Ahh…..The Sweet Spot…(I feel the eyebrows raising, hummm?)… Sounds like a great place to be right? Well it is! In terms of your health and fitness, it’s the BEST place to be…it is fitness bliss.

So, what is The Sweet Spot?

The Sweet Spot is the exact right balance of all the key elements to get EXACTLY the goals you are striving for without struggle, without frustration, and all while being able to maintain a normal life. Imagine being the weight you want…having the muscles you want…running the time you want…having the strength and flexibility you want. Imagine it… Sounds euphoric right? Sounds too good to be true?  Well, it’s not…I did it and I want to help you find yours.

I will tell you up front that there is no one formula since each goal is different as is each body. There will be some trial and error. But with the right information you’ll be able to discard the dumb advice and go straight to the smart advice and find your Sweet Spot sooner.

So what are the key elements to finding your Sweet Spot?
FIRST and foremost, and I hate to sound too “new agey” but it is the MIND. You must DECIDE, unequivically, that you want it..and you want it bad. You have to DECIDE that you are sick and tired of obsessing about your weight, tired of putting off that marathon, frustrated with yourself for not signing up for the class 5 minutes from your house…just tired of it. Once you DECIDE IT, then you can have it…then your journey can begin. And once you look at it as a journey and as a life experiment, it’s actually exhilerating …except for the frustrating parts…but what do they say? If it were easy, then we’d all be super models and trophy winners.

The next 3 elements are the BODY elements, or the RESHAPIFICATION, as I like to call it.  They are your nutrition, cardio, and resistance training. The combination of these 3 key elements will be the key to YOUR Sweet Spot since they will be specific to  your body, and your goals.

Let’s break it down -
ELEMENT 1 – NUTRITION – Pretty self-explanitory – you have eat to fuel your body, to fuel your workout, and to fuel your mind. I’m going to break down the buzz words and explain why they actually are correct. We hear them so often, they begin to lose their meaning, but the meaning is important because in order to put your mind where it needs to be, you have to understand WHY you are doing it.

• Eat 5-6 Small meals a day – Why? To keep your metabolism zooming!
It’s the ol’, “throwing logs onto a fire” analogy. To keep the fire burning bright and fast, you have to keep throwing logs onto it. Once the fire is out, there’s no heat…no energy…the fire slows and dies (a metaphor for your metabolism). Not eating frequently, and enough, only tells your body – “Um…I’m pretty sure there’s no food coming for awhile so I’m gonna hang out around her hips…and on his gut. Yup…zzzzz” EAT to lose. No lie.

• Drink plenty of water – Why? To hydrate,cleanse, and trigger your body to let go of excess water.
Drinking water actually tells the body it’s ok to let go of it. When you’re dehydrated, your body tries to hold onto every last drop. Not drinking enough water can zap your workouts, your energy and even be dangerous depending on the intensity of your workout.

• Do NOT go without carbs – Why? Carbs are your energy!
They are the fuel. The key is *timing*, type of carbs, and quantity of your carbs; meaning, what kind? and at what point in the day? A sweet potato is perfect after a vigorous workout, but not so great before bed. After a workout, your body eats it up and restores your glycogen level. At bed, it goes sleepy with you.

• Eat plenty of protein – Why? Protein is your muscle-building blocks!
Whether you’re going the typical route, (chicken, fish, eggs, etc.) or you are getting your protein through non-meat sources..you need it, and lots of it to help burn fat and to grown and repair muscles.

ELEMENT 2 – CARDIO – Seems simple – but the kind and amount are key to your goals. Too much and  you burn off the muscle you worked hard to build. Too little and you won’t burn off that pesky LAYER (my kind word for fat) that acts as a cozy blanket to cover up the muscle you worked hard to build.

ELEMENT 3 – RESISTANCE – This refers to using your muscles..you have to use your muscles. But you don’t necessarily have to lift weights. You could use bands, balls, kettlebells, even your own body weight. But you have to USE  your muscles. Ever hear the term, a skinny fat person? Those are the people who do nothing but cardio. Sure, they’re thin, but they’re SOFT. There’s no muscle to plump out the skin and give it that great, tight, lean look.

Let’s do some math, shall we?

CARDIO + NUTRITION – RESISTANCE = SOFT

RESISTANCE + CARDIO – NUTRITION = LAYER

RESISTANCE – CARDIO+ NUTRITION = also, LAYER

RESISTANCE + CARDIO + NUTRITION = TIGHT AND LEAN…yeah!

SO there you have it. These elements are key to any sport, or fitness gain. The right mix will have YOU sitting smack in the middle of YOUR Sweet Spot in no time!