It's crazy to think that today is the final day of 2019! So much has happened over the past year and as we're a little over halfway through of year 8 of COVAL, I want to thank you all for your continued loyalty, love, and support. If 2019 was a great year for you, then let's continue to build on it in 2020. We at COVAL are excited to help you out with your continued growth!
"Mike creates a sense of community among the members and encourages giving back to the community at large through fund raisers and so on. I tell people all the time that COVAL changed my life. Mike and his trainers customize your workouts to meet your unique needs and change things up just enough to keep you moving forward. They work tirelessly to keep up with the newest research in fitness and nutrition. You will not get an "out of the box" workout and for that reason, this is a great value for your money." - Jan M.
Read more of our Reviews
Are you searching for trainers near you in Ann Arbor that can help with your diet and fitness goals?
Don't just grab for the burger - it's an easy choice and on the surface not the absolute worst thing out there. But what else do you eat with it? A large box of fries? What about that drink? If you're being generous you're only grabbing a Diet Coke. Those calories stack up fast if you're not paying attention. And it's not even just the calories here. It's the composition of calories (not enough protein, excess carbs, fat and then other things like sodium, saturated fat, etc….ALSO, sodium and saturated fat are not bad…just in excessive amounts).
Searching for "trains near me in Ann Arbor" to help you define your health goals and get results?
It starts with what - and - how much you're eating.
Now, unless there is an urgent need/desire to lose this weight in as short amount of time as possible, then it is desirable for long-term results to take a slower approach. This means that the goal is to still get in as many calories as you can while remaining under your estimated daily allowance.
Why?
We want to maintain lean muscle mass. 9 times out of 10, when someone rapidly loses weight, there will be lean muscle tissue (sometimes a significant amount) that is lost.
Now, before we get into this, let me just say that I LOVE pizza. I LOVE burgers. I do eat things that aren't "good for me".
But, generally, when I go to family gatherings or group outings, there aren't the most healthy options available and sometimes it's not even the fact that those options aren't healthy…I just don't enjoy them (why does green bean casserole exist?!).
Back to my response from the joke from my family member and the laughter ensued.
I literally didn't care.
Click Here to read more about how I deal with tempting bad foods and family reactions.
Decreasing stress (i.e. tightness, tension, pain) from common areas like the low back, knees, front of the shoulder, and neck.
Re-aligning your body (this is something that is chronic and requires enough frequency aka do it every day:-).
The breathing component will increase activity of the "rest & digest" part of your nervous system (aka parasympathetic nervous system).
Tired of searching for "Trainers near me in Ann Arbor, Mi" all the time? COVAL Fitness can help you define your goals and put you on the path to getting results.
Having trouble with Push Ups? Our COVAL trainer Jess has some helpful tips for you!
Why are push ups so d*mn hard for women?!
I can’t tell you the number of females I’ve talked to who have the goal of “just one push up!” like it’s this far off lofty goal that will probably never come to fruition. While sex specific physiological differences do play a part in these particular exercises, there is no reason that females should not be able to bust out this movements (and most females don’t believe me when I say that!).
"Several things come to mind. I can fit into jeans that were collecting dust for several years. My percent body fat is in the “green” or “good” range. I’m especially proud of that. I feel more agile and nimble. I have more energy. Perhaps most importantly, my wife thinks I have a “cute” body again!!" - winner of our last challenge, Don S on the results that he achieved during the last challenge.
We kick things off this Friday!
26 days of community, accountability, and results.
Are you in? Get in touch and let me know.
If you're not a COVAL member, then please click here to register for your assessment (we need to get this done before Friday) and then follow-up with a reply to this email.
My weight has been something that I’ve struggled with all my
life.
I was big in high school, but was able to use that for the
sport I loved: football. After I graduated high school, I didn’t have that
association of my weight being a good thing anymore now that I couldn’t use it.
My self-confidence started to take a hit, my social life suffered because of it
and I overall just felt uncomfortable with myself.
PREFACE: I have ZERO college football allegiance to Michigan or Michigan State. Saturday's game speaks for itself. If your team won, congrats! If you lost, well, there's always next year.
I assume that the majority of us have that one moment in our lives where we were doubted. Where we were told that we were nothing. Where we were told that we won't amount to anything. For the sake of the metaphor, that we were "Little Brother".
Sometimes that was someone else telling us that. Other times it could have been that voice in our heads telling us that.
Staying motivated is only part of the game. Sometimes a negative can be made a positive influence. Read some of the COVAL Family's amazing Success Stories
COVAL Fitness Private Personal Trainer in Ann Arbor, Michigan
November-March can be a very brutal time of year for us Michiganders.
Our mood can shift from upbeat and motivated to gloomy and apathetic.
There's a lot of physiology that goes into this, but we will skip all that noise today and focus on what you can do to help combat the Winter Blues.
Most of you reading this will continue to come into the gym which by all means keep on doing so! In fact, adding an extra day would be an awesome idea to implement. As you COVAL members know, as a part of your membership you can drop-in on your own, take the group class on Saturday at 10AM, or add an extra day of coaching to your membership.
But what can be done beyond that?
1) Dive into a new hobby that you've always wanted to try
2) Commit to one social event per week (this is for you introverts)
3) Keep a consistent bedtime and wake schedule
4) Develop & execute a plan to improve your nutrition. What you put into your mouth matters and influences the hormones and neurotransmitters in your body that are responsible for your mood.
5) Add a new form of physical activity to the mix. Yoga, Pilates, salsa lessons, and tennis are just a few ideas that come to mind.
6) Perform an audit of the people that you spend the most time around. Make it a point to spend less time with those that tend to be negative and more time with those who are uplifting and motivating.
7) Figure out how you can be more physically active at work. Maybe it's parking further away from the building, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, taking planned walks throughout the day, or walking to the furthest water fountain in the building when you need to refill your water bottle.
8) Dedicate time to learning mediation or just simply taking time each day to do some deep breathing.
You know yourself best. These are just some ideas to get your wheel spinning which hopefully lands you with a list of 2-3 ways to help yourself live a mentally strong Michigan winter!
I've heard this statement from a decent amount of people that I've encountered and I heard it all through my childhood.
The disconnect with that statement is that often times, the people that state that aren't firm in their values & principles that they live by, so the model that they demonstrate to the person/people that they intend to live for is distorted. The person fails to recognize that in order for their statement to be true, that they have to do better for themselves first before they can "live for" someone else.
There's absolutely no shame in this if this is you.
The first thing that you should do though, is clearly define your values & principles that you live by. Without that, most efforts put forth in life will be misguided and ultimately end up missing the mark.
Start there and the momentum that builds up after that will have the force of a Mack truck as you start to conquer things in your life that seemed unachievable previously.
Click Hereto find out how COVAL Fitness can put you on the path to better health and fitness.
This 6'11 giant NBA player, towering over my Grandma, letting her know that her continuing to have a mindset of taking care of her body & her mind through training at the gym was one of the coolest things that he had seen.
He was right. It is cool. In fact, we have a lot of cool peeps here at COVAL that are tough as nails and have the right frame of mind that their age is not going to be a defining factor for them.
They continue to push through. They continue to grow. They continue to be able to achieve and do things that they didn't think were physically possible for them anymore.
Rick, Gloria, Connie, Candy, Debbi, Bruno, Anne, Susan, David, Candace, Michael, Jack, Harvey, Don S, Sarah, Don L, Annie, and Gram; all near, at, or older than 65 years old and kicking some serious butt in the gym each and every week.
If you're trying to figure out the right time to get started with improving your health & fitness, then just think about the "Cool Kids Club" and do as they do. Working toward a healthier you is never too late, and it's never something to save for later.
"The gains I have achieved through the help of everyone at COVAL Fitness, in both strength and mobility, have given me renewed hope as I recover from a major injury. The limited time allowed at physical therapy left me very concerned that I would never be active again. I’m now experiencing less daily pain, and back to enjoying an active lifestyle again. This is due to the high level of expertise at COVAL and their continued encouragement. Money well spent on my health and life." - Laura H. Read more of our Google Reviews
We would love to guide you if you would like some help!
Click here and we can get you started on the 21 Day Kickstart Program!
COVAL Fitness Fitness Trainer Near Ann Arbor Michigan
It's Success Story Friday!
This week's success story is a true one of a kind - Caitlin!
"It has been a privilege watching Caitlin's story this past year. She has faced adversity and tackled many obstacles, but what has helped her to be so successful and set her apart from others is her consistency in getting better in all areas of her life. She never ignores a problem, but always finds a way to overcome those barriers!"
Looking for a way to stretch certain muscle groups?
Trying to find a new way to work your arms or legs?
... we have a YouTube Channel!
It's one thing to be able to come to the gym every day and work with the COVAL Fitness trainers on site - but what if you want to get something going at home? That's where our channel comes in! Practically every week we're uploading new videos with simple exercises from our team of trainers.
If you need something for a quick pickup or you're trying to shake up your workout, throw up some of the videos and you're off and rolling. Take a look at our YouTube Channel, Like and Subscribe and you'll have hundreds of videos ready to help you take your fitness goals to the next level!
Ready to come into the gym and get started with the COVAL Fitness team? CLICK HEREto schedule your assessment!
Monday, September 16th - Saturday, October 26th, 2019 for a total of 6 weeks!
You can either participate on your own, with a partner or with two other partners. So just to be clear, that's a team of 1-3 people. If you would like to partner with somebody(s), but don't know anybody here at COVAL, then you can either:
A) Let us know and we will find a team for you (no guarantee that we find you a team though)
B) Find someone outside of the current COVAL Family to join you & if they sign up, then your Challenge fee is waived ($49 for current COVAL members)
