Make A Promise...

Make a promise

Make a promise to yourself and keep it. There's something that you've always desired, and now is the time to make it real.
You are fully capable of reaching whatever you decide to reach. Promise yourself something wonderful, and then do what it takes to fulfill that promise.

Stop groaning about how unfair life is. Start making life into something grand and joyful.

Find a dream that positively inspires you and promise yourself that you'll reach it. Make a serious commitment to the richness of your own life, and follow through on that commitment.

You can do it if you'll simply choose to do it. Make a promise to yourself, and make it happen.

-- Ralph Marston

Its not a sprint or a marathon...

Inspired Wellness Body Transformation...
trans·for·ma·tion (trnsfr-mshn, -fôr-) n.
- A marked change, as in appearance or character, usually for the better.

"usually for the better"...I am sure a lot of us have attempted transformations in the past or have actually competed a transformation but maybe without knowing and probably not for the better. Remember those high school days, maybe our college days being fit active and enjoying life. How about now? For some that extra 15, 20, 30 or 40 more pounds since those days have started to catch up with us. But where did the weight come from? It's not like it happened over night, many of us didn't just wake up being 30 pounds over weight. So why would one attempt to make a transformation over night? It took many years for the weight to come on. Many had to develop bad habits and make lifestyle changes which caused the weight to come on and for us to not be in the shape that we would like to be in.

Then we discover those amazing transformations and claims, try this diet, take this pill, read this book and find out how you can easily lose 30 lbs in 4 weeks (with ridiculous before and after pics in a 6 week time frame) If you read my "This is why diets do not work" post you will understand half of the battle. Those claims are not realistic and if someone does manage to make a super fast transformation you can almost guarantee with out the proper education or proper lifestyle modifications the majority if not all of that weight will come back. How do you expect to change 5, 10, 15 years of bad habits in one week?

This transformation is nothing like that. I will not post a super transformed Sham in 6 weeks, not even 10 weeks. I am not going through a super fly crazy monster thrash program, low calorie, 2 workouts per day, nor do I promote those types of programs to my clients. What you are witnessing now is someone transforming his or her body in a safe and health conscious manner. I am making simple lifestyle modifications, living a normal life and still enjoying the things I love and guess what I can do all of that and still obtain results! (And ill prove it!)

Everything I am doing during this body transformation is something I plan on doing for the rest of my life. This is how I live and this is how I train my clients. I will be posting a few of my food logs and workout plans in the next few weeks so you can see what I am doing (my completed full program will be posted on my web site www.inspiredwellness.net ).

You can see from my 3-week transformation I was able to make changes in my body composition. Not huge dramatic changes but significant, I lost 3 pounds and 1.5% body fat. I worked out most days of the week I didn't follow a super strict diet, I ate at Hometown Buffet, Chevy's and still ate chocolate during the past 3 weeks. I am also not promoting one of those "hey eat whatever you want and not have to exercise and still lose weight!" programs. I did eat healthy the majority of the time, I "earned" my treats through proper exercise and other healthy realistic lifestyle choices. Transforming your body doesn't have to be dreadful, do not view it in terms of giving up everything you love and maintaining a freakishly ridiculous exercise program.

We must build a solid foundation first; you are only as strong as your foundation (your core). This foundation will be rooted in lifestyle changes, once those changes have become habit and routine only then will you will start to see PERMANENT CHANGES. Again, don't set yourself up to fail, don't expect that weight to come off over night, it also won't take you 5 or 10 years like it took to gain the weight but make simple changes that can lead to a lifetime of healthy habits and achieve lifetime results. I see so many people in January try and shape up then quit, or prepare for an event in their lives, I see so many people before summer try and prepare for that swimsuit season and fail, why do people try to look good 2x or 3x out of the year? Obtain the body you used to have or even obtain the body of your dreams and keep it forever!

UPDATE 3 WEEK TRANSFORMATION

3 WEEK transformation is complete. Nothing drastic of course this is a short time frame and I am not doing anything crazy, just living a healthy active lifestyle. I will post some details tomorrow on what I have been doing. But you can see some more definition in the abs in chest. On the back pic you can see the waist has come down and my posture has improved! Haha don't mind the haircut Ill work on that friday!

Stop the insanity! Diets do not work this is why...

This is why diets do not work.

Diets are quick fixes, FAD's, gimmicks that take extreme measures (restricted low calorie, no carbs, no fat, the banana diet, the grapefruit diet, prepackaged meals or waste your money on their products diet (nutrisystems, j.c, w.w etc.). Most people will lose weight quickly but not be able to maintain such an extreme plan for the remainder of their lives. Why would you start a program or "diet" that you cannot feasibly keep up the rest of your life?

The moment you stop you will gain all of your weight back if not more. How many people do you know who say, "Yes, I have been on this diet (insert ridiculous claim here) my whole life and I have lost all of the weight I wanted to and have kept it off!" not many...

Or have you heard this "Yes, this new diet is awesome I have lost 10lbs in 3 weeks!" 3 months later how is your diet going? "Eh I couldn't keep that up eating only (ridiculous claim here) I've gained 12lbs back"

Many of those diets are not feasible for you to maintain for an extended period of time. There are many documented side effects of being on a low 800-calorie diet for a long period of time (I know because I have a client who years ago was on a DR. prescribed low calorie diet now she has kidney, liver issues and her hair, skin and nails have permanent damage). The same could be said about any other nutrient restricted diet (low carbs, no fat, low protein, low calorie, the stand on your head while eating diet it is a great one I promise you will lose a lot of weight! (just kidding don’t try it)).

Also, do not jump into some one size fits all diet that you see in magazines or books or that crazy magic diet pill, everyone is different, everyone has different needs, preferences, conditions, metabolism, likes and dislikes. Programs that you have used and have been able to maintain great success may not work for your friend down the street. You need to be able to find lifestyle changes that go along with YOUR current lifestyle. It may not be feasible for someone to be on a vegan plan if they are growing up on a farm. Or for a busy business person to only prepare all natural home cooked meals.

You need to make lifestyle changes that you can feasibly maintain. If you love starbucks, soda, sweets, pizza etc. and I told you to start a program where you can have none of those items you will go crazy and probably pig out on those items that night. The moment you tell someone they can't have something they want it even more, so do not set yourself up to fail by cutting out everything you enjoy.

Moderation, moderation, moderation is what everyone claims. It has a part to do with moderation but a bigger part by EARNING the things you love. You cannot just eat cookies all day long and have 3 viente 6 pump triple shot white mochas and not expect weight gain an energy high followed by a mid day crash, and other future health problems. How about you start your day with an early morning walk to jump start your metabolism and perhaps if you still need it a small single serving starbucks, at least this way you would have earned it by generating your own natural energy so you won't needs as much sugar or caffeine and you have already exercised so you have earned some additional caloric intake and take away your craving. Do not just TAKE, TAKE, TAKE, you must EARN those treats. Performing your daily exercise routine and then having a cookie afterwards is fine, sitting on your butt all day long at your desk job and having 4 cookies is not ok. EARN that cookie! Unless you have the will power to cut it out, if not that is ok everyone is different, it is ok to earn it.

I always recommend when you are about to make a healthy change in your lifestyle habits make sure it is a change you can do for the rest of your life. I will never ask someone to make a change if they cannot feasibly see themselves maintaining that change for the rest of their lives. Do not make a quick fix for only 3 weeks, not for 2 months, or for you to get ready for the summer season because what are you going to do after that when you go back to your old ways and you are stuck with the same problem months later repeating the same cycle over and over again. The Definition of insanity is repeating something over and over again and expecting a different result.

I could go on and on about this topic emotional eating, stress, nutrient timing, fluid intake, artificial sweeteners, sodium, supplements, vitamins but I will end it here if you have a specific question you can ask me or wait for future posts.

Diets DO work if you want quick weight-loss that you will NOT be able to maintain. Stop the insanity, stop the dieting...

Solve the source...

Beware of quick-fix solutions that end up being worse than the problems they are intended to solve. There's nothing to be gained from a cure that is worse than the disease.
And there's certainly nothing to be gained from a solution that merely masks or delays the problem without addressing the underlying cause. When there's a problem in your life, get to work rooting out the core of that problem.

Facing a challenge requires effort, and yet that effort is necessary only for a relatively short time. Running from the challenge requires ever-increasing effort that has no end.

The sooner you start working through a problem, the more quickly you'll have that problem behind you. The earlier you deal with the root cause of the problem, the more effective your efforts will be.

Truly eliminating the cause of the problem does indeed take more work than quickly fixing the symptoms. Yet once the difficult work is done to remove the problem, it's gone for good.

Do the work to root out each problem at its core. And your efforts will bring lasting rewards.

-- Ralph Marston

Are you going to finish strong...

Empower-Awareness-Achieve

As life unfolds in each moment, new opportunities are being born. No matter what has already happened, choose to create the very best you can imagine.

Do not dwell on yesterday; do not be remorseful of the last five, ten, or fifteen years of being unhealthy and being unaware, as long as you seize the opportunity to make a change today.  I see so many people go through life completely oblivious to the things they do to their bodies, but is it their fault if they are not aware?  Miss-education, there is so much garbage information out there placed by companies and individuals trying to make a quick buck off of someone.  Where can the average consumer go for credible information? The latest magazine with a skinny celebrity proclaiming they lost 20 pounds eating nothing but grapefruit?  Or the muscle building magazines with guys jacked on steroids proclaiming all they needed was this magical supplement to get the bodies of their dreams?  Sadly to say that is where the majority of people go to today for their "credible" information. 

 With my company Inspired Wellness I am trying to be that site you can trust for credible and trusted information.  The most powerful way to change some ones life is to give them knowledge.  My mission is to empower one with awareness so they may achieve their goals, so they can Inspire Wellness.  I am attempting to launch the company based on application and scientific evidence.  Everything that is promoted or used with IW will have been applied and or have published scientific backing.  I will post all of the scientific research and peer reviewed journals for anyone to read.  Using the techniques I have applied on many clients and myself over the last few years.  I will not make any recommendations to someone I have not personally tried myself which you will be able to follow through my blogs and body transformation. If someone doesn't know that switching to diet soda is just choosing a different evil compared to that regular soda, would they make that choice?  If you only knew what that triple pump vente white mocha or skinny latte was doing to your body.  Neglecting your water intake because you no longer have the taste for it, well if you only understood why over the many years drinking all of the sugary, caffeinated and artificially sweetened drinks has pushed your tastes away from the most important beverage for every living function in your body (but that’s a whole other blog).  

The reason why so many people go through their lives blasé about their health and wellness is because they are not aware; most people are not made aware until its too late.  Until its that trip to the doctor for that mystery headache that won't go away, or that throbbing stomach ache or when you look in the mirror at the age of 30 but feel like you are 50.  Most people are made aware by the shocking consequences of their actions.  What if you knew why you had that mysterious pain, what if you knew what caused it, how to reverse and actually prevent it?

Weight loss is easy!  Building muscle is easy! (It does take hard work)  You want to know why it is so hard for many?  It is because many people are attempting these goals without having a plan, without having the knowledge or without having the awareness to achieve their goals.  It is not just weight loss it is the same for anything we do in life, if you are not educated on it, it is going to be very hard to achieve.  Its going to be pretty hard to do my taxes for my own business this year if I have never done it before, but if I go to someone I trust, who has the knowledge and the experience to get a plan it will be a lot easier!

An example of what I mean.  The other day I met with a couple that were potential clients.  The meeting was mainly to help focus on designing the husband a gluten/wheat free meal plan and the wife was there to support.  As we digged a little deeper weight loss entered the picture, then constant headaches, anxiety, lack of energy, salt cravings, the appearance of aging too quickly and a list of other issues popped up and this was not all from the husband!  There was nothing out of the ordinary for this couple the typical American lifestyle of low carb-diet drinks, maybe a glass or two of water, salty snack foods, a bite to eat at a local fast food place, late night cookie attacks and not too forget the super busy work day and getting maybe five or six hours of sleep.  After chatting for nearly two hours I was able to open up the couple’s eyes to the things they were currently doing which they were unaware of and how it was causing the problems they were currently having.  (And if you guys are reading this get excited because you made a great decision and we are about to change your lives!)

I have been bouncing around with this post sorry the whole point of this was to basically say be aware of what you are doing.  Be aware of what you are putting into your body.  Most things come at a cost, be aware of what that cost is and what you can do about it.  We constantly take, take, and take in life.  We take that fast food, we take that alcoholic drink, and we take that piece of candy, that starbucks without being aware and without taking action.  That is something I teach all of my clients, know why you are doing what it is you do, from eating, exercising, walking, sitting, standing, everything.  Just be aware.  Because before you realize the consequences it may already be too late...

This is where it all starts...

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. What lies within me? I guess we shall find out...

My name is Sham Sanghera and I am certified and Degreed in Wellness, Fitness and Health and I am the CEO of Inspired Wellness.  I am embarking on many endeavors in the next few months and I would like to invite you along for the ride.  I am launching a new Fitness and Wellness company and in preparation for that I have decided to allow my clients and anyone else out there an inside look.

The purpose of this blog is to give you an inside view of my transformation both physically and from a business stand point, to be able to provide insight for some, motivation for others.  Through out my many years in Wellness I have seen and experienced many things.  I have seen and helped with many transformations using a variety of training styles.  Now it is my turn.  Now it is my turn to transform, hold myself accountable and answer to all of you.  In the past I have always stayed in pretty good shape just living a healthy lifestyle.  But as a Fitness Role Model and in preparation for the launch of my new company I have decided it is time to take it to the next level and I want all of you to witness it and even better I'd like you to join me.  I am about to launch a new HYBRID TRAINING style and Online Training Tools which I hope to incorporate in the future for clients so I figured who would be the best test dummy? ME!  I figured in order for my company to be successful I must show all of you my methods, my products, and knowledge are legit.  During the next few months I will be posting blogs and give samples of what I eat, supplementation, exercise routines, my results, my thoughts, my feelings, my triumphs and even my struggles.

I like to think outside of the box, do things with a different beat.  There are thousands of fitness companies out there claiming to be able to help people.  If you look at some of the Personal Training or fitness sites out there a lot of them are garbage and I mean that in the since that it appears they are just thrown together, just cluttered with mass amounts of text which are not organized.  You have random advertisements strewn about where the potential client can get lost.  It makes the sites lose their credibility in my opinion.  Then you have the testimonial section, which I think is a big joke, how do you know that is a real person and not the trainer himself writing? Or having his Uncle's cousin's daughter write it for him.  How do you know what happened during that clients transformation even if a real transformation took place.  Before and afters are hit or miss for some sites and trainers, they could be real and if they are how old are they?  Do I want to see what the trainer did for someone 10 years ago?  We live in a world of "what have you done for me lately" if you follow the NFL you know what I mean.  What is that trainer or company currently doing to help better someone's life? 

People want to connect with something; they want to feel and know that someone is going through what they are.  Real people offering real thoughts, feelings and emotions.  Why do you think Reality shows are so popular.

I want to try something different, instead of having testimonials after the fact, on my completed website for my company I am going to launch a "Current Client Tracker” this is going to provide insight on what MY CURRENT CLIENTS are going through, day by day, Week-by-Week, Month-by-Month.  I cannot think of a more powerful tool for a potential client to browse my blog or my site and see what my current clients are experiencing.  From there, that person can make a choice to change and sign up, or think “you know what maybe I'll wait and see how great Sham and Inspired Wellness really is and monitor "Sue" his client because she has the same exact goal that I do.”  That potential client tunes in every week and tracks "Sues" progress.

Everyone is different, and there is no one correct way to achieve your goal.  So what may work for me may not work for you.

So in order for me to provide the most useful insight as it pertains to you I have asked a few of my current clients to blog and track their current progress and current thoughts and feelings as it pertains to their training.  So if you are looking for someone to watch that may have a similar goal as yours perhaps viewing one of my clients progress will help motivate you to make a change or perhaps shed insight on how I can help you.

I figured in order to be successful in business and in life you must be able to view from multiple perspectives.  I hope to expose the tricks of some fitness companies and trainers out there for you, so whether you work with me or not at least you will be informed and not fooled into anything in the future by others.  And if I am wrong on something please call me out on it, I am not afraid to admit when I am wrong, that is how I will become stronger in my endeavors by your input.

 But I know talk is cheap, action speaks louder than words, so I will shut up now and not be one of those phony fitness gurus pushing products with poorly produced infomercials or promising 20lb weight loss in 3 weeks or claiming unsafe FAD Diets or bogus diet pills.  I'll show you what hard work, dedication and consistency looks like.  Ill show it in me and Ill show what I can do for others.  So sit back subscribe and watch our transformations.

If you have any comments from a business standpoint of what I am doing I would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.  I do not claim to know everything or claim to be the worlds greatest, this is just an Idea I had and a venue I chose, my thoughts and opinions are not being forced upon anyone, it is your choice to view this material.

Thank you,

If you have any questions or would like to take part in a transformation of your own please contact me at ShamSanghera@gmail.com