BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

This is the brutal, ear deafening sound that I'm so lucky to hear every morning at 4 AM. Before the sun even decides to shed a little light over the horizon, I'm up, in the shower, and on my way to my first client. The demands of a personal trainer are strict. Clients want to work out at all times of the day and it's my job to make sure that I do my best to fit their schedules, or else I don't have any clients. If I want to stay in business, I have to bend over backwards. No matter how much I whine and moan about it, I love what I do. I just don't care for the odd hours, but it's part of the lifestyle of a personal trainer. Take the good with the bad!

From 4 AM until 8:30 PM, I'm busy. It's almost impossible to sit down and enjoy a lunch, but I somehow still manage to fit exercise into my weekly routines. I hit the gym 3 to 4 days a week, for at least an hour each time. Although you might think I get enough exercise with my clients, I unfortunately do not. My hour with a client is for THEIR workout. I monitor, prescribe exercises, watch posture, and help them with their concerns and motivation. I don't get to work out when I'm with a client. I have to find time on my own to squeeze in a workout.

So, how do I manage to fit exercise into such a tight schedule? It's not easy, but it's possible. With a little tweaking and time management, anyone can get enough exercise into their lifestyle to create a routine.

First off, I don't screw around when I'm in the gym. I don't shuffle through my iPod, check my phone, or talk to other people for too long. I hit the gym with my game face on, attack my workout, and know exactly what to do.

You should always know before-hand what you're going to do. Is today a cardio day? Am I working only certain muscle groups today? Where is the equipment I need? How much time do I have? Set a game plan, hit the gym and get done what needs to be done. Don't spend too much time resting or walking around. I see it all the time: People just randomly walking around the gym watching others work out. People resting between sets for more than 5 minutes at a time. Those 5 minutes add up! I've seen someone spend 3 hours in a gym and do 20 minutes worth of actual exercise. Manage your time wisely! Take it seriously!

Secondly, if you can't get to a gym, you can always do things at home. Wake up 15 minutes earlier in the morning if you're able to. Or better yet, do your exercise routine at night before you hit the hay. Pushups, crunches, lunges, squats, calf raises, etc. can all be done with no weight or equipment at all. No treadmill or elliptical? Too cold to go jogging outside? Jog in place, do jumping jacks, mountain climbers, etc. There are tons of ways to get your heart rate up inside with no extra equipment.

Put in the effort. If you're going to do something, do it right. Agreed? If you know you can lift more weight, walk faster, or increase the incline, do it! You get out of your body what you put into it! I promise that if you eat right, exercise regularly, and stick with it, your body will thank you in more ways than one!

For more tips, read several other articles I've written. In the meantime, stay fit!

As a personal trainer with pectus excavatum, I know how tough it can be to live the day to day life with pectus. It's constantly on your mind, especially during the hot summer days or when you're wearing a thin t-shirt. I know, I've been there. You're not alone.

I've never wanted to opt for any of the surgeries. It's a personal choice. I noticed it when I was about 13 years old, and ever since then, I've come up with ways to hide it, certain clothing that looks better on me, etc.

I've since learned of several exercise, yoga, and training techniques, which have helped the appearance with a lot of dedication. My pectus has probably improved about 25% in the past 2 years or so, which is absolutely amazing considering there was no surgery involved. That combined with the fact that I've bulked up the areas surrounding the "dent" make it look a whole lot less noticeable. You can read my article on how to improve your physical appearance with pectus by clicking here.

My confidence has improved ten-fold. Half of that was mental preparation. I managed to convince myself that nobody cares about it and that it's all in my head. I challenged myself by making the pectus noticeable in public situations, and when nobody would notice, my confidence started to build and I'd say to myself, "hey, maybe nobody does care!". Don't get me wrong, the extra effort I've put into stretching and working out has helped as well!

If you're reading this, you're probably looking for ways to make your PE less noticeable in public, while you're hanging out with your friends, etc. I don't blame you. I don't condone "hiding" it for the rest of your life. I came up with these methods WHILE I worked to improve the appearance of my pectus. I promise that if you combine what you read in this article with the article I've linked above, you'll see improvements. It just takes time and patience.

Let's start with your posture.

When I first tried to hide my pectus excavatum, I'd walk with my shoulders slumped forward and my back arched. This does help hide it somewhat, but it also contributes to not only really bad posture, but it also contributes to the PE form. Stand straight, pull those shoulder blades together, and walk proudly. This might feel weird and very, very uncomfortable at first, but you will get used to it. Your chest muscles will probably feel really, really tight. This is because your muscles are adapting and aren't used to being stretched like this, after all, you've been shaping yourself around your dent. It's time to make your dent conform to you!

I found that avoiding t-shirts was my best bet, but if I did have to wear a t-shirt, I would generally wear tighter t's that would "stretch" over the dent, therefore not conforming to it. Combine this with a tight "wifebeater" or "a-shirt" underneath and it should do a decent job of hiding the PE. Although wifebeaters will stretch out over time and won't maintain their elasticity until you wash and dry them to help tighten the fabric back up.

The texture of the t-shirt REALLY helps. Generally thicker t-shirts will hold their shape better than a really thin t-shirt. I've found that t-shirts from the Gap, American Eagle, Wal-Mart are TOO THIN for this purpose. The best shirts I've found from my experience come from Abercrombie, Hollister, Lucky, etc. I've also found that t-shirts by the following brands are generally made of thick material:

Tapout
Affliction
Ed Hardy

If you have any more to add to the list, please leave your answer in the comments!

Now, if you're like I used to be, you'd avoid t-shirts at all costs because they seem to sink into the dent more than other shirts. I've found that button up shirts were always my favorite choice. With a t-shirt underneath, you can leave a button-up shirt unbuttoned all the way to the pectus and it gives you a great look. You will find that when you're wearing a button up, you think a lot less about your pectus than you would otherwise.

Another great choice is a polo-shirt. Because of the V-shape in the collar, it conforms to your pectus as well. The thicker the polo shirt, the better.

I can't seem to explain why the following idea works, but it does. I've found that sleeveless t-shirts seem to take the focus off of the pectus excavatum dent. It could be because of my muscled arms! (Just kidding, or maybe not.)

Do you have anything to add? Leave some comments!

As a personal trainer in Greenville, SC it seems that the one question that I receive the most is "How can I get a flat stomach" or "How can I get a six pack?".

The answer to that isn't as easy as some infomercials or magazines would like you to believe. Getting a flat stomach or a six pack is always going to be a work in progress, and even when you get there, you have to constantly maintain it to keep it lean and trim.

So, where can you get started?

Here are a 5 tips to help you get on your way.
1) When doing ab exercises, mix it up. The more varied and mixed-up your routine is, the more you're bound to do. If you do the exact same crunches every single day, you're probably bored or have fallen into the old trap of same ol', same ol'. Switch it up! Do planks, which are GREAT for the transverse abdominis muscle. It's the ab muscle that is responsible for holding your stomach together, so if you tighten it, it's going to lead to a tighter appearance on your gut.

2) Do more cardio! Doing cardio? DO EVEN MORE! This is the number one way to get a flat stomach in the shortest amount of time. Burning calories from cardio eliminates those calories immediately from the body! Your stomach fat is made up of adipose tissue, or fat. By burning that fat with straight-up cardio workouts, you're going to melt it away.
3) Eat plenty of fiber and drink lots of liquids. Fiber is great for digestion, and also aids in getting some junk out of the large intestine. You know that bulge you get at the bottom of your stomach? It could be attributed to a bunch of junk contributing to the enlarged intenstine. Keep your body hydrated with water or calorie-free liquid and you'll be another step closer.
4) Lift weights and train your entire body! Lifting weights aids in the raising of your metabolic rate, or your metabolism. What does this mean for you? How about, even when you're not working out, you're still burning calories. Sounds pretty good, eh? Train the body with strength training. It's good for you, gives you a better overall appearance, and creates lean muscle.
5) Count your calories and eat half-way decent. Yes, I said eat half-way decent. We're not all perfect and besides, there is good food out there. You can still enjoy this food, just keep track of what you're taking into your body and be aware of how many calories you should be consuming for your body type, weight, age, and height. This can go a long way in overall maintenance of a slim, lean figure.

You can find more tips on the right side of my blog.

So, if you're reading this article, you're either a Robert Pattinson fan or you're a guy. Because everybody knows that if you're a female, you're automatically a Twiglight/Pattinson fan. If you're a guy, you probably meant to search for "chicks and beer", so just click the back button on your browser and return to Google search. For the rest of you, let's get started.

If you're STILL reading this, you're no longer just a fan of R-Patz. Nope. You're an obsessed, Robert-crazy lunatic. Why? Simple. Who else wants to read a workout for the Robert Pattinson obsessed? Nobody else! That's who! So, why am I writing this? Because there's enough of you out there that this will actually get read.. A LOT!

Why did I create a workout for the Robert Pattinson fan? Because like most fans of the Twilight star, you probably have been sitting at home for months consantly refreshing TMZ, PerezHilton, and Twitter looking for any updates and shirtless pics of the pale young man.

Ready?

No?

Okay, take a few more minutes to finish staring at the latest pictures of him and his new car. Okay, are we good now? Great.

Step 1: It's obviously 3 AM and you probably have your laptop sitting on your lap, so let's take advantage of that. As a warmup, go ahead and lift your laptop up and toward your chest, and back down. Repeat 30 times or until muscle fatigue.

Great, biceps are loosened up. Now, let's put the laptop to the side and, here's the important part, FULLY CLOSE IT. I can't have your shirtless Robsessed background wallpaper keep you distracted. I know, this is hard for you to do, but trust me..it's good for you. This is probably the first time in months that your laptop has been un-used anyway, so let's give it a break.

Step 2: Your legs are probably asleep and there are probably pop-tart wrappers, soda cans, and fast food bags all over the coffee table and floor. Go ahead and kick those out of the way and stretch your legs out so they stop being asleep. Good job!

Step 3: Lay down on your stomach and place your palms down on the ground. We're going to start off with some upper body training, pushups! Slowly lower yourself to the ground and lift yourself back up using the strength of your upper body. This is great for the triceps, traps, pecs, etc. Not motivated enough? I already knew that. That's why I thought ahead. I want you to picture Robert laying below you, ladies. Now lower yourself each time to kiss him. Do as many as you are able.

Step 4: Great! You probably did 1 million pushups just now. All you needed was a little motivation! Next, we're going to go outside for a little jog. A little sun is good for you. Besides, we all know that just because you like ol' Rob doesn't mean you want to be as pale as him. Or do you? In this case, wear a hoodie and gloves on your jog.

Step 5: Who am I kidding? You've already given up and are back at your computer because you were so afraid you'd miss the latest "Where is Robert" news update.

Can't say I didn't try. Give yourself a pat on the back, girls. You did great!

My name is Justin Bowers. I'm a certified personal trainer from Greenville, SC and I decided to take a break from the normal serious fitness article and have some fun. I hope you enjoyed it. Visit my website at http://BeFitOnline.com.

The number one reason that most people fail at their weight loss and exercise goals is because they quit. Bottom line: For something to work, you have to keep at it. If you keep doing the exact same thing over and over again and expecting different results, then you must see the light and realize that you have to make the change mentally.

If you hit the gym and know what to do, come home and know what to eat, and you're still not seeing results... it's probably because you're not doing these things. That's where it's not the task at hand that's the problem, it's you. You've got to mentally prepare yourself.

Trust me, a half-drunken promise on New Years is very different than actually putting in the work when it comes down to crunch time.

Here's a few ways to make sure you stick to your weight loss promises:

1. Reward yourself. Think about this-- have you ever worked your butt off with no reward? Have you ever put in a hard day's work and not expected some sort of incentive? No. Human beings thrive on being rewarded for hard work. Give yourself that dress if you hit a certain weight by a certain time. Take yourself out to your favorite dinner on your cheat day if you don't miss a workout session for a month. Be creative. Some of my clients even enjoy having a chart to put stickers on. Whatever helps you tick-- use it to your advantage.

2. Cut down your large goal. I know you have a certain weight or size to be at within a certain time, but it seems like a far reach if you don't look at the smaller picture for the time being. A great example of this: Focus on cutting your large weight loss goal of 50 pounds down to 5 pound increments.

3. Be realistic in your expectations. It took months and even years to put on the weight. It's not going to melt off just by putting in sweat equity in the gym for a couple of weeks. Believe me, if it was that easy, everyone would be walking around with a six pack. Besides setting your ultimate goal, set a smaller, more realistic goal of, say, sticking to your diet for good this time.

Take other tips to heart. Take it one day at a time. Ask your friends and family to encourage you. You can do this. It just takes time.