Mindful Meditation: Talk To Yourself With Love

 You talk to yourself more than anyone else in this world. Every single day you have an on going conversation with yourself - and you had better be saying the right things. It's all too common place, for many people, to be extremely hard on themselves in their everyday thoughts. In fact, most people are harder on themselves then they ever would be on someone they love. 

 But shouldn't you love yourself? If you wouldn't talk to a loved one the way you talk to yourself in your own head - why do it yourself? 

 Many people suffer from some form of anxiety, depression, or general high stress levels - they're just afraid to speak up about it. We're constantly, every single minute of the day, bombarded my images, media, news, social media, work, travel, family obligations, social events, and more. We're always connected to each other through our various forms of media, we never really get a break - yet a growing number of people (even with all this "connectivity") are feeling more, and more ... alone. 

 We're almost genetically the same as our primitive ancestors, and other forms of primates, yet we live in a highly advanced and complicated technological world. Our stressors are not the same as our primitive ancestors - yet we still have the same hardware. We're trying to operate in a strange new world using primitive "monkey brains". 

 This sort of thing leads to various forms of anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression lead to a lack of motivation, poor thoughts, a lack of activity, and can severely impact your well being and zest for normal life. 

This may sound a lot like you, or you may know someone who this describes exactly, and if it does - there is a way to help cope with these feelings ... Mindful Meditation. 

It's Just As Important To Take Care Of Mind, As It Is Your Body

Most people know by now how important it is to take care of your body. If you read my blog then I'm sure you're already taking part in some form of physical fitness routine and watching what food you put into your body. 

But, what you might not be doing is taking care of your mind - training your mental fitness. 

The mind and body go together, they're a team, and they both need to be taken care of equally. In order to train the mind to run well, and in turn allow the body to perform at it's highest level, you must meditate. 

I know meditation sounds boring, especially if you an "always on the go" kind of guy/gal, but the busier you are - the more you most likely need to meditate. We need time to alone, time to reconnect with our inner self, time to learn how to be here in the present, and learn how to not be fearful of the future or regretful of the past - mindful meditation helps train you to do just that. 

Mindful meditation also helps with negative thoughts, depression, anxiety, stress, mental clarity, sleep patterns, and more. It's like a daily tune up and check in with your body and mind - it's the maintenance. 

Feeling depressed? Meditate. 

Feeling anxious? Meditate.

Feeling tired? Meditate.

Feeling sad? Meditate. 

Stressed the fuck out? Meditate. 

How To Start Meditating

It's not difficult to get started, you don't need a fancy place to do it, you just need yourself and a little time each day. Follow these steps to get started ... 

1.) Sit in a comfortable chair, upright but not stiff. You can also lay down if sitting isn't comfortable. 

2.) Gaze off into the near distance, but don't focus on anything in particular 

3.) Breath in through the nose and out through the mouth and allow your belly to expand as you breath

4.) After a few breaths, gently close your eyes while you continue to breath 

5.) Slowly, as your breathing, scan your body and take note of any tension in the body, how your feet feel on the floor, how your hands feel in your lap, and where you feel your body is resting most of its weight. 

6.) Begin to take note of any sounds happening around you, don't seek them out, allow the sounds to come to you and recognize them - be sure that you're still breathing. 

7.) Allow your attention to return to your breath and begin to count your breaths (1 *inhale, 2* exhale ...) all the way to a count of 10 breaths. Then repeat from 1 through 10. 

8.) Don't worry if your mind wanders off, it might happen, if it does you'll return your attention to your breathing and continue counting where you left off. 

9.) Repeat this for as many minutes as you like. 

10.) When you're almost ready to finish up, allow your mind to run free and do whatever it likes for 1 minute. Don't fight it, if it wants to think - let it think. 

11.) Open your eyes gently and take note of how you feel, relax for a few seconds or minutes. 

I guarantee you'll feel much better after a quick session (5-10 mins) than you did before you started. 

Taking It Beyond Mindful Mediation 

My ebook "The Ronin Method" teaches you a form of moving mediation through the workout program I designed for the book. It also goes into detail on mindful mediation, and how to combine it with this unique form of moving mediation I like to call "The Ronin Workout". 

If you're living a busy life, and need a way to train your body and mind for longevity, sustainability, and over all well being - "The Ronin Method" might be the answer for you. 

- Tim 

"The Ronin Method" Ebook 

Free yourself from the shackles of needing a gym

with an essential, sustainable, minimalist approach 

to fitness. 

What To Do When You Don't Feel Like Exercising

 If you're wondering what to do when you're not in the mood to workout, then you should take a look at my latest article for "Whole Life Challenge". In it I discuss my top 5 alternatives to working out on a day when it's just not for you. You can read more by following this link here.  

- Tim

www.TimothyBellFitness.com  

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What You Staring At? Trataka Mediation

 I'm a big fan of mediation. Actually, I think it should be a part of everyones daily routine. I don't care if you're mediating for 10 mins or 45, a little is better than nothing. Why? Because mediation has a shit load of benefits, such as ... 

- Improved stress response

- Better sleep

- Improved focus

- Reduced anxiety 

- Improved mood 

- Reduced severity of depression 

- Improved cognitive ability

- Positive effects on blood pressure 

 ... and much, much more 

 The key to mediation, is finding a style that suits your needs and works well with your personality. 

 There are countless forms of meditation, a lot of which have been around for thousands of years. They're not all going to work well for you as an individual, you're going to have to try a few and see what works for you. 

 That's what I have been doing for years now, and most recently I have been working with a form called Trataka.  

What Is Trataka 

 Trataka mediation is one of the oldest forms of mediation, and it involves staring at a small object for a prolonged period of time. The most popular objects are a candle flame or small dot. The goal is to keep your gaze on the object, without blinking or moving your eyes. The practice is said to help cleanse/activate your third eye while enhancing psychic abilities ... but I don't buy into that shit. Too mystic for my taste. 

What I enjoy about Trataka, is that it gives me an object to focus my attention on. By focusing on the object, my mind feels "quieter". When a thought runs through my head, I let it pass by and return my attention to the physical object I'm staring at. It's much like mindful mediation, only I have a physical object to place my attention on. The effect is quite calming. 

How I Meditate With Trataka 

 The way I set up my Trataka mediation is easy ... 

- I perform it whenever I want during the day, I have no set time but you could if you like. 

- I mediate for anywhere from 5 - 15 mins depending on the day 

- I use a dot over the candle flame, it's just my preference 

- The dot is placed 3-4 feet in front of my eyes, large enough that I don't have trouble seeing it but not too big 

- I either kneel down to meditate or stand up, I use a dot drawn on paper that I adjust to the right height

- During the mediation I don't use a specific breathing pattern, but I do try to keep my breath from my belly and regular 

- I pay attention to my posture 

- My gaze is fixed completely on the dot, no blinking, no moving my eyes, just one straight line to the dot

- When a thought runs through my head, and I notice I'm paying attention to the thought, I catch myself and bring my attention back to my breath and the dot 

- At some point your vision may begin to "tunnel" and the edges of your sight may blur ... that's normal. When your eyes don't move for a period of time, they stop processing everything in their peripherals because no "new" information is coming in. This is the best part, it's a neat experience. 

- If you must blink, do it and continue on 

- Continue on like this for however long you desire. When you decide to stop, close your eyes and rest for a bit. Open your eyes and allow your vision to return to normal. 

 I find the whole practice of Trataka rather "grounding" and it leaves me feeling calm. It's one method that, right now, works well for me as an individual and I enjoy it. It may or may not be what you like, it may not even work well for you, but it's worth a try. If you're looking for a new method of mediation you can do it right now by opening the picture above, enjoy! 

- Tim 

www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

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The Table Top

The table top is a great exercise for helping to reduce the effects of sitting all day. It helps open tight chest, shoulders, and hip flexors - while at the same time strengthening the glutes and scapula. It can be held for time as a static contraction, but you can also perform it for reps (much like the hip thruster) for a more dynamic exercise.

Static Contraction Workout: 

 - Perform each exercise, back to back, without rest

 - Hold each for 1 min (30 seconds per side for bird dog & side plank)

 - If you can't hold for the full 1 min, come down and rest for a second, then continue to hold until the time is up. 

 - Once you've completed the circuit, rest for 1-2 mins, repeat again 1-2 more times depending on your fitness level. 

- Bird Dog

- Plank

- Table Top 

- Side Plank

Try it out, enjoy, and let me know how it goes!

- Tim 

www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

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#1 Exercise For Improved Shoulder Mobility

The ability to raise your arms over head, without restriction, is an important skill for all humans. It's something you do on a daily basis weather you realize it or not. Reaching for something on a high shelf, putting away dishes in the cupboard, or doing work to the ceiling in your home all require the ability to raise your arms over head. The problem is, most people can't raise their arms over head and maintain a stable upright posture. When you're posture is broken, efficient movement becomes compromised and you're at a higher risk of injury. 

What Does Compensated Movement Look Like?

When I ask a new client to raise their arms over head as high as they can, I often see the same movement compensation ... a big arch in the lower back or a thrusting of the hips forward. The thrusting or arching allows the client to raise their arms completely vertical over head. The problem is that it breaks their stable posture and puts excess pressure on the lumbar spine and hips. Without the thrusting or arching the client would only be able to raise their arms to a level just above their forehead. It looks like this ... 

Why Can't You Raise Your Arms Over Head?

If you just tried the over head raise and noticed you thrust your hips in order to get your arms completely vertical, don't worry you're not alone. I see this time and time again. The reason you can't raise your arms over head is usually a combination of tight lats and tight pecs.  Your lats are those big sweeping muscles that run along the side of your ribs, they're the ones that give bodybuilders their "V" taper. Your pecs are your chest muscles. These muscles are commonly tight in just about everyone in modern society. Why? Because it's a byproduct of life style. We sit too much and move too little. If you experience shoulder pain, tight lats and pecs can also be the cause of shoulder pain that isn't associated with an injury. What's one to do in order to remedy this situation? One simple movement can help. 

The Passive Hang

The passive hang is a fantastic place to start when trying to improve your shoulder range of motion. It's safe for anyone who has mild shoulder pain or immobility that was not brought on by an injury (ex. dislocation). It's an exercise I program for almost all of my clients. It's simple and it can be performed anywhere. I've done passive hangs from pull up bars, soccer nets, jungle gyms, wall ledges, and more! 

 The goal with the passive hang is to incorporate it into your daily life. If you see a place to hang, hang! Try setting up a place to hang from in your home and every time you walk by that spot, hang! Our shoulders were designed to hang and brachiate (swing). We're still 99% genetically the same as chimps and other apes, they hang all the time. 

The goal is to hang for a combined total of 5-7 minutes a day. This can be done before workouts, after workouts, and throughout the day. Over time your pecs and lats will release their tension and allow the shoulders to move into a full range of motion once again. 

If you experience trouble holding all of your weight during the hang, it's ok. Simply hang from something low enough that you can place your tip toes on the ground, reducing the amount of weight your forced to hold. 

What does the passive hang look like and how do you do it? Take a look at the photo below and you can get on your way to opening up those tight shoulders. 

-Tim

www.TimothyBellFitness.com

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How Often Should You Workout?

how often should you workout if you're looking to gain mass or add muscle using bodyweight based workouts? I go into detail in this YouTube video.

- Tim


www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

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Anytime, Anywhere: 4 Minimalist Hinge Exercises

 My latest article for BreakingMuscle.com is up and it's all about the hinge! I love bodyweight training, but there's one problem with it - there's no great way to train the hinge. In this article I will detail 4 ways you can effectively train your hinge with just a few resistance bands! Click here to read my latest article! 

- Tim 

www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

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Get To Stepping - 2 Stair Set Workouts For Conditioning

 You don't need any expensive equipment, open space, or even great weather to get in an effective conditioning workout. In fact, you can get it done in your own home, apartment, or hotel. All you need is a set of stairs!

 I'm all about a minimalist approach to fitness, and using what's available in your area to your advantage is a part of that approach. Just about every single home will have a set of stairs, why not use those to your advantage? You're not always going to have access to a gym, a track, or equipment. By learning how to use the stairs as a conditioning tool, you'll be eliminating any of those excuses.

  I've been using stair sets for years with clients to elicit outstanding results, and today I'm going to share two of them with you! The methods I'm going to share with you today are not the only way to use stairs for conditioning, they're just a few of the ways I have used them.

 Yes, I know about stair sprints, and so does everyone else! We've all seen Rocky ... so I'm not including them in this.

 The purpose of this post is to get your mind open to the idea of using your stairs for effective conditioning. This way, you'll be able to get in a quality conditioning workout anywhere in the world. Let's take a look at a few different workouts I enjoy.

Fast Feet

It's called fast feet for a reason! This workout is a simple conditioning workout that only involves the use of one step. It's easy, and I often use it with new trainees due to the low difficultly level. That doesn't mean it's not suitable for the experienced trainee! It's going to rev your heart rate up no matter who you are. I enjoy using this after a strength training workout as a finisher.

How it's done ...

- Step up on to the first step, then step down.
- Repeat this as quickly as possible for 20 seconds
- Rest for 10 seconds
- Repeat this 8x
- Each round alternate the foot your using to step up

The goal is to step up and down as fast as you can, and I do mean FAST! Then rest for 10 seconds before repeating. If you have a railing to hold onto during this workout DO IT! If you slip while you're taking a step it will help prevent you from falling on your face!

Variations ...

- 30 seconds of work/30 seconds 4-8x

The Pilgrimage To Pai Mei's

 In old Kung Fu movies, and the Kill Bill series, Pai Mei was a cruel kung fu master who lived on the top of a tall mountain. The only way to make it to Pai Mei, was to walk up a massive stair set ... only to get your ass kicked at the top. This workout is a much slower form of conditioning, but it's fantastic and basic. I use a stair well for this workout, but home stairs will due as well! Longer stair sets (10 - 20) are best, but short sets can work as well. It's going to be a grind, but if done correctly it will have you breathing hard in a short amount of time.

How it's done ...

- You'll start at the bottom of the stairs
- Walk with purpose, full extension of the knee and hip at the top of each step, squeezing the glutes
- Once you reach the top of the flight of stairs, perform 5-10 face the wall squats (posture squats) at a pace of 4 seconds down, 4 seconds up
- Walk up the next flight of stairs (or if at home, walk down the stairs briskly and then back up them with purpose)
- Reach the top of that flight of stairs and perform 5-10 face the wall squats
- Repeat this sequence over and over for 10-20 mins without stopping

 This can be done with a smaller set of steps (5-6 steps) but I would suggest walking up them, back down, then back up, before performing the squats. This could also be done with step as well, step up and then back down on the one step 10 - 20 times before performing your squats. You could also vary the exercises, you don't need to only perform squats. Push ups, chin ups, and lunges, would also be suitable.

Variations ...

- Add a weight vest
- Use a resistance band for added weight during squats


 - Tim


www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

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Moving Meditation Through Fitness

 The benefits of regular mediation have been talked about for centuries. A regular practice can help reduce stress/anxiety, improve mental clarity/focus, and maintain cognitive function into later years. It's no secret that some form of meditation would be a great addition to most people's daily routine! Lucky for you, there's no shortage of methods to choose from. You only need to do some research or take a class, practice it often, and see if it's right for you. Simple, easy, and in most cases won't break the bank! 

 Meditation can come in many forms and styles. Popular ones include guided meditation, mindful meditation (popularized by Shaolin Monks), and transcendental mediation (popularized by Hindu Yogi's). Most of these methods involve sitting, kneeling, or laying down in a calm space of your choosing. Their focus can range from channeling your attention on one word/phrase, simply observing your thoughts as they pass though your mind, or even clearing the mind. Not every method of mediation is right for everyone, the one that works for you will be unique to your personality type. 

 That being said, these calm methods of meditation don't always jive with every ones personality.  

 Yes, it takes practice to learn how to sit still and adapt to your meditation practice. It would be worth giving a calm practice a try for a while before you decide if working or not. But what if you've been trying for a while and it's just- not- working? Don't worry, there's another way to get that meditation done without sitting still. 

Moving Meditation 

 The mind and the body are "one", in my opinion for them to function at a high level they must be trained together. This is why I often opt for moving forms of meditation in my daily life instead of tradition calm methods. We've all felt the calm/high state felt after a quality workout, it's almost zen like, and people have known about this forever! This isn't a new phenomenon, we can see many examples of this "moving meditation" throughout history. 

 Shaolin Warrior Monks have practiced this for centuries through Qi Gong. Their practice of Qi Gong allowed them to connect their breath, mind, and movement together in one action; improving the well being physical body as well as their mind. Samurai would train with laser focus on improving sword techniques, hand to hand combat, and even art. Their single minded purpose/focus through their physical practice allowed them to reach a high level of zen; even without sitting for hours each week meditating. It's quite obvious that Yoga is a powerful form of moving meditation! Do I even need to go into more detail on that ... I didn't think so! 

                                       

                                          

  Even though they're all fun, you don't need to specifically practice Qi Gong, Kendo, or Yoga to work on moving mediation.  It can be as simple as taking a long walk and simply observing your surroundings, calming the mind, and allowing you to recharge. You can also get a quality moving meditation practice through your own training program! Today I'm going to outline my favourite method of moving meditation, achieved through minimalist training. 

Moving Meditation Workout

 The method I'm about to describe is simple, after all, I'm all about bodyweight and minimalist approach to training! You won't need much equipment, just a pull up bar or a suspension trainer/gymnastics rings and your own bodyweight. The goal during this workout is to not count your reps. You can throw the rep counting out the window! I want you to only focus on your form and your breathing. You need to be mindful about the exercise you're performing, focusing only on that movement at that time. It's a high intensity method that will produce a deep level of muscular fatigue, push your heart rate up, and get you breathing hard. Trust me, it's a great workout that will build that "zen" state we talked about earlier.  Here's how to put it together ...

- Choose a variation for each exercise that you can complete at least 10 reps.

- Perform the exercises back to back, in the order listed, with 15 seconds of rest between exercises

- Perform each exercise at a pace of 4 seconds up and 4 seconds down, with a 1 second pause at the top and bottom of the movement.

- Perform as many reps as you can possibly complete with perfect form, at the tempo described!

- Once the form as broken down, or you can no longer move at the temp described, move onto the next exercise.

- Once you completed all the exercises, rest for 1-2 mins and repeat the whole "circuit" again 1-2 more times depending on your fitness level. 

1.) Bodyweight Row or Chin Up/Pull Up variation 

2.) Push Up variation 

3.) Squat variation

 Give this a try and I'm sure you'll find it produces a great calming effect, not only for the body but also the mind. 

- Tim 

www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

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Paleo Cacao Nib & Date Cereal!

 This might just be my new favourite breakfast ... or one of my favourites of all time. I'm not even over hyping this, it just might be your new favourite too. 

Said in my best Ron Burgundy "question" voice: This paleo cereal is so easy ... a caveman could do it? Yes, the pun was intended - bite me.

 This breakfast can be thrown together in seconds, no real need for measuring cups. I know I didn't use them! I guess it goes without saying, this recipe is going to be a little loose with the measurements. I was just too excited to get it out to you, I couldn't bother with the measurements. 

Anyways ... make it, love it, tell your family and friends! 

Here's What You'll Need:

- Dry dates 

- Pecans (crushed or whole)

- Cacao nibs

- Almond milk or coconut milk 

Here's How To Put It Together:

- Grab a hand full of pecans and place them in a bowl

- Cut up 6 pitted dates (or more) and throw them on top of your pecans

- Sprinkle a liberal amount of cacao nibs on top of your pecans and dates

- Top with almond or coconut milk, stir everything 

- Eat and have your mind blown away

 Thank me when you're done! 

- Tim

www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

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5 Ways To End Elbow Pain During Chin Ups

 My latest article for BreakingMuscle.com is up and it's all about how to end your elbow pain during chin ups. I've outlined 5 simple tips that you can do, starting today, that will help ease or eliminate elbow pain while performing chin ups or pull ups. A lot of people struggle with pain during chin ups, luckily these small fixes usually help most trainees. To read the article you can follow this link! 

- Tim 

www.TimothyBellFitness.com

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1 Easy Way To Open Tight Hip Flexors

The Hip Flexors 

  Tight hip flexors are a common problem for a lot of new and even seasoned trainees. If you have a job that requires you to sit for most of the day, chances are your hip flexors are tight. This happens because sitting puts the hip flexors in relaxed and shortened position, they don't get stretched out and eventually they become tighter. 

 Another culprit, when it comes to tight hip flexors, are inactive glutes. When you're glutes aren't doing the brunt of the work during activity the majority of the stress is placed on the hip flexors and lower back. They over work and become tighter over time.

  Tight hip flexors aren't just a problem for inactive people, they can also occur in very active people! Lots of running, biking, and traditional abdominal exercises can lead to tight hip flexors. A combination of no stretching/mobility work, lack of a proper warm up, or an imbalanced program can all attribute to tighter hip flexors. 

 Tight hip flexors can cause both anterior (front of the body) hip pain and lower back pain as well. They can also inhibit sport performance and every day activities. If you're hips are tight, you need to start working towards opening those suckers up! 

 So just how to you go about opening up those hips?

 Well the first step I would suggest is a simple combination of glute activation and hip flexor stretching. This is called "reciprocal inhibition". Such a fancy word, but all it means is that we're going to activate one muscle group to help alleviate the opposing muscle group. 

 Think of it like this, your muscles work like a pully system. When one muscle group contracts (shortens) the opposing muscle group lengthens. Your hip flexors are primarily used to bring the knee towards the chest. Your glutes are used primarily for hip extension, thrusting your hips away from the body. Those are opposing movements. When we work the glutes, we help relax the hip flexors. 

With that in mind

Let's take a look at the 2 exercises you'll need!

 First we get the glutes turned on with some bodyweight glute bridges. They're a simple exercise that requires no equipment at all.

  

Glute Bridge Tips:

- Lay flat on your back, bend the knees and place your heels directly under the knees, hip width apart

- Squeeze your glutes, drive through the heels, and press the hips up towards the sky

- Don't allow your knees to open up outward, keep them hip width apart

- If you feel this in your lower back, only go as high as you can without the lower back being involved

- Don't arch the back

- Keep the pressure in the heels and slowly lower down to the starting position 

- If you want to give the glute bridges a little extra kick, you can wrap a resistance band around the knees and fight it's pressure. 

Then we get the hips stretched out with a basic lunge stretch. This isn't the only stretch for the hip flexors, but it's a basic one that can be done anywhere. 

Lunge Stretch Tips: 

- Don't arch your back and don't round your back, keep the spine neutral

- Squeeze your glutes (reciprocal inhibition) this will help get into the hip flexor 

- If you only feel this in the quads, try using some fascial release with a foam roller or lacrosse ball before hand

- To increase the stretch raise the arm, on the side of the outstretched leg, over head as if your were reaching for the sky. 

How to put it together

- Perform this sequence daily, multiple times a day, or before your workouts. 

- Exercises are performed back to back with no rest

- Perform 1-3 rounds as needed

1 Round:

- 10 glute bridges (lift into position, squeeze and hold the top position for 10 seconds, and return to the starting position. That's one rep)

- 10 Lunge Stretches per leg (move into the lunge stretch, hold for 5-10 seconds, relax and repeat. That's one rep) 

This is just one of many ways to help open up the hip flexors and prevent them from being tight. Give it a try and you should find it helpful in relieving those tight hips! 

- Tim 

www.TimothyBellFitness.com

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5 Beginner Core & Abdominal Strengthening Exercises

 My latest article for BreakingMuscle.com is up and it's all about core strength! You'll learn what your core muscles are, how they're misunderstood, and 5 of my favourite core strengthening exercises for beginners! Don't let that fool you though, even if you're a seasoned trainee these exercises might just be a challenge to you as well. The full article is here on BreakingMuscle.com (click here to read)

- Tim 

www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

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The Secret To Fitness Success!

With what seems like endless amounts of diets, fitness programs, and brand new fitness fads popping up daily, it can be more than a little confusing trying to figure out what works. You go out and buy book after book on the subjects of fitness and nutrition, but that just leaves you more confused. 

 "Do I eat paleo or vegan?"

 "Should I sign up for CrossFit or hot yoga"

 "This guy said handstands suck, but this guy said handstands are essential."

 It's enough to make your head spin! Even I find it confusing from time to time, and I've been doing this professionally for a long time. Fitness and nutrition are both ever evolving, growing, and changing. There's always new information and studies coming out with science to back them up, that's why a great coach continues to learn constantly! 

But what about you? 

You're not a fitness professional (if you are, this isn't directed towards you) and you have other obligations. You have work, maybe a family, social obligations, and other interests that take up your time. How the hell are you going to sift through the "weeds" in this ocean of fitness and nutrition information? How are you going to succeed towards your goals? 

 You could always hire a professional. That's the best step towards success, they do all the planning, you show up, do exactly what they say and success in almost guaranteed. That is, of course, if you can find a high quality trainer. 

 But what if you simply can't hire a professional coach? Well, fear not my friend! I'm going to lay out a few very simple steps to make this whole process easier on you. They are generalized, maybe vague to some people, but I'm going for minimalism here! Read them and adapt what you need.

1.) Find 3-4 Mentors

 This is really simple. Find 4-5 fitness professionals who's work and life style you enjoy, buy their books, videos, and go to their seminars. Learn as much as you can from these people and implement it into your training. If you love power lifting, follow the BEST powerlifting coaches. If you enjoy bodyweight work, follow the BEST bodyweight specialists. 

 Now, DON"T just go for people who look good! This can be very, very, very deceiving. Just because someone looks good and knows how to train them self, doesn't mean they're a good coach or know how to train others. Look for professionals with credentials and who have a track record of success with people like you. Look for people who's methods, life style, and over all outlook/objective fits what you want out of your life. Find people who's training methods make you feel good, perform better, and fit into your life. 

2.) Find A Diet That Works For You & Eat Real Food!

 There are a truck load of diets out there, and nutrition is crazy and confusing to dive into at first. These methods, for the most part, follow very similar guidelines. Healthy diets all consist of whole foods, this means minimally processed foods. You want to base your entire diet around eating lots of fresh veggies, fruit, nuts/seeds, real cuts of meat, and good fats. Completely avoid (for the most part) sugar, highly processed foods, cake, cookies, fast food, and other crap. 

 Some diets allow dairy and grains, others don't. Some diets don't allow meat/animal products, others do. The idea is to find a diet that works for you, what makes you feel good, lose weight, keep it off, and you can keep up FOREVER! My suggestion is to try eliminating grains, dairy, starchy veggies and see how you feel. If you feel good, keep it up! If you add a little bit of them back into your diet and you gain weight, feel like crap, or have other issues, keep them out of your diet! 

 The last thing I would suggest is track your calories and macros (macro nutrients) and make sure you're eating the right macro ratios and getting the right amount of calories. A great place to start is to eat around 15% of your calories from carbs, the rest from almost equal proteins and fats. Also, don't eat less than 1,800 calories if you're training. There are a lot of resources on the net  about how to track your macros and calories, you can also get an app on your phone to keep track of them!

3.) Be Consistent, Really Consistent 

 Once you've chosen your diet, out lined your fitness goals, and you have mentors guiding you, then it's all up to you. You need to remain consistent! Eat clean at least 80% of the time, stay within your calories/macros, and don't allow yourself to eat unplanned "cheat meals". Stick to your training plan, don't get blinded by flashy new programs, and get your workouts done like clock work. This is where people tend to get it wrong. They start a new program and just as it would begin to work, they switch to a new workout program or diet. This cycle repeats over and over again and they never get the results they're looking to achieve. 

Stay the path, put in the work, and you'll get the results you need!

It may take some tinkering with your program/diet here and there in order to keep progressing. That's ok! In fact, I can guarantee your program/diet will need to tinkered with here and there. You're life will be up and down, your diet/training will have to move with it. The key to this all is being consistent, working towards your goal with clarity of purpose, and not throwing it away on the first mess up or new diet/program that comes your way. 

Do this, and you will find success in your fitness goals! 

- Tim 

www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

Change Your Life Today! 

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Paleo Banana & Almond Butter Ice Cream

 If you're missing ice cream or looking for have something sweet, this paleo banana & almond butter ice cream just might be the thing for you! It doesn't have any added sugar or sweeteners, it's simple to make, and it's both vegan and paleo. Best of all, you can enjoy a bowl without feeling guilty about what you're putting into your body! The recipe below is for one person, double or triple it as needed. 

Here's What You'll Need:

- 1 large frozen banana

- 1 large tbsp almond butter (or any other nut butter)

- Cinnamon

- Vanilla extract 

- Sea Salt 

- Crushed pecans (or any other nut)

Here's How To Put It Together:

- Dice up the frozen banana and place it in a high powered blender (without the peel!)

- Blend your banana until it becomes a thick past 

- Add your tbsp of almond butter to the blended banana 

- Add a dash of vanilla, sea salt, and cinnamon to the blended up banana

- Blend again until everything is mixed

- Take the mixture and scoop it into your favourite bowl

- Top with crushed pecans 

- Enjoy! 

- Tim 

www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

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6 Easy Exercises To Ease Back Pain

 Back pain is a common problem faced by many people. It doesn't matter if you're active and training all the time, or if you can't even remember your last workout, back issues can happen to anyone. Back pain can stem from any number of sources, many people experience back pain caused from muscle imbalances. If you're pain isn't the result of a serious accident, a nice place to start when dealing with back pain is to open up the fascia in the back line of the body and stretch out your tight muscles. 

What is fascia and what is  the back line?

 There's giant sheet of "webbing" that runs through out your entire body, wrapping around all of your muscles and tissue. This "webbing" is called fascia, fascia helps hold everything in your entire body together and is essential to effective movement. When the fascia isn't being worked or moved on a daily basis, due to injury or lack of activity, it becomes dense and locked down. When the fascia becomes dense and locked down it impairs your movement, leads to poor posture, and increases your risk of injury. 

 While fascia is essentially one giant web, it has been divided into a hand full predominant "lines" (or paths) through out the body. Each line runs through/around a series of muscles and joints. The back line runs from the bottom of the feet, up the backs of your legs, all the way up the back to the top of the head. Most people tend to be tight throughout the back line, especially those who sit all day. In my experience, just working on opening the back line of the body helps many people deal with their back pain. It's a great place to start! 

The Superficial Back Line 

Opening up the back line!

It will require manual stimulation in order to break down the dense fascia and get it moving again. This means you'll need some serious massage! Don't worry, you don't have to spend all of your money on a massage therapist to get this done! All you need is a lacrosse ball, a little bit of knowledge on self myofascial release, and a little bit of stretching. The sequence in the video should help you break down that dense "locked down" fascia, stretch the muscles of the back line, and help ease back pain you may be experiencing. 

 THIS IS NOT a replacement for medical advice. Please, if you're experiencing serious back pain, get check out by a physiotherapist and doctor to get an expert opinion. 

1.) Roll the bottoms of your feet with a lacrosse ball, each for 1-2 mins

2.) Roll the calves, each for for 1-2 mins

3.) Place the lacrosse ball under your hamstring on a chair, focus on tight points for 1-3 mins each

4.) Roll your back with a foam roller or PVC pipe for 1-3 mins

5.) Stretch your calves, 30 seconds - 1 min per leg

6.) Perform the standing hamstring stretch, 30 seconds - 1 min per leg

- Tim

www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

Tina Changed Her Life, You Can Too! 

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