You Are Your Own Gym: The Bible of Bodyweight Exercises for Men and Women.

Strength and resistance training, by far, are the best ways of getting into shape, boosting metabolism, and increasing muscle mass and bone density. Moreover, strength training is key to sustained weight loss. You Are Your Own Gym, demonstrates that the gym, however, isn’t a must to see these benefits. Instead, the book advocates that you use your own body to get the workout.

The Concept: It is a simple, 10 week program, which requires that you workout 30 minutes, 4 days a week. The exercises only require you and your body. You don’t need equipment, dumbells, barbells, etc. Just you.

The Authors: Mark Lauren is a certified Military Physical Training Specialist, Special Operations Combat Controller, triathlete, and competitive Thai boxer. He has effectively prepared almost a thousand trainees for the extreme demands of the most elite levels of the Special Operations community. His career started as one of twelve to graduate the Pararescue & Combat Control Indoctrination Course, in a class that 94 trainees started. His active duty and civilian employment has taken him all around the world to teach, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

Joshua Clark is the author of Heart Like Water: Surviving Katrina and Life in its Disaster Zone, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle award. He has contributed to several anthologies, including The Best American Nonrequired Reading, The Best Of Lonely Planet Travel Writing (a collection of the greatest travel stories published over the last 10 years), State by State (in which he represented Louisiana), and New Orleans: What Can’t Be Lost.

The Workout: The exercises are a mix of traditional military style exercises, Yoga and plyometrics.

The Benefits of this System:

1. Saves Time, Space and Money: There is no need for expensive memberships or equipment. It doesn’t require any extra space. And it doesn’t take more than a half hour or so to complete this workout.
2. You Can Do it Anywhere: Because you are using your own body as equipment, you can take the workout anywhere you go.
3. It’s Safer: Since you use motions and movements that are natural for the body, you are less likely to injure yourself.
4. No Plateaus: There is a lot of variety which will continue to keep your body challenged.
5. Better Muscle Building and Toning than Weightlifting: Unlike weight training, you engage more muscles with these exercises, meaning you build more muscle.
6. Burns More Fat: This workout has a great impact on your metabolism.

Are you ready to Be Your Own Gym?

• Lower-Impact to Joints: Jumping, running and hopping on pavement is hard on your joints. Doing activities in the sand, however, creates less impact to your joints and can effectively strengthen them in the process. Further, swimming and exercising in the water causes no impact to joints at all.
• Lower Body Training: All of the following activities will give you lower body strength training benefits. When swimming, you will rely on your lower body to stay afloat and to maneuver through the water. On land, moving in the sand will challenge you due to the sand’s absorption of your energy versus reflecting your energy, as you would experience on hard, non-malleable surfaces. As a result, your leg muscles are worked harder and you burn more calories.
• Upper Body Training: Swimming, hitting volleyballs and playing paddle ball will give your upper body some great resistance training to tone and sculpt your arms.
• Cardio: All of these activities require you to move, which will get your heart rate pumping!

1. Beach Volleyball: Beach volleyball is timeless, fun and great exercise. Try to keep your teams small…no more than three or four people…so that you have to cover greater territory during the game.
2. Paddle Ball: Paddle Ball is one of those games that you can play for hours and not even realize you are getting any exercise. The key is to MOVE. Try to make your partner run to get to the ball instead of lobbing it directly to them everytime. Have them do the same for you and by the end of the day, you’ll feel the burn!  For a little extra intensity, take it into the water. A great paddle ball set can be purchased on Amazon:  Franklin Paddleball Set.
3. Body Surfing: Probably one of the hardest workouts listed here, body surfing challenges you in a lot of different ways. First, you’ll have to swim out far enough to catch a wave and you’ll have to battle the incoming waves to do so. Secondly, you’ll be tossed around quite a bit, which will cause you to use your muscles in ways that you wouldn’t normally. Third, you can’t really take a break because you are constantly working to stay afloat. The great thing too is that you don’t need a surf-board or any other expensive equipment.
4. Run on the Beach: The one thing I love about running on the beach is that you can do so barefoot. Since the impact is less than on a hard surface and the sand molds to your feet, the need for sneakers virtually goes away (Just be careful so as to not step on glass, shells or rocks). Also, running on the beach is a much better cardiovascular workout and is much more challenging than running on pavement or on a treadmill. The best part? You can jump into the water to cool off!
5. Walk in the Water: Walking in the water keeps you cool while you burn calories. The trick here is to walk in water that is at least one foot deep. This is a great workout for two reasons: 1) you’ll get the resistance of the sand and 2) you’ll get the resistance of the water. The higher the level of the water, the more resistance you’ll have and the harder you’ll have to work.

Do you exercise at the beach? What activities do you enjoy?

1. Drop the Salt: Too much salt in ones diet can lead to health issues, such as high blood-pressure. However, it can also cause you to retain water, which can easily add a few extra pounds of weight and cause your body to look bloated. Remove salt from your diet for the week before your big event. Good foods to avoid altogether include Asian food, prepared sauces (soy, ketchup, A-1, BBQ, etc.) and canned or processed foods. All of these tend to contain high amounts of salt and/or sodium.  Also, cook without salt and avoid fast or fried food. When you do consume packaged foods, look for those that are low-sodium or sodium-free.
2. Hydration = Detox: Drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water a day. Drinking a lot of water ensures that you are flushing out your system and removing excess salt from your body and cells. It also helps to promote regularity, which will help keep your digestive tract from getting constipated or sluggish. One last benefit is that it helps to keep your stomach feels full between meals so that you don’t become overly hungry. If you can, add some lemon juice or fresh lemon to your water for an extra cleansing effect.
3. Stay Liquid for the Day: Although I’m not a big proponent of liquid diets, sticking with liquid meals for one or two days is a great way to promote regularity and clean out your system of waste. A clean digestive tract will help your stomach look slimmer and will also make you feel slimmer. A few recipes to try include: Apple Cinnamon Protein Shake, Mixed Berry Smoothie and the Lean Green Machine. These tasty shakes are all high in nutrients and high in fiber, keeping you energized and satisfied throughout the day.
4. Arm Exercises: Just because you haven’t been doing strength training until now, doesn’t mean you can’t start. For a few hours after we do strength training exercises, the muscles we work swell slightly, causing them to look more toned and defined. Before you take a shower on the day of your event, do 3 sets of 10 push-ups, 3 sets of 10 triceps push-ups and 3 sets of upright rows (watch video). A triceps push up is done in the following way: Sit on a chair and extend your legs straight-out in front of you. Put your hands on the edge of the chair with your palms facing down. Supporting yourself with your hands, dip your body down until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Straighten up and repeat. Also, if traditional push-ups are difficult, drop your knees to the floor for assistance.
5. Get a Glow: Have you ever noticed how tan body-builders and competitive weight lifters look? There’s a reason…there muscles look more toned and defined with a tan. Granted, you wouldn’t want to look as tan as they do, but let’s face it…we all look better with a little sun-kissed glow. Get natural looking color with a gradual tanner, such as Aveeno’s Active Naturals Moisturizing Lotion – Continuous Radiance, L’Oreal’s Sublime Bronze, Gradual Self-Tanning Lotion or Dove’s Energy Glow Daily Moisturizer with Subtle Self Tanners for Medium Skin Tones. I like the gradual tanners, because you are less likely to look too dark, to mess up and look streaky or to look overly “orangey.” Just be sure to tan for a few days ahead of time so you can build up the tan to a decent color for your big day.

Remember, the most important thing you can do to look great is to feel great and to feel good about yourself! So make sure you don’t obsess about how perfect (or imperfect) you look. Love yourself and enjoy the evening!

1. Travel Exercise Gear: If your dad is on the road a lot for business, he may have a challenging time getting to the gym as much as he’d like. If, however, he can pack the gym in his suitcase, he’ll have no excuses! A couple of things to try include: TRX Suspension Training System and the Accompanying Wall Anchor, or the J-Fit Travel Kit.
   
2. A Day of Fishing: Instead of buying fish for dinner, take dad on a fishing trip for some extra fun. Many lakeside and coastal towns offer charters that take you out fishing for a half- or a full-day.  If you can’t afford a private charter, consider a party boat.  You’ll meet new people and have a lot of fun. Make sure to take your fish home for a nice tasty dinner (see barbecue below!).
3. Healthy Barbecue by You: Let the kids handle breakfast and step up to be the official Dad’s Day Barbecue Handler.  A nice barbecue that is healthy can include grilled vegetables and barbecued swordfish. End the meal with a wonderful fruit salad with a yogurt-honey and mint dressing.
4. Athlete Gear: If Dad is especially athletic…running marathons or competing in tri-athalons or bi-athalons, he probably could really benefit from a coach. Garmin puts out some amazing products to help athletes track all kinds of information. The first is the Garmin Forerunner 305 and the second, more sleek and fancy version is the Garmin Forerunner 310XT. Also, if he runs long distances, consider a “fuel belt” to keep him running! (You can use this coupon code to get 15% off – 15OFFFUELBELT)
5. A Day at the Spa: If he isn’t a spa-goer already, there is no better time to introduce your dad to the benefits of a day at the spa.  Whether he enjoys massage, a little body scrub or a man’s facial, pampering and rejuvenation will help him relax and let the stress melt away. There are some great packages that you can purchase with multiple services.  And today, many spas offer treatments that are specific to men and their needs.  If you’d rather let him enjoy the spa on his own, be sure to take him out for a pre-spa light lunch to get in some quality time together.

Whatever your dad enjoys, he probably will enjoy it even more if it is with you.  We hope you enjoy your Father’s Day!

GIVE THE GIFT OF HEALTH!!!!
Gift your loved ones with Amazon #1 Bestseller "GET REAL" and STOP Dieting! - the most simple plan that reveals how to eat healthy today, tomorrow and always...without dieting!  BUY IT NOW!

Recently, I came across the TRX Suspension Training System. Hard to believe, but you can do 100s of exercises using nothing more than a single anchor point and suspension straps.  Here are the details:

What it is: Suspension Training^® is a revolutionary method of leveraged bodyweight exercise. Designed by Navy Seal and founder of Fitness Anywhere, the easy-to-carry-anywhere, portable TRX^® Suspension Trainer allows you to safely perform hundreds of exercises that build power, strength, flexibility, balance, mobility, and prevent injuries, all at the intensity you choose. Apparently, this system is utilized by military, which implies that even the toughest, most in-shape individuals get a good workout from TRX.

Benefits:

• Lightweight: The TRX^® weighs less than 2 pounds making it especially easy to pack
• Packability: There are no rigid pieces that make it difficult to squeeze or throw into your suitcase.
• Setup: To set TRX up requires no more than a few minutes and a strong anchor point situated overhead (higher than your head-height).
• Workout Versatility: The TRX is a total-body conditioning system, which allows you to workout all muscle groups. It can also be modified for all different user levels.

Drawbacks: You may have a difficult time finding a strong enough anchor point that will also work in a hotel room. Although some exercises can be done to get your heart rate up to a cardio level, the system is not meant for long stretches of cardio.

What it Comes with:

To Purchase, visit the Sheer Balance Shop: Purchase TRX Suspension Training System

Note: TRX Door Anchor sold separately…Purchase here.

Do you travel? How do you stay in shape on the road?

Stop Dieting and Lose Weight for Good! Eat healthy and Drop Excess Weight with #1 Bestseller "GET REAL" and STOP Dieting! - the most simple, straightforward, no-nonsense plan that reveals how to eat healthy today, tomorrow and always...without dieting! BUY IT NOW!

I always prefer to practice yoga once my muscles are warmed up and raring to go, vs. risking any kind of an injury (or added INflexibility) from tight hamstrings. I prefaced the DVD with a quick 20 min jog/run and then began with Ingber’s “55 Minute Loaded Challenge.”  The workout began with sun salutation and evolved into a wonderful array of typical yoga poses interspersed with toning exercises using one’s own body weight (read: lunges, plie squats, push ups).

The scenery was serene and picturesque…understated simplicity and elegance, with Mandy on her mat with the sky and ocean as an almost watercolor backdrop. How could you help but feel at peace? Now anyone who has tried a number of workout DVDs knows that 55 minutes can be either painstakingly LONG or incredibly fast-moving, depending on the interest of the participant and the enthusiasm, cueing and fluidity of the instructor. Mandy is a wonderful combination of someone with insight into yoga and she asks you to trust your own body, power and strength. She keeps the workout fun and engaging, not just for your muscles (which are most certainly activated) but also for your mind. She encourages you to push slightly past your comfort zone and to aim for your personal best, NOT for some pedestal of perfection.

After completing the DVD, I felt fantastic…the way you should feel after a good workout: renewed, with a sense of accomplishment, ready to greet the day ahead and at peace, in body, mind and spirit.

Buy Mandy Ingber’s Yogalosophy Workout DVD on Amazon

1. A Spa Day: Spas offer so much more than just fluff and buff. A day at the spa can help one to release and manage stress, detox and rid impurities, and refresh skin to look and feel its best. If you can’t afford to give mom a full day at the spa, spas offer some great 1/2 day and multiple treatment packages that will give your mom a blissful and health-packed experience.  Also, some spas allow you to book a block of time, so that when she arrives, they can design treatments specific to your mom’s needs on that day.  If you want to keep costs down, give her a spa experience at home. Start the day or afternoon by drawing her a bath and then once she is relaxed and distressed, give her a manicure and pedicure. If your mom has a specific spa that she already enjoys or if you aren’t familiar with the spas in her area, consider giving her a SpaFinder Gift Certificate, which is accepted at many spas around the world.
2. A Package of Mind-Body Classes: Mind-Body classes include Yoga, Tai Chi, Pilates and Qigong, among others. They all offer benefits of health.  Most take a broad holistic approach that teaches people a new lifestyle, way of thinking and way of being in the world. Some physical benefits include: Increased strength and flexibility, more toned, longer and leaner muscles, relaxation and stress relief, increased energy and vitality, and detoxification. Check online to see what local yoga, pilates and other mind-body studios are highly rated in your mother’s area.  Many studios offer packages of 10 or more classes. If you can’t find a mind-body studio located near your mom, you can always opt to purchase a DVD and accessory kit that she could use at home.  Here are a couple all-in-one packages to consider:
   • Yoga: The FIRM The Wave Kit (The Wave + Yoga Mat + 4 Workout DVD’s + Bonus Items) by Gaiam
   • Pilates: Bodytrends Complete Pilates Core Conditioning Solution Kit with Ball, DVD, Fitness tube, Pump and Mat
   • Qigong: The Essential Qigong Training Course: 100 Days to Increase Energy, Physical Health and Spiritual Well-Being
   • Tai Chi: Tai Chi Beginners Kit
3. A Healthy Library: Help your mom stay up-to-date with books that help her create a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle. Make it a holistic gift by purchasing books that cover various topics of wellness, such as nutrition, fitness and mental well being. Here are a few to consider:
• “GET REAL” and STOP Dieting!: Even if your mom knows what she should be doing to eat healthy, it isn’t always easy to put it into practice.  “GET REAL” teaches readers five of the most important rules to eat healthy, but even more importantly, provides a robust toolkit for individuals to put them into practice, including: 40 recipes that are well balanced and easy to prepare, no-fail grocery lists, a guide on reading nutrition labels, healthy substitutions for unhealthy ingredients, healthy portion sizes with a visual guide and more. (Purchase “GET REAL”)
• 90-Second Fitness Solution: Strength training is an important part of a fitness program, especially as women get older.  Help mom to build some muscle while strengthening her bones with this easy guide on introducing strength training into one’s fitness regimen.  The program also includes exercises that can be done without any equipment, making it doable at home. (Purchase The 90-Second Fitness Solution)
• Solemate: Master the Art of Aloneness and Transform Your Life: Whether your mom is happy in her marriage or not, this book helps individuals to understand their true self, their needs and what makes them happy. It is a great book to inspire your mom to find happiness from within, to nurture self-love, to reach her goals and her aspirations, and to conquer her fears in doing so.  (Purchase Solemate: Master the Art of Aloneness and Transform Your Life)

How do you plan on celebrating Mother’s Day? Would you like to give mom the gift of health?

The original method designed and taught by Joseph Pilates is practiced today at studios that trained under the Romana’s Pilates Method or Authentic Pilates Method. Romana Kryzanowska was Joe Pilates’ protégé and the one he chose to carry on his legacy before he died in 1967. Today Romana is in her 80’s, is still teaching through out the country, and continues to be the foundation of his method. Many branches of Pilates beyond these methods have altered or diffused the original system and have implemented new exercises and techniques that are not technically Pilates. The original method and its followers subscribe to a very high standard of practice.

The Original Pilates Method:

1. Is taught by instructors that either trained directly under Romana or by one of her direct Pilates descendants.
2. Teaches quality over quantity. The exercises are done with careful precision and only a few repetitions, maximizing the effects of the work by how the exercises are executed, not by the number of repetitions.
3. Follows a carefully designed sequence. On the Reformer and the Mat, the apparatuses that are the basis of the system, there is a sequence of exercises meant to be followed in a certain order, so as to maximize the benefits of Pilates. Of course there are different levels of difficulty within the system, so the routine varies slightly for individuals. Plus each person has their own needs, so the system is used to support that, using other equipment like the Wunda Chair, Cadillac, Ladder Barrel, and several peripheral apparatuses. Also, look for a studio that uses Gratz equipment.
4. Follows strict safety guidelines. The Pilates system should always be taught by an instructor that adheres to the “safety first” policy. If the equipment is misused or a client is worked beyond their strength level, injuries can occur.

On a more personal level, you want to find an atmosphere you feel comfortable in and an instructor whose personality and approach works best with you. Do you prefer a private setting where no other clients are present? Or are you more comfortable when others are exercising around you? Some studios are larger and can accommodate many private sessions at once, where as some offer more of an intimate spa-like environment. In terms of instructor types, do you prefer a man or a woman? A softer, gentler encouraging voice? Or someone with a tougher “coach” quality ready to push you when you need it? Finding the “right” instructor at a studio might be a trial-and-error process. I recommend trying a few different people at first. Also, it may be beneficial to work with more than one person on an ongoing basis to gain different perspectives. Everyone has a different eye, even though they should be teaching the same technique. You’ll know when you’re with the right person. Trust your instincts!

Another point I’ll make about choosing a studio and instructor, is that you want to look beyond just Mat Classes. Don’t get me wrong, the Mat is great. Like I said before, the Mat (along with the Reformer) is the foundation of Pilates. But, it is important to have some experience with the whole system before diving into a large class setting – both for safety reasons and for the effectiveness of the workout. Without the initial one-on-one attention, it is difficult to understand how to use your core muscles in the most effective way. Having previously taught large classes myself at Equinox gyms, it was often challenging to give the individual attention needed, considering the different levels of strength, various body types and limitations, and simply the number of students in the class.

If you are not in a financial position to take private lessons (I understand this is a luxury), then consider one of two options. Either invest in a series of 5-10 private sessions and then proceed into classes (and brush up on a private about once a month), or look into duets or trios, which still offer individual attention for considerably less money. Understand that to fully benefit from Pilates you should practice the entire system, which involves the equipment previously mentioned (Reformer, Cadillac, Wunda Chair, etc.) as well as the Mat. But you will still feel great from practicing Mat work only if the is all you can afford.

Finally, be wary of studios that offer group classes on the equipment, especially the Reformer. Pilates cannot be taught safely on the Reformer in groups of more than 3 people, which means the system has been greatly modified from its original form in order to be taught in groups. This is not to say that it wouldn’t be a good workout, but it would probably not be true Pilates!

If you have concerns about whether or not a studio or instructor is appropriate, you can always contact the two studios in New York that train instructors under the original Pilates method: True Pilates or The New York Pilates Studio 212-245-8367 to see what affiliations they have in your city.

To avoid bathing suit “butt ooze” you want to firm, tone and lift the muscles to give your behind a nice shape.   These are my three favorite exercises for toning and lifting your butt:

Butt Blaster: Floor Kick Backs

Butt Blaster: Side Leg Lifts & Bends

Butt Blaster: 90 Degree Lifts

One of my recent episodes of The Healthy Living Show covered the realities of childhood obesity. During the show, I interviewed Dr. Joanna Dolgoff – pediatrician and author of Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right: The Food Solution That Lets Kids Be Kids.  Not only did she reaffirm that childhood obesity is a problem today, but she drove home the point that the numbers of today represent a generation that will be in bigger crisis tomorrow.

1. Exponential Increases: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 19 – which equates to over 9 million children – are overweight or obese — a number that has tripled since 1980. Further, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that over the past three decades the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2-5 years and adolescents aged 12-19 years, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years.
2. Higher Risk for Obesity: Overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. This increases to 80 percent if one or more parent is overweight or obese. (United States Department of Health and Human Services).
3. Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: According to a report from the Institute of Medicine, 30 percent of boys and 40 percent of girls born in the United States in 2000 have a lifetime risk of being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. In case reports limited to the 1990s, Type 2 diabetes accounted for 8 to 45 percent of all new pediatric cases of diabetes, in contrast with fewer than 4 percent before the 1990s. (“Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, 2005,” Institute of Medicine.)
4. Early Risk of Heart Disease: In a population-based sample, approximately 60 percent of obese children aged 5 to 10 years had at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor, such as elevated total cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin or blood pressure, and 25 percent had two or more risk factors.
5. Life Expectancy: Probably the most disturbing prediction is that today’s children may have a lower life expectancy than their parents, resulting in an effect equal to that of all cancers combined.

Obesity in general is an issue we need to address, but even more importantly, childhood obesity needs to be addressed.  To do so, we need to emphasize the importance of health education in our schools, provide healthier school lunch options, encourage our children to be active and take an active role in helping them understand the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle.  Also, government needs to stop subsidizing unhealthy foods and start subsidizing those that are healthy to encourage parents to choose healthier foods that are also cost-effective.  Most importantly, we need to lead by example.

Does childhood obesity concern you?  What are you doing to help combat this “epidemic?”

Stop Dieting and Lose Weight for Good! Eat healthy and Drop Excess Weight with #1 Bestseller "GET REAL" and STOP Dieting! - the most simple, straightforward, no-nonsense plan that reveals how to eat healthy today, tomorrow and always...without dieting! BUY IT NOW!

Moji recently sent me their Moji Knee product* – an icing and compression product in one – to try.  Desperate to find a new and convenient way to ice my knee, I was happy to give the product a trial run.

What it is: Moji is a two-piece product which incorporates a Moji Compression Wrap and Moji Cold Cell.  The Compression Wrap acts like a soft fabric knee brace that  holds the Cold Cell in place so that you can effectively ice your knee without necessarily needing to sit still for the full 20 minutes.  The Cold Cell can remain in the freezer until you’re ready to use it, and remains cold for the typical recommended 20-minute icing protocol.

Here’s my take on the product:

1. Convenience: Moji is extremely convenient.  The Cold Cell goes into the freezer and is ready whenever you are.  You can also take the Cold Cell with you in a cooler for on-the-go icing.  Further, the Compression Wrap eliminates the need for towels, plastic bags or something to hold the Cold Cell into place.
2. Comfort: With the my approach, I’d find that the icepack wouldn’t conform to my knee or that certain parts of the knee would get TOO much exposure, while others didn’t get enough.  The whole process was awkward and cumbersome.  Moji, however, wraps around your knee and is designed to work with the shape of your knee so that you have the ability to move freely, yet cover all the whole knee properly. The Compression Wrap is made with Polartec fabric which allows you to compress the knee WHILE icing, and allows you to adjust the amount of pressure so that it is comfortable.  Further, Moji Knee comes in three different sizes, ensuring that you get a proper fit.
3. Messiness: Moji is completely contained, meaning no leaks or condensation on the couch or cat.  You also don’t have to make ice.
4. Effectiveness: Because of Moji’s two piece system, the Cold Cell is held in place for more effective and targeted icing.  Further, the Compression Wrap makes it easy to effectively put the right amount of pressure on the area, making the whole process more effective.

In short, if you tend to have knee pain and are tired of the old fashioned ice-in-a-bag or other methods that are less than optimal, I highly recommend you give Moji a try.  You can purchase Moji Knee on Amazon.

Stop Dieting and Lose Weight for Good! Eat healthy and Drop Excess Weight with #1 Bestseller "GET REAL" and STOP Dieting! - the most simple, straightforward, no-nonsense plan that reveals how to eat healthy today, tomorrow and always...without dieting! BUY IT NOW!

* Moji Knee was provided to Sheer Balance for review purposes.

1. Be Active: Staying active is tremendously beneficial to keeping your heart strong and healthy.  You might assume that this means hitting the gym every day for long protracted periods of time, but it only takes 30 minutes of activity each day to reduce risk of heart disease.   Regular activity helps the body stay strong and function properly.
2. Enjoy Healthy Fats: Consuming healthy fats, such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated (specifically Omega-3s), while limiting unhealthy fats (saturated and trans fats) will help to boost your good cholesterol and reduce your overall cholesterol.  When you have high cholesterol, it can cause build up up in the walls of your arteries, which leads to heart disease.
3. Watch your Sugar and Salt Intake: Decreasing your sugar and salt intake can have a tremendous impact on your heart health.  Consuming too much sugar leads to high levels of sugar in your blood…a precursor to diabetes and heart disease.  Consuming to much salt (or sodium) can lead to high blood pressure, another precursor to heart disease.  Aim to have no more than 20 to 30 grams of added sugar and no more than 2,500mg of sodium per day.
   
4. Load up on Fiber: Consuming a minimum of 25 grams of fiber a day is a must for a healthy heart.  Although it is always advisable to get nutrients and fiber directly from food sources, such as vegetables, fruit and whole grains, there are times when consuming the daily recommended intake isn’t feasible.  In this case, eating high-fiber bars (such as GNU bars) is a great way to get a whopping dose.
5. Don’t Smoke: Smoking is a leading factor of heart disease.  Smoking increases blood pressure and increases the tendency for blood to clot.   As a result, if you smoke, seriously consider quitting or cutting back to diminish your risk.

How are you keeping your heart healthy?

When I was a freshman in college, I started taking aerobics classes.  Mind you, this was back in the day that the Reebok Step was the newest and most popular piece of equipment.  I really LOVED this one instructor who kicked my butt, yet had me coming back for more.  I loved her class and her style so much that she gave me the “I want to teach, too, bug.”   Suffice it to say, this woman and her classes kept me interested in exercise for years to come.   As a result, I want to impart some of my wisdom on finding an exercise class that will make you love exercising!:

1. The Instructor: The instructor is a crucial element to a good exercise class.  Without them, you could be lost.  However, not any or every instructor is worth blocking off an hour in your day.  Do your research.  Ask around your gym or the facility to find out which instructors people enjoy.  Find out when they teach and try their class.  If you don’t like them, move on and find another instructor to try.  Your instructor is there to motivate you and to teach you what you need to know to be safe and effective during your workout.
2. The Class Type: If you don’t like riding a bike, then chances are you are not going to enjoy a Spin class.  If you don’t like swimming, you very well may not like water aerobics.  Find a class that is inherently something you enjoy.  If you like to dance, seek out those classes that are centered around dance.  If you enjoy using the latest exercise gadgets, look for those classes that utilize equipment (such as rebounding or BodyPump).  The key to enjoying exercise is enjoying the activity you are doing.  Don’t force yourself to take a class just because other people like it or you hear it is the latest rage.  If you don’t like something or if you aren’t having fun, move on and try a different type of class until you find the ones you like most.
3. Schedule: You are a busy person with very little time to squeeze in exercise.  Look for classes that are convenient.  If they aren’t convenient or if they fall at a time that is difficult to schedule in, you most likely won’t go or you’ll be too distracted to put in the effort.   If, however, you feel that there is no good time to exercise, stop making excuses and start prioritizing yourself and your health.  Once you build in the time to exercise, you’ll start wanting to build the time in more.
4. Results: If you don’t feel like you got a good workout during a class, you may need to evaluate whether or not it is worth your time.  Different exercise classes have different purposes:  Some are geared towards an aerobic workout (hi-lo impactg aerobics or step), others towards balance and flexibility (yoga) and others to strength training (Body Pump).  Be mindful of class descriptions and what they promise.  If you don’t think the class delivered on the promise, it may be the instructor or it may be you.  If the instructor isn’t motivating you or pushing you to work hard, you may need to look for a different instructor.  If, however, you aren’t putting in a real effort, you may want to boost your intensity or find another instructor who may motivate you differently.

Enjoy what you do to stay active.  That is what will keep you wanting to do more of it!  What factors do you consider when you are looking for an exercise class?

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Today, more than ever, they are offering really fun and interesting classes that go way beyond the days of Jane Fonda.  Trying new classes will keep you challenged and motivated.  As with any group fitness class, you want to make sure that you are getting a good workout, having fun and that the instructor is good at what they do.  Also, make sure to round-out your exercises so that you incorporate all exercise types.

Type of Class	What it is	Most Benefit	At Home Options
T-Bow Classes	Having been quoted as being the next “Step,” the T-BOW is a Swiss based concept that utilizes a curved plastic piece of equipment. It is considered more versatile than the “Step” as it can be used lengthwise, crosswise and upside-down and also with or without optional T-Rings.  You can use it for stepping, rocking, stretching, balance and strength training.	Cardio Strength Muscular Flexibility Core and Stabilization	T-BOW® Home Workout System
Kettlebell Classes	Originating in Russia, kettlebells are cast iron weights that resemble a small cannonball with a handle.  It has become popular in recent years for strength, endurance, balance and flexibility conditioning.  During classes, you swing the kettlebell through various movements as your workout.	Strength Flexibility Cardio	Gaiam Kettlenetics Slim and Tone Kit
Gyrotonics / Gyrokinesis	Gyrotonic equipment and exercises were developed by Juliu Horvath to offer the same benefits one would gain from yoga, dance, gymnastics, swimming and tai chi.  Students stretch and strengthen muscles, while stimulating and strengthening connective tissues in and around the joints of the body.  Exercises are performed on a “Tower” which is fully adjustable and can meet the needs of many people with varying body types and levels of strength.  The circular, spiraling and undulating movements help to increase spine functionality, three-dimensional awareness and equilibrium.  Gyrokenesis is similar in concept, but doesn’t utilize equipment.	Strength Flexibility Stability Core	GYROKINESIS® Spinal Essentials with Aerobic Sequence DVD
Striptease/Pole Dancing	Striptease and pole dancing classes have become the rage in the last few years.  Utilizing striptease and pole-dancing moves, you can get a fantastic workout.  Further, it can help build self-confidence and self-esteem sexually.	Core Flexibility Strength	X-pole 50mm Chrome Xpole Dancing Stripper Pole
Anti-Gravity Classes	The most popular format for these classes are anti-gravity yoga.  Think cirque du soleil meets the gym.  If you love yoga and you love the idea of being a trapeze artist (or a cirque artist), then this class is for you.  Using big “hammocks” hung from the ceiling, you will fly, swing, spin and float.  Talk about fun!	Core Strength Flexibility Strength	Nothing available at this time
Urban Rebounding	The Urban Rebounding Workout uses a small trampoline to allow you to do moves while jumping.  The movements are less stressful on your joints, and more fun than doing an average low-high impact workout.	Core Training Balance Coordination Cardio	Urban Rebounder Trampoline Workout System
Belly Dancing Classes	If the idea of strip teasing or pole dancing is a little too much for you to handle, then belly dancing may be the next best thing.  The class will work and strengthen your core through dance movements utilizing your hips, your back, your legs and your abdominals.	Core Training Balance	Belly Dancing DVDs

Have you tried any of these classes? What were your experiences? What did you like most about them?

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Fitness enthusiasts are especially prone to such skin conditions. Not only do we spend time braving skin-aggravating elements, but our activities cause heat and friction. Plus, close contact with other individuals increases our likelihood of picking up infections, says Charles E. Crutchfield III, MD, clinical associate professor of dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis.

When skin conditions strike, they often have significant impact on fitness programs. “They can cause enough embarrassment that people refuse to go to the gym,” Crutchfield says, adding that the stress related to visible skin conditions can also trigger unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as overeating. In other cases, fitness enthusiasts persist in their health routines but endure significant discomfort as a result. Still, it’s crucial to seek help if a skin condition is causing itching, pain, discomfort or emotional stress, or if you suspect it might be infectious. Here’s some advice from Crutchfield and Christina G. Steil, MD, a dermatologist in Hinsdale, Illinois on how to battle eight common skin conditions.

An Integrated Approach
Proper nutrition and regular exercise aren’t just good for maintaining general health and fitness—they’re also crucial for your skin.  Take, for instance, eczema, acne, and rosacea, all of which can be exacerbated by inflammatory reactions to dairy, gluten, or sugar. Even if you don’t have a full-blown allergy or intolerance, consider minimizing your intake of trans fats and refined sugars and flours (all of which are known to increase inflammation in the body) and load up on antioxidant-rich, alkaline-forming foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and healthy omega-3 fatty acids, all of which help to reduce inflammation and rev up the body’s self-healing capacities.

You might also consider taking a daily probiotic supplement—especially if you’re treating your skin woes with antibiotic medications. Getting 30 to 50 billion organisms a day through probiotic supplements or foods like yogurt can maintain skin health by keeping the immune system in balance.

When working with individuals, the first thing I like to understand is what their goals are.  The next thing: How motivated they are.  Why?  Because one’s idea of their ideal body and what they are really willing to do to get that ideal body are often not aligned…or for that matter, realistic.   To think you are going to look like Heidi Klum after a few workouts is in no way, shape or form, realistic.  If you think you’ll look like Jennifer Garner with a few bicep curls…that too…is unrealistic.  In short, if you want hard-rock abs, it will take a lot more than a few crunches, and if you want to be extra skinny, it will take a lot more than cutting back on a few calories.

All of that said, it is important to remember that each person is different and each comes with his or her own set of genetics, metabolisms and body types…all of which weigh into the “how hard do I have to work” equation to get to your ideal body.  Lastly, I’d like to mention that vying to look like a model or actress is often unrealistic just in that it is their JOB to look the way they do…and they often have the time, the staff and trainers and the support they need to be as tight and hard-bodied as they are.  To get a better understanding of what it really takes to have some more of the stereotypical ideal bodies, I’ve put together the chart below.  Please note that these are GENERALIZATIONS and requirements do NOT factor in metabolism, age, genetics or the uber-ridiculous one in a million individual who doesn’t have to work hard to look the way they do:

Note that the endo, meso and ectomorph categorization is a generalization and that people can fall in-between these types.  Personally, I prefer to be in the Healthy Weight – Toned to Athletic/Muscular categories. Where do you fall on this chart? Do you think your “ideal body” is a realistic goal?

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Believe it or not, there are natural ways of improving your bladder health, without medication.  To help eliminate pesky bladder leaks, you here are five tips:

1. Kegels: You probably could have guessed this one…but it is true.  The very exercises you do to strengthen your “hoo-ha” can also strengthen your bladder.   The good news is this: “Doing bladder control exercises for just 5 minutes, three times a day, can make a big difference in your bladder control.”   To effectively do kegels, you should imagine that you are trying to stop passing gas or stop the flow of urine in mid-stream.  Squeeze the muscles you would use. If you sense a “pulling” feeling, those are the right muscles for pelvic exercises.  The best part of these exercises is that you can do them without anyone seeing you!  Pull in the pelvic muscles and hold for a count of 3. Then relax for a count of 3. Work up to 10 to 15 repetitions each time you exercise.  Further, you may want to try doing these exercises in three different positions: lying down, sitting and standing.
2. Maintain a Normal Weight: It’s true: Carrying excess weight increases the likelihood of weak pelvic floor muscles and can also worsen bladder weakness.  If you are overweight, try losing some weight and see if that makes a difference.  Although BMI isn’t always the best indicator of health, it is a good reference point to know if you may need to lose weight.
3. Allow for Chivalry: If you are in need of a little heavy lifting, consider letting someone else do it.  Lifting heavy objects incorrectly can weaken your pelvic floor. If you lift heavy objects yourself, make sure that you do so safely by bending your knees and using your leg muscles.  Also, try to incorporate strength training into your workouts so that you are stronger for those times when you do need to do some lifting.
4. Bladder Friendly Foods and Drinks: Certain foods, such as tomato based and spicy foods, can irritate the bladder.   While beverages such as those that are caffeinated or alcoholic can act as diuretics, which may contribute to leakage.  As a result, it is best to stick to bladder-friendly liquids such as water, apple juice, grape juice and cranberry juice.
5. Use Some Safeguards: Bladder weakness affects one out of four women.  This means that you are not alone if you are suffering from this problem.  Try to remain active and use some “back-up” during active days when you know it will be difficult to control your bladder or get to a bathroom regularly.  Panty-liners or pads can help give you confidence throughout the day.

Do you suffer from bladder weakness?  Has there been anything that you have done that has been especially helpful?

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The 90-Second Fitness Solution

1. Different Learning Styles: As a past fitness instructor and personal trainer, I have learned that one method of training or teaching may work for some, but not for others.  Communicating the same message in different ways allows various learning styles to benefit.  Some benefit from reading or listening, while others benefit from watching.  It is important to address these different learning styles to successfully get your point across.
2. Different Age Groups: Audiences of different ages look for information in various places.  Older audiences tend to look for information in printed mediums, while younger audiences look for much of their information online.
3. Print is SO Yesterday: Every publication that is serious has an online presence.  They realize that people may not subscribe to their magazine, but they very well may come to their site and view information online.  Having an online presence is a must to stay competitive in a virtual world.
4. Viral Marketing: There is a reason why social media and social networking dominate our world: it is viral.  You like something…you pass it on to a friend…who passes it on to their friends…etc.  Before you know it, instead of having a subscription base of 1.3 million, you are accessing 10, 20 or even 30 million people.  Getting a message out to the world is so much easier when all you have to do is click a button.
5. New Customers: People who subscribe to magazines or even online subscriptions are ALREADY fans.  However, having content online that is searchable allows for new people to find the information, potentially making them new customers.
6. Permanence: Most people throw out printed magazines.  Online information, however, is archived and housed for years…if not forever (time will tell).  Publications  realize that their information is only as good as it is accessible.  Providing content online allows information to be accessed regardless of its issue date.

If you’re a  regular on Sheer Balance, you’ll know that I’ve done a review for the book and Pete has been kind enough to provide a short excerpt for our readers.  Now, you should check out these multimedia options on Self.com.  Which do you like best?  Do you find that you absorb information differently for each?  Let me know if you think the video enhances the experience.

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1. Why Do I Want a Home Gym? Before you even start your spreadsheet, first ask yourself why you think this is a good idea.  Is it because you want to save money?  Do you prefer to workout alone?  Do you hate the gym scene?  For some, working out at home can end up boring, dull or unsocial.  Be sure that if you love being around people and the social aspect you aren’t being shortsighted by wanting to save money.
2. What Activities Motivate You? Now you need to start a spreadsheet or chart.  Make a list of your ideal activities…maybe it is yoga, maybe it is strength training, maybe it is cardio, maybe it is dance.  In the first column of your chart, list ALL of your favorite activities.  Then rank them in order of most enjoyed to least enjoyed.  Make sure they are activities that motivate you to exercise.
3. What Equipment Do You Need? Your next column should address the equipment you need for your different activities.  Some equipment you’ll need may include: a DVD player and television, free weights, a treadmill…etc.  Don’t forget some of the required “accessories” that go with each activity.  For instance, if yoga is on your list, remember to include a yoga mat, blocks, etc.  If you are interested in free weights, remember to include a bench.  For abdominal exercises, think about including stability balls, medicine balls and a mat.  Be as thorough as possible.
4. How Much Space Do You need? This is very important.  Underestimating how much space you will need for an ideal gym environment is one of the biggest mistakes people make.  If a space is too small or crowded, you will HATE using it.  As a result, the next column of your spreadsheet should address the space requirements for your activities.  This includes the equipment storage space, circulation space and the floor space required.  Here are a few examples of appropriate space allocations for various activities:
   1. Yoga: 8′ x6′ min. floor space per person + storage space for mat, blocks, etc.
   2. Dance/Aerobics: 12′ x 12′ min. floor space per person + space for TV and DVD player + storage for other equipment (e.g., steps
   3. Free Weight Training: 8′ x 8′ min. floor space per person + storage for weights + storage for bench and other equipment
   4. Cardio Equipment: Dimensions of equipment + 2′ extra space on each side
   5. Nautilus: Dimensions of the equipment + 2′ – 3′ minimum extra space on each side
5. How Much Does it All Cost? In the last column, approximate how much each activity will cost you to have in your home.  Factor in the equipment and the storage pieces you may use.

Once you have all of these pieces of information, you will then be ready to assess which activities are doable and which aren’t, how much space you’ll need for your home gym and how realistic it is from a cost perspective.  Further, having this information will also give you perspective on what it might cost to create and build your home gym.

Do you have a gym in your home?  Does it motivate you to exercise?

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1. Hydrate. Approximately 65 percent water, our bodies require substantial replenishment of H2O to function properly.   Proper hydration flushes toxins, ensures proper digestive and body functions, curbs hunger and helps fight aging.   Opt to drink water (you can add lemon, cucumber or a splash of juice for flavor), unsweetened green tea or club soda.  To approximate how much your body needs, divide your weight (in pounds) by two.  The result equals the ounces of fluid you should drink each day. * This hydration formula doesn’t work for people who are obese.  As a result, if you are 50 – 100 percent above your ideal body weight, consult your physician on this subject.
2. Get Your Zzz’s. Adequate sleep is highly beneficial to your health as well as your waistline.  Those who get seven to eight hours of sleep each night tend to weigh less than individuals who are sleep deprived.  Try to go to bed at the same time every night and wake up the same time every morning.  Also, promote sound sleep by avoiding caffeine after noon, eating at least two to three hours before bedtime and limiting alcohol intake.
3. Strength Train and Exercise. Strength, cardio and flexibility training are all important to keep bones and heart strong, metabolisms high and bodies free from injury.  Find a variety of activities you enjoy and get in one or more (for approximately one hour) at least three times a week.  This should include two 20 to 30 minute sessions of strength training weekly.  Instead of weight lifting, you can enjoy Yoga and Pilates (both incorporate strength training) as well as other forms of exercise that require muscular strength.
4. Drink Moderately. Alcohol has seven calories per gram of alcohol, as compared to nine calories per gram of fat and four calories per gram of protein and/or gram of carbohydrates.  Alcohol in moderation, however, can help raise HDL, the good cholesterol.  Recent research suggests that the heart-health benefit of alcohol is increased if moderate consumption is consistent: three-to-seven times a week, as opposed to sporadic consumption. To balance the benefits with the calories, women should limit themselves to no more than one drink a day; men, no more than two. One drink is 4 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer (a bottle or can) or 1 ounce of hard liquor.
5. Manage Stress. Stress is part of life.  Managing stress, so it isn’t overwhelming, is critical in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  When we are over-stressed, we find reasons to soothe ourselves and, often, we do so with food.  Exercising, getting enough sleep and spending down-time alone or with loved ones, are all ways to help diminish the impact of stress on our lives.

Don’t forget to eat healthy too, but remember that other healthy habits are just as important!

Excerpted from "GET REAL" and STOP Dieting! Copyright 2009 - Brett Blumenthal

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When you take a mind-body movement class you are instructed to be present and aware of your mind-body connection.  As you purposefully breathe while moving or holding a posture, each part of your body should be awakened and thought about.  Form becomes key as you move…turning your hip out…pulling your abdominal muscles in…lengthening your leg…or rounding your back.  Breathing and mindful movement become the focus and your stressors take a back seat.  You simply cannot continue to dwell on negative things when you have to focus on form and breath. Instead, you become present as you think about and honor your body from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.  With gentle persistence the initial challenges of being “present” can be overcome and embraced and a release from negative stressors is highly possible.

One friend told me that if it had not been for her daily practice of yoga she might have gone over the edge when her husband lost his job.  Her practice helped her stay grounded and know that they would get through their trial. Clients tell me that at the end of class they often feel like crying because emotions have been allowed to surface.  Crying is a release.  I encourage them to let it out!  Others say class feels like they have received a massage. They might have come into class in a mad hurry only to leave relaxed and better able to conquer their tasks in a balanced way.

The studies are growing on how mind-body fitness affects stress.  One study from March 2008 documented in the Annuals of Behavioral Medicine found that Hatha Yoga, an type of mind-body fitness,  reduced perceived stress and also decreased cortisol levels.  Cortisol, a useful and necessary hormone released by the adrenal glands, aids in glucose metabolism and blood pressure control among other things.  But, in our high stress culture cortisol release can become constant thus shutting down the body’s ability to relax.  High levels of cortisol can cause hypertension, suppressed thyroid and immune functions, and increased abdominal fat among others.  We have to do something to counter this constant state of stress so that we can relax and allow the body to function properly.  When compared with African Dance (cardiovascular movement) Hatha Yoga was much more successful in reducing cortisol levels.

There are obvious fitness benefits to adding mind-body exercise to your regime.  Increased strength and flexibility, balance between muscle groups, and learning proper mind body techniques to apply to other parts of your fitness training are all acquired.  But, I think for most, the best part of choosing to engage in mind-body fitness is the new perspective on life that is likely gained after each and every session.

If you have tried a yoga class only to leave in haste because it was too boring or not your style, I highly encourage you to give it another try!  There are so many forms of functional mind-body fitness that there is bound to be one that will fit your needs and one that you might even grow to adore!  Further, you can engage in mind-body fitness in any number of ways:  From attending classes in a local private studio to trying your local group fitness yoga class to buying a DVD!  Mind-body fitness is available to fit all budgets.

Give it a try.  You owe it to yourself!

Bone density refers to your reserve of stored calcium. This is what determines the strength and health of your bones.

Bones are living tissue and need to be used to be strengthened.

The best time to start doing weight-bearing activities is during the teen and early adult years when bones are still growing. But it’s never too late to start!

The more bone density you have, the less negative impact there will be after menopause, when bone density begins to thin out with the loss of estrogen.

Higher bone density means stronger bones that are less susceptible to fracture or breakage.

So ladies, listen up: here are some activities you can incorporate into your lives to build up bone mass and stay strong.

• For starters, lift things! No need to go overboard, but carry your groceries to the car and don’t be shy about picking up boxes. Just make sure you protect your back and do it safely.
• Jogging is good for building bone, and so is walking uphill, but a regular walk around the block won’t do much for you.
• Vigorous gardening and housecleaning—move a lot, stretch and lift heavy things!
• Skip the elevator and climb stairs instead.
• On your walks and hikes, wear a backpack. Fill it with water bottles and other things to add some weight, as this helps build bone.
• Weightlifting is very good for your bones. There are weightlifting techniques that help build lean muscle mass, and plenty of bone while you’re at it.
• For more active types, try jumping rope, team sports (basketball, hockey, soccer), and high impact aerobics.

Dr. Scott Lephart, from the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition, had a proven track record of reducing injury in professional sports teams.  He seemed to be just what the Army needed.  Traditionally, much of the military’s physical training included calisthenics.  However, Lephart’s ETAP takes quite a different approach: Interval circuit training.  Through 45 second circuits, soldiers increase their speed, agility, flexibility and balance.  And although injury rates were the primary focus, it is clear that the results have proven to be beneficial in making soldiers stronger:  ETAP participants are 30 percent more fit than those that go through traditional training!

So, how can you get in on the action?  And, is it really something that you should consider?  Absolutely!

Benefits

1. Cardio AND Strength: Circuit training is a workout combining both cardiovascular fitness and resistance training.  By allowing only a short rest interval of 30-90 seconds between exercises, you get both cardio and strength training in your workout.
2. Boredom: Because circuit training allows a wide variety of exercises and equipment, it is more difficult to get bored.
3. Cost: A lot of the equipment you can use is free or inexpensive.  Some of the equipment you can use includes: your own body weight (free!), resistance bands, jump ropes, dumbbells, medicine balls, physioballs and weight training machines
4. Flexible Fitness Levels: You can do as little anywhere from 6 to 15 stations based on your goals and fitness level.
5. Time Required: Because you are fitting both cardio AND strength into your regimen, you are actually saving time (as compared to splitting them up).

Making it Work for You

You, too, can be as fit as a man or woman of service.  Here’s how:

Warm-up: As with any workout program, always warm up first.  Do 5 to 10 minutes of low-impact cardio, such as walking, elliptical or stationary bike to get your heart rate up; followed by light stretching.

Exercises: You’ll put circuits together of cardio, upper-body, lower-body and core exercises.  Generally, you’ll want to do 10 – 15 repetitions for upper and lower body exercises, and 10 – 30 repetitions for core exercises.  Take no more than a one minute break between exercises (YES! Time yourself!).  To create your own circuits, do the following:

• Decide how many rotations you will do (a rotation includes one of each of the below categories)…2 should be your minimum and 4 should be your maximum.
• From the below chart, start with a cardio exercise and follow it with an upper-body, a lower-body and a core exercise. (The chart provides several examples, but if you know or like other exercises in each category, you can do those as well.)
• Except for cardio, each rotation should have different exercises from each category.
• At the end of your last rotation, do one last cardio exercise.

Cool-down: You should follow your final rotation with 5 to 10 minutes of low-impact, low-intensity cardio and stretching to get your heart rate down and muscles stretched out.

Have you tried circuit training?  Did you see results?

Each activity is accompanied with a calorie burn assessment for an individual who is 130 pounds.  If you are at a different weight, you can reference the “Calories Burned Chart” on Sheer Balance to know your personal burn.  The great thing about most of these activities is that they provide both strength and cardio benefits!

1. Rowing, Canoeing and Kayaking: If you live near water (lake, ocean or river), try getting in some rowing or kayaking.  Rivers aren’t as full, which will make navigating more difficult terrain (white water and rapids) a bit easier. It is a great way to see the sites!

• Targets: Upper body strength and cardio.  Rowing, however, provides a great lower body workout as well.
• Calorie Burn: You can burn up to 413, 502 or 561 calories an hour depending on intensity (numbers are reflective of light, moderate and vigrorous intensity respectively) for rowing; and 295 calories per hour for kayaking.

2. Outdoor Bootcamp: Some cities, such as Boston, have bootcamp classes that go outbound in the nicer weather.  If you live in the Boston area, a great one to try is: Beantown Bootcamp.

• Targets: Full body strength and cardio.
• Calorie Burn: You can burn up to 472 calories an hour.

3. Raking Leaves: Don’t ever underestimate the power of raking leaves.  It is a great activity to do with family and kids too!

• Targets: Upper body strength with some cardio.
• Calorie Burn: 266 calories per hour.

4. Horseback Riding: Many national parks and city parks offer horseback riding.  Further, rural and suburban areas throughout the country have horse farms.  Horseback riding is great if you love animals and want to feel connected to nature:

• Targets: Lower body strength.
• Calorie Burn: 236 calories per hour for general riding or 472 calories for racing.

5. Hiking: Hiking is absolutely beautiful during the fall because of the beautiful foliage you can see (obviously this is true in more temperate climates).

• Targets: Lower body strength (and upper if you carry a backpack) and cardio.
• Calorie Burn: 354 calories per hour.

6. Golf: Golf is a game that can be enjoyed all the way through the fall.  Don’t rent the golf-cart, however, as walking will give you a lower body workout and some cardio.

• Targets: Upper and lower body strength.
• Calorie Burn: 207 calories per hour.

And, although these don’t necessarily burn as many calories, don’t underestimate the power of apple picking and pumpkin picking…not to mention pumpkin carving!  So, don’t let the change of season slow you down!  Keep moving and enjoy!

First, an Abs class will build your stomach muscles very intensely, leaving you noticeably sore and visibly stronger – because you will soon see your developed “6-pack” muscles. These are your rectus abdominus muscles that line the surface of the abdomen. Twisting ab work will strenthen your obliques, the outer more lateral muscles used for rotation. Abs classes target these muscle groups generally by the technique of a contraction or “crunch”, building the muscle fibers in a way that tend to make them shorter and tighter. If your goal is to obtain visible “wash-board” abs, you should take this class. Your stomach will feel very strong and look great. By contrast, Pilates classes focus on a different set of abdominals called the transverse abdominus muscles, which lie deeper in the abdomen and help support the spine. They are found by learning to engage the entire “core” of the body (Joe Pilates called it your “powerhouse”), which includes the deepest muscles of the stomach, lower back, and hips all working together. Using the Pilates abdominals means pulling the muscles deeper into your center, described in ways like “drawing your navel to your spine” or “scooping the muscles in and up under your ribs”. This technique actually lengthens the deep, stabilizing muscles as it strengthens them, thus elongating the waistline while building a stronger framework for your spine. You still work the surface muscles, but they are secondary to the deeper ones.

Another distinction is in the overall purpose of each class. Where as an Abs class is only focused on strengthening the abdominals, a Pilates class is designed to strengthen, stretch, and balance the entire body, beginning with the deepest abdominals and lower back/hip muscles. Your stomach will become long, lean and strong in a more streamlined way. A Pilates class is made up of exercises that create a center of gravity in the body’s core, working from the “inside, out”. The result is that you tone and elongate your entire body while in fact every exercise is a stomach exercise.

Finally, you should know that it may take five to ten Pilates classes before you start to really feel the benefits, where as after a good Abs class you usually experience immediate results in that you feel how hard your stomach just worked. But the muscles being engaged and strengthened in Pilates classes are smaller, harder to access, and take longer to feel. As you continue to develop them, however, these muscles are felt very intensely. And the long-term results of a Pilates class generally extend far beyond strong abdominals – including a strong yet supple spine, nicely toned arms and thighs, improved posture, and an overall higher energy level.

Truth is, these phases are normal.  If anyone claims otherwise, they would be lying.  But just because your inner-devil has won over your inner-angel does not mean that it has won for good!  Here are a few ways to overcome your burnout period and move into a more motivated frame of mind:

1. STOP Exercising. Yep, you heard me right.  Stop exercising.  Take a week off and don’t feel guilty about it either.  Burning out is a sign that you may have been overdoing it.  Allowing yourself to not exercise will give your body a break and, even more importantly, your mind a rest.  The more we berate ourselves into having to go to the gym, the more we feel that it is a chore…something to loathe.  Giving yourself a break will help your mind reset its attitude to be more positive.
2. Do a Little Research. Chances are that you have been doing a similar workout or exercise routine for awhile.  This may be part of why you are burnt out.  Without actually doing the exercises, read up on recent fitness trends, talk to friends about classes or exercise types they really enjoy and scope out what may be new offerings in your area or gym.  Getting some fresh ideas will help you feel excited again about exercising and finding activities you enjoy.
3. Set New Goals. Having goals helps us to focus our attention on an outcome versus the process, giving us something to look forward to.   Maybe you want to train for a marathon.  Maybe you want to gain muscle and decrease your fat (calculate your Body Fat here).  Maybe you want to become a black belt in a Martial Art.  Find something that you can be passionate about to help you get motivated again.
4. Find a Partner in Crime. Having a friend who wants to stay fit with you can help you through the rough patches of exercise.  Make sure, however, that your workout buddy is someone who has real dedication to the task at hand and whom you can count on to push you when you need the push!
5. Get New Music. If you are struggling with cardio, in particular, get a new workout playlist.  Music can be a huge motivator to get you moving.  If your playlist gets stale, it can have the opposite impact on you.  Keeping music fresh will help you stay interested and distracted when your workout is feeling a little long.

How do you get over your workout burnout?

Richard Wilkinson - “Learn to Love Fat.”

This morning on the Today Show, they did a segment on the “Fat Acceptance Movement:” A movement towards increasing acceptance of those who are extremely overweight.  Some may argue that this is a “cop-out” or an excuse to be fat, while others say that it is a movement towards accepting yourself as you are.

During the segment there were a few points that I think are worth mentioning:

• Extremism: The reporter stated, “Not everyone subscribes to the theory that life is best lived hungry and constantly inside the gym.”  These kinds of statements are exactly what discourage people from living at a healthy weight.  If you eat right and are active…you don’t have to be so extreme to always “live hungry and inside the gym.”  Let’s get back to moderation.
• Obesity vs. Inactivity: One of the doctors interviewed stated that she believes there really isn’t an obesity epidemic, as much as an inactivity epidemic. For instance, there are people who are thin and appear to fall into a healthy BMI range who are extremely inactive.  However, on the flip side, there are overweight people who are highly active. Which is better? Personally, I’d argue that the overweight person who is highly active is more healthy than the thin person who doesn’t get their butt off the couch.
• Degree of Overweight is What Matters: Let’s face it, there is a big difference between being 5 – 10 pounds overweight versus 50 to 70 pounds overweight. I would argue that although there are rare cases of a person who is carrying 50 extra pounds is in good health, more often than not, that individual has or will have more health issues than an individual who is 5 – 10 pounds overweight. So really, is it productive to have a “Fat Acceptance Movement?” Or, should we be pushing for a “Happy to Be in My Skin Movement.”
• REAL Acceptance?: Dr. Snyderman provides a real life personal question of how accepting we really are: If you are on an airplane and an obese person gets on…would you think to yourself: “Please don’t sit next to me”?

Here is the video for your own viewing:

What do you think?  Do you think that a Fat Acceptance Movement is an excuse for people to be obese or do you think it is a great idea?

Although there are definite benefits to doing aerobic exercise; strength, core and flexibility training all provide numerous health benefits that cardio can’t:  They increase muscular and bone strength, increase lean body mass, safeguard against injury and boost metabolism while decreasing fat.

Is it possible you are overdoing the cardio?  Here’s how to know:

1. Time: Unless you are training for a race, marathon or triathlon, there is no need to do more than 30 minutes of cardio (with your heart rate between 65% – 85% of your maximum heart rate) when you workout. Fitness Revamp: If you want to exercise for over 30 minutes, you are better off doing a 20 – 30 minute cardio session and another 20 – 30 minutes dedicated to strength training, stretching and/or core training.
2. You aren’t seeing results: If you are trying to lose weight, yet you aren’t seeing results, it may be because of too much cardio.  Believe it or not the idea of ‘burning off fat’ does not stem from cardio…it stems from strength training.   Fitness Revamp: Build in 20 – 30 minute strength training sessions 2 – 3 times a week.
3. Injuries: Too much wear and tear on your muscles and joints can end up in an injury…or even worse, multiple injuries.  Incorporating flexibility and strength training helps to strengthen the joints which will prevent pain and damage to joints. Fitness Revamp: Take the time to stretch before and after your cardio sessions.
4. Boredom: Does it take a lot to motivate yourself to go to the gym?  Doing the same type of exercise every day, of every week, of every year is…BORING!  Working out should be fun and should make you feel good.  Fitness Revamp: Mix it up.  Take a class or two that interest you each week.  Get into the weight room and do a few sets of bicep curls.  Go hiking.  Do things that motivate you and keep you interested.  Being active is what is most important…not the time and mileage on a piece of equipment.

Do you think you are overdoing cardio?  Have you found any of the above indicators true?

Recently, I tried Suzanne Bowen’s and Leah Sarago’s Release Workout DVD.  It teaches moves that are part of their Ruah Mind Body Movement, utilizing a method they term “Postural Movement and Flow” to strengthen the mind, body, and spirit.  It is centered in principles of lengthening the muscles through deep muscle work with stretching.  Here is what I thought:

1. Video Synopsis: The video is about 55 minutes long, with 15 minutes dedicated to lower body, 25 minutes dedciated to upper body and core and 10 minutes of the video dedicated to stretching and relaxation.   All of the work is done in a low to non-impact format, utilizing both standing movements and matwork.
2. Type of Workout: Although the video claims that the exercises offer the three components of cardio, strength, and flexibility training, if you are especially in shape, I would offer that the video is more geared towards strength and flexibility.  The more fit you are, the more it takes to increase your heart rate.  If you are a beginner, however, I would say that it definitely offers some amount of cardio.
3. How to Incorporate: Although I would never use this video to replace traditional cardio or strength training, it is definitely something to consider incorporating into your overall workout regimen.  If you are especially prone to skipping stretching or relaxation, and feel it is a waste of time, this video incorporates enough movement to keep even the most non-yoga types engaged.
4. Level of Difficulty: The moves are simple in regards to coordination and choreography, but still challenges the muscles.
5. Level of Creativity: If you have taken a yoga class or a pilates class, many of the moves will be familiar.  They are not especially unique and can be a bit repetitive (this is not a dance video!), however, Leah and Suzanne combine various moves into a sequence which gives the moves a bit of a new twist.
6. Overall Review: I recommend “Release” for beginners who want to ease into an exercise program or for those individuals who are fit, but want to get more stretching, lengthening and toning into their workout regimens.

To learn more about the Ruah Movement, visit www.ruahmovement.com.  You can also buy “Release” here..

Saying that walking is the only thing you need is like saying that gas is all your car needs to function properly.  If you neglect the engine, don’t put oil in it and don’t inflate the tires, the car eventually will stop running properly.  Walking is a great activity to incorporate into a healthy lifestyle, but it isn’t the begin all and end all of being in great physical shape.

If you haven’t exercised regularly for a long time, walking is a good way to start getting back into a regimen.  But to make it really work for you, remember the following:

1. Intensity: Are you strolling or are you pushing yourself?  More than the exercise itself, getting your heart rate up into a zone of 65% – 85% your maximum heart rate is important to making the activity beneficial.
2. Continue to Challenge Yourself: Walk on a treadmill to pace yourself. You should try to walking between 3.5 to 4.5 miles per hour. This will ensure you are getting some sort of cardiovascular workout. (If you don’t have a treadmill, get a pedometer and try to steadily increase the number of steps you take within the 30 minutes, every time you walk). Once you are able to walk in this range for 30 minutes comfortably, challenge yourself. Try jogging. If not, try to walk faster and longer. As you become more fit, you will need to work harder to get the same benefit.
3. Strength Training: Try to incorporate some strength training into your workout.  It will help you to build muscle and raise your metabolism…which will burn more calories…which will help you lose weight.
4. Eat Properly: Make sure you are eating properly. Even if you were to walk an hour a day, every day of the week, but you continued to eat poorly, you would not see results.

Do you walk for weight loss?  Have you seen any improvements?  Have you incorporated these other important aspects?

So, if you couldn’t tell, I’m a huge advocate for weight training.  Different weight training programs often achieve different goals. Specifically, there are three types of sets that are typically done, each resulting in three different types of results:

• Low weight / high number of repetitions (12 – 15): Best a toning muscle to give them shape, but not necessarily strength or dimension.
• Moderate weight / moderate number of repetitions (10 – 12): Best at building strength, without necessarily building muscle size.
• Heavy weight / low number of repetitions (8 – 10): Best at building muscle (not bulk!) and burning fat.

Each of these types of exercises are important to a weight training program.  Why?  Because when you weight train, it is best to keep your muscles on their toes.  What I mean by this is that you should not do any exercise for too long (more than two weeks).  Otherwise, your muscles become used to the move and/or exercise, and adapts to it.  As a result, your workout doesn’t challenge the muscles enough to see real results.  To be sure that your weight training program is really doing its job (after all, you sure are!) it is best to incorporate each type of set into your routine to continually see results.  Further, this strategy will ensure you lose the most fat, and will look as lean as you want.

Here’s how:

1. 2 Week Cycles: For the first two weeks, do two to three days of weight training that focuses on using low amount of weight and high repetitions, where the 15th or last repetition is very difficult.  During the next two weeks, do mid-weight and 10 – 12 repetitions.  And then for the last 2 weeks, use heavy weight.  Continually repeat this process.
2. Pyramid Training: This type of program tries to achieve all three goals: Build muscle, build strength and tone in one workout. Some believe that this type of training system can achieve greater results more quickly.  Over the course of three sets of the exercise, do your first at the lightest weight – highest reps, the second at the middle weight – middle reps, and the last set at the heaviest weight – least reps, lifting until failure.

Do you weight train?  Have you incorporated all three types of sets into your routine?  How do you like the results?

1. Watch out for dorm food. When foods are all-you-can-eat there’s much more of a temptation to overeat or eat things that you might not otherwise have as part of your diet. Start out with smaller portions and go back for more if you’re still hungry.
2. Take advantage of campus gyms. One of the big perks of college is being able to go to a gym for free, so take advantage of the opportunity to work out. Sign up for a class or make the gym part of your routine so that you’ll actually be motivated to go.
3. Play sports. If you hate working out in a gym, there are plenty of activities that you can get involved in on-campus that will keep you fit while letting you have fun at the same time.
4. Walk or ride your bike to class. You could take the bus or drive, but getting a little extra exercise when you can is always a good thing. Also consider taking the stairs instead of the elevators if your classes are on upper levels.
5. Take time to de-stress. College can be stressful for new students who are trying to balance a million things at once and still do well in their classes. Remember to take time for yourself to relax and do things you enjoy as well.
6. Don’t forget to sleep. While studying is important, it’s just as important to get a solid amount of sleep so you’ll be prepared for your classes as well.
7. Limit late-night snacks. It’s easy to want to pig-out when you’re up late studying, but try to limit the amount of unhealthy foods you eat, especially before you go to bed.
8. Don’t keep unhealthy snacks on hand. One way to give yourself a hand in eating healthier is to just not keep unhealthy things around, even if you really, really want to.
9. Find healthy friends. You may be able to find more ways to eat right and get in shape by finding a group of friends that shares the same drive to bit fit and active as you.
10. Get regular check-ups. For most college students, on-campus health care is incredibly cheap or free. Take advantage of this and get regular exams to ensure you’re healthy.

To ensure you are getting the most out of your workout, however, it is good practice to follow a certain order to ensure safety and maximized effectiveness.  Below is an optimal order:

1. 5 minute warm up and stretching
2. Abdominal Exercises
3. Strength Training
4. Cardiovascular / Aerobic Training
5. 3 minute Cool Down and stretching

Here is why:

1. Warm Up and Stretching: This warms up your body by increasing blood flow to the muscles that you will be working, warming up your joints and increasing your heart rate and body temperature…all helping to prevent injury, improve flexibility and prepare your body for the exercises to come.  First do your warm-up and then stretch the muscles you used, using static stretches (no bouncing!).
2. Abdominals: You use your core muscles (abs and back) for almost every movement that you do, whether it be cardio or weights.  Exercising these muscles first helps to ensure that they aren’t tired out before you actually get to them.  Further, you will continue to work them as you move onto the rest of your workout.
3. Strength Training: Nutritionally, it is best to weight train first.  When you exercise, you first use carbohydrates for energy.  Then, you use fat for energy.  When you strength train, the preferred source of energy for your body is carbohydrates.  When you do cardio, your preferred source of energy is fat (this is why they talk about burning fat when you do cardio).  Further, it can take up to 29 minutes of cardio activity to burn your carbohydrate stores, meaning that if you start with a 30 minute cardio session, you have only burned carbs, and then burned fat for only one minute.    Using up your carbohydrate stores with strength training allows you to burn more fat when you do your cardio workout, making your workout much more effective.Now, from a more practical standpoint, strength training before cardio is safer.  You haven’t depleted yourself of all of your energy, allowing you to be more focused and aware of your form while strength training.  This will help minimize risk of injury.  Also, it is good practice to stretch your muscles in between your sets.
4. Cardiovascular Exercise: At this point, you are ready to burn fat.  Additionally, if you are a bit tired, you can do low-impact and/or light cardio and still burn fat.
5. Cool-Down: For two to five minutes, it is good to slow down and let your body return to normal after your cardio workout.  This will help prevent blood pooling in your extremities, lightheadedness and/or fainting after a workout.  Again, add in some static stretches to keep your body limber and flexible.  It will also help decrease lactic acid build-up which can lead to sore muscles!

Do you go to the gym and do all of these activities?  What order have you used?

Cardiovascular benefits, such as a stronger heart and lungs, reduced risk of disease and cancer, improved health factors, and increased energy, can all be achieved by elevating the heart rate during exercise. On the other hand, resistance training builds muscles, increases bone density, increases metabolism, decreases risk of coronary disease, and improves physical performance. The human body needs both cardio and resistance training, but there is a trend to split them up into two separate workouts. There is no reason, however, why these can’t be done simultaneously.

Cardio and strength training equally raise the heart rate (which is the indicator of cardiovascular training), so integrating them produces explosive results! Your heart does not know the difference between the stair master and performing weighted step-ups. The heart rate elevates in response to the physical demand placed on the working muscles. With this in mind, I would like to introduce a way of working out called ‘postural movement and flow.’

Postural movement and flow centers in principles of lengthening the muscles through deep muscle work, dynamic movements, and stretching. The exercises are performed by utilizing body-weight only resistance in a series of flow patterns to keep the heart rate elevated while building and shaping the muscles. These postural movements start with isometric holds and then progress into dynamic movements. In between exercises, the heart rate descends through a stretch or breathing rest. Because this movement progresses with high and low intensity intervals, this technique can be described as a form of interval training. This type of interval training is one of the best ways to burn fat, boost metabolism, build muscle, and gain cardiovascular benefits in one workout.

For example, if we take the chair pose typically seen in a yoga class and combine a movement progression, this will cause your upper and lower body muscles to feel the burn, while the heart rate reaches beyond a moderate intensity cardio zone. Here is a demonstration of the chair pose progression:

Chair Pose Progression

1. Sit back as if you are reaching for a chair with your hips, and lower the thighs as close to parallel to the floor as possible without allowing the knees to go past the toes. Simultaneously, lengthen the arms overhead to reach in line with the ears while pressing the shoulders down the back. Scoop the naval into the spine to engage the core and reduce pressure off the low back.
2. Lift out of this pose into a standing position while strongly resisting the arms open to shoulder level.
3. Repeat this movement sequence for three sets of eight repetitions.

There are two factors in postural movement and flow which contribute to the cardiovascular benefit. First, exercise intensity increases with the number of large muscle groups working at the same time. Employing exercises that combine the upper and lower body fatigues a greater number of muscles while it further increases the heart rate. Second, focusing the mind’s attention increases muscular contraction strength, thus increasing the work demand on the body. Mental focus is a key-contributing component to determining the level of intensity you can achieve from exercise.

Supplementing workouts with other forms of cardio are a great way to beat a fitness plateau, fight cardio boredom, and fit fitness into a busy lifestyle by combining cardio and strength. In addition, alternative forms of cardio, like postural movement and flow, require less physical impact and repetitive movements on the joints, which is especially useful for those with injuries or special conditions. If you love running or high impact cardio, try an alternative form once a week to cross-train your body. If you are limited or detest most traditional forms of cardio, this is the perfect way to gain the fat burning, health boosting benefits of cardiovascular exercise.

The best way to adhere to any exercise program is finding what you like to do! Cardio does not have to be so dreadful and boring. Try joining your strength and cardio workouts together for some variety and take the pressure off your joints.

Many overweight individuals defend their weight and will state that they are unfairly treated because they do not fall within a weight range that the public deems acceptable. Further, some will even go so far to say that their weight is not the concern of anyone else but themselves.

In these economic times, however, when we are deliberating day after day about the health care system and who will pay for what, I have to ask, isn’t it our concern?

This morning, a newscaster on CNN used the phrase ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’ Personally, I couldn’t agree more. She also sited some interesting facts about obesity and its impact on the health care system. These stats came from a study published in late July 2009, conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the study, ‘Obese’ is defined as having a BMI of over 30.

When comparing data from 1998 and 2006, here were the findings:

• 1998 Spend: $78.5 Billion a year; 50% financed by Medicare and Medicaid
• Increase in obesity rate: 37%
• Cost of increase: An additional $40 Billion per year to Annual Healthcare Bill
• Medical cost for Obese Person vs. ‘Normal’ Person: 42% higher or an extra $1,429 per year, per person
• Medical expenditure % by Type of Insurance in 2008: 8.5% of Medicare spending; 11.8% of Medicaid spending and 12.9% of private insurance spending

Alina Cho of CNN also pointed out that “25% of American young men are too fat to enlist.” She mentioned that “hospitals are buying special wheelchairs and bigger operating tables, revolving doors are being widened and extra bulk on commercial flights is costing the airlines a quarter billion dollars a year in jet fuel.” Additionally, people who are obese get sick more often, miss more work and decrease productivity. In another document presented by the CDC, they state that “medical expenditures for obese workers, depending on severity of obesity and sex, are between 29%–117% greater than expenditures for workers with normal weight.”

When we are looking at the health care system and its costs, we could drive cost down dramatically and save a lot of money if we could decrease the obesity rate. When obesity costs so much, is it really not our concern? Should we spend on prevention and programs that promote healthy living? What do you think?

Related Topics:

• Obesity in Children: Who’s to Blame?
• Should the Government Ban McDonald’s?
• Should Obese People Buy 2 Airline Tickets?
• Is Medicine the Culprit of Unhealthy Lifestyle Choices?
• Overcoming Disease through Exercise and Diet

Resources:

“Annual Medical Spending Attributable To Obesity: Payer- And Service-Specific Estimates.”
Health Affairs

“Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States.”
MMWR Recommendations and Reports

OBESITY: Halting the Epidemic by Making Health Easier – http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/publications/AAG/pdf/obesity.pdf

There are two things that influence the success of a personal training program: 1) The Personal Trainer and 2) You.  If both people aren’t properly invested, working with a personal trainer is as good as getting a car wash on a rainy day.  So, if sessions with a Personal Trainer seem appealing, consider the following:

1. The Personal Trainer: If a personal trainer doesn’t take their job seriously, there is a good chance you are going to spend a lot of money for very little return.  Here are five key things you want to understand about your potential personal trainer:

• Credentials: There are a variety of organizations that certify individuals as personal trainers.  For a little money and time, the certifications are not that difficult to come by. Although there are always some exceptions, the best personal trainers tend to have a college level degree in a related field (E.g., sports medicine, Kiniesiology, Physical Therapy, etc.) AND a certification in PT.
• Experience: With experience comes savvy about different conditions, body types, challenges, etc.  You want someone who has dealt with individuals like yourself so they know what works and what doesn’t.
• Referrals: Ask the trainer if they have any references or individuals you can speak to regarding their experience and ability.  Be sure to get a couple references and that they are or were legitimate clients.  Hint:  If they gush just a little too much, be a little skeptical.  Questions to ask:  What were their goals?  Did they achieve them?  How long did it take?  What did they like and dislike about the personal trainer?  Would they recommend them?
• Look: Call me prejudiced, but if the trainer doesn’t look the part, you probably don’t want to use them.  Sure, there are ranges of healthy and fit.  So don’t be too judgmental.  However, if the trainer doesn’t take good care of him- or herself, it may be a sign that they won’t push you to do the work you need to do to see the results.
• Personality: Although you surely want to feel comfortable with your trainer, you are still hiring them to do a job.  You want a work out, not a gossip session.  Be leery of the extra chummy types.

2. You: You and your commitment are almost as important, if not more so, than your personal trainer’s ability.  Here are a few things to consider before spending your money:

• Goal Setting: Make sure that you have realistic goals that are attainable.  Setting goals that are too lofty implies you may have unrealistic expectations and could be setting yourself up for failure.
• What is Your Motivation?: Think about why you want to invest in this process.  Is it for yourself?  Is it to impress someone?  Is it because your Doctor recommended it?  Really be honest with yourself and understand what is motivating you.  If you are doing this because of other people, your motivation might not be sustainable.  The best reason to invest in yourself is because YOU want to.
• Acknowledge the Hard Work Ahead: In all honesty, if you think because you hire a personal trainer you will be fit, you are delusional.  It is important to realize that a personal trainer is there to give you the tools and the knowledge you need to be successful…not to work miracles.

Have you hired a personal trainer?  What was your experience?  Did you think it was worth the price?

On the first day of the competition, all the participants ‘weighed-in’ and set a weight loss goal for the next two months.  The only requirement of the challenge was that each participant come in for weekly weigh-ins.  Heather set her goal to be a loss of fifteen pounds and enthusiastically threw herself into a healthy eating plan and exercise regimen.

At the end of the competition, Heather was devastated and felt as though she failed:  She only lost 10 pounds.  Heather was so caught up in the number on the scale that she lost sight of all that she had achieved over the course of the two month challenge.

Unfortunately, weight loss challenges often fall short if they aren’t planned or managed properly.  Here are three mistakes many of them make:

1. Bad Ways of Measuring Success: Weight is only one indicator of health.  As in Heather’s case, focusing on weight can be discouranging and disappointing.  Many times, what shows up on the scale can be highly misleading.  As a result, it is important to utilize several methods of assessing an individual’s progress.  Here are some to consider:

• BMI: A 5′-10″ person who weighs 175 pounds is very different than a 5′-2″ person who weighs 175 pounds.  BMI takes height into account. Calculate your BMI…
• Body Measurements: As you lose weight, you also lose inches.  Measuring how many inches are lost throughout the program helps you to understand how your body is changing.  At the beginning of a program, women should measure the circumferences of their bust, chest, waist, hips, thighs, calves, upper arm and forearm.  Men should measure the same areas, except for their bust.  Take these measurements every month to see your progress.
• Body Fat / Lean Body Mass: Exercising and doing strength training will help you to lose weight, but more importantly, it will help you to lose fat while building muscle.  Since muscle weighs more than fat, you may not see as much of a loss in weight, but you may very well lower your body fat.  Calculate your Body Fat…
• Heart Rate and Blood Pressure: Exercising can cause your resting heart rate and blood pressure to lower.  This is a sign that your heart and body are getting into better shape and that you are becoming healthier.
• Visual: Watch how your clothes start to fit and see how your body changes.  Are your clothes fitting better?  Do you feel more confident and better in what you wear?  Qualitative assessments can be just as telling as quantitative ones.

2. Lack of Education: Losing weight should be done in a healthy way.  If participants aren’t educated in how to safely and effectively lose weight, they may not see the results they wanted.  Starving yourself, extreme dieting and over-exercising, all can do more damage than good.  Bring in registered dietitians, nutritionists, wellness counselors and fitness specialists to speak to the group.  If your company won’t sponsor this or you are doing this challenge with friends outside of the office, task each group member to do some research on a wellness topic and report what they learn back to the group.

3.  Lack of Emotional Support: Weight loss requires a supportive environment.  If an individual doesn’t have the support of friends or colleagues, they may be set up for failure.  Bring in a wellness counselor who can help individuals work through these issues.  Or, start your own support group.  Have weekly meetings that focus solely on the struggles, set-backs, achievements and emotional side of the process.

I’d rather see Weight Loss Challenges be called Health Improvement Challenges.  It moves the focus away from the scale and onto a healthier mindset.

Have you had any weight loss challenges at work?  Did you partake in them?  What did you think?

But, what if I were to tell you that having body fat is ALSO important?  Yep…if you are obsessed with losing every ounce of body fat, you might want to think twice.  Essential body fat is needed for the body to function normally and healthily, while storage fat is the fat that lies just under the skin. Both types, however, are important to your health.

Here are reasons why you should aim to maintain healthy levels of body fat:

1. Insulation: Okay, you may have already guessed this one:  Fat is important in insulating our bodies.  It is vital in helping regulate our body temperature, protecting us from extreme cold and heat.
2. Body Function: Body fat is crucial to your body functioning normally and healthy.
3. Vitamin Absorption: Fat is a transporter of fat soluble vitamins A-D-E-K. Without some body fat, you can end up with vitamin deficiencies which can cause disease.
4. Personal Shock Absorbers: Fat is your body’s natural cushioning mechanism.  It surrounds and protects vital organs and keeps joints cushioned as well.  Even athletes need body fat to protect their bodies from potential injury while competing and training.
5. Cell Structure, Beauty and Aging: Fat is part of the structure of our cells.  It is also crucial in maintaining skin, hair and nail health.  Further, although I’m the first to admit that having lean, toned muscles is beautiful, having NO softness to those muscles can be just as unattractive as flabby arms.  A healthy body fat will keep you from looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger during his body building era.
6. Fertility: Body fat helps to ensure the production of hormones, including sex hormones.  Women, specifically, who have very low body fat tend to have low estrogen levels and as a result, stop mentsruating.
7. Energy and Sickness: Having a healthy level of body fat is important in warding off illness or chronic fatigue.  Further, energy levels can be disrupted or lowered as a result of too low body fat.

There are different ways to measure your body fat.  Some methods are more accurate than others.  And, each individual is different, so falling into certain ranges is a better way of knowing if you are at a healthy body fat percentage than paying attention to very specific numbers.  If you are a woman and have stopped menstruating or if you are either a man or a woman and you notice you are easily susceptible to colds and fatigue, you might want to have your body fat checked by a doctor to ensure it is at a healthy level.

Do you know your body fat?  Is it in a healthy range?

Related Topics:

• Calculate Your Body Fat
• Body Fat Percentage Ranges and What they Mean
  
• 3 Things You Need to Know about Burning Fat
• 8 Ways to Measure Your Health
• 3 Reasons Not to Use a Scale
  

I personally believe that my ability to easily gain muscle can be chalked up to my mesomorph body type…I am predisposed to it.  I have to be.  I also believe that some people have to work a lot harder to stay in shape than others.  I know people who rarely exercise, eat tons of bad food, and yet, look like they pump iron 7 days a week and live on protein shakes.  While others will go to the gym five to six days a week, lift weights, eat right and still have a softer, rounder figure.  These phenomenons can only be explained by the fact that yes, there are indeed body types.

In 1954, William Herbert Sheldon wrote the book, Atlas of Men. He classified body types according to three ’somatotypes’:  the endomorph, the mesomorph and the ectomorph.  He also hypothesized that knowing these body types could predict an individual’s mental characteristics.  Here is a breakdown of his categories:

• Endomorph: Generally rounder, softer shaped.  They tend to have heavy legs, narrow shoulders and a large chest.  Weight is often carried in the hips and abdomen, and body fat tends to be above ideal ranges.  Further, this type of body has difficulty losing body fat and sculpting muscles for definition.
• Mesomorph: Mesomorphs are muscular and stocky.  Their chests are larger than their waists, with broad shoulders.  Body fat is within or lower than ideal ranges.  They don’t have problems losing body fat or sculpting muscles for definition.
• Ectomorph: These individuals tend to have long arms and legs with a shorter trunk, and rounded shoulders.  They often have lower body fat, or don’t have problems losing body fat, yet, they have problems gaining muscle without a lot of heavy weight training.

Most of us are not completely one of these types, but rather, have a combination of two of these in our make-up.  For instance, you could be an endo-meso or a meso-ecto.  But, you can never be an ecto-endo.  As it turns out, Sheldon isn’t the only one to have thought about this theory.  Ayurveda has a system called tridosha, which is very similar with the three doshas of Kapha (endomorph), Pitta (mesomorph) and Vata (ectomorph).  Also, Plato has had similar theories.

Although we have the power to alter our body composition (lean body mass), what we have to do to do so might vary depending on our predisposed body type.  Further, there are some things we absolutely can not change: our bone structure.

What body type are you?  Have you ever had your dosha determined?  Does this theory help you understand your abilities/challenges when it comes to weight loss/gain?

Related topics:

• Body Fat / Lean Body Mass Calculator
• BMI Calculator
• Changing my Shape:  Lesson about my Abs
• What Body Parts are Your Best Assets?
• Apple Banana Protein Shake
  

Pete Cerqua, a NYC based Personal Trainer, attempts to get us to do the unthinkable…be fit in 90 seconds.  Look, the reality is, everyone needs a gimmick to get people’s attention.  And the title of the book, in this case, is a bit of a gimmick.  You are NOT going to be fit in 90 seconds alone.  However, the principle behind the book, does revolve around a 90 second concept.   This is the scoop:

1. What 90 Seconds Really Means: In short, Pete Cerqua’s The 90-Second Fitness Solution is to take strength training’s conventional 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 15 repetitions of a single exercise, and convert them into a single 90 second exercise.  The exercises require you to either hold a position for 90 seconds, to do one repetition in steps within 90 seconds or to do no more that three repetitions within 90 seconds.  Essentially, this concept adopts the isometric approach to exercise.  Isometric exercises rely on your larger muscles becoming tired, and as a result, engages other muscles to keep you in a position.  Basically, you are killing a few muscles with one exercise.
2. The Workouts: Pete Cerqua provides four different workouts.  Home routines Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3, and a Gym routine.  Truth be told, the efficacy of these routines is completely dependent on your current level of fitness.  If you are in good shape, have been strength training and have been doing so regularly, Home Levels 1 and 2, more likely than not, are not going to challenge you.  If, however, you are at a low fitness level, and find exercise to be extremely distasteful, these Levels will definitely kick your butt, and will do so in a short amount of time.  Home routine Level 3 and the Gym routine, however, will most likely challenge a person who is already in good shape.   This is how long each routine takes:
   • Home Routine Level 1: 3 minutes / 5 days a week / 15 weekly minutes
   • Home Routine Level 2: 9 minutes / 3 days a week / 27 weekly minutes
   • Home Routine Level 3: 10 1/2 minutes / 2 days a week / 21 weekly minutes
   • Gym Routine: 12 minutes / 2 days a week / 24 weekly minutes
3. What Else?: Pete also provides a few other pieces of the health puzzle.  He couches them in ‘The Four Secrets of Success’.  The secrets include nutrition advice, along with recipes to help individuals eat right.  I’m a big fan of the recipe: Nicholas’s Apple-Banana Shake.  Additionally, he touches on nutritional supplements and stress management.
4. Voice: Although, at times, Pete can sound a little salesy in his book, it is understandable as to why.  His method is a bit unconventional; and just like I was skeptical, he knows others will be too.  Throughout his book, Pete uses real life examples of people who have gone through his methods and have succeeded.  Those success stories are key to making his case and can inspire those who feel frustrated from a lack of results with their current fitness routine.
5. Who Should Buy the Book: Pete is definitely speaking to the busy individual, who doesn’t enjoy exercise and wants to find a low-budget, gym-free routine that gives them some benefit.  If you are really well-informed, are happy with your exercise routines and find them effective, you may not necessarily gain huge insights, but still may want the book, just to get some new perspective.

Although originally skeptical about the The 90-Second Fitness Solution, I think Pete Cerqua has provided some great basic information for the exercise leary.  Further, his solution is founded in strength training, which I believe is hugely impactful to being in shape.  A lot of the exercises are great strength builders and his nutrition advice is sound.  I’d recommend the book highly if you are looking to workout at home, don’t want to spend a lot of time or money to get in some exercise, or need a good kick in the pants to get moving.  If you want to buy his book, you can do so here.

Have you read the book?  What were your thoughts?

Related Topics:

• Recipe: Nicholas’s Apple-Banana Shake
• 90 Seconds Strong?
• Book Review:  Strong, Slim and 30!
• There is No Quick Fix Solution
• Strength Training 101

Take off your heels. They deserve a rest.

• Place the feet together and lift both arms parallel to the ground, palms facing down
• Find one point to gaze at and lift up onto the balls of the feet
• Continue to reach the heels away from the ground, creating lift in the arches. Think platforms, not kitten heels….keep lifting up!
• Keep the gaze on one point, heels lifted, and begin to bend the knees, drop the tailbone
• Keep the belly gently pulling to the spine as the body descends until the bottom lands lightly on the heels
• Take five breaths without placing the heels on the ground and make a slow return back to standing
• Place heels back down and be fierce

In short, the best exercise or fitness investment is going to be in those activities, gadgets or systems that continue to keep you motivated.  Everyone is motivated differently and knowing how you are personally motivated to stick to a program will help you choose wisely.  The chart below provides you with a breakdown of what fitness options are least and most expensive, what each option’s benefits are and for whom the option is best suited:

Realize that it is important to look at the short term cost versus the long term cost.  For instance, if you put in a gym at home, you will most likely spend a lot of money upfront.  However, you won’t have to spend that money over and over again, as you would if you were paying for a gym membership every month.

Again, know how you are best motivated to get active, and that is where your best investment will be made.

What do you think is the best value when paying for exercise?  Do you pay for more than one of these options?  Do you pay for other options that are not listed?

Related Topics:

• Is Your Personal Trainer Unethical?
• Wii Fit: Will it work?
• 10 Ways to Know if Your Personal Trainer is Worthless
• Do You Budget for Exercise?
• 8 Traits of a Bad Group Fitness Instructor

In the most traditional strength training program, the average woman goes to the gym and does an average of about a dozen exercises for three sets of 12-15 reps each. Right? That’s right, you know who you are. When you consider that the average set of 12-15 reps takes 15 seconds to perform (go ahead and time it for yourself), the three sets of 12-15 reps is only 45 seconds of work. If you multiply that time by the 12 exercises done throughout the workout, you will find that you have done a total of 540 seconds of work. That may not seem like a lot, but, between each set, you most likely will take a 60 second to 90 second rest period. Before you know it, the average person is spending 45 minutes to complete their workout. Further, all those reps pump your muscles, and may have made them 1/8th of an inch bigger.

Most women want smaller and tighter looking muscles. So let’s shake things up and try something different. Do the following two exercises by following the steps below:

The Wall Sit

1. If you haven’t heard of the wall sit, simply put your back against the wall, with your feet out in front of you a couple of feet away from the wall. Slide down the wall until your legs are at 90 degree angles. It will look like you are sitting in a chair (without the chair).
2. Hold that position for up to 90 seconds.
3. If you are able to hold that pose for 90 seconds, you worked your thighs more efficiently and with less pump than doing three sets of 12 on the leg press machine. What is even better is that you didn’t even have to go to the gym or change your clothes to do it.
4. You should feel your legs and your butt burn.

The Plank

1. 

   This move is basically the top part of a push up. Kneel on your hands and knees. Extend your legs and come into the Plank position by reaching back through your heels and forward through the crown of your head.

2. Keep your shoulders relaxed and low, away from your ears, and keep your hips up. Don’t allow your low back to cave downward. Hold, with your arms extended, up to 90 seconds.
3. You should feel your arms and your abs shake.

Amazing, isn’t it. Those two exercises worked practically your whole body in THREE minutes and without pumping the muscles I might add.

If you assembled six exercises and did them in the holding fashion that I just described you would be getting the same amount of work that a 45 minute workout gives in only NINE minutes! There is no pumping, sweating or clothing changes required. Yet, you get a tighter body. You have no excuses! How can you not try it?

So, what if you can’t make it to 90 seconds on each exercise? That’s the beauty of this program… all you have to do is write down the length of time you could hold the exercise, and try to beat that time in the next workout. When you are able to hold the pose for 90 seconds…you are 90 seconds strong!

Amazing, isn’t it. Those two exercises worked practically your whole body in THREE minutes and without pumping the muscles I might add.

If you assembled six exercises and did them in the holding fashion that I just described you would be getting the same amount of work that a 45 minute workout gives in only NINE minutes! There is no pumping, sweating or clothing changes required. Yet, you get a tighter body. You have no excuses! How can you not try it?

So, what if you can’t make it to 90 seconds on each exercise? That’s the beauty of this program… all you have to do is write down the length of time you could hold the exercise, and try to beat that time in the next workout. When you are able to hold the pose for 90 seconds…you are 90 seconds strong!

Body Pump went beyond body sculpting and incorporated strength training with REAL weights (we actually used barbells, not dumbbells).  It would involve a circuit of exercises that would target all major muscle groups for a full hour.  This was when my love affair with weight training began.  After teaching the class for a couple of months, I started to see my body transform into a leaner, more sculpted one.  I fell in love with the muscles I developed and felt sexier and stronger.  Today, although I’m not teaching anymore, weight training is core to my exercise regimen.

When I see women and men running endlessly on the treadmill and then complain that they don’t look the way they want, the first thing I tell them is that they are overdoing the cardio and should stop running so much!  It is a myth that cardio is the best way to lose weight and to maintain a healthy weight.  Here is why strength training is the secret weapon to weight loss and overall health:

1. Increases Lean Body Mass: Strength training helps to keep our body fat to lean body mass ratio lower.  This means we look better and feel stronger.  But even more importantly, it impacts our metabolism…the speed at which we burn calories.
2. Increases Your Metabolism: Average adults see a 2% – 5% reduction in metabolic rate every 10 years.  This makes it more and more difficult to keep unwanted weight off.  As we mentioned above, however, strength training increases muscle mass which makes your muscles stronger.  Stronger muscles, in turn, take up and burn blood sugar more efficiently and for a longer period of time than does cardio.
3. Reduces Risk of Injury: Strength training increases muscular and bone strength, and also improves function of tendons, joints and ligaments.  All of this increased strength in your musculoskeletal system enhances your balance, flexibility and functional ability.  This leads to a decreased chance of sustaining an injury that can be painful, debilitating and costly.
4. A Healthy Heart: Running isn’t the only form of exercise that will enhance your cardio strength.  Believe it or not, strength training can have as much of a positive impact on your cardiovascular strength and your blood pressure, as does cardio.  Be sure that you are working intensely, however, as just as it is important to work hard when you are doing cardio, you should be challenging yourself when you are doing strength training.
5. Wards off Disease: Adults lose 5 – 7 lbs. of muscle every 10 years, which directly impacts bone loss.  This can lead to osteoporosis.  Further, we become more susceptible to arthritis, back pain and high blood pressure.  Strength training can do wonders in warding off these bad boys.  Further, strength training can help to improve good cholesterol levels, glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in your body, warding off diseases such as Diabetes.
6. Emotional Wellbeing: Just like any type of exercise, strength training does wonders when it comes to improving mood and outlook, and maintaining healthy sleep patterns…all of which improves our overall wellbeing.

So next time you get on the treadmill or elliptical trainer to burn off 300 calories, stop.  Try incorporating some weights into your fitness plan.  Some great resources include:

• The 90-Second Fitness Solution
• The Body Sculpting Bible for Women
• Sheer Balance Exercise Videos

Do you do strength training?  What do you like about it?  Do you think it makes a big difference in your health?

Related Topics:

• How Much Do You Really Have to Workout?
• Functional Training
• 6 Reasons You Aren’t Losing Weight from Exercise
• Do You Exercise Too Much?
• Sheer Balance Strength Training 101
• Calculate Your Body Fat

• Don’t Sweat It: More than 70% of mild bladder incontinence can be improved through simple muscle exercises that contract and relax the pelvic floor muscles. These exercises require minimal effort and can be done anywhere- in the office, on the subway or while at home watching TV – no gym clothes required.
• Maintain a Normal Weight: Carrying excess weight increases the likelihood of weak pelvic floor muscles and can also worsen bladder weakness.
• Let Someone Else Do the Heavy Lifting: Lifting heavy objects incorrectly can weaken your pelvic floor. Lift heavy objects safely by bending your knees and using your leg muscles.
• The Pelvic Health Diet: Certain foods, such a tomato based and spicy foods, can irritate the bladder. Caffeine and alcoholic beverages also contribute to leakage, so stick to bladder-friendly liquids such as water, apple juice, grape juice and cranberry juice.
• Don’t Let Bladder Weakness Hold You Back: Bladder weakness affects one out of four women. You are not alone in this condition and it doesn’t have to control your life. Pelvic floor exercises can greatly improve your pelvic health, but if you’re still hesitant to stray too far from a bathroom, consider a discreet liner or pad to help give you confidence through the day.

• Exercising on an empty stomach allows you to burn fat and calories that are stored vs. those that you have eaten during the day, making your caloric burn more efficient
• You burn an increased number of calories for up to 2 or 3 hours after a workout. Combined with normal activity (as compared to the evening when you are winding down), your metabolism becomes super-charged. Further, this increased metabolism means burning off breakfast even faster than normal
• You wake up your body naturally, helping it to be ramped and ready to take on the day without needing caffeine and other chemicals to get you up and moving
• When waking up your body with exercise, you also wake up your mind, allowing you to be more productive, more alert and more effective throughout the day

So when considering staying up an extra hour to get things done after your evening workout, take that time to sleep and get up the extra hour early to get to the gym.

To truly strengthen and firm your abdominal muscles, it is important that you work all four of these muscle groups.  Further, you should do exercises that strengthen your lower back, as the lower back is part of the core.  Here is a description of the each muscle in your abdominal section, and a video of four exercises you can use to target all abdominal muscles, as well as your lower back:

1. Rectus Abdominis: These are probably best known as the ’six-pack’.  They start at the point where the rib-cage meets (also known as the sternum) and ends at the pubic bone. Funny enough, they actually make up both ‘upper abdominals’ and the ‘lower abdominals’ and more likely than not, when you do abdominal exercises, these are the muscles you are targeting.

• Their Job: They help flex the spine, and support bending and rotation.

2. External Obliques and Internal Obliques: These are two groups of muscles that work together.  The external obliques stretch from the side of your rib cage and extend down to the hip bone.  While the internal obliques are attached from the bottom of the rib cage down to your pubic bone.

• Their Job: Working together, both sets of the oblique muscles are instrumental in helping you twist and lean.

3. Transverse Abdominus: These muscles reside beneath all of the other abdominal muscles.  They are very deep muscles and are hard to reach with conventional crunches.  Yet, they are extremely important in maintaining a healthy ‘core.’

• Their Job: They are instrumental in stabilizing your core and spine.  They help prevent injury when you lift heavy objects or do exercises involving your ‘core.’

So next time you want to resort to the traditional crunch, try some of these exercises to effectively reach all four muscles in your abdominal section. Do you have any favorite ab exercises other than the crunch? Did you know there were four muscle groups in your abdominals?

Related Topics:

• 3 Things You Need to Know about Your Core
• Core Training: What is it and What are its benefits?
• Making the Commitment to your Abs
• Suck it in!  Why You Need to Pull in Your Abs
  

Really.  Come on people…I’m all for logic, but this argument has a major hole in it:  Life expectancy was much lower in the late 1800s because of the fact that health care was nothing of what it is today, NOT because people ate less sugar.  For instance:  Although there was documentation of cancer’s existence all the way back to 1600 B.C. in ancient Egypt, it was only in the mid to late 20th century that we started to see real, longer-term and effective treatment that could help extend our lives.*  Conclusion?  We can thank advances in medicine for our higher life expectancy.

Medicine is wonderful…in many ways.  It allows us to address health issues early enough so that we can prolong our lives in a healthier way.  It allows us to treat disease that may prevent our ability to live a full life.  It can give us a second chance.   At the same time, however, medicine enables people to take less care of themselves because it can come in and kick disease in the _ss.  It is capable of swooping in and correcting a lifetime of bad lifestyle choices. And, it allows people to abuse their bodies with drugs, alcohol, excessive eating, you name it, because it can come in and ‘fix’ them.

This is when I have issues.  Medicine should be a way to help people live a longer, higher quality of life.  It should not be a safety net, or for that matter, an excuse to allow people to treat themselves poorly.  The latter suggests that many people take the privilege of having good health care and medical attention for granted…and not only abuse their own bodies, but end up abusing the medical system as well.

What do you think?  Do you think quality medicine and research has given people the excuse to make unhealthy choices in their lifestyle?

Related Topics:

• 5 Keys to Converting to a Healthy Lifestyle
• 9 Ways to Live Longer
• Top 10 Reasons to Want to Be Healthy
• Overcoming Disease through Exercise and Diet
• 8 Shocking Facts about Sugar

*Reference: History of Cancer

What? Are you confused? I am, and I teach this stuff.

So 4 years ago we should have been exercising 6 or 7 hours per week and now the government is telling us we can get the same results by exercising for as little as 1 hour and 15 minutes weekly, as long as it is at a vigorous intensity. And what is the difference between vigorous and moderate exercise? Is walking at a slow pace considered moderate exercise or just low intensity activity and would this type of exercise be enough to achieve results?

Less is Better

Well this time, I have to agree with the government. Less is better. There has been an ongoing debate for decades regarding what gets better results: shorter duration and higher intensity or longer duration and lower intensity workouts. During my experience working with clients, I have seen more people achieve results by exercising in shorter bouts at a much higher intensity versus those working out at lower intensities for longer durations.

The reason higher intensity workouts have been getting better results is simple: It all has to do with recovery. When you work out harder your body needs to spend more time recovering afterwards and that mending process burns a lot of calories. For example: you may burn a fair amount of calories while walking at a moderate pace but because the intensity level is not very high, minimal recovery occurs afterwards. It all comes down to pushing hard for a short duration and recovering longer. The recovery process is where the real results happen, not necessarily when you are actually exercising. So if you were to step up to walking more briskly and possibly include some hills and / or jogging in bouts your body will require more time to recover and burn more calories.

But lets say initially you are not able to push all that hard and you might say to yourself  “well I can’t get the intensity level up so I may as well do nothing.”   Wrong statement! Doing something is always better than nothing. It is important to progress over time. For example if you can only start out walking at a slow pace for a half hour that is fine but measure the initial distance you are able to cover in that time. After a month of walking for 30 minutes if you are not walking further distances in that same time frame expect minimal changes in your fitness level.

Another benefit of working out for shorter durations is that folks are more likely to stay consistent over the long run. Let’s face it – life is busy with work, family, social events, etc. The list goes on and on. If you can consistently find a half hour a day and are able to push yourself slightly past your comfort zone, you will get results as long as your nutrition is on track. Focusing on longer duration workouts, however, can cause people to get bored easily. Back when the guidelines suggested we should work out longer, folks tended not to exercise at all because trying to fit in 6 or 7 hours of exercise was overwhelming. Focusing on shorter bout durations is far less intimidating and is more realistic to achieve consistently.

Keeping it Simple

How do you know if you are working out hard enough? The most accurate way to measure aerobic intensity is to check your pulse rate manually or to use a heart rate monitor. Remember, however, that what might be moderate for you, might not be moderate for me, depending on our ages and resting heart rates.

One simplified measuring procedure for aerobic intensity is to use the Talk Test. During aerobic exercise if you can talk out loud very easily, you are most likely not working out hard enough. During aerobic exercise if you have to take more frequent rest breaks from talking, the intensity is considered moderate. If you can’t talk at all then most likely you are working too hard and should slow down. The goal is to get to an intensity level where its comfortable to talk, but yet, you’re unable to hold a really long conversation and long sentences without having to pause for deep breaths” (Monitor Your Exercise Intensity – The Talk Test, Josh Stone).

So my advice to clients is the following:

1. Keep it simple. Stay consistent and perform aerobic exercise a half hour a day, 5 days a week or up to a total of 2 and half hours per week.
2. Step up the intensity level as you feel comfortable. Use the talk test to measure intensity level during aerobic exercise.
3. At least 2 days a week you should also focus specifically on strength or resistance training and don’t be afraid to break a sweat, especially during cardiovascular exercise.
4. Finally, as discussed earlier, working out at higher intensities will require increased recovery. Most of our recovery occurs while we are sleeping, so attempt to sleep longer (up to 8 hours).

Yes…I admit: I take issue with society putting continual and undue pressure on us to look like celebrities.  The world does not need two, three or four Gwyneth Paltrows.  The world doesn’t need five Matthew McConaugheys.  What the world needs, however, are people who are secure with themselves, happy to be who they are and healthy because of how they live their own lives.

But, this idealistic philosophy doesn’t always ‘take’ with the public, does it?  No, instead, many of us feed right into this self-deprecating behavior of yearning to look like the people on the cover of magazines and finding flaws with who we are and how we look.  I say…”Enough already.”  Stop obsessing about looking like these people and here is why:

1. What You See Isn’t What You Get: If you didn’t know this already, most of the photos you see of ANY celebrity are airbrushed.  Airbrushing gives pictures that beautiful ‘flawless’ look.  If you were to see a normal, every day picture of a celebrity, trust me, they wouldn’t look nearly as ‘perfect’.  Is a matter of fact, most tabloid photos (Enquirer, Star, USWeekly, etc.) aren’t air brushed…and notice, many of them are not very flattering to the victim of the photograph.
2. Photogenic Doesn’t mean Beautiful: There are people who take great photographs.  There are people who don’t.  Most interestingly, however, is that there are mediocre, average looking people who take GREAT photographs and there are absolutely stunningly beautiful people who take TERRIBLE pictures.  So guess what, a photograph isn’t always indicative of how a person really looks in real life.
3. Money Can Buy Looks: Look, many celebrities have had ‘work‘ done.  No, not all, but many.  Sometimes it is subtle, and you will barely even notice, and other times, it is so obvious that you don’t even recognize the person.  Whichever the case, celebrities spend a ton of money enhancing their features, body parts and overall look so that they can appear more beautiful than they think they already are (Note: word ‘think’).
4. It is Easy to Be Beautiful When You are Paid to Be So: Most celebrities live a very different lifestyle than the average, every day person.  They make more money than the average person.  They have more time than the average person and guess what, they have access to more resources than the average person.  All of this equates to having a much easier time of looking good.  Many celebrities are PAID to look good.  And as a result, they spend a ton of time and money on exercising and hiring personal nutritionists, chefs and personal trainers to make them and KEEP them looking good.
5. It Isn’t Easy Being Beautiful: Seriously…it isn’t.  Those celebrities that are worshipped for how beautiful they are have to deal with the painful criticism and scrutiny of the public when God forbid, they do much of anything.  This includes developing a wrinkle or erasing a wrinkle, gaining a couple of extra pounds or losing a couple of pounds, wearing something to revealing or wearing something too conservative.  In short, they can’t win…because someone, somewhere down the line will find fault with them no matter what.  This is when we really need to remember that “Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.”

Do yourself a favor.  Stop comparing yourself with these images and start realizing that you are never going to look like these people.  Instead, start looking like you.  Start believing in yourself and gifting yourself with self-esteem.  Start appreciating your assets. Exercise, eat right and take care of yourself. Love yourself for who you are.

Do you obsess over looking like a celebrity?  Have you become crazed over looking perfect?  Have you purchased a product just because a celebrity you know was the spokesperson?

Related Topics:

• What Parts are Your Best Assets?
• Do You Like Yourself Naked or Clothed Better?
• My Beautiful Mommy:  Educating Your Child on Your Plastic Surgery
• Do You Exercise to Look Good or Feel Good?

After asking Brenda a couple of questions to gauge what she was doing while she was at the gym, it became clear to me that Brenda was in a state of delusion…delusion about what she wasn’t doing. Stories like these kill me.  Why?  Because people like Brenda think that the act of physically going to the gym means that there will be results.  The truth is, it really isn’t that simple.  Just like the ‘Lose Weight in 5 Minutes a Day’ or ‘Burn Fat While You Sleep’ schemes…if it sounds too good to be true, it is.  It takes more than five minutes a day of exercise to really see results, it takes more than sleeping to burn fat and it takes more than just ’showing up at the gym’ to see the physical benefits of an exercise program.

Delusional mindsets are the biggest saboteurs of fitness programs.  Being realistic and cognizant, however, can be a fitness program’s best friends.  So what falls into the realm of delusion?  Here are five typical symptoms of workouts that will not be effective:

1. Passive Participation: Showing up to the gym is a great starting point, but what you do when you get there is what will actually dictate how effective your workout is.  If you take a class, don’t stand in the back of the room half-_ssing your way through the routines.  Get up front and really try.  And if you are working out alone, hold yourself accountable.  Focus and put your full attention and energy into making the workout productive.
2. Catatonic Cardio: I see it all the time: people moving on cardio equipment at an extremely low intensity or at a snail’s pace.  The point of cardio is to work your heart at an intensity of 65% – 85% of your maximum heart rate.  In other words…it should be challenging.  If you are doing aerobic training  and you are 1) not breaking a sweat or 2) capable of holding a full conversation easily, you need to amp up your workout.
3. Fast and Furious Fitness: We all have days when we can’t fit in a full workout, but if you don’t put in enough time regularly, you are counteracting anything you ARE putting in.  You should aim to get in 30 – 60 minutes of moderate intensity exercise in each time you workout.
4. Fair Weather Fan: If you don’t exercise regularly enough, you aren’t going to see results.  Plain and simple.  If you go one to two times a week, your body isn’t getting the exercise it needs to get stronger and healthier.  The reality is, you should aim to get in at LEAST 3 days of cardio and at LEAST 2 – 3 days of strength training each week.
5. Wimpy Wimpy Weights: Strength training’s purpose is to strengthen your muscles.  If you don’t challenge them, you won’t be strengthening them.  If you are lifting weights and you can do more than 15 repetitions of an exercise without any difficulty, you need to increase the weight to get any benefits out of the exercise.
6. Nutrition Negligence: Finally, no matter what exercise program you are on…no matter how hard you work out…if you don’t eat right, and you neglect a healthy diet, you are completely negating all of the hard work you are doing when you do exercise.  Be sure to eat a healthy diet that is rich with nutrients, vitamins and minerals.

Do you know anyone who is delusional about their exercise program?  Have you ever had any of these ’symptoms’?

Related Topics:

• 3 Ways to Make your Workout Useless
• Are you Predisposed to Stick to a Fitness Program?
• Calculate Your Target Heart Rate
• 4 Ways to Know Your Workout Needs a Change
• The Importance of Different Training Types

Recently, as the temperature has slowly warmed and as I’ve watch the buds on the trees start to form and local gardening crews do their magic, I have to say…YIPPEE!!!  One of the reasons that I love the warmer weather is simply because I get outside more.  The Spring, Summer, and even Fall, represent a whole new world of fun-loving activity for me, especially when my body and mind feel as though they have been reduced to full-on cabin fever. Further, my exercise routine truly benefits.  In short, I’m much more inspired than I am in the Winter to be active.

Here are some of the great ways warmer weather positively influences us to get moving:

1. No More Boring Cardio Equipment: Although there surely are some crazy people out there who love running or bike riding in 20 degree weather, let’s face it…most of us don’t.  After being cooped up in the gym, struggling to move our bodies rigorously on stationary cardio equipment, the warmer weather gives us a new sense of freedom to enjoy the outdoors and get moving as nature intended…forwards…not in place.
2. Fresh Air: The best part of exercising outdoors is that we breathe in a lot more fresh air.  Stuffy gyms with overly heated spaces that dry out our skin and respiratory systems need not be an issue anymore.
3. Vitamin D: Over the course of the winter, our bodies don’t get as much sun exposure as they probably should.  Getting outdoors allows our bodies to absorb some of that fantastic sunshine, upping our daily dosage of Vitamin D.
4. Getting Social: The warmer weather gives us more reason to be social and play with others.  Although the winter has some indoor sports that one can enjoy, the idea of activities like beach volleyball is SO much more fun than it’s indoor counterpart.  Other fun outdoor sports to look forward to are softball, baseball, kickball, rollerblading, hiking, mountain climbing and rock climbing.
5. Less Gear: And one of my most favorite aspects of warmer weather exercise is less gear.  In the cold winter months, we have to bundle up and feel all-cocoon-like to actually feel comfortable enough to get outdoors.  No more!  You can rollerblade in a bikini if you so choose!
6. Summer: And the last reason that I am inspired to get moving when it is Spring is because I know that Summer is just around the corner.  And we all know what that means…swimsuit season.

What aspects of Spring inspire you to be more active?  What activities do you love to do at this time of year?

Related topics:

• Seasonal Weight Gain: What Can You Do?
• 6 Ways to Stay Motivated to Exercise this Winter
• Demystifying Cardio Equipment
• Is Running on a Treadmill our Outdoors Better?

In my mind, this is a good thing.  When I was teaching group fitness, I would cringe when class members would bolt right after the cardio section, putting no time or effort into the cool down, core exercises or stretching.  Further, I know too many friends and family members who have been prone to throwing out their backs or injuring themselves while lifting things.  In short, it is apparent that people often neglect this area of their body.  As we get older, however, it is more and more important to spend the time to strengthen our core muscles.  Here’s why:

1. Your Core is What Gives the Rest of Your Body Strength: I’ll let you in on a secret…your ‘core’ is really what give you most of your strength…all over your body.  Yep, that is right.  Because your core, which includes both your abdominals and your lower-back muscles, is attached to your legs and arms, your body relies on it for every move we make.  For example, if you swing a golf club, your core is working hard to twist your torso to allow you to take your swing…even more than your arms.
2. Your Core is Your Tail and Whiskers: Do you know that cats use their tales and whiskers for balance?  Guess what, you use your core in much the same way.  Your core is what enables you to bend over without falling, as well as to jump and land on both of your feet.  Further, if you kick a ball, your body is relying on your core to stabilize yourself as you stand on one leg and swing the other.
3. Your Core is Your Armour: Okay, it isn’t made out of metal or bullet proof material, but your core sure does protect you from injury.  Your core is instrumental in ensuring that you don’t hurt yourself when you lift things or have to make sudden changes in movement.

So, next time you think you’ll skip your ‘core’ workout, don’t!  Take the time to take care of your ‘power house.’  Do you skip ab exercises at the end of aerobic classes?  What core classes and/or exercises are your favorites?

Related Topics:

• Pilates: Building a Mind-Body Connection
• Core Training:  What is it and what are the benefits?
• Your Guide to Pilates
• What is the Difference Between an Abdominals Class and a Pilates Class
• Suck it In! A Lesson about My Abs
• Exercise Videos
  

Source: The Body Sculpting Bible for Abs: Women’s Edition, Deluxe Edition: The Way to Physical Perfection (Includes DVD)

So, what is a better mentality when it comes to being healthy? Try an additive approach and a little inspiration. Finding ways to add in healthy things in a positive, optimistic way can often be highly rewarding…not only physically, but mentally as well. Further, the more you find ways to be inspired (as opposed to forced) into a healthy lifestyle, the easier it is and the more you will want to do it. Here are a few things to try:

1. Add Journaling into Your Life: If you don’t already keep a journal, now is a great time to start.  Journaling allows you to get your thoughts and feelings out of your head. It provides a very therapeutic outlet where you can find inspiration from yourself and the things you journal about.
2. Add in ‘You’ Time: Often, we run around all day without a moment to stop. Unfortunately, this leaves very little time for ourselves. Start allotting a portion of every day for you. Take a walk, go for a run, go ice skating…do something you enjoy that is active. You’ll be surprised how inspired you’ll become.
3. Add In Foods with More Nutritional Value: Part of the reason we find ourselves craving bad foods as that we don’t eat enough good foods. Adding in healthier foods that provide more nutritional value makes us less hungry, ultimately helping us crave less.  Read ingredient labels and see how many vitamins and minerals the food contains. Eat whole foods like vegetables, fruit and grains. Eat lean proteins that give you the protein you need.
4. Add a Healthy Hobby: Finding a hobby that inspires you to be healthy is a great way to get you in the right mindset.  For instance, try a healthy cooking class to find simple tricks to eating healthy.  Further, taking classes where we meet other individuals interested in similar hobbies or topics is always a great way to gain support in our endeavors.
5. Add in Some Love: Ever notice how when you first fall in love, you are more inspired to look good and feel good?  Whether it be with a pet or a human, find ways to bring back some ‘newness’ into your relationships by finding new activities to enjoy together, having weekly dates at the park, or cuddling up on a cold night. Let the endorphins of love inspire you.

Being healthy doesn’t have to be negative…it should feel great. Inspire yourself to be motivated towards a healthier body and a healthier mind by adding in healthy aspects to your life! What have you added into your life to be healthy?

Related Topics:

• Learn How to Read Ingredient Labels
• Learn about the Importance of Vitamins and Minerals
• Learn about Why You Need Protein, Carbs and Fat in Your Diet
• Can Journaling Assist You in Being Healthy?

Almost everyone I know, at one point or another, has tried a fad diet or the latest celebrity tricks to lose weight and look good. Some of us will continue on this path of trying to find a quick fix solution to being healthy. Unfortunately, however, none of these schemes really work, do they? The reality is healthy living needs to be a lifestyle; a lifestyle that is about making the right choices and being in balance…a lifestyle that is smarter.

What does this really mean? It means several things. But most importantly, it means that you are in control and you are the one who has the power to be happy and live a health-filled life. To do so, there are certain principles that you have to be mindful of to achieve and embrace living a smarter, healthier lifestyle. They include:

1. Consciousness. Being conscious of your actions and in tune with your body and mind. Being aware of how your decisions impact your health and how you feel. Being aware of what your body needs nutritionally and physically, and what your mind needs to be emotionally happy.
2. Moderation. Understanding that there will be times where you choose to indulge or take a day off from exercising. Not being obsessive compulsive of your weight or your health. Enjoying what you eat and enjoying the activities you do.
   
3. Self-Love. Embracing yourself and respecting you for who you are. Loving your body, loving your talents, appreciating your whole package. Believing in yourself and what you stand for.
4. Mind-set. Leaving the quick fixes behind and understanding that healthy living is a mindset, not a week or two of extreme behaviors. Embracing a lifestyle that reflects a longer term approach to health.
5. Rest. Getting enough sleep and resting when you need to. Not burning the candle at both ends. Building in the ‘you time’ that you need and so deserve.

If you have had a past that was riddled with unhealthy choices and you have begun a path towards healthier living, you should be proud. That said it is important to actually believe in the lifestyle changes you make. If you don’t, you are in fact…attempting a quick fix. And why is this bad? Because quick fixes are not sustainable. They are a temporary solution to a problem. Would you put a band-aid on the Hoover Dam if it was leaking? Probably not. You would need to make some well-planned structural changes to ensure that the ‘fix’ would last.

Lifestyle change implies permanence and consistency. Taking on a healthy lifestyle should be fun, comfortable and empowering. You are the one who is in control and you are the one who has the power to live a life that is smarter and healthier.

Have you made ‘lifestyle’ changes? How long have they lasted?

Related Topics:

• Diet vs. Lifestyle? Why to Choose the Latter Part 2
• Should Healthy People Always Set an Example?
• There is No Quick Fix Solution
• Do You Exercise to Look Good or Feel Good?
• Internal ‘Health Clocks’ and the Tipping Point
• Exercise in a Pill
• 9 Ways to Live Healthier and Longer
  

Although it is always good to try to stick to a regular fitness regimen, there are times that we can’t fit it into our hectic schedules. Instead of getting upset or feeling guilty for missing a day of exercise, find creative ways to fit activity into your daily routine. The more active you are throughout the day, the more you will keep your metabolism working hard. Here are some easy ways to keep yourself moving:

1. Forget the Elevator: You probably have heard this one before, but it is really one of the best ways to burn a few extra calories. Whenever you have to travel vertically, forgo automated transportation (such as the escalator or the elevator). Instead opt to take the stairs. A good gauge is to use the stairs when going upstairs for 7 flights or less and when going downstairs, use the stairs for 9 flights or less. Also, if you do take an escalator, choose to walk up it, versus just standing on it.
2. Pass on Public Transportation: If you take public transportation to work, cutting your ride short and walking part of the way is a good way to get fresh air and some activity. Instead of riding your full route, try to get on the bus or train the stop after the one you normally do, and getting off at the stop before the one you normally do.
3. Active Television: Watching television at home is one of the most inactive past-times. But it doesn’t have to be. Next time you want to watch your favorite shows, try doing chores (laundry or cleaning) or some exercise. Great exercises to do while watching your favorite shows usually includes mat exercises like body sculpting or abdominals.
4. Active Lunch: Many of us sit at our desks at lunch or sit in the cafeteria.  Try to take half an hour of your lunch hour and walk.  Bring sneakers to work so that you can take a walk without hurting your feet in work shoes.
5. Look But Don’t Touch: Chances are, you might not feel up to spending a lot of money right now with the way the economy is, but there is nothing wrong with looking at the merchandise. Go to the mall and spend a couple of hours walking through your favorite stores. You’ll get some exercise and also enjoy a little window shopping!

Although none of these are a substitute for exercise, they are great ways to squeeze activity into your day.  Keep moving to keep yourself feeling healthy!

Related Topics:

• Do Healthy People Always Have to Set an Example?
• 5 Ways to Motivate to Exercise this Winter
• Top 5 Excuses for Not Exercising
• Top 4 Ways to Know Your Workout Needs a Change
• What is a Balanced Lifestyle?

Back in the early 1500s, explorer Ponce de Leon traveled to present day Florida in search for the Fountain of Youth.  The idea was that if you drank its waters, you would stay eternally young.  Although this might sound silly, it really isn’t so far off from modern day civilization: people are still looking for that ‘magic potion’ that will keep them young and beautiful.  Sort of funny when you think about it.  No matter how much time passes, we still are in search for the same thing.

Personally, I believe that the true ‘Fountain of Youth’ is found in a healthy lifestyle.  No pills.  No potions.  No magic creams and definitely, no magic fountains.  Whether or not you want to believe in Ponce de Leon’s quest, there are indeed places on earth where people live longer and healthier.

In Dan Buettner’s Best Seller, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest, he give us a peek into these modern day cultures of longevity, which include: Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Loma Linda, California and the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica.  Each of these cultures share nine specific traits that seem to be a true formula to a long, happy, healthy life:

1. Move Naturally: We often think about exercise and fitness as an add-in to our day, but these cultures are naturally active.  Whether it be walking everywhere or even harvesting crops, they stay active as a result of their lifestyle.
2. Eat Until Full: These cultures don’t live to eat, but rather, eat to live.  Food is for sustenance, not indulgence.  They eat until they are about 80% full, and then stop.
3. Eat from the Earth: These cultures have a very large intake of fruits, vegetables and other foods, like legumes and nuts, which grow from plants.  They don’t eat a lot of meat, especially not red.  And they don’t eat processed foods.  Everything is made at home.
4. Red Wine: These cultures drink red wine in moderation.  This means two servings or less a day.
5. Life of Purpose: Individuals in these cultures have a sense of purpose.  They also can see the big picture of life, and don’t get bogged down in the details.
6. Stress Management: Relaxation is part of every day life.  They take time to laugh, spend time with loved ones and enjoy all that life has to offer.
7. Spirituality: These individuals meditate or spend time self-reflecting.  This does not necessarily mean they are part of an organized religion or faith, but rather, have a sense of spirituality and tradition.
8. Family and Loved Ones are a Priority: These cultures have a strong root and belief in the family unit and in deep friendships and meaningful relationships.  Family time is important and they make time for each other.
9. Surround Yourself with Like-Minded Individuals: These cultures put an emphasis on incorporating these values into their life.  As a result, they seek out other individuals who share those values and who they trust to be like-minded.

These nine traits really are a lifestyle worth living.  How many of these traits have you incorporated into your life?

Related Topics:

• There are No Quick Fixes
• Do You Exercise to Look Good or Feel Good?
  
• Exercise in a Pill
• Diet or Lifestyle: Why to Choose the Latter
• Get the Book Now! The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest

Although my weight fluctuates three to five pounds within one day, it also fluctuates seasonally.  In the winter I tend to carry about five pounds or so more on average than I do in the summer. Although this can be frustrating, I’ve come to realize that it is natural to some extent and that it is a cycle that I need to accept.

Chances are, I’m not alone.  Many people gain weight when daylight hours diminish and cold weather sets in.  Some doctors even believe that we have little control over this phenomenon, and that humans are programmed to gain weight when it gets cold. In an interview with Prevention magazine, Dr. Lawrence Cheskin, founder of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, stated “Your body may be working against you to hang on to it so you stay warm.”  So why is this so and what can you do about it?:

1. Food Choices: During the winter, we tend to eat more ‘comfort’ foods that are higher in fat and contain less than healthy ingredients.  Foods like french fries, ribs and chili tend to feel more comforting than salad, fresh fruit and grilled fish.
   What you can do: Look for recipes that use fruits and vegetables that are in season during winter months: kale, squash, onions, artichokes, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and citrus. Also incorporate soups that are either broth or vegetable based instead of those with creams to warm you up.  Lastly, aim to stay away from fried foods and try baking options (potatoes for instance).
2. Lack of Sunlight: Decreased exposure to sunlight can have a tremendous affect on our mood, and as a result, we eat foods that tend to be rich in carbs, fats and sugars, which make us feel better.
   What you can do: Expose yourself to sunlight regularly.  Although the cold might be a deterrent, bundling up and getting outside into the sun will do your mood wonders.
3. Reduced Activity Level: When it is cold outside, we do everything possible to stay inside.  Further, activities like staying in bed, buried under the covers or on the couch snuggled up in a blanket is a lot more appealing than running on the treadmill or for that matter, outside.
   What you can do: Try finding new activities that are winter appropriate.  Whether it be cross-country skiing, snowshoeing or ice skating, work with the season, not against it.
4. Results on Your Metabolism: Although there isn’t significant evidence that temperature has a great affect on our metabolism, our activity level does.  Specifically, when our activity level is reduced, our metabolism slows.
   What you can do: Strength training, in particular, is very important to keeping your metabolism high, as the more muscle mass you have the more calories you burn.  Aim to do strength training two to three times a week to keep your metabolism revved.
5. Less Skin Exposure: Piling on layers of warm clothes during the winter allows us to hide extra weight more easily.  Unlike summer months, where we are dawning bathing suits on a regular basis, we don’t have to worry about what we look like with 3 or 4 extra layers.
   What you can do: As silly as this may sound, try on bathing suits, sleeveless shirts and summer dresses every couple of weeks.  Visualizing yourself in summer gear can help keep you on track.

Do you experience seasonal weight gain?  What have you done to help combat it?

Related topics:

• 6 Ways to Stay Motivate to Exercise this Winter
• The Importance of Strength Training
• How to Beat Post-Summer Blues
• Knowing When Enough is Enough
• Calcuate your Lean Muscle Mass

This morning I grudgingly crawled out of bed to go down to our building’s gym for my morning workout ritual.  Once inside, I passed a woman who I see working out once a week or so, and she called out to me, “You go to the gym too much!”  Not really knowing what to say to that, I smiled and said, “No, not at all.”  I’m not really sure WHAT the right response would have been.  Maybe just a polite smile?  Maybe a little laugh?  Maybe a cruel and judgmental, “No, actually YOU don’t go to the gym ENOUGH!”  The reality is, it is all about perspective, isn’t it?

If you go to the gym for a 1/2 hour, 1 – 2 times a week, it might seem like too much if someone else goes for 1/2 an hour to 1 hour, 5 or 6 times a week.  On the other hand, if you are regimented, it may seem like a person who goes once or twice a week isn’t enough.  Personally, I tend to get in 3 days or so of cardio and 2 to 3 days of strength training.  That said, I’d hardly consider this ‘too much.’

There IS such a thing, however, as overdoing it.  And believe it or not, exercising too much can be both physically and mentally damaging.  Here are a couple of ways to know if you are overdoing it:

1. Excuses are Unacceptable. Sure, it is great to push through and exercise, even if you feel a little tired or under the weather, but if you take this to an extreme, it can be detrimental.  Further, if you feel guilty when you miss your routine, you may have unrealistic expectations.  If you are injured, have a fever or haven’t been getting sufficient sleep, you have a right to take a day off.  Life happens, schedules get crazy, and sometimes, we just don’t ‘feel’ like exercising.  Cut yourself a break once in awhile.
2. Exercise is an Obligation. Although you may not always find exercise to be the most fun activity, it shouldn’t become an obligation.  Exercise has a lot of benefits and if you are doing it at appropriate intervals, you should enjoy it.
3. Weight becomes an Obsession. If you weigh yourself several times a day and obsess over a pound or two here or there, you might need to adjust your attitude.  Exercise has a lot to offer, beyond weight loss.  Focus on you cardiovascular health, your muscle mass and your energy levels instead.
4. Calories Become the Enemy. If every time you consume food, you calculate how much exercise it will take to burn off the calories, you are probably obsessively exercising.  Further, if you don’t like to relax and sit still because you are afraid that you aren’t burning any calories, that isn’t good either.
5. Dramatic Weight Loss. If you have been overweight and started exercising, it will most likely result in weight loss.  That said, if you are losing more than three pounds a week, you probably are pushing yourself too hard.
6. Lack of Diversity. If you tend to work out two or more times a day, give up activities you love, turn down time with friends and neglect responsibilities for exercise, you need to slow down and take a step back.  There is more to life than just exercise.  Life is about enjoying many things.
7. Constantly Injury Prone. If you are constantly injuring yourself or find that you have a lot of chronic pain, you could be overworking muscles and/or joints.  Rest is just as important as exercise itself.  You need to give your body the time it needs to recover from the exercise you do.
8. Loss of Energy. Although exercising can give you more energy, if you overdo it, you will most likely feel tired and worn out from pushing your body too much.

Make sure that exercise is balanced and you take a healthy approach to your workouts.  Working out more than an hour a day, seven days a week is most likely too much.  Make sure you are eating enough to provide your body with the nutrients it needs as well.

Have you ever obsessed about exercise?

Related Topics:

• How do You Measure Your Health?
• Should Healthy People Always Set an Example?
• Obsessive Compulsive about Your Health?

In the fall of 2008, I completed my first 1/2 Marathon (see picture above). My time was 1:59 and I placed a respectable 8 out of 36 in my age division, and 375 out of 694 overall. John tried to keep me on pace for most of the run, even running backwards at times. He now tells me what a tremendous challenge that was.

It took four days of Bootcamp and Weight Training after the race for me to finally realize my accomplishment. Now that it is behind me I have the time, energy and commitment to try and in some small way change the life of another. John Wayman has promised to help me do that by making sure I am ready for and finish the Boston Marathon on April 20, 2009.

For 10 years I have envied and cheered those men and women who had the tenacity and willpower to run the Boston Marathon for a cause that they were so passionate about. Today I understand why they do it. This year I am proud to be one of those marathoners. I am honored to have been chosen to run for The Second Step, a private non-profit agency that provides transitional housing and support services to women and their children who have taken the first step away from domestic violence. The Second Step helps these women to remain free from abusive relationships and lead productive lives. They provide a broad range of services to empower these women to heal, to maintain independence, and to achieve economic self-sufficiency.

The first week of training has been a challenge. Day 1, we had to run 10 miles in 9 degree weather dodging ice and snow and a wind chill that produced icicles in my hair. Day 2 was the first time John pushed me so hard that I vomited. Day 3 I got home at 10:00 p.m. (we had to officially register that night). But all of that said, I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Whatever setbacks occur, I will tough it out knowing that each step I take helps another human being take their second step away from domestic violence. Unfortunately, domestic violence doesn’t just affect women. It affects children and some children, not only are abused, but may die as a result. There will no doubt be sacrifices along the way for all in my family but I know they will support me and with their help I will finish my goal. I have enlisted the support of my daughter Nicole to help with fund raising, Danielle to ride her scooter next to me on my training runs and my husband and friends to help with the long training runs.

Now John and I need your help. We have committed to raise $10,000 to benefit The Second Step and if you can help by donating anything we would be extremely appreciative. Please go to www.thesecondstep.org and click on ‘Donate Now’. Once you have entered your information, select ‘Marathon Gina/John’ in the ‘Designation’ Drop Down. You didn’t think he would let me do this alone did you. A big Thanks to Brett who was kind enough to let me share the next chapter with you.

Everyone has spurts of wanting to be healthy.  But often, our reasons for it can be focused on the short-term and centered around looking good.  The truth is there are a lot of great long-term reasons to want to be healthy…all of which have nothing to do with how we look.  Here are some of my personal favorite reasons for being healthy and why I believe staying that way will pay off:

1. To Feel Young and Energetic. When we are young, it is easier to ‘get over’ little sleep, too much bad food and a few skipped days of exercise.  As we get older, it gets harder for our bodies to bounce back.  Having a lifestyle that is full of activity and a healthy diet keeps you moving, feeling energetic and feeling young, at every age.
2. To Ward Off Disease and Health Problems. When we abuse or don’t take care of our bodies, it can manifest in disease and health problems as we get older.  Taking good care of yourself can help you to ward off diseases such as diabetes and heart problems, giving you an overall better quality of life.
3. To Be Pain and Injury Free. Being active and maintaining an exercise regimen keeps your body strong, lowering your risk of injuries to your joints and chronic pain as you age.  Further, incorporating strength training keeps our bones strong, warding off osteoporosis and arthritis, while stretching keeps your body flexible and limber, preventing sprains and muscle damage.
4. To Travel and See the World. Personally, I love to travel and hope to continue seeing the world, even when I’m 80!  Being mobile and healthy makes it a lot easier to fly, walk, get on and off trains and deal with some of the small inconveniences that go along with travel.  That said, the rewards of seeing the world make it all worth it!
5. To Have Low Medical Bills. Chances are, the healthier you are the less likely you will have to go to the Doctor’s office, even for the minor things. This tends to be exponentially true as we get older.  Our habits today truly impact how we will feel and look 20 years from now.
6. To Dance the Night Away. I love to dance and the idea of dancing the night away when I’m 75 or 80 makes me smile.
7. To Feel Good about Yourself. Taking care of ourselves allows us to have a healthy mental state just as much as a healthy physical state.  Being healthy often means feeling good, both inside and out, which helps our self-confidence and self-esteem.
8. To Do Things You Love. Age should never be an excuse or stop us from doing the things we love.  Taking care of ourselves allows us to continue the activities that we enjoy and that keep us young!
9. To Play with Children and Grandchildren. At almost 35, I still have yet to have children.  But, when I do I want to be able to play with them just as if I was 25.  Further, if and when grandchildren come into the picture, I’d like to enjoy playing with them as well.
10. It is Natural Prevention. If we take care of our bodies, we’ll never need to resort to quick fixes that are unhealthy, costly or dangerous, to make us better.  Staying healthy is the best form of prevention in the process of aging.

There are endless reasons to want to be healthy.  It can take work, yes, but the rewards are endless.  Why do you choose to be healthy?

Related Topics:

• How to Stay Young
• Healthy Eating is a Lifestyle
• There is No Quick Fix
  
• Life Changes and their Effects on Your Health
  
• Do You Exercise to Look Good or Feel Good?
• Internal ‘Health Clocks’ and the Tipping Point
• How to Ensure Health in of Your Joints

You probably have heard various theories on how to burn fat. Some may be true, some may not. The reality is that there is definite science behind how you burn and metabolize calories, and for that matter, fat. Here is some basic information and rules of thumb to ensure that you maximize your fat-burning during exercise:

1. Exercise Type: To effectively burn fat, you need to incorporate both aerobic exercise and strength training into your workouts. Strength training increases your muscle mass, which in turn increases your metabolism (meaning you will burn more calories in an average day). Aerobic exercise does not have the ability to permanently raise your metabolism the way weight training does, however, it is most effective in burning calories and fat.
2. The ‘Fat Burning Zone’: This refers to a target heart rate (THR) zone where your heart rate is essentially in the most effective zone to burn fat. This zone allows you to work at a level that is intense enough to burn fat and calories at a productive rate, but not so intense that you will burn-out or become exhausted too quickly. Use the following calculation to find out your personal fat burning zone:

   Fat Burning Zone = (220-Your Age) x (.75)

   Your fat burning zone is basically 75% of your maximum heart rate (MHR). (To quickly gauge your Fat Burning Zone, look at this quick reference chart using your age and 75% column.) You should aim to stay within 10 beats of the number.

3. Timing of Your Workouts: When you exercise, you first use up your carbohydrate stores (glycogen), then your fat stores and then muscle. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes of exercise to use up your carbohydrate stores before you start tapping into your fat stores. For this reason, there are two ideal times to do aerobic exercise:
   • In the morning before you eat. Assuming you didn’t go on a pasta or carbohydrate binge late the night before, you don’t have any stored carbohydrates in the morning (you slept most of them off), and as a result, your body will use your fat stores for energy. For this reason, you can burn up to 300% more body fat than at other times of the day.
   • Right after strength training. If you are not a morning exerciser, the next best time to do aerobic exercise is right after you do your strength training. Assuming you do strength training for about 30 minutes, you will use most of or all of your carbohydrate stores prior to starting your aerobic activity.

   If you do aerobic exercise at times other than those mentioned above, you will have to exercise for 20 to 30 minutes to burn off your carbohydrate stores and then an additional 20 minutes or so to burn a reasonable amount of fat, making this a much less effective way to burn fat.

If you adhere to these three simple rules, you should see a difference in how much fat you burn as compared to before, hopefully resulting in a greater lean body mass and lower body-fat percentage. Both of which are good for your health.

Are you a morning exerciser? Have you seen the tips listed above already?  Have they worked for you?

Related Topics:

• Calculate your Lean Body Mass and Your Body Fat
• The Benefits of Exercising in the Morning
• Your Target Heart Rate Quick Reference Chart
• Calculate your Target Heart Rate Range

Every New Year, it never fails: the gym is PACKED at every hour of every day, for the first three weeks of the year. When January 1st hits, people get a new spark of enthusiasm for being healthy. Gym memberships soar, health oriented websites surge in traffic and personal trainers don’t have enough hours in the day to see the new clients who’ve signed up for sessions.

Unfortunately, the enthusiasm rampant in the beginning of January wanes after a few weeks and before you know it, gyms have membership cancellations, websites see drops in traffic and personal trainers have a more manageable number of clients. This trend is as predictable as the ball dropping in Times Square New Year’s Eve.

Just because this happens to the majority of resolution makers, however, doesn’t mean that you, too, have to be a resolution dropout. Here are a few ways to ensure that you don’t fall off the wagon:

1. Don’t Bite Off More than You can Chew: It is easy to want to do it all at once, but taking one day at a time is important. Don’t try to over commit yourself too early. Ease into your resolution so that you don’t get overwhelmed or discouraged.
2. Do What You Love: Pretending to love running when you don’t, is not going to encourage you to exercise. Instead, find activities, classes and exercises that you really enjoy.
3. Play with Your Food: Similar to exercise, force-feeding yourself rice-cakes when you think they taste like cardboard isn’t going to make you love health food. Instead, make a game of it. Experiment with different types of health foods to find the ones you like.
4. The Buddy System: Finding a friend or family member to help motivate you will help you to be more committed to your resolution. Not only do you have to motivate yourself, but by buddying up, you will be committing to someone else that you will help them to stay on the wagon as well.
5. Be True to Yourself: If you choose to buy a membership at a gym or to purchase personal training sessions, be sure the gym and/or personal trainer ‘is a match’ for you. Working out in an environment that you don’t like or with a person you don’t respect is not going to keep you coming back for more.

New Year’s resolutions are a great way to make change in your life. You owe it to yourself to stick with it! And you can! What helps you to stay motivated?

Related Topics:

• New Year’s Resolution Roadmap – Final Week
• How to Choose a Great Workout Buddy
• Top 10 Ways to Know if your Personal Trainer is Worthless
• Do you Budget for Exercise

]]> http://www.sheerbalance.com/nutrition/dont-be-a-new-years-resolution-dropout/feed/ 0 http://www.sheerbalance.com/nutrition/a-new-you-in-2009-resolution-roadmap-final-week/ http://www.sheerbalance.com/nutrition/a-new-you-in-2009-resolution-roadmap-final-week/#comments Sun, 28 Dec 2008 20:19:52 +0000 Brett Blumenthal http://www.sheerbalance.com/brettsblog/?p=615 by Brett Blumenthal

Well, the New Year is just around the corner and you have been actively pursuing your New Year’s Resolutions pre-New Year.  It must feel great!  You have gone through three weeks of preparation and you are finally in the last leg of preparing for ‘A New You in 2009′.

Last week, we focused on making smart choices in regards to your diet and nutrition, and rounding out your workout to include not only cardio, but also strength training, core training and flexibility training…all important to ensuring you are taking good care of your body.

This final week is meant to give you all that you need to continue on with your journey to a new you.  So, you should think of it as ‘the final week and moving forward’.

General To-Dos. Now that you have had a few weeks of preparation, it is time to be serious and to commit to yourself.  You are ready to fully work on living a healthier lifestyle!

• Start a Lifestyle Journal. Use this to help you record your progress.  You can write anything you want in it, including: what you eat, what activities you do, your feelings and emotions and anything else.  This is for you…not for anyone else.  So make it what you want.
• Calculate your BMI and LBM. There are several ways to measure your health.  None of them are perfect and each one has its positives and negatives.  If you use several measures, however, you can gauge the general trend of where you stand health and weight wise.
  • Use these as a guide.  You want to be sure that you don’t obsess over the specific numbers.  Instead, focus on the ‘ranges’ into which you fall.
  • Record the numbers in your journal.  Record not only the actual results of the calculations, but the measurements you take.  These will be your point of reference as you continue on your journey to a New You in 2009.
  • Repeat Monthly.  Retake your measurements and recalculate your BMI and LBM every month.  A month gives you enough time to see results and to see how your new lifestyle is working.
    

Nutrition – Complete the Picture. At this point, you know what you should and shouldn’t eat, and you should have broken bad habits and started healthier ones. Now it is time to be sure you are getting the right amounts of nutrients.

• Calculate your Ideal Caloric Needs.  Base your calculation on what you weigh today. Once you know how many calories you need to maintain your current body weight, use the below guidelines to maintain, gain or lose weight as you need.  Whatever you do, however, make sure the calories you consume remain within appropriate proportions of protein, carbs and fat.
  • With your ideal caloric requirements, again, understand that these are guides. Every person is different and responds differently to nutrition and to different foods. That said, make sure you are eating enough and not starving yourself.
  • If you are currently at your ideal weight and gain weight at the recommended caloric intake, back off 200 calories a day for about a week. If you are still gaining weight, back off another 200 calories a day for a week until you stop gaining weight.
  • If you are at your ideal weight and lose weight at the recommended caloric intake, add 200 calories a day for about a week. If you are still losing weight, add another 200 calories a day for a week until you stop losing weight.
  • If you are trying to lose weight (body fat), the most common guideline for calorie deficits for fat loss is to reduce your caloric intake by at least 500 calories a day, but not more than 1000 below your maintenance level(result from the calculation). The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that calorie levels never drop below 1200 calories per day for women or 1800 per day for men.
  • If you are trying to gain weight, add 200 calories per day to your recommended caloric intake for a week.  If you aren’t seeing a difference, try adding an additional 200 calories per day for a week until you do start gaining weight.
• Eat balanced and eat often. Continue eating the 4 to 6 times a day you started a few weeks ago. However, make sure that each small meal is balanced. This will keep you from getting hungry and will also make sure that you are getting appropriate amounts of nutrients

Fitness – Raising the Bar and Maintenance. Continue progressing each week by raising your heart rate a little bit higher and extending your workout to be a little bit longer. Make sure your routines incorporate all types of training so that you are keeping your workout well-rounded to train all your systems of the body. Look at some of our examples of workout formats that are under an hour, but incorporate diversified exercises. Enjoy yourself. Exercise should be fun, not dreadful. Continue doing what you love and stick to it. You’ll be glad you did!

Well my friends, this is the end of your Roadmap!  We’ll be checking in with you in the next couple of weeks to see how things are going!  Hope you have a wonderful New Year and we look forward to hearing about your success stories in 2009!

Let us know how the resolution roadmap has been working for you so far.  Did you find it helpful?  Did you hope to do more?  Was it easy or difficult to stick to?

Related Topics:

• Calculate your BMI
• Calculate your Lean Body Mass (LBM)
• Calculate your Caloric Requirements
• Calculate your Target Heart Rate
• Get a Jump Start on your New Year’s Resolution
• Resolution Roadmap – Day 1
• Resolution Roadmap – Week 1
• Resolution Roadmap – Week 2
• Resolution Roadmap – Week 3

Perspiration, or sweat, is simply your body’s way of cooling itself. But did you know that there is difference between the sweat on your palms and the sweat in your armpits? Also, you’ve probably noticed that your skin tastes salty after a workout. Read on and I’ll explain why.

Sweat glands are distributed over the entire body, except for the lips, nipples, and external genital organs. There are two types of sweat glands:

Happy Happy Hump Week!  You are now entering your 3rd week of the four week series of ‘A New You in 2009.’  Last week, we focused on getting rid of bad nutritional habits with a ‘detox’ and revving up your workouts by increasing your intensity and duration.  All of these steps should help to make this week’s ‘to-dos’ easier.  As I’ve mentioned before, make sure you have successfully completed the second week steps prior to moving forward.  This will give you a sense of accomplishment and help you to not feel overwhelmed.

Week 3’s Roadmap is outlined below! 

Nutrition: Making Smart Choices. Last week we focused on getting rid of the excess sugars, toxins and chemicals in your body.  You now should be ready to start fresh and eat the foods that your body really needs to be nourished and function properly.

• Healthy Starchy Carbohydrates. If you like bread, pasta and cereals, that is ok, just stop eating those made with bleached and refined flours or non-whole grains. Whole grain pasta and whole grain breads taste really yummy and offer you a lot of healthful benefits, such as fiber and lower amounts of sugar (which we learned from week 2 is an enemy). Regular pasta and white bread have very little nutritional value and pack on pounds. Any time you want bread or pasta, reach for whole wheat, whole grain, multi-grain, grain, grain, and um…grain…
• Eat your Veggies. Hands down, vegetables are vital to a healthy diet. Find the ones you like the most and eat them. Eat lots of them. Eat so much that you can’t eat anymore. Why? They are loaded with vitamins and minerals and provide you with much needed fiber. Further, they fill you up, causing you to eat less of the bad stuff. If you start your lunch and dinner off with a salad, you will be filling yourself up with healthy stuff, curbing your appetite and interest in eating unhealthy stuff. Be careful though, use dressings sparingly, and think twice before loading nuts and cheese on, for these add a lot of fat to the otherwise healthy salad
• Healthy Fats. You should definitely incorporate fats into your diet.  However, you want to make sure that you eat the right ones (mono-unsaturated fats, poly-unsaturated fats and essentially fatty acids, Omega-3 and Omega-6) and that you use them sparingly.
• Low-fat and Non-fat Dairy. Dairy can be your friend, but aim to consume those that are low in fat or non-fat. If you are drinking full-fat milk or 2%, knock it down a % notch. Eventually, you should aim for 1% at a maximum with Skim milk being optimal.  The reason for this is that full fat dairy has a lot of saturated fat…one of the worst types of fat for you.
• Lean Protein. Protein is essential to a healthy diet.  That said, you want to be sure that the protein you consumer is lean: White meat poultry, fish, beans, low to non-fat dairy, egg whites. Try to avoid red meat, or limit your intake to no more than once a week.

Fitness: Rounding it Out. Last week we had you up the ante around your intensity and duration of exercise.  Your heart should start to feel a little stronger and you should feel like you have more endurance than you did when you started.  Now it is time to round your workout out.

• More than Cardio. Now that you have a feel for what you should be doing for cardio, start looking at your other training types and working on incorporating them into your work-out
  • Strength Training. Classes that hit on these include those that incorporate some weights, resistance bands and bars. Body Pump, Body Sculpting and others incorporate strength training. Also try to use weight machines and free weights. You should target all muscle groups. A great resource for strength training using weights is: The Body Sculpting Bible for Women, Revised Edition: The Way to Physical Perfection (Body Sculpting Bible)
  • Core Training. Classes to try: Pilates, Abdominal classes
  • Flexibility Training. Classes to try: yoga and pilates
• Personal Trainers. If you have access to personal trainers, think about trying a couple of sessions to get some guidance as to what you need to be doing

Good Luck with Week 3!  Let us know how Week 1 and 2 went.  Did you find it helpful?  Did you hope to do more?  Was it easy or difficult to stick to?

Related Topics:

• Strength Training Programs
• Types of Exercise to Round Out Your Workout
• Calculate your Target Heart Rate
• Learn about Good and Bad Fats
• Basics of a Fitness Program
• Get a Jump Start on your New Year’s Resolution
• Resolution Roadmap – Day 1
• Resolution Roadmap – Week 1
• Resolution Roadmap – Week 2

Congratulations!  You are now entering your 2nd week of ‘A New You in the New Year.’  Last week, we focused on laying a foundation for a healthier diet and increasing basic activity into your life.  Hopefully, your ‘to-dos’ were easy to get into and not too overwhelming.  If so, take an extra week and stick with the First Week plan to get adjusted.

For those of you ready to jump into your 2nd week, your roadmap is outlined below! 

Nutrition – It’s Detox Time! When our diet includes unhealthy foods, ingredients and chemicals, our digestive system functions less efficiently and has to work overtime to eliminate toxins and waste. Further, the more of these you eat, the more you crave them. In week two, we are going to retrain your brain and your stomach by eliminating these from your diet, which will hopefully reduce your cravings and dependency on them.

• Cut out sugar. Sugar is one of your biggest enemies. In any form: raw, as part of a food, processed,
  etc.
  • If you put sugar in your coffee or tea, cut back. Instead of 4 heaping teaspoons, make it 3 level teaspoons. Continue to cut back until you need no more than 1 teaspoon at a maximum or optimally, none
  • Don’t drink soda, and if you do, start drinking diet until you can stop drinking it all together. Soda has tons of empty calories and artificial ingredients
  • Look at your nutrition labels. If the first ingredient listed is sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, corn-syrup, dextrose, sucrose, fructose, it is bad news
• Cut-out Saturated Fats. Saturated fat is ‘bad fat’. You want to have as little of these in your diet as possible. Cut these bad boys out for good and think about healthier alternatives:
  • Butter, margarine and full-fat dairy
  • Poultry skin and fried foods
  • Egg yolks
  • Coconut oil, milk, cream and Palm oil
• Limit Alcohol. Although it is a bit difficult during the holiday season to refrain from the bubbly, alcohol, by far, can be a huge saboteur to your diet.  Alcohol has 7 calories per gram, which is 3 more calories than both carbohydrates and protein per gram. These calories add up fast. Further, alcohol takes a toll on your skin, causing dryness, dilation of small blood vessels and redness. Try to limit yourself to no more than 1 drink per day, or 7 drinks per week.
• Fried Food. Fried food, no matter what it is fried in, is bad. Whether it is fried a little, fried a lot or deep fried, it is bad. Bad, bad, bad. It causes clogged arteries, bad skin, heart disease, constipation…need we say more? Just stop eating it. Look for other tasty alternatives that are baked, grilled or poached. Pan-seared is ok too.
• Processed Foods. Processed foods are up there with fried food. The more processes a food has to go through, the higher the chance it is loaded with chemicals, preservatives and unhealthy ingredients. All of which you want to avoid. Look for foods that are whole…from the ground or naturally from an animal. This doesn’t mean it can’t be packaged, but if the food takes a form, shape or look of something other than how it would be naturally found, it is processed. Ex: Chicken Nuggets (Highly processed) vs. Chicken Breast (very little if at all processed)
• Limit Caffeine. Caffeine is a chemical that causes your body to have ups and downs in energy, and is a diuretic, causing water-loss. Try to limit yourself to no more than one cup a day, preferably in the morning.
• Clean out Your Closets. Go through your kitchen cabinets and throw away foods that are obviously bad for you. Anything that has a lot of sugar, is processed, has a lot of fat, etc. deep six

Fitness – Ramping it up. Now that you have been a bit more active than normal, it is time to up the ante.  You need to move from ‘getting some activity’ into ‘getting some exercise’.  Again, you don’t want to overdo it by trying to do too much.

• Raise that Heart Rate! Make sure you are raising your heart rate enough to get the most out of your workout. Each week, you should aim to exercise in a slightly higher Target Heart Rate Zone.  Learn how to calculate YOUR target heart rate to ensure you are making progress.
• Increase your Duration and Frequency. Each week, you should aim to exercise for a little longer and a little more often, working up to 4 to 5 days a week for 45 minutes to an hour each day.  This week, specifically, aim to move your duration and frequency from 20 – 30 minutes, 3 days a week to 30 – 35 minutes for 4 days.

Good luck this week with your Week 2 To-Dos!

Let us know how Week 1 went.  Did you find it helpful?  Did you hope to do more?  Was it easy or difficult to stick to?

Related Topics:

• 5 Ingredients to Avoid
• Learn about Target Heart Rate Zones
• Calculate your Target Heart Rate
  
• Learn about Good and Bad Fats
• Basics of a Fitness Program
  
• Get a Jump Start on your New Year’s Resolution
• Resolution Roadmap – Day 1
• Resolution Roadmap – Week 1

Every weekend, while downstairs in our building’s fitness center, I see this one personal trainer with his client.  I have seen them there every weekend for the better part of 6 months.  The client is a woman who is probably in her mid to late 30s, is extremely overweight and seems to lack genuine interest in exercise.  I say this because she tends to do more talking than exercising.  Further, her discussions are one way conversations, consistently involving her asking her personal trainer about newly released diet pills, exercise pills, weight loss surgery, plastic surgery and the latest and greatest gossip of the most recent face lifts, liposuction, miracle diets, etc., of the stars of Hollywood.  Even with my iPod at full blast, she is so loud and distracting, that it is quite difficult to tune her out.

The reason I am bringing this up, however, isn’t so much to discuss the client, but rather to discuss the personal trainer.  Having been a group fitness instructor and personal trainer myself, I am always interested in how personal trainers work with their clients.  In this specific case, I’m especially bewildered.  I have to believe that this personal trainer isn’t really doing his job.  Granted, his client seems to be a difficult case at best, but if a personal trainer is being paid money to help someone get into better shape, then certain standards should be met.  As a follow-up to my entry on Top 10 Ways to Know if Your Personal Trainer is Worthless, I wanted to use this case in particular, to highlight what you should expect from an ethical and capable personal trainer.

1. You Should See Some Change: The woman in this case hasn’t made any progress over the six months that she has been working with this personal trainer.  Not that I have personally weighed her or taken measurements to know exactly what changes her body has or hasn’t undergone, but it is visually apparent that no strides have been made.  It is a personal trainer’s job to ensure that you get results.  If what they have put together for you isn’t working, then they need to modify the program.
2. You Should be Challenged: The fact that this woman has the ability to talk none-stop the whole hour of her session (and no, I am NOT exaggerating) says that she is not being challenged.  She is never out of breath and from what I can tell, she exercises at a very low intensity and at a snail’s pace.  Her heart rate should be raised high enough that the conversation becomes physically difficult.
3. The Personal Trainer Should be Involved: In this case, it is clear that the personal trainer has ‘checked’ out.  To let the client go on and on about whatever topic she finds entertaining, while he just stands there and listens, means that he isn’t engaged in the session, the process or for that matter the progress that she should be making.  Your personal trainer should be doing more of the talking then you.  He should be actively explaining things to you and helping to guide you through exercises.  Further, he shouldn’t be standing on the sidelines, he should be part of the program, physically working with you to get you to do exercises correctly and to address misalignment etc.  He shouldn’t just be putting the pin in the weight rack.  You could do that on your own.
4. They Should Give you Perspective: I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: there is no quick fix.  This specific personal trainer should be telling his client that all the pills in the world will not ‘fix her.’  Nor will any type of surgery.  He should be firm and state this simply and clearly.  If anything, your personal trainer should be educating you on proper diet and nutrition.  He should be explaining how to boost your metabolism naturally.  He should be explaining how you can get more results out of your workout through effective workout formats and he should be educating you as to how to be safe with your exercise.  Popping pills should not be in his repertoire.
5. Conversation Topics Should Be Relevant: I’m sure that the client thinks that her topics of discussion are relevant to her program, but if you look at #4 above, they really aren’t.  I’m not saying that every word that you or your personal trainer utters should be about exercise, but the majority of the discussion should be around getting you to understand the proper form you should be using, the muscles you are using and the benefits of the exercise in general.  If you find that your personal trainer doesn’t explain anything to you, he isn’t doing his job.  You are hiring them for their knowledge and expertise.  As a result, they should be imparting both to you so that you can learn.

When you spend money on a service, you should be getting what you paid for.  In my mind, this personal trainer isn’t doing his job and instead, his client is becoming more and more delusional about how to be healthier.  Personal trainers should be giving their clients the information they need to be healthier and to make positive change in their lives.

Have you had any personal trainers that seemed unethical or lacking in ability?

Related Topics:

• Top 10 Ways to Know if Your Personal Trainer is Worthless
• 8 Traits of a Bad Aerobics Instructor
• There is No Quick Fix
• Exercise in a Pill: Another Way to Keep America Lazy

Whether or not you exercise, you may have a predisposition to adhering to a program more than others.  Although there aren’t a lot of scientific studies out there on this topic, AFAA, the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, has developed four distinct categories of the population, each with its own behavioral characteristics.  Their view is that certain populations require different motivators to facilitate exercise adherence within group fitness classes.

Although AFAA specifically applies these categories to group fitness participants, some of the principles can be applied to the adherence of any exercise regimen.  Having an idea as to which of these four categories you fall into, may actually provide you with insights that will help you increase your chances of adhering to any fitness program.  The four categories are described in detail below.:

Type A: Type A people are most likely to exercise every day.  They will sometimes exercise for 1 to 2 hours at a time or may even exercise two times each day.  These individuals are often competitive and may be Type A individuals sociologically – driven, successful and highly motivated.  Sometimes these individuals believe they are immune to injury and will ‘overdo’ it or work through pain when they shouldn’t.

• If you are Type A: Type As don’t need a lot of incentive to exercise.  If anything, they may be predisposed to overdoing it.  If you are a Type A Fitness personality, look to cross-train.  This will help reduce potential injury from overuse of certain muscles.  Additionally, it will help to ward off boredom.  Type As may focus on one activity too much and tend to push themselves so hard, that they may end up burning out as a result.

Type B: Type B people tend to work out consistently at a moderate level.  They may exercise every other day and will alternate lower intensity and impact with higher intensity and impact activities.  These individuals tend to work out ‘responsibly’ and are sensible in their approach, as compared to Type As who may be more compulsive.  Type Bs tend to see exercise as part of a lifestyle and understand the benefits of it long-term, as well as in the short-term.

• If you are Type B: Type B exercisers really have the right mindset.  They don’t really require very much in the way of incentives to exercise, but understand how to maintain balance in their approach.

Type C: Type C individuals are those individuals who have never experienced exercise as a regimen before.  While some people in this category may have been involved in activities for fun, they may not have ever thought of it as fitness.  Others, however, may have been relatively sedentary.  Type Cs may be at risk for not sticking with the program if they feel that the program isn’t ‘working for them.’

• If you are Type C: Type C exercisers may want to consider hiring a personal trainer for a few sessions if they have no real knowledge about exercise.  Otherwise, you may want to find a gym that has great customer service and personalized approaches for their members.  If you are a Type C, fitness classes may be a good starting point so that you feel that you have a ‘community’ and support network that you can rely on and/or feel comfortable with.  Look for ways to get positive reinforcement so that you stay motivated.  Speak with your fitness instructor if you are part of a class and inform them that you are new to exercising.  They will (if they are good) be more apt to ensuring that you get the positive reinforcement and guidance you need to stick with the program.

Type D: Type D individuals are completely inactive or sedentary.  Although they may be able to exercise, they are prone to start and stop or never even partake in regular exercise at all.  They may not exercise due to time constraints, expense, convenience or other obligations.  But most likely, they don’t have real interest.

• If you are Type D: Type D exercisers are at the highest risk for not adhering to an exercise program.  They need to address three barriers: time, effort and on-the-spot excuses.   If you are a Type D, you should think about the benefits of exercise and understand the health implications of not being active.  You may want to start off slow by taking a few minutes out of every day just to walk.  Slowly build up to 10 minutes a day…15 minutes a day…20 minutes a day and so on.  Even small changes, like taking the stairs instead of an elevator, are helpful.  Type Ds need unconventional programs that are convenient and leave little room for excuses.  They should aim to understand their  de-motivators and/or excuses that come most easily.  Once they identify their biggest excuses, they  should look for ways that they can’t be excuses anymore (E.g., the gym is too far…get a piece of cardio equipment for your home).  Lastly, find ways to motivate yourself to be healthier.  Reward yourself for making positive changes in your health and activity level.

So now that you know the different ‘Fitness Types’, which one are you?  What have you done to ensure success and adherence to a fitness program?

Related Topics:

• The Basics of Exercise
• The Importance of Exercise Intensity
• The Correct Workout Structure
• Exercise Resources: Fitness Calculators, Calories Burned, etc.
• Top 5 Excuses for Not Working Out
• 6 Ways to Stay Motivated to Exercise this Winter
  

Hopefully you have taken some time to ‘prepare’ for your healthy start to 2009 with the Resolution Roadmap – Day 1 post. At this point, you should be in the right mindset to start moving forward and making progress.  Remember, this Roadmap is meant to help you make smaller changes over a few weeks so that by the end of December, you are ready to start 2009 with a bang.

As a recap, for Day 1 I asked that you get into the right mindset both nutritionally and physically.  Nutritionally, you should stop thinking about diets (and dieting) and instead, focus on the choice of a new lifestyle.  Further, you should focus on the qualitative changes to come vs. your weight.  Fitness wise, you should start visualizing yourself as you want to look and feel, listing out your favorite activities, budgeting for a fitness program and researching your options.

As we kick into week 1 of the roadmap, we want to start making some minor changes that will help you as you make some of the harder changes to come.  Here is your Week 1 To Dos:

Nutrition: Laying the Foundation. Preparing yourself for a new way of eating is important so that when you start making bigger changes, they don’t feel so extreme. At this time, you want to do what it takes to ensure you are covering the basics.

• Drink lots of Water: Although some may argue how much water you really need, water is definitely undervalued when trying to eat healthy.  Your goal should be to drink your body weight x .66 per day in ounces.  First off, water helps to keep you hydrated.  It also helps to keep your digestive tract moving along, which will help you be more regular.  Lastly, it helps to keep you full so that you don’t confuse hunger for thirst.
• Eat Breakfast. If you aren’t already eating breakfast, start. It should be a balanced meal that integrates carbohydrates and proteins and be low in fat.  Whole grain cereal with low-fat or skim milk is a good option.  Egg whites or an egg white omelette with whole grain bread is even better.  And, a yogurt parfait is always a yummy way to start the day.
• Eat 5 to 6 times a day. Eating smaller portions and more often will boost your metabolism. It will also prevent you from being really hungry really quickly.  As a result, try to eat smaller breakfasts, lunches and dinners, and eat a snack between your meals so that you are eating every three hours or so.
• Educate yourself. Do your homework in understanding basics of healthy nutrition.  Sheer Balance provides a lot of good, solid, basic information.  Learn why fat, protein and carbohydrates are all important to a healthy diet.  Learn about essential vitamins and minerals. Understand what they do and why they are important. Also take some time to start learning how to read nutrition labels.
• Multi-Vitamin. Start taking a multi-vitamin. This will help ensure you are getting all the important vitamins and minerals you need every day

Fitness: Ease into it. If you are new to exercise, you need to make sure you don’t try to do too much all at once.  Also, consult your Doctor prior to starting any exercise regimen.  

• Start Slow. If you haven’t been exercising, start slow. The last thing you want to do is over do it and as a result, burn-out fast. If you have decided that a gym membership is going to be part of your program, try to go three times a week and spend about 20 to 30 minutes each day. If you are not using a gym, try walking, jogging, running, bike riding or rollerblading. What is most important is that you are active for 20 to 30 minutes a day for three days a week.
• Experiment. If you haven’t been exercising, this is your time to learn what is out there and what you enjoy. Don’t get bogged down in too much detail, just feel your way through the process and your options.
• Classes. If you are going to a gym or have a fitness class studio nearby, learn about the classes they offer and try those that interest you most.
• Equipment. Try equipment you have access to: the bike, the treadmill, the arc trainer, the elliptical trainer, and any other machines that catch your eye. Try it out for 20 to 30 minutes and see how you like it.
• Be Safe. Each time you exercise, make sure you’re workout is incorporating a warm-up, a cool-down and stretching. This will ensure that you are being safe and avoiding potential injury.

This may or may not seem like a lot to swallow.  But the idea of this week is to start getting used to the idea of making some changes.  Your changes should be small enough so that they are manageable and not overwhelming.  If you try to bite off more than you can chew (pardon the pun), you may become discouraged.  Good luck and share with us your progress!

How was your first day?  Did you come across any challenges?  Did Day 1 motivate you?

Related Topics:

• Get a Jump Start on your New Year’s Resolution
• Resolution Roadmap – Day 1
• Do You Budget for Exercise?
• Diet or Lifestyle?  Why to Choose the Latter
• Why you Shouldn’t Weight Yourself
• Sheer Balance Nutrition Guide
• Healthy Breakfast Recipes and more
  

Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can affect various parts of the body, including the skin, joints, heart, lungs, blood, kidneys and brain. Normally the body’s immune system makes proteins called antibodies, to protect the body against viruses, bacteria, and other foreign materials. These foreign materials are called antigens. In an autoimmune disorder like lupus, the immune system cannot tell the difference between foreign substances and its own cells and tissues. As a result, the immune system makes antibodies that fight against itself. These antibodies — called “auto-antibodies” (auto means ’self’) cause inflammation, pain and damage in various parts of the body.

Systemic lupus is usually more severe than discoid lupus, and can affect almost any organ or organ system of the body. For some people, only the skin and joints will be involved. In others, the joints, lungs, kidneys, blood, or other organs and/or tissues may be affected. Generally, no two people with systemic lupus will have identical symptoms. At times, very few symptoms may occur (remission), and at other times, the disease becomes more active (flare). Most often when people mention “lupus,” they are referring to the systemic form of the disease.

In July 2007, a particularly bad flare caused me to start an arduous journey. The flare was so bad, that I could not get the disease under control. I was able to work but was so weak that I had to send my 9 year old upstairs to get my pajamas. I would eat something and lay on the couch until it was time for bed. In the morning, I would wake up at 6:00 a.m., go down for coffee and lay on the couch until 8:00, at which time I would get ready for work. The havoc the disease played on my body wore me out. I was taking tons of medication per day and had a couple of intermittent steroid treatments. At this point, my daughter asked, “Mom, are you every going to get better?” At that moment, I promised that if I ever did recover, I would do whatever it took to make my body strong. In October, I was finally okay.

And so began my journey in November of 2007. I knew that all of the traditional methods I had used in the past – walking, Curves for Women, working out at home, and working out at the gym in my office – were not going to work. There were a couple of things that I needed in order to accomplish my goal: the location had to be convenient, it had to be a group environment and classes had to be in the morning so that I couldn’t make excuses later in the day.

I found John Wayman like most people find services today. I searched the internet for “Bootcamp” and the first ad to appear was for Beantown Bootcamp. John Wayman held a Bootcamp Class in the North End of Boston at 6:30 a.m. I also found out that John did personal training. I contacted John and that November, I attended my first indoor Bootcamp.

Looking back now, it is hard to imagine that I actually went back after that first day. Perhaps it was the kind words John offered as I struggled to run around the gym a third time or the encouragement from the other participants. There was a sense of camaraderie from the “veterans” of the group. They showed compassion and empathy, which made the experience feel different.

Class members would say, “Walk Gina, if you can’t run! You’ll get there.” They knew this because John had gotten them there as well: they were ALL success stories. The first day was so hard but when I was done it felt as though I had accomplished something. I remember calling my husband to tell him how hard it was, and his response was “Great! Keep going! Eventually, it will get better.” I never felt embarrassed about not jumping rope as long as the others or sprinting as fast. John always made a point to encourage me and the other newbies. He had an approach that really worked. The classes were so much fun and every day the routine was different. You never knew what to expect.

During the early months, John was cautious in setting expectations for me and I for myself. I think it took John a little time to figure out whether I was really committed. I assume he knew the journey would be difficult and that there would be significant sacrifice on his part to take me on as a client. It was always my feeling that someone younger and more athletic would have been much more fun to train and would obtain great results. John, however, didn’t shy away from the challenge.

Almost every day, John gently suggested that I begin a running program if I wanted to continue Bootcamp outdoors. I wasn’t quite ready, however. Eventually, I started to work out with John with weights. This felt like a reward for doing the Bootcamp. I started to see real results in February. And in an annual physical, for the first time, there was little to no sign of inflammation in my blood work. The Bone Density Test showed an uptick and my Percentage of Body Fat decreased by 1.4%, even though I weighed 7 pounds more than when the prior test was taken (all muscle!). In May, my body fat would drop another 3.5%.

After that visit, I decided that I would take my commitment to the next level. I told John and we made a plan. The most important component to the plan was honesty. John told me to be honest with myself. Was I really giving it my all? How was my nutrition this weekend, really? Did anything hurt when I ran? Why did I stop?

John started me on a running program and urged me to enter a race. I registered for one, but I kept it a secret for a few months. When I finally did tell him, he looked me straight in the eye and told me that he would run the race with me. I knew then, that I would definitely run AND finish. I couldn’t disappoint him. It was as if I were taking a Mid-Term and needed to get an A. We ran the race together, and I won first place for the 50 year old category. My time was an average of 9:48 minute miles.

The months since February have gone so fast its hard to recall all the milestones that John helped me reach. We work out with weights 3-4 times per week and I look forward to that time. John makes it difficult some days but always manages to get me back the next day. John also agreed to start a simpler version of a Bootcamp in my office, which has shown tremendous corporate benefit. 15-20 people from different departments in the company now come together twice a week to workout together. Before, many of the employees barely spoke to each other, and now, Wednesday and Thursday night workouts are a fun topic of conversation. The group has diverse interests and ages, but John is able to create a workout environment that works for everyone.

My friends and colleagues say my progress has been impressive. They say running eleven, 9 minute miles is no joke. What they don’t know is that I am only half way to the end. I am planning on running the Boston Marathon. I am not sure I will get there but I know that if I continue to work with John, I just might. I work hard not only myself, but for John, who pushes me to limits I never imagined possible.

I haven’t had any type of ‘flare’ – since last November. I used to get a small flare once a month and would pray that it would go into remission. It has never been this long in between flares. However, as I write this article, I am waiting for test results that will hopefully rule out breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Whatever the results are, I know that I am both physically and mentally ready. The secret to a successful journey is having the courage to admit that you probably can’t get there alone. It is important to know that up front and to make sure that you respect and care about the people helping you reach your goals.

I have tremendous respect and admiration for the work that John does. It must be truly rewarding to have a job that allows you to shape the life of another for the better. I don’t take John’s time for granted and would never want to disappoint him by not exceeding his and my expectations. So, I am going to try and do this thing for me, and for my coach who had the faith to teach a conventional 50 year old how to make her body stronger in the most unconventional ways.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about getting a jump start on your New Year’s Resolution.  I asked you to share what your goals are for the upcoming year and hoped to start a dialogue around how to reach those goals.  Whether or not you read the entry, you may have been thinking about making a resolution for your health anyway.  Maybe you want to resolve to eat better…or to exercise more…or both.  Regardless, a resolution is a promise…a promise to yourself to make a change in your life.

The tradition of making resolutions is something we look forward to because we believe it is a fresh start.  The New Year gives us a clean slate, allowing us to leave bad habits behind, while looking forward to a brighter, more positive future.  We feel confident that just as a whole calendar year can change in a 10 second countdown, we too can change our attitudes, conquer our demons, and gain tons of willpower all in the blink of an eye.

Expecting too much of ourselves too quickly, however, can be self-defeating.  If we don’t see the results we are looking for fast enough, we may end up frustrated, undermining even the best of intentions to stick to our promise.  As a result, finding ways to hold yourself to your resolution is even more important than the resolution itself.  Setting interim milestones and taking small steps one day at a time is a much more promising and realistic way of attaining your goals. You owe it to yourself to keep your promise and if you do, you’ll find that it proves to be very rewarding.

Great.  Now that we got all of that out of the way, let’s get to the meat of the topic:  How do we ensure success in our healthy resolutions?  Here is Day 1 of your New Year’s Resolution Roadmap to a better, healthier, more balanced you in 2009:

Day 1:  Get in the Right Mindset

Nutrition:

1. Stop thinking about diets. The word diet is negative and implies deprivation, starvation, hunger…lots of bad things in general.  Instead, focus on ‘a way of life’ or even better, a lifestyle.
2. Focus on the Choice of a New Lifestyle: This is your choice. This is something you want to do. Thinking you are, instead of you have to is a mindset that will start you believing that you really want to be healthy…not something you are being forced to do.
3. Be Qualitative, Not Quantitative: Eating healthier is going to create a lot of positive change in your life, and although weight loss might be part of the outcome, it shouldn’t be your focus.  As a result, stop focusing on weight or numbers, instead, think about the qualitative change to come.  “I’m going to feel great”…”I’m going to look great”…”I’m going to be healthier”…etc.

Fitness:

1. See yourself as you want to look. If you can visualize yourself in better cardiovascular shape, having more muscle tone and having a leaner physique, you can look that way. Yes, it will take some physical effort as well, but the more you can actively see your goal, the more you will be able to make it a reality.
2. List out your favorite activities: If you don’t enjoy exercise, your motivation will diminish.  As a result, think about the kinds of activities you enjoy.  Do you enjoy outdoor sports, indoor fitness classes, dance, marshal arts, etc? List them out and think about how to incorporate them into your life.
3. Budget: It is important to be realistic in budgeting for your exercise.  Decide how much you are willing to spend on exercise every month, and put that amount into your monthly budget.  This amount may or may not cause you to rule out certain activities or gyms, but it is important to understand those limitations.
4. Research: Where can you do the activities you want to do for how much you want to spend?  Once you answer that question, you will be on the road to starting a successful fitness program.

Basically, Day 1 is meant to be about getting motivated and into the right mindset.  You want to keep it very simple and not get too carried away!  Enjoy your decision to be healthier!

Related Topics:

• Get a Jump Start on your New Year’s Resolution
• Do You Budget for Exercise?
• Diet or Lifestyle?  Why to Choose the Latter
• Why you Shouldn’t Weight Yourself

Fitness:
o This week, get back to your fitness plan and aim at doing an extra day or two of exercise (If you normally exercise 3 days a week, try to get 5 days in).
o On those days that you choose to do aerobic exercise, increase your duration for an extra 10 minutes to help burn off some of those extra calories.
o Aim for higher intensity aerobic activities so that you burn more calories per hour.

Nutrition:
o Drink extra water (10 – 12 glasses a day). This will help flush the toxins (sugars, alcohols and food chemicals) out of your system, making your system more efficient.
o Focus on whole foods. Eliminate sugars, fried foods and overly processed breads and other foods. Eat lots of veggies, fruits, whole grains and lean proteins.
o Small meals throughout the day. There’s a good chance that your stomach expanded a little over this Thanksgiving weekend, potentially making it think it needs more food to feel satisfied. Try to eat 5 or 6 smaller meals throughout the day, keeping you satiated, but helping your stomach adjust back to its normal size.

Mind:
o Self time. Take a night or two this week to get back to normal, decompress and enjoy alone time.
o One night take a bath and get to bed early. Whether caused by hours of cooking, driving, shopping or family stress, a bath will help alleviate the stress of the holiday weekend.

It is cold and snowy outside, and as the alarm wakes you from your sound slumber, you scold yourself for getting to bed so late last night.  The thought of getting out of bed to hit the gym is as painful as the idea of skinny dipping in 40 degree water.  It is the last thing you feel like doing.  But, you do.  You drag your warm,  sleep deprived body out of bed just so you can run three miles before you have to go to work.  After all, you know you won’t be running after work, you’ll be way to tired.  Does this sound at all familiar to you?

As we have been so abruptly tossed into the throws of winter, I have definitely been feeling a little more like this…a little more each day.  So how do you stay motivated to exercise, when the idea of gaining a little layer of ‘insulation’ around your body sounds like a better plan?  Here are a few simple things to help you stay true to your healthy self, even during the coldest days:

1. Find a Winter Sport You Love: There are so many great winter sports that will provide you with a fun way to get in your exercise.  There is down-hill skiing, snowboarding, snow-shoeing, ice skating, cross-country skiing, just to name a few.  Try to add one or two of these into your regimen to keep things seasonally appropriate and fun.
2. Seasonally Appropriate Gear: As the seasons change, so should your workout clothes.  Not that you ever need an excuse to go shopping, but having seasonal appropriate gear that looks good on you and keeps you warm is a must!
3. Holiday Parties and Vacations: During the holiday season, there is a good chance you will be running into old relatives, old flames and other individuals for whom you may want to look your best.  Staying fit through the winter will keep you looking good and feeling good about yourself.
4. Prevention: The more fit you are, the less likely you will be to get sick.  Really.  Staying healthy is an important prevention tactic when it comes to warding off the sniffles, colds and flu.
5. Think about the Longer Term: Think about the warmer months to come: the bikinis, the pool parties, etc.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to not have to shed your winter weight to be in great shape for them?  Focusing on the longer term, whether the summer season coming around the corner or your overall long term health, is a great way to stay motivated to continue with your exercise program.
6. Adjust with Daylight: As daylight changes, so may your attitude towards what is the best time of day to workout.  You may find that your normal evening workout isn’t as easy to do as a morning time workout, or vice verse.  It is best to find the time of day that is going to keep you motivated.

So as the temperatures drop, keep on trucking!  Do you have any good motivations to keep you exercising this winter?

Related Topics:

• 6 Ways to Break Through the Cardio Wall
• Top 5 Excuses for Not Working Out
• Top 4 Ways to Know if Your Workout Needs a Change
• Sheer Balance Fitness Guide

Gina (aka Disco) – a Unique Client

In November 2007, I met an incredible woman named Gina who quickly became known as “Disco” as a result of her love of Disco Music. On the surface, Gina looked a lot like other clients: She was a 50 year old woman who was a wife, a mom to 2 girls (a high school teenager and a 10 year old), and held a high level management position in a large insurance company, often requiring her to travel extensively. But after reviewing her consent forms in detail, it was clear she was very unique: Gina had Systemic Lupus, which caused her to suffer from Crohn’s Disease and flare-ups every 6-8 weeks. Her joints often became inflamed, causing her to take prescription strength Ibuprofen 4-6 times per day and Asacol 4 times per day. Although her doctor had encouraged her to begin an exercise regime for her overall health and to relieve localized joint pain, Gina explained that because of the pain, it was sometimes difficult to get out of bed. Further, Lupus caused her to have flu like symptoms, making her too tired and achy to exercise. When I asked her what her main goal was, she explained that she wanted to lose 25 pounds.

Gina Attempts Bootcamp

At every class, I tell participants to let me know if any of the exercises do not feel comfortable so I can give them appropriate modifications. On Gina’s first day, she could hardly jog a lap around the gym. It was evident that the class might be too difficult for her. After the warm up I brought her to the side and explained that the class was tough and wasn’t for everyone. I told her to take it easy and to take as many rests as needed. Gina persisted and said she would do the best she could.

Over the next month, Gina stuck with the program and performed drills at her own pace. Before long she could run 10 laps around the gym and was making serious progress. Gina also began doing one-on-one resistance training with me. Initially, we covered fundamental strength training with free weights and nautilus exercises and then we began incorporating functional resistance training, which involves a combination of fundamental resistance exercises and a mix of elements involving balance, coordination and core strength. Instead of targeting one muscle per exercise, this kind of training targeted multiple muscle groups at a time.

Gina’s Success

Gina’s hard work paid off. Gina spent 6 months following a combination of Bootcamp classes, functional weight training, recreational running and eating a balanced diet. Gina’s doctor performs tests on a regular basis, including a DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) scan, which accurately measures lean body mass and bone density. In her most recent test, Gina’s results included:

Health Benefits:

• A loss of 22 pounds, changing her BMI (body mass index) from an original classification of obese to normal
• A dramatic improvement in her fitness level
• Body fat reduction from 33% to 27%
• Boosted bone density levels

Disease Control:

• Lupus flare-ups have subsided and symptoms haven’t been present for the last 10 months
• Reduced joint pain (as long as she continues moving daily)
• No showing of Chron’s Disease symptoms
• Ceased taking both prescription drugs since November 2007

Physical Strength:

• Finished 1st in her age group in a 5K road race
• Went from not being able to complete one regular push up to performing 15 regular pushups on toes with great form
• Improved aerobic capacity from a fair classification to an excellent classification
• Dramatic improvement in energy levels throughout the day
• Dramatic improvement sleep patterns
• Clear visual evidence of muscle tone and strength

What’s more, friends and family who have not seen her for a long time, don’t even recognize her and claim she looks 20 years younger (You can see her change in the above before and after pictures)!

In the 8 years I have been training individuals and groups, I’ve not seen a client progress to this level in such a short amount of time. This is also the first situation where a client was able to document the elimination of prescription medications, taken to treat the systems of a disease, through proper nutrition and exercise.

A large part of attaining sustainable results is that the client must enjoy the type of exercise they are performing. If Gina was not enjoying what she was doing, she wouldn’t stick to it. The lack of consistency would eventually lead to a lack of results, which would ultimately demotivate her. Because Gina has a blast during training, always has a positive attitude, is never afraid of anything and always tries her best, Gina has stuck to it for almost a year.

Today, Gina is training with me to run her first 1/2 marathon and has recently completed an 11 mile run averaging 9.5 minute miles. The half marathon is coming up and I can’t wait to cross the finish line with a woman, who a year ago, could barely run a lap around a small gymnasium. I know Gina will finish her first 1/2 marathon and I have no doubt that soon thereafter, she will begin training for a full marathon.

Gina’s story shows that achieving fitness success comes down to being ready to make a lifestyle change. Whether it’s lining up your workout clothes for the week or planning what you are going to eat on the road, lifestyle change requires a strong commitment within all aspects of life. Further, it is important to have the support of friends, family and professionals while going through the transformation. Without a support system in place, it becomes difficult to achieve sustainable results.

The point of this article is twofold: 1) functional training gets sustainable results quickly if approached with proper professional supervision and a solid nutrition plan; and 2) if you are not satisfied with your health, you too can overcome any obstacles in your way. With all the challenges Gina faced: debilitating Lupus, working a 50+ hour work week in a high level management position, traveling frequently, taking care of her husband and children; she still found a way to manage her time and prioritize to reach her goals.

In Part 3 of this series, Gina will share in her own words how this transformation impacted her and how she felt throughout the process.

Yesterday, my friend Lindsay and I discussed her new found love of Kettlebell classes. Her love for these classes are rooted in the mere fact that they ‘kick her butt.’  Kettlebells are traditional Russian cast iron weights that look like cannonballs with handles and they are used for total body conditioning workouts. The ‘bells’ vary in size and weight, accommodating students with various levels of fitness.

Lindsay has been taking these classes for only about a month and has just decided to invest in a second package of classes. Apparently, she deliberated a bit over this decision, as each class costs, on average,  $18.00. She admitted that her decision to fork over the mullah required her to reevaluate her expendable cash, and as a result, she gave up cable television. Seems like a fair trade, right? I guess it depends. In Lindsay’s case, she really doesn’t watch much television, so it really didn’t phase her. However, if she was a TV hound, it probably would have been a heavy hit to the heart.

Similarly, when my husband and I were considering purchasing our condo a few years ago, we factored the cost of exercise into our decision. The building had a gym, which was fully included in our maintenance fee. Further, the gym was relatively robust, offering a decent amount and variety of cardio equipment, free weights and nautilus, not to mention, a lap pool. We felt the maintenance fee was a bit on the hefty side, but we rationalized that we were technically saving about $100 to $200 a month because we didn’t have to pay for two gym memberships.

Okay, great. So in essence, we didn’t really have to sacrifice. Or did we? Here-in lies the wrinkle: Our gym doesn’t offer anything other than equipment. It is completely a “Do it Yourself” type of facility, with no services or classes.  So, if either of us want to partake in classes, it is an added expense to our budget.

To be honest, for the better part of three years, this didn’t really bother me. In the last six months, however, I’ve started to feel the pain. For the New Year, I have resolved to start incorporating serious flexibility training, such as Yoga or Pilates, into my exercise regimen.  And now, I am faced with the dilemma of paying potentially $100 – $200 a month to do so (I’ve done the videos and haven’t felt that they have been very beneficial). So much for my $100 – $200 dollars in savings!

So, is it worth it? Do I spend the $100 – $200 a month on classes? Do I cough up the bucks, or what? On one hand, it is really difficult to rationalize this added monthly expense. After all, we have a great gym right at home. On the other hand, I have to say, it is definitely worth the sacrifice. Whether or not this seems to make sense to you, my husband and I have come to realize that the convenience of the gym in our building, in actuality, is worth WAY more than just a gym membership. Here’s why: convenience:

1. The gym is NEVER closed
2. The gym is NEVER ‘out of the way’
3. We NEVER have to drive or spend money on gas to get to the gym
4. We NEVER have to lug gym clothes to and from work
5. We NEVER have to shower in nasty gym showers
6. We NEVER have an excuse as to why we CAN’T exercise

To me, these qualities are priceless. Having the ability to conveniently exercise regularly is like having a health insurance policy: The more we exercise, the more likely we will be healthy.  The more healthy we are, the less likely we will have to spend a lot on medicine or medical bills (knock on wood).  Therein saving more money in the end.

All of this made me wonder: How do we evaluate what is an appropriate amount of money to spend on fitness? What sacrifices are we willing to make, especially in these times of financial hardship? If a choice needs to be made, some individuals may forego traditional gym memberships in lieu of packages at studios that offer high-quality, specialized fitness classes and programs. On the other hand, individuals may choose to take mediocre yoga and/or pilates classes because they value the variety that a full gym has to offer. Lastly, there are people like Lindsay who will give up a ‘nice to have something’ so that they can pay for the fitness classes they love. In the end, it seems most of us sacrifice something to stay fit.

So, my question to you is, what are you willing to give up for fitness? Further, what do you find most important in evaluating the worth of your purchasing decision around memberships, classes, etc.?

Related Topics:

• How Do You Measure Your Health?
• Healthy Food on a Tight Budget: Most Economical Protein
• Do You Exercise to Look Good or Feel Good?
• Sheer Balance Fitness Guide

Bootcamp involves what we call functional training techniques that trainers and coaches use with athletes; and the military uses in basic training. This type of training simulates motions people perform every day, such as bending, reaching, lunging, pushing, pulling, running, and jumping. However, the training adds resistance and challenges to these motions. The class is nonstop and incorporates exercises such as squat thrusts, jumping rope, plyometric (jumping) training, agility training, pushups and wind sprints, just to name a few. In the class we utilize a lot of different types of athletic equipment. The class is not for everyone and at times past injuries and medical histories can limit individual’s abilities in class or from participating at all.

There are a lot of benefits to functional training. In general, the results of functional training can supersede those of general exercise. To better understand the benefits, we’ve outlined them in detail below:

• Killing a Few Muscles with One Exercise: Movements done during functional training simulate activities of daily living and have a carryover effect in movement function. Many exercise experts state that isolation exercises involving nautilus equipment like an adductor machine or a glute-blaster focus strictly in one plane of motion and on one muscle group and is far less beneficial than an exercise like wrapping an exercise band around your ankles, stretching it out and squatting while pressing a medicine ball overhead at the same time. The second type of exercises target the same muscles groups as the two machines but is far more beneficial because it simulates motions we use daily.
• Greater Calorie Burn: Functional training works effectively because the calorie burn is greater due to the fact that multiple muscle groups are being challenged all at once.
• Diversity in Exercise Types: Functional exercises can be easily varied by changing the type of resistance used, position and /or the type of surface on which you do the exercise. For example, there are many different types of resistance one can utilize while performing an exercise such as a bicep curl. A person could do curls with dumbbells, a resistance band, a barbell or a kettlebell. They could also do the same exercise in a number of different positions such as standing, kneeling or sitting. And instead of just standing on the floor or sitting on a bench, one can stand on balance disks or sit on an exercise ball. This technique constantly keeps the body guessing.
• Variation Keeps your Muscles on their Toes: Variation of exercise is very important to an exercise routine. Muscles have ‘muscle memory’. If one performs the same exercise all the time, the activity becomes easier over time because the body has adapted and developed improved neuromuscular pathways. The exercise becomes mastered by the body when your balance, coordination and strength improves, and as a result, the exercise becomes less of a stress to the body and muscle transformation will cease. Adding in new exercises causes the body to make continual changes. This same philosophy also applies to cardiovascular exercise. Someone that is a long distance runner may not display great endurance when biking or swimming. It is just as important to cross train with cardiovascular exercise as it is important with weight training.

Obviously, functional training has its benefits. It is important, however, to understand that safety is imperative. Clients that do functional training are urged to listen closely to their body and make sure to take rests when needed. These techniques are used by athletes and it is important to get proper supervision and instruction to ensure you are performing the exercises safely and with proper form. Injury from exercise can be a major set back and cause one to not achieve results.

Lastly, individuals training like athletes must eat like athletes. It is important to nourish yourself so that your body can adequately stand up to the task. Make sure that if you undergo a training program such as the one outlined above that you eat 5 small meals a day, with each consisting of lean proteins, healthy fats and good carbohydrate sources. And always make sure to hydrate yourself properly every day.

Whether you are new to exercise or have been exercising for awhile, there are great benefits to having a Workout ‘Buddy’ (WB).   A WB can be someone who works out with you, side by side, or someone who just gets you to physically go with them to classes or the gym.  A buddy can often help you stay motivated, challenge you and make exercising fun.  That said, there are certain qualities to a WB that are crucial to making the ‘buddyship’ work.  If those qualities aren’t there, the buddy system might fail.  Further, if YOU are considering being a WB to someone else, you too should possess some of the qualities below:

1. Commitment: A lot of people have good intentions about exercise and about ‘Buddying Up’.  At the same time, a lot of people, can be a lot of talk with very little action.  As a result, you want to make sure that you choose a WB who is committed to your buddyship.  If an individual tends to give a lot of lip service, stay clear.
2. Likes a Challenge: The worst thing you can do, is buddy up with someone who really likes the status quo.  If a potential WB isn’t interested in challenging themselves, there is a good chance they aren’t going to challenge you either.  You want someone who is not afraid to raise their heart rate or to push one more rep during a weight set .
3. Likes to Try New Things: A little creativity goes a long way.  If your WB doesn’t like to try new things, they might drag you to the same class every day of every week.  Finding new activities to enjoy with one another is a great way to keep your workouts interesting and fun.    Further, keeping your workouts fresh and diverse helps you to continually see results.
4. Dependable: If your WB flakes out a lot and can’t keep his or her schedule well managed, you might find yourself going to the gym alone more than you’d like.  Further, you don’t want someone who loves to make excuses for why they can’t get in a workout.  Make sure your WB is as dependable as the earth’s rotation.
5. Shares Responsibility: If your WB relies on you 80% of the time while you rely on them only 20% of the time, you are going to be carrying the ball in this buddyship.  Make sure you find a WB who takes responsibility and takes their buddy responsibilities seriously.
6. Is Selfless: A buddyship is NOT all about your WB.  It is about both of you.  It is about BOTH of your goals, BOTH of your challenges and BOTH of your workouts.  Find a WB who cares just as much about your success as they do their own.
7. Works Hard: Like any good relationship, the buddyship takes work.  Both parties need to be invested in working hard together.  Further, you want someone who is more interested in getting something out of the workout than about the latest gossip in US Weekly.
8. Is Detail Oriented: If you are interested in strength training, having a WB who cares about the details is important.  Being detailed and meticulous about your form is important to ensure you stay injury free and maximize your exercises.

These are just some good basic qualities to look for in a WB. Do you have a Workout Buddy?  What qualities do you look for in yours?

Related Topics:

• Top 10: Bad Gym Etiquette
• Top 5 Excuses for Not Exercising
• Why your Workout Needs Change
• Form Follows Function: A Tale of 3 Gym Goers
• Calories Burned During Exercise

by Brett Blumenthal

Your health is about many different things.  It is about physical health, mental health and even your environment.  When it comes to assessing your physical health, specifically, there seems to be so many tests and numbers and equations that you can use, that it can be daunting.  How do you know what measure is the most accurate?  In reality, it depends on multiple factors, and as a result, using multiple measures is a great way of getting an overall assessment of your health.  Each one has its own merits, and each has its own drawbacks. 

• Body Mass Index (BMI):  Body Mass Index is a statistical measure of the weight of a person against their height.  It gives you a loose sense of whether or not you are in a healthy weight range.  Drawbacks: It does not factor in a person’s frame size or what a person’s weight is made up of (Fat or Muscle).  If you are muscular, you will weigh more than a person who is your same size, but has more fat.
• Lean Body Mass (LBM) / Body Fat %: Unlike BMI, your Lean Body Mass and Body Fat percentage tells you how many pounds of your body are made up of lean tissue and how many pounds are made up of fat.  This is a better assessment than BMI because it tells you the quality of your weight…not the quantity.
• Weight: Purely a number, your weight provides you with a very quick and accessible way of understanding where you stand.  It helps you be in tune with your body’s fluctuations and to see if you are gaining weight or losing weight unexpectedly.  Drawbacks:  It doesn’t factor in your height, muscle, frame, or anything else that has an impact on your weight. 
• Waist-to-Height Ratio: The Waist-to-Height ratio is determined by dividing your waist circumference by your height. Waist-to-Height ratios of 0.5 or greater are indicative of intra-abdominal fat for both men and women and are associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease.
• How your Clothes Fit: If you have always been a certain size and suddenly you notice your clothes are fitting differently, it might indicate a change in your health, weight and even your lean body mass.  Drawbacks: Size is arbitrary and doesn’t factor in your insides.  Further, if you gain unhealthy weight and buy clothes to fit you as a bigger size, you may not have an accurate reference point.
• How you Feel: Are you active?  Can you run or walk at a fast pace for an extended period of time?  Do you feel strong?  All of these are great indicators of your health.  If you feel good about yourself and if you feel fit or healthy, you most likely are.  If you aren’t feeling well, but all of the ’stats’ mentioned above are good, it might be a sign of something that is wrong medically.  Drawbacks: Dilusion about one’s health can cause an individual to claim that they feel well, even when they aren’t healthy.  As a result, this measure is good for those people who are very in tune with their bodies and can detect subtle changes.
• How you Look: Do you look fit?  Do you look healthy?  Do you have healthy proportions to your body?  If you think you look good, you probably are healthy.  If you don’t, it may be a reflection of a lack of health.  Drawbacks: It is very subjective.  If you are overly critical or have low self esteem, this may very well effect how you think you look.  That said, if you are mentally healthy and are realistic, this could be a viable measure.
• Resting Heart Rate (RHR): In most cases, the lower your heart rate, the more healthy and strong your heart is.  If you have a RHR that is lower than 70 beats per minute, you probably are athletic and