would be to do them on the edge of your desk or on the wall.

2. Squats

Simply do free weight squats in sets of 10 until you feel your legs start to burn.

3. Tricep Dips

These can be done anywhere! You can use the chair at your desk to do them. I would not suggest doing them if you have the chairs that roll… Dangerous! Do these in sets of 10 as well you will feel your triceps start to burn!

4. Calf Raises

Stand behind your chair hold on to it for support and simply go up until you are standing on your toes and go back down slowly. You will feel your calf muscles working. I’d suggest doing 3 sets of 15.

5. Glute Squeezes

This will be an isometric move. Squeeze your glutes as hard as you can and hold for at least 30 seconds.

6. Wall Sit

Stand with your back against the wall and slowly lower your body into a seated position and hold for 30 seconds.

All of these simple yet rewarding exercises are very easy to do while in your office at work or even on your break!

What should you eat after your workout?

Let’s talk about the right foods that you should eat that can help you after you are done exercising. It is important to understand what happens to your body once your exercise is finished. When you are working out your muscles use their glycogen that they store for fuel. Some of the proteins in your muscles also get broken down and damaged. Eating the right nutrients soon after you work out can help your body recover faster. It is vital that you eat protein and carbs after your workout. Consuming protein helps repair and build your muscle.

Doing this will help your body decrease muscle protein breakdown, increase the size of your muscles and enhance recovery. The timing of your post-workout meal(s) is one of the most important things. Most experts say that you should consume a meal within 45 min after your workout.

Here are some foods that you should eat after you work out:

Carbs

Rice
Fruits (bananas, berries, pineapple)
Sweet potatoes
Chocolate milk
Potatoes
Pasta

Protein

Eggs
Greek Yogurt
Plant Based
Cottage Cheese
Salmon
Tuna
Protein Bar

Fats

Avocado
Nuts
Trail Mix

These are just some sample foods that you can eat after you work out. There are plenty of other foods that I didn’t mention but these are just a few to get you on track on what to eat. Most importantly do not forget to your DRINK WATER!

How much Water should we drink?

When making a lifestyle change we often focus on eliminating the food problems. We often tend to stop buying as much junk food and start eating more healthier. We start buying more whole foods, eating more vegetables and fruits but we often forget one of the most important things. And that is drinking Water.

IF YOU FEEL THIRSTY YOU ARE ALREADY DEHYDRATED.

YOU SHOULD NEVER FEEL THIRSTY!

I hear all the time people say that they are giving up soda to replace it with diet soda. They think this will help them lose weight when they are completely wrong. People drink soda with their meals not even realizing that the soda neutralizes the stomach acid. So when this is happening your body is not breaking down the food properly.

People do not drink enough water on a daily basis (me being included) until I started realizing what was happening to my body. People often mistake thirst for hunger.

Some of us walk around dehydrated thinking their light-handedness in the gym is a result of their bodies not being use to healthier food. The common rule of thumb is to drink eight glasses each day. One glass equals eight ounces of water. So that would be 64 ounces per day. But if you want to know your exact amount multiply your body weight by 60%. And the number you come up with is the amount you should be drinking in ounces. Example (If a 200 pound person were to calculate their daily intake they should be drinking 120 ounces of water per day.)

Now before you start thinking to yourself that is a lot of water here is something you should know. Your body is 75% water. Our bodies need water to make blood and other bodily fluids. It is also needed to flush fat out of our systems by sweeping it through our digestive track before your body has a chance to absorb it.

I say all this to say, water is the single most important element when it comes to losing weight. The more water you drink the less you retain, if you see yourself having a lot of water weight that is your body letting you know that it is does not get that much water so it better keep whatever amount it already has in its possession.

So the next time you want to think about getting something to drink, make sure you reach for the water not the soda!

Coach Q

5 drinks to help you lose weight

The secret to losing weight isn’t just what you are eating but it is also about what you are drinking as well. A lot of drinks such as soda, fruit juices and energy drinks can be loaded with sugars that can hinder your weight loss strategy.

Here are five drinks that can help you while you are on your quest to lose weight

The first drink as we obviously should know that is the most beneficial is water. The average human should consume at least half of your body weight. So if you weight 160 pounds then you should drink at least 80 ounces of water depending on your level of activity and water loss in a day.
Vegetable juice is the second drink that will help you. When Consuming this I suggest looking up different vegetables that are beneficial to you because using the wrong ones will make you grimace and you will not have a good experience.
Unsweetened tea, along with green tea has been proven to help increase metabolism and speed up weight loss. You can also try hot tea with a bit of honey for a low-sugar sweet drink
Black coffee has been show to help weight loss. It is calorie free and it also has accelerators for weight loss like chlorogenic acid. When black coffee is consumed post dinner it slows production of glucose in the body.
Sub in skim milk for whole milk, it is a great source of lean protein and will also save you calories and fat.

Try this for a few weeks contact me if you have any questions.

Abs not showing?

Thousands of crunches alone won’t do it. The biggest misconception most people have when training abs is that more is better. The time you spend working on your abs has very little impact on how long it takes you to get a six-pack. People often go to the gym and do a million different style crunches every day of the week waiting and hoping to see results. But if you find yourself doing this I’m afraid to tell you, you are trying to get abs the wrong way.

Abs muscles are like every other muscle in your body and you need to treat them just like you do for example an arm workout. You don’t do arms every day in the gym because they get tired right? Your abs need recovery time as well. You working your abdominal muscles every day is only hurting yourself.

The truth is that everybody already has a six-pack! But in order to see it, you have to lose body fat. Now you can keep killing yourself in the gym but if you are not seeing any results I am going to tell you the key secret. It is something that many people, including a lot of trainers, overlook: diet. The single most important tool that you need in order to develop your abs is diet

As your body fat starts to reduce you will slowly start to see them and you will see that you will not have to work as hard. Bottom line is if you want to see change then it all starts with what you eat!

Be sure to checkout my at home ab workout as well!

Time management

The most common excuse for not exercising? “No time.” Busy as we may be, we have less trouble finding time for television, social media, etc. But when it comes to taking care of our body, we always seem to have an excuse. I know people want to change their diet and they want to start exercising but they just feel that there is not enough time in their day to do so. The reality is life. Jobs, school, etc. everyone is always going to be busy doing something. Time management is something that we all struggle with. If you want to change how you take care of your body, then you have to start making more of an effort.

The key to exercising on a regular basis is to make exercise a part of your daily routine. No matter what kind of day you had at work or school, I would bet that you probably still have time to make dinner, take a shower, go on your phone and scroll through social media, make a phone call or facetime your family/friends, watch TV show, etc. Now, if you have time to do all of that after a “busy” day, then you have time to fit a 20-30-minute exercise in. The point is, you need to create a routine that stays the same regardless of the kind of say you had.

Below are some tips that can help you.

1. First thing is to meal prep. This is a vital key component when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. This way when you finish working out when you are on your way home and you passed by a McDonald’s you are not tempted as much to go because you already have food prepared at home. This will help you in the long run

2. The second thing is to pack your gym back the night before. This will allow you to be proactive in the process so when you wake up in the morning you just have to put your clothes on and head out the door. This will save you a lot of time and will make your transition to the gym a lot smoother.

3. The last thing is to know your workout at the gym. Never go to the gym trying to “wing” your workout. This will lead to a lot of time being wasted and also not effectively working out. When you have a purpose in mind this will allow you to be extra focused when it comes to working out you will find yourself feeling accomplished when you know the workout that you planned out is complete.

All of these things will help your time management when it comes to working out and focusing on yourself. Write out a schedule of the times you plan to work out and do it.

Be sure to check out my newest YouTube video for your butt/glute workout for beginners! Link below