The Seven Cornerstones of a Strong Body and Strong Mind...

Taking care of yourself and doing what you can to become as healthy and fit as possible matters now more than ever. Obesity has never been so high (an alarming 67% of Americans) and its secondary diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, vascular disease, cancer and other debilitating diseases. Then there's the mental aspect. When you strengthen the body, you strengthen the mind. You strengthen individual character and courage

Today, more than ever, celebrities need a healthy way to deal with the uncertainty, anxiety, stress and confusion. Now consider the fact that it has been scientifically proven that regular, intense exercise, along with healthy eating, elevates energy levels, keeps the mind clear, reduces depression and stress. That, in turn, improves quality of life.

Now, I'm not saying we should become obsessed with fitness or building a muscular body. I am saying it's a worthwhile goal. When you look fit, lean and strong, you're also going to be healthy on the inside.

Over the last decade I've helped hundreds s of fitness buffs, athletes and celebrities build strong, lean, healthy bodies. And what I've discovered is that regardless of whether you want to trim down, build up or firm all over, it is very important to understand and accept that there is no "one thing," no magic potion, single exercise or diet that will allow you to sculpt a healthy, toned physique.

The simple truth is that the "one thing" many people seek is "everything!" How you feed your body, the way you think and even how you stay motivated has every bit as much to do with how you look as the exercises you do. The following "Seven Cornerstones to a Strong Body and Strong Mind" are the "everything": the fundamentals I've seen that produce remarkable results time and time again.

1. Train With Weights
I've no doubt that you're aware of how vital exercise is to your health. Unfortunately, far too many people who do exercise only exercise one muscle - the heart. I agree that maintaining a healthy heart is serious business. But if you're not paying the same attention to the other (700) muscles in your body, you're missing out on some of the most potent benefits of exercise.
The single most powerful way to build strong, defined muscles and burn more fat for a lean body is by training your entire body with weights regularly - with intensity. And as weight training helps build strong muscle and maintain strength and flexibility, it is even more vital as one ages.

2. Supercharge Fat Loss
You may hear a lot about "metabolism" these days. All you really need to know is that the "faster" your metabolism, the more energy (and fat) your body uses to sustain normal living. Contrary to what many people believe, there are simple things you can do to speed up your metabolism and create a more energized, healthier state and a leaner body.
To boost your metabolism, start eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day, increase the amount of protein in your diet, do high-intensity cardiovascular workouts and, of course, resistance train to increase your muscle mass. All of those factors combined can be a powerful fat burner on their own.

3. Get Clear
It has been estimated that 98% of people who commit to getting in shape each New Year fail to follow through. One reason is that they never set a specific goal. A goal of "getting in shape" is like a financial goal of earning "lots of money." Neither is more than a dream - not until you've made the goal explicit and put pencil to paper to record it.

Don't make the mistake of setting "fitness dreams." Yes, your goals should be lofty and the thought of achieving them should give you energy deep inside, but you should also be able to convince a jury you believe you can achieve it.

For the next 12 weeks, decide exactly how much muscle you want to gain and exactly how much fat you want to lose! "A few pounds" will not do.

4. Have A Plan
I'll bet you learned early on, like I did, that there are "no shortcuts" in life. Darn good advice, but unfortunately, many people have taken this to mean they must always find the hardest possible way to success. Please don't make this any more challenging than it already is. I learned long ago the wisdom of following in the footsteps of those who have succeeded before me. My advice to you is to take this "shortcut" and find someone who's achieved the results you would like to realize and do what he or she did. If you follow a proven plan, you may very well achieve spectacular results as well!

5. Measure Progress
Sustaining the motivation toward achieving your goal is without question one of the greatest challenges in all of fitness. It requires unwavering determination, discipline and faith and regular, consistent feedback on your progress. A simple method of measuring results will provide that all-important feedback: trust me, when you see real progress, it fuels a fire like nothing else.
Given that muscle weighs considerably more than fat, relying on the scale alone is a mistake. A simple cloth tape measure can be a perfect complement to a bathroom scale. Each morning I step on the scale, weigh myself and use the tape to measure my waist (where I collect most of my bodyfat). I then record this in my "Success Journal." I watch the weekly trends and adjust my plan accordingly until I am getting the results I want!

6. Aim High
In the last decade, I've meet thousands of people who need to "drop about 5 pounds." See the same people six months later, and, you got it, they still need to drop "five pounds." Why don't they get on with it? Simple, it's not a significant enough goal. Most people reach only as far as they know their arm will extend, setting goals that lack the "magic" to access the energy deep in their souls. Don't make this mistake. Instead, set your sights high, outside your reach. Allow yourself to imagine your body looking and feeling a way that ignites a burning desire inside. Shoot for the stars and enjoy the ride.

7. Get Focused!
If you find exercise "boring" or it's just not "stimulating enough," get "focused." Focus means you put everything you have into what you're doing at that very second - whether it's your work, workout or nutrition, or a friend, family member or loved one. Absolutely nothing else matters during that given moment.
The ability to focus the energy of your mind and body like the light of an ordinary fluorescent bulb to the concentrated intensity of a laser beam is a powerfully important concept and an absolute breakthrough strategy - for exercise and for life. And, in my mind, there's no better place to develop your ability to focus than during physical exercise - to train your mind along with your body.

Final Thoughts
I've discovered that people who succeed in dramatically transforming their physiques - those who build a strong, healthy body - become so empowered that they can change many other things in their lives. By building a better body, you'll have greater self-esteem, more confidence and a better attitude. So if you want to improve in any areas of your life, start by focusing on building a better body, and let that flow into other areas of your life.

Please check out our health and fitness section on the menu for Ultimate and health and vitality!