Healthy-fitness delivered.    And … for a lifetime.  That’s our mission.

Our method is remarkable. It’s a G.R.E.A.T. way to realize your lifetime health & fitness goals and desires.

Make it real … keep it real!

Something very simple, but vital, that I have learned over the years is this: fitness intentions, ideas, books, clubs, DVDs, classes, and programs have no practical value until they are consistently put into practice by YOU … and for a lifetime!

Most fitness ventures don’t last a lifetime. “Yo-yo diets” and “Yo-yo exercise classes” have no lasting value! Only a perfectly fitting personal program can bear lifelong results. That’s reality. It makes real sense when you think about it. Have you achieved your personal best level of health & fitness yet? Would you like to??

How do you create vitality, health and fitness along with an improved appearance?

At first, as a new Exercise Physiologist, armed with all the research and data gleaned from a couple of years of graduate school and a lifetime of athletics and weightlifting, I thought the key to fitness was exercise. I came to see, however, that exercise is indeed a key, but only one.

While I found that exercise alone gave a myriad of inner health results (I’ve seen many remarkable improvements in blood profiles and fitness levels with exercise alone), in order to see visible change you need to lose fat. And, everyone wanted visible changes. So, I developed and added a nutrition component to my programs. Fat loss through nutrition changes became the key to looking better, even more than “pumping up” the muscle. I coined the phrase years ago, “Your fork is your Chisel!”. For most “a little overweight” adults great eating is the best way to shape your body. Along with consistent exercise, fat loss through great nutrition is another key to total fitness.

But then, as years passed as I continued my mission, something else came into view …  the value of long-term success.

I was lucky to have many client-members stay with my program for years (now I have many who have been with our program for 10-23 years). Yet I saw so many others do one class or program after the other only to give it up and return to former unhealthy levels. (Can you actually see yourself in that same fitness class a dozen years from now?)

And then I saw the programs themselves come and go. The latest fads, the latest workouts, all the amazing promises, all the remarkable testimonies … all gone! 

That’s not good. And  since goodness is what I am after, I continue to strive to find ways to make fitness last – for a lifetime. The excitement and energy of “a new thing” can carry you for awhile. (That’s why I think it’s fair to say that “most diets succeed – and most diets fail”. Both are true. Its just that the former applies to the short-term, and the latter applies to the long-term.)

So … the missing link,  the missing key is lasting “health behavior change”. What do we need? What has real VALUE? Proper exercise, proper nutrition … and the method to do that for a lifetime.

Here’s our solution: It’s partly an analysis of why many of our client-members have stayed with us for over a decade and more – and why some have not. It’s partly behavioral science. And, it’s a continual learning process.  After 24 years of continuous service, here’s our method so far …

Our Method

We have a  G.R.E.A.T.  method to deliver and help you sustain the thousands of valuable benefits of healthy fitness in your life. As we’ve said, without consistent delivery, the rest is just window dressing.

G: Guidance. You need to know what to do. Professional guidance is essential to any great program.

Adult fitness, being a specialty area, requires very specific guidance. It’s pretty safe for kids to just go out and play, and for adolescents and twenty years olds, and even perhaps some 30 year olds, to do intense group classes or pre-programmed camps. But for those over 40, personal evaluation and initial instruction are prudent for both safety and effectiveness. We need “fitness for grown-ups”.

R: Relationships. This is BIG – perhaps the biggest asset you need for long-term results. With the rare exceptions, you can’t do it alone.  It seems like you could, and likely you’ve tried, but history speaks differently. You need companionship, committed and structured support for  the  lifelong journey. Lasting fitness relationships make for lasting fitness. Don’t try this at home alone! Try to find the most committed, supportive  and lasting relationships you can. And, one great option is to have your own personal Lifestyle Fitness Coach.

E: Enjoyment. If you don’t find some enjoyment, at least some, in your exercise and eating programs you will never stay with them long-term. You just won’t (again with the exception of those rare few). We talk about creating and implementing a great, healthy lifestyle – with an emphasis on style!

You have to like the program, the people, the place, and it has to fit you. (And for the long-term success, it has to fit really well.)

A: Accountability. Measured accountability is perhaps the second biggest factor in long-term success – right behind supportive fitness relationships. I learned this from many of my successful business clients.  What gets measured gets done.

I resisted that reality for two reasons. First, it seemed like I was “checking up” on people which seemed demeaning. We both know what they need to do. Right? Just do it!

The second factor is that it takes time, and more time means I have to charge more money – which I didn’t like to do. Especially since higher monthly costs can be a barrier to the goal of long-term fitness. The higher the cost, the harder it is to put that into your ongoing monthly budget.

But now, because it is so important for lasting success, I include the accountability factor in all of my programs. It can make all the difference.

T: Time. Healthy living takes time! Fitness takes time. It has to be a top priority or lack of time alone will undermine the whole program.

And here’s another key we have found: A regularly scheduled appointment! Yes, you have to schedule the time! Being open 24 hours just won’t do it. You need 1 hour – a scheduled one.

I read a quote from Douglas Brooks many years ago that seemed like it couldn’t be true. He’s got a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science, too, but with a little more experience then me at the time he said, “The most important thing I give my client is a scheduled appointment time.”

I had just spent 2 years in graduate school studying from morning to night six days a week learning an amazing amount of exercise science and wellness – as he had done. How could “the appointment time” be the most important and valuable thing? Really?

Well, now I know what he means. Professional guidance is important, but to get it done, the appointment time is magic! It is so powerful. All of our sessions are scheduled as appointments. How could we leave “the most important thing” out? What gets scheduled and what gets measured … gets done. Now I’m a believer!

I hope yo can appreciate the value our Method. We apply it to all of our programs as we strive to make safe, effective, and lasting fitness success a real part of the life of our client-members. Will you join us?

Call or email me for more information and a complimentary personal consultation.

Randy@LifestyleAndFitness.org   (949) 443-9355