First Health Info

Life can have a way of making you feel not good enough. Whether from past circumstances or negative self-talk, it can really be a continual upsetting existence. If you let it... I have struggled with the feelings of not being good enough to understand how destructive it can be to your confidence and well-being. I decided years ago this was no longer going to define me. It was probably one of my healthiest life-changing decisions. Health and fitness require acceptance of who you are now in order to make the changes to become a better you. Your journey can't be about what everyone else is doing and worrying about what they're thinking. What matters is what you're doing to improve your life and how you feel about you. With me? When it comes to fitness and especially workouts, I make them my own. I do what works best for my body and life. My  About Me  section explains why certain medical issues require modifications to some of my exercises. I worked through lots of emotional a

Hi Motiv8ers, Hope you are having the best day.  Below are three tips that I posted on the Motiv8 Running Crew Facebook page that got a lot of attention and is a topic that I have been hitting hard in our workouts.  I wanted to post these three tips in a place where they would never disappear and give you easy access to find this information again if you needed it. Motiv8ers loosing weight, getting stronger for an upcoming race, or just improving ones over all health is always the biggest topic at our workouts.  We have been hitting the topic of nutrition hard to help you loose that unwanted body fat and give you the energy you need to help you feel awesome.  But, there is another tool that you can use to help shed off that unwanted body fat and help boost your energy.  That is.... Heart Rate Training! Motiv8ers check out the three tips below and if you have an questions don't hesitate to post below. Tip #1 Heart Rate Training! Why do it? Motiv8ers have you ever wondered what good

Life doesn't promise easy, fair, happiness, or even health. In fact, life is hard and guess what, work is required and never an option. It's up to you to create the lifestyle that you want to live. This isn't going to be found in a jar, pill, powder, or shake. If popping a �fit pill� provided the body of your dreams, I certainly wouldn't be writing a health blog. Sound evidence has supported the best way to achieve a fit body is through a healthy lifestyle. This would include consistent healthy food intake, regular exercise, plenty of rest, water, and balance of life. Sounds like a great plan and very doable. The problem is many of you still aren't willing to put in the work. Nothing tastes better than healthy feels, remember? So, what gives? Great marketing has convinced you there's a quick fix to fitness . This strong belief in false guarantees has taken away your drive and motivation to get fit the right way. False claims only provide false hope, take your mo

Mindless eating is ugly and what it does to your body is even worse. Many of us walk around with brains turned off and grab whatever food items are in our grazing path. No rhyme or reason but doing an auto-pilot action of putting something in your face. You know the glazed over look watching TV and mowing through a whole bag of chips. How about the work break room goodies brought back to the desk as you plug away at your computer. Often times, we're not hungry, not thinking, and eating out of boredom or habit. This continued pattern isn't good for you or your expanding waistline. What the heck is going on and why?  It's no wonder America is plagued with the highest obesity rate and enormous doctor bills for self-induced illness. Mindless eating is a topic that should be at the forefront of your eating habits. Each time you eat something is an opportunity to better your health and fitness . We have really dropped the ball not thinking before eating. Are you stressed, emotion

Motiv8ers we have a problem! You hear me talk about this problem almost every day but why is it that many people don't take action on it!?!?!? Did you know that processed foods are causing one of the biggest health crisis the world has ever seen. This crisis is happening right now with heart disease, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, obesity, arthritis,  osteoporosis, and many other health issues.  Did you know that the majority of these health issues like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, inflammation in the joints, obesity and much more can all be cured quickly by just focusing on the foods you put in your body. Motiv8ers if you are eating foods like the ones below you will have a high risk of acquiring many of the major health issues posted above. or these.. Many of you know me, Coach Ty, and many of you see me as possibly a freak of nature that runs marathons, 60k, and 100 mile races and I was just born with good genes.  Well that is far from the truth.  In high sch

There are plenty of articles telling you how to get fit, but what about things you shouldn�t be doing to accomplish this goal? Healthy and fit individuals follow certain strategies to achieve results and maintain their bodies. What exactly are they not doing that you can learn from to get fit? 1. Procrastinate Waiting wastes your time and negatively affects your health. If you want to get fit, it will take action starting now and not tomorrow. Fit individuals don�t wait around for things to happen, they make fitness results happen. 2. Make Excuses Excuses don�t burn calories or improve your health. You want to improve your fitness but keep coming up with reasons not to do the work. Fit people understand the importance of their health and make it a priority. 3. Go on a Diet Going on a diet only provides short-term results and lots of frustration. Weight loss may happen initially but returns, plus some, when the diet is over. Getting fit requires a nutrition lifestyle change and this mea

I'm definitely a guide, not a goal. Your fitness is an individual journey to become your best healthy self. That means you won't look like me nor will I look like you. Believing you can accomplish the goal of looking like someone else isn't realistic, possible, or the point of getting fit and healthy.  What I provide is motivation and guidance on adopting a healthy lifestyle which is an amazing opportunity for me and you. Agreed? During my early school years, I didn't always feel the best about myself. Through this time, I found motivation  and encouragement from my physical education teachers and coaches.   They made me feel accomplished and inspired me to do more and be more.  It was at that young age I wanted to be like them. I wanted the ability to make young people feel inner strength, confident, and happy.   I felt strongly my goal in life was to be a P.E. teacher. Of course, I couldn't climb into their bodies and become them but imagining being them was pre

Hi Motiv8ers, Coach Ty here with a quick tip. Motiv8ers are you finding it hard this time of year to stay motiv8ed to show up to your workouts or to stay on top of that nutrition plan so you can see the results you want? I know I do sometimes.  But, over the past few months working with you and going through the Motiv8 Clean Eating Challenge that we did in March I have developed some steps that were super effective in helping me, and a few of you, to stay on top of our goals, nutrition plan, and not allow ourselves to cheat.  There were still bad days but those bad days were much less then before. First, I want to share some phrases with you that I hear a lot. "Ty I have gained weight and I know what to do to get it off again but I just can't find the Motiv8ion to stay consistent.  My life is just so busy" "Ty I need to get onto some type of nutrition plan but it is just hard to stay consistent." "Ty my problem isn't knowing what to do to get into shape

What comes to your mind when you hear the word 'commitment'? I think about commitment and how it not only matters in my marriage but also in my fitness and overall health .  They both take dedication and work, right?  Think about that: if you cheat on your marriage, it will not work�if you cheat on your health, it will not work�see what I mean. In order to maintain a happy, healthy relationship, it takes commitment, effort, and work on a consistent basis.   In this journey of life, I have learned what I do and don't want. I certainly have found a gem in my husband and cherish our relationship as a top priority.  I feel the same way about my fitness. I realize my body is a precious gift worthy of my time and attention so I can live a healthy quality of life.  Commitment is a word that I don't use lightly. It's a promise that I will maintain my relationship in a healthy way with my hubby and with myself.  I don't need a special Hallmark day in my life to apprecia

Hi Motiv8ers, Today I want to share a Motiv8ers story.  Ryan Shonts story.  Ryan attends the 7:30am Ramsey SET and every day that I see this guy, I am so inspired by his determination to get into the best shape of his life. Below is Ryan 5 months ago. Now here is Ryan today, 30 pounds lighter and finishing his first ever half marathon. Motiv8ers, Ryan is on a journey.  A journey to become a whole new awesome person that can do anything both physical and mentally that he sets his mind to.  But he didn't start out that way.  He had a life changing experience while out on vacation that shifted his mindset towards his health and now he is on a journey to becoming the healthiest person he can be. Check out his story below: "Prior to joining Motiv8 I thought I lived an active lifestyle; I would hike the Barton Springs Greenbelt, ride my bike, go for a swim, or walk around town lake on the weekends. In retrospect I was living a pretty sedentary lifestyle; fitness and eating well

Achieving a lean and healthy body is possible for everyone. Do you believe that? We have the ability to do what it takes to make it happen. It doesn't cost lots of money, require anything special, not even a gym membership. We can reach our fitness goals by choosing a healthy lifestyle. Daily choices determine what your body will look and feel like. Consistency with eating right , exercise, plenty of rest, water and decreased stress will help create the body we want. It starts with our grocery lists and foods we buy to maintain a healthy body. If you're consuming processed foods, lots of sugar, and an abundance of saturated fats, then you will most certainly not reach your fitness goals. Living a sedentary lifestyle absence of exercise also contributes to being unhealthy. We tend to overcomplicate fitness. It really is as simple as food intake and exercise, but many of us refuse to change this basic part of living. As long as we are consistent with healthy habits, we will be he

Once we reach our fitness goals, are they really done? I hope the answer for all of you is a big NO. Staying fit through maintenance of living a healthy life is the real goal.  Without maintaining our fitness, what was all the hard work for? Life is the event deserving of our best healthy self. Sure, we may be motivated by a special occasion or fitting into a swimsuit, but those are only short-term goals.  Staying fit through maintenance means we are in this for the long haul. We have committed ourselves to a lifestyle of health and enjoying a quality life through the process.  I walk the walk of maintenance every day and would be a hypocrite to my clients and you if I failed to do so. Living a fit and healthy life is a continual process of eating right, regular exercise , and plenty of rest. When you work hard to lose weight, reduce body fat, and gain muscle, just letting all that go doesn't make sense. For example, it has taken me decades to develop mature muscle and without cont

28 Day Motiv8 Clean Eating Challenge! Motiv8ers welcome to October's Motiv8 Food Challenge.   Will you take on this challenge with me? Motiv8ers trying to figure out what to eat and which type of diet to go on can get overwhelming in a hurry. Well, it is about to get a lot simpler because the key to a clean diet that will help you stay strong, lean, and make you feel awesome comes basically down to these simple words: �less is more.� As a busy person, and as a coach who is around busy people all day, I understand the difficulty in always having fresh food on hand. You can�t always run to the grocery store, and sometimes you want to just reach into the cupboard/freezer/fridge and have something almost make itself. I get it. That�s why Motiv8 is here to hopefully make creating a healthy clean diet much easier and I want us to work together to make this happen. So the challenge is this.   For 28 days I want you to try for one or two meals each day for 28 days to only eat the fo