This is the time of the year where most people get concerned about weight gain. Many people get depressed because they fail to achieve unrealistic holiday goals. They eat their way through the holidays, planning to lose it all after the New Year holiday. Many New Years resolutions have their origins in what happens during the holiday season. What follows are five awesome tips that will help you get through the holidays as though there was no challenge at all.

1. Create a training schedule for the entire holiday period. The holidays are a very busy time of year. For many, this is the only time all year they meet up with extended family members. As a result, many training sessions get missed. Instead of succumbing to this, sit down now and plan every workout for the rest of this holiday period. Make them unbreakable appointments. Take into account the holiday pressures you are facing so that your plan will be bullet proof.
2. When time is an issue, emphasize weight training. The holidays cause a time crunch like no other time of the year. As you create your training schedule, be cognizant of this fact. Be sure that you emphasize weight training over cardio. Muscle keeps the metabolism running at a higher rate. It is very important that you keep all of your hard earned muscle during this time of the year. It will help offset the eating that you do during the holidays by giving your body a better chance at burning off the calories.
3. Limit alcohol consumption. Most people don’t realize how many calories alcoholic beverages add to their diet. In addition, the carbohydrates that exist in alcohol can lead to massively increased fat storage. Alcohol calories count too. You can combat the ill effects by limiting your alcohol consumption. Set limits and then stick to them. By doing so you will limit the fat gain that can occur as the result of alcohol consumption.
4. Don’t keep “trigger” foods around. We all have them—“trigger” foods that send us into binge mode. For some it is something seemingly healthy like nuts. For others it is chocolate. Whatever the food, by making sure that “trigger” foods are not kept in your home you will avoid the binging that usually accompanies them.
5. Plan your cheat days. Most experts will tell you that the road to long term nutritional compliance is paved with cheat days. We need cheat days so that we have something to look forward to. A planned cheat meal will help you get through even the toughest nutritional challenges because you will know you have something great to eat in front of you. Take advantage of this fact during the holidays. Plan your cheat days for the actual holiday itself. Don’t drastically change your plans because of the holidays, simply insert cheat days strategically. Knowing you can partake in holiday cheat meals will keep you focused on your goals.

By putting these tips into your program you will find that your focus increases and you power through your goals even during the holiday season.

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The idea of maintaining your momentum in the fitness arena is something most people don't think about. This is a key element to reaching your goals. There are far too many things that can get in the way of your momentum that the topic is one you must address if you hope to be a success at body transformation.

I woke up this morning with a severe pain in my right ankle. It was slightly swollen and extremely stiff and sore. I was not able to put too much weight on it. Because of this I had to cancel my morning training session. I took some ibuprofen, elevated the leg and put ice on it. In an hour or so the swelling came down and the pain was lessened. I then took advantage of the situation and rotated the joint to loosen it up. Things began feeling much better.

As I drove to my client I began to think about the momentum I was about to lose. I have not missed a training session since July 2011. My mind began to think of rational reasons why skipping the training was ok. Afterall, my ankle was messed up and I wasn't able to get to my normal training session. It was then that the concept hit me hard.

Yes, I had missed my “regular” training session, but there are still hours left in the day. I began to take my mental attitude in a different direction. I began to think about how I could maintain the momentum I built up already. I concluded that I will hit the gym later in the day and workout my chest and shoulders as scheduled. I won't allow this small bump in the road to stop my momentum.

The lesson to learn here is that your mental attitude is going to determine whether or not you lose momentum. By taking control of that mental attitude your will go a long way towards maintaining your momentum. I believe that nobody will argue when I say that momentum is important to progress. Don't let your mental attitude stop your momentum. When pushed off your normal path, find other ways to maintain your momentum. The more you do this the better  you will get at it. Leave me a comment about how you maintain your momentum.

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The worst part about shaving body hair for a competition is keeping it maintained. Yes, that is my personal opinion about the situation. Let me explain why.

The body is an amazing thing. It is so amazing that even when you shave off body hair it seems that 5 minutes later the hair is already starting to grow back. I am dead serious! For instance, I recently shaved the stubble off my chest area and then moved on to my arms. By the time I was done with my arms I could feel a small amount of stubble on my chest. Thus, in order to feel smooth all the time it requires that I shave just about daily.

To me, this extra work is annoying, but worth it for the end results I am trying to accomplish. It is just another lifestyle adjustment I am having to make. Becoming a bodybuilder and competing on a stage is something that requires some changes to my lifestyle. There are the obvious things like eating and training and then the less obvious things like shaving down. These things just have to happen in order for the goal to be achieved.

Some have asked why I am shaving down 5 months prior to my show. The answer is that I need to start working on the condition of my skin. The hair gets in the way of that. By shaving down now I can lotion up my skin and get it into better shape. I have also noticed that my skin is taking a bit of time (in areas) to get accustomed to the irritation of shaving on a regular basis. From what I've read, this can take some time and until such time as the skin is accustomed to the shaving there are red spots on various parts of my body. By the time of my show these will have gone away.

The entire process suits someone like me. I enjoy learning the how and the why behind the science of bodybuilding. I am lucky to have found an advisor who understands it very well and is willing to share his knowledge with me. I am not sure this would work for me any other way.

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