Apr 23, 2013

          Hi Team Dragon Fit! I’m back!!! Well, to be honest, I never really left.  Sorry I have not been posting new content on this site for a long time.  I, like so many others, have unfortunately let “life” get in the way. It started when I opened our new family restaurant at the end of September last year.  For those that have never run a restaurant before, just take a look at the TV Show “Restaurant Impossible” to get a flavor of all the drama that occurs behind the scenes!  LOL!  The good news is that I am committed to living a fit lifestyle so I continued to work out daily, bring it on nutrition, and have been logging in daily to our private “Group Challenge” Facebook page that I have been leading for accountability.  The great news is that several “Dragons” on our team have been bringing it hard and are close to hitting their goals, which as a coach, makes me SUPER proud! Just as I felt things getting more in control, “life” threw me a big curve!  Actually, it felt more like “life” slammed me into a brick wall!  Just the day after a great Thanksgiving celebration with my parents and all my family, I got the dreaded phone call from my sister.  She said to hurry because our dad just had a stroke and was in the hospital.  It was one of the toughest moments in my life.  The first weeks were the hardest because the doctors were not able to know the extent of the brain damage. It would take time.  At one point, the doctor told me in private that he was unsure if my father would ever walk or talk again.  My heart sank. The one thing I want to say to everyone is to be sure to take care of yourselves! Eat right and exercise! In the end, all we have is our health.   It was scary to see my father, who is someone that I have looked up to my entire life as a very strong man, to be in the hospital.  I volunteered to stay all night with...

Sep 2, 2012

  Hi Team Dragon Fit, Hope you are all having a great weekend and that you are ‘crushing” both your workouts and your nutrition! This is my 3rd summer living in Reno, Nevada.  We are finally finding many more fun places to take our children out to play and swim. I have especially enjoyed taking my kids to splash around in the Truckee River that runs along downtown Reno.  It’s a shame I didn’t find this spot sooner!  It’s a ton of fun to let the kids splash about and the best part of all is that it is totally free! For all my friends who are keeping tabs on my family restaurant business (Peg’s Glorified Ham n Eggs), I am proud to announce that we will be opening our fourth location in Sparks near Reno in late September!  I will be in charge of opening and running this new location.  As you can imagine, it takes a lot of work to open a new restaurant.  I may be crazy busy right now, but I promise you all that I am taking the time to make sure I work out everyday and I hope that you all do too!   CHALLENGE GROUP UPDATE: For many of us that started on the same date, we are almost at our 30 day mark.  The group is going strong and everyone is pushing play on their programs and making great progress.  I am doing Body Beast and I am loving this program.  I just transitioned from the beginning “Build” phase, to the “Bulk” phase.  If you would like to join us, this group is open to everyone. The only requirement is that you post daily your nutrition and workout.  If you are interested, go to facebook and click “join group” at: http://www.facebook.com/groups/TeamDragonFit/  If you are not quite ready to make the plunge into a Challenge Group, that is alright.  Please feel free to ask me questions any time.  I am always here to help!   RECENT POST: 1) “Is This YOUR Time?” http://teamdragonfit.com/motivation/is-this-your-time/   AND 2 FAVORS I ASK: 1) If you like the hard work I put into writing my articles and content, PLEASE help me out by sharing them. Click the share links below them...

Aug 13, 2012

  Hi Team Dragon Fit! Is this YOUR time?  This is something I ask people I coach from time to time.  Have you decided?  Are you unsure?  It is a simple question.  The interesting thing is that how you answer says volumes about how well you will do on your fitness journey. Everyone these days seems to be looking for a quick fix to their health problems.  “6 Minute Abs” and all those fancy gadgets that appear on TV all give a promise of quick results.  I’ve seen them and even bought some of them over the years.  Have you?  How were your results? The problem is that people who are looking for a quick fix, have not realized that there is no magic pill, no detour sign, and no simple shortcut to changing their lives. It takes hard work, dedication, and a commitment.  Period.  I have coached many people and I have seen many say that they really want to improve their health, but once it starts getting tough, they fizzle out.  I sometimes talk to my wife at night about what I could have done differently to help these people.  She said something to me once that really resonated with me.  She said, “Don’t worry, honey.  It was just not their time.” That statement spoke volumes to me.  The light bulb finally went off in my head.  No matter how bad I want to help others reach their fitness goals, the challenge is that some people have not decided that it is “their time” yet.  I often say to people that “I am just an ORDINARY guy, who got EXTRAORDINARY results, with these AMAZING programs”.  I really feel that way.  I’m just an ordinary guy.  Nothing special.  The difference for me, though, was that I decided it was MY TIME!  When I turned 40 years old, I just decided that enough was enough.  No more excuses! That meant working out when I didn’t want to.  That meant saying “no” to friends and family when they pressured me to eat fatty or sugary foods.  That meant having the courage to say “no” to alcohol at social events.  That meant changing my diet and including healthier foods like Shakeology.  That meant keeping the promise to myself that...

Aug 11, 2012

Hi Team Dragon Fit, Hope you are all having a great weekend and that you are ‘crushing” both your workouts and your nutrition!   CHALLENGE GROUP STARTED ON AUGUST 6TH We started our 2nd Challenge Group on August 6th. As of now, there are 5 of us. We have two “bringing it” with P90x, one “digging deep” on Insanity, and one getting “pumped up” on Les Mills Pump. Of course, I am “beasting up” on Body Beast! LOL! We may all be on different programs and schedules, but the great thing is that we are all there plugging in daily to motivate and support one another. This group is open to everyone. If you are interested in joining, go to facebook and click “join group” at: http://www.facebook.com/groups/TeamDragonFit/   BEST BREAKFAST IN RENO 2012 I love August every year! It is this time of the year that they announce the “Best” of Reno in many different categories. My family restaurant business won the “Best Breakfast” category for the last 10 years running. It is a very important award because it is voted on by local customers. I am proud to announce that we have won this prestigious title again! This year’s rankings are listed at: http://www.newsreview.com/reno/food-drink/content?oid=7086222   SUMMER On a personal note, my wife and I are starting to plan a lot of outdoor activities to enjoy for the kids. My kids are on a “track” system here and that means they have 2 months of school, and then have a whole month off. For August, it is an “off” month. It is tough on both them and the parents because they tend to get a little stir crazy! LOL! So, last week we went to the Truckee River in Reno for the first time and let the kids splash about. They had a ball! This weekend we are going to a water park. The great thing about living a fit lifestyle is that you have a ton more energy to do fun things with the kids! So, I hope you are all enjoying these summer days as much as we are!   SEE NEW POSTS FOR THIS WEEK: 1) “5 P’s” http://teamdragonfit.com/motivation/5-ps/ 2) “Pre-Workouts (PWOs)” http://teamdragonfit.com/supplements/pre-workouts-pwos/...

Aug 9, 2012

Grazing!  How many of you are grazers?  Yep, I used to be.  As some of you know, I manage one of the most successful breakfast restaurants in Reno, Nevada. Food is around me at all times!  I know I am very biased (because I work here), but I got to tell you that our food is amazingly delicious! The fact that we have been voted the “Best Breakfast” in Reno for the last 10 years in a row means that many others agree with me!  LOL! People ask me all the time “How did you lose all that weight?”  I always reply, “I lost it eating at least 2 of my meals a day here at my restaurant and doing P90x”.  People are always skeptical that I lost my weight working in my restaurant.  But, it is true. It was not as hard you think. The key was I needed to start counting calories and planning which items I would eat ahead of time.  People do not realize that almost every restaurant has a ton of healthy ingredients (egg whites, fruits, vegetables, wheat bread, etc.) to make almost any meal.  The problem is that people do not take the time to ask their server. The hardest part for me initially was sticking to my meal plans.  Being a food “grazer” was my natural tendency.  I would walk by the kitchen and grab a couple slices of bacon, then I would walk by again and grab a couple more.  If some toast popped up in the toaster I would grab that too.  Walk by a soda fountain, then grab a quick drink of Pepsi.  You get the idea. I told myself that those little snack bites won’t hurt me  I used to wonder how I ever got to weigh almost 300 lbs.  Now, I know why.  As I always joke, the reason was because I worked so hard at it! LOL!  I must have consumed thousands of calories a day without even thinking about it and that was in addition to 3 large meals a day too. If your goal is to lose weight, then you need to stop being a “grazer”!  It’s hard at first.  Food is a great...

Aug 8, 2012

            Hi Team Dragon Fit! How many of you can relate to this picture above?  I sure could.  Now, I am proud to be able to say I am living a fit lifestyle.  This is something I could not claim two years ago.  One thing I have learned it is a journey and not a destination. I started P90x at 275 lbs. over a year and a half ago. It was rough.  I couldn’t do many of the moves.  I struggled, but I MODIFIED, MODIFIED, and MODIFIED.  Finally, I was able to get through the workouts. As tough as P90x was, my biggest hurdle was not exercise, but food.  I joke with people all the time that it was no surprise that I weighed almost 300lbs. because “I was working so hard at it!”  I was on the “SEE-FOOD” diet plan.  I would “see” any “food” and eat it!  LOL!  In short, no matter how hard I tried to workout, nutrition was my downfall.  Truth be told, I can now admit that I had a VERY bad relationship with food. Although I am in the best shape of my life now, it can still be difficult.  It took me a while but I figured out that I had to change my relationship with food.  For the “Old Fred”, food was ALWAYS there for me!  If I was stressed out, I could count on food to make me feel better.  If I had a bad day, it would magically appear on my doorstop in the shape of an extra large pizza!  Food would put a smile on my face.   I bet some of you who struggle with weight loss can really relate to what I am saying. So, when I look back, I kind of looked at food as my friend.  It was ALWAYS there for me and NEVER judged me.  When I turned 40, I decided enough was enough.  I finally admitted to myself that I had to turn my “bad” relationship with food into a “good” one.  I didn’t know how.  That is when I read cover to cover the nutrition guide included in my P90x program. I started implementing the strategies.  The first step...

Aug 7, 2012

          Hi Team Dragon Fit! See my post yesterday on the 5p’s.  For me, I have always said that first thing in the morning is the best time to workout.  In that way, I don’t have any excuses to miss it later in the day and let “life” get in the way.  Also, I always feel a sense of accomplishment after finishing a workout.  What a great way to start your day on a positive note! I won’t lie, it can be hard at times.  Especially, since I have 3 little kids, I might have been up late the night before getting them water or taking them to the bathroom, putting them back to bed after a bad dream, etc.  If your a parent, then you know the drill!  LOL! There were many mornings when I got up to push play with only 3 hours sleep.  It was tough.  Real tough!  Luckily, I learned about Pre-Workouts (PWO’s).  I have been using Beachbody’s Energy & Endurance (E&E).  I started taking this about 4 months ago and I got to say it is an excellent way to help give you a boost in the morning.  Well, you might be saying, can’t I just drink a Red Bull or drink some coffee?  You could, but you are also getting a lot of extra calories and sugars that you don’t need.  Also, a lot of people can’t help but add a lot of sugar and cream to their coffee which makes it very unhealthy.  The great thing about Beachbody’s E&E is that it has only 20 calories per serving and has no artificial ingredients or sweeteners.  Also, I like that there is no “crashing” later that you experience after drinking sodas or energy drinks. So, every morning before a hard workout (especially lift days and Insanity cardio days), I take 2 scoops and mix it in water as soon as I get up.  I usually wait about 20 mins to 30 minutes by doing some light stretching.  Then, I hit play.  I notice that after about 30 minutes I can feel it starting to hit my system.  It just helps lift that fog you feel...

Aug 6, 2012

            Hi Team Dragon Fit! Have you heard of the The 5 P’s?  It stand for: PROPER PLANNING PREVENTS POOR PERFORMANCE! As many of you know, I recommend doing morning workouts if you can. Getting it done first thing in the morning helps avoid all those problems of letting “life” get in the way throughout the day It was not was not easy for me to get in the routine of waking up at 5am to push play everyday. Especially, I tend to be a night owl and always seem to get a second wind when I finally get my last child to fall asleep.  You know how it goes.  You start reading or watching a movie, etc. and before you know it, it is already midnight!  Ouch!  Now getting up the next day at 5am seems so much harder. Then, the snooze alarm goes off multiple times.   You drag yourself out of bed. You go digging for your workout clothes, socks, and shoes.  You get your DVD out and start setting it up. You pour yourself a glass of water.  You search for the proper workout sheet and pen.  You start putting your weights and pull up bars in place.  Whew!  Now your tired again and want to go back to bed. I’ve been there MANY times when I first started on my fitness journey. If you want to commit to getting your workouts done first thing in the morning, I have learned a little trick. The key is to get all your things ready the night before so you don’t go fumbling around the next day looking for them.  To avoid this, I make sure all my workout stuff is ready to go before going to bed. In that way, the alarm goes off and I am starting to hit play in the next few minutes and not the next half hour. Do your best to make your life easier and not harder.  If you do, you’ll find out that morning workouts are a real pleasure and not so stressful. Here’s to your health! Keep “bringing it”! -Coach Fred          ...

Aug 4, 2012

            Hi Team Dragon Fit! Hope you are all doing well and “crushing” your workouts and nutrition. I am excited to start Body Beast on Monday. It is a whole new program for me and I can’t wait to see the results I will get. I am taking my customary week break after finishing my last round.  I take a week off after each round to relax, recharge my batteries, and then get my mind right to “bring it” again for another round! In my post “Are You Sore?” I wrote this week, I mention that I tweaked my shoulder a bit a few weeks back.  I am feeling better but I am really taking the extra time this week to stretch my shoulder muscles and work on getting the kinks out before I start pushing play on Body Beast.  It’s important to ALWAYS listen to your body and MODIFY, MODIFY, MODIFY when you need to! CHALLENGE GROUP STARTING MONDAY AUGUST 6TH: Don’t forget that our challenge group officially starts on Monday August 6th. I will set up a private Facebook page and your only requirement is to post daily your workouts and nutrition. If you want results, this higher level of accountabiliity will help you get them! If you are interested email me at fred@teamdragonfit.com.  It officially starts on August 6th, but if you would like to join at any time, just let me know.   SEE NEW POSTS FOR THIS WEEK: 1) “Bring It” http://teamdragonfit.com/motivation/bring-it/ 2) “Body Beast Is Here!” http://teamdragonfit.com/workouts/body-beast/ 3) “Tips For Eating Healthy When Eating Out” http://teamdragonfit.com/pegs-healthy-picks/tips-for-eating-healthy-when-eating-out/ 4) “Team Dragon Fit Challenge Group Starts Aug. 6th!” http://teamdragonfit.com/motivation/team-dragon-fit-challenge-group-starts-aug-6th/ 5) “Are You Sore or Injured?” http://teamdragonfit.com/workouts/are-you-sore/   AND 2 FAVORS I ASK: 1) If you like the hard work I put into writing my articles and content, PLEASE help me out by sharing them. Click the share links below them and share them on FB, twitter, etc. It really helps me get more exposure and grow Team Dragon Fit! 2) Also, as always, remember that the way I benefit from being your coach is that I earn a commission from any Beachbody products that you purchase, as long...

Aug 3, 2012

Are you feeling sore or injured? I sure am! I just finished another round of P90x and I unfortunately tweaked my right shoulder a little bit. Ouch! It hurt at first. I did it a few weeks back. Luckily, it is not major but it definitely effected my ability to do the workouts. So, what to do? If you would have asked the “old Fred”, the answer would have been a simple “quit working out”. I would have not hesitated quitting. But, the “new Fred” is a different person. The “new Fred” doesn’t give up so easily. This reminds me of something Tony Horton said when he hurt his bicep muscle a little while back. He said, “If the top is broken, work on the bottom. If the bottom is broken, work on the top. If the top and bottom are broken, work on the core.”. The key is to not let anything stand in your way. Modify, modify, modify. Just prior to hurting my shoulder, I was crushing my workouts.  I was up on all weights and reps.  After my shoulder felt hurt, I couldn’t do many of the moves.  It was so frustrating.  I decided to leave my ego behind and modify my moves so I could complete the workouts with my injury. If it was pull ups, I used a chair assist. If my arm hurt doing push ups, I would do them on my knees. I even lowered my weights on all my exercises. The key was to not let my injury get in the way of making progress. Another thing I have learned on my fitness journey is that some soreness and injuries can be fixed with massaging the sore area.  I still had the foam roller from my round of P90x2 so I took it out, dusted it off, and got to work on massaging my shoulder. After about an hour my shoulder felt better, but the funny thing was that not until I worked on the surrounding muscles (bicep, triceps, and chest muscles) that the soreness in my shoulders subsided. The human body is so amazing.  All the muscles are connected like a chain.  My whole body was cramping up. Once I worked on the surrounding...

Aug 2, 2012

Hi Team Dragon Fit! Are you ready for a challenge?  Then join our “Dragon Challenge”!  Our last Challenge Group finished last Sunday.  We are taking a week off and beginning a new one on August 6th. What is a Challenge Group?  Simply, it is taking your workouts, nutrition and accountability to a higher level!  I create a “private” Facebook page where only members that I accept can join our Challenge Group and only “active” members can read and send posts.  Trust me that I have been doing this for a while and it is completely private and secure. You only have 3 requirments if you join this group:  1) you make me your Beachbody coach, 2) you use a Beachbody program, and 3) post daily the workout you completed and your nutrtition. As your Beachbody coach, I will be there right alongside you posting daily too and offering tips and motivation.  If you have questions, I will be there to answer them. What if you are doing a different program or have already started a program before August 6th?  No problem.  The great thing about this challenge is that I do not require all of us to use the same program or be on the same schedule.  As for myself, I’ll be pushing play everyday with the new Beachbody program called Body Beast.  My only goal is to provide an environment where we support and motivate each other.  I have been pushing play for over a year and a half and I can tell you that I got better results when I kicked up my accountability with a Challenge Group. The key component is that you have a Beachbody program (like P90x, Insanity, Les Mills Pump, etc.) and follow the program’s schedule and nutrition plan.  This may sound simple, but it is not. This challenge is only for those that are committed to making a real change in their lives.   This challenge is for those that want to leave all excuses behind.  This challenge is for those that want to commit to finishing something they start. I get asked all the time, how I got my results.  I’ll share with you right now my BIG, BIG secret!  I simply decided that enough was enough!  I bought a Beachbody...

Aug 1, 2012

Hi Team Dragon Fit! As some of you know, my “day job” is managing my family restaurant. I get asked all the time by customers who witnessed me losing 100lbs., “How did you lose all that weight?”. I always smile and tell them I actually lost the weight eating two of my meals every day at my restaurant.  They usually find that hard to believe. The key to losing weight is to be smart when you eat out. It took some trial and error but I learned several things on my weight loss journey that I would like to share with you. Here are 9 tips that will help you keep on track when you decide to eat out: 1. Request a cooking spray Oil has a lot of calories and not every restaurant has a spray like Pam available, so you’ll need to check. In fact, before I started eating healthier, my restaurant didn’t. Cooks hate to use a cooking spray because oil cooks food faster. I started using it for all my meals and got great results. Now, I make it available for my customers too. 2. Ask for steamed vegetables This one is easy. Almost every restaurant has some veggies. The key is to ask for them steamed and be sure to say no oil or butter added. 3. Eat lots of egg whites Luckily, I work in a breakfast restaurant. Eggs are everywhere! The great thing about egg whites is that they are high in protein and have zero fat and zero carbs. Cook them with a spray (see point one), then you have a perfect item for a low carb diet! 4. Ask for a to-go box at the beginning of your meal and put half your meal away Wow, you just got a 2-for-1 meal! 5. Skip the mayo or special sauce It’s tough, but who needs the extra calories, right? 6. Add hot sauce to any dish I used to hate hot sauces, but now knowing that many of them have ZERO calories, I now love them! 7. Substitute sliced tomatoes, salad, pico de gallo, cottage cheese or fruit instead of hash browns I love my restaurant’s hash...

Jul 31, 2012

          Hi Team Dragon fit! As some of you already know, I am super pumped to be getting ready for this new program called Body Beast! Take a look at the video below!     I just finished another round of P90x and I continue to believe it is one of the best all-around programs to get in shape and stay that way. My new goal is to start bulking up and there is already a lot of buzz around this new program called Body Beast. I am super excited to be starting it in a week on Aug. 6. So, like all new programs I start, I spend time first reviewing the videos ahead of time. In that way, I can sample some of the moves and get mentally prepared. Then, when August 6th hits, I can spend more time “crushing” the workouts instead of trying to learn them. I recommend you do the same when you start a new program. Don’t forget! I am starting a new Challenge Group on August 6th! If you would like to join, email me at fred@teamdragonfit.com. Here’s to your health! Keep “bringing it”! Or as Sagi Kalev says, “Do whatever it takes!” -Coach...

Jul 30, 2012

Hi Team Dragon Fit! If you are already a member of Team Dragon Fit, then you are probably accustomed to me using the term “bring it”!  It is one of my favorite lines I use because it is something that Tony Horton (the creator of P90x) says during the P90x routines. For myself, this term has grown to have special meaning and significance.  It has power for me.  When I am struggling during a workout or lacking motivation I tell myself to “bring it”.  It lights a fire in my belly. P90x is an extreme program and you have to be willing to “bring it” with all your intensity if you want to keep up with the pace of the videos. It might be challenging and humbling at first.  It was for me.  I started a year and a half ago weighing 275 lbs. (which ironically was light for me back then), and my goal was not to keep up with the video, my goal was just to survive it!  LOL! A year and a half later, I am now crushing the videos!  Does that mean I take it easy?  No!  If you really dig deep and push yourself to “bring it”, then even the simplest moves can become more challenging.  To this day, I still use pen and paper and write all my reps and weights down.  In that way, I can push myself to do more next time. I challenge you to take a look at your workouts and be honest with yourself.  Are you “bringing it” with every thing you got?  It is easy to just show up and go through the motions.  It is easy to hit the pause button.  It is easy to take a break and tie your shoe laces during the toughest moves.  These are all “silent cheats”.  I challenge you to to try and push yourself every time and not settle. Here’s to your health and hoping that you “bring it” in your workouts and your nutrition! – Coach...

Jul 29, 2012

Hi Team Dragon Fit! Hope you are doing well and “Bringing It” your workouts and your nutrition! It’s been a while since I have done a Coach Check In!  There is a lot that’s been going on.  Here is a recap: P90X CHALLENGE: Today marks the end of the 90 day challenge.   Everyone joined with different backgrounds and goals, but it was great to see everyone pushing play and being supportive.  I think Challenge Groups are a great way to push yourself with a higher level of accountability.  If you missed out on this last challenge or would like to continue your journey, see the next point…. NEW CHALLENGE GROUP STARTING AUG. 6: The last challenge was focused on P90x. I love p90x and I think it is one of the best all-around programs.  Some expressed that they would love the idea of joining the group, but they are in different programs because of different goals.  To make this work for a larger group, I would like to start a Group Challenge for everyone! That’s right! You pick your program and even your start date. I picked Aug. 6 because that is when I am starting my next Round.  If you want to start later and then join us, that is fine too.  The only requirement is that you post daily your completed workout and you daily food intake.  Trust me that this higher level of accountability will push you.  Also, I will be logging in everyday too and be ready to answer any questions. Not to worry, it will be a “private” Facebook group so no one else will see our discussion.  Only active members that I allow into the group can post or see what is going on.  If you want to join just let me know.  If you have friends, family, or coworkers who might be interested to join, please pass this on to them too. BODY BEAST: Today is my last day of p90x (for a while). As many of you know, I have been doing it for over a year and a half.  It is one of the best programs to get in shape and stay that way. Now my goal...