Tis the Season for Sabotaging Behavior...
People lose focus right and left when they are trying to get into shape - especially this time of year with all the food and emotional distractions. An X Gym member ust coined this term as "Focus Fatigue" and has some great things to say about it! 

Focus fatigue is such a common problem I thought I would included it in this newsletter edition. It is usually an indicator that you are on the right track (ironically), and is typically caused by old nerve pathways that are dying off and fighting for their survival. If those pathways can successfully sabotage your progress, they will get juice again by making you fall back into your old patterns.

Keep a list with you of three or more reasons that remind you why you want to get fit in the first place. Pull that list out when you are losing focus, and take a moment to imagine what you will feel and look like when you do reach your goals. Taking this mini-fantasy break in your brain will give it renewed energy to press on. Remember to imagine in the first-person though, as if it has already happened. We practice this together in the brain training workshop, so if you want more information on how to sign up for the next one on 11/21, click here.

X Gym Cooking Class #1 Was a Hit!
Our first X Gym cooking class (pictured left) was a blast, and the attendees learned a bunch of new information. They also got some new top-secret recipes (not yet posted to the X Gym recipe page)! Because you are a newsletter subscriber however, I will offer one of those recipes to you now: Taz's Spin Salad with Dreamy Balsamic Dressing! Just email me for it and I'll send it back to you. You can also order a cheesecake from Taz if you want to blow away your relatives this holiday season! Just email me for details on that too.

Link Your Nutrition Goals to a Cause for New Motivation.
People follow through with amazing commitments when they have a cause they feel strongly about. True vegans for example, who believe that eating animals is wrong, go to great lengths to stay within their parameters. It's not easy, but they find the way to make it work because of their convictions.

Along the same concept, allow me to suggest three reasons to boycott sugar: corruption, disease and slavery. Have I piqued your interest? If so, read my latest blog post by clicking "THE BLOG" link in the "Quick Links" box (upper left corner) of this newsletter.

It's Time to Sign up for the WAMU Climb!
Please sign up with us and help the fight against cystic fibrosis! We have three teams this year: X Gym trainers, X Gym members, and X Gym friends and alumni. Only the top 5 from each team count for that team's time, so don't worry about being slow or never having done a climb. It's easy to train for too, so be sure to ask me for advice on that! The good news is that stair workouts require LESS time than the typical 20 minutes we prescribe for normal X Gym cardio.

X Gym DVD Getting Finishing Touches!
Stay tuned, because the first ever X Gym DVD is in it's final edits! It's looking fantastic, and will be available for the holidays!

Train Your Brain to Focus on Solutions
How did you like the sugar video from the last newsletter? Did it help you link the detriments of sugar in your brain? My most recent blog post will help your brain form another one, so be sure to click the link at the top left of this newsletter.

This edition's brain training topic is to redirect your focus. Whatever you focus on manifests itself. Most people focus on their problems, which makes them worse than they really are, and even creates more problems. This cycle leaves us feeling overwhelmed and helpless, which in turn, makes us more susceptible to emotional eating.

Instead of focusing on a problem, change your focus to what action you can take today to solve that problem. Just take it one day at a time, and if the problem seems to big to tackle, there is always something you can do today, no matter how small that action might be.

Thanks,

PJ Glassey, CSCS
X Gym (www.xgym.com)
Author, Cracking Your Calorie Code (www.crackingyourcode.com)
Fitness blogger: www.pjfit.com
Fitness tweeter: www.twitter.com/xgym
Email: pj@xgym.com