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Let's Get Started

Introduction – Let’s get Started

This book is all about one simple philosophy:  Weight Management (while incorporating as much Health as someone will allow you to…) What follows is a list of Frequently Asked Questions and Long Term keys to success.  We have had the honor of working with thousands of people in the arena of weight loss and have accumulated all the questions we hear repeatedly.  We hope that this helps to dispel many of the myths and much of the confusion that surrounds Weight Management.  There are consistencies to what it takes to be successful and unfortunately we have found consistencies in failure too.  IFS WMS has tried to provide you with an efficient means to choose a realistic goal and stay on course. 

Weight management is a simple five word strategy:  Eat Less and Move More. The key to long term fat loss is to create an energy deficit while giving yourself as much health as you can stand.  The IFS WMS philosophy for weight management is R.P.M. A à B (Realistic, Palatable and Maintainable) and incorporates three easy to remember bullets:

1.     Make “Better Bad Food Choices”

2.     Surprise Exercise

3.     Minimize Damage

Properly managing your expectations with realistic short and long term goal setting is one of the important keys to your success. Many times we set goals for ourselves that are too aggressive taking an “All or None” approach.  Although we are very aggressive from the start the road we choose is usually too difficult to maintain.  This generally leads to the viscous cycle of start and stops dieting and exercise fads.  Setting short term goals is especially important because long terms goals do not allow us to celebrate achievement along the way, thus leaving us feeling discouraged.  This book is based on the long term principle “because you can do it and keep doing it, makes it the right plan for you”.    

 

Through our IFS WMS you will come to realize that getting to your goals is not as difficult as popular marketing tells you but it also does not happen as quickly.  It is not necessary to be so restrictive and hard on your self both physically and mentally.  The reality is that life gets in the way sometimes.  A plan that incorporates “life’s little pleasures” and does not punish you for eating a ‘banished’ food or missing a workout will ultimately be more successful than one that focuses on “good” and “bad” or “right” or “wrong”.  There is no magic and there is no one thing that you can do or not do that will bring the success that you crave.

 

In order for us to get to the bottom of what works, we must realize that everything works! But what is optimal for one person is different for everyone else.  Just as we all have different careers, values and preferences, etc… we all will have different eating and exercise plans.

 

EVERYTHING works and then it stops working.  The workout that allowed us to lose 10 Lbs., the bottle of pills that temporarily shed a few more, the restrictive diet that ended up being way too hard to follow; all of these methods are a short-term fix to a long-term goal.

 

 

The first lesson is: CONSITENCY.  Consistency can be achieved by following Realistic, Palatable and Maintainablestrategies for long-term results.  This is the cornerstone of the IFS WMS weight loss philosophy.

 

In the long run you are free to choose what you do or do not do.  The decisions you make and the habits that you form determine your outcome. That means that you are in control, you are responsible for your actions.  This is both a powerful and an empowering statement. The lesson is:  You CONTROL of your environment; your environment does not have control over you.

 

Finally, the third lesson is: PLAN.  You have to be aware of your surroundings and make a plan that is realistic for you. Any good plan has a direct route and an infinite number of alternate routes.  We all know that perfection does not exist, so stop trying to hold yourself to the perfect plan.  You ultimately will fail.  For long term success, I recommend that you think in terms of “better bad” not perfect.  Look for ways to enjoy life's little pleasures but be accountable for your actions.  Look for ways to move more during the day, not only in the gym but at the office and at home as well.  Most importantly, stay positive.  Remember that one meal does not “blow it” and missing one workout does not destroy your week or make it impossible to achieve the goal that you chose.

 

Let’s get started. 

Robert Devito

Incredible Weekend

What an outstanding weekend I had just a few weeks back. I'm still digesting all sixty hours that I took in. The event was called Unleash The Power Within hosted by Tony Robbins, and it took place in Secaucus New Jersey at the Meadowlands Expo Center. Over four thousands people lined up every morning for four days, and hesitated to leave 15 hours later. Tony Robbins is a man that has taken on a very rewarding mission in his life to study human behavior in all aspects, and he passionately delivers his knowledge outwards to better the lives of anyone he encounters. 

Over the weekend I thought and acted like I never would of thought. I hugged over one hundred people that once where strangers and soon they became friends. I danced, jumped, and clapped like I just won the big lotto. This didn't just go on for a couple of minutes but for hours at end. I was in peak state. I fought huge emotions battles that I had never faced, and I won each battle over the weekend. I did not back down.

Being on the edge of my chair for 15 hour days learning as much as I could. I learned how to turn my fear into power and how to transcend that onto others. I didn't just learn, but I used tools and exercises to train it. The opening night I took on a huge fear of many and that was to walk on fire. I learned cutting edge business strategies and overcoming today's economy through knowledge. I had a life changing day on the third day as I learned what made me do the things I do. I went from tears to laughs in an instant. I created a new blueprint in which to live by. I was not the only one as I looked around the room in amazement as I witnessed over four thousand people experiencing to some degree the same emotions I was feeling. We all changed our outlook. On the last day we dove into nutrition, and once again had another eye opener as we uncovered many truths that have been hidden. Over four days the biggest lesson I learned was if you want change take massive action and do it now. 

People ask me what was it like, and the best answer I think I have came up with, is it was a mental detox. They ask if I will go back to how I was, and if I'm just on a high right now. It has been close to three weeks now, and I feel like I'm only getting started. Each day is getting reinforced by my behaviors and my emotions and beliefs are getting stronger. Before the event I felt great. Now I feel outstanding. I highly recommend Unleash the Power within event to anyone that wants more.

Bryan Morgan

Free2Play

Last week I left for Adrian, Michigan as part of my internship at the Gray Institute. I have been in an ongoing internship studying Applied Functional Science. Since I have come home my family and friends(clients) have been asking me what I learned and how was the experience. To say the least I had trouble communicating what the experience was like. When I arrived in Adrian I thought I was on a journey of AFS. A goal to continue my education towards human movement science and how I can benefit my clients back home and enhance my business. What I came to realize was there was a much larger message being sent by the Institute. Yes the knowledge they were giving was world-class, but the message is use this knowledge to change the world. If one has the gift to get another individual out of pain, to move better, to move freely - then you are giving the gift of play. Free2Play The discussion that has left images and thoughts in my head since I left was Free2Play. What began was a discussion of an on going problem our country faces today. * That today's youth will be the first generation that lives sicker and dies earlier then their parents. * That childrens self worth has never been lower based on the standards our society puts on them. *Their is an ongoing suicide problem for children 8-12 years old. We were then introduced to Free2Play. Free2Play is a movement education program designed to enable the bodies, enhance the minds, and unlock the potential of the youth across the world. Free2Play is intended to supplement traditional physical education programs by using a powerful and integrated distance learning strategy, therefore creating encouraging environments where kids engage in variety of interactive, progressive experiences that foster and enhance learning through movement. Success in these experiences creates more success by building upon the “literacy of movement.” Every Kid is Gifted → Free2Play Reveals It! Every Kid is Athletic → Free2Play Proves It! Every Kid is Unique → Free2Play Develops It! Every Kid is Driven → Free2Play Directs It! Every Kid is Vital → Free2Play Engages It! Free2Play utilizes “Matrix Plays” (structured lesson plans delivered in DVD format) in teaching functional exercises – fundamental, enhancement, and skilling movements. Each Matrix Play is an experience in and of itself. Kids not only learn three-dimensional exercises, but also truths and principles derived from physical, biological, and behavioral sciences, as well as associated sign language. The learned functional exercises are integrated into real life activities and play. Also, exercises are employed in class settings in a variety of ways. Free2Play teaches that individual health is comprised of “fitness” and “vitality.” Free2Play encourages and empowers kids to “Play it Forward” – to leverage their efforts of becoming physically fit, as well as vital, in coaching and encouraging family and friends, as well as raising funds in order to serve others .. so that everyone can be free to play! The showcase of Free2Play is a Freedom Festival – the ultimate experience in which all athletes “show off” to the community what they have learned about the literacy of movement, as well as the culmination of the fundraising efforts. In essence, “Physical Movement” drives “Social Movement,” resulting in raising funds that are donated to Free2Play. The donations generated by Free2Play are allocated to global, regional, and local initiatives / organizations to fight slavery, illness, and hunger, in order to enhance the wellbeing of kids near and far. When I go back to the Institute In July, I will be taking part in Free2Play. Over 1100 children will be there demonstrating the skills of movement. I can only hope I can add as much encouragement to the children as they will to me. Below you can see a short video on Free2Play. Click here for a video on Free2Play