Blog — Long Island Boot Camp – Farmingdale Boot Camp

I’ll Start Monday

“I’ll start my diet Monday.” Have you ever said that or heard someone say it?

I almost fell into that sort of mentality recently. You seem I hurt my back and was out of BJJ for a little while.

I wanted to and was ready to go back but I had an easy excuse. I was getting ready to go on vacation in a couple of days. I said to myself, “I’ll just go back to it after vacation.”

Thankfully I caught myself. As easy as it would have been to push it off (I had lots to do), I’m so glad I went.

It was good for my confidence. I made a little promise to myself and kept it.

I got a little better. Of course I got better by going compared to if I didn’t go.

Perhaps most importantly I minimized the lack of momentum.

This is something people neglect to realize. There is power in ACTION!

So take action today, no matter how small, in the area you want to improve on.

After working with people to transform their bodies and lives for over 20 years, transforming different areas of my own life, and studying successful people, there is a common thread in terms of where to start.

People who want to transform themselves often struggle with what to do first. Is it a special diet? A crazy fitness program?

The first step is surprisingly simple.

Make a small promise to yourself and keep it.

It truly doesn’t matter what it is. At this point it’s all about creating a habit and building confidence.

It takes a healthy self esteem and a certain level of confidence to achieve lasting success in any area. A huge part of that self confidence comes from making these small promises to yourself and keeping them.

Sometimes these promises are verbal (“I’m going to start my diet Monday”) and sometimes they’re silent (“I really need to plan my meals”).

Either way these promises are absolutely crucial.

When kept we can become unstoppable and when broken we lose confidence and begin a downward spiral.

If you’re doubting me, think of any success you’ve achieved and I bet you can trace it back to a single promise that started a chain. And any “failure” can be traced back to a single promise that was broken. Maybe it was a first drink or one too many. Maybe it was a missed workout or a donut at the office. I’m not sure but it was something.

Most of you know that about 10 years ago Melissa and I began a journey of paying down over 6 figures (between 100-200K) of non-mortgage debt. I still remember the first credit card swipe that started it.

My challenge to you this week is to make a promise and keep it. I don’t care how small it is. The habit is more important than anything.

You can take it one step further by giving your goal a voice. Write it down or tell someone.

Making the little promise AND adding accountability to it can start you on your path of becoming unstoppable.

1 More Rep

Are you showing up and doing the bare minimum? This could be at the gym, work, even with your family. Watch this video where I talks about putting in the work. What can you do a little extra today?

3 Ways to Enjoy July 4th without Blowing your Fitness

I can’t believe July 4th is this week already!

Some people look at the 4th like it’s the beginning of the end of the summer but I’m determined to enjoy every minute.

Here are 3 ways you can enjoy the 4th without derailing your fitness goals.

1) Move – Of course nothing burns fat like physical exercise. So get those workouts on your calendar, even on the 4th. Go for a walk, run, or do a body weight circuit at home.

2) Enjoy the day but go in with a plan. I think there are 2 extremes people fall into and neither is good. One is they strive for perfection. It’s really not possible to be perfect and it will just leave you feeling guilty. The other extreme is having no guard rails. The biggest issue with that approach for me is how I feel afterwards. I don’t like feeling so bloated and sluggish. My advice is to plan on going off track a bit but don’t go nuts. Maybe you say, “I’m going to eat whatever I want but one modest plate and I’ll at least have some veggies.”

3) Make smart drink choices – Moderation is always a good idea. Especially when it’s hot out it’s important to stay hydrated. Consider alternating an alcoholic drink with water or maybe you put a limit on the amount of drinks and/or the time you’ll drink that. We know a lot of extra calories are consumed with drinks so choose ones without a lot of high calorie and sugar mixers.

I’m also always a big fan of accountability. Discussing your plan with a friend will go a long way to helping you stay on track for the week.

Plan some exercise the week of the 4th. Have a plan and watch those extra calories that you can cut without taking away your enjoyment.

Other than that, enjoy your time with your family and friends and celebrate the great freedom this country offers!

Coconut Chia Seed Pops

Everyone knows about the “bomb pops” sold from the ice cream man and the freezer section at the grocery store. Those red, white, and blue sugar water popsicles. They look pretty and if you are into high sugar sweets, taste pretty good too. Here is a healthier themed pop just in time for the 4th! Both are festive and look patriotic but these you can feel good about passing out to the kiddies 🙂 Be sure to try them out for your parties next week.

Ingredients:

14 oz. can full fat coconut milk
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons black chia
2 cups berries of your choice (sliced strawberries, raspberries and blueberries)

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl (having a spout is handy!), mix coconut milk, maple syrup, lemon juice and chia seeds. Whisk until completely combined.
2. Refrigerate for 20 minutes (so chia seeds can thicken).
3. Place a few berries at the bottom of the Popsicle mold and pour in coconut milk mixture, filling 2/3 full. Add the rest of the berries to the mold until they are almost full.
4. Add the Popsicle sticks, cover and freeze for at least 6 hours.
5. ENJOY! 🙂

Mindset lesson from my 1 year old

Much of our success and happiness is determined by our expectations.

Honest Abe said, “Most people are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

Here is a lesson on the power of our mindset that I was reminded of by our 1 year old Sophia.

Sophia was recently giving my wife Melissa a hard time with keeping her bib on while eating some pretty messy food.

In fact, she was constantly ripping the bib off.

After different attempts by Melissa to try to keep the bib on she decided she would keep the bib intact with a pin. This way Sophia wouldn’t be able to rip it off.

A very interesting thing happened from there.

The pin wouldn’t hold. Melissa couldn’t get it on.

It turned out that’s all that was needed though; her trying. Since Sophia thought the bib was pinned on, she completely stopped trying to pull it off.

What’s more is that the next day Melissa put the bib on her without the pin and she didn’t try to pull it off.

Since she believed she wouldn’t be able to get it off she didn’t even try.

I’m thankful Sophia stopped giving Melissa so many problems but how many of us are limited in a similar way because of a false belief?

We believe things like:

I can’t overcome my “sweet tooth”
Since I failed in the past I’ll fail again
I’m too lazy
I always give up
I’m too busy
I’m too old
I’m too young
I’m too ___________

I’m here to tell you that that you CAN move forward and need not be limited by any false beliefs.

What is the pin holding your bib on?

Chorizo & Pumpkin Soup

You all know how I love my soup 🙂 This is a great one, the chorizo adds just the right amount of spice to the creamy pumpkin. I’ll let you know how much I enjoy my lunch 😉

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tsp. dried oregano (Mexican oregano if you have it)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 x 15oz cans pumpkin puree
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 lb. fresh ground chorizo sausage
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro to garnish, chopped

Directions:

1. Warm the olive oil in a large Dutch oven on medium heat for about one minute. Sauté the onion for about 6 minutes until it’s translucent.

2. Add the garlic and other spices, and sauté for about 30 seconds.

3. Add the pumpkin and chicken broth. Stir to combine.

4. Raise the heat, bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes. 3.

5. Meanwhile, sauté chorizo in a separate pan over medium heat until completely cooked (about 5 minutes) and set aside.

6. After 20 minutes, blend the soup until it’s completely smooth and then return to the pot.
7. Stir 90% of the chorizo. Season to taste.

8. Plate and garnish with leftover chorizo and cilantro. Enjoy!

What about Fruit?

We know sugar isn’t good for you. Many people ask if they can eat fruit even though it has sugar?

This video answers the most common questions about eating fruit when trying to eliminate sugar.

Enjoy yourself AND Get Healthier

Melissa and I recently did something that we haven’t done enough of lately.

We had 2 couples over for a dinner date. One of the couples has 2 kids. We made some good food (more on that below) and had a ball!

One of the couples brought their 2 kids which was great as all the kids ate and played together while the adults hung out.

I wanted to tell you about one of the conversations we had and I hope it will help you.

The main course was one of my personal favorites, chicken picata. The best part is it was completely healthy, breaded with wheat germ rather than bread crumbs.

The meal wasn’t perfectly healthy as we had beer, wine, and ice cream but I did make a healthier version of the classic brownie.

It wasn’t made with any flour and I told them that they had to eat them before I told them what it was made of. Thankfully everyone ate them and absolutely LOVED them. Some even went back for another one.

I finally told them what they were made of and they were shocked to learn that the base of the brownies was made from black beans.

Again, were they perfectly healthy? Probably not as they were made with honey as well as chocolate chips and topped with vanilla ice cream. But they were much better than a lot of other options.

OK back to the conversation I mentioned.

One of our guests, my friend John, mentioned how you really can eat healthier and still enjoy yourself. And that’s the point I want you to take away. People think it’s so hard and it’s such a sacrifice to eat more supportively and live a healthier lifestyle. On the contrary, a healthy lifestyle should be more enjoyable. It doesn’t mean you can never have your favorite foods. Just keep in mind that a bite of your favorite treat is just as satisfying as a whole box.

Here’s to living healthier AND enjoying life!

Here are the recipes for both the Healthy Chicken Picata and the Black Bean brownies. Enjoy!

Chicken Picata

Gather 2 chicken breasts and slice them in half to make cutlets or use thin cutlets
I like to bread the chicken using 2 eggs and wheat germ
Heat a skillet with avocado oil and butter and fry the chicken.
Remove the chicken. Add additional butter to the pan with capers, garlic, and white wine. Simmer.
Serve the chicken alongside the sauce.

Black Bean Brownies

Ingredients

1 15 ounce can black beans, drained, and rinsed
¼ cup honey
1/3 cup coconut oil melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 packet stevia
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ tsp sea salt
2 large eggs
¾ cup chocolate chips divided

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8″ baking pan and set aside.
Put beans, coconut oil, stevia and honey into the container of your food processor. Blend until well combined.
Add cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Blend until smooth.
Add in eggs and blend.
Mix in ½ cup chocolate chips by hand.
Pour into greased 8×8-inch pan and top with remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is set and brownies are just barely pulling away from the sides.
Let cool, cut and ENJOY!
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat for 15 seconds in the microwave to restore the fresh-from the oven gooeyness.

We also served with mashed cauliflower so just let me know if you want that recipe.

Coconut Macaroons

The kids always want cookies but we prefer not to give those store bought processed ones! This is a easy, 4 ingredient, all natural way to keep kids and Mommy and Daddy happy 🙂

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites
¼ cup honey
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2½ cups unsweetened coconut flakes

Directions:

1. Whisk egg whites to stiff peaks with a hand blender.

2. Gently whisk in honey and salt. Fold in coconut flakes.

3. Place bowl in fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

4. When ready to bake, Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

5. Fill a melon baller with batter (firmly packed)

6. Release batter onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until macaroons are golden brown.

7. Cool for at least an hour. Serve and enjoy!