Tag: fitness

What Forever Be ready means

It’s November 21st When I first got the idea about forever be ready I was honestly in a state of depression. My mind wasn’t completely there because basketball was not going for me the way I wanted it to be. It was my junior year and I had sat the first 6 games of the season and then went to only playing 10 minutes in a game and that’s when I thought I was done with basketball. Physically I had trained all year to kill my opponents and now I wasn’t getting the opportunity too showcase my talent. But it wasn’t long until the phrase forever be ready became a lifestyle for me.

I was angry at the world so my whole mindset was fuck everybody. My coaches could tell something was wrong with me by the way I practiced. I’d literally be searching the whole practice in my teammates eyes and see who feared me every time I touched the ball and I would attack them specifically. I would make them guard me and I’d constantly bust their ass for however long the drill was. It was a moment of releasing all of my inner frustrations and they were getting hell all practice. But constantly in the back of my mind I knew I had to be ready the next time an opportunity presented itself in game. So everyday I would wake up at 5am and shoot with my roommate for 2 hours before class. A lot of people don’t know this till this day but their would be times that I’d go from the gym straight to class and go back to the gym, go to scheduled practice and go to the gym again and shoot at night.

On the 28th of November I end up having a bad shooting night go 3-9 and only have 9 points. Frustrated with myself I knew I could have played better. I remember going to my apartment and talking with my teammate and telling him maybe I just lost it. My head was fucked up, all I wanted to do was show everybody that doubted me that I could do everything they said I couldn’t do. But right then I was proving them right. Never forget asking God why this had to happen to me after all the work I had put in. I cried and prayed the night out of frustration because I needed an answer. I couldn’t just keep putting this work in and not having anything change. But God knew patience is something that I always have struggled with. And when you stop worrying and just trust in his plan you’ll drastically see things change.

On the week of December 5th the day that changed my life I never seen it coming. My senior point guard got suspended for this game so it was my time to relish the opprotunity and step up. No longer was I playing out of frustration or anger but I was playing with pure love for the game. God had something in store for me but little did I know it would be on this day. Me and my teammate are in the gym shooting 3 hours before the game. We actually get to the arena an hour before the girls warm up so I decide to start my pre game routine in my street clothes which was shooting 3’s from deep spots on the floor. It was like I couldn’t miss. But I’ve hard warm ups like this before so I don’t think too much of it. I have Lloyd banks-Transition on repeat in my headphones. I proceed to the locker room and change and now I’m in a zone where my mind is simply laser focused. After my first shot I knew it was going to be a long game for whoever was in front of me. I took that same mentality of killing during practice and now it manifested to the game. Ended up having 35 points marking a career high for myself.

From having to at one point wanting to quit and then turning around having 35 points 2 weeks later is why I stand behind the phrase Forever be ready so heavily. No matter what you are going through in life you have to be ready for that opportunity and be ready to capitalize when your number is called. I could have folded and said you know what forget it it’s not worth it, but you have to see the vision to the end.

I hope this piece has inspired you all and you know realize the meaning behind why I made these T-shirts. If you would like to purchase one I will leave the link below.

https://snaptee.co/t/tz0ie

Avoiding injuries while running on the treadmill

Over the years people have come up with many different ways to increase their cardio but one method that has stayed the same is the treadmill. I see it all the time people will be on their for hours at a time killing themselves only to find out the next day that they can’t even walk because their knees are bothering them. Trust me I’ve been there and done it but I want to help you. Below I will give you some ways to avoid injuries while using a treadmill.

One of the key essential things that people don’t realize when they are running on a treadmill is their posture. Having good posture is essential for proper muscle conditioning. It is important that your body is in a natural position and that your joints are not overextended which would make them under more stress than they should be.

Another key thing that will help you avoid injuries is to minimize your impact while running. It is ideal that people who run on the treadmill should rotate their pelvis with each stride. This way it allows your hip to be pulled back with your leg allowing rotation for the entire lower body. This method allows your body to absorb most of the shock when your feet hit the belt. Also it is important to make sure that your stride is quick and short.

Furthermore, you should listen to your body when running on a treadmill. People often think “if I run on a treadmill I will lose a bunch a of weight” so this thought will drive people to push their body farther than they should and can cause strained muscles or shin splints. It is important when first starting off that you start slow and moderately increase the speed to get your body used to working out. If your body doesn’t feel right that day do not force it it is okay so take a day off and rest.

Lastly I would suggest wearing proper shoes when running on the treadmill. Your shoes should fit properly on your feet and should be able to absorb shock. This will prevent less of an impact on your knees. Also if you can get you a pair that is designed for running specifically.

Visit the website at https://qemfitness.bandzoogle.com/home

Overcoming common Obstacles to exercise

There are many excuses people make for not being able to go to the gym. Often times its just due to laziness and other times it is due to lack of motivation. But the purpose of this post is to give you a list of strategies for overcoming the common obstacles to exercise.

Obstacle: Lack of time

One way to get over this is too monitor your daily activities for one week. Then identify three 30-minute time slots you could use for physical activity.

Add physical activity to your daily routine can be another way to get around this excuse. When I first wake up in the morning I do my morning routine then I go and do 200 pushups and 200 sit ups before I even start my day. That way if I do not have time to get to the gym that day at least I put in the work early in the day.

Obstacle: Lack of social support

You want to surround yourself with people that can motivate you to be the best version of you. If you mention to your friends that you want to start going to the gym and eating healthy and they constantly are eating junk food around you and are just being fat and lazy you may have to distance yourself from around them for a while and find friends or people that have the same goals and aspirations as you.

Obstacle: Lack of energy

When it comes to changing and working out, if you listen to your body you will never have the energy to get up and get it done. I know some of you that are reading this will set your alarm for 8 Am and you hit snooze about 4 times and that turns into 9Am and now you have to get up and do other obligations. So the time you set aside for the gym is now wasted and gone because you decided to listen to your body and sleep. When your driven and motivated to get the results you want, of course you may lack energy and be tired but you have to make up in your mind that you are going to get this thing done regardless of how tired you feel.

Obstacle: Scared of what people think of you

One of the biggest things that I tell some of my clients is don’t worry about what other people think about you at the gym. They are there for the same reasons you are there. A lot of times people get too caught up and embarrassed if they are doing something wrong or what they might think about them if they are not doing enough weight. Whether you are 400 lb or 60 lb if your in the gym forget what others think. You have goals and aspirations that you need to accomplish. You will never get these things done think about what another person thinks about you.

Obstacle: Family Obligations

If you literally have no time to go to the gym then go to five below or a store like that and buy a yoga mat a medicine ball and some dumbells and resitant bands. You can workout right at home. There is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to put your health first and get things done. Everytime I hear somebody say that there is no time on their hands I know that they are not serious about their health because there are always solutions to these problems.

If you have any questions or need training feel free to contact me on my

There are many excuses people make for not being able to go to the gym. Often times its just due to laziness and other times it is due to lack of motivation. But the purpose of this post is to give you a list of strategies for overcoming the common obstacles to exercise.

Obstacle: Lack of time

One way to get over this is too monitor your daily activities for one week. Then identify three 30-minute time slots you could use for physical activity.

Add physical activity to your daily routine can be another way to get around this excuse. When I first wake up in the morning I do my morning routine then I go and do 200 pushups and 200 sit ups before I even start my day. That way if I do not have time to get to the gym that day at least I put in the work early in the day.

Obstacle: Lack of social support

You want to surround yourself with people that can motivate you to be the best version of you. If you mention to your friends that you want to start going to the gym and eating healthy and they constantly are eating junk food around you and are just being fat and lazy you may have to distance yourself from around them for a while and find friends or people that have the same goals and aspirations as you.

Obstacle: Lack of energy

When it comes to changing and working out, if you listen to your body you will never have the energy to get up and get it done. I know some of you that are reading this will set your alarm for 8 Am and you hit snooze about 4 times and that turns into 9Am and now you have to get up and do other obligations. So the time you set aside for the gym is now wasted and gone because you decided to listen to your body and sleep. When your driven and motivated to get the results you want, of course you may lack energy and be tired but you have to make up in your mind that you are going to get this thing done regardless of how tired you feel.

Obstacle: Scared of what people think of you

One of the biggest things that I tell some of my clients is don’t worry about what other people think about you at the gym. They are there for the same reasons you are there. A lot of times people get too caught up and embarrassed if they are doing something wrong or what they might think about them if they are not doing enough weight. Whether you are 400 lb or 60 lb if your in the gym forget what others think. You have goals and aspirations that you need to accomplish. You will never get these things done think about what another person thinks about you.

Obstacle: Family Obligations

If you literally have no time to go to the gym then go to five below or a store like that and buy a yoga mat a medicine ball and some dumbells and resitant bands. You can workout right at home. There is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to put your health first and get things done. Everytime I hear somebody say that there is no time on their hands I know that they are not serious about their health because there are always solutions to these problems.

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact me on my website https://qemfitness.bandzoogle.com/home

What does it take to exercise safely?

Exercise related injuries have risen over the years. I believe one of the reasons this is the case is because more people are becoming more curious about working out and having better overall health. But this issue is that some people jump right into working out without actually learning the proper way to workout. There is a lot more too it than just going to the gym and lifting a few weights or copying what other people are doing. That is how you end up injuring yourself. But to reduce your risk of exercise injuries I want to give you the necessary steps to take when you first start out going to the gym.

  1. Warm up properly before your workout

A proper warm up consists of two phases, a general warm up and a specific warm up. In a general warm up your goal is to warm up the body 5-10 minutes of light physical activity you will be performing during your workout. During this period of time you are preparing your body to withstand the more vigorous workout to come. Your body will get warmer and your blood flow will increase which will improve your muscle elasticity.

During a specific warm up your goal is to focus on the particular muscle groups that you will be using during the activity set. This part of the workout should consist of three to five minutes of range of motion movements.

2. Cool down properly after your workout

I know for myself it is often times difficult for me to remember this step. Playing college basketball I often times after practice or after my workouts in the weight room I just wanted to rush to the shower and not even think about cooling down after my workout. The purpose of a cool down is to bring your heart rate, breathing rate, and temperature closer to resting levels. An example of a cool down can be in you just jogged for 20 minutes you can do 10 minutes of walking.

3. Take the time to porperly learn the skills for your chosen activity

This is where a lot of people get injured the most. They YouTube “how to get stronger legs” and 9 times out of 10 a demonstration video of someone squatting will appear. But what the person watching the video doesn’t really realize is that before you squat you have to make sure you have the proper form. So if someone who has never squatted before watches a video and then attempts to go to this workout, there is a high possibility that someone can hurt their back. So this is why I suggest learning the proper way to do a workout before you perform it is a major key in being injury free in the weight room.

4. Consume enough energy and water for exercise

Deciding how much you need to eat and drink before working out can be difficult. You need enough energy to workout but you should not exercise on a full stomach. Eating a small meal 2 hours before you workout is a good way to make sure you have enough energy. It is also important to make sure you hydrate before you workout. You do not want to go into your workout feeling thirsty and the more you sweat during your workout make sure you are replenishing yourself with water.

Hopefully all of these tips will make your transition into working out easier and you will be more comfortable in taking the precautionary steps to having a safe workout. If you have any questions feel free to visit my website and contact me on my website at https://qemfitness.bandzoogle.com/contact

Coach Q

Myths that stop women from strength training

The idea of lifting weights has always been an area of concern when it comes to some women. There are a lot of myths out there when it comes to women lifting weights. They are often misinformed on information that is told to them so when it comes to getting in the gym and actually strength training they are often very hesitant to start. If you’re a women reading this and you have questions or concerns about strength training, hopefully I will clear the air for you right now. Let’s get right into some of the myths out there..

  1. Myth- Women who lift weights develop bulky will develop bulky muscles.

Fact- It’s physiologically impossible for most women to bulk up without taking some sort of drug enhancement. Women don’t have enough testosterone which is also known as the “Muscle building hormone”.

2. Myth- Weight training will Reduce flexibility.

Fact- Resistance training can actually increase your joint range and motion flexibility.

3. Myth- If you stop building muscle and then stop exercising your muscle will turn into fat.

Fact- Not possible! Fat and muscle are two different substances, you can’t turn one into the other.

4. Myth- The weight room is an intimidating place and full of men.

Fact- After an orientation to the gym the people in the gym and the gym equipment will be familiar and welcoming. If this still intimidates you though there is women only areas in some gyms that allows you to workout comfortably.

Some of the benefits women receive by strength training is for one, they increase their self confidence and body image. Once you realize that the gym is working for you, you will start to have more motivation in going and feel better about yourself. Secondly it helps you build bones to reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a disease in which the density and quality of bone are reduced. As bones become more fragile, the risk of fracture is greatly increased. And lastly it slows down the 8-10% loss of muscle mass that women experience once they hit the age of 40.

If you are reading this and want to jump into strength training right now, the following things I suggest are:

  1. Learn good technique to get the maximum benefit to avoid injury.
  2. Start Slowly with the number of reps, the amount of resistance and the amount of workouts that you do per week.
  3. Use the proper weight where you can barley finish the last 12-15 reps.

I hope this article motivated you to get into the gym and get started. If you have any questions feel free to contact me! For training purposes visit my website qemfitness

Why dieting often leads to weight cycling

When people want to lose weight you often hear them say I need to go on a diet. Then they go on these complicated diet plans telling them that they cannot eat these “junk foods” and often times if they follow the plan correctly this works. But too many times I have seen people lose weight then a month later they put back on the weight the same amount that they lost and I began to ask myself why is this so common among people? And the answer is weight cycling. Weight cycling is a pattern of repeatedly losing and regaining weight. Some experts refer to this type of process at “yo-yo dieting”. When people go through this phase they often feel like giving up because they feel like the whole process was a waste of time. So they get depressed and will lose hope.

Marketers that offer these different diet plans often promise quick weight loss with no hunger and very little effort. These are the diets that usually backfire. One reason that these diets often times do not work is because they are rigid. Rigid diets specify rules like ” eat only cabbage and bananas” or “never eat after 6pm”. Some of you that are reading this right now are probably on this type of diet or have tried it at some point in your life. And because these diets are unpleasant and restrictive people don’t stick with them. People that are on rigid diets tend to have a higher percentage of body fat than people on more flexible plans. People on rigid diets tend to be more depressed, have anxiety, and binge eating as well.

On the other hand flexible diets are based off on energy balancing of calories eaten and burned. They focus on portion size make exceptions for people based on their daily routines, appetites and food availability. If you go out with your friends and over eat with a flexible diet, it allows you to cut extra calories tomorrow and increase your exercise regimen to compensate. As a result of this people tend to stay on flexible diets longer.

Everyone who diets will experience some degree of lowered metabolism during a period a period of calorie restriction as the body defends its fat stores. That’s why weight loss tends to slow down after an initial quick drop and why the long-held rule that you must cut 3,500 calories to lose a pound of fat is not strictly correct. It’s also part of the reason successful weight maintenance requires permanent changes to your old eating habits.

If you have any questions or want to talk to me about training or dieting, feel free to comment below and I will get in touch with you as soon as I can. Visit my website at https://qemfitness.bandzoogle.com/home

Why are steroids dangerous?

When it comes to body building a lot of people often want change fast. So instead of getting the results they want the hard way they often times look to other resources that will make them gain quick muscle. Or some people that play sports for example want to use steroids as a competitive edge over their competition. Some think that it helps them recover quick but as the good saying goes, not everything that worth having comes quickly. And as for some people they get the results yes but they often times don’t realize the side affects that come with it. Below I will tell you the side affects of steroid use and why it is dangerous.

To read more click here

Daily Fitness Advice

Sorry I have not been posting everyday! I have been working on my website and now it is up and running. If you find that these blogs that I post are helpful too you, I will give put a link up so you can subscribe to my email list so you can get these blogs daily. I appreciate all of the love and support. Please subscribe to my email list at https://qemfitness.bandzoogle.com also if you are in need of training you can find it there as well. Look forward to hearing from you all soon!

Having trouble losing weight?

When you lose weight your body tends to fight back. You may be able to lose quite a lot of weight at first without much effort but eventually you will find yourself slowing down or stopping altogether. This is why you will see a lot of people lose a good amount of weight then a month or two later they are back to their old ways. And you think what happened just the other month you were looking good and it seems like they just got tired and gave up on themselves. Well if you find yourself in this situation or wanting to know how you can keep the weight off, below I will give you 3 tips you can implement in your life TODAY!

#1 You may be losing weight without realizing it

When it comes to losing weight a lot of people are often caught up in looking at the scale than paying attention to their actual body. Being a trainer that is one of the first thing that I tell my clients when they tell me they want to lose weight. DON’T PAY ATTENTION TO THE SCALE! You will drive yourself crazy stepping on the scale everyday wanting to see results and then you realize nothing has come off and you get discouraged. A lot of times your weight may stay the same but your waist gets smaller or you start to see an ab start to peek. Pay attention to your body rather than the numbers on the scale.

#2 You are eating the wrong things

People often follow these ridiculous diets and meal plans when they are just putting their body through more stress and being more complicated than it actually has to be. I give my clients structural guidelines on when to eat and what to stay away from. One of the things that I emphasize to them is to stay away from foods that have high glucose. A lot of people do not know eating foods with high Glucose is the #1 way to gain weight. Such foods that have glucose are pasta, potatoes, wheat, things of that nature. Also you should be eating whole foods. McDonald’s chicken nuggets is not going to have the same effect on your body as a chicken breast that you get from whole foods that you make yourself.

#3 Your drinking too much alcohol

I know we all like to go out and have fun and drink from time to time. There is nothing wrong with that. But when you are serious about losing weight and want to seriously make a change in your life then you have to cut certain things out and alcohol. It’s called making sacrifices. And if you absolutely NEED to have a drink then I suggest to stick to spirits like Vodka mixed with a zero calorie beverage. Beer, wine and sugary alcoholic beverages are very high in calories.

The last thing I would suggest is to try keeping a food diary and keeping track of what you eat so you can keep yourself accountable. Losing weight and changing your lifestyle requires dedication, a lot of self discipline and perseverance.

If you would like to have a free consultation with me so we can discuss your fitness goals, please contact me via social media on instagram @quinnmitchellii or email me@ Quinnmitchell1@att.net.

Coach Q

Benefits of working out with Resistance Bands

A lot of you that have been following me on my social media have noticed that I have been working out with strictly body weight and resistance bands and no actual weights. And to be quite honest with all of you my body feels just as good as it did when I was lifting with weights. What a lot of people don’t realize that resistant band workouts when done properly are just as effective as people lifting weights. And the question that has been asked the most is what are the benefits of resistant band workouts? And now I will tell you.

Resistance bands does exactly as it says, it adds resistance to your workout. This added resistance helps strengthen your muscles and pushes you to work harder.

One of the benefits of resistance band workouts is that it for one tones and strengthens your muscles. As resistance bands stretch they create increased tension in your muscles which makes them contract. The more you stretch the band the more intense the resistance gets and the harder the workout becomes.

Another benefit is that it adds assistance to specific exercises that you may be struggling with. For example if you wanted to get better at doing pull ups you can simply attach the resistance band to the bar and under your foot so you can have support until your strong enough to do a regular pull up.

If you’re somebody that is an athlete that needs to put on muscle I suggest using free weights to start. But as you put on the muscle that you want resistance bands are great for retaining the muscle and not losing it. I have always had bad wrists when it comes to lifting with dumbbells I swear every other day I used to sprain my wrist but with the resistance bands I do not have this issue. Also these bands are a great way to recover from injury and get yourself back into the routine of working out again.

One last benefit that I love about resistant band training is that I can do it at home. You never have an excuse on why you don’t have time to get a workout in. Whether you had a long day at work or are just simply tired you can take 15 minutes of your day and get a quick and effective workout in.

If you have any questions about this type of training or want to join one of my programs feel free to contact me on Instagram @quinnmitchellii or Snapchat – quinn03 and I would love to talk to you and work with you.

Coach Q